“Where’s Adam and how long was I out?” she asked.
“You are in the Imperial Palace and he’s waiting outside. Before I answer the second part of the question I need to ask you something. Will you keep the answer a secret?”
Slightly taken aback by the odd question, Karen thought for a second then replied, “Yes, I can keep a secret if asked, but it really does depend on what the secret is. If keeping it means people will get hurt then I’d have to revisit the answer. Does that satisfy you, Vimes?”
“Yes, it does. Not just because you said so but because I can tell from your mind itself that you really believed in what you just said. OK then, keep this secret. You were out for five hours.”
Karen was perplexed. Why was this such a big deal? She knew she was missing something important here but couldn’t figure it out just yet. “So that’s the big secret then? What am I missing?”
Vimes chuckled in her mind. “You remind me a lot of Christine when she was younger than you are now.” His voice became more serious. “I’ll warn you before you say something out of place. This was another reason why Christine allowed me to interface with you. Until she is one hundred percent sure you won’t slip up, I’ll be here to help and monitor what you say.”
“Vimes!” Karen said out loud, “Stop being so bloody cryptic and tell me the damn secret.”
Just then, the door opened and Adam came in, walking over and giving her a hug and a quick, yet firm, kiss. “Welcome to Capital, your new home. Five hours. That’s the secret, Karen, and it’s a big one, perhaps the most important one our family has. You remember how I told you we travel via Jump Points and need to spend time journeying between these points in normal space?”
“Yes, you said that’s what makes space travel such a long business...ah, five hours! I think I get it now.”
Adam nodded approvingly. “That’s right. We, and by we I mean just my parents and now me, have technology that enables us to travel anywhere we have been before, instantaneously, without the long journeys travelling through normal space.” His face became serious and he put both hands on her shoulders, looking her full in the face. “This bit of information must never become public knowledge, Karen. Anyone who discovers it will have an accident and have their memories erased. To add to what Vimes said to you just now, you are being done a singular honour in being told this, not least because I think my mother approves of you, coming from Earth as you do.”
“You’ve been listening in to what Vimes has been saying to me? I don’t even have the privacy of my own thoughts anymore?” Karen replied, becoming unhappy at the thought. “I need my privacy.”
“I only heard what was being said out loud, not what was said internally between you two. Vimes will not divulge anything you think or do unless he considers it to be in your best interest or under orders from my mother and father. Believe me, they of all people, understand the need for privacy.”
Seeing her doubt, Adam continued, “Let me give you an example; if you went missing Vimes would tell us if you were safe and probably where, but not what you were doing. If someone accused you of saying something bad, then Vimes would be able to corroborate your side of events, but if I wanted to know whether you were lying then Vimes would tell me to mind my own business. Wouldn’t you Vimes?”
“Too complicated an answer, Adam,” came the response. “Karen, what you say or think is no one's business but your own, unless you or the Emperor or Empress order me to divulge it and even then, if I didn’t believe there was a good reason, I wouldn’t, even to them. It is important that you trust me, but you also have to accept that, in this society, many of the concepts of privacy you have been used to are non-existent.”
Karen sat down again on the recliner, finding it all a bit hard to take in. After a few moments Adam sat down next to her but didn’t try to say anything, just took her hand and held it.
“OK. I think I can get used to this, just give me time.” Karen’s medical training reasserted itself in her next question. “So what exactly did you do to me that needed to keep me out for five hours?”
Vimes answered, projecting a hologram of her sleeping body into the room. As Karen watched, she saw a metal tentacle take a little snip from the back of her hand. Instinctively she lifted it to her face and looked at where she had been snipped. Nothing could be seen. She looked back at the hologram and watched as a helmet formed around her head, apparently doing nothing. At a questioning thought to Vimes, he responded, talking out loud.
“We analyzed your tissue sample and read from it from your DNA’s genetic code, using it as a template for designing the implant. Once done, the helmet stimulated your brain cells to form themselves into the design. This took a few hours as new neural connections needed to form. Now watch the hologram closely.”
Two medical servitors appeared, rising out of the floor, building themselves as they rose up. Once fully formed they proceeded to carefully remove her clothing until she lay naked on the recliner, at which point a shell began forming from each side of the couch, eventually completely enclosing her body as the helmet retracted. A warm blue glow could be seen emanating from each end of the shell, obviously bathing the body inside with light.
“What’s the blue light doing to me?” she asked, curiosity overcoming any nervousness at what might have happened to her.
“Instructing your body to change its DNA, effectively recoding itself to the new configuration. Over the next twelve months, as each cell in your body dies, it will be replaced by ones with the new Telomere configuration, effectively extending your lifespan. It’s also instructed your skin’s melanin to go into overdrive. By tomorrow, your skin colour will be approaching ours and you will look like you have a good, all-over tan. It wasn’t really needed, but will help you blend in and avoid potentially awkward questions as to where you are from.”
“Wow,” was all Karen could think of to say, not for the first or last time that day. “I thought that making me more like you would be a massive undertaking, not just shining a blue light all over. I take it the blue light penetrates right through me and isn’t just skin deep?”
