When John returned to the command center Luten forced him to immediately contact the Empress to report to her. It seemed that the Empress was impatient to hear his news.

“I heard that you went through the waygate,” the Empress said without preamble.

“Yeah, about that,” John said nervously, “I was just about to write you a report.”

“I heard that you brought back some dwarfs and made a deal for precious metals.”

“It’s going to be a long detailed report so I’m spending some time on it. I wasn’t trying to hide anything,” John said quickly. “These dwarfs are outcasts. Ordinary dwarfs would kill them on sight, so things are a little tricky.”

“As long as they stay in your barony they should be safe. I shall let you have exclusive trading rights with these dwarfs. I’ll expect ten percent of your profits as tribute and the right to buy fifty percent of your ores at half the market price.”

“So much?” John sputtered. “That’s daylight robbery I’ll give you twenty percent at half price.”

“From what I hear you’ll still be making a massive profit. I’ll settle for forty.” How had the Empress got her information? Had one of his elite martial artists betrayed him?

“Fine, your Majesty, but one of your faithful martial artists died on this mission, and he held you in great reverence. I would be grateful if you would personally attend Oliar’s funeral. I’ll hand over my report to you personally as soon as I get to Tanis with the funeral cortege.”

“Very well. I will expect to see you in two weeks time.”

John gave the ten martial artists and Spiz monetary bonuses for their hard work during the expedition. Was two thousand credits too much? It didn’t matter. He had the funds and he would use them however he liked. John then consulted with the dwarfs about constructing refineries. He got a list of all the materials they would need. Work, work and more work! It seemed unending. He prepared Oliar’s body for its journey to Tanis. All nine martial artists insisted on attending. Spiz stayed behind, knowing that he he’d have to look after things while John was away. Luten and Spiz were the cornerstones of his new city.

It took two weeks to reach Tanis. John organized Oliar’s funeral. He would be buried in the Martyrs’ Field near the Palace. It was a great honor to be buried there. John had managed to get Oliar that piece of turf with a lot of bargaining and hard effort. The Empress officiated at the funeral as promised. Oliar was buried with all military honors, though the circumstances of his death were shrouded in mystery. The Empress had made all information regarding the waygate on Fi confidential, but John knew it was only a matter of time before it was leaked.

The Death Walkers chanted as the body was lowered into the ground. The Empress scattered rose petals and some dust onto the coffin. John and the rest followed her and did the same. Incense suffused the air, drifting upwards to the sky with Oliar’s soul. John wondered if Oliar would be reincarnated just like he was, or if he’d end up in an afterlife as most people believed.

The Empress left soon after. Some of Oliar’s comrades delivered eulogies. Oliar’s sister was there, though she barely knew him. John was awestruck by Oliar’s life story, the tales of his brave deeds when he’d been an Imperial Guard on Tanis, his heroics during the war for Aroth, his softer side for pet kittens, his generosity for war orphans and widows, and his never ending enthusiasm for the glory of Oor.

Once the funeral was over, John went to the palace. There were many things he needed to discuss personally with the Empress. He was taken to the royal aquarium outside the main palace. The Empress was standing inside, watching a tank of fish.

“Do you like fish, Wild Child?”

“I like eating them. I don’t mind watching them.”

“This is a species of fish called noble fish,” she pointed to a tank. The fish in it were all brightly colored, with blues and greens and golds. “They are very territorial but also work as a group. The fish kings have their own coteries and entourages just like human nobles. The fish kings have their alliances with one another and stay on their own side of the tank. Watch what happens when a fish from another tank is introduced into this one.” She scooped up a noble fish from a neighboring tank and put it in the tank in front of her. The fish seemed lost, swimming this way and that. The other fish flared up as soon as they saw the stranger fish. Then the bigger fish brought an army of other fish to attack the new fish. It lay dead in a matter of seconds.”

“I did not come here to look at fish, your Majesty.” John had understood her meaning and couldn’t help shivering a little.

“And yet here you are, Wild Child. Look at what happens when the fish loses its home tank and the protection of its king. I can keep you in my tank and protect you, but only if you’re honest with me. You should have informed me immediately about the functional waygate.”

