Smoke on the Wind

by Sean Benjamin

  The two shuttles landed and shut down on one of the now familiar pads in the rear of the palace. All the passengers went inside. Raferty left the group to prepare while the others walked to an informal social gathering in one of the ballrooms. Many of the important officials and royal relatives gathered for refreshments and small talk before crossing to the Upper House for the ceremony.

  An hour later, Tobias Gallagher gathered up the pirates and lead the way to the Upper House. There they greeted their flotilla commander, now the best-dressed groom in the Aurora Empire. These guests would view the ceremony from the rarely used gallery above and behind the seating for the peers. This balcony was usually closed, but there would a capacity crowd there today. Chairs had been set up immediately in front of the peer seating for the use of dignitaries and royal family members. The room was filling fast as the peers took their customary work seats and invited guests grabbed seats in the front or in the gallery. Tobias Gallagher sat in his seat amid the other peers. He had attended several legislative sessions as a substitute for Hawkins so was still a familiar presence in the chamber.

  The High Cardinal of Zelenka, in a splendid ensemble, was standing by the prime minister’s podium at the front of the chamber. The Duke of Black Hallow took his position in front of him. People began to end their conversations and pay attention to their surroundings as quiet settled over the chamber.

  Music from a small orchestra on the other side of the podium began to play. The Queen entered through the door behind the cardinal. The audience froze. Part of it was respect for the monarchy. Most of it was due to the beauty of Alexis. Raferty thought she was stunning, then ravishing, and, finally, enchanting. None of these words came within hailing distance of getting the description correct. She wore a light blue wedding dress with a short train. There was a weave of blue flowers in her hair but no veil. The dress conformed to the Queen’s body. Her movements made it simmer in the light. She seemed to float to Raferty’s side. The dress was not elaborate, but it did its job. It highlighted the woman wearing it. Rafe thought he could have been dead and still would have noticed her. He was also sure he wasn’t the only man in the room thinking that. He knew she was a beautiful woman, but damn. He didn’t take his eyes off of her as he was waiting for her to join him. He bowed as she stopped next to him. As he straightened, she extended her right hand, and he took it in his left. Her hand was cold. He smiled his best smile, and he meant it. She returned his smile with her practiced smile-for-all-occasions smile that he had seen a hundred public figures use. Hawkins knew it was an arranged marriage, so he had steeled himself not to expect too much. For the first time, a pang of regret about the arrangement entered his heart. He found himself wishing it would be more than that. He knew he was getting more out of this marriage than she was, and he wanted it to be more equal for her sake. He did not like the thought that being with him was a sacrifice on her part.

  They turned to the cardinal. He talked to the audience and then to them. Rafe barely heard him. The man then led them a few meters away to a small table with two cups. There were more pronouncements by the cardinal. They each drank wine from one cup, exchanged cups, and each of them finished the wine in the second cup. They returned to their original position. Raferty was presented with a royal crest which he fastened to his jacket, signifying he was of the royal house of the Sinclair family and his loyalty must lie there. Rings were placed by each of them on the other’s right hand. More pronouncements by the cardinal that signified the ceremony was drawing to a close. They were pronounced husband and wife, and it was time to kiss. He put his hands on her waist and drew her to him. She mechanically closed the distance and put her arms around his neck. The kiss held no passion and Alexis ended it as soon as protocol allowed. They turned to face the crowd. Silence ruled the hall.

  The pirate captains in the balcony started applauding. Surprised by this noisy ending, nobody else in the chamber knew what to do. After five seconds, the remainder of the crowd began to applaud as they didn’t want to be left out. The newly married couple acknowledged the crowd with a wave.

  “Were they supposed to do that?” Raferty asked his bride.

  “No,” she responded with a slight smile. “But what the hell. Traditions should be broken occasionally.”

  The couple waved once more and then departed out the door behind the cardinal for the main ballroom in the palace. There the pair would receive the guests and everyone would socialize for two hours before the husband and wife would retire for the evening.

