Arandice

By Douglas Blair

Follow the incredible journey of Paul Smith across planets. First as an orphan from the Battle of the Twenty Suns, to his destiny as the rebel confronts the Federation Empire forces on the ice planet Arandice. As a child, his homeworld of Arandice is shattered by the imperial Red General’s use of an Illyrion weapon. He and thousands of children are spared in a prisoner exchange and banished to a lonely planet in the nether reaches of the known Federation Empire.
Using his guile and academic brilliance, Paul discovers dark secrets of the Ultra Democrat’s Twenty Suns, is released from the orphanage planet to attend university. On Earth, he finds love and knowledge, but both present dangers and he is banished to Arandice; a cold but restive mining planet. There he discovers the long-hidden sapient beings - snow eagles, and that the power of political ideas, and love, can transform an Empire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Douglas Blair
• Release date: Aug 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463237946

Douglas Blair

Doug Blair has extensive healthcare experience with hospital systems, HMO’s, and physician groups. He is a fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives and Certified Professional with HIMSS.He was a passionate Sci Fi reader when growing up in the City of Detroit and read every related volume in the Chaney branch library.He decided to write about what he saw happening in Detroit during the Seventies and merged elements of Dune, Star Wars and labor unrest he had witnessed.He now works as a national consultant in health care and lives in Akron Ohio.

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Prologue

MEMORANDUM

TRANSMISSION CLASSIFIED

4.14.3247

TO: Marshall R. Toffin, Commander of Federation Empire Armed Forces, Venaticorum Sector, Servant to the Emperor

FM: FedEmp Security Services, Center for Imperial Defense

ENDORSED BY: Surrexurant//SEAL AFFIXED//

FED EMP CICSC MINISTRY OF STRATEGIC SERVICES Report 68 (Excerpted)

SECRET ASSESSMENT FOR THE SURREXERANT SEAT

In a shrinking galaxy, which now faces the threat of Illyrion warfare, it is not an adequate ob-jective merely to seek to check the Ultra Democrats design, for the absence of order among planets and the terror of the Freedom of Man is becoming less and less tolerable. This fact imposes on us, His Imperial Majesty the Surrexurant Throne, in Our own interests, the re-sponsibility of galactic leadership. It demands that We make the attempt, and accept the risks inherent in it, to bring about order and justice by means consistent with the principles of Federation (FedEmp) and the interests of the Empire and seek to mitigate the effect of the heretic rebellion of the Twenty Suns.

It is only by developing the moral and material strength of the FedEmp that the Ultra Demo-crats terrorist rebellion will become convinced of the falsity of its assumptions and that the pre-conditions for workable agreements can be created. The policy of containment seeks by all means short of war to (1) block further expansion of Ultra Democrat power at the limit of twenty planetary systems, (2) expose the falsities of Altairan pretensions, (3) introduce a retraction of the Ultra Democrat’s control and influence i.e. Freedom of Man, and (4) in general, to foster the seeds of destruction within the Ultra Democrat system that Altair is brought to its knees and homage and respect to his imperial majesty, at least to the point of modifying its behavior to conform to generally accepted galactic standards.

As We, Ourselves demonstrate power, confidence, and a sense of moral and political direction so those same qualities will be evoked in the Royal Houses of the civilized galaxy. In such a situation, we may also anticipate a general improvement in the political tone in from the planetary systems of the nether regions and the real beginnings of an awakening among the Ultra Democrat Citicons.

In the absence of affirmative decision of Our part, the rest of the Royal Houses are almost certain to become demoralized. Our friends will become more than a liability to us; they can eventually become a positive increment to Ultra Democrat power. Caladan alone may be on the verge of military techno breakthrough.

There are risks in making Ourselves strong. A large measure of sacrifice and discipline will be demanded of the planets of the FedEmp. They will be asked to give up some of the benefits which they have come to associate with their freedoms.

It is estimated that, within the next four years, the Ultra Democrats will attain the [Illyrion] capability of seriously damaging vital planetary centers of the FedEmp, provided that, it strikes a surprise blow, a blow could so seriously damage the FedEmp as to greatly reduce the capability of the Royal Seat to maintain superiority in political and economic.

The development of a dominant planetary class of our Illyrion weapons is necessary in order to assure the effectiveness of any FedEmp blow. Illyrion attack, of the weight which it is estimated the Ultra Democrats would be capable of delivering, would endanger home world planets.

We hereby delegate decisive action to His imperial servant..

Chapter 1 Commander Smith

Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of oth-ers, and still remains a greater slave than they. How did this change come about? I don't know...

