Chapter Eleven
In the final days of the galaxy, there will be many clever schemes and designs for power.
—Tulyan Prophecy
The Citadel of Paradij was not one of the Wonders of the Galaxy, but only for political reasons that the Zultan resented deeply. The quintessential example of neoclassical Mutati workmanship, the breathtaking structure seemed to float above the rugged surrounding plateau, with slender, glittering spires rising to impossible heights … more ornamentation, it seemed, than practicality. Ordinary Mutati citizens never knew what really went on inside the palatial fortress, where Abal Meshdi kept some of the most remarkable technological devices ever developed. The people could only whisper among themselves, and imagine.
He stood inside a spire on one of the highest levels of the Citadel now, and peered through a window slit at the distant horizon. Silvery gray clouds and the pastel oranges of sunset were darkening, becoming the homogeneous indigo of night. Abal Meshdi liked to watch this transitional process of light into darkness, and the reverse as well, at dawn. It was a cosmic, eternal march of illumination and color. Sometimes he equated his interest with the fact that he was a changeling himself, a Mutati who could metamorphose into a panoply of shapes and functions.
He held the fleshy palm of his third hand against the window, and for several moments felt subtle temperature variations in the clearglax as it grew cooler, despite the warmth of his touch. Intrigued by change in its variety of forms, he had included this as a design feature of the fortress, with tiny sensors in the glax that transmitted data to him.
It was rumored among the common citizens that the spires of the Citadel contained electronic signaling or receiving units, for communicating across the entire galaxy. After all, Humans had the nehrcom instantaneous communication system … and weren’t Mutatis every bit as good as Humans when it came to the latest technological advancements? Hadn’t the Mutati High Command halted the earlier flow of Human military victories, leading to the present stalemate?
He sighed at the questions, knowing there were still doubters among his people, despite his impassioned speeches. At least he had a refuge here from the problems of leadership.
The totality of secrets within the Citadel were known only to the Zultan himself. His closest advisers, as well as the scientists, architects, and builders they employed, knew some of the mysteries, but nowhere near all of them. Ever-wary, the Zultan liked to compartmentalize important information, letting it out piecemeal to those few aides that he trusted the most. In addition, his special police, the Dubak, had surveillance methods that provided him with reports on even the tiniest nooks and crannies of his empire.
Reports, reports, and more reports.
They arrived in a variety of forms, and for decades he had been thriving on the details contained within them. His grandfather once told him, “A ruler is only as good as the information he receives, and only as strong as the organization that supports his power.” It had been excellent advice, and Abal Meshdi had never forgotten it.
This morning, however, he didn’t feel like reading innocuous reports, or even receiving holosummaries of them. Normally he studied information from all over his realm during breakfast, and by midday he decided what to do about most of the matters. He was a leader who made many decisions, but at the moment he didn’t feel like dealing with ordinary activities of state. He almost felt like canceling all of his appointments for the entire day with the exception of the Adurian ambassador who was calling on him … hopefully with progress information on the new doomsday weapon, their joint project.
With a little time available before the arrival of the foreign dignitary, Meshdi strolled around the Citadel and rode the lifts inside the spires to high vantage points, each of which provided him with a slightly different view of the fortress and the surrounding ornamental gardens. Sometimes he needed a break from the flow of information, curtailing its steady inward current. Especially now, after all the time he had spent in coordinating development of the ferocious weapon that would destroy humankind. He did not consider such breaks wasted time; far from it. They restored his mental capacities.
Dressed in a white-and-purple royal cloak, tunic, and matching beret, the Zultan had eight chins of fat beneath a puckish little mouth, a snout, and two oval, bright black eyes. His body, among the largest in the realm, was a lumpy mass of salmon-colored flesh with a broad hump across the shoulders. It had the traditional complement of three slender Mutati arms, along with six stout legs.
Often when he scuttled around the Citadel, he liked to make subtle alterations in his appearance, since it was so pleasurable for a Mutati to shapeshift. Large changes were extremely gratifying while small ones were lesser, but still sensual, joys. A complete transformation in the way he looked, however, could send a Mutati into waves of hedonistic ecstasy, from which he might not emerge for hours or even days on end. The Zultan, ever conscious of this and of the priorities required of his position, could not afford such a diversion now, not with the important visitor about to arrive.
