Houdini‘s Last Gambit

Posted on Sun Jul 23rd, 2023 @ 10:25pm by Giuseppe Orsini & Princess Jessica Orsini

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Unknown
Timeline: Date 2371-08-14 at 1600
3888 words - 7.8 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

It had all happened so fast. One moment she and her child have been sitting comfortably in the back of a court limousine. He had been babbling, as usual, and showing her his cutest smile. She had been all grins, enjoying a sense of safety and happiness she hadn’t felt in years. The next, the car had come to a sudden, screeching halt, hands were on the doors, she heard shouting, and then the fire of phasers. When military men roughly pulled her and Antonio out of the car, she was crying. She knew something was wrong. Terribly terribly wrong.

They weren’t even supposed to be out of the Palace, but she had gotten special permission to visit her parents, and she had taken the opportunity in order to reinforce some sense of normalcy in her life. How did he know where she was? How did he get to her from a prison cell? Where was he now?

Jessica sat on a padded couch in a dark room, not sure at all where she was. Antonio was crying in her lap, sensing his mother was upset. What was going on?

She barely had the time to get the final formed in her head when the door opened and a woman probably in her early forties walked in. She was dressed in some sort of uniform, but it wasn’t one that Jessica would immediately be able to place. Behind her was an armed guard who she motioned to the side of the room. “Oh dear, it is quite dark in here. Computer, lights.”

The lights came up suddenly which made Antonio cry louder.

“Oh sweet boy, I’m sorry.” The woman cooed apologetically and then looked to Jessica. “I’m sorry you’ve been left alone so long, Princess. Is there anything you would like brought to you? Food? Drinks?”

“I would like my husband.” Jessica said simply, holding her head higher having been addressed. Though she had the blood of the first emperors, she was no princess by right of blood, but of marriage. All the same, she had grown accustomed to the title and the treatment, and respect in her presence had only grown at the Summer Court in Rio. She didn’t want to be handled by some common soldier. “Where is he?”

“He will be along soon, he simply wanted me to check on you and make sure your needs are being met.” The woman replied, wearing a pleasant smile though it didn’t reach her eyes.

“And who are you?” Jessica asked, her gorgeous pouty lips slightly dry. “How did my husband escape from his prison cell? Is this a coup?”

“I’m Lieutenant Jenna Newell.” The woman replied but offered no more answers than that. “Would you like some water? Perhaps something for the baby?”

“I’m not drinking anything until I speak with my husband.” Jessica said, pulling her son closer. “And neither will the Grand Duke.”

Giuseppe had tried to kill her the last time they’d met outside the walls of his cell. She was more than a bit wary of this situation, knowing that he hadn’t changed one bit. Anyone associated with him, such as Jenna Newell, was also suspected. She kept her thoughts to herself, however.

“Very good, princess.” With that, Jenna turned on her heel and exited the room without another word.

Time was hard to track and the computer did not respond at all to Jessica were she to try and speak to command it. At least an hour had passed with Antonio becoming increasingly upset and cranky given he was tired, hungry, and thirsty and obviously couldn’t understand why those needs weren’t being met.

Finally, the door opened and stepping inside all cleaned up and in uniform came Giuseppe Angelo; if one could ignore the man as a whole and simply focus on appearance alone, he looked rather magnificent. He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket and then brought his brown eyes down to his seated wife.

“Jessica.”

Antonio was suddenly quiet, his big eyes wide as he regarded the very tall man in front of them; then suddenly he squealed happily. “Papa!”

Jessica released Antonio before he’d even tried to get off of her lap and pushed him gently toward his father. All of her instincts told her not to, but she understood she had no power here, and putting up a fight against Giuseppe was at best a waste of influence and at worse, a death sentence. She stood up as well, her slim belly now starting to show signs of the baby inside. She took this child as her ticket to safety. She smiled convincingly, having practiced in the mirror as was needed for a princess, and she approached Giuseppe as well.

Stopping within his reach, she laced her perfectly manicured hands together. The last time they’d met, she’d done everything she could to save his life and he resisted stubbornly. Had he foreseen this moment then, or was he just a fool in luck?

“Giuseppe.” she said, her voice low. “I’m…very confused.”

“Yes, hello. I am very glad to see you.” Giuseppe spoke warmly and lovingly to his son after scooping Antonio up in his strong arms. He bounced the boy slightly and touched his adorable little face, paying no mind to Jessica for a long moment. The last time he had seen his child, Antonio had been screaming and crying for him and Jessica had denied him even a kiss goodbye to his precious son.

