by Magus Tor
Jalin looked taken aback at this. Aurelia honestly saw incomprehension on his face; he truly did not understand what Jonathon was saying. And just for a moment, she felt pity for him. He was just as brainwashed as poor Mattias, standing there with his hand still in his pocket, muscles tense.
“People?” Jalin said slowly. “But Jonathon, you don't understand. You are Elite. You are special. You are above them. These aren't people. These are Workers. Like...like fuel to an engine. Do you think they are unhappy? We take care of them, Jonathon. We look after them. And in the end, they are happy to sacrifice themselves for our care. This is an arrangement, an agreement. You can't think that these Workers possibly have the capacity to think for themselves?”
“Yes, we do,” said a voice, high and shaking but definite.
Aurelia turned to see Mattias already withdrawing the stunner from his pocket. Before she could do anything, before any of them could, he was already firing, already pressing the button. The air crackled blue with electricity, and Aurelia could smell the static in the air from the charge.
Jalin's back arched as he fell to the ground. He convulsed once, then lay still.
Nicholas was holding Mattias from behind, gripping his wrist hard until the stunner fell to the ground, metal clattering on the stone floor. Aurelia’s attention was torn between the expression of horror on Jonathon's face and the dead man on the floor.
“What? Why? Matt?” she stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence.
Mattias looked up at her, his wide eyes dimmed slightly with tears. “I didn't mean to,” he said.
“It was an accident?” Jonathon asked, his voice incredulous.
“No,” Mattias said, shaking his head. “I was going to kill you instead. That's why I came. That's why I stole Nicholas's stunner. I was going to assassinate you here.”
Jonathon pulled out a chair and sank into it. “And why didn't you?”
“Because I heard what he said. He said we were fuel, that we were no better than animals. That we were happy. I...” He gulped, hanging his head so the others couldn't see his tears. “I didn't know. I swear to you, I never understood. I didn't understand what you were doing, why you were fighting, why you were destroying my life. And then, I don't know, he talked, and I just did it. Suddenly everything got clear and I understood, and then I...”
Elza reacted first. Pushing Nicholas out of the way, she took Mattias into her arms and held him tightly against her, pressing his face into her chest.
“What are we going to do?” she pleaded. “He's a child. We can't let him take the blame for this.”
But Nicholas was already working on that. Patting down the body on the floor, he smiled grimly and pulled out another stunner.
“He was armed too,” he said. “Told you.”
Quickly he took the charger out of both stunners and switched them over.
“Now it looks like his was fired, not mine,” he said.
Jonathon looked at his father on the floor. “That still leaves an explanation,” he said slowly.
Nicholas grinned again. “He did it himself.”
“And why would he do that?” asked Aurelia.
“Because this was all desperation. It was a last-ditch attempt. The Elite thought, or Jalin persuaded them to think, that he could talk Jonathon into changing his mind. I assume he would have promised that Jonathon could remain President and that everything would remain as it always had been. But he failed, and he couldn't live with his failure or with the fact that it was his son who was going to strip away all his privileges. Simple.”
Jonathon nodded. “That works,” he said.
He spent a moment looking down at the man who had been his father, and Aurelia wondered what he was feeling. She knew that they'd not been close. Knew that Jonathon's father had tried to kill him on more than one occasion. Still, it couldn't be easy. But when Jonathon finally moved, it was simply to take out his com and make a call.
The Resistance Army took the parliament building that afternoon. There was no opposition. With their commander gone, the Elite Army disappeared back outside of the Dome, and the Resistance was free to take what was left of Lunar City.
By that evening, with news from 04 that the City was almost completely under Resistance control, Jonathon was ready to finish what he’d started.
The parliamentary chamber, usually full of Elite, was strangely empty. Only Aurelia, Nicholas, Elza, and Mattias sat in the seats, watching Jonathon mount the stage and stand in front of the podium. But the cameras on the ceiling channelled the scene to millions of other eyes all around the Empire. Jonathon stared straight ahead as he spoke.
“As of nine o'clock Lunar City time tonight, there will be an armistice in effect for the entire Empire.”
He paused for a long moment before continuing.
“Let it be known that there are to be no retributions. The Resistance Army now holds Lunar City and all Earth Cities. However, any who fought for the Elite Army are to be granted full and unequivocal pardons.”
Again he paused.
“Finally, tomorrow will be a day of Empire-wide mourning for all who have given their lives. Whether Elite or Resistance, we shall remember those who fell.”
He bowed his head for a moment, then quietly walked away from the podium.
It was over.
The War officially ended in a ceremony five days later. Sokba, who had acted as host of the election, represented the Elite, whilst Jonathon was the Resistance representative. In full view of the entire Empire, both sides signed the treaty that ended hostilities, guaranteed lack of retribution, and allowed anyone, including Elite, to return to their home city.
“You are a powerful man, Mr. Hansen,” Sokba had whispered as he took an ink tube from the table in front of him. “It is our loss that your power was not on our side.”
Jonathon only grinned as he too signed the paper.
