Birthright: Battle for the Confederation- Turmoil

Birthright:

Battle for the Confederation

Turmoil

Ryan Krauter

Copyright © 2013 by
Ryan Krauter

Cover art by Ryan
Krauter

All rights reserved. 
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any
form, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the author.

Novels by Ryan Krauter

(hyperlinks)

Birthright
Series:

Invasion

Reprisal

Crusade

Turmoil

The
Out of Nowhere Series: (Young Adult)

Out of Nowhere

Shadow of Doubt

The Fixer

My Own Prison
 
(short
story)

Acknowledgements

I’ve run
across many helpful people and communities in my quest to keep the novels
rolling.  The latest indispensable site has been a Youtube channel and
associated blog/site from a fellow named Marty.  He has a series of Youtube
tutorials on all manner of graphic arts topics; I used his tutorial on creating
nebulas to make the background images for this novel’s cover.  If you’re
looking for some inspiration, go check out his sites!

http://www.bluelightningtv.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/bluelightningtv

Dedication

As always, my work is
dedicated to Krista, Colin, Chase, and Sydney.

Chapter One

Merritt and Cory
were fidgeting as they made final preparations to their gear for the mission. 
They stood in the cargo hold of their ship, Pair of Aces, as it sat in a
docking bay on Cory's home planet of Lavarra, where they'd been using it as
their base of operations for the last few days.  Being home brought back a
flood of memories for her, most of them pleasant, and as soon as they got this
part of their mission finished, the real fun would begin.

But first, there was
business to attend to.  This operation had been in the works for months and had
required meticulous planning, so there was no way she was going to let this one
fall apart.  She adjusted her outfit one more time, apparently less than
satisfied with the results.

"Do you think
this looks presentable?" she asked Merritt, her fiancee and fellow fighter
pilot from Avenger.

"You could make
food wrappers and HazMat gear look good, Sexy," Merritt replied from a few
feet away.  He was putting the finishing touches on his own getup for the op. 
It wasn't comfortable, not at all practical, but it was what he needed to wear
to sell this mission. 

The cargo hold of
Pair of Aces was easily big enough to hold them, their gear, boxes of parts
they were using in their ongoing renovation of the ship, and still leave plenty
of deck space for workouts and sparring.  Merritt crossed the small gap between
them and gathered Cory's hands in his own.  "You'll do fine," he said
sincerely, and she gave him a small smile and kissed him quickly but
convincingly.

"I just wish
there was a place to hide my SSK in here," she said in frustration as she
looked at herself in a full length mirror.

"Hey,"
Merritt replied, "if I don't get to carry my gun, you don't either."

"Maybe I could
fit some throwing knives under my waistband," she muttered absentmindedly.

"You don't know
how to use throwing knives, Honey," Merritt replied.

She looked back at
him and laughed, the tension draining from her.  He loved her laugh; it was
always honest, right from the gut, and made him smile as well.

"Alright,
then," she said, a measure of resolve in her voice again.  She made a
final adjustment to Merritt's collar and then declared him ready. 
"Everybody else is in place by now; there are too many people waiting on
us, so we can't screw this up."

"Ok, just one
more kiss for good luck," Merritt said with a grin.  "And you better
make me believe your mind is in the game."

Cory stepped into
his arms, intensity in her gaze that made the rest of Merritt's world drop
away.  All he saw was her stunning icy-blue eyes as she leaned in to kiss him,
and for the love of the Five Moons of Delos, he believed her mind was in the
game.

"Ok now,"
Cory said as she backed away before Merritt could try to escalate things. 
"Time to focus."  She fixed him with a serious look, all business. 
"Ready?"

"Completely,"
he said, though his breathing was a bit ragged.

They walked to the
hatch together and Cory tapped the button that released the door.  The big
cargo door split in two; the top half swung up while the bottom half folded
down to the ground, creating a boarding ramp which was also used when the cargo
hold was being loaded.

There were two
nondescript rented hovercars waiting for them just inside the hangar bay.  They
each got into one, and before he brought the vehicle up on its repulsor field,
he tossed one more encouraging wave to Cory.  "See you soon.  They'll never
know what hit them when they see you there!"

