by J. Naomi Ay
He held my hand as we went in, and I don't think I took my eyes off of him once the whole time. I looked at the portrait now and realized how incredibly beautiful he was, especially all decked out. Even I looked beautiful too. I know I wasn't seeing that then. I know that when I stared at him all through the ceremony, I was seeing Senya, that wicked, naughty boy who I had fallen in love with when I was nine.
“You're getting your fingerprints on the picture.” Some little urchin stood next to me and pointed at my hand. I didn’t realize my hand was on the picture on Senya’s face. Quickly I pulled it away, burying it in my pocket.
“Is that you?” The little one asked in surprisingly good Mishnese.
“What do you think?” I swiped at my eyes.
“I think you had a better dress in that picture.”
“I did,” I agreed and smoothed down my lunch lady smock.
“I like your crown,” she said. “Can I see it?”
“I don't have any with me here.”
The little girl studied me curiously and thought about that for a moment.
“You talk funny,” she decided.
“I know.”
“He's scary.” She pointed at Senya. “I don't like him.”
“He is scary,” I agreed. “But sometimes, he's very nice too.”
She thought about that for another moment, pursing her lips and nodding her head.
“Do you have a little girl?” She asked after a time.
“No. We had a little boy, but he's all grown up now.”
“Do you miss your little boy?”
“I do,” I nodded.
“Why do you want to be a lunch lady instead of the Empress? Is it because he's so scary?”
“I don't know,” I replied honestly. “Maybe.”
She frowned and then shrugged. “Okay. You’re a good lunch lady.”
“Thank you.” I watched her walk down the hall to her classroom and then I turned and left the building.
Chapter 3
Caroline
Kira was purring like a kitten. “That man is so hot,” she panted and fanned herself and then she started purring again. We were following the Lady Berkan across this immense Palace to rooms in one of the servant buildings. We were going to be servants. That was fine by me. All my life I had been serving somebody or something in one way or another. I started out taking care of my mama and my thirteen siblings and then spent the last thirty years nursing anyone who needed caring for. At least now I wouldn’t be wiping dirty bottoms or changing oozing bandages.
The Lady Berkan was a nice enough lady with bright orange hair, a wide round face and as much strength in her spine as anyone I ever met in all my years in Spaceforce. That would include Captain Katie who I was starting to think must have left her spine somewhere back on the Discovery.
Lady Berkan had met us when we changed to an Imperial spaceplane at a spacebase orbiting Cascadia III. Neniver, who was once a pilot on the Discovery going by the name of Zem, and Marisa, Katie’s old roommate at the mental asylum went off with Thad to a SdK hospital while the rest of us boarded the most opulent spaceplane we had ever seen. Lady Berkan introduced herself to us and then helped us change into these beautiful silk dresses we were wearing now. She fixed our hair and then gave us a brief course in protocol and etiquette. Lady Berkan told us, she was one of the few that spoke English and was in charge of the Empress's staff. That would be my old friend Katie who was right about now running around some forest pretending she was a cavewoman or some such thing.
“How is Madame doing?” Lady Berkan asked as she did up my hair.
“How do you think?” I replied, shaking my head and messing up my styling. “I think she’s got more brain damage than we originally thought.”
“At least she's alive,” Lady Berkan sighed. “It's been hell. I know Madame will come back soon and then things will get better.”
“I hope so,” I said though I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of hell being an empress could be.
“You'd think she'd want to come back for Shika even if she is still steaming about HIM.” Lady Berkan turned her attention to Noka, picking up strands of her short blue hair and frowning at it.
“Katie said Shika didn't need a mother after all this time,” I replied, admiring myself in the nice lighted mirror. Considering my age and the last dozen years in the mental asylum, I didn’t look too bad. A good hairstyle and makeup, as well as a pretty dress, could do wonders for anyone.
“Oh no,” the Lady Berkan continued. “That boy needs a good whopping or two from his mother. Getting it from me doesn't quite do the trick. He's off living with his granddad now though so hopefully he's working out his issues there.”
