Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1

by Catherine Beery

  The captain smiled to himself. “You have your mother’s courage and your father’s sometimes reckless determination.” The last was said with a hint of self-mocking, which I couldn’t understand. Had he and my father gotten into reckless situations?

  “Can you tell me their names?” I asked, surprising myself that that was my first question about them.

  His eyes widened slightly and a look of guilt flashed so fast over his features I was left wondering if I had actually seen it. He glanced at the rest of the table before saying. “Their names were Amber Foréss and Joseph Raven. I’ll tell you more about them, but at a later time.” And he turned to answer a question that lieutenant-commander Kem asked of him.

  I was left staring at him for a moment before I turned back to my food. I could guess it was painful for him to talk about his dead friends to me. After all, it had been for my aunt. It made me wonder if that was why I had only seen him the once all those weeks ago. Did it hurt for him to talk to me? Even trying to explain his abrupt dismissal of the conversation, I still found it cruel to give me a crumb when I was starving and hold the rest out of the bread out of my reach. I took a decisive bite of my vegetables. He did say we would talk later. I reminded myself. Which gave me time to ponder what he had told me. Amber Foréss and Joseph Raven I whispered their names so softly I was just moving my lips, testing them out.

  Then I frowned. He had said my mother’s last name was Foréss not Sinclair. So where did ‘Sinclair’ come from? Was it a fake name (which begged the question: why?) or was it a husband’s name? I didn’t know Aunt Sylvie was married. She never mentioned it once. I was finding that my aunt kept a lot of secrets which, again, made me wonder why. Why change her name? Or why never tell me she was married? Why did she never tell me anything about my parents? Why did she not run that horrible day when she knew that something bad was going to happen? Why? Why? WHY?

  I figured I could keep the questions coming for hours and get no closer to answering any of them, at least not until I had more information to work with. My head ached so I made myself drop the issue for now and listen to the conversations around me.

  ***

  We got a surprise the next day. The Nova Imperia, the Legion Fleet’s imperial flagship arrived. She was a hasta class starship, just like the Hail Mary. The only difference was that she was the only hasta class equipped with a SCF cannon. I’m not entirely sure why she is the only LFH that received the SCF but that is the way it is right now. Who knows, maybe more of the large starships would end up with it.

  The captain of the Nova was Admiral Jackie Bieri. The beautiful, slender red haired admiral had greeted Admiral L’Seral and asked if she could be of any assistance. By Admiral L’Seral’s bemused expression when she related the story to us in a briefing explaining our next steps, I guessed that she had been surprised to see the other admiral. Even so the extra help decided our next steps. The Nova Imperia would assist the Hail Mary and see her and her crew home safety. That gave the Terrenza the freedom to come home sooner. So it was that we were back in the Imperial system by the end of the day. We were brought to the Legion Fleet’s headquarters near the heart of the imperial city. There we were to stay in comfortable quarters until we were called to come before the Admiralty Board. It consisted of several guest quarters with a small common room between them.

  Since that meeting wasn’t until tomorrow, I was convinced that I would go out of my mind trying to anticipate what was going to be discussed. Was this about the Admiral’s Challenge? I could only hope, right? I had a sinking feeling that it had more to do with the rescue of Jason and the steps that we had gone through to go after him. I felt somewhat ill. What if they decided I was a bad influence and sent me back to the colony? It wasn’t that I would hate to show up there again. It was just that I wanted to show up with the much needed aid the people there had been denied so long. That wouldn’t happen if I was kicked out on my rear. And what about the others? What would their punishment be? And if all of this happened, what would happen with Marius’s mission? Admiral Knight, the Shade serial killer, would be able to continue his debaucheries without anyone the wiser.

  Thinking about him made me wonder about what his connection with the Zar’daka had been. Were they his employers too? Or were they allies who were to use their appearance to keep Knight from being revealed. And if that was the case, why had they wanted Jason? It couldn’t just be that they thought he was a prince, was it? I don’t think it was that because of the fact that he could become a rather large winged serpent. They all seemed a little surprised by that. So why? What was I missing? I smiled thoughtfully as I realized that ‘why’ has become my new favorite word.

