The Frihet Rebellion

Jon woke slowly, feeling fully rested and at ease. No drowsiness. No just-woken fuzz. The wound inflicted by the vampape had been cleaned and dressed.

Someone has fed me very strong medications. This is not a natural feeling.

As he sat up, he saw someone sitting in a chair just beyond the end of the bed. He quickly noted the grey skin and, most of all, the clothes. It was a traditional mode of dress, but one traditional to his destroyed home planet of Sklalen. Moreover, it was the dress of a Planner, one of the highest caste on his world. One of those responsible for The Plan.

But it is impossible. I am the only survivor.

“That is right,” said the man in a voice soft and mellow, pitched at just the right level to be calm and comforting. “I am Sklalen just like you. There was more than one survivor, Joniskyredread. My name is Saulansdiac, and I am a Planner.”

Jon could say nothing in response. His mind was full of one thought and one thought only. He was not alone. There was at least one more Sklalen, possibly more.

He was less happy that he faced a Planner. It meant that Saulansdiac was his superior, both in caste and in the Sklalen Navy, to which Jon still, in his heart, belonged.

The Plan has cost me so much already. But with a Planner here, I fear worse is to come.

“I can sense you are worried, Joniskyredread,” said Saulansdiac. “There is no need. I will explain all. You may speak if you wish.”

“You almost killed me with a Matter Disrupter,” said Jon, deciding that bluntness was as good a way to go as any.

“I needed to remove Spearhead from the battle.”

“You killed an Earthman.”

“Collateral damage. It happens.”

“But The Plan has always been to help Earth. I do not understand.”

“The Plan has ended. It no longer controls our actions.”

“I lost a good friend because of The Plan, and now you tell me it has just stopped?”

Saulansdiac smiled.

“Your good friend, Bryant Johnson, was rescued from the President’s dungeons and is currently aboard Ameridian, heading towards Frihet. I believe he is injured but stable. Princess Thalor is also on board.”

“But Ameridian is an Earth battleship. I am still confused.”

“The Captain and crew of Ameridian have placed themselves under the flag of the Humanity Liberation Army. They are among the first to defect to the rebellion, but there will be many more. The regime on Earth has limited time remaining, and without our, or rather your, support, it cannot fight back effectively.”

“So when you removed Spearhead…"

“I removed the only chance the Earth fleet had of winning. Without Spearhead, the Earth fleet lost the battle.”

“I still wish you had not put a hole in her.”

“I had to act quickly. I am sorry for the damage.”

“She lies at the bottom of the Frihet Ocean. I must arrange for her retrieval.”

“All in good time. First we must meet Ameridian and talk to the Princess. We must lay out our next move.”

Jon followed Saulansdiac as the Planner stood and exited the bedroom. While he may have talked more of Spearhead, his true thoughts were with his injured friend. He was eager to see him again, but frightened of how the other might react. He had, after all, betrayed him. Bryant might not understand that it was in order to follow The Plan, even if The Plan was no longer in play. He had to trust in Saulansdiac to explain everything. He was not sure he was able to as yet.

The first sensation on waking, for Bryant Johnson, was pain. Pain in his head. Pain in his limbs. But most of all, pain in his back.

When he tried to move, he felt the familiar stiffness of bandages, and a sharp stabbing pain, which reminded him of the fight with Sumner.

He hadn’t wanted to fight. For the first time, he felt that he and Sarah had sorted things out. He no longer felt in competition with the other man. Sumner had won, and Bryant found he felt surprisingly okay with that.

Unfortunately, Sumner knew none of this and, it would seem, had presumed the worst. Although Sarah had insisted it was over between herself and Sumner, he obviously still held feelings for her. Bryant’s pain spoke the truth of that.

“You’re awake. Good.”

The soft voice was both familiar and pleasing to Bryant.

“Princess,” he said. “I’m glad you care.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Johnson,” said Princess Thalor in a stern voice, betrayed by the flirtatious humor that sparkled in her eyes. “We’ve shared some stressful times together, it’s true, and you have seen me in a state of undress that no man has seen since I stopped being a child. However, that is all that exists between us.”

