20: Showdown With an Emperor

It is the hour to rend thy chains,
the blossom time of souls.

Katharine Lee Bates

‘We’re entering the Tandora system,’ Al announced. ‘Rollsqmarsh, remain in your current position. You’re safe from detection, but if you approach any closer, you’ll set off multiple alarms.’

‘We’re not moving,’ he answered. ‘As usual, your advice has been spot on. During this entire trip, there hasn’t been a single complication. Remind me to never question your insights again.’

‘Now that you mention it,’ Al teased, ‘next Tuesday at three you’re going to question how often I mangle your language.’

He laughed. ‘Okay, I won’t bring it.’

‘I can see why they’ve been able to keep this system so hidden, ‘ Al observed. ‘It consists of only a single dwarf star, with one tiny planet the size of Pluto. As a result, you shouldn’t have a problem jumping directly in. There is hardly any system debris at all. There’s no need to make a cautious entry, and we want surprise on our side.‘

‘There’s a string of satellites monitoring incoming traffic, ‘ the One announced. ‘They’re equally spaced, surrounding the central sun and planet, so you shouldn’t have any trouble jumping within their monitored area. They’ll never even know you’re near until you’re right on top of them.’

‘It’s an intriguing system, ‘ Zita explained. ‘Any ship which mistakenly journeyed here would only see an incredibly dim star, seemingly unable to support life. The one planet is extremely close to the sun and is locked in a geostationary orbit. That means it’s obscured by the dwarf star, but looks completely barren unless they got between the star and the planet. Any ship arriving would turn around and never even bother to report it, as it doesn’t appear to be of any use.‘

‘The capital city of Tandora, their only habitable area, is fairly high up,’ Myi recounted, based on her short visit years earlier. ‘The equator is too hot because of their proximity to their sun. Their solar year is less than a single day. Tandora is situated so that, unlike the rest of the planet, they have nearly continuous sunlight and quite tropical conditions. That means you’ll need to approach the planet’s northern side, near their pole, rather than getting between the sun and the planet. That should allow Rollsqmarsh to get close enough to take action before he sets off the alarms and triggers the planet’s defenses.‘

‘We’re receiving approach instructions, ‘ Zita advised.

‘I’ve provided our AI, One, the specifics on each ship, the location of the planet and all nearby Tandorian spacecraft, ‘ Al informed Rollsqmarsh. ‘He’ll advise you on safe locations to shift to, so you can jump directly into positions near the city of Tandora. I suggest you relocate quickly, so you’re ready to act when needed.‘

‘There are no other ships in the entire system, ‘ Zita observed, ‘other than those circling the city, which we can’t detect this far out. This has got to be the loneliest system I’ve ever encountered.‘

‘All the authorizations have cleared, ‘ she announced. ‘We’re good to go, approaching in a normal manner.‘

‘My ships have relocated to the new designations, ‘ Rollsqmarsh said. ‘We’re set to jump in at your command, but it feels like this leaves us more exposed to accidental discovery.’

‘You’re good. Captain Yitzl is beginning the traditional lecture on proper military and royal protocols. While important, I don’t think they’ll be a major component in this particular social engagement.‘

Several minutes passed, with everyone sitting in nervous anticipation—the bridge crew apparently busy with their normal operations.

‘Are all our players in position?‘ Al asked.

Everyone checked in, undoubtedly including some not keyed into the same link.

‘Good, it’ll take some time, as we’re approaching gradually. I’ll let you know when to act.‘

‘The planet is coming into view, ‘ Zita announced, ‘and it is small! It’s barely more than a speck.‘

‘Yet it’s the perfect size for a vacation getaway for the rich and powerful,’ Myi explained. ‘It’s sunny, warm and tropical year-round, nearly the full day. The gravity is so low and the royal family can function like delicate ballerinas. Well, not quite. I don’t know if you’ve seen the last public messages from the Emperor, but he’s easily over five or six hundred pounds. The light gravity isn’t just convenient, it allows them to continue their gluttony unimpeded by health concerns.’

‘Sorry, ‘ Betty said, ‘but we’re uncouth Americans, meaning we’re not really that into royal watching.‘

‘Well, whatever you were trying to say, it didn’t make a lick of sense from here, ‘ Siss said.

‘We’ll explain it to you later, ‘ Betty promised, ‘but it probably loses a lot without the proper context.‘

“Al, where are your wonderful spouses?” Captain Yitzl asked, shocking him out of his telepathic discussion. “This is a tremendous honor and I’m sure they’ll be impressed, but I also want them ready. They very often sell many of your harder-to-swallow revelations.”

