Empire 1: Humiliation Read online

royalty, so he's different. I just tag along."

  "Because it's your job."

  "Because it's my job. Everyone tells me that you're quite a talker, but every time we get together, I do most of the talking. How can I learn anything about you if you don't tell me? I really know nothing about you."

  "My name is Aidan Harkins."

  "Any relation to Mel?"

  "He's my father. He's in the men's dorm when he's here because he's a widower. He only finished high school so he wants me to graduate from college. We had no money, so I worked hard in high school to earn a four-year scholarship in computer applications, astrophysical navigation systems."

  "What good is that to someone on Earth?"

  "I don't know the answer to that one myself, but there's a big demand out there. I didn't choose this career because I like it, though it is rather enjoyable, but because it pays the best. It seems odd to me too, because the government trains its own crews for our small shuttle fleet. But there are rumors of a really big job opening soon, probably within the year.

  "Also, we live only 15 kilometers north of here. That doesn't sound bad until you realize that there are no roads heading north within 20 kilometers. It's a 65-kilometer trip over very poor roads, roads that are impassable in poor weather. I usually walk back and forth.

  "Dad makes his living as a peddler. He's quite honest, but he deals with some unsavory characters. If you see anyone like that around here, it's probably one of Dad's customers. When they are around, its best if everything you own is locked up. Some of them would even take your lock.

  "College has been a struggle for me, but I have stayed on the honor roll so far -- just barely."

  "Your uncle would like to talk to us now." Neither of them had seen Carl walk up. "I wasn't planning to return until tonight, but I got back early."

 

  Carl stood by the door this time. The rest sat where they had before. Jonathan Edwards spoke first.

  "Believe me, this is as hard or harder on me than it is on you. I don't know what to say. This isn't a church or a school. We don't discipline. All we do is ask people to leave, but we can't do that with either of you. You've both been here five weeks. If we can trust you to stay away from each other off the campgrounds there isn't anything else we can do. Do you have anything to say, Carl?"

  "Aidan, Randolph, we should have kept you in sight, so we are responsible too."

  "Do either of you two have anything to say?"

  Randolph spoke up; "We sinned. Please forgive us."

  "There's nothing else to say, so you may go." They left.

 

  Six

 

  "Come in. Oh, hi, Eric. What are you doing here?" Patricia's voice was nearly drowned out by a roar of popping grease.

  "What am I doing? What are you doing? Trying to burn the place down? What is that?"

  Patricia flipped her auburn ponytail in mock disdain. "I'm cooking chicken."

  "Cooking? Did you say cooking? What for? I've never seen anything like it."

  "Your Margaret should try it some time. It really tastes a lot better than the stuff out of the processing units. Are you going to stick around and try some?"

  "Maybe I will. You've got my curiosity up. Where's Alex?"

  "Alex!" Patricia called over her shoulder. "He's downstairs. Go on down, if you don't mind climbing over piles of unsorted laundry. He's working on something and I don't think he heard me."

  Eric stumbled at the top of the stairs.

  "Don't worry, I'm fine."

  "Doree! Put your doll away."

  "Sorry, mom. It won't happen again."

  "Sure it won't. And you're not a little girl, either. Just try to be more careful. Keep things away from the stairs."

  "Yes, mom."

  Eric disappeared into the darkness of the stairway.

  "Alex?"

  "Eric?"

  "Alex? Whar be ye? Ah hears a voice but sees no Alexander." Alexander stood up from behind a file cabinet. "Do you always pick such classy hangouts?"

  "Only when I'm trying to impress people with my genius. What brings you here? Got lost on your way home?"

  "No, I heard that your wife was cooking and I wanted to see what that was. She actually wants me to eat it."

  "Why not? I have to. It will do you good. Actually, it is good. She's right. It tastes a lot better than the stuff that comes out of the processing units. So what's up?"

  "Bad news, I'm afraid."

  "How bad?"

  "The Council is doubling the guards around the Discovery starting next shift. They intend to upgrade the security all around on the following shift."

  "When does the next shift start?"

  "Four hours."

  "No other security upgrades until the shift after that?"

  "None."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Absolutely."

  "So we move in four hours."

  "That's a full day early."

