This is the 10th free sample of Oranje, I’ll be posting up to the end of Chapter Ten for free. You can buy it here, or if you’re interested in getting a review copy of the book, you can contact me via email or on twitter (links to both on my website).

Links to the previous free samples:

• Prologue
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight

—–

The horses galloped across the grass, a loose triangle that raced around the edge of the arena. At its apex, they split up, galloping in different directions before crossing paths at the centre, coming within touching distance of each other, and the riders swapped horses. Huge applause and screams of delight rose from the crowd, and Violeta joined in with loud clapping of her own as the orange sky blazed above the arena.

“Now, that is impressive,” said Sebastian as he sat next to her, using his hand to shield his eyes from the early morning sun. Today he was wearing a less garish suit, not the local style but in a subdued blue-grey colour with matching tie.

“They’ve spent all year working on that routine,” she said, sitting back down. She was in a dark-ochre outfit, with matching jewellery set into her hair, which was tied back in a bun. “I think that work paid off.”

They were sitting in the VIP box in the arena, at the bottom of a U formed by seating, so the far end of the stadium stood open, giving a view of the huge river delta and wind farms beyond. The three horses repeated the manoeuvre again, this time at an even faster pace.

“So this is what I missed out on when I skipped the displays each year.”

“It’s our grand tradition. It’s very important to people, and they’ve put a lot of effort into it.”

“And a fair bit of skill,” he added as the riders moved the horses alongside each other before standing on them for a full circuit of the arena, to more rapturous applause from the crowds. “Not something you see on many worlds.”

She waved at the riders as they went past the box. “Horses were used extensively back in the day when the colony was new. It’s a lot easier to breed some of them than keep complex machines alive if you don’t have tons of skilled engineers around. Once this world was established, they weren’t needed anymore, so they became a show of skill and a link to our past. Which leads us on very nicely to the display you are watching today.”

“Well, thank you for the crash course in the history of horses on Arausio,” he said with a cheeky grin. “I’ll be sure to keep all that in mind.”

She playfully nudged him in the ribs. “Remember, you’re the guest of honour here, you need to be suitably awed when this is all over.”

“I’ve spent years as a politician practicing being awed and amazed by displays. I’m sure I will manage.” The riders began an intricate pattern of weaving in and around each other and over various jumps as if it were no more complicated than going for a walk. “Though, in this instance, I don’t think I’m going to have to fake it.”

“It is very impressive,” she said with a smile.

The riders swept around the arena one more time before coming to a halt in front of their box. They both stood to wave and congratulate them as the crowd showered them with love and adoration. The riders, all looking very pleased with themselves, led their horses off so the layout of the arena could be changed for the next group.

Sebastian leaned close to her ear. “How many of these will I have to sit through this week?” He got another nudge in the ribs as he winked.

“It’s good to have you around again, Seb.” She placed a hand on his leg.

He placed a hand on hers. “You too, Vi. It was a very nice welcome I got last night.”

“Well, only the best for our special guest.” She winked.

“I hope we don’t cause too much gossip.”

“No more than usual, I’m sure. The families brought it up the other day, and I told them exactly what I thought of that.”

“I wish I could’ve seen that. I hope that doesn’t make things more difficult for you.”

“I will not hide what we are.” She looked at him.

“Ah, so there is a ‘we,’ then?”

She rolled her eyes before squeezing his hand. “You know there is. There has been for years now.”

“Just checking.” He smiled and squeezed her hand back.

“I know I’m not the most open about us, but I’m yours.” She looked into his eyes. “It’s just difficult, being on different worlds and who we are.”

“You mean you a governor and me a member of cabinet.”

“It does make this more complicated, or at least makes me more cautious.”

“I don’t care what others think.” He gripped her hand.

“I know, neither do I.”

The arena roared as new riders appeared, ten of them holding the flag of Arausio aloft, black and red divided by a white diagonal line finished with a yellow star on the black.

“I saw the ads the families ran this morning.”

“I did think the burning flag was a nice touch.” Violeta waved as the riders looped around in front of them.

“I’m surprised none of the families are here today.”

“They are.” She tilted her head in the direction of a smaller box to their left. “They’re just not in the most important position as usual.”

Sebastian looked over at them and smiled. “You do like pushing them to see how they react, don’t you?”

“Oh, I know how they will react. Now I just do it for enjoyment.”

“Rather you than me.” He held up his hands. “Are you sure you can win that vote?” He turned to face her. “They still hold a lot of power.”

She grinned. “They can try and stop it. Oh, they can try, but they won’t succeed. My majority is too big this time. No amount of money they throw at people will change the outcome.”

“So this will be the next world to outlaw contracts.” He turned back to the riders to smile and wave.

“That will soon be true of every world in September, I hope. The president gave up too easily on banning contracts across the Republic.”

“It was agreed that it was for each planet to decide. We don’t try to interfere too much with planetary rights.”

“You could’ve fooled me,” she said through her smile. “I’ve lost count of how many powers have been revoked from governors recently.”

He shifted in his seat. “You know I don’t agree with that. Without the planets, there is no Republic. Pissing you all off is only going to end badly.”