As Meshdi exited the lift at the base of a spire, he scurried through a wide corridor. Set up on a grand scale, the main passageways of the Citadel of Paradij were as wide as boulevards. Commensurately, the ceilings in the great rooms were as high as government buildings, and were adorned with frescoes, lacy platinum filigrees, and even necropaintings, a macabre Mutati art style in which the artists prepared their pigments from the bone powders of Human corpses.
As the royal personage rounded a corner, he used his Mutati mental powers to shift his facial appearance slightly, adding one more fatty chin … so that he now had nine of them instead of eight. Just ahead, a black-uniformed guard noticed the alteration, and stared more closely than usual when the immense leader passed by, so that the guard saw beyond the outer shell of the Mutati leader and analyzed the spectral aura beneath.
Satisfied at the identity of his superior, the guard nodded stiffly and looked away.
On a whim, Abal Meshdi whirled and returned. He stood in front of the guard and studied him closely, peering all the way to the glowing yellow aura beyond the skin. “Is that really you in there, Beaustan?”
“I am here, Sire,” the guard said, with the faintest hint of a smile. He tapped the butt of his jolong rifle once on the floor, a gesture of respect. For a Mutati, Beaustan was small, weighing only around one hundred and fifty kilograms. He had obtained his position by family connections, and was descended from a long line of loyal guards.
“I have a better idea,” the Zultan said. “I don’t feel much like attending to my duties today, so let’s trade places.” As he said this, he began unsnapping the golden clasps of his royal cloak.
“You want me to meet with the ambassador, too, Sire?” The guard looked shocked and frightened.
“Yes, he’s scheduled to arrive at any moment. I think you’ll do a fine job.”
“But Sire, I am a much smaller terramutati than you are. Even if I shapeshifted to look like you to an outsider, I would not have the requisite mass.”
“You aren’t proficient at puffing up, expanding your cells? No? Well then, just tell him you’ve been on a diet. He can’t see your aura, won’t know the difference. It will be a good test to determine how smart he is, to see if he really believes it.”
“Sire, I am not trained in diplomatic matters. I do not have your consummate interpersonal skills, and I do not wish to cause a galactic incident by making a major faux pas.”
“You are much too intelligent to be a guard,” Abal Meshdi said, nodding. “I have known that for some time. Perhaps I can find some more suitable job for you in my administration.”
“I am happy wherever you assign me, Sire.” He smiled nervously. “With certain exceptions, of course.”
At that moment a white-uniformed aide ran through the corridor. Stopping in front of the Zultan he saluted and said, “The Adurian ambassador has arrived, Sire.”
“Tell him I’ll be right there,” Meshdi said.
When the aide was out of earshot, the Zultan re-secured his tunic and said, “Perhaps you are right, Beaustan. We wouldn’t want to create an embarrassing incident.”
With a noticeable sigh of relief, the guard nodded, and stood even more rigidly at attention than before.
Actually, the Zultan had not intended to trade places with an underling. He had simply made the ludicrous suggestion on impulse, using absurdity to relieve (albeit only slightly) the matters that weighed so heavily on his mind. The Mutati leader was not known to have a sense of humor, which undoubtedly contributed to the confusion of the guard.
Meshdi shrugged his entire body in the way he had been trained to do by his dancée master, a spiritual counselor who taught him time-honored ways of controlling the mind and body. But even the most skilled dancée instructor could only do so much.
In his position, the Zultan needed more, and his magnificent gyrodome usually provided what he needed. He would reenter it later this evening.
* * * * *
In Abal Meshdi’s opulent Salutation Chamber he greeted Ambassador VV Uncel of the Adurian Nebula, a region of spiral arm star systems. This large room in the west wing of the Citadel featured a mosaic dome, with rabesk designs on eight interior columns that supported the dome’s weight. Statues of great Mutati statesmen filled alcoves around the perimeter of the room, next to high-backed merchant prince chairs that had been taken from the Humans in one of the Mutati military victories. Even the most petite Mutatis were too big to sit on these exquisitely-carved articles of furniture, but Meshdi liked to keep them around for display anyway, as reminders of past successes.
