Chapter 1: Mars

Mars

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”

—Lao Tzu

Three large bouncers pushed the six, seventeen-year-old Destroyer young men, to the door of the tavern then shoved them onto the walkway.

“None of you is welcome here again. This is a place for socializing and drinking not evangelizing!”

The biggest bouncer threw a large beer box at them.

“Preach your garbage on the corner.”

The bouncers laughed at the young men sprawled on the ground.

The boys looked at each other and grinned. One of them said. “Grab the box, Gohler you can be the first to speak.”

They walked to the corner, set down the box and stood in front of Gohler as he began to talk of the Destroyer religion.

Most people cast a glance at them and walked on. Several young four-armed, well-muscled males stopped to listen, and then began to heckle them. They began to push and shove the youthful Destroyer audience supporting their comrade.

They began to argue and moments later it descended into a brawl. The police arrived shortly after and arrested the participants in the fracas.

The sergeant called the families and requested them to attend a law and order seminar convened by the station AI. After the seminar, the AI spoke formally to the Destroyer mothers.

“This is the eighteenth similar event we have seen in the last two months. If your sons disrupt the peace again, the punishment will be short-duration pain at intensity five. The Uzliumbax Empire tolerates the behavior of immature young people and allows them more latitude than adults. We all enjoy freedoms but along with freedom comes responsibility. Activities of an individual cannot impinge upon others. Street corner evangelizing is not permitted.

“If you wish to preach you need to hire a venue or find a venue in your community that supports your beliefs. Advertise what you wish to talk about and speak or preach to those who attend. We do not permit preaching at a school, university or workplace without the explicit permission of the organization.

“The new religion of the Destroyers does not enjoy a positive reputation in the Empire. The Ordreg, who your sons encountered, loathe the religion. They were approached by the same fake gods who later came to us but the Ordreg saw through the charade.

“Citizens have legitimate avenues for personal self-expression. Please use those avenues and stay clear of the legal system,” said the AI, shaking the hand of Gohler’s mother first, then Gohler and then she showed them out of the facility along with the others and their mothers. Each pair walked in different directions.

“Gohler, the Emperor made us welcome here, and the system is more benevolent than home ever was. The idiotic religion never interested you back home, why are you evangelizing here?”

“It was Dromat’s idea, he thought it would be a good joke. We went for a few drinks, Dromat thought we should tell the people about our religion and it got out of hand. The bouncers turfed us out but gave us a box to preach from. We thought it was a good idea until the Ordreg group beat us up. I heard them say the same foolish fake Gods tried the same on them. They said if we believed in the religion, we proved we were fools; we proved the case that Destroyers were morons.

“It is nonsense mum. Ours is a legitimate religion.”

“Gohler, you are a foolish young man. Do you keep your head in a bucket? How did the history of how we acquired the idiotic religion miss entering your brain? I sent the background history to you at least three times in different forms.”

“Sorry mum, it looked so boring I didn’t read it.”

“It is time to go home. One of the forms was a holovid, we can watch it first. Then we can chat about it. You can read more about it if you wish.”

“Oh mum, you know I hate reading.”

“There are many holo-vids in my library you can watch, some are from here, some are from back home. The ones from home are propaganda, but one of them was prepared by one of the priestesses and it is excellent. We will start off with the one I sent you.”

“Ok mum, I will watch it if you watch with me.”

“Dromat is not a great influence on you. Isn’t it time you started to date? Get interested in girls, that should keep you out of trouble. That girl Defonk seems to be interested. She finds a reason to call you once a week. Go out with her, you might even have a good time. She is an attractive, sensible young lady.”

Gohler blushed. “Mum!”

“According to his mother, Dromat is struggling at school. He will pull you down to his level if he can. He had no religious interest before today, neither did you. If you feel a profound interest in the pustulant religion of your hypocritical father, we will book you a room. You will always find some brainless individuals who will come along to laugh at you.”

“Mum, he isn’t that bad. He wants to be my friend and he does fun stuff.”

“That is idiotic. I don’t like you going out to drink and then get into trouble. Today must be a lesson for you. I will ground you for the next month!”

“Oh mum, that is too long. It was a joke.”

“You can refine your comedy act at home during the next month, Gohler. I also suggest you watch the vids because if you do not, I will extend your grounding for a week every time you cannot answer my questions about the dubious religion of your half-witted father.”

“Dad is quite a good guy!”

“How do you know? He showed no interest in you. I think he has seen you twice in your whole life. I had to pass through all kinds of hoops for centuries before he allowed me to have a baby. Once he fathered you, he had no interest in you and is not interested in anyone other than himself. What did he ever do for you? The only interest he had in the religion was how he could exploit it. On the holo-vids, he shoots his mouth off as if he is a great believer. I never saw him do an honest day’s work. Can you call him anything other than a parasite?

