A Kind of Peace

by Andy Boot

  "I have no argument with you or your nation state. Assuredly, agents of your government abducted me. But agents of my own attempted a similar thing. I am here because two people believed in integrity. They, like you, are humble serving warriors. I hope you will listen and understand, like them.

  "We are entering what, to you, is enemy air space. In all honesty, I cannot say it is friendly as far as I am concerned either. I wish us to land in the heart of Belthan, and I am aware that we would be attacked and greatly outnumbered by Bethel craft simply because of our markings. If I declared my presence, I fear it would bring greater attack upon us.

  "I hope you will trust me, I will trust you by telling of my actions. I will, as soon as I have finished speaking, cloak this ship so that no technology, or any magic short of Mage level, can reveal its presence. This is to ensure that I am not detected, and you are not exposed to any unnecessary risk. I wish you to land this ship in the grounds of the Bethel Institute, my home... where I am amongst friends. I thank you for your understanding, and wish to assure you that I shall cast charms in such a manner that you will not be at risk for your brave actions."

  He stopped, nodded to himself, grunted, then said to Simeon: "Do you think I should have said something like 'end communication', just to let them know I was finished?"

  The battlecruiser passed over the coast of Bethel without detection. It continued unheeded and until it came within view of the capital.

  It was then that Ramus-Bey changed his mind.

  "People of Varn" he said softly, his voice carrying to the minds of all the crew, "I have decided on another course. I intend to unmask this ship when we are over the centre of Belthan, but still keep a protective field around it for your safety. I wish for you to land this ship not in the Institute grounds, but in the central market square of the old city. For reasons of my own, I wish to announce my arrival to both people and government. I assure you, however, that I shall take every precaution to ensure your continued safety."

  He ceased, nodding to himself once more.

  Simeon was puzzled. "Why the change?"

  Ramus-Bey smiled gently. "Because of you, dear boy." When he noted Simeon's puzzled expression, he explained: "Your actions have shown me something. That we have the power to take the fates into our own hands and make them something other than what we are given if we remain passive. True, not often do we have the power to make a great difference, but nonetheless... you did, and I can.

  "I wanted to cut myself off from the mass of people. I wanted nothing to do with them as I had my own interests to pursue. Yet, in doing that, I was too blind to see that I allowed myself to be used by the Ministry. I am not some absurd weapon with which they can threaten the planet, yet I allowed myself to be presented as such. I, and my fellow Mages were treated like sacks of grain, sold and bartered at market. That is not what we should be about. The people should not fear us. Vixel may have a darkness in him that mars his being, but at least he was smart enough to see this before I did. Well, it's time to change that."

  Simeon had many questions he wanted to ask, but there was too little time, already the battlecruiser was passing over the outer fringe of Belthan.

  The Mage cancelled the cloaking charm, and replaced it with a protective field. The ship slowed to manoeuvre its bulk over the market square central to the old sector of the capital, and gently put down. Before the hum of the pulse propulsion had died away, the ship was surrounded by warrior security.

  "Time to make a stand," Ramus said decisively. "Are you with me?"

  Simeon and Jenna exchanged glances, then assented. Neither had the slightest notion of what, exactly, he intended to do, but both knew they could trust him.

  The crew of the battlecruiser lined up to watch the Mage as an exit ramp was lowered. Flanked by Simeon and Jenna, Ramus-Bey began to descend.

  Warriors began to move forward in ranks, weapons raised for attack. Their orders had been given, regardless of the man who stepped down.

  Bey raised a hand, gestured simply.

  The warriors were immobilised, finding themselves heavy-limbed to the point of being unable to stand. They sat, feeling gravity increased to a point where they could not lift their weapons. Weaker than new born babes, they could only stare as Ramus-Bey uttered his first words back on home soil.

  "Men and women of Belthan, you are the first to know that your Ministry has, as of now, been relieved of a responsibility that they are unfit to administer. This is now a truly free nation state."

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Year Zero - Period Three

  News of the Mage's arrival travelled swiftly. Before he had even reached the Ministry building, newsvid crews and holocams were hovering around the area, trying to capture every last moment and relay it to the waiting planet. The whole of Inan watched with their breath stilled, wondering what developments were to take place, and how this would affect the status of a world on the brink of war.

  Two men, on separate continents, had reason to watch and wonder with a little more trepidation than any other.

  Vixel had retreated to the depths of the Institute in Ilvarn, and had sealed himself in with a charm that would brook no admittance. He knew that his Chief Minister awaited him. Fear would haunt their dealings from this time on, and there could never be the trust or mutual interest that had led to their plotting. Perhaps that was as well; look where it had got them. The Chief Minister was forever paranoid, and Vixel was an outcast in his own small realm. Wherever he went from here, wizards and adepts would not welcome him. But then again, did this matter? As he watched the newscasts, he realised before any others that this was a world about to change forever.

  A view he would have been amused to find that he shared with Daliel. The squat, scarred Intel chief sat alone in a darkened room, lit only by the glow of a bank of holomonitors, deep in the bowels of the Military building. The events he watched unfurl were only a short distance from where he sat. It would have taken only moments to leave his chamber and watch it in solid reality. That, however, would have been a little too much to take.

