Empire of Bones

by Terry Mixon

  “Roger Athena Three,” Zia said. “You are cleared for immediate departure. Have a good flight, Captain.”

  “Thanks, Zia. Athena Three out.”

  He undocked and dropped the cutter out of its slip. The screens cleared and displayed the star field. It was beautiful, as always. Best Deal showed clearly on his scanners. It was less than five minutes away. The acceleration he applied put the Athena behind them and made Best Deal grow quickly on the screens.

  “Best Deal, this is Athena Three on approach. Request docking instructions.”

  “Athena Three, you are cleared for docking port two. You are the only flight inbound at this time, so you may proceed directly to the dock.”

  “Thanks, Best Deal. Athena Three out.”

  He quickly mated the cutter to the docking port. The indicators turned green and he locked the controls. Then he lit the ‘disembark’ light in the cabin. “Ensign Kruger, you have the boat.”

  “Aye, sir. We’ll be ready to depart whenever you’re ready. Have a good meeting.”

  Jared unstrapped and waited for Kelsey to precede him out of the cutter. Several merchant crewmembers waited for them in the docking chamber. One of them saluted Jared. “Captain Mertz? This way, sir.”

  Jared returned the salute and followed the man with Kelsey at his side. The rest of his officers followed them into the bowels of the ship. For once, he had no idea where they were going. He’d been here before, but the ship was still under renovation then.

  They went down several corridors in turn and took two separate lifts. Eventually they entered a huge conference room. It looked like it could seat a hundred people and it was almost full.

  They’d reserved half the seats at the long conference table in the center of the compartment for his officers. A quick count confirmed there was one for Kelsey.

  Anton Keller, the grizzled merchant captain of Best Deal, sat at one end of the table. The seat opposite him sat empty, reserved for Jared. Dr. Zephram Cartwright sat midway along the side facing the large screen at the head of the room. The elderly scientist looked as though he’d been up all night, but he seemed pleased.

  Captain Keller stood and the scientists followed his example after a beat. It wasn’t in their culture and Jared wasn’t offended at the unintentional discourtesy. He couldn’t expect scientists and merchants to know how Fleet demonstrated respect to commanding officers.

  Jared sat. “Gentlemen, thank you for meeting with me so soon. I’m sure you’ve all been very busy and still have much work to do, so let’s get this under way. Allow me to introduce Ambassador Kelsey Bandar. She joined Athena at the last minute so you may not have been aware of her presence.”

  Keller bowed his head. “Welcome aboard, Ambassador.”

  Once everyone had taken their seats, Jared gave the chief scientist his full attention. “I think we should get right to the matter, Doctor. What do we have here?”

  “Thank you, Captain Mertz.” Cartwright slid his finger along a control on the table in front of him and the lights dimmed. The screen on the wall—larger than the one on Athena’s bridge—blinked to life with a representation of local space. The diagram clearly showed Athena and Best Deal in relation to the newly found flip point nearby.

  “What we have here is definitely a flip point. Close range scans leave no room for doubt. It has a significantly weaker gravitic field and is notably smaller as well. This flip point is scarcely ten kilometers across.”

  That was small, less than one quarter of the normal size. “Do you think it’s an anomaly or might there be more of these scattered around?” Jared asked.

  “I spent quite a bit of time reading the papers that have proposed this kind of occurrence last night. I believe that there may be more of these, though I doubt they are nearly as common as standard flip points.”

  He switched the screen to a series of graphs. “Without getting into the fine details, the flip point appears to be stable enough to use. How far it goes was a lively subject of debate over coffee this morning. I’m willing to wager that it likely leads to a system quite close by. Perhaps less than a dozen light years away.”

  Kelsey leaned forward. “Do you think it’s safe to use, Doctor?”

  The scientist shrugged. “That’s one of the reasons I’m advocating that we send a probe through. Until we get the readings from the other side we have no way of knowing.”

