Fortunes of the Imperium - eARC

by Jody Lynn Nye

  “Yes, tell us what happened!” Banitra said, as the other ladies emerged. The gaggle closed around me like a lovely barricade.

  “Well,” I said, leaning down in a conspiratorial fashion. “Jil, do you recall when Nalney established his private beverage station on Keinolt’s second moon? How he intended to convey his new product home to the Imperium compound?”

  Jil’s eyes danced with merriment.

  “He imbibed too much of it before flying back,” she explained to the rest of our audience. “It was a disastrous homecoming.”

  “Well, picture that same experience, only substitute a cargo ship for Nalney’s skimmer, and the side of this vessel for the compound’s landing pad . . .” I raised my eyebrows in a significant fashion.

  Jil threw back her head, revealing her lovely throat, and gurgled with laughter.

  “They were drunk?” she asked.

  “On five thousand credits’ worth of Nyikitu brandy,” I confirmed.

  “Oh, Nyikitu!” Marquessa exclaimed. “Can we buy some of it? It’s delicious. I have a long list of customers who would pay a nice premium to get a bottle or two.”

  My face reformed itself into a mask of tragedy.

  “Alas, no,” I said. “They released the rest of their load in space.”

  I was rewarded with five expressions of horror.

  “Are they going to jail?” Sinim said. “That is a crime against decency.”

  “I do believe so,” I said, though I did not know the fate of the Moskowitz’s crew.

  “Good,” Banitra said. “Wasting Nyikitu is a terrible crime.”

  “Are we leaving soon?” Jil asked.

  “Yes, we are.”

  “Good. I don’t want to be here another moment longer,” she declared. “The others feel the same way. Absolutely nothing happens here!”

  “I could not agree with you more,” I said. I offered her my arm and escorted the ladies into the ship.

  Within the appointed time, the two scout ships arrived and were greeted by cheers by the pilots who had been becalmed aboard Way Station 46 before our arrival. The five crews scrambled to their vessels, not waiting for a moment.

  “I know you’re going to talk to the government on Dilawe 4, your lordship,” FitzGreen said to me as we requested departure instructions. “Figure out what’s going on, will you? This mess could put us out of business pretty soon.”

  “I will do my best,” I promised him. I did feel sorry for him and the subsequent ships that would shortly arrive and have to undergo an uncertain period of waiting.

  “Yeah,” Oskelev said, as we closed the communication circuit and lifted off. “Maybe you can figure it out with your mumbo-jumbo.”

  It turned out she might be the clairvoyant, I was to muse in future days.

  CHAPTER 28

  Skana was so grateful to get in out of the oppressive heat and sunlight that she hardly absorbed what the stocky Uctu bowing before her in the doorway was saying, but her pocket secretary repeated it for her in Imperium Standard.

  “Welcome, welcome, welcome!” he burbled. “Welcome to Dilawe! Welcome to Memepocotel, and to my home and business. Come in! Please, be comfortable!” He grasped her hands in both of his and bowed over them again and again.

  “Thanks, glad to be here,” she said in halting Uctu. It was the most she could muster. Hypno-learning was a big fraud, she had decided. She couldn’t remember a thing about the grammar that the system promised it was putting into her brain unless she was about to drowse off, but who could think of sleep at a time like this? She was glad she had worn a sunproof frock, with long sleeves, a full skirt and a hood. Still, the peridot green fabric seemed to reflect the brilliant sunlight instead of absorbing it. The glare dazzled her eyes and made her brain feel dull. Skana fought the sensation. She needed to keep her mind clear. Their lives depended on it.

  She looked up at the high ceiling of the enormous warehouse. Approaching it in the covered vehicle that had picked them up from the spaceport, it looked like an abandoned depot. Only when her eyes adjusted she saw that the seemingly weathered exterior was covered with deep and intricate carvings, as were the rest of the buildings on the street. This whole city was old. It felt even older than Taino. She began to credit the rumors that Keinolt hadn’t been the center of the Imperium from humankind’s beginning. Enstidius beckoned them in. The rows upon rows of Uctus behind him dropped their jaws in their version of a smile.

