Stars Asunder

by Tao Wong

  “So the PR is a lie. You don’t need the person who can kick ass best, you need the person who can help all of you kick ass best,” Ali says, chiming in with a grumpy look. “And let me guess. These trials. There is only one survivor.”

  “Yes.”

  I exhale and shake my head. Obviously there’s only one winner. Why would you want to keep competitors alive? Better to kill them all, salt the earth with their bones, and eat their flesh. Or something idiotic like that.

  At least that explains why they won’t use the trials. It’d almost be better to have a full-on civil war. At least then there would be multiple survivors from alliances and those who just give up halfway. Looking at it from that viewpoint, it’d be better to have your top men—your generals, admirals, marines, and whatever other forms of champions—not all die trying to contest for the position of Empress. Which…

  Kind of leaves me screwed.

  “You do know I don’t really know your society all that well? You’re asking me to choose your next Empress when I don’t even know what would work best.”

  “Empress Apparent,” Ayuri replies. “The main contenders will all bring their own advantages to our Empire. That is, after all, why they are the contenders. The choice itself will trigger the System to provide us those benefits, which we need.”

  “Need?” I frown. “Sounds like you’re rather desperate.”

  “No, but the wars could be going better. This is the best choice from a series of really bad options.” Ayuri shakes her head, eyeing the dark walls of the sphere. “Don’t worry about it. By the time you’re done, you’ll understand us well enough to make a good choice.”

  “What makes you think I won’t just sell it to the highest bidder?” I say peevishly.

  I don’t deal well with getting pressured to do things I don’t like. And playing Praetorian Guard for an entire empire is kind of messed up. It’s a hell of a lot of pressure. I ran away from Earth because I didn’t want that kind of responsibility.

  “Because you’re a Paladin,” Ayuri says.

  If what I threatened to do bothers her at all, she’s not showing it one bit. I’m torn between feeling chuffed that she thinks I’m that honorable and annoyed that I didn’t manage to get a rise out of her.

  “But you will be targeted. Especially by those who don’t think they will win your approval. Not right away, perhaps. But you will eventually.”

  “Great.” I don’t bother trying to hide the sarcasm in my reply.

  “How long does boy-o have? To learn an entire empire?”

  “Some time. The choice cannot be made until the Queen makes the announcement and request. She won’t do that until you Level,” Ayuri replies.

  As I said, I’m not exactly stupid. Between all the Intelligence points I’ve gained and some innate smarts, I put together the pieces pretty fast. “It’s the Shackles. The last tier in my Skill tree. You guys need it to keep the contenders in line.”

  Ayuri nods but refuses to explain further.

  I’m not exactly happy, but at least it gives me an idea of what’s coming down the road. On the other hand… “I’m not going to use my Skill points on that.”

  Her eyes narrow. When I don’t balk at her disapproval, she sighs. “We have the budget for the purchase. We’ll need you to have multiple levels in that Skill anyway.”

  I grunt, making note of that. Might be worth finding out what the difference between the levels would be. In the meantime, I cudgel my brain for other things I need from them. “So about the training…”

  Before I can continue speaking, Ayuri lifts her hand sideways and the world returns to normal. Her Skill disperses and noises return.

  “You’ll be training a half dozen of my best Honor Guards. They’re all ready to ascend to the next tier, ready to become Paladins. You only have to train and test them, just as your mentor did you,” Ayuri says. “This job is important, Redeemer. We do not want another incident like you.”

  I frown but kind of accept it. Can’t be nice, having to ask a random human, one who isn’t even part of your Empire, to judge the fate of your entire society. So they need to make sure that everyone I train can survive and keep growing to train the next generation after me.

  On that note…

  “You never did tell me. Whatever happened to the rest of the Paladins?”

  “They fell.”