  Jared nodded. They had more than enough probes and could build more if needed. “I’ll want to go over what you’ve discovered and recorded on your scanners, but I’m good with sending a probe now. When can you have it ready?”

  Keller spoke up. “I took the liberty of having one prepared. We can launch it at your order.”

  “Excellent. I like when people are ready to execute a plan. You have a ‘go’ for the probe.”

  The merchant captain touched his controls. “Launch the probe.”

  An amber spark representing the probe appeared on the screen and accelerated away from Best Deal. It made its way into the nearby flip point in less than a minute and braked to a stop. Moments later, it vanished.

  “Flip successful,” Keller said. “It’s programmed to scan for half an hour and then flip back.”

  Jared nodded. “Good. While it’s doing its job, let’s have a more detailed introduction of the senior scientists and my crew. I’d intended to do this when we were a little further along, but it looks like we might possibly be at a new kickoff point if things look interesting over there.”

  Kelsey frowned at him. “You intend to go through it? That seems relatively risky. No one has ever used one of these weak flip points before.”

  “Frankly, it would take something really interesting on the other side to convince me, but I’m not rejecting it out of hand. I’ll make the decision when we go over the probe’s recordings.”

  They spent the next half hour introducing themselves to one another and giving a short summary of individual backgrounds. The Fleet officers were thankfully brief, but the scientists rambled. It was interesting, though. These were some very talented minds present.

  They were listening to a distinguished older woman speak when the console chimed. The probe had returned. Keller tapped on his controls. “Pardon me, Doctor Nelson. Downloading the scanner readings now. I’ll throw the map up on the screen.”

  Jared watched closely as a representation of the target star system appeared. With only half an hour to scan, the details were preliminary and very general. The star was a standard yellow star. No planets were marked, but they were hard to see without long and detailed data processing.

  One thing stood out. The flip point on the other end was even smaller than this end. It only covered about seven kilometers. Doctor Cartwright grunted. “Interesting. I didn’t expect the other end to be so small. The theory didn’t really hint at that.”

  Jared connected the small console inset into the table to the feed as it came in, scanning for anything interesting. While it loaded, he glanced at the scientist. “Now that you’ve seen the other side, do you think it’s safe?”

  “It should be. The probe made it there and back. Though I wouldn’t recommend it if there isn’t a pressing reason.”

  An icon appeared on Jared’s screen, flashing in lurid scarlet. He blinked in shock for a moment and looked at the scientist. “It looks like we have our reason. I want to know everything you can divine about that flip point and I want it fast.”

  Kelsey leaned over and stared at his console. “What is that?”

  He looked back at the flashing icon. “It’s a Fleet distress beacon. But not one of ours.”

  Her gaze whipped up to his face. “You mean that’s from the old Empire?”

  Jared nodded. “I’ve seen drawings of one in old reports. There were a lot of them in the skies during and after the rebel attack on Avalon. I have no idea what the data coming in with it is, but it definitely means something is over there and we have to go after it.”

  Chapter Ten


  Kelsey thought about what the distress beacon might mean all the way back to Athena. The implications were huge. It was the biggest discovery since the Fall. That probably meant they would briefly explore what they’d found and head right back home. The news was exciting and terrible all at once.

  She sighed. Well, it was good for the Empire, even if it meant she probably wouldn’t be coming back out with them. That might be for the best. Without Carlo Vega, she was filling some very big shoes.

  The cutter docked and she politely separated from Jared and the rest. She needed time to think. He’d call her before they made any major moves.

  Her thoughts occupied so much of her attention as she walked that she didn’t notice that Doctor Stone had stepped up beside her until the woman spoke.

  “Welcome back, Kelsey. Do you have time to come down to my office?”

  She gave the dark-haired Fleet officer a sideways look. “That sounds ominous.”

  The doctor smiled. “You’re in perfectly good health. However, there are some things we need to talk about in private.”

