《A New Golden Age: The Britannian Empire 2015-2020》


 [Prologue] Alpha and Omega

    ¡°I dreamt of drowning. I don¡¯t know how really. I¡¯ve never¡­ really had to hold my breath longer than 10 maybe 15 seconds tops, but¡­. but I remember the sensation of pain tearing through my lungs from the lack of air and then eventually from the ice cold water filling them¡­¡± I stared down at a gleaming steel table as I recounted my dream. I looked up into the searing bright light front of me and asked the man behind it, ¡°What do you think it means?¡±


    There was a pause before the light responded to me with venomous condescension, ¡°If I were to guess Minister Weiss, I would say it would have something to do with you being woken up with a bucket of water every morning.¡±


    He paused and I could hear him smiling. I know I could hear him smiling. He always smiles at the worst¡­ at the cruelest times. ¡°However, Minister Weiss, it could have something to do with the sack of guilt you carry around with you everywhere.¡± The voice got deeper, meaner, ¡°I mean you are one of the people responsible for the deaths of oh¡­ what is it now half a million people now that everything is all said and done. That¡¯s completely ignoring the war as well, and that adds another 20, 30, hell maybe even 50 million more to that list, and there¡¯s no end to that in sight.¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s not true¡­,¡± I mumbled childlishly.


    I heard the voice smile again, ¡°Oh really? Then would you care to elaborate who might be guilty then, Minister Weiss? I mean that¡¯s your only hope of getting out of this hole and getting some real food and sleep again. I mean, wouldn¡¯t it be nice to not feel the drowning anymore?¡±


    My eyes glazed over and I wobbled around in my chair a bit before I steadied myself. I rubbed my eyes and felt a little bit of sense come back to me thanks to the flickering anger I felt. I smiled weakly at the interrogator, ¡°Yeah? What guarantee do I have that you won¡¯t just leave me in this pit to rot for the rest of my days?¡± I tried to laugh in defiance but after one chuckle my ribs consumed me with pain and I had to grit my teeth. I continued after taking a few moments to collect myself, ¡°I know what the Ghost¡¯s do to prisoners convicted of treason. For all the world cares I¡¯m already dead.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The voi-¡­ interrogator shot back icily, ¡°Well, a traitor to the Emperor should be dead to the world, especially one as effective as you and your little group. You all had a nice 20 years enjoying wealth, power, and prestige.¡± He sighed, ¡°Did you have to throw it all away for that extra bite at the pie? I mean there¡¯s plenty to go around.¡±


    I slowly shook my head feeling a deep ache in my muscles as I did so, ¡°I mean ambition¡¯s a hell of drug.¡± I felt my mind slipping again and I just stared blankly into the light. After what felt like five minutes of blankly staring into the brightness I decided I had enough, ¡°Coffee, black. That¡¯s the price to tell you when and where it began.¡±


    I felt the smile again as the interrogator responded, ¡°Oh but of course. We are nothing but gracious to people who cooperate.¡± I heard a snap, a few whispered lines, the door to the room cycle, and then silence again. While I waited, I took the time to glance around the room and see if there was any sort of identifying marks on the concrete cube I found myself in. I tried to move my chest to get a better view but the pain was to much, so I relied on my aching neck to find anything fresh and new, however I found¡­ nothing. Every seam was flush and sharp and there was no sign of cracks anywhere. If I could feel anything but pain and exhaustion, I¡¯m sure it would have been a sense of fear or unease. This room was just to perfect.


    I think three minutes passed before I heard the door cycle again. I saw a plain paper cup filled with a steaming black sloshing liquid slide into the light. ¡°Well Minister Weiss, we have fulfilled our end of the bargain now we expect you to do the same.¡±


    I ignored the smiling menace and moved my chained hands to take a sip from the cup enjoying the burning sensation on my tongue and a bit more awareness return to my mind. ¡°A deal is a deal I suppose. Well it started at a small gathering at the villa the Duke of Burgundy has outside of Bern.¡± I blew out of my mouth, ¡°I¡¯d say it was mid-December of 2014? It was something like three weeks after the Parliamentary elections, and the selection of the new Emperor. Lord Vance called five of us their in order to talk about¡­¡±