Rousseau 1762

September 12, 3247 R.T.E.

The silent scream was heard, over the roar of the inferno, signaling the death of the freedom of man.

Commander Roderick Smith heard it too, standing at the lip of the opening into the side of the granite mountain. He was flanked on either side by nervous guards and assistants. A panorama of destruction lay before them. The city at the foot of the granite mountain was in flames. That morning it had been the home of many. Now it was fire, casting them in an eerie orange pall. Awkward looking FedEmp fighter-bombers had almost completed their attack and now only sporadically dove in and out of the ash-blackened sky delivering loads of fire and death. As they watched some of their own Altair Congress, air defense craft appeared on the scene and chased the attackers from the sky.

A messenger emerged from the darkness of the cavern's mouth and hurriedly reported to Commander Smith. Sir, commo is completely interrupted with the capital. The status of the President is unknown. Sir, you are now, by default, acting commander in chief. Field elements have begun reporting in and have acknowledged your new position. They are awaiting orders.

The commander turned slowly from the scene below and faced the messenger. His face was thin and drawn with heavy circles under the eyes. Deep lines etched his face. Very well. The status of the planetary shields?

Surprise was most complete, sir, at least ninety percent of the planetary shields were lost in the initial bombardment. Sir, no one expected, I mean no one thought they would employ solid chemical explosives and free-fall bombs. The messenger paused and glanced at the burning city. His family had been in that city this morning. He swallowed in a dry throat. Shields have been restored to twenty-five percent coverage. We can expect thirty-seven percent restoration within six hours. And sir, of those shields almost all primary space to planet assault windows, are blocked. The empire cannot exploit.

Commander Smith pondered this momentarily then turned on his heel and headed back into the cavern. The others fell in behind him. As he disappeared into the darkness, he called over his shoulder, Well gentlemen, let us now make them pay.

The Altair Congress was five years old but would not last another. Of the original twenty rebelling systems, some thirty-three habitable moons and planets, Altair IV alone remained, unconquered. The War of the Twenty Suns, however, was drawing to a close. That the war had lasted as long as it had was attributable to a score of officers, both brilliant and ruthless, Commander Smith included. This group had led the Altair Congress forces in confounding the massive military might of the FedEmp at every turn of the war. Until, at last, by sheer weight of numbers, the FedEmp had smashed planet after planet.

In the end, Altair stood alone and would fall alone.

It was those thoughts of defeatism which occupied Commander Smith's mind as he absently stroked his son's hair. Paul was four years old and was earnestly applying his young artistic energy to a sheaf of his father's documents. He was assisted by his new friend Renvall, who was orphaned and would never see his father again.

Roderick had smiled little in the past two years and not at all in the past six weeks. Responsibility and worry had been heaped upon him, and the toll taken could be seen in his face and graying hair. However, he could not but smile now. He grabbed several documents out of the pile and chuckled to himself that two four-year-old children were defacing all of his Army's wonderful secret plans and programs. As far as he was concerned, only one thing remained of any true importance. It was outlined in the memorandum in his hand. Smith marveled at the memo itself for a moment. Despite the imminent collapse of his army and the crash of the Altairan world, a clerk had prepared a document to exact military regulations. It was a simple plan presented at the daily command staff update. It also might preserve a legacy for the Ultra Democrats of Altair. The catch was that it would also assure the destruction of Altair. He fumbled around until he found his sig key and signed them in several places and set them aside. Young Paul had crawled onto his lap.

What are you doing, daddy? the child asked. Commander Smith began to talk softly and reassuringly to his son.

Paul, you will probably never understand what I am doing now and what will happen. So, I guess that makes two of us. When you grow to be a young man, you may feel as I did, that you could accomplish anything you wanted, that the galaxy was yours for the taking; then you will find, as you grow older, that this galaxy will present great and challenging problems to you. Lord knows it did to me. When I was younger, I dreamed, we dreamed we could bring man a great and glorious new society, and we did to a score of suns. Then I thought we might be able to stop the empire and preserve our way of life. Then I hoped perhaps we could negotiate an agreement and save a handful of worlds and finally I can only gamble that some of the children might be saved. I chose to seek my glory and fame as a soldier, and it has led to my destruction and the defeat of everything I believed. You might however survive and someday grow to understand what will happen here. There is so much we will never have, and you're so young, so young.

Paul had listened attentively, and like all young boys, he could not doubt the infallibility of his father. He knew what his father was telling him was important but very sad. He wanted to help, so he hugged his father. Everything will be alright dad, you'll see.

