"You wouldn't be the first," Prince Alexander said, throwing a punch. Tagus drew his arms up, but was too slow. Alexander's clenched fist pounded him in the jaw like a hammer on an anvil. Tagus' head jerked back, his arms flailing as if to catch hold of something that wasn't there. Tagus took a step backward and fell, knocking his head against the floor.
Groen heard Tagus groan, then Burke's voice.
"Please stop hurting me," Burke said, but Lucy continued wrenching his arm as far back as his shoulder joint would allow.
In the doorway, a large, orange-striped Tikarin stood holding a submachine gun. Several other goons were visible just behind him.
"Gentlemen," Big G said calmly, pointing his weapon around the room. "The police have been called and will be here shortly."
"That's our cue, Lefty," Alexander gestured toward the other door with his thumb. "Stop torturing your new boyfriend and let's get going."
Lucy released the lieutenant's arm and removed her knee from the middle of his back. Standing, she joined the prince as he walked away toward the door. Burke remained on the ground, gingerly trying to move his arm back into its socket.
"Always a pleasure!" Big G shouted after the prince. "I'll send my regards along with the bill."
Alexander gave a backwards wave and disappeared through the exit into the early hours of the Ashetown morning.
Chapter Seven
Lady Sophia wore a long, silk dress revealing her shoulders. Her red hair swayed back and forth across her bare, ivory white skin as she walked casually along a palace corridor. Her eyes landed briefly on everything she passed, like the golden gaze of a wolf evaluating its surroundings.
As handmaiden to Princess Katherine Augustus, Lady Sophia lived in her own apartment inside the Imperial Palace, a short distance from the quarters of the princess herself. Arriving at Katherine's door, Sophia entered without knocking and found the princess finishing her bath. The floor of the bathroom was pale marble with soft blue tilework along the edges. The tub itself was raised and surrounded by slender columns topped with gold.
A maidbot leaned over the tub to help the princess out of the soapy water.
"Ugh," Sophia said, sitting down on a cushioned bench. "I don't understand how you can let a machine see you naked like that."
Princess Katherine, nineteen years old with amber hair down to her waist, flashed blue eyes at the robot.
"You mean Dotty?" she asked. "You're a fembot, aren't you?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the robot said in a female's voice.
"See?" Katherine said, stepping out onto the cold marble and wrapping a towel around her hair.
Sophia rolled her eyes. "Just because it sounds like a girl doesn't make it one."
The princess sat at a vanity built into a corner alcove. She turned her head from left to right, examining her complexion. Dotty stood beside her.
"I don't see the problem," Katherine said. "It's not like I want a robot with all the plumbing down there. Alexander would turn it into a sexbot."
Dotty shuddered slightly.
"Sorry," the princess said. "I shouldn't have mentioned him."
"It's alright," Sophia said, sighing. "I'm over Alexander."
"Really? Since when?"
Sophia stood and crossed her arms while watching the maidbot apply makeup to Katherine's face.
"Speaking of your brother," Sophia said. "Apparently, he got into a tussle with Lord Tagus last night."
"Isn't he in his fifties?"
"No, not the father. His son, Tagus III."
"Oh, well, I hope he didn't get hurt."
"Who?"
"Whoever," Katherine shook her head. "I really don't care honestly."
"Do you think Rupert is handsome?" Sophia asked.
"If you mean the father, no," the princess said. "If you mean the son, also no."
"Well, I think he's quite dashing in his uniform."
"I suppose," Katherine remarked. "He seems a bit conventional."
"I guess…" Sophia murmured.
"My Lady," Dotty said. "There's an audio message from your mother."
"Shit," Katherine said and then, after a pause, "Play it, I suppose."
From Dotty's head came the voice of someone else, someone older and refined.
"Katie," the voice said, "I'd like you to come to Revenna and see me as soon as possible. We need to talk about Lord Molesworth of the Palatine Molesworths, you know the ones? He's a very dignified gentleman with excellent connections. I think the two of you should meet."
