Imperial Twilight

by Eric Thomson

  A sad smile softened Sandt’s expression.

  “Does it matter? If they can do it, I’ll die knowing I did my part to keep civilization alive. And if not, I’ll die knowing I tried.”

  Delighted laughter filled the interview room.

  “You have changed. The old Krys didn’t even know how to spell fatalism, let alone what it means.”

  “This isn’t fatalism, Ari, but loyalty — to people and to an ideal — something you taught me.”

  When Sandt fell silent, they exchanged wistful smiles, knowing neither would deviate from her chosen path, just as before, during better days when the empire seemed eternal.

  “This is becoming harder than I expected. You’ve awakened feelings I thought dead.”

  “Then stay with me. Let your colleagues report back to Yotai without you.”

  “No. But if your admiral is right and the universe goes to crap, perhaps I’ll think about making my way back here somehow.” Sandt pushed herself off the wall. “I should go now before we both lose our dignity by bawling like children. We’re veteran Marines, dammit.”

  “One last hug?”

  “Yeah.”

  After releasing her embrace, Sandt caressed Barca’s cheek with her fingertips and said, in a husky voice, “Live well, Adri.”

  Barca touched the back of Sandt’s hand.

  “You too. I’ll leave my porch light on. It might not be visible from Yotai, or even the next town. But it’ll be there.”

  “I know.” She dropped her hand and stepped back. “Please don’t walk me to the ship. Otherwise, we will both cry, and I want this to be my last memory of you.”

  “In that case, goodbye, Krys.”

  When the interview room’s door closed behind Sandt, Barca stared at it for a long time, lost in thought as she let her emotions settle before rejoining Private Loukas and heading home.

  — 38 —

  Yotai

  Heloise unfolded her limbs and rose in a fluid movement, interrupting her meditation session less than halfway through. The sudden movement startled Marta, who’d been reading Zahar’s proposal to redistribute the 16th Fleet’s ships. She instinctively knew something was wrong.

  But before she could ask what had disturbed her, Heloise pulled a palm-sized object, something like a large talisman on a metal chain, from her robe’s voluminous folds and placed it on Marta’s desk.

  “Carry this on your person at all times from now on, child. It is my beacon. Should any of our ships pass through the Yotai system and hear the signal, its captain will do everything possible to find and retrieve you.”

  “What—”

  Heloise held up a restraining hand.

  “Take the beacon and keep it against your bare skin. It draws on the body’s electric field and only transmits in the presence of a Void Brethren’s brain waves. That’s how our ships identify the wearer as one of us. You’ll know what to do when the time comes. Just listen to your instincts.”

  “Explain yourself.” Marta slipped the chain over her head and tucked the talisman beneath her shirt, out of sight.

  “I sense danger approaching, and that means my time with you is ending. No matter what happens in the next few minutes, you must let events unfold as ordained. My Brethren and I survived the Mykonos Abbey massacre for a purpose. Since you’re now as aware and capable as the strongest of us, I’ve completed the task given me and am no longer vital to your destiny.”

  “That’s not an explanation, it’s a suicide note.”

  “No.” Heloise shook her head. “A manifestation of memento mori. I’m surprised I could keep Admiral Zahar from uncovering my true nature for so long. He is one of the rare untrained males capable of detecting our abilities. Some of them become deeply suspicious of our motives, to the point of considering us a dangerous enemy.”

  “You planned on telling me about this when?”

  “The moment it became necessary. I couldn’t risk you triggering Zahar’s mistrust by accidentally brushing his mind. Your status as the empress-designate protects you, but that might not last. If a ship answers the beacon, promise me you’ll escape.”

  “Of course I will. It could be the ship that picked up my children. How did you keep Zahar from suspecting?”

  “I used the mind-dampening discipline I taught you whenever we were in his presence, to mask myself from his sixth sense. But it isn’t perfect, and repeated interactions with me likely reinforced his initial dubiousness about my being a genuine lady-in-waiting.” When she saw the surprise in Marta’s eyes, Heloise nodded. “Zahar suspected something from the day we landed on Yotai.”

