The Worker Prince Read online

  Table of Contents

  The System

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Book Description

  What if everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world turned out to be wrong? For Davi Rhii, Prince of the Boralian people, that nightmare has become a reality. Freshly graduated from the prestigious Borali Military Academy, now he’s discovered a secret that calls into question everything he knew about himself. His quest to rediscover himself brings him into conflict with his friends and family, calling into question his cultural values and assumptions, and putting in jeopardy all he’s worked for his whole life. One thing’s for sure: he’s going to have to make decisions that will change his life forever …

  Praise for Bryan Thomas Schmidt’s

  The Worker Prince:

  Honorable Mention, Barnes and Noble’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases—Paul Goat Allen.

  “THE WORKER PRINCE breathes dynamic new life into the space opera genre. Rich characters, wild action, and devious plotlines collide in a thoroughly entertaining book!” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Predator One and Deadlands: Ghostwalkers.

  “A brisk science fiction novel full of rich characters and settings, it embodies ‘sense of wonder’ in the best traditions of classic science fiction. Well worth your time!” – Robin Wayne Bailey, New York Times Bestselling author of Dragonkin and Frost.

  “I found myself thinking of stories that I read during my (misspent) youth, including Heinlein juveniles and the Jason January tales, as well as Star Trek and Star Wars.”— Redstone SF.

  “Retro-with-a-twist SF brimming with an infectious enthusiasm!” — Saladin Ahmed, author Throne Of the Crescent Moon.

  “Bryan Thomas Schmidt’s THE WORKER PRINCE will appeal to readers of all ages. Bryan deftly explores a world where those who believe in one God labor against oppressors, and a single man may have the power to change their situation for the better. But will he be able to rise above all that his powerful uncle has taught him?” — Brenda Cooper, Author of Edge of Dark, The Silver Ship and the Sea and Mayan December.

  “In THE WORKER PRINCE, Bryan Thomas Schmidt combines elements from the Biblical story of Moses with exciting outer space action to create a satisfying hero’s journey that is well worth taking.” — David Lee Summers, Author of The Solar Sea, Editor of Tales Of The Talisman.

  “Bryan Thomas Schmidt’s love for Science Fiction comes through on every page. THE WORKER PRINCE is fun for any age.” — Maurice Broaddus, Author of The Knights Of Breton Court and King’s Justice.

  “Bryan Thomas Schmidt's debut novel is a fast-paced and deftly-told space opera adventure set in a well-envisioned political and social environment. It is classic space adventure in all the right ways, with plenty of action, twists, and characters with emotional depth.” – Gary W. Olson, author of Brutal Light.

  “Mr. Schmidt provides an engrossing story, believable characters, an interesting world, and decent writing…a recommended read…” – Rick Copple, author.

  “A very well written book, and a story very well told. It's nice to read a book where the heroes are heroes and the villains are villains. I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of the Moses story with the Sci-Fi themes…I would highly recommend it even if you are new to Sci-Fi.” – Ben Love, First Million Words Podcast.

  “…Not a simple story, but a complex piece of work…the intricate plot alone is enough to carry the reader along….Bryan Thomas Schmidt depicts this absorbing world. Drawing on strong literary elements which are key to this type of fiction, the potential for the series is boundless.” – Ricky Brown, Howell Book Examiner.

  Digital Edition – 2015

  WordFire Press

  wordfirepress.com

  ISBN: 978-1-61475-362-9

  Copyright © 2011, 2015 Bryan Thomas Schmidt

  Originally published in print and digital by Diminished Media Group, 2011

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the copyright holder, except where permitted by law. This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover design by Janet McDonald

  Art Director Kevin J. Anderson

  Cover artwork images by Dollar Photo Club

  Edited for WFP by Vivian Trask

  Solar System Map by Jeana Clark

  Book Design by RuneWright, LLC

  www.RuneWright.com

  Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, Publishers

  Published by

  WordFire Press, an imprint of

  WordFire, Inc.

  PO Box 1840

  Monument, CO 80132

  Dedication

  For my parents

  Who allowed me the freedom to dream

  For Grandma Marie and Grandma Ethel

  Whose support and gifts, along with their love,

  made dreams possible

  And For Lucy

  The System

  Prologue

  Sol climbed to the top of the rise and stared up at the twin suns as they climbed into the sky. Yellows, reds, and oranges faded under the increasing blue of oncoming daylight, leaving a pinkish glow on the horizon, and the ever-present smell of chemicals and fuel filled his nostrils but he barely noticed.

  For as long as he could remember, he’d started each day with an escape from the heavy, polluted air and the noise of people, factories, and traffic. The peaceful, quiet sunrises would usually calm him to face the day ahead, but today he had no sense of peace, and the silence of the city’s edge drowned beneath the clamor within him.

  My precious son! My God, don’t forsake us now!