Finally, he looked at Jessica and the warmth evaporated into nothingness. “What exactly are you confused about, Jessica?”

Jessica gestured to the cell, wondering what power game he was playing by pretending not to know what she was talking about.

“You were in prison and now you’re not.” she said simply. “One moment you’re choking me for refusing to…help you with the last hope of our revolt…and the next, I’m being swiped from my royal car and held in a room for gods-know how long. It's not the sort of thing one can simply piece together.”

“You’re back with your husband where you belong. What else is there to piece together for you?” He looked at Antonio again and then turned toward the door. “Jenna.”

Appearing immediately, the older woman gave a smile. “Yes?”

“Take my son, get him cleaned up and properly fed.” He handed Antonio over and then looked back to Jessica, his eyes almost daring her to try and challenge him.

Jessica knew her husband. She knew him very well. She made no move to protect her son because she knew there was no move to make, and beyond that, she was certain he wouldn’t harm Antonio. Her question was whether she would ever see him again. She fought back the tears, harnessing all the strength she’d needed to gain over years of marriage to a man who wasn’t too far off from a monster.

“I worked hard to see you come back from this exile of your fathers.” she said quietly. “I want to know how it happened. How did you do it?”

“Carefully.” Giuseppe replied coolly and crossed his large arms over his broad chest. “How is the baby? Are you both well?”

He was all about power, she knew. He would give her nothing until he felt she was genuinely on his side. It was all him, all the time. He loved his son because, to Giuseppe, his children were an extension of him. She’d been selected to marry this man because she was beautiful, and kind, and had a great name. But she’d survived on lies, charm, secrets, calculations, smiles, blowjobs, and allowing herself to lose without a fight when the time came. She couldn’t stop now.

“Better now. Your children should be with their father. Your wife should be with her husband.” she said, not faking a smile. “I’m just..a bit nervous, is all.”

“Yes, she should be. Except the last time I saw her I do believe my wife expressed satisfaction in the fact I was to die and wouldn’t even let me say goodbye to my son.” He leaned down, putting his face level with her own. “Now, what should a husband do about a wife like that?”

“I’m sure you’ll do what you think is best for you, Giuseppe. You always do.” she said, no bite in her tone at all. To someone like Giuseppe, that phrase wouldn’t even feel like an insult; just a statement of fact, if not a compliment. “I was emotional after you tried to kill me. I said stupid things.”

Her heart was leaping in her chest, and her anxiety was rising. She didn’t let it overwhelm her, but she didn’t hide it either. She knew that’s what he wanted; for her to be scared.

“How can I make it up to you?” she asked, her breathtaking silver eyes resting on his.

Giuseppe brought a hand up and cupped her face lightly. It would have been a loving gesture if it weren’t for the look in his eyes. He used to touch her like this genuinely and lovingly long ago, but that was a distant memory now. “You really still don’t understand that if I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead, do you?”

She had to use a considerable amount of self-control not to challenge this delusion of his which offended her sense of reality so much that she was battling a visceral response. Was he claiming that he knew the Terran Security Service was coming to arrest him and would save her life at the final hour?

“What do you want from me then?” she asked with a turn of her head.

“I want you to take care of yourself and our baby.” He replied as he stood up straight again. “I’ve had a room prepared for you and you will be given everything you need within reason. You will also have two ladies assigned to you for your protection and service at all times.”

Of course it wasn’t for protection nor service, it was simply to make sure she behaved and didn’t try to kill herself.

“But why don’t you protect me?” she asked. She wasn’t sure when he’d started hating her exactly, but she knew how completely bothered he was by her. Maybe he finally learned one lesson after so many years: that Jessica Silva Orsini knew how to get what she wanted from him. “I want you. I want you to stay with me; share my bed. Let me help you.”

“No, I don’t believe I will be doing that. Your help is of no use to me, and last time I asked for your help in earnest, you turned me down. No, I want you to focus on yourself and the health of our child. I will take care of the rest.”

“Ask for my help?” she asked, her breathing increasing. It was anger now rather than fear. “What the fuck are you talking about Giuseppe? Every ally you have I got for you. They hated you when we started. You alienated all of them and I was the one who convinced them you were worthy of a chance. Nechayev, Montgomery, Shift, Langley, Dougherty. I went to all of their offices before you.” she clenched her fists. Everything wrong with her life was caused by him. Why couldn’t he just die?

