Twin Stars 1: Ascension

by Robyn Paterson

  “Done.” Tysen didn’t even skip a beat. “Anything else?”

  "Al! What are you doing? You don’t have the authority to do that!"

  Tysen didn’t even bother to switch to a private link. “Shut up, Kip. I’m in charge and there’s half a million people on this station- they’re not going to die because I put cargo over their lives.” He glanced beside him, where Esther was watching him carefully, he ignored her.

  “So, Lady Captain, do we have a deal?”

  * * *

  "The station is back in a stable orbit," Kip sighed. "We’re done."

  It had been a long two hours since Tysen had traded cargo for the lives of the people aboard the Miraposa Three OTS, and Tysen had spent most of that time going over the events- wondering if he’d made the right call.

  Kip’s words made him certain he had.

  “Excellent. Good work, Kip.”

  "Al, that pirate carrier is right off the starboard side. The weapons are back online, just give me the word and..."

  Tysen stopped him. “No Kip, let them have access to the industrial hub as promised. I gave her my word, and she kept her side of the bargain.” Then he added- “Still, keep them targeted until this is all over, okay?”

  "Buddy, you don’t even need to ask."

  The AR window snapped shut, and Tysen looked over at the young Squire watching him with curiosity.

  “Lieutenant Tysen, what will happen next?”

  He shrugged. “Well Esther, with a little luck the pirates will just take what they came for and leave. We’ll need to keep an eye on them, but then it’s not like we can stop them.”

  “And you?”

  He was surprised, she seemed actually concerned.

  “I’ll be surrendering myself to Kip once we have things back up and running.”

  She looked at him quizzically. “Surrendering yourself? Why?”

  He gave an ironic smile, “Piracy. I just helped the raiders pluck this station dry.”

  “Was it not justified by the circumstances?”

  “I certainly intend to present it that way, and with a fair jury, and my record, I believe I will be exonerated.”

  “What if they are not fair? What will the penalty be?”

  “Esther,” he said with resignation. “The penalty for piracy…is death.”

  * * *

  “All cargo containers aboard, Bosslady.” Leederman reported. “Do we grab the ones on the haulers as well? I know for a fact that there’s good stuff on two or three of them.”

  Ping An looked at him across his console, her mouth smiled, her eyes didn’t.

  “Do I get to use you as a shield when the Cutter opens fire?”

  Leederman hesitated, and then squeaked. “No.”

  And that, was the end of that. Ping An turned and walked back to the middle of the ship’s bridge.

  “Make sure all the flights are docked and set course for the alpha jump point- we’re going home.”

  “Y’know,” Leederman commented. “You did pretty good for your first time. Volkstag’ll promote you for this for sure. You might even get to be a Squadron Leader next time. That’ll be great, eh?

  Ping An nodded and made a thoughtful noise.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “No. Nothing.” She shook her head and looked down at the tattered and scorched remains of her civilian wear. “Let me know if anything happens, Justin. I’m going below to change out of these stinking clothes. Make sure Leederman doesn’t do anything stupid.”

  “Yes ma’am.” Justin said with a grin.

  “Hey!” Leederman protested, and the rest of the bridge crew laughed.

  Walking past him towards the exit, Ping An suddenly paused and looked at the man at Ops. “Hey Leederman, tell me something- how long did it take for Volkstag to become the Clan Leader after he became a Captain?”

  “Oh, about fifteen years I heard.” Then he grinned at her with his yellow teeth. “Why? You think you can make a run for the leadership, now?”

  “No,” she shook her head. “Of course not. That would be stupid.”

  Turning, she walked from the bridge, leaving the motley band behind her.

  No, she thought again as the door closed. Nothing so small as a Clan Leader.

  I’ve got much bigger plans than that.

  CHAPTER TWO

  2718, Day 153

  Log of Lieutenant Albert Tysen, formerly attached to the Star Guard Cutter Crystal Leaf, currently on disciplinary leave. Awaiting my trial for piracy, I have returned to my family home in Kiersgard on New Wellington. Admiral Veers arranged for my bail, and the military accepted, which heightens my hope that this whole matter will be dealt with quickly and fairly. The ship itself and her crew are docked in orbit, and the whole matter of the Miraposa Three Incident is under review. I am to testify in three days. Until then, it will be good to see Hariet again and mother as well.

  The rainstorm that had soaked the townships north of Kiersgard for much of the afternoon was just slowing to a soft, warm drizzle as Albert Tysen stepped from the commuter train platform. He paused to take a deep breath. One of the first things to surprise him when he’d gone out into the world (and beyond) had been how different the air smelled in each place he went. The plants, the ground, the people and the local industry all worked to shape the smell of a place.

  And, this place smelled like home.

  He eschewed the blue taxis that lined up nearby and hoisted his small bag of personal effects over his shoulder, marching off along an oblique stone path, and then following the smooth dark road. He took his time and tried to enjoy the walk, his thoughts drifting to the circumstances that had brought him there.

  I am a disgrace and a failure.

  There were no two ways about it. Yes, he still believed he’d done the right thing over Miraposa III, and the world’s governor certainly believed he had as well, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow what he’d done. Was he really any better than the pirates he’d made a deal with? His first command and already he’d ruined his career- he may as well resign now.

