Noble Lies

by Gary Inbinder

Chapter 21, part 3; part 4
Chapter 22, part 1
appear in this issue.

Chapter 22

conclusion

Back in their penthouse bedroom, Ludwig and Aurelia enjoyed a quiet moment together without their android servants before entering into a whirlwind of post-coronation receptions and parties.

Standing in her underwear in front of a three-way mirror, Aurelia said, “It feels great to get out of those costumes; one more minute and I would have done a strip-tease for the intergalactic audience.”

Rummaging through his closet, searching for an appropriate suit, Ludwig replied, “That could have done wonders for Dax’s ratings.”

“Yeah, I can imagine the Michelles’ color commentary.”

Ludwig chose a sedate gray double-breasted suit, a Guard’s tie, white shirt and highly polished black oxfords, and then walked to the bed, sat on the edge, and began putting on his trousers.

Satisfied with her appearance in the mirror, Aurelia went to her closet to look for a dress. Choosing three, she approached Ludwig, held up the outfits, and asked, “Which do you like best, Luddy?”

Shaking his head as he pulled up his socks, Ludwig replied, “You’re not going to drag me into that trap. You look great in all of them, and besides, your taste in clothing is much better than mine.”

“I think the green is best; it matches my eyes.”

“Uh huh,” Ludwig grunted his agreement, as he buckled his belt.

Aurelia placed the emerald green dress on the bed, returned the others to her closet, and then chose a pair of black patent leather three-inch heeled pumps, and beige stockings. Sitting on a chair by her dressing table, Aurelia put on her nylons, fastening them with a lace-trimmed garter belt while admiring legs that could kill a combat ’droid with one, swift kick. Wriggling her legs, before putting on her shoes, Aurelia asked, “Luddy, why didn’t you tell me you were going to crown yourself?”

Tying his silk tie while looking into his three-way, full-length mirror, Ludwig watched Aurelia’s reflection as she approached him from behind. Turning, he smiled and replied, “I squared it with Cato beforehand, and Dax handled the publicity angle. As for you, I thought you’d like the surprise.”

“Yes, darling, I love surprises,” Aurelia said as she came at his groin with a knee that no one in the galaxy except Ludwig could have blocked.

After deflecting her powerful, well-aimed low blow, Ludwig threw Aurelia prone, onto the thick, plush carpet. Pinning her arms behind her, he straddled her back, kissed her below the ear, and whispered, “We both love surprises, and there’s a lifetime of them ahead of us.”

Turning, to look at him, Aurelia asked, “What are you going to do to me, Luddy?”

Smiling, and slowly pulling up her satin slip, he said, “What do you think?”

“But Luddy darling,” she sighed, “we have a reception in less than an hour.”

“Let them wait.”

Mounted securely on top of Luddy, Aurelia screamed with pleasure as their two-rider luge rocketed down the steep natural ice-track at Slim’s mountain lodge. Ice and snow spraying their faces like a cold needle-shower, they streaked through the sparkling white and evergreen landscape, bumping and bouncing, steering and braking, pulling “G’s” around curves, and hitting ninety miles per hour in the straightaway run to the finish.

They jumped from their sled at the bottom of the hill, pulled off their helmets and goggles, laughed and hugged one another, and then waved to Slim and Claudia who waited at the top of the run.

“Let’s see you beat that,” Aurelia shouted to her friends, who appeared, from her bottom of the run perspective, like little black dots halfway up a large painting of clear, blue sky and sparkling white snow. Standing clear of the sled-run, Ludwig and Aurelia watched as the black dots grew larger, the luge rushing down the gleaming ice-track to meet them at the finish. Suddenly, no more than twenty feet from the end of the run, the sled flew off the track, flipping over and dumping its riders into a deep snowdrift.

Running to Slim and Claudia’s side, Ludwig and Aurelia held out their hands to aid the pair lying in the snow.

Grabbing Ludwig’s hand, Slim said “Thanks, Augustus,” before gleefully pulling Ludwig down into the snowdrift. Following suit, Claudia did the same to Aurelia. Leaping to their feet, Slim and Claudia began pelting Ludwig and Aurelia with snowballs, exclaiming, “How do the Emperor and Empress of the freaking cosmos like their ice bath?”

Yelling, “Treachery; this means war,” Aurelia tripped Claudia, and began tussling with her in the snow, while Ludwig did the same with Slim. After a few minutes of mock combat, Slim and Claudia surrendered.

Getting up laughing, Ludwig and Aurelia clasped hands, and raised them high above their heads. “The winners and still cosmic champions,” Aurelia declared, “Luddy and Aurelia.”

