other Khemris kept on ice somewhere, completely augmented clones, ready to have my personality transferred into them. Presumably at the cost of whatever proto-Khemri already existed inside that brain, however dormant.
Later I would think more about that, and what my rebirth might be costing someone else. At that moment, I was simply elated to be alive, and there was also this business of an award. I was a hero?
‘So how come I’m getting a medal?’ I asked Haddad as I got up and flexed, checking further that everything was operational. ‘I didn’t think any of it was witnessed by the Mind.’
‘It wasn’t witnessed by the Mind,’ said Haddad. ‘But everything was very comprehensively recorded by the Mektek security in the corridors, and also in the visual cortexes of the troopers, three of which were retrieved and the data extracted.’
‘I’m still surprised Huzand would put me in for a medal,’ I remarked, wrapping myself in the Bitek robe from the end of my bed. It purred a little and adjusted itself to fit, while also lifting its temperature to provide a pleasant warmth. Haddad handed me my phage emitter and deintegration wand. I checked both, then stowed them in the appropriate pockets of the robe, at the same time thinking that I must add a few more weapons to my personal armoury. Weapons that held more ammunition. A lot more ammunition.
‘The Commandant didn’t, Highness,’ replied Haddad. ‘Your commendation came from Commander Glemri, the Marine officer, and went via Marine channels.’
‘Meaning Huzand would have stopped it if he could,’ I said bitterly. ‘I suppose I still have to go straight back to duty and keep working off my demerits.’
‘Actually, Highness, the approval of your decoration by the Imperial Mind has cleared all demerits,’ said Haddad. ‘And you have three days of post-mortality leave.’
That cheered me up. Three days’ leave! I hadn’t had such an expanse of peaceful, untrammelled time for so long, and I had not yet been able to experience the pleasures that I’d planned for my off-duty hours.
‘Haddad,’ I said briskly, ‘what mind-programmed servants do I have here?’
‘Two cooks, two waiters, two porters, a valet, two female courtesans, two male courtesans, and you also have a nonhuman masseur, a Vivarkh, who is not mind-programmed but has had loyalty conditioning.’
‘Excellent!’ I clapped my hands, thinking exactly how I would allocate my time. ‘First, have the cooks make a feast. Something of everything I’ve missed for the last five months, just in tasting portions, with appropriate wines and other stimulants. The courtesans can come along to that, and I shall make a selection for later. First, however, that Vivarkh masseur, while my valet can lay out some clothes—anything that is not a cadet uniform!’
The blue fluid in Haddad’s head roiled, and I caught the edge of a communication.
‘You have a visitor, Highness,’ said Haddad.
‘Tell them to go away!’ I snapped. ‘I’m on leave!’
‘It is the Commandant, Prince Huzand,’ said Haddad. His eyes narrowed, just a fraction. ‘This is very unusual. Naljalk is calculating possibilities. The most likely scenario is that now that you have become noticed by higher authorities, he wishes to invite you again to join House Jerrazis. This could in fact be a sensible course for Your Highness to adopt.’
‘Uh, I never told you the reason I refused,’ I said. ‘I’ve been wanting to talk about this, but . . . um . . . are we completely secure here?’
‘As far as possible,’ replied Haddad.
‘Keep this to yourself, but the fact is, an Arch-Priest of the Discerning Hand told me not to join any House, and not to tell anyone about that, except . . . and this is interesting . . . she did say I could tell you. . . ’ If I thought that was going to surprise Haddad, I was wrong. His face remained as inscrutable as ever.
‘Did the arch-priest give you their name?’ he
Later I would think more about that, and what my rebirth might be costing someone else. At that moment, I was simply elated to be alive, and there was also this business of an award. I was a hero?
‘So how come I’m getting a medal?’ I asked Haddad as I got up and flexed, checking further that everything was operational. ‘I didn’t think any of it was witnessed by the Mind.’
‘It wasn’t witnessed by the Mind,’ said Haddad. ‘But everything was very comprehensively recorded by the Mektek security in the corridors, and also in the visual cortexes of the troopers, three of which were retrieved and the data extracted.’
‘I’m still surprised Huzand would put me in for a medal,’ I remarked, wrapping myself in the Bitek robe from the end of my bed. It purred a little and adjusted itself to fit, while also lifting its temperature to provide a pleasant warmth. Haddad handed me my phage emitter and deintegration wand. I checked both, then stowed them in the appropriate pockets of the robe, at the same time thinking that I must add a few more weapons to my personal armoury. Weapons that held more ammunition. A lot more ammunition.
‘The Commandant didn’t, Highness,’ replied Haddad. ‘Your commendation came from Commander Glemri, the Marine officer, and went via Marine channels.’
‘Meaning Huzand would have stopped it if he could,’ I said bitterly. ‘I suppose I still have to go straight back to duty and keep working off my demerits.’
‘Actually, Highness, the approval of your decoration by the Imperial Mind has cleared all demerits,’ said Haddad. ‘And you have three days of post-mortality leave.’
That cheered me up. Three days’ leave! I hadn’t had such an expanse of peaceful, untrammelled time for so long, and I had not yet been able to experience the pleasures that I’d planned for my off-duty hours.
‘Haddad,’ I said briskly, ‘what mind-programmed servants do I have here?’
‘Two cooks, two waiters, two porters, a valet, two female courtesans, two male courtesans, and you also have a nonhuman masseur, a Vivarkh, who is not mind-programmed but has had loyalty conditioning.’
‘Excellent!’ I clapped my hands, thinking exactly how I would allocate my time. ‘First, have the cooks make a feast. Something of everything I’ve missed for the last five months, just in tasting portions, with appropriate wines and other stimulants. The courtesans can come along to that, and I shall make a selection for later. First, however, that Vivarkh masseur, while my valet can lay out some clothes—anything that is not a cadet uniform!’
The blue fluid in Haddad’s head roiled, and I caught the edge of a communication.
‘You have a visitor, Highness,’ said Haddad.
‘Tell them to go away!’ I snapped. ‘I’m on leave!’
‘It is the Commandant, Prince Huzand,’ said Haddad. His eyes narrowed, just a fraction. ‘This is very unusual. Naljalk is calculating possibilities. The most likely scenario is that now that you have become noticed by higher authorities, he wishes to invite you again to join House Jerrazis. This could in fact be a sensible course for Your Highness to adopt.’
‘Uh, I never told you the reason I refused,’ I said. ‘I’ve been wanting to talk about this, but . . . um . . . are we completely secure here?’
‘As far as possible,’ replied Haddad.
‘Keep this to yourself, but the fact is, an Arch-Priest of the Discerning Hand told me not to join any House, and not to tell anyone about that, except . . . and this is interesting . . . she did say I could tell you. . . ’ If I thought that was going to surprise Haddad, I was wrong. His face remained as inscrutable as ever.
‘Did the arch-priest give you their name?’ he
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