The Princess took the other medal from Kalia and held it with its ribbon loop poised above the young officer’s head. “Lieutenant Danatus, on behalf of the Empress Minaphera the 243rd and her three quintillion subjects, it gives me the greatest of pleasures to honor you with our highest distinction. For service above and beyond the call of total devotion, I award you the Imperial Medal of Valor.”
She then placed the ribbon around Danatus’s neck, and kissed him gently on the forehead. Then she placed her hand under Danatus’s chin, and tilted his head up. “Come here, you,” she whispered a bit too loudly for privacy, and then kissed Danatus on the lips. Then, as the audience gasped, she kissed him again, and this time Hamilton thought he saw her tongue entering the young man’s mouth.
The Princess stood up and appeared to straighten out her dress a little. “Well,” she smiled an impish smile to the audience. “It’s not every day I get to decorate a war hero who is so young and cute.” She batted her eyelashes coquettishly. “A princess needs to have some fun too.”
As all the women in the audience burst out in knowing laughter, Hamilton thought he saw Danatus turn beet red underneath his scars. Then the Princess said, “Lieutenant Danatus, turn and accept the thanks of your countrymen.”
Looking embarrassed, Danatus turned, to be greeted by friendly laughter and massive raucous applause. Across the room, a young woman was lifted by her friends so her head and shoulders could be seen above the crowd. Hamilton recognized her as Danae. “Hey everybody,” she shouted.“That’s my little brother up there! Hey Danatus, good going, you brat!”
Aurora started shouting too. “Hey Danatus! Woo Hoo! Good going, kid!”
Eventually the clamor subsided, and as it did, Danatus took the opportunity to bow to the different parts of the room and descend from his exposed position on the podium. But before he could take two steps, the Princess called out. “Lieutenant Danatus, stop right where you are!”
Danatus froze in his tracks, and the whole hall dropped into hushed silence.
“Yes, Your Divine Majesty to Be,” he said, his voice cracking slight- ly.
The Princess stepped down from her podium and walked next to Danatus. The young officer was actually about an inch greater in height than the Princess, but somehow her power made her seem much the taller of the two. He looked at her in some trepidation.
“Lieutenant Danatus,” the Princess said with a stern smile. “As Princess and second in line to the Empress’s throne, I have certain pre- rogatives.And one of them is to claim you for the first dance.”
The Princess held out her arm, and Danatus sheepishly took it, to advance with her down the podium steps into the ballroom. As they did so, the Princess called out grandly, “Music play! Dancers dance! Loyal subjects, enjoy your evening!”
Festive music erupted from the crystal pillars, and Danatus and the Princess whirled out onto the dance floor. Then Kalia descended from the podium to take theAdmiral’s hand, and they too began to dance, although rather less energetically than the younger couple. Soon the whole crowd was gliding about in sheer dynamic chaos.
Aurora turned to him. “Well Hamilton, would you care to dance?”
Hamilton thought about it for a second. On the one hand, it seemed unseemly that he should join in the festivities celebrating the Weegee triumph over the Earthlings. On the other hand, the Weegees had limited their retaliation to Peru. Given what the planet assassins had done, things certainly could have gone much worse. So there really was something to celebrate. And anyway, dancing with Aurora was fun. However, there was one problem.
“I’d like to, but I don’t have any skates.”
Aurora smiled. “You don’t need any here. The Weegees put their levitators in the floor. Come on, let’s go!”
With that, she took his arm and swung the two of them out in a series of rapid gyrations across the floor.“I see you’re getting dizzy again,” the priestess grinned mischievously.
He certainly was. Aurora was spinning him much faster than she had at the Minervan Owl Festival dance, and it was very disconcerting. But he knew more now. He decided to take the initiative.
Putting all of his energy into the thought, he launched the two of them into a flying somersault. They landed on their feet, and Aurora immediately initiated another spin. But as she was doing so, Hamilton sent them into a flying leap, so they careened through the air whirling above the dancers. Then he bounced their impact into a double back flip, to land squarely by the refreshment bar. Then the music stopped and they ceased to move.