  “Carlo?”

  “Him, too.”

  Kelsey shrugged and followed the other woman back down to the medical center. The smell of disinfectant made her shudder. She was all too familiar with the closet sized office just off the main treatment room after last night. She sat and was surprised when Stone ignored her desk and took the seat beside her after she closed the hatch.

  “As I said, your test results came back clean,” the doctor said. “You’re healthy and look like you’ll be that way for many years.”

  “Good! So why do we need to talk?”

  “Captain Mertz is your half-brother, correct?”

  Kelsey nodded. “He is.”

  “I don’t know how to explain this, but I took a genetic scan of you last night, and it doesn’t match him at all.”

  Kelsey frowned. “That’s impossible. They matched his scan to my father.”

  Stone nodded. “Yes, they did…at Orbital One, where they have all the medical records of all Fleet members past and present. I don’t have the Emperor’s medical information in my database, but the notation in Captain Mertz’s file says it is a conclusive and verified match. The Emperor is his father.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  The doctor reached out and took Kelsey’s hand in hers. “If he’s a match with your father, then you aren’t.”

  “What?” She pulled away abruptly. “That’s insane. Of course I am. How could I not be related to my father?”

  Doctor Stone leaned back, her eyes full of sympathy. “I know this must be a horrible shock. It’s not standard practice to do a paternity verification with married couples. Even with the Imperial Family. Unless a court intervenes and requires one.”

  Kelsey stared at the other woman blankly, unsure of what to say.

  “I’m sorry to tell you this, Kelsey, but if Captain Mertz’s test was correct and he is your father’s son, then there is no conceivable way you can be the Emperor’s biological daughter. There is simply no room for inaccuracy in the test, but I ran it three times to be sure.”

  That just wasn’t possible. Kelsey shook her head. “I don’t know where the mistake is, but something isn’t right. If you didn’t make it, someone else did with Jared.”

  “I’m pretty sure they checked everything many times to be sure with him, as well. Your father acknowledged his paternity despite the impending destruction of his marriage. He wouldn’t have done that unless he was absolutely certain.”

  They sat in silence while Kelsey’s thoughts ran around in tight circles. If the doctor was correct, then her life was a lie and so was her twin brother’s. The Heir to the Imperial Throne.

  Oh, crap.

  She covered her face with her hands. “This can’t be happening.”

  “If he isn’t my father, who is?”

  “That’s a question I’m definitely not qualified to answer. All I can say with any certainty is that it wasn’t the Emperor. I’m not blind to the array of political implications this information creates, but I’m not worried about that right now. I’m worried about you. None of this changes who you are one bit.”

  Kelsey shot to her feet and stared pacing the office. “Oh, but it does. Oh, God, does it.” She started waving her hands around with each thought. “It throws the entire Imperial succession into chaos. My brother and I are just as much bastards as Jared is. More so since we have no Imperial blood. At least he has the Emperor as a father.”

  “You’re wrong,” Doctor Stone said firmly. “A father is much more than a genetic donor. Your father raised you. He loves you. Many fathers have adopted children. They are still very much fathers to them. Jared may share his genetics, but he is not the man’s son by any stretch of the imagination.”

  “What am I going to do?” Kelsey moaned. “When the Imperial Senate gets wind of this, it could tear the Empire apart.”

  “Then don’t tell them.”

  Kelsey stopped in her tracks. “If only it were that easy. No. Someone will talk. Someone always talks. Then we have a much larger problem on our hands.”

  The Fleet officer looked up at Kelsey serenely. “I’m not telling anyone other than you. They’ll only know if you say something.”

  “You haven’t told Jared already?”

  Stone shook her head. “This is private medical data. I have it locked down under my seal. I’m only obligated to tell you.”

  “But they told the Emperor that Jared was his son. How could you keep silent when I’m not?”

