Chasing the Jewelled Throne

by r. a. Ben Miller

  Chapter 3; Aldo LX

  “Your father needs you, baby…” she pleaded.

  His face darkened, “That old bastard has never needed any one but a bit of shank now and again.”

  At the mention of her husbands disregard for their marriage vows as evidenced by the desire for an endless parade of younger females, her lips tightened. Then, her face softened. Shrewdly, her voice was quiet, “Whether he needs you or not, baby, your mommy needs you here now… Won’t you please hurry?”

  He had heard that tone before. When his mother’s voice used a nice tone of sweetness, heads were about to roll. The only terrors of his privileged childhood had come when he had ignored that tone and not responded appropriately. Since she was still calling him Baby, then, for now, he was not headed for the bright fires of her fury. Someone was in some deep trouble tonight. “Probably Daddy’s latest lady in waiting” he said to no one. He wouldn’t miss that show for any thing,

  “Yes, Mother…we hear and obey!”

  Behind him, his care takers were holding towels. The Guardians were following their orders to not let the Prince out of their sight. They stood at attention by the door. He ignored them while he let the girls bathe him and dry him. Other girls, also naked, dressed him. He allowed them to comb and dress his hair. Finally, in a shirt and pants, he sat down for some soft slippers. Within a few minutes, he was decent.

  Aldo spoke to his Chief of Staff, “I’ll prepare properly on the flight to Arth…”

  “What about them, Sire?” sweeping his hand over the scattered males and females sleeping drunkenly about the room.

  Aldo shrugged, “If they notice that I am gone, bring them to my central Palace. They are my true friends. If they don’t, send them to prison planets… They weren’t my friends anyway…just some whores and ne’er do wells that I found at other parties…” With out another word, he stalked through the door that was quickly swung open in front of him by one of the Guardians.

  Out in the hallway a litter was set up to be carried by 10 strong barely clothed females. The Guardians took up defensive positions at the corners and they all took off running for a large elevator and were whisked up to the flight deck on the roof. The litter team ran like a trained machine through several portals on to a large drop down ramp at the back of a huge flyer. The ramp raised up, closing with a thump as the passed in.

  The tiny ship raised gently up as the passengers strapped in. The girls locked the Prince’s litter to clamps on the deck. Then they rushed to the back for their own seats. There were only eight seats. Cursing under their breaths, the last two girls stumbled back to the front using hand and foot holds. They locked themselves into clamps on the belt of the flimsy outfits they wore.

  Once all were secure, the ship gained speed and altitude. The two of the females who had lost at musical chairs were serving wine and bits of cake to the Prince. They were feeding it to him like a baby. The Guardian noticed the other girls were drawing straws. One after the other, they either quietly jumped for joy or slump their shoulders in depression.

  Once the ship was free of the planetoid’s thin atmosphere, the ship was flown expertly into a special docking station of a Royal Barge. Once the smaller vessel was firmly attached, the large ship powered up for the hyper space trip home. Inside the Prince’s ship, another portal opened and a smaller litter was viewed waiting for him. The Prince waddled and whined over to the new litter. The girls all gathered around him carefully in the reduced weight environment. They helped their prince into the smaller littler. The antigravity units were turned on and his female handlers were able to just guide it to his apartments in the center of the barge without having to carry him.

  The prince loved being in space. “Ahhh, I feel light as a feather.” Every one around him knew that this meant that he didn’t feel the oppression of his fat overwhelming him. On the Royal Barge, the crew hated when he was aboard because he insisted on ¼ gravity.

  Once back at his apartments on Arth, the prince was taken into his dressing room. Aldo, as the oldest son, was redressed in Court Finery. As soon as he was properly dressed, he was hustled to his father’s bedside. In horror, he watched the last breaths of his father. He knew it was an early death from drink and debauchery. Like his son, Zinad had become his own worst enemy. Born to a life of privilege, they both cared little for their duty to their subjects. They lived only for their daily pleasures.

  Sadly, in their defense, neither Zinad nor Aldo had been prepared to rule. In fact, neither should have been chosen for this or any position that required a decisive leader. Both had the wrong temperament. Neither had a single shred of ethics or morals that any one could find.

  To make the situation even worse, it had been clear from his birth, that Aldo had inherited only the worst traits from his father. With each passing day, it became the general feeling of the Galactic Senate that Aldo was the least fit man to rule this empire that any one could have chosen.

  Aldo knew that his father had many other children from his many dalliances, but he was the oldest legitimate son. His own mother had been forced to adopt many of his father’s children. A year ago, his father had named him successor. This was reiterated in a ceremony just before his death. Now, he, at the tender age of 27, automatically became the 60th Menzi to ascend to the Jewel Throne.

  Since then, he had continued the worst policies of his besotted father. Bored with the drudgeries of day-to-day politics, the running of the empire was left to anyone who would curry his favor. These people were left to their own devices. As long as the money came in regularly, these governors could do what they wished with their territories.

