He bobbed his head to do that professor thing again. God, how she missed Earth all of a sudden...
“Won’t it?” he asked. “We’ve watched mankind for a long time, you know. Longer than you can imagine. A fascinating world of cruelty and finesse in equal measure. An unusual balance. Still, there are certain patterns. Like, how societies evolve at an increasing pace, until half the population has nothing in common with the other half. This leads to an interesting conundrum. Move forward, as one half struggles to do, and society will split in two. Stay put, as the other half desires, and you stagnate. Civil war looms any way you look. Do you know how generation after generation has solved this?”
“By law?”
“My dear Justice, surely you are not as naïve as you sound. No, by finding a common enemy. Society has to unite once again, and war serves as a safety valve. It’s a brilliant tactic, you know, and it’s worked countless times.”
She yawned. Seriously? A lecture at this time of the night? “Even if true, that’s not us.”
“Isn’t it? Half your society followed Croix. Why?”
“Fear, I guess.”
“Exactly! Fear, the great motivator. And you think you can overcome it with law? You need an enemy. If only you could fight the natives, but that sly Old Woman has forbidden them from contacting you. So what are you to do?”
She briefly wondered who the old woman was, then shook her head. “I don’t care what you say. The law can achieve this.”
“Too late, the rift is already there. Things will only get worse. Besides, think of future generations! If you decide not to punish the culprits, everyone will assume it’s fine to take authority by force, to help a criminal, to break the law.”
“I can’t imprison half the population.”
“No. Too harsh a punishment and the law is simply seen as cruel. It’s not just your authority that will suffer, it’s the law’s. And we both know we can’t let that happen, right?”
She rolled her eyes. It was too late for a legal debate. “Fine. So what do you propose?”
“A simple, yet elegant solution. People should be free to pursue their ideologies. If they like fascism, set up a nice little place for them to play with it until they tire of it. What harm can there be in that?”
Barrett stayed silent for a while, considering his words. “You’re talking about exile,” she said at last.
The old man nodded with enthusiasm. “It’s the only way. You have no jails. Where are you going to put all those who worked for Croix? Besides, are your resources enough to feed them all if they don’t work for a living?”
She closed her eyes to think about the repercussions. For a split second she thought she heard – no, felt was the right word – a high-pitched sound just at the edge of her consciousness and cocked her head to pinpoint it.
“How about…” she started, then realised the old man had disappeared. She glanced around, surprised. Probably just a dream, she told herself. The whole thing had an unreal, dream-like quality. Unexpectedly, it did not take her long to sleep again. As soon as she woke up she grabbed her e-lib to pound notes furiously.
Joe
“I didn’t know,” Joe whimpered. It had been two days since Lucas’ death, but tears welled up in his eyes whenever he brought him to his mind. “I worried about our food. Our security. Lucas knew that without freedom, you lose both. I should have listened.”
Azam held him in her arms, saying nothing. She stole a look at Cyrus, brooding next to them. Except for a broken arm, now mending under a brace, he had only suffered minor injuries.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” he said, raising his good hand to Joe’s shoulder. “Perhaps you should stay.”
Joe shook his head. “And miss the trial? No, I want to be there. I know they all hate me, but I have to be there.”
“No-one hates you,” Cyrus said with a soothing voice. “They understand.”
Joe wished that were true. Even if it were, it mattered little. He would never forgive himself, even if everyone else could. His son, always eager to fight, had been right all along. He glanced at his son with pride, reaching a sudden conclusion: he would raise him a warrior, not a farmer. The boy, a born fighter, had never shared Joe’s love for farming anyway.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked his wife, realising she had not said a word.
She avoided his eyes, her pretty face scarred by the terrible events. “I think it’s the end,” she whispered. “We’ve seen the last of our little village, the last of civilization. We are all barbarians now.”
Her sadness stung him. He wished he could contradict her, but could not find the words.
“We should go,” Cyrus said after a moment, breaking the awkward silence. “It’s time.”
They approached the plaza. Barrett looked on the crowd from the same balcony where Croix had murdered Lucas, dressed in her official purple cloak with black trimmings. From a distance, Joe could barely make out a recording device in the form of a glowing crystal around her neck.
The entire city had gathered in the square, waiting for the verdict. Boys dressed in white and red surrounded the Justice; her new guards, hasty replacements of Croix’s disbanded Armbands.
She had already started reading the verdict and frowned towards a group of boys standing separate from the rest of the crowd as she read from her e-lib.
“…For the crime of treason, we find the defendants guilty as charged. For the separate crime of murder one, we find the defendant Ensign Tang Wu Wei not guilty. For the crime of assault against the Chairman of the City Council, Richard Walker, we find the defendants guilty as charged. For the crime of grand larceny regarding the theft of e-libs, we find the defendants guilty as charged.”
Every pronouncement was greeted with murmurs from the restless crowd. A few jeered at first, then stayed silent.