Wiping snow from his mouth, with his gloved hand, Slim muttered, “Okay, your majesties, you win. Now, will you please give us a hand up?”

“No tricks, this time?” Luddy asked.

Crossing their hearts, Slim and Claudia replied, “We promise, on our honor as officers of the New Imperium.”

Back on their feet, the party dusted each other off, and then carried their sleds up the hill, to the lodge. On the way back, Ludwig asked, “What happened to Dax and Junior?”

“Aw, they’re just chicken,” Slim replied. “Dax got a bloody nose and a black eye going off the run yesterday, and his new girlfriend’s nursing a sore butt. They’re sitting by the fire, drinking up my best lager beer while Publius and Becky trade old Guard war stories.”

Referring to Dax and Junior, Aurelia observed, “What a pair; it’s incredible.”

“Yeah,” Slim replied, “but at least you two needn’t worry about getting good P.R, not that bad P.R. would pass censorship.”

“True,” Ludwig said, “we’re a long way from having a free press. Someday, perhaps we can loosen the restrictions, but not now.”

Without further comment, the party returned to the lodge.

After storing their sleds in a shed behind the main building, the foursome entered through a back door, handed their jackets and sledding equipment to servants, and then joined the guests in the main hall. Upon seeing Ludwig and Aurelia, everyone rose to their feet, and bowed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please,” Ludwig declared, “we’re all equal here, just a group of friends enjoying a weekend of Slim’s hospitality.”

Reassured, the party sat and continued their conversations as Ludwig, Aurelia, Slim and Claudia joined them.

Ludwig sat next to Publius and Bec Rogers and then rang for a servant. When the android arrived, Ludwig asked for a beer, and pretzels; the servant left to fetch the Emperor’s snack. Luddy commented, “I’m glad to see you two getting along, because you’re going to be working together closely for some time to come.”

Rogers, who, at Ludwig’s insistence, had accepted an undercover job with the I.S.P. with the rank of Captain, replied, “I’m very grateful to you, Augustus, for this opportunity; I won’t let you down.”

“Becky, when we’re here together, it’s ‘Luddy’, just like old times. As for your job, it’s going to be hard and dangerous, but you’re used to that. However, it could also be very rewarding. I’m counting on you and Colonel Publius, to take the lead cleaning up the illegal drug trade while at the same time weeding out corruption in the I.S.P.”

Turning to Publius, he added, “If you find any evidence of officers on the take at the agency, no matter how high up, I want a full investigation. If anyone questions your authority, you come to me.”

“Yes, Augustus... I mean, Luddy,” Publius replied.

Looking back at Rogers, Ludwig said, “I’m sorry about what happened to Cody and his crew. They were good soldiers once, and, like you, I wanted to give them a chance to go straight. Someone blew the whistle on them, but it wasn’t me.”

“I understand, Luddy,” Becky replied. “Cody was a damn good man, before the Fleet busted him, and I lost almost everything with the Albatross. That’s all in the past. I’m glad for a chance to redeem myself, and whatever happens, I’m playing on your team.”

The servant returned with Ludwig’s beer and a bowl of salty pretzels. Eating and drinking with an appetite whetted on the sled runs and ski slopes, the Emperor motioned for the remainder of the party to join him at the large, round table in the center of the hall.

Once seated, Ludwig smiled at Junior, noticing how gingerly she sat on her donut cushion. Flattered by the Emperor’s attention, Junior returned his gaze, looking cute, in her simpering sort of way.

Seated next to Ludwig, Aurelia noticed the surreptitious exchange of glances between the Emperor and the celebrity interviewer. Turning to Dax, she remarked, “That’s quite a shiner. I hear you two had it a bit rough on the run, yesterday.”

“Yes,” Dax replied, “that was Junior’s first time. It went fine until we sailed off the track.”

“Right, Dax,” Aurelia said, “bumpy landings are a bitch.” Smiling at Junior, she added, “You might try icing down your behind; it could do wonders for your condition.”

Blushing, Junior replied, “Thank you, Augusta, for your concern. I’ll do that tonight.”

“Please do, and when we’re at the lodge, call me Aurelia. We’re just a cozy little band of brothers and sisters.” Addressing Ludwig, Aurelia added, “Aren’t we, darling?”

Luddy drained his beer stein, wiped some foam from his upper lip, burped into the napkin and said, “You bet.” Approached by an attentive servant, the Emperor ordered, “Bring a round of the best beer in the cellar, at my generous host’s expense.” After a pause for laughter, Ludwig continued, “I want to make a toast.”