  “That doctor violated his oath when he did that. I will not violate mine.” The doctor’s voice was as unyielding as Athena’s hull. “You were already aware of Jared’s parentage, so I broke no rules in comparing the two of you and informing you of my findings. The Captain has no need to know about this test. If you choose to tell him, that’s your business, but a secret doesn’t stay secret for long when you tell more people.”

  Kelsey sank back into her chair. “Truly? You’d keep this just between us? Never tell anyone…ever?”

  Doctor Stone rose to her feet and strode to the desk. She tapped the screen a few times. “There. I’ve erased the test results and deleted your sample from the medical database. No one will ever know unless you decide they must. I’d personally advise against it for all the very good reasons you’ve mentioned.

  “At the very least, take the time we’re away from home to consider your options. There’s always time to tell your father later. Once you say something, though, you can’t unsay it.”

  Kelsey rubbed her temples. “The irony makes my head ache. I’ve been an insufferable bitch to Jared for almost my entire life because my father cheated on my mother. Now I find out my mother did the exact same thing. She didn’t know about Father’s infidelity at the time, so it wasn’t even a case of revenge. That’s rich.

  “I’ve had a hard time forgiving my father for what he did. Now I have to start over with my mother. She had to have wondered if we were his. What woman wouldn’t connect the dots with the timing? Her outrage at his indiscretion really burns me up. She made such a spectacle of playing the injured spouse. God, that’s infuriating!” Kelsey was so angry that she felt her eyes tearing up.

  The doctor again took Kelsey’s hand into hers. “I’m so sorry to have been the messenger of this bad news.”

  Kelsey wiped at her tears and squeezed the woman’s hand. “It’s not your fault. No one on this ship is responsible. I have plenty of time to contemplate what to do about it later. What can you tell me about Carlo?”

  Stone released Kelsey’s hand. “That’s more complex. The precise cause of death was an acute myocardial infarction. Even if he’d been standing in the medical center, I probably wouldn’t have been able to save his life. There was nothing you could’ve done.”

  “What about the indigestion? Was that a symptom?”

  “It often is, but in his case it wasn’t because of the heart attack. The complexity came
into play when I started looking for the cause of the heart attack. It turns out he somehow suffered an overdose of a chemical agent. One he shouldn’t have had contact with under any circumstances I can imagine. I don’t even believe there is any of this substance on this ship.”

  Kelsey shook her head. “Hold up. Are you saying he was poisoned?”

  “Possibly.” The doctor softened her tone, “Who might have wanted him dead?”

  A wave of nausea washed over Kelsey. “I have no idea. He got along with everyone we met. Can you tell when it happened?”

  “I’m still working on that angle. It’s possible he consumed the poison at breakfast. Did you eat with him that morning?”

  She shook her head. “I was up late, so he went over without me. I’m not a morning person. I think he was over on Best Deal for a briefing with Jared.”

  Stone nodded. “I’ll ask the Captain when I update him on this in a few minutes. There’s going to be a full investigation. If this was murder, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  They talked a little longer, but Kelsey eventually excused herself. She needed to mull over everything she’d just learned.

  She retreated to an out of the way spot she’d discovered—the navigator’s cubby. The small chamber was little more than a seat and console within a concave bubble. The view was extraordinary and it never seemed occupied. It probably existed in case there was some kind of major systems failure.

  She strapped herself into the seat and raised it into an extended position, giving her a near 360-degree view. The sea of stars washed over her, dim until her eyes adjusted to the faint light. The view never failed to make her feel insignificant. Particularly so today.

  The news about Carlo stunned her, but she kept thinking about her parentage. Was keeping silent the right decision? No one had found out in over twenty years. Given her family’s position, the odds were very good they wouldn’t ever find out.

  Yet, did she have the right to keep that information from Ethan? He tended to be something of an ass at times, but he was her brother.

  It would wreck him. He’d tied his whole identity to his position as Imperial Heir. To say he wouldn’t take the news well was a profound understatement.