Imperium: Coda: Book Three in the Imperium Trilogy
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IMPERIUM: CODA
By Paul M Calvert
Text copyright © 2017 by Paul M Calvert.
Paul M Calvert asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.
Front cover photograph:
ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Padgett (GSFC), T. Megeath (University of Toledo), and B. Reipurth (University of Hawaii)
Housekeeping
To make everything seem familiar to the reader, I’ve deliberately set out to anglicise names, places, and things. For example, if on an alien planet there is a drink analogous to tea, that’s the name I’ve given it. I hope this will allow you to immerse yourself better in the Imperium universe. Measurements are in Imperial, somewhat apt if you think about it.
If you are new to the Imperium universe, you might wish to first read both Imperium: Betrayal and Imperium: Revelation and the three appendices at the end of this book, for Coda is not really a stand-alone novel. You will enjoy this book far more if you have some background understanding of the Imperium universe and timeline of events.
Acknowledgements
A very big thank you to Richard Golding and Irene Calvert for their feedback and ideas, and to Gregory Potts for his Sterling work in reviewing the final draft.
IMPERIUM: CODA
THE STORY SO FAR
SCENE 1, WHERE THERE IS DEATH, THERE IS ALSO LIFE.
SCENE 2, CABINET ROOMS, WHITEHALL, LONDON
SCENE 3, THE AFTERMATH OF BATTLE
SCENE 4. THE CONSCIENCE OF A KING
SCENE 5, OURS NOT TO REASON WHY, OURS BUT TO DO OR DIE
SCENE 6, THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN…
SCENE 7, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS KNOCKS TWICE
SCENE 8, DECISION TIME.
SCENE 9, IMPERIAL PALACE, CAPITAL
SCENE 10, TIDYING UP THE LOOSE ENDS
SCENE 11, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
SCENE 12, ALASTAIR AND FLORA’S HOUSE, STRUAN, ISLE OF SKYE
SCENE 13, TO THINE OWN SELF…
SCENE 14, SEA OF TRANQUILITY, EARTH’S MOON.
SCENE 15, A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE
SCENE 17, SIR JOHN’S STUDY, EARTH
SCENE 18, WINTER LINE, MONTE CASSINO, ITALY, LATE 1943
SCENE 19, FELIDAE JUMP STATION, BORDER OF HUMAN SPACE.
SCENE 20, THE LONGEST DAY, ABOARD BRITANNIA
SCENE 21, HENRY V, ACT III SCENE 1
SCENE 22, CAPITAL
SCENE 23, FREDERICK’S PALACE, KIYAMI
SCENE 24, CORONATION
SCENE 25, IMPERIUM, CODA
SCENE 26, EPILOGUE. THREE YEARS LATER
AFTERWORD
Appendix 1, The Alexander Doctrine
Appendix 2, Capital and a bit of history
Appendix 3, Quantum Attraction
THE STORY SO FAR
On a mission to welcome the protected planet, Heaven, ascend into the Empire following its first successful manned space flight, an attempt on Emperor Alexander's life sets off a chain of events with unforeseen consequences for everyone.
In the aftermath of the attempt, Emperor Alexander, at the behest of Duke Frederick, took his personal task force of capital ships to attack a pirate base and at the same time brought forward the training of his headstrong son, Adam, the Crown Prince. Alexander sends him away for safety and training, ostensibly to a loyal branch of the Imperial Navy, far away from the intrigue of the royal court and safe from the plotters. En route, a sabotaged ship’s Jump drive sends Adam to an unknown star system, far away from the life he knew and safety.
After landing secretly on the system’s only habitable planet, called Earth by the people of the world, Adam is seriously injured in a road traffic accident while saving the life of Doctor Karen McLeod. Because of his genetically enhanced metabolism, Adam recovers far faster than normal, and a grateful Karen allows him into her life and ultimately her heart. Believing himself stranded on Earth for the rest of his life and with no means of communicating home, Adam begins to come to terms with his changed status, with only Vimes, his symbiotic aide, to guide and teach him.
