Lords of Kobol - Prelude: Of Gods and Titans

by Edward T. Yeatts III

member and said, "You see that shit out there?"

  "That's nothing," the woman said. "Knowing Caesar, he's looking for … a fountain of youth."

  "We've got medicine, too," another said, "but nothing like that."

  "Not exactly," Karin said. "He didn't say it in his address, but I have reason to believe that he's looking for a way to … transfer his mind into a new body."

  Half of the board members laughed.

  "I'm not joking." Her steely expression calmed their chuckles and flattened their smiles. "This is Dr. Ryall Donovan." She held up a picture and continued, "He studied in Tylos before disappearing about five years ago. He turned up in Tiberia three years ago."

  "What is he a doctor of?"

  She put the picture down and pulled more paper from her briefcase. "Neurology. I found his doctoral work in Tylos. It's all about engrammatic replication."

  The board was still. One man asked, "What?"

  Karin finally looked up from her papers and said, "Memory replication. He studied how to copy minds."

  "And he's working in Tiberia now."

  "Yes." Baraz sat in the chair and put her case on the floor. "His work focused solely on duplicating minds into computers, though. Not into another brain."

  Again, the board was quiet.

  "I'll ask again," a member said, quietly. "What is your plan?"

  "It is four fold. Please, hear me out on all points." She picked up four separate stacks of papers and laid them on the table top one at a time as she spoke, "One, we move our headquarters from Attica to Doria. Two, we expand our facilities here. Three, we pursue a genetic and organic answer to the Caesar's project. And four, we offer that answer to the world." She placed the last stack on top and straightened its corners.

  They were all stunned. The chairman of the board shook his head and finally spoke, "One at a time. Moving the headquarters …"

  "Yes."

  "Why?"

  She reached under the papers and removed the first stack. She took off the binder and handed it to her right. Each person took a copy of the motion and kept passing it while she spoke, "The tax rates are higher in Doria, yes. But the laws here are much more lax when it comes to scientific and medical research. We couldn't engage in parts three and four if the corporation was based in Helicon. If we move the headquarters, all of BBM's activities here are beyond Attican law."

  "Right. Two, expanding these facilities."

  Baraz took that stack and passed it out, as well. "We already own twenty hectares around this facility. Nearly all of it is currently undeveloped. With seventy million stater from the general fund, we can erect the corporate facilities to replace those in Attica, plus new laboratories and so on. Another twenty million to furnish the researchers, equipment …"

  "What about the old headquarters in Helicon?" a woman asked.

  "We can sell them. Ten million stater, estimated."

  The chairman pointed to her papers. "Go ahead and pass them all out. Number three."

  She handed the stacks over and said, "Obviously, our expertise is in organics. Tissue regeneration, genetics, medicine. That is where we should focus. We have excelled at the cloning of tissues and organs. You saw it in the lab. BBM is the only producer of custom organ replacements."

  "But not entire people replacements."

  "No," Baraz said. "Not yet."

  "Whoa," someone said.

  "Wait," the chairman said. "Are you talking about cloning the Caesar?"

  Karin lifted a single eyebrow, "No. Not really. The same processes used in cloning would be needed to create a suitable body for a mind transfer. A suitable body for our needs isn't necessarily the same body they inhabited before."

  "Why not clone the Caesar, Thad?" a woman asked.

  "And give that bastard immortality? No, thank you."

  Baraz nodded slightly. She had to agree. It was a possibility, though, that the Caesar would demand it if this all worked out. "It makes the most sense to clone our client. Not just for their sake, but ours. But there's no reason we can't limit them to just one … extra life."

  The chairman muttered, "And no reason why they can't just keep doing it."

  "I contacted the medical consulate in Tiberia for more information." She held up a thick packet of information. "There are … hundreds of requirements and restrictions. The end result, though, assuming success, is two billion denars."

  "What?"

  The chairman looked down and thought. "That's nearly three billion stater." Baraz nodded. He waved her on.

  "Number four," Karin said. "Despite the restrictions in the program, there's nothing saying we can't offer this to others."

  Several around the table straightened up and the one named Thad inhaled deeply. "That would be expensive."

  Baraz said, "Yes. Luckily for us, there are many, many wealthy people in the world." There were nods of approval. Karin glanced around and tried to keep herself from smiling.