  But what if he did resign? What then? His whole life had been focused on the service- it was everything to him.

  Not only that, his future, and that of many others rested on it.

  His mother, sister, and the fortunes of his family were carried on his shoulders.

  Now it was all at risk.

  What was I thinking?

  The question was still hanging in his mind when he looked up and saw the door in front of him- the door to his family mansion on their estate. He’d walked the whole way, even up the driveway, on automatic, his body knowing the way.

  He let himself smile at that, yet another reminder that he was home, and pressed the doorbell button. He heard the thumping of heavy footsteps inside, and a rough voice yelled out- “Yes, yes. I’m coming. Hold on!”

  Then the door was yanked open, and there she was. Shorter than Tysen, and a bit younger, the teenager who starred in open mouthed shock at him nonetheless shared Tysen’s hair and eye color, and their faces were similar as well. She was heavier than he was, more than a little bit plump, and her face rounder than his.

  “Ty?” She squeaked in surprise.

  “Hello sister, how are you?”

  “Ty!” She tackled him with a big hug. “Mom! Ty’s here!” She cried back into the house, and then grabbed her brother’s hand and tugged him inside. “Ty, what are you doing here? Don’t just stand there, come inside out of the rain! Look at you, you’re soaked!”

  “You’re exaggerating, as usual.” He took off his jacket, placing it on a familiar, worn brass hook.

  “Am not!”

  “Well, well, well.” Said another woman’s voice, this one deeper, with a note of maturity to it. “Look who’s back.”

  Elizabeth Tysen leaned casually against a door frame watching her children. She was a tall woman, with long spiraling ringlets of auburn hair and broad, almost masculine shoulders. Few who had see
n this woman would have called her beautiful, but she’d aged into her looks well and could be called attractive by many. To Tysen, of course, she was no more or less beautiful than she had ever been.

  “Hello mother,” he said formally. “You look well.”

  Tysen cared deeply for his mother, but their relationship had always been a rocky one. He had matured early, and quickly developed his own ideas about his life and his future. With the loss of his father, Tysen had seen himself as a head of the household, but his mother naturally hadn’t quite wanted to share power with a boy of twelve.

  “Mother, isn’t this the most amazing surprise!”

  Elizabeth looked at her daughter with a knowing smile. “Actually, he linked to me earlier, dear. I’ve been expecting Albert all morning.”

  “What? And you didn’t tell me?” Hariet exclaimed, then her face took on a suspicious cast as she looked from her mother to her brother. “Why? What’s going on?”

  Tysen hesitated, he’d planned to tell her, but not like this. His mother, sensing her son’s reluctance, stepped forward. “Well, we’ll discuss that later. Right now, let’s give your brother a moment to rest and let his clothes dry- then we’ll get him some tea.”

  “Okay,” the girl accepted, and she reached for the bag Tysen had placed on the bench next to the door. “Let me take this,” she said and tried to grab it, but as she closed her fingers around the handle and tried to lift it, the bag slipped from her fingers and stayed in place.

  Crinkling her nose in determination, Hariet again tried to take hold of the bag, and again it slipped from her fingers.

  “Ahhh!” She growled in frustration, and was going to try again before Tysen put a hand to her shoulder and stopped her.

  “You’d better let me take it, sis. I’ve got all my metals in there, and it’s pretty heavy.” He said, smiling conceitedly.

  “You would! Show off!” She said in mock anger, stepping back. “Fine, I’ll get you some tea. Maybe I’ll put salt in it, maybe sugar. We’ll see!”

  Then she turned and ran off, back into the house- toward the kitchen.

  Tysen and his mother watched her go, then she looked at him. “She tries, but sometimes it’s too much for her. She can’t even ride her horse anymore.”

  “And the procedure you mentioned last time we spoke?”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “The doctors have gone on strike again- they haven’t worked for months. No one can get proper medical care right now. Doctor Elson only comes to check because he’s a family friend, but can’t do the procedure.”

  “I’ll speak with my ship’s surgeon.” Tysen offered. “If he can’t do it, perhaps he knows someone who can. Why didn’t you tell me of this earlier? I could have helped.”

  “Albert,” she said in a motherly tone. “You were busy, and I didn’t want to bother you. We can take care of ourselves, you know?”

  But Tysen cut her off. “No mother, taking care of this family isn’t a bother, it’s my duty. You should have informed me about this earlier.”

  “Oh? Am I one of your soldiers now?”

  Tysen started to feel his ears burn and made himself breath- his mother had always known how to get the best of him, and he wasn’t here to argue. “You still should have told me.”

  “You have enough to worry about,” she said as though nothing had happened. “Have you been around to see the lawyer, yet?”

  “Yes,” Tysen leaned down to unlace his well-shined boots. “I just came from there. Lieutenant Clews thinks we have a good case and that I’ll be cleared by the time it’s done. I’ll be meeting her tonight near East Park for dinner to discuss the case.”

  “Is she any good? This lawyer?”

