Last of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book One)

by Lawrence P White

  She attached the pins to both sides of his collar and stepped back, saying, “I hereby recognize you, Val, as a fleet ensign in the Queen’s Own.”

  Val didn’t know what to do, so he kneeled before her with his head down. She gave him a moment to gather himself, then lifted his chin.

  “Stand, Ensign Val and be recognized.”

  He stood, and Krys threw her arms around him in delight. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered in his ear.

  Captain Jzazbe was next. Val didn’t know whether to salute him or what. Jzazbe just stuck out his hand and they shook. “I’m proud to have you as a member of the Queen’s Own,” he said. “I hope it doesn’t complicate things too much for you at the Academy. Competition there is fierce and you’ll be singled out by your peers and your instructors, but I happen to think you’re up to it. Your duties here will remain unchanged for the present.”

  “Uh, what about Ensign Vorgaskia? Is he in trouble?”

  “He is not. He had a difficult decision to make, and he chose well. Daughter’s safety always comes first. It’s what the Queen’s Own are all about. A commendation is already in his file, and a promotion is not far away.”

  Daughter dismissed Jzazbe, then it was just the four of them. She took a seat and motioned for Val and Krys to sit on the couch before her.

  “Rrestriss has agreed to accept both of you as students. The choice is yours. What do you say?”

  Krys stared at her with eyes that suddenly spilled tears. “I’m not ready to leave you yet. This is the only home I have ever known, and I like it here.”

  Daughter’s gaze softened. “Nor am I ready for you to leave. You two brighten my every day . . . well, when I’m not frightened to death for you,” she added, glancing at Val. “There’s no hurry to leave, only to make the decision. Once made, it will take time to change my schedule. If you go, I want to drop you off. I want to personally introduce you to a people I cherish.”

  Krys looked stricken. When her lower lip began trembling, Val put an arm around her shoulders.

  “I have to go, Krys,” he said softly. He reached out a hand and turned her chin to him. “You don’t.”

  “I won’t leave you, and I want an education.”

  His lips tightened. “You won’t be with me when I go to the Academy. You know that. You could get an education right here. You’re already getting an education here. And think about her need,” he said, pointing his chin toward Daughter. “Seer or not, your knowing the purpose of that gun probably saved her life. Your being here might be the best thing for both of you.”

  Krys opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Daughter stepped into the breach. “The education you get here will never compare with what you will learn from the Rress, my dear. There is simply no comparison. I need you to go.”

  Krys jumped to her feet, angry. “No, Mother. I’m not ready . . .” She stared at Daughter in horror, then collapsed to one knee, her head bowed deeply. “I’m sorry, My Lady. I didn’t mean . . .” She stopped speaking, not certain what she wanted to say.

  Daughter’s attention suddenly focused on Krys, her mind shifting from school on Rrestriss to the waif of a girl before her. Krys had called her ‘Mother.’ An accidental slip, yes, but the relationship Krys called into being with that one simple word had come from the heart. With a warm look in her eyes, she went to Krys and pulled her to her feet, her arms going around the anxious young woman in an embrace.

  “You honor me, child, more than words can ever say. You’ve never known a mother, and I’ve never known a child of my own, but I will forever cherish what you just gave me. In my mind, during the past months you’ve both become my family. I am your mother at the moment. I will be your mother for as long as you will let me.”

  “Is forever too long?” Krys sobbed into her shoulder.

  Tears flowed from both sets of eyes, copiously. “May I call you daughter?” Daughter asked softly into Krys’ ear.

  Krys squeezed harder. “I love you, Mother. Proper or not, I love you. I can’t leave.”

  Daughter lifted her eyes to Val. “How about you, Val? Are we one happy family here?”

  He, too, had risen to his feet, but he stood frozen in place. “My Lady, I’m an Empire officer in service to you.”

  “Oh, don’t be so full of yourself. Come here and give me a hug.”

