chair. There wasn't much room left.
"Well, your stories match. It goes without saying that we're disappointed in both of you. Sandy, why did you let them out of your sight for so long?"
"Carl said that he wasn't concerned about Randolph, but we needed to keep an eye on Michael. The last we saw, they were near another cart, so we just didn't give them much thought."
His desk, as well as the rest of the small apartment, was clean by this time. Jonathan Edwards ran his hands through his hair and sat back hard in his chair. "We can't tell you to leave, because you don't have any place to go. Aidan, your father will be crushed. You're both adults. The one thing I can insist on is that you don't go off by yourselves again. Stay out in the open where there are plenty of people. You haven't even known each other a week!
"Aidan, your father isn't going to let you go back to school this semester. Some things are more important than a college degree. Randolph, you and I both know that you can't marry Aidan. Your father wouldn't grant his permission under any circumstances, and I mean any. That's one thing I do know about him. Where did you get the dress, Aidan?"
"It was given to me at college."
"Do you realize what you look like in it?"
"I do now."
"What are you going to do with it?"
"It's already gone. It went out with the trash this morning."
"Do you have anything else like that?"
"Yes."
"Where is it, or are they?"
"Two. In my footlocker."
"Aidan!" A tear rolled down Sandy's face.
"I need to check with your father first, but I believe you'll probably winter here, Aidan. There won't be many people here. Most of the work is manual labor.
"When's Carl coming back? I want to talk to him about this. We'll all meet again sometime tomorrow. You girls can go." They left.
"Randolph, whatever happens, it will be harder on Aidan than you. It's always harder on women. I can't forbid you to talk to her, but please, for the glory of Christ's Name, be careful. No one outside our group knows anything about this. It can stay that way if you want it."
Randolph nodded and left.
"What's going on, Randy?"
"We need to talk a few minutes, Mike."
"There's a service in fifteen minutes."
"I don't think Jonathan Edwards would mind if we missed a service this time. Let's go for a walk in the woods."
"Sire, the Church knows that your son is potentially in their reach. He isn't safe where he is." Councilman Andrews looked his 70 years, but never acted them. The king looked at his lone breakfast guest across the glass table and smiled. "He isn't safe anywhere. Besides, he leaves in 5 days. My concern is what to do with him when he gets back. He's not fit to command and his only companion that I trust is with him now. Do you have any answers?"
Councilman Andrews smiled and drank his orange juice. "Only one thing -- the same thing I said yesterday and the day before that. Wait upon the Lord. You committed them to the Lord. Wait and see what He does."
"Andy, you know that I wait on the Lord. But I don't do my part. I don't plan enough."
"That's what your son would have you believe, because he plans everything and doesn't wait on the Lord. God is faithful to His promises, yes?"
"Yes."
"The one thing we're all agreed on is that Michael needs more time. Pray that the Lord gives him that time. Be specific with your prayers. I don't see how it's possible, but all things are possible with God."
The videocom beeped. "Yes?"
"Sire, the Deelean delegation just arrived."
"I'll be there in ten minutes." He touched the wall and it went blank, as if nothing had ever been there. "Waiting on the Lord is all I can do right now."
"But Randy, did you actually do anything more than embrace and kiss?"
"No, Mike."
"So where's the sin? I don't see hugging and kissing called sins anywhere in the Bible. So you came close to sinning. We came close to getting our heads blown off the last time we popped out of Deep Thrust, remember? We didn't and we're still here. You didn't do anything, so don't concern yourself with it. Jonathan Edwards is making a major issue out of something minor." They were well out of sight of the campgrounds by this time.
"The important thing at this point as I see it, Randy, is what do you think about her? It would be rough, but maybe you could marry her. How do you feel about her?" They walked quickly, for no apparent reason.
"I'm attracted to her physically. But I don't know her well enough to call it love."
"So you like the little imp. Thought so. She really doesn't know what she's in for. Engineering training is all right, but Earth schools don't start any real training until college. Do you think she could adjust?"