“I only wished to ascertain things before sending you a full report.”

“When the other nobles find out how profitable Fi is they will try to snatch it away from you. I could have helped you manage things better so that word did not spread so quickly.”

She scooped up a whole school of fish with their king and placed them in a relatively empty tank. The fish went on a rampage, killing the few original fish of the new tank.

“Will Duke Pular make a move against me?”

“You are too small for Pular to move against personally. He does however have many barons and viscounts on his side who would not be so picky with their prey. Fi is nice and fat, and they think you are too young to have claws.”

“What can I do?” John had not thought things through. “Isn’t there a law against infighting? How could your empire be stable if all its nobles fight against each other all the time?”

“If it were someone else they wouldn’t dare...but you? You have no support, except for what I give you in secret. Yes, people know I funded your colony ship, but that is the most I could show in the open, a reward for winning in the Arena.”

“As long as you help me, even in secret, I shouldn’t have a problem. I just need more ships.”

“I can send you soldiers in secret but not ships. You can build those yourself with your dwarf engineers. I’ll transfer all the technological knowledge you need. That’s the best I can do. You can also buy ships from other sources, but the taxes are high.” Taxes! Even in this life the IRS was strangling him. Would he ever be free of taxes? Was Ovin the Destroyer subject to taxes?

“I thought I would be exempt from taxes for some time until I find my feet.”

“That was before you found a rich new planet via the waygate. I cannot favor you unjustly. I will send you martial artists, spell casters, engineers and other specialists to help you raise your planets defenses quickly, but keep all that secret. My Spymaster will teach you how to use these people without anyone being the wiser. Let them think that you are weak. They will then make mistakes.” John could imagine it, an enemy fleet flying in orbit only to be blasted into scrap metal by his surface to space missiles.

“Can you tell me anything of our enemies’ strategies?”

“They will want a quick and covert victory over your forces. If they fight openly I will have an excuse to move against them before they have a chance to stake their claim.” So, they wouldn’t be using fleets in orbit then. That was a relief. “They will probably infiltrate your planet and mix with your people. When the time is right, they will capture key points and force you and your guardsmen to surrender. Then I will hear news of it after the planet is already in their hands. If I do not recognize their rule, Fi will become embroiled in chaos for years to come, a substitute battleground for my struggle with Pular.”

“Will they let me live?”

“Probably not.”

“How many soldiers can you give me?”

“Five hundred martial artists and spell casters, fully loyal to the throne.”

“I’ll need some initial capital, to build metal refineries and get my operation moving quickly. I’ll also need more military forts and batteries, and the soldiers you supply me aren’t enough. They’re elites but I need more, even if they are of lesser quality.”

“You can recruit them yourself.”

“I need money.”

“Then you shall have it. I will expect you to pay me back with interest.”

“Point me to your enemies and I shall be your executioner in the dark.”

The Empress pondered for a moment. “There is someone who is irritating me. He lives on Pitar.” Pitar was a satellite of Tanis. “He is a marquis’ son who has been having a lot of clandestine meetings with Pular. He is plotting against his father, who is loyal to me. Kill him. My Spymaster will send you the details. I will also send you a million credits to fund your operations for the time being. You will pay me back in five years.”

“Interest free?”

“Three percent annually.”

John took a detour to Pitar on his way back to Fi and completed his mission with ease. He was already out of the system when the body of the marquis’ son was discovered.

Back on Fi once more, John called Spiz to his side. “Find someone loyal to us to set up a secret information bureau. We have to screen everyone who enters our workforce thoroughly.”

“John,” Spiz was really worried. Where had the clown part of him gone? “Do we have to worry about an invasion? More and more people are coming and it’s getting harder to control.” Spiz understood things quickly. John was lucky to have him.

“It’s going to be hard to investigate every colonist. I’ll ask the Empress’ Spymaster to give you access to their citizen database. That’s the best I can do.”

“They will probably use fake identities.”

“What else can we do?” John paced up and down as he thought. “Make immigration stricter. Increase our surveillance of the planet. We need more eyes in the sky. Increase the security budget. We need more equipment. Most of all, we need more people. Start recruiting from wherever you can find trustworthy people.”