by Reg Franklin
“S-sir?”
“And stop that as well.” He tapped out a command and she heard his chamber door lock. He moved towards her, stroking her face tenderly. “When we are alone, you call me Paul from now on. After all, we do have a more...personal relationship these days.”
“I...I only wanted to please you…”
“Yes, yes...and you have. You tried to kill her for me. You wanted to do it yourself just to make me happy. In addition, you have killed for me. I’ve never met a woman willing to do that before.” He was smiling at her. She risked a smile back, and was rewarded by him embracing her.
Indeed, he was seething with rage, but not at her. Stragdoc was furious at Safyo for her temerity, her brazen theft. He would make her suffer...or this young woman in his arms would. He rather liked the thought of that. “Who is she?” Calixta whispered.
“A former disciple. She betrayed me and left me to die.” Calixta’s body tightened in his arms. “You’d never do something like that, would you?”
Her head turned to face him, eyes glowing with devotion. “Let me kill her for you.”
Stragdoc smiled. “Unfortunately, you're not strong enough...yet.” His mind touched hers, finding so much untapped potential there… “I can make you powerful. If that is what you want.”
“Will it hurt?” she looked at him, with obvious desire for what he offered.
Stragdoc caressed her face. “Exquisitely.” Opting for a dramatic flourish, he kissed her as his mind tore into hers, rewiring massive parts of her brain, changing neural paths, making connections that simply should not be. She screamed as her mind was disassembled, reassembled, over and over again.
Then it was over.
She collapsed into blessed oblivion. Stragdoc scooped her into his arms, carrying her to his bed, laying her there. She would live, hopefully. He had never done something that extensive before, changing a person’s mental layout to mirror his own.
He left the room and contacted Site A, telling them that the final test would be delayed until he himself could be present. Following that, he left orders that he not be disturbed under any circumstances.
Then he began his vigil. It was not that long, twelve, thirteen hours before her Alphite physiology woke her. Calixta's eyes simply snapped open, searching him out. The love and devotion were still there, that was good. “How do you feel, Calixta?”
She smiled. “Powerful.”
---
He sent for food, they made love. Following that, he took her to an empty part of the vessel.
“You have power, now you must learn to control it.” He explained. He had brought one of the gold bars she had returned from Earth with. It floated over his hand telekinetically. “Something simple to begin with. Take it from me.”
Calixta nibbled her lip. “Think of the bar. Grab it in your thoughts and pull.” A moment later it was in her hand, she was beaming proudly. “Again. Faster this time.” Repeatedly, until he was satisfied with her speed.
“It is one thing to simply take something from someone allowing you to have it.” The bar now levitated between them. “Seize it and wrench it from my grasp.” She had no difficulty in grasping the gold, but pulling it away proved difficult this time.
Stragdoc knew he was far too strong for her to defeat him easily. Nevertheless, so was Jennifer Safyo. Therefore, if his lover wanted to kill his nemesis for him, she would need to train. Additionally, this let him test the lessons he was planning for the children.
---
Calixta was sweating with exertion. She had been mentally pulling on the gold for over an hour, only managing to wiggle it in place.
Stragdoc was standing patiently before her. “Would you like to rest?”
“N-no…” through gritted teeth.
“Perhaps try visualizing it as something else. Something you want more than anything else. Tap into your primal emotions and let them work for you.”
He watched as she seemed to tense up, and then surprised him with a powerful mental pull that sent it flying into her hand. He smiled approvingly. “Well done.”
Calixta grinned broadly.
Tell me, what did you visualize it as?”
Calixta did not blink. “That bitch’s severed head.”
Stragdoc knelt next to her. “You really do want to kill her, don't you? Why? Just to please me?”
She shook her head. “No..I mean, yes, I know you would be happy to have her dead, but that's not all.” She paused, sighed. “She embarrassed me. Humiliated me. Made me feel weak and powerless.” There were some tears in her eyes. “I haven’t felt like that since before you cured me.”
The Emperor rose, helping her to her feet. “You will never feel weak and powerless again, Calixta. I promise you. She is strong, yes, and she might still be stronger than you, just as I am. However, you will be craftier. Smarter. And you have something she does not.” he brushed a few loose strands of hair from her face. “Your gift of foresight. You are stronger than her in that alone.”
Calixta blushed. “You really think so?”
Stragdoc nodded. “I have a limited version of it. Enough that it allows me to invest wisely, or if a business deal will be beneficial or not. But to anticipate attack the way you did?” He was leading her back to his quarters. “That man would not have shot at me when I rescued you if I had that ability.”
Alphites they passed saluted, bowed. More than a few seemed to be nursing headaches. “Will you do for them what you did to me?” Calixta whispered.
Stragdoc thought hard. “Possibly. What I did to your mind was dangerous, Calixta. I did what I did because you are becoming more and more precious to me.” He took her hand in his, brought it to his mouth, kissing it tenderly. “And I find myself unable to deny you.”
