by Ted Mayes
“So I shouldn’t wear it?”
“No, just don’t make a big thing out of wearing it, to school, for example, until we see what the reaction is going to be. Remember the fuss, which is still going on, I understand, about the dating rings?”
“Okay. No making a big thing about it. Now it’s time for you to open your present from me.” Jon smiled and held her package up to the camera, then quickly tore the wrapping paper off it. He opened the box and stared at what was inside. “It’s funny that we both went to Morton’s to get a present, isn’t it?” When Jon kept on staring, she went on. “I wanted to get you something for your office. It was my idea, but Greg’s workmanship.”
“It’s stunning.” Jon lifted it up from the box and looked at it from every angle. Beth could see that it was as handsome as when she wrapped it – a silver crucifix superimposed on a plaque. On it were the bodies of the Solar System, the Sun and the planets – not to scale, of course – brilliantly enameled with ‘natural’ colors so that you could identify sunspots on the Sun, continents on Earth, Jupiter’s red spot and Saturn’s rings. “I guarantee that this will go with me wherever I go in the future. Thanks, Beth.”
“What are you going to do this evening?” she asked.
“Well, in a little bit, I’m going to go down to the commons and put the Christmas Eve service from the Imperial Chapel on the big screen, for anyone who wants to have a church service this evening. Then the centurion and I are going to continue standing watch and watch so that all the other men can have the day off.”
“My family and I will be in that crowd, so keep an eye out for us if they pan the crowd. I’ll mention to the Chaplain that you guys are watching as well and ask him for a special prayer for all of you.”
“Thanks, Beth. Merry Christmas! Have a good day with your folks and I’ll talk with you tomorrow night.”
“Till tomorrow, Jon, Merry Christmas!” Beth sat still for a moment longer and then put the heart necklace on, with the heart tucked inside her dress. Then she picked up the other presents and went to show them to her parents.
* * * * *
Amanda was looking forward to the last day of the year, Honors Day, to see what this ‘holiday’ was like for imperials. She was halfway to the kitchen when she became aware that something different than she expected was happening. It was, from what she had been told, a day of celebration, but it seemed too quiet in the residence, as if a storm of some kind was about to break. It would be par for the course, she decided, if her situation should change just when she thought she was finally getting used to it. That thought brought her up short. Was she really ‘getting used’ to her situation? Granted that she’d been treated very considerately, was she getting used to being a slave?
She shook her head and moved on. Entering the kitchen, she picked up a plate and a cup of coffee and went to sit down at the table with Michael and the First. She said ‘hi’ but only got what she would describe as grunts in return. “Still willing to answer some questions at breakfast?” she asked with a challenge in her voice.
Michael stared at her, then finally smiled. “I suppose so, if there aren’t too many – after all, today’s supposed to be a holiday.”
“As if that made a difference for you. I bet you’ll put in a full day’s work today.”
“No, not a full day, only part of the day. Your questions?”
She took a bite of food and a mouthful of coffee. “I stopped in at Morton’s Jewelry yesterday, to check on the display that everyone, at least most women, seem to be talking about.”
“The heart necklace made of Martian silver?”
“Yes. I assume the information at the display is correct, that only two such necklaces have been made with Martian silver. What’s the story behind that? How come they’re taking time to mine silver up there? And how come only two necklaces?”
“As I understand it from the report of the expedition, several outcroppings of various precious metals were discovered so far in the course of mapping Mars. Since they were located on the surface, the governor ordered the precious metals to be gathered up and stored at the base. There are only two necklaces made, because the emperor has ordered that the precious metals remain on Mars, except for such gifts as imperial residents of Mars may want to make.”
“Why will the silver, and gold, I assume, at least most of it, remain on Mars?”
“History shows that most often colonies are manipulated, even plundered for the sake of the colonizing power. The emperor is determined that that will not happen under the empire. Besides, there’s some curiosity as to how Earth will react to this.”
“Does the emperor want a story about this?”
“It’s up to you to decide that.”
She thought briefly while taking a few more bites. “I think it would make an interesting story. What can you tell me about the future of the Mars colony?”
“The emperor plans to slowly increase the size of the colony, but the major effort will be to bring more people to Capitol, and, of course, the other planned lunar colonies.”
“What about plans for the rest of the Solar system?”
“Work is continuing on the first ark, but, short-term, more than anything else we expect an information explosion of astrophysical data. The satellites around the Moon and Mars will soon be matched with satellites around all the planets, many of the moons and who knows what other interesting features. I would expect that science, especially those areas dealing with space are going to be a little chaotic for a while.”
Amanda waited a moment to see if Michael would say anything else. “Is there anything else?” she finally asked.
Michael had an odd expression on his face for a second, then handed her a stack of papers, stapled together in one corner. “You might want to take a look at the Honors List, especially the last section.”
She was sure she should have felt excitement, but what she was experiencing was a sinking feeling in her stomach. Determined that she was not going to show her emotions, she calmly took the stack of papers and turned to the last page. There, in a paragraph all her own, she read - ‘Ochs, Amanda Elaine, slave – pardoned and manumitted.’ “I see. And what, exactly, do those words mean?”
