Chapter One: The Intervention

Earth Year 2514
 
“Die, alien! Bang!”

I fell to the ground, grabbing my gut and making dramatic death sounds. My five-year-old son’s laughter filled the cavernous space as he fully entered the living room, clutching the toy gun I carved for him.

My wife Alaina appeared from the kitchen with her arms crossed. “JJ, breakfast.” Her tired grey eyes landed on me. “Do you need anything before we depart, James?”

“I do not.”

JJ did his best to help me up, and I let him think he really contributed, before he ran to the kitchen.

Breakfast was fast and silent while we raced to make it to the Sabbath sermon. Virtue Squads, specially trained groups from the militia, patrolled for anyone who was not in church by the time the High Preacher began speaking. My status as a militia officer did not guarantee safety for us.

Especially since my father was Grand General, the head of the militia and one of the three colony leaders.

Before we left, I checked that each of us would pass scrutiny. People expected us to uphold standards to a higher degree than the average citizen. I tapped off the light, and we made our way to the muddy road. The church loomed in the distance, majestic and threatening.

Simple nods greeted us when we reached the road. Some men wore uniforms like mine, career militiamen who held some status. Early morning humidity made the wool clothing almost unbearable, but that would get better once the sun rose.

Approaching the center of town, fewer homes had electric lighting or running water. The only time the classes routinely mixed was on the Sabbath, when the entire town gathered for the sermon each Sunday. The contrast between appearances baffled me when I was a child, until I learned my family had quite a bit more money than the families around us. We could afford nicer clothing and the plumbing for routine bathing.

Two miles into the walk, our group turned onto the main road and our destination drew close. The church was the centerpiece of our town, Jerusalem. Doctrine said the founders of the colony built it 400 years before I was born. My favorite part was the intricate stained glass that sparkled from the interior spotlights, displaying the story of Jesus and of the founding.

A few hundred feet from the entrance, we came across a Virtue Squad. Four men in their mid-teens stood over a cowering elderly man dressed in grey ragged clothing.

JJ tugged my arm. “Why isn’t he going to church?”

“I don’t know. Alaina, take him in.”

I walked over to the squad in time to see the leader unclip the cowhide lash from his belt.

“What is going on here?” I asked as I eyed the man on the ground. He appeared homeless, which was a serious crime. Often too old or sick to work, the homeless usually found themselves bound to the church or living away from town, deep in the woods.

The leader’s head snapped around with a scowl, but his expression smoothed when he noticed my rank. His eyes flicked to the Colony Defense Medal on my chest. The Guardian turned fully to me, and I recognized him as Brent Williams. Guardian was the first rank of leadership in the militia, and I had seen more than one man let it go to his head. Williams was one of those men.

“Sir,” he said with a nod. “We discovered this blight avoiding church. He is clearly guilty of unbelief. I was about to show him what happens to those who insult God.”

Intervening could put me in a precarious position. If it got back to my father, he may question why I prevented a Virtue Squad from carrying out their duties. Such scrutiny could be catastrophic, but I refused to see justice in beating an old man for his misfortune.

“Service begins soon,” I said. “Take him in for soul cleansing. It will be good for the town to see the consequences of vagrancy and unbelief.”

They would have taken him for soul cleansing anyway, but at least now they might skip the predawn brutality.

Williams eyed me for a moment. I was not in charge of the Virtue Squads, but was an Overseer, one of the higher officer ranks, and in charge of all training across the colony. That plus the medals on my chest made him consider my words. My name may have had something to do with it.

All of 17, Williams had his sights set on becoming a Watchman, and then probably applying for Officer when it came time to choose his profession. Standing over the trembling old man, he looked torn, grasping the whip like a holy relic, but eventually nodded.

“Inspired idea, sir. We’ll turn him over to clergy at once.”

“Good. Let’s hurry. The doors will close soon.”

The squad members hoisted the man and marched him toward the back entrance of the church, where he would wait with anyone else headed for cleansing.

I wiped my forehead and tried to settle my stomach. I just had to hope it didn’t get back to my father.

The church was the largest structure in the colony, easily fitting thousands of townspeople. Large stones stacked to the sky, hauled with the last of the rolling machines, before a long-ago generation repurposed their metal. Other colony towns had their own churches, but none as magnificent.

I made it through the huge oak doors before they closed, but barely. I hustled to the balcony with the other career militiamen. My father stood at the center of the conversation. As tall and wiry as me, but with more gray in his hair and colder green eyes, he commanded attention with his presence.

The sharp gaze of Grand General Marcus Moore landed on me, and he gave a smile that wasn’t meant to be menacing, but chilled my blood anyway.

“Hello, James. We were just sitting.”

The Bishops, who outranked me, spread down the row to make room for me beside the General. The balcony overlooked the congregation, a sea of suits on the right and dresses on the left. Voices died down, save some continued mutters over the sticky air and rising heat.

I looked over the edge to see Alaina sitting in the women’s section, beside my mother and sisters-in-law. I fought the smile that tried to creep onto my face, but my chest filled with warmth.

Just 10 hours of church before dinner and Bible study.

Then Alaina and I could continue planning our escape.

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