“To be fair, you’ve seen me naked too,” said Bryant, finding himself amused, despite his aches and pains.

“I hardly think I’m unique in that,” said the Princess.

“And during the escape, Sumner saw you naked too.”

The Princess hesitated a moment before saying, “He doesn’t count.”

“I’m sure he’d be hurt to hear that,” said Bryant, almost laughing.

“I don’t think either of us are exactly his favorite people at the moment,” said the Princess, sitting herself on the edge of Bryant’s bed.

“Really?” Bryant felt an unexpected stirring of emotion in the pit of his stomach when Princess Thalor sat close to him. There was a sexual arousal there, which was nothing unusual for him. But there was something else too. Something that was unfamiliar. He tried to ignore it. “I haven’t been his favorite for a long time, but why are you on the list now?”

“Because I was the one who stopped him killing you.”

It was said in such a matter-of-fact way that Bryant did not, for one second, doubt the truth of her words. But they stunned him. He had presumed that either Sumner had stopped short of the final blow through his own choice, or Sarah had intervened. It had never occurred to him that the Princess might even have been there, let alone stepped into the fray. She did not look capable of physically stopping someone like Sumner. Obviously the look was deceiving.

“I’m grateful,” he said, after a moment’s pause to take it in. “I hadn’t thought… didn’t even know you were there. Thank you seems inadequate.”

“Thank you is fine,” said the Princess, smiling. “To be honest, I didn’t even think about it. I saw him hurting you and…”

Her voice trailed off as she seemed to realize what she was saying. Her posture stiffened slightly, her head raised.

“Anyway,” she said, standing. “I must be getting back to my own cabin.”

“Of course,” said Bryant, finding that he wished she would stay. “I understand. Well, Princess, thank you, again, for saving my life. I’m in your debt.”

The Princess nodded and opened the cabin door.

“In public, I’m Princess Thalor,” she said, smiling a little uncertainly. “But when we’re alone, it’s Elise. Elise Thalor.”

“Thank you, Elise,” said Bryant, finding the mere saying of her name exciting, and feeling embarrassed at doing so.

After she’d gone, Bryant sat for some time simply looking at the closed cabin door, puzzling over the strange feelings that had invaded his otherwise stable and very familiar emotional makeup. Then he lay back down to rest, finding his pain eased by thinking of the Princess, Elise, in his cabin once more.

At Princess Thalor’s command, the shuttle from Ameridian landed in the Palace grounds with as little fuss as possible. Even so, there was a squad of her personal bodyguards, with Field Commander Karl Langdon at the head, and a cluster of dignitaries waiting, with much excitement, for her return.

She stepped from the shuttle with the poise and presence of a Princess, despite still wearing an Ameridian uniform and feeling pain at each step. The soldiers saluted, the dignitaries bowed. Karl could not suppress the broad smile that broke an otherwise professional countenance.

The Princess was followed out of the shuttle by two Ameridian med techs guiding a floating stretcher. Bryant lay on there, feeling a little awkward. There had been some argument, but eventually he had admitted, both to himself and others, that he was not yet fit enough to walk any distance. As they all stepped onto Palace grounds, the Princess reached back and placed a hand on Bryant’s leg. It was a gesture of support and comfort, of caring.

Karl’s smile dropped, shifting into a deep frown. This was wrong. Who was this stranger that his Princess showed care towards? How dare a stranger interfere between himself and his Princess!

Unaware of the disquiet she had caused, the Princess led the others into the Palace and headed for the throne room. There was no time for rest. She had been forewarned that there were people waiting to see her. People who, so the advisor who contacted Ameridian had assured her, were of great importance to the future of the rebellion.

The soldiers and the dignitaries flowed into their traditional places as she sat on her throne. She called for one of the adjacent seats to be moved, so that Bryant’s stretcher could be installed there.

Karl was further outraged by this. That was the place of an advisor or, at times, himself. It was not a place to be taken by a stranger. His mind reeled at the perversity of the situation. Though he stood at attention in front of his soldiers, looking every inch the professional, inside was turmoil, confusion and distress.