    I was only able to explain about half of the meeting before I felt a sharp pain in my chest and my head begin to spin. I barely registered it as my head slammed into the table and I heard a chair scrape somewhere very far away. My eyes fazed out and the last thing I heard before darkness consumed me was, ¡°Fuck you old man. You¡¯re not allowed to die yet.¡±

 Chapter 1

    I played with the sausage and eggs on my plate hoping to find the inspiration to eat them. My stomach growled aggressively at me, telling me to get on with it, however just looking at the food made me feel sick. I smiled ruefully at the plate realizing I hadn¡¯t been this nervous since I¡¯d taken the Bar and turned to look out the window hoping it would help me try and ignore the chorus inside my body but all I saw were pools of light cast by the street lamps below. I spent a few minutes blankly staring outside before I heard a soft ring coming from my phone.


    I looked down and saw a message telling me my driver had arrived. I sighed and pushed my plate forward. I smiled weakly to the woman standing to the left of me, ¡°Rosa I¡¯m sorry but could you please wrap this up and put it into the fridge,¡± gesturing to the plate. ¡°I¡¯ll try again when I get home.¡±


    She looked at me and nodded saying, ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    I got up from the dark wooden table where I was eating as Rosa moved towards my vacated plate. As I turned to the door I looked at a vase of chrysanthemums that my wife placed there the day before, and I felt myself smile as the dread eased slightly. I exited the dining room and moved into a hall that had waist high enameled mahogany panels with vibrantly colored floral patterned wallpaper above that reaching to the ceiling. I was still bothered by the richness of the new home I found myself in and I shook my head to clear my thoughts walked. I entered through a door left of the dining room exit that lead into the entrance hall of the house, in front of me was the butler whom I met merely the week before who I nodded to and said, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    He bowed slightly and replied, ¡°Good morning sir.¡±


    After this exchange I took a sharp right and climbed the stairs to the second floor.  On my way up I looked at a picture that was hanging in the center point between the floors and paused for a second. It was a picture of my wife and I getting married outside of the grand cathedral in Notre Dame. I laughed at the thought remembering we had to scrimp and save for half a year, so we could afford to pay the Church what they wanted. The guests might have complained about getting second rate food but the smile of Catherine¡¯s face when she stood in front of that grand edifice in her plain white gown¡­ I was lost in thought as I walked the rest of the way up.


    I glance around the second floor hallway as I moved through it noting that it looked much like ones on the first floor as I moved to open the first door on the right. I entered and stood still for a minute to get used to the darkness inside. As soon as I could make out the shapes in the floor I moved to the bed and gently kissed my sleeping wife on the cheek whispering, ¡°I love you.¡± Moving away from the bed, I walked into the closet, put on my black suit jacket, and a brown peacoat. I exited our bedroom as quietly as I entered and walked back downstairs.


    I looked at our diligent butler and said, ¡°Thank you, Adalbert,¡± before taking my briefcase and cane from him.


    He bowed graciously as I entered the vestibule separating the warmth of my borrowed home from the frigid air of New York in early January. Looking down the steps, I saw a man standing ramrod straight in front of the passenger door of a black sedan. He saluted me saying, ¡°Good morning Minister Henngau, my name is Jonathan Wu and I¡¯ll be your bodyguard and driver for the duration of your term.¡±


    I shuddered slightly at the mention of ¡°Minister¡±, but I attempted to pass it off as the cold getting to me. I responded as pleasantly as I could, ¡°Good morning to you as well Lt. Wu. I hope I haven¡¯t kept you outside too long this morning. Also please just call me Walter¡± I glanced up at the sky and only a few dim stars stared back at me; the hint of dawn was nowhere to be seen.


