Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (10 page)

“My dress is of no concern to you. I have duties
elsewhere,” the Captain said in a sharp voice tinged with contempt.

“Why such a hurry?
I haven’t been introduced to the new celebrity of the
Palace.” The Priest’s soft voice had an oily quality which unnerved the two
men.

The Administrator had a professional relationship with
Trigealian Temple Priests. They trained the pilots of the T334s and were
responsible for T334 maintenance and whatever else they did with them,
otherwise he avoided them.  The Administrator had never met one from the
Assengi order before but their reputation was one of evil.

The Captain could not stand being in the company of
the Black Priest and quickly spoke to the Administrator. “You are free to go.
There are two Starfighters at your disposal.” The Captain said and saluted. The
Administrator returned the salute and the Captain marched smartly away without
a backward glance.

The Priest stood motionless with his arms inserted
into the cuff of the opposing arm. No part of his body was exposed. 
“Please excuse me,” said the Administrator, “I have my orders.”

“I’m sure you do, I’m sure you do indeed. The Empress can
be very persuasive but I’m sure your orders are more in line with the Emperor.
I think there is much to be learned from you.” The Black Priest replied softly.

“My orders are confidential. I really must perform my
duties,” The Administrator pleaded, eager to be away from this creature.

“I am not holding you. You are free to perform your
duties. I’m sure we will meet again soon. Good bye,” the Black Priest said and
glided away without a sound. A cold feeling swept through the Administrator as
he finished his walk to the Space Dock. An android met him on a mini flying
platform and transported him to the Palace Fighter Squadron.

Starfighters are the elite of the Confederate
fighters. They normally have a crew of two but can be fully android piloted or
android assisted. One pilot can also easily handle one as it was at this time.
There was no danger and the escort was not technically required. To fly in
pairs is good training and develops co-ordination. In this case it was used as
a sign of respect.

The flight back to the Academy was a lot quicker than
the shuttle. The Administrator found it difficult to keep the Black Priest out
of his thoughts. He was met at the Academy Space Dock by his security staff as
he had ordered during the flight. He briefed them on a Funeral Parade by The
Imperial Marching Band. Permission for the Parade would need to be given by his
Commanding Officer but that is just a formality as the Emperor himself had
recognised the situation and donated one of his Marching Bands.

The Administrator was happy to get his arm console
back on. It acted as a reliable memory computer and took advantage of the
Norfian ability to have a rudimentary computer system in their skeletons; pure
bred Norfians needed no console. He was programming himself when his security
monitor sounded. An android from the Imperial Marching Band that was just
setting up in the adjacent parade ground had malfunctioned and wandered into a
secure Academy area. The standard procedure was to detain the intruder until cleared
through security channels. The Administrator studied the android on his
monitor. It was wearing the Imperial Insignia on its uniform and didn’t go into
pre set programming request for assistance when restricted in its mobility. The
Administrator got on the radio and communicated with the Officer in Charge of
the Band.

“Commander,” the Administrator said. “One of your
androids has malfunctioned and is detained by my security staff. Is it critical
to your current circumstance?”

The Officer replied, “Yes Sir it is…” there was a
slight lag as the Officer was interrupted by something at his location. “Sorry
Sir,” he continued, “it appears that this one has been malfunctioning since we
picked it up at the Palace. With your permission I will send a technician over
to pick it up so it can be disposed of, it is no longer required and its
function and responsibilities have been cancelled.”

“Permission granted,” the Administrator replied and
informed his own security of the situation. He sat back and wondered; Imperial
androids are the best in the Confederacy. They don’t just ‘wander off’. He
resumed his programming paying particular attention to his meeting with the
Black Priest. He erased all emotion in his memory during their meeting; there
he thought
,
that will make it easier to recall the
detail in the future.

“Technician has arrived Sir,” a security androids
voice sounded over the intercom.

“Grant him access to the detained android,” the
Administrator replied, his interest now alerted. He studied the technician
arriving and being directed to the holding area where the android was kept. The
technician was dressed as an Imperial worker Class One Electronics Engineer.
Nothing wrong there, thought the Administrator.
Then
something odd happened, the technician failed to scan the android before
touching it. Something all technicians have to do - the android may have a high
voltage leak!

The Administrator made his way down to the holding
area. The technician was bending over his tool kit when the Administrator
approached him. “How is the android functioning?” The Administrator asked. The
technician was slow to straighten up and then slowly turned to face to
Administrator.

His uniform was brand new and didn’t fit correctly. The
belt buckle was misaligned and the lacings on his boots were not regulation.
Not what one would expect from Imperial staff. The face of the technician made
the Administrator’s eyes flicker. He was far too old for uniformed service and
had the face of great wisdom and certainty. His white beard was perfectly
proportioned to his face. A calm and peaceful quality emanated from him.

“May I be of service to you?” The Administrator asked
calmly, pleasantly affected by this man’s presence.

The technician knew exactly who the Administrator was
and relaxed. He looked around him and saw that no one else was around but he
remained silent with his head slightly lowered. The unsaid communication was
immediately understood by the Administrator, this is a high security facility
with many cameras and recording devices. He touched his arm console briefly and
all the security cameras, motion sensors and recording devices were turned off.
“You are free to work unobserved if that is what you desire,” the Administrator
said.

