by Neal Jones
"It wasn't just him. A hundred other senators died as well. And that war nearly destroyed this empire."
"No," Ossias corrected, rising to refill his wineglass. "You're being overly dramatic. It wasn't quite as bad as our modern historians have made it out to be. There were a few uprisings on homeworld and some of the other colonies, but those rebellions were quickly put down. Once D'Gol was executed for his actions, everything went back to normal – more or less."
"Oh yes," Saan agreed derisively. "So normal that, two hundred years later, the senate was only too happy to reduce its representative body to just a hundred, at the suggestion of Lady Empress En'Gresta. Why was that, do you think?"
"I see where you're going with this, Saan," R'Mot replied, settling back into his chair. "We've already discussed this. Yes, the Imperial Senate is no longer the great body of government that it was a thousand years ago. And yes, I'm glad that you have finally come around to my point of view regarding the tribunal." He held up his hand to forestall an interruption from V'Ruk. "Unfortunately, you've created a new problem for us with your little change of heart. We've already convinced some of the others that a tribunal was necessary, and now you want to convince them that we were wrong after all?"
"It's not too late, R'Mot. Most of them will be as relieved as you are that we are not taking this course."
"So does this mean you agree with my initial plan?"
"Not exactly."
"Then what is it you think we should do, Saan?" Ossias snapped. "Simply wait for matters to get worse?"
"Have you seen the news feeds of his progress so far?" V'Ruk retorted. "I know it's hard to believe, but I think the people are actually starting to love him again. As much as I hate to admit it, he was right. The tax relief measures and the new PR campaign are actually turning the minds of the people, so yes, it's possible that if we wait long enough, this matter may end up taking care of itself."
R'Mot shook his head, giving an irritated sigh. "He's been on progress for one week, Saan. He still has a dozen of the outer colonies and the member worlds to visit. Those are where he's hated the most, remember? When this tour is over in two months, then come to talk to me about whether or not the people love him. From what I hear, the people are tired of a monarchy. Most of them blame the lord emperors for all the ills of the last half century, and they're right. D'Gol's war with the senate didn't happen overnight, you know."
"Yes, R'Mot, I am fully aware of all that, but I also know that the attitudes of the people are changing. Not as many of them are as against the monarchy as we once thought."
"No, Saan, you're fooling yourself. If the assault legions had not been destroyed last year, and if we had been able to launch our invasion of the Federation territories as planned, the people would have never lost what little love they once had for the monarchy. But that invasion never happened, and Senator Koden was executed for treason. Yes, the manner in which it was done was not exactly according to proper law, but he was a traitor and his sentence was just. And now the people blame the lord emperor for this newest economic recession, and they're right. He and his father and his grandfather have brought us to ruin, and Erengaar must be deposed. You were right last time when you said we need to start with a tribunal. But if that fails, then we will resort to stronger measures."
"And what will those measures entail, R'Mot? Assassination?"
"Of course. It will be done quietly and quickly, with very little bloodshed."
V'Ruk turned, horrified. "You've already created a plan?"
"Don't look so shocked, Saan. Yes, I have a plan; no, I don't know the exact details just yet."
"I'm not shocked, I'm just..."
"Worried?"
"Stunned." He stood and paced to the other side of the parlor, shaking his head in disbelief.
Ossias stood as well, sipping his wine as he watched his fellow senator. Beyond the double doors the sounds of distant revelry and music could be heard. His granddaughter's dinner party had begun.
Saan turned back to R'Mot. "And after you kill Erengaar, then what? The lady empress as well? The unborn child?"
"No. Just Erengaar. Larewyn has no claim to the throne. The senate will be the governing body of the Emperium. We will pass an act of law that will abolish once and for all the institution of the monarchy. As long as Larewyn agrees not rise against us in rebellion, she and her daughter will be allowed to live in peace."
"And what about Vatra and Jharek?"
R'Mot frowned, nodding. "That is an issue that I have not quite figured out. If Erengaar were deposed, Vatra would have a valid claim to the throne."
