Usurper

by Richard F. Weyand

  “The palace is nice, even if it is really overcrowded right now. They say the new building will be the same. I mean nice, not overcrowded. And lunch is free.”

  “Lunch is free?”

  “Yes,” Medved said. “Actually, for the research types there’s free food available all day.”

  “Well, that is something.”

  “Yes, but I also have to dress in what I would normally call interview clothes every single day. People dress up there.”

  “That will be expensive. We will have to see what the offer is.”

  “I suppose. I just don’t know.”

  Two days later, when Medved came home, Gupta was concerned.

  “What is the matter? You look worried.”

  “The offer came in.”

  “What is it for?”

  “Senior Research Analyst. My missing promotion, plus two more. At almost twice what I’m making now, and a fifty thousand credit sign-on bonus.”

  “Wow. They really want you.”

  “So it would seem. Damn. I have to decide now, don’t I?”

  “Yes. I am not going to tell you what to do. It is your decision.”

  “But you think I should take it.”

  “For me, I would decide to take it. That is not the question, however. For you, you must decide whether to take it.”

  “Thanks, honey. I appreciate the freedom to decide independently. I think I should probably take it, though. She really does need my help.”

  Chief Justice

  Imperial Judge Richard Simms hung up his robe in the closet of his chambers and sighed. Up until four years ago, he would have been going home to dinner with Kathy. But she had tired of living on his Imperial salary alone, and couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t accept outside money like other judges did. Their wives didn’t have to skimp on things and learn how to make every credit count. So she had finally left him, to pursue someone with a more mercenary bent.

  Now, rather than hurry home, he normally went out to eat at one of several haunts near his condo. Funny, without Kathy’s spending habits, he had no problem at all making due on his judge’s salary, even eating out every night. It didn’t matter how much money you made if your pocket had a hole in it.

  Tonight, though, was different. He was meeting Bob Finn for dinner. Bob had asked him out to talk about something or other, and he’d said sure. Simms was maybe six years younger than Finn, so they hadn’t gone to school together, but they’d known each other for years. It would be good to see him again.

  Simms was whistling as he left the appellate court building and headed out to meet Finn.

  Simms walked into Michael’s, a chichi restaurant in Imperial Park East, to find Finn waiting for him.

  “Hi, Bob,” Simms said, shaking Finn’s hand.

  “Hi, Dick. I’ve got a private table. This way.”

  Simms raised an eyebrow, but followed Finn to one of the cubicles in the back of the restaurant. The private tables at Michael’s were famous as the place in Imperial City for a private dinner, and they carried a substantial surcharge. It was a maze entrance, in that you walked down a short aisle to the back wall, then turned right or left and came back forward to a single table for two or four that was out of sight and out of earshot of everyone else in the restaurant.

  The waiter took drink and dinner orders and left them.

  “So how are you doing, Bob?”

  “Good, good. And you?”

  “Oh, I’m good. And Fiona?”

  “She’s good.” Finn paused. “I was sorry to hear about Kathy.”

  “Off in search of greener pastures. After twenty years, it just stopped working. It took us five more to finally throw it in. I wish her the best.”

  “Greener pastures?”

  “More money. She was upset I didn’t do any side business, but it won’t make a difference. She has a spending problem, not an income problem.”

  “Ah. Actually, that touches on why I’m here.”

  “FitchRoberts have an appeal coming up?”

  “No, nothing like that. In fact, I recently left FitchRoberts.”

  “Now that I hadn’t heard. I thought you were going to die in the courtroom. They’d mount a plaque on the floor at the exact spot and that would be it.”

  Finn laughed.

  “Yes, well, so did I. But something came up I couldn’t pass up. I took a job in the Imperial Palace, on Her Majesty’s personal staff.”

  “OK, now that sounds interesting. What could they offer Bob Finn to give up the courtroom?”

  “I want to tell you about it, Dick, but everything from here on has to be in the deepest confidence.”

  “I had wondered about the private table. Sure, Bob, I can hold a confidence, and I will.”

  Finn nodded, and at that point the waiter showed up with their dinners. He served them and left, and they continued to talk while they ate.

  “Her Majesty is not happy with the state of her justice system. There are two aspects to that dissatisfaction. One is that the law is too complex, too involved, too Byzantine for normal people to understand. They are mandated to obey a set of rules they do not, and, even with a life of study, could not, understand. The second is that too many judges, prosecutors, and attorneys are corrupt, with the sort of side business that you mentioned. Her Majesty is an attorney, let’s not forget, and a good one.

  “So she hired me to rewrite Imperial law and clean up the corruption in the justice system.”

  Simms whistled.

  “No small goals there.”

  “With this Empress, no.”

  “OK, so two goals. Let’s start with the law.”

  “Her Majesty wants all Imperial law that bears on individuals to be confined to a single volume – in English, as she puts it – and on corporations to another. Maybe a small third volume for professions, like lawyers, doctors, police, and the like. That’s it.”

  “Two volumes? I have a dictionary that big.”

