by J. Naomi Ay
I turned and watched the crowd in the stadium stand up and roar deafeningly. Thad came in just then.
Senya picked up his netbook and started typing. “Hello Thad, it's Ravens vs. Tigers. Kate, will you get Thad a beer and bring me another?”
Thad stood and looked at the vid. “I've got box seats to the Kalika-hahr Cougars semi-final games. Want to join me, Sir?” I handed Thad his beer.
Senya laughed. “More than you know. Especially since they are going to lose to the Ravens.”
“Are they?” I cried. “That's not fair. Don't tell Thad the scores.”
“I'm not. I am saying it only as a Raven's fan.”
“That's good because the Cougs are going to win,” Thad replied and looked at the sofa. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows.
“Can Thad sit down?” I asked. “Or do you want him to stand all night?”
Senya didn’t look up. “Sit anywhere, Thad,” he waved his hand. The Ravens kicked off, and the Tigers returned to the thirty-seven yard line. Thad sat down in a leather chair. I delivered the second beer to HIM.
“Goodnight Senya,” I said kissing his cheek.
“Goodnight sweetheart,” he replied. In the background, the Turko crowd went crazy. The Tigers were already on the Raven’s forty yard line. “So Thad, you want to sell ships to the Allied Spaceforce?”
“They have given us an initial purchase order for ten of them,” Thad said. “How do you feel about that? Obviously we wouldn't equip them the same as ours.” He laughed. “We won't let them use EMP Control on us.”
“That's fine,” Senya agreed. “Sell them whatever they want. Just make sure we turn enough on the sale.”
“Oh, you know I will. They also want to buy the laser technology we used to blow up the Rozarian ice planet.”
“Pretty impressive, wasn't it?” Senya smirked.
“Totally awesome, Dude!” Thad replied. “You want to sell it to them?”
“How much are they willing to pay?”
I shut the door to the bedroom.
At midnight, the game was over. The Raven's had lost miserably, and Thad was still talking about software issues.
“Why don't we send some of our Mishnese engineers over to help you,” I heard Senya say. “We will soon be combining both companies, will we not? Think how you wish to manage that when it happens.”
“At least we don't have the Allied Government trying to hamper every move we make,” Thad agreed.
“Thank you for coming tonight, Thad, but the Supreme Ruler of the Empire requires that I go to bed at midnight now so I must turn in or there will be hell to pay.”
“I understand, Sir,” Thad replied. “My supreme ruler wants me back, as well. Goodnight.”
The Crystal Ballroom was located in the building next to Big House on the first floor, directly below the Imperial staff offices. It was called the Crystal Ballroom because of the enormous crystal chandeliers that circled the ceiling. In addition, the room was filled with crystal art objects that some distant predecessor of mine collected and displayed in mirrored alcoves. It was an enormous room by any measure and being that it was often used as a ballroom, there was an exceptionally large dance floor and orchestra pit as well as dining tables and seating for several thousand. As with most of the rooms designated for entertaining, there was a dais where again, our predecessors would sit and watch the entertainment, keeping themselves high above the fray. Since the room was far too large to host the little group I was entertaining, I chose to hold my party out on the adjacent terrace. We had room there for a small orchestra as well as a large buffet, and we could seat about a hundred in ten tables and enjoy the intoxicating summer evening as well as the breeze coming in off the ocean.
“Will you come tonight?” I asked him again as he lumbered out of bed that morning. “Please?”
“I don't like the Crystal Ballroom,” he replied dismissively. “In fact, I hate the Crystal Ballroom.”
“It's not in the ballroom,” I called after him. “It's on the terrace.”
“I despise the terrace,” he replied, disappearing into the bath.
“I'll move it to another place.” The shower water was on so he couldn’t hear me. It didn’t matter though. He obviously was looking for a reason not to attend.
“I insist that you let Berkan and Taner come,” I yelled into the bathroom. “You can sit alone in the dark all you want but the rest of your friends are going to have a party.”