“The Emperor sends his Imperial Greetings through his
humble servant, Torquay is my name. How may I assist you?” Torquay asked.

The Administrator saluted, but Torquay spoke quickly,
“Oh no, there is no need for any of that with me but I do respect your
intentions. I have been requested to assist you in any way I can. I believe you
have another problem with mechanical things other than this one,” Torquay said
pointing to the android standing off to the side of the two men.

“Yes I do,” the Administrator agreed. “Please come
with me.” The Administrator first went up to the android and scanned it with
his arm console then made some sort of adjustment to it. The android followed
the two men as they disappeared down narrow passage ways and up and down elevators.
They entered an area with stark plain walls of grey concrete. Machinery lined
the walls and pipes ran in orderly rows across the ceiling. The Administrator
opened a heavy metal door and white hot flames licked at the open doorway.

The Administrator made another adjustment to the
android and it jumped into the flames, the Administrator quickly closing the
door behind it.

“An effective method of erasure, but
rather expensive Administrator.
I
trust you don’t have the same planned for me at a later date,” Torquay said
with an enquiring eyebrow raised.

The Administrator looked at Torquay, his eyebrow was
still raised.  He sensed a quality from this old man he had rarely
experienced with any of the beings he had met from across the vast reaches of the
Confederacy. He realised seriousness was not a part of his nature. His arm
console remained clear in the presence of this man. “If that eventuality should
ever arise, I will give you ample warning so as to make good your escape,” the
Administrator replied with a rare smile in front of a stranger.

“And I will try to accord you the same courtesy should
I make an error with the next mechanical contrivance we attempt to manipulate,”
was Torquay’s reply.

The Administrator laughed and Torquay smiled. Both
knew a mistake with a T334. Well, there‘s no such thing as a mistake with one
of those.

“First we must get you out of that uniform Torquay. I
require you to be in Academy staff apparel. I trust you don’t mind being my
assistant.”

“So be it, but I will require this uniform I have on
now to return with the band to the Palace.” Torquay said looking at the furnace
door and wondered at the ease with which the Administrator had destroyed such
an expensive piece of complex technology.

“It will be so. Quickly, I feel we have little time,”
the Administrator said with urgency, realising the consequences of having an
impersonator dressed in an Academy uniform. They hurried through the complex to
the store room and selected a plain uniform with junior officer insignia.
Torquay kept a plain bag he originally brought with him.

They made their way up to the Great Hall. It was
deserted except for the T334s. The Administrator wondered how long before the
Priests or the Trigeals would appear. His anxiety was beginning to grow.

They walked to a broad clear area in front of the row
of T334s. Their footfalls on the highly polished floor were the only sounds in
such a vast space. The Administrator stood just off from the gap in the robots
and looked carefully at the lines in the pattern on the floor. He could just
make out a faint altering of the lines. “There,” he said to Torquay pointing.

“Indeed,” Torquay replied. He sat down on the floor
and contemplated what to do next. As a young child he was recruited into the
Trigealian Priesthood. He lasted many, many years until being excommunicated as
the result of a negative mind scan. It seemed his appreciation to the right to
life for all living beings was not in accordance with Priestly protocols
concerning the handling of T334s. He did however absorb much of their training
and knowledge of life. For his burgeoning humanitarian views he was never
allowed to train or have anything to do directly with the pilots of the T334s.
His work revolved around the maintenance of the mind sensing systems onboard
the robots. The sensors, he remembered weren’t electronic or anything tangible
in a physical sense but more like a sensitive partnership with a location, sort
of a shared point of view. He was losing the ability to keep things simple in
his own mind as he got older, and felt that he might not be able to communicate
with one of these sensors any longer. They observed and interacted with
everything!

Torquay stood up and sighed. He looked at the row of
other robots and turned towards the Administrator. “You don’t need to be so
close for this; there is nothing you can do.” Torquay said without taking his
eyes off the spot where the T334 was seated.

“If there is nothing I can do to assist you I will be
at my desk located just over there,” the Administrator replied indicating the
raised platform a short distance away.

“One thing you could do is a cup of malqucian tea,”
Torquay requested.

The Administrator rushed off and returned with a cup
of steaming tea. “Thank you,” Torquay said. The Administrator walked back to
his desk and sat down. He had no idea who this man was or what he intended to
do. He had to put complete faith in the Emperor. He checked all his monitors
and everything was quiet. He noticed the marching band going through its paces
on the outside monitor. All he could do was
wait
.

Torquay had a sip of the tea and put the cup down.
From his bag he took out a priest’s robe and put in on including putting the
hood over his head. The Administrator sat bolt upright seeing the light grey
robe of the Trigealian Temple, his hands gripped the chair a little harder.

Torquay moved as close as he dared to the camouflaged
T334. He put his hand in his pocket and withdrew a small handful of what looked
like sand and threw it at the space the robot was; little explosions occurred
where the grains hit the force field. He threw a little more and similar small
explosions occurred instantly. Then a glow emanated from a spherical shape
forming on the floor. Torquay involuntarily took a step backwards as a T334
materialised in front of him and stood up. The Administrator resisted the urge
to run and went rigid in his chair.