Scales of Empire

by Kylie Chan

I felt a small flush of satisfaction. I hadn’t told her everything. I really did have control.

  ‘Marque, contact General Maxwell and tell her the terms,’ Shiumo said. ‘Three women a day for thirty days, then I’m going home. I’ll ask Zianto, or maybe Hanako, to parent the second generation.’

  I recoiled with shock: ninety? ‘That’s exceptionally generous,’ I said.

  ‘It’s how many you’ll need if a colony is attacked by cats and they have to move everybody in a hurry,’ she said. ‘If we’re going to do this thing, let’s do it right.’

  I felt a wrench when I saw that Shiumo had maintained my room on the ship exactly as I’d left it. My clothes were still in the wardrobe, and the collection of fantastic scented personal products that Marque had made for me were still in the bathroom.

  The Prime Minister appeared on the screen and I turned up the volume. She was announcing that applications to join the breeding program had been thrown open to any woman who wished to take part. The feed down the side of the screen filled with comments from people speculating how valuable it would be to have a dragon in the family, then the server went down under the rush.

  The door chimed.

  ‘Yes?’ I said.

  Marque spoke to me from the ship’s wall. ‘Jian, Shiumo’s bringing Richard up. She would like you to be present to help us with the transition to full biological. He may be anxious, and a friend will ease the process.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘And please help us convince Richard that we’re not brainwashing either of you,’ Shiumo said to me as I entered the main gallery. ‘Are you ready? I’m bringing him up now. As a show of good faith I’m also bringing the King, General Maxwell and the Prime Minister to give them a tour of the ship.’

  I stood at ease. ‘Ready when you are.’

  Shiumo disappeared.

  ‘She’s using the pod, Jian,’ Marque said. ‘They’re bringing a crew with them.’

  ‘A crew of what?’

  ‘Journalists. Cameras. Guards.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, and went down the corridor to the pod room.

  ‘They’re here,’ Marque said.

  The pod door opened. The King had brought two of his Guards, and with the general, a journalist and a live camera operator, the Prime Minister, and Richard on a gurney with Nurse Chandra at his side, the pod was crowded.

  I saluted them. ‘Welcome aboard Shiumo’s ship.’

  Shiumo popped into existence next to me, and jumped from foot to foot. ‘Yes! Welcome. Let me show you around.’ She hesitated, watching Richard, then turned towards the main gallery. ‘Let me know if the transparent walls make you uncomfortable, and I’ll opaque them.’

  As I guided the visitors to the main area, the camera operator filmed it all, her mouth hanging open. The journalist with her was Waleed Choudry, the same man who’d interviewed Shiumo when she first arrived.

  I fell into step next to Nurse Chandra, who was pushing Richard on the gurney. Richard was awake, and broadcasting extreme fear overlaid with grim courage and determination. He was sure that he was sacrificing his free will for humanity.

  ‘Relax, Richard,’ I said. ‘I’ll be here for you all the way. We’ll send you back down when it’s done. Shiumo’s promised not to keep you here.’ I put my hand on his. ‘I’ll look after you.’

  ‘I said no to this,’ Richard said. ‘I’m only doing this for humanity on the condition that she releases me, returns me to Earth and never speaks to me again.’

  ‘I’ll make sure that happens,’ I said.

  ‘Thanks, Jian,’ he said softly. ‘I’m lying here wondering what it will feel like to be in her thrall again.’

  ‘You say “in her thrall” when it could just be love,’ I said.

  ‘Of course you’d say that – you’re in her thrall as well.’ He shifted his head slightly and winced. ‘I missed this place so much. We had some good times here, didn’t we?’ His emotions filled with desperate longing hope. ‘I just wish I could be sure she’s not controlling me.’

  ‘That’s beside the point, because you’ll be returned to Earth as soon as the procedure is done, whether you like it or not.’

  He nodded, and Nurse Chandra rolled him forward to join the rest of the group, who stood gazing at the Earth.

  ‘Does the ship have a bridge?’ the general said. ‘Is there a central location for your controls and interface?’

  ‘Not as such,’ Shiumo said. ‘Since I’m the engine and navigation, I don’t need anything like that. And Marque controls the internals of the ship.’

  The group stood rapt, watching the Earth as it turned below us.

