Grand Design – Bianca
By Matthew B. Bullis
Published by Matthew B Bullis
Copyright 2014 Matthew B Bullis
All Rights Reserved
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Prologue
Every fire has its spark and every war has its instigator. The war for The Great Empire was sparked on Lomen where 3 peoples reside.
Jacob was busy packing his bags as mother ran back and forth grabbing what she could.
“Jacob, Jeremy! We have to go now! The Adlit militia is coming up the street.” Father exclaimed pulling mother with him. The whole family rushed to their vehicle. Jeremy drops a stuffed animal. “Leave it, we have to go! Jacob hold on to him” The vehicle moves before door closes as Jacob buckles his little brother in.
It was the middle of the day but the sky was dark with smoke and the roads filled with debris. The vehicle bounced and buckled and the sound of heavy machines filled the air.
The radio is on, while father listened in for which path is clear. “All humans must evacuate. As we stated earlier, the Adlit militia has taken over the capitol building; the Governor and General Laren are in Adlit custody. It is believed that the Militia has the backing of Terra Prime.”
“I knew it.” Dad said, “King Lanner got too powerful for them. Why else would they fund the Adlit against the Terrains on Lomen? I warned Evin that this would happened. Even Terra Prime can turn on their own.”
Mom grabbed his hand, “I’m just glad the Frontier got their ships here on time. I’ll be glad to go back to Frontier and be with other humans. Maybe our kids can still have a normal life.”
“But we still have to get off this rock! We’re almost at the evacuation center now.” The vehicle come to a stop as the roads are filled with too much debris and solders. “Get out, we’ll have to hoof it from here.” Outside the shooting is much louder. The family ran through the wreckage of buildings and cars and finally reach the doors of the evacuation center.
“You're lucky you got here, these are the last two transports out.” said the guard as he closes the door behind them. Hundreds of people are pushing and shoving their way to get on the transports.
“Jacob?” Mother turns frantically “Where’s Jacob?
“I have Jeremy! You find him.” Said dad holding Jeremy in his arms.
Mom moves back to find her lost son. An explosion rocks the building and blows open the door. “Jacob, Jacob” mom screams while pushing through the crowd.
“That’s it, close the gates on this one we have to launch.” Said the Frontier security guard. The gates close before mom could get out.
“My son, he’s lost. Open the gates.” mom shook the gates with her hands.
“Get in the ship ma'am, he’ll be on the last transport”
“I’m not leaving my son dammit! Open these gates. Jacob, Jacob!”
“Lieutenant get this woman on the transport. I’ll get your son mam.” The Lieutenant forcibly hauls mom back into the ship as the doors begin to close. The engines fire up before even the door seals. “Direct everyone who’s left to last ship!”
As the first ship is taking off, several blasts hit it. Although damaged and smoking the ship continues on and fades from site.
“Colonel, Adlit troops are in the buildings!” said the guard over the communicator.
The Colonel turns to the guards, “Guard the civilians, engage the Adlit. Go full auto, Rock and Roll!” All the Frontier troops click the rapid fire switch on their weapons and fire on the Adlit entering the building. The Adlit continue to focus their fire on the last ship until it’s destroyed.
Jacob knew this wasn’t good, as anarchy broke out he found a hole in the wall and left the building. He didn’t know where to go, he just knew he had to get away from the shooting. He ran down several streets holding his head low. Debris fell from the sky as shooting hit the buildings. A group of Lomen troops were running down the street. “Help me” he screamed, these aren't human but he grew up around the Lomen Terrains and had many friends.
“Out of the way kid!” Said a soldier, another turned to him, “Get to the school, we’re setting up a defensive line there.” Jacob went to a human school but he knew what they were talking about.
Air raid sirens clanged throughout the city. He was afraid but he knew he had to move. He didn’t know why the Adlit were attacking or why Terra Prime maybe behind them. He only knew that Lomen Terran soldiers were his only hope.
He ran from building to building hiding everywhere he could. Until he ran into a Alit patrol. At Adlit officer spotted him took his masked off and pointed him out. He looked like any other human except for a tattoo on his face. Then again the Terrains looked human too. The solder moved to aim his gun at him but was himself shot by a Lomen patrol. Another intense firefight ensues.
Jacob knew they would be focused on each other and the school was only a block away. He made his move, running as fast as he could towards the barricade. “Hold your fire, it’s just a kid!” said the soldier, “someone get him out of the line of fire.” Another soldier runs out and pulls him back. “Get inside the gym kid.”
Although thankful he didn’t hesitate, he ran for the school and pulled open the heavy door. Inside was packed with refugees. He walked his way through timid and lost. What was to become of him? A small group of bigger kids surround him.
“Terrence, look a new kid, he doesn’t go to our school.” Said one trying to look tough.
“I think he’s a human, you know Adlit and humans are closely related” said another “You think he’s human?”