  Chapter 56

  The break with tradition continued at the reception. The receiving line should have been composed of the happy bride and groom and family members, but Alexis had decided only she and her consort would be receiving the guests. People paid their respects and compliments to the pair and, with only two stops for the guests, the receiving line moved rapidly to a conclusion. The upper crust of Empire society circulated around the room partaking in conversation and beverages. The queen quickly separated from her consort and mingled with each group of guests. Raferty confined himself to the military attendees and several of the peers that his grandfather introduced him to. Rafe didn’t want to meet people, but people wanted to meet him. He was continually assaulted by well-wishers who looked forward to his continued presence within the Empire and his keen strategic vision aiding the Empire’s war effort. Raferty acknowledged all the well-wishers but had to admit he was feeling a bit out of place. He was pleased the wedding had been a hurried affair so only the elites who were reasonably close had time to get to Zelenka. He couldn’t imagine the crowd if this had been a typical royal wedding.

  It didn’t help that the pirate contingent made a token appearance and then departed. The stated reason was to begin the journey to the home planet of Admiral Barrett for the Barrett/O’Hare wedding, but the real reason was to get out of the stuffy atmosphere as fast as they could. They wanted all the benefits of Rafe’s marriage to the Queen but that didn’t mean they actually wanted to be exposed to it. Hawkins understood. He wouldn’t be there himself if it wasn’t required. He spoke briefly to Admiral Barrett and Killian before they left. He expressed his regret for not being able to attend their wedding. They knew that had never been possible given the demands of the monarchy and the schedule. O’Hare promised to be back in one week.

  Just as their conversation was winding down, another conversation was heating up. Doctor Joshua Windsor had attended the wedding and was now at the reception. He had cleaned up nice and was quite the charmer throughout the wedding and the reception. However, he was still Doc Windsor, and he accidentally met his parents and twin sister, Josephine, as everyone circulated about the room. He immediately got into an argument with his parents that Josephine was powerless to stop.

  “As good a cue for departure as any,” said O’Hare as she watched the verbal melee escalate. Mason Reed and Tactical grabbed the still arguing doctor and the pirate contingent moved toward the exit, dragging Doc Windsor as he called his parents several vile names. Queen Alexis happened to be near the door and Doc Windsor demanded the procession stop. Once halted, Windsor shook off his captors and moved to Alexis. He bowed, straightened up, and then earnestly looked into her eyes as he said, “My parents make me quite insane, and I have reacted foolishly. I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty.” He bowed again and held it. “I am your humble servant, Madam.”

  Queen Alexis stepped forward and touched his shoulder so he could rise. She addressed him face to face. “Think nothing of it. Doctor. All the bureaucrats make me crazy too.”

  Doc Windsor smiled at that and excused himself with another bow. He walked out the door whistling a catchy little tune. The pirates looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. Alexis smiled after him, giving one of the few genuine smiles she had offered so far today. She liked Doc Windsor. He was genuine.

  After two hours of socializing, the married couple departed for their private quarters and the gala began to wind down quickly. Everyone knew this eve
nt was being covered by the media, and anyone seen having too good a time would draw comments given the backdrop of the war. People preferred to have their good times outside the seeing eye of the press, and now everyone moved to make it so.

  Chapter 57

  Raferty leaned against the windowpane and stared out into the night. Despite the late hour, the capital city was always open for business. There was traffic on the main streets. The harbor was lit up, and he could see two ships being loaded among the myriad of docks. There were several ships moving across the Argent Sea in all directions. Lights shone in irregular patterns in several tall buildings in the business district. Although Naval Headquarters was nearby, it was on the other side of the palace grounds so was not in sight from his vantage point. He was sure there were still a great many lights on there.

  He wondered what Killian O’Hare was doing while on her way to her marriage. Hell, he wondered what Emily Legrand and Skyler Mallory were doing. Just because they were dead didn’t mean they couldn’t be doing something right now. He smiled a faint smile as he hoped they didn’t get together and compare notes on him. He thought about them for a long time. They were nothing alike, but he had cared very much for each of them. He thought he had loved them but wasn’t sure. He knew he missed them when they were gone and wished it had not happened. He hoped they were in heaven or some version of it. He didn’t know if he believed in heaven, but he hoped there was one for the many fine people who had already gone ahead of him. Raferty knew that the definition of faith was belief without definitive proof. Based on that, he had never had faith in anything. But he did have hopes.

