Mark, Lord Haldoran, strode into the control room and nodded slightly for the report to begin. Haldoran was a tall, spare man with a trim beard, inclined to greyness. He understood little about science, but more than enough about power – of all kinds. And power was his, thanks to this nuclear reactor, so carefully preserved and restored. He glanced in boredom about the room. There were scientists and technicians at work at the various panels, monitoring God knew what. It was state‐of‐the‐art, the best you could find anywhere in the twenty‐second century, yet virtually meaningless to Haldoran. But not, of course, to the men who mattered.

Murdock, the chief scientist, moved forward. The man was carrying one of his ever‐present clipboards. He seemed unable to face reality without one in his pudgy hands; he probably even slept with one for comfort. As always, he didn’t even look at it as he delivered his long‐winded report. Haldoran allowed him to ramble for a minute or two before cutting to the chase.

‘So everything’s working fine?’ he summarised. ‘No problems, no radiation leaks and no theft of power?’

‘Uh… none,’ Murdock agreed, looking bewildered at being interrupted in the flow of technical jargon. ‘Everything’s functioning satisfactorily, my Lord.’

‘Which is what I pay you to be able to tell me,’ Haldoran replied with satisfaction. ‘Very well, continue.’ He spun on his heels and marched from the room. Estro, his adviser, was beside him, as usual. ‘Why the devil do these scientists never learn to speak English?’ Haldoran growled.

Estro smiled, the humour lightening his deep eyes. ‘Oh, they’ve learned to speak it, my Lord,’ he replied with a chuckle. ‘They’re just afraid that if they do, you’ll be able to understand what they’re saying, and they’ll lose their positions of power.’

‘Perhaps you’re right,’ Haldoran agreed. ‘But as long as they keep the energy flowing, they’ll be well taken care of. I value my men, Estro, unlike some of my brother Lords. You get better results by treating them with kindness. As long as they understand that there’s steel to back it up if kindness should fail.’

‘Generosity should always be tempered by sense,’ agreed Estro. ‘And, in your case, it always is.’

‘Flattery, my dear Estro, will get you nowhere.’

‘I know that, my Lord,’ the adviser replied. ‘And I assure you that I would never be so foolish as to attempt to use it on you. My remark was simply an observation.’

Haldoran laughed. ‘You amuse me, Estro. There are days when I think I should have made you my jester and not my adviser. We might both have profited more by the arrangement.’

‘Except for the fact that I’m a poor tumbler,’ Estro answered. He seemed amused, though, and not insulted, as a lesser man might well be.

‘Then perhaps we should allow the arrangement to stand.’ Haldoran marched down the antiseptic corridor, Estro at his side, and out of the decontamination shield. Though he knew he was in no danger inside the reactor, it still disturbed him to go inside. However, since the reactor provided the backbone of his own personal sphere of power, Haldoran insisted on being around it. It might disturb him, but no fears ruled his life. ‘Now, what remains to be done this afternoon?’

‘There are the usual requests for audiences,’ Estro answered, without the need to check his schedule. ‘Most of them can be dealt with by underlings, but since you enjoy these audiences so much, I’ve three of them that you might want to look at.’

Haldoran nodded in approval. ‘It’s all very well having capable underlings,’ he pointed out. ‘But if they solve every little problem for me with my people, then the people might start thinking that they are the ones they should be grateful to, and not to me. It’s important for them to see that justice comes from me.’

‘Again, a wise decision.’ Estro paused. ‘And then we must discuss your strategies, my Lord.’

Haldoran stared at him. ‘Still on about that?’ he asked. He stopped dead in the corridor. ‘Why is this so important, Estro?’

‘The balance of power is shifting,’ Estro explained patiently, even though this was the third time he had given the same lecture. Haldoran admired his ability not to get irritated or bored by constantly having to reformulate the same arguments. ‘Domain London is virtually independent of us, with its own power station fully operational. Several of the other Domains are considering switching to London for their own power needs.’

‘London’s power cannot be as affordable as our own,’ Haldoran objected.

‘True,’ agreed Estro. ‘But there are fewer political strings attached.’

Haldoran stroked his chin thoughtfully. ‘You think that my brother Lords are restless? That they are regretting swearing allegiance to me?’

‘London has traditionally always been a centre of political power in Britain, my Lord,’ Estro pointed out. ‘I suspect the other Lords are looking to it for leadership. With all the rebuilding, they’re even calling it New London these days to show how improved it is. And Lord London is very ambitious.’

‘You don’t have to tell me that,’ Haldoran growled.

‘Now,’ said Estro, bowing his head slightly, ‘if I may be excused, my Lord, I shall return to you once your audiences have been concluded.’

‘Of course.’ Haldoran waved dismissively. ‘I’ll meet with you later.’ He marched off to his meetings.

Estro watched him until he passed through the next set of double doors, then retraced his steps back to the power centre. There he cornered Murdock. ‘The new power line,’ he said gently, ‘is it ready yet?’

The scientist nodded. ‘The last segments are being installed,’ he replied. ‘Testing can commence in approximately two hours.’

‘Excellent, Estro replied. ‘You’ve done very well, Murdock, and I’m extremely pleased with you.’

‘Thank you.’ Murdock frowned. ‘But I don’t understand why you wanted this kept from the report I gave Lord Haldoran earlier. If he knew, I don’t think –’

‘Exactly,’ Estro said, cutting the tiresome man off in mid‐flow. ‘You don’t think. You don’t need to think, Murdock. I will do the thinking for the both of us.’

‘But shouldn’t Lord Haldoran know about this?’ Murdock insisted. ‘The projected power drain is quite significant. It will impact on future earnings.’

Estro sighed. ‘He will know about it,’ he promised. ‘I shall tell him personally. If there is any blame, I shall assume it all. But there won’t be. There will be only credit when he sees what we have done together.’

Murdock smiled slightly. ‘I’m glad to hear that. But –’

‘Murdock.’ Estro leaned forward, gazing into the scientist’s eyes. His own had a curious effect on the man. He seemed to lose coherent thought. ‘Enough buts for one day, I think. There is no problem. Everything is fine. Do as you have been instructed, and all will work out as it should. Do you understand me?’

‘Yes,’ Murdock replied, his voice very close to a whisper. ‘I understand.’

‘Good.’ Estro stroked his beard. His eyes burnt into Murdock’s again. ‘I know what I am doing. You will obey me without hesitation or question. I am the master; you are my tool.’

‘I understand,’ the man agreed.

‘Good.’ Estro smiled gently. ‘Now, go back to work. There’s still a lot to be done this evening. I’ll be back later to check on progress. I expect to hear good news.’ Murdock nodded, and hurried off, his sluggishness vanishing as he threw himself back into his work.

Estro turned to look back. Haldoran was now hard at work, talking to his serfs, or whatever ridiculous name they called themselves these days. The fool honestly imagined that he was in charge here.

‘Enjoy your rule while you can, Mr Haldoran,’ he murmured.

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