The Last Praetorian (43 page)

For just a brief instant Sofia seemed completely taken by
surprise by the question, but then realising that Paul was inquiring if she had
met anybody and not about children, she replied sadly.  “No, to be honest I
have not had the time.  Anyway, after Jon…” Sofia trailed off despondently.

Briefly Paul considered what he would do if he ever lost
Carol.  Paul could not even contemplate the thought, and guessed that dating or
finding anybody else would be the last thing on his mind.  But what could he
advise?  That she should find somebody else?  Move on after Jon?  We’ll Jon
certainly had not.  Paul knew with absolute confidence that before Miranda, Jon
had not taken a second look at anybody else.  Furthermore Paul knew from the
station scuttlebutt that he had more than a couple of offers, from some of the
younger female crew who looked on Jon with awe, to some of their more frequent
customers, who were strongly attracted to their young, handsome but private
leader.  So intent was Paul on his response that he almost missed the question
asked by Sofia.

“Anyway, while I am sure that my love life, or lack of it,
is high on your list of priorities - do you want to let me know the real reason
for this call?  I doubt that you purposefully tripped almost every flag on my
communications agent, just to check on my health?”

As always so captivated by the younger woman and saddened by
circumstances, Paul had almost completely forgotten about the purpose of the
call.  Taking a deep breath, Paul explained, “We have a problem.”

Sofia only gazed at him quizzically for a moment, before she
broke out in laughter, the first truly joyful sound that Paul had heard from
her since starting the call.  Paul could only grin, when he realised to himself
how that sounded.

“Only one?” Sofia replied, finally catching her breath. “In
that case you must be slipping, as reading your reports usually there are at
least half a dozen on-going crises on the station at one time.”

“Well…this one is a little more serious than most.  You are
aware of our on-going conflict with the Syndicate Cartel in this system.”

Sofia’s smile faded and her eyes became more serious when
she replied.  “Yes, I read the intelligence reports supplied to me by the
office of naval intelligence.  I could see you, Jon and Sergeant Reynolds
fingerprints all over it.  Additionally that little disinformation, propaganda
campaign seemed to bear all the hallmarks of your Lieutenant Edgar, fortunately
Naval intelligence seem to be completely in the dark and I’m stonewalling their
investigation as best as I can.”

Paul nodded his head in thanks to Sofia’s selfless actions
in protecting them and the company’s involvement in the incident.  He went on
to recount the story, in depth describing the conspiracy that they had
discovered hidden behind the Syndicate cartel.  As Paul recounted the
investigation, Sofia’s face became more and more furious; by the time that Paul
had finished the young woman was livid.

“Why was I not informed of this?” she thundered.  “This is
the sort of intelligence that should have immediately been brought before the
Senate, or at the very least to me.”

Paul looked away, his cheeks flaming from the strong rebuke,
and what was worse is that Paul agreed with her.  This news should have been
brought before the Confederation long before; if it had, then events might have
not spiralled so badly out of control, they would not now be in the current
predicament.  Of course Jon had made it perfectly clear to the senior staff,
Paul included, that he would forward this intelligence appropriately.  Paul
briefly wondered what Jon had done with it, probably stuck it under a file
entitled,
no action required.

“Jon insisted, that he would act on the intelligence
immediately,” Paul responded evasively.  “I’m sure that it’s just because of
events have overtaken…”

“Bullshit,” Sofia interrupted Paul angrily.  “At the very
best he has filed it away for future consideration, mostly likely he simply
destroyed it, but why?”

Paul ardently hoped that Sofia did not come to the same
realisation as him, but the wide-eyed expression that suddenly appeared on her
face soon dashed that hope.  Paul was reminded that he was not that only person
that knew the inner working of Jon’s mind so well.  In many ways Sofia knew Jon
ever better than he did…

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?”  Sofia replied in
disbelief.  “He purposefully suppressed that information because he didn’t want
me finding out about it, as he knew that I would take necessary action to
protect the Confederation.  He still thinks of me as that young naïve Princess
that he pulled off the
Imperial Star
so long ago, well… I’ll show him,”
she seethed.