  Shiumo sidled to Richard, grim and quiet on the gurney, and placed one claw on his remaining arm. She gazed into his eyes. He avoided her gaze for a while, then met it. She raised her claw towards his face, then lowered it. He appeared to be listening to her – she was speaking to him telepathically. He raised his hand as if to brush her face, and she tilted her head and closed her eyes, welcoming it. He withdrew his hand and looked away.

  ‘I’ll make a tour guide,’ Marque said. ‘Give me two minutes.’

  ‘Good idea. You can interact with our visitors more effectively in that form,’ Shiumo said. She turned to the group. ‘While we wait for the guide, do you have any questions?’

  ‘I noticed that Marque is more than one sphere,’ the King said. ‘Does it have a central repository of memory and processing on the ship?’

  ‘Oh, well spotted. You’re the first human to ask me that,’ Marque said from the walls. ‘You should have a child with Shiumo as well, Your Majesty; the resulting dragonscales would be both royal and exceptional. I have a central processing core, a large one – nearly a metre to a side – in the middle of the ship. It’s mostly data backups for when my different spheres synchronise.’

  ‘So you’re a kind of distributed intelligence?’ Waleed, the journalist, said.

  ‘Exactly,’ Marque said.

  A tall well-built young white man with flaming red hair down to his waist walked out from the aft of the ship. He was wearing a short grey tunic that flattered his toned body.

  The King’s mouth widened into a delighted grin as he looked from Shiumo to the young man.

  ‘I didn’t know there were other humans on the ship,’ the general said. ‘What’s your name, sir?’ she asked the man.

  ‘I’m Marque in an android body,’ the man said with Marque’s voice. ‘Your tour guide.’ He bowed to the King with a wry grin. ‘I can make android forms of any species to interact personally with you. What do you think, Your Majesty? Did I do well?’

  The King laughed. ‘Yes, you did.’

  ‘What would you like to see?’ Marque said. ‘Would you like a tour of the solar system?’

  ‘I’d like to see more of the ship first,’ the general said. ‘Any chance of visiting your core?’

  ‘It’s encased in metre-thick ceramic polymer,’ Marque said. ‘So … no.’

  ‘Marque, please show them Jian’s swimming pool, the guest quarters and the hold, while I set Richard up,’ Shiumo said. ‘Then I’ll take you all on a quick tour of the solar system myself, and we can have tea in the rings of Saturn.’

  Marque gestured towards the rear of the ship, and the group followed.

  ‘Nurse Chandra, you too,’ Marque said from a sphere above us. ‘I have Richard; you don’t need to push him any more. Leave him with us.’

  Chandra checked with the general, who nodded, and he joined the group.

  Richard’s emotions ramped up again, and he gripped the sheets with his remaining hand.

  ‘Jian,’ Shiumo said, and showed me how to use my psi skills to mildly sedate him.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘Richard, Shiumo just asked me to sedate you. I won’t. I’ll leave your mind completely clear throughout the procedure.’

  ‘I appreciate it,’ Richard said. He scowled at Shiumo. ‘You should have given me a choice.’

  ‘I knew you would say no,’ she sai
d, and gestured with one claw. ‘This way.’

  She guided us towards the bow of the ship, and stopped. The floor fell away below us. Richard’s fear increased even more. I put my hand on his and he held it.

  Please give me your word that you’ll only do what you told him you would, I said to Shiumo. Don’t mess with his head.

  I won’t, she said, gazing into my eyes with her silver ones. I love him too much to ever hurt him.

  We descended into a bare white room with a table in the centre, similar to an operating theatre. Richard’s panic intensified.

  ‘Richard, you’re close to meltdown,’ Shiumo said. ‘Please allow me to ease this for you.’

  ‘How painful will the procedure be?’ he said.

  ‘Completely painless. But it will be very disturbing if you’re in the wrong frame of mind – which you are now. Please, for your own sake, let us sedate you.’

  ‘No,’ Richard said.

  ‘Richard –’

  ‘No!’ he said. ‘Just do it and let me go.’

  She sighed with feeling. ‘It would absolutely be for the best if you closed your eye.’

  He lay there stubbornly watching us.

  ‘You’re as bad as Marque,’ she said. ‘Ready, Marque.’

  Richard floated off the gurney and onto the operating table. His fear turned to determination. He was ready to give his life.

