Boleslaw cleared her throat. “Legally, we’re in a bit of a sticky wicket. You’d have to stand for your court-martial and hope for clemency from the tribunal.”
“I would hope for acquittal,” I replied, straightening. “How long do I have to decide?”
“You have until the armistice is signed and we return to the capital,” the prince replied.
“What about Tilly? She is a Commonwealth citizen,” I asked.
“Your hoversteed shares guilt in many of your crimes—” the prince began, but I interrupted him.
“I am not guilty, I am accused, and I’ll thank you to remember that,” I barked. “Tilly has not even been accused. If she were, I would argue she operated under duress, due to her unique mental condition brought about by the circumstances of her emergence as an SI. I’m certain any court in the Commonwealth would agree. In the meantime, she is a Commonwealth citizen and deserves the same aid as anyone else. You have a duty to repair her.”
The prince glared at me, his chin resting on his fist. “You know, you could make this so much easier for everyone if you stayed here.”
I was shocked by the suggestion. “Are you suggesting I desert my post, Your Highness?”
The prince said nothing.
“But, then I could never see the Commonwealth again,” I replied.
“As I said, so much easier for everyone,” the prince replied.
“So you will not authorize Tilly’s repair?” I demanded.
“If you return with us, you are a criminal. If you remain, you are a deserter. I am not in the habit of wasting Royal Guards’ time on either,” the prince said, his expression haughty.
I didn’t know how to respond, so I pivoted on my heels and wordlessly walked away. I decided not to think about the choice at that moment. I’d go crazy if I did. No, I had to focus on getting help for Tilly.
I found Lyudmyla in the main entryway, directing the removal of Imperial bodies. “I know that one was an insurgent. He fired upon me when we breached the doors. Take his face off, strike his name from the books, and burn him with the rest of the traitors,” she said, then turned to me when I called her name.
“Consort. What can I do for you?”
“It’s Tilly,” I said.
Lyudmyla’s face darkened. “Is it dead?”
I swallowed back my fear that she might indeed be gone. “That’s what I’m trying to determine. I need a skilled aeromotive mechanic to run a diagnostic, and if possible, repair her.”
“Why not ask your Commonwealth mechanics to do it?” Lyudmyla asked.
I grimaced. “I’m in a bit of a legal quandary with the Commonwealth right now, which is why as Consort, I request you find a suitably skilled mechanic to help me fix my hoversteed.”
Lyudmyla’s shoulders drooped. “I know you are attached to the beast, and we owe it a great deal for its part in saving the Emperor, but it is not that simple. Imperial engineers are not familiar with Commonwealth technology, especially not AI-capable computer hardware. We take great care to design our processors so AI cannot develop. Even if I did know an engineer skilled in the heretical arts, I would not order anyone to pursue such a dangerous endeavor.”
I was confused. “Danger? What danger? She’s a deactivated hoversteed. Even if her power cell ruptured, it’s dormant, and won’t explode like an active cell. The conflagration couldn’t puncture a working shield.”
Lyudmyla looked over her shoulder, then leaned close to me and whispered, “What if it’s catching?”
“Catching… SI are not contagious,” I said.
“You don’t know that,” Lyudmyla muttered.
“Yes, I do. I’ve flown with one long enough that if anyone would be infected, it would be me,” I replied.
Lyudmyla gave me a look implying her doubts that this was not indeed the case before she said, “Regardless, I have no one capable of helping your steed. I am sorry, Consort.”
I thanked Lyudmyla and left her to continue her work. I had not yet given up hope. Maybe Lyudmyla did not know of any ‘heretical’ engineers, but Astrid might.
I ran into Darius outside the Emperor’s suite. He greeted me with a hug.
