"Yes."
"Good." No one heard the exchange. It appeared as if E'Aria was lost in thought for a second, then she was back.
General Raza asked. "Does he not want to stay for the evening meal?"
"No, General. I believe he prefers to be alone right now." E'Aria spared a glance in Ben's direction.
****
It was quiet on the ship. He didn’t think anyone would come back to it tonight. Lorelei had sent him a message trying to get him to come out, but he ignored it. He took a couple of pain killers and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long till he drifted off; the pain meds took the edge off his anger. He had his first night of real sleep since losing Andrea and didn’t wake at all till he felt the ship vibrating gently. He looked at the time; it had been twelve hours and he was starving. Dressed, he went see what Adam had on the menu.
Chapter 17
Quiet, that is how the crew would describe the remainder of the trip. They arrived on Allond three days after the stop at Lotham. Ben kept to himself and operated on a daily routine that involved two workouts, a shower, and eating alone. E'Aria had been downloading the latest news from the capital for the last two days. Ben read through it, purposely skipping any news about the peace summit. He had no intention of being involved and would tell them so.
Ben could never really understand what, why or how he became important. He knew there were soldiers who were equal or better than him. Maybe it was the fear factor. He wasn’t afraid of the Cjittan or Allith. The Allith had proven over the years that they weren’t much for talking. Killing and eating topped their list. When he met the Cjittan, it seemed they would be the same but he hadn’t found any to talk to until the trio of mantis turned up. Instead of shooting or punching, they had a conversation that ended a massacre that was taking place. A little fresh meat as a parting gift and they departed the colonial ships they had boarded.
This was different. His style of conversation was not going to work in a room full of diplomats and politicians. He didn’t know what would work and had no idea what the alternatives were, or even if there was a peaceful alternative. How many systems unknown to him had the Cjittan devastated? Maybe this was all a smoke screen so they could say they tried before starting a war to wipe out or reduce in size the number of Cjittan mouths to feed. Whatever happened, they could figure it all out without him and eventually he could fade away to anonymity. He had more pressing matters he needed to deal with.
The quiet of the last three days had given him time to think. His life of late until this week had been the best he could remember since joining the marines five years ago. He had a beautiful lover and a new business. Everyone got along and it seemed like it was all coming together. Now he wanted to walk, find a long road, put one foot in front of the other and not look back. Maybe he would stay somewhere in Allond space when the others leave to return. A little research would probably turn up a planet he could live on just fine.
He had at least two weeks to contemplate his course of action then he would have a meeting with the others. A ship wide announcement by Lorelei indicated they were on approach to land and would be on the ground in seven minutes. He lay down on his bed and waited.
The landing was smooth and everyone was told to meet in the hold in ten minutes. There would be a greeting and transportation to the palace.
"I have a request for you from the palace. The emperor is requesting you wear your armor but take no weapons. Please do this for all of us and the company."
"They will need to come back or wait for me because it’s dirty. I haven’t touched it since. . .for a week." Ben was a little choked up. "Just let me know. I will start cleaning it." He put on a thermal suit, socks, his armor and boots and walked down to the showers. He took the long-handled back brush along and some soap. Not exactly the way he would normally do it but on short notice it would work. His boots were waterproof; he just had to be careful no water went down around his neck.
Ben walked out of the shower to find E'Aria and Lorelei waiting on him. He grabbed two towels out of the linen locker and threw them.
"Don’t stand there gawking. Dry me off." They both rolled their eyes as he held out his arms and spread his legs."
E'Aria said, "I got above the waist."
"I'm good with that," Lorelei replied. "Hold still, big boy. This won’t hurt a bit."
It wasn’t polished like he would have done had he more time but they buffed each plate with the towel, giving it a dull shine.
"What's going on, E'Aria? I know you know." Ben asked.
"We are going to meet the Emperor right now for a personal welcome. He knows about the rescue on Hyson, not sure about the mining colony, but my guess is he knows about that too. Most of all he knows about the Morningstar and the Cjittan. I believe he wants to hear that story directly from you."
Ben didn’t comment, he wasn’t in the mood to tell stories but. . .the emperor did give him a fine starship, nothing like it in the Alliance. He decided he would tell any story the emperor wanted to hear, but he wasn’t going to repeat everything a million times. He walked off the ship to find an Allith servant waiting to drive them. It was dressed in what Ben felt were very fine robes. He remembered what he was told about the Allith who were loyal subjects of the emperor. In training, all the marines had a class on identifying male and females of the known alien species. Over time, what had really mattered was alive or dead. This one nodded and opened the door to a small runabout shuttle. Everyone else had gone ahead already. Natalia was with Emily, the crew and politicians were being cared for by a team of palace workers. They had the shuttle to themselves.
Their shuttle landed at a private entrance to the palace near the emperor’s personal quarters. He had a smaller receiving room where he could entertain and talk with his guests in a more intimate setting. The palace’s great hall was just too large plus it was being set up to host the peace summit.
They were met at the door by a member of the staff; an Allond female dressed in flowing garments.