She paused for a moment to put her e-lib away, and an expectant hush draped over the plaza. Drawing a deep breath, she stared at the crowd. “It’s now been eighteen years on the planet we called Pearseus. We’ve tried to live our new lives in freedom, and I promise to do my best to ensure that all men and women are free to pursue happiness without fear of persecution. We must, however, also live in accordance to the laws of our forefathers. Croix didn’t just murder one of our most prominent citizens, but also took our e-libs. Our past. Our future. I assure you, we’ll do our best to find them and return them to their rightful owners.”
They had only found a couple dozen e-libs stacked in a cabinet in Croix’s office; no-one knew what had happened to the rest.
“Even Pearseus’ destruction cannot be compared to the darkness we’ve recently witnessed. It’s only by sticking together that we managed to survive then. And that’s why this pains me so much.”
The crowd hung on her every word. Joe’s breath caught, his heart racing with anticipation.
“The penalty is permanent exile,” she continued. “The condemned have twenty-four hours to gather their belongings. Anyone wishing to follow them is free to do so. We will supply you with three e-libs to ensure your survival, but be warned that any information on weapons will be removed from them.”
Some of the crowd cheered, others wept as they realised they might never see friends and family again. Joe spotted Richard Walker in the crowd and approached him, noticing the bruises on his face and a slight limp. What alarmed him, though, was Richard’s expression: his clenched jaw and determined look.
“Hi, Joe,” Richard said.
“Hey, Richard. Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened.”
“I know. Katie told me.” He looked away. “You should avoid her for a while. She’s not in a good place.”
Tears welled up in Joe’s eyes and he swept them away with an angry gesture. If Richard noticed this, he said nothing.
Joe cleared his throat. “You’re looking better.”
“Yes, the doctors said I’ll be able to walk again properly in no time. As for the bruises, they’ll go away.” He licke
d his teeth, pushing his tongue into a still unfamiliar gap. “They broke a couple of teeth, but I should probably consider myself lucky. Who knew how far gone Croix was…”
“What are you going to do now?” Joe asked after a brief silence. “Rumour has it you’re leaving?”
Richard chuckled. “No secrets around here. Yes, I think I’ll go west, spend my final days at the sea. I’ll have the carpenter make me a surf board before I go. I’ve so missed the sea…” His voice trailed for a moment, his thoughts lost in distant memories. “Back on Earth, I surfed all the time. Man, it’s the greatest feeling. I had all the details for making a killer board in my e-lib, but that idiot took it away. I hope we find them before I leave.”
“The Capital’s just a village. How hard can it be? Even if we find it after you’ve left, I’ll bring it to you. I promise.”
“Sounds good,” Richard said, letting out a tired chuckle.
Just saying the words felt important for some reason, although both men knew Joe would never make such a trip.
“So, what d’ you think is gonna happen to our little world?” said Joe, nodding towards the crowd.
“I don’t know, man. It’s like half are exiled now, and the rest just want to come with me… It’s not gonna be the same.”
“Azam said the same thing. I wonder what our children will think of all this. How we were one, then we were torn. Will they understand?”
Richard pursed his lips. “We just passed our judgment on Croix’s stupid kids. History will do the same with us, I guess.”
Cyrus approached them, gesturing excitedly as he discussed the unexpected verdict with his friends. “Who knows,” Joe said, glancing at his son. “Maybe future generations will be wiser than us.”
Richard shook his head, doubt clouding his eyes.
Character List
Alexander:
Head Priest of Themis. He resides in the Capital.
Angel:
General Parad’s daughter. Following the death of her father, she raised up her two twin siblings, Cook and Elsie. Cyrus tried to use her to ensure the end the Jonian rebellion. When she refused, he had her imprisoned. When the rebellion was over, he tried to make it up to her, but Teo Altman shot him and pinned his crime on Angel. With Altman at the helm, she helped her brother escape to the North and seek refuge among the First.
Cyrus:
Son of General Parad. Justice Styx tried to murder him, but he escaped with the help of the First. He was brought up by Lehmor and Moirah’s clans. With their help, he killed Styx and became ruler of the Capital. Under the influence of the Whispers, he chased his former friends away, turning instead to Teo Altman for support. When Cyrus tried to reconnect with his sister, Angel, Altman tried to assassinate him and had Angel imprisoned for the crime. She and Cyrus escaped and went on to defeat the Iotas.
David:
A young servant and descendant of David Rivera. An Orb he called the Voice joined him, granting him unusual powers. He fled the Capital at an early age and found shelter among the First, becoming a warrior and a scholar. He helped Cyrus become ruler of the Capital. After killing Parad in an accident arranged by the Whispers, he fled to the North. The Voice left him shortly afterward, but Parad joined him on occasion. He helped defeat the Iotas along with Cyrus, Lehmor and Moirah.
Ephia:
Jonian city, razed at the orders of Teo Altman during the Jonian rebellion. As Gella was nominal leader of the army, she was widely blamed for the massacre.
Fallen:
When corrupted Orbs take over humans against their will, they become Fallen; deranged, deformed creatures serving the Whispers.
Gella:
A career soldier, born and bred in Scorpio, a city of warriors. She had to flee after being wrongly accused of theft. She fought alongside Parad in Petria and became his mistress. When Parad died, she set out to kill David. David revealed the truth about the war between Orbs and Whispers, convincing her to aid them instead, by protecting Cyrus. She was sent to quell the Jonian rebellion. Altman took over the command and razed the city of Ephia. When she opposed him, he forced her to flee to Anthea, where she helped prepare the army for Altman’s invasion.
