Day of Liberation

By Katherine Padilla

Will Varia Day be the key to crushing her Prince? Or to gutting an empire?

Divine Prince Jahnzel Zarr is out of control, and Divine Empress Jesalya Zarr can’t tolerate it. When she probes for weakness, she discovers his interest in the lowborn technician Varia Day. Despite Jesalya’s concern that the girl joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and lives with other apostates under mysterious shields of light, her husband, Divine Emperor Arulezz Zarr, believes she will be the perfect tool to tame his brother and uses her as bait in a trap for him.

Nothing, however, goes the way Jesalya and Arulezz plan. As they work to gain dominion over Earth, the enemy light remains inexplicable and powerful. They suspect Varia knows its secrets, but Jahnzel won’t allow them close enough to get the information they demand. When they learn that together, Jahnzel and his “wench” are far more powerful and unpredictable than they believed, they initiate a vendetta to destroy them, unleashing consequences they could not have imagined.

The Last Days’ quest for Zion promises to be so glorious, so challenging, and so extraordinary that stories speculating on it in a literal way have difficulty doing it justice. Apply a generous dose of fantasy, and what results are novels for Latter-day Saints by Katherine Padilla that will transport readers to a harrowing but hopeful alien future.

From the Author:

This novel was always meant to be a love story, but it developed into something more—an extraordinary journey of a couple that answers questions I never meant to ask: How powerful is a love that’s determined to be eternal? How foundational are the purity and fidelity from which it springs? Is such a love compelling enough to transform individuals? Cultures? Nations? Is it indomitable enough to shatter even the most unrelenting efforts to destroy it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katherine Padilla
• Release date: Dec 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781948222204

Katherine Padilla

Katherine Padilla has been writing novels since age 13. As a girl, she was equally intrigued by prophecies of the Last Days and the TV show Star Trek. At age 17 she wrote her first story that combined prophecy with science fiction and even submitted it to a contest. That story remains unpublished (and unpublishable!), but her interest in exploring traditional values and religious themes through speculative fiction remains as strong as ever. She has given speeches on the benefits of reading wholesome literature and has compiled resources to help readers in that pursuit on Novaun Novels at https://novels.zerosilver.com. She is the author of seven faith-based novels.

Book preview

Part One

ESSENTIAL ONE

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Chapter 1

THE EMPRESS’S PLOT

Divine Prince Jahnzel Zarr, the Consecrated One, was out of control, and Divine Empress Jesalya Vahro-Zarr couldn’t tolerate it. A part of her wanted to put him on trial for treason and perhaps even apostasy. He seemed to have forgotten that those domes of light that had consumed the capitals and other Nationalist communities on the eve of the invasion nearly four months before were The Enemy. Without permission, he had dropped into the one in Kansas City to harass her sister Myri, who had been there on assignment to marry the native David Pierce and recruit him to work for the Holy Nation of the Son of God.

Perhaps she could have forgiven Jahnzel for that, had he been willing to disclose the details of his visit, but no! Instead he had stormed into Arulezz’s office and declared that the Nation was cursed and that the Divine Emperor’s empire would be destroyed if Arulezz and Jesalya didn’t bring themselves into harmony with the Satanic power that disguised itself as light. Just thinking about the encounter filled Jesalya with fury. The other part of her, however, recognized, as her husband did, that they needed Jahnzel to rebuild the fleet. She couldn’t crush him quite yet.

Jesalya had found a potential weakness, however, and was determined to exploit it if she could. She spent the day conducting interviews that turned out to be more disturbing than satisfying. When Arulezz returned to their apartment in Teton Palace that evening, she overlapped spirits with him, and they thought and felt together as she reported her findings.

Jesalya sat at her vanity as one of her ladies-in-waiting helped her out of her jewelry. I don’t know what to think about Varia Day as a potential wife for Jahnzel. On one hand, he did meet her, and his network use suggests that he’s been looking for information about her. On the other hand, she’s a defector to the domes.

Jesalya didn’t know who had first attached the label domes to the communities that had isolated themselves on the brink of the invasion, but it was so perfect that she looked for opportunities to use it. Whether the apostates lived in life-support domes on the Home World or under the duplicitous domes of light on Earth, they were traitors. And dangerous!

Arulezz smiled. He, too, enjoyed using the label domes to describe the communities of traitors. I’m not sure I care about that.

You should. Your brother admitted outright that he wants our people to return to the Home World and join with the domies. And now he’s showing interest in an apostate. Jesalya shook her head. I don’t like it, Lezz.

Arulezz removed the diamond jewel of rank from his red waist sash and set it in an open case on the vanity. In the tradition of noblemen, he had worn the jewel in his black hair before coming to Earth and adopting the short American style. I don’t like it either, but I think it would be foolish to dismiss Varia Day as a marriage prospect before we examine the facts.

Jesalya sighed. How can I disagree?

Her husband dropped the sash on a nearby chair. Jahnzel has been searching the Nation’s personnel records. He’s gone through thousands of them. He’s obviously looking for something, but he suspects that we’re monitoring him and doesn’t want us to know what he’s looking for.

Jesalya would have nodded had her lady-in-waiting not been removing the ruby necklace. He might have gotten away with it too. The fact that Varia Day is the one common denominator in all of his searches either makes her a meaningless piece of data—or strangely unique.

If he really has been searching for her, then something about her ought to stand out. They examined the telepathic recording given to Jesalya earlier in the day by one of Jahnzel’s younger guards. Jesalya expected Arulezz’s observations to be interesting and perceptive, and she attempted to keep her own opinions to herself to acquire his in a form as undiluted as possible.