Uh Oh.

“Before you make any hasty decisions, I think you had better
hear the rest of it.”

“There’s
more?”
Sofia demanded, eyes narrowing in
disbelief.

Paul continued to recount the recovered recording between
Magistratus Mallart and Commodore Harkov. By the end of the story there was a
very pale and shaken Princess, her anger all but forgotten.

“Harkov is on his way to you, with the 4
^th
fleet?”  Sofia whispered terrified.

Paul nodded.  “This is all about the Commander, Jon.  Harkov
loathes him, blames him for disrupting his plans, but also I think he fears
him.  He knows that Jon will stop at nothing to kill him; it’s a personal
vendetta between the two of them.

“Harkov hates Jon, even before my father’s death the two of
them despised each other.  Harkov is going to kill him.”

“Possibly,” Paul shrugged.  “I honestly don’t think Jon
cares.  All he cares about is this personal blood feud that they have.  I
honestly don’t think Jon cares if he lives or dies, as long as he kills Harkov
first.”

“But it doesn’t make sense.  Sure, Jon hates Harkov, but not
enough to risk all your lives, what is it that you are not telling me Paul?” 
Sofia demanded intuitively.

“Jon is going to face Harkov and the fleet alone,” Paul
sighed.  While Jon had never said the words out aloud in the briefing earlier,
Paul knew in his heart that it was what Jon had planned.  “He will order the
crew to abandon the station, he will go up against Harkov alone.”

All the blood drained from Sofia’s face, and for a moment
Paul thought that she would faint.  “It’s suicide,” she muttered.  “He is going
to go and get himself killed.”

“I don’t think he cares,” Paul sighed aloud.  “Jon seems to
view his life as the cost he must pay for his past failures.”

“Well Jon might think his life is not worth much, and does
not care if he lives or dies.  But I do, and I expressly forbid him to go and
get himself needlessly killed.”

Paul had to smile at the statement, as it reminded him so
much of the younger Jon and Sofia, when the impossible was just another day for
them.

Sofia meanwhile continued on. “While the Confederation fleet
is spread very thin these days, damn all these budgetary cuts to the Navy over
the years, I tried to argue that it was a bad idea, but they would not
listen…Anyway I’ll assemble whatever fleet assets that we have in your sector
and send them to you straight away.  Meanwhile you keep Jon from rushing off
and getting himself killed.”

“Very well, your Empress,” Paul said with a bow of the head.

Sofia looked at Paul suspiciously for a moment, then threw
her had back laughing.  “Nobody has called me that in years, since Jon
half-joking asked me if I wanted to rule the galaxy.  At least I think he was
joking…” tapping her fingers thoughtfully on her desk for a moment she
continued.  “Come to think of it, I think it’s time that I paid a personal
visit to
Terra Nova
.”

“
Excuse me!”
Paul uttered with complete incredulity.

“Pay you a personal visit, you know, take a close look at my
investment, make sure that everything and
everyone
is working properly.”

“
Excuse me!”
Paul uttered again, completely lost for
any other words at the impending disaster.

“Why Paul, have you still not told Jon who the real owner of
Vanguard is?”  Sofia asked with a knowing smile.

“No, to be honest it has never come up in conversation,”
Paul replied embarrassedly.

“Then I think it is high-time for Jon to find out who is
really
in charge!”
Sofia said with a predatory smile.

Paul could only stare in horror at Sofia’s smug look as he
thought about the meeting between these two volatile personalities.  They were
going to either end up killing themselves, or naked and entwined over Jon’s
spacious desk, or possibly both!  Come to think of it Paul had not seen Jon all
evening, ever since their heated words in the briefing room.  Paul could only
assume that he had retired to his quarters for the evening,
alone.
 
Saying that he had also not seen Miranda that evening either, and the two had
seemed very close, as they had entered the briefing room together, hand in
hand, Miranda laughing at something Jon had said.

