Imperial Prince: Heir Apparent: Imperial Prince, #1

By Cathy Smith

In "Imperial Prince: Heir Apparent," a young boy's life is transformed when he and his mother embark on a journey to imperial space to receive medical treatment. However, their visit takes an unexpected turn when they discover that the boy's grandfather has become the ruling Emperor of the galaxy, and desires an heir to secure his legacy. In an instant, the boy finds himself thrust into a world of political intrigue, danger, and adventure as the heir apparent to the throne. With the help of his mother and a team of loyal supporters, he must navigate treacherous power struggles, fight for his place in the imperial court, and come to terms with the enormity of his new role. Will he rise to the challenge and become the leader his grandfather envisions? Find out in this epic space opera adventure!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cathy Smith
• Release date: Jul 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223146353

Cathy Smith

Cathy Smith is a Mohawk writer who lives on a Status Reservation on the Canadian Side of the Border on Turtle Island (North America). She is proud of her people’s heritage and also has an interest in the myths and legends of other peoples and cultures, and modern fantasy and science fiction, which is often derived from past myths and often acts as myths for modern times.

Book preview

Chapter 1-Medical Tourists

Thane expected more out of space travel. Few people got to be astronauts on Earth, so he looked forward to this journey. Even if he and his mom weren’t going to the Intergalactic Republic as tourists.

Are there people like me in the Intergalactic Republic? Thane asked Uncle Victor.

Deep space was cold enough without adding the chill of the eerie to the mix. Uncle Victor frowned and used a long pause to frame his answer. There are many members of the talented there, but they’re not setispawn like us.

Thane bit his lip. You mean we are born bad?

Uncle Victor closed his eyes. The dark side thinks it owns us because my father was a dark sider. We were born with dark side abilities that it takes acolytes years to master.

Except Momma. Mana makes her tough, Thane said.

Yeah, your mom hit the jackpot, Uncle Victor agreed.

I wish I inherited Momma’s talent. It must be nice to have a mana-enhanced immune system and not necromancy.

Uncle Victor laughed. I used to wish the same thing when I was your age. It’s too bad you didn’t take after her rather than taking after me.

Hm.

That was a reason they were heading to the Intergalactic Republic. To see if there was a doctor trained to work with the talented and teach him how to get his talent under control. So he didn’t end up like Uncle Victor, a restless spirit with a gaping hole in the side of his head.

Uncle Victor got up. Let’s see if there’s anything to pick up in this quadrant yet.

He glanced at a terminal that had readings Thane couldn’t understand. We dropped back into regular space, so we must be in the Intergalactic Republic. Let’s see if we can pick up their feeds for you to watch. It’ll be good for you to get used to hearing Imperium. That’s all you are able to use in the Republic. They don’t use English here.

The first words Thane heard were: The Emperor’s concubine, Lady Ysan, has had a miscarriage. This means the Empire’s succession crisis continues...

Empire? I thought this place was a Republic?

The Republic encompasses many races, species, and peoples. Each has their own form of government. One of them may call themselves an ‘empire’ and their leader an ‘emperor.’

Oh. Thane didn’t know why he had any doubts about his uncle’s explanation. Uncle Victor may not tell him things he felt were too much for a boy his age, but he never lied to him.

It’s been over 20 years since you and Momma were in the Intergalactic Republic. You left it when you were my age. A lot if things could have happened since then.

I doubt a republic would change into an empire on a galactic scale, Uncle Victor said.

Momma says Grandpa felt differently. Do you think he was right? Thane asked him.

Uncle Victor shuddered. That was his ambition. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got executed for treason by now. We’re counting on it is a matter of fact.

Thane knew Grandpa was a touchy issue with Momma and Uncle Victor. They fled civilized space to escape his reach.

Luckily, the Paladins outnumber the Seti. They should have the resources to protect you while you receive treatment. Even if your grandpa is still around, Uncle Victor said.

How old is he? Is it possible that he died of old age by now? Thane asked Victor.

He and your grandma are roughly the same age. But the dark side has more wear and tear on his body than it does on other people. Even back when we were with him. If we’re lucky, it’s aged him before his time.