Many civilians had already returned to Lunar City, and the streets were a mass of celebrations, with Workers cheering and marching through the wide boulevards. There had been speeches and commendations, but Jonathon would accept only one honour. His rapidly formed cabinet had presented him with his house, the one he had grown up in, as a token of what he’d done for the City. After some persuasion, Jonathon agreed to live in it, on two conditions. The first was that the grounds of the house would become a public park, and the second was that when his Presidential term was over, the house would revert to the City and would become the home of whoever was elected next.
After the treaty was signed, Jonathon made yet another speech—which, Aurelia knew, was one of the parts of his job that he liked most—and begged for a little understanding and time. The Empire had to keep running, people had to eat, so he asked for a six-month changeover period where everyone would return to their homes and workplaces as he and his cabinet worked out the logistics of changing the system. There were concessions, however. Uniforms would no longer be required at all. Luxurious foods such as real meat would be sold by lottery, rather than simply given to the Elite. The department stores and restaurants of Lunar were opened to everyone, and Jonathon rapidly gave permission to beaming entrepreneurs to open branches of the most popular establishments in Earth Cities.
Life was going to be slow to change, but the change was already happening. And Aurelia was working as hard as anyone else. Jonathon had formed his cabinet from those he not only trusted but who were also good at what they were to do. Elza had become Minister of Medicine, whilst Nicholas was obviously Minister for Defence and Security. Lukas had originally been considered for Minister of Transportation, but given his affinity for plants was eventually named Minister of the Environment, with his remit being to begin the process of making Earth a more stable ecosystem. Even the wily old Sokba had his place—his appointment as Official Master of Ceremonies was not especially popular with the others, but as Jonathon said, no one knew the traditions and history of Lunar as well as the old man, and sometimes a little tradition wa
s necessary.
The Earth Cities had each been given a governor to tide them over during the period of change. Jak had been the obvious choice for City 01. And Aurelia's mother had accepted the governorship of 04 on the condition that it was only for one term. At the end of that term, she planned to come to Lunar to be closer to her daughter.
Aurelia hadn't expected to join Jonathon's cabinet. She'd never really thought about it, but if she had, she knew that politics just weren't her thing. In fact, she was enjoying a full day of rest when Elza called on her and asked if she was ready to work again.
“Work?” she asked.
“Well, the thing is that I need some help,” Elza said.
Aurelia sighed. In truth, she missed being a doctor. It was what she was good at and something that she enjoyed doing. When she was working, she felt calm and logical and, more than that, that she was really helping people. She'd considered asking Jonathon if she could go back to medicine, but simply hadn't had the chance yet. And she didn't really fancy joining some sort of bureaucratic or political body, even if it was connected to the Ministry of Medicine.
“Sure, what do you need?” she asked Elza with resignation.
“Actually, I need a new head of Lunar City Hospital,” Elza replied. “Do you think you're up to it?”
Aurelia's bear hug, so tight that breathing was impossible, was answer enough.
The next months passed in a flurry of activity. New pieces of legislation were passed every day, and keeping up with the constant changes was difficult. It wasn't until after a full month that Aurelia finally realised she hadn't once used her identification number in that period. When she enquired, Jonathon had laughed and told her that the numbers had been forbidden for all but clerical use for weeks now.
They finally got a break one afternoon when Nicholas came rushing into the living room. Given the bureaucratic upheaval, he, Elza, and Mattias had been staying with Jonathon and Aurelia until a living pod could be found for them.
“She said yes!” he yelled, sweeping Aurelia up and kissing her, only prevented from doing the same thing to Jonathon by the older man's quick-footedness.
“Who said yes to what?” asked Jonathon, confused.
“Idiot,” Aurelia said fondly. “Elza has agreed to marry him—right, Nicholas?”
The Clone nodded, beaming. “That's allowed now, right?” he asked, his expression suddenly becoming worried.
Jonathon sighed. “Clones have had full privileges since the first week of government,” he said. “You guys really need to keep up with things. Anyway, even if it weren't allowed, I'd make sure it was for you guys.”
“Well, you might need to help out with some red tape for a little something else,” Elza said, coming into the room with Mattias.
She was smiling, and her cheeks looked red, blushing scarlet as both Aurelia and Jonathon congratulated her.
“And what's that?” Jonathon asked.
“Ah,” said Nicholas. “That's important announcement number two. Not only has Elza agreed to be my wife, but Mattias has graciously agreed to be our son. That is, if we can adopt him.” He looked at Jonathon.
Jonathon just smiled. “I can't think why that would be a problem.”
Now it was Mattias's turn to be congratulated, and the boy turned an even deeper red than Elza had.
It was decided that Nicholas and Elza's wedding was to be a big, formal ceremony.
“You're paving the way,” Jonathon said. “Not only are you the first Clone in government, but you're going to be the first to marry, so we should make a show of it. Besides, we could all use a party.”
Elza rolled her eyes, but Nicholas agreed, happy to do anything if it meant that he'd finally have the family he'd always wanted.
Nicholas had predictably put a lot of research into traditional weddings and had informed Elza that she needed a bridesmaid. Once more, Elza had rolled her eyes but obediently had asked Tara to do the honours. Which was how Aurelia found herself in a department store fitting room on the only afternoon she had free all week.
