Agent of the Imperium, page 29
“Breakout flash! Another! Several! Many!”
“Silence the alarm. Is the IFF working?”
“Aye, sir.”
The scopes showed an initial wave of many ships: battles, sieges, and carriers, but also minors, tenders, scouts, and pickets. Over the next three hours, the sky above Ashavakuna was alight with breakout flashes. The frequencies burned with broadcasts and beamcasts and datacasts.
Nestled close to the Naval Base annex of the orbital High Port, Cryx was automatically labeled innocuous.
The fleet went through its paces. It had no premonition of its true mission. This level of training and experience would influence naval operations for decades. Spacers would say, “I was part of M-Fleet,” and proudly point to a multi-colored experience medal. Their comrades would comment, or even make fun, while inwardly noting their own misfortune.
Astrogation charts already told the fleet there was no gas giant; ships moved to the single planetoid belt to secure ice chunks for refueling. Multiple layers of protectors screened the valuable capital ships.
After about six hours, the flag was ready to deal with business.
Captain Ginsa turned to his astrogator, “It’s time,” and handed him the wafer.
189-736
Aboard AF Cryx Above
Mass 1131 Ashavakuna B567622-8 Ag Ni Ri
I awoke, momentarily disoriented, but clear in what I expected. I opened my eyes to see the bridge of the Cryx. “Tell me status.”
“It is 1340 189-736. We are in the Ashavakuna system. The fleet has broken out. We are in underchannel contact.”
“Send my respects to the Admiral and tell him we bear an express from the Empress.”
Lieutenant Ginsa, my host many weeks before, was Captain, none the worse for my inhabitation. Actually, he was much better: a functionary in an obscure office of the bureaucracy who probably never saw the Empress, plucked by the nobility from his desk to command a cutting edge fastest-available courier ship to transport a message on strict deadline from the Empress to the Duke of Shiwonee. He would be commended. He would be promoted; he would be ennobled. He would be applauded, provided of course the last several weeks went as planned.
His discussions with my current host, astrogator Lieutenant Leffian, probably implied similar rewards for him. I needed to take the proper steps, assuming all went well. Rule 5.
202-736
Aboard EC Unicorn Above
Mass 1430 Shiwonee AA86A88-B Hi Cp An
Even the Empress cannot make the impossible happen. What if the Duke of Shiwonee were dead? Ill? Incapacitated?
Close Escort Unicorn, a workhorse of the fleet and now captained by Lieutenant Leffian, had left for Shiwonee a day before the fleet. Upon arrival, and after standard protocols confirmed our identity, we moved to near world orbit and opened an encrypted channel to the Office of the Duke.
“The Empress requires the Duke at the Wall of Heroes at 1200 tomorrow.”
The gatekeeper equivocated. “His Grace’s schedule is very tight. I will see if we can arrange a time that is mutually agreeable.”
“If necessary, we will send a shuttle to deliver him.”
Cryx arrived a few hours later, to hang motionless in space until it received its cue.
203-736
Aboard AF Cryx Above
Mass 1430 Shiwonee AA86A88-B Hi Cp An
At about mid-morning, the very first of M-Fleet’s ships shed arrival energy. The auxiliary was almost immediately followed by a dreadnought and then another.
“We have the first breakout!” Cryx’s sensop began narrating the arrivals. In immediate response, its Captain Ginsa gave the order to move, and it began its carefully preplanned drive for the planet below. It would hit near-world orbit an hour before noon. All the while during its two-hour journey, more ships of M-Fleet arrived to hang motionless in Shiwonee’s skies.
A signal from Unicorn confirmed that arrangements were in place.
Cryx grounded within sight of the Wall, the precise location selected to minimize walking distance and maximize visual impact: the local spectral-F starsun high to the south and brightening the Wall’s face. They would approach with its glare on their backs.
Kavax and Kusliis-Shorn emerged in their dress white formal uniforms, escorted by six marines: two forward, two lateral, two behind. Their training in ceremonial presentations was clearly up to date.
It was a slight that the Duke was not present to greet the arrival of Cryx. They ignored it.
“His shuttle just arrived. On the far side. Slow down just a bit; let him scurry into place.” Kusliis-Shorn verbalized her acknowledgement and they slowed their pace.
The Wall of Heroes commemorates the fallen of the Empire. Size and structure vary with the world; in this case, it was two soaring wings embracing a central obelisk set on a concourse overlooking the city.
The Duke stepped out from the base of the wings looking annoyed. He was accompanied by ten other officials, assistants, and helpers; they all stood slightly back. One scuttled forward to speak with the reservists, only to be ignored. Press drones circled discreetly.
Kavax, carrying the Imperial banner in both hands, walked directly to the Duke and held out the flag. The Duke started to speak, but they ignored him. Whatever he said, when he was finished, Kusliis-Shorn spoke. “The Empress conveys her greetings to the Geonee as members of the Empire.” She dispensed with the salute; she and Kavax turned immediately and walked back to the ship.
