“Something like that, but I still feel a link to the Hera crystal, and I can’t feel her in there. My guess is, she’s in the blue crystal with the others.”
Chim extended a hand into the beam grid and extracted the meditation sculpture. “Others?”
I was trapped in a crystal dream, in a tapestry of blood-colored energies. A storm tore at me, diluting my consciousness, my … wholeness. I couldn’t have lasted much longer, then Chelsea came, ridding an influx of blue light. She forced order upon the Hera crystal, and dragged me into her blue universe. The blue crystal, I guess. I felt hundreds of minds inside, locked together, functioning as a single organism. Chelsea joined them. She felt ecstasy. I got it secondhand and wanted to stay too. I wanted to be part of that. It was so … tempting.”
“But you came back to me.”
“I couldn’t give you up, Chim. Not for anything. Chelsea understood. She said it was my choice. I’m remembering the details better now. She said that I could have her body. She’d take retirement early.”
“I think I understand; the blue crystal is the true Mentakan ambassador. Chelsea was just its mouthpiece. She called it a family heirloom, but it was her family, right?”
“Yes. Mentakan’s capture the mind patterns of their kinsmen when near death, preserving them in a sort of ancestral pool. Over time, the wisdom and power of the family crystals became essential to their
civilization. It’s not a fact they want known off-world.”
“We’ll do what we can to keep the secret,” Chim said. “We owe Chelsea that much.” His gauntleted hand opened. Fingers gently brushed through her purple hair. “It’s strange to see you this way. I’m going to have to get used to you all over again. I want to kiss you, but I feel as if I’d be cheating on you. Weird, huh?”
“You think it’s wired? I’ve been a jellyfish all my life. How do you think I feel, being human and having,” she shuddered, “a spine? It’s damn creepy.”
He opened his visor.
Elissa’s bright stare devoured his exposed face.
He smiled reassurance. “Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have said anything. You’re still very beautiful.”
“You … really think so?”
“I know so. I’ll prove it to you—later. Right now, we’ve got to figure our spin on things. You say you’re still connected to the Hera crystal. Can you reassert control over the ship and take the ESI program off-line?”
Her brow furrowed. Her head canted. Her gaze grew unfocused, then sharpened again. She smiled brightly. “Done! Anything else you need?”
“I just realized; you can see in that body. Why is that? The ambassador was blind.”
“The problem was not with her eyes,” Elissa said. “It had to do with a backwash of energy from the blue crystal blocking input from her optic nerves. Being a link to all those minds—to that intense lifeforce—had a price. I don’t have that problem.”
“Oh.” A thought occurred to him, “Contact Chelsea’s family. We have to pass her crystal onto its next guardian. Also, they need to know that we’ll be keeping her body, or rather, you will. Her people will need to appoint a new ambassador.”
“Sure. She smiled up at him, eyes intent on delivering a message of another kind. He leaned in and kissed her briefly, tenderly, then stepped back, letting her go. “There, that should hold you for a while.”
“Strange,” Elissa said. “That seems to trigger all sorts of sensations and bio-chemical upheavals. I’m so not used to this!”
He replaced his visor and turned toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Elissa asked. “I want another one of those upheavals!”
“Later.” He stopped by the door, and turned to look back. “I still have a murderer to find. The Rigel system will expect us to avenge the death of their ambassador.”
“He wasn’t murdered,” Elissa said. “There’s a simpler answer.”
“What’s that?”
“The dead ambassador was making an illegal copy of Crystal Dreams from a chip Chelsea misplaced in the move. I know because I was listening in at the time. Turns out, curiosity killed the dragon. There was an anti-pirate virus embedded in the master chip that replicated itself with a vengeance in the copy. If there’s one thing the Mentakan’s take seriously, it’s protecting their intellectual property rights.”