“The only person I know who is a bigger fool than your father is Dromat’s father. Your father is not stupid, he is lazy and exploitative and above all lacks judgment and common sense. Dromat’s father is not only a fool but he also stupid. He believes what he says. Dromat is like his father; insipid, has a puerile judgment, and a big mouth; a sad combination. Dromat will face limited options for his future. If you want a difficult and unfulfilled life, follow people like Dromat. Remember every bad decision you make reduces your future choices until you are on the bottom of the barrel. Above all pick your friends with care.

“On Mars, you can become a decent human being, but you don’t get a free ride here because you are a man.”

“Mum, you are going on and on!”

“Yes, I am and I have a good reason to do so. I want you to learn to think about the consequences before you act.

“You have a good brain. Despite doing minimal studying you do well. You are a reasonable sportsman. Girls find you attractive. Think about the consequences of what you do; don’t follow those with poor judgment. Be careful how you choose your friends. Remember women will not fall over themselves for you here. The ratio of males to females in the Uzliumbax Empire is 1:1. Women and men have equal power. Wake up and see the sunshine before it is too late.”

“I never knew this is how you felt, mum,” said Gohler looking at the floor.

“At home, I could never talk like this, I had to tolerate life without complaint in our repressive obscene society. That is why we left. I wanted you to have the chance to become a decent human being. If you want a respectable set of spiritual beliefs, look at our old religion, it has plenty of depth and impressive values. It is full of richness and provides a pathway of self-development. I discovered the Gromelix and Tyrannosauruses share similar beliefs. I will find you something to read about it. Most of us have been exploring our past heritage, and it provides us with a positive framework to view the world.”

Gohler walked looking down at the ground for the next few minutes.

“Dromat is not that bad.”

“Yes, you are correct. He is not that bad yet. If he carries on the way he is going he will have a life trajectory that is heading downwards so fast his nose is going to hit the ground this year. His father won’t save him here. You know what he is like at school. You told me he doesn’t study and fools around. He avoids all physical activity when he can and then tries to bully others.

“I want you to learn to look at the consequences of all the decisions you make, think consequences, live consequences. You are deluding yourself if you think you can mess around and face no consequences. This is not a harsh society. Gohler, you faced a first wakeup call tonight. We can all see you have real potential, but you need to learn to make good decisions.

“Tonight, you made an error of judgment. Remember, Gohler, this is not a rehearsal for your real life. The police arrested you and they warned you of the potential consequences of your actions. Take it seriously. You made a poor decision, but it is also an opportunity to learn something. We also learned many other young men are doing as you both did. Some will learn from their lessons others will fall by the wayside. Dromat will try to laugh it off as nothing.

“Be very careful who you chose as friends in your life. Friends can enrich your life or they can lead you to destroy your life. I know I have repeated myself, but I want you to learn to use what you have and make a good life for yourself.”

Gohler sighed and looked downcast.

“Enough of all of that, I will move to something else.” She grinned broadly. “Gohler, I am pregnant, you will have a sister this year.”

Gohler turned to his mother and beamed.

“Wonderful mum, I am excited, I always wanted a brother or sister,” said Gohler. “Is it true the Emperor agreed to father children with all the Destroyer women?”

“The Emperor keeps his word, and he acts fast. Your sister may well be one of the descended Uzliumbax. Even if that is not the case, it is a great honor to have the child of the Emperor.”

“Congratulations Admiral mother, we will have a baby!” Gohler saluted then skipped next to his mother, moving ahead then pausing and waiting for her grinning.

They walked through the portal together, both smiling.

Jason’s room on Mars campus was dominated by the bed in its largest configuration.

Ooryphyon placed her hands firmly on Jason’s hips. “Now is my time, Jason, go for it!” She looked into his eyes and moved her hips slowly at first and then faster and faster. Several minutes later her movements became jerky and uncoordinated. She shrieked and convulsed then fell onto Jason’s chest, panting.

Andrea turned towards her on the bed and propped herself on her elbow. “Girl, if you try any harder you will break something next time. You must look after our Warhammer!”

Linda and Razza laughed.

Jason looked down. “It’s still looking alright. It may not be ready for action, but it is undamaged.”

“The Teokraeus are animals in bed!” Linda remarked patting Ooryphyon.

Ooryphyon lifted her head and smiled.

“Ok people, it’s time to get moving,” said Razza.

Jason lifted a complaining Ooryphyon out of his way, swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up while holding her, and placed her next to the bed. He rubbed his eyes and stood up. “Come on, ladies it’s refresher time. Let’s get going.”

