Exodus, page 26
“I don’t think this will hurt but it’ll probably be disconcerting and remember I don’t judge we’re too different for that oh and dude you might throw up after so be ready.”
“What are yo—”
But Makaio-Faraji was standing in front of him, hands held wide and moving fast to clamp them down on either side of Terence’s head. There was a brief glimpse of lines glowing a bioluminescent violet on the Celestial’s palms and fingers, radiating out from the neural pads.
Terence started to stiffen and rise from the chair to get the hell out of the way when his head went crazy. A hurricane of vivid memories erupted to churn around inside his skull, screaming with every noise he’d ever heard. His consciousness could only glimpse scattered instants.
This is what death brings, he shrieked in silent terror, your life flashing past in front of you. The pervert shit’s killing me!
“No no dude that’s not it at all really sorry I should have given you a bit more of a warning there my bad but I really had to be sure my boss is a total prick and putting the squeeze on me over work so this was the only way to clear you.”
Terence stared up at the clearly deranged Celestial through blurring vision, then threw up. Makaio-Faraji danced backward, but not quite quickly enough.
“Whoa dude that’s it get it out you’ll feel better in a minute there’s no physical damage a read is just like vertigo makes no sense it just is.”
“No fucking harm?” Terence snarled. “You just cracked my fucking head open like an egg! That was my life you wrecked. My life!”
“No no you don’t get it I just used the enhancer threads to trigger a guilt response which associates with any individual memories containing that and pulls them front and center and dude you’re not working for anyone else you’re in the clear which is great for both of us remember the worst thing you ever did the one thing that still burns you is Karrian Udwin.”
“Shut up!” Terence hissed furiously.
“Dude cheating on her with one sister is like badass but both her sisters that is monumental.”
“Shut the fuck up, you bastard!” he shouted recklessly. There were tears streaming down his face from the impact of the violation.
“Sorry dude I can see this is real bad for you I didn’t mean it to be.”
“How can you not understand? It was torture. Mental torture.”
“Dude.” Makaio-Faraji raised a hand in placation, which Terence flinched away from so violently he nearly fell off the chair.
“Get away from me!”
“Sorry sorry.”
“And stop talking so bloody fast. Oh, Asteria’s arse, my head.” He gripped his head in both hands grimacing at the pain that was pulsing relentlessly at the core of his skull. The tears started trickling down his wrists.
Makaio-Faraji twitched about uncertainly. Eventually he bent down and said: “I. Didn’t. Know. I. Apologize. I. See. Now. It. Must. Have. Been. Awful. For. You. That. Was. Not. My. Intention. My. Induction. Enhancement. Webs. Are. Calibrated. For. Celestial. Brains. Not. Humans’. I. Swear. It. Will. Never. Happen. Again. You. Have. My. Word. On. The. Honor. Of. The. Family. Gaziz.”
Terence was left in silence as he steadied his breathing. The headache started to fade, but not the shame; never the shame. Oh, Karrian, I never meant to hurt you. I was just a real arsehole back then. He tried to force the world back into focus.
Makaio-Faraji was standing a few meters away giving him a pensive look.
“Who the hell are you anyway?” Terence demanded.
The Celestial raised a finger. “A moment, please, I am still forsaking that rider. I assumed you would be more comfortable with a human personality.”
“Huh?”
“Celestials use riders to modify our personality. I thought that persona would be easier for you; it is modeled on human behavioral patterns.”
“That persona is an absolute dick. How much of it is the real you?”
“A joke. That is good.”
Terence glared. The Celestial took a step back and stood upright. It was strange, but somehow Terence could tell Makaio-Faraji had altered. Different body posture, and somehow not looking so youthful anymore. He knew this was a true Imperial Celestial facing him now.
“Please,” Makaio-Faraji said. “You can freshen up at the back of the pavilion. Then when you are ready, I would like to explain to you what is happening.”
Terence nodded weakly and went through the gap at the rear of the pavilion. It was a bathroom (human sized) almost as plush as the one in the guesthouse back at the subdivision. It also had a provider. He ordered a pair of shorts and a loose shirt along with sandals. They arrived with a ping as he showered.
After he dressed, he had to gather his nerve to go back out again. He was still shaky, and not a little frightened. There had never been so much as a wild rumor that the Imperial Celestials could mind read. But that deep part of his brain that had drawn him to police work, the need to solve a problem and hopefully make the world a better place, was pushing him along. What exactly had Makaio-Faraji been checking for? Clear me of what? It’s got to be something to do with Colvin.