“It means that your crime of spying is forgiven and you are no longer a slave.”
“So what am I now?”
“What you were before – a peregrina, a foreign guest.” He handed her a new ID on a lanyard, red with her name and thumbprint on it. While she was looking at the new ID, First moved behind her and removed her choker. She rubbed her neck with her hand. It seemed so strange to have nothing around her throat.
“And I’m free to go?”
“Yes, you may go wherever you want, except for restricted areas, of course.”
Amanda gave him a brief smile. “I think I can remember that.” She paused for a moment. “And if I’d prefer to stay in Ostia?”
Michael nodded to the First, who cleared his throat. “That will not be allowed – at least not right now. When the emperor was asked about that, he said that, considering the amount of time you spent wondering if you had the Stockholm syndrome, the best thing to do is to take some time and think things through.”
Amanda sat quietly trying to think. The emperor, who had just freed her, ‘suggested’ that she take some time to think things through. It wasn’t what she wanted to do, but it made sense, much as she hated to admit it. At least she could manage this farewell scene with some dignity. “I don’t have to get out of town immediately, do I? I’d like to say ‘good-bye’ to a few people.”
“No,” Michael said, “but you ought to have Samuel check on flights to New York and see when they leave – then you can decide which one you want to take.”
She nodded. “Thank you, I’ll do that.”
“I’ve asked First to help you get off. He’ll help you in any way he can.” When she only nodded quietly again, Michael got up and left the table, heading toward the atrium.
Ama
nda sat quietly for a while, then looked up at First, who was still sitting there. “I have no idea what I’m feeling now, or what I should be feeling.”
“You’re probably numb right now, but I’m sure you’ll figure it all out eventually. Anything I can help you with right now?”
“No, I just have some calls to make, and I have to find out when flights to New York are scheduled.”
“Well, just give me a call if you need anything. And, if you want something to think about, ask yourself, during the months you’ve been here, whether you’ve ever heard Mike offer to have me help a foreigner get something done. And you might want to ask yourself what that says about how Mike feels about you.”
Amanda thought about that only a little bit, how unusual it was, that is, but she found her emotions overwhelming her. Shaking her head, she got up, realizing that her appetite had gone and headed for her room. She threw her overnight case on the bed and began throwing some clothes into it. When she was done, she told Samuel to deliver the rest of the clothes to her father's house. Then she called Mary Chen and asked for a fax number she could use to send to Ostia the rest of the articles she was going to write. She called the Imperial Chaplain and asked what address to use to get a letter to him. She called TWA and arranged a seat on a 10:30 flight to New York. Then she gave Beth a call and begged a ride to the airport with her. Finally, she gave her father a call, told him the news that she was coming home and arranged for a car to meet her.
After that, there was little else to do at the residence. She asked Samuel what to do about the leather satchel and portfolio that Michael had given her and was told that they were hers to keep. She tucked her wallet and phone into the satchel and put her purse in the overnight bag and then looked around. It certainly hadn’t been home, but it had certainly been a much more comfortable place to live than she had first expected. What would it be like, to live in the outside world again? She suspected that she would be missing some of the imperial ‘perks’, like Samuel. What would it be like to be free to do whatever she wanted again? The question there was what did she want to do? She shook her head again. There would be plenty of time to think about that on the plane to New York.
She closed the overnight case and placed it on the floor. She slung her satchel over her shoulder, took a deep breath and left the room. The hardest part of leaving was going to be saying good-bye to Michael and the only way she could get through it was to tell herself that this departure was only temporary, that she’d be back, and under different circumstances.
Amanda entered the atrium and stopped short of the desk. Michael saw her and stood, just looking at her. She tried to think of something to say, but she was feeling too emotional at the moment to think clearly. Finally all that came out was, “For now, good-bye, Michael.”
He smiled and replied, “For now, good-bye, Amanda.”
And that was that. She turned and left the residence, possibly too quickly to pretend to be calm and collected. She was outside and some distance down the street when she realized that the First was right behind her. “You don’t need to come with me,” she said, “I’m going to be meeting Beth Jordan at the undergate and she’s going to take me to the airport.”
“I know that, girl, but my orders are to take care of you, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
It wasn’t so much the words, as the tone of voice, that nearly made her break out in tears. “Listen, First, take care of Michael, will you? You know how hard he tries to work himself. Maybe you could suggest that he get some assistants to help him – you know, some young guys specializing in law and government could learn a lot.”
“I’ll do what I can, Miss Amanda.”
They had reached the undergate by that time and Amanda stopped, putting her overnight bag down. Then, surprising even herself, she threw her arms around First and hugged him, then snatched up her bag and hurried through the undergate.
Beth was waiting in her car and Amanda opened the door and threw her things into the back seat. She jumped in and said, “Let’s go, before I embarrass myself by breaking out in tears.”