“Correct, Karen. The radiation is configured to you, using the sample we took and analysed. The process of change is incredibly complex and took a long time to discover and perfect, but once we did it was simplified to what you see now. Remember, our technology is very advanced. Are you familiar with Arthur C Clarke, the science fiction writer from your world?”
“Yes, Ah, I understand what you mean.” Karen was able to remember something she read once without any problem. “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” she quoted from memory. “That’s what he said. You’ve worked on my memory too, haven’t you, Vimes?”
“Yes, Karen. It’s a benefit of the implant. Improved recall normally takes a while to emerge but in your case, as you already had a near-photographic memory to begin with, the transition was remarkably swift and seems to have worked straight away.”
“Wow,” was all Karen could think of to say, until her stomach rumbled, announcing that she hadn’t eaten anything for a while. She looked at Adam. “Where can a hungry girl get something to eat here or do you live on little protein pills, like in the cartoons?”
Adam started laughing, chuckling to himself for a moment before answering her question. “Sorry Karen. I checked earlier to see if the Earth food templates had been downloaded into the Palace commissary for you, only to discover that mother had already done so when she first arrived here all those years ago. Some of my favourite foods are apparently from Earth. No wonder the best chefs on Capital could never replicate some of my favourite dishes; they never had the right templates to work from!” He began chuckling to himself again.
Karen sat still, not quite following what he’d said, using the time to try out her recall. Pages from old textbooks flashed through her mind with ease and she quickly found herself chasing down old memories, each one sparking off another hundred until she
was in danger of being overwhelmed. Vimes suddenly interrupted her thoughts, bringing her back to the present with a mental bump.
“This is another reason why Christine asked me to watch over you for a while, Karen. She remembers all too well the initial confusion and disorientation as you get used to your new implant and abilities. Don’t worry, you will get used to it and will soon think nothing of these enhanced skills.”
“Thank you, Vimes. I think I’ll also need to thank her at some point.”
“Why not do it now,” he thought back. “She’s free for a little while and would appreciate knowing you are doing well transitioning. Before you ask how, simply tell me you want to talk to her and I’ll connect you together.”
Karen did so and was immediately put through to Christine, the contact surprisingly intimate. Karen thought she could feel emotions through the link, genuine affection tinged with concern for her well-being, overlaid with an all-consuming worry about the whereabouts of her husband, the Emperor.
“Hi, Karen. How are you doing?” Christine asked, “it takes a bit of getting used to, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it certainly does. Thank you for letting me have Vimes for a while; it’s more than a little strange having him in my head but comforting at the same time, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you.”
Karen could feel Christine smile. “My pleasure, Karen. Vimes helped me transition too. I’ll tell you about it in a little while. I’m in a Council meeting at the moment, taking a comfort break. It’ll be a good few hours yet before the meeting finishes and then we can meet up. You might have noticed the time difference here. No? Well, it's late morning. I’ll get Vimes to arrange a meeting this afternoon, but feel free to miss it if you are tired. See you later,” and with that, Christine broke the link.
“See,” said Vimes, “it wasn’t hard was it?” he asked.
“No, Vimes, but it’ll still take a bit of getting used to,” responded Karen. She turned to Adam who had been waiting patiently, watching her. “Can you show me around?”
“OK, anything you want to see first or shall I surprise you?”
“Surprise me, please,” Karen replied, taking a firm grip on his hand as Adam stood up and they walked to the door.
Scene 12, INS Dauntless, approaching Planet Arisia, hidden system.
Alexander brought himself back to the present, for the moment putting away his memories of the past, as several Doctors and nurses approached where was sitting, indicating he needed to give them some room next to Harris’s hospital bed. He rose and stepped back but stayed close enough to watch what was happening. The smart-metal canopy surrounding the Squadron Leaders head, currently bathing it in a gentle blue glow, switched off and retracted back into the bed, giving him a good view of the patient he’d come to see.
Her face was peaceful and unmarked, although a large area of her left scalp was devoid of hair and a lighter shade than the rest of the head, the only sign that anything had happened. Alexander tapped into the silent communication between the medical staff who didn’t want to disturb the rooms quiet by talking out loud. Fortunately, everything had gone well with the regrowth and she would awaken in a few minutes.
“Doctor Jestico, what about her memories, are they intact?” Alexander asked when it was obvious they were finished and about to leave.
Jestico nodded, as if noticing Alexander's presence for the first time. “Yes, she is a very fortunate woman. Normally, with injuries so severe, extensive memory loss could be expected, however, in her case she recently had her implant upgraded to command level and we had a copy of her recent brain scan to work from. This enabled us to recreate most of the missing areas up to that point.”
He looked down at the sleeping woman. “Yes, very fortunate indeed.” He turned to Alexander and did a double-take, finally realising who he was addressing, “Goodness, it’s you, I mean…Sire, erm.”
Alexander smiled, taking pity on the Doctor. “Yes, Doctor Jestico, it is me, or, at least, I think it is. Thank you for looking so well after the Squadron Leader here. I promised two of her pilots I’d call in and see how she getting on, that’s the reason I am here. When will she be able to return to her duties?”
