“That could be too late!” General Gage blurted. “With all due respect—”
Malek cut her off. “The Omniscient One is far too wise to plunge down a black hole of emotional rhetoric into a hasty decision.” He looked smugly at Stella and made what looked like symbolic hand gestures. “As it is written, ‘Enlightenment does not come to those whose mouths are open while their eyes and ears remain sealed.'”
“Why don't you let him speak for himself?” Stella snapped.
Malek's jaw sagged. “What?”
Stella squirmed, her anger increased by the fact that she couldn't even raise her hand to scratch a maddening itch on her nose. She glared at Malek's neatly clipped goatee, wanting to tear it from his face. “What are you afraid of anyway?” she said. “That someone might penetrate the web you've woven about your Emperor and do something that's actually good for the Empire? Don't you see that we've lost this war and that we'll all be destroyed if we don't do something?”
Malek sputtered. Stella knew that her words could cost her her life, but plunged on before the Regent-Protector could reply. “Enlightened One, I beseech you on the behalf of our comrades. In the final analysis, it is they and they alone whom we serve. No matter how high our station, we are nothing without them, for our only purpose is to serve their best interest.”
“This is outrage-treason!” Malek gestured to one of his guards. “Remove her!”
Gage, Powers, and Thunderheart moved forward along with the guard. “Regent-Protector,” Gage said, “as commanding officer of this base, I request that such orders pass first through me.” She glanced pointedly at some of her guards.
Malek's face hardened. “I am the Regent-Protector. It is my duty to protect the Emperor when he's endangered.”
Gage locked her hands behind her, gazing up at him with steely eyes. “If I am not mistaken, the Rules of Regency stipulate that you should first offer your recommendation to the Emperor. In the event the Incarnation does not concur, a two-thirds vote of the Regent-Protector's Council is then required.”
Malek's eyebrows rose. “They're over two hundred light-years away!”
“Then I suggest you inform them at once,” Gage said.
During the tense pause that followed, Stella realized that Malek probably kept the Council under his heavy thumb. Still, Gage had a point.
“I see no reason to have her removed,” Kolanera said. “After all, she's already securely bound.” He smiled up at her and laid his hand on her body-cuff. “You wouldn't hurt me, would you, Stella?”
Stella. Oh, I bet you'd make a great Emperor, she thought, if we could just hack away the briars that surround you.
“I'd protect you with my life,” she said, half-expecting one of his guards to end it from behind at any moment.
Major Lovejoy marched forward and halted, clicking his gleaming black boots together as he bowed to Kolanera. “Promises are pretty, but we must judge by actions.” He glanced at Gage. “Though others may disagree, I must state my belief that this officer, Stella Singlethorne McMasters, is a traitor and most unworthy, Supreme Incarnation, to continue in your service. If anything, she should be executed.”
Lee, George, and others protested, but it was Thunderheart who stepped forward. He knelt on one knee before the Emperor and reverently raised his hand.
“Ser, I am Thunderheart, bred and led from birth in your Majesty's service. My Emperor, I am your own!”
Even Malek, Stella saw, was taken back. Kolanera's small hand reached forward and gently touched the patch on Thunderheart's breast pocket which bore the official emblem of the Emperor's Arm. His finger lingered on his own image, placed against the background of a burning lightning bolt.
“Yes, you are,” Kolanera said. “You are my highest soldier, the best and most noble.”
“Ser,” Thunderheart said, “I'm a plain man, not one given to fine and eloquent words.” He lowered his head. “Excuse me if I don't know how to address you.”
Kolanera chuckled and glanced at Lovejoy. “It might be nice not to be called ‘Your Omniscience’ or ‘Supreme Incarnation’ for a change. I especially hate those two.” He studied Thunderheart, whose head was nearly on a level with his. “Speak as you feel, Thunderheart.”
“Ser,” Thunderheart continued, “Stella McMasters is the finest officer I have ever been privileged to serve under. Major Lovejoy has called her a traitor and said she should be executed. In my opinion, anyone who says such things is a fool. She alone has managed to defeat the enemy and present you with the means of victory, and how is she treated? She is thrown into chains and soldiers who ride desks and shuffle papers are permitted to vilify her.”