“His granddad? Dr. Ron, I mean, HIM has a father?”
Lady Berkan laughed and gave up on Noka. She disappeared into the dressing room for a moment and came back with a head scarf, pinning it into Noka's hair. “HIM has a real father and had a real mother,” she continued. “It's a long and complicated story about an arranged marriage between a Prince and Princess.”
“It sounds like a fairy tale,” Noka said, smiling at herself in the mirror, turning her head this way and that, so the scarf shimmered and floated around her.
“Well it was, sort of,” Lady Berkan replied. “Because they did fall in love with each other.”
“That's so sweet,” I declared.
“Well, then it wasn't,” Lady Berkan frowned. “Then it became quite horrid. Would you like a scarf too, Caroline?”
“Sure,” I replied. I felt like a princess with my own pale blue scarf floating around me. “But now you've got Ron, HIM, as your emperor and he's sure the epitome of a handsome prince.”
“Yes, but he's turned into quite a monster really.” She sighed, and adjusted the scarf in my hair, laying it flat across my shoulders. “We all thought he was the beauty, but he really was the beast. Of course, he always was a beast. Most of us just didn't realize it.”
“He just needs to fuck someone,” Kira said, wedging herself in between us so she could admire her own self. She pulled the bodice of her dress down to show off her double cleavage.
The Lady Berkan gasped either at Kira’s comment or her cleavage.
“Kira!” I scolded while Noka giggled.
“Well it's true,” Kira shrugged and blew air kisses at the mirror. “I like men who are beasts.”
Lady Berkan’s eyes turned hard. “I must beg your pardon. I have spoken out of turn. I have been confiding in Miss Caroline because I know her to be Her Imperial Highness’s dear friend. What I say to you, I say in confidence as a member of HIM's family. My husband, Lord Berkan is HIM's cousin. You have no such relationship with HIM, and you will not speak casually of HIM in my presence. If you do not show proper respect to both the Emperor and the Empress, I will have you removed from this ship, the Palace and the Empire if need be.”
I stared at Lady Berkan in amazement, my mouth open wide enough to catch a whole passel of flies.
“You can do that?” Kira whispered.
“In a heartbeat.” The Lady Berkan lifted her chin and haughtily left the room.
Once we got to the Palace, after what the Lady Berkan said, was an unbelievably low wait time of only twelve hours, we were ushered into the Emperor’s office. All of us were good about doing as we were told. We stayed on the floor. We didn’t speak unless spoken to. We didn’t use any familiar terms even though my tongue slipped a few times and I almost called him Dr. Ron.
When we came in, he was leaning against this huge desk by the windows and smoking a cigarette. He wasn't dressed all that fancy, but then it was about 3AM and we were his last appointment until 7AM. Certainly, he looked older than the last time I had seen him fifteen years ago but so did I.
He asked me a few questions about the mental hospital on Derius II. He asked what drugs Katie had been on and the dosages. He asked who ran the hospital, and he wanted to know how we got out. I told him about recognizing Katie and easing h
er off the meds. I told him how we stole the guns and then Katie blasted us out through the laundry room. He smiled a little at that. I told him how she was going to kill the Big Doc but then said that was for him to do and I asked him for mercy for the guy because even though he was on the take, he really wasn't all that bad to the patients.
The Emperor asked how Katie felt and if she was in any pain and I told him that there were scars on her legs and her records said she had surgery for breaks, but she was moving about pretty good and he should have seen the way she took on the guards. Just before we finished, he told us that we could stay here at the Palace and serve Her Imperial Highness if we would like. I liked and so did the others. When he was finished asking questions, he waved his hand and a man came and whispered that we should leave. We stood up and backed out like we were told to. Lady Berkan met us out in the hall.
I was a little disappointed, to tell you the truth. I thought that, at the very least, he would acknowledge that we used to be friends a long time ago. Maybe he might even recollect how he and Jerry and I sat around the pub drinking beer and waiting for Katie to get off duty.
