King Herbert Welder XXI hated meetings. As his council bickered over matters of state, his mind drifted. War was simple: You had your goal, and you planned the quickest way to take it. With politics, one took the meandering route. The goal was never just the goal. There were always extra motives, deceit, an angle to increase ones own accounts. Welder would prefer to blast the politicians into space, and rule his two solar systems on common sense.
"The last of the military has surrendered," General Pryor was at least a long time friend, and shared his disposition, "We've removed most of the officers, and moved a majority of the personnel to more domestic enforcement roles."
"They can police their own; a wise move," Allan Counter was a fat man, arrogant, and a career politician. He annoyed Welder to the ends of the galaxy, but his council in navigating the madness of government was valuable to him, "I recommend we take a similar approach with the hive world, Walpurgis, and the supercontinental planet, Beltane. Let them keep their customs and ways, so long as their taxes now flow to us."
"If we run each system under separate laws, we'll risk rebellion in one or the other," Elder Sarah Crash, a wizard. Welder didn't trust wizards. They dealt in ancient and forgotten mysteries from a dark age where humans manipulated the fabrics if time and reality. The forgotten sciences were better left forgotten, but when your rivals delve in dark arts, you have little choice to match them.
"Let them keep their cultures," Welder waved her off, "we'll have enough discontent here from those still loyal to the dead regime. What of the Hellgates, wizard?"
"Besides the one we've used to stage our invasion here, there are two others known in this system. We control both, but one is sealed from the other side."
"Sealed?"
"We still have zettabytes of information to sort through before we understand why."
"And the other?"
"Links us to the Zauchi system," Counter interjected, "they held trade with our late King Theodore. I'll be meeting Ambassador Leagus on Walpurgis to convince him to honor the same trade with us.
"This is enough for today," the king rose and the others followed, "let us adjourn for now. Peace here will be tenacious once our enemies have regrouped. See to your domains and find the inevitable traitors."
With bows all around, Welder's council made for the door.
"A moment, General." Pryor halted, and awaited the exit of the others. Counter shot him a brief glance of suspicion as he left the room.
"Pryor," Welder sealed the chamber, then turned to his old comrade in arms, "I do not trust those two, though I need them. They were traitors to their previous king here, yet they may be useful as they know the more subtle workings of this court."
"A dilemma," General Pryor stroked his beard in thought, "you want me to keep an eye on them?"
"Yes, I won't trust a traitor. See who they meet with in secret, and who puts credits in their accounts."
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Hard Vacuum: Short Episodes In The Future
خيال علميSpace, spies, politics, and an ancient horror. A warrior king has just conquered the solar system of Gorm. Now he just has to hold onto it while the displaced actors of the previous regime scheme against him and each other for power. A computer ha...