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CHAPTER 10

"You don't understand," growled Counselwolf Gilder at the emperor's chancellor. "Why don't you try telling the emperor that this is a matter of extreme importance to the security of his empire?"

Quinn Gilder had been at the emperor's palace all morning and well into the afternoon, waiting patiently to speak with His Excellency, only to be stonewalled repeatedly by his staff.

"As is his current engagement, Councilwolf," asserted the chancellor, the emperor's personal secretary and gate-keeper.

The old grey wolf growled crossly. "I think his sexual exploits can wait a day, chancellor. The fox will be demanding our resolution in only two days!"

"You'll do well to watch your tongue, Gilder! His Excellency will be most displeased to hear of your disrespect."

Scowling, Gilder plopped down on a lavishly plush sofa to brood away the time. His Excellency was currently busy with his harem, no doubt bedding as many as he could in as short a time as possible. The emperor had been unable to produce a male heir so far, much less a female one, and over the last year there had been whispered rumors of sterility among the princes, provincial governors, and his imperial council. Gilder knew what they didn't; that the rumors were entirely true. It had been found, while the emperor was still a child, that a recessive mutation on the sex genes made it impossible to generate viable sperm. Infertility was not an uncommon phenomenon in the imperial genealogy; no doubt an effect of continual inbreeding over generations of monarchy. This had been one of the empire's best kept secrets. One of many that Gilder's rank and associations permitted him to know.

The emperor himself knew, of course; but a little thing like medical science hadn't stopped him from trying. The act of love making-or heir-making, as it were-had climbed to the top of the emperor's to-do list. Gilder thought it ridiculous that such a practice should demand so much of the emperor's time, considering he was only nineteen years old. But the stubborn youth was determined to do it the old-fashioned way. Artificial insemination was not an option. The emperor's air of pride and tradition would not permit such a scandal.

Damn tradition, Gilder thought. It was tradition that had brought him here, and it was tradition that had kept him waiting for five hours.

After another hour of waiting, a train of twenty to thirty beautiful, noble-born wolfesses passed by on their march to the harem's rectory. They were all ornately clothed in fine silks and linens, smelling of obscenely expensive perfumes...and a few other scents that made the councilwolf all the more angry at his present situation. They giggled to themselves as they crossed the corridor while a remarkably disinterested-looking chaperone followed behind them, shooing them down the hall like a mother hen.

Several minutes later the chancellor returned, stating that the emperor would see him now, but for only a brief moment. Councilwolf Gilder followed him to the emperor's audience chamber where, upon entering, the pair of wolves knelt upon the floor and bowed. Standing again they walked unhurriedly across the hall toward the emperor's plush velvet throne, raised upon a platform. At the foot of this platform the two wolves performed the ceremonial bow once again, but Gilder did not recover. He remained prostrate as the chancellor crept up to the emperor's side in a graceful scuttle, never permitting his eye-level to exceed that of the imperial lord's.

Gilder's eyes wandered for brief moment as the chancellor whispered in the imperial ear. The imperial palace had been constructed over twelve hundred years prior in the classic form. The massive structure was build entirely of shaped and polished marble, from the foundations to the highest dome. The audience chamber was long and narrow, the distance between the entry and the emperor's stage spanning its entire length. To his right were rows of tall windows rising from the floor the ceiling, bathing the chamber in warm sunlight. The walls were tooled with inlaid etchings that would take a lifetime to fully experience.

Cutting the relative silence, the chancellor's voice rose to declare in an even voice, "Your Excellency, I present Councilwolf Quinn Gilder, representative of your High Council's Subcommittee on Military Procurement."

Nodding, the young wolf raised a paw with pads out in a ceremonial gesture of fidelity. "Be recognized, Councilwolf Gilder."

"I am your humble servant, most excellent Emperor Charles, lord of all wolves." Stepping forward he placed his paws on the platform and politely sniffed the emperor's outstretched paw before raising his right paw to press his pads to the youth's, allowing the emperor to bring his paw to his nose and sniff in turn.

"You are well met, noble servant."