  He thought about how similar Skyler and the Queen—his wife—were. He could see how they had been best friends. He had been attracted to Skyler Mallory soon after meeting her in person at the Fort in what seemed like a lifetime ago. The Murmansk mission and the subsequent trip to Rainbow Falls had sealed their relationship. It had been a natural progression. He had long ago concluded the best relationships were that way. They just seemed to flow. One thing led to another, and it all made sense. You still had to work at it, but it was easy to do. If Sky and Alexis were so similar, why was Sky so easy and Alexis so difficult?

  His thoughts turned to the Queen. He wasn’t quite sure what to think about her. Every time he thought he had a basic understanding of his wife, she managed to change course without warning. She had wanted this marriage. There had been absolutely no chance he would have suggested an arranged marriage to her. If he had done that, he assumed she would have laughed him out of the room at best or had him thrown off planet at worst. No, this arrangement was entirely her doing. Now that it had happened, she appeared to regret it. Her reassessment seemed to have started at the fitting but he thought she had been put at ease after their talk over the midday meal. Her relaxed attitude died sometime that night and had yet to resurrect itself. She had been distant at the rehearsal. Her performance at the wedding was akin to someone trying to get through a very painful evolution as quickly as possible. If anyone doubted it was an arranged marriage, all they had to do was watch the bride and groom together for about five minutes at the reception. In the receiving line, she smiled and laughed at the appropriate times. She was always proper and paid attention to all the social details required by her position and the occasion. She paid her new husband compliments within the hearing of all the guests. She had performed flawlessly in that line and also in making the rounds during the reception itself. But she was the Queen and had a lifetime to perfect that act. Many of the peers were in the same type of arranged marriages so they understood the drill. They had assumed the Queen was doing her duty for the good of the Empire, and she did nothing at the wedding to dispel that notion. The royal marriage would go on for years. The two participants would work out the details to their own satisfaction. Heirs would be produced and the dynastic line would go on. The peers understood that love, desire, mutual respect, and commitment did not enter into marriage at their social level. Those lucky peers who had found such things, well and good. But for most of them, marriage was a maneuver on both a tactical and strategic level. Marriage and spouses are for the advancement of family and position. If you wanted love, get a dog or a loyal lover.

  As such, the peers admired the Queen’s performance. Most couldn’t understand her choice of groom, but it wasn’t a totally irrational decision. Hawkins was a peer with an old title. He was the man of the moment and when the moment faded, he would be back in the Badlands where he belonged, and the Queen could do as she damn well pleased. Several peers wished they could get their spouses to disappear for months at a time. Yes, all in all, the Queen gave an acceptable performance for one trapped in an arranged marriage and determined to make the best of it. She won universal approval for her stiff upper lip.

  Once the pair had retired for the evening the arranged marriage syndrome continued. Hawkins took a deep breath as he reviewed the operation. He would have laughed about it if he could get past the blow to his male pride. They awkwardly went through the motions and managed to get the consummation completed. It had all the passion of dental work, but each had done his and her duty. He would never tell that to anyone. It was too cruel to say out loud. He had the thought that the two of them would seldom return to the scene of that particular crime.

  He smiled a small smile into the night as he had a flashback to Eli the helmsman talking about his wedding night to Nori Ozaka. Eli only got a few sentences out before Rafe cut him off, but Rafe was willing to bet Eli had much more fun than he had. Strange how some memories just pop into your head. He stared into the night.

  “I’m sorry.”

  The voice was soft and close. The words startled Rafe out of his trance. He turned to see the Queen standing one meter away in a white bathrobe with her arms wrapped around herself. Hawkins had been so deep in thought, her approach was unheard. His first thought was annoyance that she managed to sneak up on him. His second thought was to wonder why he thought of her in terms like that.