“It’s a shame the President doesn’t see it like that.”

He shrugged. “All she cares about is making sure this war can happen, and she won’t let you get in her way.”

“So that means ripping up the structure of the Republic, does it? I’m not the only angry governor.”

“I know.” He rested his hand on her leg. “I’m not the president; remember that.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I don’t mean to take my frustration out on you. It’s just that the last meeting with her was the final straw for me. She has plenty of work to do to make up for what’s been done.”

The riders now formed a rippling wave of flags across the arena.

“She doesn’t think it will matter,” he said.

“What is she planning?”

He applauded the riders as they did another intricate dancing pattern of horses in the centre of the arena.

“Seb, what is the President up to?”

He scratched his neck.

“She doesn’t think she needs you anymore. Once the war has begun, she is betting that public opinion will back her and she’ll be able to label you all as traitors, working against the Republic in its hour of need.”

“Then she will remove the last of our powers, leaving us as relics of the past.” Violeta ran a hand through her hair. “I’ve thought that’s where we were heading, but it’s still not nice to hear your worst fear is true.”

“If you and the other governors have got anything planned, you’d better do it sooner rather than later.”

“Believe me, I’m trying.”

“Well then, let me tell you some other news that might interest you. Apparently, the Curators have tried to get in contact with the president.”

Her mouth fell open, but she composed herself as the riders pulled off another stupendous trick and her applause joined that of the crowd.

“The Curators?”

“I know,” he said.

“What did they want to talk to her about?”

“No idea, I’m afraid. All I know is that they tried to.”

“Things must be getting serious if they’re starting to get involved again. I wonder what else might be happening.”

More applause filled the stadium as the team of riders performed their finale, a rapid series of jumping over fences and each other, all in a whirl of flags. They both stood to applaud and cheer them as the whole crowd rose to their feet.

“Very impressive,” Sebastian said almost to himself.

“This is just the first part of the celebrations. There’s a lot more to come.”

“Another relaxing state trip for me,” he said with a smile.

All the other riders began to filter into the arena for the grand finale, a great parade of all who had shown their skills that day.

“I’m sure it will be for you; you don’t have to deal with two major political issues at the same time as all this smiling and waving.”

“I’m sure all that smiling is just tiring you out so much.” He winked at her. “You’re always trying to do everything at once.”

“I’ve found it’s the only way to get anything done.”

She stepped forward in the box, to a small microphone standing at the front. The crowd went silent, and the riders looked up from below.

“Well, what can I say after a show like that? That amazing display of skill demonstrated one of our greatest traditions in the best way possible. I salute all of you who have worked so hard for so long for today. I believe you can go home knowing you have beaten all the expectations everyone had.”

The riders bowed to her as the crowd cheered.

“It’s important we preserve traditions like this. They remind us of our past and how fragile Arausio was when it began all those centuries ago. It has expanded to the magnificent planet we live on today. But just as our relationship with horses has changed over those years, so must we be ready to change as a society as we continue to grow and prosper. This week must both be a celebration of the beginning of Arausio and also a celebration of the future we can achieve.”

More applause rose from the crowd as Sebastian came up to the stand. He waved to the crowd, his big grin broadcast on big screens above and below their box.

“What a breath-taking display that was. In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like it, and I can only kick myself that I never saw one when I used to live on this magnificent world. I‘m not sure I should tell anyone on Kama about this as they may get jealous.”

As he played to the crowd, laughter and more applause echoed from the many thousands crammed into the arena.

“Arausio has been vital to the Republic since it was formed. Its governor was the one who finalised the deal that led to its creation. It is my honour to be here today as the representative of the Republic government and to show how important you still are to the Republic and to all our futures. It’s also been my personal pleasure to be here today to see all this, and I thank you all for an amazing experience.”

The applause broke out even louder this time as they stood side by side waving to the crowd, the riders saluting them both. They stood there for minutes with the applause rolling on before it finally came to an end. The crowds began to filter out of the arena, but one person came in instead. The door to their box opened, and in stepped James.

“Governor, Minister.” He bowed to them both in turn.

“Bad news or good news?” she said.

“A bit of both, I think. There has been a protest near the palace against the Contracts bill.”

“Doesn’t sound like anything good there.”

“No, but a large number of people began to stage a counter protest in support of you.”

She stretched in satisfaction.

“Have our ads gone up yet?”

He looked past her, and she turned. The wall on the building behind the arena was covered in a huge advert. It featured Violeta and other smiling people looking up as a green rocket soared into bright skies. Beside that was the message “Let’s build a better future together, where all are equal.”

“Good advert,” said Sebastian, “and good placement.” He pointed at another ad on another building off to one side. It featured her, her face made suitably angry and evil, against the background of the flag of Arausio on fire. It said, “Arausio in ruins is the governor’s dream, keep contracts to keep us great.”

“Why is it always a burning flag?” she asked. “They’ve done that so often now it’s become a cliché. I think people get by now that they think I’m a traitor.”

They descended the steps towards a waiting convoy of cars.

“Can’t you do something about ads like that?” said Sebastian.

