Chapter 24
The Final Guardian
Forbidden Precinct, Tianjing
It wasn't easy for Batista to focus on his duties, but it was all he had at the moment. He had heard next to nothing about the invaders, these Earthers, but he knew the odds weren't in their favor. There were rumors of noblemen advocating a negotiated surrender, but the Emperor would hear nothing of it, so even if it meant their annihilation, they were going to fight.
Even though he was named the Emperor's personal bodyguard, it seemed that he was away from the Emperor's side more often than not. However, today he had been summoned for a private audience, so he was quick to answer the call. He had to pass through three antechambers before he reached the Emperor's bedchamber. It wasn't where he preferred to have such a meeting, but he wasn't the Emperor.
Normally there were two Guardsmen on either side of the doors, but the last door had four Guardsmen and several eunuchs waiting outside. In the bedchamber itself, the Emperor was alone, dressed only in a simple single-layer robe.
Batista knelt before the Emperor and said, "You summoned me, Your Majesty?"
"Come, stand up, Batista Jiansheng," the Emperor said genially. "You have no need to kneel when it's just the two of us. We're practically brothers, after all."
That was a funny way of looking at their relationship, but Batista wasn't going to dispute it.
"As you say, Your Majesty," he said as he stood back up.
"You saw Masako the other day," the Emperor said. "How are she and the baby doing?"
"You know about that, Your Majesty?" Batista asked, referring to his visit as much as to the baby.
"There isn't much I don't know, Batista Jiansheng," the Emperor replied.
"Then why ask me?"
"I want to hear it from you."
"Masako is doing well, all things considered, and she says the baby is healthy."
The Emperor looked at him, like he was examining him, before saying, "I didn't want to tell you this, but it would seem that it's necessary. Yasuko didn't die in a plane crash. As far as we know, she's still alive."
Batista felt the wind get knocked out of him. It was like when Masako told him she had died, but arguably it was worse this time. He should have felt relieved, overjoyed, but instead he was filled with disbelief and all too many questions.
"What do you mean she's alive? Masako said—"
"The crash was just a cover story, Batista Jiansheng. What really happened was that she fled the Capital and went to the surface, where she was picked up by the Earthers. Now, we don't know if there was prior contact or if it was just bizarre coincidence, but if she's still alive, she's with them."
"What would the Earthers want with Yasuko?"
"You know of her grudge against us over the death of your uncle—yes, I know all about it and I'm not going to hold it against either of you. I believe the Earthers will manipulate her to take advantage of that grudge in exchange for inside information."
"What inside information? She was training to be a lady-in-waiting."
"Don't underestimate what a lady-in-waiting could tell you about the inner workings of the Capital, Batista Jiansheng. Those hens are worth half of my intelligence services."
The Emperor paused for a moment before continuing.
"They are already here, the Earthers. The central mainframe has been compromised and it's just a matter of time before they start seizing control of critical systems. It's entirely possible that Yasuko is with them."
"Why are we not on red alert then?"
"I'm luring them into a false sense of security. We don't have the means to best them outright, but we can make their advance costly if they would lower their guard."
"You're hoping to get better terms if you bloody their nose first," Batista said. "What if they decide to hit back that much harder? Blow the entire Capital out of the sky?"
"The fact that they aren't throwing everything they have at us shows that they're trying to seize the Capital and indeed the entire planet with as little damage as possible. Yes, there's a risk they'll just hit back harder, but the alternative is unconditional surrender and who knows what that would mean for us? Certainly you would agree that it's better to go down fighting."
Batista would agree, but that wasn't what he was thinking about.
He asked the Emperor, "But what about Yasuko?"
"If we can recover her safely, I'm prepared to grant her a full pardon if she's willing to undergo rehabilitation. If not, then parole in exile."
"Does Masako know about this?"
"No, and she can't know. It would break her heart. You must keep this between us, Batista Jiansheng. You are the only one who can save her. Can I count on your help when the time comes?"
The Emperor extended Batista his hand. Had Batista been born a Celestial, such a gesture would be unimaginable, and even as an Infernal, he was hesitant to simply accept. However, would it be a greater offense to rebuff the gesture in a false display of humility? Batista was not so well-trained in courtly manners to know.
He took the Emperor's hand. The Emperor smiled pleasantly, but Batista couldn't shake the ill feeling he got from it. He felt like a puppet that started to realize the pull of the strings. He knew the Emperor was manipulating him, but to what end? Was Yasuko really still alive and if so, why was she siding with the Earthers? Perhaps if things played out the way the Emperor expected, he could ask her himself.