"Mike, does this look familiar?"
They stopped and looked around. "Of course, Randy. This is where we transmitted to Alexander. These are the two trees I tied the wire between for the antenna. We've had several rains, so it's impossible tell now, but this was where we parked the cart."
"And here's the hole where you buried the transmitter. Just the hole. The transmitter's gone."
"I think the campground's just over the next rise, Michael."
"So we're almost back. What are you going to do about Aidan?"
"Talk."
"And say what? How wrong you were? You have nothing to apologize for to her. If you really like her, get to know her better. We've still got 5 days. Things aren't going the way our father wants them to. Remember the Discovery's coming. We can take anyone we want to back with us. You can do what you want, but I'm going to talk to Annette."
"What if this government or the Church discovers us?"
"Once we're on board the Discovery, there's nothing they can do about it. They don't have any missiles that can catch us, and I doubt if they know what energy beam weapons are. We just bide our time. Wait on the Lord and everything will be all right. Look. Lunch has started. I'll race you. We won't have many more chances for it."
"Go ahead, I'm not eating. Not hungry."
"Suit yourself, but my advice is to not let this interfere with your appetite." Michael took off running.
Randolph wandered down to the empty meeting shed and sat on the back row, staring at the vacant pulpit.
"You couldn't eat either."
"Have a seat, Aidan." She sat in the row in front of him and turned to face him.
"So what did Michael say?"
"That we didn't do anything wrong, that we don't owe anyone an apology and not to think about what other people think. That nowhere in the Bible is kissing or embracing called sin."
"And what does he think we should do?"
"Get to know each other, and if we both want it, to take you with us."
"Your father wouldn't approve."
"Michael says that doesn't matter."
"He thinks he's going to overthrow the entire social order of an Empire? He's crazier and more dangerous than I thought."
"And it looks like he's going to get away with it."
Aidan bit her lower lip and rested her chin on the back of the rough wooden pew.
"You know Randy, Annette would never be as bold as Michael, but I think she believes the same way he does."
"I don't. Flee fornication. Anyone who looks on a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
"They'll say your standards are too high -- that you're a legalist."
"Is a legalist someone who believes that we are to be as holy as God Himself? What do you believe, Aidan?"
"I don't know. Last night I wasn't believing anything. I just knew what I wanted and I'm pretty good at getting what I want. I know this. I wouldn't have stopped, so I was wrong, no matter what anyone else says. I wanted you. I exposed myself to get you. Just because we didn't physically do anything wrong doesn't mean I didn't try." She turned around and began crying so
ftly. "I said it. Now what do you think of me?"
"That you're honest. But repentance is both recognizing and turning from sin. It's one thing to say something with a thousand eyes watching you, but it's what you do when you think you can get away with it that proves your genuine character. Believe me Aidan, I'm no better than you."
"How can you say that? You stood up and said no. I could never have done that. It would have destroyed Sandy if she'd seen me lying there like that. I've hurt her enough already."
"The grace of God is the only thing that preserved us. He must have sent His angel to separate us. Last night, looking at you, I wanted you as much as you wanted me. I don't think you could be more physically attractive to me. But now I'm looking at more than just your physical beauty. What I'm looking at now is your character."
"What do you mean?"
"My father would never sign for me to marry an Earth woman. Your uncle is right. But Michael's plan is wrong. It seems impossible, but with God all things are possible. We must wait and see."
"What kind of woman would your father sign for? And how come he hasn't done so already?"
"Two reasons. First, until we came here I was always in Michael's shadow. Any woman's interest was thrown his way. Second, neither of us has had the time. We've spent years organizing a society within a society. I've missed a lot of sleep trying to keep Michael out of trouble. I've been to a lot of private sub-council meetings. And we supervised the building of his battle cruiser, the Discovery, ourselves. None of that includes our official duties. On top of all that, there are few women where our official duties take us."
"So most of you aren't married?"
"Not hardly. The other four members of the Discovery crew are all married. Throughout the Empire marriage is the norm. Michael's