  “What is it you think will happen? And when?”

  Heloise tilted her head to one side.

  “The what is an end and a beginning. The when is—”

  A menacing aura touched the edge of Marta’s consciousness. She was startled for the second time when the main door to her apartments opened without permission. The sound of booted feet on polished marble filtered through from the foyer.

  “—Now.”

  “They’re in the office,” a man’s voice called out.

  Moments later, Admiral Pendrick Zahar, tailed by two armed Marines, entered. He stopped a few meters in front of Marta’s desk and bowed his head. The Marines spread out, one to each side and aimed their carbines at Heloise.

  “Your Imperial Highness, pardon the unannounced intrusion, but I’m here on a vital matter of state security that cannot wait.”

  Marta put on a haughty expression and, in her best Wyvern Court drawl, replied, “Unannounced intrusion is putting it mildly, Admiral. You may not enter my private quarters without my express permission, even under the pretense of state security. This is lèse-majesté, and carries harsh penalties, even for a man wearing four stars on his collar.”

  “Perhaps, but I suggest you hear me out, Highness, because treason carries even harsher penalties, even for an empress-designate.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Zahar, unfazed by her tone, nodded toward Heloise.

  “I have proscribed the Order of the Void throughout the Coalsack Sector on the grounds of high treason and its Brethren are condemned as threats to humanity. Which means your so-called lady-in-waiting is a traitor, a criminal liable for execution.”

  “This is preposterous, Admiral. Leave my private quarters now, or I will dismiss you as head of my armed forces.”

  “You are not yet legally commander-in-chief, Highness. No one will obey your orders, nor is Regent Custis inclined to grant you power over me or anyone else after your performance in the briefing room a few days ago.” He turned a baleful stare on Heloise. “You’ll be pleased to know I’m not acting on mere suspicion. I also asked my people on Mykonos make inquiries after your companion attracted my suspicions. You see, I can always tell mind-meddlers from honest people. But Heloise puzzled me until a few hours ago when a report came back confirming she’s a Sister of the Void who somehow survived the Mykonos Abbey’s destruction.”

  “So? She is my personal retainer and thus under my protection.”

  Zahar’s humorless laugh filled the room.

  “Even a reigning empress cannot protect her personal retainers when they’re guilty of high crimes against the state. And you’re merely a designate.”

  “Your assumption of guilt is not in evidence, Admiral.”

  He pointed a finger at Heloise.

  “She is a mind-meddler and therefore guilty. Since we are still under martial law, execution shall be immediate. Seize her, Sergeant.”

  Marta sprang up.

  “No!”

  Heloise took her hand and squeezed.

  “Sit, Milady.” Then, turning a defiant face on Zahar, she said, “Shoot me here and now, Admiral. The Almighty will recognize his own.”

  Marta dropped back into her chair, instinctively obeying Heloise, though her entire being screamed in silent rage. Unable to move or even
speak, she watched as Zahar pulled a long-bladed knife out from under his severe naval tunic and came around the desk at Heloise, his face a mask of unrestrained rage.

  Helpless, Marta watched as Zahar drove his knife between Heloise’s ribs, piercing her heart. At the same moment, she heard the sister’s voice in her mind as clear as if she’d spoken aloud.

  “I will be with you, always.”

  Then, one of the Mykonos Abbey’s last surviving members crumpled to the floor and died.

  Stunned, Marta kept her grip on Heloise’s hand, feeling the life force fade away even as she sensed her third eye gaining unexpected strength. She was astonished at how little blood came from the wound once Zahar withdrew his blade and wiped it on Heloise’s black robes, and even more so at the peaceful look on her face.

  Zahar glanced at the Marines.

  “Take her body to the incinerator and dispose of it at once. There will be no memorial service.”

  “I will see your head on a pike for this,” Marta said in a preternaturally calm tone.

  “I am more likely to see yours displayed in such a manner, Highness.”

