Imperial Echoes

by Eric Thomson

  “She may be an abomination in your eyes, but her work with the Commission saves lives. Yes, she will enter minds uninvited, but only in the course of her duties. She cannot do so in any other situation thanks to the conditioning our most powerful talents undergo.” He shrugged. “But I won’t argue the point with you. I understand where you’re coming from, and I respect that. Perhaps, during your stay with us, we could explore that difference of outlook further. We are eager to learn about your evolution since your forerunners settled on Lyonesse during the last years of Dendera’s reign. Perhaps we’ll find that our path needs adjusting so we can more closely match yours.”

  “Start with Ardrix and her like. That’ll go a long way.” Another pause. “And if you’re thinking about a merger, then you must fix the issue of men as head of the Order, abbeys, and priories.”

  He gave her an amused smile.

  “Or you might relax restrictions and make the best use of the people available, regardless of gender. In any case, I just wanted to meet you and introduce myself, not enter into a debate over our minuscule differences. If you wish, I’ll answer questions at this point.” He met each of the Lyonesse Brethren’s eyes in turn once more. When no one took him up on the offer, he said, “Thank you for your time. We will speak again. Meanwhile, I’ll explore returning you to Hatshepsut now that our government has dropped restrictions on official travel beyond the Hegemony’s sphere. Perhaps we can charter a hardy merchant captain.”

  A smirk spread across Hermina’s face.

  “Isn’t that how we ended up as your involuntary guests in the first place?”

  “True, but this time, said captain would travel with the government’s permission.” He stood, imitated by the others.

  “We won’t hold our breaths. Your government will balk at releasing us after everything we learned about you.”

  “Perhaps, which is why I make no promises, but I’ll try. And even if I receive permission, it might take a while.” Bolack bowed his head. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  Then he swept out of the refectory.

  “Not quite what I expected,” Metrobius said.

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure. Bolack reminds me of no one quite so much as the Order’s Chief Administrator back home, Friar Odabo.”

  “Don’t get sympathetic with our captors, Metrobius,” Hermina warned. “But you’re right. There are a few minor points of resemblance.”

  “Including a talent for managing expectations.” The Friar sighed. “We’re never getting home, are we?”

  “Probably not. It’s best if we consider ourselves on a mission to guide the Void Reborn back into the fold.”

  **

  After the prioress, Torma, and Ardrix saw him off, Bolack settled in the back of the aircar, his forehead creased in thought. He couldn’t see Mandus ever allowing the Lyonesse Brethren off Wyvern. Based on Torma’s account, the folks on Hatshepsut knew people from something called the Hegemony visited and took eight of the ten Lyonesse Friars and Sisters with them, but nothing more. Mandus would likely want the Hegemony’s identity, never mind everything that Hermina and her flock learned, kept from the Lyonesse government for as long as possible so the first wave of expansion could be carried out unhindered.

  His personal communicator, one provided by Admiral Godfrey and using the sort of encryption proof even from the Commission’s best, chimed for attention. He retrieved it from a pocket hidden inside his voluminous black robes.

  “Bolack.”

  “Godfrey, here. Where are you?”

  “I just left Grenfell Priory after visiting Torma, Ardrix, and our guests.”

  “Could you divert to Navy HQ, please, and land on the roof? Admiral VanReeth and General Bucco are demanding the Conclave come together and vote on the Regent’s decrees forming the Colonial Service, calling them illegitimate as they were issued without the Council’s legal support.”

  Bolack frowned.

  “The Conclave’s sole reason is electing the Council members. It has no say on policy.”

  “They’re looking for a way of invalidating her actions, something they can point at and say she should no longer serve as Regent. I think they fear the Council’s end as the supreme governing body is nigh.”

  “I suppose it’s one last desperate attempt to wrest power from Vigdis.”

  “Perhaps, but I’m seeing signs of support for their actions from outside government, interests who didn’t enjoy being caught flat-footed with announcements that drastically change the balance of power.”