  Glancing at the others in the common room and their furrowed faces, I could guess their new favorite word was ‘why’ as well. Well, almost all of them. I had to amend. Marius was sprawled on the big couch in the room, snoring softly. Westley was sitting at the little dining table next to the kitchenette reading a tablet. Jason was sitting in a chair staring into space. My gaze went back to Marius.

  You know, I understand that he really doesn’t have to worry getting expelled or whatever because he isn’t really a student, but does he have to rub it in? I asked mentally. It was really just to myself, but the peanut gallery doesn’t seem to care about that.

  HE ISN’T RUBBING IT IN, LITTLE PUP. Luna reprimanded me gently. HE IS SIMPLY BEING PRACTICAL. HE IS TIRED AND KNOWS THAT THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO UNTIL LATER. SO HE SLEEPS. WELL RESTED HE CAN BETTER HANDLE WHAT COMES TOMORROW. THE REST OF YOU NEED TO REST AS WELL.

  It makes sense, but I can’t…

  Luna snorted. RYLYNN, HOW DOES WORRING HELP?

  IT DOESN’T. Scrae answered before I could. IT GIVES YOU GRAY HAIR, STOMICH ULSERS, AND WORRY LINES. IT ADDS NOTHING TO YOUR LIFE. IT JUST SUBTRACTS. SO STOP IT AND GO TO BED.

  I giggled. I couldn’t help it. They reminded me of my roommate’s parents telling her to stop partying and get some rest before a test. What made it even more amusing was that a Spectral in the form of a mouse was telling me what to do. The same Spectral who had once had a policy of no interference, mind. And now was one of those few times when the Spectrals were making sense.

  “What’s so funny?” Jason asked grumpily.

  I looked up with a smile and saw that I also had Westley’s attention. He was also frowning. I gestured at us as a whole. “Us.” I replied. I was getting good at keeping the Spectral’s a secret. “Here we are just sitting here worrying about what may or may not happen tomorrow.” I nodded toward the still sleeping Marius. “Meanwhile he is out cold. Since I’m betting we are all tired I think he has the better idea. Good night.” I said, paraphrasing what Luna had just told me. I left the guys and entered the room closest to me, closed the door and collapsed on the bed.

  Chapter 30 – Gaelen Imperen

  Imperial System

  Spectral Empire

  About midmorning we were summoned. It was about time. We had gotten ready as soon as we woke as we hadn’t known when they would call for us. Considering that state of unknowing we all, including Marius, got up before the sun rose over the capital. We had dressed in dark navy dress uniforms that had been left for us in the common room. We knew whose was whose based on the insignia on the collars. Jason’s and mine had a single brass bar. Marius’s, as benefited a 3rd class cadet, had two silver bars on his collar. Westley’s had two gold bars to denote his 1st cadet status.

  In the hour before our summons I kept finding myself pulling at the collar of my uniform, convinced the darn thing was trying to choke me. Jason, the bugger, laughed at my discomfort. “Get used to it, Rylynn, Dress uniforms are never comfortable.” Jason told me.

  “Says the kid with any experience.” Westley said wryly fixing his cuffs. He looked pretty good in uniform. Of course, I had seen him in a similar color once before. The only difference between the dress uniform and the daily ship uniform was the stiffness of the cloth. It was meant to remind its wearer that they were to
stand as straight as possible.

  Jason opened his mouth to say something, but then reconsidered.

  Marius chuckled and said “Just think how amazing we all look in these spiffy things.” And I had to admit that he also looked good. The dark navy helped to make him look even more handsome. It also brought out his bright, oft mischievous green eyes. Glancing at each of them I had to be honest with myself. They all looked amazing in uniform. I remembered hearing stray comments from other female cadets. If they weren’t talking about me they were admiring my friends. I absently wondered if it had been a woman who knew what color brought out the best in men who had designed the uniform. Marius caught my veiled appreciative looks. His eyes danced at the opportunity I had unfortunately given him. “Rylynn knows what I’m talking about, don’t ya Ry?”

  The other two looked up at me and I decided that now would be a good time to check if my boots were on right. I was saved from further scrutiny by the summons. Like I said, it was about time.