  “Don’t count on it. Evil never prospers, and you are one of the purest embodiments of malice I’ve ever encountered. The next time you cross me, I will kill you. Mark my words.”

  Driven more by a raw, primal instinct than conscious thought, Marta concentrated her body’s energy and aimed it at Zahar. She ignored the eerie, Heloise-like voice at the back of her mind pleading with her to desist from making such a show of strength.

  Zahar staggered, fighting to stay upright while his hands went to his temples as if overcome by an intense and sudden migraine. It vanished a fraction of a second later, leaving him to stare at Marta in astonishment after he regained his self-control.

  “Do not cross me again, Admiral. Ever.” She was pleased her voice remained steady even in the face of sudden and intense fatigue.

  “You’re one of them,” he hissed. “A mind-meddler.”

  “No, I’m something much worse, as you’ll come to understand in time. The sisters follow the Rule of the Order, which commands them to never harm another. I do not.” Marta tapped the side of her head with an extended finger. “And Heloise lives on, up here, her abilities now added to mine. Make any move against me, and that little taste of agony will seem like bliss. Now go away and never forget I am your commander-in-chief, to be feared and obeyed.”

  “We’ll see what the regent has to say about this,” he replied through clenched teeth.

  “Devy Custis?” Marta made a dismissive hand gesture. “He’s no longer relevant.”

  She turned her gaze on the two stunned Marines.

  “Take Sister Heloise to the morgue and make sure they prepare a proper funeral pyre in the main courtyard. I will see her soul sent into the Void by nightfall.”

  The sergeant, unable to process what he just witnessed, fell back on unquestioning obedience and snapped to attention.

  “As you command, Highness.”

  “Neither you nor Custis need to attend, Admiral. In fact, I’d rather you stay away.”

  At a loss for words after such an unexpected reversal of fortunes, Zahar bowed, then turned and stalked out of her apartments, heels clicking on the foyer’s bare marble floor.

  Marta watched the Marines carefully pick up Heloise’s body and carry it away. Neither dared look up as they left.

  When the door closed behind them, Marta slumped in her chair, physically and emotionally drained. She let the last few minutes repeatedly play in her mind.

  After reflecting on the incident for what seemed like a long time, Marta gained a better understanding what had happened and why. And that she now carried a part of Heloise within her, a spark of her consciousness, passed on through physical contact at the moment of death.

  Heloise knew her demise was imminent but could only give Marta that ultimate gift if she was killed right there and then, while they touched each other. Goading Zahar into acting himself must have been child’s play since he could sense a sister’s mind touch and nursed an unreasoning hatred for the Order of the Void.

  “What have you done, Heloise?” Marta asked in a soft, almost inaudible voice. “To yourself and to me?”

  I did what was necessary, child. Your survival is more important than mine.

  The words, the voice, and the intonation were so precise Marta could almost believe Heloise was talking to her from beyond the grave, albeit only in her mind.

  “Are you in there with me?”

  Of course not. I’m dead. And so will you be if you don’t take care with Zahar. Attacking him out of pure reflex was understandable, but dangerously premature. You’re strong, more powerful than I was, but not invincible.

  The dry, exasperated tone reminded her so much of the times when she asked Heloise what were in retrospect dumb questions. Whether the words came from Heloise or her own subconscious, Marta couldn’t deny their truth.

  Lashing out at Zahar had been irresponsible, foolish even, and left her vulnerable. If he killed her before a rescue ship from Galactic Dawn passed through the Yotai system, she would never see Stefan and Sigrid again.

  Work on your self-discipline, so you don’t use your abilities to hurt someone without forethought. Better yet, obey the Order’s Rule and do no harm.

  “Easy for you to say,” Marta muttered. “My witchy wits are the only thing left, and they won’t be easy to keep in check if I’m suffering from a case of Void-induced split personality.”

  When her mind didn’t answer, she shrugged.

  “Be that way. Now pardon me while I meditate over my grief and figure out how to survive.”