  Nile stomped in as if he owned the place, which was normal behavior for him. Skana approached much more cautiously. Although Tuk was at her shoulder and a coterie of their most dangerous enforcers hulked behind them, the Bertus were grossly outnumbered. This was supposed to be a friendly visit, she reminded herself. Enstidius wanted them there. They were his guests. He had no reason to wish them harm. In the three huge ground transports at their back they had merchandise for him that he could get nowhere else. She was just so tired after the long trip that she had to fight to present a civil face.

  “Thank you for your hospitality,” Skana said, and waited while the translator echoed her words in Uctu. She had given up on stumbling through the language herself.

  “The pleasure is mine,” Enstidius said, in Imperium Standard. His thick tail waved behind him like a massive serpent. “You see, I know your language. I am glad to have you as allies. You are welcome.”

  Skana studied him with some bemusement. His messages usually only showed a view of him from the middle of his chest to the top of his head. In the Imperium, bosses like Nile dressed to intimidate. Her brother’s suits were cut just a little too small in the shoulders, as if to insinuate that his muscles would burst out of them at any moment. By contrast, the Uctu master looked as though he was going to a fancy dress ball. His scaly limbs were swathed in a flowing, flowery gown that wafted around his sandal-clad feet. Skana looked him up and down with a critical eye.

  “I have a dress just like that,” she said at last. “Did you get it from Merphis & Co. in the Leonine cluster?”

  Enstidius beamed at her, clicking his mandibles together.

  “I did! Though why a lovely like you would wear a design so masculine, I do not understand.”

  “Oh, brother,” Skana said, rolling her eyes. She was glad the translator didn’t pick up on gestures and expressions.

  Their host regarded her with his head tilted sideways.

  “It is to please your brother that you bought it? Then I understand. I respect my family’s wishes in many things, too. I am so glad that Humans and Uctu have so many things in common! May I offer you some beverages? I have many Human delights as well as Uctu specialties that have proved pleasing to other guests from the Imperium.”

  Skana’s eyes swiftly adapted to the welcome dimness. A warehouse looked like a warehouse, no matter where you went in the galaxy. She didn’t like all dark voids in between rows of crates. Who knew what threats Enstidius had waiting there?

  “I’d love to sit down,” she said. Her request did not upset their host; rather, it delighted him. His hands fluttered toward the distant shadows.

  “This way!”

  Like a couple of rolling armies, the force of robed Uctus and the besuited Humans they surrounded shifted through the dusty building, with the cargo loaders trundling behind. A shaft of light blazing down from a long rectangular skylight seemed to divide the massive room. Beyond it, backless couches and enormous cushions were arranged in a rough circle around a collection of small tables. Beakers of bright golden metal and colored glass were on the centermost one.

  Enstidius crossed the bar of light and beckoned Skana to a cushion the size of a bed upholstered in a rich royal blue.

  “You will be comfortable in this one,” he said.

  Skana sauntered over and eyed it.

  “Uh-uh. I would never be able to get out of it without help. Give it to them.”

  She aimed a thumb at Nile’s two girlfriends. The young women were wide-eyed and looked as if they were ready to bolt at any
second. Ever since stopping on the space station, the pair had been whispering about escaping. Skana wasn’t sure they’d act on the idea, but she was glad she had bugged their quarters. If the women managed to make it to the Imperium embassy, who knew what kind of havoc they’d raise? They had been silent so far. Skana didn’t trust them at that moment, although if they behaved themselves to the end of the visit, she intended to keep her promise and let them survive.

  Two of Nile’s enforcers dragged the girls over and more or less pushed them into the cushion. They sank into it like stones in a puddle, leaving only their heads, hands and feet showing among the folds of silky cloth. Skana nodded. They weren’t going anywhere. She prodded a backless couch with her palm. It yielded slightly. She sat down on it. Nile paced beside her, filled with restless energy.

