CHAPTER 4 - WORKERS OF THE REALM
3 years before in the Realm...
Precinct 7 was about as remote a backwater as you could find in the Realm. It was mainly an agricultural region but also scattered with several mineral mines and factories. Indeed, the entire zone was considered remote by standards of the Realm and the populations of precinct 7 were generally of the lower classes, known as the serfs. Whereas the high priests were not inclined to visit such an area, their influence and stronghold over the population was even more repressive here, since the lack of material wealth and education was long established by the higher officials to be a source of rebellion. While rebel groups were known to the administration, the ongoing war with Civlar meant that such groups were largely allowed to exist, provided that they do not cause any real headaches.
Andrew Petersburg was not a rebel. A small farmer with a meager income, he spent most of his time those days tending the fields, since he was keen to make the bonus on his quota for the wheat he grew. His existence was simple and unencumbered with the problems of administration and planning. That day however his mind was active with the promise of marriage to his girlfriend Joanna. He had already procured the necessary permission from her parents, and although his parents were then dead, he knew that they would be proud of what he was about to embark upon. He also loved Joanna deeply and knew that this love was mutual.
Only two things had stood in the way: making his quota bonus and getting permission from the priests. Of both these requirements he was confident. It was that day that they would visit the office and procure the marriage certificate allowing them to wed.
Eventually, he heard the knock on the door that he had been awaiting – it was Joanna. They greeted each other with an embrace and a kiss. The taxi was waiting across the road and it would be a short journey to the registration office.
During the trip neither Andrew of Joanna said a word. Both their thoughts were transfixed on upcoming events. As the driver pulled into the registration office, they paid him quickly and made their way inside. The line today was not very long and soon they were at the front of the queues. After a small moment of administrative talk with the registrar they were both asked to wait in a private room.
A priest emerges from the door.
“I understand it that you are looking to get married?” he asked cordially.
“Yes, sir.” they both replied simultaneously.
“It says here that you already have the blessing of your respective parents, and I can see that you both have a clean record. However, the State requires only one more thing of you before we can process your application. Have you heard of the 'Divine Nature Analysis' test?” asked the priest.
“I heard of it but I'm not...” replied Joanna, cut short by the priest’s continuation.
“That's alright. What we will need to do for the Divine Nature Analysis is take a sample of each of your blood, for imbued within is the records of your deeds – good and evil,” he said producing a small syringe.
They both gave a blood sample and waited patiently for the result.
At the laboratory section of the office, the priest sat waiting for the technician to produce the result. As she burst into slight laughter the priest interjected: “What is the source of your amusement?”
The technician snapped back into sensible countenance.
“Well, the woman is normal, 50% chance of triplets. But the man...well he's almost infertile.” said the technician. “In fact it shows here that there is only a 1/1000 chance of pregnancy, even with such a fertile female.”
“I see,” stated the priest.
As the priest entered the waiting room Andrew and Joanna notice the stern look on his face.
“I am afraid that the Realm is unable to accept your application,” he stated, “It appears that there has been some evil on the Andrew's side – the evil is clearly visible. At this point I am required to issue the following warning – do not attempt to marry or engage in any extramarital activities. Any such conduct, apart from being an affront to the State and Aesuth himself can also result in severe and tangible repercussions to your own respective health. I warn you now that premarital sex will cause AIDS, which is the highest incitement of Aesuth's disgust. It is a disease of the soul that will cause painful death.”
The pair sat sobbing in their seats. Andrew's mind raced as he tried to make sense of this. What possible evil could he have committed to have the most important thing in his life ripped away from him?
They both left the registration office trembling. They would have to walk back home now, since the taxi was only a luxury necessitated to keep their clothes clean for the office. It was a long walk and as with the taxi ride there they did not say a word to each other but for an obviously different set of circumstances.
Because they felt thirsty and tired from their walk, and also their ordeal, Andrew and Joanna headed into a local shop. After purchasing some juice they both sit down and finally start to talk about their situation.