“Why would I?” She grinned. “Much better to give them enough rope to hang themselves with.”

“You’re really up for this fight, aren’t you?”

“Oh yes. It’s time to show everyone that they do not rule Arausio anymore.”

“We live in interesting times,” said James.

“When do we not?” She climbed into a car with Sebastian, and the convoy drove off to the next event of the celebrations.

—–

If you liked this sample, you can find links to buy the full book here.

This is the 9th free sample of Oranje, I’ll be posting up to the end of Chapter Ten for free. You can buy it here, or if you’re interested in getting a review copy of the book, you can contact me via email or on twitter (links to both on my website).

Links to the previous free samples:

• Prologue
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven

—–

Marienne looked up as the lights in her office dimmed, a not-so-subtle hint that the end of the work day had arrived. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at her watch: eight o’clock. She’d done another twelve-hour day. Her desk had assumed its normal unorganised state, a dozen different tasks open on her monitor. A cough from the doorway made her turn to see Jan standing there.

“Are you off, Major?”

He nodded. “It’s been a long day.”

“It really has.”

“Are you heading back to your quarters, General?”

She looked at her desk. “Not yet. I’ll tidy things up here first. You should go and get your rest.”

He saluted and was gone. She spent a few minutes clearing the last few unfinished items from her schedule—there was always more to be done—then closed everything down. Getting up from her desk, she looked out of the window to see the sun rising over the curve that was Tiamat. After lingering for a second to absorb the image, she left. The lights shut off behind her, and she began the long walk through the grey, dark station to her own private quarters, on the other side of the great docking arms.

This was the quiet time in the middle of one crew shift. There were three, each took turns doing eight-hour shifts, so she didn’t encounter many of the station’s crew as she made her solitary walk. The few she did meet gave her brief salutes and cautious looks. No doubt the press conference had been the focus of every conversation that day. Returning the salutes, she reminded herself to send out that statement of intent first thing in the morning. She walked as fast as she could without looking like she was trying to hurry back to her room.

A few guards and single rooms were the only differences between the senior officers’ section and that for the rest of the crew. Her quarters were located at the end of a long corridor, past all the other officers, and she pushed the door open. The lights came on inside to illuminate her little piece of home. Four small grey walls greeted her. Space was always at a premium on a space station, so even as the region commander, she had only a small amount to herself. The top level had a sofa and TV along with a desk. Every wall had storage boxes built in, to make the most use of the space available. She headed straight for the stairs down to the level below, where her bed and the bathroom were located.

Undoing her jacket, she woke up her computer to check her messages. Looked like her family and friends had all seen the press conference. She scrolled through her large inbox, a mix of supportive and derisive messages, but stopped at one. It was from Isah, her husband. It wasn’t the long message she expected; it just asked her to get in touch as soon as she could. She looked at the clocks she had as her monitor’s background. One showed universal time, the other local time on Perun, the capital of the Union. It was where she was from and where Isah still lived with their daughter Maya. The time was seven in the morning there, early enough to have a shower before calling him.

The time went fast, and soon she was sitting at her desk, dressed in a plain grey tracksuit, reading up on the latest tactical theory discussions. Not quite the relaxing evening she had had in mind, but at least it was better than more work. She made a call request to Isah and waited to hear back from him.

The article she was reading was by General Reiter and was typical of her work. It was solid and strong but lacked in flexibility and adaptability, unlike her own work, which relied on an officer’s training to adapt as the situation changed. The computers on a combat vehicle could deal with the everyday stuff anyway—you needed to let officers use their creativity to get the best results.

The sound of rolling drums told her that Isah was making a call to her, and she answered it straight away. She smiled when she saw him. He smiled back, but only for a moment. He looked stressed, thick lines visible on his forehead, and his hair was starting to go grey in places.

“Hello, my love,” she said. “How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you, Marie.” His gaze was avoiding her eyes. “How are you? I’m sure you’ve had a busy day.”

“I’m okay. You know how it is.” She studied his face. He looked tired. “How are things with you?”

“The usual, nothing exciting happening to me.”

“How is Maya? She still doing well at the Technology Institute?”

“She’s acing her grades, no change there.” He managed a smile at last. “She says hello.”

“Give her my love next time you talk to her. I’ve not had a chance to call her for a while. I do miss seeing her face.”

“I wish you could do that more often. She barely saw you when you were at the Academy; now it’s even less.” His face was stern, not the caring one in the picture she had framed on her desk.

“You know I’m trying my best. With tensions so high with the Republic, everyone in the Space Force is having to put in the extra effort needed.” She folded her arms.

“That’s surprising, given what you said earlier.”

Ah, the press conference. “Is that what you wanted to talk about?”

“Yes, it is,” said Isah. “How can you talk like that?”

“Because it’s what I believe. You, of all people, should know that.”

“Should I? I’m not sure I know you anymore.” Tears were starting to form in his eyes. “I definitely don’t understand why you accepted this command.”

She steadied her hands. “I took the position I was offered. Why do I have to keep explaining that to people? Why do I need to explain that to you?” She looked away from the screen. “You understood my views well enough at university. Why not now?”

