Double Helix 06_ The First Virtue - Michael Jan Friedman [4]
Thul nodded. “I did,” he conceded. “But one truly confident of his courage does not pick fights to demonstrate it. He knows life will give him plenty of opportunities to show how brave he is.”
The youth shot a conspiratorial look at his companion, the Indarrhi. “You see how it is, Wyl? The man is a font of wisdom.” Then he turned back to the governor. “I will try my best to remember what you’ve taught me, Father. I have always tried to remember what you taught me… even if I am only your bastard.”
Thul shook his head, knowing Mendan had no intention of remembering anything. “You are my son… the son of a high-ranking Thallonian official. It would be a pleasant surprise if you acted accordingly.”
Mendan eyed him. “Why have you come slumming, Father? Do you know how far you are from anything resembling the imperial court?”
Thul’s hands clenched into fists at the thought of what had happened at court. With an effort, he unclenched them. “I have come,” he said, “because I have a mission for you-one that cries out for a man who can navigate the underside of society.”
The youth’s eyes opened wide. “So, naturally, you thought of me. Mendan Abbis, the benighted product of a drunken revel twenty-two years ago. And you dare lecture me about making merry!”
“If you perform this mission,” the governor continued evenly, “you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.”
That seemed to get his son’s attention. “My dreams may be wilder than you think,” he said warily.
“I doubt it,” Thul said with the utmost confidence. He leaned closer, grasping the back of his son’s chair. “If all goes well, Mendan, you will become the crown prince of a brand-new empire.”
The bastard looked at him. “You’re joking.”
The governor shook his head. “I’m not.”
Mendan considered the answer for a moment. Then he said, “Let’s talk,” and pulled over an empty chair.
“Outside,” Thul insisted.
The youth gestured for the Indarrhi to come along. Then he got up and led the way out of the tavern.
The alley outside was cold and wet, but it had the very important virtue of being private. Thul pulled up his hood against the weather and watched wisps of white steam emerge from his son’s mouth.
“Well?” Mendan asked, his eyes alive with curiosity. “How do you intend to make me heir to an empire? And why would that pompous windbag Tae Cwan allow such a thing to take place?”
The governor glanced at the Indarrhi. “He can be trusted?”
The boy nodded. “With our lives. Now answer my question.”
Thul’s jaw clenched at his son’s audacity. Clearly, Mendan had a lot to learn. “Why would Tae Cwan tolerate the formation of an empire that would rival his own?” the governor asked. He didn’t wait for an answer. “He wouldn’t-if he knew about it.”
The bastard’s mouth pulled up at the corners. “I see.”
“I won’t lie to you,” said the governor. “It won’t be easy to keep this from the emperor. And there are a number of other problems as well… which may not loom quite so large if you are successful at your task.”
“My… task?” Mendan echoed.
Thul shrugged. “Did you think it would all be placed in your lap?”
His son shook his head. “I suppose not.”
The governor imparted the most basic details of his plan. It didn’t take him long-only a few minutes. When he was finished, he eyed Mendan and waited for his reaction.
The bastard seemed hesitant. “Why should I trust you?” he asked his father. “You’ve never spoken to me this way before, like an equal instead of an inferior.”
“An oversight for which I apologize,” Thul told him. “Before, I was blinded by ambition. Now, my eyesight is a little sharper-and I see more clearly who is important to me and who is not.”
Mendan’s eyes narrowed as he considered the proposition. Finally, he nodded. “All right. What do you want me to do?”
The governor told him.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Stargazer was looking forward to a most rewarding day.
His vessel was about to become the first to conduct