"Oh, my God!" Katherine fumed.
"I know you're shouting right now," Katherine's mother, the empress, went on, "but you're not getting any younger and you really need to start thinking about these things."
"Stop the message!" the princess shouted, and Dotty complied.
"Well, she's persistent," Sophia said. "I'll give her that."
"I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!"
"We haven't been to Revenna in a while. It might be fun..."
"I'm going to talk to Richard," Katherine said. "Maybe he can make her stop."
Sophia's eyes looked away. "Maybe."
"I don't want to get married!"
Lady Sophia's lips curled into a half smile, but said nothing.
When Prince Richard Augustus reached his office in the Imperial Palace, his execubot Cornelius was waiting inside.
"Good morning, Your Highness," the robot said. His casing was almost entirely chrome and his faceplate a smooth, featureless curvature of shiny metal.
"Morning," the prince replied. "What do you have for me today?"
"I've queued up a news report about an incident in Ashetown last night."
"You could just tell me," Richard pointed out.
"True," the robot said, "but I'm not very good at breaking bad news."
"You're a coward, Cornelius."
"A fault in my programming no doubt, Your Highness."
Prince Richard went to his desk, made from the same cherry wood as the rest of the furniture in the office. He sat, taking a moment to look through the curtains on the opposite wall. With the Regalis river in the foreground, the sun was rising over the haze of Middleton in the distance.
"Computer on," he said. "Play news report in the queue."
The monitor on his desk winked to life and a picture of a woman's face filled the screen. As the video started, her azure hair began moving while she spoke.
"This is Sylvia Flax reporting for VOX News," she said. Behind her, the facade of the Fat Cat Casino was visible in glowing neon. Richard could see Tikarin goons milling around the entrance. "Late last night,” she went on, “an altercation occurred at this popular gambling house between two members of the Five Families, Lord Rupert Tagus III and none other than Prince Alexander Augustus himself."
"Ah, crap," Richard said.
"Eye witnesses reported that the two so-called noblemen encountered one another inside the casino and quickly came to blows in what can only be called a bare-fisted brawl."
"Goddamn it!"
"Although the exact cause of the fight is unclear," Flax said, leaning towards the camera, "it seems a woman may have been involved."
The video ended, the reporter's face once again frozen. Prince Richard stared at the screen.
"The more I learn of man," he said, "the more I prefer robots."
"Why, thank you, Your Highness!" Cornelius said.
"Are you on top of this newest disaster?" the prince asked.
"Absolutely," the robot replied. "We've released a statement saying the report is unfounded and both Prince Alexander and Lord Tagus are lifelong friends."
Richard grunted his approval. "People will believe anything."
"I'm afraid Prince Alexander is gaining a reputation for, how should I say it, colorful activities? These reports become increasingly difficult to deny."
"I know," Richard said. "It's like he's trying make our family look bad."
"Could that be true?"
; "No," the prince said, "He's just a dumbass. Anyway, try to get him on the line. Let's see if I can talk some sense into him."
Princess Katherine, dressed in a gown of red and gold, arrived at her brother's office through a side entrance out of sight from the usual bureaucrats that permeated the palace. When she walked through the doorway, he was asking his execubot about Alexander, but both stopped as she entered.
"You have to help me with Mother," Katherine said. "She's driving me crazy!"
Resting his elbows on the arms of his chair, the prince folded his fingers together.
"What's she doing now?" he asked.
"She's trying to marry me off again!"
"Oh, that..."
Katherine exhaled. "Yes, that!"
"There are worse things," he said, "I'm sure we can find you a suitable husband from one of the better families."
"I don't care if he's suitable or not. I don't want to get married!"
"Many a strategic alliance was forged through an arranged marriage. We think it would be best for everyone."
"We?" Katherine said. "Have you been talking to Mother behind my back?"
