Prologue
Dana woke in a cold sweat, it hadn’t been the first time this week either. Every time the same dream, lightning splitting a great oak tree, the flames causing wooden figures in the likeness of gods of old to catch alight, their ash scattering in the winds that followed.
“What is it?” her husband asked drowsily, rolling onto his side to look at her, “the dreams again?” he offered when she didn’t reply.
“Yes” she replied quietly, she would’ve put the nightmares down to her recent round of rejuvenation treatment, but her husband Jacob seemed unfazed.
“What do you think it means?” she asked, slipping out of bed and pulling on a dressing gown over her naked body, the sleeve catching on her magnetic gauntlet.
“Who knows, this is the second time you’ve had these episodes, perhaps it’s an adverse reaction to the treatments,” he ventured, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
Dana poured herself a little wine from a bottle left over after their evening meal, downing the liquid in one. Life in the colonies was hard, but they could afford life’s luxuries on Jacob’s salary... like the rejuvenation treatment, few ninety-five-year-olds looked to be in their twenties.
“It’ll pass, just like last time” Jacob reassured her, hugging her from behind and kissing her neck gently.
She put her glass down knowing what this would lead to as he untied her gown, then the early morning alarm sounded breaking the mood completely.
“Duty calls” he sighed, kissing her as the shutters rose up.
The sight always took her breath away, the swirling clouds around Saturn as beautiful as they were dangerous. By the time her husband had dressed the space station had already completed a full rotation as it orbited the gas giant, sporadic blue flashes prickled against the force field as meteors impacted against it.
“How do I look?” Jacob asked. She sauntered over to him, tucking his navy blue tie under his collar.
“Like the most handsome Earth Ambassador in the galaxy,” she smiled, kissing him.
“And after today’s deal, we can finally go home,” he smiled.
“Truly?” she asked with scepticism, squeezing him tightly.
“Truly, the Prime Minister wants me for Minister of New Anglica”.
Dana couldn’t believe it, three decades away from Earth had made her long for home, though she had become rather fond of Saturn’s odd and dangerous beauty.
Jacob went over to their large window as she leaned happily against a supporting beam... she was going home.
Suddenly someone dropped in front of her husband, raising a pistol quickly, “For the colonies!” they shouted, cast out from a suit radio, distorting their voice. Then came a piercing sound of a laser, a clean hole burning through Jacob’s head, she screamed and several of her husband’s bodyguards ran in weapons drawn. The murderer turned their pistol on the window and fired, within seconds the reinforced glass broke apart, pulling the assailant out with the atmosphere. Dana grabbed hold of the support beam as tightly as she could before her magnetic gauntlet clamped her to the beam, the bodyguards gauntlets also activated, locking them to the floor before they could fire. She looked out to see a ship catch the murderer, her husband’s body locked to the counter. Then after that brief second the emergency shutters slammed shut, her aide ran in a moment later, panicked, and justifiably so.
“Dana what happened?“.
“He’s dead Jack, dear God he’s dead...It was the colonies, Jack, they killed him made sure we knew!” She cried, only one thing was certain now she knew, war was coming.
