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  ‘Well. We can move on now. He’s been holding us back for years,’ the Prince said.

  ‘Now you are Emperor,’ Bander said.

  ‘Yes. Let’s get this cleared up.’ He turned and left and called in the doctor and his staff to remove the body and prepare it for burial. The Palace had a mausoleum directly below the official apartments. He would be buried there, and a tomb stone laid on top of him with a statue of his likeness, like all the great leaders before him.

  Lord Bander followed the new Emperor Zarka I to the Emperor’s offices. He sat down in the main seat behind his father’s ornate desk, with priceless ornaments on it. Lord Bander sat opposite like he’d done before for his father.

  ‘I want the throne room ready for me in thirty minutes,’ he told Bander. ‘I want to take my throne as soon as possible.’

  Lord Bander used his EyeSpec to message the chief Butler to clear up the mess and given that the Throne had bullet holes in it, the spare; an identical chair, made at the same time as the damaged one, would be in place within the next half hour and Zarka I could take his seat and call his privy council.

  He was called through by the Butler who appeared at the office door and bowed. ‘The Throne room is ready sire,’ he said.

  As he arrived Zarka walked through the long chamber, with high ranking officials lined up on either side. Lord Bander was close behind. ‘Long live Emperor Zarka!’ they yelled in unison. Zarka reached the Throne and stood in front of it before sitting down. Lord Bander took his place at his right hand.

  ‘Let’s go to war,’ Zarka said.

  Chapter Fifteen.

  Don headed off towards a hotel. He needed a room and seeing as though he was loaded, he took an apartment. Why not? He told himself. The apartment was huge. It had a large double bedroom, a dining room and a lounge, with two bathrooms. It was a soft beige colour with rich red curtains on the window, which looked out across the city which stretched a few miles out, before a backdrop of mountains in the distance. ‘This is the life,’ he said to himself as he stared out at the view. He settled in, removing his jacket, which was wet and putting his bag down on the floor. He sat down at the table and opened his EyeSpec. ‘DNA surgery,’ he said as a search term. Twelve clinics were listed. He picked one.

  He was exhausted so he climbed into bed. The apartment was hot. They always overheated these places. He fell asleep quickly and dreamt a lucid dream. He was half asleep leaning up against a building wall. One of the LA mega-skyscrapers he’d worked around. A man dressed in a high vis work jacket rushed towards him and sprayed him in the face with toxic chemicals. He began to splutter and choke, as he foamed at the mouth, before losing consciousness. He woke with a start. That must be how his victims felt when he worked for Cleaner Corp. He sat up in his bed and bowed his head in shame for all the innocent people he’d killed for them. He was drenched in sweat and got up and headed for the shower. He checked the time. It was eight. Their days were longer here than back at home. It would take a while to adjust. They had thirty-five hours to a day. Many people will sleep twice in a cycle. That was the only way it could be done.

  After he showered and dressed, he instructed his EyeSpec. ‘Call the Friar Clinic,’ he said. He heard a ringing noise.

  ‘Friar Clinic,’ a man’s voice answered.

  ‘Hi. I am interested in having some DNA surgery done. I wish to change my face.’ These clinics would never ask why people wanted their faces changed. They were aware that people on the run from the authorities would change their appearance to avoid detection. But they made too much money to frighten off clients with awkward questions.

  ‘Sure. I can book you in for a consultation this afternoon.’

  ‘I’m a little pushed for time. I will pay double if the surgery can be done today.’

  ‘Okay. I will have to speak to our chief surgeon. Can you hold please?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Don replied while the line went quiet. A few minutes passed, as Don got more and more impatient. Then he came back on the line.

  ‘You’ve been booked in for three this afternoon. Please bring a 3D image of what you want to look like. You can find examples online. Go to the ‘3D Works’ website.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Don said before giving his name and ended the call.

  Next he would head to the bank and withdraw his cash. He would take it out and pack it into strong boxes and put it all in a vault in the bank ready for when he left.