The little party broke into broad smiles, and murmurs of approval, as servants returned with trays filled with large steins of cold, pale amber lager beer. As soon as the androids finished serving the entire group, Ludwig rose from the table. Aurelia, Slim, Claudia and the other guests immediately jumped to their feet.

Lifting his glass, the Emperor proclaimed, “To friends, both old and new, to comrades tried and true,” turning to Aurelia, he added, “but most of all, my love, to you... Prosit!”

They all responded with a hearty “Prosit,” and then, following the Emperor, sat and drank their beer.

The evening of their last day at Slim’s lodge, Ludwig and Aurelia went for a walk along the ridgeline to the summit of the sled run. The air was mild; mountain wind that could bite like a hungry dog was this night more like the soft, smooth kiss of cool satin sheets. A bright, full moon’s light gleamed in reflection on powdery white snow, silhouetting the fringing evergreen forest in deep ebony shadow.

Walking to the place where Aurelia revealed the secret of her origins, they stopped to look at Algol, glimmering in the dark purple northern sky. “The last time we stood here, we were at war,” Ludwig observed. “Now, for the first time in more than a generation. we’re at peace.”

“How long, I wonder, will our peace last?”

“Not long, I’m afraid. Peace is an illusion; war is the natural state. However, I hope we can maintain the illusion long enough to help the Algolian planets recover and rebuild, and take care of some of our problems at home. We’re already making progress suppressing the drug trade, and I’m working with the Senate on the new Civil Rights and Equal Protection bills.”

“Are you really going to abolish the caste system?”

“Yes, I’m working on it. We’ll still have an aristocracy, but everyone will have opportunity through better education, and advancement in the workplace, based upon merit, rather than birth. We won’t solve the problems of Iron-town until we give those people some hope.”

“I agree, darling. It’s a noble cause.”

Smiling, Ludwig replied, “Of course it is, but there’s more that we can do with our Empire.” Pointing to the stars, he remarked, “I wonder how many new worlds are left for me to conquer?”

Suddenly frowning, Aurelia questioned, “Don’t you think we have enough problems to deal with in the worlds we already have?”

Ludwig kissed Aurelia gently, looked into her eyes, and replied poetically, “I’ll bring you emeralds from distant skies; a pair of green planets, to match your eyes.”

“Coming from Lieutenant Ludwig, that would be sweet. From the ruler of the galaxies, it sounds a bit disturbing.”

Turning his eyes back toward the stars, Ludwig murmured almost to himself, “Nonsense, conquest is part of an Emperor’s job description.” After a moment’s pause, he added more forcefully, “It was here that you told me the truth, Aurelia. At first, I was shocked; our culture taught that a human and a machine couldn’t mate.

“But you’re unique: the only “A” model android. There must never be another; I’ll see to that. Our children will be very special: the end of evolution and the offspring of the only super-android and super-cyborg. We’re the beginning of a truly post-human era.”

Turning toward Ludwig with a perplexed frown, Aurelia questioned, “I don’t understand, Luddy. What do you mean by ‘super-cyborg’?”

Still stargazing, Ludwig replied, “The Aureus isn’t the ancient relic of some religion, as Bambi believed. Like you and me, it’s a product of Plotinus Industries. As soon as I put the Aureus around my neck, it transformed me. It gave me incredible power, and opened my mind to all the forbidden Old Earth books.”

Smiling, he pointed to his head, adding, “They’re all in here, Aurelia: the Bible; Plato’s Republic; Sun Tzu’s Art of War; Musashi’s Book of Five Rings; Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil; the Analects of Dr. Vulnificus.

“The old Luddy never went much beyond reading comic books. I’ve become like a god, created from the popular scientific imagination, and you’re my goddess; we’re the Jupiter and Juno of New Earth’s fifty-second century.”

Grabbing his arm, Aurelia exclaimed, “Look at me, Luddy, and come back down to earth. Remember, we’re mortal.”

Turning to Aurelia with a smile, Ludwig bent down, kissed her forehead, and whispered, “Do you think so, Aurelia? I’ve never really thought about living forever, but I plan to be around for a very long time. Some day, I’d like to meet the Creator himself, face to face. He must be a great scientist, like Dr. Plotinus, and we’re his latest experiment.”

“What about the Church, Luddy? I thought you really believed in Cato’s teaching.”

Turning his face toward Andromeda, the Emperor replied, “I’ll keep my promise; I support the Church, and the Church will support my Imperium. After all, Non sufficit orbis — the world is not enough.”