“Hear, hear!” George cried.
“Take off her suit!” Carol shouted.
As Stella marveled at Thunderheart's words-a plain man, not eloquent indeed!-Myles and Lee moved forward to remove her body-cuff as if they'd been given permission. A few moments without interference could make all the difference. If she could just be allowed to remove this thing...
Lovejoy shoved them away, then went to the platform and snatched up the glittering model of the base he had presented the Emperor. He returned and held it toward him. “Please heed, Oh Omniscient. She schemes to destroy your Empire beginning with this very base! Already she has pardoned a traitor who lived here!”
Suddenly it was very still. Kolanera's eyes widened. “Pardoned a traitor?” He turned to Gage. “General, you did not mention this in your report.”
Gage sighed. “I felt it could wait, Incarnation. The firedart squadron leader fired on Commander McMasters against orders. He later took his own life.”
“And later still,” Lovejoy sneered, “she absolved him and extended her liberality to his widow and son.” He almost beamed at Stella in vindication. “I'm pleased to report that they now share her quarters as her personal guests.”
Kolanera blinked up at her. “Is this true?” His skin suddenly broke out in a fine sweat and he wavered on his feet. Malek moved forward to steady him.
He's only a boy, Stella thought. Good as he is, this is too much for him.
“Enlightened One,” she began. “I...”
She stopped as Malek half-carried Kolanera to a cushioned chair. “The Incarnation is fatigued from his recent travels,” he said. “I'm afraid this last excitement has been too much.” He and Kolanera disappeared from view as attendants surrounded them.
When Malek reappeared a minute later, he had a slight smile.
“Is everything all right?” Gage asked.
“Yes, perfectly. There's no need to worry,” Malek replied. “It's merely a slight indisposition. Ah, I see that the episode's already subsided.”
Like curtains, the attendants parted, revealing the Emperor sitting in the chair. A male dancer waved an embossed fan near his face.
“Your Majesty...” Thunderheart began.
Kolanera smiled, his eyes glassy. “I declare a period of celebration before we attend to more serious business.” His eyes swung about, finally locating Stella. “Is that all right, Stella?” he laughed.
Stella watched as an almost naked girl caressed the Emperor's thigh. The young man who fanned Kolanera bent forward and kissed his cheek.
“You've heard the Enlightened One,” Malek said. “Let the days of sacred revels begin!”
Instant jubilation broke out. Some of Kolanera's party raised instruments and launched into a sensual, grinding rhythm. Stella saw three girls dressed only in veils bound down from the platform and seize Thunderheart. “I want you,” one said. “Rut with me first.”
“No, with me,” a shapely, well-endowed blonde dancer insisted. She clamped herself tightly about one of Thunderheart's thighs. “Help me worship the lusty God Jesus-Buddha-Kolanera the Fifth who will save us from the Scaleys. On his cross we will burn in desire together and enter Nirvana!”
Caught tight, Thunderheart turned to Stella with pleading eyes. “Commander...”
“Relax,” the blonde girl ch
ided.
“No, Kama,” another girl laughed, “we want him stiff!” Deftly, she opened Thunderheart's jacket and started to unbutton his shirt.
“Commander,” Thunderheart said, “what should I do?”
Stella glanced at Gage, who stared grimly at the chaos raging about her, then shrugged. “That's up to you,” she said. “I'm not sure it really makes any difference.”
A sharp crack made her turn just in time to see a dancer's foot smash through the model of Loran Base which Lovejoy had presented to Kolanera. The dancer laughed, scooped it up, and tossed the shattered structure into the air. Stella heard it crash somewhere.
* * * *
Afterward, escorted back to her quarters by a base and an Imperial guard, Stella was joined by George who ran to catch up with them. “You're not being guarded?” she asked.
“Not right now, apparently,” George said. “Guess it's the excitement.” He glanced at the guards. “Mind if I walk with her?”
