Empire of Bones (2 page)

He grinned in spite of the tense situation. He loved his people.

Athena’s
second salvo roared in on the enemy. The destroyers had pulled far enough away from their larger brethren that they could no longer provide effective anti-missile defenses for them. Their absence became clear when a second missile slammed into
Spear
. The massive cruiser rolled as explosions wracked her internally. It looked like her drives had failed.

Electronic countermeasures lured many of the red team missiles aside.
Athena’s
railguns accounted for some of the rest. The number of missiles that had acquired them at this range surprised Jared. Five got through their defensive fire and roared down on
Athena
like the wrath of God.

The bridge went dark. The only sound Jared could hear was Zia cursing. The consoles reset as the simulation ended and returned to standby mode, still locked out of operational control of the destroyer.

The main screen came to life showing the curve of the planet Avalon below them.
Orbital One
sat about ten thousand meters away. The breathtaking view dissolved as Zia put an incoming transmission on the screen.

Admiral Robert Yeats, Commanding Officer of Capitol Fleet, shook his head. “While that was a glorious death, Commander, you still lost your ship.”

Jared smiled ruefully. “The target was too tempting to pass up, Admiral. I didn’t expect their fire to be so accurate at long range.”

“Save the heroics for when you don’t have a choice. You should’ve let them pass and been satisfied with warning us they were coming. That
is
what a picket is for, you know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The better targeting was one of the enemy advantages for this war game. I’m impressed that only five of their missiles got through your defenses. You almost got away with your sneak attack.”

“As you say, sir, almost wasn’t good enough this time.”

The screen split as Captain Breckenridge of
Spear
—probably also the red team commander—and Captain Alice Quinn, the blue team commander, came into the circuit. Breckenridge looked pissed, Quinn bland.

“What kind of bull was that?” Breckenridge demanded. “The sim didn’t display
Athena
correctly.”

“Actually, it did,” Quinn said. “Commander Mertz used an asteroid as cover. Well done, Jared.”

“Thank you, ma’am, but I still lost my ship. Not a good day for me or my crew.”

The dark-skinned captain nodded. “True, but you took out a heavy cruiser.
Spear’s
fusion plants went critical right after you blew up. That took her out and damaged both light cruisers. That said, while it was an excellent trade off from a strictly tactical perspective, I’d prefer you came back home alive.”

Breckenridge bristled. “
Athena’s
actions were clearly outside the boundaries of—”

“That’s enough, Wallace,” Yeats said in a tone that brooked no disagreement. “Just accept that you lost this one. Maybe next time you’ll be a little more paranoid. That’s why we have these war games, to learn what we can before the real shooting starts.”

The admiral glanced at his chrono. “We’ll have our after action briefing in one hour on
Orbital One
. Get something to eat and come ready to tear this operation apart. We have a number of things to discuss. Dismissed. Mertz, please adjourn to your office and stay on the channel, please.”

Jared left Zia in charge of the bridge, took the lift down one deck, and made his way to his office. He wondered what the admiral wanted with him. To chew him out in private? That wasn’t the old man’s style. He’d tear a limb off you in public and use it to beat you to death if he thought you deserved it.

Once he came back on the channel, the flag officer continued, “Once again, Commander, well done. I’m afraid you won’t be joining us for the briefing, though. Send your XO to cover for you. You have other plans.”

“That sounds ominous, sir.”

The admiral smiled. “Not really. Your father has requested the pleasure of your company for dinner. He wants to see you one last time before you ship out on the survey tomorrow.”

Jared kept his face blank, but inside he cursed. The very last people he wanted to spend time with were his father and half-siblings.

“I see. I will, of course, represent Fleet with honor.”

The admiral’s brows drew together. “Far be it from me to dictate the actions of a fellow officer in his social life, but when the ruler of the Terran Empire requests our presence, we go.

“Allow me to also stress that while you might have reservations about your relationship with the Imperial Family, it isn’t prudent to make an issue of them, even over a secure channel with someone who’s known you since you joined Fleet. It’s far safer if people think you’re happy to be the Emperor’s son, even if you were born on the wrong side of the sheets.”

