My Kingdom Come Book 1: The Saints We See (Complete)

Chapter 3: Blue Team

656 standard years after the signing of the Alliance treaty

Hathu stood near the front of the crowd of students, his heart beating a little faster than normal. He couldn't get picked last or his father would hear about it and Hathu would be punished.

The four team captains, all a year or two from graduating, stood on the other side of the courtyard calling out names in turn. Hathu kept note of which students went to each team. It was partially a bid to mask his nerves and partially a move to develop a game strategy. Not that his team captain was likely to listen to him.

The students around Hathu didn't stand too close to him, or too far away. They didn't want to offend the son of Nediz, one of the head prison guards at the penal colony, but they also didn't want to be too friendly with him. Nediz was not well liked outside his inner circle and Hathu's siblings had upheld their father's tradition of being powerful, but not particularly likable.

The group of unpicked students grew smaller around Hathu. He did his best to look like he didn't care. After all this was the first year he would be allowed to participate in the game, now that he was ten standard years old. Most of the other students his age hadn't been picked either. When Hathu was finally picked for blue team, he wasn't the last one to be picked. He hoped that would be enough to satisfy his father.

His team leader, Nassar, had each member of blue team jot down their name and age on a datapad and then they were released from school for the day.

Hathu walked down the dilapidated streets towards Deetha's house. The small village had been built almost a hundred standard years ago when the penal colony had been founded out on the far edge of civilized space. Since then, almost the only new things to come out to this distant moon were convicts and slaves. Many of the prison guards had been born in the colony and grown up there, more doomed than the prisoners who came to serve a sentence and then left.

Hathu knocked on the door of Deetha's house and it was opened by his five standard year old nephew, Armis.

"Oh, hello Hathu. I got home from school okay." Armis was chewing on a piece of dried meat.

Hathu smiled. "I knew you would. Is Deetha awake?"

"Yeah." Armis opened the door wider and stepped back.

Hathu stepped inside. Armis and his younger brother, Janim, were enacting out some loud scene with their toys in the living room. Janim paid little attention when Hathu tousled his hair as he passed through the room. In the kitchen a very pregnant Deetha was standing over the sink, her fists clenched, eyes closed and her breathing ragged. On the counter preparations for supper were halfway complete.

Hathu went to the counter and began to chop the vegetables that were still on the cutting board.

After a minute Deetha turned around. "Hello, Hathu. I didn't expect to see you today." Her smile was wan.

"All we did was pick teams today."

"Ah."

"What are we making tonight?"

Deetha's smile widened for a moment. "Just stew tonight."

Hathu nodded. "Go lay down, I don't need help to finish this."

Deetha stood undecided for a moment.

"Go, I probably wont be able to help out many more nights before the baby comes. Rest while you can. I'll wake you up before Tannis comes home." Hathu made a shooing motion.

"Father still hasn't said anything to you about coming over and helping?"

Hathu shook his head. "Nope."