"Uh huh, okay. Just go ahead and tell me, ma'am. The night's not getting any younger."
Erika's eyes narrowed and Van immediately saw how deadly an adversary she could be. "Both the Alaran Senate and Coalition Central Command are concerned with the business with Meryan. I'm afraid Gothos tipped its hand by abducting her. If they manage to take her out of the picture, they could take over the Andromeda System without firing a shot."
"Makes sense. This Nemo character admitted he worked for someone else. If that person somehow came to power, they could hand the keys over to Gothos and no one would know until it was too late. Of course, they could only do that if they eliminated High Queen Dorma. Even then, you're talking about a select group of individuals with that kind of power or standing."
Sighing deeply, Erika said, "I think I'm getting too old for all this intrigue. In any case, I'll have a few undercover agents added to her security detail until this is over. Your orders are to stay as close to Admiral Meryan as you can without arousing her suspicions."
Flashes of Cade's fingertips on the back of her neck while they made love went through her head. Van didn't think Commodore Grier meant that close. She cleared her throat and asked, "How am I going to do that, Commodore?"
Instead of answering the question directly, Erika grinned and said, "Congratulations, Captain. You've been assigned the vessel Pandora."
"The new Nebula Class ship just out of the shipyards? I'm impressed. She's almost as big as Gauntlet. You better be careful, Commodore, or people will think they get rewarded for destroying the first spacecraft they command."
"I'll chance it. In the morning, you'll provide Admiral Meryan with a ride to Coalition Headquarters on Psmanth. Gauntlet will remain on Alara for maintenance after her recent encounters. That should allow you all the excuse you need to stay close to the princess."
"So she's just supposed to go back to steering a desk? Did anyone tell her that?"
"You really don't know much about the higher ranks, do you, Captain?" Erika had that amused expression again that made Van feel she'd asked a particularly stupid question. "Most of our job is desk work. Not only is Meryan required to fulfill that role, but she's royalty as well. She doesn't fly the flagship around except for political functions and as a show of force."
Feeling a little embarrassed by the impromptu lesson in military protocol, Van felt inclined to hit back. "Which of those was she on when she pulled our butts off of Falcon and then took us to a frozen ice ball looking for rebels?"
Erika was angry enough at her little outburst to say what she really thought. "That hare-brained scheme almost cost her life. The sad fact is that the entire episode could have been avoided if she had an heir."
"What?" The possibility of a miniature Cade running around left Van breathless and she sputtered for a response. "No way. She's military, through and through. When would she have time to get married and have a kid? Besides, what's that got to do with the price of Kona on Hokar?"
"If she had an heir, there would be a clear line to the throne. Right now, it's just Cade and her brother, and a male can't rule in the Andromeda Sector."
"He's too young, anyway, but even if she had a successor that just makes them both targets."
"Maybe." Erika looked thoughtful, making Van curious about what she was scheming. "Anyway, I'll send the details of your assignment through in a secured data burst."
"Looking forward to it. Can I go now?"
Laughing, Erika said, "You are so insubordinate, Van."
"It's part of my charm. Now if you don't mind?"
"Right, but keep your eyes open. You can bet whoever grabbed Meryan will have people at the ceremony. It wouldn't surprise me if they tried again."
Just the thought of such a thing sent a wave of cold chills over her skin, but Van played it off. "Understood, Commodore. Swann out."
Van had a lot to think about as she finished dressing, most of which wasn't very pleasant. What would she do if someone did make a move toward Cade at the banquet? There were sure to be a lot of people around and they might prevent Van from getting to her in time. It was the first time she could remember being frightened for someone on a personal level. Strategies came to mind that she immediately rejected. There were just too many unknown variables.
She'd just finished donning her highly polished shoes when someone knocked on the door. Van opened it to Paul Byra. He wore the same tight, grey uniform complete with military decorations. Taking a quick and silent inventory, Van discovered she had more awards than he did.
