by Jon Gerrard
Chapter Eighteen
It was a beautiful day for an execution. No doubt the King had ordered climate control to arrange perfect weather for the occasion. The capture of the leader of the pirate ring which had been attacking Gilead shipping over the past several years was big news. Sebastian would try to get as much mileage out of my arrest as he could. He always had needed to be the center of attention. That was fine with me. Let him bask in the glory of the moment. The wider the news reached the better.
By the time Admiral Magnus’s battle group entered orbit around Haven, every news service in the nation was carrying the story. Regular programming had been preempted so that my trial could be transmitted live to every system in the nation. The verdict was a foregone conclusion and most people were more interested in the sentence that was certain to be carried out than in the court proceedings. After all of the people who had been murdered or carried off by the pirates, the public wanted their pound of flesh.
News ships buzzed around our formation like a swarm of flies around a rotting carcass. The cluster of ships was so tight that there had been several minor collisions and even one serious enough to require a rescue team from the nearest orbiting platform to be called in to tractor a ship to space dock before their air bled away into space.
The circus atmosphere only increased when my shuttle left the Admiral’s flagship and started down toward the capitol. Although we started out with an escort of six long range fighters and a patrol cruiser, we quickly picked up an entourage of trailing media ships that made it seem more like a parade than a military formation. By the time the shuttle touched down on the capitol grounds the air above the city was congested with hundreds of ships all vying for the best camera angles. The media was hoping for a show and I didn’t plan on disappointing them.
As I stepped into the sunlight I squinted up at the ships buzzing above, allowing the news crews to get a shot of me. My face itched like mad. Over the past few hours I had undergone follicle stimulation treatments which had caused me to sprout a wild beard under a tangled mop of hair which hung in my eyes. Between that and the soot which had been strategically smudged on the exposed portions of my face I should be unrecognizable. From somewhere the Admiral had dug up a stained and tattered pressure suit that I had changed into. The oversized suit hung like a sack on me, adding to my disheveled appearance. I was manacled of course, my hands secured behind my back, and once more I had the weight of an obedience collar around my neck. I truly looked like some wild thing which had been dragged kicking and screaming into custody.
A nudge in my back started me down the access ramp. Two squads of Marines flanked me as I made my way along the crushed stone path that led through the wide, manicured lawns toward the capitol dome. In contrast to my own seedy appearance my Marine guard was decked out for the occasion in full dress blues. The formal uniform of the Marine Corps was a carryover from pre-spaceflight days. Festooned with large brass buttons, bold leg piping and completed with high peaked, white caps and sabers hanging at their sides, my guard detail made an impressive sight. But as formally impressive as they appeared, these were veteran soldiers, battle hardened, trained to respond instantly to any threat with death. Even their sabers, although mainly ceremonial, were real and as deadly in their hands as the blaster rifles each one of them carried.
It didn’t take us long to cover the distance from the landing pad to the capitol. Admiral Magnus was at the head of our procession, his stride confident and purposeful. The capitol grounds had been cleared for our arrival and only roving patrols of military police officers were in sight. A squad of capitol security officers, outfitted in riot gear, was posted at the building entrance. They pulled themselves to attention at our approach. The Admiral acknowledged them with a brief nod and only someone paying close attention would have noticed the barely perceptible nod their commander gave in return.
Although the capitol grounds had been cleared, as we moved into the main foyer of the capitol building itself, the din of hundreds of people reached my ears. A cordon of police officers maintained an open path from the entrance to the senate chambers. Beyond the stern faced officers hundreds of people attempted to press in on us from both sides. Cameras and microphones were thrust in my direction as each reporter tried to get my attention. For a moment it seemed as if the police were about to be overwhelmed by the crowd.
Without turning, Admiral Magnus held up one finger. Instantly, my Marine guard readied their rifles, shifting the weapons smoothly from their shoulders into port arms position and as a unit snapped off the safeties. The sound of several dozen safeties clicking from safe to active mode caused everyone to stop. The entire crowd took a step back. These were Marines and their impassive expressions were a clear message that they would brook no interference.
Admiral Magnus never hesitated. He continued toward the entrance to the Senate chamber unhurried and unconcerned about the mob surrounding us. Ahead, a pair of dark suited Protective Service agents pulled open the heavy doors to the chamber, holding them wide for us to enter.
