The Mandate of Heaven

by Mike Smith

  With that he walked away, without a care in the world. After all, compared to being locked away in that cell, death really held very little to fear.

  Chapter Eight

  I have commanded some of the most powerful, and deadly, weapon systems known to mankind—battleships mighty enough to destroy entire Star-Systems. Yet, I’ve often found that a softly spoken word, into the right ears, can be just as effective.

  —From the journal of Lord Alexander Greystone,

  It was the humming that finally pushed Jessica beyond the edge of reason. She had managed to tolerate the gleeful smiles, twinkling eyes and amused laughs, but the humming was just too much.

  “Are we there yet?” she asked in the surliest tone she could muster.

  “Nope,” Alex replied in a barely restrained laugh. “We’re not even halfway there yet.”

  “But we’ve been walking for hours.”

  “Not quite, but it certainly feels like it,” Alex agreed cheerfully. “On the bright side Mary packed us a picnic, and I know a perfect spot just ahead. We can stop, rest and have something to eat.”

  “Great, I’m famished.”

  “You’re always hungry. It must be Mary’s cooking,” Alex laughed.

  Secretly Jessica was inclined to agree with him. She had hardly been able to stomach any food recently, the thought of her fast approaching nuptials leaving her stomach churning with fear. But since arriving here, those fears seem to have dissipated and she felt constantly ravenous. Here, now, walking in the bright sunshine to the sound of the gentle trickle of the stream they were following, the marriage seemed as distant as ever.

  Dropping to the soft grass, she gratefully accepted a bottle of water from Alex, drinking in the sight, sounds and smells around her, while enjoying the refreshingly cool water. It was a hot day and she was already sweaty and dusty, therefore with the water finished she started to eye the cool, clear, flowing stream eagerly. Wetting a corner of the ankle length dress that Mary had managed to find her, she wiped away the dust from her face and throat. The cold water felt invigorating against her heated skin. Having cooled off somewhat, the aching in her feet became more and more pronounced. Unable to find any walking boots in her size, they had to settle on a slightly larger pair, with several layers of thick socks. Eyeing the water, with the thought of that cool stream caressing her battered feet, she hurriedly unlaced the first boot, peeling off pair after pair of socks. Finally, with them all removed, she lowered her foot into the stream, reclining on the grass in bliss and the feeling was even better than she thought. A furious cry from above had her opening one eye lazily.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Alex roared, red faced.

  “Washing my feet. What does it look like I’m doing?” she raised a toe above the waterline; little eddies of water swirling around it. “It feels divine; you really should give it a try. You look far too over-heated.” She let her eyes close once again with a heavenly sigh.

  “And how, may I ask, do you plan on getting the boot, back on?” he snapped angrily.

  At those words Jessica’s eyes snapped open, glancing at her foot, which had swollen to twice its original size.

  “Oh.”

  “And before you ask, I’m not carrying you.”

  *****

  It was mid-afternoon by the time that the pair eventually managed to reach the outskirts of the ‘city.’ One glance at it pretty much dispelled that description, for it was nothing more than a moderately sized town. It was certainly not what Jessica had been expecting, having been born and lived most of her life on Osiris where the capital had several million people, with skylines stretching into the skies and beyond. Here few buildings were much above two stories; with the exception of one large square building that reached a few hundred metres in height, it dwarfed the surrounding structures.

  “The moon’s only fusion reactor and the source of all our energy,” Alex explained as they followed the winding path towards the edge of the town. For the first time Jessica could make out people going about their business, aside from Alex and Mary, the first that she had seen. But what took her most by surprise, was the lack of any sort of vehicles, either ground based or the anti-gravity variety that were common on Osiris.

  “Nobody here can afford them or the spare parts necessary to maintain them,” Alex replied, when she voiced the question out loud.

  “But how do you go about transporting things? Goods for trade, building supplies for construction, food?”