  He arrived a little early at the clinic and sat in a plush waiting area. ‘Come through,’ a nurse, dressed in white said. He stood up and followed her into a small consulting room. On one side of the room was an imaging machine and next to that on a worktop was a small machine with test tubes resting in holes on the top. ‘Right. We need to take a 3D image of your face, then we will take your DNA. Have you got your chosen image?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes.’ He opened his EyeSpec. ‘Send image to Friar,’ he said and the EyeSpec moved a file from his EyeSpec to their screen. The nurse looked up as she watched the transfer.

  ‘Good. Now if you come and sit on this seat and keep still.’ Don moved forward and sat down as instructed. The nurse pressed a button and an arm with a lens on the end of it zoomed quickly around his head, going round in almost full circles and back again, from the top of his head, downwards. Then she moved back to her screen where she focused on the job, watching the image come through. ‘That’s it. Now I need a swab. Please open your mouth,’ she said. She rubbed a cotton stick to the side of his mouth and inserted it into a test tube. She pushed the tube down into the machine and switched it on. ‘Okay. If you like to return to the waiting area.’

  A few minutes passed before the nurse reappeared in the waiting room. ‘Come through,’ she said.

  He stood up and walked into the surgery room where a tall man in a white coat waited for him, with a sickly smile across his face. There was a bed with a large light overhead.

  ‘Come and lie here and relax, while we get ready. I will be giving you a sedative first to take the pain away. The sedative will last for four hours. After that you will need pain killers because the pain is quite high. And I have to warn you, you may suffer some pain for the rest of your life, so I would expect for you to need pain medication on a permanent basis. Do you wish to continue?’ the surgeon asked.

  ‘Yes, I’ll take the pain,’ he said, feeling a little nervous. The doctor injected the sedative. After a while he started to feel sleepy and his eyes droopy. He hadn’t realised that there would be so much pain involved, but if he wanted to stay ahead of the Empire, he had no choice. This had to be done.

  After some preparation the doctor picked up a syringe with a thin needle, filled with a red blood like liquid. ‘This is synthetic blood, produced to match your body. Each dose is customised to your DNA and blood type. In this blood is your DNA surgery. Once it’s injected your bones in your face will start to change. This is the painful part.’ The doctor injected the whole syringe into his arm and stood back. There was little for the surgeon to do, except wait for any unusual reactions. He watched closely, as his bones began to shift under his skin. He began to feel the pain as he moaned, getting louder as the pain intensified. If this is how it feels with a sedative, then what’s like without one? He asked himself.

  Feeling battered and bruised he stumbled back onto the street. It was early evening, but dark and raining. He headed for a bar. He needed to find someone who worked in the shadows. A drug dealer. He’s heard that a drug called Toad, was popular and illegal. He would look for a dealer. He or she may have connections that could lead to someone who could hack an ID and sell it onto him.

  He spotted a bar at the end of a row of bars which looked rough. He could tell by the clientele standing outside and coming and going from the entrance. He watched one man closely to see if he was dealing. But he walked off in the opposite direction. No luck there. He had little or no time to spare. He had a drink at the bar and watched the people closely. At the back of the bar was
a seat which was laid out as a semi-circle around a table. There was one man in the centre, his arms spread across the top of the sofa. Around him was one young woman, who was pretty, with her hair dyed purple and large dragon tattoo on her arm. Next to her was a big looking man. Muscular with a handlebar moustache. If he was the local dealer, how risky would it be to approach him? They didn’t take kindly to strangers asking them for illegal drugs. He decided against it. He needed a street level dealer. They’d sell to anyone, no questions asked. Then a man walked in and strode confidently to the table where the gangster was sat. He said hello and handed his bodyguard something, but Don couldn’t see what it was. He sat down, had a brief conversation and started to head back outside. Don got up and followed him.

  When he got outside the man was stood under a ledge sheltering from the rain. He was tall and thin with a lot of hair. Side burns and long greying hair sticking out from under a red hat. ‘Hey,’ Don said. ‘Got any Toad?’

  ‘Yes. How much?’

  ‘I will take it all off you if you get something done for me.’ The man looked at him with incredulity. After a while he spoke.

  ‘Like what?’ he asked.

  ‘I need a hacked ID. Now.’

