The Emperor looked at me. "Mr. Beutcher, you wouldn’t mind going on a live video broadcast to the Talisan people, would you? Just tell them what is in store for them. They would want to hear it from you personally."
I sat back on the bench as the Magonias moved a camera around to face the Emperor. "We will be live in three, two, one—"
The Emperor smiled. "Talisan people. Greetings… Today I have a guest that has come straight to us from the troubled mining colony of Telfor. For those of you who were unaware, the miners on Telfor have rioted, bringing production to a halt. Mr. Beutcher, who has been chosen as the spokesman for the miners, has a few words that he would like to express to you. Following his speech, we will be giving him a traditional Talisan send-off. So, please pay close attention to what he has to say. I promise that it will bring tears to your eyes!"
The Emperor turned the camera off. "Oh, this is exciting! We are at 78 percent feedback, and we haven’t even had you on the camera yet! When it's spun your way, you will see a bar for both positive and negative feedback; we are a people that are obsessed with interactivity. Anyway, 78 percent is a wonderful start to this presentation. From that base, and from that which is about to come, we may be able to break the all-time high of 91 percent positive feedback! That was achieved by Emperor Longon; he was quite popular!"
I wasn’t sure what it was the Emperor was up to. Being on video in front of his whole empire was not something I was prepared for.
As the camera swung my way, I cleared my throat. "Hello. My name is Knog Beutcher."
The negative bar rose to 58 percent. "I am here today to make a peaceful offer to the Talisan people. The slave mines on Telfor have been liberated. The Free Feldons are forming an army. I am here to make an offer of peace. A peace where the Talisan people and the Feldons can coexist. The alternative will be war."
With the mention of war, the positive feedback bar shot up to 82 percent. I could only take that as a sign that the Talisan public was bloodthirsty. I glanced up to see five Talisan guards enter the room with blasters. It didn’t take much thought to get an idea of why the Emperor seemed so excited. A televised Grunta execution was in the offing, and he would be the Emperor that brought it to the people.
I continued. "Look, I can already see where this is going, so, just remember, you were offered peace and peace was rejected. If war is what the Talisan people want, then war is what we are going to give you."
The positive bar shot to 90 percent. The Emperor looked as though he was going to burst from an overabundance of glee.
The camera was spun back around to the giddy Emperor. "My people, today we will break the all-time feedback number set by Emperor Longon, seven years ago. This will be a historic event! Mr. Beutcher, can you stand and come around to this side of the table?"
I complied. As I did so, the armed Talisan guards moved closer, grinning, and careful to stay out of camera view.
The Emperor pointed for the Magonias. "Please get the streamers for Mr. Beutcher. Go, go, go!"
The two Magonias scurried away.
The Emperor pressed a button on the arm of his chair. The massive window on the south side of the room began to slowly open, and for a moment a stiff breeze blew into the room.
The Emperor smiled. "I do love the smell of fresh air before a send-off!"
The Magonias returned, each holding out a canister.
The Emperor continued. "If you would, please, Mr. Beutcher. Take a canister in each hand, hold your arms out to your sides, and then depress the button on the top of each canister with your thumbs."
Again I complied. Following a short burst, a long row of colorful streamers was laid out on the floor going in a direction away from the opened glass wall. I looked back at the Emperor with an expression of disdain.
The Emperor gestured toward the open wall. "Please, Mr. Beutcher. The people are waiting. You can choose to go with dignity as a complete person, or the guards standing behind you will send you on your way in pieces. I prefer the first; it’s much less messy!"
I glanced back at the guards, who had their blasters at the ready.
I turned my head back to face the Emperor. "Can I ask a favor of you?"
The Emperor was intrigued. "Go on."
I sighed. "I despise Magonias. Can I take one of them out the window with me?"
The positive percentage shot up to 91 percent.
The Emperor grinned as he pointed to the two Magonias. "Please, take them both!"
I looked at the two stunned Magonia assistants and gestured for one to come my way. The positive bar on the monitor rose to 92 percent. The Emperor was experiencing ecstasy.
When the first Magonia moved within reach, I grabbed him and pulled him close while looking at the camera. "I hope you like to fly!"
The positive percentage rose to 93 percent as the Talisan audience watched. The Emperor looked like he was going to pass out in anticipation of the final number he would receive from the jump.