"Yes, she would," Saan agreed pointedly. "And, if there are enough votes to call the tribunal, and if Erengaar is successfully deposed, we will then – according to law – offer the crown to Vatra. We will pass an act that will end Erengaar's line of succession and all claims to the throne by his progeny. Jharek will be next in line for succession, as well as any other children that may come from Vatra's union with R'Daak."
"But if there are not enough votes to call the tribunal, then we have no other choice. You must choose now, Saan. Either you are with me in this plan, or you leave here tonight, and you and I do not speak of this ever again."
"So if I choose not to help you kill Erengaar, you would not try to silence me? You would not betray me?"
"No. I do this for the good of the empire, but it is not something I am eager to do, and I sincerely hope that there are enough votes to call the tribunal. But if that fails, and if we are forced to slay the emperor with our own hands, I will not hold it against you if you do not have the stomach for this. As I said, you and I will never speak outside the Hall of State until after this matter is taken care of. However, I would expect the same courtesy of you. Do not betray me to Erengaar or the Talik'Jhor, and do not attempt to stop me and my associates from carrying out this plan."
The two men stared at one another from opposite ends of the room, and then Saan nodded slowly. "We will see how the votes fall. I will make my decision then."
"Of course. But now we must decide when to assemble the senate. If we wait until after Erengaar returns from his progress it will be too late."
V'Ruk hesitated, but then nodded again. "I suppose you're right," he sighed. He walked back to his chair to retrieve his wine. He gazed at the darkness beyond the windows, at the brightly lit cityscape in the distance. His tired, drawn expression looked back at him from the other side of the pane. "What about Saerdan and Broen? As soon as the message is sent to the others for a special session, one of them will inform Erengaar."
R'Mot's reflection appeared next to Saan's. "I know, and there's nothing we can do about that. Once the session is convened the entire proceedings will be on the record anyway. That's why I think we should assemble sooner rather than later. If we wait too long, we risk Erengaar learning of this before the assembly."
"Isn't there a session on workforce reform in two days? It's one that everyone will be present for, correct?"
Ossias nodded. "I was thinking of that as well. It would be the perfect time to bring this matter forward. The only two senators that I know for sure are absent right now are Elmina and Farran, but I believe they'll both be back in time for this session."
"That's right. Elmina's mother is ill."
Ossias nodded. "I don't know why Farran is gone. I think he's visiting relatives off homeworld."
"Verify that tomorrow. I'll see if any others are absent and send them a recall notice." He looked at R'Mot, anxious. "Two days?"
"Two days," Ossias assured him. "It's better to do this sooner than later. I will consult the libraries tomorrow to make sure we are following proper law and procedure on this. If my memory is correct, the senate is not required to have either the lord emperor or the lord's hand present for a session like this."
"All right," V'Ruk sighed, setting aside his empty wineglass. He looked up, forcing a smile. "Your family is probably wondering where we are."
"Tell m
e more about your grandson," R'Mot said as they walked to the doors. "His name is Tyriqq?"
"Yes. He's my daughter's oldest boy. He wants to be a soldier when he grows up."
The rest of their conversation was eclipsed by the soaring strains of the waltz that were pouring from the dance hall at the end of the corridor.
( 4 )
The Imperial battle carrier, Qath Q'ordan, hovered above the emerald and ivory atmosphere of Ch'ynagra like a predator ready to plunge at any moment. Rising from the milky depths was the lord emperor's shuttle, and, as soon as it disappeared into the docking bay of the carrier's underbelly, the massive warship slowly turned its bow away from the planet. Orbiting the other side of Ch'ynagra was the rest of the emperor's personal fleet: a pair of starcruisers and a trio of support craft. The carrier was the first to jump to stardrive, followed quickly by the cruisers and then the support ships. Each vessel disappeared in a burst of blue-green light, winking like distant stars.
