Personal Log 22: 11th July, 3301
12 Sep 2016Jemine Caesar
The Sphere, Battery Park New York City, Earth, Sol
3pm local time.
Caz was already waiting for me at The Sphere.
"Hello, Jemine. It's good to see you again."
"Hello, Caz. But that's not really your name, is it?"
"No, it isn't. Look, my skimmer is moored nearby. We'll take a ride out to sea, and I'll explain."
Caz guided me through Battery Park to the quayside.
*****
Caz's skimmer, the Camilla, was an impressive craft.
"Isn't she a beauty? 45 metres long, top speed of 125 knots. All mod-cons. You like?"
"She's incredible. Is she yours?"
"Ha ha! Of course! What, do you think I stole her? You can sunbathe later, if you want. I think there's a bikini in the bedroom that'll fit you."
"So you're still entertaining girls, then?"
"Not so much, nowadays. I mainly come out here to go shark fishing. And to think."
"Think about what?"
"Oh, just things."
Caz went silent, staring intently out of the Camilla's forward viewport as she sped across the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.
*****
Caz brought the Camilla to a stop. The New York skyline was just about visible on the horizon.
"I always knew you'd come, Jemine. Of all the girls I invited, you're the only one who had the guts to make the trip."
"All the girls? I've met Suzanne and Cassandra. Just how many others are there?"
"Thirty three. Including you. I've kept records of you all on my computer. I call you my harem!"
"And we all gave birth to your children?"
"Yeah. One of them, Fabienne, had twins."
"Caz, those children died because of you."
"No. Not all of them. A cure was developed in 3297. Four are in remission."
"How do you know all this?"
"I have... contacts. People who tell me things. Do things for me. For a price. Everyone has a price."
"Caz, I... I don't understand. Who are you?"
"My real name is John Graham. My father, also John Graham, is the owner of JG Industries. You see, Jem, the simple truth is that I'm a multi-mega-billionaire. I already was when I met you, twelve years ago."
"I never suspected a thing. Ha! Just shows how stupid I am, doesn't it? Why the false names?"
"Ah, well. When I was 17 years old I was quite the wild one. My father lost patience with me, told me to go away and do some growing up. So I went out and 'sowed my wild oats', as they say. But out of some sort of loyalty to my father, I used fake identities so nothing could be traced back to him through me. Finally I came back to Earth to settle down, and wait for one of my girls to turn up. Which happened to be you, Jemine."
"The message you sent me, inviting me to meet you at Battery Park... How did you know I had arrived in the system?"
"Contacts, Jem. You remember Federal Investigator Bailey?"
"Oh! The tracker device in my head. Bailey didn't really deactivate it, did he?"
"I told you. Everyone has a price."
"So that's how you knew I'd reached Sol."
"Yeah. I'd been following your progress ever since you left Trevithick Dock anyway. Starport docking records are very thorough. But the tracker made things a lot easier. You did me a favour when you got arrested for fraud."
"That wouldn't have been on Starport docking records."
"Oh, your name made the Galnet news, Jem! My scan service picked it up. I have to say, though, you took longer to get here than I expected."
"Well, I'm here now. So what happens next?"
"The reason why I brought you here, of course. I went to Tiffany's this morning, Jem."
Caz - that is, John - produced a small box, opened it, and took out a diamond ring.
*****
John took my left hand, got down on one knee, and offered the ring up to me.
"Jemine Caesar, will you marry me?"
"I... I... No!"
"What? What did you say?"
"I can't marry you, John. You murdered my child."
"I know. This is my way of saying I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? What about all those other girls? What if one of them turns up tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that? Will you propose to them, too? Will you marry us all to say how sorry you are?"
"None of the others will come, Jem. They all sold their Sidewinders and settled down. You're the only one."
"I'm the lucky girl, is that what you're saying? That I should be grateful to you for plucking me out of my miserable existence?"
"You make it sound like a bad thing-- "
"It should never have happened in the first place!"
"I couldn't help it, Jemine. When I was 17 I was diagnosed with a condition called Lothario Syndrome. It-- "
"I know all about your sickness, John! How it affects your mind, drives you to have sex. I know that it's now in some sort of dormant stage, but sooner or later it'll start all over again. No decent human being should let that happen. Why didn't you look for treatment, therapy of some kind?"
"I'm not sick-- "
"Oh yes you are! You just told me you were diagnosed at 17. That means you always knew what would happen to all the girls you used. You always knew the children we bore would die horribly. Yet you went ahead and did it anyway! You chose to become a murderer!"
"None of that matters now! Look, why don't you go fix us a drink? Then we can talk properly."
John walked away from me to the rear of the skimmer, sat down and looked out across the sea. I went into the galley.
*****
John was still sitting there when I returned, his back toward me. I was now wearing a yellow bikini I had discovered in the cabin. John must have heard me approach, because he called out to me.
"Jemine! Did you find what you needed?"
"Yes, I did. John ... do you love me?"
"Love? What's love got to do with it?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
I stood behind him, my fingers tightly gripping the handle of the shark knife I had found in the galley. I stroked his hair, then rested my hand on his brow and gently tilted his head back. When he finally opened his eyes to look at me, it was already too late.
"This is for Bekka," I said, and slit his throat. Then I bent forward over his twitching body.
"And this is for me," I sobbed, and plunged the knife deep into his crotch.
*****
It didn't take long for John to die. I searched for something heavy, and found a spare engine component in the skimmer's storeroom. The bikini had become stained with blood, so I took it off and knotted it to the engine component. Then, after dragging John's body across the deck, I tied the component to John's ankles with a length of fishing wire.
How I found the strength I'll never know, but I hauled the body up and over the side of the skimmer, and somehow managed to tip it into the sea. Weighted down by the heavy engine part, the body sank quickly out of sight. Once I had scrubbed the deck of every trace of blood that I could find, I showered myself and put my clothes back on. Then I found the computer, located John's 'Harem' file, and downloaded it to my dataslate.
It was now almost 10pm. Exhausted, I broadcast a mayday call and waited to be picked up.
*****
The New York City Coastal Security skimmer drew up alongside the Camilla, and a moustached officer stepped on board.
"You sent a mayday, Miss...?"
"Caesar. Jemine Caesar."
"I'm Lieutenant O'Connor, NYCCS. This vessel is registered to John Graham. Is he aboard?"
"No. He was. But he's gone now."
"Gone? What do you mean?"
"He asked me to marry him. He gave me this ring. Look, isn't it beautiful?"
"Where is Mr Graham now, miss?"
"He was so happy. He went for a swim."
"A swim? What time was this?"
"About 8pm."
"Almost three hours ago. And you stayed onboard?"
"Yes. I watched him swimming for a while, but then I lost sight of him. I waited for him to come back. I didn't know what else to do."
"Why didn't you send a mayday earlier?"
"I don't know. I suppose I lost track of time. I kept thinking he would reappear any moment."
"Well, Miss Caesar, I think it's likely that Mr Graham has been taken by a shark. I'm sorry."
"What happens now?"
"We'll take you back to New York City, and I'll arrange for Mr Graham's skimmer to be towed in to port. I'll need to ask you to stay in the Sol system for the time being."
"Of course."
"We may need to ask you further questions. Where can I contact you?"
"I'm staying on Gorbachev. I'm not from Earth."
"I see. I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Caesar."
"Thank you, lieutenant."
Lieutenant O'Connor dropped me off at Battery Park. I took the rapid transit to JFK spaceport, boarded the next shuttle to Gorbachev starport, and spent a sleepless night in my room.
Oh, Gaia, what have I done?