On the morning of the invasion, Jahnzel walked into the control center of the Washington, D.C. Spaceport while a team of technicians tested the readiness of all communication devices. All of the technicians arose when they saw him.

Arulezz looked for a young woman with dark brown hair pulled away from her face in a plain bun, and eyes to match. He didn’t discern her at first glance, and Jesalya didn’t prompt him. The girl wore a steel-gray jumpsuit like all of the other technicians and blended in with them, despite the fact that her uniform bore no Star Force patch on the breast or rank patches on the shoulder.

Petty Officer Trinaav! Jahnzel cried. Why hasn’t this young civilian woman been evacuated to Teton Colony?

Technician Day refuses to leave, my Prince. Arulezz questioned why her superiors had not ordered her to evacuate and required her to obey. Did they need her that badly? Did that mean she was a good technician? Perhaps even an invaluable one?

Jahnzel strode toward the girl in that brisk way he had. The men in his guard followed in that hurried way they had, as if they were always trying to keep up with him. Relax, Technician Day, and look at me. He used a cordial tone, not a demanding one, and Arulezz recognized at once that he intended to persuade the girl, not command her, and wondered why.

Why do you remain in Washington, D.C., Technician Day?

To do my duty, my Prince. The girl’s cheeks were pink, and the same worshipful awe glowed in her eyes that both Jesalya and Arulezz had often seen directed at themselves by people of low rank.

If you are so determined to make the spaceport’s readiness your duty, why have you not enlisted in Star Force? Jahnzel’s choice of words amused Arulezz. Citizens of the Nation had not enlisted in Star Force since the Massacre Before the Flight. If the girl wasn’t in Star Force, she was in a protected class.

I am forbidden by law, my Prince. I am the only surviving member of my family left in the Nation.

Then your duty, Technician Day, is to live, and if you stay here, you will become a target. Again, he used a persuasive tone, as if he wanted her to believe that she had a choice. If he cared so much about her life, why didn’t he just command her to evacuate and be done with it?

The last airbus has already left, my Prince.

That doesn’t matter. Get as far away from the spaceport as you can in the time left and take cover. Jahnzel’s words left no room for dispute, but his tone was almost gentle.

Please let me stay, my Prince. There is so much to do, and I can help! The girl’s words astonished Arulezz. Was a technician actually arguing with a prince? Jesalya couldn’t restrain her own feelings of indignation.

Her indignation grew when Jahnzel grabbed the girl’s hands. He spoke in an urgent, concerned way. "There are too few of us left; we can’t throw away lives needlessly. You must live, Technician Day. I’m going to lose too many warriors in this battle as it is. Don’t give me another death to mourn. Go now." He released her hands and waved his own in the direction of the exit.

The girl’s features relaxed, and her gaze became tender. Thank you, my Prince. I’ll live. I promise. Jahnzel nodded and turned away, and the girl hurried toward the spaceport’s exit.

Jahnzel shouldn’t have noticed her, Jesalya communicated as ruby-tipped pins were pulled from her hair and blond ringlets dropped to her back.

You’re right. I wouldn’t have.

And yet, his aesthetic instincts were responding to the girl. But you do think she’s beautiful. This in the man who had been repulsed by the very thought of his brother married to a woman of low rank!

Fair skin, lovely eyes, sweet expression, well-proportioned figure … yes, she’s very beautiful. Jesalya might have been jealous had her husband’s gray eyes not been hungrily watching the freeing of her hair.

But she has no elegance, no dignity. Jesalya’s revulsion swelled through them both. What natural beauty she has is buried under her technician’s rags and rank. It had been her idea to allow Jahnzel to choose his own wife, and she had thought that Myri’s rejection might make him prefer companionship over elegance, but now that he was showing interest in a laborer, she found that she was as repulsed as Arulezz had been when she had first suggested this plan.

Her beauty wasn’t immediately apparent to me either, but to Jahnzel … maybe. At the moment, Arulezz was more intrigued than repulsed—as if this were some sort of laboratory experiment instead of a task necessary to cripple his brother.

You think, then, that her beauty is what made her stand out to him?

Not exactly. Once look at that uniform, and he knew she was in a protected class. A beautiful young girl in a protected class there with the others ready to die—that would have stood out to him. Invoked his pity. And his curiosity.

But then she stood up to him. Jesalya’s lady-in-waiting carefully slid the ruby-studded gold combs out of her hair.

Which makes the technician not only beautiful but spirited and unique. I can believe that Jahnzel might be attracted to her. One thing is certain—he’s not repelled by her. Not at all. Arulezz removed his jacket and dropped it on the chair with the sash.

Jesalya still had a difficult time believing that even Jahnzel would spontaneously touch a laborer in such a way. She does meet my criteria almost perfectly.

Almost? She’s exactly what you were looking for. Didn’t you notice the grateful, even admiring way she looked at him? He could command any unmarried woman in the Nation to be his wife, but he has no power to command a woman to feel love for him, and there will be no dijauntu bond to compel it. This girl is different. It wouldn’t take much encouragement on his part to make himself loved as well as liege lord.

Jesalya’s lady-in-waiting rubbed her scalp, loosening her hair completely. The fact that she’s an apostate from the domes still makes me uneasy.

The thought of the Consecrated One being married to an apostate technician from the domes is too outrageous. And absurd. It would weaken him, all right. Isn’t that what we want?

Not if I get pressure to prosecute her for apostasy.

If Jahnzel plucks her out of that nest of traitors, the Quorum of High Priestesses will assume that we’ll interrogate her—and we will. No one’s going to insist on a trial if you’re the one to marry them and she keeps her beliefs to herself. Besides, the threat of a trial will keep Jahnzel in control. Isn’t that what we want?

