The Kingdom of the Seven Stars: Chaturanga

Chapter 3

"...Certainly, Lord Chancellor," said the prime minister, who had flinched as if he had been bitten by a particularly large mosquito as soon as he had heard Lord Blackstar's voice. He had just run through every piece of parliamentary procedure he could think of in his head and, to his annoyance, there was nothing he could use to stop Lord Blackstar from speaking.

"Thank you," said Lord Blackstar. "It's just that you said the coronation arrangements of the crown princess. For the last four hundred years – for all of our nation's history, in fact – the Kingdom of the Pleiades has followed the rule of absolute primogeniture. The eldest child of the previous king or queen has always inherited the throne. Is it really your intention that we should be the first generation of parliamentarians to break that tradition, prime minister? Are we really going to pass over Prince Max in this fashion?"

There was a loud stirring. MPs whispered to each other. People frowned, asked questions, shrugged or shook their heads. Lord Blackstar waited patiently. The prime minister stared at him.

"Lord Chancellor," he said, at last. "Do you know something I don't? I was under the impression that it has been – and still is – widely accepted that Prince Max's health problems make him unable to ascend to the throne."

"Prime Minister, since when do we discriminate against people on the grounds of ill health?" said Lord Blackstar, spreading his hands. "This is the 43rd century, for heaven's sake. And while it may be widely accepted, since when do we allow the wills and whims of public opinion to determine government policy?"

"We do not do any such thing!" said the prime minister. He was instantly furious with himself for denying it too quickly. "Either one. The reason, for the first one, is that it is quite clear that Prince Max – even though he is the eldest child of King Geoffrey – is not capable of taking on the duties and responsibilities of the monarch of the Pleiades. King Geoffrey knew this and accepted it. It's why he appointed Princess Jessamine as regent when he first fell ill five years ago."

"Exactly," said Lord Blackstar.

"I beg your pardon?" said the prime minister.

"You said it, prime minister," said Lord Blackstar. "Five years ago. At the time, you and his majesty were correct. Prince Max was not then capable of taking on his father's duties should he succeed to the throne. Technically, he still isn't. However, the medical treatments available for his condition have advanced a great deal in the past five years."

There was an even louder stirring. The muttering and whispering and the hushed questions intensified all over the chamber. Even the journalists who worked for rival news networks were whispering to each other. Alex gripped the arms of his chair, badly wanting to stand up and do something and wishing he knew what.

"I... was not aware of that, Lord Chancellor," said the prime minister. "However, the quality of the treatment available is not the issue here. The security risks posed by it are too great."

"Forgive me for contradicting you, prime minister, but they're not," said Lord Blackstar. "Anti-tampering technologies for neurological implants have also advanced a great deal in the past five years." He held out his hand and Will stood up next to him to hand him a computer pad. "If you will all look at file seven in the morning's documents, you will find eighteen different reports that I have collected from doctors, computer scientists, security specialists, intelligence experts and hacking-prevention consultants. These reports all state – separately and together – that the security risks of neurological implants, while a legitimate concern five years ago, have been reduced almost to zero today."

Everyone in the chamber who had a computer pad pulled it out. They quickly started scrolling through the list of files Lord Blackstar had uploaded. Everyone who had not brought one were reading over the shoulders of someone who had.