Bones of Empire Read Online Free Page B

landmasses beyond, and patches of blue that marked major bodies of water.
    As she looked down on her new home, Alamy felt fear seep in to replace some of the excitement because so many things were unknown. Would Cato free her? Would he still want her? And what would she do if he didn’t? Alamy had been employed in a sandal factory before her father died, and her stepmother sold her into slavery, so she had no skills to speak of. It would be difficult to survive in a city like Imperialus were Cato to abandon her—so perhaps slavery would be better.
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    Cato, who could “feel” Alamy’s emotions, even if he couldn’t access her thoughts, reached over to squeeze a hand. He knew she was worried, and understandably so, but he had concerns of his own. Potentially serious concerns regarding the trip from the spaceport to the government zone where Usurlus lived.
    Though not an expert where Imperialus was concerned, Cato had been stationed there twice and knew the city well enough. The streets could be dangerous, especially in slums like Port City, which was why wealthy citizens and important government officials flew from building to building in private air cars.
    But, according to Livius, a motorcade had been laid on to transport Usurlus and his party from the spaceport to his home. The idea was to give the vid nets a photo op and a reason to report on the Legate’s return, plus his success in battling corruption on Dantha, an accomplishment that Emor’s surrogates would hold up as an example of what a good job the Emperor was doing. Which was why Usurlus couldn’t refuse to ride in a motorcade even though it was going to follow a predetermined route through one of the Imperial city’s most dangerous slums.
    There would be bodyguards, of course, led by Livius, with Cato acting as second-in-command. Such was his duty. But the fact that Alamy would be traveling with the motorcade added to the sense of foreboding Cato felt and raised the stakes even higher, as the ship slowed and thunder rolled across Port City. Moments later, the ship was down, the dice had been thrown, and Cato knew that the rest would be a matter of luck.

TWO
    The city of Imperialus, on the planet Corin
    ONCE THE FAR STAR WAS ON THE GROUND, IT TOOK more than two hours for her passengers to disembark, and that included Legate Isulu Usurlus, who traveled with twenty-seven trunks, some of which had to be packed prior to being loaded on a truck for transshipment to his high-rise home. Fortunately, the motorcade’s schedule had been set to allow for a lengthy disembarkation process, so that wasn’t a problem.
    The convoy was to include four policemen on gyro-stabilized unicycles, two armored stretch limos, plus a so-called war wagon that was supposed to bring up the rear. The vehicles and the personnel who were going to ride in them were assembled next to one of the spaceship’s enormous skids near the VIP ramp.
    The group consisted of people from three different organizations, including the city’s police force, the Imperial Security Service (ISS), and the bodyguards who were part of the Legate’s household. So the first problem was that of command, which Livius solved by declaring himself to be in charge and staring down every man who looked as though he might object.
    With that settled, and time ticking away, Livius laid out his plan. The unicycles would go first, sirens blaring, to disperse traffic. The limos would follow, roofs closed, with the war wagon bringing up the rear. Attackers, if any, would expect Usurlus to be in one of the limos, so Livius planned to put him in the last vehicle instead.
    Not counting the policemen or Cato, the chief bodyguard had fourteen people to defend the motorcade. By putting five in each car and four in the war wagon, he intended to make sure that each element of the convoy could defend itself if it were cut off from the rest.
    There was barely enough time to