"I am Nedra. I am the steward of our beloved emperor's household. If you need anything at all, please seek me out. I will show you to your rooms where you can refresh yourselves and will call on you when the emperor is ready to receive you. If you will follow me please."
They walked about fifty yards to a wing of the palace that had a equal number of doors down both sides. The space between the doors was not equal indicating the size of the room. It looked like an illusion as the doors grew closer together the farther you walked. It dawned on Ben that was a status thing. The higher ranking the guest, the larger the room. Ben was surprised when they stopped at the first door. He stepped out so E'Aria could enter, being a princess.
Nedra looked at Ben. "Your room, Benjamin Jamison." She opened the door for him and walked in. "If you step inside, I will show you around."
"Are you sure this is for me and you didn’t make a mistake?"
"Are you implying that I am incompetent in my position, Benjamin Jamison?"
Ben said, "No ma'am, are their others staying with me?"
"No, do you require someone to stay with you? The Princess Aok perhaps?"
"NO!" Ben and E'Aria said at the same time.
"Then this is for you only, Benjamin Jamison."
"Can you call me Ben and stop saying my name like that."
"As you wish, Ben." He finally walked into the room, E'Aria and Lorelei following him. Ben followed Nedra around as she explained the amenities and told him how many kings and nobles, governors and dictators had slept in the room where he now stood.
"Has just a common citizen or soldier ever slept here?"
"No," Nedra said. "It has never happened." Ben couldn’t tell if she did or didn’t approve of him being there. It wasn’t his fault. He knew it would be an issue to refuse and would make the emperor look bad. This was politics at its finest, putting a nobody in one of the finest suites in the house while other more important visitors shared or made do with smaller quarters. Ben smi
led, thinking it was going to be interesting.
Nedra said, "You are smiling Ben. You are satisfied with your apartment?"
"Yes, of course. It’s beautiful. I was thinking that your job is about to get interesting as others see the room assignments." Ben caught a slight smile that vanished in a millisecond. "I am honored Nedra, but between me and you, I think the emperor put a target on my back. I am not good at politics at all."
"Yes, we have heard you are more about action, less about discourse."
"Mostly true, but there is much more to it than that. It is about knowing when to act or when to talk. I am hoping I do not have to do either while I am here."
"Ben, you are a part of this and I am sure you will be required to speak; you have a part to play. There will be those who will offer council to you, some of which will be false. I must go and show the Princess to her apartment. If you have a need, do not hesitate to com." Ben heard his com beep indicating she had set herself up on it.
E'Aria and Lorelei were both smiling as they walked out. He knew they had been talking softly as they walked around his grandiose apartment. There were doors leading to a balcony with tables and chairs. He decided later after dark he would check it out have a drink and relax. He had his armor on and he didn’t want to scratch or accidently break anything so he sat on the edge of a chair, waiting to be summoned. He imagined all of it to be similar to the kings of Europe who had multiple estates they spared no expense on at the time they were built.
Elbows on his knees, head in his hands, Ben dozed off to sleep. He never heard the door and woke up to find a number of people standing in front of him. They were all smiling, including Nedra. Ben heard then saw some of the crew out in the hallway waiting. He stood up and walked towards the door, never saying anything to Nedra, E'Aria, Alona, Lorelei and Natalia. Nedra caught up to Ben and began explaining the evening’s events. He was to meet with the emperor while the others went to a reception. The emperor and Ben would join them once they concluded their discussions. There was an Allond male, obviously another member of the staff, waiting with the crew. Nedra was going to accompany Ben while everyone else was led to the reception.
Ben didn’t get nervous very often but this was different. He didn’t like the fact that he slept while five people walked in and stood over him or that he even dozed off. Now he was about to meet the emperor of an empire and he had no idea how long they had stood in power. Nedra led him to a plain looking door and stopped. She whispered in her com and the door was opened and held by a member of the Allond Military or palace guard, he didn’t know which. Immediately he recognized three faces: Prime Minister Jinwasys, Captain Dakkon and General Raza. Two female officers stood with them. He did know one; the General had killed her Captain, but he didn’t know her name and the other, he did not know at all.
"Prime Minister, Captain, General good to see you." Ben held out his hand and they each shook knowing the custom, then Ben laid his arm across his chest fist over his heart in the Allond form of greeting to which they responded in exactly that same manner.
Prime Minister Jinwasys said. "Benjamin, let me introduce you to Colonel Tawniz Dakkon and the soon to be promoted Captain Jinwasys."
"Colonel, Captain, congratulations." This time Ben reversed the order, fist over the heart then they shook hands. The door behind them opened and Nedra motioned them to enter. The emperor was sitting behind a large ornate desk reading a stack of correspondence. He stood about even with Captain Dakkon but slightly thinner, more like the Prime Minister. Ben just remembered he still had his helmet on. The others hadn’t even seemed to notice. The emperor walked over in front of Ben who was busy nervously unbuckling. He pulled it off, then realized he was holding it in both hands and couldn’t salute or shake.
Ben looked around for somewhere to put it and saw Nedra trying not to laugh. He tossed it to her unexpectedly and she barely caught it. The emperor, as well as everyone else, looked amused almost ready to laugh.