I hadn’t seen the Senate this full since my coronation. Every seat on the floor was filled and the overhead galleries were overflowing. People were standing as many as five deep along every available wall space. Interspersed throughout the crowd were dozens of capitol police officers and Protective Service agents, each watching the crowd with hard eyes. Unlike the foyer however, the Senate chamber was virtually silent. The low murmuring which had been buzzing through the room when the doors first opened faded away at our entrance. With one exception. Seated atop the tall dais at the head of the room, King Sebastian was carrying on an active conversation with one of his advisors.
The throne Sebastian was sitting in was different from the seat which used to occupy that place. The artistically carved chair which had stood atop the dais since the kingdom had been founded had been replaced with an immense golden throne that overwhelmed the room with its gaudy magnificence. It appeared to be molded from solid gold inlayed with platinum and jewels and padded in rich, crushed velvet. Its intricately patterned back rose to nearly twice the height of a standing man. The throne was bathed in a cleverly concealed, subtly muted spotlight which drew your eye instinctively to it, making it the center of attention.
Sebastian seemed quite at home. He was resplendent in a pure white, military cut uniform adorned with excessive amounts of gold buttons and braiding and included his own white scabbarded saber. Around his shoulders he wore a fur trimmed cape of royal purple and perched on his head was the Starcrown, the symbol of our family’s authority for centuries. The left breast of his uniform was crowded with row upon row of medals and ribbons. I had to suppress a smile at that sight because as far as I knew the only award he had ever ‘earned’ from his time in the military was a good conduct medal upon his discharge. Even that had been a joke at the time because his conduct had been anything but good in the service. But a member of the Royal Family could not be discharged from service to the kingdom without some commendation being bestowed.
I wondered where he had gotten the other awards, most of which I didn’t recognize. Then my eye fell on one I did recognize–fencing champion. Unlike the good conduct medal, this one I did not doubt he had earned. Sebastian had been fascinated with swordplay since he was a boy. Having trained with the best instructors in the kingdom from a young age, Sebastian had quickly established his reputation as one of the top fencers in the entire Fleet during his brief enlistment. His aggressive style and the fact that he was a member of the Royal Family whom no one would dare injure enabled him to dominate any opponent. Dozens of officers bore scars as a result of their matches with him since he had made it a point to mark anyone he competed against. Only once in his entire time on the team had an opponent gotten through his guard and nicked him on the shoulder. That opponent had paid for this with a week’s stay in the base infirmary after Sebastian had nearly taken his arm off in retaliation
. It was a story he liked to tell in social situations, a way of bragging about his prowess. I wondered idly if that was what he was doing now.
While everyone else followed our procession down the center aisle, Sebastian ignored our presence and continued to talk and laugh with his advisor. I recognized the fellow immediately: Hamilton Fiske. He’d been a freshman Senator when I assumed the throne. I had never liked him. He was the sort who made me want to count my fingers after shaking hands with him. He was an opportunist, plain and simple. His only concern was for his own political advancement, with the wishes of his constituents something he bothered with only when it coincided with his own agenda. He did have a talent for ass kissing however and would go to any lengths to ingratiate himself with anyone who could be helpful to his upward climb. His belly crawling had obviously caught the attention of Sebastian who liked to surround himself with fawning toadies.
Admiral Magnus stopped before the Speaker’s podium at the foot of the King’s dais. The Marine guard split into two columns which separated and continued around either side of the wide podium to take up flanking positions on both sides of the dais alongside the King’s personal Protective Service detail. Two of the Marines remained with me, stopping me a few paces behind where the Admiral stood.
Sebastian continued his private conversation for a while, pointedly ignoring us as he talked at length and laughed at his own jokes. Eventually he dismissed Fiske with a gesture. The Senator paused briefly to look down his nose at me before scurrying away. Resettling himself in the thick padding of his throne, Sebastian finally condescended to notice us.
“Welcome home, Admiral! We understand that you have information of some consequence to report.”
“I do, Your Highness. I have brought before you someone who I think Your Majesty will be interested in meeting.”
Sebastian threw his head back and laughed. “Well said, Admiral! We are indeed very interested in meeting this rascal.” His smile faded and a hard edge entered his voice. “And then he shall learn how We deal with those who dare to raise their hand against Our ships. Bring him forward so that We may examine this nuisance.”
A hand on each shoulder directed me closer to the podium. Sebastian leaned forward and looked down at me from his position towering over the rest of the floor. I met his gaze and waited. After a while, when I did not break eye contact and look away, he narrowed his eyes and rose to his feet. Settling his cape around his shoulders, he came slowly down the dais steps, stepped around the podium and faced me. Sebastian sneered as he looked me up and down, then slowly walked a circle around me.