“He looks very sad,” Noka said. “Stop making noises, Kira.”
“Oh, I want that man. I could make him happy again,” Kira moaned. “I could make him so happy.”
“He is not available,” Lady Berkan said sharply.
“But I am Lady Snooty Pants,” Kira smirked. “And that counts for a lot.”
Lady Berkan stopped walking and turned on Kira. She raised her hand, and a guard came forward. “Please remove…”
“No!” Kira gasped. “I'm only trying to help. Ron looks like…”
“Don't help,” I snapped. “Don't say whatever you are planning to say.”
“Alright, alright,” Kira simpered. “How is it that little Katie ended up with all the goods?”
“One does not end up this way,” Lady Berkan sniffed. “One is born to it.”
“Captain Katie was not born to be an Empress. She was just some chick from Earth who got lucky.”
“You don't know that.” Lady Berkan indicated three doors. “Take which ever room you wish. Caroline, Lord Taner, the Lord Chamberlain will speak with you around 10AM. Lady Kelli will fetch you and show you to his office.”
“Thank you, Lady Berkan,” I said and I curtseyed. Then I went inside the most beautiful apartment I had ever seen and collapsed on the bed. When I woke up and saw this beautiful room again, I thought I must still be dreaming.
Chapter 4
Jerry
I grew a beard for the first time in my life. I wasn’t practicing medicine any more. I wasn’t in Spaceforce. I could do whatever I wanted.
I tried to let my hair grow out too. I had this idea that I wanted it in a ponytail, in the back. Not like Ron’s used to be. I wasn’t copying him. I just wanted a different style to go with my new clothes. I wore tie-died shirts that I bought at the farmer’s market, and flip flops on my feet which was great for my bunions and corns. I wore Bermuda shorts everywhere because it was always warm and I didn’t give a damn who saw my pale hairy legs.
Anyway, growing my hair out didn’t really work because it was too curly and tended to get puffier rather than longer. Also, I had developed a bit of bald spot on the back of my head and my dandruff seemed to get worse with the more hair that I had. After a few months, I got a haircut and figured the beard was the best I could do. I let it grow pretty long even though food kept getting stuck in it.
This was great, I told myself as I sat on my deck and looked out at the ocean. This was perfect. The only problem was, I had nothing to do. I was bored out of my mind. I hung around the library and hung around the market and then came back and watched the vid for a while.
Something was going on between Rehnor and Rozari. The Empire had sent a few ships over there, and nobody knew why. They were floating around in the Rozarian star system, and the Alliance was telling them to get out but not very forcefully because they still hadn’t come up with a way to deal with the Empire’s EMP control.
I shut off the vid. They could all go blow each other to hell for all I cared. I picked up some smooth rocks that I found on the beach the other day and kept in a corner of my deck. I decided to paint flowers on them instead of listening to the news.
I painted a lot of flowers. I was good at painting. I had been a pretty good surgeon. I had nice tight stitches, and so I was pretty good with a paint brush too. I got myself a book from the library, an encyclopedia of flowers, and as I copied each one, I taught myself about them. Echinacea treats infectious diseases and wounds as well as boosts the immune system. Calendula controls inflammation with antibiotic, antiviral properties. Hawthorne treats angina, congestive heart failure, and heart rhythm disturbances. Before I knew it, I had a hundred different rocks with a hundred different flowers on them drying on my deck. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with all these rocks or all this knowledge, but they looked nice enough and so I kept painting.
One day, I was in the farmer’s market and was picking up some fresh vegetables for dinner. I had become a vegetarian too. I didn’t really have a reason for doing it other than it seemed to go well with my new image. One morning I just woke up and declared myself a vegan. Even though most of the meat products I’d eaten in my life were synthetic, I decided no more animal flesh would cross my lips.