“That was great!” Aurora cried. She leaned over the bar and grabbed two crystal mugs filled with cold raffa punch. “Here you go, Hamilton. Have a drink.”
Some Weegee junior officers and Chaplains drinking nearby eyed them curiously.“That wasamazing,” one young Chaplain said.“How did you train him to dothat?”
Aurora turned to her.“Oh, Ididn’t really do anything. He has a native talentfor it, apparently.”
The Chaplain looked skeptical. “Native talent? In an Earthling?”
“Yes, strange as it may seem,” Aurora smiled. “He may not be able to think very well, but he sure can dance.”
The young Weegees and Aurora all shared a laugh. This upset Hamilton, and Aurora picked up his thoughts. She turned to the Ranger. “Oh, come on. Stop taking yourself so seriously.” She patted him on the head. “You’re funny.”
She turned back to the Weegees.“He really is very funny, you know. You’re not going to believe this, but he actually maintains that ‘Rule Minaphera’ was written by an Earthling.”
The Chaplain’s jaw dropped. “No way!”
Aurora held up her hands, palms out. “As Minerva is my witness.”
All the Weegees burst out laughing. Hamilton felt like sinking into the floor.
At that moment a thirtyish woman approached. She had long straight black hair, deep blue eyes, and wore a brown uniform with two doubleax gold medallions on it. Standing about six feet tall, she was intermediate in height between Aurora and the Weegee women.
She addressed herself to Aurora. “Greetings, priestess. I am Priestess 2nd Class Gita, High Chaplain of the EGIN Penal Ship 4,789.”
“Greetings. I am Aurora,” the Minervan said, her tone suddenly guarded.
“So I see at least the Minervans have taken a prisoner,” the newcom- er said. “Well done. When can he be transferred to my vessel?”
Hamilton did a double take. Gita’s teeth suddenly appeared very sharp, and there was a coldness about her that he did not like at all. Alarm bells rang like a deafening chorus inside the soldier’s head.
Chapter 22
The Eegee Chaplain’s final remark also took Aurora by surprise. But she managed to keep her reserve.
“I beg your pardon,Your Eminence, but I believe you have been misinformed. This Earthling is my scientific study specimen. There are no plans to transfer him from mycustody.”
Gita smiled wickedly. “That is not correct. As part of the Universal League mandate for this expedition, the Eastern Galactic Empire was given responsibility for the management and interrogation of all prisoners. The Earthling planet assassins are a clear threat to the peace of the galaxy, and it is therefore essential that the maximum amount of information be extracted from every prisoner prior to disposal. As I’m sure you know, we in the EGE have unique expertise in this area.”
Aurora did know. The Eegees had a well-deserved galaxy-wide reputation for brutality and ruthlessness, and had made mental torture and dissection into a fine art.
As worshipper of Hera and Hera alone, they put no stock in the true GoddessMinerva’s First Commandment. If Hamilton were given into their custody, not only would they feel no compunction about entering his inner mind, they would rape, pillage, and ultimately disassemble it, until not one thought remained connected to another. Aurora did not hate the Eegees the way she did the Centrals—EGE military forces had, after all, played a critical role in defeating the evil Aphrodemons, and
the harsh punishment they had meted out to the Centrals who fell into their hands after the war could indeed be seen as divine justice—but Hamilton did not merit such treatment.
“I do not believe that your methods are justified in thiscase,” she said politely.
Gita arched an eyebrow. “Not justified? Two hundred billion people have been murdered by these creatures.”
“Yes, but he was not one of those who did the murdering.”
The Eegee Chaplain shook her head. “Ah yes, you Minervans with your theory of individual responsibility. Crimes are committed by races or nations, as well as individuals, and the members of those nations or races must be punished accordingly.”
“The Weegees have already punished the planet assassins,” Aurora said, uncomfortable with her own words.
Gita smiled. “Now priestess, you of all people know that is not so. I read the transcript of your testimony at the pre-battle royal hearing, and you argued, accurately, that the true responsibility for the planet assassinations rested not with Peru, but with the American government. The Weegees only chose to ignore that because of their highly profitable commercial concessions in Americanhelicity.”