Her blush deepened to crimson. “I can't tell you how much that means to hear you say it, si-...Paul.” She amended lamely.
He smiled at her. Yes, Calixta was becoming dear to him. Her position on his chessboard was definitely approaching Queen status.
17.
The training continued for days. Once she had gained mastery of basic telekinesis, Stragdoc moved to advanced techniques: small, fine objects. Brute force was one thing, but sometimes a delicate touch could be required. And surprisingly, it was far more difficult.
Karman found them in training one day. Calixta sitting atop the Emperor’s desk, concentrating at a deck of cards which she was slowly placing into position atop one another. The Emperor was watching her with obvious pleasure. “Hello, Commander.” she said, unblinking and not moving her gaze for a moment as another card lifted itself into place before her.
“M-ma’am.” Karman stuttered. It was well-known gossip that Calixta and Stragdoc were involved romantically, but the fact that she was capable of similar feats was news to him. “Sir, I have the latest reports from Site A. The prototype is ready whenever you are.”
“Excellent. Isn’t that excellent, my dear?” Stragdoc murmured, looking over the tablet display Karman handed him.
“Extremely excellent.” she giggled behind him. “Done.”
“What do you think, Commander?” Stragdoc led him over to the tower of cards.
“Very skillful.” He admitted. “I’m quite impressed, ma’am.”
She beamed at him, and held up her hand. The cards levitated upwards, stacked themselves neatly, and lowered to her palm. “Care to test me, Commander?”
“Go ahead.” the Emperor encouraged. “Pick a card, any card Commander.”
Looking a bit uncomfortable, Karman randomly said “Nine of clubs?”
Calixta threw the deck in the air, cards scattering, then just as quickly restacking, the nine of clubs face up on top.
“H-how?” Visibly impressed, eyes wide.
“Our Emperor has given me a great gift.” She turned her smile onto her beloved. “His love and his power.”
“The power was within you, my dear, I simply helped unlock it.” The Emperor helped her from the desk, look
ed over at Karman. “Just as you will unlock your own someday, Victor.”
“Sir?” Karman felt the headache coming back again.
“I’ve come to a decision.” Stragdoc walked around him. “Our people are coming into the same sort of abilities I demonstrated when I rescued Calixta and her people from Earth. You know about the children, of course.”
“I’ve heard reports, sir.” Karman replied, somewhat confused.
“But the rest of you are beginning to develop those powers as well. That’s the source of the headaches, you see.” The Emperor patted him on the shoulder, leading him to the window overlooking the construction.
The new prow of the vessel was complete, looking like a pair of fangs pointing outwards. The aft end was now undergoing reconstruction to accommodate the new engines. “Victor, our people are standing on a great threshold right now, you realize that?”
“Sir?”
“We are about to make a great blow for our freedom as a species. The humans reject us, so we strike back. Nevertheless, we must all be as one. There cannot be any deviation, anyone who still feels more human than Alphite. Do you understand?”
“Sir, since the day you cured me of mortality, I have never looked back.” Karman stood ramrod straight. He took his status very seriously, having been dying of pancreatic cancer at the time of his treatment. “I am your man to the very end.”
“I know Victor. But others might not feel the same. Huh. Listen to me; I’m starting to sound absolutely paranoid.” The Emperor chuckled self-derisively. “If there is any hint of subversion, you will of course tell me immediately?”
“Absolutely sir.” Karman saluted briskly.
“Now.” The Emperor put his hand out. “Take my hand, and I will help you to the next level.”
“The next level, sir?”
“Like me.” Calixta’s voice. “Able to move things, read thoughts. I know you can a little already.”
Karman started. He had thought he was going crazy, hearing voices that were not there. “How...how do you know?”
“Because her lips didn’t move a millimeter, Victor.” The Emperor smiled. She moved into his eyeline, smiling contentedly.
“You have no idea how it feels to be able to do these things.” Again, her lips stayed closed, but her voice echoed in his head.
Karman looked at the Emperor’s hand, still outstretched. Then grasped it firmly.
When he woke up sometime later, he was ravenous. He looked around, saw he was in the vessel’s medbay, surrounded by the Emperor’s other chief advisors. Simms. Dalth. Peters. Others. Most were unconscious; some like him were waking up.
Are we...different now? One voice echoed in his head. Turning his head, Karman saw Simms looking at him.
Yes. I think we are. Karman found himself smiling. And I could not be prouder.
18.
While the Emperor was accelerating his people's evolutionary progress, the Alliance forces were far from idle. The North Koreans confirmed the assassination of the American President was a Psi-Omegan plot, coupled with the assault on the former headquarters resulting in the deaths of half a dozen Canadian soldiers regalvanizing the Alliance’s desire to bring Paul Stragdoc to justice.
More and more test vessels attempted to break through the atmosphere and maneuver in vacuum, with an increasing rate of success. But it was the Americans who first managed to build a small assault craft...and they did it without telling the other Alliance members, for they still believed that Stragdoc’s removal would cause the Alphite threat to dissipate.