Meanwhile Paul felt as if he had swallowed a hot iron ball,
the way that his stomach was doing summersaults.  After years of encouraging
Jon to go out and get a life, he finally had!  Only for his old life to
materialise in their docking bay!  Paul felt sick to the stomach, the only
thing that could be worse would be Jon finding out about him and Sofia; the way
that his luck was going recently, it seemed a sure bet!  Closing his eyes, Paul
made a quick prayer that the 4
^th
fleet would turn up and swallow him
whole first.

Giving Sofia a sickly smile, he replied.  “Obviously we will
look forward to your arrival.”

Sofia just laughed and replied.  “I just bet you will!  I’ll
send you whatever fleet assets we have in the area.  See you soon!” and with
that the communication link terminated.  Paul could only stare at the blank
screen in dread, wondering how he was going to explain this one to Jon!

*****

Sofia smiled at the sickly expression on Paul’s face as she
cut the channel. 

Well it served him right, for calling me at three in the
morning and scaring me to death about Jon
! She thought to herself with a
smile that soon turned wistful as she picked up one of the photos on her desk. 
It was a photo of her and Jon taken many years back and was one of her most
prized possessions, along with her mother’s wedding ring and a priceless
paperback copy of Aristotle’s
Poetics
, that had been inscribed to her by
her father.

Sofia was certain that Jon would have hated the picture, as
he was a very private person and this one had been taken without his
knowledge.  Sofia remembered the scene well, as it was taken at the reception,
soon after the signing of the Confederation Charter.  Sofia had been cornered
by one of the Senators, whose impenetrable boring discussions on the body of
the charter were causing her eyes to glaze over.  Suddenly she had felt
movement behind her, and before she could react or call out, an arm had whipped
around her waist to ensnare her.  Almost at the same time she felt the soft
stubble of Jon’s whiskers tickle her neck, quickly followed by his tongue. 
Looking over her shoulder, about to admonish him for the rude interruption, he
had whispered into her ear, of where he would
much
rather be, and much
rather be
doing!
  She had flushed a bright scarlet at his heated
words and had quickly made her apologies at their sudden departure.  The
picture showed them entwined, with Sofia peering over her shoulder into Jon’s
eyes, dark with arousal and the blush forming on her cheeks from his words.

More than once Sofia had cried herself to sleep, the picture
clutched tightly to her breast, but far more often she had instead stared for
hours at the picture.  Trying to fathom out the reason for Jon’s abrupt change
of heart, barely days after the photo had been taken.  Others had tried to
console her, regarding the fickle nature of men, and their love-em and leave-em
nature.  But they did not know Jon like she did.  In her heart she knew him and
knew that he was not like that.  She knew deep down that Jon must have had his
reasons for doing what he did, but in the intervening years she had never
managed to fathom why...

In the early years, soon after Jon’s abrupt and angry
departure, Sofia had gone on a couple of dates, mostly to spite Jon more than
out of any real interest.  However, too many times over dinner or drinks, Sofia
had looked up into her date’s eyes, puzzled why they had the wrong eye colour,
be it blue, or brown, or some other colour, but not the stormy grey that she
had fallen hard for.  The few relationships that she had that had progressed
beyond dinner or drinks had quickly fizzled out.  Most had been too intimidated
by her forceful personality, or had tried to mould her into what their
expectations of an Imperial Princess should be, devoid of any personality or
intellect, a beautiful statuette, who they expected to stand there and look
pretty. 

Jon had never tried to change her; he had always made it
clear that she was perfect as she was.  He had enjoyed their discussions, or so
he claimed.  He had always treated her as an equal, although perhaps one that
he placed high on a pedestal - too many times for Sofia’s comfort.  No, Sofia
compared a number of different men to Jon, and found them all lacking.  As for
the physical side of their relationships, Sofia shuddered.  The few that had
reached that stage, kissing was cold and uncomfortable.  As if somebody had
placed an ice-block along her spine, the only result was goosebumps down her
back.  Kissing Jon had not left her cold, quite the opposite, with Jon she felt
like she was on fire, that she would be burnt alive and the only thing that
could extinguish the flames was Jon.  So no, she had been telling Paul the
truth when she said that there was nobody else in her life, only her work.