“Yes, Mr. Goulet.”
“Let me start, then, Mr. Parnell. I find myself in a position for which I am, it has become clear to me, manifestly unqualified by temperament and training. I have the best of intentions, but even I find myself wanting. I was manipulated here in the most cynical way by some of my fellow sector governors, and they continue to try to manipulate me.
“With your apparent loss with the Illustrious, I felt trapped in this situation, doomed to watch my ineffectual ministrations doom the Empire to decline and breakup, or to step aside in favor of some even less qualified person, someone whose loyalties are not to the betterment of the Empire for all its people.
“And now, here you are, alive after all. I’m somewhat mystified as to how Ms. Peters managed to make that happen, but at this point I for one couldn’t be happier.”
“I would caution you against being too hard on yourself, Mr. Goulet. Emperor is a unique position. The skill sets and attitudes required in other positions do not necessarily avail for Emperor, but the reverse is also true. I could not be anywhere near as effective a sector governor as you have been for the last fifteen years. I observed a lot of the Emperor Trajan’s most closed councils, most secret meetings, and I know full well the strengths and weaknesses, in His Majesty’s view, of each of his sector governors. You were highly regarded.
“More to the point, your motivations were always, and are now, in the right place. The betterment of the Empire for everyone. This is not a central motivation all the Throne’s sector governors share, which His Majesty thought was neither here nor there if they could perform. That may need to be rethought, if they are going to be a time-bomb waiting to go off at their convenience, such as they have this time.
“You cannot be Emperor. I cannot be a sector governor. Both are difficult jobs to pull off well. They’re hard enough even with the right person in place.”
“Most generous, Mr. Parnell. One thing which keeps coming up in my mind is what is to become of me after we have put you on the Throne. It is not our first order of business, but is important enough to me to interfere with my detachment.”
“Of course, Mr. Goulet. Most understandable. My own preference is to restore you as Provence Sector Governor, if you were willing once again to serve in that position.”
Goulet’s relief was apparent. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“That would be most amenable to me, Mr. Parnell. The problem with having once been successful in an important position is that you know what it feels like, and you know when you are failing. I long to be once more in a position I understand, and in which I am successful.”
“And I have no desire to forego the services of such a capable sector governor. Consider it done, Mr. Goulet.”
“Thank you for letting us get that out of the way, Mr. Parnell. We are now left to plan the actual change of leadership.”
“I think Ms. Peters’s plan has much going for it, Mr. Goulet. It would be hard to undo that.”
“Indeed. I think it would also be a positive to have Ms. Marie involved. She is a powerful presence, and would add significantly to the effect, I think.”
Parnell nodded.
“Point taken, Mr. Goulet.”
“So I assume you are somewhere with the Illustrious, or can recall the Illustrious to you, Mr. Parnell? So you do not need other transportation.”
“That is correct, Mr. Goulet.”
“And your travel time would be what, Mr. Parnell?”
“About five weeks, Mr. Goulet.”
“All right. So if we were to set a date six or seven weeks out, that would work out with you, Mr. Parnell?”
“Yes, Mr. Goulet. I think I would be more comfortable with seven weeks, particularly if Ms. B– Marie is involved. Getting the dress just right and all that sort of thing.”
Goulet nodded.
“Do you think I can get the paperwork done by staff without causing any problems, Mr. Parnell?”
“I think so, Mr. Goulet. The Imperial staff are insanely loyal.”
“Just not to me, I think. Mr. Parnell, something of a rhetorical question. If Ms. Peters had ordered the staff to throw me off the top of the building, they would have, wouldn’t they?’
“I think they probably still would, Mr. Goulet.”
“Yes, that was my impression. They would probably have to draw straws for the honor.”
Parnell smiled and Goulet sighed. Then Goulet looked up suddenly.
“I just had another thought, Mr. Parnell. We – you and I – need to solve this succession issue once and for all. So it doesn’t come up again.”