“What do you think?” Tara asked, twirling around in the dress she was trying on.
“I'm not sure,” said Aurelia, doubtfully. “I think it might kind of clash with your hair.”
Tara now had hair of a delicate rose pink, which did look a little odd with the fuchsia colour of the dress.
“Yeah, you could be right,” said the girl, flopping into a chair next to Aurelia. “I'm not sure about all this wedding stuff. It seems like a lot of work.”
“Not considering it yourself, then?” Aurelia asked with a grin.
Tara shrugged. “Not yet, anyway. I think I want to go to one of these universities that Jonathon is creating. I'd like to learn more. You know, the Elite didn't exactly get training. I mean, we never really learnt how to do much more than read and write.”
Aurelia had never considered this. And she was glad that there were benefits to the new system for those like Tara. “What do you want to study?” she asked.
“Hmmm. Dunno,” said Tara. “Definitely not politics—I'd be awful.”
Which was true. Diplomacy wasn't really one of Tara's skills. “What about fashion design?” Aurelia suggested.
Tara grinned. “That wouldn't be bad.”
With renewed energy, she stood up and went to try on the next dress, leaving Aurelia laughing and shaking her head.
The morning of the wedding dawned, and Aurelia was up bright and early. She showered and laid out her chosen dress as the light of the Dome changed to a pale yellow and then became bluer and bluer. She was in a hurry to get ready, knowing that Elza would need some help.
She was just slipping into the deep blue dress when Jonathon stepped out of the shower.
“Here, I've got that,” he said, coming over to pull up the fastener on the back of the dress.
Aurelia breathed in as the fastener got stuck, and Jonathon jiggled it a little until it moved and then closed the fabric.
“Hmmm,” he said. “Seems a bit tight.”
Aurelia looked down. The dress was tight but would do the job. “Maybe a little,” she admitted.
“And maybe you should be a bit less vain next time and go for the bigger size?” Jonathon teased her.
She turned around in mock horror before giggling. “I will. I promise,” she said, as Jonathon kissed her neck. “Now get ready, yourself. We can't be late.”
Aurelia had to admit that Elza looked stunning. She was a beautiful woman, but in her pale ivory wedding dress she looked like, well, like a princess, something from an old fairy tale.
“Nicholas is going to be amazed when he sees you,” Aurelia said. “Where is he, anyway?”
Elza gave an irritated sigh. “He said it's tradition that he's not allowed to see me until I walk into the wedding,” she said. “How annoying is that?”
Aurelia laughed. “Well, at least you'll be a surprise to him,” she said.
“Almost ready?” asked Mattias, peeking his head around the door.
“Sure, just a couple of minutes,” Elza told him. Mattias disappeared back to where he’d come from. “And poor Matt has to walk me down the aisle and give me away, like I'm his property or something,” Elza continued.
“It's just a symbol, Elza. Anyway, you'll be the first traditional wedding we've had for centuries, so cheer up. And it will make Nicholas happy—you know what he's like about history. How is Matt doing?” She wanted to change the subject before Elza got irritated enough at Nicholas to call the whole wedding off.
Elza's face softened. “He's doing great. He's a handful, but what boy isn't? We're still trying to decide with him what he wants to do, what kind of schooling he wants.”
“I thought he was into chemistry,” Aurelia said, pinning up Elza's blonde hair.
“He was, but now he's thinking that he'd like to join the Military, like Nicholas.”
Aurelia smiled. Mattias had grown very close to Elza over the past weeks, but he and Nicholas had some ki
nd of special bond.
“Okay,” Aurelia said. “I think we're ready here.”
Elza examined her reflection in the mirror and nodded. “That's about as good as it gets,” she said.
Aurelia turned her around. “Elza, you look beautiful,” she said. “And I want you to know, just for the sake of knowing, that you are my best friend. I've never met anyone as generous, intelligent, talented, and beautiful as you are. Nicholas is a lucky man.”
Elza's eyes were already brimming with tears.
“Now, let's get out of here before you cry and ruin the effect.” Aurelia laughed.
There were two transport pods waiting outside. One of them had been extravagantly decorated with white ribbons and flowers.
“I'm going to kill Nicholas,” Elza said through gritted teeth when she saw what she was supposed to travel in.
“Oh, come on,” Jonathon said, laughing. “You know that...”
“It's tradition,” Aurelia, Mattias, and Elza chorused.
The wedding was everything they had hoped it would be. Romantic, beautiful, and full of history and tradition. Nicholas had had tears in his eyes as Mattias had proudly walked his sister down the aisle, and Aurelia had felt her throat swell as she watched them. They had promised to love, honour, and cherish each other, and had exchanged rings, as the old ceremony had dictated. And when Nicholas had finally kissed his bride, the entire chamber had rung with cheers and applause.
And now there was the reception. Aurelia sat at a small table, watching the partygoers mingle and chat.
“Shall I get us some champagne?” Jonathon asked.
Aurelia shook her head. “It makes me sneeze,” she said. “Just some water would be fine.”