  The wait had been interminable, punctured by endless prayers to God for a precious gift. Now they had to send him away—their Davi! Was there no justice in this universe?

  He glanced at his chrono and sighed. Wouldn’t want to be late to serve the Borali Alliance! After one last look at the twin suns, he turned and hurried back along the path toward Iraja and the starport filling the horizon near the city’s edge below.

  He labored more with each breath as heavy air filled his lungs. The depot occupied a strategic site at the center of the planet, ensuring easy access from all regions. Ignoring the droning soundtrack of the city awakening, Sol timed in on the chrono and greeted Aron, his co-worker and lifelong friend.

  “Regallis,” Aron said, smiling.

  “Regallis?” Sol asked. It seemed so far away—one of the outer planets in the system.

  Aron nodded. “It’s perfect. Good population, frequent tourists, fertile plants, peaceful, no pollution. Best of all, no slavery. Davi should find a very happy life there.” Sol smiled at the thought. “I plotted coordinates to the capital. Figured it w
ould give him the best chance.”

  Sol clapped Aron on the shoulder, as the idea blossomed. “Thank you, Aron. We knew we could count on you.”

  Aron, short and bulky, filled out the blue-green jumpsuit, leather boots, and tool belt both comprising their mechanics’ uniform more fully than his thinner, taller companion. They moved across a hangar toward their workstation, despite the deafening racket closing in around them—the constant hum of machinery, men shouting to be heard over it, the roar of engines, and the staccato hammering of tools. The sounds, the chaos of starships in all states of repair, and the smell of fuel and sweat combined to make the hangar a place most visitors preferred to avoid. Sol didn’t even notice.

  “What do you have left to do?” Aron asked as their eyes scanned the daily work assignments on their terminals.

  “Test the seals, navigation system, and replace injector. Then I need fuel.” Sol sighed, ticking the tasks off on his fingers like always. There would be no time to work on the courier today.

  “My friend at the fuel depot has leftover military fuel cells. They almost never ask for them back. He volunteered some for the courier.”

  Sol beamed. If he’d ever had a brother, he hoped it would have been someone like Aron. “What did I do to deserve a friend like you?”

  Aron shrugged. “Some people are luckier than others.”

  Sol laughed at Aron’s silly grin as they set to work on their assigned tasks. As he worked, Sol stared through the hangar’s transparent roof at the clear blue sky overhead. Through a break in the gray, polluted clouds, the clean purity of a blue sky contrasted with his daily existence. He and Lura had adored every moment since the birth of their son. Every giggle, smile, or sign of personality sent waves of warm amazement coursing through him. There was not any more precious gift than that of this little creature who’d come from their love.

  But Lord Xalivar’s decree had taken the planet by storm. All first-born worker sons would be slaughtered for the gods. There were rumors that the crisis resulted from one of the High Lord Councilor’s nightmares, but no one knew for sure. Xalivar didn’t need a reason. Concerning the slaves, his word was law.

  The gods! Gods our people don’t even believe in would dare to take away our Davi! Sol and Lura desperately wondered what they could do to save their precious boy. After hours of discussion, they’d found a single choice.

  The next morning, Sol had begun modifying the round, silver courier craft designed to carry supplies and papers between planets in the solar system. Being a mechanic at the depot put him in the perfect position. He installed a vacuum sealer and oxygen vents and hollowed out the cavity to hold the cushion on which he would place their tiny son for the journey.

  Sol enlisted Aron, who had access to navigation charts for the entire system, knowing together they could find a place where Davi would be found and cared for. The courier’s sub-light drive would cut travel time to no more than a day to anywhere in the solar system.

  Lura wouldn’t eat and barely slept, sitting with Davi and refusing to leave him. At least Sol’s work kept him occupied. He couldn’t bear watching her suffer, and if he didn’t act, Davi would be sacrificed with the others. Healing would come when they knew he was safe. Sol was, even now, working on a tracking device, which would send back a signal to the depot when the craft landed. They might never see Davi again, but at least they would know he’d escaped to a new life.

  As the suns’ rays shone through the hanger’s translucent roof and warmed the space where he stood, it comforted Sol to know their baby boy would see the same suns wherever he wound up. Shadows crept away like their quat, Luci, who loved to sneak around feeling invisible with her arched back and long tail. Luci would miss the little one, too. Sol offered a silent prayer of thanks for the time they’d had with their precious son then turned back to his tasks.

  O O O

  “LSP Squads are landing and moving toward our neighborhoods.” A co-worker appeared beside Sol’s worktable, his fearful eyes darting around like flies hovering over a corpse.

  “We don’t have much time,” Sol said to Aron as the co-worker hurried off, and they abandoned the hulking barge to finish the courier.

