John Hunt also felt that Shahim Al Khazar sounded defeated. Something had changed in him since the beginning of the mission. Long ago all of the eight had been privy to the Councils of War that preceded the launch of the Armada against Earth. During those sessions John Hunt had taken the opportunity to carefully study the people who would be his fellow Agents. The man that inhabited the body of Agent Shahim Al Khazar was a noble of the Empire of Hamprect, and a captain of their armadas. During their planning, he had proven to be thoughtful and incisive, and had appeared every inch the proud warrior: honorable, in his way, and fiercely loyal. Maybe the ugliness of his assignment had shaken the man that had been a lord. Interesting, thought John Hunt. He could only hope it would make the other Agent easier to kill once the time came.

Chapter 36: Suppression

Shinobu Matsuoka had been born of a powerful family and his father’s company was already an important international conglomerate when Shinobu started working for the firm out of college. The pretense had been maintained that he was starting at the bottom of the firm and would have to work his way up, but no one had ever been under any misconceptions about his rightful place in the company, least of all Shinobu himself.

After a fast rise through the ranks, Shinobu had eventually become chief operating officer of Matsuoka Industries two years before his father’s planned retirement as CEO and chairman. He had been the heir apparent in more ways than one, winning allies in the company’s senior leadership through the weight of his presumptive claim to its throne coupled with an ambition and intelligence to rival his entrepreneurial father.

The ensuing fifteen years had witnessed the sad passing of the father, but they had also heralded in a surprisingly successful new king. Matsuoka Industries had become one of the top companies in several fields, from computing and chip manufacture to shipping and submarines. But while their diversity of portfolio had helped them weather the vagaries of the world marketplace, it had also stopped them from becoming a true leader in any given field. A commitment to quality and the fierce ambition of their president driving them to be persistently one of the best in all areas, but never the best. Until now.