Larger, more practical chairs stood on an orange-carpeted section at the center of the chamber, furniture that had deep cushions bearing the likenesses of legendary Mutati rulers. The Zultan pointed in that direction, and led the way.
The Adurian diplomat had arrived with two attendants, who waited off to one side with a heavy gold and crystal chest, which they held by the handles with considerable difficulty. Like his assistants, Uncel was a hairless homopod, a mixture of mammalian and insectoid features with a small head, bulbous eyes, and no bodily hair. Dressed in a tight black suit and long white cape, the Ambassador’s skin was, in contrast, a bright patchwork of pink, blue, green and red caste markings. The intense colors and arrangements symbolized his high social status, but the large chair made him look very small.
VV Uncel waited while a servant brought two trays filled with tiny ceramic cups of irdol, an imported wine that was reputed to enhance virility. One tray was placed in front of each of the dignitaries. Quickly, the Zultan quaffed a cup of the bright orange liquid, then hurled it to the floor with a small crash, grabbed another and drank it too, before his visitor had even reached for one.
The Adurian dignitary rubbed his wiry fingers together, making a grating sound, as if a microphone had been placed next to an insect. “I shall partake of your fine wine,” he said in his whiny alien accent, “but first allow me to present you with a gift.” He nodded toward his two attendants.
At his signal the homopods stepped forward, carrying the heavy chest. They set it down on the thick carpeting in front of Abal Meshdi and swung open the lid.
After discarding his irdol cup, the Zultan leaned forward expectantly and looked inside. Seeing a pale blue polyplax bubble sitting on black velvmink, he wondered if this was a prototype of the terrible weapon. He had been told that the device was easily transportable, but had no idea what it actually looked like. The Adurians, with their inventive and manufacturing skills, were building it on one of their industrial planets, using funds provided by the Mutatis.
“Is this a Demolio?” Abal Meshdi whispered. His ring-bedecked fingers danced over the top of the box. He wanted to touch the object, but was not entirely certain if it was a prototype.
Uncel laughed with an abruptness that startled the Zultan, causing him to recoil, and then to scowl.
“Certainly not,” the diplomat said, in a squeaky voice. “This is a portable version of the full-size gyrodome that we gave you earlier. We call it a minigyro, and soon it will be the most prized thought-enhancement device in the entire galaxy. Everyone will want one, but few will be able to afford them. The gold and crystal chest is yours as well, with my personal compliments.”
“But I thought you were bringing me news of my Demolio program.”
“My apologies, Zultan. Did someone say I was?”
“No, but I assumed … the last reports I received said that it was very close to completion, requiring only a few more tests and some fine tuning. I thought you were bringing me the good news that it is ready.”
“I am not a scientist, but I can report that I too have heard the same thing. I would be happy to check immediately upon my return and get right back to you. Will that be satisfactory?”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Meshdi felt flush in the face, from embarrassment. He reached into the box and brought forth the polyplax bubble, which was lightweight.
“Here, permit me to show you how it works,” Uncel said. “It is a minigyro, a small version of the gyro we gave you earlier.”
“I can do it myself,” the Zultan responded, for he was quite proud of his ability to figure things out. Soon, however, he gave up the effort. With an awkward grin, he shrugged and waved all three of his arms.
The Adurians were always creating new, wondrous objects from their marvelous collective imagination, often involving biological and biotech products. Like a small child, Meshdi was intrigued by the polyplax bubble. He felt a rush of excitement, and his pulse quickened.
“You wear it like this,” the Adurian explained, as he placed the minigyro high on the Zultan’s forehead, where it stuck to the skin with suction. When the device made contact it flashed on, bathing the Zultan’s flesh-fat face in spinning circles of multicolored light.
“Intriguing,” Abal Meshdi exclaimed, as images floated and gyrated in the air before his eyes like organisms under a scientist’s high-powered magnifying glax.