Near the pirate base, another attempt on Alexander’s life sees both he and his task-force almost destroyed in a clever trap. Only quick thinking by Admiral Frith manages to keep them alive, albeit at the loss of most of their ships. Although successful in defeating the enemy, they are stranded in the star system by a destabilised Jump Point and watch helplessly as another, larger enemy fleet emerges from behind a nearby gas giant and approaches their position, intent on finishing them off. With what’s left of his task force unable to escape before the Jump Point stabilises, Alexander is faced with a dilemma: does he use an ultra-secret Jump technology to escape, leaving his men to face the approaching fleet without him, or does he abandon his duty to the Empire by staying and dying with his men?
Empress Christine, is having her own problems on Capital, planetary home to the Imperial Palace and Court. An assassination attempt on her life, timed to coincide with that on her husband, sees hundreds killed in the Palace. With the help of a Palace woodsman, Francis De’ath, she barely escaped with her life, leaving Francis gravely injured. Badly shaken by the attempt and news that her husband is dead at the hands of the rebellion, Christine decides to get her son and bring him home from training.
Christine confronts her son on Earth, explaining how he was never lost and had been sent to earth deliberately, as had every other Emperor or Empress for thousands of years as part of their preparation for becoming Emperor. Karen is given a choice; have her memories wiped of Adam and remain on earth, or leave with them and live in the Empire, unlikely ever to return. She chooses a new life with Adam.
Back in the Empire, Alexander escapes the trap Frederick had set for him, using the secret Jump technology but disguising its use in a desperate gamble. With a third of his empire under Fredericks control, Alexander sets out to reclaim them from the rebellion.
In a series of flashbacks, we learn about Alexander’s training on Earth in 1940, when he arrived during the Dunkirk evacuations, and witnesses a massacre by SS troops of unarmed British soldiers, a sight which changes him forever. We follow him as he moves to London and tries to come to terms with his new life, eventually becoming an RAF pilot and taking part in the Battle of Britain. It is in London where he first meets Christine. They fall in love and marry but she has no idea who he really is.
Alexander’s time on earth is abruptly brought to a close when his father, the current Emperor, and all of his family are murdered by his Uncle. Duke Gallagher is sent by Vimes to bring him back to the Empire to fight for his birthright and defeat his Uncle who has been crowned Emperor.
In the present day, Francis De’ath, the gardener who tried to help the Empress when she was attacked, has met Rebecca, the Palace servant whose sad story touched Christine’s heart.
In her new life, Karen discovers how much Adam truly loves her, and begins to form a close bond with Empress Christine. The two women have much in common; both children of Earth who had to make a choice between staying or following their heart.
The rebellion moves on apace, with Alexander and Gallagher leading the fightback. Adam is given a command of his own and takes his place by his father’s side.
Duke Gallagher, Christine and Karen visit the Felidae Empire,
a race of feline sentients with a well-deserved reputation for ferocity and ruthlessness. Peace between the two Empires has lasted since the time of Adam’s grandfather, but in these dangerous times, with the Empire weakened by internal strife, the three seek assurances of the Felidae’s neutrality. Empress Christine and her Felidae counterpart, Freya, meet to reinforce the bonds of friendship and trust, hoping to secure the borders between their two Empires.
Although negotiations go well, Christine is murdered in Felidae space by Duke Gallagher’s trusted aide, Stephen Collinson, an agent working for Duke Frederick. Karen tries to save Christine but is also injured in the attack and would have also been killed if not for the intervention of a shocked Duke Gallagher. Despite Vimes’s best efforts, they are unable to save Christine and Duke Gallagher has the unenviable task of explaining Christine’s death o the Felidae, worried it might undo all the good work and trigger a war that the Empire can ill afford.
On the eve of a major battle to retake a system and bring down one of the rebel Dukes, Alexander is secretly told of his beloved wife’s death, causing him to falter. His son, Adam, is unaware of his mother’s death and believes his father is ignoring him, not knowing the Emperor is keeping the news hidden until after the battle is over.
