Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1 (39 page)

             
I was quiet for the most part, content to simply be. One of the things I
did
say was to apologize to Captain Wingstar for the damage done to his ship and crew. Some had died when the
Hail Mary
was crippled. Others, from both starships, had been lost to Zar’daken darts.

             
The captain looked at me for a moment before saying “do you remember when we first met?” I blinked at him before nodding. “Then I assume you remember our conversation.” He continued. “The one where I pressed you for your side of the story?” he clarified in case I had forgotten. How could I have? When I had refused to clear my name he had asked if it had been a coward who had led the hunting Telmicks away from her fellows. Would a coward intentionally attract attention to herself? He had then asked me
why
a second time. And I had finally told him what my goal had been to be a distraction. When he had asked what my plan had been if I had been caught I had told him that I had hoped I was either dead or in a coma. Not in those words, but close enough. “I remember, sir.” I said aloud.

             
“You had put others before yourself; others who had never thanked you, indeed never understood what you would have given for them if we hadn’t transported you out of harm’s way. And now you and your friends put yourselves at risk to save a friend.

             
“My entire crew, and the admiral’s crew, chose as you did. And they have more experience and years than you do.” I was told. 

             
“And now he is saying we are old.” The man who had stood near the captain when we entered said. From the quick introductions I knew him to be Commander Race Quinn. He leaned past the captain to meet my gaze. His humor muted slightly as he continued. “Despite that, the captain is right. We know what we are risking every moment we are on a Legion Fleet starship or wearing the uniform. Besides,” he added with a shrug, “we would have had the fight at some point. I, personally, am glad to have that one over with. The added bonus is we now know the Zar’dakens are up to their old tricks again.”

             
“Speaking of the fight being over, what a way to have it end!” Commander Singclarion grinned. “Whose idea was it to slingshot around like that and use the Zar’daken’s weapons against themselves?” she asked.

             
“Rylynn.” Marius said with a grin. My other two friends nodded.

             
I soon found myself the subject of everyone’s interest. It made me uncomfortable. So I deflected, which amused Marius apparently. “That’s
all
I did.” I said. “The guys did all the hard work. Westley piloted, Marius fired the pot shots, and Jason jammed the signal between the darts and the central computer.” Happily, my ploy worked and the attention went to the boys. Marius shook his head slightly, but engaged in the conversation directed at him.

             
Once the conversation was away from me I glanced at captain Wingstar and I met his gray eyes with my own. “You really don’t know what to do with positive attention, do you?” he asked.

             
I flushed slightly. “It’s true though. They did all the work.” I repeated.

             
“But you came up with the idea.”

             
I looked down at my plate before looking back at him. “Captain, may I ask you something?”

             
“Sure.” He said taking a bite of the juicy steak.

             
“Why did you recommend me to join the Legion Fleet? We only talked the once and Admiral L’Seral told me that you rarely make recommendations.”

             
“Because you are what the Fleet needs. You are determined, resourceful, and self-sacrificing.” He replied. He fell silent and I thought that was the end of it when he sighed. I guess he had had an internal debate with himself. “Though those are sound reasons on their own, there is another.” I cocked my head at him when he paused again. He met my gaze and said “I knew your parents, Rylynn. Giving you a place to belong was the least I could do for you and their memory.”

             
I stared at him, trying to understand how a Legion Fleet captain could possibly know my long dead parents. How could a pair of colonists know him? Had they been business friends? I knew only that my parents had been good people. That had been the only thing Aunt Sylvie would ever divulge about them. I knew little else and none of that could help me with this mystery.

             
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 3
rd
class cadet, had two silver bars on his collar.  Westley’s had two gold bars to denote his 1
st
cadet status.