The Celestial was waiting for him—wearing fresh shoes, Terence noticed—and holding a glass of blonde beer in one hand and wraparound sunglasses in the other. The outside of the beer glass had a thin film of condensation, and the foam was thick. It looked perfect. “I didn’t get that from your mind,” Makaio-Faraji said courteously. “Your preference was in the file Lenertz Mo downloaded.”
Terence nodded and took the cold beer. It tasted as good as it looked.
They sat on chairs at the front of the pavilion. Celestials in the nearest seats glanced over, then pointedly looked away.
“So what am I looking at?” Terence asked.
Makaio handed him the sunglasses. “They have a zoom function. We are a long way from the action, after all.”
Terence asked his lnc patch for magnification, and his view of the arena expanded rapidly. Down on the sandy floor there was some kind of battle going on. A very neat battle. Two formations of Imperial Celestials riding big Awakened war elephants were maneuvering around each other in a slow-motion dance. Then the whole thing would pause to allow a pair of riders to joust.
The first time it happened, Terence winced. Even from this distance he could hear the smack as the massive jousting poles struck. He found himself leaning forward, eager to see what happened next.
“You are watching the Royal Trials,” Makaio-Faraji explained. “It’s a three-day pageant of skills and prowess and music.”
“Music?”
“Yes. All the Knight companies have marching bands.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be too dismissive, Terence. Riding on the back of an Awakened elephant in formation while playing the tuber or drums or claroochord takes considerable talent.”
“I imagine it does. But I can’t imagine what use it is.”
“Impression, my friend. This is all about making an impression.”
Terence let the my friend part go. “For whom? Humans know how powerful you are, and we never see anyone other than the governor on a lnc news feed once a year.”
“For her.” Makaio-Faraji pointed.
The royal stand was obvious. For a start, it was the biggest, with the brightest pavilions. It also had some kind of military pillars surrounding it. Queen Helena-Chione was just visible sitting on a raised dais in the middle, a shimmering speck of sky-blue. Terence zoomed in.
“This is why I invited you here,” Makaio-Faraji said. “It was to impress upon you how important you are. I do not believe a human has seen our Now and Forever Queen for over two centuries. I had to obtain special permission for you to even be here. It is a great honor, even if you do not believe so yourself. And there is one event to come, the First Trial, that I believe even you will find humbling.”
“I…don’t doubt it. Thanks.”
“You are valuable to me, and through that all of the Crown Dominion.”
“I think you’re overselling it.”
“Immune to flattery, then?”
“Meh, everybody enjoys a bit of praise.” He took another drink of beer. “Okay, look, you’ve obviously chosen me for something, so let’s get level here. Are you the one who receives all the intel Mo and I gather?”
“Yes, I am the archon responsible for Wynid’s interests in the Kelowan system.”
“Let me guess, the number of years you’ve been doing that is classified.”
“Three hundred and thirty-seven.”
“You’re kidd—no, you’re not, are you? Hell, that’s a long time stuck in one job.”
“It is not a job, it is a privilege. But I am good at what I do.” A mild frown appeared on Makaio’s face. “Or I have been until now.”
“You said your boss was giving you a hard time.”
“Indeed. We are concerned that our information-gathering teams are proving less effective than they used to be. Partly this is down to the low number of operatives we have, and then there are some unexplained failures as well.”
“You’re talking about Colvin, aren’t you?”
“That is certainly a prominent example, yes.”
“What was the result of the post-mortem you performed?”
“Colvin was not killed by Remnant Era technology. It was Celestial, current era. We found traces of nano-biomech molecules in his bloodstream. When triggered, they caused the combustion of various fat tissues in his body. It was anything but spontaneous. The nano-biomech must have been supplied by an archon. The fact that he was being monitored inside your police station confirms that this archon has an established organization of agents who are currently active.”
“Damn.” A flash of motion in the sky above the amphitheater caught Terence’s attention. Several massive Awakened eagles were flying down in ever-decreasing circles. They began an aerobatic display, plunging toward one another twisting, turning, flying inverted in pairs then flipping the order. He realized they all had riders and shook his head. “You sampled my blood before I was allowed on the Knoot.”