Paul was returned to the makeshift nursery school that the command maintained for the children who had survived the attack on the nearby city. Sitting in his command office, Roderick Smith closed his eyes and began to reach out through the Neural Nets to his remaining fellow Ultra Democrats. With the death of Klein, he became the acting Archon of the Polis, the ancient title of the leader of the democracy. Smith began to relay the proposal, and within minutes could perceive the millions in the network registering support or opposition to the proposed swap. This being an emergency proposition direct to the citizens of the democracy, he quickly had support. Neural Nets were at the core of the Ultra Democrats participatory government and their society. Their adopted philosophy Freedom of Man took the tenets of ancient Athenian democracy. It harkened back to the Greek city-state of Athens and the system of direct participation of all the qualified citizens in government. Under the Ultra Democrats derivation of the Athenian system, all citizens had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in decisions affecting the government and society. Citizens involved in direct democracy where they made the decisions by which they lived. They were also expected to serve in that government, so they directly controlled all parts of the political process. The UD’s took the concept but, with an 'extreme' technological enhancement. Each qualified UD citizen was implanted with a net token which connected them to all others in society. Neural Nets had been in existence for centuries. The tech was powerful but dangerous and led to such prevision and misuse that is sparked by the Eugenics Wars of the 22d century. They were subsequently taboo in FedEmp civilization except for military communications and certain government officials. However, a black market existed, and the very wealthy were often rumored to have had implants.

The UD’s had secretly adopted the ‘NN’ tech for their use in the application of their form of democracy. It was their secret weapon used over and over to forestall and slow the FedEmp march across the galactic quadrant. Instant communication among the populace and armed forces was essential to their survival in the face of overwhelming odds. But, like the ancient eugenicists of the past, they would not leave well enough alone. They developed, and by a vote of the UD, created DNA level bio-net tokens, such as those found in Smith’s cranial nerves. No longer was a device implanted at the base of the skull through the Eustachian tube to the cochlea of the inner ear. The DNA based enhancement integrated itself by biologically combining with the auditory and optic nerve. It was not known, however, what would be the effect on the next generation, the offspring of parents implanted with the DNA. The first of that generation of genetically modified children was born four years. Renvall’s father and mother, of course, had the DNA, and Paul also had the structures from his parents Roderick and Gayla Smith.

Archon Commander Smith summoned the chaplain and the commander of congressional ground forces. To the chaplain, Commander Smith presented his signed concurrence to the plan that would evacuate almost 350,000 children and other non-combatants to the protection of the FedEmp. It was Smith's gamble, and it was being done within the prisoner exchange three days hence. The risk was that the children were being sent despite repeated FedEmp refusals to negotiate on that point. To the other commander, Smith presented his approval of the last counter offensive and conversion of the Altair forces to guerrilla warfare. This was not a gamble; it was the last gasp of a dying planet and an Army near defeat. Before the commander of ground forces departed, he paused, Sir, intelligence has confirmed the FedEmp have brought an Illyrion weapon into orbit. When they receive the children in the prisoner exchange, our intentions will be abundantly clear. There will be no guerrilla war. I have little doubt that the Red General will employ the weapon.

Smith nodded in agreement, "Indeed, you are correct. It is painfully clear that nothing need be held back in the offensive. The Federation must pay dearly for the last of our soil and blood.

Commander Roderick Smith, the last Chief of the Allied forces of the Altairan Congress, snapped to attention and saluted his subordinate. To the greater glory of man's freedom.

His subordinate hesitated then echoed the reply, To the greater glory, sir.

On the flagship of the FedEmp fleet, the doors of the command suite flew open, and the startled Marines who stood guard gripped their blasters, but it was the General himself who flung the doors. There was fire in his eyes as he shouted Command Major, Admiral, to the command deck! Now! His aides and guards trailed the large thin commander as he headed down the hall to the main or command deck of his flagship. In his hand, he clutched a document marked ‘SECRET’ with the Surrexurant and FedEmp seal. Surrexurant was the affectation of the recent Emperor, and its symbol was a flower, the rose. This Emperor reached into ancient times; he took a word from a language used in a great empire 3000 years ago. It meant ‘arose,’ as in ‘to rise up’. It was perhaps a joke on his part. The general though found nothing funny in this communication.

When he burst into the command deck, the dozens of officers and staff who were intently commanding the battle on Altair jumped to their feet. As you were shouted the General Command Major, post here. he pointed to his side and walked directly up to the giant holographic representation of the planet and the ongoing operations. Colored dots and symbols moved hither and yon and winked on and off in the giant display. The general turned to the Command Major a hard-looking woman now at his side. He handed the document to her and instructed, Run another scan. It must be here. If this is true, we have been fooled, all of us.

