Scales of Empire

by Kylie Chan

  A high-pitched whine filled the air and dust appeared to fly out from her scales. She turned around as Marque ultrasonically cleaned her, then she slid into the water. She reclined on a bench on the side of the spa and rested her head on the edge.

  ‘That’s much better. Holy hell, what a day.’ She raised her head slightly. ‘Put some music on, Marque.’

  ‘Any preference?’

  ‘Something relaxing.’

  A cacophony that sounded like a variety of different musical instruments all playing different tunes filled the room. To my uneducated ear, it was a super-modern abstract piece, where everyone was playing something different until they all came together. I waited for that to happen, but it didn’t. The cacophony continued, sometimes with loud drums, sometimes jangling chords, and some parts were just random wails and screams.

  Richard and I shared a look.

  Shiumo sighed loudly. ‘Thank you. That’s perfect.’ She focused on me, her head still leaning on the side of the spa. ‘What do you think, Jian? Do you like it?’

  ‘It sounds like many tunes at once,’ I said, trying to be diplomatic. ‘I’m accustomed to only hearing one tune at a time.’

  ‘Harmony,’ she said, closing her eyes. ‘The shifting harmonics of the many facets. Wonderful.’ She opened her eyes and her voice filled with amusement. ‘You don’t like it, I can tell. One tune at a time? The simplified version … Marque.’

  The music changed to a single tune, played on what sounded like gongs but with more depth. They harmonised gently together.

  ‘More like that?’ she said.

  ‘That’s lovely,’ Richard said.

  ‘What are you humans waiting for?’ she said, waving one claw above the water. ‘Take those uniforms off and join me.’

  ‘We don’t take our clothes off in mixed company; it’s embarrassing,’ I said. ‘You may not wear clothes, but we –’

  ‘Swimsuits are in your rooms,’ Shiumo said. ‘I have been watching your broadcasts; I know a lot about you. Change, and come back. And while you’re in your quarters, think about the upgrades you want to make. You can enlarge them if you’re planning to stay for a while, and I hope you are. Then come back and sit in the warm water and tell me about your plans.’

  I headed towards our rooms, but Richard pulled some cushions closer to sit next to Shiumo.

  ‘You won’t come in, Richard?’ she said.

  He shrugged. ‘My prosthetics are splashproof but not waterproof. I’d fry. I haven’t been immersed in water in years.’

  ‘Why do you have such clumsy implants anyway?’ She raised one claw. ‘I understand that some people like such enhancements, but these are so basic. You can’t even get them wet? Why would you bother?’

  ‘You’re an idiot, Shiumo,’ Marque said.

  ‘What am I missing?’ Her mouth fell open. ‘Oh. Dear Richard, I am so sorry.’

  ‘No need to apologise,’ he said. He waved his natural hand at me. ‘Go get the swimsuit Marque made for you, Jian. I can sit out here. I’m perfectly comfortable.’

  ‘What colour do you want?’ Marque said as it followed me to my quarters.

  ‘What colour what?’

  ‘Swimsuit, human.’

  ‘Uh … black is okay.’

  ‘Done. I haven’t made anything terribly fashionable or fancy, because Shiumo doesn’t care about clothes and barely understands them. But the suit is in your room; and you can remodel the room while you’re in the spa.’

  ‘Thanks, Marque,’ I said, and rushed into my room to change.

  When I came out, Richard was telling Shiumo what had happened to him.

  ‘Stand still and put your arms out,’ Marque said, and I did as asked.

  The air filled with the ultrasonic whine, and my skin vibrated with a sensation that was neither heat nor cold but somehow both, making me shiver.

  ‘Does it feel weird?’ Richard asked me, amused.

  ‘Yes!’

  The noise stopped, so I slid into the warm bubbling water and sighed with bliss. The steam had an additive that relaxed me completely. I leaned my head back to find a soft cushion already there.

  ‘Is this water drugged?’

  ‘No, it’s just herbs. From Earth,’ Marque said.

  ‘So they replaced the bits that were destroyed,’ Richard told Shiumo, finishing his story. ‘These are the latest in powered prosthetics, and some parts of me are highly advanced prototypes.’