Jesalya removed her rings. What if he decides to defect to Washington, D.C. himself?

He’s not that stupid.

How can you believe that after his tirade?

That’s all it was—a tirade. Where is he now? On the Empress of the Stars. Building ships. Not in Washington.

No, not in Washington chasing down this girl he may have been looking up, Jesalya reminded.

That’s a really good point, and yet, if he is interested, he would be cautious. A prince courting a technician would be unprecedented, and she does live in a place that isn’t under our control, which would complicate matters. It would be awkward, and time-consuming, and he would be concerned about her safety. If we want him to take that step, we need to make him believe she’s unsafe.

Then you’re presuming that he really is interested in her.

One of Arulezz’s attendants handed his evening cup of hot tea to him, a mixture of spicy herbal flavors that didn’t exist on Earth, then took the suit jacket and sash and left the room. If the only common denominator in his searches were an old married woman, I’d dismiss this as nothing. But a beautiful, tragic, unmarried girl? Arulezz shook his head. Varia Day is no meaningless piece of data.

Jesalya lifted her arms as her ruby-embellished belt was removed. The evidence points to interest, but we don’t know what kind of interest. It might be professional.

Arulezz studied the liquid in his cup. Which would also work. He deeply inhaled the aroma of the tea as he always did. It reminded him of his boyhood on the Palace with his family. If he pulls a beautiful, unmarried girl out of the domes and takes her onto his ship, even for professional reasons, his subordinates would gossip.

Jesalya hadn’t thought of that, but he was right. Yes, they would. And all I’d have to do is ask a few of them if he’s ever been alone with her, and they would start wondering if she could be a paramour. Jesalya loved the possibilities inherent in that set of circumstances.

Arulezz chuckled and lifted the cup to his mouth. My all-business, law-abiding brother with a paramour? Who would believe it? The jewelry cases snapped as they were shut.

Arulezz was too amused, and Jesalya felt a little silly, realizing she had overshot the mark. I suppose the possibility of a little interest in a low-ranked woman—a little flirtation—would be adequate for our purpose. The lady-in-waiting quickly collected the outer clothing and shoes Jesalya had shed.

I only want to deflate him somewhat—not destroy him.

Jesalya didn’t like making this kind of compromise with the false light, especially after Jahnzel’s tirade, but Varia Day was too great a weakness to ignore. We may never get another opportunity like this. Jesalya’s lady-in-waiting curtsied and left the dressing room.

Arulezz set his cup of tea on the vanity and draped his arms around Jesalya’s shoulders. You struck arelada, my darling. Let’s find out just how interested in this pretty technician he actually is.

But if we’re wrong, pushing that girl at him will only make him less vulnerable, not more.

He kissed her neck. Not if our push is invisible.

Arulezz transferred Jahnzel’s observant young guard to his own security team that very evening. Days passed, and neither Jesalya nor Arulezz could ignore the nagging feeling that Varia Day meant something to Jahnzel. As they studied the situation together, they eventually understood how they could use Varia as bait in a trap for him.

Arulezz was the one who finally made the decision. Now that your sister is officially the governor of the traitors in Washington, it’s time to leverage her position.

And if Jahnzel doesn’t fall for the bait?

Then our little trap will be a good test of Myri’s loyalty.

Chapter 2

THE TECHNICIAN’S

REBELLION

Varia Day picked at her fingernails as she waited in the sitting room adjoining the Palace bedroom that the new governor, Saintess Myri Zarr-Vahro, had temporarily given to Bishop Eugene Pierce to use as an office. The Nation’s new ward was using Saintess Myri’s grand estate home as a meeting place until construction on their new urban chapel in Bethesda could be completed. Bishop Pierce wanted to get to know all of the members of the congregation and scheduled several interviews a week.

Varia had purposely scheduled her appointment to be the last of the evening. She needed to share her unique knowledge with Saintess Myri, and this meeting was her key to doing that. Bishop Pierce had recently arrived in Maryland with his wife Elizabeth and other family members from Missouri. His youngest son, David, was betrothed to Saintess Myri, which meant that Bishop Pierce had unique access to her.

As Varia thought about the betrothal, she felt tense with anger. Mr. Pierce seemed to be an admirable native, but he could be nothing next to her Prince, the man who should have been Saintess Myri’s husband. How could she have rejected Jahnzel that way?

Varia sprang out of her chair and began pacing. She understood that Bishop Pierce conducted these particular interviews with Madame, no, Sister Lili Fennyal, who, as a former priestess, acted as a chaperone for the young women and a voice of comfort for those citizens of the Nation who might be disconcerted by some of the practices of their new church.

She and her husband, the former ambassador of Tohmazz Zarr to the United States, had been governing the Nation in Washington, D.C. ever since the Light had come. Everyone deferred to Saintess Myri now, of course, but they still looked to the Fennyals—who were high aristocrats with decades of experience—as the real governors of the community.

Addressing each other as brother and sister was one of the new practices, and Bishop Pierce insisted on it, although if someone preferred to be called by his or her given name when at church or involved in church assignments and activities, that was all right too. Varia wasn’t too nervous about speaking with Bishop Pierce, but how could she say anything in front of Sister Fennyal?

The door to the office opened, and Varia jumped at the sound. A young woman she didn’t know walked out of the office and nodded once at her in acknowledgement as she passed. Varia lifted her eyes toward the white office door.