“That was a long time ago. A lot has changed since then,” he said. “You in particular.”

“I’m not the only one. What happened to the young revolutionary you once were?” She could feel tears forming in her eyes as well.

“I grew up and stopped pointlessly hating the system. I thought you might follow suit someday.”

“Is that what you really think of me?” She shook her head. “I don’t hate the system. I hate what the system does.”

“Like this war.”

“It’s not started yet.”

It was his turn to shake his head. “The Republic have broken the last agreement too many times. We can’t ignore that any longer.”

“Why not? We’ve been fighting them in pointless wars for centuries. Why do we have to repeat the cycle again?”

“They show no respect for our nation, the nation you swore to serve and protect.” His eyes were bulging, and veins showed on his forehead.

“I know the oath I took. Don’t try to tell me I don’t. If it comes to a war, I will serve as I’m needed. That doesn’t mean I can’t try and stop this war from happening in the first place.”

“You’re not the Marienne I remember.” His voice broke as he spoke.

“And what is that?”

“I remember a young person full of passion to serve their country, to make it a better place for all of its citizens. I remember someone who wanted to do their duty.”

“You don’t think that’s me anymore?” A tear ran down her cheek.

“After those interviews you gave? No, you are not that person anymore. You’re not the woman I married.”

“You’re wrong,” she said.

He shook his head, his eyes wet but without tears yet. He looked too angry for that.

“You are. I am still that person.” She stared into his eyes. “I don’t want this war because it means nothing apart from people dying. Years ago, you would have agreed with me. I’m not the one who has changed; you are.”

They looked at each other in silence, and she wiped her eyes.

“We can’t go on like this,” she said. “It’s not doing either of us any good. Can’t we try again, give ourselves some time to remember who we are to each other?”

“When do you propose we do that?” he said. “You’re always working and don’t have time for us. You never had time for Maya when she was a kid either.”

“I raised her as much as you did. Don’t you dare try to forget that.”

Another moment of silence.

“So what do you want us to do, then?” She rubbed her brow. “This can’t go on.”

“No, it can’t. It has to end.” He was looking at his lap. “I want a divorce.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words leapt from her lips.

“My lawyer has drawn up the documents. All you need to do is sign them.” His voice was breaking with every syllable he spoke.

She breathed in and fought back more tears.

“So this is it, then? This is the end of us?”

“We’ve been fighting each other for years and years. When was the last time we worked as a couple? It’s time to end it.”

Marienne’s mouth opened in disbelief.

“What about Maya?”

“She’s an adult. She can decide who she wants to see.”

She took another deep breath. “I need time to think.”

“I’ll send the documents through to you. Please, Marie, sign them.”

“All these years, and it will end like this, a call over the Net instead of face to face.”

“We would be waiting a long time for that to happen.”

They looked at each other, angry and sad in equal measure.

“I have to go, Marie. Please think about it.”

“Goodbye, Isah.” She ended the call with a slap on her screen.

Moments later, the divorce documents arrived in her inbox. She didn’t read them. From her desk, she picked up the picture of them back in their university days. They had been so happy then, totally in love with each other.  He’d changed since then—maybe she had too. She put the picture down in its place, at the perfect angle for her to look at it when she was sat down. She took a moment to clear her thoughts and turned back to the tactical article and opened the next dozen as well. The lights stayed on in her quarters for a long time that night.

—–

If you liked this sample, you can find links to buy the full book here.

This is the 8th free sample of Oranje, I’ll be posting up to the end of Chapter Ten for free. You can buy it here, or if you’re interested in getting a review copy of the book, you can contact me via email or on twitter (links to both on my website).

Links to the previous free samples:

• Prologue
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six

—–

Isi could feel people’s eyes on her as she walked through Berners-Lee. Her path took her through the residential districts, flats packed high to the ceiling far above, and each painted a bright colour or pattern on its front. She liked being the focus of a crowd, but this was different. They were voting on whether they thought she was worthy of being part of the Three, and it felt as though everyone was judging her as they watched her walk past. Some waved, and others dropped what they were doing to talk to her. A few painters, busy transferring their fevered imaginations into vivid colours on the walls, had held her up for almost twenty minutes. Most people just watched, their conversations going silent as she approached and breaking into quick chatter when she’d gone past them.

Her feet took her towards one of the few areas of green that existed outside of the cultivation domes on the station. The parks were something of a luxury on a station where every square foot was precious space, but they helped give people an escape from their rooms. As she rounded the corner, she saw what made this particular park special, a huge statue and the White Elephant. The latter was an impressive building, five stories tall with a front of stark white and glass. Its nickname had come from how much it stood out and for how little it was actually used—a sore point to many given how hard they had to fight for space. A few murals were visible on its sides, the bright colours dulled by time.

The statue was huge, almost thirty feet tall. It depicted three figures in white, two women and a man. They wore simple clothes, and masks covered their faces but showed their bright eyes behind. They were the Three, or at least the first group ever sent out. Their outfits would be almost the same as the one she would wear if the vote passed. The masks and white clothing made them all look alike, to show they represented all Curators and not just themselves.