  ‘Let Marque upgrade them,’ Shiumo said. ‘It can provide you with prosthetics that are waterproof to a hundred metres, indistinguishable from the rest of you, and fully linked into your nervous system – touch, heat, cold, even pain if you want. They’ll be self-powered and self-repairing, won’t need recharging, and maintenance won’t be the obvious nuisance it is for you right now.’

  ‘I’ll think about it,’ he said.

  ‘It would be a major improvement for you. Marque can install any sort of waste-disposal method you choose.’

  ‘He might prefer to return to biological, Shiumo,’ Marque said. ‘The cybernetics are probably not by choice.’

  ‘Oh, of course. I keep forgetting how primitive you humans are,’ she said. ‘If you don’t want cybernetics, Marque can make cloned replacements for your lost body parts, including your genitalia. You can regain full sexual function and sensation.’

  I sat upright and stared at him with horror. He’d been living like that for more than twenty years?

  ‘Thank you very much,’ he said, radiating mortification. He saw my face and looked away, even more embarrassed.

  ‘I won’t tell anyone,’ I said. ‘I never heard anything.’

  ‘I think these Earth herbs are lowering your intelligence, Shiumo,’ Marque said.

  ‘I’m just exhausted,’ she said. ‘I am so sorry, Richard.’ She leaned her chin on the edge of the bath. ‘That’s the second time I’ve apologised to you today; please forgive me.’

  ‘Of course I forgive you,’ he said. His expression softened. ‘I’ll think about it.’

  11

  After breakfast the next morning, Shiumo took us down to Earth, and we reappeared in the central atrium of a half-subterranean glass cube. The atrium soared all the way to the top of the cube, with the upper half next to the low concrete slab that was the top of the secure bunker. Light shone in through the glass ceiling, and floors were visible on either side of the atrium, some with cabling hanging from the ceilings. Multiple Marque spheres were working on the interior; some of them were more than two metres across, and carrying heavy beams.

  ‘It’s not finished yet?’ Shiumo said.

  ‘Give me two more hours,’ the Marque sphere above us said. ‘I won’t give working access until it’s completed. There’s a possibility of injury from the unfinished structure.’

  Shiumo sighed. ‘Very well. Jian, Richard, let’s go back to that awful hole in the ground.’

  General Maxwell was waiting for us at the door that connected the cube to the bunker, looking entirely unimpressed at the new construction.

  She bowed to Shiumo. ‘Princess.’

  ‘General. Let’s talk to the Japanese representatives here, then after lunch we can move this whole catastrophe to my cube.’

  The general gestured into the bunker. ‘This way.’

  ‘Revision on the cube’s time frame,’ Marque said. ‘There really isn’t enough silicon around here. It’ll take another six hours.’

  ‘Slacker,’ Shiumo said with amusement.

  We entered the bunker, but the sphere remained hovering on the other side of the door.

  ‘Is it coming?’ the general said.

  ‘If you’re going to sulk, go do it somewhere else,’ Shiumo said.

  ‘No.’ The sphere whizzed into the corridor. ‘It’s my duty to protect you.’

  ‘Oh, Marque,’ Shiumo said affectionately. ‘You do care after all.’

  ‘You’re my ride home,’ Marque said dryly.

  The door to the cube closed, and
we headed towards the communications room.

  When Shiumo was comfortable on her couch in front of the screen, the general stood with her hands behind her back. ‘Commander Alto, Corporal Choumali, I need to speak with you. Outside.’

  ‘No, General, I need them here,’ Shiumo said.

  ‘There’s some things I need to ask them,’ the general said.

  ‘Then ask them here. You don’t have any secrets from me, do you? This is a relationship of trust.’

  The general hesitated, radiating irritation, then she nodded and sat in her chair at the back of the room. ‘Euroterre understands the honour you are bestowing on us by choosing us as your headquarters, so I’ll let it go. The paperwork can wait if you want to keep your companions nearby. You are a long way from home, after all.’

  ‘Thank you, madam,’ Shiumo said. ‘They can leave me any time, but right now I need them here.’