“What has he got against the terrace?” I asked Luci later that day. She checked with Berkan who checked with Taner.
“He was shot,” she told me as we were surveying the table arrangements. “On the roof up there, when he was just twelve.” Caroline, Luci and I looked up the face of the building to the roof three stories above. “Then he fell and landed right here whilst the Saint’s Day ball was going on inside.” Luci pointed at our feet. “Taner said they had to replace all the marble due to the stains.”
“Ew,” Caroline said. “I guess, I wouldn’t much like this terrace either if I did a face plant right here when I was twelve. I’d probably never ever want to come back even for a dinner party.”
“I get it,” I sighed.
“We can move it to another room,” Luci suggested.
“No,” I decided. “Every room in this whole Palace probably has a bad memory for him. It’s time we started making some good memories.
“Hey, look at that,” Caroline cried pointing out at the ocean. “The moons are out and filling up the sky in the broad daylight.”
I had noticed that the sky was taking on a golden hue.
“It’s the day of the golden moons,” Luci said. “We’re very lucky that there are no clouds, and we can see them.”
“My, that is a beautiful sight,” Caroline exclaimed. “The sun and those two moons all lighting up the sky at the very same time. If I were to imagine Heaven, that’s just about what I’d think it must look like.”
“I think so too,” Luci mused.
“Actually, it does,” I agreed. “Heaven looks exactly like that.”
“Why Miss Katie, how do you know that?” Caroline cried.
“That is complicated,” I replied. “Very, very complicated.”
Chapter 32
Shelly
Katie, I mean the Empress, was wearing a black cocktail dress with a strand of pearls, diamond earrings, and of course those gold cuff bracelets. The rest of us were dressed for a ball. She did say it was in a ballroom. Oh well. The men were all in tuxedos except for the Rehnorian men who were in their robes of state, which they wore over their tuxedos. A few military men were in their uniforms. The Emperor was not here. Katie was laughing and smiling and drinking wine, but when I went to chat with her, I saw the fire behind her eyes.
“He's not coming?” I asked, holding her gloved hand for a moment.
“I don't know. I don't care,” she said with a toss of her head. “He does what he wants.” She smiled broadly and went off to greet some dignitaries who bowed low and kissed her gloved hand.
“That's too bad,” I remarked to Tim. We were supposed to head home tomorrow. I was trying to convince Tim to stay. Gina desperately wanted to stay, but Thad said HIM specifically asked him to stay on in Kalika-hahr while the companies were restructured. After that, he and Gina would decide what to do.
Katie returned to our table, and this time on her arm was a tall, dark, handsome and obviously Karupta man with salt and pepper grey hair. He was gazing down at her with his dark brown eyes and a smitten look upon his face.
“I would like to present some of our dearest and oldest friends,” Katie said, waving her hand at us and calling out our names. “This is my father-in-law, His Royal Highness Prince Sorkan of Karupatani.”
“A pleasure to meet you all,” he bowed. I must have been staring unabashedly at him because Katie noticed.
“Watch out, Sorkan,” she cautioned. “Shelly has her Ph.d. in Ancient Rozarian studies. She's probably desperat
e to pick your brain to pieces.” The prince looked me over with a debonair smile. Tim cleared his throat loudly and put his arm on the back of my chair.
“Go on and greet your other guests, love.” The prince told Katie and taking her face in his hands, kissed her cheeks. “I will entertain your friends with sordid tales of your juvenile delinquent husband and his propensity to break things and kill people.” Janet, Gina and I bolted from our seats, pushing each other around to stand next to the prince.
Katie went off to greet another tall, dark and handsome Karupta man who was obviously related though much younger. He too kissed and hugged her, though she frowned and pushed him away.
“My nephew, Prince Rekah.” Sorkan paused in his story about a fire, a knife and a fight between himself and his then fourteen year old son to nod at the other man. “What is it about that little Human that she bewitches all the de Kudisha princes?”