    He opened the backseat door saying, ¡°Not at all sir. I served in the Antarctic garrison and the capitol is a sauna in comparison.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I took the time it took him to get to the driver¡¯s seat to parse that. When he sat down I asked him, ¡°We have men stationed down there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. They¡¯re for the protection of research group Olympus. I believe I heard one of the scientists mention something new superconductors being made down there.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I haven¡¯t heard about them in the news before.¡± I muttered to myself before following up with, ¡°Are they a group established recently?¡±


    He started moving the car down the road as he responded, ¡°No they aren¡¯t. Olympus has been around for about 40 or 50 years now I believe, however their work is kept under tight wraps. If you want to know more, you¡¯d need to file a request with archives once you¡¯ve been sworn in this morning. Assuming you aren¡¯t appointed to the Sciences Relationship Committee.¡±


    I considered this in silence for a few minutes as he drove through the busy streets of the city before asking, ¡°Why did you go down there? It seems kind of like an undesirable post.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond until we reached a stoplight, and he looked at me with a slight smile, ¡°Our world is beautiful, it¡¯d be a shame not to see all of it with one¡¯s own eyes.¡±


    I stared at him as he turned back to face the road before looking out at the city to my right. I thought, ¡®So my protector is a free spirit then,¡¯ before my eyes glazed over as I watched the lights streak before me. ¡®This city is too busy.¡¯


    About twenty minutes after leaving home, we reached a parking garage that had a soldier, in ballistic armor and toting some sort of rifle, asking for our ID¡¯s. I saw him carefully look at the Lt. and myself before waving us through. We drove down to a lower level and I sighed as the earth enveloped us. As we parked, and Lt. Wu left the car I pulled a white fabric flower from my briefcase and attached it to my lapel. I was getting anxious as he walked around the car, I was dreading the day ahead of me, I opened the door on my own and exited quickly closing it behind me.


    The Lt. looked at me with surprise briefly and I think I barely could make out the outline of a smile. However, before I could really decide if I was right, he gestured towards a hallway and said, ¡°Right this way.¡±


    I looked at my watch, which read 5:03 AM, and looked around the parking area and saw a few other ministers had arrived and were all walking in the same direction we were. Most of them were in pairs though there were three groups that were larger than that. We were within earshot of one of the larger groups and I heard one of them say, ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯re going to show that brat who the fucking boss is around here. I¡¯m getting tired of them exerting so much power in the houses.¡± I tried to get a sneaky look at the speaker, he hovered around 6 feet, had rosy cheeks, a wrinkled face, and greying hair. I glanced at him a moment to long because he rose an eyebrow over a pair of glasses and glared at me before returning his gaze to his companions.


    Lt. Wu whispered to me, seemingly to have noticed this exchange, ¡°That would be Duke Michael Lennox. He¡¯s a leader of the more¡­ ardent supporters of the Nobility inside the House of Lords. If you stay off out of his bad graces you won¡¯t have the Noble faction biting at your heels.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I looked around again as we entered the basement levels of the parliament building and was briefly stunned by the sheer amount of white marble everywhere. An embroidered red and gold carpet ran along the center of the hall ending at a large double door made from some dark wood. Standing ahead of us on the right was a group of about six people, all of whom looked exhausted, with the most animated being a man in his 40¡¯s with brown-yellow hair, dark circles under his eyes that looked like makeup accident, had a bit of a round face, and was about five and a half feet tall. ¡®This man looks familiar¡­,¡¯ I thought to myself as the Lt. and I continued to walk down the gilded hallway.


    It wasn¡¯t until we passed the group that I remembered who the person was. I turned to Wu, ¡°Lt. is that Carl Moseley? I saw him on the news the other week talking about pulse laser rifles,¡± I turned to look back at the scientist, who was still talking animatedly, before continuing, ¡°Yea he was that excited on the news as well. What is he doing here? Is he some sort of MP?¡±


    The Lt. smiled at me, ¡°That¡¯s mostly correct Minister.¡± He looked back at Moseley,¡± He is the current Director of the House of Sciences, and he¡¯s chatting with two preeminent physicists, three chemists, and I believe the former head of Ursine Heavy Industries, who is a member of the House of Commerce.¡±


    I looked back at the group of people behind us again, curious about what they were talking about. However, whatever had them so excited a second seemed to have passed, and they reverted to quietly whispering among each other. Though I was happy they were oblivious enough to not noticed my glances in their direction.