Kaldean Chronicles: Kaldean Sunset (Book I) Page 2

  “It began in the Second Millennium after the Lorian Sisterhood developed the artificial mind.”

  “But why?”

  “I don't know,” Antoni said truthfully.

  Cornel tapped his foot softly. “Tell me about the Lorian Sisterhood,” he said. He was leading into something, that's how he did his lessons, impatient that Antoni never quite caught onto his secret message. It was infuriating.

  “They began in the Alpha Centauri System, well into 6th century. They were a secret society, who established itself against the anti-technologist Crusaders that ruled the twin systems at the time,” he responded.

  “Why was the Sisterhood formed?” Cornel questioned.

  “In response to the lifestyle that the people had been forced into because of the fact that only prehistoric technology was allowed.”

  “What happened?” he questioned again.

  “They took over.”

  “What made them better?”

  “They had hope. They believed that man could do better and that through science man can accomplish great things.”

  “What was the result?”

  “A golden age that led to space exploration. The people built a society in which empirical research took the place of the religious beliefs that drove the Crusaders to enact their failed system. In time, their beliefs became a religion of its own, even though it had no metaphysical cosmology.”

  “Why did we begin the Jihad?”

  “So we could have more.”

  “That's a foolish statement. It's more than that. Look out at the stars.” Antoni did. “You know many of them, some you've visited, others you will visit soon, and all the ones you see now are a part of your father's kingdom. But imagine that the whole of the human race was confined to just two planets, but that every night you could look up at the stars. They know there are creatures out there, amazing landscapes, things they'd never seen before, and could barely imagine. They also believed that they would never reach them. Both of you have one thing in common. You have an innate belief inside you that you own those stars, and an inescapable urge to explore them. They are yours. As men, we all feel that way. You feel that way, and it drives us.”

  Antoni did want to leave. He'd make a home for himself out there with nothing but the simplest amenities. At least he'd have that little bit of time with nature by his side rather than his prison.

  Magnus ignored his obvious inclinations. “Where does the word Jihad come from?”

  “The ancient universal language of Earth. It was a complicated mixture of all of the languages that existed before it. The word Jihad means holy war.”

  “Exactly, and why do you think they chose that term?”

  “Because they believed that it was man's right to rule.”

  “No. It's not just that. That was what they said, but it's also because of the feeling that people get when they look out at the stars. It's a part of all of us, so many believe it to be sacred.”

  Antoni turned to Magnus. “I want to explore a planet.”

  “Out of the question,” the guard grunted.

  “We can't make that decision, Antoni. Eventually, when you are older you will be allowed more freedom, but you are far too young. You don't know what it's like out there.”

  “So this is the lesson. You want me to feel what it's like to want to explore.”

  “Yes, but why?”

  “So I can understand what people felt like before the Empire was established and the sentiment that led to its establishment. Can we leave?”

  “No, but you're right.”

  Antoni sighed. He didn't want to sit and look at something he couldn't have. It wasn't fair.

  “The people felt the same drive you do now, and it's hard. Isn't it? That's what it feels like to want to reach the stars, and I want you to understand that.”

  “Okay. What else then?”

  Cornel began tapping his foot softly. Antoni wanted to get up and sock him, and something told him that the guard would've let him, but he didn't. He just waited to hear what the old man had to say. “What is Artemis?”

  “Artemis is the artificial brain that was developed after the discovery of the particle that allows ships to fold space.”

  “Oh,” Cornel laughed. “It's so much more. Artemis has long been referred as a lesser deity because of its ability to surpass the cognitive reasoning of mankind. This set of quantum neurons, as they are called, can fit into a data stick the size of your thumb, which allows ships to move through the galaxy without being connected to a network. But that's not the most important thing about the brain. It is capable of clairvoyance, something that has alluded man for most of his history. It can sense things before they happen.”

  “And?”

  Cornel went on tapping his foot, and Antoni nearly stood up to stamp it down. “And there's a lesson to be learned. The human mind is not capable of foretelling the future, which is based on any number of factors, many of which we might not be aware of.”

  “What does that mean?” he prodded. At this point, the walls were getting closer, and Antoni just wanted to leave. This was pointless, and the old man's oratory style was grating on him.

  “That you can't be rash. You need to think everything through. You don't know what's going to happen. The Crusaders thought they ruled by divine right, and that they couldn't be overthrown, but they were. The republics of the twin systems and the Lorian Sisterhood thought they had built a Utopian society that would last forever, but it didn't. They didn't expect a coup. You don't know the future. Even Artemis, for all of its processing power, can only tell what's going to happen right before it happens.” The old man bent down and got in the rebellious boy's face. “Don't get cocky. Do things right, and remember that no ruler has been able to stop a rebellion if he goes too far and gets too sloppy. You don't know the future, but you can prepare for it.”

  The boy nodded his head and said, “It's time to leave.” The man was crazy.

  “Yes, it is.”

