A New Divide (Science Fiction) (7 page)

              With respect to the population, 4.9 percent of it made up the military, and the technicians, that served their purpose, under the largest military presence in all of Eden: over a few billion strong.

              The third and final class was royalty. It consisted of the bloodlines that had been present since the formation of the kingdom in the earth year of 2197 A.D. They were the leaders and the celebrities of the kingdom, and were looked up to as such.

Arcoh was the last in his bloodline, and he made sure of it by murdering all but a few of the remaining royal family members. He needed that to push himself beyond his limits, beyond morality. He needed to create a name for himself, a legacy. He told his world that he was necessary for their survival. He convinced himself that he was a necessary evil.

Arcoh and Ivan had arrived at the giant double doors of the consulate. Arcoh stopped the lieutenant from opening the double wooden doors, and his legate sensed his hesitation.

              "Are you nervous, Your Grace?"
              "What a ridiculous question, Ivan. I refuse to dignify a response to that."
              "The denizens of Salaras have heard of your failure, and talk of revolution may soon be at hand. Kings have been overturned before, sir." Arcoh stopped and stared at Ivan expressing the anger he felt within his heart. "Will you be the one, Ivan! Do you have what it takes to rule the largest nation in Eden?"
              Ivan backed away from Arcoh and looked down at his feet. The commander was afraid of his king.
              "Your Grace, I will always remain loyal to you."
             

They entered the commissary that was filled with Salaran generals who all looked very concerned. The thirty of them sat around a circular table. The generals wore white and red suits, and most of the men wore four-star emblems on their shoulders. General Hayden Green sat in Arcoh's throne, as he was the acting emperor in Arcoh and Ivan's absence.

              When he noticed their arrival, he stood upright, and placed both his hands firmly on the table.
              "Glad to see you alive and well, Your Eminence."
              "How were things in my absence?"
              "Quite unchanged, Your Grace. The cabinet has called you here to discuss how the events of your campaign had transpired. Why don't you take a seat?"
              "I don't plan on staying long, General."
              "How many soldiers were lost, sir?"
              Arcoh folded his arms and became slightly nervous, which was very abnormal for him. If anything the generals should've been nervous. The words of his military commander weighed heavily on his conscience. He may have actually thought for a moment that he was right, but it only lasted a moment.
              "Twenty-seven million men were stationed in the fringe sector after the purge of the Raydenites had been completed. We managed to evacuate about a quarter of those forces."
              General Harland, a seasoned commander who sat in the seat in front of Arcoh, spoke out against the generals who murmured to each other at Arcoh's statement.
              "Twenty million men and women? What again was your pointless goal of traveling to the fringe sector? I cannot believe we just lost TWENTY million soldiers! That's almost 5 percent of our entire fighting force. Now why again did we begin this campaign? To send a message? How is that working for you, my liege?"
              Ivan defended Arcoh and glared down at General Harlan.
              "Watch your tongue, worm. You will not speak ill of royalty."

              Arcoh stepped forward to the edge of the table and announced his resolve.
              "Gentlemen, please. The purge will go down as the most successful military campaign in history. Fourteen billion are dead; only 5 percent of their population remains. We have completed our first step into creating a new Eden, our first step in dividing the choices that halt our evolution as a species."
              General Green tapped his hands on the table and took the seat back on the throne.
              "No one is denying the success of your campaign, sir. You were correct in anticipating the GDR's stance, but what of these Remorans?"

              Arcoh stood in silence for a moment pondering a response he could use to persuade the cabinet members. "We would have destroyed them had it not been for their weapon."
              "Elaborate for the cabinet if you would, sire."

              Arcoh cleared his throat and adjusted his stance.
              "Hard to describe it was alien. They blocked out the skies by manipulating the atmosphere and completely disabling our off-planet communications." Arcoh stepped forward and slammed his fists on the table. "Gentlemen, ladies, we must obtain this power! We cannot move forward with our final resolution until this is accomplished."
             

General Harland could no longer hold his tongue, and gave his king a piece of his mind. "You have exterminated an entire race of people in this plan to bend all of Eden to your will. You are a psychotic monster and will stop at nothing to get what you want. Even after you have reached your objective! After you control everything! You will still crave for more. I've seen the hunger before. You have a sickness. Your cowardice is the only thing that had saved your life. You should've died holding onto that world! A captain should always go down with his ship."
              Arcoh slowly looked over to Harland feeling furious and weak at his true statement. Arcoh knew his words to be true, but he refused to accept them. "With great victory comes great sacrifice, Mr. Harland. And you would do well to know your place."
              "I know my place. It is right here. Between you and the great people of this nation. I am not afraid to speak my mind anymore! I would rather die than see you as the emperor of Eden. DON'T YOU ALL SEE WHAT WE ARE BECOMING!"

              No one in the room acknowledged Harland as they feared defying royalty. For what would happen next is the result of defiance.
              "My legate will oblige you then."
              Ivan stepped up behind General Harland and picked him up by his throat. Ivan raised his other hand as Harland squirmed. Ivan sighed and even felt a little hesitation as he twisted his hands and broke Harland's neck. Ivan wore an uncomfortable look as he threw Harland's body onto the round table.
              "An example of what will happen to all who defy their true king."
             

