by Clark Graham
Pavvlek swallowed hard. “I will not fail you.” He had laughed at the locals and now he had to retract what he said. He was frustrated that he had made the wrong decision and had lost some respect from the prince.
“Good,” the prince said and then the screen went blank.
Pavvlek contacted his personal secretary. “Get the word out; we want to meet with the leader of Santeria. I will give them their peace treaty.”
“Sir?” came the surprised voice of the secretary.
“Do it; orders of the prince.”
“Yes, Sir .”
It was a different reception that general and his staff experienced from their first visit. They were allowed to drive to the building in the space port where the meeting would be. They had an honor guard of hover cycles on either side of them showing them the way. It was also a different building this time, more ornate. The halls were a blue marble and the doors had what looked like silver etched into the carved stonework. It was a simple design but very elegant.
The table they sat around was much like the last one, but this one had bottles of wine and pastries on it. Pavvlek was waiting for them and greeted them warmly. “Welcome, gentlemen, take a seat. It is good to see you again.”
The general was suspicious, but said nothing. He wanted to see what the commodore had to say.
“I am sorry to have sent you away as I did the last time. It was wrong of me. After you left, I pled your case to my superiors. It has taken all this time but I finally have been given permission to meet with you again and offer you terms of a peace deal,” Pavvlek said smoothly.
“Are you going to dictate terms or are we able to negotiate?” the general asked.
“You will be able to negotiate of course, but first relax after your long journey. Have some wine and try the pastries. The wine is from Bellomarin, a planet very far away. It grows a variety of pale blue grapes that simply make the most outstanding wine you have ever tasted.”
Waiters appeared behind the men and poured the wine. The general held his hand over his glass. “None for me, thanks,” he told the waiter. He wanted to be clear headed for the talks.
“Try the pastries at least, General,” Pavvlek replied. He was a little disappointed that the general didn’t take the wine. The wine had a way of relaxing someone and it made negotiations that much easier.
“We want our young men back,” was the first thing out of the general’s mouth.
“Of course, of course you do. What a horrible thing the Empire did in taking them. I have never agreed with that policy. Unfortunately, your young men are spread throughout the galaxy and not all of them will want to come back, but I will see what I can do. We will start gathering them immediately, and flying them home as we find them.”
‘That went well,’ the general thought to himself. “We also want to maintain our own government and our own monetary system.”
“Yes, you can maintain your own government and keep your money. Now I have a few demands of my own.”
‘Here it comes,’ the general thought.
“We are going to build a shipyard on your planet and teach you how to build small space going ships, but we will want to purchase, at a fair price, your resources to build those ships.”
“Who is going to mine those resources?” the general asked.
“We will show you advanced mining techniques, teach you how to use them, and let you do the mining.”
“That sounds reasonable; what other demands do you have?”
“We want to be able to purchase produce and raw materials like we did before, but on a larger scale. We also want to be able to recruit, among your people, for ground troops to protect this planet from invasion. They will be trained and serve right here on Andaria, except for a brief stint in space to train them in modern spacecraft.”
“That sounds reasonable, if no one is forced to join your navy.”
“It would be a hundred percent voluntary.”
“On behalf of the government of Santeria, we will accept your terms.” The general stood up and shook Pavvlek’s hand.
They waited for all of the paperwork to be prepared and after everyone signed it, each member of the group was given a copy. The general and his staff were escorted out. When they had left Pavvlek’s personal secretary came up to him and asked, “Are we really going to give them back their young men?”
“Not a chance. We are just buying time. As soon as the emperor dies, these papers are null and void, but we still need the resources this planet still has. I need to get those mines in place before the locals come asking where their young men are.”
“Yes, Sir, we can just transfer men over from the other hemisphere. Those mines are nearly tapped out anyway.”
“Good,” Pavvlek smiled. “Now start building those training grounds. That brief stint in space for the trainees is going to last years.”
That night the peace terms were broadcast and the next morning men started applying for jobs in the mines and shipyards and joining the army to protect their planet.
Chapter Twenty Nine
East Coast Santeria
It was the end of the day when Greten found Pethran on his tractor. With all of the land he now owned it was no longer possible to find Pethran by standing hear the house. He now had to wait for him to come into view or go searching for him. He waited for his father to drive to the house so he could talk to him.
“Good news; I have now finished with my military enlistment. I had actually finished months ago, but since there was a war on they declared a stop loss and we were there for the duration. Now that the peace treaty is signed, I am a free man.”
Pethran got down off the tractor. “That is good news! We should break out some wine to celebrate. I have a cellar full. It was just one of the things people were exchanging for food during the time we had no government.”
“With the treaty signed, Zedra should be home soon, too,” Greten said with a smile.
