Admiral's Ghost

by NB VanYoos

  * * * *

  When he arrived back in the capital, two urgent messages waited for him. He hoped one would be from the Marshall with the information he needed to find the Onyalum. He felt utterly helpless and yearned for something he could pursue to improve his odds. Unfortunately, neither message was from the Marshall.

  The first carried the Imperial Seal of the Office of Regent Sneerd. Tyler opened it with dread. As feared, the Palace had set the date and time for the turnover of the Command Codes. At this point, Tyler had no reason to delay, so he sent his acceptance. Now he needed to contact Nayllen and let them know the date and time.

  As if by coincidence, the next message was from Nayllen, using the highest security encryption the military had. Tyler knew it wasn’t coincidence. Nayllen had access to the nearly everything in the Imperial Palace, so finding the date and time of the turn-over would have been easy.

  Tyler opened the message:

  Date and time acceptable. Package arriving. Wear contents to meeting. Your family and planet are depending on you.

  NH

  Short and sweet, just like Nayllen. Tyler groaned from the implied threat. He felt responsible for Toosia’s parents joining the conspiracy and knew the pressure was on to ensure it went without a hitch.

  Tyler needed to know who the Onyalum was prior to the turn-over. He still had a day before the meeting, so he hoped the Marshall would come through. His drive to find the Onyalum was so strong, he threw aside caution and called the Marshall directly for an update. He knew it would raise the man’s suspicions, but with only a day left, he had to risk it.

  “Yes, sir?” The Marshall answered crisp and remote.

  “Sorry to bother you, Marshall,” Tyler tried to sound casual, “but I wanted an update on that background information I requested.”

  Tyler waited while the Marshall accessed something online.

  “It is not complete, but should be enough to start with. I should have the rest of it by tomorrow evening.”

  Tyler did not like the sound in the Marshall’s voice. Clearly he felt left out and used, but Tyler had no choice. He could not share anything with the Marshall for fear of failure. It was bad enough his in-laws found out. If his staff knew, they would have no choice but turn in their leader.

  No one on the planet would understand, or believe the idea of an Onyalum. It would sound so foreign—it would only cast suspicion on himself. He had to continue lying and hope the Marshall’s loyalty outweighed his suspicions.

  “Thank you, Marshall, please send me what you have and I’ll expect the rest tomorrow.”

  “Yes, sir.” His response was cold and distant.

  Tyler couldn’t even say goodnight before the Marshall disconnected. That was truly out of character, and it worried Tyler. Nonetheless, the information he promised began streaming into his personal system.

  Tyler left the office and moved into his living quarters to view the information from the comfort of a couch. He poured a tall glass of wine and settled in to read. He switched on the main viewer and downloaded the information the Marshall had sent. As usual, it was neatly organized and easily queried.

  Tyler took a large sip of the wine as he steeled himself for the hunt. According to the categories provided, the Marshall had retrieved only the information on Admiral Teesen, Nayllen, and Regent Sneerd. Apparently, the information on the Emperor was forthcoming. No matter, Tyler was more interested in these three anyway.

  He took another drink and opened the file on Teesen. He read through the medical and biographical information on the Admiral and immediately discounted him. According to his records, the man had almost never been sick in his life. The only injury he had sustained was during a Twiiling sport match in college. He had collided with an opposing player, and both were knocked unconscious for a brief period. Tyler noted the game was similar to Lacrosse on Earth.

  Temporary unconsciousness would not have provided an opportunity for Onyalum possession, so that ruled him out. Adanni confirmed as much as Tyler moved on to Nayllen.

  Before he opened Nayllen’s file, a pop-up message informed Tyler the information was sealed by the Imperial Palace and opening it constituted a breach of Imperial Security punishable by imprisonment or death. It was a standard Imperial Seal, but what concerned Tyler was why Nayllen’s records were sealed by the Palace? Tyler ignored the warning and opened the file. He was already a traitor—one more charge meant nothing.

  By the time he finished looking over Nayllen’s records, he had finished his glass of wine. He quickly refilled it and dug deeper into Nayllen’s childhood. It appeared Nayllen was a very sick child, including an incurable, at the time, childhood disease that affected normal muscle development. He’d been bedridden for most of his childhood, and was once brought back from near death when his chest muscles failed and he stopped breathing.

  Tyler was astounded, not only had he stopped breathing, but twice his heart had stopped on two different occasions. It was a miracle that he had survived to adulthood. According to current records, a cure was found and new treatments had all but changed Nayllen into a normal, healthy adult.

  It was enough for suspicions, but being so long ago almost ruled out Nayllen. What Onyalum would have chosen a bedridden child near death? He came from a rather obscure family of modest means, so little back then would have indicated the child would become a significant power. Current records indicated no health issues. Not even a single surgery.

