Chapter 24

“What kind of future are you creating for our daughter, my Dave?” Kirim asked me as we cuddled in after making love. It was the beginning of the daylight sleeping part of the diurnal cycle.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Kirim,” I replied.

“You have the ear of the Empress, that makes you influential ... and also, a target. So I ask again, what kind of future are you creating?”

“One where she can grow to her fullest potential, live happily and find love,” I replied with a slight smile. “But I’m only a man and subject to limited expectations.”

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Hell, no. I just give advice as I see it.”

“Thought so. Be careful, I want her to grow up knowing her Dad,” she replied and then kissed me.

“I’ll do my very best, my love.”

“See that you do.”

“At the moment we need the Empress to be an Empress, not someone afraid of her own subjects,” I explained.

“Ah, you mean to cure the Empress and the Empire?”

“In a sense.”

“Good, you’re the best Cure out there.”

“I may not succeed.”

“At least you’ll try.”

“Yes, at least I’ll try,” I replied and kissed her passionately.

“Again?” she asked with a giggle.

“It’s your curse for being such a seductive woman,” I chuckled.

“I like this curse,” she laughed as we began to make love again.

“What do you think of Dave’s ideas?” Amantil asked Herrick as she lay in his arms in their bed.

“I think he talks a lot of sense,” came the eventual reply. “We need people to have more pride in the Empire and loyalty to you. We also need to root out all the other little hidden agendas and empires within the Empire and restore faith in the institutions your family set up to guide it.”

“It also caused the death of my family.”

“We don’t know for sure what triggered it, Manny. There’s nothing specific your Father was trying to change or investigate when these people struck.”

“He was planning an investigation into corruption amongst the Nobility and High Bureaucracy. We do know that.”

“Yes, but only planning. He’d not even brought it up at the High Court.”

“I know, but I do suspect he told someone, someone he thought he could trust.”

“The AIs said not ... but we did find the palace one had been destroyed by the attack on your family in such a way as to completely wipe its core records,” Herrick conceded.

“I just get so afraid that somewhere out there they’re still waiting to get me.”

“I know, but I do know it wasn’t anything to do with Cillort. The initial reports show he had nothing to do with your past, though there’s a great deal of ambiguity as to where he got the idea he could secede nor where some of his funding came from.”

“Pity, but not surprising.”

“Do you intend to bring about reform?”

“Yes, it’s past time for it. I just hope I survive it.”

“You need an heir.”

“Are you hinting?” she replied with a slight smile.

“Always. But a baby on the way isn’t an heir, nor would our children be considered.”

“True, the succession is obscure, but would be decided by the High Court.”

“Which would likely mean a civil war.”

“Also true.”

“I suggest you name an heir.”

“OK, who?”

“High Bureaucrat Bonsarr, until you produce an heir of your body by a suitable consort.”

“Interesting.”

“Would settle the agitation from some that you marry an important drone and spit out a baby,” he chuckled. “Plus she also was not around when your family were assassinated and hence, is free of taint.”

“Also true. But for the moment all this talk of babies is making me horny again, so do something about it,” she giggled.

“Your wish is my command, my Manny,” he replied before kissing her passionately.

The following day I was working in the medical centre in the lower levels when there were a flurry of announcements on the tridee that had conversations buzzing as the various subjects went over what had been announced.

“Ooh, extra babies!” Hiqua squealed.

“If you win,” I chuckled.

“Aw, true, but I can always ask Kirim for your services if I can persuade my husband to have another,” she giggled. “Not that I’d tell him it was ... procured naturally,” she finished, making me blush.

“You are very naughty at times, Hiqua.”

“Yes, I know and now I have an outlet for it rather than just my imagination,” she grinned, loving her ability to embarrass me at times.

“What in the name of the gods’ home is an Empire Day?” Cass asked as she came up to join us.

“Big celebration, parades, concerts and other things, all designed to make people feel good to be in the Empire,” I replied.

“Ooh, sounds fun,” Hiqua replied. “Wonder if my kid’s school will be involved?”

“Probably, it’s supposed to be involving everyone.”

“Even the gangs?” Cass asked.

“Some, like the Crimson Suns, might like to involve themselves, if they aren’t involved in anything overtly criminal. It’ll give them a chance to come out into the daylight, assuming they want to.”

“Rogg might go for it, even if it’s just helping out by ensuring the various people involved aren’t interfered with,” Hiqua nodded.

“Well, the AIs are setting it up, so I expect it will happen soon,” I added.

“Oh look, there’s going to be a concert too, with Limminta! She’s such a wonderful singer!” Hiqua squealed as the tridee announcement went on naming several other artists who would appear.