  I shook my head with admiration at his courage.

  ‘I know, Jian,’ Shiumo said. She spoke to Richard. ‘Permission to remove your clothing, sir.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘I’ll –’

  ‘Don’t leave, Jian. There’s nothing to see,’ Richard said. ‘Granted.’

  Shining white arms descended from the ceiling and sliced his clothes from him with blades that were obviously extremely sharp. They morphed into claws that removed the fabric, leaving Richard naked and small on the table. His body ended at the top of his thigh on the left side; and the damage was nearly up to his waist on the right, with the right arm and shoulder gone. His skin bunched together into a mass of scar tissue over the injuries. Two bags containing his waste were locked into openings in his abdomen.

  ‘The face prosthetic next,’ Marque said from the ceiling. ‘I need you to remain completely motionless while I cut it off. My apologies.’

  White slabs projected from the table on either side of Richard’s head, and his eye widened. He trembled as the vice held his head in place, and the prosthetic detached itself from his face and lifted away. A dome of darkness appeared over Richard’s face, and flashes of light shone through it. There was the faint smell of burned flesh, and the dome disappeared. The vice holding Richard’s head retreated. The hole in his jaw was visible again, and the top of his head was a mass of scar tissue.

  Richard was shuddering, his hands shaking.

  ‘He’s going into shock, Marque,’ Shiumo said. ‘Richard –’

  ‘No!’ Richard said through chattering teeth. ‘Jian …’ He raised his left hand and clutched at mine. ‘Just finish it.’

  ‘Jian, you know what happens next,’ Shiumo said. ‘Tell him to close his eye.’

  ‘Do as she says, Richard,’ I said. ‘Can I keep hold of his hand?’

  ‘No,’ Marque said from above us. ‘Richard, close your eye.’

  ‘You don’t want to see this,’ I said. ‘I went through it when they fixed my shoulder, and it’s just like a warm bath with your eyes closed. Don’t hurt yourself more than you need to.’

  Richard gritted his teeth and released my hand. He stared stubbornly at the ceiling.

  The bed changed to shiny white liquid, thick and cloying, and his eye went wide. Marque lowered a mask over Richard’s face as he sank into the liquid. Richard took a huge deep breath and screamed into the mask as he was swallowed by the table, disappearing into the liquid.

  ‘That is much more disturbing to watch than to experience,’ I said, my throat full of pain for Richard.

  ‘If you close your eyes it’s not disturbing at all,’ Shiumo said. She hoisted herself onto her hind legs and leaned on the table. ‘He’s completely lost control in there. He’s panicking.’

  ‘I have him,’ Marque said. ‘He’s restrained. He can’t move.’

  ‘That will make it worse,’ I said. ‘The poor man will have nightmares.’

  ‘He already has nightmares,’ Shiumo said softly.

  Ten long minutes passed. I couldn’t sense Richard’s emotions; the table interfered with my empathy.

  ‘Is he all right?’ I said.

  ‘He is,’ Marque said. ‘Give me three more minutes. The nerve endings are extremely fiddly, and there’s a great deal of scarring on his brain and spinal cord.’

  ‘Take your time and do this right, my friend,’ Shiumo said.

  ‘I’ve run out of things to show the guests. I’m giving them a tour of the art,’ Marque said. ‘They’re asking how much longer the procedure will take.’

  We waited a few more agonising minutes, both Shiumo and me radiating tension.

  ‘I’m bringing him up,’ Marque said. ‘I think he passed out. He’s stopped fighting me.’

  Richard emerged from the liquid, the mask still over his face, but he was healed and whole. His eyes were wide and he was breathing frantically into the mask. I received his emotions full-on and he was terrified.

  His new body parts were a slightly lighter colour than the rest of him, and the completely hairless skin had a finer texture with smaller pores – like a baby’s. Otherwise, it was indistinguishable, with no visible seam where it joined. He was in full health, and his skin glowed with wellbeing.

  ‘I’m letting him go slowly. If he thrashes I’ll restrain him again,’ Marque said.

  Richard, relax, it’s over, I said.

  Breathe, my love, breathe, Shiumo said. You are not drowning, and you are whole.

  Richard panted into the mask, wheezing as he sucked at the air.

