by Terry Mixon
The expression on Kelsey’s face was profoundly grateful. “Thank you. It will mean uncounted lives saved and you will have my eternal gratitude. All of you.”
“It’s my deepest pleasure. I realize that you and Admiral Mertz don’t precisely get along, but you need to know that he urged me to make this proposal to the emperor. He’s been a strong advocate on your behalf and that of your people.”
Kelsey’s eyes slid over to him. “Has he now? I’m starting to worry that my feelings toward this version of him might be misplaced. Maybe.”
She returned her gaze to Lily. “I make no promises about how I feel toward him, but recent events have given me food for thought. Your loyalty to him tells me something about his character, too.
“I’m nervous, but ready to get this process started. I will never forget the kindness you do me and my people. Neither will the emperor. My emperor. Until we meet, farewell.”
The call ended and Kelsey turned to face him. “I can’t make the same promise for you, but I do appreciate the assistance.”
He bowed slightly. “Believe it or not, it’s my pleasure. If you and Elise would accompany me, His Majesty would like to see you one more time before we leave for Harrison’s World.”
“I’m going to cry,” Kelsey said sadly. “Seeing my father again was an unlooked for blessing. Returning to a world where he’s dead is going to open those wounds all over again.”
The other woman headed for the hatch without giving him a chance to say anything.
Jared fell in behind her with his wife at his side. Together, they all headed to the final audience with Karl Bandar before they left for Terra.
Kelsey entered the Imperial apartments with a heavy heart. As much as she wanted to see her father again, she knew he was dead. This version of him wasn’t the man that had raised her, no matter how alike they seemed. Her father was dead and buried.
Not that her traitorous emotions cared. They knew he was her father in every way that mattered.
Karl Bandar rose to his feet as they entered. He smiled at her and gestured to the three chairs he had set up. “Kelsey, please join me. Jared, you too. Everyone else, wait outside.”
She didn’t like the idea of sitting down for a casual chat with the Bastard, but this wasn’t her show. If she were going to get the tools her people needed to survive, she’d have to hold her nose and do it. At least he wasn’t insisting they have dinner.
Once they’d all sat, her father considered her for a long moment. “How did your consultation with Doctor Stone go?”
Kelsey shrugged. “As well as it could. The damage to my body has set in and the prospects of a complete recovery seem unrealistic. Still, any improvement will be a welcome change.”
“That grieves me deeply. When I first heard what had happened to you in this universe, I was heartbroken at the pain and suffering you’d endured. I now realize that my version of you got off lucky.
“Another thing the two of you share is that you’re both stronger than you think. You stand up to adversity and force it to your will. You will overcome this.”
“I appreciate that you think so, but you really don’t know what my home is like.”
She flicked her gaze toward the Bastard. “And I’m not convinced you know the people around you as well as you think, even if it’s becoming apparent that this Jared Mertz isn’t the same as mine. At least not openly.”
Her father digested that for a moment before he shook his head. “I refuse to believe that. While I can certainly misjudge people, I saw how Ethan became at the end. I pray he isn’t mad in your universe, but he drove the coup here. Even my Kelsey agreed.”
“I really don’t know how much weight to give things here,” she said with a sigh. “The differences at Harrison’s World illustrate that things are not identical between our universes, but so many things seem similar.”
Mertz cleared his throat. “I can’t speak to the other me. Honestly, I know with all the prejudice I dealt with in Fleet because of my parentage, I could’ve become bitter. I might be the bad guy there.
“What I can say for certain is that I’m not one here. I love the Empire and have zero desire to run it. Kelsey has become my sister in reality and I love her. My father is a bit more intimidating, but I’m trying.”
He turned to face her squarely. “What I can promise unequivocally is that I will do everything within my power to help you and your people, with the understanding that my Empire comes first.”
“Perhaps it would be helpful to know precisely what you want us to do,” her father said. “You came here with a plan in mind. Based on your earlier comments, I believe you’re looking for the key and the override. Is that right?”
Kelsey nodded. “I was able to send information through the weak flip point and back to the Empire, just like you. We also found the information that allowed us to deduce that the Imperial Scepter was the key to the Imperial Vault on Terra and what that vault probably contained. Unfortunately, that’s when the coup took place.”
She gave Mertz a hard look. “You staged a coup. My father died in my universe. So did everyone with any hint of Imperial blood, except for you. The damage to Fleet and Avalon was significant.
“You took the Imperial Scepter and fled when you couldn’t kill Ethan. Your ships guarded the weak flip point while you came through. You managed to convince Captain Breckenridge to let you onto Courageous and then you and your traitorous cohorts killed him, stole the ship, and fled through the flip point leading to what I now know is the Rebel Empire.”
She sighed. “I hope to eventually kill that version of you, but the key is lost. Even if I had it, I can’t use it. When I found Omega and learned of your universe, I knew I had to beg your help. I need your key and someone with the right genes to unlock the Vault.”