Which gave Thane more than he wanted to think about. It was a good thing that there were only a few Seti at a time. Maybe he’d be lucky and even if there were any other Seti around, they wouldn’t care about his family?

Uncle Victor, sensing that he creeped Thane out, found an educational feed for him. Then Victor walked out of the room.

THE AIR IN THE PILOT’S cockpit grew cool, and Linda Sullivan knew her brother was present. He hadn’t died in the best presence of mind and angry ghosts often made the air cold. Though he had never acted with malice towards her son or her.

He died of unnatural causes before Thane was born. Once Thane was born, his talent for necromancy manifested itself. After that happened, Victor became a regular presence in her life again. She couldn’t always see him at all times. Though sometimes he was as clear to her as he was to Thane, and it was like talking to a regular person. Though he hadn’t aged since when she had last seen him, and he’d always be her troubled baby brother.

We’re in imperial space now, he began. We need to check to see if Merikh Xerxes is still an Ambassador of Voth. Things will get dicey if he’s still got political clout when you reveal you are setispawn. Especially when people find out Thane is second generation setispawn.

Linda bit her lower lip. Don’t remind me. We have to take the risk. Earth’s mental health professionals failed you. I don't want this to happen to Thane.

Victor nodded. I shot myself in the head when all the ghosts haunting me got too much for me.

He paused. We’ll have to leave out the fact that I also shot the medical professional who failed me. They’ll think blood tells and be unwilling to treat Thane.

We can’t keep them ignorant forever. Not if we get the soul healer we want from them. Thane not only needs help to control his talent but for the trauma that it’s given him, Linda told him.

Make sure not to tell them that first thing, though. If you’re lucky you may not have to tell them. I never told Thane what I did to to the psychologist who misdiagnosed me.

The Krydons of Acheron have a good working relationship with them. Maybe we can ask them to speak for us? They maybe more willing to hear us out if we have political allies, Linda mused.

Victor snorted. Yeah, the Paladins were always following the government’s orders. Dad thought it should be the other way around.

If we are lucky, one of the Krydons is in Axis Prime’s airspace.

There’s no harm in giving it a shot. But don't let it hold you up if you don't get a response.

LINDA WAS NOT THE LEAST bit surprised to find the current ambassador for Acheron was Gaius. His family was highly idealistic, but they didn't allow the people to vote on who their ambassador was. The Royal family always assigned the position to Krydons.

She was lucky he took her call. She was no longer recognizable because when they last met, they were both children.

Things have changed a lot since you and your family were on Axis Prime. Anyone who knows that you and your family existed assumes that your father made you disappear. Though no one will admit it out loud.

So my dad’s still good at covering his tracks? Linda didn’t like this since it meant that her father must still be alive.

My parents split up, and my mom wanted to go as far away from my dad as she could. She thought it best not to admit that they left civilized space altogether to avoid her father. She didn’t want to admit her father was a Seti Lord on an open frequency. Though she might admit as much when she spoke to him in person.

That’s almost everyone’s dream nowadays, but it’s unachievable now, Gaius told her.

Linda groaned. Don’t tell me that Dad got promoted from being the Ambassador of Voth?

That’s putting it lightly. I suggest you go back to where you came from. You’re better off that way, Gaius advised her.

I can’t do that. My son needs medical care from health professionals. He has special needs that aren’t being met on the planet we settled on.

The mention of a son made Gaius pale. You have a son? Does that mean Victor is still alive too? That Xerxes has living heirs?

Victor's not alive, and I don't want that to happen to my son. That’s why I want you to introduce me to the Paladins. I need someone to vouch for me when I explain why my son Thane has his problems with the mana.

Gaius laughed bitterly. Everyone has problems with the mana, especially the Paladins. It’s better if you turn back and leave.

My family doesn’t have that option anymore.

Hardly anyone who is talented has options nowadays. I may reach someone who might help you if you can afford to wait for him.

Linda nodded. That will do.

I’ll arrange for you to get clearance to land on Axis Prime, so we can discuss things.

Chapter 2-The Succession Scandal

In days past, it’d be an honor to be summoned to speak to Lady Glennis. That was then, and this was now.

Lady Glennis was out of favor now that the Emperor exiled her from court. She was lucky he made sure she received a stipend.

