Warpath

by Randolph Lalonde

  The applause abated, and a representative of the crafters stepped forward. She was in a red Triton Fleet Uniform, marked as an Ensign. “It reads,” she said aloud as she arrived at the open centre of the monument. “For the sacrifices made in our founding year. In recognition of those who lost their lives while building a safe place for wanderers. May this serve as a monument to all who have protected and will protect Tamber,” she looked to the crowd facing the open section of the monument, momentarily taken aback by their number. “It was our pleasure, our honour to make this in their honour.”

  She quietly returned to the group of sculptors, only two of them were in Triton uniform, the others wore various workers suits that marked them as pickers, maintenance people, and builders from the island. Finn was surprised at how many people he didn’t recognize in the monument, including three children that couldn’t have been over five years old. Two stood with a woman who smiled down at them, holding their hands.

  There was a smaller one on the other side smiling towards the centre. She was a little girl with curly hair who looked like she was about to pull a prank on someone. Her minder was a tall man with broad shoulders, who looked down with pride. “So many people I never noticed,” Finn whispered.

  “We worked whenever we were not fighting,” Agameg replied as quietly.

  “Normally, at a ceremony like this,” Governor Anderson said, “we would read all the names of those honoured aloud, but the list is still being built. When you take a closer look at this monument on your own, you will be able to see profiles of everyone this monument represents, and of everyone who sacrifices their lives in defence of Haven Shore and the war we wage against those who would harm us. Now, I would like to call two esteemed members of our government forward. Councillor Mischa Konev and Director Lacey Rosedale.”

  Governor Anderson stepped aside and Councillor Mischa Konev took his place. She wore loose skirts, had sun browned skin and dark curls that cascaded down past her shoulders. She waited for Lacey Rosedale to join her, wearing a similar loose black dress. She was much taller, and paler. “There is a special plaque on this statue dedicated to a person who is important to Haven Shore and Tamber,” Lacey said. “I believe she will be remembered with pride, and with reverence. She is the only living person celebrated on this monument.” She looked to Mischa.

  Mischa Konev continued. “Captain Ayan Anderson negotiated with a difficult military occupier to find a group of refugees a place to safely build a home. In one year she directed the construction of this building. During that year more people came, and she found ways to keep them housed along with her father, our Governor. We are here because she had the vision and the tenacity to lead us through our first year, and when our first real home was built, she began to organize a government so we had representation. Thanks to her, we have a home, and Triton Fleet has something to protect.” She looked over to Lacey who patted the corner of her eye dry and shook her head. “Director Rosedale was supposed to finish this speech, but she’d like me to continue for her.”

  There was a modest ripple of laughter across the crowd. Councillor Konev smiled, waited a moment then pressed on. “I think she’s teary-eyed because our Founder is preparing to leave us. She is joining Triton Fleet so she can defend what she built. She will be overseeing the fitness of the Fleet as it leads the war against the Order of Eden. We wish all of them God speed and Good hunting. We’ll keep the home fires burning.”

  Finn looked to his left, where he knew Captain Anderson was standing beside Captain Valent. He was not surprised to see her trying not to cry, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Captain Valent had his arm around her shoulders.

  The Counsellor and Director returned to the circle of people standing around the monument, and Governor Anderson took his place again. “I am only the Master of Ceremonies today, but I have to say this about the man who is about to speak. He is the bravest fighter I have ever met, a Captain who is so well respected that the Admiral of Triton Fleet told me that he should speak for the Fleet instead of the Admiral himself. I have never met a soldier who can seize an opportunity like this man. I present Captain Jacob Valent.”

  Captain Valent quietly checked with Ayan and then motioned to Finn, who had actually forgotten that he was supposed to speak before his Captain. Alice and Ayan stood together, arm in arm, as Captain Valent began walking towards the monument.

  Finn followed him. “Say what you came to say,” Captain Valent told him in a whisper. “If you have trouble with crowds, just look up, forget they’re there.”

