Chapter Nineteen

The Forbidden Fruit

Tough choices turn meek kings into mighty emperors

Aden

The Fifth Loop, Year 381, 9th January (5L/381/1/9)

"Get me on your fastest vehicle. Time is of utmost importance," Olivier ordered the army officer. He was dying to meet the king. He hadn't expected things to turn out so well.

"Yes sir, those were the precise instructions—bring the returning delegates to Aurae as quickly as possible. But no one ever imagined this," Desmond said, casting a mournful glance at the severed heads.

Olivier wanted to dance but had to somehow feign a dejected look. "Yes, no one ever thought of this. We must carry the bodies of William and Andrews and the heads of the martyrs to Aurae. They must get funerals worthy of kings."

"Yes sir, I will load them into the vehicles and we must move at once."

"We must not abandon this post. What if someone from Tenebra tries to intrude into our world? We must send some more reinforcements to guard this post." Olivier had to ensure that the news of what actually happened in Elisium never reached Aden.

"You are right sir. I will escort you to Aurae and leave behind my troops to guard the post. I will also ask for immediate reinforcements."

Olivier and Desmond, followed by the truck carrying the dead bodies and the severed heads, reached Aurae just before dawn.

"Take me straight to the Grand Palace."

"Waking up King Samuel at this hour won't be a great idea," Desmond suggested.

Olivier gave him a cold stare, and Desmond got his answer. He instructed his driver to turn their car towards the palace.

King Samuel came into the guest room, stifling a yawn. His face lit up when he saw his HighMinister and his childhood friend. "Olivier! Holy Angels, you all have kept me on the edge of my seat. Where are the others? They must have directly gone to their homes. Their families are more worried than me."

Olivier hung his head and remained silent.

Samuel's heart skipped a beat. "What happened? In God's name Olivier, please speak."

"The delegation didn't return as we had planned. In fact, I am the only one who has returned—alive."

Samuel's head started to spin. He sunk into a nearby chair. "Oh my God, Oh my God. God Bless their Souls. Tell me what happened?"

Olivier sat down on the chair next to the king and narrated his well-rehearsed fabricated version of the events.

"Andrews got carried away by the similarities between the two worlds and got himself, and many others, killed. Those savages are far removed from any semblance of a civilized society. A harmonious relationship? The moment they knew that we were from the other world they turned hostile."

"What did they do?"

"They called us looters and plunderers. And when Andrews told them about our need for the Star-Rocks, their council of wild men passed a unanimous order to execute all of us and throw our heads into the whirlpool."

"Then how by the name of the merciful God did you escape?"

"We fired our guns and fled towards the whirlpool. Our delegates fought but fell one by one. Only Andrews, William, and I made it to the bridge. Those savages picked up the guns of our fallen members and shot William. Andrews sacrificed his life and took the bullets meant for me. I am forever indebted. I owe my life to him." Olivier surprised himself with his acting skills. He even managed to bring a few tears to his eyes.

"So Tenebra is never going to be our friend. We must forget this whole thing as an exploration mission gone wrong."

"Your Highness, we must not take any decisions in haste. We must think of all the aspects."

"Good Heavens Olivier, if they don't cooperate then what options do we have?"

"Before reaching any decisions we must consider a few things. First, tell me, are these Star-Rocks as useful as Andrews claimed?"

Olivier already knew the answer. During their two days journey in Elisium, he had learned everything about that world and the Star-Rocks from Andrews. These rocks were the heart of his plan, the gist of the forbidden fruit. He had to make Samuel bite it and get banished from his paradise.

"Holy Angels, our scientists have confirmed that they could be even better than what Andrews thought."

"Your Highness, our fuel reserves won't last till the end of this Loop. If we let go of Star-Rocks Aden will come to a grinding halt."

"But how in God's name will we get those rocks if those wretched people don't allow us to enter their world?" Samuel asked.

"If they don't allow us, we take it from them without their consent by sending an army to Tenebra."

Samuel gasped. "Demon's curse, have you left your brain behind in Tenebra? You are asking me to invade another world? Spill blood? Kill innocents? The whole of Aden will turn against me if I even speak of anything like that."

Olivier knew these were choppy waters and he had to maneuver with utmost caution. "There won't be a war. Those people are savages but they are not fools. They won't fight a huge army brandishing advanced weapons."

"They brutally beheaded seventeen men. So can you please enlighten me why in the name of Holy Angels they won't fight?"

"Your Highness, we were only a few men with guns and yet we almost overpowered their whole army. Their swords and bows are no match for our firearms. They were scared of our weapons. Our delegates got killed because they were not trained to fight. If we send a large well-trained army with sophisticated weapons, I promise you, they will quietly surrender. Our troops will get what we want without spilling a drop of blood."

Samuel got up from his chair and started walking around the room. "And how big an army do you think is good enough?"

"Ten thousand. The more, the better."

"Holy Angels! We just have a few thousand men in Aurae. Aden is pretty conflict-free so we don't need too many soldiers. From where will we get such a huge army?"

"Your Highness, we can recruit soldiers by offering them some lucrative benefits. I am sure many commoners will grab such an opportunity. We have a whole decade to recruit and train for this mission."

"And where are the weapons coming from? I am sure a few hundred guns won't be enough to conquer a hostile world."

A smile spread across Olivier's face. Samuel had bought into his plan and was already thinking about the army and the weapons. "Yes, we don't have that many guns, but we know how to make them. You will have to create a separate arms-and-ammunition department and allocate funds to speed up the weapon manufacturing."

"Bless the Souls Olivier, I am still not sure about this. I can't risk spilling innocent blood."

Olivier sighed. A step forward and then back to square one. He will have to anyhow floor Samuel's nagging conscience. "Just like us, Elisium has no army—just a few hundred guards in the Ruins. Believe me, when they see a huge army laced with dangerous weapons, they will surrender without a fight. You have always put faith in my decisions, I assure you not a single soul will be killed."

"But how in Almighty's name will we convince our Council for this mission? If there is even a slight chance of bloodshed they will never agree to send an army."

Olivier had already thought about this. "I think our enemies did us a big favor by sending those severed heads. Show them to the Council. Tell them that Tenebra has declared war on us and we have no choice but to take the fight to their world before they turn our world into a battlefield."

"Good Heavens! What about the commoners?"

"This stupid act of brutality will also sway public emotions in your favor. Fear is the biggest motivator. This monstrosity will shake our people to their core and everyone will vote for fighting this bloody war in that dark world rather than our own backyard."

Samuel's racing mind had increased his pace around the room. "When our troops return without a war won't people suspect that we did this just for the sake of these Star-Rocks?"

Almost there. Samuel was having a good look at the apple, Olivier had to just make it a little bit more tempting for Samuel to bite it. "We will tell people that our enemies surrendered without a fight after seeing our mighty army. And in exchange for peace, they agreed to give us these rocks. That is going to be a win-win situation for you. People will hail you as a hero who vanquished the enemies and also solved Aden's biggest problem. You will become immortal in the history of Aden and will be remembered as the greatest king after Solomon the Conqueror."

The quest for glory—the everpresent weakness in all the kings. Olivier had expertly tickled that vein. Samuel had plucked the apple. Very close. "As a king, you must make some hard decisions and only such tough choices distinguish between meek kings and mighty emperors. As your childhood friend, I must say that this is your shot at glory. Very few kings get such opportunities. Your one decision will not only change your fate but the fortunes of this whole world."

That last sentence was very true, but Samuel was nowhere near understanding its true meaning. He bit the Forbidden Fruit—the fruit of rapacity. The Fruit of Superficial Glory.