As she settled herself, Princess Thalor indicated that the advisor who had called Ameridian should step forward.

“Are these people you told me of here?” she asked, her voice strong and clear. Other than a few visible scars and the edges of bandages, and the fact that she had not changed into ceremonial robes, it would not have been possible to even guess at the trauma she had so recently been through.

Bryant was impressed and, to his slight discomfort, the strange feelings he fought grew stronger.

“Yes, Princess,” said the advisor, a tall woman dressed in simple, almost monkish, grey robes, indicative of her subordinate position in the Princess’s council. “Two Sklalens, known to us as Saul and Jon, with important news.”

Bryant took an immediate interest. Two Sklalens? And one was Jon? Jon, his friend from Spearhead? Jon, who had betrayed him?

“Show them in,” said the Princess.

The two grey-faced Sklalens walked into the throne room. Saulansdiac, who, to Jon’s surprise, seemed to be well known among many of the guards and advisors, as well as some of the dignitaries, led the way. Jon had seen Bryant alongside the Princess, and avoided making eye contact. He was scared of what he might see there. Of how much Bryant might hate him.

They stopped a respectful distance from the throne.

“Princess,” said Saulansdiac. “Before I tell you our main news, please allow me a moment to address another issue. My colleague, Joniskyredread, in pursuing The Plan, was forced to turn on his greatest friend, the man lying next to you on the stretcher.”

Princess Thalor, surprised by the Sklalen’s words, and filled with sudden concern for Bryant, reached over and placed her hand on his arm. She did not see the glare from Karl.

“Mr. Johnson,” said Saulansdiac, addressing Bryant directly. “Your friend, Jon, did what he had to do, what he was honor-bound to do, even though he despised it. If you remember, he had previously saved your life, when the President of Earth sent his people to end it. He felt that, by giving you up himself, he could at least ensure you were taken prisoner and not immediately executed. After that, he could only hope you survived until he, I’m sure, would have broken you out himself. Once The Plan was concluded.”

While Jon considered how Saulansdiac’s words betrayed the network of informants he must command on Earth, Bryant struggled to understand. How was there another Sklalen, alive? What was this Plan he kept talking about, and how was it so important that Jon had betrayed him for it?

How am I meant to feel towards Jon now?

“It would mean much to Jon if he felt there was at least a chance of forgiveness from Mr. Johnson,” said Saulansdiac.

Princess Thalor looked towards Bryant and read the confusion in his eyes.

“No doubt Bryant will be able to answer that when he has had time to think,” she said. “But now, let us on with our business, and tell me of this Plan you keep mentioning.”

Karl was barely listening. His thoughts were filled with one thing. He now had the enemy’s name. Bryant Johnson. He would not forget it.

“The Plan,” said Saulansdiac. “I, as a Planner, must take much of the blame for it, I fear. In theory, it seemed simple. But in practice, it has proved impossible. It was devised before our planet, Sklale, was destroyed in warfare. But those of us who survived were honor-bound to carry it forward.”

He paused and took a breath, while Jon concentrated on the Princess, keeping Bryant in his peripheral vision but never looking directly at him. He was too ashamed to do so.

“We had identified the current President of Earth as a threat to interplanetary peace, even before he was elected,” said Saulansdiac, continuing. “An election that he cleverly rigged, by the way. We conceived The Plan as a way to prevent him causing too much damage, without the need to declare war on Earth.

“The basis of The Plan was co-operation with, and support of, the President. We were determined to place ourselves close to those ruling Earth, to become trusted allies. Then, when the time was right, we could launch a coup and, with minimal bloodshed, take over Earth and prevent the kind of thing that is happening right now. Interplanetary war.”

“So what went wrong?” said the Princess.

“Our planet was destroyed in a war of our own, a war our leaders were determined to involve themselves in, despite our best advice. My colleague here, Jon, believing he was the last Sklalen left alive, did what he believed he was bound to do. He took his remarkable ship, Spearhead, and went to Earth, offering his services there in order to attempt the continuation of The Plan.”

“And how did it lead to his betrayal of Bryant, Mr. Johnson, here?” said the Princess, asking the question both for herself and for Bryant.