“Agreed, Mr. Goulet. And you have an idea how to do that?”
“Yes, Mr. Parnell. Make the Empress the Guardian of the Throne until the successor can be installed. Otherwise only people within Imperial City already can be considered, and the Heir would be just as bound to the Palace as the Emperor.”
“That’s a very good suggestion, Mr. Goulet.”
“And it would have worked in the current case, Mr. Parnell. If Amanda Peters had been the Guardian of the Throne – with full Imperial powers – until you could get back here from Garland, no one would have dared move against her.”
“That’s certainly true, Mr. Goulet.”
“And I think the Empress Marie is bound to engender that same sort of loyalty. You are a lucky man, Mr. Parnell. Not for being the Heir to the Throne. That is a mixed bag at best. But for having the love of such a woman.”
“Thank you, Mr. Goulet.”
Goulet nodded.
“So seven weeks then, Mr. Parnell. Another question. When you return, what are our terms of address?”
“You will call me General Parnell, and I will call you Your Majesty.”
“And after I sign the papers, Mr. Parnell?”
“I will call you Governor Goulet, and you will call me Your Majesty.”
Goulet nodded.
“Very well, Mr. Parnell. I’ll see you in five weeks or so.”
Both men rose.
“I’m looking forward to it, Mr. Goulet.”
They shook hands, each binding himself to the promises he had made to the other.
For – despite the difference in their ages, and their skills, and their positions, both now and after the transfer of power – they were both men of honor, and their handshake was binding.
Parnell and Bouchard met with Peters in Peters’s cozy fireplace room after Parnell’s meeting with Goulet.
“Very nicely done, both of you,” Peters said.
“Thank you, Ms. Peters,” Parnell answered for both of them. “But how do you know that?”
“Well, Sire, I have a little confession to make. The first is that channel 20 has some remarkable features. Bobby and I enhanced and fine-tuned them over time, and they can come in very handy. And I, uh, well, I have not removed my access to those features.”
“You haven’t, Ms. Peters?” Parnell asked.
“No, Sire, for the rightful Heir is not yet on the Throne.”
Parnell nodded.
“So I was able to watch both conversations as they occurred, Sire. I wanted to be up to speed on them if Goulet wanted to talk to me immediately after either.”
Peters turned to Bouchard.
“That was marvelously done, by the way, Ms. Bouchard. I think you shook Goulet quite a bit.”
“Good,” Bouchard answered.
Parnell raised an eyebrow, and Peters caught it.
“You should watch the last couple of minutes, Sire. Allow me.”
Parnell found himself in another channel, with Goulet’s point of view. Bouchard was in front of him, in her typical business suit. Goulet complained that her history was unlikely to be unchallenged. He watched through the end of the meeting, then was back in Ms. Peters’s cozy fireplace room.
“I am unsurprised Mr. Goulet was shook by it, Ms. Peters. So was I,” Parnell said.
He picked up Bouchard’s hand from the arm of the chair next to
him, kissed it, then put it back. Peters chuckled.
“Yes,” Peters said. “That is a persona you should use sparingly, Ms. Bouchard, lest everyone be terrified of you.”
“I don’t know, Ms. Peters,” Bouchard said. “There are five sector governors who would do well to be terrified of me right now.”
Peters chuckled.
“Indeed, Ms. Bouchard,” she said.
Peters turned to Parnell.
“That was a very interesting proposal Mr. Goulet had for a Guardian of the Throne, Sire. That would obviously work for Ms. Bouchard, as it would have worked for me. It could be an issue for an unmarried Emperor or Empress – and it may be unworkable in other situations – but in that case a different Guardian could be named.”
“Yes, that would have avoided the current unpleasantness altogether, Ms. Peters.”
“Yes, Sire. They would already be out of the way, and you would already be on the Throne.”
Bouchard raised an eyebrow at that.
“Are you surprised, Ms. Bouchard?” Peter asked. “Would you hesitate to execute five people who so threaten His Majesty’s legacy?”
