The Prince's Wedding (The Erik Midgard Case Files Volume 3)

Chapter 5

"You were afraid the J.R. might try something at the royal wedding?" said Mirabi, ten minutes later. We were standing several metres down the corridor from the robot with Thoth and Duong as the hazmat team worked on defusing the canisters. "Your reputation isn't at all overblown."

"Thank you. It's a shame I can't say the same thing about my opposite numbers in ChronOps' intelligence wing," said Thoth. "Though that might be unfair. It's possible they're doing their jobs perfectly, but have not deemed it necessary to inform you. If they had, you'd know why I was afraid of this."

"Because of all the terrorist groups in the Solar System, they're the best and brightest?" said Mirabi. "They don't need to tell us that."

"No," said Thoth. "Because of the current situation, I actually had reason to hope that they were going to be too busy to attempt an attack at the wedding. But clearly I was wrong."

"What situation?" I said, shooting Mirabi an angry glance. I could tell she was baiting Thoth for no other reason than how his presence had affected her when we'd first met. As far as I was aware, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on inside the J.I. at the moment apart from the wedding. But the intelligence department at ChronOps had not briefed us on anything recently, though that might only be because no one had expected us to be coming to Ganymede.

"I'm afraid that's classified information, Detective," said Duong.

"Yes, it is," said Thoth. "Unfortunately, his highness will doubtlessly tell them if they ask, so I might as well. Tomorrow is not just Prince William's wedding. The Emperor Is going to use the occasion to publicly announce the latest - and most ambitious so far - of his reforms."

"Good for him. And they are?" said Mirabi.

"The end of the Imperia as we know it," said Thoth. His eyes wandered along the corridor, where the J.I. lion was again shown in the architecture. "Certainly of the one I have served for nearly six decades. His Imperial Majesty has decided the time has come for us to transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. He will remain head of state, but he is going to cede the majority of his powers to a democratically-elected parliament, which will work alongside a new senate composed of the Nobilita families."

"It's finally happening?" I said.

"Preparations have been being made for the last three years," said Duong. "The public announcement is the last thing before we begin the transition."

"Then why are the J.R. objecting?" said Mirabi. "Isn't it what they've always wanted?"

I had been about to ask the same question. While Anthony Justinian had led a unified Jupiter and Saturn rebellion against UEO, the cracks had started to appear shortly after the final peace treaty was signed. When he had announced his intention to replace corporate rule with a hereditary absolute monarchy, and an aristocracy composed of his closest friends and supporters, it had not gone down well with those who had been expecting a more inclusive and egalitarian form of government, or those who had hoping that their home moons would have the chance to become independent states. Unfortunately, as well as being a suicidally brave in combat, Justinian was also highly charismatic and a born personality cult leader. He had had more than enough fanatically loyal veterans of the independence war to violently crush any opposition to his plans, simply by claiming that they were secret UEO sympathisers.

The early emperors had all followed his example, including the personality cult elements. The inevitable result was the rise of the Jupiter Republica, a rebel group dedicated to overthrowing the Justinians, and prepared to be just as violent and ruthless as their enemies. They had spent the last three hundred years bombing different parts of the Imperia and assassinating every Justinian and Nobilita family member they could get their hands on, including children, and usually with absolutely no concern for civilian casualties. Through lessons learnt the hard way from being up against men like Thoth, they had become the best organised, most skilled and professional terrorist group in the solar system, famous for being almost impossible to infiltrate.