  Finn turned and faced the crowd. Instead of looking up, he looked at Agameg for a moment. “The Holocaust,” he paused, the sound of his own voice over the public address system surprised him. “It has given us all something in common. We have all lost someone.” Liara stepped into the spot he was in before, beside Agameg, her big brown eyes stared at him from across the grand lobby floor. His heart skipped a beat, he forgot what he was about to say next so he glanced at his command and control unit, which sent a private scrolling message into his line of sight. He started by reading the first few words. “I left my family because I wanted a better life for myself, I didn’t want to work on the docks, or at the refinery. They are gone now. Most of them survived the Holocaust Virus at first, but I later discovered that the Order of Eden seized their world, and they were killed. I carry my grief with my crewmates, because our stories are similar. We don’t have to ask, we do not ask.” He paused and glanced at the images of his lost engineering team to his left and closed his eyes for a moment.

  “Do you want me to finish for you?” Jake asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

  Finn shook his head and took one step forward. “I did not know my Engineering Team well, but I will never forget one night in the Mess Hall of the Warlord, when rank was not an issue, and we shared. We asked, ‘where is your family?’ I don’t remember how it started, but the stories were told.” He saw Frost, Stephanie, Kadri and several other former Warlord crewmembers all nodding, remembering that night. “Everyone’s story was told that night. There were moments of sadness, anger, celebration, and even laughter. After that I did feel like I knew them, and they knew me. While we served we became a family, and I will never forget them. I will never forget the Warlord, and I will not stop fighting until I am sure the people who would murder our families are gone.”

  Finn thought he would be deafened by the crush of applause that followed his statement. His head was throbbing, and he knew his face had turned red, but he walked back to his place beside Agameg with a stiffened-straight back and his eyes looking straight ahead. Agameg and Liara were the first to embrace him, and several of the Warlord crew followed.

  Captain Valent remained at the foot of the monument and waited. By the time Finn turned back towards him, the crowd was silent. Finn was amongst the crew of the Warlord, Liara closest on his left, and Agameg on his right, he noticed Frost was tear stricken, wiping his reddened face.

  Their Captain was stoic. “The Warlord is gone,” he said. “Admiral McPatrick and I have decided that no ship bearing that name will ever serve in Triton Fleet, in honour of those who died aboard. During the final moments of that ship’s service it delivered us to another, one that required the efforts of hundreds of soldiers and my crew to secure. I’m not going to regale you with a story, or tell you why this monument was erected. I’m not going to render a speech about war or why we fight. I will only tell you that tomorrow I take command of a new ship, and, after days of trying to decide what that ship will be called, I have finally chosen a name. This name will be familiar to you all for many different reasons. My ship will not be the first to bear it, not by far, but I cannot imagine a more appropriate one. In honour of the warriors who have lost their lives defending the Triton during our journey here, who died before all this was built, and everyone who has defended Tamber, I am calling the newest Triton Fleet fighting ship the Revenge.”

  Frost was the first to whistle and applause, as though start
led by the sound of the name. The rest of the crowd joined in, especially people who were about to begin their service with Triton Fleet. Frost’s voice still managed to raise above the din. “Yes, lad! Yes, lad! Show me the paint and the brush and hang me over the side!” he thundered. “To the ores, to the crows’ nest, to the rigging, to the tiller and the guns! A crew and ship and Captain on the high seas, our work is not done!” he recited from his favourite ancient movie, Pirates Are We. “Until our prize is taken, until the day is won!” he finished. Finn had heard him speak about it from time to time, but Finn had never been able to find a copy. He decided he’d start trying.

  Whether it was his enthusiasm that drove the audience to it, or the thought of finally fighting the Order of Eden in a meaningful way, the applause was deafening. While it rolled on, Ayan stepped forward along with Alice, the five Haven Shore Counsellors who decided to attend and the Governor. They stopped to stand in front of the open end of the semicircle of stone people and bowed towards the monument. A hologram of Kambis before it was set on fire appeared in the middle of the stone men, women and children.

