A Walk to Greater Worlds: Aeriel Trilogy #3

Chapter 83

Unnati Jha took a sip from her fine porcelain teacup, her gaze fixed on the cityscape sprawling beneath Raizada's top-floor office. "I can and should suspend you for this."

Ruban said nothing, standing half a step behind her at the gigantic floor-to-ceiling window. The moonless night was punctuated by bursts of what appeared to be brilliant fireworks, erupting randomly across the city.

Behind him, Raizada cleared his throat. Without turning around, Ruban could picture him running a nervous hand through his short, graying hair. "You need to take this seriously, Ruban." Raizada's tone was uncharacteristically grim. "There's pressure from the defence ministry, but it's not just that. The prime minister isn't happy with you. And we don't yet know what the reaction is going to be, from Vaan. A week from now, the decision may well be out of our hands."

"Suspend me, then." Ruban spoke calmly. "Less than seventy-two hours after that impromptu press conference at the Department of Defence. I'm sure that won't raise any eyebrows."

Unnati spun, her sharp features and lean frame exuding fierce authority. "WNN's axed Casia Washi's show. They announced it this afternoon." A hint of sarcasm colored her voice. "Makes you feel accomplished, I suppose. Knowing you've burnt everything in your vicinity to a crisp, all for that pet Aeriel of yours."

Ruban's jaw clenched involuntarily. "I think we both know Casia Washi will not want for employment." The outrage over the cancellation practically guaranteed her a prime spot on another major network, before long. After all, any potential employer would want to make the most of her heightened visibility, and the public support she currently enjoyed.

Unnati scoffed, a sharp, disbelieving sound. "Casia Washi's employment status couldn't be lower on my list of concerns. The point is that you've ignited a media storm, Ruban. And don't you dare tell me it wasn't intentional. You want me to believe your impassioned speech at the Department of Defence was spontaneous?" She demanded. "You may have fooled those amateur reporters who were tailing you. But you didn't fool me. I daresay you didn't fool Washi either, much as she might enjoy pretending otherwise.

"Now every armchair expert with internet access thinks they can unravel the complexities of the Qawirsin's connection to Ragah's feather refineries. Anyone with a political or tech blog feels qualified to play digital detective – on a mission to uncover which refineries have been linked to the feather mafia and how that might connect to WNN. In the process, they're obstructing and complicating official investigations."

Ruban stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Unnati. Together, they gazed out over the city ablaze with intermittent bursts of dazzling fireworks. "Is that what's upsetting you?" he asked softly. "Or the fact that these 'armchair detectives' are proving to be more effective than the official investigators? And all of them converging on the same conclusion. A conclusion the establishment would rather not acknowledge. That the one name which keeps cropping up in this case – reverberating through the interwebs – is Tej Enterprises. Nobody with eyes and ears could deny their connection to the Qawirsin anymore."

"And you think the government is trying to bury that 'connection'?" Unnati's voice was cold.

"The government?" Ruban chuckled. "Which part of it? Which ministry? Which faction? You know as well as I do there's no unified strategy. Every department's furthering its own agenda.

"But on the whole? No, I don't think the government is trying to bury anything. Unless it's burying their own heads in the sand. Because if Tej Enterprises conspired with the feather mafia to capture and torture the prince of Vaan, filming and distributing those sessions for profit? That's a scandal so enormous the government doesn't know how to handle it. And so, they're doing everything in their power to avoid handling it. Which mostly involves sitting on their hands and hoping it all goes away."

"And dissatisfied with this approach, you've decided to take matters into your own hands. Is that it?" Unnati arched an eyebrow. "Going beyond your jurisdiction to search the HAVA headquarters. Goading the public to boycott Tej Enterprises and its subsidiaries. Even exerting pressure on the government to stop working with them." She shook her head. "You think you're a one-man wrecking crew, solving structural problems by tearing down the entire structure?" She shot him a sidelong glance." Ambition is a good thing, Ruban. But yours is getting out of hand. You're exceeding your mandate by quite the margin."

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