by Dave Walsh
“Emperor, sir? I thought you said it would be a republic.”
“Do you see anyone winning an election over him?”
“I guess not, sir.”
Epilogue.
Katrijn Freeman
Katrijn sat in the great hall, its high ceilings decorated with gold and the walls lined with velor. She felt empty and sullen at the head of the long table. The finality of the day was one that she would never forget, but she knew that already. She had sat by her father’s bedside, watching him lay motionless. Katrijn had wept while her younger brother Cronus stood watching intently, unmoved as he watched his father’s dying breaths.
She couldn’t shake the image, the sight of Prime Minister O’Neil teary-eyed, leaving the room before her father had passed on. Tomorrow would be the announcement, and all of Andlios would mourn the passing of Emperor Jonah “Ingen” Freeman. The ceremony would take place the next day. It was a Krigan ceremony where the body was placed in a casket inside of a canoe, lined with flowers and ornaments and pushed into the River Freeman. Cronus would most likely set the boat ablaze since he was an expert marksman with a bow. Millions would watch, and millions would mourn.
Katrijn was only 17 cycles old, but having to live the rest of her life without her father felt like the worst punishment that could have been handed down to her. Her father was only 45, and everyone had been speaking in hushed tones about what put him into the coma. His doctors had been working around the clock to find answers. She heard the great door open behind her but couldn’t push herself to turn around.
There were footsteps before she heard the familiar voice of Prime Minister O’Neil. “I understand that today was tough for you, Katrijn.” The former starship captain placed a small device on the table in front of Katrijn, placing his hand on her shoulder affectionately. “We all loved your father, Katrijn, and he loved you very dearly. He left this message for you and told me to deliver it to you upon his passing.”
He sat down at a chair on the side of the table, letting out an exhausted sigh. “To be honest, I never thought I’d be the one handing this to you; I always thought it’d be whoever got this job after me, maybe Dumas or Tyr, I don’t know.”
“What is it?” she asked, hearing her voice echo throughout the great hall.
“Katrijn, this message is intended for you alone.” He went to get up, only to have Katrijn grab onto his hand.
“I don’t care.” She looked up at the Prime Minister. “Stay.”
“Okay,” he said, sitting back down.
“Thank you,” Katrijn nodded before pressing on the base of the device.
“DNA sample a match,” said a voice that came from the device before it flickered to life, a holographic image of her father appearing before her.
“Katrijn.” By the look of it, this video was recorded recently; her father was wearing the scar on his cheek that he received from the assassination attempt two cycles prior on one of his hunting expeditions off-world. “If you are watching this, then I am sadly no longer with you. I understand that today must be tough for you, but I need you to be strong, Katrijn. I need you to be the woman that I know that you are.
“As you are well aware, I’ve been the only Emperor of the Andlios Republic when it began in Andlios Cycle 15487. There were no elections, as I would have liked, and I immediately took power after we ejected the Fourth Fleet from Andlios space and back to Earth. Prime Minister O’Neil, Professor Cox and myself had come up with this plan, knowing full well that the chaos created by our ejection of the Fourth Fleet would lead to possible civil unrest and uncertainty. The people needed not only a home but a leader. Captain O’Neil, at the time, wanted nothing to do with this role, claiming that I was better-suited for it.
“So I took it.” He let out a sigh. “I never looked back, Katrijn, which to this day I regret. The people of Andlios have loved me from that moment on; they have never questioned me or wanted anything more. I did all that I could for them and was as fair as I could be, although at times I wonder if I was as fair as I could have been. Nevertheless, I ruled as emperor since the inception of the Andlios Republic and have never discussed a succession plan.
“I love both you and your brother, but I fear that Cronus is not fit to rule the Republic. I have sensed a darkness inside of him for years now, something that scares me. I’m sure that you’ve seen it as well. Cronus has always wanted power, and he’s always wanted to be Emperor. There are those who would be happy to see him rule over Andlios. Maybe he would be a good ruler -- I’m not sure -- but what is certain is that no one man should rule over other men.
“That might sound contradictory to you, especially considering my role and how I never relented it,” he smiled warmly, shaking his head. “I’d like to consider myself a benevolent ruler, although I am a bit biased. Many would see it that way as well. I believe that you would make for a good ruler as well, that you could possibly even do a better job than I did at it. The problem is that no matter what you or I would ever intend to do, there are those who would look to oppress people, to rule with an iron fist.
“The trip on the Omega was enough to enlighten me to these truths,” he said, nodding. “As I’m sure that Prime Minister O’Neil can attest to, the political system that was in place through the Earth Ministry was oppressive, only catering to those with wealth and power, and leaving everyone else in poverty and clawing for any scraps that they could attain. Prime Minister O’Neil was always a proponent for a democracy, a topic that we discussed many nights over the years.
“He’ll be happy to know that I agree with him. I’m sorry to do this to you, Katrijn, but I leave you as my successor. You will serve as Emperor of Andlios. All that I ask of you is that you make one decree, only one: to hold elections and to turn Andlios into a democracy. Maybe I’m a fool, but I believe in people; I believe that at their core they are good, and if left to their own devices, they will try to help each other.
“Do not let greed overcome our republic. Even if it doesn’t happen for a hundred or even a thousand years, corruption will come to Andlios, and I fear that if you don’t do this now, Andlios will eventually converge with the Earth Ministry, echoing the very thing that we fought to break free from. I can’t let that happen, Katrijn. You can’t let that happen. I believe in you, my daughter. I love you. Tell Prime Minister O’Neil the contents of this message -- if he isn’t sitting there with you already -- and he’ll help you with it all. Goodbye.”
The image of her father disappeared, leaving Katrijn in the empty hall with Prime Minister O’Neil sitting by her side. She stared off at the ceiling, focusing on the midday light streaming through the windows. It was all almost too much to process. O’Neil picked up the device and slid it into his jacket pocket, remaining silent as Katrijn processed it.
She looked up at the former starship captain with a grim look on her face and shook her head. “What if it’s too late?”
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
TERMINUS CYCLE
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by Dave Walsh.
Cover illustration by Jennifer Blake
Edited by Elizabeth DeGregorio
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
First ebook edition: March, 2015.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition: March, 2015
Find out more about the author and his upcoming books at http://www.dvewlsh.com or @dvewlsh.
Table of Contents
Cover
Dedication
001. Objects in Space - Jonah
003. The Unlikely Cosmonaut - Jonah
004. Control - Captain O’Neil
005. The Martian Monolith - Jonah Freeman
006. Transmission - Captain O’Neil
007. Ease of Use - Jonah Freeman
008. Love and Politics - Captain O’Neil
009. The Spy Who Loved Me - Jonah Freeman
010. The Sequence - Captain O’Neil
011. The Perfect Hand - Jonah Freeman
012. The Fourth Fleet - Captain O’Neil
013. Rebellion - Ingen the Krigan Warrior
014. The Tropes of War - Captain O’Neil
015. The Runner - Ingen the Krigan Warrior
016. Politics - Captain O’Neil
017. Exsanguination - Ingen the Krigan Warrior
018. The Summit - Captain O’Neil
019. The Best-Laid Plans - Ingen the Krigan Warrior
020. Omens and Portents - Captain O’Neil
Epilogue. - Katrijn Freeman
Copyright
Table of Contents