  Liara kissed Finn on the cheek and said; “Yours was the best speech. I’m sorry you lost so many people. Thank you for being brave enough to say what all of us are feeling.”

  He didn’t know what to say, so he lightly squeezed her hand and muttered; “Thank you,” which he thought was the weakest response he could imagine.

  “Thank you, Finn,” Agameg said. “I am glad to be serving aboard the Revenge with you. There is no other place I’d rather be.”

  “Aye,” Frost agreed, still frenzied enough for Finn to want to shrink back a little. “We’re finally going to take it to ‘em. We’re going to make one hell of a mess.”

  Stephanie led him towards the centre, where many people were gathering as synthetic champagne was being handed out. “He has been sober for weeks,” Agameg said. “The only difference I can see is that he is easier to understand, and fights with Stephanie less. Not much less, but less.”

  “He used to drink a lot?” Liara asked.

  “Only off duty,” Agameg replied. “But, yes. He was one of the only humans who seemed to enjoy alcohol. Most of you prefer non-poisonous inebriants.”

  “Speaking of which, I have the night off,” Liara said.

  Finn wanted to join her more than anything, and he looked at her smiling face. He could count the number of times he’d noticed when he was being flirted with on one hand, and left no uncertainty that he could add one to the total.

  “Finn and I have duty aboard the Solar Forge,” Agameg said before he could stop himself. “I can tell he wants to stay, but it’s going to take both of us and much of the technical staff to ensure that the final modifications are complete. He really wants to stay though, even in a crowd this dense, my senses leave no doubt.”

  “Thank you, Agameg,” Liara said. “I’ll see you aboard tomorrow,” she said. “Unless you finish early, then call me, okay?”

  “Absolutely,” Finn replied.

  “I’ll make sure he does not forget,” Agameg added.

  Chapter 34

  Father and Daughter

  The celebration was not something most of the members of the new Triton Fleet had time for. That included Captain Jacob Valent more than anyone. Even still, Ayan broke off from their group to have a few minutes of family time with her father before departing for the Triton, and Jake made sure he was joined by Alice as he walked from the Everin building down the long street leading to the main port building. He took one of the side exits to avoid the crowd, wishing that the Council wasn’t blocked on whether to start work on the exterior transit system, or the main port building. All major construction in Haven Shore was at a stand still, something Ayan wouldn’t talk about.

  After shaking several hands, and ignoring all but Lacey and Misca from the Council and other arms of Haven Shore politics, he was able to sneak away with his daughter. They weren’t outside of the Everin building before she asked; “Why are you dumping me on the Rangers?”

  She wanted a confrontation. “You know that’s changed over the last few days. You’re staying in Haven Shore, but I’m giving you choices,” Jake said. “They do want you to continue with them, though.” Jake replied.

  “You mean the Governor and you decided I should stay on Tamber, and you’re keeping me busy. I get an illusion of choice, but they’re all just activities, like I’m some little girl you sit in a corner. What did I do? Was it the people I lost? I’m sorry, I play it over and over in my head, and I can tell you about a million things I should have done instead. What can I do? I screwed up, but I don’t deserve to be abandoned.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Jake said. “And no one wants to abandon you. I’m just going into dangerous territory you’re not ready for. If I had a choice, you’d never be in danger again, not for the rest of your life. Especially now that you’re having trouble,” Jake said. “You have nightmares, trouble with crowds, and a lot of people in command have those problems sometimes. You need time to heal, to be away from the kind of stress that’s hurting you.”

  “I just helped take an enemy ship,” Alice said. “I’ve proven myself.”

  “No, you’ve proven yourself on a crew like the Warlord used to have. Over the last few days I’ve realized that if I keep pushing people like I did on the Warlord, I will get them killed. The Warlord was a grinder, and with the way that was running, you were one of the next people that ship would use up.” Jake told her firmly.