The cabinet remained silent at Arcoh's gesture, and stared at him as he stepped back from the table and straightened out his cape.
              "Now. I have a mole inside of the Remoran Expeditionary Unit it would seem. They made contact with me a fortnight ago, and provided me with some valuable information on the location of this alien weapon. Success is close at hand, my friends. We will destroy these Remorans. We will remove them from history, and then we will conquer Eden, and salvage what is left of the human race. This meeting is concluded—oh and someone please dispose of my subordinate here."
              Arcoh flung his cape as he exited the room through the giant double doors and Ivan followed behind him. Ivan then began to wonder what Arcoh's intentions really were, and how detrimental they would be to his soldiers in the months that lied ahead. His soldiers being his number one priority.

***

              In the still of the night
I lied "asleep" in my bed. My head was swirling around, trying to make sense of this new world that had presented itself before me. I cracked open my eyelids and noticed that Virgil had just entered the room with the ship's doctor. I laid silent and listened to their conversation.

              "How long has he been asleep for?"

              "He finally laid down about a couple of hours ago."

              "Thank Eden for that. Poor damn kid. If only I had been there."

              Virgil sat down in a chair opposite me and the other patients that were closed in by the transparent, holographic curtains. Earlier I had separated them to look out of the porthole, which gave me a good line of sight into their dimly lit conversation.

              "All right then, Captain. How long has it been since your last injection?"

              "Hmm. Been 'bout, 130 standard days."

              The doctor seemed puzzled by his answer.
              "How old are you? How long ago did you receive your first injection?"

              Virgil shook his head and lit up a cigarette.

              "Hey, what is that, Captain? You can't do . . . whatever it is, you can't smoke in here."

              "Yeah, Doc, I've heard it before, partna. Old-world habits are a bitch to kill. This is called a cigarette, and I'm smoking it when you inject me. Feel free to try and stop me."

              I smiled as the doctor shook his head and took a genome capsule out of his front pocket.

              "Answer the question, please."

              "Oh, my age? Heh, I honestly don't know. I remember Mother Earth."

              "You're telling me you are over 1,500 years old?"

              "Something like that. I start to feel withdrawals, the warnings, about every hundred days. I need four of 'em a year or I will buy that farm, brother. That's what the doctors tell me at least."

              The doctor looked surprised receiving this information. Most people who accept the Alpha Genome usually would stop taking their injections after an average of 250 years.

              The population explosion was caused by people conceiving as many children as they possibly could before taking the injection. I always thought it was strange that Virgil had never had children, and had no remaining family. I had this sense whenever I asked him about his past—I knew he was guarding secrets.

              I thought, personally, that he could no longer remember the life he had before he took the genome. The doctor proceeded to question Virgil. He slipped the injector out of the capsulette, and into his forearm.
              "What is keeping you here, in this life? Why go through all the pain of injections?"

              Virgil chuckled lightly and took another hit of his cigarette.
              "I have been alive so long; I have become lost in the pursuit of defining my own purpose."

              "Then why?"

              Virgil raised his voice and pointed towards my bed.

              "I've come close—see that kid right there? The kid that went through hell to be brought here, to us. He is my purpose, long before Mark's great expedition. I made a promise to someone very important to me, someone I loved very much. That kid right there is the creation of that darling little girl. He is the reason I go through the pain."

              The doctor removed the injector and Virgil was quick to stand up. He was always so jittery, never able to sit still—always had to be doing something. Very much like me.

              "You care a great deal for him I see."

              "Very much so, partna. I was the one who convinced the Good Commander to liberate the Raydenites—all because of him. Mark owed me one favor, and now I've cashed it in."

              "So what now, trying to be a father figure to him?"

              Virgil smirked and stood up, slowly making his way towards my bed.

              "Well now I need a drink, I am a creature of habit. But no, the kid doesn't need a father right now. He needs a friend. I would follow him to the end of time if he needed me to."

              I knew at that moment Virgil discovered I was not asleep at all. I suppose when you've known someone at the beginning of your life, even if you've spent years apart, they always know when you are listening. It's a presence, a sixth sense, the personal sense.

              "There are always things to live for, Doctor, purpose be damned."

              Virgil winked at me through the crack in the curtain as the doctor signaled over to him.

              "Commander Wyman sent in for a specialist for Mr. King. He thinks she will help him better understand his condition."

              "That's my callin' then. Come on, Doc, a few drinks won't kill ya."

              "No, they won't. Lead the way, Captain. So? How much do you remember of Mother Earth?"

              "Now that intel's gonna cost you at least six drinks."

Their conversation dissipated as they stepped out into the hallway. Virgil had warmed my heart a little. I'm sure he knew how desperate I was to seek answers in this place where only questions seemed to be found.

              I needed fresh air. I bolted out of my bed and searched frantically for something to wear. I could've taken the other patients' clothing but I am a very fashion-conscious person—all of their tastes were awful. It wasn't until then that something caught my eye, right there on the door.