  Enstidius beckoned to a slim Uctu female, her head scales just turning to their adult color. She poured thick, crimson liquid into metal goblets, which frosted over with condensation, then served the guests first and her employer last. Skana accepted hers. A subtle sniff told her that it was some kind of fruit juice, not blood. In fact, a sip confirmed, really tasty, refreshing stuff that washed away the dust that clogged her throat. Maybe she could deal for saplings or whatever the fruit grew on. She owned enough out-of-the-way land masses where even an invasive species could be grown without too much government oversight.

  “The border station was not too difficult an obstacle?” Enstidius asked, settling with his drink into a wide green cushion that was like a massive lily pad.

  “Not a problem, thanks,” Nile said. “Some of the captains who came through with us think we’re miracle-workers for keeping them from waiting for weeks to make the crossing.”

  Enstidius’s round face fell into a sorrowful expression. He waved a hand, and his flowered sleeve fluttered.

  “How sad that ordinary commerce should take on the cast of a miracle,” he said. “That is why I reached out to you, my good friends. You are here to help all of us become free. My foe is within the palace of the Autocrat. I cannot destroy him without your help. It is the help you bring that will cause the barriers to crash down. You will be our saviors.”

  Skana liked the sound of that. She nodded.

  “Good. Let’s talk business.”

  Enstidius changed at once from the flamboyant, expansive host to the serious figure that she had become accustomed to corresponding with. A robed Uctu sprang forward to take his drink and set it upon a cylindrical stand. In spite of the depth of the silken chair, Enstidius sat forward and gazed at them. Skana nodded to herself. The secret to getting in and out had to be the Uctus’ tails.

  “You have the merchandise with you?” he asked.

  “Of course,” Nile said. “We weren’t going to come all this way empty-handed.”

  The Uctu master looked from one sibling to the other.

  “And no one suspected a thing? I heard authorities visited the station recently. Conducted an investigation? Found nothing?”

  “Not a thing. They never questioned us. In any case, they wouldn’t have figured out what they were looking at.”

  “How?”

  “Our secret process,” Nile said, enjoying the moment. “This is why you do business with the Bertus. We do it right. Nothing would be there for the inspectors to catch.”

  “Not the first time,” Enstidius insisted. “I want credit for the devices that were impounded by customs! I lost a fortune!”

  “We’ll split the cost,” Nile said, lowering his chin and staring at their host as if he would pierce him with his eyes. Skana had seen big, strong executives wet themselves under that gaze. Enstidius held it for a long while, then glanced away. “It’s the risk you take when importing . . . specialty goods.”

  “I don’t have that kind of money to waste!”

  “You want the rest or not? And the destruct codes?”

  Enstidius clicked his mandibles together impatiently. They made a chittering noise. “Yes. Of course, yes.”

  Skana leaned forward and tapped her goblet on the nearest piece of furniture.

  “In that case, you need to sign over the money. I’ll discount you fifty percent of the captured craft. Not the weapons. But are you ready to make the final payment on the rest?”

  The Uctu’s eyes widened with greed.

  “Ever so ready.”

  Another minion handed him a six-sided device with a small screen glowing blue. He scribbled a signature across the bottom. A few minutes went by with Skana holding her breath in anticipation. All at once, her pocket secretary, Nile’s, and the tablet in Tuk’s hands jingled. The sound indicated a payment had been received. She glanced down at her own screen. A very handsome figure had been added to the Bertu Corporation coffers, routed through no fewer than sixty shell organizations, fake bank accounts and other holding companies, all in under a minute. Skana smiled.

  “Just remind me. How many did you order?”

  “Five more,” Enstidius said. “The command vessel is for me. The others will be flown by trusted pilots. They hold their lives less dear than mine.”

  “Your enemy is inside the palace grounds?”

  “Yes. He occupies a high position of trust. It is how he has been controlling the intake of merchant ships, a position that ought to be mine. The Autocrat loves him. My attack will remove him once and for all.”

  “In the palace?” Skana asked. She knew Nile was just as shocked as she was at the thought of an assault on the nobility. “What if this attack hurts the Autocrat herself? What if she’s killed? You can’t just assassinate royalty.”