Ooryphyon grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the refresher. “Come on wash me.”

The room was luxurious. Striking art drew one’s attention to the walls. Jason’s desk was a substantial piece of furniture and had an antigravity chair that floated next to it.

Andrea pushed a button. The bed shrank and moved under a sofa.

The group followed Andrea into the spacious refresher. Jason massaged Razza’s back. She arched backward and grabbed his hand and held it to her cheek.

“People, fifteen minutes to get to the gym, no time for dawdling. Let’s walk above ground in the fresh air. It is a lovely day. Move it,” said Razza in her best parade ground voice.

They walked along the Mars campus arm in arm laughing and talking, as the path meandered towards their destination.

Mars the planetary AI modeled the campus architecture on that of Oxford University. Most of the campus was underground as the Safion and Uzliumbax preferred to live underground and to leave as much of the surface pristine and undisturbed. The campus was bigger than the original one. Even the surface buildings were larger than the originals. Undulating lawns with colorful flowerbeds and mature trees gave the campus a relaxed feel. Colorful birds native to Mars sang in the treetops. They looked similar to their equivalents on Earth. Students walked hurriedly through the gardens appearing from or disappearing through portals.

The group finally entered a portal to go down to the gym and made their way to the exercise machines.

The machine AI identified Jason and set the muscular resistance. He lost consciousness as intended, then woke twenty minutes later after his workout; his muscles aching. He walked to the red wall and stood there for a few minutes as the wall worked its magic. His aches disappeared.

He met up with his group next door to practice their martial arts routines, then spar. Today he was to fight Emic a young man from the royal family of the Dinnion, one of the most advanced civilizations in the empire.

Emic smiled at Jason as they bowed before their bout. Jason smiled back.

Jason had worked hard during the term to learn the amalgam of fighting methods now taught in the Empire.

“Begin!” Shouted the instructor.

Zerna Parengus, the instructor came from the Azayal an ancient people who had begun moving their solar systems back to the Milky Way from a sub-universe from which they had taken refuge. Zerna had met Jason and his group when they studied with the Azayal at the War College in Merka the capital. She was a dedicated instructor with a love of the martial arts. She thoroughly enjoyed her work on Mars.

Jason and Emic moved carefully watching each other, before Emic attacked in a flurry of blows, tearing Jason’s arms and scratching his abdomen. Jason counter-attacked but found himself on his back with Emic’s fist at his throat.

“Killer blow, five points Emic,” said Zerna. “Carry on, you have a few more minutes.”

Emic helped Jason up, grinning.

Jason again moved to attack Emic. Emic moved to the side and held his stiletto blow a quarter of an inch from Jason’s temple.

“Excellent, Emic, well done, smooth and masterful!

“Class, what could Jason have done to counter the first killer blow of Emic?”

Zerna took out her slate and made a notation, then looked up.

“Yes, Corvus?”

“Emic telegraphed he was moving to throw Jason. After his last blow, he turned to block Jason’s counter punch and prepared for his throw. Jason struck without watching how Emic was moving and missed and ‘gave’ Emic his arm as Emic dodged. Jason was off-balance after he missed Emic. Had he swung his back leg and turned to follow Emic, the throw would have failed and Jason would have had ample opportunities to strike at him. Emic surprised Jason and Jason didn’t consider how he was going to defend himself as he fell. Jason landed where Emic placed him; he did not roll and evade and left himself wide open. You must think while you are being thrown and then move fast on the ground to evade your attacker.” Corvus replied.

Zerna switched on her hologram and enlarged it so the group could see what she was showing them. She played the fight from the time of the start of Jason’s counter-attack in slow motion. Jason could see his errors.

“Well done Corvus, that was an excellent analysis. Now watch the second fight.” Zerna played it at normal speed. “Now what could he have done better?”

“Yes, Annjus?”

“Jason made a classic error. He was concentrating on his forward attack. Emic surprised Jason when he moved sideways. Jason was low with his legs bent, concentrating on his power, but his legs were not wide enough apart. It made him stable front to back but not sideways. Then as Emic moved, and he tried to turn, he lost his balance and did not swing his back leg around as soon as Emic flagged the movement. You can see Emic placing his legs to move. Jason needs to improve his situational awareness. He is too slow and he repeated the same mistake twice.”

Zerna raised her eyebrows. “Let us look at the fight in slow motion. Can you see what Annjus saw?”

Zerna projected the fight in slow motion. “Well-done Annjus, your analysis was accurate. That is all for today. I will make sure you will work through these two instructive fights during your learning session tonight and I will show you the counter attack options in our lesson tomorrow.

As he walked to the refresher, Jason glanced at the superbly fitted out underground gym. Holograms on the gleaming white walls displayed the campus grounds hundreds of feet above them.