Pethran got a sad look on his face, “Zedra is not coming home. That was a worthless piece of paper. They signed it in the name of the Empire. The Empire dissolves the day the emperor dies. He is being artificially kept alive by two of his sons until the time they can gather a fleet together.”
“If the peace treaty is worthless, what about the factory and the mines they are going to build?”
“They have been trying to get to our resources the whole time. They are very efficient miners, they can strip a planet of all of its easy to get at ores in six weeks. They will make excuses as to why they have not brought our young men home yet, to stall for time until our resources are gone and our economy is totally dependent on their factories.”
“How do you know all this?”
“The news on the picture radio.”
Greten just shook his head. “Things have really changed since I left.”
“They are still changing. The elections are tomorrow and I will no longer be the sheriff. You are now home so you can take over the farm. I have millions of gold peaces in the local bank and hundreds of credits from the Empire for all of the produce I have sold them. I hear they have flights leaving from the space port every day. I am going to take one of those flights and see the galaxy. I will start with the local systems but work my way further afield. I hear there is a planet in the Gaktel sector that has enormous beasts as tall as a mountain that are gentle and you can ride them. That is where I am going first.”
Greten sat there speechless for a moment. When he could wrap words around his thoughts he said, “I can’t take over your farm. I don’t know the first thing about any of this equipment. Hover tractors and massive plows. I can’t do those.”
“I will teach you before I go. Things have gotten easier, not harder. The controls are in a language of a planet far away, but once you learn what they do it’s easy to run the machines. We will start tomorrow; tonight we drink wine and celebrate. Invite your old girlfriend over too. What was her name?”
“Majory. I don’t know
if she’s still around.”
“There is one way to find out; call her.”
As Pethran got out the wine, Greten called Majory. To his surprise the phone system not only still worked, but it had been enhanced by the Empire. Gone were the ladies at the switchboard, now it was all done electronically.
“Majory, this is Greten,” was all he was able to get out.
“Are you home?, I’ll be right over,” she said and then the phone went dead.
Pethran passed Greten in the hall. “Did she hang up on you? That was a short phone call.”
“Yes, and no, she is on her way over.”
“Good, I will get out another glass.”
When there was a knock on the door, Greten opened it and Majory flung herself into his arms and kissed him madly.
Pethran cleared his throat at the couple so they broke off the kiss. “Oh, hi, Sheriff,” Majory replied.
“I’m not sheriff anymore, at least not after midnight. Someone else will take over that honor. Come, I have some very fine wine here, and we have reason to celebrate. Greten’s enlistment is over. He will be taking over the farm.”
There was a look of instant joy on Majory’s face. “That is good news.”
As the three of them enjoyed the wine the small talk grew more and more boring to Greten. He finally looked at Majory and said, “What was it like during the occupation?”
“It was brutal for those of us in the town. The soldiers would try and date us even though they were not supposed to. It seems that the girls would get them alone and then kill them, so they were not allowed to talk to us. If it were not for your father, we would have starved to death. When they left, we had no way to get food. He gave us three chickens a week and a lot of grains and greens. He could have sold them and made a lot of money but he gave them to us instead. We were not the only ones that he gave food to. Half of the town is alive because of him. We were robbed several times by roaming bands of men who called themselves freedom fighters. They did not fight anyone; they just stole our food. It’s funny, isn’t it, all the jewels and gold in the house no longer means anything when you have no food.”
Greten had had no idea what was happening to the world outside his tunnels. “Go on,” he said.
“My father was killed and my brothers captured. They graduated from the reeducation classes of the enemy and were called collaborators by the so-called freedom fighters. That is what gave them the right to rob us, in their minds. It was awful, just awful. We now have peace, but not all of those freedom fighters have been rounded up. I’m so glad you are home, Greten. I was so scared for you. I feel safe now that you are around.” She got up and hugged him.
It opened his eyes to the world he had left. The end of the innocent was upon them. After the party she didn’t leave but slept on the couch. She never wanted to be apart from Greten again.
Part II Zedra’s Story
Chapter Thirty
East Coast Santeria
The monitor came on in the middle of the night. It was the machine that Pethran called the picture radio. The sudden light woke up Majory. When she looked up she saw Zedra’s face on the screen. “Dad, Dad, are you there?”
“Zedra, is that you?” Majory said as she approached the screen.
“Majory? What are you doing there?”
“I live here now; where are you and when are you coming home?”
“I’m half way across the galaxy and I’m not coming home for years. Where’s my dad?”
Greten came out of the door. The sound of voices had awoken him up. He came and stood next to Majory. “Zedra?”
“Greten, you’re home safe and sound!”
“Yes, the war is over. How can you be talking to me right now?” He shuddered inside when he saw that Zedra was wearing the uniform of the enemy, but he made no outward indication of how he felt.
“It’s a computer thing; is Dad there?”