Yeats leaned forward and spoke more softly. “Fleet is
supposed
to be non-political, but you need to be the most enthusiastic supporter of the Empire and the Imperial Family. People are watching and waiting for you to give them a reason to hold your illegitimate birth against you. You can’t give them a lever to use against you, Jared.”

Jared sighed a little. “You won’t find a more ardent supporter of the Empire or the Emperor, sir. It’s just hard to be enthusiastic when my half-siblings loath me and don’t miss a single opportunity to make their objections to my presence painfully clear. The Heir couldn’t hate me more if I peed in his soup. Rubbing my existence in his face is not doing me or Fleet any favors. One day he’ll lead the Empire and I’ll be on the beach.”
Or dead
.

“The Emperor is in excellent health and the Heir wouldn’t dare take out a vendetta against a Fleet officer. Don’t be so melodramatic.”

The admiral hadn’t seen how deeply Ethan Bandar hated Jared. No one else had heard the threats the man made when no one else was around. They got worse every time the Emperor insisted that Jared come to the Imperial Palace, too.

“I wish I shared your…optimism, sir.”

“I’ll see you at the final mission briefing tomorrow morning, Commander. Have a good time. Consider that an order.” The screen went dark.

Perfect. Jared wished the admiral understood everything he had to endure after the Fleet entrance physical revealed his parentage. He couldn’t comprehend why the Emperor insisted on torturing him two or three times a year with these ‘family get-togethers’.

Not that any of it mattered, though. He’d go and he’d do his best not to let his relatives get under his skin.

He summoned Graves to his office. When the XO had taken a seat, he filled him in on his dinner plans. Graves knew how he felt. He’d understand.

Jared took a deep breath and tried to relax his tense back. “I suppose I should be used to the situation. It’s been fifteen years since I found out I was his son, but his children complicate things. I’m living proof that their father had an affair, and I’m the reason their mother divorced him. Not a good recipe for making friends.”

“I suppose not,” his friend said. “I bet we could come up with some mechanical failure requiring your presence.”

Jared allowed himself a small smile. “I appreciate the thought, but I don’t think that would go over very well the day before we leave on our grand exploration mission. Besides, my news isn’t all bad.”

Graves gave Jared a suspicious look, probably because of his captain’s mock-cheerful tone. “Oh? How’s that?”

“I don’t have to go to the after action briefing and have Breckenridge burn holes through me with his eyes. You get that honor.”

“Today just keeps getting worse,” Graves grumbled. “You’d think being blown into atoms would be the ultimate low point, but somehow you found a way to make death appealing. Thanks, Jared.”

“What can I say? I’m a beacon of joy. Don’t wait up.”

Princess Kelsey Bandar looked up from her reading as her brother stalked into the library. His thunderous expression gave her just enough warning to mark her place before he exploded.

“He’s coming to dinner tonight.” The petulant snarl in Ethan’s voice dripped with venom.

Those few words told her everything she needed to know about his less than temperate behavior. The Bastard was gracing them with his presence tonight. Ethan’s use of the word made the mental capitalization mandatory. And, to be fair, she’d used the word in the same way.

She set her book aside and gave Ethan her complete attention. “I honestly don’t understand why do you let him enrage you like this? You know there’s nothing we can do to stop Father from having a relationship with him. I’m not even sure we should try anymore.”

Ethan stared at her, obviously shocked. “How can you say that? It’s obvious what the scum wants.”

She leaned back in her chair. “Is it? I’m not so certain these days. If Jared Mertz was trying to take advantage of his blood, you’d think he’d be a little more aggressive in advancing his career.”

“The Bastard forces himself on us time and time again, and all Father ever does is cater to him. And now you’ve become his apologist? The man wants something and I’m not convinced he won’t get it. Father has been muttering and planning something.”

She regarded her brother coolly. “In the fifteen years we’ve known he’s been around, I’ve never heard of him ask for one thing. Not for himself. Not even for Fleet. And God knows Father has a soft spot in his heart for Fleet.”