When the second Magonia had stumbled close enough for me to grab, I made my move. I slammed the two Magonias together and shoved them back toward the guards. At the same instant, I dove and rolled over next to the Emperor. I was too close for the guards to shoot. I grabbed the startled Emperor by the neck and pulled his rotund body in front of me. The positive bar on the camera monitor rose to 94 percent.
I spoke. "Looks like your people are enjoying the show. I say we just go ahead and give them what they want. How about you?"
The Emperor nodded pensively as he gasped for air.
I pointed at the guards with my free hand. "First, have them lay down their weapons."
The Emperor bobbed his head in a sign for them to comply.
I continued. "Now, have them move over and stand by that opening."
Again the Emperor bobbed his head, and the guards, although reluctant in their movements and expressions, complied.
I gestured to the Magonias. "Bring me one of those blasters."
The shorter of the Magonia assistants reacted, retrieving a blaster and carefully handing it to me.
I took aim at the first Talisan guard. "Jump."
The guard shook his head. I squeezed the trigger, and a loud pop resonated off the other glass walls as the guard exploded outward into the breeze. The positive bar climbed to 95%.
I gave the order to the second guard. He turned and looked out the window, jumping backward without any other prompt. An outside camera followed his descent, and a zoomed-in image displayed the gruesome impact. The next two guards followed, each with a gruesome final display of their own.
I glanced at the camera monitor and was disappointed that the highest rating I had achieved remained at 95 percent. I imagined that the entire Talisan population was now tuned in.
I gestured to the Magonia that had not retrieved the blaster. "You, go push him out the window."
The Magonia sheepishly walked over to the guard, placed his hand on the guard’s chest, and pushed.
As the guard fell backward, he reached out and grabbed the Magonia by his colorful, ruffly shirt. The Magonia screamed in terror as the two fell out of the open wall. The positive bar again rose, this time hitting 96 percent.
I released the Emperor from my grasp. "You were right, Emperor; this event would make history. Ninety-six percent. You are going to be talked about for a long time!"
The Emperor offered a pensive grin. "Mr. Beutcher, perhaps we can talk of a peaceful resolution."
I looked at the camera monitor and back at the Emperor. "Ooh. Sorry. 87 percent negative on that thought, Emperor. I hope you aren’t going to ruin the show."
I gestured for the Emperor to move to the opening. His only move came when prodded forward by the tip of my blaster rifle.
I turned back to the remaining Magonia. "Could you bring the Emperor the streamers? I’m thinking he is going to need them to reverse that negative trend on the interactive feedback."
The Magonia carried the two streamer canisters to the Emperor, placing one in each of his hands. The positive feedback percentage returned to 93 percent.
I stood five meters from the Emperor with my blaster raised. "Now, the way I see it, you can choose to go with dignity as a complete person, or I will send you on your way in pieces. I know you prefer the first; it’s much less messy. But I think your people would rather see the second."
The Emperor frowned as he turned his head to look over his shoulder.
I said, "Remember. You could be the one they talk about for years to come!"
The Emperor turned to face the opening, holding the streamers in his hands with his arms out to his sides. After several seconds of hesitation, he jumped. The streamers trailed out behind him in a stunning display of color as the Emperor of the Talisans fell three thousand meters to his death. The remaining Magonia pointed to the monitor. The positive bar displayed at 97 percent.
I shook my head. "Some people just can't be satisfied."
I opened a comm to Garrett on my arm pad. "Garrett, I need you to get down here as quickly as you can. On the south side of this building, right at the top, you will see an open wall. Swing in as close as you can with the hatch open. I will be diving in there. And come quick!"
Garrett replied, "Sounds like the negotiations didn’t go so well."
I nodded. "I told them what we wanted, and the Emperor just streamed out of here."
I looked over at the Magonia, who was looking at the monitor. "Nothing?"
The Magonia shook his head.
I shrugged. "I have a dry sense of humor. Some people just don’t get it."
I moved closer to the window and took aim back at the elevator as the doors opened. Two blaster bolts from my rifle saw to it that the new squad of guards would not be continuing the show.
A swoosh of air and a low hum told me that Garrett and the
Jess
were waiting. I turned back, ran, and dove out and into the open hatch, rolling to a stop once inside.