  “And you still don’t know every word in it. And there’s still sector law, provincial law, planetary law, local ordinances. That’s her point. Nobody can obey it all, because nobody can know what it all is, which gives too many opportunities for, shall we say, discretionary enforcement, as harassment if nothing else.”

  “Which brings us to her second point.”

  “Indeed. Corruption in the justice system bothers her worse than corruption anywhere else, because the justice system is the check on corruption everywhere else. When it is corrupt, there is no check.”

  “That’s a tall order, though. You know how bad it is.”

  “Indeed I do. And so does she. But she knows the place to start is at the top. Did you know the Imperial High Court is not the court of last resort?”

  “Of course. In theory, the Empress herself can overrule the High Court, but that hasn’t happened in over a century.”

  “Almost two. Until now.”

  “She’s overruled the High Court?”

  “No, but she’s going to. She has me watching for the case. Something particularly egregious, where we know they’re on the take, and where she can step in and chastise the High Court and impose her own opinion.”

  “Who’s going to write that opinion? You?”

  “Right now, I happen to have eleven job openings for people who are currently Imperial appellate judges, and who have eschewed operating a side business.”

  “She’s going to set up a competing court?”

  “She’s going to set up an advisory court, a Shadow Court if you will, who will review the High Court’s actions and advise her. And who will write her opinions when she steps in to countermand the High Court.”

  “Wow. That’ll cause a ruckus.”

  “Yup. And then she’s going to start enforcing the corruption laws. Gently at first, and then more sternly. But she has to override the High Court on some big case where the fix is in. That comes first.”

  “So I assume our dinner tonight isn’t just to tell m
e about your new job. Where do I come into all this?”

  “I want you on the Shadow Court. As Chief Justice.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes. You are well-known among judges, prosecutors and the trial bar to be incorruptible. If you are Chief Justice, I can attract the ten other honest justices I need.”

  “That’s sort of overwhelming.”

  “I know. But I want you to think about it. And then there’s someone else you need to talk to.”

  “And that would be?”

  “The Empress.”

  Richard Simms was shown into the Empress’s office. He was first struck by how pretty she was, but when she turned her head toward him, those vivid blue eyes took her from pretty to stunningly beautiful.

  When Simms entered, Dee noted he was, in contrast to Finn, thin and wiry, with receding sandy hair. He had an air of seriousness about him, and of depth. She suspected he didn’t miss much.

  “Be seated, Judge Simms.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Mr. Finn assures me that you are the correct person to be Chief Justice of my Shadow Court, Judge Simms. I thought, therefore, that I should give you an opportunity to ask me any questions you might have.”

  “I appreciate that, Ma’am. My biggest question is simple. What is your primary goal?”

  “This is an Empire, Judge Simms. Both the authority of the courts and the anti-corruption laws that regulate them come from the Throne. The practitioners of my justice system abuse the first and ignore the second. It is my goal to reassert the authority of the Throne over the courts and to enforce the anti-corruption laws that necessarily restrict their actions.”

  “That’s going to be difficult, Ma’am.”

  “Nevertheless, the Throne will prevail. The Throne always prevails, Judge Simms. It is an historical lesson that some members of my government have, apparently, not yet learned.”

  “What steps are you prepared to take, Ma’am?”

  “I will do what is necessary, Judge Simms. This is not optional for me. It is my solemn responsibility to see that the administration of justice in my Empire is fair and impartial, and that all my subjects are held equal before the law. For too long the Throne has looked away from what was going on. No longer. To be fair to my predecessors, I am an attorney, and they were not. They likely simply did not know how to proceed, but I do, and I will be neither swayed nor stopped.”

  “’We are not amused.’”

  “Excuse me, Judge Simms?”

  “An alleged statement by a queen on Earth in pre-space history, Ma’am. In expressing her disapproval.

  “Yes, and it applies here. I am not amused, and it will end.”

  Looking at her, hearing her, Simms finally believed that she could prevail. That the courts might, finally, be cleaned up. And he found himself eager to be a part of the effort.

  “Very well, Ma’am. That is all I had to ask.”

  “No further questions, Judge Simms?”

  “No, Ma’am. None that can’t be asked and answered later. That was the one thing I needed to hear from you before I signed on to your effort.”

  “Very well.” Dee pushed the icon on the plate set into her desk. Perrin entered.

  “Mr. Perrin, have Judge Simms escorted back to Mr. Finn. Good day, Judge Simms.”

  “Good day, Your Majesty.”

  “So, Dick. What did you think of the Empress?” Finn asked when he and Simms were back in his office.

  “She is unexpectedly strong.”

  “She always was, but she has been growing into her authority. She is gaining a full appreciation of the Throne’s power.”

  “And yet, things carry on as they were.”

  “It is necessary to get all the pieces on the board before one begins the play of the game. We’re getting close. Another year, perhaps.”

  “She’s been on the throne what, two years?”

  “A little over. When you consider that it takes several years for a court case to move through the justice system, she’s moving pretty quickly.”

  “OK, that’s fair enough.”

  “So, are you on board?”

  “Oh, yes, absolutely. Bob, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I just had to be sure she had what it takes. And I think she does.”