“This is the scourge of the space lanes? This pathetic excuse for a man? Take him away, Admiral. We have changed Our mind. We have no wish to waste Our time on this bit of human refuse. Take him away and hand him over to the courts. Let justice be done to him.”
Spinning on his heel he headed back to the dais.
I took a step forward. “I invoke the right of recognition!”
Sebastian froze as if he’d been shot. When he turned back to me a vicious smile curled his lips.
“You sorry fool. You hear a word and you seek to make yourself seem important in Our presence. Yet you do not know what you are saying. The right of recognition can only be invoked by a member of the Royal Family.”
“I know exactly what I’m saying. Before you, before those assembled here and before all those witnessing these events across the kingdom, I claim kinship to the crown and demand the right of recognition.”
A low buzzing rippled through the crowd.
Sebastian glared at me. I had claimed kinship to the Royal Family in front of the entire kingdom. He was now obligated to hear my claim.
“Very well, my clever little friend. But understand what your cleverness has bought you. Falsely claiming kinship to the Royal Family is treason. And treason is punishable under the old penalties. Once We have disproved your ridiculous claim you will be taken from Our presence to a place of execution where you will be hanged by the neck until you are dead!”
Spinning around, Sebastian stormed to the top of the dais and threw himself down onto the throne. At his gesture the Speaker of the Senate stood to addressed me. Barbara Fine was a Senator from a small system on the border of the kingdom. She had won her seat following the murder of her husband in a violent robbery. She had used the event to push through a series of reforms in the criminal statutes and eventually her popularity led to her being elected to the Senate. I was happy to see that her dedication had won her such support and acceptance among her fellow Senators as well. The kingdom was lucky to have politicians of her caliber.
“Approach and identify yourself,” she told me.
Set into the front of the speaker’s podium was a biometric scanner. One of my marine guards unlocked my cuffs. Rubbing the circulation back into my wrists I stepped up to the device and placed my hand on the scanner plate. The familiar warm tingling began at my touch. When the light probing my eyes faded away I looked up at Sebastian. Holding his gaze I spoke in a voice loud enough to carry to where he was sitting, “Jason Asche Raynor.”
Sebastian surged to his feet as the computerized voice said: “Identity confirmed. Jason Asche Raynor. Royal Family.”
The crowd exploded.
“Impossible!” Sebastian yelled.
“Why, uncle? Because you thought one of your thugs had killed me during his overly zealous interrogation?”
“Jason Raynor is dead!”
Oddly, I felt a sensation of calmness settling over me. The nervous tension which had been building in my chest ever since I’d landed in the shuttle evaporated like the tenuous wisps of a dream. For the first time in years, I was at peace.
I folded my arms and looked up at Sebastian, watching as he struggled to come to grips with the unexpected turn of events. He had been outmaneuvered and there was nothing he could do about it.
“It is over, uncle,” I said. “They know. The entire kingdom knows.”
Rage contorted his features. His fingers gripped the arms of his throne with white knuckled fury as if he were refusing to relinquish his hold on the kingdom.
“We don’t know how you managed to fool the scanner but this plot will not succeed! Take this pretender from Our presence at once!”
I glanced at the pair of Marines flanking me. They stepped back, holding their weapons at the ready but made no move to grab me. Admiral Magnus had been very particular when he selected the Marines for the detail that accompanied us to the capitol. These were his men, each one a member of the Diadem Order. They knew who I was and what was at stake.
I watched the color drain from Sebastian’s face when the Marines failed to respond to his order.
“Your Highness,” Admiral Magnus said, “given the importance of what is happening here, perhaps it would be wise to–”
“Treason!” Sebastian screamed, his voice pitched high with panic. He jabbed an accusing finger at Magnus. “You are in this with him! We have long had Our doubts about your loyalty, Admiral, and today you have shown yourself for the traitor you are! Admiral Magnus is to be arrested along with this upstart pretender at once!”
For a second time Sebastian’s orders went unanswered. Around the chamber the dozens of police officers and Protective Service agents stood unmoving at their posts. A day earlier, Admiral Magnus had sent instructions to the Order. Using its influence the Order had rearranged duty assignments to assure that each of the officers and Protective Service agents assigned to the capitol today were Order members.
“Treason!” Sebastian shrieked. “You are all in this together! But you haven’t gotten to my personal security detail. These men are loyal to me ...” His words dropped off as he turned to the Protective Service agents flanking his throne only to find that each of them had been disarmed by the Marines who had taken up positions beside them.
Sebastian shrank back into the cushions of his throne as the rea
lity of his situation sank in, his eyes darting furtively around the room.