  Chapter 3: Pacifism

  Antoni preferred to eat alone in his small recreation area. It was outfitted with a number of holographic projectors. He wasn't in the mood for much stimulation, so he decided to use a simple ancient library with walls of books and an old model of Earth. He'd seen one in a bookreader once, and had a model created so that he could visit it whenever he wanted to. He even added in a domed ceiling made of made of glass that gave him the perfect view of Earth's blue sky.

  He'd never been to the planet, but he had been told it was once a green wonderland, filled with various landscapes that ranged from deserts to jungles, each one more beautiful the next. That was difficult to imagine considering the face that it had been transformed into a thriving metropolis. The entire planet was covered in carbon and steel structures, and had to be maintained with atmospheric generators that kept greenhouse gas buildup at bay and replenished the world's oxygen supply.

  Antoni had simple tastes. He had two blue eagle’s eggs and a piece of dry wheat toast. He didn't want to take too much time eating, and he didn't have the same rich tastes his father had. He finished his breakfast quickly, ignoring the small piece of cake they always left on the side, and ran up to the door, where he pressed his thumb on the console for a bot to come and take his tray.

  He might not be allowed much freedom when it came to leaving the ship, but he was allowed some recreational time when his schedule allowed it. It was boring. He could go to the antigravity chamber and play with the bots or make use of virtual reality. There were things to do, but there was nobody to do them with.

  The heir was not allowed to have friends. That was too dangerous. He was allowed tutors, guards, and servants, but he was not allowed to get close to anyone. If he got close to somebody, he might begin to trust them and tell them secrets. There were times when he was with his father and overheard things. They didn't want state secrets getting out.

  He had to be careful, and he was, but he was not going to live a solitary exi
stence with nobody but Cornel and the Jihadis to talk to. They were far too temperamental, and didn't know how to have fun. Antoni needed to have fun.

  He walked into the hallway, ran at Magnus who was nursing a flask of wine and wrenched it away. He pretended to take a swig while he was running, but that was just for effect. He knew how much it would infuriate the man.

  “Give that back boy, or so help me.”

  Antoni darted around the corner and quickly pulled out a vial of sleeping powder that was given to him by the doctor when he was faking insomnia. “Here.” He handed it back as soon as Magnus rounded the corner.

  “You can get the shit any time you want to. What'd you do that for?” He took a swig and fell on the ground.

  Antoni stepped over him to get to the lift. He got in and headed towards the servant complex. Servants were skilled workers who handled the tasks that slaves couldn't be trusted with. They were trained in every major vocation, from doctors to nurses, painters, even concubines from the Orchid Society. Every one of them was the best of the best, and they were treated according to their level of training.

  The complex was the size of a small city, where the servants had their houses and their own transports, even bazaars where they could trade goods and cafes where they could enjoy freshly made food and the company of others.

  This meant that there were always people on the streets, so the prince raised his hood and used a red rag to cover his face. He didn't want to get recognized while he made his way into the engineering district.

  The houses were simple single-level structures made of white carbon. They were durable but didn't amount to much. For the most part they were temporary structures used when the servants visited the ship for business, so most of them were empty.

  Antoni could find Rafael's house easily enough. He met the boy when he was ordering a concubine. It was his first, and he was very nervous. He was always allowed the use of an Orchid. That was not taboo at all unless he was married, and even then it wasn't a big deal. He just had that pubescent anxiety, which got a lot worse when a boy his age walked in with a cocky grin on his face. He had the strangest hair. It was long on one end and short on the other so that it fell down at a point on the right side, where it was dyed from dark brown to white. He never wore anything except black leggings, black robes and black shirts. It was weird, but his playful attitude was intriguing. When they were done with transaction, Rafael left him a paper note inviting Antoni to meet him in the servant complex.

  Antoni had never been down there before, and he was scared. He wasn't going to do it at first, but he decided that it might be a good idea. He never got to have any fun. When he did go down there, Rafael told him, in between puffs of smoke weed, about a network of tunnels that spanned the entire ship. It was used to regulate airflow, and maintain the temperature, but it was completely abandoned. The servant children used it as a getaway where they could have a quick drink and smoke in privacy away from the prying eyes of adults who might not approve of their activities.

  The idea of privacy was completely foreign to Antoni. It was one of the few luxuries that he had been denied. As the heir to the Empire, his body, his actions and his mind were treated as a piece of property that must be closely guarded. This was the first time he'd gone anywhere without his guards and it was an amazing feeling.

  This would only be his third meeting with Rafael, but they were becoming fast friends. Antoni would tell him about his life, and Rafael would tell him about his. Antoni was surprised by the way the boy lived. The only time he had any responsibility was when he worked with his father. When he wasn't in the palace, he traveled in his space folding ship. He could go wherever he wanted so long as he returned to his parent's house periodically to check in.

  He told Antoni stories he could barely believe—things about anti-technologist colonies in the far reaches, and alien landscapes with pink skies and purple jungles. His stories gave Antoni a glimpse of the galaxy that he had never seen before.

