The Emperor's Fist
Page 29
“It is as you command.”
The imperial lab was brightly lit, and all around sat computer banks and tables full of beakers and test tubes and all manner of equipment. Rachus Denali lay on a gurney, his arms and body strapped down, the bonds tight, immovable. His head, too, was restrained, a wide belt across his forehead holding him down.
He was scared to death.
“The emperor promised to release me if I aided in the last expedition . . .” His words were soft, interspersed with tears. His whimpering had continued for the hours he’d lain there, but his pleadings had provoked no responses.
Until then.
The man who walked into the room wore a lab coat, and he held some kind of tool in his hand, one with several razor-sharp blades that fanned Denali’s fear with an even greater intensity.
“I am Doctor Simonus, Captain Denali. I cannot speak to any perceived assurance the emperor may have given you, save that the imperial prerogative is often subject to chance. I can also assure you, the emperor knows exactly where you are, and he has graciously consented to allow you to continue to serve the imperial war effort against the Far Stars.”
“I already led a fleet through the Void, in both directions. It is not my fault that force was defeated.”
“No, Captain, of course it is not. I do not believe the emperor blames you for that failure in any way. General Idilus, however, has paid for his crimes. His execution took place two days ago.”
Denali tried to twist his body any way he could, a desperate attempt to free himself. But he was held fast in place.
“I have examined your navigation device, Captain . . . quite extensively, actually. I must commend you. It is quite ingenious.”
Simonus took a few more steps toward the gurney. “I believe I can continue with your line of research, and ultimately develop a version that not only allows a larger fleet to traverse, but also does not require the connection to a human cortex . . . yours, specifically. Unfortunately, such a course would require many years of research and development.”
Denali just lay where he was, listening, even as tears streaked down the sides of his face. “I was promised . . .”
“Yes, apparently you were. Unfortunately for your prospects of comfortable retirement, I require your assistance. I have, you see, developed an alternate plan, one that will allow the device you built to operate without you present . . . and also to lead a significantly larger fleet through the Void.”
“Then why do you need my help? I willingly give you the device.”
“Yes . . . well, I’m afraid I need something else from you. The current equipment is heavily synced to your cortex. I will need to harvest certain sections from your cerebrum, no more than 15 percent by mass.”
Denali hesitated for a few seconds, unable to believe what he’d heard. “You mean my brain? No . . . please. You can’t. That will kill me.”
“Please, Captain, control yourself. I am quite skilled at such things. There is an excellent chance you will survive the procedure . . . though there will be certain degradations in mental capabilities. You will very likely maintain a cognitive level above a vegetative state, perhaps significantly so. And the emperor has ordered that you will be sent to a facility that will provide the care you need to survive at a level of comfort and opulence a hero of the empire deserves.
“I’ve seen pictures—it’s quite lovely.”
Denali was shouting now, crying, struggling wildly against the unbreakable bonds that held him to the cot. “Please . . . no . . . please . . .”
“Oh yes. And I’m afraid there is one other thing. Successfully identifying the sections I need requires performing the extraction surgery without anesthesia. I will endeavor to finish as quickly as possible, Captain, but I am afraid the pain will be quite severe.”
Simonus’s voice went silent then . . . and was replaced by the sound of the electric saw he held in his hand.
About the Author
JAY ALLAN is a former investor and the author of the Crimson Worlds series, the Far Stars books, the Flames of Rebellion series, and the Blood on the Stars series. When not writing, he enjoys traveling, running, hiking, and reading. He currently lives in New York City.
You can join his mailing list at www.jayallanbooks.com for updates on new releases (and some free and discounted books), and follow him on Twitter @jayallanwrites for an occasional look at work in progress and thoughts on the genre in general. Or you can email Jay at jay@jayallanbooks.com—he tries to answer every one!
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Praise for the Far Stars
“Readers who seek the visceral, swashbuckling adventures of muscular, troubled heroes and gorgeous, headstrong heroines will enjoy this series launch about the wild backwater planets of the Far Stars . . . This old-fashioned tale is a paean to the simple pleasures of exceedingly masculine adventures.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Make no mistake, though—this book is basically a fun roller-coaster ride, with just enough emotional intensity and psychological depth to keep your arms and legs inside the carriage at all times. Shadow of Empire is a crazy, over-the-top, zany adventure in which rogues outwit space pirates, get caught up in a civil war, and have space fights in and around an asteroid field. It’s the perfect thing to tide you over until summer movie season gets going, in other words.”
—Charlie Jane Anders (io9)
“It’s twisty and turny, with a lot of effective world-building, but Jay Allan pulls off another neat trick: as much time as is spent on galactic power politics, we experience wall-to-wall swashbuckling adventure alongside Blackhawk and company, who start the book with their leader in the middle of Roman-style gladiatorial combat, and, never get a moment’s rest. There’s hand-to-hand combat, space battles, and military-style maneuvers. The back-and-forth makes for a compelling read: the intrigue never bogs down the pace, and the over-the-top action never gets tiresome. In many ways, it’s the perfect fall book: not quite as light as something you might take to the beach, with just enough complexity to keep the space-pirate angle grounded.”
—B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog
Also by Jay Allan
Far Stars
Shadow of Empire
Enemy in the Dark
Funeral Games
Far Stars Legends
Blackhawk
The Wolf’s Claw
Astra (Coming)
Blood on the Stars
Duel in the Dark
Call to Arms
Ruins of Empire
Echoes of Glory
Cauldron of Fire
Dauntless
The White Fleet
Black Dawn
Invasion
Nightfall
The Grand Alliance
The Colossus
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
the emperor’s fist. Copyright © 2019 by Jay Allan Books. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Harper Voyager and design are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers LLC.
first edition
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Digital Edition AUGUST 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-256692-8
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-256686-7
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida
Uttar Pradesh 201 301
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com