  He could see her face in the gentle half glow bathing the room from the many city lights below. She was quite lovely. Of course, she would look lovely right after wrestling a pig in a mud hole. They regarded each other in silence. Rafe didn’t quite know what to say. Well, he knew what he wanted to say. What the hell is your story? He also knew he would never say that. Anyway, he thought he already knew the answer. It’s an arranged marriage. What the hell did you expect? He actually hadn’t known what to expect. Now he did. Well, she had taken one for her team, and he had taken one for his team. His team lived in the Badlands. Maybe it was time to go there and begin to exploit the tangible benefits of being the Queen’s consort without ever actually seeing the Queen any more than was absolutely necessary.

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” he replied softly as his eyes drifted to the bedroom door. “It’s been a long day and we barely-.”

  She cut him off. “Oh, I’m not talking about that.” Her right hand flicked in the direction of the bedroom. “Although I do agree apologies are owed all around for the fiasco.”

  Despite the moment, Hawkins smiled. One of the many traits he admired about the Queen—his wife—was she did not sugarcoat anything. And she was right about it being a fiasco.

  She went on, “No, I’m sorry about the lie I have told you over the last three days.”

  Raferty’s mind raced. He reviewed every conversation he had ever had with her. It didn’t take long. They had had little contact prior to their marriage and were almost total strangers. He couldn’t see the lie. He confessed as such. “I don’t see the lie.” That did annoy him. Spotting the lie was a standard Badlands survival procedure. Not only did he not spot the lie when he heard it, he still couldn’t find it after being told it was there. The Queen was good.

  She gave him a small, forlorn smile. “You’re looking at each word and sentence I have uttered. Look at the bigger scene. All of it is the lie.”

  He didn’t want to look at their entire relationship, such as
it was. If it was all a lie, he wasn’t sure what he would or could do about it. “Please tell me,” he said.

  “During my proposal, you asked what I got out of the marriage. That is where the lies began, and I have said many things to cover that beginning.” She paused now and looked at the floor for three long seconds before coming back to him. “The truth is that all I wanted out of this marriage was you. I love you. I think it began the moment I saw you on the floor of the Upper House after the Measure 200 vote, and it only grew from there. I never would have had Predator take me to Navy Base Hartley if you hadn’t been aboard her. I wanted to get to know you. I was more impressed after the time I spent with you in your ship. You were in your element, and you are special there.”

  She paused now and returned to studying the floor. Hawkins calmly waited. He knew she would get to where she wanted to go but by her own route and at her own speed. She again looked up and into his face. “Sky knew. The last time we were together in this very room, she asked me about how I felt about you. She already sensed the truth. I told her I did like you, more than I should. That was the truth. I also told her I never would have come between you two. That was also the truth. Sky was my best friend. If she had lived, you never would have known how I felt. Even if you two had failed to make a go of it, I would have maintained my distance. To pursue you after she and you broke up would have been despicable, and I never would have done it.”

  She took a step toward him and cut the distance between them in half. “I sent you Sky’s Last Words. She also had Last Words for me. She said I should go after you. She said we needed each other and were a perfect match. She said I already loved you, and you would soon love me. Sky was certain of both sides of that equation. She blessed the action and encouraged me to do it.”

  Rafe could see tears in her eyes now. This was difficult for her. He reached for her, but she stepped back. “No. Not yet. If you hold me I will stop, and I want it all to come out.” He nodded, and she continued. “I did want to go after you, but the Call-to-Service was not part of that. I honestly thought you were the best answer at that bleak time. I also knew you could win and then you would be a hero. That would make the match more understandable to my people and the peers. I didn’t think you would go for the marriage based just on me wanting you. I also didn’t want to sell the idea to you on that lone reason. After Skyler’s recent death, it felt too much, too soon. I was sure you didn’t love me, and I felt bad enough to be doing this so soon after Sky, but I didn’t think I would get another opportunity. You would go back to the Badlands with no set return date and that could very well be the end of it.