The issue hadn’t crossed Jason’s mind. “Perhaps I can have a dome on Alexandria built for them.” He wasn’t crazy about the idea of turning them into a zoo attraction, but it would certainly draw in the tourists. In any case, he couldn’t send them back to Alexandria until the planet was safer.
“Plans for the years to come. Speak with your father. He really is acting friendlier these days.”
The concept of a friendly father was alien to him. Could this new medication have changed him so much? Jason nodded. “I will.”
Chapter Thirty-One
After his meeting and press conference, a line of vehicles paraded behind his limousine’s return to the palace. The capitol building's white gleaming surface reflected the sunlight in dazzling brilliance. The circle complete, he was home. He couldn’t believe how much he missed the old place. Wasn’t it just yesterday when he yearned to leave his constraints? Escape his responsibilities? He’d returned with a whole new planet to be responsible for.
The grounds seemed smaller somehow with the weight of his new duties. Humanity stretched across four galaxies and few of those people cared about the events on Rhime. Jason was a massive fish at home, but out there, he was insignificant. Perhaps a little less insignificant after the events on Alexandria.
Guards in dress uniforms stopped what they were doing and saluted as his entourage passed through the gates. Sparrow to his right. Charlie to his left. A string of guards following.
Jason asked, “You miss it?”
“Nope. Gate duty sucks, sir.” Charlie flashed him a grin. “We’ve been asked to take you to see him now.”
Boot heels clattered as the group ascended the stairs. “Where is he?”
“The office in the residence, sir.”
They passed through the government building and onto the interior lawn, shedding a few of the guards. Spring had begun, and the grounds teamed with bright colors. Jason paused in their fervent dash to his father, bringing the group to a halt. Bending down, he plucked a yellow flower and offered it to Sparrow. “The gardeners used to smack my hands when I did this as a child. I don’t think they’ll complain this time.”
She grinned up at him. Her beautiful smile entrancing. “I didn’t want to tell you this before, but I probably should before you get out of control.” With the mysterious magic of every woman, she stuck the flower into her hair and had it stay in place with ease. “I’m really not into yellow flowers. That decor back on the ship was leftovers from the last pilot. I couldn’t afford to redecorate.”
Jason exploded with laughter. “Why didn’t you tell me when I bought you the pajamas?”
“I didn’t want to break your heart. You were having too much fun buying things.” She pulled him down for a kiss. He was acutely aware of everyone watching them. Jason refused to be embarrassed.
They marched on, drawing close to the residence. Decorative brick along the front in the pattern of the family logo. Massive curved windows spanned three-stories, ending with spiked tips at the top. Huge double doors opened wide to welcome him home with half the household staff assembled.
“Hmm. Maybe I should’ve mentioned something to you. You might want to stay with me for this meeting.”
“Yea? Why’s that?” She asked.
“You’re in for a worse fate.” Jason pointed to the line of people standing at the door. His head tilted at the sight. They had new uniforms. Modest ones. Instead of sheer robes, they wore traditional black and red outfits. “See the woman up front?”
A somewhat dowdy woman stood with her hands clasped and a wide smile on her face. She was head of the household staff and since she had some distant blood connection to the family, was one of the few where brains far outweighed his father’s physical requirements.
Jason spoke for Sparrow’s ears alone as they came to a halt in front of the group. “That’s Ms. Preston. She has five sons and considers any girl I get near to be a dress-up doll for her amusement.” The woman was also the closest thing to a mother Jason had ever known.
Sparrow’s face scrunched into Grumpy Sparrow — lips drawn tight into an exaggerated frown, brows knitted together. She gave her braid a tug. “Dress-up?”
He grinned back at her. “Yup. We have dinner with the Emperor tonight. She’s not going to let you show up in that ratty thing.”
She took a slight step back and glanced down at her jumpsuit. “I wasn’t planning on wearing this. I did bring my luggage.”