  — 39 —

  Lyonesse

  The rap of knuckles on the open door pulled Admiral Jonas Morane from his quiet contemplation of Lannion Base and the star system’s capital beyond. Late afternoon mist, blown inland by a southerly breeze blurred distant shapes and gave the city a ghostly air under the reddish light of a sun reaching for the western horizon.

  “Got a minute, sir?” Brigid DeCarde’s voice asked.

  Morane turned around and gestured toward the chair in front of his desk.

  “For my second in command, always.”

  “You seem preoccupied. I mean more so than usual.”

  He sat across from her and grimaced.

  “Things might be heating up, but you go first.”

  “Adrienne Barca just finished briefing me about her conversation with one of the offworld visitors at the spaceport shortly before they left aboard Ekosia, the freighter that lifted ten minutes ago.”

  “After dropping off two-hundred-thirty-three additional migrants. I expect an earful of complaints from Gus Logran any moment now.”

  The Marine shrugged. “At least we refined the processing down to a science. They’ll be at the Otnabog River settlement before sunset tomorrow, which means only a day’s worth of work for Logran’s people.”

  “Still a day too much for some. Tell me about Centurion Barca’s foray into counterintelligence work. You know I’m seriously thinking about her as CO of the Defense Force Security Company, right?”

  “I figured Adri was among the top three choices. You’re aware we suspected one of the visitors was an old acquaintance of hers, right?”

  “So you told me. And was she?”

  “Oh, yes.” DeCarde nodded. “Her real name is Krystal Sandt, and she’s a Marine Corps command sergeant from the 55th working for Admiral Zahar’s intelligence service.” DeCarde repeated Barca’s oral debriefing almost verbatim. “Adri will submit a written report by tomorrow.”

  “If Zahar, or more likely Custis, is looking for Tanith, it’s because of Corinne Ruggero.”

  “Who no longer exists. Her cover identity was officially recorded as deceased in transit.”

  “We know that, but once those naval intelligence operatives return to Yotai, Custis will believe we’re sheltering her. An
d he’ll be aware of the knowledge vault project.”

  “Do you think he might send an expeditionary force? There are at least four star systems no longer under Yotai control between him and us.”

  “If he believes the prize is worth the risk, five transits by a task force capable of defending itself aren’t much of an impediment.” A pause. “Unless he’s facing enemies coming from within the empire, as this Sergeant Sandt seems to have intimated.”

  “At least his operatives didn’t scheme with Severin Downes and company to give us grief.”

  “Small mercies considering our next crop of problems.”

  “That’s why you were staring wistfully out into the distance?”

  Morane nodded.

  “Rorik Hecht made his move earlier this afternoon. He rammed a vote through the Colonial Council to set up what he calls The Knowledge Vault Oversight Commission.”

  “Oh, crap.”

  “Save your strongest cuss words for when I’m done speaking, Brigid. It gets worse.”

  “Naturally. Whenever life gets too easy, Fate flexes her fickle finger. How will she fuck us this time?”

  “The Commission membership will include eminent citizens of Lyonesse, appointed by a Colonial Council vote after suitable hearings.”

  “You’re on it, I hope.”

  “Yes. So are Emma Reyes and Sister Gwenneth. We three will be the ex officio commissioners, allowed to nominate stand-ins if we can’t take part in deliberations. You’re mine, by the way.”

  “Gee, thanks. I think.”

  “Including the chair, Hecht’s latest brainchild will include eleven members. I already mentioned the three ex officio members. Of the other eight, four will be named by the Estates General and the last four by the council itself. Hecht has already made the council’s nominations public. Severin Downes, Brady Apostolos, Mei Chiang, and Keita Fakaj, the most senior and most vocal among the former political prisoners. Hecht is justifying his choices by pointing at the experience they gained serving the imperial government. Never mind they were little more than useless courtiers fighting each other for the illusion of power in Dendera’s Capitol of the Damned. Guess who’s slated to become the commission’s chair?” He gave her a significant look.