Aurora bit her lip. She could not deny the truth of what Gita was saying. She cursed herself for having adopted a convenient but indefensible argument.
“But we cannot let Weegee softness, or, dare I say it, greed, put the rest of the galaxy at risk. The Eastern Empire also has interests in the Southern Sector, which are being endangered by Christian missionaries from Earth, who are spreading their fanatical hatred of civilization from planet to planet. Surely, you, as a Minervan, must see that the Earthling threat must be dealt with.”
“Yes, the threat must be dealt with. But my specimen is not part of that threat.”
“Oh no? Isn’t he an American soldier? Didn’t he lead a group of the savages in murdering six humans? Andisn’t it true that even now he does not repent his evildeeds?”
Aurora said nothing.
Gita continued with vehemence. “So even in Minervan terms, is he not guilty?”
“Yes, but,” Aurora stumbled, seeking an adequate reply. “But I’ve forgiven him.”
There was a moment of silence, as the nearby Weegee officers and Chaplains, Hamilton, and Gita all stared at Aurora in astonishment at her remarkable statement. Gita was the first to gather herself for a reply. “I don’t believe that. Minervans don’t forgive. You are like us.”
“No, we are not,” Aurora protested.
“Yes, you are. We may believe in different Goddesses, but we both know there is only one truth. Soft-minded people like Weegees and Norcs may believe that something may be either good or bad, depending upon different points of view, but we know better. Evil is evil and it cannot be forgiven, only punished and destroyed.”
Aurora rallied herself and took a stand on her core beliefs. “Yes, evil is evil, and sacrilege is among the greatest of evils. I will not let you take my specimen and use him to commit sacrilege against the First Commandment of the one true Goddess.” She held up her right hand and made the sign of the Blessed Owl. “Respect the mind.”
“Oh my,” Gita snickered. “If it isn’t Penelope the Wise herself, returned from the misty past to enlighten us all.” Some of the nearby Weegees joined in the laughter.
Aurora reddened. “Laugh all you like. Youshall not have him.”
“Oh really?” Gita said. “We’ll see about that.” She looked aroundthe ballroom. As she did so, Hamilton grabbed Aurora’s attention.
“Yousaid you forgave me. What did you mean bythat?”
Aurora was irritated by the distraction. “I meant...I don’t know what I meant. Look, don’t get all mushy with me. I’m just trying to save you from being taken aboard that prison ship.”
“Why, what would happen to me there?”
Aurora hesitated. Should she tell him? He might panic and do something crazy. But he had a right to know the danger he was in.“They would amputate your body and then disembowel yourmind.”
The Ranger gasped in horror. As he did so, Gita noticed Admiral Phillipus and Fleet Chaplain Kalia approaching the refreshment bar. She called them over. “Excuse me, Admiral, Eminence, could I have a word with you?’
The two turned to approach. Aurora stiffened and said to Hamilton. “This is it. Keep quiet and let me do thetalking.”
Phillipus made a respectful bow to the Eegee high priestess. “Your Eminence. How can I be of service?”
Gita pointed at Aurora. “Admiral, the Minervan refuses to turn her prisoner over to our custody. As you know, under Universal League Resolution 262, which authorized this expedition, all Earthling prisoners were to be entrusted to our experts for debriefing.”
Admiral Phillipus turned to Aurora. “Priestess Aurora” he began for- mally,then continued more affectionately, “Little Star. I know it must upset you to have your scientific work disrupted by the confiscation of your specimen, but it is a resolution of the Universal League. There could be severe diplomatic consequences were we to disregard it. You can always get another specimen after weleave.”
Aurora turned to Kalia. The Triune Creed included all sorts of heresies, but it also included acknowledgement of the true Goddess, in however a distorted and impure form. As a high ranking Weegee priestess, she could not just laugh at Minerva’s laws. “In the name of the First Commandment,” Aurora implored the Fleet Chaplain. “This must not be allowed.”