  Unrest was rampant. In all quadrants pirate bands and warlords sprang up. As long as bribes were paid, they ruled their planets as they wished with out being seriously bothered by empirical security forces. In space, pirates terrorized the outer fringe inhabitants and raided Navy bases at will. In some cases, it was the Naval officers and sailors themselves who revolted and formed the warlord’s fighting forces. It seemed as if everyone had their hand out to squeeze as much as possible as long as they could.

  On the far side of the palace, was a gigantic building known as the Galactic Senate. These elected officials were harassed every day with calls from their home planets for the Emperor to act. As these calls continued to go unanswered, a segment of the fringe area Senators formed a growing faction, These fringe Senators followed a militant line of thinking and soon were known by the newsies as the Hawks. They did not see themselves as anything but good citizens doing their jobs and were committed to trying to get the Emperor to increase military spending to try and return order to the Fringe.

  The Emperor was too busy holding grand parties and fooling with his mistresses to be concerned with a few backwater Senators. As more ships defected to Pirate and Warlord bands, the Navy continued to dwindle in ships and manpower. The Security Committee under the strong hand of Heren Menzi, conspired to create opportunities to hold secret meetings with Hawk Senators.

  At first, Aldo’s bastard half-brother, Admiral Heren made a great show of appearing to be invited to the meetings. In reality, Heren was both the instigator and choreographer of those meetings. He made great use of his notoriety as a the top Naval officer in the Empire. Publicly, it was stated that he was the considered to be an expert witness on what was not being done by the Emperor to save his own Empire. Laws were passed by the Senate on their recommendations and sent to the Emperor.

  Heren’s best patsy was to make use of the emperor’s cousin, Tokar Menzi. Tokar was president of Senate. Well, he was really a sort of a poor relation cousin to Aldo Menzi. He was the only grandson of an unmarried favorite mistress to Aldo’s grandfather, Zaster, the 58th emperor in this line. Aldo’s grandfather had blessed Tokar’s political aspirations and bankrolled his way to his first Senate seat. From that point on, it was Tokar’s own moxie and political skill and acumen had led him to be the President of that body twenty cycles later. In that capaci
ty he had served the next three emperors.

  Today, he had come to the Palace because it was his job to appear almost daily to report on the imperial business to the Emperor. He fidgeted as he waited. He had brought a book with him to read, but, he was too nervous. As the president of the Senate, he was used to the waiting, but, this new bill was going to really upset his cousin. Listening to the sounds from the Emperor’s chambers, he could hear laughter and music.

  “Bathing my foot,” he thought. After a long wait, he was ushered into the Royal Garden.

  He bowed low before the Emperor, “You are looking well, Sire.”

  Aldo didn’t even look at his cousin. He grabbed his golden goblet and poured wine into his face, drips ran unheeded, “Do I really, cousin? With all of the pressures of office, I feel older every day.”

  “Nonsense, Sire. You have grown better with each year.”

  Tokar looked at the grossly obese man sitting on the throne before him. Standing there in front of this wastrel, he felt a little ill. He thought back to Aldo’s grandfather (and his). Now there was a man fit to lead this Empire. “These days,” he thought sadly, “after two generations of sloth and dissemination, we are stuck with this weakling. Oh well.”

  He stepped forward, hoping to hurry his business along, “Sire, I have come to deliver the Senate’s view on the increasing tensions of the Perimeter.”

  “Work, work, work! That’s all I ever do,” Aldo whined.

  “Yes, Sire. I am aware of your busy schedule. None the less, I must beg a little of your time to read these documents.” The old senator handed Aldo a file. On top of the file was a sheet of lextex. On the sheet each law was summarized in one line. Tokar knew that Aldo could usually be coaxed to read one line. He would never read any more than that.

  Aldo, though already drunk, tried very hard to concentrate on the words before him. As he read, his face became redder and redder.

  “How dare you bring me this sedition!” he sputtered.

  “Sedition, Sire? There is no treason here. Our poor forgotten and ignored citizens of the Perimeter are simply requesting a miniscule increase in the Naval patrols to open up shipping lanes and fight pirates!” Tokar had raised his voice without knowing.

  Aldo tore the document in two and then again and threw the pieces at Tokar.

  “I spend far too much of MY precious money on my half brother’s damned Navy now! We have expenses of our own to worry about. Why does your esteemed body not raise the taxes for the Perimeter planets to pay for these increased patrols, eh? No! That would be too easy. Let’s bleed the old Emperor some more! Now, get out of here before We lose our temper and have you all arrested!”

  Shocked and horrified, Tokar bowed quickly, “By Your command, Sire! I am so desperately sorry!” Not turning his back, he exited the room and the building.

  Aldo stormed around the garden looking for something to damage. Then, he remembered her name.

  “Tisha?” he called softly. Tisha was his latest nymphet, hiding in the bedroom. She had seen him like this all too often lately. The out come for her was never good. Finally, he found her.

  “So, when I need you most you are hiding.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head down to her breast. “Why would I hide from the most loving man in the Empire?” she cooed.