“Let’s find out” said Terrence rubbing his hands.
Chapter 1
Kingdom of Meeran
The children were all playing at school and the bell rang. The kids entered the building and gathered around the round tables in the school room. A hologram of a teacher appears on each of the tables, “I hope you all had fun, now it’s time for your reports.” the hologram said, “Peter, please make your presentation.”
Peter steps to the front of the class and begins reading. “The Lomen Civil War.” he adjusted his stance and licked his lips. “Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the truce of the Lomen Civil War. Lomen was home to three different races of people; The Terrains, who adopted the name from the old earth term “Terra” meaning earth. The Adlit, an offshoot of humans that that at times seem violent, if not misunderstood. And then there are the humans themselves caught in the middle who lived among the Terrains”
The teacher interrupts, “The Adlit have been at peace for a hundred years before this, it may not be fair judging all Adlit.”
“Yes, Miss Holly.” said Peter. All hologram teachers are named ‘Miss Holly’ “The Adlit declared independence and claimed the Lomen capital as theirs. As a result the Frontier pulled all human colonists from Lomen and returned them to Frontier. The King at the time was killed and the government nearly overthrown. The Kingdom of Meeran sent support to protect the Lomen Terrains and two years later was able to push the Adlit out of the capital which led the truce. There are no known humans left on Lomen or anywhere outside of Frontier.
“Terra Prime has had peace keepers there ever since however skirmishes continue to happen between the Adlit and local Terrains on Lomen and now on Meeran. Although it is known that the Adlit are behind them, the Adlit Government condemns all terrorist activities.”
***
When Chancello
r Rollin makes a trip, he goes in style. Not the size of a luxury liner but big enough for the Chancellor to conduct all his business. Also known as a mobile palace. The 9 Kingdoms of the Great Empire are symbolized on the haul. Each King with his own sign and the Chancellor’s is in the center. The trip from Terra to Meeran was long and even with subspace wormholes took a few days. The Unified Field drive as overworked and needed a cool down.
Lawless pirates occupied the vast empty space between kingdoms, even the Chancellor had an escort. A destroyer class battleship from Frontier. Although Frontier and the Empire have separate militarizes they act in unison and are one and the same. All the kingdoms have a military force of some kind but only Meeran’s rival that of the Frontier’s.
The Chancellor’s ship lands on the Meeran landing pad with barely a rocket blast. With the latest Unified Field Array (UFA) the ship can barely be heard on touchdown. The door opened and the first wave of security troops poor out. Some surrounding the ship and others on personal hover packs fly around and secure the sky.
The Meeran Ambassador Dellian walks out to greet the Chancellor’s security chief who himself exited the ship. “Conner, I trust your trip was uneventful?” asked the Ambassador.
The chief looked up, “All the room for the Chancellor and none for us. I’m glad to be on solid ground again, Isaiah. Has everything been set up?”
“Yes, Here is my report. This King will see the Chancellor in 40 minutes.” The Ambassador said will watching the Chancellor exit the ship. “Chancellor, welcome to Meeran, we are prepared for your arrival. The King will see you right after you settled.”
“Fine, I wish to see your chapel first. I haven’t done my prayers in days.”
“Of course.” The ambassador summoned a transport. A military transport lands and the door opens. The Chancellor, 12 of his guard, the Chief and the Ambassador all pile inside.
The Chancellor commented, “I saw an old Beru battleship in the docks, I’ve not seen one of those in ages.”
The Ambassador responded, “The King likes old things. The Beru were the only known beings to have the ability to stand up to the Nod and their Guardians.”
The Chancellor studies what he sees out the window, pulls back and remarks, “Most of the traffic appears to be on wheeled vehicles. On Terra there are very little roads left and all vehicles have lifters. Why not so here?”
The Ambassador broke a smile, “Lifters are heavily tariffed, and the your embargo against us makes them hard to come by. They also take up much more energy than wheeled vehicles.”
The Chancellor looked surprised, “But Meeran has an energy surplus.”
“Yes sir, we sell access resources to other planets, even Terra Prime. The sale actually subsidize the cost of low energy vehicles. Lifters are reserved for the military or those who can afford them.”
A pause of silence as the transport turns, “Chancellor, if you don’t mind me asking. I see you wear the rank of the Order. Are you a Chaplin?”
Proud the Chancellor is of his badge, he says, “Yes I’m a master Chaplin and keeper of the Five Sacred Words of the Algorithm.”
“Six...,” the Ambassador corrected him.
“What? There’s no such thing. A myth to scare children.”
The Ambassador leans in, the security guards get nervous, “I’ve seen the king whisper a word, and a man fall dead. What it was, I do not know, if I did, I’d be dead.” He smiled as the transport lands at Chapel and the doors open.
“Hogwash!” The Chancellor says stepping out of the transport and into the Chapel.