  He stared at the two of them. What he saw called to him like nothing else ever had. When Krys reached an arm out to him, he went to them with his arms around both. “I am part of a family. I have a mother and a sister. Whoever would have thought . . .”

  Chapter Forty-nine: Lianli

  Resolve landed on Lianli. The problem Daughter had come to resolve was another dual claim issue, but this time one of the claimants was the district governor himself. Lianli was scheduled for colonization, an issue always high on governors’ lists of things to accomplish during their tenure. The world had no sentient races, and its ecology was perfect for colonization, but a mining company had discovered huge, valuable deposits of a rare metal used in the manufacture of space ship hulls. The deposits were easily accessible and a successful test dig, a mile long strip mine, had already been completed by automated machines. If free to spread, the mines would, in time, cover a significant portion of the planet. That was unacceptable on a world planned for colonization.

  Normally the sector governor would decide claims of this nature, and he had done so, but so valuable was the metal that the mining company had appealed the decision to the Queen. Both parties argued a legitimate claim to strategic Empire need, and it was up to Daughter to settle the matter.

  Testings by Daughter were not anticipated this time. She hoped to find compromise and had several ideas in mind, including the fact that the metal was not going anywhere and would be available for later generations to mine. She was leaning in that direction, but she had to hear arguments from both sides, and she had no doubt that both sides would argue hard.

  She decided to see the world for herself, so the meeting was held on Lianli instead of the district headquarters.

  Resolve landed at a spaceport that was just an unimproved field. This world was still in the raw exploration stage. Daughter’s meeting was scheduled for mid-day local time, and Captain Jzazbe, always thoughtful of Daughter’s needs, adjusted his arrival time so that shipboard time would be the same as local time. Daughter would not be at a disadvantage from lack of sleep, though the other participants might be, depending on how long they’d been on the planet. The governor’s representative had traveled far for this meeting, and she suspected the senior mining representative had done the same.

  Krys and Val had been cleared to venture out on the surface, and though there was little to do or see, both looked forward to experiencing a primitive world unspoiled, as yet, by civilization.

  Krys stepped from the ramp to the ground. The moment both feet touched the ground, she stiffened. Val, right beside her, had seen this before, and his focus became just her. She didn’t stay in the trance long, and when she came out of it, she was in a hurry.

  “Back to the ship, Val. We have a job to do.”

  “Uh . . . what job?”

  “We’ve been called to a meeting. I’m not certain where, but it’s not far.”

  “You’re taking the ship? You must be kidding.”

  “I’m not kidding. I have some preparations to make. Will you advise Captain Jzazbe that we’re leaving as soon as Daughter returns?”

  “No! She’s not done here yet. What’s this all about? Where are we going?”

  “Not off planet. We’re going to a field, just an ordinary field in the wilderness.”

  “Krys, I can’t order Captain Jzazbe.”

  She bit her lip. “No, you can’t. Just tell him to make preparations. We’ll wait for Daughter to return. She’ll agree, Val. Tell him that. Now go! I have a lot to do.”

  He gave her a questioning look. “Have you had a vision?”

  “Sort of. More of a calling
.”

  He went to Jzazbe expecting argument, but Jzazbe took him seriously. “We’re always ready to go at a moment’s notice, Ensign. Is Daughter in danger?”

  “I don’t think so, sir. It’s something else, something very different. Thank you, sir.”

  He bolted from the bridge and returned to Krys. She wasn’t in their room, so he went to Daughter’s quarters. Krys was just entering with her arms full of clothing.

  “Those look suspiciously like something from the orphanage,” he challenged.

  “They are. I gave the ship my shift for a sample, so they’re all the same, just different sizes.”

  “I’ll just wear my uniform.”

  “No, you won’t. My instructions were to wear only clothing made of natural fibers. We will not carry weapons or communicators or anything else of Empire manufacture.”

  “Otis will never go for it.”

  “He has to abide by my rules this time. He and Mother both.”

  “Your rules?”

  She stared at him, but there was no uncertainty in her look. “I don’t know who’s rules they are, but we’re going.”