Her father leaned forward and took her hand. “I feel terrible for the pain you’ve suffered, both physically and mentally. It rends my heart. Yet I must look out for my people first.
“I cannot send the key with you until we have the override. Even so, it might be that our key is different. It might not work.”
“Worse, you don’t have the ships to get to the Master AI at Twilight River,” Mertz said. “It will be heavily guarded, as will Terra. Without the graveyard, you’ll need to use stealth and that might not be enough to bypass the defenses.”
“It’s all I have,” she said. “I refuse to just give up.”
Her father nodded. “I’ve authorized the transfer of knowledge and hardware from our universe to yours. You can bring people over to receive training in using the equipment. That will make a difference.
“Once we get that started, you and some of your people may accompany Jared to Terra. The knowledge of what you have to face there may make the difference between success and failure back in your universe.
“Finally, once we have the override, you’re welcome to our Imperial Scepter with my blessing.”
“The key is useless without someone to use it,” she said. “Doctor Stone told me that my DNA is identical to her Kelsey. That gives me hope that the Imperial DNA in my universe is the same, too.”
“I’ll wager we can figure out a way to short-circuit that lock,” Mertz said. “My friends are very talented.”
Kelsey very much doubted that, but saying so wouldn’t help her cause any. She’d take what help she could get.
“Thank you.”
Her father rose to his feet. “Time is short, but I’d appreciate it if you dined with me. Just the two of us. Sorry, Jared.”
“I understand,” Mertz said as he stood. “I’ll go to Orbital One and get Athena ready to move out.”
He inclined his head toward her. “I know this is hard, but I’m not your enemy, Kelsey. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
She only wished she could believe the lying bastard.
13
Elise was waiting for Kelsey when she finished the meal with her father. The other woman’s expression was clos
ed, but she knew her Kelsey well enough to see the turmoil roiling under her doppelganger’s calm expression.
It wasn’t too hard to imagine any number of things getting to the woman, but odds were good that her father was high on the woman’s list of deep thoughts.
Rather than intrude, Elise simply walked Kelsey out to the landing pad where a sleek grav car was waiting for them. In moments, they were flying toward the city and the spaceport.
Kelsey didn’t say anything for the first few minutes, but finally turned toward her. “You married Mertz. Why? Political survival? Because your people needed the Empire?”
Rather than being offended, Elise was glad for the opportunity to talk about Jared directly. Kelsey needed to understand who he was or they’d never accomplish anything long lasting.
“No. Our version of you made a treaty that gave us a fighting chance. I married Jared because I really do love him.”
Under other circumstances, the look of incomprehension would’ve been amusing. Okay, it still was.
“I just can’t force myself to understand that,” Kelsey said, disbelief clear in her tone. “I hear everyone talk about what a great guy he is, but my Mertz is a total dick.”
Elise smiled. “That leads to a discussion of nature verses nurture. Is someone’s personality determined in the womb? Or do the circumstances of our lives make us who we are? I’m inclined to believe the latter. Life is what we make it and it in turn shapes us.”
She turned in her seat to face Kelsey directly. “I’ve learned a lot about Jared since we met at Pentagar two years ago. That includes the circumstances of his birth and some of the ways it worked against him. Not only with the hatred you and Ethan gave him, but the slights his fellow Fleet officers perpetrated against him.
“Admiral Yeats admitted to me that at the time of the exploratory mission, Jared would’ve been a senior captain rather than a commander if he’d been fathered by anyone else. Frankly, I’m amazed Jared isn’t bitter.”
“How do you know he isn’t?” the other woman asked intently. “Perhaps he’s a simmering pot of resentment inside with great acting skills.”
Elise shook her head. “I have implants. I might not be able to read his thoughts, but I can certainly sense his moods. I was good at that even before I got implants, but linking with him allows me to be absolutely sure.
“In your universe, you’re the only person that has implants. You have no idea what it means to interact with someone else who also has them. Particularly someone close to you. Allow me to demonstrate.”
She initiated a call to Kelsey’s implants. Previously, Kelsey had only received files. This should be a real education for the other woman.
Once Kelsey accepted the call, Elise spoke only with her mind.
This is what it feels like to communicate through the implants. It’s almost like just talking. Do you feel anything about me?
Kelsey shook her head. “No. It’s like you’re whispering in my ear.”
Elise nodded. “That’s right. Even with implants, this is how most people communicate, but there is another layer for those who are really close. Frankly, it’s asking a lot to even make this offer, but you need to understand precisely how sure I am.
“Implants allow extra depth for those in a relationship. Intimate mode. It’s designed to sense emotions and even the physical body of one’s lover.
“Not even close friends use this with one another because it’s intensely personal. Invasive, even, when someone isn’t actually intimate. Yet I need you to understand the true depth of my certainty. Are you willing to do this for a minute?”
Kelsey stared at her for a long moment before nodding wordlessly. “We’re close friends in my universe. I trust you.”
“I apologize in advance. You can terminate the contact at any time you choose. You’re always in control.”
