Star of Gypsies

A little later on that remarkable day, which I'm certain will provide stimulating challenges to historians for centuries to come, the late Lord Periandros made an unexpected reappearance on the imperial communications channel. The reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated, he informed us. He was even now as heretofore the Sixteenth Emperor and he called upon all loyal citizens to denounce the lies of the criminal Lord Sunteil and the vile intrusion upon the imperial palace of the criminal Lord Naria.

In short, the fat was in the fire, the shit had hit the fan, and there were altogether too many cooks in the kitchen, which was sure to spoil the broth. Periandros' simple little coup d'etat had given way to a three-cornered civil war.

Fragmentary reports on all this began to reach my palace at the Capital about midday. The first thing we heard was Sunteil's starport speech, telling us that Periandros was dead and he was in charge. Polarca, Damiano, Jacinto and I sat transfixed in front of the screen, trying to comprehend what was going on. Abruptly Sunteil's speech was interrupted and the camera cut to the imperial palace, to the great council-chamber of the emperor. We were treated to a close-up shot of the defunct Lord Periandros lying in state. He was wrapped from throat to toes in glittering brocaded robes, but the camera lingered a long while on his face, and it was unmistakably the face of Periandros. He appeared to be quite authentically dead.

Troublesome sounds of warfare now could be heard in the streets outside: sirens and whistles, booms and crashes.

"I don't like any of this," Polarca said. He kept blurring. I knew that he was ghosting compulsively, as he always did when he became tense. Hopping around wildly through the epochs and the light-years, but absent no more than a hundredth of a second at a time from the present. "We ought to get ourselves out of here, Yakoub," he said between hops. "These crazy Gaje are going to wipe each other out and we're right in the middle of it all."

"Wait," I said. "Sunteil's clever enough to get things under control fast. He's probably trying to round up all of Periandros' Akrakikan loyalists, and then-"

"Look," Damiano said in a strangled-sounding voice, pointing to the screen.

And there was the flamboyant face of Lord Naria, suddenly, purple skin and scarlet hair and cold, cold, cold blue eyes, telling us that he was the true Sixteenth, accept no substitutes, and all was well.

"Yakoub-" said Polarca, ghosting like a madman.

A robot came rolling into the room. "A man at the gate, claiming sanctuary," it announced. "Shall we admit him?"

Damiano laughed harshly. "Probably Sunteil, looking for a place to hide."

"He gives his name as Chorian of Fenix," said the robot blandly. "Chorian?" I hit the control and brought up the gate scanner image. Yes, indeed, it was Chorian out there, looking flushed and sweaty and frightened. He seemed to be alone. He was trying to press himself as close to the impervious skin of the gate as he could. I sent the robots out to bring him in.

"Check him for concealed weapons," Polarca called. "Don't you think that's going too far?" said Damiano.

"This is a crazy day. Anybody might do anything. What if he's here to assassinate Yakoub?"

Damiano turned to me in appeal. "For God's sake, Yakoub, if the boy had meant to kill you, wouldn't he have done it on Mulano?" "Check him all the same," I said. "It can't do any harm. Polarca's right: this is a crazy day."

But the craziness was only beginning, then.

Chorian-duly frisked and otherwise processed-was admitted to my presence a few minutes later. He was a pitiful sight: wild-eyed, trembling, exhausted. I summoned one of my medics, who calmed him down.

"Thank God you're safe," he said, practically in tears. "You can't imagine what's going on out there."

"What are you doing at the Capital?" I asked.

"I came in with Sunteil on the Jewel of the Imperium. There was an attack-at the starport-imperial troops, a whole horde of them-a madhouse, people being killed all over the place-don't know how I was able to escape-"

"Slow down, boy. Was Sunteil killed?"

"I don't think so." Chorian took a deep breath. "He was with his bodyguard and I think they fought their way out the side exit. I went through the baggage loop and crawled into a storage pocket and out the far side. Ran all the way here. They're fighting everywhere-I don't know who, troops loyal to Periandros, troops loyal to Sunteil-"

"Don't forget Naria," Damiano said. "Naria?" Chorian said, mystified.

"He doesn't know," I said. "Naria's at the palace. He's the one who sent the troops to arrest Sunteil. We just heard him proclaiming himself emperor, Right after they showed the body of Periandros on the screen."