  Daughter was tired when she got back. The meeting had not gone well, and she was not in the mood for Val and Krys at the moment.

  “What is it?” she asked as soon as she noticed them. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re dressed oddly.”

  Krys stood. “I have a similar garment for you, Mother. I’m sorry, but your day is not done. We’ve been called to another meeting.”

  “Not today. I’ve heard enough for one day. I’m taking a nice long bath.”

  “This is not optional, Mother. We’ve been called to a meeting. I don’t know why or by whom, but we are to go to a barren field not too far from here and wait. The call is strong. You cannot dismiss it.”

  Daughter took a step back. “You’ve had another vision?”

  “Not like any vision I’ve ever had before, but yes. You have to wear this,” she said, holding out a plain shift.

  Daughter changed swiftly and they went to the bridge. Jzazbe was ready, but he didn’t know where to go. Krys pointed her arm, and he had the pilot lift the ship and fly in the direction she pointed. He brought the outside view to a forward screen, and Krys peered intently.

  Suddenly, she pointed. “There. That field near the tree line. Do not land, Captain. The ship is not to touch the ground. Just lower the ramp and we’ll step off.” She turned to Daughter. “Val and I will go first. I’ll call for Otis next – he has to assure himself of your safety, then he’ll call you. The rest of the Protectors will have to remain at a distance, but they can be nearby.” She turned to Otis. “I’m sorry, but it has to be this way.”

  “Who are we going to meet, and why? I don’t want you and Val going out alone.”

  “I can’t say who, and I can’t say why, but I know there is no threat here today.” She turned to Daughter. “Nothing artificial is to touch the ground. We three are dressed in simple gowns made of natural fibers, and we’ll go barefoot. Otis and his men are already barefoot.” She looked at the weapons belt strapped to his body. “It would be better if you left that behind.”

  He growled low in his throat. “You ask too much, child.”

  “It is not me asking. I’m following instructions.”

  “And you don’t know whose instructions.”

  “I don’t. You once spoke to me of dreams, of how your people believe in dreams and spirits and demons. Otis, had this been your dream, you would go, and you would comply with the instructions without hesitation. I sense rightness here, and you would, too.”

  Otis looked into her eyes. What he sensed in those eyes was not the adolescent demand of a timid young girl whom Daughter called Seer, it was the look of the woman she might someday become. Her eyes did not demand, they commanded.

  His great head nodded respectfully. “As you wish.”

  * * * * *

  Krys and Val stepped from the ship’s ramp to a field that stretched all the way to the tree line. She took his hand, and the two of them moved toward the trees some 100 meters distant.

  Krys studied Val as he crutched beside her. “You seem to be struggling,” she noted.

  He grimaced. “I’ve grown, and the crutch is a little short. It’s worse on this soft surface. I wish I’d replaced it before leaving Hespra III.”

  “I’m sure we could make you a new one.”

  He nodded. “I will, but I like this one. It has just the right indentation for my hand, and I’m used to its balance. I might see if the Chief can make an extension. Most likely, he’ll show me how to do it myself. It’s how we do things, but I’m afraid it will be unbalanced. We’ll see.”

  They covered half the distance, then Krys just settled to the ground facing the trees. Val settled beside her and stared across the field at the trees, his crutch ready in his hand in case of trouble.

  The trees were dead, just limbs and dried leaves, though here and there the bright green of new leaves peeked through the brown. The trunks were massive. Ten men standing with outstretched arms would not reach around them.

  He focused all his senses, reaching out for anything. He felt a gentle breeze coming from his right, but it carried no clues. He sniffed, and the smells spoke of nature, not the comfortable smells of the city, and they were unfamiliar to him. His eyes roved, but the only motion he detected was a slight waving of tree branches. He listened, but he only heard the occasional twittering of birds amidst the rustle of leaves in the trees. The very absence of sound bothered him, and he focused his hearing more sharply, to no avail. He tasted, but all he sensed was the dryness of the dusty field. He felt the ground with his hand, but his hand only touched dirt and grass.