Sketching a mock bow, Paul held out an arm and said, "I've come to escort you to the ball, my lady."
Van barked out a laugh. "How long did it take you to think up that line?"
"More time than I care to admit. You ready to go?"
"Sure, let me grab my gloves."
Chapter Ten
THICK, PLUSH CARPET muffled the sounds of their military shoes. Walking down the hall, Van took another look around and marveled at the castle. That she knew of, Meryan Hall was the only existing castle in modern times. The other royal families on Andromeda's planets lived in swanky houses, mansions even, but they were nothing like this place. High stone walls stretched from the main level and up three floors. A turret dominated the south side, but there weren't any subterranean torture chambers. At least she hoped not. Tapestries and portraits covered the walls but not in an effort to keep the castle warm as in ancient times.
Unlike in the past however, the populace didn't see the castle as a place to take shelter. These halls were the home of the royal family. Tonight, security had compartmentalized the lower floor of the huge structure, ensuring those invited to the ceremony stayed in the dining rooms, library and ballroom. The conference room was the size of the orphanage in which Van grew up. Here, the massive structure seemed empty, the dominating silence making her feel small. She knew it was an illusion. Though the castle was something straight out of Earth's distant past, the technology utilized wasn't. Dampeners placed strategically in the most heavily populated areas prevented the sound from disturbing slumbering guests.
"How's your room?" Paul asked conversationally.
"Compared to military quarters? Luxurious. Why, how is yours?"
"From what I saw, it's about half the size of yours but I can't fault the room service."
Van dared take her eyes off the stairs to look at him. "You have room service? I don't."
"Yeah, but I made friends with one of the girls working in the kitchen last night."
He wagged his eyebrows up and down suggestively and Van laughed. "Dog."
"Hey, I deserve something. It's not like the High Queen's throwing a snazzy banquet in my honor."
Van only smiled as they approached the Ceremonial Hall. A white-gloved and tuxedoed butler tipped his head and opened the doors. When he did the din that greeted them seemed almost overwhelming. At the last second, she mentally prepared herself and stepped into a sea of life forms. Highly decorated military uniforms from the five Andromeda planets and their neighbor Hokar mingled with numerous civilians in fancy dress. Attendance was by invitation only.
Paul snagged a couple of drinks from a passing waiter and handed one to Van.
"What is it?"
"I have no idea, but if they're serving it here then it's expensive. I recommend you have as many as you can hold."
She couldn't argue with that. Van took a healthy swig and then coughed as the heat hit her esophagus. "Here, you can have mine," she wheezed.
"Sissy. It's just Celestan whiskey. I grew up on this stuff."
"Good for you." Van stopped a passing man who wore the wait staff uniform and asked for some erium juice. After taking a sip she said, "I'm going to get something to eat. Want something?"
He nodded and they braved the crowd to struggle to the buffet tables along one side of the room. Just one glance was enough to tell her that the Meryans had spared no expense. Earth delicacies like cucumber sandwiches and brisket sat alongside offerings from all the other
represented planets. Van grabbed a plate and loaded it with skewered meatballs of hastoka from Andromeda and a Mirachan exotic salad. The slightly bitter mistal leaves would offset the sweetness of the hastoka meat. She snagged a couple of cucumber sandwiches to finish off her meal.
"How can you eat that?"
"What? I like cucumbers."
"I mean the hastoka," Paul clarified. "That stuff is gamey."
Van chuckled and bit into a sandwich. "You should like this stuff more than me. At least you're from this galaxy."
"Don't even try it. It's not like you've ever even been to Earth." She noticed everything he chose was of Earth origin.
"Who would want to? It's nothing but a sun-baked penal colony."
They spent about twenty minutes eating and talking, trying to look like they were mingling. In truth, Van kept searching for a certain tall Alaran/Human hybrid, but didn't see her. Strangers kept shaking her hand, congratulating her for saving the princess and thanking her for her service. After a while, they started blending together until she didn't remember what any of them looked like. Unexpectedly, dignitaries started lining up on either side of the room.
