Empire 1: Humiliation Page 7

around here," said Randolph. "Occidental soldiers are not likely to just forget what they're doing and take off on something else. They're too methodical for that."

  "Who are you guys?"

  "Please believe me, you don't want to know," said Michael.

  "What are you going to do to the campground?"

  "Leave as fast as we can. And try very hard to forget that we were ever here. It's the best thing for you. You are right about your soldiers. They really wouldn't like to find us here, and they would do something nasty if they knew who we are."

  "I've never met Imperial agents before. Please, I want to know. What do you intend to do to me?"

  "Aidan, now you have to believe us," said Randolph. "We're not Imperial agents, at least not the way you think of an agent. We're here by royal decree because we don't take orders. That's what we're here to learn."

  "You were right, Aidan," continued Michael. "I am a little different. Most kids when they grow up want a fast car, a fast woman, a fast lifestyle, maybe a combination of all three. Me? I wanted a battle cruiser. So I built my own. And this is how a king takes his son's toys away from him."

  He walked over to the driver's side. "Move over Aidan. I'll drive us back."

  Aidan moved over.

 

  "Your Holiness, it has been definitely confirmed that the Space Empire's Prince Michael is somewhere on this planet."

  "Do not call me Holiness. That title, by sacred canon law, has been reserved for the Vicar of Christ Himself."

  "Yes, your Worship."

  "We must humbly submit ourselves to the will of God in all things. If God wills that His enemy be delivered into the hands of his holy Church, the souls of many innocent sheep will be preserved. The Crusade is not yet ready. Perhaps God will spare us. Has God revealed more to his servants concerning the exact location of this man of sin?"

  "No, your Worship. We have not yet heard from most of the Asiatic Churches. The Orientals have been very cooperative, but not very helpful. We feel..."

  "Discerning the mind of Christ must be based on facts."

  "Yes, your worship. We know this man of sin is racially similar to the Occidentals."

  "It is true that he is a Samaritan. He might associate with his ancestors. Have you received reports that he is there?"

  "No, your Worship."

  "Is there more that you might do to further the cause of Christ?"

  "Yes, your Worship."

  "You might be a more profitable servant by being busy about the Lord's work."

  The Archbishop left the small bare room and was joined on the way out by an unobtrusive man in a monk's robe who asked, "How was today's meeting with Cardinal Richelieu?"

  "Much better. He did not get angry even once."

  "I would not like to be this prince. Richelieu has thought of nothing else for weeks."

  "And Richelieu gets what Richelieu wants."

 

  "Michael," said Randolph. "Stop about 10 meters behind his jeep."

  The electric cart stopped and Randolph walked over to the soldier.

  "Thank you, soldier."

  "I try to be helpful. There's not much men in my position can do about things, but I do what I can. Men have needs."

  "I'm sorry that Aidan was a little misleading. All we did was talk."

  "Whatever you say."

  Randolph looked back at the cart. Aidan was unable to drive, had been crying and looked like a mess.

  "Here, soldier have some beef jerky."

  "Thanks."

  "The most obvious things are the things which are often not true. We left the campgrounds for a talk. Things went the way I expected them to. And now we have a lot of explaining to do. You think you know what went on because Aidan wanted you to believe that. We needed some privacy and she saw that a hint at immorality was the fastest way to get it. That was wrong. To you it does not matter. You know what you would have done and you know what most men would have done. But we claim to believe the Scriptures, which say to flee immorality. We say that we believe in sin and in God's judgment on sin."

  "Why are you telling me this? It really doesn't matter what I believe. If my CO ever found out that I let you take off, I'd be in more trouble than you can imagine. I'm not about to say anything to anyone. What does it matter what I personally believe if I don't talk and I'm not about to talk?"

  "The Scriptures tell us to be as holy as God. Tonight we broke that commandment, in appearance if not in fact. We need to keep God's holiness unspotted. I was just as wrong as Aidan. I could have said something before we took off, but I just sat there. And one other thing. What you believe is just as important to God as what anyone else believes, including your CO."

  The roar of jeeps filled the air as the convoy turned the corner. The solder started his, rejoined the convoy and disappeared into the darkness.