Suddenly, all the pieces fit. The Mentakan’s virus had killed the Rigelian and damaged Elissa’s systems at the same time. The case was solved. “I take it you’re modifying computer firewalls so this can’t happen aboard ship again?”
“Working on it. I recommend you confiscate all Mentakan crystal-chips until I get the job done.”
“You’re right. I’ll do it at once. Having you back is a miracle—one I’m not going to take chances with. Thinking you were dead, nearly killed me.”
Elissa summoned a sassy smile to break the grim mood. “Well, finally, some appreciation! And I only had to die to get it. So what are we going to do with my original body?”
Chim shrugged inside his armor. “Better plan a funeral. We’ll give you a proper burial. Remind me to write a eulogy.”
“But, Chim, I haven’t a thing to wear!”
“You still control the holographic projectors, right? You can lay any image you want over your new body, giving it an all new look.”
Elissa’s eyes flared brighter. Her familiar hair and features returned, but instead of the usual golden glow, she was a study in crimson. She pouted. “Something’s not working right.”
“So, it’s not a perfect universe. At least it’s ours to share. If you want me, I’ll be in bed. I’m been running on fumes.”
“Bed! Hey, wait for me!”
Clothing peeled off, she caught up to him out in the hall. Her behavior didn’t surprise him; she’d always been a clothing-optional kinda gal. Shameless, she latched onto his arm with a death-grip.
“I’m getting ready to crash,” he said. “I really need to get some sleep.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “You will—eventually.”
He sighed, but smiled as well.
“Now that our biology isn’t incompatible, I have a question I’d like to ask,” she said.
“Shoot.”
“Ever thought about having a kid? With me?”
“My Gawd! Don’t you ever pull your punches?”
She laughed. “Where’s the fun in that?”
POSTLUDE
Chim sensed that everything was coming to a head, and knew that Elissa felt it too. She sheltered against his side, stripped of all her secrets. The Emperor studied her radiant face with great interest. “Dispense with the illusion. Let me see the reality beneath,” he commanded.
She said nothing, but the crimson glow dimmed to nothing. Her face altered, becoming pale as chalk. Fire-hued hair became dark purple, nearly black. Her body was covered in a simple dark green coverall with the sleeves rolled well up the arms.
There was a murmur from the other agents.
“So, Elissa,” the Emperor spoke gently, “you’ve managed to make a human of yourself.”
“Seems so,” she answered with only a hint of her usual sass.”
“Don’t be afraid,” the Emperor said. “I applaud your achievement. More of my subjects should try it.” His gaze shifted to Chim. “It’s time to wrap this up. Are you ready to hear our judgment, guardsman?”
Chim bowed formally. “That depends on what it is.”
The old man turned to face the other guardsmen. “You know my decision. Now, tell me yours? Are we agreed that Chim can no longer serve in his present capacity?”
The question was a sock in the gut to him. They were voting to strip him of x-class status. He’d never heard of such a thing before. X class agents were supposed to die in the cloak. Suddenly, a future of total uncertainty loomed over him. Without a cause, he had no idea what he’d do with himself—not that they’d let him wander around off a chain. There were too many high level secrets in hi
s head. Out of their ranks, he was a danger that wouldn’t be tolerated. There was a very real likelihood that he and Elissa would live out their lives right here on Charon, in a gilded cage.
The Emperor lifted his hand. “Who supports my call?”
Every agent signaled agreement.
Apparently, no one was on Chim’s side. He loosened Elissa’s hold and unsealed his exo-suit. There was no way he was going to betray the Imperium he’d given his life to. If a sacrifice was required, he’d make it. Free of the armor, he took Elissa into his arms, holding her as she hid her
face against his chest, trembling.
“It will be all right,” he promised softly.
“It’s not me I’m afraid for,” she answered.
The emperor turned to them with a smile on his face. “That’s that; it’s unanimous. Congratulations, Chim, you’re being kicked upstairs.”
That confused him. “To a desk job?”
