Read Online The Far Bank of the Rubicon (The Pax Imperium Wars: Volume 1) by Erik Wecks - Free Book Online Page A

empire. Each noble owned their gates personally and collected taxes on them. Much of Malek’s power came from his proximity to the more densely populated regions of the galaxy. He made money on trade, and while a direct embargo wasn’t possible from his liege lord, tariffs on Athenian goods suddenly popped up among almost all of Malek’s direct neighbors. Trade moved elsewhere, which had proven effective.
    Needless to say, it was a known secret that the House of Athena was behind the decade-old tariffs. Even Jonas knew his father made secret payments to Duke Malek’s neighbors in order to compensate them for their lost business. Malek had fumed and protested for ten years, but the tariffs hadn’t moved. Now, his complaint to the Imperial Trade Tribunal had finally come up for a preliminary hearing.
    Tonight, Malek arrived. Everyone would play nice and pretend like they were all on the same team. Tomorrow, the Imperial Trade Minister came in from the galactic capital, and the knives would come out.
    The King, of course, couldn’t declare that he supported tariffs on his own vassal by foreign powers. However, it was all in the wording. He could either take a strong stand against them, threatening military action, or he could temper his comments and so hint that he wanted the tariffs left in place. There was little reason to suspect that the Empire would do anything other than support the House of Athena. Three hundred years prior, at the end of a genocidal war, Athena founded the Pax Imperium as a means to check the power of every state in the galaxy. Athena might not lead the Pax, but it was still its chief patron.
    This was Jonas’ first exposure to the Malek clan. Needless to say, he was eager to see the Duke in person but also a little nervous. There was a lot riding on this meeting.
    Lady Malek exited the limousine and stood next to her husband. They made quite a pair. Thin, willowy, and blond, she wore a perpetual smile. Even from this distance, Jonas recognized her nearly flawless beauty. He guessed she was what they called at the court a mannequin—artificial in all the areas that mattered for external beauty. She made a perfect trophy wife for a man like Malek.
    The two children weren’t visible until they came out from behind the vehicle. While the family talked with a couple of minor figures before climbing the stairs, Jonas ran over what he knew of them. Duke Malek had three acknowledged offspring. Two boys born to his second wife, now dead, and a daughter, Sophia, born to his third.
    The oldest boy was not among the visitors because he was away at the Imperial University in Leto.
    The middle boy, Mark, was supposed to be a big archer. He was training for the Athenian national team.
    As Dora guided her charges toward the steps, the idly drifting press cameras buzzed to life. They really do resemble a swarm of flies , thought Jonas. While the cameras held vigil overhead, he instinctively adopted his most serious pose.
    The daughter was to be Jonas' special concern this evening. There really wasn’t much on Sophia Malek in the diplomatic dossiers other than her age, fourteen years old. Her age meant this was her first trip to the palace of her father’s liege lord. Traditionally, the trip at age fourteen was a preview before a young woman officially entered the world of the court at eighteen.
    More than a few eyes would be on her tonight. Jonas noticed that both the Court Reporter and Daily Star had assigned cameras to her exclusively. The tabloid gossip nodes will be full of her image tomorrow , he thought. Jonas didn't even bother to consider that he would be featured heavily in tomorrow's gossips, as well.
    The one instruction he and Stephen had been given directly from their father regarding this visit was on the subject of Malek’s children. He wanted Jonas and Stephen to try to get on friendly terms with them as much as possible. Jonas’ dad believed that friendship among the next generations of