by Kal Spriggs
Three squadrons drove in directly behind the enemy formation. I could see them begin evasive maneuvers at the last moments, but they were far out of position... and I grinned as the enemy battlecruiser and six destroyers vanished.
“Walang hiya ka!” Prince Ladon snarled at me across the display, “you cheated.”
“What?” I asked in surprise. I'd assumed I'd been up against Star Commandant Athena.
Star Commandant Athena cocked her head, looking at the young man from Drakkus. “Prince Ladon, she used the resources given to her, did she not?”
“In order to put together an ambush like that, her defense force would know exactly when an attacker was coming in!” Prince Ladon snapped. “She gamed the scenario!”
“Sort of like when your daddy came in against Century?” It took me a minute to recognize the cold, angry voice.... it was my own. Possibly not the most diplomatic thing to say... Still, in for it or not, “I mean, it's totally absurd that a third-rate little colony might find out about an incoming invasion force and react appropriately, right?”
Ladon's face flushed, “I will have your--”
“I will remind both of you,” Star Commandant Athena's calm voice somehow sounded as implacable as a sandstorm, “that civility is central to an officer's career.” Prince Ladon's jaw clenched in anger and his blue-green eyes bored into me.
I glared right back at him. I hadn't realized I'd been facing him, but I wouldn't have changed up my plan, even if I had. Well, maybe I would have gamed things a bit more...
“Cadet Armstrong, of Century, utilized the scenario to her advantage. Up until now, the defenders have fought as if they were taken by relative surprise, while the attackers have carried out those attacks in a 'fair' manner, entering the system in a predictable location and along a predictable course.” She looked around at the group, her pale skin and dark eyes holding each of us in turn. “Cadet Armstrong recognized that pattern and used it to her favor. Remember that: predictability and complacence are your enemies. This and our other exercises, are not games. They are preparation for war. Generating every advantage you can over your enemy is not 'cheating' nor is it 'gaming the system.' Your goal as an officer is to defeat your opponent in the most efficient manner possible.”
“Her setup was unrealistic,” Prince Ladon countered. “Her fighters would not have been able to get in position like that and shut down, then light off their drives again! Her pilots couldn't stay in position like that for days or weeks!”
“Pirates and militia forces alike have set up civilian freighters as carriers and bases of operations,” Star Commandant Athena answered, before I could even open my mouth. “Those vessels would not need to be simulated in a scenario such as this. For that matter, perhaps the airless moons of the gas giant serve as ideal locations for military facilities. Part of being an officer is acknowledging when you are defeated with grace and charm... perhaps a lesson that you have not yet learned.”
Prince Ladon stiffened and he shot an angry look over his shoulder at his bodyguard, almost as if he were about to order the faceless, armored figure to attack.
Princess Kiyu looked over at her cousin and said something, her words too low for me to understand. He flushed in response and gave her a nod. Then he delivered Star Commandant Athena a polite bow, “Thank you, then for the lesson.” He didn't bother to hide the coldness in his voice.
“You should thank your opponent,” Star Commandant Athena answered. But she didn't wait for a response. “The Erewhon midshipmen have finished their classified training session. You all may join them, now. Please save your settings and we'll pick up the lessons later.”
I did so, but as I stepped away, I found Prince Ladon's angry gaze on me still. He wasn't about to forget that I had bested him, just as my grandmother had bested his father. Good, I thought as I glared right back at him, I'm not about to forget that my parents are dead because of you.
I'd continued to best him in the morning workouts. I'd just beaten him in the simulator. When it came down to it, I'd take him on anywhere... and I wasn't afraid to let him know it.
***
Chapter 8: I Am A Master At Diplomacy
“He means to kill you,” Princess Kiyu told me.
She'd just fallen into step next to me as I ran, and I stumbled in surprise at her words. “Wait, what?”
“Don't look at me,” she noted, “he's watching us. Only talk while we're on the port side of the track, where he can't see us speak.”
