ROMA

by R. A. Ender

  Richard paused a moment to swallow before continuing. “It also asserts our authority. Really, I can see this cruise becoming one of our regular items once every three years, it has so many benefits. And, to your point, in three years that finger in the eye aspect should be long gone.”

  “Alright, I understand all that. But just like I’ve pointed out to you before if all that is true, why are you hiding it? Why not inform the CAC since there is no doubt it will land on their desks. I’m not interested in that conversation with my Father.” Robin said, continuing to express grave doubts about his motives.

  “I’m concerned they’ll ask us not to out of an abundance of caution. I think this is something worth doing, but if your vote is against, we can talk later. My mind is not made up.”

  Robin began shaking her head quickly, “No, not at all. I see all the benefits too, and I share your concern that others will be too timid. I absolutely want to do it. I just like to make sure I’m not doing things for the wrong reasons too.”

  “Thank you as always for challenging me. Anyone else?” Richard looked around the room and saw a bunch of shaking heads.

  “So, we are all agreed?” Richard asked to a near instant chorus of “yes.”

  “Wow! Ok, that was easy. I thought you were all going to make my life more difficult. Moving on, does anyone have anything else to add to the meeting?”

  Again, a room of shaking heads followed.

  Richard was about to speak again when a chime played announcing that the command deck was opening a comm line to the room.

  “Sorry to interrupt Admiral, but is Chief Doctor Etu with you?” Someone asked though Richard couldn’t identify the voice. Likely it was whoever was currently the on-duty commander.

  “Yes, she is,” Richard said out loud.

  “Sir, Doctor Etu is being asked for in clinic one for a non-emergency request.”

  “Understood. She is on her way.”

  Turning to look at Etu, Richard motioned that she could leave. “Thank you for coming. Go to your work.”

  Etu stood and gave a slight Gemberlican bow of respect. “Thank you, Admiral. It is nice to have you back.” And with that, she quickly walked out of the room and off to whatever awaited her in clinic one.

  Sara stood next, pushing her chair into the meeting table. “Sir, with your permission, I need Jen to help me sort through the fighter pilot training schedules. I wanted to start a few with a warship near system escort and escort jump but I need her advice on who is ready. May we go prepare since we’ll be leaving orbit soon?”

  Richard nodded, “Of course. Go and prepare. It is great to see you again Sara, and Jen, again, congratulations!”

  “Thank you, sir, it has been a true honor to serve and learn from you. And I’ll keep saying that to you until I leave, so get used to it!”

  With that, the two younger ladies of the senior staff left the room. Now, only three were left. The ones that had been together since the start.

  Mato got up from his chair, not to leave, though, just to come closer to the head of the table where Richard sat, with Robin next to him on one side.

  As he moved forward, he spoke. “Now it is just the three of us. We have been together a long time. I still remember when we first met during that Veselyy siege. Have I ever thanked you for taking me off that cruddy freighter to fix your ship? Changed my life, you know.”

  Richard just smiled at the kind thought and kind words. “I’m not sure you have ever stopped thanking me. It has been a while, hasn’t it.”

  “At least the two of you grow old gracefully”, Robin started. “Do you realize that I am turning fifty-five in a couple of weeks? I might have to give up this long hair.” Robin said as she ran her fingers through her shoulder length brown hair, streaked strategically with gray. “It takes too long to color it mostly brown and leave some distinguished streaks. Maybe I should just cut it off and let the gray go.”

  Richard shook his head. “No, Robin don’t. I think it suits you very well and gives you a very commanding presence.”

  “I agree,” Mato added. “I’ve heard more than a few trainees comment on how intimidated they feel taking orders from you. And it doesn’t hurt that you are beautiful.”

  Robin blushed a little. It was certainly uncommon for anyone to tell her she was beautiful. From Mato, it was quite shocking as he never compliments lightly.

  “Well thank you, Mato. I always knew there was a reason I loved you.” Robin answered with a big smile.

  “You’re welcome. But I’ll tell you guys, Jen is making me feel old. I’ll be turning sixty in a couple of months and I’m not sure how many more cruises I have left in me. I can’t crawl through these engineering decks like I used to. I might have to reach out and see if the Academy has any room for an old space dog engineer looking for a cushy retirement. Not sure whether they take people without diplomas, though.”

  Richard looked at Mato than he looked at Robin. He leaned back in his chair, exhaled and thought about what to say. After a moment, he knew.

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing Mato. Heather and I have been married ten years now and we barely see each other. With the war officially over, I kind of feel like I have a nice bookend to my career. I’m thinking this might be my last cruise as well. Maybe it’s best that this is the last. Maybe we should all get-together and decide to move on as a group.”

  Looking outside for a moment, Richard continued. “What has it been? Thirty years we have all been together?”

  “Just about,” Robin said. “I think it’s not quite twenty since Sara and Jen joined, but it has been thirty for you and Mato. You and I,” Robin waved her hand between herself and Richard, “we’ve been together off and on for over thirty, but I became your second in command as soon as you got the Winston Churchill and that was a little less than thirty years ago. Sara joined a few years later, so she must be twenty-five years on, but we picked her out of the graduating class. Do you realize she is only turning forty-four this year!”

  “What about Etu? How long has she been with us?” Richard asked.

  Robin jumped to answer this one, but Mato beat her to it. “She was a med student at Veselyy. She completed her practical years back on New Earth, but you brought her back immediately when she received her recognitions, right?” Mato asked.

  “Yes, I remember, she came on a year before Sara, so she’s at twenty-five years plus.”

