Shadow of the Blue Ring

by Jerome Kelly

  “I could use a little time away from the fleet actually,” said Isha, “I wouldn’t mind going and spending a few months sat on a beach in the sun somewhere. If Earth has one positive, it’s certainly the holiday destinations.”

  “I certainly wouldn’t mind joining you there,” said James, “I’ll have plenty of time once this is all over, most likely because Artennes will terminate my career once we’ve finished out here. He’ll look to make an example of us all for defying him.”

  “Artennes doesn’t have that authority,” said Isha, “no member of the council has any sovereign power over any other race, he can’t force them to throw you out of the fleet. I’m guessing you’ll just have to make it up to Jamerson or Sytchev somehow. I’m sure it wont be a problem.”

  “I guess,” James sighed, “it’ll sure be a relief when all this is over though. Once this whole thing settles down, we can finally be a real family… it’ll be great to spend some real quality time together. Just you, me and…”

  “I certainly hope I’m not interrupting.”

  James almost jumped out of his skin as the voice of Iyacs sounded out in the background. James had almost completely forgotten that they had installed it on the ship in the time he had been spending alone with Isha.

  “Please don’t startle me like again Iyacs,” James said, slightly annoyed at having been interrupted just as he and Isha had been heading towards an intimate moment, “and since when did you have access to my cabin?”

  “I have access to both audio and visual sensors in every room on this ship,” said Iyacs, “you may call on me or access my database from any terminal aboard this ship now. Miss Morelli has done an excellent job of integrating me into the systems on this fine cruiser.”

  “You may wish to turn off the visual sensors when we’re alone in here, Iyacs,” Isha said with a slight grin on her face, “you may be treated to more than you want to see.”

  “Yes, I am fully aware of what organic beings do when two members of the opposite gender meet in a confined space,” said Iyacs, “just yesterday I noticed chief Connolly do the very same thing with ensign Pamela Davies from engineering. I especially approved of his method of inviting her over to discuss a refit of the ship’s main plasma coils, I was not aware that this was a euphemism for…”

  “all right, I get the picture,” James cut Iyacs off mid-sentence, despite his slight amusement at his new AI’s revelations, “can I assume you have interrupted me here for a reason.”

  “Oh yes, I believe miss Morelli was looking for you down in the medical bay,” said Iyacs, “there was a minor disturbance there two minutes and fifty-one seconds prior to this conversation. I recommend you make your way down there to check on the situation.”

  “Ok, fine, I’ll go down and have a look,” James dragged himself off the bed and made his way to the doors to his cabin. Morelli and Saavoy’s relationship was still a little bit rocky and the disturbance between them was bad news for the crew, he did not need any infighting between them at this time. Arriving at the medical bay, he didn’t notice anything worthy of having Iyacs disturbing him in such a way, although once inside he did notice a very irritable Morelli.

  “Loca, what’s up?”

  “It’s Kasha. I told him to rest, the doctors told him to rest but he’s gone and done a runner,” Morelli was clearly unhappy about the situation but James was struggling to see how this warranted disturbing him.

  “You interrupted my private time with my wife because you can’t find your boyfriend?” James said irritably.

  “It’s more than that,” Morelli sighed, “he’s not been himself since he woke up. He’s distant, he’s looking pretty depressed. He wont talk to me or to any of the doctors so I was kind of wondering if you could talk to him, stop him from doing anything stupid. I’m really worried about him.”

  “Fine, I’ll talk to him,” James reluctantly agreed, “whereabouts is he.”

  “I don’t know, he disappeared off a few minutes ago and didn’t say where he was going,” said Morelli, “he was looking pretty down though, I hope he isn’t going to do anything stupid.”

  “I’ll track him down,” said James, “Iyacs, can you locate Kasha Saavoy?”

  “Admiral Saavoy is currently in the gym sparring room,” said Iyacs, who’s consciousness seemed to be able to watch every part of the ship simultaneously, “I believe he wishes to engage in some form of physical exercise.”

  “The idiot,” Morelli grumbled, “he’ll do himself more harm than good, he is still nowhere near healed.”

  “I’ll go and talk to him,” said James, “I’ll see if I can’t figure out what’s going on with him.”

  Leaving Morelli to grumble to herself, James made his way to the gym and sparring room on the crew deck. He hadn’t had a chance to try out the fitness facilities that the admirals had provided for them on board their new ship, the mission had not allowed for the time. As he arrived, he noticed Saavoy on the far side of the room in one of the sparring rings. He had donned a pair of gloves and he was pounding away at one of the punch-bags.

  “Come to check up on your wounded soldier?” he asked, seeing James approach the ring, “let me guess, did Loca send you?”

  “She’s just a bit worried about you, thats all,” said James, seeing the continued ferocity at which Saavoy was striking the bag, “she thinks you’ll do more harm than good by doing too much too soon.”