  "'Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' I don't think I convinced that soldier of anything. Aidan, get hold of yourself and comb your hair, or we'll have a lot more explaining to do, and it won't be to a soldier willing to keep his mouth shut." Randolph was sitting next to Aidan in the back as Michael drove back to the campgrounds.

  Aidan fumbled in her purse, found a tissue and a comb and began primping. She finished as they turned into the lights of the campgrounds.

  Michael pulled up to Carl and said, "We were stopped by the convoy as soon as we left here, less than two kilometers down the road. They just let us go."

  Carl looked at Aidan and said, "I see that you're rather upset."

  "I'm all right now," she said as tears started to flow again.

  "Look you guys," said Carl. "Its too late now to be going out anyway. I'll ask Jess if we can borrow his cart tomorrow night. The other girls are in the dorm and are waiting for you, Aidan. They didn't find Mr. Bryerson. Captain White said that they had been here two years ago and hadn't found anyone that time either. That's funny, because I was here most of that summer two years ago and not only have I never seen a convoy in here before, I've never even heard about one."

  "If it's the same to you," said Aidan. "I would like to go out again tonight with Annette and Sandy along."

  "Suits me," said Carl. "Let me go get them."

  Randolph turned to her. "May I ask why?"

  "Because I'm in no shape to face the rest of the dorm. A few minutes with Sandy and Annette might help me regain my composure."

  Annette sat beside Michael while Carl and Sandy climbed in back. Michael took off down the same road they'd just returned from.

 

  The perfect stillness of space was calming. The king looked at the tiny dot of light he knew to be Earth. Jonathan Edwards' reports on Randolph had been hopeful, but disappointing in Michael's case.

  They would return next week. Then what? He couldn't give him back the Discovery. They needed more time. Michael looked at his stay at the campground as a prison sentence. When the sentence was up, he could go back to living as he pleased. He needed a change in heart. He would never get that as long as he believed that he could be the master of his own fate and the captain of his own soul.

  Michael wasn't ready to leave Earth, but only God Himself could keep him there.

  Doralee opened the door and squealed with delight. "Grandpa's here. Mommy! Daddy! Grandpa's here!"

  Baron Rabshakeh crossed the threshold into his son's apartment. "Here's a puzzle for you, Doree. You need to plug it into your terminal with the power on. Make a copy before trying to solve it."

  She ran off and Patricia looked around the corner, drying her hands on a towel. "Hi, Pops. Alex just finished eating, so there's not much left."

  "That's fine, Pat. I'm not too hungry. I just came to talk to the two of you. Please sit down next to your husband."

  She cleared the remains off the table and sat.

  "Now son, I've looked into this project of yours. Do you realize that the Council has the Discovery's reactors shut down completely? Th
at's a twelve-hour start-up."

  Alexander nodded.

  "Do you have any idea how tight the security is around that ship?"

  Again, he nodded.

  "Suppose that your plan works and you get away from Mercury. Sure, in the Discovery you can outrun anything, but where are you going? If you're on a suicide run, I won't have it. Your wife needs a husband, and Doree needs a dad."

  "Dad, our fleet is waiting and they've been waiting for over three weeks. But they won't act until Michael's leading them. There are only a few battle cruisers in that collection from Earth. They won't take long to deal with, and when they're revealed for what they are, most of the Empire will stand with us. Maybe even some Council members."

  "Alex," said Pat, "you seem so sure that what you're doing is right. Isn't there some way of dealing with that 'collection from Earth' without rebelling against your own government?"

  "Pat, if I could do this some other way, I would. I don't want to be a criminal. But Michael's talked to the Council, and they won't listen. If we act now, we perform a simple mop-up operation and bring a lot of nasty things out into the open. But someone on Earth, and I suspect the Church, is building a lot of battle cruisers in a hurry. If we wait even six months, we'll have a war that will be very costly. If we wait more than a year, we'll have a war that we might not be able to win. Michael told the fleet to assemble. They will only listen to him. If we don't get him now, his father could make him disappear until too late. Our fleet is already breaking up and going home."

  "Alex, I've listened to this a dozen times. I know you said that for Pat's sake. Listen to me. We'll give you all the help we can to free the Discovery. Just