  Chapter 2

  We walk through the corridors of the palace in silence. Like the throne room, the Erethran Royal Palace—the eleventh of thirteen scattered throughout the Empire—was built and furnished more like a military base than a sumptuous location to relax. Bare corridors, multiple blast doors, the occasional sharp turn, and nano-woven organic walls that will grow crenellations for people to hide and shoot from. We stride down the corridors, keeping pace with one another, and spot the occasional guard, scurrying servant, and cleaning drone moving about, interspersed with the slew of administrators required to keep an empire running. I wonder how that works. With 3D holograms that look and feel just as real as being there, is there a reason for people to be next to one another?

  Idle musings as we walk and float to our destination, Ali darting through the occasional wall to poke his nose around before exiting. He occasionally bounces off the walls, coming out swearing as Skills and enchanted material stop his passage. I’m playing the waiting game, curious to see how long Ayuri will hold out on explaining her last statement. Curious to see what is about to happen. She’s withholding information, refusing to add more details, and I’m not sure why.

  So I’m not asking. Not because I’m being stubborn for shits and giggles, but because I want to see what she decides to tell me. And when. Sometimes, what people will tell you and when can tell you just as much as their words. The rest…

  Well, there’s a reason Ali’s being rude, darting around like a crazed pixie on meth. And it’s not just because he’s Ali.

  “You’ve learned patience,” Ayuri finally says after we’ve walked for a half hour.

  Yes. A half hour. That’s how big the damn palace is and how much ground we’ve covered, especially when you consider how fast we can move with our higher base stats. We’re out of the main building, walking through open courtyards and passing numerous buildings, strolling along as we watch members of the Honor Guard train.

  I grunt in reply.

  “Or subtlety,” Ayuri says, eyes crinkling in humor. “Or you’re just stubborn. As usual. In all cases, you should ask. If you want to know.”

  “Know why all the other Paladins are dead? Nah. I’m okay with certain doom hanging over my head,” I drawl.

  Ayuri gives an exasperated huff. “You would do well not to anger one of your only allies in the Empire, Redeemer.”

  I offer a smile, but she doesn’t rise to the bait. Yeah, okay, maybe I am being a bit of an ass.

  “Paladins have a very short lifespan in general,” she says. “When they aren’t working for the army directly, they are off ‘questing,’ completing Empire-generated Quests or their own idiosyncratic honor-bound requirements. Some worked alone, others in small teams. Their actions angered many of the powerful. Their questions and their Quests harmed numerous interests.

  “One hundred and three years ago, our former King’s family was targeted by a pair of Paladins during a routine System-generated Empire Quest. In their usual mode of operation, the Paladins purged two-thirds of the King’s family, including his daughter.” Ayuri hesitates then reluctantly adds, “The Quest authorized them to do so, but they went too far. In his rage and grief, the King enacted a purge of all remaining Paladins, commanding the armed forces to go to war. Not that there were many Paladins left at that time.

  “In the ensuing battle, the King was killed. The majority of the Paladins fell to his attacks. And we lost three decades of progress to a limited civil war.”

  I frowned, eyes narrowing. “Wait. If they’re Paladins, shouldn’t they, you know, do what he says?”

  Ayuri shakes h
er head. “You report to the Queen, but you are not subject to her authority. Your oath—the Paladin’s oath—has always been to the Empire.”

  I keep my mouth shut and my face from changing as she says that. Because there are some things she’s better off not knowing.

  “That leaves you wiggle room to do what you need to do. The Paladins are a balancing force in our Empire. Or should be.” Ayuri gestures around at the guards. “You understand how our society works, yes? In general?”

  I pause, running through the information I’ve gathered. “Militaristic society with a sort-of nobility. Your Queen—I’m actually not sure why she’s not called an Empress all the time—is not elected or hereditary, as you mentioned.

  “But you also have noble houses which have Classes and actual lineages, but they’re all part of the military complex. You don’t have a house of lords or commoners either, so it’s pretty much a tyranny. The Generals are often made up of the Lords, as are most of your business personnel. Even your legal system reports directly to the Queen, so she doesn’t really have a ‘check’ on her power.” I frown. “So you’re saying the Paladins were that check?”