Therefore, with that plan cemented in their hearts, the newly minted President authorized a secret mission to the Chancel. One agent, operating under the code name “Conrad”, was sent aboard the specialized craft, which would attach itself to the outer hull of the orbital city, so that Conrad would be able to infiltrate the vessel and neutralize the threat however he could.
To that end, he was equipped with conventional explosives as well as exploding rounds, the thought being to inflict such massive damage that the would-be Emperor would not be able to recover from.
To say that the plan did not go well is an understatement.
Conrad was able to infiltrate the vessel easily enough, but the American government was blissfully unaware of what had been going on aboard the vessel. Apparently having detected his thoughts before the airlock his ship was positioned over could be opened, Victor Karman had been waiting.
Conrad was seized; his arms bound, but was confused when they left his radio transmitter attached to him. So were the Americans...until the interrogation started. It was quite simple: Stragdoc wanted them to hear every second of what was about to happen.
The following is an audio transcript of the “interrogation”:
FEMALE VOICE: You know who I am?
CONRAD: Calixta Morsalis, the ambassador.
MORSALIS: Quite right. And you are, let us see, your code name is “Conrad”?
MALE VOICE: Someone at the Pentagon is a Heart of Darkness fan.
MORSALIS: Apparently. And tell me Conrad, do you know who my companion who captured you is?
CONRAD:If I had to guess, Victor Karman, Stragdoc's security chief.
MORSALIS: Very good, we are all acquainted now. You came to kill our Emperor, yes?
CONRAD: silence
KARMAN: Answer her and it will go easier for you.
CONRAD: As in a quick death, no torture? Somehow, I doubt that.
MORSALIS: Oh no, we are going to make an example of you no matter how you answer us, Mr. Tran. That is your real surname, yes? David Tran of Sacramento California, unmarried, common-law relationship with your boyfriend John Cord? Stop me if I get anything wrong.
CONRAD: H-how could you…
MORSALIS: Know all that? David, you told me just now.
CONRAD: I...I never…
KARMAN: Did you think the Emperor was the only one with gifts?
MORSALIS: Does John know what you do for the government? I would think that being a lifelong pacifist he would be disgusted to know that you are basically a hired gun.
CONRAD: Leave him out of this you bi-! *inarticulate scream*
MORSALIS: Now now, keep using that sort of language and I will do worse than break your pinkie finger.
CONRAD: *panting* You...you didn't...touch me…
MORSALIS: That is the amazing thing, David! I do not have to! As the Commander said, we have gifts too. For example, right now I am holding your big toe without even touching it. Want to see what I can do with it?
CONRAD: *screams*
MORSALIS: I just snapped the bones that make it up.
KARMAN: Did you come to kill the Emperor?
CONRAD: G-go to hell! *scream*
MORSALIS: And that was your left testicle I just crushed. *giggle*
CONRAD: B-itch…
MORSALIS: I will let that one pass due to the amount of pain you are in. Did you come to kill our Emperor?
CONRAD: *weakly* Yes.
MORSALIS: There we go! And doesn't it feel better to tell the truth?
KARMAN: Are you an agent of the Alliance or just the American government?
CONRAD: J-just my country.
MORSALIS: Very good. Of course, we already knew those things, we just hate liars, don't we Commander?
KARMAN: Loathe them.
MORSALIS: See, we can pull any answers from your mind we want, but like the parents of a very naughty child, we feel it is better to have the child just admit things. Otherwise, we might have to punish your friends as well.
CONRAD: Please...John...he’s not...part of this.
KARMAN: We will be the judges of that.
MORSALIS: Now tell us David, do you know what their contingency plan is in case you failed your mission? You know, as you just did?
CONRAD: I...I don't…
KARMAN: He is hiding something.
CONRAD: I...I swear…
MORSALIS: Hm. You are right. He is trying very hard not to think of somethi
ng. All I can see is his boyfriend. Very cute, by the way.
KARMAN: Yeah that is all I get too. What do you want to do, ma’am?
MORSALIS: Bring his attention back to the matter at hand of course.
*a crunching sound*
CONRAD: *screaming* MY MOUF! WHA YOU DO MY MOUF?!
MORSALIS: Crushed all the teeth on the left side. Even your wisdom teeth on that side.
CONRAD: *still screaming* CRAZY BITCH!
KARMAN: Watch what is left of your mouth, or we will do far worse.
CONRAD: *sobbing in pain* See bwoke my mouf…
MORSALIS: Con. Tin. Gen. Cy. Plans.
CONRAD: *inarticulate mumbling*
KARMAN: Breaking his teeth might not have been the best course, ma’am.
MORSALIS: That is all right, I got a good clear look when he mumbled. The Americans want to nuke us.
KARMAN: Bastards.
MORSALIS: Indeed. And that means you are going to have to suffer more, David. To show them what we will do to each and every one of them. But I have good news; you were a good boy so we’ll leave John alone. What do you say about that?