A waving arm caught her eye. Representative Melo stood outside the White Elephant, waiting for her. He was back in a suit today, a light grey affair, again with matching makeup. She shifted her bag higher onto her shoulder to stop it slipping off and walked to him.

“Good morning, Isi.” He beamed. “I hope you slept well.”

“As well as could be expected, I suppose.” She had spent a restless night on the Net, reading everything and anything she could. “Do you know how the vote is going?”

“No one has access to the results of a vote until it’s finished.” His eyes ran over her bag. “Do you have everything you need?”

She gripped the handle tighter. “I do.”

“Then let’s head inside.” He led the way, but his gaze focused on her grey hair. “I said you will need to have your hair as your natural colour when you’re part of the Three.”

“This is the natural colour of my hair,” said Isi with a slight blush.

“Ah.”

As they got closer to the building, she noticed the glass on the front was one way, giving no one on the outside any hint as to what was going on inside. There were two guards at the door, both in very different, highly personalised and colourful uniforms. They saluted Melo as he walked past them, and the sleek white doors slid open to let them inside. She had to shield her eyes as the interior was stark white, and they took a moment to adjust. They were in what looked like a reception area, but Melo led her to a door on the right and pushed it open.

More white and glass confronted her, as well as two people sitting on an elegant sofa.

“Here she is,” Melo said to the two men as they stood to greet him. “Isidora—sorry, Isi—this is Magnus Kimura.” He indicated a tall, thin, and pale man with long hair and a beard. He wore an intricate costume in the latest style. A hint of blush was on his cheeks.

“And this is Pablo Khanna.” He gestured to the other, of medium build and height, with olive skin and an impressive moustache. He wore the simple robes that were the style of many in the older generation. She hugged them both.

“It’s great to meet you both.”

“Magnus is head of one of the committees, and Pablo used to be a representative on the Council.”

“I thought I recognised you,” she told Pablo.

“Nice hair,” said Magnus.

“Thanks,” she said as she ran a hand through it.

“Natural?”

She nodded. “I’ve got a genetic condition.” She pointed to her face and turned her gaze away from him. “It’s also why I also look a bit odd.”

He took a moment to look at her more closely. “Oh, I hadn’t even noticed.”

She blushed a little and turned to shake Pablo’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Isi,” said Pablo. “You caused quite a stir at the last debate.”

“That seems to be the reason I’m here.”

“Nonsense, it is just a great example of why you are,” said Melo. “It’s not often I am beaten like that. Shall we sit?”

She sat down in a chair beside the sofa, and Melo took one that faced them all. Their bright colourful clothes clashed with the pure burning white of the furniture.

“Pablo and Magnus arrived here a few hours ago,” he said.

“I didn’t realise I was holding everything up.”

“Don’t worry about that. There is no urgency just yet; the key thing is that you are all here.”

“I had plenty to read anyway, with the latest breakthrough on the data flood,” said Magnus. “We’ve not wasted any time.”

“I’ve been trying to catch up on some of that myself—too much to process at once,” said Pablo.

“You don’t need to worry yourselves with that too much,” said Melo. “There are others working on searching through the data for the information we need.” He waved at the empty room next to him where two avatars appeared out of nowhere. “Let me introduce Nairobi and Amanda, pseudos who will be helping you with your task.”

Amanda’s avatar, a woman with white skin, messy red hair, and drawn-on eyebrows and dressed in a long flowing coat, smiled. Nairobi’s, a painting of black lines with white and coloured blocks that Isi recognised from somewhere, seemed to smile as well, or at least as much as the 3-D representation of a painting could.

“It is wonderful to make your acquaintance,” said Nairobi.

“Amanda is leading the effort to break through the data block and find out exactly what’s going on. Nairobi’s in charge of organising all of the pseudos that are part of this effort. Both of them will be your main source of information once you’ve begun your journey.”

“Doesn’t all this depend on us being voted in as the Three?” said Isi.

“I don’t think any of you need to be worried about that. This vote should be a formality.”

“I hope you are right.” She ruffled her hair.

“He is,” said Amanda with a wink. Her voice had an almost musical quality.

“If we assume we all get approved, what happens next?” said Magnus. “It’s not like we can just get into a craft and wander around September.”

“That is what I wanted to talk to you about today. If this situation is as bad as it looks, we cannot afford to waste any time. You should leave as soon as possible after the Three ceremony, but who you talk to is up to you to decide.”

“I know we have a history with the Republic and Union, but we should contact them first; they’re the best placed to help us,” said Pablo.

“That has to be worth a shot even if they don’t listen,” she said.

“I agree,” said Melo. “No matter how uncomfortable it makes me, it is the logical choice.”

“They are also well placed to find out for sure what happened to Oranje,” said Nairobi.

“So what happens if they don’t listen to us?” said Magnus. “I mean, we don’t really know what’s going on yet. We need a backup plan.”

“We need to find the people who can help,” she said. “The priority has to be finding out what happened to Oranje, as Nairobi said. Once we know that for certain, we can spread the news around, show people what is happening.”