"Guess the show's about to start," Paul offered, taking another whiskey from a tray.
"Nothing gets by you."
He snorted and took a sip, but Van cared more about getting a glimpse of the royal entourage. Looking overhead, she saw that the other royal families occupied the boxes assigned to their planets. Queen Galene Rizo occupied the place designated for the Planet Celestas. Purple and yellow curtains displaying their colors opened to show the elegant woman and her three very feminine daughters. Van doubted any of them were old enough to even think of ruling.
Farther along the processional line, she saw the flag of Psmanth. This royal family appeared very different from that of Celestas and not just because the colors were black and red. Psmanth rule belonged to the most militant of the four queens, Agea Tyche. She stood in the box alone, straight and tall in her uniform with her hands behind her back. Van could see the salt and pepper dusting at her temples. Coalition Headquarters was on Psmanth.
Next came Queen Sitiana Elpis in Mirach's diplomatic compartment, her features mostly obscured by ceremonial veils. Finally, Van lifted her eyes to see Temis Barab and her daughter, Saral, in the Meryan's booth. Temis was the High Queen's sister, but had no desire to wear the heavy crown. Van wasn't so sure about her daughter. She remembered Saral from speaking with her after Nemo kidnapped her cousin. She seemed friendly and capable, just the kind of person to fill in on the throne in a pinch. Then she thought of Saral's obvious concern for Cade. You didn't fake that kind of love.
"Presenting her royal highness, the Queen of Alara and the Andromeda Sector, friend of the Earth Alliance, High Queen Dorma Meryan. Presenting her royal highness and admiral of the Alara and Earth Coalition, Princess Cade Ellerton Meryan. Presenting his royal highness, Prince Andres Meryan."
Van craned to see over the heads of people standing in front of her. An older gentleman wearing a Mirachan uniform smiled and stepped aside so she could view the procession. Two guards entered in front of the family. They looked sharp in the dark blue uniforms complete with silver sabers at their hips, but she barely noticed them. The resemblance between Dorma and Cade was most clear in their bone structure and height, but the mother's tipped ears lay backward toward the center of her head and her pale blue skin looked almost translucent. Cade also had her mother's jet-black hair and eyes.
High Queen Dorma wore a heavy crown and long, gently flowing robes that brushed the floor as she walked. Her easy smile reached her eyes and she shook hands with the people she passed, stopping here and there to share a word. She was gorgeous, regal and bred for the role as monarch, looking like a modern day Snow White. But where her mother was beautiful, Cade was heart stopping.
Instead of the Coalition formal uniform, she wore the traditional Alaran military dress. The jacket of Caribbean blue along with the high, square collar, open only at the throat, served to highlight the paleness of her skin. Her black eyes and hair stood out like night on a snowy backdrop. Gold and silver medals from both Andromeda and the Coalition covered both sides of the jacket and Van recognized enough of them to know they weren't ceremonial. Blue-black trousers reached nearly to the floor and rested gently on the surface of her dress boots. Ivory white from her gloves, white highlights around the top of the jacket collar and the saber at her waist completed the outfit and took Van's breath away. The thin, silver filigree crown seemed all the more exquisite by its simplicity.
Cade held her mother's hand tucked safely in the crook of her elbow as they mounted the steps to a raised platform. She released the monarch and turned to stand the traditional sentry place at the head of the stairs. The Queen moved toward center stage, but Van couldn't look away from the admiral. As she faced the assembly, Cade's gentle, dark-eyed gaze rested briefly on the crowd, portraying nobility, strength, and courage. Only when the other patrons applauded did Van realize she'd forgotten to bow as the royal party walked past her.
"Breathe," Paul advised, raising his voice so she could hear above the thunder.
Van complied as she reached out and took the drink from his hand. She downed the whiskey in a single gulp.
"Hey."
Still silent, Van returned the glass as the applause dwindled and finally stopped. Queen Dorma smiled and stepped forward, preparing to speak.