  ‘On the run are you?’

  ‘Kind of.’

  ‘No worries. I won’t ask. Come with me,’ he said and went back into the bar. Don followed, then half way through the bar he told Don to wait, while he approached his boss. Don watched as they talked and the dealer pointed over at him. Then he signalled to Don, waving to him.

  ‘Come over,’ he said. Don walked to the table.

  ‘Sit,’ the boss said. ‘I’ve got what you need.’

  ‘How much?’

  ‘Two thousand.’

  ‘Two thousand? No problem. When?’ he asked bluntly.

  ‘Tomorrow. One thousand now, the other when its delivered,’ the man said. ‘Send me your new name and image,’ he said. Don opened his EyeSpec. He could see the gangsters file location. It read Leeland.

  ‘Your Leeland?’ Don asked, just to be sure. He nodded and Don made the transfer.

  ‘If you’re on the run then you should know something.’ Leeland told him.

  ‘What’s that?’ he asked.

  ‘You heard of Karry Diss?’

  ‘Yeah. I know of her. The Emperor’s security chief.’

  ‘She’s here. On Clement.’

  ‘Her, or her Second?’

  ‘She’s here in person. Everyone’s on edge.’ The gangster glanced over at his bodyguard. A nervous glance. Perhaps he was worrying that should he get caught up in any security sweep, he’d do a runner.

  ‘In that case then I also need a weapon. Can you get me something?’

  ‘Off the books stuff. You’re really pushing it now. If you turn out to be police, then you’ll have me bang to rights. It’s high risk. Not sure I can do it.’

  ‘I’ll pay double. Triple – for the extra risk.’

  ‘Throwing cash around in here is a mistake my friend.’

  ‘I can look after myself. I’m ex-Cleaner Corp.’ The gangster sat up sharply.

  ‘Shit. You’re virtually police yourself.’

  ‘Like I said. Ex.’

  ‘I’ll get you something. Come back at midnight. I’ll have a weapon.’

  ‘How much?’

  ‘Forty thousand units.’

  ‘That’s steep.’

  ‘Like you said, it’s risky. Very risky, especially with the Empire here, with their battle droids, throwing their weight around. They’re gearing up for war. That’s what it is.’

  ‘War with who?’

  ‘Micklemass separatists. Don’t you watch the news?’

  ‘Not lately.’ Don stood up.’ Midnight,’ he said. The gangster waved a half-hearted wave, as Don left the bar.

  Back at the hotel he lay down on the bed and shut his eyes. His face ached, so he reached over to his pain medication he’d got from the surgeon. He popped two pills and washed it down with water. He opened his EyeSpec. He needed a destination. Somewhere to hide. Somewhere to build a new life. He lay back on his bed. It was, he had to admit, the most comfortable bed he’d ever slept on. He opened his EyeSpec. He needed a place to hide. Somewhere in the back of beyond. Then he remembered something he’d thought of when he was back on Earth, just before his father was killed. The Empire was always looking for new planets to colonise. He remembered at least three were being worked on. ‘Search ‘new colonies’, he told his EyeSpec. The three new planets were listed. One was in the Odessa system. They’d discovered it five years ago and there were two large space stations there, doing the work. ‘Odessa sounds good,’ he said out loud to himself. He could invest his money there, turn his 50 million units into a trillion. That was it. That’s where he’d go and hope that he would never be found.

  After a while it was time to head back to the bar to meet Leeland. He hadn’t finished with him yet. There was more to do. As he approached he looked round him. Those battle droids were big and noisy. He would spot them easily. He walked in. Leeland was in his usual spot. The street dealer was there also.

  ‘Sit!’ Leeland said, almost pleased to see him. Don sat down. ‘Here’s your ID.’ He slid a white envelope across the table. Don peered inside and then stuffed it into his pocket.

  ‘Gun?’ Don asked expectantly.

  ‘I got you something good. A DR17X. A bargain for forty.’ He nodded at his silent bodyguard who reached down under the table and lifted a box.

  ‘Ammo?’