"She said if I ever need anything, she would help," Ben deadpanned. Now he didn’t know what to do. No one had said what protocol was. He noticed the emperor move slightly and was holding out his hand. Ben grabbed it and shook it giving him a smile. The emperor let go and gave the traditional Allond greeting which Ben returned.
"Well done, Benjamin." the emperor said. Everyone was still smiling, enjoying his uneasiness. The emperor stretched his arm out and put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. The look on his face became more serious.
"I am sorry for the loss of your mate, Benjamin. You have all of our condolences. I understand she was a well respected warrior and will be missed by all who knew her."
Ben was touched the emperor would know, let alone express such a sentiment.
"Thank you, your highness." Ben looked around to see if he had used the right phrase. The prime minister picked up on his look and nodded. Ben didn’t want to say anymore; he was a little choked up. The emperor, as well as everyone, else could tell.
"Benjamin, we have two gifts for you, but first, how is my ship?"
"The Claymore, your highness?"
"Yes. Has she seen battle and proven her worth?"
"Yes, Highness. She has been taken on two Alliance warships twice her size and gave them pause. I did not push for a kill because of the situation but we could have taken them out I believe."
"You fought against your own people."
"Yes. They were trying to stop us from making the voyage here. There was an Alliance ship we were helping to escape from them at the same time and they were successful in getting into Trillond space where the prime minister gave them asylum."
"It seems there is a longer story here?"
"Yes and maybe better told by Prime Minister Aok. I trust her to give you good solid facts about the situation."
"What about the Alliance Senator Sims? Would he not know?"
"It is possible but I trust the prime minister. There is a rot in the Alliance government, your highness. I am not sure how far it has spread so while I have no personal issue with the Senator, I cannot stand behind him. The source of his information may be corrupt and he may not even know."
"To what end do they work?"
"My guess is the perpetrators have many deceptions in play. One of which is keeping the possibility of a Cjittan invasion from the Alliance worlds. They have tried to erase or undermine the information since the attack by the Cjittan at Hyson. The ship we helped escape was at Hyson and carried many of the survivors. They are all witnesses and the Colonial Navy under orders from Military Intelligence was trying to take them into custody."
"It is disturbing news, Benjamin. I will talk with Alona and see what she has to say. Nedra, bring in Benjamin’s gifts."
Nedra walked in carrying two crates. She sat them down and pried open the top. The emperor stood next to Ben and the others all crowded in to see what she was unpacking.
She handed the smaller item to the Emperor first. Ben saw a belt made of black webbing with a long knife sheath hanging from it. It was too long to be called just a knife and too short for a sword. The knife handles were a polished black material and beautiful. The emperor pulled it from the sheath and the blade was a polished black metal. The blade was curved much like E'Aria's short fighting swords. Perfect for slashing. He handed it to Ben who felt its heft and balance. It felt perfect to him. The emperor handed him the belt and sheath.
The Emperor said, "Put it on, you will need both hands free for the next one." Ben smiled and slid the belt around his waist. The next item was something special. A two-handed battle axe made from the same black material. The cutting edge was a wicked curve, about fourteen inches long with a round, pointed spike gracing the top and a curved, flat double-edged blade with a wicked point eight inches long on the back.
The emperor hefted the axe and turned it over a couple of times in his hands, admiring it before handing it to Ben.
"Both of those are made from the same material that a battle cruiser hull is made from. An ad
ditional alloy was added then it was submerged in a chemical bath that gave it the black coloring. As long as you use them on flesh and bone, they should stay sharp well into your old age.
"The sheath for the axe is unique in that you can set it so the shaft will drop into your waiting hand. Then you just pull it free. Slip it on your back and Nedra will adjust it."
"Hold your arms at your side, Ben. The speed it drops out and into your hand is adjustable. We will set it slower and increase it as you practice with it." It was a lightweight frame covered in a leather-like substance. There were holes up the middle of the shaft and a larger hole in the head for weight reduction. The handle had no covering but the steel had an intricate design set deep into the handle for grip. The design became shallower as it followed the shaft flowing around the circles. It ended in a copy of his chest plate; the hooded grim reaper skull on the larger flat side of the axe head.
Ben was at a loss for words. He turned the axe over in his hands looking at every detail, studying it. He felt the silence and looked up to find everyone staring at him, smiling.
"Thank you! Your Highness, I am at a loss for words. It is a magnificent weapon."
"It is based off of a weapon that was used roughly two thousand of your earth’s years ago. Our weapons masters have kept copies of all the designs for the last ten thousand."
Ben looked again at everyone, his thoughts focused on a new subject. "I have often thought about my life and the events that have occurred. I feel there are answers to the questions I have waiting out there for me from people who I have yet to meet. Right now, this second, I have a chance to ask a question and that is why? Why have you given me a starship? I cannot fathom the reason, and now more gifts that I feel I have done nothing to warrant them. I mean no disrespect, Highness or to the rest of you. I would find it hard to walk out of here wearing these not understanding their meaning."
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