Once the Ceremony of Recognition was complete, the councilwolf stepped back from the platform and stood.

The young wolf was slate-grey in fur, and long in the limbs. Even at the age of nineteen he was promising to be an imposing figure, even in the loose robes he wore now. At more formal occasions he preferred to wear an ornate military uniform that served to enhance his grandeur.

"Now, my friend, my chancellor tells me you have important information concerning the threat in the Radon Frontier?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. It is my opinion that war with these aliens must be avoided at any cost. This enemy is unlike any in the history of this empire, and far too superior in technology and ability for our might to contend with. This I mean with all due respect and humility, of course."

The chancellor scoffed aloud, but the emperor raised a paw for him to be silent.

"Quinn, I know you to be a wolf of loyalty and duty. But my Admiralty has assured me that the navy is more than capable of repelling any invasion or hostile action from any enemy."

Gilder nodded slowly, but had to disagree. "I'm sure they do believe that, Your Excellency. But surely Your Excellency can see that they do not understand this enemy or what they are capable of."

The chancellor leaned over to whisper into the young wolf's ear for a moment, to which the emperor nodded.

"This enemy has demanded the forfeiture of millions of pieces of property from my empire. Should I agree to free these slaves I will be forever ridiculed as the emperor that rolled over and submitted myself and my empire to these foxes. I find your suggestion to be insulting, quite frankly."

Gilder, knowing he was standing on thin ice, bowed his head in his own display of submission. "My emperor, I am in no way trying to harm your reputation or your grandeur. I believe your noble servants are mistaken, and I fear their shortsightedness will unjustly harm Your Grace's reputation. That will be far costlier than the loss of any number of slaves. Without relenting the enemy will invade, and I can assure you on my honor that no navy in the entire Lupine Empire will be able to stand in their way. What I suggest, Your Excellency, is a cooperative trade that will benefit both of our people."

The chancellor once again leaned in to whisper, but the emperor pushed him away.

"How so, Quinn?"

"We know that their technology is extremely sophisticated and there is no limit as to how much we could learn from their capabilities in transportation, communications, weaponry, medicine." Then the old councilwolf almost smiled to himself as a thought occurred to him. "We know they suffer from almost no diseases and debilities, such as rabies, the AAB virus...or sterility," he added, almost as an afterthought.

The emperor sat up straight at the mention of the word and the chancellor barked irately.

"How dare you insinuate that-"

"Chancellor!" interrupted the emperor. "Be silent. Quinn, I may be young in years but I can recognize bribery when I hear it. I am well aware of the rumors about me and were you any other wolf I'd have you disposed of for having the nerve to say that to my face," he growled.

"Please forgive your humble servant, Your Excellency," pleaded Quinn Gilder, lowering his head, although he knew that nothing would befall him. The emperor was not a fool. Arrogant, young, and impotent, yes. But not a fool.

"Councilwolf Gilder," said the emperor, his voice rife with a suppressed wrath, "I've authorized the deployment of the Fourth, Seventh, and Fifteenth Fleets to the Radon Frontier to defend against these...invaders. If you can produce for me any evidence to your claims-that nobody else seems to know-I will consider your suggestion."

The chancellor's eyes widened in alarm. "But Your Highness, I must strongly urge th-"

"Chancellor! Be. Silent."

Quinn Gilder knelt on the floor and bowed. "I will do as you ask before the end of the day, my most honored emperor."

The emperor extended his paw to which the councilwolf stepped up to press his nose pad against.

"You are well met and released, loyal servant," concluded the emperor, and Councilwolf Gilder marched, his face still toward the emperor, backward for twenty paces before turning and striding quickly from the audience chamber.

"Your Excellency," said the chancellor after he had gone, "I don't believe he can be trusted to do what is best for you and your empire."

Standing, Emperor Charles turned to glare at his personal secretary. The young wolf's stare was effectively intimidating, a tool he'd perfected in recent years, and the elder looked down in obedience.

"Your emperor will be the judge of that, chancellor," he said with fangs bared before stepping from the platform and into a side door that led directly to his personal chambers.