Instead of Sister Fennyal, Saintess Myri herself appeared. She wore a light blue gown made of a luxurious, shimmering fabric and a multistrand pearl necklace. Her pale blond hair brushed her shoulders in a short style that would have looked jarring on any woman of the Nation, but on Saintess Myri, the image was hideous. It reminded Varia that the saintess’s hair had been cut before coming into the Light to appeal to David Pierce—not Prince Jahnzel.

Saintess Myri smiled. I’m happy to meet you, Sister Day. Or would you rather I address you as Varia?

Varia did not want Saintess Myri to address her as sister. It was too intimate and could be nothing but insincere coming out of the mouth of someone in Saintess Myri’s position of power. Please call me Varia, my Sa … Sister Vahro. Varia felt as if she would choke on the words.

Saintess Myri extended her hand toward the door. Please, come and have a seat.

Varia couldn’t move. She needed to communicate with Saintess Myri, but not like this. How could she tell her anything without telling her everything?

I’m sorry, Varia. I’m afraid my presence has startled you.

Varia began to curtsy, then stopped herself. They weren’t supposed to do that either. I’m sorry … Sister Vahro. I was expecting to see Sister Fennyal.

Sister Fennyal has another commitment this evening, but she’ll be delighted to hear how deeply she was missed.

Varia had no idea how to reply. She followed Saintess Myri into the office. She exchanged a handshake and greeting with Bishop Pierce. Her Prince had been the last human being to touch her, and the sensation was strange and nice. That, and her anger and alarm at seeing Saintess Myri made her tremble, which embarrassed her. Bishop Pierce released her hand and extended his toward a padded carved-wood chair. Please sit, Sister Day, and make yourself comfortable.

He was an older man, with graying brown hair, green eyes, and wrinkled hands with hard spots on them. They were working hands, like hers. Varia understood that he had, in fact, spent much of his life doing a job that was similar to hers; the natives called it electrician. The hands and the accent of his voice were different from the other natives she had encountered in Washington, D.C. Except for being in a suit instead of denim trousers, a T-shirt, and a blue cap with KC on it, he was exactly the way she had seen him in her dreams, and she liked him.

Saintess Myri seated herself near Varia in a chair that matched hers and said, We understand that you’ve been working many long hours to install synthesizing machines around the community.

Varia gazed at her lap. That is correct, Sister Vahro.

This is critical work that will make life easier for many, many people. Thank you.

You’re welcome, Sister Vahro.

Please tell us about your training and last assignment.

"I was born on the cruiser Comet and did my apprenticeship on the mining ship Extraction."

How interesting. Were you on the team that excavated Teton Colony?

Varia looked up at Saintess Myri. She really did appear interested. Was that because the Extraction and the Palace, Saintess Myri’s own ship, had been the two ships that had been disassembled and completely remodeled to create Teton Colony? Was that because she had lived in a palace, surrounded by views of the beautiful mountains and Varia had lived in a bunker, surrounded by her machines?

Yes, Sister Vahro. I serviced the equipment used by the terraformers both in orbit and on the ground. No, in the ground. After that, I served two years on the Divine One’s planetary repair team. What a wonderful assignment that had been, traveling around the planet in the open air, with a few hours off work now and then to enjoy the exotic places! When I turned eighteen, I was reassigned to the Washington, D.C. Spaceport.

I’ve never heard of the Divine One’s planetary repair team. Bishop Pierce sounded surprised.

Saintess Myri turned to Bishop Pierce. No, you wouldn’t have, because the emperor meant it to be a secret from the natives. He had a large staff of young life scientists and terraformers who helped him with the rejuvenation projects he conducted on various areas of the planet.

That sounds like very interesting work, Sister Day. Did you like it?

Varia glanced at Bishop Pierce. He appeared fascinated. She felt the corner of her mouth lift a little. Yes, very much. She had learned so much in those two years! And had been privileged to taste the pristine beauty of Crystal’s essence before the planet-spirit blossomed into the Light!

Did you do any actual terraforming? Saintess Myri asked.

Only when I ran tests on the equipment. Varia’s heart began racing again. This would be the time to tell her that she had spoken with the planet-spirit and what she had learned, and yet, she didn’t know how without telling her everything.

Do any of the scientists and terraformers you worked with live in Washington, D.C.?

Varia shook her head.

Do you know where they are?

The Divine One was so determined to have an outpost that he sent the terradirector and many in his team to Eden. Those of us that didn’t go were reassigned to the fleet or to installations on the ground to be a support to the fleet. The others, without a doubt, died in the invasion.

Neither the bishop nor the saintess replied. Varia knew that the Eden Colony was presumed dead, but neither the bishop nor the saintess knew that she knew. Was that why her mention of the Eden Colony made them uncomfortable? Varia tapped her fingers on the armrest of the chair, crossed her legs and then crossed them again.

Eventually Bishop Pierce asked, What brought you into the Light, Sister Day? If you were assigned to the Washington, D.C. Spaceport, you must have been one of the first to enter it.

Bishop Pierce’s question gave Varia determination. There was only one answer, and because of that answer, she was obligated to speak. Varia finally met Bishop Pierce’s gaze. Yes, I was one of the first. I came because I made a promise to the Consecrated One.

The Consecrated One spoke to you? Where? In the Washington, D.C. Spaceport? Why did Saintess Myri sound as if she didn’t believe it?

Varia glanced at the saintess and nodded. I was ready to die with the others who were preparing for battle, but the Consecrated One commanded me to evacuate. He saved my life.

Varia was afraid that if she looked at Saintess Myri again, she would lose courage, so she lifted her gaze to Bishop Pierce’s friendly face and told them about her encounter with her Prince at the Washington, D.C. Spaceport. I promised him that I would live, and I didn’t know where else to go but here, into the Light. I summoned a taxi, and before I even came into the Light, I could feel the telepathic touch of Earth’s planet-spirit. She was full of joy in a way I had never felt before.