Sometimes the Emperor gave a concubine an honorable discharge if he tired of her, but she’d served with honor. Most likely if they aged out of interesting him.

Some may see this as hypocritical, since he was an older man himself. The wise understood he couldn’t waste his time on a woman who wasn’t of childbearing age.

There were times he warmed to a mature beauty. Their families sent them to court on their behalf to petition for favors from the Emperor. But these older women could never hope to be his consort or concubine. He needed to reserve his attentions for the concubines he kept to sire an heir.

Lady Glennis was pregnant. The baby she was carrying made her stomach bulge. She’d used her pregnancy as an excuse to overindulge in food.

The Emperor would never have ordered the DNA test if you hadn't let yourself go to seed. Tiberius wanted to tell her.

You told me I’d be an Empress if I bore the Emperor’s heir. Now the Empire thinks I’m nothing but a foolish whore who tried to pass another man’s bastard on the Emperor. They threw me out of the palace, Lady Glennis screeched.

You were lucky they didn’t execute you for treason, Chief Governor Tiberius stated.

In fact, that was all he could do to make sure they did not execute her publicly. He said that the scandal would demoralize the public. It was one thing for a concubine to miscarry a baby. It was another thing to pass the child of another man for that of the Emperor.

Her mouth opened and closed. Treason?

Stepping out on the emperor is not the same as stepping out on an ordinary man. It’s treason to the Empire. Which went against her penchant for trading up. She’d had an ambassador for a husband before she became a concubine. Previously, there had been an executive from a large corporation. And all the while she traded up, she always kept some pretty boy for her needs. Never the same one, though. He suspected that one of them was the father of this child.

He expected something like this would happen when she became a concubine. However, it was possible that she was smart enough to know that she couldn't trade above the Emperor. The problem was, she assumed she could still keep a pretty boy on the side.

He’d thought that being in the harem would keep her safe from temptation. It wasn't like she was high enough, so she could get in and out of the harem. She’d been assigned premium quarters but hadn’t been allowed to leave the palace. Somehow she smuggled a man into her quarters and got pregnant by him instead of the Emperor.

It must’ve taken a certain amount of ingenuity to get a man inside her quarters. Why couldn’t she use that to navigate court politics? Though navigating the harem was a different matter than the court.

She clutched her expanding stomach. How can it be treason to provide the Empire with a healthy specimen as its heir? The Emperor can perform, but he can’t produce healthy babies. He can make the concubines pregnant, but none of them carry to term.

You would’ve gotten away with it if you hadn’t presumed, Tiberius said.

She tilted her head up into the air. Presumed? I was going to be Empress. I had every right to give orders.

You shouldn’t have tried to order about the Emperor. It’s little wonder he ordered the DNA test. He was looking for any excuse to get rid of you, Tiberius said.

I’ve got supporters, she began.

They are disclaiming you, so they aren’t labelled traitors, too. It was all we could do to get him to remove you from the harem quietly. We didn’t want this to become an open scandal that demoralized the public. If I were you, I’d accept his edict and move on with my life once you deliver the child.

I won’t accept being nothing less than the Empress, Lady Glennis said frostily.

That’s not happening, Tiberius said.

You either back me or I will tell Xerxes about your secret succession committee.

Tiberius wheezed at these words and she smirked.

LYRA JAVIK WAS KNOWN as Emperor Xerxes’s favorite dancer at court. Some thought her so ornamental that they assumed she was one of the emperor’s concubines. Yet, her skills were too valuable to keep locked up in some harem. That is why the emperor made use of them in what most of the court supposed to be private dance sessions.

Even the harem assumed she was one of the emperor’s concubines. They debated if it was a sign of favor for her to come and go from the palace. They didn’t know she got sent out on assignments from the Emperor. Some of them involved acts of sabotage and/or assassination.

Male courtiers were just as confused by her status and she was the target of their lechery. Some dared not make advances on one of the emperor’s concubines. Others assumed a dancer was fair game.

Revealing her more lethal skills wasn’t permitted. Which meant there was always some lech she was itching to terminate. Once in a while, Emperor Xerxes gave her permission to assassinate them if they fell out of his favor. She relished those assignments.

He summoned her to a private audience with him as soon as she arrived back at Axis Prime. I have exiled Lady Glennis from court, the emperor stated as he steepled his fingers.