  “Good. Now, look over this list of judges with me. We need to select the rest of the Shadow Court.”

  As an appellate judge, Simms did not have a trial caseload, with litigation underway that stretched into the future. Appellate cases were heard and decided quickly by panels of judges. This meant he was free to transfer to the Empress’s staff without any long delay. In two weeks, he was on board and working.

  Simms and Finn took their prioritized list of potential Associate Justices for the Shadow Court and double-teamed them. They got most of their first choices, and only had to settle for three alternates out of the ten associate justice positions.

  Within three months of Finn’s and Simms’ dinner together, the Shadow Court was all in place. They divided up the High Court cases of the current session among them, and began reviewing them.

  “Floyd Gaffney speaking.”

  “Hi, Floyd. Chris O’Connor here.”

  “Hi, Chris. To what do I owe the honor?”

  “Floyd, I’m seeing something I can’t make sense of over here. I thought I’d pick your brains about it.”

  ‘Over here’ was the Imperial Appellate Court of Sintar. Christopher O’Connor was the Chief Judge of the appellate courts, comprised of over three thousand judges, and which heard appeals from Imperial courts all over the planet. Of course, the rulings of the appellate courts could be further appealed to the Imperial High Court, of which Floyd Gaffney was the Chief Justice.

  “What’s going on? This has nothing to do with cases we might have to rule on, does it?”

  “No, no, nothing like that. We’ve had a number of early retirements that are unusual, and they’re starting to fit a pattern.”

  “Early retirements? But an appellate court appointment is for life. How old are these people who are retiring?”

  “They’re all between their mid forties and early sixties.”

  “That is early.”

  “Not only that, Floyd, but they’re all straight-arrow types. Known for not taking any side business.”

  “That smells like trouble. I’m not sure why, it just does.”

  “That’s what I thought, too. There’s another wrinkle. Some of them have been seen going to work in the morning. They’re going to the Imperial Palace.”

  “OK, now that really smells like trouble. What does she want with straight-arrow appellate justices?”

  “Exactly the question I was asking myself. But there’s one more fact that’s troubling. As near as I can tell, she’s hired eleven of them.”

  “Eleven! That’s very worrying.”

  “But she can’t just replace the whole High Court, right? High Court justices are also lifetime appointments. They can’t be removed except for cause.”

  “Except she’s the Empress, Chris. Cause can be ‘cause I said so.’ She doesn’t need any more than that.”

  “Floyd, an Empress hasn’t removed a High Court justice in decades, much less the whole court.”

  “I know, I know. But I’m not sure just what this Empress would or would not do. She’s awfully young. And untested.”

  “Well, I wanted to give you a heads up.”

  “And thanks for that. I’ll talk to Galbraith and see if he’s heard anything about what might be going on.”

  “If you hear anything, let me know.”

  “Will do. Thanks, Chris.”

  “Lord Galbraith here.”

  “Hi, Myron. Floyd Gaffney here.”

  “Well, hello, Floyd. And how are things on the High Court today?”

  “Very good, actually. But I got a worrying call from Chris O’Connell. It looks like the Empress has hired away some of his judges recently. All straight-arrow types.”

&n
bsp; “That should actually help his case scheduling, shouldn’t it? He doesn’t have to schedule three-judge panels quite so tightly to make sure there aren’t two of them on the same panel.”

  “Well, yes, but she’s hired eleven of them. And over here, eleven is a magic number.”

  “That’s strange. No, I haven’t heard anything. Let me look into it and I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Thanks, Myron.”

  “No problem, Floyd. Have a good day.”

  “Saaret, have you heard whether Her Majesty is up to something with regard to the courts?”

  “No, but it wouldn’t surprise me, Galbraith. She said she was going to begin enforcing the anti-corruption laws at some point. Why? What have you heard?”

  “Floyd Gaffney called to say she’s hired eleven appellate judges from Chris O’Connor’s bunch to work in the palace. All straight arrow types. So I looked into it a little bit, and they are definitely showing up every morning for work in the palace and heading home every evening. What’s more, that triggered one of my people to remember something. Do you know who Bob Finn is?

  “No. Should I?”

  “He was the attorney at FitchRoberts who tied Pomeroy’s people up in knots with that litigation a few years back on behalf of the families of the soldiers killed when those guns blew up in Wollaston.”

  “Oh, yes. I recall.”

  “Well, he retired from FitchRoberts six months back. Shocked everybody. He and his wife sold their condo and basically disappeared. But watching the palace entrances for those appellate judges, one of my people spotted Finn heading out from the palace one evening. My contact hung around and saw him return after dinner.”

  “You think the palace hired Finn, Galbraith?”

  “Yes, and that he’s living there as a guest of the Empress. There are those residential floors. But that explains how she could pluck eleven straight-arrow types out of O’Connor’s organization. Fitch-Roberts would definitely keep track of that sort of thing.”

  “Well, that’s all very interesting. I wonder what she’s up to.”

  “I don’t know, Saaret. But that number eleven is suggestive. Can you poke around it a little bit the next time you talk to her? See if you can find out what she’s up to?”