“I didn't do anything, Joanna,” Andrew stated in a hushed whisper. Joanna couldn't look him in the eye, but manages to show a sign of empathy on her face. “The test can't be wrong; we better not see each other anymore.”
Without words, they both implicitly agree to one last kiss. They didn't notice the shopkeeper's sideways glance and hasty retraction.
Andrew sat alone in his living room defeated beyond belief. He needed to talk to somebody about the events, but to admit to failing the Divine Nature Analysis test would certainly have destroyed his reputation amongst the men. Of all his friends, David seemed like the best option to relieve himself of this burden, since it was almost commonly agreed that David himself was slightly on the erratic side. He heads onto the street and dispatches a local child to retrieve David.
David arrived within moments, aware of the fact that it would have been a big day for Andrew and something might have gone wrong that required his help. As he entered and saw the sullen expression on Andrew's face, David knew that this was more than a simple administrative bungle or the need to borrow some item. While the events of the day were slowly explained to David, he showed a remarkable tolerance and understanding – quite unlike the smart-arse attitudes that he was normally infamous for.
“They are full of shit,” David states bluntly, “You've done nothing wrong.”
Crude as it were, this came as some consolation to Andrew. At least one of his friends now understood his situation. As David excused himself to use to toilet, Andrew heard another knock on the door. He walked slowly and opened it. With some shock and surprise he found the priest standing officially at the entrance.
“It was a mistake” - the first thing that came to Andrew's mind. Unfortunately, it was no mistake, there was worse to come as the priest stepped into the hallway.
“We know you have been having pre-marital sex, Andrew,” the priest announced bluntly. As Andrew readied himself for a rigorous defense of this claim, the priest continued abruptly, “it's a forgone conclusion; you can't undo the damage you have caused. However, there is still one option available to you, although it is not guaranteed to be effective.”
The priest produced a small syringe. “This is your only chance, young man. To avoid AIDS and the languishing death it causes, I will need to administer this.”
Andrew held out his arm.
“It is not guaranteed to be effective, but it's your only choice...”
With a crash the priest was sent hurtling to the ground, rendered unconscious by David's thrust chair.
David was a dissident, and he was one of the few serfs who were aware of the needle's implication. A furious yet brief explanation was quickly rendered to Andrew, who although in a state of shock, acknowledges that the implications contained therein were consistent with what had transpired.
What followed was a hasty sprint to Joanna's house.
As the heaving, sweating men appeared to her doorstep, Joanna was less than delighted. After a hasty explanat
ion, Joanna was still resisting the concept.
“It's the AIDS Joanna; you must not let the priests get you!” Andrew implored.
“No, Andrew, it's you. I didn't believe it before but now I see why the test went bad!” she cried.
David interjected with a cunning plan. He would hide in the house, and should the priest arrive and render the same deception upon Joanna, she would know that they had been telling the truth and then he would intervene to stop the injection. Andrew was ordered to hide in a nearby field and not let his self be seen until the situation was determined. Although disgusted by the deception, Joanna agreed that logically the plan made sense. She had always been a virgin and there would be no way that the priests could make such a mistake.
The priest did arrive, this time accompanied by a single police officer with a small firearm. The gash across his face was clearly evident but now cleaned up and bandaged. Joanna's distraught state was no surprise to the priest, considering the test result and his suspicions of vice. As he started his speech, Joanna instantly realized that her fiancée was telling the truth. She continued acting, admitting guilt to the sex claim. As the priest put his hand in his pocket to produce the syringe, David's quick response caught the police officer by surprise. The officer only managed to raise his weapon half-way before David’s swift hand caught a hold of it. His other hand, armed with knife, was thrust immediately at the jugular vein. The officer continued to struggle and spurt and gargle, but the wound was draining him of his energy quickly and he was soon dead. Joanna meanwhile kicks the table over and sends the priest crashing to the floor, pinned down by the table and destined for the same fate as the officer.