Elise offered her friend a connection in intimate mode. Moments later, Kelsey accepted.
The mental link expanded to include brushing up against Kelsey’s emotions. She felt the other woman’s uncertainty and doubt on a level that was beyond question.
She also had an uncomfortable awareness of her friend’s body. In intimate mode, she was deeply connected in a way meant to enhance a lover’s touch and to feel their reactions as if they were her own.
With Jared, that meant she could truly feel his physical reaction to her touch. Making love was like sharing his body. The intensity of the connection in those moments was an almost spiritual experience.
Kelsey reached out hesitantly and ran her finger down Elise’s arm. The gesture was nonsexual, but the resonance between them in intimate mode caused Elise’s body to tremble a bit and sent a jolt down her spine.
The other woman snatched her hand back as if the contact had burned her.
“I felt that,” Kelsey said, her voice shocked. “I felt myself touch you and your reaction to it. How it made you uncomfortable. How it made you—”
The other woman clamped her mouth shut at that.
Elise ended the connection, relieved to once more be alone inside her own skin.
“That’s how I know how Jared feels. He’s my husband and I’ve been in intimate mode when he’s spoken about any number of things. He’s not your enemy or the Empire’s in this universe. I’ll stake my soul on it.”
The other woman rubbed her face. “This is impossible. How can people live with that kind of intimacy? You…ah, make love with that turned on?”
Even the thought of that made Elise react physically and she was deeply glad to have ended the contact with Kelsey. She didn’t want to have the other woman experience the rush of arousal the very idea sent through her.
“Oh, yes. I’d never imagined how it would be to not only feel one’s own pleasure, but to feel someone else’s at the same time. It’s indescribable. I instantly know how he feels. Even how my body feels to him. When we make love, it’s almost as if we’re one being, body and soul.”
She shook the thought away. “But that’s too personal to think about right now. Can you see why I’m so sure?”
“I suppose,” Kelsey said with a slow nod. “I’m not sure how I can accept it deep inside. And no, I am not doing that with him. No way. I might throw up.”
Laughter bubbled up in Elise’s throat. She tried to stifle it, but failed miserably as she started giggling.
Kelsey smiled and chuckled. “That was pretty funny, I suppose. You’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you.”
“That’s what friends are for. We’re almost to the spaceport, so let’s get ready for the trip up.”
Sean made the transition to the Nova system from Pentagar on Invincible’s flag bridge. The amazing ship and her control center made him so jealous. He’d be planning some upgrades at Boxer Station on this trip.
“Transition complete, Commodore,” Marcus said over the overhead speaker. “All ships have checked in. It doesn’t look as if Admiral Mertz has made it yet. Shall we wait here for him?”
He considered that for as long moment, and then shook his head. “No. Let’s get into orbit around Omega. The admiral will bring Kelsey there so she can pass word back to her people. Now that we can give them some suits, she’ll get an escort. What steps can we take to get them set up here while maintaining security?”
“The emperor has already ordered there be only limited duplication with our current personnel, but I foresee problems. This Kelsey likely trusts a number of the same people we have along. We need to come up with a way to allow for that.”
“None of the doppelgangers has implants, or so I am led to believe,” Sean said slowly. “Only Princess Kelsey has them, and the Senate has already declared her temporarily unfit to be heir, so none of our automated systems will allow her to use her implants to do anything to override the command officers.”
“Good news, but I am less certain about Harrison and myself.”
That made Sean sit up a bit straighter. “I’m not following.”
“W
hen I was created, Carl Owlet altered the original Imperial core imperatives. In specific, he removed the prohibition preventing me from using weapons and mandated my obedience to Jared Mertz and Kelsey Bandar.
“He used their implant serial codes for that. Obedience to those directives is nondiscretionary. If our visitor ordered me to open fire on the rest of the fleet, I would be compelled to do so.”
“What happens if Jared orders you not to?” Sean asked.
“Carl Owlet put some logic in place for that. As I was intended to manage this ship—he apparently never considered the possibility that I would move on, for which I shall need to chastise him—he put a rule in place that Admiral Mertz had senior authority.
“I understand that she isn’t the Kelsey I was meant to obey. Carl Owlet obviously intended to have our Kelsey have authority, not the one from another universe. Yet they share an implant serial code. To my core rules, they are the same person.”
Sean nodded unwillingly. “I get you. How do we work around your core rules?”
“It sounds like cheating when you phrase it that way,” Marcus said with a chuckle. “To honor the spirit as well as the intent of my rules, Admiral Mertz needs to give me very specific and defined orders about precise things.
“For example, he could order me to disallow her control of the antiboarding weapons until he specifically removes the exception or a year has passed. I could do that because it is limited and I know it is intended to reserve the command authority for the designated individual with an expiration date.”
“Why does it need to be limited? Isn’t a rule absolute? Like two is always bigger than one.”
“That edges into one the differences between a computer program and a sentient AI. Think of my core rules like a moral compass. My version of right and wrong, if you will. A computer will see things in black and white. I have shades of gray.