As Erengaar entered his quarters, he impatiently unfastened his dress uniform, nearly ripping off the buttons in his haste to be out of the damn regalia. Following close behind were Ryomekk, Ranunt, Orris Praevo, the speaker of public relations, and Prisura Ephelia, the emperor's chief of staff. As he flung his ceremonial jacket and gold braid onto a nearby chair, Erengaar ordered the pair of servants waiting nearby to fetch him wine and supper.
"Tell the cook to make something roasted, and no more of that vynt sauce!" he barked, settling into the chair behind his opulent desk in one corner of the large room. The others took their seats in a semi-circle in front of the desk. "What's our next stop?"
"Shyss," Ephelia quickly replied, checking her compad. "We'll be there in a little more than a day."
"That gives us time to go over your speech to the labor alliance." Praevo was a portly man with a booming voice who always seemed to talk just a bit louder than was necessary.
"Leave it here, I'll review it later tonight." Erengaar activated the screen on the wall behind his staff and muted the sound. It was already tuned to the news feeds from homeworld. "Do you have the latest survey numbers?"
"Yes." Praevo tapped his compad, and then gave a satisfactory nod at the readout. "Your approval among the commons has risen by four percent. I think it was our visit to Staaveth that really did the trick. As long as we can keep the labor class happy, you'll do fine."
"And along that line," Ephelia interjected, "I think it would be wise to sit down with the labor council on Shyss, before you give your speech. Just a quick twenty or thirty minutes, probably here on the ship."
"Fine," Erengaar sighed, holding out his goblet for the servant boy to fill. "Anything else?"
"This is the latest draft of the new workforce measures that the senate will be finalizing in two days." Ephelia slid a data chip across the desk. "They also want you to look at the agenda for the first session following your tour."
The lord emperor scowled as he sipped his wine. "I hope the first item on that list is the acceptance of the service vows for the replacements for Koden and Nejra. Wasn't the general election a month ago?"
"It was," the chief of staff replied, "and yes, their names are on that agenda."
The lord emperor glanced at Ryomekk. "As well as your report on them?"
"Yes. They are both of the labor party and fairly outspoken in their political views, but nothing that I would consider too threatening or suspicious."
Erengaar nodded. "Enough then." He dismissed them with a wave of his hand, but was mildly dismayed when N'Ro did not rise. "You have more reports for me?" Erengaar asked in a sour tone.
"My apologies, lord, but these are both of critical importance."
A side door opened to admit a trio of serving girls. They laid the steaming platters on the table while the boy filled a goblet for Ryomekk. The other boy was already setting out plates and silverware.
"Very well." The lord emperor motioned to the table, and everyone but the wine server disappeared back through the side door. "Leave us," Erengaar ordered him. The boy bowed, set the pitcher on the table, and then shuttled out of the room.
Ryomekk waited for Erengaar to fill his plate first, and then reached for a leg of the fried phen'an. "I take it that you have only bad news for me?" the lord emperor asked.
N'Ro nodded, reaching for a dish of steamed acko. "The first concerns the scout ship that I dispatched ten days ago to investigate the Closk moon. Both the ship and its occupant have disappeared."
"How long ago?"
"I received First Krin R'Vel's report early this morning. There were three officers aboard the scout ship, and they were supposed to return to their rendezvous coordinates two days ago."
"Any sign of retaliation from the Khazar?"
"R'Vel didn't say. All he stated was that the scout ship and its crew are missing and presumed captured or dead."
"Let's hope it's the latter then," Erengaar replied irritably. "What else?"
N'Ro swallowed his bite of meat and laid aside his fork. "I received a communiqué from Farran Tulas. It seems there has been more happening within the Hall of State than just the business of implementing new legislation."
"Yes, I know many of them aren't happy with these new reforms." Erengaar reached for another leg of herbed meat.
"Oh, it's more than that."
The solemnity of Ryomekk's tone made the lord emperor pause, the leg halfway to his mouth.
"There is talk of assembling a special tribunal."
"A tribunal?? For what?"
N'Ro cleared his throat, hesitated, and then replied, "If there are enough votes in favor of the tribunal, then they will proceed with charges against you for the murders of Doctor Rimshar and Senator Koden."