Iota:
The religion practiced by the Iotas or Oras; the few surviving members of Pearseus’ original population, before humanity terraformed the planet. It teaches respect of balance and all life. Pratin took over his brethren using an army of cloned warriors and waged an unsuccessful war against humanity. When they lost the war, the Iotas withdrew from the planet.
The Lady:
The divinity worshipped by the First.
Lehmor:
Son of the Wind Warriors’ chief, husband to Moirah of the Fire Clan. Along with her, they lead the greatest First tribes. Imprisoned by the Iotas, he escaped and helped destroy them.
Moirah:
Daughter of the Fire Clan’s chief and Lehmor’s wife. When she cheated on Lehmor with Cyrus, she inadvertently triggered the events leading to Parad’s death and Cyrus’s corruption by the Whispers.
Old Woman:
Oracle consulted by the First to find out the Lady’s wish.
Oras:
See Iotas.
Parad:
Hero of the Capital and Gella’s lover. Together, they defeated the Loyalists, putting an end to three centuries of warfare. When he died, he became an Orb.
Paul Gauld:
Ruler of Jonia and old friend of Teo Altman. He led the rebellion against the Capital. When Altman captured his daughter, Satori, Paul betrayed Jonia to save her life. After the war, Altman made him head of the Capital’s justice system. Paul set out to overhaul it, fighting to grow it into an independent institution.
Pearseus, UES:
The spaceship that brought 5,000 humans to an unknown planet, 308 years earlier. The survivors named their new home after their ill-fated vessel. Only a few artifacts from the ship survived its destruction.
Pratin:
An Iota who grew exasperated by humanity’s capacity for self-destruction. Determined to stop the suffering he witnessed daily on the planet, he took over the Iotas using an army of cloned warriors and waged an unsuccessful war against humanity.
Satori:
Sol’s companion, Paul Gauld’s daughter and fierce supporter of Jonia’s right to self-rule. Having fought against Altman in Jonia, she helped Anthea prepare for his invasion.
Saul:
Sol’s baby brother who died in an assassination attempt against her, organized by Teo Altman.
Scorpio:
A city of fierce warriors where Gella came from.
Seventeen/Sebastian:
One of the clones built by Pratin to take over Pearseus.
Servants of Themis:
What Head Priest Alexander calls the Whispers.
Sol Walker:
She outsmarted her political opponents to become ruler of Anthea. Teo Altman tried to assassinate her, accidentally murdering her young brother, Saul, instead. Her hatred of Altman is only matched by her love for her city.
Styx:
Ruler of the Capital until Cyrus killed her. Under the influence of the Whispers, her name was associated with terror.
Teo Altman:
The ambitious scion of one of Anthea’s most prominent families, he tried to take over the city by force. Anthea exiled him. He forced Paul Gauld to surrender Jonia and became Cyrus’s Regent. As leader of the Capital, he decided to invade the Democracies in order to unite all of Pearseus under his rule.
The Architect:
The scientist responsible for terraforming Pearseus a hundred millennia ago.
Themis:
Goddess of Justice, introduced by Justice Dar to stop religious friction among the survivors. The justices’ continued support helped make this the principal religion on the planet. Her symbol is the scales of justice.
Tie:
Head Priestess of Themis at the Capital and friend to the First. She helped David escape—twice. Altman exil
ed her, making Alexander Head Priest instead.
Two-Horns:
Senior commander of the First warriors and member of the tribes’ Elder Council.
Voice:
One of the Orbs, ethereal entities that helped humanity reach its apex a hundred years ago. David became its willing host.
Whispers:
Corrupting ethereal entities that appeared on Pearseus shortly after humans wiped out its previous inhabitants by terraforming it. They helped ensure that humanity’s reign was a short one. Head Priest Alexander calls them Servants of Themis, believing them to be her enforcers.
Appendix
Sketches by Dimitris Fousekis and the author
Styx's advisor
Fallen
The Iota
Angels’ Footsteps amulet
Full Contents
Contents
PEARSEUS: RISE OF THE PRINCE
Introduction
287 After Landing (AL)
Chamber of Justice, the Capital
May 29, Styx
Part One
295 AL
The Marshes
April 10, Lehmor
Town Hall, Anthea, Western Democracies
April 24, Teo Altman
Prefect’s Palace, Magna, Western Democracies
April 33, Teo
299 AL
General Parad’s house, the Capital
October 15, Parad
300 AL
General Parad’s house, the Capital
January 34, Cyrus
City of Anthea
Sol
Chamber of Justice, the Capital
February 5, Cyrus
Chamber of Justice, the Capital
February 7, Parad
Styx
David
Magna Sea, Western Democracies
June 19, Sol
The Marshes
August 19, Lehmor
Army barracks, The Capital
Parad
Chamber of Justice, the Capital
Styx
Outskirts of Anthea, Western Democracies
Pearseus Bundle: The Complete Pearseus Sci-fi/Fantasy Series Page 115