  "We don't have a choice."

  "Supper's ready," called Patricia. "Eric, are you staying?"

  "Sure, why not? Please call Margaret and let her know."

  "Will do. Hurry on up, you two. This isn't as good when it gets cold."

  "Alex, I thought you'd say that, so I've already notified the brotherhood. Everything will be ready. And I'm going with you."

  "No! Out of the question!"

  "Not into space, just to help you get inside. With doubled guards, the only way you can get inside by yourself is to kill the guards. You don't want that, do you?"

  "You win. Let's eat."

 

  "Have you asked her yet, Randolph? You do know we're leaving tomorrow night, Aidan?" said Michael.

  Both Aidan and Randolph looked at Michael as they sat on a bench beside the deserted ball fields.

  "I know that, Mike. We've talked about nothing else for days," said Aidan.

  "We've talked it over for hours, Michael." Randolph looked him in the eye. "Perhaps even days. Yes, we want to get married. No, it isn't possible. Aidan and I believe the same things. Things that even you and I disagree on, Aidan and I are in agreement about, such as the relationship of a son to his father. We can't go against the wishes of our fathers."

  "Randy, let me make this clear to you. Do you love Aidan?"

  "We've talked about it. Love is something a husband and wife have to grow into. We love each other as much as we can, having known each other for less than a month. The important thing is that we are willing to commit our lives to each other and let our love grow."

  "Do you want to see Aidan hurt?"

  "No, absolutely not."

  "So listen to me, both of you. When that battle cruiser is detected, and something that big can't avoid detection, we will be at war. There is no possible way out of it. You're an astrophysical navigational major, but you don't know why. There is a big demand for something Earth supposedly has no use for. Think! That's why God gave you brains! Earth has built a large fleet of battle cruisers capable of deep space. Did Randolph tell you about our encounter near Uranus?"

  Aidan nodded. "Aidan, you're going to be on the crew of a battle cruiser. All I'm doing is giving you the choice of sides. Earth isn't ready yet and when we force their hand tomorrow, they won't stand a chance. You can come with us tomorrow, get married and be happy, or you can stay here and very soon find yourself fighting against us, perhaps even getting killed by us."

  "How can one battle cruiser make that much difference?" asked Aidan.

  "That one battle cruiser has destroyed more than a dozen other battle cruisers in combat. It has even withstood a five-megaton atomic blast from 50 kilometers. It's on the file of every radar installation I know of and probably the rest of the ones I don't know about. They'll know where it lands. They'll want to know why it landed where it did. Your own government will come to this campground, or to your home, or wherever you happen to hide to find out what you know about us. And they will force you to hate us and will impress you into
military service because of your training. But you don't have the experience to live long in a real war. What I'm really offering you is the chance to live. Think about it. You have until tomorrow after the evening service to make up your mind."

  Michael stood up and walked off.

  "Randy?" Aidan pleaded with him with her eyes.

  "He's right, or at least he has all the angles figured correctly. The king will wait on the Lord, which means noninterference. Michael has a fleet of Imperial spacecraft assembled and waiting for him. The Discovery will be detected. It will probably be considered an act of war. The battle cruisers of Earth he's talking about do exist. This will flush them out and they will be destroyed. If you're thinking that the Discovery might be destroyed coming in you don't know how obsolete your defenses are. Once we lift off, nothing can catch us, terrestrial or Imperial. Humanly speaking, he has all the angles figured."

  "What do I do?"

  "He thought he had all the angles figured before. He ended up here. You and I have to pray and do what's right. Everyone says we need more time here. It's not right to rebel against your own father. Mike will think us fools, but the only way you can be obedient to the Scriptures is to stay here. If you join his sin you will be judged with him when the Lord judges him."

  "Randy, I'm scared. I don't want you to leave me. If it's sin for me join his rebellion it's sin for you too. Please stay here. Maybe we can get you home another way."

  "I wish it was that easy. But I am a man under authority. I was commanded by the king himself to be at the retrieval point at a certain time. Michael also outranks me. Besides, once your government troops come through here in earnest, my life won't be worth anything. All I would do is endanger you."

  "Randy... I love you."

  "True love can wait."

  "How long?"

  "You'll have to