20 Serina – Captain Tsgerr (2/2)
”What about the Emperor? I have a private grudge to settle with him.”
”You leave him to me. I already have the best Ninja that I have ever seen, Captain Sul, assigned to him. Captain Sul is the only man to have ever bested me in unarmed combat. I also have a backup just in case. You will take out Captain Sul. If you strike just as he kills the Emperor, you can kill him if you miss well I'll avenge you but I think that will be of scant consolation to you.
Also—realize that I am going to throw myself over the Emperors body, to 'protect' it. In reality, I have a special undetectable knife that will finish him for sure. On the twenty-third, at eighteen hundred hours you will have your troops in full dress blacks drawn up in the formation and at attention in the center of the arena. At eighteen hundred exactly you will be posted to the floor of the Twelfth galactic region's Imperial Senate for the annual changing of the guards.
I have to return to the palace to make sure that the plan continues on schedule. The Emperor now only trusts me to handle security at the palace.”
He suddenly pulled me uptight against him his voice suddenly thick with buried passion, ”Play your cards right Serina and the universe could be yours, as my consort.” Then he roughly kissed me.
I kissed him back with every bit of knowledge that I had. When I finally released him, he was weak-kneed. ”I'm hard to catch as you found out on Caribbia, but once I'm caught, I stay caught,” I said, my mouth still brushing his. ”I look forward to the completion of the coup so that we may consummate our union. For now, we have too much to do, and I need to stay in training so this will have to do as a promissory note.” I kissed him again, intensely, until his knees again threatened to buckle.
His hand slowly and sensuously caressed my body as he drew himself away. I don't think he would have left if his wristcom had not beeped. He glanced at it and said, ”I must leave you, my love. Our future is in your hands. I've supplied you with the best warriors in the universe, and all the knowledge that you will need is here in the Command Center. I'm sorrier than you will ever know, but you are right as usual, we will indeed have our wedding night in the imperial palace, right after we see Lady de Winters drawn-n-quartered for treason. Until we meet again, my love….” He stepped into the Command center's Port, its hush field blocking anything else he might have said—and then, suddenly, he was gone.
The first thing that I had to find out was just what was to take place, so I pulled up a chair to the Com and com and started my studies, . . . four weeks, one lousy month was all I had. Lance would have to wait; he was definitely out of the picture now anyway.
Rubbing my bleary eyes, I called my Command staff to the command center and started the briefing. I handed each one a data pack with their part all spelled out, these men and women were the best that the Marines had to offer. They had been painstakingly selected and trained for this task. I had personally vetted each one. I knew that they would not let me down. When the time came, their men would be trained to a fine pitch.
However, they would have to continue using their wooden dummies to practice on. Because Sir James had made it clear, in my mind at least, that he was the only one who would use Lance as a ”Mook Joong.” hours turned into days, and I worked with Tiny at a fevers pitch to make sure that everything would turn out right.
Then just a week later the Duke showed up on his reviewing platform high above the arena. I had been given only fifteen minutes notice of his arrival. Even still, my company was assembled, and my staff and I were on the platform waiting to receive him. He looked every inch, an Emperor. The silent salute was again exchanged then he turned to me. ”Very good T'gerr, now let's see just how good they are. Bring me Lawrence Young and put him into the arena.”