The Far Bank of the Rubicon (The Pax Imperium Wars: Volume 1) by Erik Wecks Page A

slowly. She smiled sheepishly at Ohlson. “It’s been a difficult two years. I’ve had panic attacks.”
    The Secretary surprised Anna when she reached across the bed and gently grabbed her forearm. “That’s understandable. Anyone might respond in the same way. I’m sorry to have stirred up such unpleasant memories. It was callous of me.”
    Anna dismissed her apology with a wave of her hand. “It’s not your fault.”
    The Secretary smiled. “It’s not yours, either. Make sure you remember that.”
    The Secretary let a beat or two hang in the air before she went on. “Anna, as long as you stay here in Leto, you’re clearly in danger, and frankly, a problem for Her Majesty’s government. We need to get you and Jack to a place where you can serve the empire better.”
    She paused before continuing. “I am convinced war is coming. I have been for some time, but there are those who, after three hundred years of peace, don’t want to see it. This has left me at an impasse. You see, the position of Emperor or Empress of the Pax Imperium is designed by the Pax charter to be too weak to do anything on their own. First, it is an elected position. Empress Christiana doesn’t even have her own standing army, except as the leader of the Russian Republic, and that doesn’t amount to much. She needs others to be her might for her. Also, as the titular leader of both The Unity and its allies on the one side, along with the House of Athena and its allies on the other, it’s imperative that she maintain an appearance of neutrality. So it’s a bit of an embarrassment for the Unity to so clearly point out that we’ve broken that neutrality by taking you in as a refugee and hiring Jack to work for our government. I really can’t afford to have that happen again. Besides, if we are going to avoid the coming disaster, we need our major patron, the House of Athena, to stand up for the Empire. They are the power balanced against the Unity in the galaxy. It was they who forced the Unity to accept the Pax Charter three hundred years ago. If they get caught flat-footed when war comes, it will truly threaten the existing order. Without sounding like I am making light of the cruelty of your situation, your apparent death has provided us with a good opportunity to do something to make sure King Nicholas of Athena pays attention.”
    “I’m sorry? Did you say my death?”
    Here the Secretary grinned despite herself. “Government can be painfully inefficient—even hurtful to people—but then every once in a while…. I happened to be working late when the call came in from the defense grid that your vehicle had been hit. I knew about it within a few seconds of the event. It was obvious from the beginning what had likely taken place, so I locked everyone out, sent the emergency calls to the palace—keeping the callers unaware of course—and then sent the medics from the royal guards to scrape you off the sidewalk. They brought you here. It was a tidy piece of work. Only ten people know that you’re still alive, every one of them among the Empress’s most loyal subjects. We filed death certificates and put a cover story in the media about yakuza violence and let the press take over. Tomorrow, we’ll even cremate a couple of bodies and then send them up for a traditional reentry burial. Anna, for all intents and purposes, you’re dead. ”
    Anna wasn’t sure she liked these decisions being made without her consent, but she had to agree that, in the end, it seemed to be a good thing for her to have died. She thought carefully before she asked her next question. “What if I don’t want to serve the Empire? What I really want is to quietly live my life. Can’t you just let Jack and me go? Everyone thinks we’re dead, so let us be dead.”
    The secretary frowned a little and sadness crept into her calculating eyes. “I think there are many of us who would like that, Anna. I’m sure every one of us who serve in high profile