“You may do so,” one answered, distracted by some revelers up the corridor. “But don't interfere.”
“I won't.” George moved closer to Stella as they walked. “There's been some trouble with Jason.”
“Oh?” Fear gripped her throat.
“Yes. It looks like a psychotic episode caused by sensory deprivation. Gage gave me permission to play with his chem feed. I was watched by two of the Emperor's goons.”
“Will he be all right?”
A shout of laughter came from behind them, followed by a series of whoops. “I hope so,” George said. “Gage said I can return there under guard and monitor him.”
Shrill feminine laughter erupted behind them as a figure rushed past. It was Thunderheart, his uniform in disarray and his pants down to his buttocks. They watched him yank them up as the three girls from before padded after him, their gauzy garments streaming behind them in the air.
“I don't believe it,” Stella said. “For a man of few words he was a master orator with the Emperor. Hell, for a moment I thought he could even make the difference.” She nodded at the dancers who chased Thunderheart. “Now he's got half the females on this base panting for his body.” She smiled despite herself. “Poor Thunderheart. He can kill dragons with his bare hands, but no one ever prepared him for this.”
“Horny wenches indeed,” George said, “As long as I've known Thunderheart, he's laid down pheromones like road signs. The reason this hasn't happened before is that he's always had his family to shelter him and provide such things.”
In the distance, Thunderheart turned down a side corridor. He seemed to be gaining, though Stella didn't feel sanguine about his chances.
“You mean women have always found him attractive?” she said.
“You seem surprised.”
“I am. It's strange.... I think of him almost as a mother. I never thought of him as being...”
“Not at all?” George said. “Really? You're not even a little jealous?”
“What of?”
George smiled at the dancers, who were just rounding the side corridor after Thunderheart. “Of them.”
Stella started to answer, and then reconsidered. “Why, I guess I am a little,” she said in surprise. “But I imagine that's normal for a mother.”
“Only a mother?” George pressed. “I know he's not Jason, but aren't you interested in him at all?”
“How could I be, with Jason?” she almost cried, but the naked pain in his eyes stopped her.
“This is good for Thunderheart,” Stella finally said. “He's lost so much. He needs something for himself, a little pleasure.”
George started to reply but was bumped by several members of the Imperial party as they moved past him. They were sharing a bottle and laughing loudly. Stella heard one of them tell a crude joke whose punch line was instantly rewarded by guffaws.
“I wonder how the hell Gage is going to keep a lid on this,” George said with a rueful expression. “How do you tell a drug-addicted Emperor to keep his entourage orderly and stave off state-sanctioned anarchy?”
“Drug-addicted? What makes you say that?” She tapped her forehead. “Wait, he did sweat and sway on his feet.”
“Right. When he learned about Tessa and Ulysses.”
“But the boy's only twelve, too young to be doing such a thing!”
“Apparently Malek disagrees. Did you also notice the glassy look in Kolanera's eyes just before he called for the revelries? That meant he'd gone into systemic shock. Malek's got the kid addicted, probably gave him a shot to supplement his implant. Also, the bastard's using sex to influence him, warp his judgment.”
“I saw that,” Stella said. “Does Malek think he can get away with it?” She slapped her thigh. “But hell, he already is. I bet he told the boy to ‘declare a period of celebration’ in order to seize control here. Gage can't resist when she's fighting chaos.”
“Malek. That degenerate's corrupted and perverted the boy.” George hissed and glanced cautiously at an Imperial guard. “If only Kolanera's parents hadn't been killed! A child like him doesn't have a chance.”
Poor kid. He might make an excellent leader, Stella thought. If only I could help him.
George nudged her. “This is why I questioned our orders at the beginning. Why I gave you so much trouble. It wasn't just that the enemy was so superior. The Empire has become decadent and irredeemably corrupt. You see it now firsthand, Stella. It's a dying animal whose final trump will be blown by that pompous ass Loran.”
“You can't mean that,” she faltered. “You're saying it doesn't make any difference who wins, that what we're fighting for isn't worth it?”