You’re certain it was the planet-spirit you felt?

Saintess Myri’s skepticism emboldened Varia. High priestesses were the telepathic experts in the Nation to be sure, but they worked with people, not planet-spirits. Varia turned her gaze on the saintess. "Yes, my Sa … Sister Vahro. In my work with the terraformers, I had many opportunities to feel Earth’s essence; I know her. And even if there had been any question at all—which there wasn’t—she spoke to me."

As Saintess Myri opened her mouth to speak, Bishop Pierce said, That’s amazing! I didn’t know planet-spirits could talk.

It’s one of the new things she can do, Varia quickly explained before Saintess Myri could contradict her. In my own experience, a planet-spirit can only communicate telepathically and with only one person—the terradirector. I was astounded that she would speak to me, but she did, that one time. She asked me to call her Crystal, and said that she could do many new things, but she didn’t explain what all of those things are. That night, however, I had a dream, and I saw a huge beam of energy pouring into the temple from Heaven, then from the temple into the ground. It turned the ground under the Light to crystal, and it’s so powerful that the crystal expands even under the dark areas of the planet, like roots under a tree. Now that Crystal is actually turning to crystal, she’s free to let her essence shine.

Saintess Myri leaned toward Varia. Her deep green eyes were wide with astonishment. Are you suggesting that the Light is actually the planet-spirit?

I believe it is, Sister Vahro. Yes. Varia pondered what she should say next, trying to remember the exact words her Prince had used when they had—in their final, fateful dream together—discussed her theory. But it’s a dangerous piece of information that we should be careful with.

I agree. Your experience is unique among our people here in the Light. It’s also extremely important, and I would like to study it further. Would you feel comfortable telepathically sharing your conversation with the planet-spirit and your dream of the temple with me?

Varia wondered how she could share anything telepathically without arelada—Saintess Myri hadn’t worn the ring containing her Awareness monitor and arelada since meeting Mr. Pierce in Kansas City. No, Sister Vahro.

The answer popped out before Varia could consider the ramifications of her response, and she immediately felt guilty and perplexed. She had never refused a request from a person of higher rank—at least not in real life. She understood Saintess Myri’s desire and also felt a strong urge to tell someone about her dreams; they had been such a blessing and burden. That someone simply couldn’t be Saintess Myri.

Perhaps you would be more comfortable if Bishop Pierce were not in the room?

It had never occurred to Saintess Myri that a lowborn citizen would say no to her, so she had misunderstood Varia’s refusal. It did occur to Varia that she could redeem herself by being disloyal to her Prince. The thought amused her, because she would never be disloyal to her Prince!

When Varia understood that she was going to choose to be impertinent—and visible, because invisibility required compliance—she also understood her true desire. Thank you for your concern, Sister Vahro, but I would prefer to speak with Bishop Pierce alone.

Saintess Myri stared at Varia, baffled. Then she stood and said, As you wish.

Thank you, Sister Vahro. Varia couldn’t help but be amazed that her impertinence hadn’t resulted in a chastisement. Perhaps she was freer to be herself than she had believed.

Chapter 3

THE TECHNICIAN’S

SECRETS

As soon as the door shut behind Saintess Myri, Varia’s tension subsided somewhat. Thank you, Bishop Pierce, for being willing to speak with me alone.

I’m flattered that you would be that comfortable with me.

Actually, you shouldn’t be. I’m willing to tell you about my dreams because I know you. I’ve seen you in so many of those dreams, and I’ve seen your home in Missouri.

Excuse me for saying this, Sister Day, but that’s downright disturbing. Why in the world would I be the subject of your dreams?

He sounded troubled, as any normal person would be, but he didn’t sound offended. Varia was relieved that he had replied in a way that made it easier. You weren’t the subject of my dreams; my Prince was. I couldn’t talk about the dreams with Sister Vahro here. He doesn’t want her to know about the dreams, but he does want her to know what I know about Earth’s planet-spirit and the Light.

It sounds like you’ve been in contact with the prince.

I hadn’t thought about it in quite those terms, but yes, my Prince and I dreamed together for a month and a half after that horrible day at your house. But that’s not the beginning of the story.

Then go ahead and start from the beginning.

In that conversation I had with Crystal when I came into the Light, she told me that she and the angels presiding over my people here on Earth would help me fulfill my glorious mission. I watched the fleet get destroyed on the television, and I thought my heart would break for all who were dead, and the voice of the angel Zarr told me to trust Prince Jahnzel and pray for him, that he was the hope of our future. This was so obvious that I almost didn’t need to be told, and I did pray for him. Then when I had the dream about the temple, the Blessed Sons Zarr and Vahro appeared to me. You know who they are, don’t you?

Bishop Pierce nodded. The founders of your nation. Christ healed their mother when He visited your people, and they became great prophets and kings and the ancestors of Prince Jahnzel and Saintess Myri before they were translated and taken into Heaven.

When I observed that they looked like my liege lord the Divine Prince Jahnzel, they told me that I had chosen my liege lord well and that my Prince’s faith was true. They also told me that he wasn’t ‘divine,’ that he was in danger of being destroyed by despair, and that I had a mission to give him a reason to live. The thought of it frightened me, and a part of me wanted to say no, but I thought about my Prince and how he had saved my life and been so kind to me, and how it would be a tragedy for the Nation if he were destroyed.

Bishop Pierce smiled. "That would be a tragedy. I assume you accepted the mission."