Kalia looked thoughtful. “Respect the mind,” she mused out loud. Then she gestured at Hamilton and frowned. “Of that? Respect the mind of that?”
“He is proto rational,” Aurora insisted. “An Eegee interrogation would be mindrape, a violation, sacrilege.”
“My dear,” Kalia said calmly. “I think you are getting a bit carried away here. Proto rationality is such a gray area. As I’m sure you know, even traditional Minervan thought is divided as to its theological significance. No reasonable person could accuse us of sacrilege for setting such murky considerations aside, especially when the degree of transgression is so tiny and peaceful relations between the two major galactic powers are at stake.”
Aurora did not know what to say. Kalia went on. “You disturb me, Minervan. We Weegees rescue you, give you back your ancient homeland, and do everything to help you, even at great cost to ourselves. You profess gratitude, yet you refuse to join us. Instead, you stick stubbornly to your ancient ways, which have caused not only you, but so many others, so much grief. And now, here, at the very celebration festival of victory in a battle fought largely on your behalf, you show no desire to help us, even to the trivial extent of voluntarily accepting a small setback to your scientific research in the name of galactic peace.”
“Tell me something, Minervan,” Kalia continued. “Why don’t you join us? You worship Reason, so do we. There is not one word in your holy books that is not also in ours. But you reject the Second and Third Revelations. Why? What is wrong with Love, what is wrong with Justice, that you refuse to acknowledge their divinity? Can you not see all the good that has been done by those who acknowledge the Triune faith? Can you not see the evil that has been done by those who reject most of the divine to worship only onepart?”
Aurora gulped, trying to hold back tears. Kalia was comparing Minervans to Eegees, and Centrals. It wasn’t true. “No,” she cried. “You Weegees are good. But we are good, too!”
“You have the potential for good,” Kalia said sympathetically. “But look at yourselves. Do you want to see yourself as others see you? Look ather.” Kalia pointed to Gita.“You don’t want to trust her with your study specimen. I’m not surprised. I wouldn’t trust her with the care of my pet fish.”
“I beg your pardon,” Gita interrupted.
Kalia ignored her.“And why not? Because she cares nothing for Love or Reason. Narrowness of soul is ugly, priestess. It is ugly in her and it is ugly inyou.”
Aurora turned to the Admiral. “But Admiral Phillipus,” she saidtearfully.“We a
re your friends. You said ityourself.”
The Admiral’s voice was kind. “Yes, Little Star, I do believe you are our friends, and I will always do my best to see that you are protected. But why just be friends? Why not join us yourselves? You are a talented people. Were you to accept our creed you would be a fine addition to the Empire. Many others have taken that path, and all are happy for it. Why be less than us when you could be one ofus?”
Aurora felt totally crushed. She admired the Weegees deeply. She wished so much they could like her, too. “We are who we are,” was all she could mumble.
At this moment, however, the Princess strolled by, arm and arm with Danatus. Seeing Aurora crying, she asked, “What’s going on here?”
Kalia said,“Your Divine Majesty to Be, the Minervan does not wish to hand her study specimen over to the Eegees forinterrogation.”
Gita broke in. “Yes, Divine Princess. Under UL Resolution 262 you are required to force her acquiescence.”
The Princess arched an eyebrow. “I am required?”
Gita did not take note of the tone of the Princess’ voice. “Yes,Divine Princess. Resolution 262 clearly compels youto...”
The Princess cut her off. “Compels? So now I am not only required, I am compelled? Chaplain, there are only two women in the galaxy who can require or compel me to do anything, and the last time I looked you were not one ofthem.”
Gita stood her ground. “But the Universal League...”
“Did precious little to assist us in this campaign.” The Princess’ tone was sharp and decisive. “I find particularly worrisome the fact that some of the same powers who complain the loudest that we have not done enough to contain the Earthling threat have apparently found it in their interests to sell the savages advanced weaponry.”
The Holy Land: Fanatical Earthling planet assassins are spreading chaos through the galaxy. Is there any nice way to stop them? Page 21