Jason took her hand. “Nevertheless, you can let her do whatever she wants with you, or can endure her displeasure during your stay. I recommend you wear whatever she picks out for you.”
“Displeasure, eh?”
“Trust me, you never want upset servants around. They have more power than most of us would care to admit.”
Sparrow shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”
Oddly, the group lowered their heads into a bow but didn’t drop to the ground when Jason approached. Changes in the protocol? What was his father up to? The medication couldn’t be working this well. Jason had been complaining about all the silly rules for as long as he could remember. The Emperor had always dismissed his words.
Ms. Preston sprung up from the abbreviated gesture and rushed forward, pulling Jason into a hug. “It’s good to have you home, sir. We’ve all missed you.”
Her stocky body provided for a comfortable motherly embrace. Jason squeezed his eyes tight, resisting tears. They allowed the hug to last long enough to edge over the line of imperial appropriateness.
Stepping back, he put his arm around Sparrow. “Ms. Preston, I’d like you to meet Sparrow. Sparrow this is Ms. Preston. If you need anything while you’re here, she’s the one to ask.”
The housekeeper grasped one of Sparrow’s hands and spoke with a light friendliness. “Ms. Gertrude, it’s a pleasure to have you with us. You can speak to any of the staff for help.”
Jason squeezed his lips together, holding back a laugh. He’d known Ms. Preston would research Sparrow ahead of time.
Sparrow glanced at him out of the corner of her eye with an expression that somehow scowled at him and smiled at Ms. Preston at the same time — crinkled edges to her eyes. “Please. Call me Sparrow.”
“Of course, Ms. Gertrude.”
Jason continued choking on his laugh.
Ms. Preston’s eyes ran over Lieutenant Stringer. “I see you’ve returned to us also, Charlie.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Charlie gave her a nod. “Hopefully my stay won’t be cut short.”
She cocked her head. “Well, the Emperor has been in a fine mood ever since we got news of Prince Jason’s impending return. Keep your head down and maybe he won’t notice.” She turned and gestured to the grand entrance. “Your father is waiting for you in his office, Prince Jason.”
Typical of his father. He couldn’t possibly greet his son at the door. He had to hole up in his office and make Jason come to him like a servant. A nothing. Just another meeting inconveniently squeezed into his busy schedule. His father hadn’t changed. Well, Jason had. Now, he was an Emperor in his own right. He could pack his belongings and go back to Alexandria if this didn’t work out. Assuming Alexandria would still want him without backing from Rhime. It would wipe his inheritance out if he needed to finance Alexandria out of his own pocket.
Ms. Preston pulled Sparrow out of Jason’s grasp. “Come now, dear. We have rooms made up for you, and I simply must find you a dress for this evening.”
Sparrow turned to Jason and mouthed, “help,” as she was led into the palace.
Jason could only grin at the sight. She was in for a long afternoon of primping that she’d probably consider torture. “Come on, Charlie. Let’s get this over with.” Charlie and his handpicked three enlisted men followed him into the residence.
“Yes, sir. Are we all going in there?” Charlie spoke casually, but Jason could sense the tension in the man’s voice.
“Getting nervous, Lieutenant?�
� The grunts behind them didn’t look any more confident, but they’d all sworn to him. Willing to die getting him out if needed.
Charlie stuttered a step along the hallway. The tapping of boots on the tile floor ominous in their echoing. “It’s just that the last time I saw the Emperor, the meeting didn’t go so well.”
Jason halted for a moment. “Did he personally bust you down to private?”
Charlie gave a small cough. “Yes, sir. Several of us.”
“I see. Well, I doubt you’ll make much of an impression on him today. Just stay quiet unless he asks you something.” They continued down the corridor. “Don’t forget what we discussed on the ship.”
“Yes, sir.”
Two men in the dress uniforms of the Imperial Guard stood rigidly outside the office. Salutes exchanged all around as they approached.
“Welcome home, sir.”