I waited until we came around the bend, still running along the wall, before I glanced over at where Ladon had dismounted the track. He stood panting, glaring at me, glaring at us, I realized. His angry gaze went back and forth between Princess Kiyu and I.
Of course, that didn't mean I could trust the other Drakkus royal. Still, as we came back around the wall, I asked, “Why warn me?”
“Because, killing you would be a waste,” she answered. “It would not only damage our mission here at Erewhon, it would inflame Century even more against Drakkus.”
I was surprised that she had the breath to say all that and it took me a long moment to process it. Luckily, I had the whole set of the course to run until we came back around to consider it. “Okay,” I said, “so you don't like me, but you don't want him to damage your mission.” I panted the words out. “Which I assume is to make a positive impression on Erewhon?”
She didn't answer that. Then again, she didn't have to. “How's he going to do it? Have one of your bodyguards off me?”
“That is not their purpose,” Kiyu answered. “Unless you physically attack him or me, they will not violate their orders from the Emperor.”
Interesting. I'd assumed the bodyguards were some kind of private thing, but it sounded like they were something else, maybe military, maybe something else entirely.
We did another lap as I considered that. “So, what then? We don't have weapons, he can't stab or shoot me... poison?”
She didn't answer. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, but it was hard for me to get a sense of her as we jogged along under the increased gravity. The cadre called a halt a moment later and she walked off, not looking back.
I moved down the ramp, back onto the floor. My gaze kept going to Ladon, who was looking between me and his cousin, his eyes narrowed. Clearly, he suspected something and just as clearly, he didn't know what. Perhaps that was her purpose, to make him suspicious and therefore, make him hesitate...
I didn't know enough about my enemy. The thought caught me by surprise, a bit, though as I considered it, it made more and more sense. Most of this type of training, it was against opponents. There weren’t any hard feelings either way at the end, we were both trying to win. Prince Ladon, though, he wanted to beat me. More, it seemed that he actually wanted to kill me. He was my enemy.
His father had been behind the murder of my mother and father, the kidnapping of my brother, and the attempt on my life. Crown Prince Abrasax had orchestrated the corruption of Century's Enforcers and several members of the Charter Council. He had helped to create a crisis to serve as an excuse to land an occupation force... and only some luck on my part and a bold plan by my grandmother, the Admiral, had stopped him.
I had to assume that Prince Ladon was cut from the same cloth. Which meant he would lie, he would scheme, he would kill, to get his way.
In war, there is no fair. I thought about Star Commandant Athena's lesson... and realized that while I'd been used to teach Prince Ladon a lesson, I'd missed the opposite side of the coin. Drakkus already knew that lesson. They'd used it against their opponents for decades, perhaps centuries. They didn't fight fair, they didn't give their enemies a chance to fight back.
In that case, it behooved me not to fight fair, either.
***
A couple of days later, I'd set just about everything up.
Which was good, because they'd been pushing us really hard and I didn't know if I could keep looking over my shoulder and still maintaini
ng my scores in all the different evaluations. My score in the last celestial navigation exam had dropped five points. The Erewhon tested in a much more hands-on fashion, requiring us to run celestial navigation by hand, sitting in the darkened simulator for hours as we compared known stellar bodies against various star charts. I'd complained a bit about how I'd have to do extra work in the room in my spare time to make those points back up, but no one had seemed all that sympathetic.
A few of my Erewhon classmates had actually breathed sighs of relief, seeing as I was in the running for their equivalent of honor graduate from the course. A five point drop on any of the classes gave them some breathing room.
In any case, as we all came out of the latest simulated engagement, I stopped to nod in a friendly fashion at Princess Kiyu, “Thanks for the advice the other day, it really helped me get your cousin earlier.” I'd just beaten him again, though this time it had been because he'd just been sloppy with his assault tactics. Really, anyone with equal experience could have done it, he might have training, but he didn't have the experience and it had been almost painfully easy to get him to go after my fighter squadrons and lure him into an ambush from my corvettes and their warp missiles at close range. Granted, I hadn't had to embarrass him further by laughing in delight as my fighters swept back in and killed his surviving ships... but then again, I wasn't about to fight him fairly. Getting him angry was all part of the plan... I hoped.