Several drinks later, dinner was called and we seated ourselves again at the table. Prince Sorkan left us to sit with Katie, while Luci and Caroline went off to another table with empty seats for their husbands.
“That guy looks like a pilot we had aboard the Discovery.” Jerry pointed at a Talasian man sitting with a Human woman at Caroline and Luci's table.
Dinner was fabulous of course and the music and evening sky with the two golden moons was positively intoxicating. The younger couples got up to dance, but Tim refused to budge from his chair. Prince Sorkan came back over and asked me to dance, so I happily did a few rounds with him.
Coffee was served and desserts. The sky had turned deep blue and was scattered with millions of stars. The two moons reflected off the white sand of the beach as they set upon the horizon. Katie was going from table to table chatting with the guests.
“I can't believe we have to go home tomorrow,” I moaned.
“Me too,” Gina practically cried.
“You can come back again, Shelly,” Katie said, putting her arms around me. “We'll still be here. Our door, actually our many doors are always open to all of you.”
“I can't believe we came all this way, and we didn't even get to see Ron for a minute,” Gina simpered.
“You're hardly a dignitary, Gina,” Tim snapped. “Only Lord Thad rates at this table. Being a retired Admiral certainly isn't enough.”
I stared at Tim aghast. “You wanted to see HIM?”
Tim shrugged. “Actually, I wanted to see one of his big ass starships. Purely for my own curiosity, of course.”
“Of course,” I nodded.
“I think that can be arranged, Admiral,” Katie said, and her eyes lit up. “Would you like to go tomorrow? We usually have at least one in this system at all times. I'd love to show it to you. In fact, you and I might be able to sit the com for a few minutes. If we've got a second one in orbit here, we can take one out for a little spin. You should feel what light +10 in 20 seconds is like!”
“We can do that?” Tim asked.
“We?” I gasped.
“Oh Admiral.” Katie sat down next to Tim. “These ships are absolutely engineering marvels. I'll show you the propulsion systems. You wouldn't believe what we can produce, and they are virtually emission free. We use a fusion process that combusts, reforms and then combusts again into the energy source. I'll ring Shika tonight and see if he can come with us. He loves to be in space. Would you believe he wants to be a starship captain?”
“I wonder where he got that idea?” Jerry remarked as there was a commotion on the steps leading up from the beach. The band stopped playing. Everyone stopped talking, rising to their feet and then not. We were the only ones standing.
HIM had come up the beach steps to the terrace flanked by two elaborately robed men, one being Taner and the other Berkan. The Emperor wasn’t wearing a tuxedo or even a fancy robe, but rather a loose open necked black silk blouse with gold embroidered placket and cuffs, black trousers and a gold sash around his waist that draped to his knee. He had no socks or shoes on. Around his wrists were two heavy gold cuffs similar to Katie’s. His hair was long, past his shoulders but pinned back with a diamond clip and strangely streaked with a band of silver. He had a close cropped beard that was sprinkled with the same silver. He didn't have his glasses on and his eyes were nearly as bright as the moons. He limped as he walked and leaned heavily on a fancy cane.
Janet and Gina both made a sort of moaning noise. Heck, I probably would have made the same noise too if my heart wasn’t stuck in my throat.
Taner and Berkan peeled off to join their wives as HIM continued forward to our table where Katie was now kneeling. He stopped right before her and held out his hand.
“You weren't going to do that anymore,” he said.
“Not unless you deserve it,” she replied, taking his hand and rising.
“So I am not in the doghouse today?” he asked.
“Nope,” she kissed him on the lips. “You came to my party. Bonus points for you. Did you eat dinner yet? And I mean a real dinner with food, not cigarettes and alcohol.”
“No dinner yet.”
“Good. Let's sit down and have something. Where would you like to go?” She scanned the terrace.
“Back to our flat?”