  ‘Richard, you’re hyperventilating,’ Marque said. ‘I’m feeding you more carbon dioxide. The procedure is over. Relax so I can take the mask off.’

  Richard’s eyes unfocused and his breathing slowed. His eyes rolled up and he lost consciousness.

  ‘Well, about time,’ Marque said. It removed the mask.

  ‘Is he all right?’ Shiumo said, leaning on the table. ‘Marque, he’s unconscious! Is he –’

  ‘He’s fine. He just fainted. Give him a moment to come around,’ Marque said. ‘All vitals are normal except for the flight-fight-shock thing. I haven’t touched that. I’ve left him to –’

  Richard shot upright with a loud gasp. He looked at us, then down at his hands. He rubbed them together, then moved them over his thighs. He wiggled his toes, and felt his face, and moved his jaw.

  He held out his right arm and studied it. ‘This is the first time …’ He stroked his forearm with his left hand. ‘The first …’ His voice became hoarse and he choked. ‘The first time this arm hasn’t hurt me in …’ He broke down weeping. ‘Years. For years that arm has been hurting so damn much …’

  He turned so his legs were over the edge of the table, put his hands on either side of Shiumo’s face and gazed fiercely into her eyes. ‘That arm has caused me phantom limb pain for years, and the drugs didn’t help. I’m free of pain for the first time in …’ He choked again, and lowered his head. ‘So many years. Thank you.’

  Shiumo changed to her two-legged form, and sat next to him on the table. She put her hands on his face, and touched her forehead to his. ‘I love you, and I will do anything for you, beloved.’

  ‘Thank you,’ he moaned through the tears. ‘Oh god, thank you.’

  Shiumo covered his face with kisses, and I felt a twang of jealousy at seeing the dark-skinned man of my dreams with Richard. Their mouths met and they melted into each other. The room filled with so much yearning love that I bent under its impact. My eyes filled with tears at their desperate need.

  They pulled back, and Shiumo smiled as he ran his hand down R
ichard’s face. ‘I am glad I could do this for you. Now go.’

  Richard looked into Shiumo’s eyes, then touched his forehead to Shiumo’s. The illusion became apparent as his face disappeared into Shiumo’s nose. I wondered what Shiumo looked like under the glamour.

  Richard ran his hand down the side of Shiumo’s head, through the hair, then picked up an invisible lock and twined it through his fingers.

  ‘Leave me now,’ Shiumo said. ‘Go back to your people. I won’t keep you here.’

  ‘Give me some time,’ Richard said. ‘I need to be sure this is what I want.’ He gazed into Shiumo’s eyes. ‘Will you wait for me?’

  ‘For all eternity,’ Shiumo said. He put his hand on Richard’s face and smiled. ‘I will always be here for you. Keep my scale with you. Call me any time and I will come, my love.’

  They kissed again, then Shiumo hopped down off the table and changed back to her four-legged form.

  ‘Take us up to the others, Marque,’ she said.

  ‘Not until Commander Alto’s dressed,’ Marque said. A uniform emerged from the table. ‘There you go, Richard. Pop that on, and you can show off your dashing new body.’

  I turned away to respect Richard’s privacy as he reached for the clothes and pulled them on.

  ‘Oh. One more thing,’ Marque said. ‘Don’t panic if the genitalia don’t work as required for a few weeks. It will take some time to … prime the pump, so to speak. Expect to be impotent for at least three weeks. If it lasts longer than four, let me know and I’ll have another look.’

  Richard nodded. ‘I’d prefer to be undersexed right now. It will take me some time to grow accustomed to having a full body again.’ He walked up and down. ‘Damn. It’s like I never lost them.’ He opened and closed his mouth. ‘I can eat real food!’

  ‘You make me so happy, Richard,’ Shiumo said.

  He gazed at her for a long time, and the room filled with their love.

  ‘I do love you,’ he said.

  ‘My hearts are yours,’ she said. ‘Once the human mothers of my children have been chosen, you have thirty days before I leave for my homeworld. Take some time to think about us, and be absolutely sure what you really want.’

  He nodded.

  ‘I’ll return for you seven days after I’ve finished with the mothers,’ she said. ‘If you want me then, I will bring you up to my ship and we will travel the galaxies together. If you don’t, I’ll never contact you again. The choice is completely yours, my love.’