“But… How can you defend him?”

Her brother’s anguished face tore at her heart, but she couldn’t keep catering to his fixation. “Because Jared Mertz isn’t the one that created our family’s problem. Father had an affair. Father had a child out of wedlock. Father shamed Mother so badly she divorced him. Jared Mertz is as much a victim of circumstances as we are.”

Ethan slapped his palm on the table sharply, making her jump. “No, he is not. I think he knew
exactly
the chain of events joining Fleet would start. He did so knowing that the medical test would show precisely what it did. This is part of a long range plan to steal our birthright.”

That was ridiculous. Kelsey only barely smothered a chuckle. It wouldn’t improve her brother’s mood one. “Take a deep breath. This isn’t some deep-seated conspiracy to displace you. Father would never allow that, even if the Imperial Senate did…which it won’t. You’ve let this delusion eat at you too long. You need to get a grip.”

Ethan’s expression darkened further. “You’re being dangerously naive, Kelsey. If one of us needs to wake up, it’s you. The Bastard wants the power of the Imperial Throne. Rest assured he won’t fool me as easily as he has you. Tell Father I feel ill.”

Ethan stalked out of the library even angrier than when he’d arrived.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. The normally levelheaded Heir to the Imperial Throne had an unhealthy dislike for their half-brother. It wasn’t reassuring in a man who would one day rule the Empire. The Emperor couldn’t afford to have the same kind of petty jealousies as everyone else.

Jared Mertz was a pain in her behind, too, but she had finally gained some hard won perspective. At worst, he was some kind of power seeker and her Father would eventually see through him. He would never be more than an irritant for her or her brother.

When Jared appeared in their lives, she’d been just old enough to understand that her family was coming apart because of him. It had taken far longer for her to realize he wasn’t responsible for her parent’s divorce. That didn’t mean she had to like him, but she no longer blindly hated him as Ethan did.

As far as she could see, Father’s formal acknowledgement of his bastard son had drastically complicated Jared Mertz’s life. It made advancement in Fleet more difficult because they avoided even the appearance of favoritism. Her discreet checks had revealed his commanders considered him a brilliant officer and he was long overdue for promotion to captain.

She tried to get back into the book she’d been reading, but her mind refused to focus. The subject of the Empire before the rebellion and resulting Fall usually fascinated her, but she couldn’t stop thinking about her half-brother…and about herself.

He commanded a Fleet ship now. He’d been twenty-two Terran Standard years old—the same age as she was now—when he’d joined Fleet. He’d known what he’d wanted and he’d pursued that goal with a single-minded determination even she had to envy. What would she be doing in fifteen years?

With Ethan as the Heir, she needed to find a long-term career. Being the Spare Apparent wasn’t very fulfilling. Once her brother married and had children of his own, she wouldn’t even be that. She’d be just one more Imperial noblewoman without real purpose in her life. As if there weren’t enough of those in Capitol.

Fleet wasn’t a good fit for her. She’d never been particularly good at obeying orders. None of the social work she’d done had excited her that much, as important as it was. She wanted an all-consuming purpose that she could dedicate her life toward fulfilling. She wanted the things she did to count for something once she was gone.

She sighed. She wouldn’t solve that problem tonight. She might as well go see Father. He’d be looking for her soon enough anyway.

She found Karl Bandar, Emperor of the Terran Empire, sitting in his private office dressed in the ratty old jacket that he loved. The grey in his beard was almost as plentiful as the chestnut brown. It made her sad to see him age. She wanted him to continue being the vital young man she’d chased around the garden as a girl.

He looked up from his console and smiled. “Kelsey! I was just coming to look for you. We’re having company for dinner.”

“I heard. Father, you know Ethan doesn’t enjoy these dinners.”

Her father took off his glasses and set them on his desk. “I know. This is something he needs to adjust to, whether he likes it or not. Jared is his half-brother. And yours too, of course. Nothing can change that.”

“Yet Jared does none of us any favors by rubbing Ethan’s face in it.”