  He pushed her to the floor. “Why indeed. I picked you up in the gutter. I made you a fine lady. This is how you repay me?” He grabbed her by her long curly hair.

  “No, my liege, I will do what ever you need,” she begged. He was remarkably strong for some one so dissipated

  “You must be taught not to hide from your master.” He dragged her down the hall. He dragged the naked, crying girl to the desk of the Sergeant of the Guard, “Send this bit of baggage back to her mother. I will not have anyone around who doesn’t appreciate me fully.”

  The man smiled cruelly, “Yes, Your Majesty.” The girl fainted.

  He had done this many times. Every couple of weeks, his Emperor would grow tired of one of his “ladies” and she would be dragged kicking and screaming down the hall to this desk for disposal. He had worked and schemed for years to get this post just for the pure enjoyment of these moments, seeing these blue blood bitches brought to their knees. He knew the Emperor wouldn’t mind if his men had some sport with the girl before she was shipped back to her wee mum. The Sergeant motioned for another man to take his post.

  That man smiled softly. He knew that he would have a turn coming to satisfy him self at the expense of a bit of royal fluff. “Room one is empty, Sar’nt. Sound proofed, too!”

  “Excellent!” The Sergeant picked the tiny girl up gently. She was as small as a child in his gigantic arms. With a look at the receding back of the Emperor as he waddled back toward the throne room, the soldier ducked quickly through a hidden door into the barrack area behind the desks. He passed rows of barred rooms with sad faced girls who looked up and then down quickly.

  They were embarrassed that they were filled with relief and guilt. They dropped their heads to hide the look that passed over each face as they knew what was in store for the newest member to their little zoo and relief that the Guards attention would be on someone else tonight.

  The Emperor had already forgotten her. She, however, would never forget the next few days. Aldo paid no attention to the business in the back sound proofed rooms in Barrack One. His mind was on his own problems. He now knew what he must do to show those rotters in the Senate.

  He called for a litter to take him to their end of the palace grounds. At the door to their chambers, the Portal Guardian was stunned to see who was at his desk. ”Let me in right now!” Aldo screamed in a high pitched voice.

  “Yes, Sire,” he stuttered.

  The Knight at Arms had barged in to the back of the Senate Chamber and yelled, “All rise for the Emperor,” his collar mike broadcast the call throughout the chamber.

  Immediately all business stopped as Tokar rushed to the Portal to escort the Emperor to the dais. The Knight hit a secret button. The strains of “Jewel Throne Forever” were heard through out the room. Aldo, LX, staggered to the dais.

  First, Tokar hit a button to call all the Senators in from their offices. Then he hit another button to raise the step behind the dais so that the emperor could be seen by the full senate. While this was going on, Senators were pouring in to the Chamber from their offices to see what the fuss was about. An aide adjusted the microphone to the Emperor’s height.

  The Emperor glared from one side to the other. The sound of, “For sixty generations the House of Menzi has ruled this Empire” echoed through the hall. The statement was met with mixed applause.

  “The Jeweled Throne will not be auctioned off to fight a few pirates.” Now a few boo’s were mixed into the applause.

  “My bastard half-brother’s Navy is well enough equipped to face this menace.” Following this back handed mention of his brother Heren’s name, applause and whistling erupted.

  Aldo was encouraged by this out burst, thinking the Senators were cheering him, he continued, “We are not amused by this attempt to throw our money anywhere but where we say.” Mixed boos and polite applause were heard in the room.

  “We are sorely pressed to understand how a few Senators can ruin your beloved Emperor’s day.”

  Now the crowd was clearly booing and cat calling these words. Aldo let the bedlam die down.

  “We are offended!” He pounded on the podium as boos rained around him.

  “I am hereby disbanding this body until further notice.” More pounding and more boos.

  “Be thankful that my infinite mercy keeps me from throwing you all in jail for attempting to tell our majestic self how to spend our money.” He then staggered out of the chamber. Behind him, the Senate was in an uproar.

  His half brother did happen to be in the building. Another meeting of the Hawks had been called. When the all call light had interrupted a meeting, he had slipped
quietly into the balcony. He was no longer waiting his turn to testify. He wanted to watch the show. He was disturbed by the reference to to his bastard status.

  He did not need to be reminded that he was, after all, Admiral Heren Menzi, Military Chief of Staff. He was very glad now to have been accidentally called as a witness before the secret sub committee that day. Now, he saw his chance. He slipped out of the chamber and, gathering his staff, immediately sent them to carefully chosen offices. In hours, he began to gather support among the Senators. Because of his previous secret meetings, he now knew which Senators were most in favor of his position.

  The emperor had added many Senators to the dissident’s camp when he made the supreme mistake of dissolving their body. The viddy had captured the whole escapade and even fence sitting senators were knocked into their side of the argument after the Emperor had thoroughly embarrassed back in their home providences.

  The final straw came from the Admiral Heren. He won the last group over by promising that when he was Emperor, he would reinstate the Senate. This brought the rest of the Senators in line. The Senators had grown tired of Aldo’s mismanagement.