  “A terrible accident,” Enstidius said, his eyes fixed on her. “My contact will take over, and later cede the leadership to someone trusted whom I can control. I shall be his minister of war. We will take back what has been stolen from us. Stop all this chatter! You can be a part of it. I am counting on you to be a part of it, but nothing will happen until I am equipped.”

  “It’s not like the Autocrat’s part of the Imperium line,” Nile said to his sister, though his voice had gone hoarse.

  Skana warred with herself. She could just refund the money and refuse to release the merchandise. But they were speculating on a possible death, of a ruler she had never met, and to whom she owed no loyalty at all.

  “Okay,” she said at last. “Then we are in business.”

  Tuk handed her the controller. On the screen was a small white box in the midst of numerous colorful, dancing symbols indicating the programs she was about to activate. She was holding a death-penalty offense in her hand, but also the lives of millions of people, and maybe a little reflected glory for her and Nile. Her finger hovered over the switch.

  “Push it!” Enstidius shrieked.

  Skana held up a warning hand.

  “This is a big moment for us. For all of us. Let me enjoy it.”

  “Enjoy later! Devices now!”

  “Fine,” Skana said. “You’re the customer.”

  “I want to push the button,” Nile said.

  It was another death-penalty offense. Skana made a decision.

  “No, let Enstidius do it.” She handed the device back to Tuk, who conveyed it to the eager Uctu.

  “Just touch there, sir,” the Croctoid said, pointing with a sharp claw. “Just once.”

  Enstidius didn’t hesitate. Jaws chattering with excitement, he brought his forefinger down onto the screen. At his touch, the switch blanked to brilliant white. The three cargo loaders rumbled forward under the skylights, their hatches humming open.

  The Uctu army bounded forward. From the folds of their robes, under tables and in between the pallets of crates, they whipped out heavy-duty bolt cannons, long firearms and explosive grenades. Half the force surrounded their chief, weapons turned outward to repel an attack. The rest circled the vehicles, aiming for vulnerable points.

  “Stop!” Skana shouted, gesturing for them to calm down. “This isn’t an invasion. This is your order. Get out of the way!”

&n
bsp; The commanders of each squad stopped abruptly and turned toward their chief for orders. Enstidius waved them impatiently to the side. They withdrew, just in time.

  As the doors to the containers scissored apart, heavy, fine, silver powder began to sift through the widening gaps, forming gleaming heaps on the floor. The sunlight falling through the shafts in the ceiling bloomed as it struck the cascade, casting speckles of light onto everything in the room.

  “Behold your ships,” Skana said. It was a moment to enjoy. She never got to use words like “behold” in her normal life. The heaps grew, melding together in a glistening, heavy, featureless mass. Enstidius leaped up and rushed at her, his tongue flapping furiously.

  “This is not what I ordered! You have betrayed me!” The army turned its weapons toward the Bertus. Her employees drew their own concealed firearms, all pointing at Enstidius. The Uctus backpedaled in haste, but kept their guns trained on the Bertus.

  Nile grabbed Enstidius around the neck and put his sidearm to the Uctu’s temple.

  “Hold still. Nothing is going to hurt you.” He gestured with his sidearm at the Uctus. “All of you, back down. You’ll love this.”

  The powder formed an eddy, swirling, as it rolled into piles. Those heaped higher and higher, as though climbing onto one another’s back. Enstidius’s eyes widened until they looked as if they might bounce right out of their sockets.

  “How?” he whispered.

  Skana smiled.

  “We told you they would assemble themselves. This is how it works.”

  The heaps of metal were hollowing out inside, as the nanites, billions and trillions of them, formed the pilot compartments, the bulkheads, the control panels, the computer systems, the weapon systems, the engines, the power plants, and finally the bulkheads of five single fighter craft. It took a moment before Enstidius stopped struggling, then he stood there watching, his eyes huge, his tail switching from side to side in excitement. The rest of his force was just as captivated. The weapons held in their arms sagged to the floor, forgotten in the amazement.