They edged out into
the ground level traffic lane that circled the small spaceport where the Aces
was parked.  After confirming that the bay doors closed securely behind them,
they both raced off in opposite directions, destined to meet up at the same
location minutes later.

By design, Merritt
arrived first.  He parked the hovercar in the lot and walked through the
manicured park to the meeting place.  He had to admit that it was a beautiful
day; the sun was shining, a light breeze kept things from getting too hot, and
there was some sort of native flower in bloom that scented the air with a
relaxing fragrance.

He continued down a
walking path until he saw his destination and the crowd gathered there.  Merritt
noticed his friend and XO of Avenger, Loren Stone, standing with his wife
Cassie.  Merritt's section leader from their fighter squadron, Web Exeter, was
there with the mysterious SAR operative Halley Pascal as well.  They made a
perfect couple; both were adventurous and, by the consensus of everyone else,
just a little off-kilter.  They were perfect for each other.

"At least you
dressed up," Loren said with a smile and handshake as Merritt arrived by
them. 

"Cory made
various threats, and I suppose I didn't want to find out of she was bluffing
about all of them," Merritt replied with a grin.  He collected a hug from
Cassie.  Loren and his wife had been released from the quarantine of the planet
Toral a few weeks earlier and had spent the interim traveling together, trying
their best to ignore the war and the Primans as they caught up and enjoyed
their time with each other.

"She also
complained she couldn't fit any weapons on herself in the dress," Merritt
explained soberly.

"I have a gun
and two knives," replied Halley with a straight face.  Merritt did a quick
and respectful examination of the SAR operative with Web.  She was almost Web's
height, with hazel eyes and brunette hair that hung to her shoulders.  She'd
put a little bit of a curl into her hair for the occasion, and as he looked at
the simple but fashionable dark blue dress she wore he realized she was as
deadly as she as beautiful.  He also had no idea where she could have a gun and
a pair of knives, but he also knew that she wouldn't lie about that sort of
thing.

Merritt noticed Web
holding a small velvet bag and gave him a questioning look.

"Well,"
Web began, "doesn't matter where you're from; most wedding traditions
include the guests throwing various things as the bride and groom when they've
tied the knot."

Merritt just waited,
giving Web the eye until he continued.  "So I brought these really nifty
little incendiaries," he said excitedly, a gleam in his eyes.  "They
just make a little flash and a poof, and if we throw enough of them it will look
like you're walking on a carpet of anti-aircraft fire," he paused to look
at Merritt's face.  His friend knew enough to not take that at face value.

"I fear for
what Cory would do to you if that were the case," said Merritt.

"You're
right," admitted Web.  "It's bird seed.  I promise not to throw any
at your face."

Then Merritt noticed
Cory's family and his parents, and things got real.  His father shook his hand
as they met, while his mother gave him a very enthusiastic hug.

Pleasantries
complete, Loren accompanied him to the front of the group where Captain Sirian
Elco, their commanding officer and captain of Avenger, was standing
ramrod-straight and waiting for them.

"Beautiful day
for a wedding," Elco said as they shook hands warmly.  More than a collection
of officers, these people had become friends over the course of the year they'd
been at war with the Primans.  The war in question had stalemated in
Confederation territory as the invaders had turned their advance through easier
targets, but it was no less pressing or brutal for that. 

"All
ready?" Elco asked Merritt.

"Sure am,
Captain," was the confident reply.

"When are you
supposed to go get her?"

"As soon as she
shows up back there," Merritt replied, indicating the rear of the group of
seated guests with his chin.  "There were so many traditions Cory had to
muddle through.  Since my parents spent my formative years chasing asteroids
with their mobile refineries, I don't have anything I really care to insist on
as for the ceremony.  Cory's family is a little more traditional.  Both our
rings are identical and made out of the same block of alloy, that rope thing
we'll have draped around our shoulders means something, even the colors of her
dress stand for virtue, or virility, or maybe it was fiscal responsibility or
the ability to get discounts on groceries."  Merritt shrugged.  "All
I care is we're married when we get out the other side of this thing."

"Spoken like a
true male," Loren said, grinning.

They heard a soft
murmuring go through the crowd and turned to see Cory had arrived.  Cory was
wearing a simple yellow dress the color of the blooming flowers in the park,
with a thin flowing shawl draped over her shoulders.   She'd gathered up her
sandy blonde hair in a sort of loose updo, with tendrils of her hair escaping
from the pile in back as well as a few that framed her face.  Merritt's
breathing once again became irregular.