  “Incorrect. The noble houses and the military are another check on her. Each General commands his own army, and the Generals themselves do not pledge loyalty to the Queen but the Empire. Only the Honor Guard”—Ayuri waves her hand around the complex—“and the Champions are the Queen’s.

  “And to answer your question, it’s a Class. Empress. She has not reached it.”

  I frown, considering what she said. “Why’d the army decide to destroy the Paladins?”

  “Remember what I said about the Paladins making enemies?” Ayuri says. “Some of the Generals were among them. Given the command, they took the chance to even the score.”

  “What Level is the Queen?” I send to Ali while she explains.

  Ali hums for a bit, accessing data. Possibly just trying to figure out how to explain it. “Titled Classes like these are weird. You have two choices. You can either choose to discard all your previous Classes, use the experience from that act to buy into the nobility Class type, and go from there.

  “Or you dual-Class in. You’re forced to have the Titled Class as your main Class, with your secondary Class relegated to no further experience gain. At that time you can discard some experience, drop down a few Levels, or change things up. But in Titled Classes like this, with specific size, population, and reputation requirements, you can access higher Tiers directly. Which is an advantage to a bigger empire like this, but you end up having to earn a lot more Experience to advance Levels. I’m assuming that’s what happened here, though her data’s hidden.”

  I grunt. I can see how that’d work out, though I’m wondering if there are ways to break the System. It sounds possible. The System isn’t exactly built to be unexploitable, relying instead on the fact that it’s so big and sprawling that anyone, anywhere, can eventually figure out a counter for someone else. At least that’s my interpretation of it.

  Add the fact that, in the majority, most people are content to just live their lives. Only a very small subset of individuals hurry along, trying to get the most out of any Class, any Level. Unfortunately for those guys, they often find themselves blindsided by other, more mundane pressures.

  It’s kind of like lawyers, doctors, and dentists on old Earth being some of the most easily exploitable groups for fraud. They’re so confident in their own expertise that their arrogance gets them in trouble. And when they are taken, they often don’t learn from it or tell others—too ashamed by their failure—so they just end up screwed again. Or let others of their kind get screwed.

  “If that’s the case, why the heck would the Queen want me to train up a new batch of potential problems for her?” I say.

  Everything I hear makes Paladins sound more like troublemakers than a balancing force. Though I guess if you push a swing hard enough, it’ll eventually come a stop. Even if it means you’ve wrapped the chain around the post to do it.

  “Because the Paladins are necessary,” Ayuri says heatedly. “Without them, we’re tottering on the edge of a civil war. They keep the peace. They go where our armies cannot and deal with threats that escape the borders of our Empire. They are investigators and judges, searching down corruption within our own ranks.”

  Ayuri draws a breath and then lets it out slowly, forcing calm on herself. “And they’re part of our System-enforced Empire contract. If not for your mentor, the System would already have generated multiple new members before your arrival.” A slight pause before she continues. “We’d much prefer to have control of our membership.”

  “Ah. Right.” I get it. They’re sending me people to train and turn into Paladins who are already loyal to the Queen. They won’t make a mistake of ending up in a civil war again. Which kind of makes sense, though I wonder how long that’d last. If they’re looking for me to find the Queen’s heir, then there are some deeper waters here. After all, there’s no guarantee that the new Paladins will be just as loyal to the new ruler. “So. I assume there are also going to be a large number of people who aren’t happy with me doing this?”

  “Of course.”

  “Great.” I say sarcastically. Not only do I have to worry about the real reason why she wants me here, even the cover is going to get me shot at.

  Before I can say anything more, Ayuri leads me through another corridor into a courtyard. One filled with a half dozen aliens milling around, chatting or training.

  The Champion waves her hand around. “We’re here.”