Peters nodded toward Parnell. Bouchard’s face hardened.
“Not at all, Ms. Peters.”
“You see, Ms. Bouchard,” Peters said. “If you had said Yes, I would have said you are not cut out to be Empress. And I would have meant it.”
Peters turned to Parnell.
“I also thought Goulet’s suggestion to have Ms. Bouchard participate in our little switcheroo was a good one. Her presence will cement the whole deal, I think.”
Parnell nodded.
“I agree, Ms. Peters.”
“Good. Let’s plan on that, Sire. And now I need to teach you some things about the VR system. Some things only the Emperor – and the Empress – can do.”
“But I am not yet on the Throne, Ms. Peters.”
“Yes, Sire. But I marked you as Emperor within the VR system immediately after Bobby’s death.”
“And Ms. Bouchard, Ms. Peters?”
“Oh, I told the system you were man and wife some time ago, Sire.”
“Does Mr. Goulet also have access to these, er, features, Ms. Peters?”
“I believe I may have failed to mention them to him, Sire.”
Parnell nodded.
“Now, the first thing you have to know is that you both have undocumented edit permissions on other people’s VR systems. These can be used in many ways....”
Stimson and Prieto
Bouchard’s meeting with Goulet had been on Wednesday. Parnell’s had been on Thursday. On Friday, George came into the living room of the guesthouse.
“You have a visitor, Ma’am. Mr. Carmell is here.”
“Show him in, George.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
George waved Stimson into the living room and closed the door behind him.
“Hello, Mr. Carmell. Come in. Have a seat,” Turley said.
Stimson came over and sat on a chair. He looked nervous and fidgety. Gulliver was seated in another chair in the living room, but was in VR.
“Thank you, Governor Turley. Might I meet with you privately? Please?”
“Of course.”
Turley sent him a code for the cozy fireplace room, and he joined her there in VR. His avatar was in MDU.
“Very well, Colonel Stimson. What is it you want to talk to me about?”
“Can I, uh, can I ask you a question, Ma’am?”
Turley was fascinated. The confident lieutenant colonel – of Imperial Marines! – was very nearly tongue-tied.
“Yes, of course, Colonel.”
“Can I ask how old you were, Ma’am? You and Mr. Gulliver? When you met?”
“When we met? I was fifty-four and Paul was forty.”
Stimson nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“Colonel?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Uh, well, uh, I don’t know how to ask this, Ma’am.”
“You’re in love with Morena Prieto, but you’re not sure she loves you, and you want to know if I would do it again in terms of Paul Gulliver. If we’re happy.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Exactly. Is it that obvious?”
“No, Colonel, but neither is it invisible. What brings this up now?”
“Because we’re preparing to leave, Ma’am. The Emperor, the Empress, and I. Tomorrow.”
“Why not stay, and let Ms. Bouchard pilot the shuttle, Colonel?”
“Because she has no experience with hyperspace navigation, Ma’am. That wouldn’t be good. And I would be AWOL.”
“Ah. I see. Have you brought this up with the Emperor, Colonel?”
“No, Ma’am. After all, I’m talking about becoming the Empress’s stepfather. His Majesty’s stepfather-in-law, if you will.”
Turley nodded.
“Yes, that could be uncomfortable. You don’t know if your feelings are reciprocated or not, Colonel?”
“Not for sure, Ma’am. And not at what level. I mean, I think so, but I’m not sure.”
“Men never are,” Turley muttered.
“Excuse me, Ma’am?”
“Never mind, Colonel. Just thinking out loud. You know there is a solution to all this. If Morena reciprocates.”
“There is, Ma’am?”
“Yes, Colonel. You’re going to the Illustrious, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. They could do a hyperspace pickup, but those can be dicey, and someone has to go there to tell them about it anyway. So we take an armored shuttle from here through the Verano hypergate and go to the Illustrious. They pick us up and then we’re off to Center.”