  His vision was his best armor, and it was the first to detect change. He saw motion near the tree line, but it was too low to see clearly. He raised his crutch to stand for a better look, but Krys stopped him.

  “Remain seated, Val.”

  The motion was slow, and it took a long time for him to make out what was coming, then he gasped. A line of five tree limbs approached them, each some four feet in length. Gnarled wood formed the body of each, a body festooned with short branches to form arms and legs and . . . more branches. Each branch grew dried, brown leaves, including four long legs that sprouted their own short branches and leaves. A longer, gnarled branch formed a neck tipped with a large, vertically held leaf, more or less triangular. The large leaf had to be a head, though no eyes, ears, or mouth were apparent. There was nothing of beauty, just a dead, brown leaf, almost transparent. Small ribbed veins spread from the main rib to the very edges of the leaf. There was no room for a brain in the thin head, at least he didn’t think there was room, but these creatures clearly moved under their own power. Val knew that these perfectly camouflaged creatures would be invisible in the dead-looking forest, whether high up in trees or as dead branches fallen to the ground.

  Krys looked back toward the ship. All six Protectors had spread out around her, Val, and the leaf creatures. They were ready, but they held as the creatures approached. Daughter stood on the ramp, ready to step off when called. Krys nodded her head, pleased.

  The creatures stopped side by side before Val and Krys. One reached out to Val’s crutch and took it into its hands. It backed away and scratched a shallow depression in the ground, then bent forward with one hand to the depression. A clear liquid leaked from its fingers, almost as if it was urinating, and the depression filled with the moisture. The bottom of Val’s crutch went into the liquid, then the creature began running its hands up and down the smooth, dried wood of the crutch. Soon, the crutch lost its rigidness, became supple, then Val stopped watching: two of the creatures had reached a hand out, one to him and one to Krys.

  The fingers on the end of the hand resembled branches, and along each finger more tiny branches stuck out, ending in leaves, but the tips of the fingers looked soft and round. Krys reached up with one hand to let each of her fingers touch the tips of the fingers o
n the proffered hand. The moment she did, a warm smile lit her face.

  Val followed her example, touching a fingertip to each of the fingers held out before him. He was suddenly filled with a sense of peace, of harmony with the world around him, with himself, and with this creature of leaves. He felt the love this creature held for all things living and not living, and he knew he was included.

  His awareness grew, and he suddenly sensed Krys and the creature she touched. He knew her thoughts, felt her happiness and her completeness, and from the creature of leaves she touched, he sensed the bond between all of these creatures, their oneness with everything around them, including the sky above, the dried grasses and dirt of the field he and Krys sat upon, the forest of trees before them, the wonderful stream running through that forest, and the rest of the leaf people in the forest. He felt the awareness of thousands, then millions of similar creatures among the trees, all united through the bond he was now a part of. He closed his eyes, savoring the perfectness of the world through these creatures’ senses.

  Krys turned her head and beckoned to Otis. He came and sat beside Val, lifting his hand to the third creature in the line. The moment those fingers touched, Val sensed Otis, almost as if they were on the net in the ship, but this was far more complete. He sensed the savagery Otis always held in check just below the surface, but he sensed so much more, as well. He sensed instinct, strong instinct, and he sensed strength and duty and honor. He sensed an awareness of self within the surroundings, each person and thing in high relief, perfectly positioned with reality. He sensed the love Otis held for Daughter, and to his surprise, he sensed the love Otis held for him and Krys. Otis sensed him and Krys, then he sensed the rest of the creatures and their thoughts, and he reveled in a peace and harmony never felt by him before this day. He savored, and as he savored he relaxed as much as it was possible for a Great Cat to relax.

  At a thought from one of the creatures, Otis turned his head and beckoned Daughter to join them. His eyes lifted to the rest of his team and he spoke. “There is no threat here. More will come. You are to let them approach without restriction. Believe me as you believe in the spirits of your ancestors.”