To the Time Machine! - part 55

The Far Future


Old Andronicus stalked through the Fortress. The Raptolier sounding against the metal flooring as he walked. Step, clunk, step, clunk, step clank, step clank, step, clunk.

The War had been hard on all of the Imperials. The Emperor was no exception. He leaned on his sword of power like a cane these days.

The Foretold One clunked to a stop at an entryway. He impatiently thrust the bottom of the Raptolier against the kickplate.

A grumpy voice from inside growled, "Come in already."

The door parted just like on Star Trek. Old Andronicus lumbered into the room, and finding no one he crossed through the chamber and up to a screen door which led out onto a porch. He was just in time to catch Political Officer Spitler dispensing refreshments to some children.

"Here's your goddamn Kool-Aid," Spitler grumbled at the kids. "Now get the hell off my porch."

The children laughed, but ran off scared. The outside screen door slammed shut behind them.

Spitler watched them go, then turned to Andronicus.

They looked at each other. Spitler, of course, looked back with only one eye. A patch covered the other.

"What was that all about?" the Emperor inquired suddenly.

"What was what all about?" Spitler dodged.

"Those younglings," Andronicus said. "What were you doing?"

Spitler considered his reply carefully but quickly and said, "Bribing them."

"I see."

"While they're still young," Spitler added, and then shifted tactics. "Don't forget who really runs this Empire of yours."

"Right, right," Andronicus replied. "Into the ground."

"You're telling me," Spitler sighed. He motioned for Andronicus to sit, and they both settled into bright, plastic chairs at the dark, wooden table. Spitler poured the Great One a glass of Kool-Aid.

Andronicus sipped the concoction. It was adequate. "Report," Andronicus spoke.

"I don't report to anyone," Spitler rebuffed, but then softened. "The War does not go well. We cannot sustain our current drive. We are overextended."

"I'll raise taxes," Andy decided.

"You know raising taxes only makes things worse," Spitler said without even looking up from his Kool-Aid. "And funding is not our only problem. We're trying to hold too many planets with too few troops."

"Make more troops."

"That's not the answer," Spitler said. "The timeline must to be returned to normal. You know it, I know it, and no one else knows it because it is highly classified."

"I did what I remembered done," Andronicus said.

"It's been a year," Spitler said, "and we're only on the 13th chapter. I don't know how much longer we can wait."

The sound of laughter caught their attention. Spitler and Andronicus looked out the porch at the children playing. They did not know the War. Yet.

But they would. If the time travel mission failed.