“Unfortunately, one of the very things that made Mr. Johnson ideal as Jon’s companion aboard Spearhead, eventually became a problem. He has his own mind. His own conscience. He became outspoken in his criticism of the President and his regime. The President already resented Spearhead’s independence, and he particularly resented the Earth citizen who had become Jon’s friend. When Mr. Johnson’s critical views became public knowledge, it was the last push the President needed to put in writing an accusation of treachery, and send his hit squads out.”

The Princess’s grip on Bryant’s arm tightened at this, as she imagined the danger he would have been in, without her there to help him.

“But now are you saying The Plan has changed?” she said.

“Yes, Princess,” said Saulansdiac. ”More than changed. It has ceased operation altogether. As you can see, Jon was incorrect in his belief that he was the last Sklalen alive. Unfortunately, it took me a very long time to recover from wounds I had received in the destruction of our planet, and even longer to repair and rebuild the Sklalen battleship I had escaped in. I also needed time to build a network of contacts throughout several worlds, including Earth, so I knew exactly what the situation was.”

“And do you have this network of contacts on Frihet too?” said the Princess.

Saulansdiac smiled.

“I could not possibly say, Princess.”

Princess Thalor nodded in acceptance of this, for now at least, and bid him to continue.

“I discovered, through my contacts, that, despite Jon’s best efforts, the President’s envy of Spearhead, and his well-known bigotry, had led to an intense dislike and distrust of Jon. In fact, he has ordered Jon’s death upon his return to Earth. This, and the obvious deterioration on Earth, made it clear The Plan was unworkable. Unfortunately, I knew that Jon would only believe that if he heard it directly from me, a Planner. Also, I needed to stop him helping the Earth fleet against your own, Princess. So I was forced to intervene and hole Spearhead, taking her out of the battle, and allowing me to meet Jon face-to-face.”

"Spearhead holed?” said Bryant suddenly. The shock of hearing the fate of a ship he still felt strong attachment and loyalty to hurt him, and he could not stop himself speaking out. “Is she destroyed?”

“No,” said Jon, finally looking at Bryant and speaking. “Apart from the one hole, she’s fine. But she’s stuck at the bottom of the Frihet Ocean.”

Bryant and Jon looked at each other, united over their concern about Spearhead, and some of the tension between them eased. There was still some way to go, but it was a start.

“We will retrieve Spearhead,” said the Princess. “Don’t worry about that. But what are the surviving Sklalens going to do? Just turn their backs now that The Plan is no more?”

“No, Princess,” said Saulansdiac. “What I suggest is that I give my services, and the power of my battleship, to you. With my ship leading, we could launch a full counter-attack on Earth itself. Rebellion is growing throughout the colonies, inspired by your own success here. Even on Earth, people are speaking more openly about the injustices and the abuse of power they see every day. The President’s days are numbered. I suggest we start the countdown immediately.”

The Princess’s hand slipped into Bryant’s, and he gripped her fingers gently, but firmly. The move went unnoticed by all except Karl, who continued to rage inside at the Earthman’s place, and obvious closeness to his Princess. He was shocked from his thoughts by the Princess addressing him directly. He rallied, showing none of his disquiet to those watching.

“Field Commander,” said the Princess. “Prepare our fleet immediately, and follow the Sklalen, Saul, to Earth. This is our chance, and we must take it.”

“Yes, Princess,” said Karl, managing to keep his voice steady. How easy it was to fool them all. It would be simple to get close to the Earthman and kill him, once they returned from Earth.

“I’ll go too,” said Bryant, trying to push himself up.

He was pushed gently back down by the med techs and Princess Thalor.

“No,” said the Princess, gently but with authority. “You’re not well enough to move. You must rest and get well for when they return, and you and Jon can get Spearhead back up and running.”

Bryant nodded in resignation and lay back.

She cares for me, he thought. And she understand me as well. Of course I’ll forgive Jon, and I can’t wait to get back to working with him on Spearhead.

The Princess turned to the assembled soldiers, dignitaries and the two Sklalen.

“Let’s finish this war,” she said. “President Deaton shall rule by fear no more.”