So there I was going from stall to stall with my basket, loading it full of fresh kale, turnips, rutabagas and broccoli when I passed a stall with a guy selling fish. There was no way I was going to eat a fish. My vegan lifestyle absolutely forbid it, but the guy look familiar enough that I had to stop and look at him. I stared at the guy for a really long time but couldn’t figure out how I might have known him. He was older than me by a good twenty years with long black hair streaked with gray. He was tall and well built, strong even at his age, with medium dark skin with a slight reddish hue. He slapped what looked like a salmon onto the counter and in a matter of minutes, filleted it for a woman while she counted out four dollars. Then he wrapped the fish in brown paper and handed it to the woman, tossing the fish head and tail to a cat that patiently waited for it in the back of the stall.
“Can I help you?” He asked when he noticed me staring. He had deep brown eyes, nearly black, so they seemed to be without a pupil. I shook my head. I had no clue who he was.
“Sorry, I don’t eat flesh,” I replied.
“Your loss.” He shrugged and reached behind him to prepare another fish for the next woman in his line.
Now that I was an expert on painting flowers, I decided to grow them. I bought a bunch of pots, filled them with soil and compost and set them out on my deck. Because I made it my goal to grow as many flowers as I had painted, my deck was quickly overrun with pots, and I had to bring my chair back inside because I had no room any longer to sit.
At that point, I figured I should probably get a new place, so I walked around town looking for a small house not far from the beach with a decent size yard. I found one I liked directly on the beach. It had a really nice front porch. It was furnished and included a couple of Adirondack chairs that were perfectly positioned to stare out at the water. I was ready to rent it and went back to the agent with my deposit but she told me that a lady already lived there and had signed a six month lease. I should check back in a few months to see if she was still there. The agent thought she seemed kind of flaky. If she took off, I could have it.
This place was my second choice and probably worked out better anyway. It was right on the edge of town and had a nice big parlor which I later made into my office. About a month after I moved in, after I had perfected the art of making flower tinctures, I hung up a shingle and called myself Dr. Moonbeam, Spiritual and Natural healer.
Chapter 5
Taner
“I need someone who can answer my vid and direct the calls,” I said in English. It had been quite a while since I had spoken any English. The woman laughed at me as if my accent was funn
y. “Did I mispronounce something?”
“No,” she drawled and I considered how strange her own accent was. “Your accent is lovely.”
“Thank you. Lovely,” I mused. “My secretary is having a baby and perhaps will return in a few months’ time. Hopefully by then Madame will have returned as well, and you may then attend to her instead of my vid.”
“Sure,” the woman said and smiled at me as if I had just given her some great reward. “Though, I don't speak much Mishnese yet.”
“I realize that. Deka,” I pointed at my other secretary, "will speak to those who do. I need someone who speaks English because there are those who call me from Cascadia and Lumineria who speak only English. Occasionally, I will get a call from the Alliance as well.”
“Ok. I'd love to. I'm just enjoying every single minute of being here. I absolutely love Rehnor, and especially this beautiful Palace which my very best girlfriend seems to think is like some kind of jail.”
“Well, I am very happy for you,” I replied. “At least someone loves it here. The rest of us tend to agree with your very best girlfriend. Tomorrow you may start?”
“Sure, Lord Taner. I'll be here bright and early.”
“Thank you, Miss Caroline.” I turned to head into my own private office when she called me back.
“Lord Taner,” she said. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, why do ask?”
“Well, I'm a nurse you know, for a long time already. Your color is kind of grey-looking. You ever have heart problems?”
“Yes,” I replied and my chest squeezed as I said this. Perhaps I was having heart issues again. “A dozen years ago I had a bypass aboard Madame's Starship.”
“The Discovery? You had a bypass aboard the Discovery? Oh Lordy, fancy that. Did Jerry do it?”
“Yes, indeed he did.”
“My goodness sakes,” she laughed. “What a tiny small galaxy this is that we live in. Now don't you worry one bit, Lord Taner. Jerry does good work. I'm sure he did an awesome job retying up your arteries, but if you're feeling some pain these days and maybe a little shortness of breath, maybe you ought to just go pop into that nice SdK hospital I saw as we flew in here yesterday.”