  In contrast, Antoni's stories were boring. He told Rafael about meeting public figures, the local rulers of major systems, and the Mother Superior of the Lorian Sisterhood, but those stories bored Rafael. He didn't care about politics. He was an adventurer who just wanted to live his life and have fun.

  It was Rafael's vocation that Antoni envied the most. His father was an engineer for the Orchid Sisters, an ancient organization that sold custom concubines. They were considered to be the finest women in the galaxy with bodies and minds perfectly engineered to please men, offering a sublime experience which could only be described as bliss. When Rafael's father died, he would fill his father's position in the organization and have the privilege of working with the women every single day.

  Antoni walked up to his friend's house, and waited in front of the tiny door. Rafael had installed a visual sensor above the door. The boy ran out and met his friend right away.

  “Hey, come around to my room. My mom is here.”

  “Okay.” Antoni walked around to the second window on the right side and waited for Rafael to open the window. When he did, he climbed out.

  “You should take that rag off.”

  “No. I don't want people to recognize me.”

  “It looks ridiculous.” Rafael snatched it off his face, and ran towards the street. Antoni bolted after him.

  “Get the fuck back here!” he yelled.

  Rafael crossed the street and darted between two houses. Antoni barely missed getting hit by a transport with a young woman inside. She was staring at him with a shocked look on her face.

  She must've recognized him.

  The situation was serious. He was completely unguarded. Antoni had to stop playing around and get that rag right away, but it was already getting hard to run. He was dripping with sweat and the heat was turned up too high. He didn't want to have to keep running, and darting through houses but Rafael was fast and he couldn't catch up.

  This was dangerous. He couldn't allow himself to be recognized because his father would raise an alert and half the Jihadi army would start looking for him. His father might even declare a state of emergency and halt transports in and out of the palace. The worst part was that when they found him, Rafael would probably be taken in for interrogation.

  The boy was putting himself at risk, and Antoni was powerless to stop it. All he could do was run and hope that Rafael got tired. He made a right and began leading Antoni to a wall, a black structure that looked as if it was more than a dozen meters tall. He watched as his friend darted past a transport, waving the rag in the air, and disappeared behind incoming traffic. When the transport passed, he was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter 4: Paradigm

  Antoni was left exposed and hysterical standing in the middle of a busy intersection, praying that nobody recognized him. This was a complete disaster, and he wasn't going to get out of it. All he could do was keep on the move, so he ran towards the wall where Rafael had been standing. There was a house on one end and a cafe on the other. Both were attached to the wall, and both were locked down and empty. There was no place for Rafael to go, yet somehow he disappeared.

  This is bullshit, he thought.

  Antoni began pacing around, trying to decide what to do next. He could easily head back upstairs and accept the consequences of his actions, but his father would probably enact some form of brutal punishment, and Antoni wanted to avoid it as long as he possibly could.

  There was nothing else to do - somebody was going to say something. One of the servants would eventually hunt down a Jihadi and report him, then he would be forcibly brought to his father. Last time he got punished, he was forced to sit in his room and undergo 16 straight hours of mental exams, ranging from advanced mathematics to history. Antoni was still scarred from the experience, and he was going to get a lot worse this time.

  Rafael was probably trying to get him into trouble. Antoni thought of trying to bribe one of the guards to have him killed, but that wasn't the right thing to do. He
was young and bored, probably trying to play games with the prissy prince who didn't know anything about the world.

  Fuck!

  He kicked the wall and his foot went straight through. It was a hologram. He was so stupid. “I'm gonna fuck you up!”

  Rafael started giggling on the other side.

  Antoni rushed through and slammed his head on the ceiling. He fell flat on his back with half his body in the passage and the top half sticking out the other side.

  “Oh that's just fucking classic,” he said. Rafael grabbed his feet and started pulling him in, laughing the entire time. Antoni kicked him in the face and he fell down.

  “You stupid fuck!” Antoni stood up to find himself in a short passage lit only by tiny lights on the ceiling. It seemed to go on for miles. “If we get caught, the Jihadis are gonna beat you senseless when they interrogate you.”

  “It's not gonna happen.”

  “It might,” he reasoned.

  “They don't come down here. They don't police the complex. They could give a shit less what we do, so long as we don't to the upper levels without permission.”

  “Oh.” That made sense. The Jihadis in the palace were there to protect the royal family. They didn't have any reason to bother with the servants. “What about visual sensors?”

  “If there were sensors, trust me, they would've caught you by now.”

  “Seriously!? Shit. I can go here any time I want. I had no idea.”

  “Why else do you think I brought you here, stuffed up in that bourgeoisie fucking prison all the time. You were going crazy. It was obvious. I'll bet that was the first time you even fucked somebody.”

  Antoni refused to admit that, “At least I can afford a concubine.”

  “Please, I get all the concubines I want and I don't have to pay a fucking credit.”

  Antoni began to look around. The tunnel was barely lit, made of black carbon, a cheap impenetrable material. “Where does this lead?”

  “Come on,” Rafael helped him up and they started walking.