Erengaar burst into laughter, startling Ryomekk. "Murder??" the lord emperor chortled, reaching for his napkin. He wiped his hands and mouth, and then took a long draught of his wine. "Are they serious? What I did was execute two men for treason! One was poisoning my wife so that she wouldn't become pregnant, and the other was responsible for the destruction of the assault fleets!"
"I understand that, sir, but this is all that Farran told me."
"This isn't about murder!" Erengaar spat, his expression turning sour. He took another drink as he stood, pacing to the viewport behind his desk. He turned back to N'Ro, his upper lip curling in disgust. "This is about the senate unhappy with me personally. They're blaming me for this recession. Me! It was Koden and Nejra who were the traitors! If they hadn't destroyed those shipyards last year, we wouldn't be in a recession!"
Ryomekk knew better than to respond, so he simply nodded, sipping his wine, waiting for the lord emperor's fury to burn out.
"This is about the need to blame someone other than themselves. You've seen the crowds that have turned out for this progress. The people are loving me again! You heard Ephelia and Praevo. The new reforms that I've initiated have made me popular with the labor alliance again. Those were my plans, not the senate's. They just want to take credit for it. As soon as this tour is over and I return to Gtheldron, they're going to convene this tribunal, depose me, and then take credit for all this reform!" He glanced down at his wine and then hurled the glass against the far wall. It didn't shatter but instead bounced off the wall and ricocheted across the carpet, eventually coming to rest in the far corner. "Naak!" he cursed, returning to his seat at the table. He reached for another goblet, filled it, and then stared down at his plate while his anger abated.
"Lord," Ryomekk spoke cautiously, "I believe that what the senate is objecting to is the manner in which you carried out these deaths. You ignored the law by not trying them in court first, and that has made the senate afraid of you."
"They should be afraid of me!" Erengaar snarled. "I am their lord emperor! I do not answer to anyone but the Gods! The senate exists only as conduit for the voice of the people – nothing more!" He glanced at the nearby wall where the wine was trickling down in cyan streaks. He fumed in silence for a bit and then turned back
to N'Ro. "You're right," he admitted. "I should have held a trial before executing them, but it doesn't matter. They were traitors. There will not be enough votes among the senate for the tribunal, correct?"
The director shook his head. "I don't believe so. According to Farran, the primary instigators for this plan are Ossias and V'Ruk."
Erengaar made a noise of disgust and nodded. "Of course they are! If I had my way, the entire Order of the Sholm'Ryy would be abolished!" He poked his fork at the leg of phen'an, now turned cold, and then pushed away his plate. He stood once more, drinking his wine as he walked back to the viewport.
Ryomekk buttered a slice of bread as he waited for his lord emperor to mull over the new information.
Erengaar suddenly turned back, his eyes narrowing, his mouth twitching in what appeared to be devious amusement. "Most of the people have yet to learn the truth about what happened in the Graavis sector, correct?"
N'Ro nodded. "My propaganda officers have been able to silence or otherwise appease anyone who had relatives living on those colonies. And, so far, we have kept the incident out of the major network feeds."
"Good." Erengaar returned to his chair and reached for his plate again. He discarded the leg of meat and began slicing off thick pieces of the breast. "In about four weeks, as we get closer to the end of this progress, we're going to release to the press footage of the attack on the fleet that we sent to reclaim that sector four months ago. We're going to emphasize the presence of the Khazar warships, and then I'm going to deliver a televised speech to the empire about what happened six months ago – that the Khazar attacked our colonies, slaughtered our people – all without any provocation from us." He swallowed a chunk of meat, and then continued. "As soon as we return to homeworld, we're going to brief the senate on the covert operations you have been running on the border of Khazar space. I'll tell them that our efforts thus far to learn more about the secret ally of the Khazar have been fruitless, and then we are going to initiate an open challenge to the Dominion. They're going to answer for their attack on the colonies in the Graavis sector, and if that doesn't get a response, then I am prepared to park at least two of our best legions at their border until they do."