  Aron tested the navigation system, while Sol checked the seals. Less than thirty minutes later, the first reports of methodical killings came in—first-born males of all ages being slaughtered by LSP squads moving from home to home.

  “I hope Lura heard the news.” Sol couldn’t stand still. And even as he said it he winced, wishing he could spare her. But if she heard it, she’d come, and that was their only chance.

  “I’m sure everyone on the planet knows about it by now,” Aron replied as both did their best to hurry without making any mistakes. “She’s probably on her way here already.”

  Sol nodded, fighting the tension stiffening his limbs. His clammy hands slipped a bit as he worked, his breath bursting in and out as his heart pounded. Lura would follow their plan and head for the depot with Davi. With his supervisors watching, he couldn’t run home and warn her. He’d risk encountering the LSP squads, who tended to shoot first and ask questions later of citizens who interrupted them in action.

  The supervisor was upon them within the hour. Tran hurried over waving the two lower arms extending from either side of his rounded, voluminous stomach. Two parallel arms extended out of his shoulders above them, one holding an electronic translator, which translated his words from his native Lhamor—a series of clicks and clacks—into the commonly used “Standard,” the official language of the Alliance.

  “There’s no courier on your worksheets.” His gray jumpsuit bore not a blemish or wrinkle, unlike theirs which were covered with grease and grit. The stare from the green-scaled supervisor’s disproportionally large orange eyes might have been intimidating if Sol hadn’t already grown used to it.

  Sol’s throat tightened, but Aron remained calm. “It’s the courier for Estrela Industries, Tran,” Aron said as he entered calculations into the navigation system’s computer. “We got notification they’ve moved up the testing. It’s for a top-secret program authorized by Lord Xalivar himself.”

  Sol and Aron had long ago devised the story about the courier belonging to an important defense contractor. They’d seen too many other workers killed just for failing to meet their quotas. Since couriers were a part of their regular routine, it was easy enough to excuse their working on it from time to time if anyone asked. Before now, no one had.

  Tran mulled this over, staring at them as if he could read their minds.

  “It’s almost done—a few minor adjustments.” Sol used a wrench to finish checking bolts on the courier’s hatch.

  “Well, you can’t leave today without finishing your assignments.” Tran’s eyes reddened with suspicion before he whirled and marched away. At least they’d bought themselves time.

  “If he goes to the manager—” Sol shuddered at the memory of past tortures for disobedience.

  “He won’t. He flinches at the mention of Xalivar’s name,” Aron reminded him, as they hurried back to work on the courier. Sol’s breathing normalized again, and he hoped Lura was on her way there.

  A clerk in a red jumpsuit appeared, handing Aron some parts for another project. As Aron signed the laser pad to acknowledge receipt, the co-worker looked at Sol. “They’ve started in your neighborhood. We just heard.”

  Sol and Aron exchanged a frightened glance as the co-worker slipped away. Sol’s shoulders stiffened and his heartbeat climbed as sweat beaded on his upper lip. He jumped at the communicator’s beep, and then double clicked the talk button. “Station sixty-five.”

  “Your wife is in the lobby,” the auto-bot receptionist responded. The line went dead.

  Sol’s shoulders descended as he turned to Aron. “Get the pod to Test Pad Seventeen-A. We’ll meet you there.”

  Aron nodded as Sol hurried off toward the lobby.

  Lura waited with Davi wrapped in a blanket, rocking him in her arms. She wore a si
mple white jumpsuit and tan leather shoes, her long brown hair flowing down her back. As it had for fifteen years, her beauty took Sol’s breath away. The most perfect human he’d ever met had chosen him. He’d never deserve her, and it just made him love her more.

  Sol hugged his wife, seeing the fear in her hazel eyes. “Come with me.” Grabbing her arm, he steered her away from the four-armed auto-bot, which sat permanently affixed before a huge communications console. He tried to relax, knowing it was a mech but as they neared the door, Davi began crying.

  “Is that a baby?” Tran’s voice came from behind them, and they turned to see him frowning as he approached.

  “It’s our son,” Lura commented, then put a hand over her mouth as Tran reached for a communicator on the wall.

  The clerk who’d delivered supplies to Sol and Aron earlier entered at a run. “Tran, Station Thirty-Four has no fuel.”

  Tran stopped reaching for the communicator and turned to face him. “What do you mean they have no fuel?”

  As Sol pushed Lura through the door, Tran whirled back around, scowling before the door slammed shut behind them.

  Lura’s tears flowed as Sol dragged her by the arm, zigzagging through the chaotic hangar toward the test pads. They almost couldn’t hear Davi crying above the din.

  “I’m sorry …” Lura’s hand shook as she clung to his arm.

  “Let’s hope Aron’s got the courier ready.” Sol tapped three numbers into a security door and it rose into a ceiling cavity with a loud, whooshing sound. He ushered her down a dimly lit corridor.