  Tysen shrugged and grabbed a pair of slippers from the shoe alcove- he was surprised to see they were still his old ones, worn but otherwise unchanged. “Her file says she’s won more cases than lost, and she’s the one the Judge Advocate General assigned me.”

  “Will she be expensive?”

  He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “She’s paid by the state.”

  “That’s why I asked.”

  Tysen nodded in understanding. “I guess I’ll find out tonight.”

  * * *

  It was just past the 40 hour mark when Tysen was shown into the riverside restaurant where he was to meet his lawyer. All in white, with floating candles on the table to set a romantic mood, it was an outdoor cafe in the old style. There was a trellis with hanging purple and blue vines above, and gray geese swimming in the river nearby- keeping a distance but always staying close enough to rush to any table scraps that might find their way to the water.

  At a secluded table in the corner, a woman in a blue Guard dress uniform rose to meet him. She had a pale round face that looked like it rarely saw the sun, and when she smiled it was a smile that looked more tired than friendly. Still, she did her best to shake his hand and greet him warmly, offering him a seat across from her.

  Tysen always felt a bit sorry for standard humans, as they needed to spend so much of their lives sleeping. Nobles needed only perhaps eight hours out of seventy-two, and even that could be easily pushed with stimulants to a single night’s sleep in a standard week.

  “You’ll have to forgive the meeting place, Lieutenant Tysen.” She told him as he sat down. “It has some of the best drunk chicken in town, and I always stop here when I can.”

  He gave a polite smile and shook his head, “No, not at all. It’s fine. In fact, I’ll take you up on your suggestion.”

  Tysen called up an AR window of the cafe menu, selected what he wanted, ordered, and then let it snap shut as he looked around thoughtfully.

  “My, things have changed, when I joined the service this was still just a riverside park.”

  “Yes,” she followed his gaze. “A few years ago the city sold it to a developer with connections, now the whole area is alive with construction. My husband and I just bought an apartment on the other side of the valley.”

  He nodded. “Weren’t there some laws protecting it? I seem to remember marching in some protest to save it when I was a child.”

  She gave him a sad, sympathetic look. “Lieutenant, I hardly think I need to tell you what greases the working of government in our day and age.”

  He took that as his cue.

  “Yes, in every day and age I should think.” He said with acceptance. “But, I should congratulate you on your new home. Give me your transfer code before we go, and I’ll send you a home-warming gift to help you celebrate.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to,” she said politely. “But, we will definitely appreciate it. Thank you.”

  He shook his head, “not at all.”

  “Well, let’s talk about your case, then.”

  An AR window requesting a joint link popped up at the edge of Tysen’s vision, and he accepted it. This would allow the defense lawyer and himself to share a limited cooperative AR workspace in the air over the table and around them. Turning the restaurant table into a virtual office space that only they could see.

  Once he’d accepted, several semi-transparent floating AR windows appeared over the table between them- each of them data files. Tysen could see one labeled with his name, and two labeled with military file codes that he assumed were the cases for the prosecution and defense.

  “We talked before through a link, but I wanted to do the real planning face to face,” she told him. “We need to work on a strategy to get you out of this mess.”

  “Besides my actions being justified?”

  “Means and ends, is it Lieutenant?” She gave him another tired, sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, but that may not be how the Court of Enquiry sees it. They are just as likely to see this as a money making opportunity as they do a trial, and from what I see in your file your family may not have much to give.”

  Tysen frowned. “Yes, my father saw to that when he died and left us neck-deep in gambling debts.”

  “Ahh, that’s right.” She said, as if remem
bering something. “I wanted to ask you about that. I read your file, but there isn’t more than a brief mention of it. How was that resolved?”

  Tysen shrugged. “I talked with his creditors and arranged a solution.”

  The defense council’s eyebrow went up. “Just like that? You must have been what- thirteen?”

  “Twelve.”

  “And you walked into a shark’s pit and arranged for the debts to be paid- just like that?”

  Tysen smiled, remembering how scared he’d been at the time, facing the bosses of the underground gambling houses, and yet he’d still held his ground and made them take him seriously. It was one of the proudest moments of his youth.

  “Hardly,” he told her. “I had something they wanted more than money, and I used that as leverage.”

  “Which was?”

  “A title. While we were indeed drowning in debt, our family had once been quite noteworthy. I arranged for one of their children to be added to our family registry- something that gave them legitimacy that no common born could ever hope to achieve.”

  She stared at him, shocked. “Wow. Remind me not to play poker with you. You did that at 12, and your family agreed?”

  “My mother…Didn’t have much choice.”

  In truth, it had been the thing that had driven the first rift between himself and his mother- she had resented his taking of authority, and resented being forced to go along with it even more. She had never quite looked at him with the same affection since that day, as though he had changed to her from her son into something else.

  “But, hold on.” Clews replied. “While they might be a Noble on paper, they’re not in blood. I mean, nobility is determined by genetics, not law.”

  “No,” he told her. “It’s both. Being part of a Noble family registry gives you the right to intermarry with other Noble bloodlines, something that those without the proper pedigree cannot do. We’re born sterile and conceive in-vitro, it’s our registry that determines whether the children have the right to claim Noble status or not. I’m told it’s about keeping the bloodlines pure.”