“Right here, Son,” Pethran said as he came up to the monitor. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I am fine. Listen, we just got word that the emperor has died. The war is starting. All of my friends have been assigned to new and powerful warships, but I, because of my bad attitude, have been assigned to a very old destroyer, not up to combat. I will be on patrol duty in this sector. If the enemy comes in force we are to report it and then flee. There are only three odd ships in my combat group. You are not safe there. The shipyard they’re building only makes you a target. There’s a planet in the Keldar sector. Denoris is the name of it. It is a garden planet and many tourists head there for vacations. It has absolutely no military value. You will be safe there until the war is over.”
“I just got home from a war; I’m not going anywhere,” Greten insisted. Majory just clung to his arm but at least his father was writing down what he had said. It made Zedra feel better.
“Thank you for the information, Son.”
“I have to go; my ship is leaving for patrol soon. Remember what I said, and Greten, you should really reconsider. What is going to happen out there makes what you have been through look small. It will be death by the millions and whole planets will be left desolate for centuries.”
It was a concept that Greten just could not grasp. “I still want to be home, it is the only thing that I have wanted the whole time I was in the mountains.”
“I have to go,” Zedra said and then the screen went blank and turned off.
“You didn’t tell me you could talk to Zedra on this thing.”
Pethran replied, “I was going to. He normally calls mid week so I was going to explain it right before he called. I am sorry, but with everything else that was going on I thought it would be too much for you all at once.”
“What are you going to do, Dad?” Greten asked.
“I am going to Denoris. I’ve had enough of war. If you want to come with me, I will pay your way.”
“Majory and I are going to the mayor today and getting married, at least stay for that.”
Majory let out a slight gasp. She had not been consulted, but Greten had guessed right in that is what she wanted. She smiled up at him and said, “We are?”
“I thought, well, before my Dad left, I mean.” He was stammering all over himself.
“I need to call my mom and then we can go,” she replied.
“Does that mean yes?” he asked.
“Of course it does.” She smiled as she was heading for the phone. It was still late at night but this would be worth waking her mother up for. She understood Greten’s need to get married before his father left the planet.
It was a simple ceremony but Greten promised a real wedding one day with the dress and flowers. She told him she didn’t need that. She had lived through the occupation and then the void where there was no government. She had learned how to get by simply and would have been fine without a wedding, but she knew that Greten still was very traditional so she did it for him. When life gets bleak one learns how to get by with a simpler way.
Late that night the three of them watched the news on the picture radio. It was as bad as Zedra told them it was going to be. Reports from space already had massive fleets meeting in battle and the destruction was on a scale that no one had seen before. And it was only the beginning.
“What are we going to do?” Majory asked. She was already having second thoughts about staying on the planet.
“Nobody wants a farm on a planet on the very edge of the galaxy. I think that we stick tight. Who’s to say that any planet is safer than another?” Greten was convincing so she relaxed.
“I’m still going to Denoris.” Pethran said flatly, “Even if it is only to satisfy my son. He knows more about all this than I do. I trust his judgment. If you change your minds, the offer for transportation off this rock still stands.”
“Thanks, Dad, that means a lot.”
Pethran stood up and walked into the bedroom to get his suitcase. “This is all yours now. I wish I could stay to show you how everything works, but I
have to catch a flight early in the morning and I will have to leave now to make it on time. I have faith that you can figure it out, as I did. I will leave the car at the space port so come and get it when you get a chance.”
Greten and Majory hugged Pethran goodbye and he left out the door.
It felt strange to Greten that the farm was now his. The family was dead or scattered to the wind. It was something he could not have even imagined just a few years back when he sat around the table eating his mothers cooking and the only thing he had to worry about was if Dad was going to let him go to the dance hall or not.
Chapter Thirty One
Star Destroyer Lectar
Onderi Sector
“I made rank to Petty Officer; it’s third class but it is an advancement.” Zedra could hear the excitement in Tedric’s voice.
Zedra was using his communication minutes to talk to Tedric since his father was traveling.
“What rank are you, Zedra?”
It was all confusing to Zedra, rates or ranks, he could never decide which one was right, but he knew Tedric was not going to be impressed. “I am still an apprentice. I have not gained rate since you left.”
“You have to stop fighting them, Zedra. It’s your attitude that is holding you back.”
“I know. I just can’t get over how they kidnapped us and brought us out here against our will.”
Tedric just shook his head, “it happened to the rest of us too. You have to move on with your life. I saw your old friend Lee at the station before we left. He has been assigned to a battleship. The thing is huge; we are one of the escorts of it. He is a petty officer too. You are holding yourself back, I tell you.”
“I know, I know. Do you know where you are headed? I hear there have been major battles like the galaxy has never seen before. You aren’t in any danger, are you?”