  “What cannot be carried by hand, we use carts.” Alex pointed in the direction of a wooden cart that was being pulled by a sturdy four-legged creature. “The animals are a distant relative to wild mustangs that are now extinct on Earth. They were genetically bred once it was discovered that they thrived here, in the higher oxygen environment. As for the wood, it’s cheap and plentiful, as forest covers over half of the moon’s landmass.”

  “But I don’t understand,” she looked around confused, seeing little sign of the sort of prevalent technology that was found in every aspect of life on Osiris. “Technology exists for all of this, to make life easier.”

  “Maybe, on Osiris,” Alex snorted. “But that is the capital of High-Lord Hadley’s domain. It’s a centre of commerce, industry and finance in the Imperium. We’re far removed from the Imperium here, in fact on the very outskirts of it. We have little commerce and absolutely no financial centres. Our primary industry is agriculture, as there are precious few raw materials. Unemployment is over fifty percent, with more people out of work than in. In fact, most of the day-to-day commerce works on an informal barter system.”

  “And you live here, like this? It’s practically barbaric.”

  “By and large people here are happy. We have very little, so are mostly ignored by the rest of the Imperium, and especially the High-Lords. There are far worse ways to live,” Alex gently rebuked, subtly reminding her of where he had spent five years of his life.

  So engrossed in her surroundings and thinking of her short time here, she almost completely missed his next words.

  “As agreed, I’ve fulfilled my promise and delivered you to the city. From this point onwards you are on your own. I wish you the very best of luck.”

  The last was added with a patronising smile, laced with such insincerity that it once again set her teeth on edge. “You’re not going to take me to the spaceport?” she asked, surprised.

  “Sadly that wasn’t part of our agreement, but I’m sure you’ll be able to easily ask for directions.” With that he offered a sweeping bow, before motioning her on.

  “Well, thanks,” she muttered taking a hesitant step forward. “You're not going to hurt anyone, are you?” she added, pointing to the fusion pistol at his side.

  “No, I’m not one for taking pot shots at people when they’ve got their backs turned,” Alex laughed.

  Red faced with embarrassment and no longer in the mood for any more of his verbal barbs, she straightened her back, marching in the direction of the nearest couple, an elderly woman with two small children in tow. Surely this person would know the direction to the nearest spaceport and perhaps advise how she could find a berth on the first starship to Osiris?

  “Pardon me,” Jessica called out, hurriedly approaching them. “I wonder if you can help me?” she asked impatiently, when the woman stopped, staring at her quizzically. “Could you please point me in the direction of the spaceport and perhaps advise who I could best speak to about booking a passage to Osiris.”

  “Osiris?” the woman asked in a confused voice, looking first at Jessica then the children, with a bewildered expression. “I’ve never ‘eard of no Osiris.”

  “The planet Osiris,” Jessica clarified. “It’s in the Pegasus star system.”

  “Never ‘eard of it. What do you want to go ‘ere for?”

  “I live there, with my father, High-Lord Hadley. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?” Jessica asked hopefully. In hindsight perhaps it wasn’t the best thing to sa
y, as the poor woman’s eyes seemed to bulge out of her head and she took a cautionary step backwards, taking a firm hold of both children.

  “High-Lord ‘adley? ‘Ya father?” she asked suspiciously.

  Jessica sighed loudly, immediately regretting having mentioned it, now having little choice but to forge on ahead. “Yes, my name is Lady Jessica Hadley. Lord Hadley is my father, so you see I really need to get home, if you can just point me in the direction of the Spaceport—”

  “Lord Greystone,” the woman interrupted Jessica, clearly relieved. “This ‘ere woman says—”

  “Hello Lilly, hello boys,” Alex interrupted cheerfully. “I seem to be missing some apples from one of my orchards. Neither of you would happen to know anything about that, would you?”

  While both boys shook their heads furiously, the guilty expression on their faces seemed to indicate otherwise.

  “I didn’t think so,” Alex sighed theatrically, shaking his head. “Well, perhaps you two could do me a little favour instead?” With this he knelt down closer to the two, whispering something to both of them, before pressing a small coin into each of their hands.