Beth drove out of the underground garage before she replied, “I can imagine how close to tears you are, but I think you should know, you may have irreparably damaged First’s reputation. Even from the car, I could see the look of surprise on his face when you hugged him. And for anyone to surprise the First Centurion of the praetorians is a major accomplishment.”
Amanda was blinking rapidly. “Please keep that up,” she said. “Tell a few more stories - maybe laughs can keep away the tears.”
“In that case, I may have to come up with a few stories, because if you start crying, I may too.”
Amanda glanced at her. “I know Jon’s away, and,” she emphasized, “I know where he is and that it’s supposed to be kept as quiet as possible. And I know you’re very proud of him ….”
“And don’t forget ‘worried’ and ‘frustrated’ that he’s so far away.”
“Yes, don’t forget those, but also don’t forget that you can reasonably expect to get him back – at least, that’s what all the reports Michael is getting say. You even have a dating ring on your finger. Right now I don’t know if I’ll ever be allowed back into Ostia, whether I’ll ever see Michael again.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
Amanda shrugged. “I’m going to do what the emperor ‘suggested’. I’m going to go home, try and clear my head and think about the situation. I suppose I need to be away from Ostia to make sure I’m not being unduly influenced by anyone or anything. Anyway, I need to decide what, and where, I want my future to be.”
“Well, I hope your future will back here in the not-too-distant future.”
“So do I.” She looked thoughtfully at Beth for a second as they were nearing the terminal. “In fact, if I were to apply for Latin status, would you be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me?”
“Sure, and I’m pretty sure that Jon would be willing to write one as well.”
“Thanks.” The car had pulled up at the terminal. “When I get around to writing it, I’ll send it to the Chaplain and ask him to let you know when to write your letter.”
“Sure, that’s a great idea – and it will be great to have you back here again. It’s almost like you’re another codjit.”
Amanda swallowed heavily. “Wow, that may be the best compliment I’ve ever received. So, I guess we both have things to do – you here and me in New York, so I’d better be going.” She got out and grabbed her overnight bag and satchel from the back seat. Trying to smile, she said, “I hope you’ll hear from me soon.”
“We’ll be waiting to hear from the chaplain.”
Amanda nodded and closed the door. Then she turned and entered the terminal and was soon lost to sight.
13 – January 1994
The first thing that really made a stir in the new year of 1994, was a new article from Amanda. Even though she was no longer at Ostia, she had managed to get the Foreign Department to issue another one, and this one was causing almost as much talk, at least in certain groups that Beth knew, as the article Amanda had written about her.
The article was about the necklace that Jon had given her for Christmas – well, actually about the second necklace that was on display in Morton’s Jewelry. The story behind the necklace was laid out. Precious metals on the surface of Mars, discovered on the survey, mined out and stored at the Imperial base. Only exported under specific conditions, i. e. as a gift or work of art. One already given to a young woman. The second, on display, but offers, currently in the hundreds of thousands, coming in for it. The jewelry store owner passing on the offers, but the ring wasn’t his to sell. Many women seem to think having such a one (or two) of a kind thing romantic and curious about who has the first. The whole thing an interesting display of the imperial attitude – Mars for Mars, not the normal colony to be looted by the colonizing power.
Beth found she was almost embarrassed by the fuss so
me were making over the necklace on display and she was astonished at the amount of money that people were offering for it. In the week or so since Amanda had left, Greg Morton had sent her a message or two, thanking her for the ‘design’ of Jon’s gift and reporting on sales of the same design. Apparently the emperor himself had been the second purchaser of the item, buying an undisclosed number to be given as gifts. Profusely thanking her for the idea, Greg indicated he would be happy to repeat the experience, if Beth had any other ideas. He’d closed the messages by telling what was happening with the necklace. Currently a bidding war was shaping up between a movie star, a rock singer, a Saudi prince and several assorted billionaires – and the price was well over three million dollars. It was enough to make her want to put her necklace in a bank vault and leave it there.
Even that was eclipsed by the changes at work. Eloise had been transferred to take care of another section and Beth had been promoted in both rank and pay. Now she was a permanent decurion as well, and in charge of handling outside scientists who wanted to make demands or requests. Some of her people also supervised the volunteer review of ‘outside’ scientific journals that the University had started with some of their students, so on occasion she had to deal with Imperial scientists as well. The most unique thing was that it had been decided that it was easier to have a Foreign Department outpost at the University (rather than having outside scientists get ‘lost’ on the way to the Foreign Department), so she’d been given a small office on the first floor in the Viminal building, where the ‘theoretical’ sciences (physics, chemistry, astrophysics, etc.) were centered. She even had a secretary, who managed to keep everything on an even keel until Beth could get back from school.
She was heading to the parking lot on a Thursday afternoon, reflecting once again at the unreality of her life. Here she was, trying to finish high school (although it seemed like schoolwork had become much easier after New Year’s) and at the same time in charge of ‘running interference’ (as Jon liked to call it) between the empire and some of the top scientists in the world. She had almost reached the car when Molly told her that her secretary was calling. “Hello, Jenny, what’s up?”
