The Emperor spent several minutes reading the ornate parchment aloud. Finally, he laid it carefully aside. Then, looking directly into the cameras, the Emperor began removing his ceremonial robes. Beneath them, he wore a plain business suit. Laying aside the robes, he removed the huge crown of state, and donned a simple gold circlet.
This was unheard-of behavior for an Emperor in public. However, he wasn’t finished. Handing the crown to an aide, he stepped down from the dais, and stood behind a simple lectern.
He began speaking. “The ceremonial robes have been laid aside. The crown of state has been removed. With those removals, I no longer speak to you for the Empire. I speak to you as your Emperor, Eron XXIV, and I speak without the imperial ‘we’, because I wish to speak personally and directly to each of you. I have asked Viceroy Cord to make sure that everyone on the rim worlds sees this tape; but I also ask that it not be circulated off the rim. This is just between us.
“You have heard me announce a bold and unprecedented experiment in government,” he began. “The rim worlds were chosen for this experiment because, among all the sectors of the Empire, the rim worlds are unique. For years, I have admired you from afar. The rim is our frontier. The people who came out here, and their descendants, are special. Cowards don’t move to a frontier. They stay on their comfortable inner worlds and read exaggerated accounts of your exploits. The weak, those that come to the frontier, don’t survive. Nor do the stupid. The challenges of frontier life kill them. No, the people of the rim are the brave, the bold, the strong, and the intelligent. You are the hope of the Empire and of mankind.
'The Empire faces unprecedented challenges in the years to come. The people of the rim are best equipped to meet those challenges. I and the rest of the Empire will be looking to you, your children, and their children to help us survive those challenges. This is why Sander Cord was appointed Viceroy of the Rim Worlds.
“Viceroy Cord has my complete confidence. He has led the rim words effectively and loyally, and is well suited to lead them to meet the challenges of the future. I ask that you honor him with the same loyalty and devotion with which you have served me, and my father before me.”
The image of the Emperor faded out, to be replaced by that of Cord. “My people,” he began, “One of those challenges that the Emperor mentioned stands before us already.
“Many of you,” he continued, “are aware of the mutiny now taking place on Thaeron. For those of you that aren’t aware of it, a Fleet Rear Admiral has found out about the emperor’s bold experiment, and thinks that he can take advantage of it to seize the rim and turn it into his personal kingdom.
“Unfortunately, he controls a rather large flotilla of warships. This firepower raises him from a petty plotter to a real threat to the rim. It is this firepower that forced the Emperor… Our Emperor!.. to sneak into and out of his own domain in secret!” He looked scandalized, and it was a moment before he could resume speaking.
“We are not helpless. Many of you know that we have been preparing to defeat the usurper. Many of you have been involved in our effort, and many more will become involved before the madman is defeated and the rim made safe.
“But our preparations are not yet complete. The enemy is powerful, and the chances are excellent that we will be forced to let him occupy some of the rim worlds for a while. Nevertheless, our forces, under the leadership of Vice Admiral Val Kedron, hero of Haskins’ World, will prevail. Of that, let there be no doubt.”
Cord carried on a bit more in that vein, preparing the people of the rim for the fight to come.
The customers at the bar were getting excited. Comments such as, “Did you hear what the Emperor said about us?” and, “Imagine the Emperor taking off his robes like that!” In the hour after the broadcast, I heard only one negative comment; most of the patrons were flattered and honored by the emperor's visit, and determined to help Cord fight against “tyranny.” And none of them questioned why the Emperor hadn’t simply come to the rim with a huge battle fleet and destroyed Jonas.
We used Haven City’s schedule aboard Valkyrie, and it was the middle of one ‘night’ when I went down to the galley for a late (or early) cup of caf. I’d filled my cup from the ever-ready pot and turned to sit down when I noticed Suli. She was sitting silently at a table in the far corner, nursing a caf of her own. Acutely aware of my unshaven, unkempt appearance, I forced a smile to my face, and moved to join her.