I did, although I had no idea how someone like me could actually do it. The angel told me to keep praying for him and that I would be shown the way. I did pray for him for many weeks, and then I had a dream of everything that had happened to him from the time we met at the spaceport until that horrible day when he visited your house.

What exactly did you see? Bishop Pierce folded his hands on his desk and leaned closer.

It started with the grueling battle with Nexyun and Jaxzeran. He fought hard—oh so hard! And it wasn’t even close to being enough, because they had twice as many ships as we did—even more—but he still felt like a failure. Losing so many ships and warriors devastated him, and so did learning that his father was dead, although he believed that his father deserved to die, and that made him feel guilty. He was still under cover in China when it happened, and his father wasn’t supposed to be in D.C. at all, and my Prince thought it was wrong that he fired on those defenseless trucks. I was with my Prince when his brother became the new Divine One and he became the Consecrated One. He was empty inside that day, like a black hole. The black hole began filling with anger when the Divine One broke his betrothal to Sister Vahro.

Bishop Pierce gazed at her in fascination. So you didn’t just see it all, you actually experienced it … everything.

Varia nodded. I was with him when he intercepted messages between Sister Vahro and the Divine One after she had been sent into the Kansas City Light. I saw his bewilderment and anger at her. I saw him re-evaluate her final message after her bodyguard Captain Sauvel returned to Teton Colony. I was in the shuttle with him when he heard the Blessed Son Zarr tell him that your son is ‘the truest friend’ he has. He didn’t believe it, but when your son suggested later that they work together to overthrow the Divine One, he started understanding.

A look of realization came over Bishop Pierce’s face. David felt it too, although I don’t think the prince told David what the angel said.

No, he didn’t, but he felt the friendship when he spoke with your son later. I saw him come into the Light and communicate with Sister Vahro in your basement. When she gave him a telepathic vision of everything she had experienced since leaving him in Teton Colony, I received it too. When he learned that the Divine One had put a cell bond on Sister Vahro and had commanded her to do the Holy Joining with your son, he was horrified. When she left him there in your basement alone, he collapsed to the floor, and he was shaking, and he said, ‘Dear God, give me a reason to live or end my life right now.’ Seeing this proud, heroic man who had saved my life so overwhelmed by despair gave me such pain that I wanted to put my arms around him and weep with him, even though he’s a prince, and I’m only a technician. That’s silly, isn’t it?

Bishop Pierce shook his head. It’s not silly at all. Varia may have been mistaken, but she thought she saw tears glisten in the corners of his eyes.

That’s when Crystal gave him a vision of me praying for him. My prayers gave him hope, and he was able, then, to get up and speak with you and your wife and tell your son and Sister Vahro to marry soon and disappear. We relived these events over and over in our dreams together.

Bishop Pierce leaned back in his chair. What you say, Sister Day, is amazing. You know things that only a few people do. I don’t doubt that what you saw was real.

It was a simple statement, but one of such support that Varia relaxed completely. Neither do I—now. I doubted that what I was seeing about my Prince was real at first. Then I suspected it was. Then when you and your family arrived in Washington with Sister Vahro, I knew it was.

The details of the dreams poured forth. After his terrible visit to your house, he went to Teton Colony to give a message from the Light to the Divine One and the Hallowed One—that their empire would be destroyed if they didn’t repent. They were offended and told him he was crazy. In real life, he left in outrage, but in the dreams, he shot them with the immobilizer he carries. The dreams always ended with us lying in beautiful coffins in the Hall of Thrones, with flowers everywhere.

Lying in state, you mean.

Yes, we were lying in state, and thousands and thousands of the living and dead of our Nation were there crying over us. There were people who had died in our recent battles and others who were wearing old-fashioned clothing, not just from our centuries in exile, but from long, long ago.

Sounds like the sort of thing that could make a girl feel real good about herself. It also sounds seriously creepy.

Varia nodded. That’s a good word to describe it. I was wearing my work uniform—the one I was wearing when I met my Prince in the spaceport. Varia motioned to the dress she was wearing, which was long, plain, and made of a dark blue synthesized fabric meant to simulate polished cotton. When I wasn’t in my coffin, I was wearing this, my best gown. My Prince was always wearing his uniform, both in his coffin and out of it.

You don’t think it was strange that you were lying in state with a prince?

"Of course I do. Technicians don’t lie in state. But all of this happened in dreams—there was nothing in them that wasn’t strange. I don’t know how many times he killed the Divine One and Hallowed One in those dreams, and I tried to stop him every time. I did everything I could think of. I screamed at him. I knocked the immobilizer out of his hand. I pushed him down. I would have shot him myself if I’d had an immobilizer!"

Bishop Pierce raised his eyebrows, and Varia realized that her intensity had taken him aback a bit. She quickly added, I would have only stopped him, of course, not killed him.

Why did you want to stop him from killing the emperor? It was, after all, only a dream.

Because my mission was to keep him alive, and I was afraid if he kept doing it in his dreams, he would do it in real life. That would be suicide, and he knew it, but he kept doing it anyway, and with the single-minded determination that possesses him in battle. Even when I was able to stop the execution—which didn’t happen very often—he would do some little thing that would kill me too, like push me out of the way. Then all the living and the dead of the Nation would pass by our coffins yet again, and my parents talked about how hate had turned his heart to stone, and that made me angry.

Naturally.

"They didn’t seem to understand at all that his heart was broken, not made of stone, which was why he felt the way he did, and nothing I said changed their minds. My Prince finally seemed to get the rage out of his heart, and the time came when he didn’t execute the Divine One and Hallowed One or accidentally hurt me at all, and we still ended up in the coffins. That’s when my parents started talking about me, and my ‘self-imposed humiliation,’ and my Prince told me that I, too, had a mission to live, and it wasn’t to be his ‘bodyguard.’"