Coda begins with Duke Gallagher waiting by the hospital bedside of Karen, waiting for her to awake.
In this, the final book in the Imperium trilogy, all the various threads of this epic tale of love and duty are women together, and we find out what fate has in store for the Imperium, the Rebellion and Imperial family.
SCENE 1, WHERE THERE IS DEATH, THERE IS ALSO LIFE.
Gallagher was sitting quietly in the medical suite where Karen and Christine had been brought after the assassination attempt. After Collinson’s attack on Christine, his first thoughts had been to focus on the Empress, following the Doctors into the emergency room as they fought to save her from the effects of the binary toxin destroying her nervous system. When it became obvious Christine was gone, he’d left the medical team to prepare her body and stumbled outside, unsure what to do next. For several minutes he had stood there, letting his armoured suit support him until he’d regained some semblance of control, his massive frame shaking as tears rolled down his cheeks to splash at his feet. Gaining a measure of control, Gallagher had made his way to where Karen had been treated, reassured by Carmen she was lightly sedated and would be waking soon. He sat down on a chair by her bedside and began replaying what had happened through his mind…
Sitting in his rooms, a frantic Vimes had told him contact had been lost with Christine’s private quarters, and by the time he’d used his battle armour to force the secured doors and enter, he was faced with a scene from his worst nightmare. The Empress lay unconscious or dying on the floor, and a clearly dazed Karen was shielding Christine’s supine body from his personal aide, Lt Collinson, apparently about to deliver a killing kick to Karen’s head. With no time at all to assess the situation further, Gallagher had fired his suit’s stunner and rendered everyone unconscious. Within a few minutes, medics were swarming all over the two women. Unable to believe his aide had been behind the attack on Christine, his first instinct had been to suspect the relative newcomer, Karen. However, Vimes had replayed a recording of events taken from within the room that clearly demonstrated it had been Collinson who originated the attack. At this point, Gallagher had ordered him thoroughly searched and restrained, for he intended to conduct Collinson’s interrogation personally.
As the medical teams fought desperately to bring Christine back, Gallagher had stood to one side, for once uncomfortably helpless, a strange and unfamiliar feeling. Through Carmen, Gallagher could see Vimes was acting strangely, seemingly both everywhere and nowhere at the same time, giving instructions to the medical team, and readying the diplomatic mission to leave Felidae space. Vimes wasn’t interacting with him on a personal level, and he could only assume Vimes was allowing him time to compose himself. This state of affairs didn’t last long, and to Gallagher’s immense relief and then despair, Vimes finally spoke to him on his private channel, just as the medical team stopped working and began clearing up.
“She’s gone, Patrick. There’s nothing more that can be done. I was with her when she died. I’ve relayed events to Alexander and explained what’s happened here.” Vimes paused for a moment, then continued, “He’s leaving everything to me and arrangements will be made for her lying in state to be held on Capital. However, all news of her death is embargoed for the time being.”
“How’s Adam?” Gallagher asked, thinking back to when he had brought news of the death of Alexander’s father.
“He doesn’t know yet, but Alexander will tell him after the battle. Unfortunately, the news arrived just as their fleet had begun their engagement with Duke McEvitt’ s. Given the circumstances, I’ve arranged for a continuous link between this avatar and Alexanders. We will keep you informed as the battle progresses. Have you given any thought to what you will do next, Patrick?”
Duke Gallagher considered for a few moments, trying to get his priorities right, but there were too many pressing issues, each important in their own right, for him not to get at least one wrong. “A quick interrogation of Collinson to try and make sense of why he did this, then inform the Felidae Empress and make our excuses, then get us back to Empire space and go see Alexander and Adam.”