"As the oldest, it's my responsibility."
"You're such a pompous ass, Richard!" Katherine said.
"Somebody has to keep the ship afloat," the prince replied. "It's not like Alexander is going to step up and do it."
"Speaking of which, why does he get to gallivant around, having fun? Why can't he be the one getting married?"
The prince raised an eyebrow. "He's not exactly the marrying type."
"Well, neither am I," Katherine said. "I want excitement!"
"Good lord," Richard sighed. "Excitement is exhausting. Anyway, you're not a kid anymore. It's about time you grew up and started thinking about people besides yourself. Actually, I'm starting to think this conversation is just a dress rehearsal for my talk with Alexander in a few minutes."
"At least he's had a chance to experience life. If I was a boy, I could do what I want!"
"Nobody gets to do what they want," Richard said. "Not for long..."
"It's not fair!"
"Now you're getting it."
Prince Richard's robot cleared its throat even though it didn't have one.
"Terribly sorry to interrupt," the machine said. "I've reached Prince Alexander as you requested, Your Highness."
"Right," Richard said, pointing at his sister. "We'll have to talk about this later."
"Mother wants me to visit her on Revenna," Katherine replied. "I'm supposed to leave immediately."
"Really?" the prince said. "That gives me an idea…"
"Yes?" she asked.
"Never mind," he said. "You wouldn't like it anyway."
Princess Katherine felt her nails digging into her palms. "Goodbye then."
"Have a nice trip," he said, grinning beneath his mustache.
Katherine didn't like the ominous tone of his voice.
In the Imperial Palace, not far from the private quarters of his brother and sister, Prince Alexander had his own suite. Lavishly decorated, the rooms contained everything except the prince himself. Instead, he woke up on a couch in the room he rented at the King's Arms, a seedy hotel not far from the Fat Cat Casino. A buzzing noise, which he first mistook as a hangover, rattled beside his head. Slowly, Alexander realized his phone was vibrating.
He answered and heard an upbeat voice on the other end.
"Good morning, Your Highness!"
Alexander immediately knew it was a robot. Only a machine could be this chipper this early in the morning.
"Who is this?" the prince asked, tasting something awful in his mouth.
"Cornelius, Prince Richard's execubot."
"Right," Alexander said, coughing.
"Did I wake you, Your Highness?"
"As far as I can tell."
"Please accept my humble apologies then, Prince Alexander," Cornelius said. "It's just that your brother would very much like to talk to you this morning."
Alexander touched his phone, switching from audio only to video. The faceless faceplate of Cornelius filled the screen.
"Oh, dear," the robot said.
The prince instinctively ran his hands through his hair, trying to mat it down. He knew he hadn't shaved in at least a day, but there wasn't much he could do about that now.
"Can't this wait?" Alexander asked.
"Unfortunately, no I'm afraid."
"Screw it. Go ahead and put him on."
"Very good, sir!"
Rubbing sleep from his eyes, Alexander started feeling a sharp ache in his jaw where Lord Tagus had punched him.
Prince Richard's face appeared on the phone.
"Good god, man!" Richard said.
"You've seen me look worse," Alexander replied.
"Sadly, that's true."
"What do you want?"
"I should think you know exactly what this is about."
"I swear I thought she was eighteen," Alexander said.
"No, Alexander, I'm talking about your brawl with Lord Tagus last night. Wait, what did you say?"
"Nothing."
"This is no time for jokes," Richard said. "I didn't complain when you slept with that archsenator's wife or when you and the archsenator fought a duel over it — which is illegal by the way – and you put him in the hospital. All of these things pale in comparison to fighting a member of the Tagus family. Do you actually know what this means?"
"Awkward stares in the palace cafeteria?"
"No, you nitwit. As long as the Five Families stay civil, the Imperium survives. If any of us actually fought each other, all hell would break loose."
Alexander made a snorting sound.
"Oh, please,” he said. "The Families are constantly at each other's throats."