  BBM had ten board members altogether. She invited the eight most likely to be swayed to her side. Only six needed to agree.

  Her victory was assured.

  VII

  CAESAR

  161 Years Before the End

  He heard them arguing in the corridor at the far end of the wing. His tribune, commander of the Praetorians, Cato Yale, and the high legate of the Tiberian military, Senator Toma Marcus.

  "I don't understand the precautions, tribune. That is all I'm saying."

  "I know, high legate," Yale said. "These are the emperor's commands. You alone. And you will not directly discuss this meeting with anyone. Not even your subordinates."

  "Really, tribune." Marcus began to march toward the Caesar's chamber. "I haven't been a senator for thirty years and a high legate for ten by being a brook that babbles upon every ear I see. Why would I start now?"

  Yale hesitated and began to walk with Marcus. "Please remember that, high legate."

  Caesar turned off his sensors for a moment to compose himself. He shut down various inputs and disengaged from the Matrix. He needed to focus.

  There was a knock at the door.

  "Come," he said.

  Two Praetorian Guards entered two paces, saluted and moved to either side of the doors. Cato Yale entered next. Wearing light gray Gemnar armor with the Guard's typical golden collar and white straps across the shoulders, he saluted and then turned ninety degrees to await the entrance of Toma Marcus. The senator stepped in two paces and saluted with his fist over his chest. Only then did he look around.

  "Welcome, Toma," Caesar said.

  Marcus' brow furrowed and he didn't move his head. His eyes darted about, trying to find where the leader was. "Imperator …"

  "Come in. Don't fear."

  He lowered his arm and slowly moved ahead. One step. Then another. His eyes leapt from the marble columns to the ornate wooden chairs. He looked at the velvet drapes for a time before Caesar spoke again.

  "Guards, you may go." The men complied and departed. Yale turned to face the Caesar but he watched the high legate with some amusement.

  Marcus took another step toward the large cube. Still, his eyes did not study it. He continued to scan the chairs and other hiding places. "My lord, I am, uh …"

  "At a loss, obviously." When Caesar spoke, indicator lights flashed on the surface of the box and only this time did it draw the man's attention. "I am here. Within this plastic and metal shell."

  Marcus stopped and looked at either end. Given its size, a man might fit inside. "And what is this shell, imperator?"

  "My new body." The senator's head pulled back and his eyes widened. "The first stage of my life extension."

  Toma nodded briefly and asked, "How goes that program, lord?"

  "Slowly, but that is to be expected." Given the man's stance, Caesar could tell many more questions would be forthcoming if he didn't interrupt now. "Let us draw on the target, high legate.
"

  "Yes, dominus."

  Caesar waited for the report. He scanned the uniform, noting the dark red tunic, brown dress pants with leather boots, dark leather baldric across his chest but missing its weapon. His golden belt buckle and epaulets denoted his high rank. Marcus still seemed to be entranced by the blinking lights. "Well, senator?"

  "Of course, lord." He reached to the rear of his belt and removed a small electronic slate. "Just before sunrise, local time, on the island of Gela, shoulder-mounted rockets were used to attack our naval base at the port of Ofun."

  "Three ships were damaged. Thirty-two injured. Six killed."

  Marcus seemed surprised. "Yes, imperator." He looked back at his slate and continued, "They were launched from small fishing boats registered to the nearby island of Dogura. For the last four years, the people …"

  "I am aware of the regional strife, high legate," Caesar interrupted. Toma folded his arms behind his back. "I am also aware that the materials have been traced back to Alabor." The Caesar thought. It took only a second, but it felt longer to him. "When last I checked, dating of those materials was incomplete. There is no way to know, at present, if Alabor sold those weapons to Dogura twenty years ago or yesterday."

  "Correct, lord."

  "We must find that out," Caesar said. "It will dictate our actions toward Alabor." Marcus nodded. "As for Dogura, prepare two legions and report to Ofun."

  The legate blinked. "Imperator?"

  "Our vessels have been attacked in a terrorist strike. We will rely on our intelligence consul to suss out the extent to which Dogura's government was aware of it. If it was an isolated plot, we will surgically remove those elements. If we find that there was collusion with