“You were the heir to the Terran Empire, and you fucked it up. You tried to climb back to the top, and you fucked it up. Now, but by some miracle, the people I recruited managed to free you from prison and now you think you’re a politician, Giuseppe? You’re going to fail without me. And when you do, your father is going to plant your head on a spike, and we’ll be lucky if our children survive.”

She was ready for the strike then. Almost flinching as she prepared for the hit. He would smack her, rape her, and call her names. At least that would be normal.

The anger was there, as was the violent glint in his eye. He clenched his hands into fists, his jaw working a moment, and then with a monumental effort he stepped back from her. She was carrying his child. “Someone will be along to take you to your room soon. Obviously you are tired.”

“What a disappointment.” she said, stepping closer to him and allowing an uncharacteristically mean expression to cross her face. “I can’t wait to see your face when the baby comes.”

With that, she went back to the couch and sat down, folding her arms over her chest.

“And why is that, Jessica?” Giuseppe asked flatly, though he was obviously displeased by what he was inferring from that particular jab.

“What exactly are you confused about, Giuseppe?” she asked with a sneer from her seat on the couch, quoting his glib response from earlier.

Her response didn’t really work given what he had asked, but he could see she was just going to be petulant. “Very well then.” He turned to the door and walked to it, opening it and spoke to someone outside. “Rachel, see that my wife is taken for a full medical scan today as well. I wish to speak with the doctor after it is over.”

“When is Antonio being brought back?” she asked, and then decided on a better question. “When can I see him?”

“I’m going to be spending some time with my son. I haven’t seen him in quite a while.” Giuseppe replied, looking over his shoulder at Jessica with coldness in his eyes. “As you well know.”

“It’s not my fault you got yourself arrested. I didn’t keep your children from you. You did that by failing and then wasting your only chance to be released.” she said with a scowl. “I begged you to take the deal. You wouldn’t listen to me then, so don’t blame me for it. Take responsibility like a man.”

“You know that isn’t what I’m talking about, Jessica, and if you don’t then you are foolish.” He shook his head and left her without another word. The door closed behind him and left Jessica with a single female guard in the room for the moment. He had learned after all, or perhaps he always knew. It was unclear, but trying to bat her eyelashes out of this situation would definitely be next to impossible for her.

Jessica sighed, her eyes immediately turning to the guard, looking for her in the sea of signs and symbols that were her appearance.

“What are you doing here, soldier? Is the pay good?” she asked, recalling some of the things she’d heard Giuseppe’s friends say when they would visit and pretend to like him because of who he was.

“I’m here to guard you, ma’am.” The woman replied. She was probably in her thirties, with short dark hair and dark eyes. There was a certain slight lift to the outer corners of her eyebrows and lack of arch to them that was highly unusual, and when she turned her head to look at Jessica, her short hair shifted to reveal a slight point to the ear. “If you require anything I will have it sent for.”

“I don’t need anything you can get for me right now, soldier.” Jessica said with a polite shrug, the war in her heart playing out without her attention. “I mean what are you doing fighting for Giuseppe? Did you join him because you believe in him as a leader?”

“I believe in the natural order of things.” The woman replied. At least this guard was willing to have a conversation with Jessica. “He is the eldest son and the throne is his by right of birth.”

“Oh…”Jessica said, smiling quietly. Showing no sign of feeling, not that this particular officer would notice that in particular. “That's…very interesting.”

“Is it? Do you not feel the same? You are his wife and you have a child together that would inherit the throne after.” She pointed out, those slightly pointed brows raising slightly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply I don’t feel the same. It’s just….just a matter of history, is all, I suppose.” Jessica said, still affecting a neutral though human tone. “But I bet you already know what I mean. This is a big step, after all. I’m sure you really thought about it before you joined our side.”

“I have always been on your side.” She replied, her tone communicating that she found the thought of any other alternative to be a strange one. She continued to stand very still where she was, but she was looking at Jessica and actively engaged, not simply brushing her off.

“Hmm.” Jessica said. “My great great great great great great great great great grandfather, Antonius the first was the first Emperor of the Terrans.He ruled from Rio de Janeiro, my birth city. When he died, his first son took over. He reigned for 9 months before his brother murdered him and took his throne. Tomasus, in turn, ruled for 16 years before being poisoned by his son, Antonius III. He ruled for 14 years before he was usurped by his younger brother and murdered by the soldiers under his command.”