“Uncle, this is pointless. This entire matter can be resolved very easily through a simple DNA test.”
“And have more of your treasonous friends tamper with the results? We think not!” He seemed to draw in upon himself as he sat huddled there, looking like a trapped animal. But an animal is at its most dangerous when it is backed into a corner.
Even as this thought was going through my mind I saw a sudden change come over him. Sebastian set his mouth in a hard line as fury blazed behind his eyes. Surging to his feet he threw off his cape and drew his saber.
“This farce has gone on long enough! We will tend to you Ourself!” He began advancing down the stairs toward me, the point of his saber aimed at my heart. “No one is to interfere! This is between this impostor and Us!”
I took an involuntary step back, instinctively looking for a way out. I had made it clear to Magnus that no one was to move against Sebastian no matter what he did. That would be the fastest way to plunge the nation into civil war. This must not be seen as a military takeover of the government. I was beginning to doubt the wisdom of that order however as I watched my uncle advancing toward me with murder written on his features. Then suddenly, something hard was pressed into my palm. Looking down I found myself gripping the hilt of a saber. One of the Marines had given me his weapon.
“Good luck, Sire.”
Before I could reply I heard an enraged shout. It was like the bellow of a charging animal, all hatred and fury without reason. I spun around and saw Sebastian charging at me in a blind rage. I swung my saber up barely in time to parry a blow that would have split my skull. The force of that blow was so powerful that I was forced back several paces. Sebastian pressed his attack, swinging again and again, forcing me to give ground before the fury of his assault.
Like all members of the Royal Family I had taken instruction in fencing as a youth. But I had never been as devoted to its study as was my uncle. Although fairly proficient with a sword I knew that I was no match for Sebastian, even now that he was years past his prime.
As he pressed his attack I scrambled backward, dodging and parrying his slashes as I worked to keep my flesh off the point of his blade. Sebastian broke off his attack then, a cruel smile curling his lips.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness? You seem to be having some trouble. Our nephew, Our true nephew, was an accomplished swordsman, like all members of Our Family. Or didn’t you realize that when you thought up this little charade? He would be able to offer Us a true challenge, not the pathetic flailing about you are exhibiting.”
Sebastian punctuated his words with a sudden attack. Again I gave ground as I dodged and parried. And once again his attack failed to penetrate my defenses.
“You cannot evade me forever!”
I ignored his taunting and circled left to avoid being driven into a corner. Although I knew Sebastian outclassed me, I was not quite as helpless as I appeared. One of my earliest instructors had driven home the point that charging in to attack is a quick way to get killed. He was always cautioning me to take the first moments of an encounter to assess an opponent. Time and again he told me to spend the beginning moments of an encounter to learn an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses in order to find a way through his guard. As a young man I had been amused that he had treated fencing as if it were actual life and death combat when to me it was mere exercise and sport. I wasn’t smiling now.
“We are growing weary of this challengeless sport,” Sebastian said. “It is time to put an end to this farce.”
Once again he pressed the fight. As before, he began with an overhead slashing attack. But I had started to learn how he fought and I was ready. His blade moved through a broad figure eight, cutting at me first from the left then the right. Then he switched to a series of quick, lunging thrusts. It was a classic series of attack moves, not especially creative, but flawlessly executed. And fast! I hadn’t expected him to be so fast. Sebastian was in his mid-fifties yet he moved like a man half his age. He had the strength of a younger man as well. My wrist and arm were already beginning to ache from absorbing the impact of his strikes.
And he kept coming. This time he did not pause in his attack. He continued to press me, forcing me back, waiting for me to make a fatal mistake. It was inevitable. I could not continue to fight a defensive battle for long.
Then an opening came unexpectedly. He had raised his tip a little too much, allowing me inside his guard. I moved to take advantage of the sudden opportunity and realized at the last moment that it had been a trick. Our blades clashed and locked. Pressing forward I slid my saber along his blade until we were locked guard to guard. My arm was trembling from the effort to maintain pressure against his blade. We were virtually nose to nose, neither of us willing to give ground.
Then suddenly, Sebastian relaxed his wrist and stepped back, disengaging his blade. Caught unprepared I lurched forward half a step, but it was enough. I saw his hand flash forward from the corner of my vision. Pain exploded in my mouth in a rush of salty warmth as he clubbed me with his hilt guard. I stumbled backward, tripped over a chair and went down hard, striking my head on the floor.
