Chapter Seven
As one of the Mayflower II’s few celebrities, Art had been applauded before. But the polite patter of two dozen Passengers was nothing compared to the physical shock of that wall of approbative sound. It rushed through him with almost s****l force, thrusting him deep into the role that had been chosen for him. At that moment, he felt he was the Conqueror of Time and Space, and these were his followers, whom he would lead to the creation of a new world. The words he had to say no longer seemed shallow and silly, but grave, meaningful, and filled with power. He would not have changed them even if he hadn’t known about the snipers somewhere high above. How could he change the words of God?
He strode forward to the very front and centre of the stage and planted the sword point-