  She turned to the screen and proceeded to speak to the representatives in Japanese. Richard followed the conversation, but I flopped back in my seat. I didn’t speak any Japanese, and I couldn’t telepathically understand what was happening with an alien on one side of the conversation and an emotionless screen on the other.

  ‘Just a minute, sir,’ Shiumo said, raising one claw.

  My brain was hit by lightning. Sparks shot through my head like fireworks that blossomed into a new language and faded into a heightened level of understanding. Shiumo hadn’t just given me Japanese; she’d given me a quick overview of the culture and cuisine as well.

  I grinned. ‘Arigato gozaimasu, Shiumo-sama.’

  ‘I don’t think I can do more than one language every week or so. Your brain needs recovery time,’ she said.

  I raised my hands. ‘I’m not complaining. I just became fluent in Japanese.’

  Shiumo turned back to the Japanese representative. ‘You said you are close to ready, sir?’

  ‘We were preparing to send a second ship to support the first one when you changed everything. We have gathered a new set of colonists and all the facilities they need. Your offer to carry them direct to the colony means they do not require the ship we were building for them.’ He hesitated. ‘What do you wish in return for your generous gift?’

  ‘A selection of your best tea.’

  The representative waited, then said, ‘Is that all?’

  ‘Normally I don’t ask for anything. Aiding a growing species is enough reward in itself. But I want to try your teas.’

  The representative bowed. ‘You are exceptionally generous, Princess. How will we arrange the transport schedule?’

  ‘That entirely depends on when you let me out of quarantine,’ Shiumo said.

  ‘We will have the expedition ready in three weeks,’ the Japanese representative said. ‘I do not doubt that your quarantine will be finished by the time we are ready to depart.’

  ‘Good. My assistant Jian will make the schedule –’

  I squeaked with shock.

  ‘My assistant Jian,’ Shiumo said more forcefully, ‘and my aide Marque will handle the scheduling for me. Tell them when you will be ready, and I will fold your new colony to Kapteyn for you.’

  ‘Very well, Princess.’

  ‘General.’ Shiumo turned her head on her long neck. ‘Can you provide Jian with her own communications room so she can start the scheduling?’ Shiumo swept her silver eyes onto me, where I sat glued to my seat. ‘Stop looking so surprised, Jian. You can do this.’ She hissed with laughter. ‘Earn your keep, human.’

  I pulled myself together and saluted her. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

  ‘Arrange a time for me to transport all their equipment onto my ship so I can fold it to Kapteyn. Give it three days, as soon as I’ve been cleared – and after I’ve done a three-day tour of your planet?’ She turned to General Maxwell, questioning. The general nodded. ‘A three-day tour of your planet, and receptions with the various governments. You know how much the transport pod can carry; Marque will help you work out how many trips I need to move all the colonists and their equipment up to my ship. An initial trip to Kapteyn to establish a landing area, then multiple trips to transport the crew and their equipment.’

  ‘I need to write this down.’ I picked up my tablet to take notes. Three weeks from now, three days of receptions … I checked the calendar.

  ‘We will redirect your call to another room, and Jian and Marque will handle the arrangements,’ Shiumo said to the Japanese representative. ‘How are the colonists that I rescued?’

  ‘They wish to speak to you from their hospital rooms, if you have time, Princess.’

  ‘Of course. Please put them through,’ she said.

  ‘Come with me, Corporal Choumali, and we’ll set you up in another room,’ General Maxwell said. ‘Commander Alto, you should come as well. You can help us set up.’

  ‘I’d rather stay with Shiumo,’ Richard said.

  ‘Go, help Jian, I’m fine,’ Shiumo said. ‘The general understands; she won’t try to separate us. After I speak to the colonists, I’ll take a break, use the facilities on my ship, then talk to the South American representative. Come back in about thirty minutes.’

  ‘This way, and we’ll set you up,’ the general said, and led us out. ‘Do you need to use the bathroom first?’

  ‘Yes,’ we said in unison, and shared a smile.

  ‘I’ll wait for you out here then,’ the general said.

  A technician poked his head out of a room. ‘We’ve lost the connection. I’m afraid the Japanese will have to wait.’