Stars swam through my vision as I tried to get back to my feet but my head was stuffed with cotton and I couldn’t make my limbs obey me. I was aware of a commotion in front of me and realized that the chair I had fallen over had been kicked aside. I could sense Sebastian advancing on me and knew that I had only seconds to get up or I would be spit like a roast. I managed to get my feet underneath me and lurched up from the floor. But I was still disoriented, my head spinning.
I stumbled backward and was only prevented from falling again by slamming into the Speaker’s podium. I struggled to bring the saber up to protect myself, a feeble effort that I knew was useless. There was a blur of steel and a sudden flash of pain in my wrist as my blade was batted aside. I groaned at the throbbing pain but somehow managed to keep a grip on the saber. The pain actually helped to clear my head. I looked up as Sebastian advanced on me, his sword arm drawing back to deliver a finishing blow. Death was in his eyes. He was going to drive his saber straight through my chest.
Fear pumped adrenalin through my system. Everything suddenly snapped into clear focus. I watched as Sebastian drove forward, saw the point of his blade blur toward me in slow motion. I threw myself aside at the last instant, felt the shock of the blade thudding into the podium at the exact spot where I had been barely a moment before.
Furious, Sebastian went to withdraw his saber. His arm jerked and stopped–his blade was stuck!
I only had a moment. Ignoring the pain in my wrist I raised my saber and lunged. Sebastian gasped as the tip of my blade pierced his side. Releasing his grip on his saber he staggered back, pulling himself off of the merciless steel penetrating his body. Blood flowed freely through his fingers as he pressed his hands to his side. A dark stain spread from his side and ran down his leg, painting a garish, crimson streak on the pristine whiteness of his uniform.
His mouth worked silently for a moment as his eyes blazed hate at me. Bearing his teeth he released his side with one hand and took a step toward me, reaching for my throat with blood soaked fingers as if he were going to strangle me. He stumbled, swayed, and sank to his knees. His eyes lost their focus and rolled up into his head as he pitched over onto his face.
I climbed to my feet, my breath coming in ragged gasps, and wiped a smear of blood from my mouth with the back of my hand. The room was silent. I looked down at Sebastian’s limp form at my feet and the swiftly growing puddle beneath him.
“We need a doctor!” I shouted.
As much as I would have liked for him to hemorrhage his life away there on the floor of the Senate chamber, I knew I could not let him die. This moment was a critical turning point and I had to handle it very carefully. The future of the kingdom was balanced
on the edge of my sword. A wrong move could plunge us into a war that could ultimately destroy the nation. I would not let that happen.
It took a moment for people to react. In seconds police officers and dark suited Protective Service agents started swarming to the floor of the chamber. I surrendered my saber to the first police officer to reach me and turned to the Speaker of the Senate who had crouched down behind the podium during the fighting.
“Madam Speaker.”
Barbra poked her head up, then slowly rose to her feet.
“Yes, sir ... Sire?”
“I believe that still remains to be determined,” I said. “In the meanwhile I am surrendering myself to your custody until my identity is confirmed.”
“But the scanner–”
“There must be no doubt,” I said. “The people must know that I am who I claim to be. You need to arrange for DNA testing to establish my claim. The kingdom has been through enough turmoil. I want there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that I have indeed returned.”
She studied my face for several long moments.
“It really is you, isn’t it, Sire.”
I simply smiled in response and waited. She drew herself up and smoothed the lines of her tastefully conservative pants suit. The experienced politician was back in control of herself.
Behind me a medical team had arrived and moved Sebastian onto a gurney. The doctors were working furiously to stabilize him as they rushed him off to the nearby medical center. Once the frantic activity of the medical team had moved out of the room, Senator Fine switched on the podium microphone.
“The room will please come to order,” she said calmly, her aplomb completely restored. “The Senate is still in session.”
Slowly people began returning to their seats. Barbra waited until everyone had settled themselves before she continued.
“In light of today’s developments, I am ordering the prisoner to be placed in protective custody until proper DNA testing can be performed to establish his identity. For the time being, I am directing that he be placed in one of the senate VIP apartments under house arrest.” A subtle movement of her hand shut off the audio pick-up. “Will that be sufficient, Sire?”
“I won’t cause any trouble. I promise.”
She gave me a quick nod and pointed to a nearby uniformed officer.
“This way please, Sire,” the officer said.
Every eye and camera lens followed me as I was escorted from the room. As soon as I stepped through the side entrance doorway I heard the room erupt behind me. The din followed me all the way down the hallway into the VIP wing. Over it all I heard the Speaker’s voice calling again and again for order.