  The two boys flashed Jessica toothy grins before scurrying off, leaving Lilly shaking her head in despair. “You shouldn’t go encouraging ‘em, my Lord.”

  “Oh boys will be boys. I remember what it was like when I was their age. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, I see that you’ve already met my cousin. She’s staying with us for a while. Poor girl thinks she’s Lord Hadley’s daughter. If you ask me a little bit too much in-breeding in that branch of the family, if you know what I mean?” Alex bestowed upon Lilly a smile that put Arcturus’ star to shame.

  “Well, I see, my Lord,” Lilly looked a little dazed, before giving Jessica one final, nervous glance. “I had better get going. I should find the children before they terrorise somebody else. My Lord, Lady,” she gave a brief curtsey before hurrying away.

  “What the hell did you do that for?” Jessica exploded as soon as she was out of earshot.

  “Saving your reputation, along with your family’s,” Alex said cynically. “Can you tell me the way to Planet Osiris? Daddy, High-Lord Hadley, is probably wondering why I’m late for dinner? Trust me,” he nodded firmly. “Pleading insanity was definitely the best recourse.”

  “Very well,” Jessica conceded with narrowed eyes. “Perhaps my first approach wasn’t too subtle. I’ll be more sensitive next time.”

  “Good luck with that,” Alex said with a patronising smile. “I’ll wait around for a little while longer, just in case you need me to plead insanity on your behalf, again.” With that he chuckled, wandering away.

  What followed next was perhaps the most humiliating experience of Jessica’s thirty-odd years. For all it took were a few, innocent, enquiries about the spaceport, shipping schedules or arranging transport and people were looking at her strangely, hurriedly making excuses, then fleeing. Those were the politer conversations and it only went downhill from there. For after that, simply at her approach, people turned away and some practically ran. Doors were slammed in her face and closed signs hurriedly raised. Within the space of half an hour she had become a social pariah, a leper.

  She could not understand it, not until she spied the two young boys, both now holding ice creams larger than them, giving her a friendly wave, before quickly scampering away. Then she had a suspicion, but not even Alex would stoop that low, would he?

  Silly question. Of course he would.

  “What did you tell them?” she rounded on Alex, who had been following at a discreet distance.

  “Me?” he spread his hands, eyes wide in feigned astonishment. “I haven’t said a word the entire time.”

  “What did you bribe the two of them to say?” she persisted.

  “Oh that,” Alex said, as if he only just understood her meaning. “I told them to spread the word.”

  “The word?”

  “Well, words,” Alex conceded. “You know, words, like mad, crazed, lunatic, bedlamite. It’s possible that they used others,” he hurriedly added, upon noticing her dumbstruck expression. “While there isn’t much money, we do have an excellent school. I told them to use their imagination and you know, boys will be boys.”

  “You. Lied,” Jessica ground out, unable to believe what she’d just heard.

  Alex looked thoughtful for a moment, before shaking his head. “No. I’m fairly sure that we never set any rules beyond me bringing you here. You coming?” he added looking back towards the edge of town.

  “I’m never going anywhere with you. Ever. Again.”

  “I thought that you might feel that way,” Alex nodded sympathetically. “But I think you’ll want to meet this person.”

  “Not unless it happens to be my father.”

  “Sorry, I don’t happen to have him tucked away—”

  “Then I’m staying right here.”

  “—but I’ve got the very next best thing. His personal representative here, Arcturus’ very own Head of Law Enforcement, otherwise known as Sheriff Abercrombie. I thought that you and he might have a lot to talk about,” Alex added with a smirk.

  “Well, why didn’t you just say so,” Jessica huffed, marching off in the direction that Alex had pointed, pulling him along close behind.

  His laughter drifted along with the late afternoon breeze, while the sun blanketed everything with its golden rays.

  *****

  “John, are you decent? I’ve brought a Lady, and when I say that, I mean it in the most literal sense of the word,” Alex drawled, upon stepping into the office.