The emperor’s smile turned grim. “To the worst one possible. I’m retiring, and a replacement is needed.” He removed the platinum and ruby band from his brow, and years seemed to fall away from his face. He straightened, pulling his shoulders back, breathing easier, as if free of some fearsome burden no one else could know. He extended the band to Chim.
Elissa turned against him, mouth hanging open in utter shock as she stared at the offering.
Chim felt numb. He’d never imagined things coming to this. “Why?”
“Because you are worthy. Because you are needed.”
Chim shook his head in denial. “That’s not what I mean. Why are you stepping down? You still have a lot of years ahead of you. Few people surrender absolute power so … gladly.”
“I have come through the ranks, just like you. I have served the Imperium as guardsman and Emperor. Now, I’m going to be selfish and do something that will likely get me killed. Don’t try to stop me. Just accept the weight of empire so I can go have some fun.”
“Fun? What kind of fun?” Elissa asked.
“A new rift has opened. We’ve jammed the Harvester’s navigational beacons with our new x-ray emitters. This has confused them, stalling them. We have a chance to leap dimensions, taking the battle to the Harvesters dimension for the first time. I am going to lead the attack, along with many in this room. Besides running the Imperium, it will be your job to bring along a new generation of x-class agents, finding children that Elissa’s race can bond with. Trans-species empathy is rare and will have to be brutally accelerated and nurtured.” The old emperor waved the headband impatiently. “Take it!”
Chim grasped the circlet in both hands. He held it before him, watching the blaze of rubies a moment before sliding the thing on his head. He felt no different—not until the guardsmen placed their fists over their hearts and bowed in his direction, forming a great iron wave. Even the Emperor saluted.
Chim turned to Elissa. She descended to her knees, and dropped her gaze to the floor.
He extended a hand to her. “Elissa?”
She lifted her face. There was a wounded look to her expression.
Pain darkened her eyes. Her voice grew whisper thin. “I’ve lost you after all.”
“No, you haven’t. Rise. Your place is at my side, as wife ... and Empress.”
She set her hand in his and let him draw her to her feet. “Are you sure?”
He gave her his best don’t-be-stupid-you-know-I-love-you look, and caught her as she launched herself at him without the least bit of restraint. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and crushed herself against him.
“Easy,” he said. “You’ll strangle me.”
“Oh! Sorry.”
Ex-emperor Darian the 1st beckoned.
A guardsman approached with a long, blood-red coat, offering it to Chim.
Darian said, “Here, you might as well start dressing the part. We’ll make an appearance together before the major galactic news services, announcing the change, then you’re on your own dealing with the public feeding frenzy. I’ll be leaving at once.”
The line of guardsmen fragmented, forming a double-rowed gauntlet. At its end, across the room, a tall door opened unto a new life, a new calling. The ex-emperor led the way. Chim and Elissa followed.
“So how’s it feel to be one step below God?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” He attempted a confident smiled, one suited to an Emperor’s face. “I was going to ask you.”
“Great!” she said. “But it’s nothing new to me. I’ve always believed in acting as if the universe were barely worth my presence.”
Chim kept his face blank. Don’t I know it!
She veiled herself with a new holographic display. A long-trained, silk skirt replaced the coverall. Above that lay a tightly cinched bodice of sea-foam green. A silver tiara set with thumb-sized emeralds materialized in her hair.
He grinned. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that about you.”
They took an immense lift, surrounded at a distance by honor guards. The platform carried them up to a vast space filled with news personalities, ambassadors, and civil servants. Chim followed the ex-emperor down a long red carpet to a dais. A podium with the seal of the Imperium waited there.
Their sudden appearance invoked a reverential hush. Chim guessed that at that moment, the event was being beamed in-system. Later, it would ripple out across human space. The change of office was accomplished quickly, with little ceremony. That suited Chim. He felt a little like running for cover, facing so many people while outside his
familiar shell.
