Priests of the Aspect of the Emperor’s Discerning Hand and found worthy of rebirth <>:
The Imperial Mind’s mental voice faded, but the connection was still there, that buzz at the base of my skull. I let the Mind keep witnessing, raised my head, and saw that I was in my own bed, in the off-duty rooms that my demerit load meant I wasn’t supposed to be in for at least another month. Haddad was waiting at the foot of the bed, with all my twelve priests arrayed around him . . . only there were more than twelve. . .
I sat up properly, yawned, and wiped my eyes, happily removing sleep, not tears. That small act was a delight, not least because this allowed me to physically confirm what my various natural and assisted senses told me. I had both arms and I was alive!
‘Welcome back, Highness,’ said Haddad.
‘Thank you, Haddad,’ I replied. I looked around at all the blue-paned shaved heads. There were eighteen of them now. ‘Who are these other priests?’
‘You have been granted another six priests as part of your gallantry award,’ replied Haddad. He made a gesture at the ceiling. I looked up and saw that each corner was occupied by a spread-eagled assassin’s apprentice, holding themselves up by sheer physical strength and dexterity, not with antigrav. ‘And four of my apprentices have arrived from Jadekha Seven.’
‘Uh, good,’ I said. ‘What gallantry award?’
‘Your courageous action in defending the access to the base-temple interface has resulted in you being made a Hero of the Empire, Second Class, Highness,’ said Haddad. ‘Which typically comes with an additional allocation of priests or other resources, such as a ship.’
‘I’ve been granted a ship?’ I asked excitedly.
‘No, Highness,’ said Haddad. ‘That was purely an example. But please allow me to introduce Uncle Hormidh and Uncle Gorrakh from the Aspect of the Kindly Gardener. Hormidh is a battle surgeon, and Gorrakh’s particular expertise is in nanoscopic Bitek—phages and so forth; Uncle Rerrunk and Aunt Viviax from the Aspect of the Rigorous Engineer—they have considerable experience in small Mektek systems and weapons; Aunt Waldhrun from the Aspect of the Instructive Father, who is a specialist in Mektek/Psitek information system and interfaces; and Uncle Naljalk, from the Aspect of the Cold Calculator, who is a probability forecaster. My apprentices above you are known for the moment as U-One, U-Two, U-Three, and U-Four. The U stands for useless, a state that I trust will be temporary.’
‘Ah, hello, everyone,’ I said. ‘Welcome to my service.’
I gave a kind of wave, which stopped halfway as I looked at my hand. It was the same as ever, visually and to my internal audit, which meant that under my skin, the bones were much tougher than any normal human’s, grown that way by Bitek genetic manipulation, but also strengthened with Mektek sheaths and overlays.
All of which had taken years and years when I was a child. . .
‘Haddad,’ I asked. ‘How . . . how long ago was I killed?’
‘It has been twelve days since your heroic action, Highness,’ replied Haddad. He made a sign with his hand, and the priests all turned and filed out of the room. The apprentice assassins lightly leaped to the floor and followed them.
‘Twelve days? Is that all? But how can . . . how is it possible that I have my old body . . . I mean the augmentation, everything that took all those years . . .’
‘It is a mystery of the Empire,’ said Haddad. ‘Sometimes a rebirth is fast, like your own, Highness. Sometimes it may take several years. You could inquire of a Priest of the Aspect of the Emperor’s Discerning Hand, but I do not think you would receive an answer.’
I filed that away for later inquiry while I thought about the whole rebirth thing. It was such a basic foundation of being a Prince, but I’d never really given the matter much attention before. Now I was wondering if there were
The Imperial Mind’s mental voice faded, but the connection was still there, that buzz at the base of my skull. I let the Mind keep witnessing, raised my head, and saw that I was in my own bed, in the off-duty rooms that my demerit load meant I wasn’t supposed to be in for at least another month. Haddad was waiting at the foot of the bed, with all my twelve priests arrayed around him . . . only there were more than twelve. . .
I sat up properly, yawned, and wiped my eyes, happily removing sleep, not tears. That small act was a delight, not least because this allowed me to physically confirm what my various natural and assisted senses told me. I had both arms and I was alive!
‘Welcome back, Highness,’ said Haddad.
‘Thank you, Haddad,’ I replied. I looked around at all the blue-paned shaved heads. There were eighteen of them now. ‘Who are these other priests?’
‘You have been granted another six priests as part of your gallantry award,’ replied Haddad. He made a gesture at the ceiling. I looked up and saw that each corner was occupied by a spread-eagled assassin’s apprentice, holding themselves up by sheer physical strength and dexterity, not with antigrav. ‘And four of my apprentices have arrived from Jadekha Seven.’
‘Uh, good,’ I said. ‘What gallantry award?’
‘Your courageous action in defending the access to the base-temple interface has resulted in you being made a Hero of the Empire, Second Class, Highness,’ said Haddad. ‘Which typically comes with an additional allocation of priests or other resources, such as a ship.’
‘I’ve been granted a ship?’ I asked excitedly.
‘No, Highness,’ said Haddad. ‘That was purely an example. But please allow me to introduce Uncle Hormidh and Uncle Gorrakh from the Aspect of the Kindly Gardener. Hormidh is a battle surgeon, and Gorrakh’s particular expertise is in nanoscopic Bitek—phages and so forth; Uncle Rerrunk and Aunt Viviax from the Aspect of the Rigorous Engineer—they have considerable experience in small Mektek systems and weapons; Aunt Waldhrun from the Aspect of the Instructive Father, who is a specialist in Mektek/Psitek information system and interfaces; and Uncle Naljalk, from the Aspect of the Cold Calculator, who is a probability forecaster. My apprentices above you are known for the moment as U-One, U-Two, U-Three, and U-Four. The U stands for useless, a state that I trust will be temporary.’
‘Ah, hello, everyone,’ I said. ‘Welcome to my service.’
I gave a kind of wave, which stopped halfway as I looked at my hand. It was the same as ever, visually and to my internal audit, which meant that under my skin, the bones were much tougher than any normal human’s, grown that way by Bitek genetic manipulation, but also strengthened with Mektek sheaths and overlays.
All of which had taken years and years when I was a child. . .
‘Haddad,’ I asked. ‘How . . . how long ago was I killed?’
‘It has been twelve days since your heroic action, Highness,’ replied Haddad. He made a sign with his hand, and the priests all turned and filed out of the room. The apprentice assassins lightly leaped to the floor and followed them.
‘Twelve days? Is that all? But how can . . . how is it possible that I have my old body . . . I mean the augmentation, everything that took all those years . . .’
‘It is a mystery of the Empire,’ said Haddad. ‘Sometimes a rebirth is fast, like your own, Highness. Sometimes it may take several years. You could inquire of a Priest of the Aspect of the Emperor’s Discerning Hand, but I do not think you would receive an answer.’
I filed that away for later inquiry while I thought about the whole rebirth thing. It was such a basic foundation of being a Prince, but I’d never really given the matter much attention before. Now I was wondering if there were
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