Exiled? It was the last thing she expected to hear about the woman carrying the emperor's heir. Unless it was a cover to take her away to a secret location?

I ordered a DNA test be run on her zygote. Its DNA didn’t match mine.

Lyra Javik’s eyes widened at this admission. I knew she was an idiot, but I didn't know anybody could be so stupid. Or is she so used to besotted males she thought she’d get away with it? Lady Glennis was beautiful, but the fact was she had competition from the rest of the harem. The emperor wasn’t so desperate for female company he’d overlook annoyances from her.

The governors convinced me that executing her would be bad for the morale of the public. It’s one thing to hear that a concubine miscarried. It’s another thing to hear that she tried to pass off some other man’s bastard as my heir.

I sent her away, but I can't let her get away with it. Be discrete: make it look like it's an accident or natural causes, but I want her to die by the end of the month..

Lyra nodded yes, to this. It shall be as you decree, your Excellency.

She caught a red flicker and saw that a praetorian guard had moved involuntarily. More often than not, they were so motionless that they could be mistaken for bots. However, they were still human, and occasionally they gave tells of what they actually thought.

She kept what she saw to herself. She was loyal to her emperor, but she was also human. Once in a while, she needed them to cover for her, too.

Chapter 3-The Sullivans

Xerxes has a grandson ?

Gaius winced at the very thought of this. The Emperor was obsessed with getting an heir. Of course, he would prefer a male of his line rather than accept a female heir..

He’s trying to get a son from the concubines. But what if he skips a generation? What if he allows a daughter he fathered when he was younger and healthier to supply him with a male heir from his line?

Those that knew of Victor used it as proof that Xerxes could father a healthy son. Victor had been Linnet’s little brother. If Linnett was full-grown, Victor would also be too.

Your son looks like his Uncle Victor, Gaius said to Linnet as a roundabout means to ask what he wanted to know.

He died before Thane was born.

I’m sorry to hear that. Gaius could say sincerely. He may not want Xerxes to know of his male heir. But that didn't mean he wanted one of them to meet an untimely death.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. Thane has the same condition as Victor had. I don’t want him to turn out the way Victor did.

Gaius looked at Thane. Other than looking paler than he should, he could be a healthy child. Even if he had a haunted look that belonged to somebody older than himself. What’s his condition?

That’s something I only want to discuss with a qualified soul healer. One who must retain client-doctor confidentiality. I’m hoping the Paladins can supply me with this.

They usually used soul healers for severe psychological trauma. Are you sure that a regular psychologist can’t do the job? Must it be a soul healer?

My family tried a psychologist for Victor when he was alive. It did not end well. They misdiagnosed him, and I need a Paladin soul healer to help Thane.

Gaius wanted to ask, Is your son talented? Though It was best not to ask that question in public of anyone. Because you’d risk getting them in trouble with Imperial authorities.

He might have been traumatized when the Paladins were disbanded. Whether he experienced it himself or had sensed it.

Yet the fact that Linnet wanted to find a Paladin soul healer meant that she was unaware that they’d been disbanded. How did the boy get so traumatized he needed psychological counselling?

Is your son’s illness terminal? He asked her to feel around for the details.

It’s not terminal, but it’s very debilitating emotionally and psychologically.

So it could wear him down?

That sounded like a regular terminal disease. Though he assumed she was talking about something that was related to mana. It would make Xerxes even more eager to get custody of the boy.

Word that Xerxes had a male heir would be explosive if anyone knew. Would Xerxes welcome his grandchild? Would he insist on fathering a direct descendant on the concubines? But then again, the boy’s mana may tip things in his favor. Especially if he had a powerful talent.

Personally, I’d find it a relief to have the pressure taken off me. He and his wife had had their own fertility crisis, and he could sympathize with Xerxes on that issue.

Though I wondered why he couldn’t father a child now when he had a family with Dr. Kira Davos. People aren’t permitted to speak about his wife and children. Yet, a fair number remember the tragedy.

Maybe Xerxes didn't want the Republic to know that Kira took the children and walked out on him? He knew Xerxes’s pride wouldn’t want that fact to be well known. Maybe he claimed they died in a transport accident?

Did she