“Good to have you back, my Prince.”
Jason quickly glanced over at Charlie, looking for one of the many signals they’d previously discussed.. His left foot stuck out a little from his left. This meant one of these guards was on Jason’s side while the other either wasn’t or Charlie didn’t know.
Jason returned his attention to the guards. “Is he ready for me?”
“Yes, sir. Told us to send you in right away.” The soldier flicked his eyes over the group. “Just you, sir.”
Arguments flashed through his mind. What the hell could he say? It was his father. The Emperor. Jason couldn’t pretend to still need a bodyguard in here.
Before he could come up with an excuse, the door flung open. “Jason!” His father beamed at him for a second and pulled him into an embrace.
New medication wasn’t the only change. The Emperor had upgraded his body again. The head stayed the same but the rest had been compacted down to something more human-sized. His father no longer towered over him. Instead, they stood equal in height.
“That was a stupid thing to do, my boy,” he whispered into Jason’s ear. “You had me terrified.”
Jason could only hang onto his father completely dumbfounded. A warm loving hug wasn't the greeting he expected. “I… I…” He had no words to fit the situation. How could some drug turn his father into this?
His father interrupted him, continuing in a whisper. “If you plan on killing me, do me the courtesy of talking first.”
God, was he that transparent to everyone? Or perhaps people just expected murderous rages to run in the family. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he tried to pull away. His father kept him firmly in the hug.
“Don’t panic, my boy. I deserve it.”
A vibrant shudder coursed through his body as his autonomic nervous system raced into action. Was this the master plan? Get Jason to admit to treason so his father could slaughter him with a clean conscience? Appropriate responses shuffled through his mind along with several inappropriate ones. “Don’t be silly. You’ve not been yourself.” The words sounded meaningless even to Jason’s ears.
His father finally released him and turned to his entourage. “Thank you for returning the Prince to us, Lieutenant.” He made no acknowledgment of recognizing Charlie. “I’ll have a commendation inserted into your file.”
Jason exchanged glances with Charlie. His friend looked astonished while Jason was only perplexed. Charlie lowered his head into a bow. “Thank you, Sire.”
“We have much to discuss. Come in.” Emperor Shabin waved an inviting hand and headed to his desk.
Jason and Charlie continued swapping puzzled glances. The edge of hyperventilation in his chest, Jason did the only thing he could think of at the time. Don’t ask. Give orders before anyone else could think. Seize the moment.
Jason directed himself to the group and spoke with casual ease. “Charlie, you were present with me on Alexandria, why don’t you join us. The rest of you can wait out here.” He tugged on Charlie’s arm, bringing him into the office and closed the door before the Imperial Guards could say anything.
The office hadn’t changed. The room in the center of the palace had no windows. Instead, as if sealed inside a ship, live scenes from around Rhime scattered the walls. Most were picturesque landscapes, but a few showed manufacturing facilities efficiently producing products.
The gray and white marble desk in the center was as clean and uncluttered as ever. The Emperor’s heavy body clicked against the tile floors as he moved to his chair.
His father sat and his eyes wandered over Charlie with a smile. “Are you certain you wish to have your friend in here? We have some classified topics to discuss.” The question itself was unusual. Since when did Jason’s opinion matter to his father?
“Yes,” Jason spoke with assurity. “He has my trust.” He lowered himself into the chair opposite his father while Charlie stepped up behind him. He kept his posture stiff and ready to leap if necessary.
His father examined him for a moment, and Jason waited for the finger drumming to start. It didn’t. “Lieutenant…” There was a pause while the Emperor read the name on Charlie’s chest. “Stringer. May I have your oath that nothing discussed here will leave this office?”
While Jason didn’t expect his father to recall the name of every guard working in the palace, and Charlie had only worked the gate — frequently at night — it was shocking for him not to remember a man he’d personally yelled at and demoted a couple of months ago. Was this new medicine clouding his mind?