She stiffened in response, her green eyes going wide. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Prince Ladon, in the doorway behind me, his back straightening in sudden suspicion. I gave her a sunny smile, just before I walked away. Trying to use me to get at her opponent... two can play at that game.
I didn't stop to gauge their responses. I'd already picked up on the fact that the two Royals seemed to trust one another less than they trusted anyone else.
I even gave a cheerful whistle as I walked off. Perhaps that was a bit much, but all the same, nervous energy made my heart flutter and my teeth try to chatter. I was playing a very, very dangerous game and I knew it. I just hoped I'd taken the Prince's measure.
I consulted my chrono on my implant and had to bite back a curse. I was going to be late for my make-up time in the celestial navigation simulator.
I had to hurry to get there in time. The exam was automated and I hurried into the big, dark room, taking my seat and bringing up the displays. It was a four hour exam, I'd barely managed to line up the free time to retake it, mostly by skipping dinner and pushing my study session to much later in the evening.
It was quiet, the Erewhon holographic projectors didn't hum or make noise. It was almost peaceful, and maybe if I hadn't been so nervous or focused, I could have fallen asleep.
If I had, maybe I wouldn't have heard the soft noise of the door to the simulator room opening behind me. It could have been an instructor or another student, not realizing I'd reserved the simulator.
I sat up straight and turned in my chair, “Hello?” I asked. I couldn't help a nervous note in my voice. After all, I was sitting in a big, dark, and mostly empty room.
No one answered, but I didn't hear the door open and close, either. Possibly someone had looked in, seen the projections of stars, and realized it was occupied. Possibly.
I cleared my throat, squinting against the glints of stars that hung in the darkness, making it very hard to see the area of the doorway or the corners of the room. The door actually had a heavy curtain to keep any light from intruding. Since this was an exam, I had no control over the lighting or the projectors. Just about anyone could be hiding in the shadows near the door or the corners of the room.
I stood up from my chair and by habit, I fell into a defensive kerala stance. I hadn't been practicing as much as I should have, I knew. It just hadn't been the same since Commander Pannja, my instructor, had left the Academy. But the defensive training he'd beat into me, sometimes literally, had stuck. “Who's there?”
I heard a creepy chuckle. “So valorous, when there's a group, when there's people making sure that no one gets you, but when you're all alone... well, you aren't so brave, are you?”
I recognized the voice. “Ladon,” I snapped.
He stepped forward from the doorway, the holograms painting just enough light on his face that I could recognize him, “That's Prince Ladon, you little buwosit.” He gave me a nasty smile and cracked his knuckles, “Something you shouldn't have forgotten.”
“Oh?” I snapped. “Pretty brave of you to threaten an unarmed girl in a dark room. Tell me, did you bring along your bodyguard to pummel me?”
Ladon's jaw clenched. “Arghan is outside, I asked him to ensure we are... uninterrupted. And I don't need him. I've trained in various forms of hand-to-hand combat since I was an infant. I'm sure that I can counter whatever mediocre training you've received.”
“I dunno,” I snapped, backing up a bit and putting the simulator's chair in between us, “I dealt with Scarpitti pretty well, she was from Drakkus, wasn't she?”
Ladon circled to the side a bit, just a step or two, gauging my response as I circled away from him. He waved a dismissive hand, “One of the agents of Imperial Intelligence, I presume? They are recruited from the lowest castes, selected for ambition and typically raw physical strength. You might have been lucky or clever, but I'm not some brute who's easily outmaneuvered.”
We continued to circle and I could see his smile broaden, “If you think to delay me until help arrives, you're mistaken,” he chuckled again. “You're scheduled for four hours in here. No one is coming to help you, no one will even know you're missing until long after I'm gone.”
