The Sword and the Plough Read Online Free Page B

not that her ancestors had evolved
on another world, in another star system, across a galaxy’s
timeless depths. She would be forever unaware that man, remembering
Noah, had brought her kind, along with hundreds of other species,
to help repopulate the black planet.
    Helen sat up suddenly. “Lars, wake up. I’ve
been thinking.”
    Lars opened his eyes reluctantly.
    “ Have you ever thought of doing something
else? I mean – like leaving Trion and going to one of the other
Commonwealth planets or maybe even Earth, herself?”
    She paused, her sapphire eyes suddenly
gleaming. “Now that’d be something, wouldn’t it,” she continued
excitedly, her thoughts accelerating rapidly as she spoke. “We’d
have the money if we sold the farm. We could change our whole
lives, become two different people, not Lars and Helen Kelmutt –
dirt farmers, but people who travel – people who have time to stand
for hours to catch a glimpse of the queen. We could visit the royal
court. I know all about that. The deputy governor came and spoke to
us about the history of the royals last year at the school
prize-giving.”
    “What did he tell you?”
    “ He told us about the later
21 st century on Earth. How it was
divided up into nations; how politically corrupt it had become, and
the way it went from one economic disaster to another. How civil
war had become rife throughout the globe.
    “ He explained how the most important
positions of power on Earth in those days were controlled by people
who knew nothing of government – had no real commitment. Power went
to those who were rich or backed by the rich; people who could
articulate ideas and make promises, even if they didn’t intend or
even know how to keep them.” She shook her head. “And others just
stole power through war and rebellion.”
    Lars nodded. “I remember. We had the same
speech.”
    “But do you know your dates?” his sister
asked, her tone all at once challenging.
    “Yep! 2081, the peoples of the Earth rebelled
against their leaders. No such world revolution had ever happened
before.”
    Helen nodded. “Right! But in what month?”
    “August.”
    “Day?”
    Lars shook his head. “Sorry, can’t
remember.”
    “ The 17 th – starting in Australasia and rippling like ah – um – Mexican
Wave right round the globe.”
    “What’s a Mexican Wave?”
    Helen shook her head. “I have no idea.”
    “ Okay – the 17th. I’ll take your word for
it.”
    “But Lars, more importantly, what was the
reason?”
    Her brother’s eyes squeezed into a thoughtful
squint for an instant before he answered.
    “Hmm! I know this one. The threat of another
world war. There had been two already and many other conflicts
almost as critical. A third would have destroyed the planet.”
    “Good answer! Who took control of the Earth
then?”
    “The media,” Lars replied promptly. “They
united the peoples of the Earth through global satellite television
and the various social media of the day, and warned them of the
perils of continuing to live as separate nations.
    “ They organized the World
Debate, with all the most
famous journalists and political commentators from around the
planet putting forward their ideas about which form of world
government would be the best.”
    “What regime did they eventually choose?”
    “Well that’s obvious, isn’t it? The
monarchy!”
    “Right! But why did they choose it?”
    Lars frowned. “Hmm, not so easy, don’t forget
I had this speech some years ago now.”
    “Give up?”
    “ No – never!”
    Lars studied the new fields about them as if they might
somehow hold the answer. In places, the black soil was still
smoking.
    “Ah, they chose the monarchy,” he said at
last, “because ah…it had a heritage of training, and ah… a
tradition of personal sacrifice.”
    His thoughts began to quicken and the words
raced to his tongue.
    “ And royalty were born and bred to rule –
had generations of rule in their blood. Personal