At the thought of what he was going to say to the Felidae Empress, his spirits sank even further. He had no idea at all what her reaction would be to the news of Christine’s death, and the Empire couldn’t afford another conflict on its borders, especially not against an adversary as undoubtedly powerful as the Felidae. Collinson’s timing couldn’t have been better. All of these thoughts raced through Gallagher’s mind, each vying for the honour of worrying him the most, until, with a deliberate act of will, he stopped them all, deciding to deal with Collinson first. Outside Christine’s quarter's, several squads of her Marine Bodyguard waited, their body language radiating nervousness as Gallagher approached their commanding officer, no doubt all of them feeling guilty they had not been able to intervene or stop the attack. Their commander, a powerfully built young man, snapped to attention.
Gallagher wasted no time with formalities.
“Captain Lopez, chose four of your men and come with me,” he said, immediately turning around and walking back to the Empress's quarters, not bothering to acknowledge the immediate, “Yes, Your Grace,” behind him.
The five men entered the room, which had already been cleared of the two women, with only the two original bodyguards keeping sentry over Collinsons inert and restrained body. Two servitors were adjusting the overturned or damaged furniture and trying not to get in anyone's way. Gallagher pointed towards Collinson.
“Take him to the Brig and guard him until I arrive. If he awakes before I get there, he’s allowed no food or drink, nor are any of his questions to be answered.” He looked Captain Lopez in the eye, the two men alike, despite the disparity in rank and years. “He’s not to suffer any accidents on the way, or before I get there; not even so much as a stubbed toe or hangnail. Do I make myself clear, Captain?”
Captain Lopez returned the look for a moment, then nodded a fraction, before responding, “Yes, Your Grace. How long will you be?
“No more than an hour, Captain. In my absence, please direct any questions you might have in the meantime to either Vimes or Carmen. Any questions?
“No, Sir. Is that all?” he asked, and at an affirming nod from the Duke, began issuing instructions to his men as they moved towards Collinson.
Gallagher motioned Christine’s two bodyguards over; the ones who had been stationed outside her quarters.
“First thing, I’ve seen what happened here and, as far as I can see, you two are blameless. A full enquiry will be held at some point, but unless either of you tells me otherwise, there is no reason why you should feel guilty or at fault.”
Gallagher knew he had to try and reassur
e the two Marines, otherwise they would wonder if they could have done anything differently. They would soon be feeling bad enough when news of Christine’s death became widely known.
“Go back to your quarters and make your reports while everything is fresh in your mind. Discuss what happened here with no-one, unless you have cleared it with Carmen or Vimes. Clear?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the two Marines replied in unison. One of them spoke up. “The Empress, how is she? Will she be alright?” the second one nodding in agreement with the question.
Gallagher hesitated for a fraction of a second too long before responding.
“We can only hope so. We will know soon enough. Dismissed.”
The Marines saluted, exchanged worried glances with each other and hurried off, glad to be away from the scene and the legendary Duke. Neither spoke as they hurried towards the nearest travel-tube. Gallagher watched them leave the room, feeling sorry for them. From what he had seen and heard in the room, courtesy of Vimes, there was nothing either of them could have done. The binary toxin would have been undetectable until mixed together and anyway, who would have anticipated the danger would have come from someone so close to the Emperor’s closest friend and confidant? Gallagher dismissed the disturbing thought and hurried off to check on Karen, wanting to make sure she was fine, even though Carmen had reassured him she was only bruised and stunned. He admired the bravery of the young woman from Earth, and as he reached the doorway to stop and take one last look around the room, he wondered if all the woman from that planet were as brave. Given the only point of reference was the two he knew personally, a small, curious part of him considered what might happen if the planet was ever let loose on the Empire.
A journey of but a few minutes saw Gallagher sitting by Karen’s bedside, assured by the Doctors that she was fine, her minor wounds all treated and that she would awaken naturally from the effects of their ministrations and his stunner sometime within the next fifteen minutes. Wanting to make sure he was there when she woke up and to be the one to break the awful news, Gallagher took the opportunity to finally began going through what he would say; not just to her but also to Empress Freya…