“Oh? What, you're going to rough me up? You think I'll be too afraid of you to tell someone what happened?” I spat that at him. “How do you think our hosts will react to that, huh? At best, they'll send you back to your daddy, an embarrassment. At worst, well, I've no idea how rough the Erewhon prison system is, do you think they have work camps here like they do back on my homeworld?”
Ladon sneered at me. “You won't be telling anyone anything.” He smirked at me. “It's a dark room, easy for someone to trip and fall. You always push yourself so hard. If they find you with a cracked skull, well, the investigation practically writes itself. You were tired, you weren't paying attention... you tripped in the dark, hit your head on the floor or chair, maybe both...” He gave a chuckle.
“There are recordings in here,” I snapped.
“I've shut them off with my implant,” he tapped the side of his head. “The Erewhon security systems aren't nearly as good as they think. I can tweak their system, make it seem like you tripped just as you came in, so the exam never started, so the recording system... well, it didn't catch your unfortunate accident.”
“That might work,” I stopped circling, straightening up from my defensive crouch. “But what about witnesses?”
Ladon laughed, “Witnesses? It's you and me in a dark room--”
Just like that, the lights came on.
Both of us flinched back from the light, but I'd been expecting it... and Prince Ladon clearly had not. I peered over to the side of the room, where Star Commandant Athena and two other Erewhon officers sat, in chairs that had been concealed by the darkness of the room. “Well,” Star Commandant Athena said, her voice cold, “I think that's quite enough of that, isn't it?”
Prince Ladon froze, staring over at her, his jaw dropped.
“I could be wrong,” I smirked, “but I think you just incriminated yourself with attempted murder and falsifying military records.”
His gaze went to me and I saw rage flash across his face. Faster than I would have thought possible, he jumped towards me, his arms outstretched, his fingers in claws. “I'll kill you--”
Star Commandant Athena moved faster. I barely saw the woman move, grabbing Ladon by one arm and bending him down in a wrist lock. “That's quite enough,” she snapped, pressing Prince Ladon's face into the floor. I blinked, not just at how fast she'd managed to
move, but also at the fact that I now had some rather concrete proof that she wasn't a hologram. Ladon struggled against her, his face snarling in rage.
I heard the door open and Ladon's bodyguard stepped inside. He didn't say anything, but his looming, armored presence was enough to make everyone freeze.
“I've no intention to hurt your charge, guardian, so long as he ceases his attempts to attack Cadet Armstrong.”
The bodyguard's visor shifted between Prince Ladon and me. The prince stopped fighting. “I'm done,” he snapped.
Star Commandant Athena released his wrist and stepped back. Prince Ladon stood, shooting an angry look at me. “I assume I am free to go?” He snapped.
“No,” Star Commandant Athena replied in a cold tone. “Drakkus has violated the terms of honorable guests, in attacking one of our other guests. Under Erewhon law, attempted murder alone carries a ten year prison sentence and if you had managed to lay hands on her, with the records you provided of your martial arts skills, you could face the death penalty.”
Prince Ladon went a bit pale. “The diplomatic ramifications--”
“Are extenuating circumstances. As is the fact that Cadet Armstrong clearly provoked this encounter, including requesting witnesses for what she had stated was the retake of her celestial navigation examination.” She cocked her head, “You have diplomatic privileges, but those privileges had been revoked. You and your cousin are both immediately removed from this course. We will notify your consulate and ask them to dispatch a ship to pick you up. You may pack your things tonight, a shuttle will remove you from the station in the morning.”
The royal from Drakkus gritted his teeth and he started to stalk away, his bodyguard moving behind him. He stopped, though, staring at me. “It's obvious that Kiyu fed you information. Was this her plan? Did she and her father feed your family information on the invasion at Century?” His jaw clenched, “We know she stole data from Wessek's facility, were you involved in that as well?”
