“That’s probably because you can be really annoying sometimes.” she smiled. “I know I can too, and as for Mike…”
“What do you mean?” Mike said. “I’m perfect in every way!”
All three of them burst out laughing, earning a stern look from Squad Leader Fet Al Dron. They had reached their destination and the guards lined up, three each side of the door, heads bowed, left hand covering their eyes.
The door swung open and Sha stood back for them to enter.
“That’s my cue to leave.” Sally said as she turned to walk away.
As Mike and Mark entered, Sha’s five colleagues and Fayr all jumped to their feet. Alan and Sean remained seated. As soon as the door closed, Mike said to Sha, “How many Squad Leaders do you have?”
“Just one, Fet Al Dron. If you are not satisfied with him, I will dismiss him.”
“So apart from the six of you in here, he is the most senior officer you have?”
“Yes, at the moment.”
Mike swung the door open and said, “Fet, leave your weapon out there and come in here.”
He looked nervous as he handed his weapon over and stepped inside, where he stood to attention.
“At ease Fet.” Mike said. “I want you to join us for this meeting. There are some things I want to you to help communicate to the other Defense Force members and if you have anything to add, chip in. Now take a seat.”
Mike and Mark moved to their places facing those already there. Mark sat while Mike remained standing. “Please take your seats.” Mike told the Herassans. They looked at each other, all unwilling to breach protocol by sitting while the First of the First remained standing.”
“Sit down!” Mike snapped at them. When they had sat, which only took a few seconds, Mike spoke. “Thank you for joining our meeting at such short notice Alan and Sean. I’d like to thank you on behalf of the citizens of the Empire, or Democratic Republic as it is about to become, for what you are doing for us, and I’d also like to thank you personally. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you. Now I want to speak to my fellow Herassans, and I don’t want to have to repeat this to you in the future. Royal protocols are changing. I spoke to you about one of the changes yesterday. Here is another one, if you need it. I do not want to be treated like you are accustomed to treating the First of the First. When I ask you to do something that may appear to be a breach of the protocols, such as asking you to sit while I remain standing, please, just do it. Everyone in this room will now call me Hess, my familiar name. Everyone except you, Fet. As you are a member of the para-military Defense Force – and I want your fellow members of the Force to do this too, you will no longer address me as ‘First of the First’. You will simply address me as ‘Sir’, in the same way as you would address anyone who is not part of your Force. Sha’s team will issue an order to the Defense Force to this effect. I also don’t like the deferential salute of covering your eyes when you meet me. I will expect a normal military salute from you all in future. Have you got that?”
“Yes Sir!” he replied.
Mike smiled. “Good. I’d like you to stay for the rest of the meeting, which will be brief. I want to talk to you all about the changes I am going to make, but first I want to congratulate you Sha, and your team, for getting the Defense Force so well organized, so quickly. You have justified my confidence in you. Now, having had time to think about it overnight, I no longer intend to abdicate as First of the First until the voting system is fully implemented, tested and has the acceptance of the majority of the Herassan citizens. Without a figurehead at the helm, it would be easy for the Empire to slip into chaos. Much as I would like to step down immediately, I cannot let that happen. That means I will be issuing decrees, but I will either inform you or discuss them with you first. I do not want you or anyone else to think of you as advisors in the way the aristocrats were. That system was deeply flawed and corrupt. You will not get any special privileges or derive any advantage from your positions. I would be sorry to see any of you leave, but if you feel this is too onerous for you, you can step down any time you like. Alan and Sean are here to help set up and implement the principles and infrastructure of the voting system. The People do not have a reputation for being caring or helpful which is totally unjustified. But they have different feelings and emotions than we have. They have a strong sense of what is right and wrong, and they believe that interference with a race’s social evolution is wrong. This doesn’t mean they don’t care about other races; they are deeply compassionate and can be almost overwhelmingly helpful, but they have strict non-interference protocols. They are good friends to have and I encourage you to make friends with them. They can be a bit strange sometimes, “she smiled, “but so can all of us. I have asked Mark to be here because, apart from being one of my two closest friends, along with General Sally, he has twice saved my life in the short time I have been back on Tefran, showing me the care and kindness I have no right to expect from anyone. If you ever have a friend as good as Mark, you should consider yourself blessed. Now, to business. General Sally, Mark and I are going from here to discuss the future leadership of the Herassan Combined Armed Forces. It is my intention to invite an outsider, an alien, to be the senior advisor to the new commander while they restructure the Armed Forces. This person will have a position of great responsibility and power. This person is a mammal. Distrust and prejudice against mammals is widespread throughout Herassan society. This must end. You will have noticed that both Mark and General Sally are mammals. Any prejudice against them or any other mammal cannot possibly be justified. I am ordering you to come up with a strategy to eliminate this prejudice without delay. You may co-opt anyone and any resource you may want to help with this on my authority. You will let me know of anyone who fails to cooperate. That’s all for today’s meeting. Does anyone have anything to say or any questions?”