  Saavoy just continued to punch away, hitting harder and harder as he went. James was surprised the punch-bag was still in one piece. From the way he was hitting, James could see that Saavoy was clearly suffering more than just a physical injury. While the wounds to his body had been healed, the wounds to his spirit were not so easily cleansed. It looked as if his pride was the thing that had been hurt the most and this was his way of letting it all out.

  “Not used to seeing this side of me huh?” Saavoy said, having seen that James had noticed the many scars he was carrying on his upper body. James noted the two fresh scars, one along his chest and one along his left arm, from the battle on Sharstrom but there were many others across his back and across his upper arms.

  “I can get Doctor Markova to take a look at those scars if you want,” said James, “she can do a pretty good job of clearing up the skin with all the new tech in the med bay.”

  “No thanks,” said Saavoy, now slowing down his continuous hitting, his body seemingly starting to tire, “I need my scars, they remind me of everything that I’ve had to go through to get to where I am now. These two and the one on my leg are just another reminder of how lucky I am to have survived so many close fights. You doctor informed me that the Al’cari blade was less than a centimetre from cutting my femoral artery. If it had done so, I would have bled out before you could get me on the shuttle and you would be taking my body back to Malorii for a memorial service rather than having this conversation. The margins between life and death are pretty fine are they not?”

  “I suppose I can understand,” said James, “what about the others? Where did you get those?”

  “The one on my right shoulder, that was from the battle with Sarkisian six years ago,” Saavoy had now stopped his incessant hitting and was now sat down at the edge of the ring to get his breath back, “the doctors back home offered to heal it and make it look as good as new but I declined. I wanted a reminder of that day to carry with me so that I will never forget how I felt in that moment when I finally avenged my family. These scars on my back were given to me in the first war against the Vulians before they conquered Malorii eight years ago. The command ship I was on took a lucky hit from a Vulian torpedo and it smashed through the bridge and buried all the senior officers under two feet of rubble. I was dug out two hours later when a rescue team came aboard after the battle to find survivors. My odds of survival were rated at less than ten percent but the doctors worked a miracle and somehow pulled me through.
Five days later I was back on the bridge of my old command ship to lead the effort to retake our homeworld with the rest of the alliance fleets.”

  “I guess I can’t properly imagine what you’ve been through,” James said sympathetically, “I’ve never known what it’s like to be so badly wounded, to be so close to death that I see my life flash before my eyes.”

  “You’ve known you fair share of wounds James,” said Saavoy, “yours have been to the spirit though, you have suffered losses greater than most people your age and you have come through it stronger than before. Before Sharstrom, no opponent had ever bested me in close combat, I was unbeatable. After taking on hundreds of Vulian soldiers and even seven of their last blade-masters, including Sarkisian, I am bested by one Al’cari warrior and almost left for dead. I’ve never known what its like to lose before.”

  “I can tell you it hurts but eventually, you have to put it behind you,” said James, “it is one defeat among hundreds of victories. Its something that should spur you on to be better than you are, not something that should make you want to quit.”

  “That’s some tough talking there, James,” said Saavoy, “think you can back your words up with actions? There is more than one pair of gloves back here?”

  “You want me to go in the ring with you huh?” Said James, “Ok then, but I’ll feel pretty bad having to beat up a cripple.”

  “We’ll just see,” Saavoy grinned. James ripped off his shirt and pulled out another pair of boxing gloves before climbing over the ropes and into the ring.

  “So what do you call this sport anyway?”

  “We call it boxing,” said James, “we go three minute rounds with a minute break in between. No hitting below the belt and no fighting dirty.”

  “You do this often?”

  “I’ve sparred with several members of the crew on my old ship, I know my way around the ring.”

  “Then lets do this.”

  James didn’t want to cause too much harm to Saavoy who was still clearly not back to his best but if the sparring would help him recover his strength, he was up to the challenge. James put up his guard as Saavoy took a swing at him. He was fast and he was surprisingly strong, James was rocked by the force of the punch and was pushed back a step. He went for a counter punch but Saavoy was blindingly quick and before James knew it, Saavoy’s fist had struck him in the face, catching him in the eye and the sheer force of it knocking him backwards and on the floor.

  “What was that about beating up a cripple, James?” Saavoy laughed, “how long was that? Five seconds?”

  “It was a lucky shot, you caught me off guard,” James protested, albeit in good humour, despite feeling a little dazed and his eye throbbing slightly, “come on then, lets go again.”

  Saavoy helped him up and the two of them composed themselves before going at the sparring once more, this time James managing to defend himself and keep himself in the fight against the power of Saavoy.

  “So tell me then…” James began as they continued to spar, “. . . what is all this about? Why were you down here smashing the hell out our punch-bags?”

  “Just a bit of training,” said Saavoy, panting slightly at the physical demand of their fight, “I’m no good to anyone wounded and depressed, I’m a fighter, I need to be in top condition when the Al’cari come calling again.”

  “Admirable,” said James, dodging another Saavoy punch, “but I think there is more to it than that. I can see that something is hurting you, something is getting you down.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “The boxing is a way to let it all out,” said James, raising the intensity of his hitting, “you’re here to block it all out, you need to release all these years of pain and suffering, you need an outlet.”