“Very good, Terence. Lenertz Mo was smart to recruit you. Yes, we checked. Your body is free of any biomech contamination. Among other equipment I will provide you with, there will be a sensor to watch for any future attempt to infect you.”
“Thanks. So what is my future, exactly?”
“Financially, a distant relative you’ve never heard of has just died and bequeathed you a trust fund, making your lifestyle far more comfortable than any normal public servant; enjoy that with my compliments. In the police force, you are due a career that is a steady rise to the top over the next twenty years. Lenertz Mo will be retiring when you return; you will replace him as my chief of operations in Santa Rosa. I want you to build me a new network of operatives and informants—a much larger one than currently exists.”
“I think I can manage that. More of the same, but bigger.”
“Correct. The level of support I will make available to you will be considerably larger than Lenertz Mo was given.”
“Okay, but I’m struggling to understand the reason. What is another dominion doing meddling in Santa Rosa? I mean, we have a lot of Celestial enterprises in the city, sure, but humans are completely separate from you. Nothing a dominion does to us will affect you.” He gestured at the queen’s pavilion. “I bet she barely even knows we exist.”
“Oh, she knows, Terence. It might not be apparent, but our queen has a duty to ensure that all parts of her realm are stable. And it is my job to enforce that stability where necessary. Archons operate through intermediaries—something security agencies have done since the days of Old Earth. We are the invisible generals of proxy wars. The aim of this Great Game we play is always to weaken and destabilize rival or neighboring dominions, allowing them to be absorbed into our own. Such rot never starts at the top, but creeps in through neglected passageways in the foundations. Her Majesty will not neglect Gondiar, Terence; she cannot. To do so would be to undermine herself.”
“Asteria’s arse,” Terence muttered.
“Something is happening in Santa Rosa, some coalescence of nefarious activity by people who would damage the Crown Dominion. Hunt it down; expose it for me, Terence. But for this you must acquire information—a lot of information. That is how you build knowledge and understanding. Information acquisition is the bedrock of all archon activity.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I know. Ah, the congregant sisters’ First Trial is about to begin, look. Pay attention now; this is what I wanted you to see. This is why you are here: to witness the future, to know that our Now and Forever Queen is real and eternal. That she will keep the Crown Dominion stable, and stability guarantees peace and prosperity—for all.”
Terence began to think the human rider Makaio-Faraji had started out with might be preferable after all. “Even humans?”
“Yes, my friend, even humans.”
Terence drank his beer, and as the last of the giant war elephants trooped out of the arena, a swarm of little machines came out and began smoothing down the ground and removing slippery stains. The eagles flew away. On the tiers around him, Celestials were rising to their feet. He didn’t need any neural connection to experience the surge of anticipation. His own heartbeat quickened expectantly.
The big doors at the far end of the arena swung open, and an Awakened rhino trotted out. The crowd started cheering.
Terence frowned as he leaned forward, squinting at the armored figure riding the beast. His glasses zoomed in. “That Knight looks smaller than the ones on the elephants. I mean, still bigger than me, but…”
“That is no Knight,” Makaio-Faraji replied with a fierce smile. “These are the congregant sisters.”
“Congregants?”
“The queen’s spawn, her daughters. They are going to demonstrate to Her Majesty, and all of us, that they will be worthy vessels for the royal mindline should they be chosen as a princess.”
“Daughters? How old is that kid?”
More big Awakened animals were coming forth to the rousing cheers of the crowd. Terence saw tigers, lions, crocodiles, Komodo dragons, and creatures that probably had some kind of wolf ancestry back on Old Earth…each with its young rider, holding proudly her spear or sword.
“I believe the congregant riding the rhino is Razara; she is eleven,” Makaio-Faraji told him.
“They’re eleven years old? Wait, are they going to fight?”
“Oh, Terence, your viewpoint is so human-centric. It restricts you. We are a different species from you, with a very different culture and ethos. Do try to be open-minded.”
“Open-min—how can you possibly do this to children?”
“These are not children, not in your human sense of being immature adults. Our spawn are potential hosts for our mindline. At this stage, their minds are not unique as your offspring’s are. Instead, they have been gifted the neural routines of their parent. Those you see in the arena before you are all unripened aspects of Her Majesty.”
“So they’re like, what, mental clones of the queen?”