“No. Let's go sit in that alcove.” Katie led him to an extended deck area raised a few steps above the main terrace. Servants rushed to set a small table there as HIM and Katie sat down together. He leaned back in his chair, his left leg stretched out in front of him while a servant brought a small foot stool for him to prop it on. He smoked a cigarette while Katie chatted with the servants and waved for everyone to rise and resume their dancing and eating.
“Gosh, I guess he really is the Emperor,” Jerry remarked, his eyes wide behind his big glasses.
“He still doesn't wear socks and shoes,” I said. “And I bet he still puts his dirty feet up on the furniture.”
“He does, Mom,” Thad nodded. “Still leaves his clothes all over everywhere, chain smokes, drinks excessively, swears like a spaceman and occasionally zaps me in the butt with his finger.”
“Can we go talk to him?” Janet asked no one in particular.
Caroline and Lord Taner came over to our table.
“When HIM is ready to speak with you, I will come get you,” Taner instructed. “Do not speak unless spoken to. Refer to him only as Sir or YIM and do not sit unless you are invited to do so. Absolutely, do not make an attempt to touch him. You do not need to make obeisance, but it would be considered respectful if you did so.”
We all nodded enthusiastically even though we were all watching the alcove where a legion of waiters were bringing things that HIM was waving away. In fact, just about everyone on the terrace was watching the alcove except for Prince Sorkan who was chatting up someone and loudly laughing.
The orchestra started again, and hesitantly people got up to dance. Alone or in pairs, people were brought up to HIM while he ate dinner. He cocked his head and listened to them and I could practically see the wheels turning inside his brain. I had a déjà vu moment remembering how he used to listen to me in the same way and strangely, tears came to my eyes. He finished his meal and smoked another cigarette and we all waited until it was our turn. Janet and Jerry got called up first.
“Here are Jerry and Janet,” Katie said. A waiter poured HIM a cup of coffee. “Did you know they got married? Isn't that wonderful?”
“I knew they would.”
“You did?” Katie gasped. “When?”
“Years ago.”
“Really?”
“Of course, I did. Congratulations, Dr. Moonbeam. Your clinic shall be very successful. Perhaps you would like to offer an outpatient service at the SdK hospital not far from your town?”
Jerry and Janet stood dumbly. “Uh, sure,” Jerry stuttered after a time. “That'd be great, Ron..Sir..YIM.” Jerry blushed deep red.
HIM drank his coffee while Katie laughed and thanked Jerry and Janet for coming.
“Shika said he is going to try and come
visit you there sometime, Jerry,” Katie added. “He said to tell you that he knows a great place where you can get waffles with purpleberry ice cream on them. You're going to have to buy about four of them to fill up that boy now though.” Jerry smiled and looked stunned as he and Janet walked away.
Someone tapped on my shoulder and indicated that Tim and I should follow.
“Shelly and Admiral Tim,” Katie announced us. “The Admiral and I want to take one of the starships through some paces tomorrow. Have we got one in the system we can borrow for a few minutes?”
HIM's silver eyes pan our faces for a moment. Taner appeared next to me.
“My wife wishes to take Admiral Mattson for a ride in a starship tomorrow. Who do we have in this sector?”
Taner consulted his cell. “The KdK is patrolling the sector. The Queen of Talas is in spacedock but will be leaving tomorrow, and the Queen of Altaris will be docking for a retrofit. All the others are at least eighteen hours away.”
“You may board your namesake and show the Admiral what she can do.” HIM turned to Katie. “Thank you, Taner.” Taner returned to his table and his dinner.
Katie winked at Tim. “Sounds like fun, Admiral.”
“You are well, Shelly?” HIM turned to me, and his eyes were nearly closed now, so only a thin stream of silver light was visible. “Please pass my regards to Kenak and Donak. Let them know they must not hesitate to ask us if they require anything.”
“Thank you for what you have done for Thad,” I said. “You have completely changed his life for the better.”
He shook his head. “I have not changed anything. He has done only what was his destiny to do.”