"Um, I think
she's waiting for you," Loren whispered and nudged his friend, who was
back in action and proudly walked down the center aisle of the groups of chairs
to go meet her.  They held hands briefly, then turned to face the group of
friends and family who had gathered for them.

Another of the
traditions that Cory's family had mentioned was an incredibly old one which stated
that the first person to cross into the proceedings was to be the pants-wearer
in the family.  Couples took pains to meet before the threshold and cross
together, signifying an equal partnership, something Cory and Merritt planned
to honor.

There was no music,
another custom which said any distractions from the couple or the vows were bad
luck.  Cory and Merritt simply walked down the aisle together, arm  in arm,
until they stood before Captain Elco, who had produced a small, old fashioned
printed book.  Cory draped the other end of the braided rope that hung from her
shoulders over Merritt's as they readied themselves.

Merritt's attire
complimented Cory's; he wore dark dress slacks with a suit jacket to match
which buttoned up the front almost all the way up to his neck.  The short
banded collar of the jacket stood up against his neck, and he wore a yellow
shirt underneath in the same color as Cory's dress. 

"Merritt Elder,
Corinne Sosus," began Captain Elco.  He lifted his head to address the
people seated behind them.   "Honored guests who have gathered to bear
witness to this event.  We are here to celebrate the bonding of two souls. 
They have entered this place separate; they will leave as one."

The script finished,
Elco continued.  "I have the honor of standing before all of you today to
conduct this ceremony between Merritt and Cory, two people whom I know and
respect, and call my friends.  As the captain of a Confederation ship, I am
allowed the responsibility of joining these two people in marriage.  This is
perhaps one of the greatest benefits of being in such a position, because
despite what you've heard, it's not all fun and games being the captain;
there's a never ending supply of paperwork, Admirals who want me at their beck
and call, and young officers like Commander Stone over there who want my
job."  Everyone chuckled, especially at those who recognized Loren's
embarrassment at the comment.  He'd found himself to be the right person in the
right place to become the XO of Avenger, but hadn't ever considered that his
career path might lead him to the command chair of a starship.

"But it's all
worth it on a day like today.  I've seen Merritt and Cory together; surely as
night gives way to daytime and then back again, these two are soulmates."  He 
held up the small black book he held in his right hand. 

"This is the
genealogical record of the Sosus family, collected for nineteen
generations," he continued.  "Cory and Merritt will agree to become
partners
in
life,
for
life, while placing their hands on this
book.  It signifies the importance and support of the family past, as well as
their hopes to continue the family in the future."

Cory and Merritt
placed their hands, hers on top of his, on the weathered old book and looked at
each other as Elco continued.

"Marriage on
Lavarra is simple in some ways, complex in others," said Elco. 
"Simple in that as far as the actual process, there is not much involved. 
The people here believe marriage is not a rite that requires government, a
particular religion, or philosophy.  It is but a straightforward agreement
between two people to love and stand by each other for the rest of their days. 
It is complex in all that this agreement implies.  There will be good times,
and possibly a few scrapes along the way," Elco smiled as a number of
older couples in the seats chuckled knowingly.  "The joining of two lives
is a complex process; Cory and Merritt, along with their families and friends,
will make this marriage succeed."

Elco smiled broadly
now as he looked at his own wife in the audience and traded winks.  He turned
to look at Cory and Merritt.

"So; Cory,
Merritt, there remains only one simple question for you.  Do you both promise
to love, support, cherish, and understand each other for the rest of your days?"

"I do,"
said Cory.

"I do,"
added Merritt.

"Then it is my
great honor to pronounce the two of you married on this day."  They took
their hands off the genealogy book and held each other's, Cory's fine fingers
meshing with Merritt's.

"I believe it
is also considered traditional for you to-" Elco began, but Merritt beat
him to the punch.  He drew Cory to him, put his arm around her waist, dipped
her back and kissed her for all he was worth.  She in turn threw her arms
around his neck and returned the gesture.

Hoots and hollers
erupted from the gathered friends and family, and finally they came up for
air.  As promised, Web threw bird seed over everyone in the front row.