“Not quite, no. Thanks to their varied biological heritage, they are starting to evolve individual traits. But that doesn’t become a problem for hosting until they’re about fifteen, after which they start to develop into new and distinct personalities. For those who are eventually chosen to host, we accept and cherish that some of their youthful persona will play a part within the adult mindline. Why, you might not realize it, but this body now hosting me used to be quite impetuous. It’s what keeps us fresh, Terence.”
“Yeah, but this?”
“This is a future queen we are talking about, here. Selection has to be rigorous. All our spawn are assessed for hosting suitability, but Her Majesty’s congregants have to meet the highest standards. This trial is only the first formal assessment they will undergo. All that is expected of them today is to demonstrate their control of an Awakened under stressful circumstances. And resolution. In other words: they must be bold.”
“So they’re not going to kill each other?”
“Well…there are injuries, of course, and fatalities are always regrettable. This is why we venerate our glorious queen; she is literally prepared to die for us. First Trial is an affirmation of her love for her people. What greater proof could there be that she is right to sit upon the throne and command us? But that is the future for one lucky congregant sister. Today the rules are simple. Each congregant is expected to make one charge at another, and in doing so make contact with their weapon. As soon as that charge is complete, it then becomes a test of skill, allowing them to avoid each other until the trial marshals have signaled that every one of them has successfully completed a charge. Of course, being Royal Congregants, they are all keen to make many charges to prove their worthiness. It gets very tactical.”
“Unbelievable,” Terence muttered. Some part of him wanted to just walk away, as if by simply watching he was complicit. But the whole notion exerted a kind of dread attraction.
The brutish Awakened animals were starting to line up in two neat rows to salute the queen when the last congregant trotted out into the arena. All around Terence the cheering faltered. “You have got to be kidding me!” he exclaimed.
* * *
—
Queen Helena-Chione had found this Royal Trial a little unsatisfying. Certainly, the Knights had fought with skill, both individually and in the company conflicts, the races between exotic Awakened were exciting, and the music was appealing. It was just…
How many of these have I witnessed now?
She sat back in her lavish chair sipping a golden wine from the Vandomeda isle on Eavrong. A pleasant enough wine, but perhaps not the best vintage. Above her, the Awakened eagles were finishing their normally breathtaking aerobatics routine.
“What are yo—”
But Makaio-Faraji was standing in front of him, hands held wide and moving fast to clamp them down on either side of Terence’s head. There was a brief glimpse of lines glowing a bioluminescent violet on the Celestial’s palms and fingers, radiating out from the neural pads.
Terence started to stiffen and rise from the chair to get the hell out of the way when his head went crazy. A hurricane of vivid memories erupted to churn around inside his skull, screaming with every noise he’d ever heard. His consciousness could only glimpse scattered instants.
This is what death brings, he shrieked in silent terror, your life flashing past in front of you. The pervert shit’s killing me!
“No no dude that’s not it at all really sorry I should have given you a bit more of a warning there my bad but I really had to be sure my boss is a total prick and putting the squeeze on me over work so this was the only way to clear you.”
Terence stared up at the clearly deranged Celestial through blurring vision, then threw up. Makaio-Faraji danced backward, but not quite quickly enough.
“Whoa dude that’s it get it out you’ll feel better in a minute there’s no physical damage a read is just like vertigo makes no sense it just is.”
“No fucking harm?” Terence snarled. “You just cracked my fucking head open like an egg! That was my life you wrecked. My life!”
“No no you don’t get it I just used the enhancer threads to trigger a guilt response which associates with any individual memories containing that and pulls them front and center and dude you’re not working for anyone else you’re in the clear which is great for both of us remember the worst thing you ever did the one thing that still burns you is Karrian Udwin.”
“Shut up!” Terence hissed furiously.
“Dude cheating on her with one sister is like badass but both her sisters that is monumental.”
“Shut the fuck up, you bastard!” he shouted recklessly. There were tears streaming down his face from the impact of the violation.
“Sorry dude I can see this is real bad for you I didn’t mean it to be.”
“How can you not understand? It was torture. Mental torture.”
“Dude.” Makaio-Faraji raised a hand in placation, which Terence flinched away from so violently he nearly fell off the chair.
“Get away from me!”
“Sorry sorry.”