The Major barked out orders and the hologram shimmered as the scans of the planets were run. The seconds ticked by and the General peered at the display. General the Major interrupted. The General looked up, and the Major shook her head and formed the word No.

Damn you, Smith. Damn you. Fool. The General spat out the last words and spun on his heel exiting the deck. The report and the scans confirmed. The Ultra Democrats did not possess the slightest amount of Illyrion anywhere within a parsec. The assumptions and beliefs of the entire empire and the posturing and claims of the Twenty Suns and the threats of such weapons was untrue. It was a bluff, The Ultra Democrats had postured for years and sent signals and signs designed to fool FedEmp intelligence that they had Illyrion power. It had been a ruse, which had now failed, and it would bring them their ruin.

Chapter 2 The Red General

Ainsworth Bartholomew Higgins was a man of diplomacy. He was imperturbable in the face of high stakes negotiations. He was suave at the numerous cocktail parties, receptions and other social functions he attended in his position as Assistant Deputy Minister of State. All in all, Higgins was the resolute diplomat of the realm. His abilities had come to the attention of the imperial court. He was slated for bigger and better things, at least until Altair. He, like scores of bureaucrats and soldiers from the farthest reaches of the galaxy, had jumped at the only chance of a war in their lifetimes. Unfortunately, it seemed most dreams of glory, fame and career advancement were being cut short by the harsh reality of war. The War of the Twenty Suns had turned from a nice tidy little war into a horrifying interstellar conflagration.

After reading the latest communication from the prisoner exchange site, Higgins' face turned crimson which was in sharp contrast to the pastel suit he wore. Children! he screamed as he pounded his fist on the desk. Children!. The outburst was not aimed directly at Hurst, his aide who had passed the communication to Higgins, but Hurst cringed nonetheless, after the last outburst, Higgins collapsed in his chair, and the aide regained some composure.

Children, this time he whispered the word as if he did not quite grasp its meaning for, he did not. The aide, having regained some courage, swallowed hard and proceeded to provide the latest additional information not contained in the message. Yes, your excellency, quite a few of them, to be exact, some 297,000 at the last count.

At the last count, echoed the ambassador, and our troops, held prisoner?

All released as per the exchange accord.

And thousands of little children?

Yes sir, and the children and sir there is one other thing.

What?

The Red General, ahh desires your presence. There is an escort outside, your Excellency.

This time Higgins swallowed hard.

Higgins marched to the meeting with great trepidation. The armed guards led him through the winding corridors of the command starship toward his audience with the Red General. He at least had time to review the situation, but it was of little help. He was most assuredly disgraced by the rebel trick. His negotiations and the exchange follow up would make him the laughingstock of the foreign department. His career in the diplomatic corps was over.

After the Ultra Democrat representative, a chaplain had agreed to the prisoner exchange, Higgins jumped at the idea. He was confident that the settlement of hostilities could be negotiated. He would achieve the peace which so many of his peers had been unable to attain. It was now clear that the exchange and ceasefire had merely been ploys to allow the rebels time to regroup and stretch their criminal war a little longer. He had hamstrung the imperial offensive and the military would surely wish a piece of him as well, and very quickly.

All too soon he had reached the entrance to the command center. The stern junior lieutenant in command of the guard halted and announced to Higgins, The General is waiting for you, through here.

Higgins swallowed hard and entered. The double doors parted silently, and Higgins moved cautiously into the room. Whatever he had expected, this was not it. After passing two security checks, he was admitted to the war room the command and control center of the imperial forces. It was large and oval, lit only by red and green glows from com screens and other technical stations. Various staff officers of the different services were bent to the tasks over systems stations commanding the war. However, the centerpiece of the room was a beautiful holograph, seven or eight meters in diameter, of Altair itself. Varying colors and military symbols decorated the sphere, blinking in and out, changing locations and shapes.

Higgins peered about the room, and his attention fixed on a figure seated with his back to him, who was intently studying the hologram. The junior officers exchanged glances and finally, one moved to the figure in the chair and spoke a few words.

The Red General stood and turned to Higgins. Your Excellency, thank you for coming, giving the slightest hint of a bow, please excuse the abruptness of the request. Events transpire, and time is short, as I am sure you are aware.

This was indeed not what he had expected from this man. And despite his dread he managed to get out, General Toffin, I am most pleased that we finally have this opportunity to meet, face to face. The diplomat in him began to return.

Quite, the Red General only looked more amused. "Mr. Ambassador, did you realize that you and I were practically classmates? I can tell from your expression that you