“Thank you Hess,” Sha said, “I feel like this is the real beginning of the change to the new order. Fet Al Dron, you will retain your position as Squad Leader, but I am co-opting you to be on the mammal anti-prejudice committee. Does anyone else have anything to say?
“With your permission Sha,” Alan said, “I would like to volunteer to be on the anti-prejudice committee too.”
“Can you do that?” Mike asked. “Is it within the People’s non-interference protocols?”
“Yes, as long as I limit my participation to that of an observer and advisor.”
“Over to you Sha, you’re in charge.” Mike said.
“Thank you Alan, we would be honored to have you on the committee.”
“Good, that’s it then. Mark and I will leave you to it.” Mike said nudging Mark and standing up. “Fet, tell your men what’s going on, then you stay here while they escort us to General Sally.
Chapter Ninety Five
Mike Surprises Mark
“Did you mean what you said about having a friend like me makes you blessed?” Mark asked.
“Of course I did you twat. Though that’s not quite what I said.”
“That’s the second time I’ve been called a twat in two days. Have you and Sally just discovered a new swear word between you?”
“No, but your AI may have. I use the word it translated frequently.”
Mark shook his head and sighed. There was no point speaking to his AI. He didn’t expect he would get any sense out of it. “All that stuff you said about the People. Where did that come from?”
“I came across the People a few times when I was younger. When I was very young, I was given sanctuary by one. I’d escaped from a bit of a situation when I ran into him – literally. I was being chased on a backwoods colony and ran around a corner smack into him. I nearly knocked him over. The bastards who were chasing me ran up and tried to pull me away from him, so I clung onto his arm. I didn’t know at the time that his phase shift armor could protect me. They were shouting at him to let me go, telling him I’d stolen something from them. As they were so angry, he thought I wouldn’t b
e safe with them. When I told him my story he let me stay on his ship, or craft as he insisted on calling it. I stayed there nearly a year, but got bored, so he dropped me off on a civilized planet and they took me in as a refugee. I learned a lot from him. He taught me how to survive in the galaxy, showed me some self-defense moves and how weapons worked. He also told me about the independent armies, and I joined my first one soon after.”
I thought Sally’s army was the only one you’d been in.”
“Not the first, but probably the last.” she smiled. “I’ve been kicked out of a few.”
“That’s the only part of your story I’m not surprised about. Those people who were chasing you, what had you stolen from them?”
“I didn’t say I had stolen anything, I just said they told him that I had.”
“But you had, hadn’t you?”
“Maybe. I’ve been talking to Alan and Sean as well. I’ve had a few philosophical chats with both of them.”
Mark looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. “You surprise me sometimes.”
“What, because I’m not just an empty headed soldier? None of us are.”
Mark paused to think about this. He knew Seltet wasn’t a stereotypical hard-arsed soldier, and Orange had a hidden past that no-one knew about, and Simon was driven by his own demons that wouldn’t let him rest. As for Sally, there were probably underlying reasons why she was the way she was. In fact, he was probably the simplest, most shallow of all the team.
“Do you know where General Sally is?” He asked the guard in front of him.
“Yes Sir. She’s talking to the guards at the HQ entrance.”
Mark shrugged, thinking ‘That’s weird.’ “
As they exited the building, Mark saw Sally surrounded by the four guards posted at the doors.
“Must go now troopers. Good to talk to you.” She left them and joined Mike and Mark as they continued towards their lander.
“Were you trying to recruit them?” Mike asked.
Laughing, Sally said “Of course not! No offence, but the only Herassan I would want in my army is you, but you’re not a normal Herassan.”
“She’s not a normal anything, she’s egotistical, childish, foul mouthed, spiteful…”
“Sir!” one of the guards said. Mark looked up and saw that all five guards had stopped and were pointing their weapons at him. “Using offensive language to or about the First of the First is a serious criminal offence. Please place your hands behind your back so we can restrain you,”
Mike laughed and said, “Now see what trouble you’ve got yourself into.” She turned the guard who had spoken and said, “Stand easy. Mark is not a Herassan citizen and is under my personal protection.” She linked her arm through Mark’s. “He can say or do anything he wants with the immunity I confer on him and General Sally. And one more thing, any orders or requests from either should be acted upon as if they came from me. I will issue a decree to that effect shortly. Would you care to continue to escort us to our lander?”
The guard dropped his weapon down to point at the ground and held his left hand up to cover his eyes. “Yes, First of the First.” Turning back to Mark, he said, “I’m sorry Sir, I didn’t realize. I apologies most deeply for any offence I have given.”