“And stop talking so bloody fast. Oh, Asteria’s arse, my head.” He gripped his head in both hands grimacing at the pain that was pulsing relentlessly at the core of his skull. The tears started trickling down his wrists.
Makaio-Faraji twitched about uncertainly. Eventually he bent down and said: “I. Didn’t. Know. I. Apologize. I. See. Now. It. Must. Have. Been. Awful. For. You. That. Was. Not. My. Intention. My. Induction. Enhancement. Webs. Are. Calibrated. For. Celestial. Brains. Not. Humans’. I. Swear. It. Will. Never. Happen. Again. You. Have. My. Word. On. The. Honor. Of. The. Family. Gaziz.”
Terence was left in silence as he steadied his breathing. The headache started to fade, but not the shame; never the shame. Oh, Karrian, I never meant to hurt you. I was just a real arsehole back then. He tried to force the world back into focus.
Makaio-Faraji was standing a few meters away giving him a pensive look.
“Who the hell are you anyway?” Terence demanded.
The Celestial raised a finger. “A moment, please, I am still forsaking that rider. I assumed you would be more comfortable with a human personality.”
“Huh?”
“Celestials use riders to modify our personality. I thought that persona would be easier for you; it is modeled on human behavioral patterns.”
“That persona is an absolute dick. How much of it is the real you?”
“A joke. That is good.”
Terence glared. The Celestial took a step back and stood upright. It was strange, but somehow Terence could tell Makaio-Faraji had altered. Different body posture, and somehow not looking so youthful anymore. He knew this was a true Imperial Celestial facing him now.
“Please,” Makaio-Faraji said. “You can freshen up at the back of the pavilion. Then when you are ready, I would like to explain to you what is happening.”
Terence nodded weakly and went through the gap at the rear of the pavilion. It was a bathroom (human sized) almost as plush as the one in the guesthouse back at the subdivision. It also had a provider. He ordered a pair of shorts and a loose shirt along with sandals. They arrived with a ping as he showered.
After he dressed, he had to gather his nerve to go back out again. He was still shaky, and not a little frightened. There had never been so much as a wild rumor that the Imperial Celestials could mind read. But that deep part of his brain that had drawn him to police work, the need to solve a problem and hopefully make the world a better place, was pushing him along. What exactly had Makaio-Faraji been checking for? Clear me of what? It’s got to be something to do with Colvin.
The Celestial was waiting for him—wearing fresh shoes, Terence noticed—and holding a glass of blonde beer in one hand and wraparound sunglasses in the other. The outside of the beer glass had a thin film of condensation, and the foam was thick. It looked perfect. “I didn’t get that from your mind,” Makaio-Faraji said courteously. “Your preference was in the file Lenertz Mo downloaded.”
Terence nodded and took the cold beer. It tasted as good as it looked.
They sat on chairs at the front of the pavilion. Celestials in the nearest seats glanced over, then pointedly looked away.
“So what am I looking at?” Terence asked.
Makaio handed him the sunglasses. “They have a zoom function. We are a long way from the action, after all.”
Terence asked his lnc patch for magnification, and his view of the arena expanded rapidly. Down on the sandy floor there was some kind of battle going on. A very neat battle. Two formations of Imperial Celestials riding big Awakened war elephants were maneuvering around each other in a slow-motion dance. Then the whole thing would pause to allow a pair of riders to joust.
The first time it happened, Terence winced. Even from this distance he could hear the smack as the massive jousting poles struck. He found himself leaning forward, eager to see what happened next.
“You are watching the Royal Trials,” Makaio-Faraji explained. “It’s a three-day pageant of skills and prowess and music.”
“Music?”
“Yes. All the Knight companies have marching bands.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be too dismissive, Terence. Riding on the back of an Awakened elephant in formation while playing the tuber or drums or claroochord takes considerable talent.”
“I imagine it does. But I can’t imagine what use it is.”
“Impression, my friend. This is all about making an impression.”
Terence let the my friend part go. “For whom? Humans know how powerful you are, and we never see anyone other than the governor on a lnc news feed once a year.”
“For her.” Makaio-Faraji pointed.
The royal stand was obvious. For a start, it was the biggest, with the brightest pavilions. It also had some kind of military pillars surrounding it. Queen Helena-Chione was just visible sitting on a raised dais in the middle, a shimmering speck of sky-blue. Terence zoomed in.