"Royal families, brave and loyal military and honored guests, welcome to Alara. It isn't often that I host a banquet in my home, but this is a very special occasion. Recently, my daughter Princess Cade, whom some of you call admiral..." Dorma paused to allow the chuckles from the people. "She put her life on the line for her people and the Coalition. I'm not at liberty to give the details of her mission, but she was taken captive by a ruthless foe."
Van understood the woman's pain when her voice broke, the heartache of a parent who'd almost lost a child. She couldn't imagine what that felt like, but she did know she'd do everything to keep Cade safe. Leading rescue teams onto Tokar was never in question and even the loss of a good man wasn't enough to make her regret that decision.
"Tonight we're here to honor an exceptional young hero who risked her life to save my daughter. Captain Vanessa Swann."
The applause rose again and it took a second for Van to realize that was her cue. Paul slapped her on the back and she took an involuntary step into the aisle. Van's mouth went dry, but she straightened her spine and focused on the women standing on the platform. Military ceremonies weren't anything new and she'd participated in enough of them to know what the procedures were. Only Cade's presence made it any different, her attention focused more on Cade's beauty than the High Queen's presence. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to wonder why she felt so drawn to Cade.
Van reached the bottom of the stairs and concentrated on not tripping on her own feet, stepping up quickly and then crossing to stand beside Dorma. As dictated by protocol, Van took one large step that turned her sideways to the assembly so they could see the presentation. Then she brought her heels sharply together, standing at attention in front of the Andromeda System's highest reigning official.
A guard, who'd stood on stage toward the rear, now stepped forward and handed a small rectangular box with a hinged lid to the queen. Remaining silent, he turned to face Van and stood at attention. Queen Dorma opened the hinged lid and removed a medallion before handing the box off to the guard. She turned toward the crowd and held the award aloft so everyone could see. Van also watched from her peripheral vision but standing at attention with her eyes fixed forward didn't allow her to fully visualize the medal.
"The award presented tonight is not one granted by the Coalition. Nor is it one lightly bestowed by the Ruling House of Meryan. The Order of Distinguished Valor with silver stars is the highest award the House of Meryan can present to a deserving soul."
Queen Dorma turned back to her. "For gallantry, unwavering courage and valor in the
face of overwhelming odds, I am honored to present Captain Vanessa Swann with the Royal Order of Distinguished Valor."
The crowd's thunderous applause as she pinned the medal to Van's chest was deafening. It continued even after she turned to face them with the shiny new award. Van felt her face burn, she'd never received such a show of gratitude before and wasn't sure she really deserved it. She'd just been doing her job. Unfortunately, now came the part she liked the least. As the din finally tapered off, she prepared to give a short speech. She wasn't very good at drafting such language so she borrowed some of the words from one of Earth's greatest war heroes, General Douglas McArthur.
"I can't help but be deeply moved by such a tribute. Coming from the people I've served so long and loved so well, it fills me with an emotion I can hardly express. Not intended primarily to honor a single person, this award symbolizes a great moral code of conduct. The chivalry of those who guard this system's culture and ancient descendants. For all hours and for all time, it's an expression of the ethics of the Coalition Alliance soldier. For the crown to integrate me in this way, with so noble an ideal, arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility that will be with me always.
"Duty, honor, loyalty. Unhappily, I possess neither the eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor, to tell you all that they mean. Some might say they are only words, a slogan, or a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule."
Van looked around the assembly as she spoke, meeting the eyes of many. Somber expressions of understanding told her they too had witnessed the anarchistic attitude. She forgot her nervous self-consciousness, feeling connected to these people with similar experiences and sense of obligation.
"But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the Andromeda System's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid. As soldiers, we cling to these ideals and hold them as dear as a lover. They are the code we live by and, occasionally, we are fortunate enough to be recognized by the people we love. It's my honor to stand before you today and accept this award. Thank you."
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