The refresher equipment and rejuvenation devices were the best the Empire could produce. It looked clean and inviting, the equipment sleek and inspiring.

Jason dragged himself into the refresher. His body ached from the throw and his neck felt it was out of alignment. He had a dull headache. His arms oozed blood from several deep cuts and his stomach burned. Emic’s claws had torn him.

Jason limped into the refresher clutching his stomach. He looked at the wounds knitting together and disappearing. Andrea and Linda hugged him as they washed.

They moved to the dressers lining the walls and ordered outdoor clothing before walking to the portal and the canteen.

The canteen was fitted out as an elegant restaurant. Students used the holographic menu and were only offered food suitable for their species. Server drones delivered the food.

Begona Keris and Pukini Punahele, his friends from Merka, the Azayal capital sat facing Jason. Begona sighed and looked at Jason. She looked left and right before speaking.

“Jason, you look unhappy.”

“Begona, I am making slow progress. I thought I could surprise the Uzliumbax and Dinnion much as I did when our group started to train with the Azayal. I am far behind many of the ancients,” Jason whined.

“Jason, you are such an idiot! Your expectations of yourself are ridiculous.” Begona remarked.

She looked around before she spoke again.

“Andrea, can you correct me if I misrepresent the facts? Now, as I was saying, you were complaining you are not doing well.

“You are fighting against a different level of beings. Most of those you go up against have had much more experience than you have had. You have only recently been exposed to advanced fighting techniques. The others have had years of top-level fighting. The Azayal fight well but the Uzliumbax were bigger and more vicious than anyone according to my parents. We were of feline origin, fast and light. They were from predatory apes, heavier, faster, and with better natural weapons. The Uzliumbax in our group are fanatics and our group is the elite of the elite. I began to understand this after chatting to Oksana yesterday. Oksana pretends she is laid back and relaxed but I have realized she plays a different less overt competitive game. She told me Annjus was the junior champion of the Uzliumbax three years in a row. Champion of trillions! She and Oksana began training in martial arts at three! Oksana performed almost as well. Both of their families are fanatics! Annjus had the best trainers in the Empire to make sure she was the best of the best.

“I also heard you moaning yesterday that you weren’t doing that well in your studies. I said nothing as Oksana was at the table and I don’t trust her further than I could carry her and her shuttle. She tells Annjus everything. Annjus dislikes you and doesn’t hide it, and I don’t want to give Annjus more ammunition to wind herself up even more.

“Earth was primitive and the Azayal were way behind the Uzliumbax. The subjects we are doing this quarter are subjects you have not done formally at a sophisticated level. Annjus has a doctorate in law and one in politics. She has done most subjects that are part of the social sciences. I don’t know what else she has done. Emic was more science-oriented but has had extensive experience in the subjects we are studying this term,” said Begona. “The Dinnion and Uzliumbax believe in well rounded people. You can see it clearly in Annjus, Emic and Oksana. They have had superb education.”

“Begona, you are doing fine,” said Andrea smiling and nodding, “Jason please listen to her.”

“We have all discovered the Uzliumbax and Dinnion along with most of their past allies insist on a broad education. We the Azayal, concentrate on the sciences and engineering. You are not with a beginner group and you mix with the best of the best. You may have Uzliumbax genes, but you did not get exposed to their education in-depth,” continued Begona.

“I want to know why you feel the need to be the most outstanding amongst your people?” she asked.

Begona looked around her before whispering.

“As the Emperor, you need not be the best of the best. It should please you just to be competitive amongst this amazing group. We are not living in the Stone Age. The Emperor need not be the best fighter or the greatest academic.”

“Begona, we said something similar,” said Linda sighing. “It goes in one ear and out the other without engaging his brain. He says he has something missing and education will fill the gap. He has to do well or he will never be a good Emperor! The whining and complaining drive us crazy.”

“Jason,” said Corvus, “I have been learning to fight for over a thousand years. I am bigger and heavier than most of you guys. For someone who has had so little training, you fight well. Most of us are champions in our civilizations and you rank in the top five here amongst the best of the elite.

“You are not far behind Annjus and Emic despite the gap between you. I find it tiresome how you drive yourself for no good reason. You are improving. As Begona says you need not be the best in everything. Ask yourself what mistakes you have made and work on them,” Corvus continued.

Jason sighed.

“I bet you Jason has moved on to think of his rune inadequacies,” said Ooryphyon laughing.

Jason looked at her and frowned. He then grinned.

“You read my mind you sneak!”

“So?” Ooryphyon said, then poked out her tongue. “You are my idiot and my role is to make you into a better person. I must monitor what you are getting up to. Someone has to do it, if Lisirra is not around.”