Passing down the outer hall of the imperial palace Gilder pulled from his belt a cellular tablet and opened a specially encrypted program. Dialing a well-practiced and complicated code into the sequencer he waited for the desired response.

After less than a minute the screen flashed to a new viewer and a digitally-warped blob of a figure with ears and nose appeared.

"Calling me at work like this?" said the blob in a distorted voice-over designed to hide Mr. P's identity. "Whatever you want, it had better be important."

"Believe me, my friend, this will change everything. Meet me outside of the Capitol Cafe, and bring the files on Project Heir."

"That's in no way complete. The recombination scheme is so full of holes you can see light through it."

"I know that. Do it anyway."

There was a long pause on the other end as the figure temporarily disappeared from view. When it returned the answer was short and strained.

"I can't give you any promises," he said, and the screen went blank.

"To the office," he told his driver as he climbed into the back of his waiting transport.

When he reached his office in the council building, the first thing he noticed was that his secretary was not at her desk. He checked his watch. 4:23 pm. Office hours were not over for another hour and a half.

"Grace?" he called into his inner office room, expecting to find her arranging messages or setting the latest briefings on his desk.

What he really found, sitting in his chair behind his desk, was an unwelcomed shock.

"Grace is not in, Councilwolf. I sent her to the break room for hot tea."

"Admiral Royce. What the hell are you doing in my office?"

The admiral stood. "The better question is what the hell are you planning on accomplishing by exposing our organization?"

"Saving our empire, that's what. You know perfectly well that with the public exposure of the Vulpine species, our little organization will have outworn its usefulness overnight."

"For gods' sakes, do you really believe the emperor is responsible enough to understand the severity of what we do? The empire is dead, Councilwolf, as it has been for over a century. The emperor is no more in command of this empire than me or you. It's the committees and the councils that wield the true authority. You know that!"

Gilder jabbed a claw at Admiral Royce's nose. "That may very well be, but as long as the population believes him to be in power, they will follow his every wish. But then, this is only about money and power, isn't it Admiral?"

Admiral Royce growled. "Yes, it is, and it is that power that has kept this empire together for so long. We deal in technology, Councilwolf, the kind that keeps us in one piece despite the constant pressures of war and an ever-strained economy."

"My time for power is reaching its end. I intend to leave this empire in peace for my grandchildren and theirs. Now get the hell out of my office, Royce, before I have security escort you to the brig."

Admiral Royce was about to say something challenging when Grace walked in, a steaming mug of tea in her paw.

"Oh, Councilwolf Gilder, there you are. Will you be having tea with the admiral as well?"

"No, Grace. Thank you, but the admiral was just leaving."

Royce glared at Gilder from the corner of his eye, then smiled amiably at the secretary and took the mug from her paw.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, Grace. I hope you don't mind me taking my tea to go, do you?"

Grace laughed good-naturedly, but Gilder only growled at the admiral's retreating form.

A little less than an hour later, the councilwolf was waiting alone in his small sports-auto outside of what once was the Capitol Cafe, a small tea and lunch house that bankrupted months before due to sanitation violations. As a lone wolf stepped up to the auto and tapped on the window, Quinn Gilder unlocked the doors and the figure sat down on the passenger seat.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Quinn," said Mr. P.

"You and me both, Michael," Gilder said, started the engine.

"I brought the files." The wolf patted his pocket with a nervous paw.

"Good."

Dr. Michael Parker took a moment to breathe deeply to relax his nerves. Calm down, he told himself. This is what you wanted, isn't it?

Almost as an afterthought the biologist remembered to set his safety harness and pushed the strap's rings into the latch. As he did so, the latch gave the familiar click of metal bolts fitting into place, but a short electric beep, beep, beep sounded through the cabin.

Both wolves looked to each other; one in confusion, the other in horror.

"Quinn, do you-"

"Michael! Get ou-"

The wolf was cut short as the auto erupted into flames, instantly reducing it to a twisted frame of alloy and a blackened crater in the cement.

Down the road, a wolf sighed regretfully to himself. Taking a sip of tea he shook his head.

"Buckle up for safety."