The Adurian looked on, and finally said, “You are seeing Mutati cells. A precise mixture of them, including all three variations of your people—those that walk upon the ground, fly, and swim.”
“Cells?” The pitch of the Zultan’s voice rose in alarm. “But how did you acquire them? I thought they were too complex to extract.”
“One of your own companies has developed a method.” He smiled. “Quite expensive, I must say. It’s one of the matters I would like to discuss with you. Perhaps you can help us obtain better prices.”
The Zultan nodded as he continued to watch the dance of the organisms before his eyes, projections that came from inside the housing of the minigyro. He felt his thoughts merging with the mechanism, sorting themselves into categories that he could analyze in the same manner as the much larger gyrodome.
It was quite ingenious, really, which he came to realize when he used the thought-enhancement quality of the minigyro to determine some features of its design. As the Zultan removed the mechanism from his forehead and felt the effects diminish, he asked how many units had been manufactured.
With an enigmatic wink, the Adurian said, “The production lines will start soon, but I wanted to meet with you first to go over … details.”
“Yes, that is wise.” After a moment, Meshdi added, “I wish to be your only customer for the product.” He turned the unit over in his hands, studying it from every angle. Through a clear plate on the underside he saw multicolored swirls, which Uncel explained were the Mutati cells, going about their tasks without complaint.
“You want our entire production?” Uncel said, after a moment of silence. “But we had hoped to export them all over the galaxy. The demand for something like this could be enormous.”
“But you need my cooperation in order to obtain the most essential ingredients. At a word from me, I could put you out of business.”
“That may or may not be true. We are talking about cells, after all, and the ones we have could be divided.”
“Without a loss of quality? Remember, Mutati cells are unique in the galaxy, and very sensitive.”
“Perhaps you are right. To be honest, I am not certain. In any event, I wish to be cooperative.” The Ambassador narrowed his eyes. “But must you have all of our production?”
With a firm nod, the Zultan said, “I can arrange for excellent wholesale prices and I will pay you fairly. You deserve to be rewarded, but all minigyro manufacturing must be performed on Paradij, or on another planet in the Mutati Kingdom.”
The Adurian’s insectoid eyebrows arched. “Why, if I might ask?”
“We are concerned about security.”
“With all appropriate respect, sir, I do not understand. You permit us to develop and manufacture Demolios on one of our own planets, but not minigyros?”
Meshdi nodded energetically, causing his many chins to quiver like the layers of a trifle. “The idea of extracted Mutati cells troubles me a great deal. It is no reflection upon your people, for I trust them completely. It is just that our cells are … sacred … and I do not wish to have them or your interesting product fall into the wrong hands.” He spoke with all the solemnity of his high position. “There is tremendous potential for harm here as well as for benefit.”
Abal Meshdi did not really trust the Adurians that much. With their permission he had stationed his own military forces on the industrial world where Demolios were being developed. Since it was well-known that Mutati forces were far superior to those of the Adurians, the conspirators agreed that it would be best to have the Mutatis provide security for this highly important, ultra-secret project. Still, the Adurian military had made significant advances recently and would need to be monitored, even if they were an ally.…
VV Uncel hesitated, and considered the situation. He thought it would be better to do the work on Adurian property, but didn’t envision problems doing it the Zultan’s way. The Adurians were so adept at their biomanufacturing processes that they could keep certain information secret from the Mutatis, even if the shapeshifters were watching them all the time.
With authority from the Adurian Council to make his own decisions in this matter, the Ambassador proceeded to reach an agreement with the Mutati Zultan. The diplomat-salesman accepted a large order for the new minigyros, which he knew Meshdi would distribute to his own people, despite his professed security concerns. The gyrodome and minigyros would suggest this course of action to him subconsciously, and he would not be able to resist.
This Adurian was much more than a diplomat, or a salesman. As VV Uncel departed, he was exceedingly pleased. Soon a large segment of the Mutati population would be influenced in their decision-making processes by the minigyros.
The Zultan was not going to get what he expected.