“And you have to do the hyperspace piloting, Colonel?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“So, let’s say you go to the Illustrious, drop off the Emperor and Empress, refuel, and then pop through the Illustrious’s hypergate and come back here.”
“But then I’m AWOL, Ma’am.”
“Not if the Emperor orders it, Colonel.”
Stimson’s eyes got wide.
“How old are you now, Colonel?”
“Forty-one, Ma’am.”
“And how far are you from retirement, Colonel?”
“Including the Academy, I’ll have my twenty-five in two years, Ma’am.”
“So the same time as the annexation vote and the end of Morena’s current term in the presidency.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“So it seems to me, Colonel, that we need to find out if Morena feels the same way, and then prevail on the Emperor to give you a TAD assignment as Madam President’s shuttle pilot going into the annexation vote. Something like that. Then you both retire at the same time and can do whatever you want.”
Stimson was as excited as a puppy.
“That would be wonderful, Ma’am. Uh, that is, if Morena feels the same way about me as I do about her.”
“And you don’t know.”
“No, Ma’am.”
“Very well, Colonel. Let me see what I can find out.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you, Ma’am.”
Turley put in a meeting request to Bouchard. She accepted immediately and they met in the cozy fireplace room. Just between themselves they were on a first-name basis, as they both were with Amanda Peters.
“Hi, Ann. What’s going on?”
“Marie, has your mother said anything to you about her feelings for Colonel Stimson?”
“No. I mean, I’ve picked up on the hanky-panky going on, but she hasn’t said anything. Why?”
“Because Colonel Stimson has a real serious case for your mother. He would stay here and be her permanent partner if he could. He asked me how it worked out with Paul and I, and we actually have one more year between us than Colonel Stimson and your mother do. But I don’t know if she reciprocates at that level or not, and neither does he.”
“She might, Ann. Mother has always had a weak spot for very handsome men. Like Colonel Stimson. Like my father. The statuesque Greek-god type.”
“How do we find out?”
“What difference does it make, Ann? Colonel Stimson has to go back to the Illustrious, doesn’t he?”
“Well, he needs to take you and the Emperor there, Marie, because my understanding is that you have no hyperspace navigation experience.”
“Correct.”
“But there’s no reason he can’t come back here if that’s what they both want.”
“Go AWOL?”
“Not necessarily. The Emperor can assign him as military liaison to the Verano government, or make him the president’s shuttle pilot going into the annexation vote, for instance. Commuting in the car on surface streets. Tsk-tsk-tsk. Very dangerous. Armored shuttle is much safer.”
Bouchard’s eye widened, then she nodded.
“I keep forgetting that the Emperor can make whatever rules he wants.”
“That also means he would be your stepfather, Marie.”
Bouchard waved that away with her hand.
“I’m an adult, Ann. That’s just a word. Besides, we’re all already friends.”
Turley nodded.
“Just checking, Marie. So how do we find out where your mother stands?”
“With her, the best way is to just ask her. She’ll be here tonight.”
“Who bells the cat, Marie?”
Bouchard sighed.
“I will.”
Prieto left the capital at four in the afternoon Fridays to go to Il Refugio, putting her on the island about six, well in time for dinner at seven. Arriving at the island that Friday, she went straight to her bedroom suite to change down from her business suit to something more casual.
Bouchard was waiting for her at the door of her suite and followed her in.
“Mother, I need to inquire about your intentions with regard to Mr. Carmell.”
“Let’s switch to VR, dear. It’s more secure.”
They both sat, and then logged into a simulation of the same room.
“Go ahead, Marie.”
“Mother, I need to inquire about your intentions with regard to Lieutenant Colonel Stimson.”
Prieto sighed.
“It doesn’t matter, dear. Tomorrow you are all gone, leaving your poor mother here alone to deal with these anti-annexation people.”
“Yes. Alone, except for your parents, and Ann and Paul, and your majority in the legislature, and several million other people. And you haven’t answered my question.”
EMPIRE: Succession Page 16