George sighed, his great chest heaving. “Is what you just saw worth anyone's blood? Could the enemy possibly be any worse?” He shuddered, his breath hitching. “For a while you almost had me believing otherwise, but I can't defend this. God in heaven, our rulers see the truth. They must see it. Yet they do nothing.”
“If Malek—”
“It's not just Malek,” George said. “The Empire's a vast, barren pigsty, Stella. Malek's in power because he's a representative hog, or perhaps even the best we have to offer. He's exactly what we deserve.”
Stella felt her will weaken. Maybe George was right. Look at what had happened: she'd beaten the enemy and captured their ship and yet no one believed her, no one would even listen. Instead, they cast insults, called her a traitor. And Jason was...
What was the point in continuing? George was right. Let the Maleks and Lovejoys prevail and the All-Mother triumph. And she would, of course. In the end she would conquer the galaxy, abetted by their own stupidity.
She gripped herself beneath the tight green cocoon they'd wrapped her in. It is when we are most opposed and cruelly tested that we discover our truest self. Pain and failure and crushing adversity shall sound the dirge of our spirit's death, or be the crucible from which, phoenix-bright, it soars anew into the sky.
Sentimental crap ... where had she read such tripe? But she felt herself harden, pull together inside into a hard knot. She couldn't give in to George's cynical defeatism. She was still the Commander. Even though she no longer had a ship, her crew still looked to her.
“There are reasons we should fight,” she said. “I can give you hundreds why our side is better than the enemy's and why we shouldn't give up.”
“Hundreds?” George laughed bitterly. “Let's hear ‘em. This oughta be good.”
“All right.” She gazed ahead at the guarded door of her quarters as they neared it. “George Darron. Lee Song. Carol Wayne. Myles Uxman...”
“Stella,” he said, “this isn't...”
“Jason and Thunderheart and his dead family,” she continued. “Brett Duvall, Nick and Morner and over two hundred brave crew who died in battle and whose names I still don't know even though I was their commander. They make it worth it, damn it!”
George coughed. “I'm sorry. I should have thought.”
“For God's sake, help me,” she said.<
br />
“Help you? How can I?” George raised a fist then lowered it when a guard grunted behind them. “I hate to say this, Stella, but I expect that bastard Malek to assassinate you.”
Stella swallowed. “That possibility had crossed my mind. But I'm not dead yet, George.” She hesitated. “Please, find a way to help.”
George sighed. “Stella, we're in prison here, freaking helpless.” He nodded at her body-cuff. “You more than anyone should know that.”
“I'm not helpless as long as I don't think I am,” she said. “Don't go belly-up on me, George. Damn it, find a way to help.”
They reached her door and one of the two guards stationed there stepped forward with an instrument to remove her suit. She stared at George, feeling the body-cuff slacken about her and grow loose beneath the guard's hands.
“All right,” George said aloud, “I will.”
She nodded and stepped inside her quarters, hearing the door slide shut behind her.
“Stella,” Tessa Farron said urgently as she came forward. “General Gage just called you. She's on the cen-scan now.”
She looked at the bubble-shaped booth against the wall near her bed. Gage! Maybe the disastrous audience with the Emperor had made her realize something had to be done. Maybe she wanted to help.
Quickly she went to it and slipped through the door, pulling it shut behind her. Turning, she faced Gage's face on the screen.
“Go ahead, General,” she said. “And for the Empire's sake, you better have some good news.”
[Back to Table of Contents]
* * *
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Affairs,” Gage said, “are in a fine mess.”
“Is that why you called me?” Stella said. “To tell me what I already know?”
“You left at an opportune time,” Gage continued as if she hadn't heard. “Dancing and drinking I could stand, but not an orgy.” Raising her hands, she massaged her temples. “I don't think I'll ever forget the madness I've seen. If anything, Colonel Powers is even more upset than I am.”
Remembering Thunderheart clutching his pants as he ran, Stella could sympathize with the security chief's situation. “Are all your officers and personnel acting this way?”
Beyond Those Distant Stars Page 20