“That’s my job,” said Amanda. “Well, that and finding out who’s blocking us.”

“I think we need people who are sympathetic towards us. No point in us visiting people who will just ignore us.”

“That could complicate matters,” said Melo. “If the Republic and Union see us only talking to people with similar political ideas, they could view it as an attempt to undermine them.”

“Well, what else can we do? If the nations are unlikely to help us anyway, does it matter if we piss them off some more?” Isi had a mischievous smile on her face, but Pablo gritted his teeth.

“We cannot fight these outsiders ourselves. If they attack September in full force, we will need the Republic and the Union to fight them.”

“Can we rely on that?” She looked at the others. “They seem pretty focused on this war they’re building up to. What if they ignore this threat until it’s too late?”

“If they ignore it, we’ll have no hope of stopping these outsiders,” said Melo.

“That’s not true,” said Magnus. “There are many out there who are not happy with the Union and the Republic. You only need to check the Net for five minutes to see that.”

“Ever since our last intervention in the other nations, that unrest has been growing,” said Isi. “The freedom of access to the Net we ensure has given people a chance to talk about a different path. There is talk about September as a whole and not the Republic or the Union. We need to support those views; they can help us unite people against this threat.”

“That risks even more,” said Melo. “We have to rely on the nations for help. If we support people who want to overthrow or change them, it will make it harder to achieve what we want. We could just end up becoming more vulnerable instead of less.”

“This whole mission is a risk,” said Magnus. “That shouldn’t stop us from doing what we need to.”

“The last time we sent out the Three was to stop the nations from trying to control the Net. Since then we’ve sat back, hiding from everything that has happened around us. We can’t do that anymore. This threat is too big.”

They sat in silence after she spoke, Pablo and Melo exchanging looks.

The representative scratched his ear. “All options will be considered. Ultimately, once your mission has been given, it’s up to you to decide what you do, though I would ask that you act with caution. This is bigger than anything we have done before.”

“That’s an understatement,” she said. “There hasn’t been an event like this since the Collapse. We’re in unknown territory here. We have to be prepared for anything to happen.”

“That doesn’t mean we should be reckless,” said Pablo. “Caution and patience are always needed in these situations.”

“I think we have plenty to think about,” said Melo, rising from his seat. “I will make sure we contact the nations and see what they say. I’ll start to create a list of candidates for you to visit once you’re confirmed and you depart. You will have final say in what you do, but again, please think long and hard about it.”

“I’ll help the pseudos with the research,” said Magnus. “It’ll give me something to do at least.”

“Thank you. Any assistance is welcome,” said Nairobi.

Melo turned to him. “Do you want to show Isi to her room? I would like to talk to Pablo in private. It’s been a while since we saw each other in person.”

“Sure thing,” said Magnus, getting up. The others bowed to them as they went.

She slung her bag back over her shoulder and followed him back out of the door and into a lift at the back of the reception area.

“Well, that went well.” She rolled her eyes as he pushed the button for the second floor.

“We’ve got tough choices to make. I’m looking forward to seeing what path we take.” There was the tiniest jolt as the elevator began its slow rise upward.

She looked at him. “What do you want us to do?”

“That’s the question.” He took a deep breath. “This is something we’ve never had to deal with before. No one has. It’s an opportunity for us to make a real difference.”

“I think we’re on the same wavelength.” She clapped her hands together. “Us Curators have spent so long doing nothing except protecting the Net. We keep it running to allow everyone access to all human knowledge, but we could be doing so much more. Why aren’t we trying to help every single human we can?”

“You really are an idealist, aren’t you?” He was looking at her with a mixture of happiness and admiration. “It showed in the debate you had with Representative Melo.”

“I’m still amazed it went as well as it did.”

“Really?” he asked with eyebrow raised. “A lot people want to see change. What you said spoke to many of them.”

“Then let’s hope we don’t let them down.” She shifted the bag on her shoulder.

The doors of the elevator slid open, and they stepped out into another white corridor. He led her past many doors.

“I think you’ve got plenty of support here, not just from humans but also the pseudos. Amanda and Nairobi are some of the oldest of them.”

They turned a corner and were faced with three doors. The one in front of them had her name on it; the one to the left, Magnus’s; and the other, Pablo’s. She opened her door and stepped into a large and spacious room.

“Oh, look,” she said. “More white.”

“I am detecting a colour theme in all this.”

She threw her bag onto the bed and opened the wardrobe. Inside was a space for her clothes, but most of it was filled with white clothes of all shapes and sizes.

“You think they’d allow us some colour.”

“Ah, but that would go against tradition.” Magnus winked.

“For a group who dislikes that word, we have managed to come up with quite a few of our own.”

“Just what us humans do.” Magnus leant against the door.

“Still, we pride ourselves on being so unique and doing whatever we want to,” said Isi. “It’s a bit of a contradiction.”

“You’ve met other people before, right?”

She rolled her eyes again, and he laughed.

“Lots of what we do doesn’t make sense when you think about it,” he said.

She pulled out the remainder of her clothes, bright swathes of colour on the white duvet, pausing as she went to put them away. “I hope we do the right thing.”