Mark smiled. “No problem, no offence taken. The First of the First is changing things fast around here. You’ll need to stay sharp to keep up. Shall we go back to our lander now?”
Once back on the lander with the door closed, Mark said, “You’re getting quite good at being a powerful dictator. Does it come naturally? Though, when I think of it, you have been practicing on me for some time.”
“I’ve been learning from Sally.”
“Ha bloody ha.” Sally said. “When you two have finished dicking about, are you ready to meet the Major?”
“Yes.” Mike answered. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover with him.”
“I don’t think this is going to take very long.” Sally said.
“I don’t know why I need to be there. I’ve got nothing to contribute to the meeting. I’ll be sitting at the back trying to stay awake. Just like the meetings I had to go to at IFG back on Earth.” Mark said.
“You’re not the insignificant waste of space like you were on Earth anymore.” Sally snapped at him. “You are integral to this mission and the Major respects your abilities as well as your technology. Just get a grip on yourself and start acting like the man you are. Maybe if you had stayed awake at meetings on Earth and spoken up for yourself you would have a decent career in IFG!”
“Maybe, but then I wouldn’t have met you.”
“So now you can speak up for yourself. Why couldn’t you then?”
“There’s an old saying on Earth. ‘Behind every successful man there’s an evil bitch pushing him into doing something he doesn’t want to do.’ ”
Sally said, “I’m glad to be playing the part.”
“You do it so well.”
“Who’s dicking around now?” Mike asked. “We’re almost there. Are you two ready? This is an important meeting for the Herassan Empire!”
“You’re right Mike. We should be taking this seriously.” Sally said. She started frowning and screwing up her eyes, raising and lowering her eyebrows and twitching her ears. Mark hadn’t seen her twitching her ears before. They were only a little bigger than normal human ears, but pointed at the top and covered in short, velvety, honey colored fur.
“What are you doing?” Mike asked.
“This is my serious face.” Sally said, trying desperately not to laugh.
“Thank god for that!” Mark said. “I thought you were having a stroke!”
“Piss off Sally.” Mike said, grinning.
The lander signaled that it was descending to land on the lawn outside Major Bryd Sa Dett’s office at the Palace.
“Of course we’re taking it seriously.” Sally said. “I’m ready. Are you ready Mark?”
Mark took a deep breath, blew it out and said, “This is important to me too Mike, though I can see you have more at stake here. I’m ready. Are you ready?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
◆◆◆
The guard opened the door to the Major’s office, and they walked in. The Major jumped up off his stool, bowed his head and covered his eyes with his left hand. “Welcome to my office First of the First.”
Mike sat on the middle stool; Sally sat on her left while Mark sat on her right.
Mark messaged Sally, saying, “I hope this doesn’t last too long, Sitting on these stools makes my back ache after a while.”
Sally messaged him back, “Tell your AI to stiffen your phase shift armor at the back to provide support.”
“Sit down Major.” Mike said. “You know my intentions regarding the constitution of the Herassan Empire, though some of them have been forced on us sooner than anticipated by the failed coup. It was my intention to remove the aristocrats from government, declare a republic and abdicate, then set up a democratic voting system based on the People’s model. My overall objectives remain unchanged, but I have realized that I need to stay in my position as First of the First until the transition to a democratic voting system is completed, tested and accepted by the people. However, I am making changes to royal protocols with immediate effect. You will no longer address me as First of the First, but will call me Sir, as you would anyone else. You will no longer cover your eyes when you see me, and uh, I think that’s it for the moment, but there will be more changes.”
“You’re forgetting the immunity thing, and us with your authority?” Mark said.
“Oh yes. General Sally and Mark are under my protection, have complete and total immunity from everything, which includes using offensive language about me, breaching protocol, farting in gravity tubes, everything. And any orders or requests they make carry my authority, so should be acted upon as though they came from me. I think that’s it. Got it?”
The Major looked confused, though it wasn�
��t clear whether it was the change in protocol which he was having a problem with, the extension of immunity, the authority given to the aliens or the childish comment included in her orders.
“Yes, First of the – I mean, yes Sir.”
“Good. Now we have a problem with the chain of command. Officially you have command of the Palace Guard, Major Raff Bel Grat commands the City Guard and you both report to Colonel Drad Ki Jass. She reported to General Rett Bal Orff as head of the Combined Herassan Armed Services. The Colonel has been relieved of her post and, as you know, in custody on board Mark’s ship and being treated for injuries sustained when I was freed from her captivity. I haven’t heard from Major Raff Bel Grat or General Rett Bal Orff. I believe the General was complicit in the attempted coup and has gone missing. Do you know where Major Raff Bel Grat is?”
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