"Behind the scenes perhaps, but the status quo is always maintained," Richard replied. "There's too much to lose otherwise for all of us."
"Whatever. None of that is my problem."
"You're the emperor's son, Alexander. You represent the family, whether you like it or not, so I suggest you take it seriously."
After a pause, Alexander said, "Alright, what do you want me to do?"
"Well, for starters," Richard said, "you should probably stay out of the public eye for a while."
"Good idea."
"To that end, Katherine is heading to Revenna, apparently to see Mother. I think you should go along."
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously," Richard replied. "It might do you some good..."
Archsenator Tarkio was used to the open spaces inside the Imperial Senate, but the Emperor's Council chamber seemed almost intimate in comparison. Granted, the flooring was teak and the walls were covered with priceless paintings, but the furnishings were understated, even business-like. A long, oval table filled most of the room. At the head was a throne of sorts, but even the emperor's chair seemed designed to avoid extravagance.
The archsenators, individually and in small groups, began filing in from the adjoining parlor. A few were commoners, but most were nobles from the lesser families. Members of the Five Families themselves could not become archsenators since, by law, they were considered too powerful to run for the Imperial Senate in the first place.
The prestige of sitting at the Council table with the emperor was the pinnacle of each senator's career. To secure enough senate votes to be named archsenator meant bending arms and parliamentary rules until outright bribery was not out of the question. It would be worth it, Tarkio thought, knowing the good he could now achieve in such a high place of power.
They took their seats around the oval table and waited until, through a door behind the emperor's chair, Prince Richard entered, nodded to the others, and sat down. Then, Counselor Kalidas came in.
"His Majesty, Emperor Hector Augustus!" Kalidas announced.
Everyone stood as Augustus swept into the room, shook the hands of those nearest to him and sat. Kalidas placed a datapad in front of the emperor whi
le the others took their seats.
"Thank you all for coming," Augustus said. "What’s the first order of business?"
"The matter of the recent spate of pirate attacks, Your Majesty," Kalidas said.
"And that bastard Durant Blixx, I suppose," Augustus said.
"Indeed," Kalidas replied.
"What does the senate have to say about these attacks?" Augustus asked, addressing the archsenators.
Several of the elder politicians mumbled answers, but Tarkio, sitting at the far end of the table, could barely make out what they were saying. He lacked seniority to sit closer, but he was also determined to be heard.
"If I may," Tarkio said in an emphatic voice, "these pirate attacks tear at the very fabric of the Imperium!"
Everyone in the room, even Prince Richard, stopped and looked directly at Archsenator Tarkio.
"Is that so?" Emperor Augustus said.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"It's good to hear from the back of the room for a change!" Augustus said. "Get on with it then…"
Tarkio's throat tightened.
"Well," he said, coughing into his fist, "the provincial governors, the trade guilds, and even the public are up in arms about Durant Blixx and his raiders. We can’t sit in our ivory tower, hoping these attacks will just go away. We need to do something and do it now!”
Silence.
Then, someone began cackling. Tarkio realized it was the emperor himself.
"Well said!" Augustus shouted.
Several of the senior archsenators scowled at Tarkio, but began applauding anyway. A few statesmen closest to him, who shared his thirst for attention, shook Tarkio's hand and even patted him on the back.
Tarkio knew it was a risk speaking out of turn, but he knew it would be worth it. It would all be worth it.
After the session adjourned, Tarkio stood making small talk with the other archsenators in the parlor next to the council chamber. Tarkio felt the excitement of completing his first session. This was compounded when Prince Richard appeared and wanted to talk to him.
"Very impressive," the prince said.
"Thank you, Your Highness," the archsenator replied.
"Sometimes the gulf between the palace and the senate can seem like an ocean," Richard went on, "but I agreed with what you said, especially about the pirate attacks."
The Arks of Andromeda (The Imperium Chronicles Book 1) Page 7