  The dream was over. His planning, his cunning, his skills at manipulation and subterfuge, built over many years, all of this was now as dust.

  He had little doubt that the warrior he saw walking with the Mage knew at least a little of the plot in which he had been an unwitting puppet. He had picked Simeon 7 because he had believed him to be a fool. He had seriously misjudged the boy's character. What he had thought of as stupidity had been naiveté. Another time, another place and he would have liked him at his side. As it was, he stood as an enemy that would be implacable. He had grown in stature as a warrior, and shown tenacity in the face of adversity that would make him a foe to be reckoned with.

  Daliel sighed. Even if Simeon and Jenna had not guessed the extent of the plot, even if Ramus-Bey had not woken from his age-induced stupor, even if he had thus far managed to conceal the workings of his scheme... all of it would count for nothing.

  The junior minister would crack. Daliel had instilled fear in the young man. He had marked him down, put him in his place. From the very beginning he had manoeuvred the situation so that he could play on the weaknesses and vanities of the politician. He had made him believe that he had the upper hand, revealing his own dominance when the time was right. He had used the boy's fear of him to keep him in line, to manipulate him, and through him, the situation.

  But that fear would now go against him. Who was the greater foe? It was no contest. Faced with the Mage, the boy would crack and reveal all.

  An irony that his greatest asset - the ability to instil fear - could also be his biggest downfall. Ah well, it had been a good run, and he had almost succeeded. Better to try and fail than to stay in the ranks and be a good warrior, sent to your death for fools who knew nothing of pain, suffering and humiliation.

  Although he had little time left to him now, he would not hurry. With a sorrowful sigh, Daliel rose and walked across the room. Behind a wall hanging, t
here was a safe. The walls of the Military building were of old stone, and this safe had been artfully concealed. Only Daliel knew of its presence. The mason who had installed it had met with an unfortunate accident at a busy junction, less than a period after he had finished the work. Such a shame.

  The Intel chief opened the safe and extracted the contents. Money, papers with a new identity, and a tech disk. This was the true treasure. He had information on a programme writer in the Ministry building who was one of the brightest rising stars in tech. It was the kind of information that such a woman would not wish to be made public. Daliel had arranged to loose this information, for a price, of course. There was always a price.

  It had been her greatest work. A virus that responded to a name or an image. It could be fed into the Intel network, and through this into the public networks. It was undetectable until it came across a certain name or image. Thus triggered, it would erase any such information. In an age of tech, there was little enough paper information. Even that which did exist would have to be transferred by means of tech. Who could lose? Maybe, eventually, someone would catch on and send a fragile piece of paper by air fleet. But that was only a maybe.

  The name was his. The image was his. Once he inserted this disk, transferred the virus to the mainframe, it would spread.

  He would disappear

  Daliel inserted the disk. A few keystrokes and the programme entered into the system with no trace of its origin. A beautiful piece of work, and a fine memorial to a great talent.

  He was done here. He looked around at the chamber. This was the hub of his small, dark empire. In some ways he wouldn't be sorry to leave it. The idea of fine weather appealed. Praal always welcomed traders, and he would enjoy pitting his wits against their best talents on an open market.

  An air ship was waiting for Intel personnel. He could take it to Kyas then switch to a public flight. The last physical trace would end there.

  Yes, it all worked itself out nicely. Not, perhaps, as he had planned, but... Daliel pocketed the papers and the money. He was still alive, and likely to remain so. He left the chamber, holomonitors flickering silently, without looking back.

  While the news teams waited outside, Ramus-Bey walked unimpeded through the Ministry building until he reached the chamber where the Chief Minster and the Executive stood, expectant. There had been no attempt to impede his progress. After his display at the landing of the battlecruiser, it seemed to be a pointless exercise.

  As they made their almost-stately progression, it crossed Simeon's mind that this was as close to a display of absolute power as he had ever seen. Acquiescence as the only path. Indeed, since their descent from the battlecruiser, Ramus had been given no reason to use any magic.

  There was danger there. It brought home to Simeon exactly what he had been protecting, exactly what the nation states had been using as political currency.

  The genuflection of the Chief Minister and the Executive as they entered the chamber did nothing to dispel this feeling.

  "Ramus... I...I'm glad to see that..."

  The Mage dismissed the stammering politician with a gesture. "No you're not, you ordered your own people to fire on me. You, Varn, everyone, all the same. All intoxicated with your own power and scared of anything that is greater. Perhaps you might have succeeded. Catch me unawares and I am frail in physique. But from your attitude, I can see that you realise that any attempt to terminate me would be at best fruitless."

  "There have been misunderstandings..."

  "That is what you call them?" said Bey.

  "Miscommunications, untruths, blackened reports to mislead," the Chief Minister continued, undaunted. "We were acting in what we believed to be the best interests of our nation state, of yours."

  "Patriotism, eh? The last refuge of the scoundrel. Last refuge of the moron, more likely. You act in my best interests if that is the case, for I am of this nation state. Yet I cannot see how termination benefits me."

  "The greater good..."