  “Will enough Conclave members respond to get a quorum?”

  “That depends on how many have patrons pushing them. Ishani Robbins is trying to find out, but she’s proceeding cautiously. Her own superior, Commissioner Cabreras, hasn’t declared his views, though it’s well known he wants the top job, and if this attempt at stopping Mandus fails, it might well become vacant.” Godfrey fell silent for a moment. “This is interesting. I just received word the Regent quietly placed the Wyvern Regiment on full alert.”

  “Really? I can’t remember that ever happening.”

  “You wouldn’t. The last time was during Guillermo Toshida’s term as Regent when you and I were mere toddlers. It didn’t end well for the cabal of disgruntled senior officers intent on overthrowing him. Half of the Council was in on it. By the time things settled down, the three services were under new chiefs and Wyvern a new Consul. The previous incumbents vanished into unmarked graves. I wonder whether the Wyvern Regiment’s intelligence analysts suspect VanReeth and Bucco are doing more than just agitating for an ad hoc Conclave meeting. They’re damn good at sniffing out threats to the Regent. This new development makes it even more imperative you land at Navy HQ.”

  “I shall join you as fast as possible. Was there anything else?”

  “No. Godfrey, out.”

  Bolack sat back, staring at the communicator in his right hand. Why were some people so concerned about personal power when the future of the Hegemony was at stake? It couldn’t be simple greed, but then, the pathological urge to enrich oneself was always reliably the source of so much political turmoil throughout history.

  Yet more important matters were at stake, such as Sister Jessica’s prophecy that the two halves of what was rent asunder will reunite. If it comes to pass, then the new union of human star systems must happen under the Hegemony’s banner and the Void Reborn’s Phoenix Orb.

  The old Order, with its outdated views, its strange scruples, and its refusal to use the abilities of all Friars and Sisters to the utmost couldn’t be the way of the future.

  No, that future belonged to the Void Reborn, and if it must, his Order would have no problems weaponizing powerful minds, such as Ardrix’s.

  **

  “What did you think of the Archimandrite?” Torma and Ardrix met Hermina halfway around the priory’s walking meditation circuit not long after Bolack’s aircar vanished over the mountaintops, and all three stopped by common accord.

  “I’m sure you don’t want to hear my impression, Colonel.”

  “Strangely enough, I do.”

  A faint air of annoyance crossed her face.

  “He’s intelligent, with a stronger mind than I expected in a Friar. Definitely not one to trifle with. But he’s a politician as well, and that isn’t what you want in a monastic.”

  “Why do you call him a politician?”

  A bitter smile twisted her lips.

  “Because he can equivocate and manipulate with the best of them rather than speak the Almighty’s naked truth openly. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  And with that, Hermina walked away.

  Torma and Ardrix looked at each other in surprise.

  “She’s not wrong, you know,” the latter finally said.

  — 45 —

  ––––––––

  As Bolack’s aircar flew over New Draco
nis, he looked down, searching for signs of what might have put the Wyvern Regiment on full alert, but saw nothing. The city seemed as quiet as always on a weekday morning because it was devoted to government business, which mainly happened indoors.

  Godfrey’s aide, Lieutenant Krennek, met him on the Navy HQ roof and led him down to Admiral Benes’ office, where he and Godfrey waited. Both wore an extra star on the collar since Bolack saw them a few days earlier.

  “I gather congratulations are in order?” He joined them around the low table by settling into one of the deep, leather-covered chairs.

  “For everyone, Archimandrite.” Benes winked at him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The Wyvern Regiment is on high alert because Grand Admiral Mandus is unilaterally changing the composition of the Hegemony’s executive branch. You might note that I now wear a fourth star. Admiral VanReeth has been relieved of his duties, along with Generals Bucco and Farrah. The Wyvern Palace has just announced they are retiring effective at midnight tonight, after long and honorable careers, so that a new slate can take over and implement the Oath. I now command the Navy, General Sarkis the Ground Forces, and General Cabreras yes, Nero Cabreras of all people, the Commission for State Security. However, none of us are members of the Ruling Council because Grand Admiral Mandus, Regent of the Hegemony and its absolute ruler, abolished it. But the four Consuls stay in place, as does the Chancellor.”