  Tyler was frustrated. Nayllen could have been possessed when he was a child, but Adanni agreed it was highly unlikely. Unfortunately, Tyler had to conclude it was probably not Nayllen. He had hoped it would have been. It would explain so much for Nayllen to be the evil spirit hell-bent on destruction. Now, however, Tyler had to believe Nayllen was nothing more than bad seed seeking power and influence. Perhaps his childhood illness was reason for his adult callousness.

  He drank heavy from his wine and felt the numbing effects dull his anxiety. It was wonderful. Numb, that was what he needed to get through this crisis. He took another drink and opened the file on Regent Sneerd.

  Surprisingly, his records weren’t sealed. They were filled with intricate details that seemed extraordinary in official records. For instance, Tyler found references to behavioral problems when Sneerd was a small child, including handwritten accounts from his mother. Apparently Regent Sneerd had been a trouble child. That fits!

  Tyler ran through the records astounded at what he was seeing. Sneerd was in and out of multiple institutions for troubled youth, and even a brief stint in a penal institution. He had swarms of doctors who constantly tried to determine the cause of his behavior, and his parents spent millions trying to rehabilitate him.

  Tyler was amazed a man with such a checkered past had reached such powerful heights. But then, the Emperor was known to hire such thugs. Who else would do the work no Emperor would do? So much about Regent Sneerd began to make sense. He was devious and dangerous, and as far as Tyler was concerned, the number one suspect. Who better to attract an Onyalum than a person who was already destructive?

  The only thing missing was a near-death experience. Tyler read past his college records and into his first career. Not surprising, he was recruited by the Imperial Palace into the intelligence community for unspecified posts. Tyler thought he knew what that meant—assassination.

  He had served in unspecified posts for over seven years before being promoted into the Emperor’s personal staff. From there, he moved rapidly up through the ranks as he befriended the Emperor and influenced the political arena. At the early age of thirty-five, he was appointed to his current position of Regent. It was the highest post within the Imperial Palace.

  Nice, the Emperor had an assassin as his highest advisor and chief of staff. It spoke volumes about the Emperor and his government. It was easy for Tyler to understand why traitors wanted to overthrow the Emperor and start a democratic government. Tyler couldn’t understand why it hadn’t happened before.

>   However, no one on Poolto really complained about the current system. Sure, there were some who had their own agendas, agendas that differed from the Palace. But Tyler assumed they were minorities that were quickly dealt with. By Sneerd no doubt!

  Most of the common people enjoyed a prosperous life and rarely complained. Why would they want their government changed? He thought he began to see a potential flaw in the conspiracy. Even the National Hero might not be enough to convince the average person of Poolto that a democratic government was necessary.

  With democracy, the average person would have to become involved with their government in a more intimate way. They would have to pay attention to its inner workings and make sure those in power were held accountable. Tyler doubted most wanted that responsibility. He thought back to many Americans who were not involved in the government and didn’t vote. It would likely be the same on Poolto. That’s when you had to watch out for who was in power. Tyler thought about Nayllen.

  He finished his second glass of wine and refocused on Sneerd’s records. There had to be something to cast suspicion on him besides his obviously evil nature. However, Tyler wasn’t finding anything. Sure, he had been sick and he had injuries, especially during the fighting when he was younger.

  Unfortunately, his records when he was unspecified were virtually non-existent. Obviously, those were sealed and inaccessible. Anything could have happened during those seven years. It was dangerous work and you were bound to be in positions where injury and death were commonplace. But Tyler found nothing.

  He had a new thought and switched his search tactics. Nearly everyone received physicals when appointed to high positions. If anything serious had happened to Sneerd during those seven years, it might show up in a physical later on. He found the date when Sneerd was appointed Regent and accessed the Imperial health records. There it was, a full physical examination upon acceptance of the post!

  Tyler scanned the document, ignoring most of the information he didn’t understand. Finally, he located a complete body scan that revealed every single scar, burn, bruise, and contusion the man ever had. There were many, but nothing that would be severe enough to place him near death.

  Damn!

  This was obviously going to be harder than Tyler had first thought—even with such prolific records. He refilled his glass while pondering the problem. He scanned all current medical records for anything unusual, but nothing appeared lethal or cause for alarm.

  He had wanted Nayllen to be the one who was possessed, but failing that, he had always assumed it would be the Regent. Now, however, he didn’t know what to think. Perhaps it was none of them. Maybe they were just greedy, evil men.

  He had scanned through the Regent’s mission entries and was ready to give up when something caught his eye. It was a simple file that had a special security lock on it. Although there were many of those, this one was named Treerdeen. The Admiral’s memories stirred from the name, and Tyler searched to find out why.

  There was only a small reference to the asteroid in an old battle report. According to the report, the asteroid was lost during the battle. It didn’t seem to warrant special interest, but he was willing to search anything at this point.

  Turning on another viewer, he called up information on the asteroid named Treerdeen. Unfortunately, he was not getting any hits. He changed his search parameters and tried searching for asteroids lost in the war. Finally, a single hit, but it didn’t have any information. It was a simple list of asteroids lost during the first five years of the war.