I said nothing; I simply didn’t get any of the Empire’s musical tastes, much to Kirim’s amusement at times. Yes, I could sit through them and often would for her, but, it most definitely wasn’t rock and roll, more like opera with atonal percussion.

At this point the doors to the centre opened and Sulli walked in, alone, which was unusual for any gang member to do. Then again there wasn’t a hell of a lot for Sulli to be afraid of, it was more the other way around for any rival gangs.

“Hi, Sulli,” Cass greeted her. “What can we do for you?”

“Hi, Cass. I want my anti-birth implant removed,” she replied with a grin, looking far less scary than the old tattooed and scarred woman she’d once been.

“Rogg making an honest woman of you?” I asked cheekily, making her grin.

“For given values of honest, yes, David,” she laughed. “We sign a bonding contract tomorrow.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you, it’s all pretty much down to you anyway. You got him to notice me as something other than a strong right arm,” she smiled.

“You volunteered, plus, it was a pleasure,” I chuckled.

“Yeah, it was, but that’s all behind me now. Rogg’s looking to go legit soon and get the Empire to hand him a minor Bureaucratic post to sort out Municipal Services.”

“Oh, if anyone could do it, it’s you and Rogg,” I nodded.

“Doing anything for Empire Day?” Hiqua asked.

“Rogg’s thinking of volunteer parade marshals to enable the guardians to march in the lower level parade,” she replied as Cass went off to get the specialised wand she used to dissolve the contraception prevention implants the Empire used to keep its population stable.

“Good publicity for him for when he moves into politics,” I concurred.

“Yeah, we thought so too.”

“Who’ll take over?”

“Endo, he’s smart, level headed, but still has a lot to learn,” she replied.

“Oh yes, I know him, nice guy. He’s Penna’s new husband, isn’t he?”

“Yep, she adores him and he don’t mind her having a kid either.”

“I love happy endings,” I chuckled, making Sulli smile and Hiqua giggle as Cass called out for Sulli to come into the treatment room.

I had been summoned back to Medical Resource to see Vilgra as two more ‘patients’ were waiting for me, though the AIs had not said which ones of the three they were.

“Hi, Vilgra,” I greeted her informally as there was no one else around.

“Hi, Dave, glad you could be so quick.”

“Well, these are the ones paying,” I chuckled.

“True. First one is Kemilo Vertrune and her husband Kemil Rashont,” she informed me.

“Is he aware of the cure?”

“No, we had the AIs strip him of this as he was being ... uncooperative in believing he was the issue, despite this being his third partner. He’d set aside the previous two and they’d remarried and had children.”

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave,” I muttered, shaking my head.

“Er ... yes. As it is, he believes we are going to try an experimental treatment on his wife and that he’ll need to consummate it as soon as it reaches maximum efficacy.”

“Sneaky,” I replied with a wry smile. “I take it Vertrune knows better.”

“Oh yes, she’s waiting through there,” Vilgra pointed at an opening wall.

“Salutations, Kemilo Vertrune,” I greeted the lady as soon as I walked through into the treatment room.

“Salutations, Cure David,” she greeted me in return.

Vertrune was quite a lovely lady in the body-sculpted way a lot of the higher nobility were. After all, why go to a gym when you could spend ten minutes in a ‘beauty parlour’ and have a ... call it a machine, tone and tighten up all your muscles to perfection without breaking into a sweat. Kirim and I preferred to use the Guardian Gym as it seemed more honest that way, though at the moment Kirim was only permitted to use it under supervision. That and my gift kept everything pretty much toned anyway as a delighted Cass had found out when she gained muscle mass and hence shape from her activities as my surrogate.

“You know the procedure?” I asked politely.

“Yes, though my anti-birth implant is still in.”

“Well, you hardly want me impregnating you,” I chuckled. “He might check.”

“Oh, oh yes ... a pity,” she replied with a sly smile. “Nor do you take lovers either, according to the media?”

“No, my wife would not forgive me and she’s an Investigator for the Guardians and would find out,” I lied, conveniently not mentioning Cass, Hiqua and Taisha, who sort of were my lovers with Kirim’s permission.

“Oh well, I’m told a Cure penetrating you is a wonderful experience, so I guess it will just have to be a treasured memory,” she giggled.

“One that your husband will never know about,” I nodded.

“No, silly old fool that he is. I’ll ensure he gets his heirs, then he can do as he likes ... as I intend to,” she replied as I leaned down to kiss her and begin the stimulation.

“I honestly don’t know how you put up with women like that,” Vilgra muttered after I’d returned.