  Mato shook his head. “You see, we are all old. Maybe it is the time we moved on. I know I can retire anytime but I want to stay engaged. I think I will send a message to the academy tonight and get the ball rolling. If they don’t want me, I bet Maxix Tech would be happy to get some practical senior eyes on some of their new designs. Wouldn’t it be great to help build or overhaul one of these beauties.” Mato concluded rubbing his hand back and forth on the desktop, as though he was stroking the ship itself.

  “Etu has often told me about a small cottage her family owns in a remote section of Gemberlic. I bet she could start a small practice there and live out her days under the big trees.” Mato added quickly, while still rubbing the desk daydreaming about his future options.

  “And we’ve been training Sara for years now to take on her own command,” Robin said.

  “Yes, and she has any open command that she wants. I’ve been told that on more than one occasion.” Richard added to Robin’s comment. “And she is ready. I would feel confident having her command my ship.”

  Turning to look right at Robin this time, Richard continued. “But what about you? I’ve always wanted you to take over this ship and its training mandate. If I leave to teach or just retire with my wife at LaGuardius Seccus, will you take this on? Will you build and uphold the legacy we’ve built here? I honestly can’t think of anyone else I trust to continue this flying officer training school. I really think it will collapse and be abandoned if you walk away from it as well.”

  Robin smiled and shook her head. “Well, when you put it that way,
what in hades choice do I have?! Maybe I want to retire and find a soul mate to live out my days with on a small tropical island? What about my dreams?” And now Robin was smiling even more broadly as she joked.

  “Seriously, though, Robin, did you want to take over this ship after this cruise and continue its mission?”

  Robin’s smile went away. “So, we aren’t all joking here?”

  Mato spoke first but perfectly captured Richard’s feelings as well. “I’m tired of running around the stars. I’ve been doing it since I left the gymnasium and I’ve had the time of my life. But when I think of leaving it all behind, it feels like a burden is lifted from my shoulders. I don’t think I’ll miss it. A year or two ago, I would have. I think I’m ready to let another generation take over, we’ve had our time in the stars.”

  And with that, Mato pushed his chair back, drummed his hands on the desk a couple of times. He got up and left the room without another word, clearly still thinking about what his next step in life would be.

  As the door closed behind him, Robin turned back to Richard. In her most serious way, she asked, “You are really thinking of retiring?”

  Richard took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. Tapping his fingers furiously on his armrest, he brought his head back down but looked out the window as he answered.

  “I’m tired too. As I stood in the reception room of the Senate last night, I realized that all I wanted to do was leave to spend time with Heather. Now, setting up to leave for six months, all I want to do is come home to be with Heather.”

  Turning to look back at Robin, Richard continued. “The war I led to restore the Confederacy ended last night. I’ve done more than most to defend our great Confederation of planets. I’ve trained legions of young officers to carry on my legacy. I’ve trained you for years to take center stage. I feel that I have done what I can. All I need now is you to take my command and my mission will be complete. I will finally feel as though I can live for myself. Maybe I’ll be able to write that book I’ve been trying to start for so many years.”

  Richard reached out to grasp Robin’s hands in his own. He looked at her and asked again, “Will you take over my legacy and continue it? Will you take this command and its continuing mission?”

  Robin did not hesitate nor did her eyes betray any doubts. “Yes, Richard, I will. I have spent my life serving you and supporting you. I will spend the rest of my life serving and supporting you. I will take this command and continue your life’s work.”

  She stood up and turned away quickly heading to the door. As the door opened, she paused in the doorway. The bright hall lighting, even brighter since the room was still dim, lit up Robin’s face revealing falling tears. She looked back and said, “Richard, you are my best friend. Thank you.” And with that, she left the room and the door slid closed behind her.

  Richard leaned back in his chair, now alone in the room. The dim lighting was nice for reflecting and internal philosophizing so he left it as it was, even if the display had long since dimmed itself to black as it hadn’t been used.

  Standing up, Richard walked over to the large windows and looked down on New Earth. With the sun behind the ship, the whole planet was illuminated below him. They were on the continent side of the planet. Below he could clearly see where LaGuardius Seccus was and his love.

  Looking down at her, he now felt that it was only a short time before they would truly be together forever. Like Mato, a weight seemed to be lifted once he accepted that he would retire and leave Defense Force.

  Though he had thought of it for a long time now, many years, in fact, making the decision along with his lifelong colleagues was a wonderful feeling. He wasn’t abandoning anyone or leaving them behind, everyone would be moving forward in their life. And Robin would become the caretaker of his greatest achievement.

  I cannot ask for a better friend to preserve my legacy, Richard thought. He had always known that his proudest achievement was his flying officer training school. But until this moment he had never been willing to let it go.

  Now, he was.

  Now he could devote his love and care for Heather, who deserved it. She had shared him for her entire life with his dreams. First, his dream of leaving their hometown, then his dream of the stars, of command and finally of crafting the future course of the Confederacy by teaching and influencing the next generation. Now his only dream was to spend more time with his love and supporting her dreams.

  He knew Heather still had ambitious goals for the New Earth Defense Alliance. She had been striving for years to implement her vision. With his support and love, he knew she would succeed.

  Leaning against the window, looking down at his home world, Richard got a sudden urge. Turning around, he took his seat back. Pressing a few buttons, he turned off all the displays, left the room lighting as it was and waited.

  A soft chime sounded out, and a direct voice stated, “You may begin your dictation.”

  Taking a deep breath, Richard spoke aloud.

  “I was born Richard Octavius Hilbornus. My parents, drawing on our races twin historic timelines, named me after King Richard the Lionheart of England and Gaius Octavius Thurinus, better known to history as Augustus. Now, with a name such as that, they obviously hoped from the day I was born that I would become a leader for our people. As it turned out, I did.”

  THE END