Did he have any ideas about what that mission would be?

Yes, one, and it was obvious, really, after I thought about it. He reminded me that the reason I was forbidden to serve in Star Force at all—the reason he had saved my life—was because I need to live to provide posterity to my dead family and the Nation.

You’re right. That is obvious. What else did he say?

He started calling me ‘Varia’ instead of ‘Technician Day,’ and he insisted that I call him ‘Jahnzel.’ I was appalled, but he assured me that we were friends now, since we had saved each other’s lives. The whole thought of it overwhelmed me, and I ran from him. I’ve lost count of how many dreams I ran from him.

How did he feel about that?

"Frustrated and confused. And worried, because, according to the dreams, we were both still dead. He couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t call him ‘Jahnzel’ and refused to accept it. When he didn’t see me, he called for me, and when I didn’t come, he looked for me. And when he found me, I ran, and he chased me. No, chased isn’t the correct word. It makes what happened sound too much like a children’s game. He pursued me. Relentlessly. And hunted me."

With that same ‘single-minded determination that possesses him in battle’?

Yes. That was exactly it. I hid from him, and often he would come so close that he would have heard me if I had so much as whispered. He started doing outrageous things to call me out, like kill his brother (after he had stopped doing it), because he knew it would make me angry and that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from screaming at him. And he was right. I did scream at him. And he was glad!

Why did you run from him? What were you so afraid of?

Varia wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him, but now that she had finally revealed the memories and emotions she had kept buried for so long, she couldn’t restrain their flow. It really is silly, as I told you before. My feelings for him are too deep … and passionate … and completely inappropriate. Varia looked down at her hands in her lap.

You love him and didn’t want him to know. Bishop Pierce said it in such a way that it sounded like a statement, not a question, and completely inevitable.

She sighed. He’s in my head constantly, and in my heart, and in my blood, and he won’t go away, so I work all the time and don’t go home until I’m ready to pass out. The work is so boring, though, that it can’t possibly compete with him. Then I want to sleep and dream so that I can be with him, and then I start understanding the heathen rival fleets and their vision tubes and I hate myself for wanting to be like them. But then when I was with him in my dreams, I hid from him, and then I ran, because, as much as I wanted to be with him, the thought that he would discover how I felt about him mortified me.

I can’t imagine that the consequences would be as terrible as you believe. If the vision of you praying for him gave him hope, learning that you love him might really cheer him up. The bishop’s voice was so gentle and sincere that Varia felt comfortable looking up at him again. He was smiling.

Bishop Pierce’s attitude toward her feelings consoled her a little, but as she had suspected, he didn’t understand. You’re very kind, but he’s loved Sister Vahro his whole life. If he knew, he couldn’t return my feelings, so he would pity me, and that would be worse, somehow, than the contempt other men of his station would feel.

Why?

Varia shrugged. I don’t know. I just know that I could more easily bear his contempt than his pity.

For ‘only a technician,’ I think you’re a very proud young lady, Sister Day.

He didn’t say it in a tone of reprimand, but he didn’t seem to be complimenting her, either. Do you think that’s good or bad? she asked.

I’m not sure. But it makes me not at all surprised that a ‘proud, heroic man’ like the prince would want you to be his friend.

"In real life, even friendship between us would be impossible, and he knows it! He’s never anything but proper and professional to everyone who works for him, and if I were a technician on his ship, I would never be in a position to work for him directly. Even if I came into contact with him, I couldn’t call him ‘Jahnzel.’ It would be unthinkable. It would be wrong for him to require that of me!"

Her vehemence surprised the bishop. When you put it that way, you’re right—it would be wrong. And yet, a man needs friends. Who’s a prince allowed to be friends with?

Other nobles, of course.

Are there other noblemen on his ship?

No. There weren’t very many to begin with, and he spread them out in the fleet.

So they’re all dead.

Varia nodded slowly. Except for the Divine One, some children, and a few whose minds aren’t what they were.

"Which means it would have been hard for him to have a friend—until you showed up in his dreams. Miraculous dreams that didn’t take place on his ship."

Was the bishop taking her Prince’s side in this matter? She hesitated, then admitted, "He said the same thing—that this was only a dream, not real life, and I asked him, ‘What if it becomes real life?’ He didn’t know, but he seemed intrigued by the idea. Too intrigued. He assured me that if we met in real life, he wouldn’t treat me in the cold, formal way dictated by protocol, and that really scared me, and so I ran from him again."

Did you ever stop running from him?

Yes. After you and your family came to D.C. He told me how much he wanted and needed me to be real, and I believed him. I believed that before he told me, and if I hadn’t, I don’t think I could have faced him even then. I told him about my conversation with Crystal and my own theories of the Light. He made me promise to tell Sister Vahro what I knew about the Light, and I made him promise not to kill his brother outside of the law. That was the end of the dream.

You didn’t end up dead in your coffins again?

No. Varia felt exhausted, drained, and relieved of an enormous weight.

The bishop waited a moment, then asked, Have you shared any more dreams with Prince Jahnzel since then?

No, but I don’t expect to, especially now that I’ve done what I was supposed to do. Varia fought down the bittersweet feeling that came with that realization.

"Are you certain, Sister Day, that you have done everything you’re supposed to do?"

Bishop Pierce’s suggestion that Varia had more yet to do disconcerted her. "Do you think I have more to do?"

