Read Broken Glass (Glass Complex Book 1) for Free Online Page B

flaking into ash. “The Acolytes are very cautious—and concerned. And they enclosed identity papers, credit, cash for me, and papers for you—here, take yours. “
    “So, Thomas,” he continued, after he watched the last page flake away. “Off planet I must go. Rather a scattering of the remaining members of the family—few as they are. Will I ever return, I wonder?”
    “You will return, my lord.”
    “No more titles, Thomas. Now, as these papers indicate, I’m the son of a Phoebean merchant, and we must keep in character. Meet Robert of Ware, a good name for a merchant’s son, don’t you think?” His forced levity was a barrier against the dark clouds of sorrow and loss that threatened to rush in and absorb him.
    “But my lord—” Thomas paused at Steg’s frown. “Steg—you are to travel offworld to an Imperial planet. And then what? It sounds like madness to me.”
    Steg didn’t elaborate on the detailed instructions that he had received. “Madness? Perhaps. But would you expect to find a fugitive from the Empire hiding on one of its planets?” He did not mention that the plan was for him to purchase an officer’s commission in the Imperial Fleet. “No, it has a daring that bodes well, especially if plans for others of my family are as bold. I know, I’m one of the decoys, Thomas, and I have to avoid the Imperial net. Come on, time is running against us and we still need to reach Castlehome. I have to board that freighter.”
    They wrapped the body of the Acolyte in his robe and gently laid him to rest in a shallow grave on the riverbank. Then they replaced the disturbed grass in an attempt to hide the grave from any curious passerby. The body with its laser burns, if discovered, would create excitement and attract the attention of the Imperials. Thomas stood with Steg at the head of the grave and they both gave silent homage to the Acolyte.
    Thomas kept the throttle pushed forward and the tractor and trailer trundled along at maximum speed. While reaching their destination as quickly as possible was imperative, they were restricted by the speed of their farm vehicle. Eventually their small road joined another, and on this larger highway they joined a steady stream of travelers and vehicles heading in the same direction. They were well along the road and much closer to Castlehome when they next encountered Imperial forces.
    The flow of travelers slowed and then ground to a halt, forming a queue that was constrained by a checkpoint some half-kay ahead. Steg watched the process as the squad of Imperials carried out thorough searches and interrogated travelers in depth. He estimated it would be almost thirty minutes before they reached the barrier formed by the small Imperial force. After a few minutes, Thomas walked back to some recent arrivals, groups of farmers and traders who had joined the growing queue behind them. After a short discussion, some of the men jumped down from their vehicles and moved quickly in different directions; two headed back along the road while the remainder moved off the road into the forest. Thomas returned to claim his driving seat.
    “All Homeworld Militia. Armed only with light weapons. I asked two to head back, to stop and divert traffic for the rest of the day,” he advised. “And the others are going to circle around, they will take out the supporting armor.” He indicated the weapon emplacement a hundred yards or so on the other side of the checkpoint. “The Imperials have just three men in support there. That’s not much insurance for them and their checkpoint. As far as we can determine, they didn’t place a guard on their flyer.”
    A series of hand signals flowed up and down the queue, as they moved even more slowly towards the Imperial officers and their checkpoint. As time passed, Steg felt the tension increase. No one, farmer or trader, had arrived from the direction of Castlehome and Steg surmised the Imperial forces were restricting the movement of