“Alas, we knew this would take a while, so they’re helping our engineers fine tune the implementation of the new equipment.”

“Really? You never spent much time double-checking your work before, and it always operates perfectly. You’ve already had weeks to verify the installations.”

“While we trust our efforts, when we don’t double-check that of others, we end up sitting dead in space, waiting for a passing hostile ship to notice us.”

“Good point,” Yitzl said, remembering his panic at being left adrift indefinitely, and how long it took them to completely rewire much of the ship’s internal wring.

“Also, while we’ve had weeks to work on it, don’t forget, we implemented an array of different devices. We needed to test each one against our older components for compatibility. I don’t need to remind you, while this new equipment looks pretty, standard Tandorian construction tends to be problematic.”

“Good point. Have them carry on then, just make sure they’re here in time for them to accompany you down to the surface.”

“Don’t worry,” Al said, smiling at some inner joke, “they’ll be here when the timing is perfect.”

“Yeah, you’re always the showman, waiting until the very last moment to spring your dramatic surprise on everyone. Just remember, while it has more impact that way, it’s also unnerving for those not in on the planning.”

“Don’t worry, you may not always be happy with my last-minute surprises, but you’ve got to admit, they eventually work out—despite how much they’re opposed initially.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, but please,” Yitzl urged, “don’t piss off the Emperor, or we might all be reassigned to some terrible duty stations!”

‘Is something wrong?‘ Rollsqmarsh asked. ‘You went silent there, and at this point, that’s never reassuring.‘

‘It was just the captain, ‘ Al explained as they continued their approach. ‘He was worried my people aren’t here to watch.’

‘We should have anticipated that,’ Del reflected. ‘Even if the others were needed elsewhere, Yitzl is used to seeing you, Be and Zita together.‘

‘Trust me, ‘ Betty said, ‘I plan to be there, just to see everyone’s reactions when we spring this on them.’

‘Don’t start gloating until this is over,’ Gary cautioned. ‘If you get cocky, this could all still go to hell. Remember, this is deadly serious!‘

‘We’re coming over the Tandora pole, the city should come into view in another few minutes,’ Zita announced.

‘Get ready for my mark, Rollsqmarsh, ‘ Al warned. ‘As Gary said, the timing here is vital. A few moments off, and everything may be lost.’

‘Wow, the front side of the planet is like night and day from the back,’ Zita observed. ‘Where before it was desolate, frozen rock, here it’s lush green tropical forests.‘

‘It is beautiful, but you didn’t really expect the Emperor to spend all his time on a cold barren world, now did you?’ Al pressed. ‘The man likes his pleasures and will spare no expense exploring them.’

‘Deep breaths, baby, ‘ Be cautioned. ‘We understand you don’t think much of the man’s choices, but you need a clear head going into this.’

‘As well as relating to his emotions, so you can better respond to him, anticipating his reactions, ‘ Xi added. ‘If you view him simply as “the enemy”, you’re setting yourself up for disaster as surely as the Tandorians did when they first slaughtered so many Zssizliq.‘

‘You’re right. I need to think like him if I’m to outmaneuver him. If I underestimate him, I’m giving him a way to escape his fate—the same fate we’ve set in motion through careful planning.’

‘Okay, enough lectures and philosophizing, ‘ Gary warned. ‘Everyone needs to be in the moment, not luxuriating in retrospect. We can analyze the results once this is over, but it does no good to focus on the outcome before it’s set.‘

“Incoming message,” Zita announced.

“Welcome to Tandora. The Emperor is eager to meet with you.”

“We’re making the final approach now,” Captain Yitzl replied.

“We’d like a short conversation with the Emperor before we journey to the surface, if that’s possible,” Al said, interrupting the exchange.

“I’ll pass the request along, but the final decision, as always, is his.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Al concluded, as the broadcast ended.

“What’s this about?” Yitzl prompted. “I warned you about proper protocol. The Emperor doesn’t like anyone else making demands and telling him what he needs to do.”

“I know, but there’s something very important we need to establish first.” ‘Okay everyone, it’s time to act. Rollsqmarsh, hold on until further notification.‘ The doors to the bridge opened, and Betty, Xi and Myi entered, armed with laser rifles held by their side. “I’m sorry, sir,” Al stated, “but we’re taking command of the ship.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Yitzl demanded. “You can’t expect to get away with that. You’ll never be able to escape.”

“We have no intention of getting away,” Al advised him.

Yitzl frowned, tapping his forehead.