She let that linger in the air for a few moments before continuing.

“Gabrielus, the usurping brother, was himself usurped after 3 years by his son and heir, Antonius IV, who was himself usurped again by his father after 4 years. Both of them, rightful rulers at some time, were captured in battle by a commoner, Hoshi Sato and were executed. Hoshi, a usurper, and her clones reigned over the Empire for a total of 98 years. Phillipa, military coup. Michael, murder, Hoshi, murder. Spock, murder. Only the Orsini have been peaceful. In the grand scheme, I wonder why soldiers like you might pick my husband over Paolo considering all that history. Call it a curiosity. We are planning to win, after all.”

“In all cases, the right to rule was won. The Emperor chose to strip the rightful Crown Prince of his title for no reason and give it to his younger son. That is against the order of things and it simply cannot stand. I do not presume to know why the Emperor thought this decision would result in anything other than what is happening now. It defies all sense and logic.” The guard shrugged.

“Do you really think the Emperor has no reason?” Jessica asked, furrowing her brows with disturbed curiosity, but not with surprise. “How long have you ever been in the same room with Giuseppe Angelo?”

“He is the rightful heir.” The woman replied, simple and concise, then looked away from her. Her face betrayed nothing, and she seemed stalwart in her conviction which wasn’t exactly surprising given her obvious heritage.

“Is the Emperor a God?”

“Terran society labels him as such.” The guard shifted slightly where she stood to get a bit more comfortable.

“When Giuseppe takes the throne, will he be a God?”

“Terran society will label him as such.” She repeated.

Jessica wasn’t sure if this Vulcan was stupid or if she’d just been trained to be useless. Even still she was expecting much less compliance.

“Terran religion will label him as such, actually.” Jessica corrected neutrally. “And is the Terran religion right or wrong?”

“Even those who do not practice your religion actively would call him a god given your religion is so ingrained in your society.” She pointed out. “Whether it is right or wrong doesn’t particularly matter, it is simply what is.”

“You are a trained question dodger, soldier.”

“Ma’am.” The soldier replied but it was in a way that signaled that she was likely done talking with Jessica. It wasn’t impolite, but it was firm and to the point.

Jessica sighed gently and then lowered her head. For the space of several minutes, nothing else was said. She only sniffed and sat and sat and sniffed trying to keep her emotions together. Finally, she spoke again.

“Giuseppe is going to kill me when I have his baby, a soldier. There’s no question about it.”

“Perhaps.” The woman replied and paused, there was the slightest shift of her expression, almost as if she were weighing something mentally. “I would advise you to not think of your unborn child as a shield.”

“I don’t. I think of my unborn child as my purpose.” Jessica said with a frown. “My fear isn’t for me, it’s for him and Antonio growing up raised by a monster without their mother. It’s them murdering each other one day and the whole sad cycle starting again. Pay attention soldier and be guided by that Vulcan logic. See if you can find the reason such a brilliant man as the emperor would displace this son. And then consider him raising my children.”

“So you do not support your husband and rightful heir to the throne. Fascinating.” The soldier’s brows raised again and then she looked at Jessica. “I do suggest you rest, ma’am. It may do you some good.”

Who was running the show out there? It wasn’t Giuseppe, that was for certain. She shook her head.

“Stand outside the door. I won’t be harming myself and I’d like to be alone so I can cry in peace.” She said, her mind racing with images of Giuseppe’s lifeless corpse.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t do that.” The guard replied, quiet and even but again with a certainty that no amount of begging, pleading, or screaming would sway that decision. She was an obedient soldier.

“Is Montgomery here?” Jessica asked. “Just tell me. There’s no point in keeping me completely ignorant if I can’t even be in a room by myself.”

“We are not at liberty to discuss any of the current situation with you, ma’am. I apologize.” It was mechanical and very Vulcan, and while a human might have been exasperated having to constantly say the same thing, she didn’t much seem to care.

Jessica bit her tongue. What was the point? The only leverage she had with handpicked guards who wouldn’t speak with her seriously was to wait.

“I would like a tablet with books loaded.”

“I will see if I can get that for you, ma’am. Any particular books?” The other woman asked.

“An expansive library of mystery novels, historical fiction, and trashy romance. I could use some of that in my life right about now.” Jessica said before turning her thoughts inward. There was nothing left for her to say. There was nothing left for her to do. Perhaps she was as good as dead already.

END