  We were led to a high ceilinged rectangular room. It was simply furnished, but it was an elegant simplicity. A rectangle mahogany table dominated the center of the room. Its surface was lacquered smooth and inlayed with iridescent shells. It was a work of art. As beautiful as it was, it couldn’t distract any one from those sitting around it for long. Where the table dominated the floor the people around it dominated the room. There were five chairs and each was occupied. They varied in age, gender, height and appearance, but all of them had a gold diamond winking on their collars.

  The Admiralty Board.

  Oh dear Lord in heaven… I started to pray. Thankfully I already met most of the board. Unfortunately I knew only one really liked me. One I knew was my enemy. The other I had only just met. Admiral L’Seral nodded to us when we entered, a small smile of welcome on her lips. It made it easier for me to breathe. The beautiful Admiral Bieri watched us enter, her blue eyes glinting with secrets. I figured we were called when we were because they had been waiting for her to arrive. It made me wonder if that meant the Hail Mary was also back. Admiral Knight’s watchful brown eyes gave nothing away. His face was an expressionless mask. It was unsettling, but I think I preferred it to glee. The other two men I hadn’t met. One had golden skin and had the build of a warrior. The other was a dark man with violet eyes that were striking against his skin. He reminded me of the picture of Dr. Clayton’s family. Her husband was from the Prime World of J’Ara. If this admiral was from there as well then I guessed he was Admiral Kielaun Jus’ka, the representative of the civilian exploration branch of the Legion Fleet. Which meant his golden skinned companion was Admiral Lauzlo D’rz from the Prime World of Gi’eon.

  We filed in under those powerful eyes and saluted before standing at attention. “At ease.” Admiral L’Seral ordered after a moment. I was proud of us, we moved together. We stood with our feet shoulder length apart with our right hands clasped about our left wrists behind our backs and stared straight ahead.

  “Welcome, cadets. You were called before this board because of the events of the last few days.” We were told by who I assumed to be Admiral Jus’ka. His voice was deep and I fancied that I could feel the timbre of it through my feet. “Your loyalty to your crewmate and your resourcefulness must be commended.” He continued. He actually smiled at us and I felt a moment of pride. It was short lived, however because I could sense the undercurrent behind his words. There was another shoe and it was about to drop.

  “However,” Admiral Knight’s rich baritone sent a shiver of distaste down my spine. “We cannot ignore many of your actions. As 1st Cadet Trin established for us, a light hand does not discourage behavior we cannot have.” Westley was to my left and I could sense his mostly smothered flinch at the admiral’s words. Admiral Knight continued “You disobeyed orders, something else I believe Westley has done before, stealing an LFA, and endangering others in your recklessness.” There has got to be a school that commanding officers attend to learn the fine art of turning their voices into whips. Because all of us were flinching with each syllable he spoke. “All that needs to be decided is your punishment.” He concluded with an irritated glance at L’Seral.

  The petite woman smiled at him before saying “As I told you before, Admiral Knight, we need more young people who are able to take the initiative in our ranks. Too many are sheep these days.” And that is when I realized that we were going to have to stand there and listen to them argue about our fate. And I could figure that we were to be silent the entire time. It was a punishment on its own.

  “Admiral L’Seral has a point.” Admiral D’rz said. “We cannot punish them for doing what any of us would have done for any of our own crews.”

  “But we cannot have all of the cadets feeling that they can steal LFAs whenever they want or disobeying orders.” Admiral Knight pressed. “And what about the two crews they endangered?” He added looking pointedly at Admiral L’Seral.

  “Two crews that, I remind you, who were already looking for the boy. We all, as do our crews, know the risk of our profession. It was responsible of them to acknowledge the fact that they needed help. Otherwise they would be dead and we wouldn’t know that the Zar’daken’s are up to something again.” Admiral L’Seral replied.

  There was a moment of silence as our judges absorbed that. “We really do have a conundrum before us.” Admiral Bieri murmured. She glanced at us before saying to her colleagues. “Why don’t we reward them by letting them resume their Academy careers as if none of this has happened? No suspension as would be the normal consequence for theft and blunt disobedience.”