Jason could sense Charlie behind him drawing himself to attention. “You had my oath when I joined the service, sire. You have it again now.”
“Very good.” His father drawled. “Jason, I’d like you to read over this.” He handed Jason a comm.
“What is it?” Jason took the offered device without looking at it.
“It’s my formal letter of abdication to you.” His lips pursed for a moment. “In five years.”
Nothing could’ve prepared Jason for the statement. He let out a gasp while his heart went back to hammering in his chest. These constant waves of stress couldn’t be good for him. “What?” it came out as a choke. “Why? Why would you do this?”
“Recent events have convinced me I can’t go on forever. This new medicine may become less effective over time.”
Jason stared at the document. The words jumbled in a brain gone lightheaded. His father continued to drone on while he tried to make sense of the announcement. It wasn’t a long statement. None of the usual twisted clauses and addendums in a legal paper. His father stopped talking while Jason tried to focus his concentration.
It was almost more distracting waiting for the finger drumming to start instead of trying to think over the annoying noise.
In a sudden horrible flash of insight, the final piece of the puzzle locked into place. Jason knew how he connected to Uncle Martin when he was supposed to be dead. He understood why his father’s form had been shadowed that awful night until Jason consciously thought of him. Hell, he even understood the real reason there was now a barrier blocking the Mirre inside the palace.
Jason pretended to read the document again while his heart raced. He went back over the timing of all the events to see if everything would fit. It did. Some of it would’ve been insanely hard to do, but it was possible. His breathing sped, and he forced himself to appear calm. If he was wrong, or even off by a little, this could go very wrong.
His father’s stupid thrumming didn’t start. His father didn’t recognize Charlie. This wasn’t his father. This was another brain inside a different mechanical body. And it was a badly disguised brain at that. There had to be more people in the government who’d noticed.
Jason yawned and stretched a hand behind his head giving Charlie a prearranged signal. There was the briefest of pauses while approximately sixteen thousand different ways they could end up dead zipped through his mind before Charlie reacted and drew his nervion.
“Don’t kill him yet, Charlie.” The calm in Jason’s voice even surprised himself.
The m
echanical imposter didn’t flinch or scream out for the guards. It only leaned back in the chair. “Do you wish me to abdicate sooner?”
“Why?” It came out pleading and a lump formed in Jason’s throat. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. “Uncle Martin, why did you do this?”
His rubberized lips formed a smile. “You always were smarter than your studies showed. I’d hoped to keep it from you awhile longer.” His expression became grim. “To protect you. Your father restarted the cloning project, and if he succeeded, you would’ve been killed.”
“Just like that?’ Jason shook his head. “No alternative?”
Martin spoke flatly. “No alternative. Your father had been sliding into insanity for the past decade. Murder was becoming his prefered method of resolving problems.” He stretched out mechanical arms. “The procedure doesn't work very well as a long-term solution.”
Jason bent his head into his hands. “There is no new medication, is there?”
“No. I’m headed for the same fate. That’s why I’m announcing the abdication. I’d hoped to give you some time to prepare.”
“What did you do to Dad?” Hands across his face, Jason spoke through his fingers.
“You sure you want to hear this?”
Jason did. He wanted to know every last damned scrap of the nasty mess. He waved for Martin to go on. “Please, I need to know.”
“Your father is gone. I’d been working with his doctors for more than a year to make the arrangements. About a week after you left, during his regular maintenance, they switched his body off.” His glance flicked to Charlie. “Is that really necessary?”
Jason regained control of himself and pulled the end of the gun down. “Put it away, Charlie.” So his last conversation with his father had been in the Mirre right before they left the system.
“You sure, sir?” Charlie’s voice quavered. “How do you know which brain is in that thing?”
“Because when I linked to Martin the night of his death, it was this brain I linked to. Isn’t that right? My father was never in that room.”
Shabin- The Reluctant Prince of Rhime Page 26