“That’s our job now as part of the Three, to try and change history for the better.”

She turned to him. “It’s more than that. We have an opportunity here. I don’t want to waste it.”

“I know, I agree, but the threat of the outsiders still has to be our main focus. Who knows what will happen out there.”

“I’m guessing there will be lots of surprises.”

“Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out.” He smiled. “I’d better let you settle in.”

“Thanks, Magnus.” She gave him a brief wave goodbye. “See you tomorrow.”

“You too, Isi.”

He left, and she went to back to unpacking.

—–

If you liked this sample, you can find links to buy the full book here.

This is the 7th free sample of Oranje, I’ll be posting up to the end of Chapter Ten for free. You can buy it here, or if you’re interested in getting a review copy of the book, you can contact me via email or on twitter (links to both on my website).

Links to the previous free samples:

• Prologue
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five

—–

The view was the one good point in Marienne’s office, allowing her to see the docking arms of Thor station and the blue-and-white world of Tiamat in its slow rotation beyond. It was the only interesting part of her office. Everything could be described as bland and functional, greys and blues the predominant colours. The walls were bare; the only personal items in the room were a few ornaments on her desk. Her chair was twisted towards the windows as she read the latest news on her tablet. A few articles had popped up about her after the interview—impressive for an event with only one in attendance. A knock on the frame of her open door made her turn around to see Major Kato waiting for her.

“Come in, Major,” she said. He walked to the side of her desk and stood at ease. His uniform was the same dark blue as hers, black cuffs and collar along with a simple silver star that showed his rank, and his skin was brown. Hers, like all generals’, had sky blue edges and a gold star.

“What do you have for me?”

“An update on today’s intelligence reports.”

“Anything I need to be worried about?”

“There has been another standoff at Sibilla. We came within combat range of Republic forces before pulling back. Apart from that, it’s just the usual: clusters being moved, reservists called up, and so on.” His face scrunched up for a second. “There was one item that stood out; Oranje has gone silent and isn’t responding to communication attempts.”

“What did the report say about it?”

“Intelligence believes it to be caused by a fault in the planet’s Net satellites and don’t call for any further investigation.”

“Let’s make sure of that. Keep an eye out for any more reports on the matter or similar incidents you may see. We do have a treaty with them; we’d better make sure we are fulfilling it.”

“Of course, General,” he said. His eyes flicked to her screen and saw the article she was reading. “You were right to be suspicious of the press conference.”

“He hung me out to dry. He must think I’m an idiot who wouldn’t realise I was set up.” She picked up a small glass ornamental bird from the desk and began twirling it in her fingers. “A single journalist there, and of course he had to ask those questions.” She almost threw the ornament at the wall but gently put it back in its place.

“That may have been what he was aiming for,” said Jan. “He must have known you would react like this. Maybe he is trying to make you angry?”

“Well it’s working.” She rubbed her neck. “I must have annoyed him even more than I thought. All I did was answer some questions. What’s so wrong with that?”

“Do you really need me to answer that?”

She just gave him a look.

“I’m no fool; I know my opinion is the minority. I’m just frustrated that decades of service are being ignored in the name of warmongering.”

“The press do seem to be going along with it as well.”

“Of course they are, they’re being leaned on by the government to be suitably patriotic. Only a few places speaking against the war are left now.” She picked up the bird again and held it close to her face, reflecting light onto her black skin. “He came all this way just to make sure I knew exactly where I stood and what he thought of me. All that time and fuel wasted, just to spite me. I was sure offering me this position would’ve been enough.”

“Do you know who got Home Command yet?”

“Nothing officially, but looks like Reiter will get it for certain. She is the best choice after me.” Marienne sighed. “Four decades of service, two decades at the Academy with the best record of all time, only to have the position I always wanted snatched away from me because it would not be politically convenient.”

“No one forced you to accept this command, General.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I accepted because it’s still a very important position, and it is an honour to serve and protect. I take the oath very seriously. Remember that in the future, Major.”

He shifted his feet. “Apologies, General. I meant no offense.”

Silence filled the room before she let out a sigh. “It’s fine; we’ve known each other for long enough now to put up with the odd harsh words.”

“This is not a situation we’ve dealt with before,” he said.

“There hasn’t been a war for almost six decades, and now we seem to be very keen on starting a new one.” She snorted with bitter laughter. “We’ve been fighting the Republic for centuries on and off, five wars now, and each one has changed nothing.”

“There is talk that this time will be different, that we finally have an edge over them.” His eyes were filled with hope.

“It will be no different from any of the other wars. We’re both equal in power, and both sides work very hard to maintain that. It’s why we have the treaties with the independent worlds and why this command protects them as well. Neither side is going to allow the other to get a decisive advantage.” She rubbed her eyes. “That’s how it has always been, and it’s not going to change anytime soon.”

“Then why are they pushing for this war so much? Surely they must know something we don’t.”

She shrugged. “None of the intelligence has changed as far as I know, or at least the information I have access to, and unless we can magic up a few constellations from somewhere, our military will be matched by theirs.”