Even in the middle of the night, she was achingly beautiful. Not a strand of that silky white hair was out of place. She wore a maroon robe. I couldn't tell what, if anything, she wore beneath it, but the wine-red of her robe, lighter red of her lips, and white of her hair and eyes framed the velvety blackness of her skin to perfection.
“Good Evening, Admiral,” she began, and flashed me a blinding white grin. “Or should I say ‘good morning’?”
“To tell the truth, I don’t know,” I replied. “But I suspect it's ‘good morning’. It’s mostly been morning before I get to sleep, lately.”
The grin faded, to be replaced by an annoyed expression. “That’s what I thought,” she said. “Damn it, Admiral! Don’t you know we’re all depending on you? Are you going to be groggy from lack of sleep when Jonas shows up? You need a keeper!” The expression had gone from annoyance to exasperation.
Sometimes my tongue has a life of its own. “Are you volunteering?” I asked without thinking. I immediately wished I could kick myself, and frantically cast around for a more innocuous response, without success.
She flushed purple. Her eyes grew panicky for a moment, and then she regained her composure. She sniffed loudly, and then replied, “I’ve better things to do than babysit admirals!”
I was still looking for an innocent topic. Somehow, whenever I was in her presence, everything seemed to take on sexual, or at least romantic, overtones.
“I’ve wanted to tell you,” I said desperately. “You’ve been more than keeping your word. I’ve been watching. You’ve done very well relating to the rest of the crew.” This was true — and it hadn’t been easy for her. But she was forcing old prejudices down, and it was obviously growing easier. “Well,” I continued, “except for that one idiot, of course. You should have broken that arm.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Chief Erske? He treats me like a little sister now. For some reason, he’s appointed himself my protector.' Her expression changed to one of puzzlement. “They all treat me like that. In fact, I think they follow me around when I go down to Haven. One night a drunk started giving me trouble, and suddenly four of them were there.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand it.”
I shrugged. “They’re surprised and flattered that someone as gorgeous as you would treat them like shipmates. The ones that thought they had a chance with you made their pass, and you turned them all down gently. There’re no hard feelings. Oh, they still admire your beauty, but now it’s more the way a man can admire a work of art without lusting after it. As for the women, they see that you’re not competing with them.”
“And the men are proud of you,” I continued. “To them, you’re almost a mascot: the most beautiful Astrogator in the Empire. They feel a proprietary interest. They’re glad that others admire your beauty, but anyone that tries to force himself on you will have a whole crew to deal with — male and female.”
She shook her head, and that glorious mane of white whipped around her shoulders. “I just don’t understand,” she said. “I’ve been in space for ten years now, and no crew has ever treated me this way.”
I shrugged again. “You’ve never treated a crew this way. You were always so worried about the paleskins pursuing you that you made yourself a target and a challenge. You never became more than a beautiful object to them, because you treated them like objects — objects to be feared and rejected in disgust.”
She looked thoughtful. “You may be right, Admiral. If so, I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
I chuckled. “No, you don’t. That hug and kiss when I got back from Thaeron did more for my reputation than I’ve done in forty years!”
She looked puzzled and embarrassed. “I… I don’t understand.”
This time I actually laughed. “I know, and that’s why it’s so funny. Everybody on the ship knew about that kiss within ten minutes of it happening. I understand that there was a lot of discussion on all levels, but the final verdict is that you and I have something going, and the crew approves. You’ve turned a fat old trader captain into a romantic legend. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”
She flushed purple again. “No, no, it doesn’t bother me, but.. ” A panicked look began creeping onto her face.
Impulsively, I took her hand in mine. “If you’d like, I can leak the word that there’s really nothing going on. I should have done it before. I’m sorry.”
She was staring fixedly at my hand holding hers. I realized what I’d done, and snatched the hand away, muttering an apology.
“No, no,” she said softly, “It’s all right. I mean… Oh!” She jumped up and ran out of the galley.
