“So, am I going to wake up as a drone?” I ask. I’m lying on the bed as Katie and her drones prepare me for the surgery.

 

“What?” Katie looks horrified.

 

I grin at her. “This could all be a long con to drone me. A cruel prank by a cruel woman who gets off on that sort of thing. I know I’d at least consider it.”

 

Honestly, if that were the case—which I know it isn’t—it’d be pretty sexy.

 

Katie catches onto the joke. “Oh yes, my little drone-candidate,” she boops my nose with a finger. “You’re going to wake up as my slave and I’m going to do all sorts of awful things to you.”

 

“You’ll probably let me keep my personality, so I can know about the betrayal for the rest of my life.”

 

Katie’s drone swabs my arm, preparing it for the IV. “Totally will, gonna make you suffer. But, seriously, Vi, no, I’m not. It’s a hot idea in abstract, but I’d never do it to you. We might do it to some drone-candidate together in the future though. I loved watching 0-Omega realize you were mine; it’s definitely something we could do again. Just a bit more… deliberately.”

 

“Did you even know it’d been my girlfriend?”

 

“Tom probably did. He keeps track of that sort of thing.”

 

I don’t even feel the prick as the needle slides in. Katie sits down on a stool next to me and takes my hand in hers. “You won’t notice it. The anesthesia will knock you out in an instant and when you wake up you won’t even realize any time has passed.”

 

Katie is standing over me now, no longer holding my hand. “And we’re done!”

 

“What?

 

“Told you. Never had full anesthesia before, I’m guessing?”

 

“We couldn’t afford surgery.” The idea is… funny somehow. I giggle. “Too much taxation so you could live a life of decadence and luxury.” It’s my life, too, now. The millions of people Blake oppresses toil away for my pleasure, just like they do for him, for Katie, for Thomas. God, it feels good to be at the top!

 

Katie giggles too. “Did you know that a significant portion of the crop taxes spoil? Go completely to waste just to keep people starving and desperate.”

 

She pulls me up into a hug and slides me off the bed.

 

“0-Omega should be hooked up to you in just a minute. It takes some getting used to and it’ll be awhile before we can add another drone safely. Your cap is twenty-three, though, so eventually you’ll have a whole squadron of drones at your beck and call.”

 

“I thought the legal cap was like… six.”

 

Katie gives me a Look.

 

“Oh, right, doesn’t apply to me.”

 

She kisses me on the nose. “It really really doesn’t.”

 

Blake, Tom, Vi, and I are conferring with Blake’s generals about annexing one of Blake’s client states. In reality, Tom and I are mostly here to support our partners: Blake as the Overlord (obviously) and Vi as the Superintendent of Blake’s Secret Police.

 

I’m too far away from Vi to touch her, so I have one of my drones sidle up to 0-Omega and start making out with it. Vi doesn’t appear to notice—she’s reviewing some sabotage operations she’s got planned for the invasion—but 0-Omega returns the kiss and starts pawing at my drone’s clothes.

 

A few minutes later we’ve both relaxed our drones’ impassivity protocols and they’re moaning as my 5-Alpha is balls-deep in Katie’s 0-Omega.

 

General Suiath interrupts herself. “Excuse me, madams, would you please stop having your drones fuck?”

 

Blake raises an eyebrow and one of his drones speaks. “General, do you have a problem with Katie and Violet's public display of affection?”

 

She squirms. “Overlord, it’s just… very distracting.”

 

“I think it’s sweet,” another of Blake’s drones says.

 

“Yes, Overlord.”

 

Blake turns to me and Vi and speaks with his own mouth. “She didn’t upset you, did she?” he asks. We shake our heads. I'm enjoying watching Blake flex his authority over the insubordinate general too much to be upset.

 

Blake faces General Suiath and speaks with one of his drones. “One, Katie’s and Violet’s drones are making love, not fucking, and it’s adorable. Two, I don’t appreciate my subjects questioning the actions of their betters. You will apologize.”

 

Suiath gets out of her chair and lowers herself to all fours. She crawls under the table and kisses the ground in front of Blake’s feet. “I’m sorry for not knowing my place, Overlord.” She crawls again and kisses the ground in front of my feet. “I’m sorry for objecting to your actions, ma’am.” She crawls again and kisses the ground in front of Vi’s feet. “I’m sorry for objecting to your actions, ma’am.”

 

Vi kicks her. “Get back into your chair, you’ve wasted enough of our time.”

 

"Yes, ma'am! Sorry, ma'am!" Suiath hurriedly returns to her chair.

 

An hour later the meeting wraps up. The invasion is ready to go. The generals are leaving, walking backward until they’re out of the room. I’m about to get up myself—and walk out of the room with my back pointedly facing Blake to remind the generals of the nearly infinite gap between them and me—when Vi’s drone touches my shoulder. “Actually, Katie, would mind staying here just another quick moment?”

 

“Of course, dear.” I notice that Blake and Tom are both still sitting, looking at Vi expectantly. Once the generals have left the room, Vi stands up and walks over to me, then gets down on one knee. A drone hands her a small box which she opens and holds up.

 

“Katie, will you marry me?”

 

Blake and Tom clap as I stand and pull Vi into my arms for a kiss; the box is on the ground for a moment before her drone picks it up and slips the ring on my finger.

 

“I call best man!” yells Tom.

 

“Hey,” Blake interjects. “I wanted to be the best man!”

 

Tom rolls his eyes. “Babe, you’ll be officiating, remember?”

 

Blake and Tom glomp on to Vi and me and we all hug each other. It’s the best day of my life so far but I know, surrounded by the people I love, that it’s also the worst day of the rest of my life. The future is bright. The future is beautiful. And I can’t wait for what it holds.