  “She abolished the Ruling Council?” Bolack sounded incredulous. “Can she do that?”

  “Sure. No one ever bothered drawing up a constitution that spells out how the Hegemony is governed. The only reason no previous Regent made a bid for change was because of inertia and the lack of Guards Corps support to carry out what is in effect a coup against the established order. Task Force Kruzenshtern’s return has changed everything. Both the Navy and the Ground Forces are vibrating with enthusiasm at the notion of expanding back into the former empire’s domains and won’t countenance any reticence. Since the Ruling Council, or at least part of it, didn’t show the same enthusiasm, Mandus used the occasion for a shakeup.”

  “A necessary one,” Godfrey said. “The current structure would have impeded the build-up of our forces and the recolonization effort due to excessive centralization of power and decision making.”

  “As a result, the Regent centralizes power even more in her own hands?” Bolack raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  “Not quite.” Benes’ mysterious smile widened. “For the next while, until the Conclave aligns itself with the new reality, a triumvirate made up of the Regent, the Chancellor, and you will run the Hegemony.”

  “Me?” Bolack sat up, astonishment writ large on his face.

  “Sure. Vigdis represents the military part of our state, Conteh, the civilian part, and you, the religious part. Think about it. The people, by and large, trust the Order. As its leader and a major voice in secular as well as religious affairs, your membership in the triumvirate will lend the new structure greater legitimacy in the eyes of the public than the Ruling Council enjoyed.”

  “I didn’t know she was contemplating such a move.”

  Godfrey chuckled.

  “It’s been in the works since before Kruzenshtern’s return. That’s the beauty of compartmentalization. You worked with her to change the Hegemony’s path should Torma and company come back bearing evidence of another star-faring polity, unbeknownst to us. Meanwhile, we worked with her to get rid of the Ruling Council, which bears most of the responsibility for our long societal stasis, unbeknown to you. The Almighty only knows what she plotted with the Chancellor, but she most assuredly did since he’s one of the triumvirs.” Godfrey let out a contented sigh. “Getting rid of the Council has been a long time coming. Without it, we can finally push through the first genuine change in almost two hundred years.”

  “Vigdis Mandus is full of surprises. Who would think she’d abolish the Council on top of everything else?” Bolack shook his head.

  “Anyone who saw the naked ambition hiding behind her stone-cold competence. I’m not a fan of the great man or woman theory, but Vigdis is indeed the right person at the right time. I can only shudder at how things would have unfolded if VanReeth were the Regent instead. We dodged a bullet when she won the election.”

  “What about the Conclave?”

  “For now, it stays and elects the Regent and the Chancellor. The Archimandrite, of course, will be elected by the Brethren of the Order as before. But the Conclave’s role will change as we expand. Right now, Mandus needs to centralize power in her hands so she can push through her decrees and make recolonizing former imperial worlds happen. Yet as we expand, power will by necessity flow downward. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Conclave, initially designed as a militaristic version of a senate with limited powers, becomes a true legislature. Something with the powers of the one which existed in the empire’s early days.”

  “And then, hopefully,” Benes said, “when we finally meet the Republic of Lyonesse head-on, it will be as equals, if not with us as superiors because the alternative is unthinkable.”

  Bolack opened his mouth to reply when Benes’ communicator chimed. The latter retrieved it from his tunic pocket and glanced at its screen.

  “The Regent. Wait one.” He thumbed the controls, then placed it on the low table. “Benes here, sir. Admiral Godfrey and Archimandrite Bolack are with me and I have you on speaker.”