  ***

  Here is a wide open courtyard edged with the cylindrical cones and the diagonal-sloped faces of shield projectors, all enclosed by the wings of a three-story building with large, reflective windows. Blast shutters hang over the windows, ready to deploy in the event of a problem. I wonder who, what, is looking out at us from the rooms, but I dismiss the silver buildings with their blue edging and numerous, semi-hidden field artillery. I’ve got more important things to focus upon, such as the threats before me.

  A half dozen and one individuals stand before me in the Erethran Honor Guard uniform, looking like a special effects wet dream. They’re dressed in the usual armored-pants-and-tunic ensemble, sporting the exclusive Erethran royal family’s colors—purple and silver. Different from my own sky-blue uniform.

  Of the seven, two of them are Erethrans, just like Ayuri, standing seven feet tall with their coral-like ears and slitted eyes whose giant yellow pupils seem particularly startling next to the almost non-existent nose and beak-like overhang of their face.

  Another guard is a rock creature, all granite and brown rock, hands on his hips and laughing with a roach-like flying figure that hovers next to him, wings beating a low drone. There’s a Movanna, all pale and thin and pretty, hands on the bladeless hilts of basket swords strung on his belt, sneering at everyone as he looks around. And lastly, rounding out the non-Erethran group is a short, snappy, and furred Pooskeen chatting with a just-as-short Grimsar-dwarf.

  Even if the entire group looks pretty relaxed, they face us the moment we arrive, conversations dying like a roach on a fireball.

  “Attention!” one of the Erethrans shouts, and the group falls in with precision.

  They stand there staring at me, chins and chests jutted out, feet together, wings folded, arms by their sides. It isn’t the kind of stare you give to people you like, but a challenging gaze, a weighing observation. They’re here to see who I am, what I am. I glower back as the planet’s giant sun beats down on us and wispy white-pink clouds drift past.

  “Your initiates, Paladin,” Ayuri says. There’s a tone of quiet amusement in her voice, almost gloating as she looks over the group.

  My lips twist, while Ali finally pops up the series of blue notification boxes about their Statuses. I ignore the group while I read.

  Once I get past the third, I realize most of them are the same. Max Level or close to it. It’s bloody annoying that there are so
many of them, but then again, they’ve got an entire damn Empire with hundreds of billions of individuals to draw from. Finding seven people who are dumb enough to want to be a Paladin should be simple.

  I let my gaze run over the group one last time, gauging their stiff backs, the jut of their chins. As I’m about to speak, the memory of a voice comes back.

  It’s languid. Lazy. Each word is drawled out, as if there’s great effort in speaking. The voice hints at the pain, the weariness and burden of its speaker with every word. Or maybe that’s just how I remember it after all the time I was on that planet, after all I remembered and learned. “Everyone thinks they know what a Paladin does. But few are willing to pay the real price. Are you, child?”

  “Paladin?” Ayuri’s voice rises, as if she’s called my Title a couple of times.

  I blink, my senses returning fully.

  “You might want to drop the creepy smile, boy-o,” Ali sends to me urgently.

  I realize I’m smiling, a toothy pull of the lips and cheeks as I stare at the group. It probably veers into crazy or savage, and I’m not particularly sure which one. One of the Erethran soldiers has dropped out of standing at attention, the woman going into a bladed stance with her backhand down by her side and front hand raised slightly. The others are all tense, but no one else has broken ranks, even if Roach flares its wings a little. When I wipe my smile, she relaxes slowly.

  “All right, you bunch of loli-loving wannabes, let’s get something clear here. Being a Paladin isn’t a picnic, nor is it just another promotion. If that’s what you’re looking for, I suggest you become an Erethran Commander or General or whatever else Master Class you’ve got available.” Rather than insult them or make them annoyed, I’m surprised to see the soldiers relax. Maybe all soldiers, alien or human, are masochists? “To become a Paladin, you have to do two things.”