Wattys shortlist 2021. One morning the sun rises a few hours early, striking levitating skyscrapers in Soliara ahead of schedule. People in the streets stop to look up at the sky and then down at their watches. Most of them, puzzled but disbelieving...
Not hard like them, what glances off their armor slashes me open and I pour out right before their eyes what they can hide no problem, and how are these unsympathetic eyes in any way qualified to lead the Solari Empire?
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Franco was proud of himself for thoroughly infiltrating Soliara's social stratum by hora nona and was laughing along with the bunch of jackals as if he were a jackal himself. Older board members he never talked to except to deride their insane ideas, or their stupid ones, or radical ones. Or moderate ones.
Now he had them patting him on the back, grabbing his arm as they howled at his jokes, confiding all their boring secrets and toasting his immortal life and health every time they knocked one back. The entourage was meant to give him something to do and someone to stand with while he thought, but he couldn't think like this.
Unfortunately, they wanted to know everything about him. The constant questions kept him on his toes instead of letting him recede into the depths of the frontal lobe of his cerebrum where he could do some problem solving.
"The department of power, I don't even understand what that is. Isn't the name vague?" asked Exequi Marcus Dormer.
"Not at all," said Franco. "We examine star power in its purest form, both empirically and theoretically, and while our research intersects with every—"
"Well, that's exactly what I was going to say, aren't all of Constellation's departments departments of power?"
"No, Constellation's other departments use our research for their unique purposes. We work toward our purposes—"
"Which are what exactly? Reversing immortality?" His affectionate smile for Franco didn't shrink a millimeter even when he added, "That won't ever be approved, I don't care who ends up president."
Rocking forward onto his toes, Franco denied any allegations that the power department was involved in any plans to reverse immortality. That was the cover for their second star dial, and everyone already believed it, but the fun part was Franco was under strict instruction to deny it. "The power department is not in any way working on the problem of how to reverse immortality. We only seek greater understanding of the energy source behind magic. Simple as that."
"No one believes you," said Marcus Domus, and he grinned, and Exequi Pons grinned like they'd trapped him. Exequi Gaius Accius patted Franco on the back again.
Franco let himself smile slyly as if he had been caught. "Now, I think the solar phenomenon today's a good example for why the power department wants to know more about what we're playing with," and this he could discuss without thinking, mindless words tumbling out of his mouth while his brain worked on other problems and his audience laughed, gushed, and at one point even clapped. Funny how fear mongering could be met with laughter and applause.
His generation tended to respond with pouting and outrage, which pretty much amounted to the same thing.
For a second Franco wondered if he could talk these four into voting Marius, but Justin, master technician, didn't think these four could be moved.
The last thing Justin had said to Franco rang in his ears: "Eliminate Ilan Potestas, and maybe you will feel more deserving of your reward." The gnomon was heavy in his jacket pocket. It pulled his jacket down tight on the left side. Impractical. Prototypes never got convenience right on the first try.
He told Marcus Dormer another joke. Then, while he had them all roaring, he made his polite and swift escape.
His push through bodies between him and the bar was less polite, but he needed a drink and a more productive space for procrastinating.
Unfortunately, when he sidled up to the bar, he didn't find himself alone with the bartender and his thoughts, but rather about to be swept up in another demanding conversation. There was Lucian Acario on a barstool, and he waved Franco in. From the steel on his face, it wasn't a social request.
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