  Admiral Knight shook his head. “That isn’t enough, though.” He said coldly. I had to bury my reactions deep in my mind to keep my eyebrows from rising at the realization that the man was pissed that we had messed with his plans. He wanted us to pay. “The other cadets would see that there is no real consequence if they decide to do something similar.” He reasoned.

  Admiral Bieri raised a cinnamon brow at him. “You didn’t let me finish, Knight. They were winning the Admiral’s Challenge, were they not?” My breath stopped. “Remove them from the competition for their actions.” She shrugged “Besides, they didn’t finish the third challenge.” Oh please no! I thought desperately. It didn’t seem like anything to them, but it was like the end of everything for me. The only worst punishment would have been being expelled from the Academy.

  Admiral L’Seral glared at the red head. “That wasn’t their fault!” She said sharply. “They were attacked by mercenaries, which were not part of the exercise! If you want to punish them for rescuing their teammate then make them second or third place. They deserve that much.” I had hope, but it started to vanish with each shake of the other admirals’ heads.

  “Admiral L’Seral is right.” Another voice said from the doorway. A voice that was captivating in its timbre. The admiral’s rose to their feet so fast several chairs scraped the tile floor. Each of them bowed at the waist before standing straight again. I glanced at Westley to see how he reacted. He seemed just as lost as I was and settled for coming to attention. Jason, to my right, started to tremble slightly before putting his clenched right fist over his heart and bowing his head. Great, three different responses… what the hell did I do? Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marius do the same as Jason. So I did that too and Westley was quick to do the same. Who was this newcomer? I wondered. Apparently unbothered by the varying responses, the voice continued. “The fault is mine.” Whoever it was, they didn’t have to speak loud to command an entire room and I was dying to see who it was.

  Boy am I slow some days…

  “Emperor, it is an honor and surprise to see you.” Admiral L’Seral said in greeting. I swayed where I stood and glanced through my lashes at the most powerful man in the empire. By this time he had come far enough into the room for me to see him and he was not what I expected. He was of average height with dark hair and sun bronzed skin. He wore a plain black dress shirt and pants. The only hint of his office
was the iridescent sword hilt at his hip. I remembered once thinking that my chances of seeing the emperor was the same as my being able to survive seeing the core of a star. Since one had come true, I was praying that I wouldn’t tempt the other into becoming necessary. I prefer stars at a distance.

  “I’m sure it is, Admiral L’Seral.” He said flicking his gaze at the four of us sweating cadets. Before I looked down hurriedly I saw that his eyes were tri-colored, similar to Jason’s. But unlike Jason’s emerald, crimson, and royal purple, his had the same purple but paired with sky blue and gold instead. Considering how similar the two appeared I figured I had my proof that Jason was an imperial prince. Which made me wonder why he had said that he was from a destitute noble family on Terress. That word again…

  “It is my fault.” The emperor said again eying Jason. “If I hadn’t allowed my son to attempt his foolish plan this wouldn’t be happening.”

  Jason’s head snapped up and he actually glared at the emperor. “Just because you don’t agree with it doesn’t make it foolish, father! No one knew who I was. Besides I’m not anywhere near being Heir Apparent, not with four older siblings.”

  “Silence, Gaelen.” The emperor said softly.

  “No.” Jason, or Gaelen, or whatever said just as softly, but with more obvious heat. “Why do you object to my wanting to make something of my life? Something without guards constantly underfoot? You and I both know I would have received special treatment if I had gone as ‘Gaelen Imperen’.”

  “Some of our people have died because of your subterfuge.” The emperor said in the same tone, but I saw his eyes flash angrily.

  “Then let him honor that sacrifice by living up to his potential.” I shocked myself by saying. Both the emperor and Jason (I can’t think of him as Gaelen) turned to look at me. I felt Westley draw in a surprised breath. I met the emperor’s gaze for a moment before remembering that probably wasn’t the best idea. I licked my suddenly dry lips before continuing my eyes slightly averted, “He is the best human calculator we have. He is also talented at linguistics and is courageous in the face of danger. He could have shut down on that Telmick ship. The Lord knows I probably would have especially after undergoing the beating he had. But he didn’t. He did what needed to be done.” My fingers were sweating and I was trembling something fierce, but my voice remained steady.