  “But you can change that whenever you want, put me in a place where I’m useful on your ship. Not command, maybe. I can learn so much from you, or even Stephanie.”

  Jake drew her into an empty office beside the Everin Building main doors. “You’re having nightmares, your anxiety level is too high, and your tracker has alerted medical that you lost track of where you were twice while I was out of commission. None of that is your fault, and it’s not permanent either.”

  “So I get therapy, while everyone else gets to take pills and do exercises for three days while they’re on light duty. Weeks of therapy, maybe months,” Alice replied sullenly. “While all I can do is train.”

  “They are teaching you coping mechanisms that you didn’t have,” Jake said. “If you’re set on serving in the military, you’re going to need them.”

  “I know, but can’t there be a counsellor on your ship?” Alice said. “You know that’s where I want to be, what if something happens to you? What good am I here?”

  Jake could tell she was trying to turn the conversation back into a confrontation and took her shoulders in his hands. “I love you,” he told her. “I need take responsibility for you as your Dad. If I let you serve and burn out on my own ship, or let you get involved with something you can’t handle, I will not be able to live with myself.” He pressed on through her tears, tipping her chin up so he was looking into her eyes. “I am making sure you are in the safest place, with the best people, doing the best thing I can imagine for you. For all the time I spent in rehabilitation, and all the time after, even when I was so busy I could barely breathe, I thought about what is best for you. I can not stop thinking about that while you’re in pain, especially when that pain is from a situation I put you in. You are such a clever, kind and incredible young woman, and you don’t deserve the nightmares, or panic attacks. You don’t deserve a father who would put you in a position that dangerous either, and that’s who I was.”

  “No, you were a hero who ignored limits, and-“ Alice said through a veil of tears.

  “I was selfish and angry,” Jake said. “I let it drive my decisions. I did not consider what I was doing to you when I left you in charge of security on the Warlord. You were not ready, and you could have been killed. Since I woke up on the Solar Forge I have realized that I’m not that man now. I understand the responsibilities I have more, and I love you more than that man ever could. You are so incredible; you could do anything, inside or outside of the milit
ary. So, I’m going to give you a choice. You can either enter the Rangers Officer Training Program, the Triton Fleet Officer’s Program, or take a few weeks in Haven Shore and find a job that you love outside of the military. Keep in mind, your therapy will continue, that’s non-negotiable.”

  He could tell those were not the options she was hoping for, but he’d said something that calmed her down. “Triton Fleet Officer’s Program. What’s that? I’ve never heard of that,” she sniffed.

  Jake took her hand and started for the door. This was a conversation he was ready to have. She dried her tears and they headed for the side exit. There was a paved path leading to the landing fields that was being crowded by jungle growth. The trees offered shade from the sun, their leaves rustling in the breeze. On the clearer side of the path on their left they could see the silver domes ahead. Small ships took off and landed on the paved temporary port slips two kilometres ahead. “Once you sign up, there won’t be any quitting until I’m back. They get custody of you,” Jake told her.

  “Seriously?” she asked, surprised. “I’m too old for that, aren’t I?”

  “Are we talking chronologically, or judging physically?” He asked. “Because physically, you’re about sixteen, maybe eighteen, and age of majority is twenty on Tamber. If we’re talking chronologically...” Jake finished with a shrug.

  “Yeah, yeah, what’s the Triton Fleet thing?” she asked.

  “The Officer’s Program is a new nine month school where you are specifically trained to perform as a self sufficient soldier, behave as an officer, and train your mind to command regardless of the conditions you and your unit are in.”

  “Another thing designed by Governor Anderson using Freeground ideas,” Alice said.

  “Actually, it’s a hybrid program. Triton staff along with the artificial intelligence there, some of it is from Freeground Fleet, and the rest is based on the Rangers physical program.”