  “Good morning, Gentlemen. I’m calling to give you an update. VanReeth, Farrah, and Bucco are under house arrest, so they can’t dispute my announcement they retired voluntarily. Troopers from the Wyvern Regiment are guarding them. I set the trap to test Nero Cabreras, so we’ll soon know whether he’s driven by ambition or ideology. Can you transport the Archimandrite to the Wyvern Palace in half an hour?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. The Chancellor is coming over as well. We will make the public announcement together at noon, and that should cut short anything the opposition could be plotting. Without a Council, all those political grifters no longer have a window into the upper echelons of government.”

  “How did the Consuls take the news?” Godfrey asked.

  “With more equanimity than I expected, but I made it clear the first sign of opposition on anyone’s part means early retirement, at gunpoint if necessary. I doubt they’re happy they now report to a triumvirate instead of sitting on a Ruling Council, but there’s little they can do. Oh, and I’d like to shed the Regent title. Our ancestors adopted it because the incumbent was supposed to be a military stand-in for the true sovereign that will come and heal the damage caused by the Ruggero Dynasty. But there’s no true sovereign coming, and our head of state isn’t a mere stand-in sitting at the head of a Council of equals anymore. I’m open to suggestions.”

  “If I may,” Bolack said. “The Republic of Lyonesse is headed by a president elected by a senate whose members are elected by eligible citizens. Since our founders designed the Conclave as something with a senate’s power to appoint a ruler, why not call our highest office president as well? It makes for a neat break with the past.”

  Benes raised his hand. “Seconded.”

  “And me,” Godfrey added. “President, Chancellor, and Archimandrite, the Hegemony’s new executive team. It scans. Perhaps your next move is wearing civilian clothes, sir.”

  “One step at a time, Admiral,” Mandus growled. “I wouldn’t want any Conclave members thinking I’ve become ripe for the picking.”

  “With the Wyvern Regiment, which you should re-title the Presidential Guard Regiment, by the way, looking out for your welfare, I can’t think of a single flag officer who’d try. Besides, most are excited at the opportunities for promotion and preferment in an expanding Hegemony, their patrons be damned.”

  “Okay. Enough. I’ll think it over and discuss the matter with Chancellor Conteh momentarily. If he agrees with Archimandrite Bolack, then President
Mandus I shall become when I announce that I’ve dissolved the Ruling Council in favor of a more progressive and forward-thinking executive.” A pause. “Archimandrite, I shall see you at the Palace. Mandus, out.”

  “The speed of events makes one’s head spin,” Bolack remarked as Benes retrieved his communicator.

  “Things barely move until everything happens at once. A piece of wisdom that survived every human calamity and is still applicable today. What did Torma say about becoming my inspector general?”

  Bolack chuckled. “His exact words were ‘I suppose I have no choice’ if you’ll believe it.”

  “That’s him alright. I would suspect someone too eager for the job of hiding a personal agenda. And Ardrix?”

  “She’ll do as the Order commands, but I think the appointment pleased her. Our Ardrix hides an unquenchable curiosity behind that demure appearance. I suppose it comes from having a strong will along with a well-developed talent. In any case, she’s yours until you tire of her or she tires of the assignment.”

  “Which could be years.”

  “Probably. Ardrix is one of those who wouldn’t be in the Order except for her extraordinarily powerful talent, so don’t be surprised if she prefers adventure over worship.”

  A sardonic grin tugged at Benes’ lips. “Does Torma know that?”

  **

  Newly minted Brigadier General Crevan Torma examined his reflection in the mirror of his freshly assigned flag officer quarters on Joint Forces Base New Draconis. The silver star on either side of his tunic’s collar opening, along with a general’s silver braid decorating his black uniform, felt unreal, as did the Guards Colonial Service badge on his sleeves. The design wasn’t much older than his promotion orders and featured the Hegemony’s phoenix, sword, and stars insignia inside the Colonial Service’s emblem, a compass rose pointing outward in every direction.