I think you could answer that question better than I can. Do you think that Prince Jahnzel still needs you to give him a reason to live?

The question troubled Varia. I don’t know.

If you’re not sure, then maybe he does.

What should I do?

I can think of no better answer than the one the angel gave to you—that you should keep praying for him and will be shown the way.’

Varia nodded and stood up. Thank you—I think.

Bishop Pierce arose and extended his hand. I understand that Sister Vahro can’t know all of the details of what you just told me, but I think she’ll want to keep you close to learn all she can from you about Crystal.

Varia shook his hand. I’m not sure I understand.

Just don’t be surprised if she wants to talk to you again. He walked with her to the door. Before he opened it, he said, She’s your age, you know, and has a good heart. You might be friends.

Varia laughed a little. You really are very kind, Bishop Pierce—much kinder than I am. Aside from the fact that technicians don’t become friends with noblewomen, even in the Light, I might as well confess right now that I can’t stand Sister Vahro for what she did to my Prince, and calling her ‘sister’ makes me want to break something! I’m sure your son is a wonderful person, but my Prince is … She gesticulated and gazed over his shoulder, trying to think of a big enough word in English to describe her beloved Prince.

Larger than life? the bishop suggested. He appeared more amused than offended that Varia thought Prince Jahnzel was so far above his son.

She examined the phrase in her mind, and then shook her head. There was no word—only an image. It’s close, and maybe it does apply, but he’s more than that. I want to say star, but not just any star—a special kind of star. The one I’ve missed seeing since I came into the Light. The one all the others appear to rotate around. She moved her finger in a circling motion.

The North Star.

Yes. I could tell you all about the triple star system that is Polaris, but I won’t, because I love the mystique of the night sky as much as I love the clarity of the Light.

For ‘only a technician,’ Sister Day, you have a very poetic mind.

"You’re very, very kind, but I really don’t—in general. Maybe it’s just that I know my Prince. He’s supposed to be the North Star, and what Sister Vahro did to him made him more into a falling star, and I’m not sure I can ever forgive her."

"I think you would do well, Sister Day, to never forget that Prince Jahnzel is just a man—a man who makes his own choices about whether he wants to be like the North Star or a falling star … and who he wants to be close to him. My impression when he left Kansas City that terrible day was that Sister Vahro isn’t on that list anymore. But why am I telling you this? As the prince’s attentive and very valued friend, I’m pretty sure you already know that."

The bishop’s words frightened Varia, and she didn’t know why. She looked down and frowned, then opened the door and slipped away.

•

Since Myri was still acting in the role of Varia Day’s chaperone, she waited in the sitting room connected to Eugene’s office. The girl, herself, had been as strange as the information she had revealed and, Myri had to admit, had made her angry.

She examined what had happened again and again and finally understood what it was about Varia Day that irritated her. The girl had an attitude of lowliness combined with suspicion and impertinence that reminded her of Lieutenant Lanner Laddan, the low aristocrat who had defected to the Light in Kansas City and had become the governor there. The same Lieutenant Laddan who had never trusted Myri and who had left the Light after their new church had announced that everyone—no matter what their station—should become proficient in telepathy, thereby destroying their Nation’s tightly ranked social order.

Despite the fact that Varia knew the new policy, she had still refused to show her experiences telepathically to Myri. Myri understood that new policies didn’t easily erase deeply entrenched old protocols, but even under the old protocol, Varia should have shown her memories if they involved her work, and certainly she understood that her exchange with the planet-spirit had been more important than the work she did installing synthesizing machines.

Myri stared, unseeing, at the closed door of Eugene’s office. No, something was strange about that girl. Myri couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that Varia didn’t trust her and that she was being secretive about something important. Myri hoped Varia would reveal her secrets to Eugene, but even if she did, she knew that Eugene wouldn’t disclose them. The best Myri could hope for was that Eugene would, at least, be able to ease her mind about Varia’s character.

The door opened, and Varia stepped out. Myri arose to greet her. When the girl spotted Myri, she curtsied quickly and said, Thank you, my Sa … Sister Vahro. Please excuse me. Myri nodded once, and Varia hurried out of the sitting room and ran down the stairs, her scraggly long brown hair fluttering.

Varia was already gone by the time Myri realized that Eugene hadn’t emerged through the door behind her. Curious, Myri stepped into the office and saw Eugene sitting with his elbows on the desk and fingers making a triangle at his lips. His eyes had a faraway look in them. That girl troubles you too, doesn’t she? Myri said.

Eugene’s eyes snapped back into their usual direct gaze, and he folded his hands on the desk. "Why does she trouble you, Myri?"

Myri hadn’t expected this response and was taken aback. She reminds me of Lieutenant Laddan. She doesn’t trust me, and she’s holding something back.

Eugene motioned toward a chair, and Myri sat down. When he spoke, it was with care. Unlike Lieutenant Laddan, Sister Day is completely trustworthy. You can let her get close to you, and she will never betray you—no more than David will. She can’t, however, share her secrets with you or anyone, for that matter. She has very good reasons for being so careful, so as long as you don’t press her too hard, she may warm to you—in time.

Myri frowned. You speak as if you think I should have some sort of actual relationship with her. Why?

Other than that you’re sisters in the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Myri sat back in her chair, frustrated with herself. Who would have thought such a small, simple idea would be so difficult for me.

Eugene smiled. "Would it help if I told you that all of you are having a hard time with this?"

Maybe. But not necessarily in the case of Varia. Why is it important that I can let her ‘get close’ to me?

Because you need her to help you understand how the Light works, and she needs you to teach her how to be a queen.

Myri wasn’t a queen and never would be, and yet Eugene