  "Which of course, you decide. You and this cabal," Bay sneered, indicating the Executive. "You few who decide what is best for all. To the extent of bringing me into your plans and precipitating a situation that would not, otherwise, have existed. Was that the greater good?"

  "We can only do what we think is best."

  "You, sir, do not think at all!" Bey roared. "At least," he continued in a softer tone, "of anything other than yourselves."

  "So this is what you want, is it?" the Chief Minister said flatly. "The chance to claim the power that we represented through you. That is what you seem to be saying, that you know better."

  Ramus-Bey drew a deep breath, shook his head. "You are partly correct. I do seek to claim something. But it is that which you took from me forcibly."

  Simeon and Jenna were amused by the furrowed brows and puzzled expressions that greeted this speech. It would seem that no-one in the Executive could quite comprehend the Mage. From the way he was looking at them, Simeon could see that some of the testy old man he had first known was about to bubble to the surface.

  "Oh, for the sakes of all the Gods, just let me broadcast to Inan. I have something to say, and I'm going to say it anyway, one way or another. The ordinary people will understand. Even if they don't, they should at least be given a chance."

  It was a source of some amazement to Simeon how fast the media and the government could move when they felt themselves under threat. Bureaucrats and Executives who, under normal circumstances, would take almost an entire period to respond to even the most simple of requests had shown an instant response to the demand of Ramus-Bey.

  Power. Its use was something that Simeon could feel like a drug rush. And this at one remove. How was the Mage reacting? As he watched Bey, a figure of calm in the midst of sudden, confused activity, he found himself for the first time in a long time unable to read the man.

  Before nightfall in Belthan, everything was in place for the broadcast. To accommodate the crowds who had gathered, and also the large number of newsvid teams from around Inan, the broadcast was to be held in the square which housed the Ministry and military buildings.

  The chill night air had the edge taken from it by arc lighting that powered down from all four corners of the square. The crowds were held back by warrior security, yet there was no sense that they would surge forward and become a threat. They were subdued. Like everyone. Like me, Simeon thought as he surveyed them. We're all waiting for our fate to be determined. It was, by others, every day of our lives: but this would be the first time to be fully aware of it.

  Ramus-Bey was calm. He had said nothing to Simeon or Jenna regarding the content of what he wished to say. His demeanour gave no clue. Not even when he was informed that newsvid crews had been admitted to every Ministry building in every nation state of Inan. Holomonitors suspended in the square to give a large-screen, real-image view of every capital showed Mages seated next to Chief Ministers. Those of Kyas and Turith seemed anxious, even though they tried not to show it. The Chief Minister and Mage of Praal were as impassive as ever. It seemed to Simeon that, even if the world were to be on the brink of destruction, this race would shrug, let their Mage resolve matters with a gesture, then continue. Or else they would accept his decision to let matters be, and for the Gods to determine their fate. Finally, the image from Varn showed the Chief Minister sitting apart from Vixel. Both men were turned from each other, and the Mage looked as though he would rather be anywhere else. However, either through curiosity or concern, it was imperative he be there to hear what Ramus-Bey had to say.

  Finally, the moment came for the Mage to speak. Bey, seeming a little stiff, sat behind a make-shift desk, the Chief Minister - looking less than happy - at his side. He was cued-in, and Simeon gripped Jenna's hand tightly as he felt a hush descend over the whole of Inan.

  Ramus-Bey began by detailing what had happened to him. He was thorough and precise, describing the initial attacks, his abduction, and his eventual rescue and return to
Bethel. He was punctilious in his description. Where there were matters of assumption, he emphasised this. When he had completed this description, he relaxed. He had wanted to be precise, and now the moment had come when he had gone beyond a mere report.

  "People of Bethel and Varn, take note of what has occurred. These nation state governments, who purport to have the authority and skill to rule Inan, cannot even engineer the termination of one frail old man and his bodyguard. If they had any competency, I would not be here now. They are so concerned with double-dealing each other, both within their own executive and without, that they cannot see what is happening in front of them. Furthermore, they conspire in their idiocy without considering what may happen if they push to the point where magic comes into play. Now they are terrified! Now, when it is of their own doing!

  "Mark this well. They hold up the Mage as a symbol of ultimate power, then attempt to manipulate this symbol with no thought of the power which they expect other nation states to fear. Frankly, if you can follow that logic and make sense of it, then I would like you to explain it to me, for I fear I am at a loss.

  "But yet there is some good that may come from this farce. Like, I am sure, my fellow Mages, I have been too long away from the world and its ways. The search for knowledge has caused all of us to separate ourselves from the mainstreams of Inan. We have forgotten the aims and desires of those who choose another path. We have, perhaps, forgotten part of what it is to be a whole person.

  "In doing this, we have lost sight of the motivations and desires of our fellows. It is this that has led to such a situation as the one in which we find ourselves. We, as Mages, allowed ourselves to be used as trophies. We cause great fear. We can also bring great security. On us has been bestowed a mantle that we did not ask for, and which we are, I suspect, unwilling on the whole to accept. As a result, we have turned our backs on this, we have abdicated our responsibilities and let others speak and act for us.