  At first, it appeared the list was simply names in three columns. Treerdeen was near the bottom with one other to the right of it. The other name was Kaagan, but Tyler assumed that was just another asteroid lost. It took a moment before he realized all the names to the right of those in the first column were Krildon names.

  He saw the pattern. The first column contained the names of Poolto asteroids lost during the first five years of the war. The second column contained the new name for the asteroid after it was captured by Krildon. The third column, which Tyler noted had few names, contained the names of asteroids that were re-captured by Poolto. It all made sense, the new name for Treerdeen was Kaagan, and was likely still a possession of Krildon.

  He opened another query and entered Kaagan. According to the search results, Kaagan was both an industrial park on Krildon and an asteroid captured during the war. He looked through the information but only found general descriptions of Kaagan and its economic feasibility. Apparently, the asteroid had little in the way of resources, but did provide a tactical advantage.

  He was frustrated since there was nothing to connect the Regent with this asteroid other than the locked file. He made several attempts to unlock the file himself, but nothing worked. All his military Command Codes failed.

  The wine and fruitless searches were taking their toll, and Tyler was ready to call it a night. He was about to shut down the viewers when he thought about searching the military records for Kaagan. Surely if it was lost in the war, there would be some records within the military, especially if it had tactical value.

  He queried several databases and received only marginal hits. Finally, while searching the procurement records, he found a report labeled Battle Losses – Asteroids. The dates coincided with the first five years of the war. He opened it and found an entry for Treerdeen. According to the records, Treerdeen was a small military outpost built as a refurbishing station near the frontlines. It was still under construction when Krildon attacked.

  Tyler scanned through various lists of equipment and ordinance that had been on the asteroid at the time of the battle. From an overall war standpoint, Treerdeen was an insignificant loss other than its location. Tyler was ready to give up when he saw a personnel manifest scroll by. He stopped and moved back. The list contained names and identification numbers, no rank or military affiliations. Tyler couldn’t even tell who was civilian or who was military. However, he noted that near the top of the list was the name, A. Sneerd.

  Tyler thought it couldn’t be coincidence—Sneerd had been on that asteroid. In fact, he had been on the asteroid when it had been attacked and captured. If that were true, then Sneerd had been captured. Tyler easily confirmed this when he found a prisoner exchange comment. Apparently, all captured personnel were eventually returned in exchange for Krildon prisoners.

  It was starting to make sense why this file was locked. If the public found out Regent Sneerd had been a prisoner of Krildon, then suspicion would have been cast on him and the Imperial Palace. No returned prisoners were ever fully trusted again. It was military policy to discharge all prisoners returned by the enemy. They were not treated poorly—they were simply removed from positions of authority. Many were given pensions for their honored service and put out to pasture.

  This is what made Sneerd’s capture so problematic. He was then, and still is the highest ranking person on the Imperial Staff. Despite his capture and six month detainment, the Palace had kept him in his position. Why would the Emperor ignore the general policy? Did Sneerd have information on the Emperor that would persuade him to bury this? Tyler didn’t think he could find out without opening the file. He wondered what Sneerd had been doing on such an insignificant asteroid to begin with, especially one so close to the front.

  He had to see the contents of that file even if it didn’t confirm his suspicions of Onyalum possession. He called up Officer Slaas and woke her. He hadn’t realized how late it was, but then, he only had a day to work this out.

  “Officer Slaas,” he began, “I have a sealed file from the Imperial Palace that I need access to. Unfortunately, the contents are … delicate and cannot be seen by anyone other than myself. Is there any way to break the seal myself?”

  She looked tired, but was giving it thoughtful deliberation before answering.

  “I think there might be, sir, but I’ll need to contact someone I know from the academy.” She paused and looked concerned. “Sir, should I be concer
ned for my career if I help you with this?”

  Tyler was surprised by her bluntness, but she had a right to know. “It might look bad if something came of it, but for the moment, it is between you and I.”

  “I understand, sir,” she said calmly, “I don’t think I’ll need the file, but can you send me a brief description of its security seal?”

  Tyler agreed and forwarded the description. Officer Slaas promised him news as soon as possible. Tyler instructed her to keep all information in verbal communications to prevent any trail from being formed. She agreed and said she would call immediately when she had something.

  Tyler was curious, what did the file contain and how could that information be used against Sneerd? Would it be enough to convince the Emperor to accept peace? Tyler doubted it but was willing to use anything at that point—even if it was thin.

  He ran down the next day’s schedule before turning into bed. If he was lucky, he could still get a few hours sleep before his first meeting. It was with Marshall Sliss, and he dreaded the possible questions he would face concerning the medical information. He needed to stall the Marshall but was too tired to think of anything. Perhaps in the morning he would have fresh ideas? At least he’d likely be sober.