“This is why I invited you here,” Makaio-Faraji said. “It was to impress upon you how important you are. I do not believe a human has seen our Now and Forever Queen for over two centuries. I had to obtain special permission for you to even be here. It is a great honor, even if you do not believe so yourself. And there is one event to come, the First Trial, that I believe even you will find humbling.”
“I…don’t doubt it. Thanks.”
“You are valuable to me, and through that all of the Crown Dominion.”
“I think you’re overselling it.”
“Immune to flattery, then?”
“Meh, everybody enjoys a bit of praise.” He took another drink of beer. “Okay, look, you’ve obviously chosen me for something, so let’s get level here. Are you the one who receives all the intel Mo and I gather?”
“Yes, I am the archon responsible for Wynid’s interests in the Kelowan system.”
“Let me guess, the number of years you’ve been doing that is classified.”
“Three hundred and thirty-seven.”
“You’re kidd—no, you’re not, are you? Hell, that’s a long time stuck in one job.”
“It is not a job, it is a privilege. But I am good at what I do.” A mild frown appeared on Makaio’s face. “Or I have been until now.”
“You said your boss was giving you a hard time.”
“Indeed. We are concerned that our information-gathering teams are proving less effective than they used to be. Partly this is down to the low number of operatives we have, and then there are some unexplained failures as well.”
“You’re talking about Colvin, aren’t you?”
“That is certainly a prominent example, yes.”
“What was the result of the post-mortem you performed?”
“Colvin was not killed by Remnant Era technology. It was Celestial, current era. We found traces of nano-biomech molecules in his bloodstream. When triggered, they caused the combustion of various fat tissues in his body. It was anything but spontaneous. The nano-biomech must have been supplied by an archon. The fact that he was being monitored inside your police station confirms that this archon has an established organization of agents who are currently active.”
“Damn.” A flash of motion in the sky above the amphitheater caught Terence’s attention. Several massive Awakened eagles were flying down in ever-decreasing circles. They began an aerobatic display, plunging toward one another twisting, turning, flying inverted in pairs then flipping the order. He realized they all had riders and shook his head. “You sampled my blood before I was allowed on the Knoot.”
“Very good, Terence. Lenertz Mo was smart to recruit you. Yes, we checked. Your body is free of any biomech contamination. Among other equipment I will provide you with, there will be a sensor to watch for any future attempt to infect you.”
“Thanks. So what is my future, exactly?”
“Financially, a distant relative you’ve never heard of has just died and bequeathed you a trust fund, making your lifestyle far more comfortable than any normal public servant; enjoy that with my compliments. In the police force, you are due a career that is a steady rise to the top over the next twenty years. Lenertz Mo will be retiring when you return; you will replace him as my chief of operations in Santa Rosa. I want you to build me a new network of operatives and informants—a much larger one than currently exists.”
“I think I can manage that. More of the same, but bigger.”
“Correct. The level of support I will make available to you will be considerably larger than Lenertz Mo was given.”
“Okay, but I’m struggling to understand the reason. What is another dominion doing meddling in Santa Rosa? I mean, we have a lot of Celestial enterprises in the city, sure, but humans are completely separate from you. Nothing a dominion does to us will affect you.” He gestured at the queen’s pavilion. “I bet she barely even knows we exist.”
“Oh, she knows, Terence. It might not be apparent, but our queen has a duty to ensure that all parts of her realm are stable. And it is my job to enforce that stability where necessary. Archons operate through intermediaries—something security agencies have done since the days of Old Earth. We are the invisible generals of proxy wars. The aim of this Great Game we play is always to weaken and destabilize rival or neighboring dominions, allowing them to be absorbed into our own. Such rot never starts at the top, but creeps in through neglected passageways in the foundations. Her Majesty will not neglect Gondiar, Terence; she cannot. To do so would be to undermine herself.”
“Asteria’s arse,” Terence muttered.
“Something is happening in Santa Rosa, some coalescence of nefarious activity by people who would damage the Crown Dominion. Hunt it down; expose it for me, Terence. But for this you must acquire information—a lot of information. That is how you build knowledge and understanding. Information acquisition is the bedrock of all archon activity.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I know. Ah, the congregant sisters’ First Trial is about to begin, look. Pay attention now; this is what I wanted you to see. This is why you are here: to witness the future, to know that our Now and Forever Queen is real and eternal. That she will keep the Crown Dominion stable, and stability guarantees peace and prosperity—for all.”