They didn’t say anything. Imagers could see and image interpreters could hear. Instead the Duke stood stiffly until the navals had left. He then gave some instructions. Guards hauled down the Imperial banner currently flying above the memorial and hauled up this gift from the Empress. It waved, as protocol demanded, a flag height higher than the Shiwonee banner. Patriotic music welled around them, and when it was done, the Duke and his entourage carefully made their way back to their transport.
Safely inside their vehicle: “She knows.”
“So what; she can’t do anything. The vote at the close of the Moot is already certain.”
“That fleet can do something.”
“But it won’t.”
“Then why did she do all this? No message. No discussions.”
“This was a message.”
Various advisors issued orders and statements. One expressed solidarity with the Empire; another was exhilarated with the special attention the Empress had bestowed on this important world and sector. Observers gave opinions about the future; the past; the present. The discussion channels were abuzz for days.
The fleet left two days later. Its abrupt departure was its own message; millions in potential profits vanished when the spacers did not visit, and the supply barges did not fly. There were suitable explanations made from world government, but the Navy itself was silent on the matter.
204-736
Mass 1430 Shiwonee AA86A88-B Hi Cp An
Outward from Capital the news of the Empress’ death spread at the speed of jump: five parsecs every week, doggedly trailing Cryx. But it first had to reach Capital, a full seven day disadvantage, and it would propagate not at the experimental speed of Cryx, but at more conventional jump-4 or jump-5.
The news arrived the next day.
EPILOGUE
116-736
Core 2118 Capital A586A98-D Hi Cx
The Grand Palace was lit in mourning blue. City lights and street illuminators were shrouded to create a swath of shadow for five kilometers in every direction. News imagers continued to broadcast (and record for rebroadcast throughout the empire) the striking scene marking the passing of a beloved Empress.
During Margaret’s lifetime, the title Emperor-Apparent had never been spoken; with her death, it was on everyone’s lips. Her fraternal twin, born twenty-two minutes later, had been in eternal eclipse. Now, at age 52, he would emerge from her umbra to ascend the Iridium Throne. He thought, but only to himself, “It’s about time.”
Where once he had to be satisfied with a few loyal retainers, he was now besieged with supplicants and new-found friends anxious to establish themselves with gifts and words of wisdom. His trusted seneschal Mand was proving himself quite capable in fending off most of them.
The Viscountess Adapa was one of the sea of supplicants, disadvantaged by her lack of height and by her gravidity; somewhat also by the fact that her wet clothes tended to offput others. She worked her way to the front of the queue several times, only to be rebuffed each.
At the margins of the crowd, she waited for her chance that never seemed to come. After an hour, she visited the fresher annex to rewet her coat and headband; there she encountered another Newt doing the same.
“How long can this go on?” she asked.
“It will have to at least lull for the actual funeral day after tomorrow. Then it will pick up again, probably for a year.”
“Forgive my lack of protocol. I am the Viscountess Adapa, late counsellor to . . . no matter.”
“It is my pleasure to meet you. I am Tetepo Babseka, alas only an adjunct to Seneschal Mand. Until last week, I worked half days and visited art museums in the afternoons. Now.” He shrugged.
“And I am pleased to meet you.” She paused.
Tetepo paused as well. Newts naturally excelled at the administrative and the bureaucratic; chance meetings were part of the process. He volunteered, “Perhaps you have a question?”
“Indeed, I do.” Protocol required an ask. “Can you perhaps give me an answer?” Her question was accompanied by the peculiar gesture that the species used to convey both supplication and promise of reward, a particular almost-invisible flick of the wrist. It would be uncouth to actually specify the reward.
Minutes later, the Viscountess Adapa followed Adjunct Tetepo through the other fresher exit and then past a checkpoint. They were soon before Mand with an allowance of fifteen seconds to present a case.
“I seek no reward or favor for myself,” she said in order to start the dialog, “I have an item of policy that the Empress herself desired, but it was unfinished before her untimely passing.”
“Can it not wait?” said the seneschal, starting to turn away.
“It cannot.” This required both tact and eloquence. Adapa tried to compress every fact and detail she could into fifteen seconds. “There is a flaw in the proxy process that may spell drastic changes in the imperial structure, to the disadvantage of the Empress, and now to the Emperor. She had a simple solution but had not yet implemented it. The Emperor-Apparent has the ability to act now and with a simple stroke of a pen to remove the problem forever.” Twenty-two seconds.
“Show me.”
The Lady Adapa explained in greater detail the proxy option process and the Geonee scheme for an Autonomous Region. This was harder without the accompanying image support, but she recited her briefing with them in her mind’s eye. She omitted some details; she planned to retire to her remote fiefs with her newborn well before news of the scrubbing of Shiwonee came some half a year from now; she estimated news would arrive on or about 310, mid fourth quarter. Nobles in exile at least survived; from far way, she could profess ignorance of any of the details. If she stayed, she could lose her head and it would not regrow. But she did have this particular duty to the Empire, and she would do her best to fulfill it.