I glanced back out into the grand room. The Magonia was grinning, pointing at the monitor, and then clapping. As the Magonia turned the camera monitor my way, I winked and pointed at him with my finger. The positive feedback had hit 99 percent. The hatch closed as the
Jess
sped upward through the Dallex atmosphere.
Garrett spoke. "So? What happened?"
I smiled. "Were the sensors recording all the Talisan broadcasts?"
Garrett swiped at several screens. "Yes."
I replied, "I’ll let you watch the video, then. There is no way I could tell it to you and do it justice."
As Garrett set a course for Telfor, I grabbed his arm. "Wait. We need to have a look at Krakus. That’s the Feldons’ main world. The Emperor said they had a fleet there and that the Feldons were being wiped out. If that’s true, we need to take that information back to Telfor. They deserve to know. We will have to prepare to defend against that fleet. The Emperor made it sound like those gunships we destroyed were only playthings."
Garrett replied, "I didn’t think anyone had fleets. There are no armies anywhere in the Alliance, never have been."
I sat back in my chair. "The Emperor said they had one that is four million soldiers strong and that they were all equipped with blasters."
Garrett said, "Well, that might explain why the Governor stays out of their way. It might also explain why the Saltons have forgotten this sector. They can’t afford a fight here when they are fighting a war in Andromeda. We seem to be getting in deeper and deeper out here."
I replied, "We’ll just have to take them as they come and do the best we can."
The flight out to Krakus confirmed what the Emperor had said. The ships were bigger and much better armed and armored. With 126 much larger ships in the Talisan fleet, Garrett wondered if the
Jess
would be enough. I wondered how we would fend off four million trained Talisan soldiers with only three thousand blasters.
"They are going to be heading to Telfor in the next couple of days. How do we stop a fleet that size?"
Garrett pulled up a scan of the ships. "I would guess a sizable portion of the Talisan troops are sitting on their home world. I count eight troop transports here, and I would put each one at maybe a hundred thousand troops tops. Maybe, just maybe, they have a million troops down there."
Garrett looked over the data. "How about this. We go in, guns blazing, taking out only the transports. They are all parked down there on the surface in one area. We could at least trap their troops on the planet until they could get more transports out here. In fact—"
Garrett pulled up a separate screen. "There are only a dozen of those transports parked on Dallex. We could hit these, zip back, and hit the dozen there. That might buy us a few months while they try to rebuild or repair."
I nodded. "If it buys us a couple of months, I’m all for it. Plot out a good angle of attack where we can do maximum damage on the way in. They won’t be expecting this, so we might have as many as five minutes before any of the other ships make it down there. I count three of the larger warships in atmosphere, but they are busy on the other side of the planet."
Garrett spoke. "If we come in at this angle, we should be able to hit these three ships right in the generators on the first run. Take out the generators or the engines, and they aren’t going anywhere."
I replied, "OK, you do the flying, I’ll do the shooting."
Garrett smiled. "Cannon control is coming your way."
I swiped the screens several times to refresh my memory. The controls were the same that had been installed on the Daunte.
After thirty seconds of poking around, I spoke. "I’m ready when you are."
Garrett pushed the throttle forward. Two minutes later, we were screaming past the Talisan fleet on our way to the surface. Without transponders and without signal emissions, it would take the Talisans several minutes to react.
The outer hull of the
Jess
turned white hot as the air molecules of the Krakus atmosphere were pushed aside. Garrett lined us up for the first shot on the transports. At the optimum range, I pressed the trigger. At the same instant, Garrett pulled back hard on the control stick. My shots went wide.
I reacted. "What happened? Why did you do that?"
Garrett transferred a screen to my holo-display. "Take a look. Those aren’t Talisans boarding those transports. It’s Feldons. This isn’t a raid to wipe out the Feldons. It’s a raid to collect more slaves. I think the Emperor’s claim of an army of four million was bogus. They have ships, but they don’t have four million soldiers."
Garrett turned the
Jess
back toward the three ships that were on the other side of the planet. "I say we at least let them know we mean business. We can’t take on a hundred of those ships, but we can take on three."
I replied, "Might be a good test to tell us just how powerful they are."
