TK Special #4 - elveloy... Evolutionary Anomalies

THE SPACE OPERA

A ...well, space opera short by @elveloy.

"An opera is where someone shoots you in the back but instead of dying, you get up and sing!" Prince Loren had been joking with his friends, ignoring the disapproving frown from his chief bodyguard. Tayne had been quite vocal in his condemnation of the scheme - in his opinion, the risks of appearing in a public performance were simply not acceptable. But the Prince had been adamant, he loved to sing, and the visiting opera company was willing to give him a star role.

The ironic words floated through Tayne's head as he looked down at Prince Loren's mangled body, his sky-blue robe covered in crimson blood and bits of white bone. There was no way the prince was going to get up and sing, ever again. Face down, he lay where he had fallen only moments ago, right in the middle of the best performance of his life.

Which to be honest, wasn't saying much. In Tayne's opinion, Prince Loren had been a terrible singer - but who was going to refuse King Mykel's youngest son? Not the Starshine Event Opera company for one. Vain and wilful, in Tayne's opinion, it had only been a matter of time before something like this happened.

The body on the floor wasn't the real Prince Loren of course, it was a top of the line simulated replica, practically undistinguishable from the real thing. Tayne wasn't that stupid, he valued his career too much to let the Prince use his own body in public.

The real Prince Loren was still lying on his bed in the palace, attached to various devices so that his brain could direct the replica's performance. Mentally linked to his double at the time of the attack, he would have felt shock, but no actual pain when it was shot in the back by a neuroblaster. Tayne hoped he had been shaken into some sort of sense by what had just occurred. As a member of Orion's royal family, even if he was the youngest son, he had to accept that his life was not his own.

Tayne stepped back and gestured to his guards to take the body away. It would go to the palace workshop to see what, if anything, could be salvaged. He turned to the second body crumpled in the orchestra pit. He shook his head wryly - he had to admit that had been rather a clever idea. Who would have expected the orchestra's conductor to be an assassin? His baton, a sophisticated neuroblaster?

No matter how good the security, it was practically impossible to guard against a top class assassin. Ever since the Orion Sovereignty had been hovering on the Verge of War with the Eridanis, there had been no shortage of assassins.

Tayne nodded at the nearest guard, who had been waiting patiently for his signal to take that body to the crime laboratory. Not that he expected the technicians to find anything useful, but they had to go through the motions. One never knew when the enemy might make a mistake.

~~~

Lying on his bed in the palace, Prince Loren felt a tear roll down his cheek. He had been so excited - finally a chance do something he loved, to sing, and now it was over. He would be compelled to return to the usual activities for a prince - studying diplomacy, protocol, and contract law, not to mention warcraft and martial arts. When what he really wanted to do was the other kind of arts - singing, dancing, and music. Restricted to the palace, unable to venture forth into the world, he had seized this opportunity as a chance for a brief escape, even if it was only virtual.

He waited while the technician disconnected him from the machines which had allowed him to link to his double, then stood up and went to the window, trying to master his disappointment. The 'window' was a cleverly devised hologram, not an actual opening to the world - that would have presented far too easy a target for an assassin. He gazed longingly at the view before him, the town winding through the streets below, the blue mountains in the distance, the aqua tinged sky. Unless the Verge of War footing was revoked, he would never go there - at least not in person. The best he could hope for was to order the technicians to recreate some scenes for him to explore in the holo-room.