Seneschal Mand found the proposal reasonable. This interim period when all proxies were cancelled by the death of the sovereign was indeed the perfect time to implement a change. Adapa’s draft Imperial Order made perfect sense: henceforth the Emperor would recognize only integral proxies. Mand told the two to wait.
They waited an hour, and then two. Mand finally returned and noticed them. “Oh. Yes. The proclamation will be published shortly after the funeral. The Emperor-Apparent understood and agreed completely.”
“Then I thank you for your gracious attention.” She started toward the door.
“The Emperor-Apparent has decided that it will fall to you to administer the bureaucratic aspects of the proxies themselves: a new central registry. There will be a flurry of registrations almost immediately, but after the first year, it surely becomes a sinecure, a very nice position. You’ll be a Countess by the end of the year.”
Adjunct Tetepo smiled in anticipation of his own reward. The Lady Adapa was less sanguine.
109-737
Aboard VF Pacific Orbiting
Mend 1338 Kipli C575976-8 Hi In
I was awake, my eyes still closed, standing rather than reclining, and so I knew this must be the start of a new activation. The wave of disorientation passed and I opened my eyes.
“Who here is senior?”
TABLE OF RANK EQUIVALENCIES
TABLE OF WORLD REMARKS
Remarks are codes, details, and trade classifications which expand upon the information in the Universal World Profile.
Common Remarks are derived from the information in the Universal World Profile itself. For example, Wa Water World is an automatic identifier if Hydrographics is A.
Less Common Remarks are determined by other factors not necessarily in the Universal World Profile. For example, Cs Sector Capital is not specifically dependent on any details in the UWP.
The UWP Universal World Profile
The worlds of the Imperium (as well as those beyond its borders) are identified by location, name, and a brief recapitulation of their physical and social characteristics in the standard format:
Sect xxyy WorldName StSAHPGL-T Rem1 Rem2 Rem3 . . .
Sect is the four-letter sector name abbreviation, xxyy is the starchart locational co-ordinates, and WorldName is the common label applied to the MainWorld (the most significant world) in the stellar system at this location.
St is the Starport type, S is World Size, A is a code for Atmosphere, and H is the rough percentage (in tens) of surface covered with water (or perhaps fluids).
P is sophont population as a power of 10, G is the code for government type from a standard list, and L is the code for the local legal system on a permissive-oppressive spectrum.
T is a code for commonly available technology on a standard scale.
Rem1 and others are two-letter remarks identifying commonly encountered trade classifications and world characteristics. Ri is a Rich World; Ag is Agricultural; In is Industrial; Po is Poor; Cp, Cs, and Cx are Capitals. The thoroughness of the remarks listed varies.
High Population Worlds (billions or more) are traditionally named on charts in ALL CAPS.
Values greater than 9 are represented by hexadecimal numbers (A=10, B=11, through F=15). When required correspondingly higher values use successive letters of the Anglic alphabet (but omit I or O to avoid confusion).
Planetary Notes:
As Asteroid Belt. The MainWorld is an asteroid belt.
De Desert. The MainWorld has virtually no (less than a tenth) surface water.
Fl Fluid. The seas of the MainWorld are a fluid (other than water) dictated by an exotic or non-breathable atmosphere.
Ga Garden World. The MainWorld is reasonable in size, has an untainted atmosphere, and a reasonable availability of water.
He Hellworld. The MainWorld is inhospitable, with tainted atmosphere and low water availability.
Ic Ice-Capped. The surface water of the MainWorld is contained in ice-caps rather than seas.
Oc Ocean World. The MainWorld is extraordinarily large and its seas cover virtually all of its surface.
Va Vacuum. The MainWorld has no atmosphere.
Wa Water World. The MainWorld’s seas cover virtually all of its surface.
Sa Satellite. The MainWorld is a satellite (rather than a planet).
Lk Tidally Locked Close Satellite. The MainWorld is a satellite (rather than a planet) and is close enough to its planet or gas giant to be tidally locked to it.
Population Notes:
Di Dieback. The MainWorld has no population (although it did at one time and ruins of past civilizations may remain).
Ba Barren. The MainWorld has no population.
Lo Low Population. The MainWorld population is less than 10 thousand.
Ni Non-Industrial. The MainWorld population has a population less than 10 million (but more than 10 thousand).
Ph Pre-High. The MainWorld has a population in the hundreds of millions.
Hi High Population. The MainWorld has a population of a billion or more.
Economic Notes:
Pa Pre-Agricultural. With some changes or advancement, the MainWorld can become Agricultural.
Ag Agricultural. The MainWorld is well-suited to agricultural production.
Na Non-Agricultural. The MainWorld is unsuited for agricultural production.
Px Prison or Exile Camp. The MainWorld has been designated for relocation of marginal or undesirable populations.
Pi Pre-Industrial. With some changes or advancement, the MainWorld can become Industrial.
In Industrial. The MainWorld is well-suited to industrial production.