  ‘Fifty rounds. If you need more you can buy them without ID here. Any gun shop.’ Don removed an envelope from his pocket and pushed it back to the bodyguard. He opened it up and Leeland leant over and looked himself, then smiled.

  ‘I need something else.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Casino’s. I noticed you have quite a few.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Any of them into money laundering.’

  ‘Money laundering?’

  ‘Yeah. Money laundering.’

  ‘I know someone. How much money we talking about?’

  ‘A lot.’ Leeland looked over at his two colleagues with a big grin.

  ‘I might just take all of it. Cleaner Corp or not.’

  ‘Forget it,’ Don said. He knew he was on dangerous ground. Leeland was right. He could just take it. He had to get out of here. He’d gone too far.

  ‘Wait, wait,’ Leeland said, as he stood up.

  ‘We’ve finished our business Leeland. Forget I said anything.’ He turned and left. As he turned his back on Leeland and his men, he braced himself to be attacked. Every step felt like a mile, every second an hour. He’d fucked up. It made it even more urgent for him to buy a ship and leave, especially as Karry Diss is here, presumably looking for him. But the attack never came. It was an easy enough crime to commit. Someone with large amounts of cash to move, in a strange city, on a strange planet, on his own with no backup. If he was to use a casino, he’d need a security team to back him. But he couldn’t trust anyone here. How deep do the crime bosses here go, in terms of the other organisations? For all he knew they ran everything, with politicians and officials in their pockets.

  He rushed down the street and out of the area. The presence of the Empire might have made Leeland think twice about attacking him. Everyone was on their best behaviour, to avoid attention.

  Back at the hotel he searched for a ship dealer. He needed something small and nimble. Something that could outrun Imperial ships, including battle drones. Battle drones were quick, but he knew there were ships that were faster, with high quality pilot AI, which could outmanoeuvre them. They were expensive but worth every unit.

  Another day passed. He was getting more and more anxious about being caught by Karry. He felt like all his preparation was going on for too long. He rose early and grabbed a food pellet from the dispenser and downed a small glass of water. He looked round for his clothes, a little hazy still from sleep. He got dressed and gra
bbed all his things. He would go get his cash and leave. It has to be today. No more delays.

  As he reached the lobby and stepped out of the lift he immediately saw four battle droids. He turned left and headed for the stairs and the fire exit out to an alley. He pushed the door open, knowing it would alert the hotel staff that the fire exit had been opened. Once opened he’d have to run for it. He paused, looked behind him and opened the door. And right in front of him was Karry Diss. She was famous throughout the Empire. Everyone knew who she was and her fearsome reputation as Emperor Thoros III’s enforcer. He reached for his gun, as they stood there staring at each other. She didn’t know who she was face to face with, which gave him an advantage. With her gone, the political power would shift away from the old Emperor and Karry and towards the new Emperor and Lord Bander. With her gone, the Empire would stop looking for him. He lifted his gun and fired once straight into her head – ‘BLAM!’, her brains exiting out the other side. She fell backwards like a toppling board and crashed onto the floor underneath her. He glanced behind him again. The battle droids would detect gun fire, so he ran. He ran as fast as he could. By the time her battle droids had reacted he would be away.

  He ran to his bank, accessed his vault, putting the heavy box onto a box trolley and left. He walked purposely down the street before hailing a cab to take him to the ship dealer. In through the glass doors of the dealer were scale models of the ships. He already knew what he wanted. ‘I need it today,’ he explained to a stressed-out looking dealer.

  ‘Our ships are stored at the edges of the city. It’s an hours journey, he explained. He was well turned out and young looking with dark hair combed back, with plenty of hair products applied. Don could smell the hair gel. He smiled, trying to hide his alarm. The droids would have contacted the local police and the local police would be checking any footage from the hotel. They would be detecting a very high profile assassination. At this point Don didn’t even know whether he would get proper clearance to leave the planet. He may just have to leave without it. Race off into the dark skies, with police chasing him. Thoughts of a gun battle rushed through his brain as he waited patiently for the paperwork to be done. So much red tape. And would the ships weapons be ready to go. He was beginning to have doubts about buying a new ship. An old ship would have everything ready and tested and in good working order. A new one might need testing.