The security chief moves closer to the Ambassador and comments, “Your bold. Your stories could scare the crap out of me when we’re in the scouts.”
“Nice to see I still had the touch. I heard he’s from the Kingdom of Whim.”
“You heard right, and he’s just full of love.” They laugh
Not long later the Chancellor returns and they make an uneventful trip to the Kings Palace. The Chancellor continued his meditation in the transport so no other chit chat could occur.
The Palace entrance was extravagant enough to know a king was here, but nothing more. This king was modest. Meeran security lined the halls and the chancellor guards intermingled with them. The King walks down to meet them, “Walter, welcome to Meeran.”
“Thank you Jacob, as always you are most accommodating” for a moment he is distracted by the woman practicing her sword play in the background.
“Come sit and drink, I’m sure you’ve come all this way to discuss important matters.” They sit next to an oak tree in the courtyard. “Bianca wields a mean blade, does she not?”
Not to be distracted, the Chancellor gets to the point “I’ve come to appeal for for support with the Adlit situation. Your brother’s been saying things that’s upsetting the peace on Lomen. I need your help to try and defuse a potentially volatile situation.”
Jacob puts his glass down, he knows what he’s about to say may not be taken positively. “You know of course the terrorist problems we’ve been having in the Badlands. But on Lomen, it’s far worse.”
“Meeran military forces have been there since the civil war. This could be contributing to the situation at hand. The barricades and checkpoints and not to mention the iron dome...”
“All necessary since there are no more Frontier forces there,” Jacob interrupts. “The Adlit constantly send rockets over the walls, even with no provocation. The boarders were settled at the truce and they continually test them. The only time the press says anything is when we push back.”
“A retaliation in an order of magnitude above what is necessary. The Adlit have long memories and your military build up is starting to get alarming. Not to mention the reserving of your resources and lifters for the military.”
“I also have a long memory.” Jacob stands “I tell you what, I will speak to King Terrence and see if we can lay low the next couple weeks.”
“Very good, I have a meeting with the Adlit Ambassador near the badlands, hopefully we can cool things down.” The Chancellor stands and shakes Jacobs hand. “Till we meet again?”
“Yes” Jacob watches until the chancellor leaves the palace and turns to the Ambassador.
A voice is heard from the shadows, “This is the perfect opportunity, we must strike now! We have worked hard for this day.”
Jacob does not look towards the voice or respond to it, “That SOB is going to be pissed in the morning. Alert my Viceroy and Terence the operation is a go.”
The Ambassador gives a smile of astonishment, “With the Chancellor here? The fallout for this could be catastrophic!”
“The Chancellor is weak, better to do it when he’s here. Away from his seat of power.” King Jacob finishes his drink, “Tonight I’ll go the the opera with Abby.”
In the Chancellors ship the Chancellor's conferring with his statesmen as the ship prepare to lift off. “Can we trust him?” said statesman Randell
“About as far as we can throw him. Still he has some honor, he wants what’s best for his people, even if they aren’t truly his.”
“You think he’s human don’t you?”
“I know he’s human, Terrence’s family adopted him after the Lomen civil war. Mr. Lanner was a well respected politician, businessman and veteran. It was quite easy to keep his adopted son safe and healthy. Terrence and Jacob learned quite a lot about politics and business, their uncle is with the Trade Union, their knowledge helped them during the economic depression. Socializing the planets and building a strong military.”
“You think they’ll push for power?”
“Lomen has always been a thorn in the side of the Empire, that’s why we had to support the Adlit even if it was against our own people. If Jacob goes over the line, I’ll have to expose his little secret.”
At the Opera the visitors are filing and after the King has already been seated. “Laura, Frank...” Jacob said to the couple seated before him, “I didn’t know you like O
pera”
Both of them turned around, Frank said, “Well I’d think we were more the type then you, did Abby drag you here?”
“Yeah,” She said, “He told me he I didn’t like it. I told him it’s an acquired taste, like a fine wine.”
“But you hate wine.” said Laura to Jacob. “If music be the food of love, play on. Anyways it’s our 25th wedding anniversary, next month we’re going to travel the Empire! Starting with Whim.”
“Whim?” asked Jacob “I think they drug the water there, I wouldn’t go. No way everyone can be that happy and passive.”
The Ambassador bends over to Jacob, “We have communication, it has begun.”
“Thank you,” Said Jacob and he sits back to watch the Opera begins.
An hour later the Ambassador’s communicator begins blinking. “It’s the Chancellor..”
“Let him wait.” Jacob didn’t even turn his head. He was lost in thought, calculating and recalculating every move.
Back at the palace the Chancellor storms in “Do you know what you’ve done you arrogant SOB! I’ve been working months trying to get some sort of peace settlement and you screw it all up by launching a full offensive into the badlands?!”