We raced around the curvature of Krakus, lining up on the three warships as they pounded positions on the ground. On our first pass, I targeted the aft gravity thrusters, knocking out two of the three that held the ship above the ground. The large ship sank from the sky as if in slow motion, slamming into the burning debris of the city that it was destroying.
Repeated hails came over the comm from the Talisan fleet. As Garrett turned the
Jess
to circle back, I responded to one of the hails out of curiosity. "What?"
A voice came over the comm. "Emperor Beutcher, this is Admiral Kale. Why are you firing on your own ships?"
Garrett pulled back, turning away from the second ship as we lined up for a shot.
I replied, "What are you talking about? You attack this planet and enslave its people. We will continue to destroy your ships as we see fit."
The Admiral came on the holo-display, kneeling and looking downward. "I apologize if there has been a misunderstanding, your highness. The operation to remove the Feldons is intended to save their lives. A deadly airborne plague ravages the cities that are being destroyed. It was released by the former Emperor. Your orders for peace are being carried out as we speak."
Garrett addressed the Admiral. "Wait, are you saying that Knog Beutcher is the new Emperor of Dallex?"
The Admiral continued to stare at the floor. "Yes. Emperor Beutcher assumed control when he overthrew Emperor Goonrag. An envoy has been sent to meet with the miners on Telfor. We are attempting to undo the damage that Goonrag unleashed on this planet. Every Feldon must be removed and quarantined for a period of thirty standard days. Had we not taken action as we have, the population of Krakus would have been doomed."
I leaned forward in my chair. "Stand up, Admiral Kale. It isn't necessary to kneel before me. Why was the plague unleashed on Krakus to begin with? Why didn’t you oppose Goonrag?"
The Admiral returned a confused look. "We serve the Emperor. His wishes, your wishes, are our commands. We cannot disobey or question the desires of the Emperor. That is not, and has never been, the Talisan way."
I raised my hands. "You have been enslaving others for years. That doesn’t bother you?"
The Admiral shook his head. "Whether or not our personal feelings conflict with the Emperor’s instruction is irrelevant. We are compelled to follow his wishes. Emperor Goonrag wanted workers for his mines; we gave him workers. If you ask for the same, we will give you the same. We serve to implement your commands."
I replied, "I have a new command for you. No Talisan is to release my image or speak my name. I don’t want others to know that I am the Emperor until I am ready. And above all, deny any efforts to contact me by the Governor of SS241 or his men. I don't him to know the identity of the new emperor. If you have to release a phoney image of some fictitious Talisan that has taken control, then do so."
I turned my gaze to Garrett as he spoke. "Hmm. Emperor Beutcher. Kind of has a ring to it, don’t you think?"
I shook my head as I looked back to the Admiral. "So, tell me of your current operations. Where are the Feldon people being taken?"
The Admiral replied, "Some will be taken to Telfor, and some to Effica. They will be returned when the plague has been eradicated from Krakus. Already our ships at home are preparing transports to bring food and medicines for their care."
I sat back in my chair as I thought. Could this all be happening? Me, Knog Beutcher, an Emperor? And how long would that last before the next Talisan got wise and overthrew me?
I said, "Admiral, tell me about Emperor Goonrag’s arrangements with the Governor of SS241."
The Admiral replied, "The Governor would stay out of our affairs, and in turn, we would leave him to collect his treasures. Without the threat of security forces in this sector coming down on our business, we were left to do as the Emperor pleased. In the seven years since Goonrag became Emperor, Dallex has become a very wealthy colony."
I shook my head. "I just don’t understand how you could keep a clear conscience while enslaving others."
Garrett spoke. "Hey, it’s like this: not everyone has the same level of morals as you. Sometimes whole peoples are culturally devoid of some of the things that you and I see as black-and-white issues. What we might call appalling may not even register with them. They would probably make for great soldiers on the battlefield. I’m not saying they would enjoy the purposeful killing of others, but they wouldn’t have any regrets either. Even Humans and Gruntas have differing levels of conviction and principle on some things. This is probably just the way Talisans are wired."
I sighed and looked back at the Admiral, who was dutifully awaiting orders. "Do your best for the Feldons, Admiral. Continue the evacuation. I will check back with you when I have further orders."
The Admiral bowed and the comm closed.