  There was a loud crash, as the boots that had been resting on the table-top went crashing to the floor. The large white Stetson hat that had been perched precariously on the owner’s head went drifting towards the ground, only to be snatched out of the air at the very last moment, before being clutched, tightly, to a broad chest.

  As first impressions went, Jessica mused, it didn’t seem a promising start. The likelihood of her being rescued, and promptly reunited with her family, seemed to be receding by the minute.

  “Lady Hadley, it’s a real pleasure to finally meet ya and all. I’m Sheriff Abercrombie, but ya welcome to just call me John, everybody else does.”

  Jessica shot Alex a suspicious glance, as he hadn’t taken more than one step into the room, seemingly poised to flee at any moment. At least the sheriff’s introduction answered one question, as to Alex’s peculiar pronunciation upon entering the small office. For while the sheriff’s accent was subtle, she could just make out the twang in his voice. It was obvious that Alex also recognised it and teased the older man mercilessly about it. For the sheriff was indeed much older, with his grey hair slowly turning white at the edges, a beaten and weathered face, together with rough calluses on his outstretched hand, which she pointedly ignored.

  Having spent her whole life with people keeping their distance from each other and only touching when absolutely necessary, while always wearing gloves, she was still not comfortable with physical contact. Something which Alex seemed to be acutely aware of and therefore went out of this way to do, with distressing regularity.

  “John, I’ve got some small errands to run. Would you mind keeping an eye on Lady Jessica while I’m gone? I’m worried that left to her own devices, she will have the entire populace petrified by the time I’m back.”

  “Now you’re abandoning me?” Jessica demanded incredulously. “I’ve been trying to get rid of you ever since you first brought me here, against my will, I hasten to add. Again.”

  “That’s because you’re a magnet for trouble, seriously it follows you around like bad news. But what possible trouble could you get into while in the company of such an illustrious person as Sheriff Abercrombie? Now, don’t go and do anything that I wouldn’t, as I probably don’t have enough money to post bail. Ya two ‘ave fun now.” Alex waved before slipping from the room, the door slamming shut behind him, leaving Jessica alone with the sheriff.

&n
bsp; “I’m really starting to hate that man,” Jessica grumbled out loud, to nobody in particular.

  “He’s certainly in a peculiar mood, I swear that before today I’ve never even seen him smile. Then again I really know very little about him, unlike you Lady Hadley, whom I have recently heard a lot about.”

  “You shouldn’t believe everything that you hear, sheriff,” Jessica commented dryly, resigning herself to an extended stay, at least until Alex returned, or she managed to convince the sheriff that she wasn’t completely mad. Not an easy thing to do, considering all the wild rumours Alex had been circulating around the town.

  “You’ll have to correct me as to which parts I get wrong then,” Abercrombie shrugged. “You are Lady Jessica Hadley, eldest daughter of High-Lord Hadley, missing for the past three days, reportedly kidnapped from Osiris by one or more unidentified assailants. I’ve even got a priority flash-alert,” Abercrombie smiled, reaching into his desk draw. “Although the picture hardly does you justice. There is a large reward, however, offered for your safe return, from your father and an even larger reward offered for the heads of your kidnappers—the rest of the bodies not required. That was offered by your fiancé, High-Lord Stanton, I can only presume?”

  Jessica took the recorder offered and could only stare back into her own likeness in astonishment. The sheriff was correct, it wasn’t a flattering picture, but it was unmistakably her. “You already knew who I was,” she said accusingly.

  “Before you even walked through the door,” Abercrombie agreed. “It was fortunate that Mary happened to be passing by and recognised your picture. I hurriedly removed it before anybody else had a chance to look at it. Now that would have caused some serious complications,” he grimaced.

  “Sheriff Abercrombie—”

  “John.”

  “Sheriff, now that you know the truth, I insist that you inform my father, at once, as to my present whereabouts.”

  “That’s certainly one…possibility,” John conceded. “A very promising one, I hasten to add, but it does have its downsides.”