“The sooner the better, although normally no combat missions for a week.” Jestico’s eyes glazed for a moment while he searched his patient's records for information. “Merging with a fighter will be beneficial and speed up the mental reintegration. Yes, the sooner the better.”
“Thank you, Doctor, I’ll stay here and wait for her to wake, then I’ll be on my way. Good day to you, and thank you again for all that you and your team have done for her and everyone else.”
Jestico nodded and hurried off with his attendants, glad to have a reason to attend his other patients without appearing rude to the Emperor. Alexander watched him leave, a small smile creasing his lips as he shook his head. However hard he tried to put people at their ease, invariably those that didn’t know him would feel uncomfortable or even intimidated by his presence. He looked down at Harris, who had begun to stir.
“Squadron Leader Harris, you can wake up now,” he said, leaning down and watching her face. “I want to have a few words with you.”
Her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, looking around desperately for a point of reference from which to make sense of everything. She looked straight at Alexander and laughed.
“Now I know I’m dreaming. You’ve got nice eyes, Alexander, has anyone ever told you that?” She giggled, thinking it was a silly dream, but the smile on her face quickly vanished when a quick message to her implant confirmed she was awake.
“No, not recently, but thank you anyway,” he replied, laughing. “As we seem to be on first name terms, I think it’s only fair if I call you Christine. Is that OK? Nice name, by the way.”
Harris nodded, her face reddening, but before she could apologise he held up his hand to stop her. “No need, Christine. I stopped by to see how you were doing after bumping into two of your pilots, Hinchin and Wanderley, who send you their regards. I expect they will visit you later.”
Harris looked puzzled at the mention of their names. “Why am I in the infirmary? I remember going in for my implant upgrade then everything becomes a little hazy. What happened to me and why can’t I remember?”
“It’s a bit complicated, Christine, so bear with me a moment while I get the AI to update you. It’s not pleasant, so prepare yourself,” and with that, Vimes updated her implant with a comprehensive precis on what had occurred. Alexander watched her face change as various emotions fought for dominance, ending with a look of sadness as she learnt what had happened to her and the fleet.
Not knowing what to say, Christine sat with her head bowed, thinking of friends and colleagues as her implant checked and updated her on who had been killed or injured. Two of her squadron were dead, and she noted that her predecessor to the role of Squadron Leader had already written the condolence letters on her behalf.
“Perhaps that’s for the best as I wouldn’t be able to do them justice. I can barely recall their faces, just vague images and memories that I don’t even know if they are mine,” she thought, sadly.
Alexander watched sympathetically as her face finally registered the full impact of what had happened, passing through shock, horror and into acceptance.
“I’m afraid quite a few of your memories between getting the upgrade to now are gone forever, Christine, but you can make new ones instead. Do that as a tribute to those who can’t anymore. Now, the Doctor tells me you are fit to return to your duties and has recommended you fly as soon as possible, but before you can do that you will have to wait a few more days until we reach Arisia. However, I promise you there will be a nice surprise waiting for you and your Squadron.”
He stood up and stretched. “You’ll be discharged shortly, so is there anything you need?”
“No, Sire… Alexander,” she smiled at him. “If it’s still OK to call you Alexander, at least for
today?”
“Of course, it is. Oh, by the way, you handled yourself well on Heaven. I think Duke Gallagher was quite taken by your spirit. Well done. I have a feeling our paths will cross again in the future; of that, I have no doubt.” Alexander saluted her. “Good day to you Squadron Leader,” and with that he turned around and left, picking up his bodyguard at the exit, leaving behind a totally bemused Harris.
“Alexander,” Vimes spoke in his head, “my avatars on Arisia and Capital confirm the message you pre-recorded for Christine has been received and will be passed over to her when she returns from Earth. Both she and Adam are safe and well, however, I suggest you find somewhere to sit down.”
Knowing bad news was coming, Alexander looked around and spotted a quiet corner where he could sit down and have his presence concealed by the two bodyguards while he digested whatever the news might be.
“At least, I know they are both safe,” he thought to himself as he sat down, ordering the two Marines to shield his presence from any casual observer. “Right then, Vimes, what’s the bad news?”
Beginning with the unsuccessful attempt on Christine’s life, Vimes quickly ran through the most important developments, ending with the list of sectors and nobles which they assumed had turned.
“It’s happening all over again, my old friend,” he thought to Vimes, “I try so hard to be a good Emperor and yet…it’s never enough,” using a swear word from Earth Christine was known to utter when circumstances dictated. “I want everything on Arisia ready for when we arrive. The light delay is down to twelve minutes each way and will improve as we close, so keep me fully informed of any developments. I want to know the moment the affected Jump Points re-stabilise. The Home Fleet is ready and I suspect Patrick’s already mobilising his. I also have an idea about the Felidae but need to think it through. As for her going to get Adam early, I just hope the short time he had will be enough to have made a difference in him.”
Imperium: Revelation: Book Two in the Imperium Trilogy Page 10