  ‘Let me sort this out,’ Marque said with exasperation, and buzzed into the room. ‘What did you do? This is a mess!’

  ‘I didn’t do anything,’ the technician said.

  As I walked into the women’s bathroom, I noticed that two of the five cubicles were occupied next to each other. I’d only just registered that this might be a possible cause for alarm, when two big women in uniform charged out of the cubicles and grabbed me. I fought them, but they outweighed me and were at least as skilled in unarmed combat as I was. They slammed me face first into the wall, and one of them clamped her hand over my mouth.

  When they had a good grip on me, they dragged me through a service door into another room where three more grunts were waiting – a man and two women, all of them well over a hundred kilos of solid muscle. They quickly cuffed me, chained me to an examination bed, and cut all my clothing off me.

  ‘Marque!’ I shouted, but they ignored me – the room was probably soundproofed.

  When I was naked, one of them took the clothes out of the room. A female medical officer and a uniformed woman I didn’t recognise came into the room and stopped at the foot of the table.

  ‘This won’t hurt much if you relax, ma’am,’ the medtech said, and proceeded to perform a swift and thorough body-cavity search.

  The officer put her hand on the back of my head and investigated my mind.

  My mind and body were both being violated. I fought the bindings, but was effectively secured. A third officer swiped me over with a hand-held scanner.

  The psi released my head and stepped back; and the medical officer completed her search and removed her gloves.

  ‘General Maxwell will be here in a moment. She’s talking to Commander Alto,’ the psi said. ‘Relax, Corporal, nobody’s going to hurt you. We’re just trying to establish what the alien did to your heads.’

  ‘She didn’t do anything – I’d know it!’ I shouted, twisting in the restraints, and wincing as they hurt my wrists. ‘Let me go! She wants to help humanity. Treating me like this will piss her off, and you don’t want her to leave us stranded. She’s helping us!’

  ‘We don’t have long,’ General Maxwell said, entering the room. ‘Is she clean?’

  ‘Completely,’ the medtech said.

  ‘Good. Go scan Alto.’ The general leaned on the bed next to me. ‘You’re not sufficiently trained, Choumali, so you haven’t seen through it. But by god, woman, she’s been using you. You went
up to her ship and stayed the night there, with no fear at all, disobeying a direct order. You’ve never had a problem with discipline before, soldier. She’s changed you.’

  I glared at her with fury. ‘She hasn’t done anything.’

  ‘Choumali, if the dragon and I had weapons pointed at each other, who would you jump in front of?’

  I opened my mouth and closed it again, tickled by a small worrying feeling of doubt.

  ‘She’s important to humanity,’ I said.

  ‘That she is, but you’re acting like a slave.’

  I looked back over my behaviour, the doubt turning to real concern. I had been following Shiumo blindly; and I felt a deep affection for her – after only two days. The general was right: I would jump in front of Shiumo and protect her before I’d protect my own people. Was she hypnotising us, and I was too undertrained to see it? I sagged in the restraints.

  The general nodded to one of the guards. ‘Unchain her, and find her a uniform.’

  ‘Ma’am,’ the guard said, and went out.

  General Maxwell flipped a gold coin – it was one of the coins that Shiumo had used to pay us. ‘We need to be fast. Marque will quickly realise that you’ve been taken, and let her know.’

  ‘How’s Commander Alto?’ I said as the guard released me from the bed. They readied themselves to take me down again, and I raised my hands in surrender.

  ‘Now that he’s free of her aura, he’s aware of the mind control and wants to work with us,’ the general said. ‘But he’s concerned that he’s falling in love with her. Do you think that’s possible?’

  ‘The attraction was obvious,’ I said.

  ‘Unbelievable. What about you?’

  ‘I like her. I love her, but not in a romantic way, more like …’ My voice trailed off as I tried to articulate it.

  ‘Hero-worship,’ the general said.

  I winced, and nodded. ‘I want to stay with her …’ I searched my feelings. ‘It hurts to be parted from her.’

  ‘After less than three days,’ the general said. ‘This is all wrong, Choumali. It’s like an addiction. She’s doing something to your head.’

  ‘How do you feel about her, ma’am? You’ve been spending a lot of time in her presence as well.’