  “You’re right,” Saavoy increased his own intensity to match James, “it’s all too much. There is only so much one person can live through before you just want it all to stop. But it’s not just that, it isn’t just the battles, the suffering, being defeated, it’s all about the mistakes I’ve made in my life.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Ever since Sarkisian killed my family, all I’ve done is mope around feel sorry for myself about everything that has happened to me in my life. I was never afraid of dying because how could it be any worse than having to live with everything weighing down on me. I was so quick to rush into one dangerous battle after another because the consequences never scared me. No more though, I’m not going to live in the past anymore, I’m not going to feel sorry for myself anymore. I’ve had enough of living every day in constant pain because of all the crap in my past.”

  “So tell me, what are you going to do about it?”

  “I’m moving on,” Saavoy said as there was a pause in the fight, “I’m not going to deny myself a second chance at the things I deserve in life.”

  “With Loca?” James asked, blocking a renewed attack from Saavoy, “are you and her finally going to settle down? Do you think she’ll take you back?”

  “I know she wants it to happen,” said Saavoy, “I was her first love, I was the first guy she gave herself to and she hasn’t had any other since me. She might pretend to hate me and she is rightly annoyed at me for bailing on her the way I did. The incident on Sharstrom has made me see differently though, it has made me realise what is truly important. Being so close to death made me realise what I almost missed out on. I’m not afraid to take it anymore.”

  “Then go out there and take it,” James panted as he continued to strike at Saavoy’s guard, “show her how you really feel, go out there and make her happy!”

  James hit a powerful right hook that finally broke though a tiring Saavoy’s guard and struck him around the face, knocking him off balance and onto the canvas. He was covered in sweat and looking exhausted but there was still a smile just about working it’s way onto his face.

  “I plan to, James, I really do,” he said after a few seconds to get his breath back, “thats why, when we get back to alliance space after all of this is done, I’m going to hand in my resignation from the Malorian fleet. I’m going to win her back and I’m going to make a life with her, just like you and Isha have done.”

  “You’re really willing to give up your place in the fleet?” James had never imagined Saavoy would make such a drastic decision, the Malorian fleet had been his life, “you would walk away from your people just for her.”

  “No, James, I’ll never walk away from my people,” Saavoy corrected him, “I’ll always be there for my people and I will not rest until I have done everything I can to help them rebuild after the Vulian occupation. I just feel that after twenty years of fighting with the Malorian fleet and after so many battles and near death experiences that it’s finally time to step aside. I’m not a young man anymore, I turn forty next year, my injuries have been building up for a while now and there is only so much more of this my body can take. The doctors back home tell me that if I continue to fight and I continue to take these injuries, then despite our improvements in our medicine, I wont live to see fifty. It’s time for me to put the past to one side and settle down and enjoy my life while I can. I only wish it hadn’t taken me almost dying in the arms of the woman who I love to make me realise all of this.”

  “I’m just glad you’re finally ready to put it all behind you,” James said, helping Saavoy to his feet, “I’m sure the alliance will miss having you leading one of their fleets, you’re a damn good soldier and a strong leader.”

  “I appreciate it,” said Saavoy, “and I’ll still be there for my people and for the alliance, I just want a new life from here onwards. Don’t worry about me though, I’ll see this mission right through to the end before I step down. I wont abandon my crew, my friends, in their time of need.”

  “We’re all happy to have you,” said James, “you should probably get back to the medical bay though, I’m sur
e doctor Markova wont be happy that you ran out on her like this.”

  “Oh and before you go, you might want to put some ice on that eye,” Saavoy pointed out. James could feel a little bit of swelling there but he hadn’t thought anything of it. One look at his reflection in the screen in the gym showed that he had picked up a very distinctive black eye.

  “Good advice,” James chuckled, “I’ll get it seen to right away.”

  He was glad to have had that chat and the sparring session with Saavoy. It had seemed for so long that there was an incredible amount of hurt and pain that he had needed to release but there had been no way for him to do it. Somewhere along the way, something had seemingly just clicked into place in his head and made him see the light and see what he needed to change. James was happy for him, he had finally gotten past everything that had happened to him in the past and he was almost a man reborn since he had woken up.

  “Where have you been!?” James quickly spun around to see Isha running up behind him, “we’ve been looking everywhere for you and… what the hell is that!?”

  Isha had clearly noticed his swollen eye and she was not looking too impressed about it.

  “Just sparring in the gym thats all, a little bit of boxing.”

  “What the hell were you boxing? A Vulian kosus walker?” Isha shot back at him, “look, never mind, you’re needed back on the bridge right now. The alliance fleet has dropped out of warp far sooner than we though they would. We’re twelve minutes from intercept.”

  “That soon? They shouldn’t have stopped so early, something must be wrong.”

  “Which is why we need you, now,” Isha said with more sternness in her voice than James was used to hearing, “everyone else is assembled, we’re just waiting for you.”