John Lyle, a junior army officer under the Prophet, is stationed at the Prophet's capital of New Jerusalem. Devout at this point, he finds himself questioning his faith when he falls for one of the Prophet's Virgins, Sister Judith. Judith, new to the vocation,  faints when she is called upon to render sexual service to the Prophet and is confined to her quarters until she sees the light. John confides in his far more worldly roommate, Zeb Jones, who is not only not shocked , but who assists John. A clandestine meeting with Judith goes awry when they are forced to kill a spy , leaving them no choice but to seek aid from the Cabal, an underground revolutionary movement (Judith's friend, Sister Magdalene, is a member). The two men are inducted into the Cabal , while remaining on duty in their army posts. Judith is arrested and tortured as part of the investigation into the death of the spy, and John and Zeb rescue her , though leaving enough clues that John is soon arrested and tortured himself. He gives little away , and is himself rescued by the Cabal. Zeb and Magdalene have evaded arrest , thanks to a clandestine distress signal that John manages to leave for Zeb while being arrested. Judith is spirited out of the country before John regains consciousness, and John is given a false identity in order to make his way to Cabal headquarters. He is detected en route, forced to flee, and arrives safely after several misadventures. He finds that Zeb and Magdalene, who he assumes are a couple, have made their way there before him. All take on significant roles in bringing to fruition the revolutionary plot, John as an aide to the commander, General Huxley. While working there, John receives a literal "Dear John" letter from Judith, informing him of her impending marriage to a Mexican man she met while  getting refuge in his country. He learns that Zeb and Magdalene have no marriage plans, and  begins a romance with Magdalene. The revolutionary plot is mostly successful, and the country , other than New Jerusalem , is seized. But the capital must also be conquered lest it serve as a rallying point for loyalists. Even as constitutional discussions go on,  tempered to provide the greatest possible individual freedom (this is the origin of the 'Covenant' mentioned in other Heinlein works), the new regime's troops prepare to take New Jerusalem. John and Magdalene are married just before the assault. During the fight, Huxley is wounded, and John must take over temporary command , though not entitled by rank to do so. He gives the orders that bring victory. He then turns over command to the senior unwounded general , and leads a squad invading the Prophet's private quarters. They find that he has been viciously killed by his own Virgins.
John Lyle, a junior army officer under the Prophet, is stationed at the Prophet's capital of New Jerusalem. He had been devout, but he finds himself questioning his faith when he falls for one of the Prophet's Virgins, Sister Judith. New to the vocation, Judith faints when she is called upon to render sexual service to the Prophet and is confined to her quarters until she sees the light. John confides in his far more worldly roommate, Zeb Jones, who is not shocked but even assists John. A clandestine meeting with Judith goes awry when they are forced to kill a spy . They are left with no choice but to seek aid from the Cabal, an underground revolutionary movement (Judith's friend, Sister Magdalene, is a member). The two men are inducted into the Cabal while they remain on duty in their army posts. Judith is arrested and tortured as part of the investigation into the death of the spy, and John and Zeb rescue her but leave enough clues that John is soon arrested and tortured himself. He gives little away and is himself rescued by the Cabal. Zeb and Magdalene have evaded arrest thanks to a clandestine distress signal that John manages to leave for Zeb while he is arrested. Judith is spirited out of the country before John regains consciousness, and John is given a false identity to make his way to Cabal headquarters. He is detected en route, forced to flee, and arrives safely after several misadventures. He finds that Zeb and Magdalene, who he assumes are a couple, have made their way there before him. All take on significant roles in bringing to fruition the revolutionary plot, John as an aide to the commander, General Huxley. Working there, John receives a literal "Dear John" letter from Judith, informing him of her impending marriage to a Mexican man she met while she was getting refuge in his country. He learns that Zeb and Magdalene have no marriage plans, and he begins a romance with Magdalene. The revolutionary plot is mostly successful, and the country other than New Jerusalem is seized. However, the capital must also be conquered lest it serve as a rallying point for loyalists. Even as constitutional discussions go on, the new regime's troops, tempered to provide the greatest possible individual freedom (this is the origin of the 'Covenant' mentioned in other Heinlein works), prepare to take New Jerusalem. John and Magdalene are married just before the assault. During the fight, Huxley is wounded, and John must take over temporary command though he is not entitled by rank to do so. He gives the orders that bring victory. He then turns over command to the senior unwounded general and leads a squad invading the Prophet's private quarters. They find that he has been viciously killed by his own Virgins.
R
Devout at this point,
He had been devout, but
R
Judith, new
New
A
Judith
R
only not shocked , but who
shocked but even
R
, leaving them
. They are left with
R
, while remaining
while they remain
R
, though leaving
but leave
D
,
D
,
R
being
he is
D
in order
R
While working
Working
A
she was
A
he
D
,
D
,
R
But
However,
A
the new regime's troops,
D
the new regime's troops
R
, though
though he is
D
,