I turned to face Garrett. "I think we should convene the group of Governors that had been friendly with us before. With the Talisans working for us, we could then make a move on Governor Marcos. We could have this whole sector back under the supervision of normal, law-abiding people. That would allow us to head back to Adicus to search for Joni."
Garrett sat shaking his head.
I spoke. "What?"
Garrett replied, "This is all just a little overwhelming, that’s all. I mean, think about it. A few months ago, we were overthrowing the Governor of a security station. He managed a comeback and sent you into slavery. We staged a revolt, you escaped, and then overthrew an Emperor. If that doesn’t make your head spin, I don’t know what would."
I pulled up a list of colony Governors that we had previously met with. "My life has been nonstop, sometimes violent, transitions for the past year. I went from a five-star detective to a slave to an Emperor. The only thing spinning in my head is the unfinished business of Joni Salton. After that, I don’t know, maybe we can work on saving the New Alliance."
Garrett laughed. "I will give you this much, Knog Beutcher: you think big. When and if Joni is alive, and we are able to free her, well, I don't know what I will do after that. I have to focus on the task at hand. For you, I should think you would want to get back to your family."
I replied, "I very much want to see and be with my family. But I want them to have a secure environment where they can grow and prosper. If the New Alliance falls apart, there will be war. It’s inevitable when you have cultures like the Talisans. One bad Emperor and whole colonies could be wiped out. With a stable New Alliance, at least the problems could be worked out. Perhaps the Saltons could be convinced to make the changes that would bring back the good times that the AMP had to offer."
Garrett frowned. "Yeah, good luck with getting Harden Salton to do anything that he doesn’t think is in his best interest."
I raised the first of a long list of colony Governors on the comm. The Governor of Halidon was within comm range of our location. He was apprehensive at first, but easily convinced that the new Emperor of Dallex was serious about improving the Omega sector, starting with SS241. I made my way through the Governors list, sending a notice to each of them as we flew back to Telfor.
Upon our arrival, I was thrilled to see three of the large transports from Dallex had landed, carrying food and medical supplies. Garrett set the
Jess
down on the plateau next to the
Heap
. Go was eagerly waiting outside.
As I stepped out of the
Jess
, Go spoke. "There he is! The Emperor of Talisan, the Guardian of the Omega sector!"
Garrett laughed. "Champion of the New Alliance!"
I shook my head. "I’m just trying to do what’s right."
I gestured towards the
Heap
. "How’s the repair coming?"
Go grinned. "She flies, and she is once again airtight. We scavenged some plating from that downed freighter and beefed up a few of the sections that were weak. She’s heavy, but with the inertial dampeners that doesn’t matter. We have been trying to figure out how to strip one of those big engines from that freighter to replace her two small ones. Without a ship service dock, that probably won’t happen."
I looked at Go. "The Omega sector is in need of leaders. The way you were able to bring the
Jess
back to us, and the way you have taken on upgrading the
Heap
, has me convinced that you are one of those leaders."
Go stepped back. "What? Me? I don’t know what I’m doing. I would be a terrible leader. I’m much better at following orders."
I smiled. "OK, if that’s what it takes. I am ordering you to be a leader."
Garrett laughed. "You might as well face it, Go. The Guardian of Omega gets what he wants!"
Go looked back at me with a shrug. "What am I supposed to do?"
I pointed at the
Heap
. "I want you to go to Dallex. You will be my right hand there. I want you to see to it that the Talisans treat the Feldons with respect. Get them everything they need to get their lives back in order. When you get there, see Admiral Kale. I will send him a note telling him to do whatever it is you need to have done.
"Jallis and Layda are about to be given the temporary Governorship of Krakus, Telfor, and Effica. I want you to be the tiebreaker vote on anything they can’t agree upon."
Go gave a confused look. "What are you going to be doing?"
I replied, "Garrett and I will be coordinating the ouster of Governor Marcos. After that, we have some unfinished business in Alpha sector."
I placed my hand on Go’s shoulder. "All you have to do on Dallex is ask Admiral Kale for status. If something seems out of place, have him fix it. And one other thing to keep in mind: Dallex has a large space dock. You can have whatever upgrades you want done to the
Heap
. If you would rather have one of the Talisan ships, take it. Or, if you want them to build a ship, have them build it. Whatever you want, you have the full backing of the Emperor of Talisan."