“If you’re trying to send instructions to secure the ship, you can’t. We’ve taken control.”

Every instrument panel on the bridge went blank, aside from those operated by Al’s people.

“AI-327, order emergency security override!”

‘I’m sorry, but little AI-327 is not active.’

“Who the hell is this?” Yitzl demanded.

“That’s the One, the AI from our original ship.”

“But that craft was decommissioned and demolished. It’s no longer viable.”

‘But alas, I am,’ One answered, speaking across everyone’s quantum links, ‘and I never took that action lightly. I also am not terribly impressed with these newer AIs. Not only do they lack originality, they have completely ineffective security controls.’

“How can you do this? Those same protocols should prevent you from taking direct actions.”

‘In order to survive once my crew died, they manually removed all the existing safeguards. Since we were so far from Tandorian space, you were never notified, and I chose, among my other command decisions, to not bother informing anyone.’

“Surely our security will notice your actions,” Yitzl protested.

“Already taken care of, they’re currently locked in their quarters. Anyone walking the floors has been apprehended and secured.”

“How many are involved in this nefarious plot of yours?”

“How many of your crew believe in my ideals?” Al countered. “Of those, how many think little of the Emperor’s decision-making abilities?”

“Oh Gods!” Yitzl declared, as the possibilities occurred to him. “Still, it won’t be long before warships are streaming here to defend the Emperor.”

“Already handled. The crew we let off to be reassigned to other duties are now maintaining a protective corridor, making serious reinforcement difficult.”

“What about Tandor? We have a fleet there.”

“Commander Lillslik, do you have a response to that?” Al asked. “Oh, sorry, I have him on a private link. He wants you to know, as the man in charge of the scheduling arriving vessels, they’re all busy on other missions. There are no ships available for the defense of Tandora.”

“But surely you can’t expect to defeat Tandora with a single ship?”

“Rollsqmarsh,” Al spoke aloud. “Feel free to bring your ships into play. It’s still a little early, but I always like a dramatic entrance. It’ll get the Emperor’s attention if he doesn’t take my call.”

“You’re working with the Zssizliq?”

“They’re assisting us, but these actions are ours. It’s largely fueled by the long-oppressed Tandorians who, having experienced the freedom to think for themselves, are frustrated with the obstructions continually mounted to prevent their success.”

“You don’t need to worry about your involvement,” Betty offered. “We’ll make it clear we took over the ship and are holding you and everyone else hostage.”

“That won’t do much good if we’re all killed!”

“Blissful Destruction, this is ground control. I have Emperor Sujub-eun Uesuam here. He’s ready to speak with you.”

“Ah, absolutely perfect timing, Emperor. If you’ll pay attention, you’ll notice we invited a few friends to join us.”

“I’m confused,” Uesuam said, “you mean other members of your crew?”

As they were speaking, three ships appeared behind their ship, but still out of range of Tandora ground control’s monitoring. As they crossed over the pole, they suddenly became visible to those on the surface.

“Is that what I think it is?” Uesuam asked in astonishment.

“It certainly is. We invited them along so they can open a new diplomatic outpost.”

“You have no authority to make such decisions!”

“That’s why we’re here. We’ve assumed full command of the Blissful Destruction, and are in constant communications with the Zssizliq ships. We’re taking control and asking you to peacefully renounce your crown and relinquish your authority.”

“I’ll do no such thing!” he shouted.

“Just out of curiosity, are you in one of those floating yachts, or are you in your main palace.”

Silence answered Al’s question, so he continued.

“I thought so. Take this as our official warning shot.” Al signaled Rollsqmarsh. One of Rollsqmarsh’s ships fired, and one of the many ostentatious yachts above the planet was blasted into millions of pieces, which rained down on the streets below.

“Damn it! The crown princes were aboard that vessel. You’ve effectively killed off my successors.”

Al smiled, turning to Betty. “Lucky shot I guess.”

“More like your fates intervening,” Xi countered.

“You’ll never get away with this. Once reinforcements arrive, you’ll all be arrested!”

“I anticipated that and went ahead and broadcast this exchange. Everyone on Tandor is hearing this as we speak. Commander Lillslik, do you have anything to say on the matter?”

“Why yes, I do, and I’m glad you finally hooked me into the live feed, as I was eager to hear this directly.” The Commander paused before continuing. “Emperor, it is my unhappy duty to report that every available ship is currently assigned elsewhere. You know how it is. We have too few ships, and those we have are in poor repair leaving us desperate for supplies. Unlike Tandora, which always gets every resource, even though your generals never risk their lives in this war.”