The ex-emperor must have sensed him swallowing panic. The old man wrapped up his announcement, and turned to Chim, taking his hand. He leaned in to mutter a private comment. “Don’t worry. You get used to it.”
“When?” Chim asked.
“Oh, give it a decade or two, three at the most.”
“Thanks,” Chim said. “That’s such a comfort.”
“Seriously,” the old man said, “we both know you can do this, and it’s not like I’m giving you a choice. We both know it’s in your blood. The same traits that forced you to excel—as an x-class candidate and a guardsman—drive you to serve, to answer our need. You’re a white knight. It’s written on every fiber of your being. The Imperium must go on and you will see to it.”
Darian left without further word, taking a path to a stranger fate than the one thrust on Chim. Bitten by envy, the guardsman silently watched the old man go.
“Elissa called softly for Chim’s attention. “They’re waiting for you to say something.”
“Sure,” he said. “The Imperium must go on. No matter the cost. This is our highest truth.”
“No,” she said. “There’s one higher.” She pulled him into another kiss, leaning into his strength. “Bonded hearts can never defeated.”
BONUS SHORT STORY:
THE STRAY
Morgan blayde
Cinders flew in the wind as fire danced up the walls and onto the roof, consuming all that it touched. Watching the blaze, Tilly wore a tiara of tiny red-gold flowers: dragons’ breath. She clutched a fistful of wild meadow-stripe like those bulging the pockets of her grass-stained dress. Her eyes were wide. She imagined smudgy dragons and flame-shaped goblins dancing in the smoke, playing games.
She wanted to join them, but they ignored her.
Tilly walked up to the house as it collapsed in on itself, too damaged to support its own weight any longer. The flames shot up through the debris, then settled down to finish feasting. Tilly sat in the dust, mesmerized by the sight the day advanced.
Finally, hungry, she rocked to her feet. The haze of her mind cleared enough for her to realize that her mother and father were not going to care for her any longer.
Turning her back to the embers, strolling down a winding road in the early evening, abandoning the twisted banners of smoke still rising from her home. She headed away from town. She’d never been there before. Momma had said it was dangerous; the priests of Yop’r were t
here. Poppa called them gort-faced thieves. And then he’d apologized to the gort.
She had laughed.
The words made Momma angry. She’d cautioned Poppa to keep a still tongue in his head so they’d not be cursed. Folks often died under Yop’r exorcism rites and not very well.
Tilly’s hunger argued louder than the warnings already fading from memory. She wondered how far town was. Her legs tired, as she marched resolutely on. The first stars of eventide jeweled the sky. Isa, the smallest of twelve moons, cleared the hills. Bright for its size, it slathered the horizon with a silver wash of light. Most of the night would pass before the great moon Jahori crept into view, pursuing her wayward children.
Finally, Tilly came to a place where the forest opened beside the dirt road. There were rough-hewn stones that had once formed a low circular wall. Someone had violently broken it apart. In the center stood a carved image, a man transformed to mystery by the petrified billows of his cloak. The unknown stone-cutter had caught a sense of distance in the figure’s chalk-white face, as if the one represented were other than human and had been that way a very long time.
She approached the cloaked figure, reaching out to test its reality. Cold marble met her hand. She snatched back her hand, unsure why. After a few moments, she began to pick up the heavy stones, returning them to the broken wall. Tilly worked steadily until the job was done, teetering precariously with the last few stones as her breath labored. Kneeling from exhaustion, her sore hands fell into her lap.
One hand was cushioned by a pocket. She reached inside, remembering the wild flowers she’d stuffed there earlier. Drawing the flowers out, she smelled their rich floral scent and placed them at the feet of the statue. Wearily, she climbed to her feet; there was no food here, and nothing soft to sleep upon. It was time to go.
She placed her palm against the carved man a final time, wishing him well.
The marble seemed less cold than before. The statue’s face appeared less foreboding and remote.
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