Terence began to think the human rider Makaio-Faraji had started out with might be preferable after all. “Even humans?”
“Yes, my friend, even humans.”
Terence drank his beer, and as the last of the giant war elephants trooped out of the arena, a swarm of little machines came out and began smoothing down the ground and removing slippery stains. The eagles flew away. On the tiers around him, Celestials were rising to their feet. He didn’t need any neural connection to experience the surge of anticipation. His own heartbeat quickened expectantly.
The big doors at the far end of the arena swung open, and an Awakened rhino trotted out. The crowd started cheering.
Terence frowned as he leaned forward, squinting at the armored figure riding the beast. His glasses zoomed in. “That Knight looks smaller than the ones on the elephants. I mean, still bigger than me, but…”
“That is no Knight,” Makaio-Faraji replied with a fierce smile. “These are the congregant sisters.”
“Congregants?”
“The queen’s spawn, her daughters. They are going to demonstrate to Her Majesty, and all of us, that they will be worthy vessels for the royal mindline should they be chosen as a princess.”
“Daughters? How old is that kid?”
More big Awakened animals were coming forth to the rousing cheers of the crowd. Terence saw tigers, lions, crocodiles, Komodo dragons, and creatures that probably had some kind of wolf ancestry back on Old Earth…each with its young rider, holding proudly her spear or sword.
“I believe the congregant riding the rhino is Razara; she is eleven,” Makaio-Faraji told him.
“They’re eleven years old? Wait, are they going to fight?”
“Oh, Terence, your viewpoint is so human-centric. It restricts you. We are a different species from you, with a very different culture and ethos. Do try to be open-minded.”
“Open-min—how can you possibly do this to children?”
“These are not children, not in your human sense of being immature adults. Our spawn are potential hosts for our mindline. At this stage, their minds are not unique as your offspring’s are. Instead, they have been gifted the neural routines of their parent. Those you see in the arena before you are all unripened aspects of Her Majesty.”
“So they’re like, what, mental clones of the queen?”
“Not quite, no. Thanks to their varied biological heritage, they are starting to evolve individual traits. But that doesn’t become a problem for hosting until they’re about fifteen, after which they start to develop into new and distinct personalities. For those who are eventually chosen to host, we accept and cherish that some of their youthful persona will play a part within the adult mindline. Why, you might not realize it, but this body now hosting me used to be quite impetuous. It’s what keeps us fresh, Terence.”
“Yeah, but this?”
“This is a future queen we are talking about, here. Selection has to be rigorous. All our spawn are assessed for hosting suitability, but Her Majesty’s congregants have to meet the highest standards. This trial is only the first formal assessment they will undergo. All that is expected of them today is to demonstrate their control of an Awakened under stressful circumstances. And resolution. In other words: they must be bold.”
“So they’re not going to kill each other?”
“Well…there are injuries, of course, and fatalities are always regrettable. This is why we venerate our glorious queen; she is literally prepared to die for us. First Trial is an affirmation of her love for her people. What greater proof could there be that she is right to sit upon the throne and command us? But that is the future for one lucky congregant sister. Today the rules are simple. Each congregant is expected to make one charge at another, and in doing so make contact with their weapon. As soon as that charge is complete, it then becomes a test of skill, allowing them to avoid each other until the trial marshals have signaled that every one of them has successfully completed a charge. Of course, being Royal Congregants, they are all keen to make many charges to prove their worthiness. It gets very tactical.”
“Unbelievable,” Terence muttered. Some part of him wanted to just walk away, as if by simply watching he was complicit. But the whole notion exerted a kind of dread attraction.
The brutish Awakened animals were starting to line up in two neat rows to salute the queen when the last congregant trotted out into the arena. All around Terence the cheering faltered. “You have got to be kidding me!” he exclaimed.
* * *
—
Queen Helena-Chione had found this Royal Trial a little unsatisfying. Certainly, the Knights had fought with skill, both individually and in the company conflicts, the races between exotic Awakened were exciting, and the music was appealing. It was just…
How many of these have I witnessed now?
She sat back in her lavish chair sipping a golden wine from the Vandomeda isle on Eavrong. A pleasant enough wine, but perhaps not the best vintage. Above her, the Awakened eagles were finishing their normally breathtaking aerobatics routine.
