The Rhoedraegon Chronicles: Book Two. Paul Sr. Alcorn
THE RHOEDRAEGON
CHRONICLES:
BOOK TWO
BEST LAID PLANS
A Novel
by
PAUL A. ALCORN
Copyright 2011 Paul A. Alcorn,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0404-2
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
PROLOGUE
Report to Council
I am strengthening my understanding of the complexity inherent in the human psyche and how the interplay of events in the lives of various members of the specie affect the interactions, decisions and paradigms of the larger culture. As I have stated in earlier reports, they are repetitive and ritualistic to the extreme in their lives, being steadfastly dedicated to minimizing risk, surprise or encounters with the unknown. Not knowing what to expect or the totality of a new experience’s nature tends to send them into a panic, so great is their resistance to new ideas. It is this refusal to embrace that which is new that both condemns and saves them, since they do not have the intellectual capacity to fully realize the consequences of newly encountered ideas from the outset.
Obviously, they thus limit their self-imposed choices to a narrow range of ‘safe’ avenues, ignoring the rich tapestry of the Universe. Yet just when I expect to see them react with rote defensiveness to unexpected situations, they surprise me with a remarkable flexibility and a remarkable resilience.
Recent events serve to prove my point. A noble woman, barely more than a child, was attacked and captured by a group of malcontents in the society and because of her status and that of her lineage, the entire cultural organization that they call the ‘Empire’ was thrown into a panic. It seems that such events simply never occur, or at least have not occurred for numerous generations. Panic began to rise with those in charge, the so called Nobles, immediately reverting to a defensive and, indeed, offensive mode of thinking. But in the midst of all this confusion and panic, certain key persons in the society stepped forward and simply dealt with the situations. This included the elite of the ruling class, the military arm of the government and the family of the young woman who was kidnapped.
Within a matter of days the woman had been rescued, her captors annihilated in a most ruthless manner, and an attempt to root out other dissidents instituted in the wilderness areas around the home base of those who held the woman. As a result, those involved in the rescue were raised to a higher level of esteem and influence in the culture, one in particular found his military career greatly furthered, and in short order, the panic subsided.
My conclusion is that for all their lack of imagination and desire for a stability bordering on stagnation, they are capable of handling unusual events and external threats when they do occur, but it is only a certain small percentage of these creatures who seem capable and willing to do so. If there is any flaw in their genetic predispositions, it is that only a small number of them seem willing to truly act decisively, the rest preferring to act as the herd, internalizing as real whatever they are told, no matter how absurd it may be, and depending on information channels external to themselves to form opinions. It is not that they are incapable of living their own lives, but rather they prefer to have others make their decisions for them with predictable results.
I have noted historically that the process of herding and following the constructs of others has two effects on their cultures. First, it allows for great efficiency through cooperative repetition resulting in a growth of physical control over their environment which reinforces the idea that not thinking for one’s self provides a better life. Secondly it leads to an attitude of lethargy that allows the small minority to control the majority through both threat and delivery of comfort to the herd. As the process continues, comfort rises, independent initiative declines, and control becomes more and more centralized until their political/cultural/economic organization, in whatever guise it presents itself, collapses under the weight of its own largess and the refusal of the society’s structure to allow those of talent to grow and develop. The cycle then begins again, often rather violently, as the population once again realizes the error in their societal restrictions. The cyclicality of all this is so obvious that I am amazed that it is not seen and corrected.
I am beginning to have hope for the specie. The members of the society that I have encountered in my travels, both mass herd members and elite control members, exhibit a natural desire to survive, thrive and develop, and it is this desire that finally overthrows the controlling tyranny of the plunderers. They have a word for it that is prized by all but discouraged by those in charge because of its true meaning. The word is ‘freedom’ and it means an unfettered capacity for self determination and self improvement. It is the exact antithesis of societal control as practiced by every sub-group on the twenty developed planets of their Empire. If I am right, it is this natural desire for individual responsibility that will be their true salvation. Whether this is true, of course remains to be seen.
CHAPTER ONE
Mathew Rhoedraegon poured over the streaming data on his comm unit. For the moment it was his only solace from the humiliation of recent events. Only three weeks ago his brother, Helson, had married the Lady Winifred McDowell, an alliance valuable to both their families, but one that caused him great personal embarrassment. He marveled at his response to their wedding, realizing that the two deserved each other, ambitious, unprincipled and ruthless. He was well rid of Wendy and had no regrets that he had not been the one to marry her. Yet he smarted from the experience. Everyone now knew that his brother had stolen his intended. To the Nobility it seemed that Helson had swept her away from her brother right under his nose. The fact that it was not really true made it no less painful to Mathew.
What troubled him most of all was Archer Condrey, Helson’s latest mistress, drugged, seduced and now effectively captive in Helson’s apartments in the Bay Area Complex. Of course, for Helson to have a mistress was not unusual, nor was it surprising that he picked a very beautiful and very vulnerable commoner for his purposes, but Archer was different. She was a true innocent, absolutely ignorant of the ways of the Nobility at their worst, which neatly defined Helson.
There was a cruelty about Helson, almost a vengeful vindictiveness in the way he’d arranged for Mathew to escort Archer to the marriage celebrations and to the wedding. He was showing his anger, lauding over his younger brother his power as First Lord of Rhoedraegon and putting him in his place. To him it had all been a great joke, and Mathew had allowed it, not really caring anymore. But the one thing that neither Helson nor Mathew had foreseen was that Mathew and Archer would make a connection far beyond the social niceties. She was bright, as intelligent as her brilliant father had been, she was articulate, and she was beautiful. For whatever reason, Mathew had become completely enthralled with her during the week leading to the wedding, and they had stolen away after the ceremony, exploring the favorite haunts of the Nobility until well after dawn.
That was three weeks ago. Since that time, he had not been able to see her at all. His brother kept a tight rein on his ‘property’, and she’d been out of sight while Helson and his new wife made a very public show of their honeymoon, touring exotic cities on Earth and Mars. Helson was showing off his trophy, and he had no time for his mistress.
Mathew looked up from the vid comm for the hundredth time, wondering why he simply couldn’t focus. There were the family businesses to run. There were a hundred details to take care of and the week of festivities had pulled him away from his work for far too long. Reluctantly he had to admit that he’d taken