CHAPTER FIVE: Lessons

Five Years Later

Hermea City was a thriving metropolis. As the capital city of Mercury, it was the hub for the galaxy's intellectual elite. In a classroom not far from the Royal Palace, a teacher was giving an advanced history lesson to a room full of bright-eyed and brilliant eight year olds. On any other planet students so young could not hope to understand such a complex subject. But even among the unparalleled genius of the average Mercurian schoolchild, one in particular outshined the rest.

"Your turn, Highness," said the instructor, passing his eyes over the young Princess seated in the front row. His preferred method of instruction was Socratic, especially for the young monarch, as he felt it would prepare her for the duties of state she would be expected to execute upon the age of accession. Obediently, the small azure-haired girl with the inquisitive eyes immediately scrambled to her feet and waited to be addressed again. "Now, what were the causes of the Great War?"

Amalia, or Amy as she preferred to be called, drew a short inhalation of breath and began: "The Great War began at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Saturnian rebels tried to sow insurrection against Empire. They advocated the overthrow of the Moon Kingdom."

"And why did the Saturnians rebel?"

"They wanted outer planet self-sovereignty."

"And why?" the instructor prodded.

"They felt that their concerns were unique, that as perimeter planets they bore the primary responsibility for making sure outer-galactic forces stayed out of our galaxy. As such, they felt they should have more control over their own governments rather than have to consent to what they viewed as 'foreign rule' from the Moon."

"Were they able to generate support for their cause?"

"They had the support of the Royal governments of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto who relied on Saturn for economic support."

"Then what happened?"

"Saturnian forces destroyed the Moon Embassy in the Saturnian capital city of Ardesia. After that, Queen Serenity the Fourth recalled all her ambassadors to the outer planets—"

At this, the instructor interrupted: "All of them?"

"Excuse me," Amy corrected herself. "She recalled her ambassadors to Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Of the outer planets, only Jupiter remained loyal to the Moon."

"And why was that?"

"The majority of historians believe that Jupiter was unwilling to sever ties from the inner planets due to its heavy reliance on Martian cyrilium ore," said Amy. "As a gas giant, Jupiter couldn't mine the fuel for itself and needed it for the vast development it was experiencing. Saturn itself couldn't mine the ore, but had access to cyrilium fields around the outer edge of Pluto. But Jupiter didn't want to bear the cost that mining so far away would incur. There are other theories as well…" Amy trailed off, slightly embarrassed.

"Ah," said the instructor, smiling. "You are of course referring to Venusian lore?"

"Yes," said Amy. "Of course, this theory comes from an old love story, first told by the ancient Venusian poet Danilova. It isn't rooted in fact so we tend to give it no credibility."

"All right," the instructor continued. "Let's move on. What brought about the end of the war?"

"Well, it seemed that Jupiterian forces could have crushed the rebellion without too much loss of life, but Serenity the Fourth ordered clemency and arranged for an Armistice Treaty to be drawn up."

"Why didn't the Queen simply end the resistance if it would have been so easy?"

Amy shrugged her small shoulders. "History isn't clear. But there was a rumor that Saturn had developed or was in the process of developing a powerful weapon capable of destroying entire planets. There isn't much documentation on that subject and it's widely believed that Serenity just did not want more bloodshed so she decided to let them go in peace."

"And what were the terms of the Armistice Treaty?"

"It was basically a complete separation. The Moon Empire would end at Jupiter and five planets and the Moon would constitute the Inner Alliance. Saturn and the others would be the Outer Alliance. We would have no governmental ties with the rebels whatsoever. We would agree to let them rule themselves in peace and they would agree never to cross the Armistice Line."

"Very good, Highness," said the instructor. "You may sit down now."

Slightly dismayed that she hadn't been asked to elaborate on the Venusian love story said to be at the heart of the breakdown of Jupiterian-Saturnian relations, Amy took her seat. Oh well, she thought. It's probably all fiction anyway.

….

"Are you ready for this, Highness?" Zoisite asked as he gently laid the brand new riding helmet on top of the bright red mess of hair on Callie's head.

"I can do it myself," Callie snapped, wriggling out from Zoisite's grasp. She had been on an independent streak lately and bothering all of her attendants with adamant refusals and petulant pouts these days. Zoisite shook his head and attributed to early onset preteen hormones.

"Just make sure it's secure," Zoisite reminded her. He disappeared into the stables and when he returned he was leading a gorgeous golden chestnut palomino horse behind him. It was the most stunning creature he had ever seen and a gift from her father, the King Endymion, on her most recent birthday. She was grateful for the gift – indeed, grateful for attention her father would spare her. But the girl had no love of riding and secretly feared the enormous beast.

Zoisite cupped his hands together and made a step for the small girl and she awkwardly climbed into the saddle. As the horse began to move, she pulled herself inward as tightly as possible and gripped the rein as though any slackening on her part would lead to certain death.

"Hold steady, Princess! Keep your back straight and your legs strong!" Zoisite remarked as his young trainee rode her horse in small circles out on the pasture. "Relax, Callista, you're doing fine," he added, in a slight patronizing tone that was not lost on the Princess, even though she was only eight years old.

"I'm not fine, Zoisite!" Callie barked. "I hate this!" She grimaced as the horse cantered along. "And I think it's starting to rain!"

Zoisite looked up into the sky and sure enough, he felt a light spattering tickle his face. The sky was just beginning to grow dark and ominous. "Just a few more rounds and we'll quit for the day," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Callie tossed him a pleading look, but his honey-tinted eyes were unyielding. Callie continued to ride with her shoulders scrunched up so high her neck seemed to disappear. Then – out of nowhere – a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and was immediately followed by a booming thunderclap. Startled, the horse reared quickly and then hurtled forward.

Zoisite gasped and ran toward the horse, but he wasn't quick enough to catch Callie who was sailing toward the hard, dirt-packed ground. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Zoisite watched the helmet fly off Callie's head and her small, unprotected body slammed into the ground. When Zoisite reached her, the rain was falling furiously.

"Callista? Callista?" he called as he leaned over her, afraid to touch her. He touched two fingers to her neck and sighed immediately in relief when he felt the weak throb pulse against his touch. He stood and looked around, but there was no one. "Callie?" he whispered. Open your eyes, damn it! he silently urged. Gently, he slid his arms underneath her body and picked her up, cradling her like an infant. Then he ran for the palace as fast as his legs would carry him. Please let her live, he prayed silently.