“There must be more to it. I can’t believe our leaders are that stupid.”

“They’re not. It’s just ego that is making them blind to what will really happen.” She took a deep breath. “That is enough talk on the matter for today, I think. It’s not like we can change anything about it. What else do I have to deal with?”

“You have your daily conference call with Colonels Roy and Niemi, General. They should be waiting for you.”

“Ah yes, they wanted to talk more on the plans for the next war games. I believe they think it will be very imbalanced against me.” She sat up straighter and closed the news articles. “Let’s get that done now.”

With a few presses on the screen, the call was sent to the two officers below her in the Outer Region Command. They each had control of a constellation each, the key fighting formation in the Space Force. Less than a minute passed before they answered, and their faces filled her screen. Light glinted off both of their bald heads, a fashion trend among many officers recently, though she herself opted for short hair bleached almost white.

“General.” They both saluted.

“Good afternoon, Colonels,” said Marienne, having another quick glance over the daily reports. “I see there is no news from you today.”

“Just another normal day,” said Roy. “Well, for us at least.”

She pursed her lips. “If you have anything to say about the press conference, then do so.”

His eyes flickered in response. “The marshal was very blatant with his intentions.”

“I can deal with whatever he can throw at me.”

“It has been the talk of my crew today,” said Niemi. “I thought perhaps you could speak to the whole command. They could use some reassurances.”

“This is the Space Force, Colonel. I’m sure your crew know better than to trust every rumour they hear.” Marienne tapped a finger against her chin. “However, I will issue a statement of intent, reiterating my aims for this command and what I expect from everyone.”

They nodded in understanding.

“I see we’re still playing chicken with the Republic,” said Roy. “War seems to get closer every day.”

“We’re not there yet,” she said. “I am surprised that High Command has allowed this to escalate so quickly. Reservists are still being called up.”

“Maybe they want to press the issue?” asked Niemi. “I don’t get the impression the president is feeling very patient.”

“We’ve not declared war yet, never mind the fact we’re nowhere near combat readiness. At least I can do something about that.”

“Have you considered our small”—she saw them glance at each other as he said it—“request to change the balance of forces for the simulation?” asked Roy.

“I have.” She picked up her tablet and read their message again, taking her time. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw them shifting in their seats as they waited.

“We both feel that the current balance gives the crews on your side little chance to prove themselves,” said Niemi.

She kept reading for a while before putting the tablet down. “I’ll adjust the forces.”

They both smiled.

“Another cluster will be transferred to your command, Colonel Roy.”

The smiles faded.

“General, with all respect, we feel it is already too unbalanced in our favour. Giving us more forces will just make that worse,” said Niemi. Marienne saw beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

“I feel the two forces are a good match. This will just… add to the challenge. It should be a good test for everyone.”

“We will outnumber your forces two-to-one. No, even more than that.” Roy’s brow furrowed with concern.

“Then I expect you will wrap up a quick victory tomorrow.” She leaned forward, her hands clasped together, resting them on the desk. “If that is all on today’s agenda, I think we have plenty to be getting on with.”

The confused expressions remained on their faces, but they saluted, and they were gone, leaving her with Jan.

“I hope you have a good plan up your sleeve,” he said. “They are right; it’s a very unbalanced scenario, General.”

“Well then, Major, let’s see if it turns out to be as easy as they think it is.”

“I will have the changes made tonight and give it a dry run so it will be ready for the crews tomorrow.” He tapped away on his tablet.

She sat, spinning the ornament in her hand. “So the bet is on again.”

He paused and looked back at her. “Maybe.”

Marienne raised one eyebrow. “Please. They didn’t do a very good job of hiding it—all that emphasis on little and small. They’re seeing if I react to comments on my height.” She had a glint in her eyes. “Same terms as usual?”

He hesitated before nodding. “This one is running over two months.”

“What’s the penalty this time?”

“If you shout at anyone for calling you short, little, and so on, the people who bet on you not reacting have to do a full shift naked. Vice versa for the people betting against you if you ignore the comments.”

“I’m amazed it’s still going,” she said. “I’ve never reacted to anything anyone has ever said about my height.” She smiled. “Well, at least what they’ve said in public.”

“It’s curiosity, General, that keeps it going year after year. People want to know how far you can be pushed.”

“A dangerous game to be playing with your commanding officer, don’t you think? I never thought too much of it at the Academy, but here I’m not sure it’s wise to let it continue. Especially with everything that is going on right now.”

Jan glanced at the floor. “I think it serves a very good purpose. It helps many relax around you. Your reputation does precede you, even with recent events. Let them have this fun, General.”

The ornament twirled in her fingers again.

“Very well, but I want you to keep an eye out. Make sure it doesn’t turn toxic with all this media stuff going on.”

“As you order, General. I need to finalise the preparations for tomorrow if I may go.”

“Of course. You’re dismissed, Major.” Marienne waved her hand. He had reached the open door when another thought occurred to her. “Jan, which side are you betting on?”

He paused in the empty frame before turning around with a sheepish smile. “I’ve known you for a long time General, and I learnt a long time ago to always bet on you.”

—–

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