by A. Rhea King
“Doctor Q’al, he needs to have these. They will overwhelm him if you keep stopping them.”
“When I’ve let him have them, he crashes. He isn’t strong enough to handle them yet and I’m not losing my patient due to your religious beliefs, Doctor Lareshth. Sedate him and I want him kept sedated for another seventy-two hours. I told you that this morning and you ignored me.”
“I didn’t ignore you. He must have these premonitions. Exum Zalet has been working with him on these and—”
“Doctor Lareshth,” Q’al walked up to her and stared into her glowing purple eyes. “I know that if I ask, again, why it is so important that he have premonitions, you will only say that he is under the protection of the High Priestess and the premonitions are important to all those who follow her. As will Exum Zalet if I ask him. But I am the head doctor on this ship, and I do have the final say in patient care. So to better promote my care of Captain Barnett, perhaps you and Exum Zalet need to be reassigned to another ship. Because frankly, my dear, I’m rather tired of continuing to have this conversation with you and the other Avinion onboard. As the humans put it so eloquently, I don’t give a shit about your religious beliefs right now, I only care about my patient and making sure he continues to live while under my watch. Given that, Doctor, what you say or do next will determine how much longer you will be serving Captain Barnett. What are you going to do?”
She stared at him. “I will keep him sedated until you tell me otherwise, Doctor Q’al.” She turned and walked away.
Q’al inhaled and exhaled. He wished someone – Tru or the Avinion – would explain to him why Tru’s premonitions were so damn important! He walked toward his office to resume his clinical report of preforming a surgery in the midst of a battle.
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”
Edward Abbey
Chapter 32
AMIDIEN STEPPED OUT OF HIS QUARTERS INTO A HALL FULL OF TERALLIANS. They seemed to sense that their stop at home would be brief and all were in a hurry to get their work done and down to Tetra to spend time with their families. Amidien turned and almost ran into Admiral Riliq. Amidien pulled his hands behind his back, staring into Riliq’s acidic glare.
“How could you fail a mission that was so simple?” Riliq asked.
“I didn’t fail my mission.”
“You were to stop all Merchant Raitor ships that came into that solar system!”
“I stopped all of them, save Prosperous. Which apparently is a good thing, since Father now wants that ship captured and brought to Tetra.”
“That point being that you let it escape!”
“I didn’t let it escape. It defeated our last decoy.”
“Which you should have prevented. It is a small ship, there is no way it could have the firepower to perform such an act.”
“Yet it did. Then that ship outran the best ships in our fleet, and even managed to navigate through the Awedon Nebula while you and the other captains remained outside the nebula. Why did you stay outside of the nebula, sir? Why didn’t you follow it into the nebula?” Amidien paused but not long enough to let Riliq answer. “In fact, it’s crew destroyed that nebula by repositioning from inside it. That shouldn’t even be possible, Admiral. They were blind in that nebula, they had no way to know what lie in their repositioning plot. But somehow they did. And when they reached the Merchant Raitor border, that ship’s crew were able to incite reinforcements and push ours back. I think you underestimated that small, underpowered ship’s crew. How could you let something like that happen, sir?”
“You are still under my command,” Riliq snarled, leaning toward Amidien. His hand snapped up around his throat, threatening to squeeze Amidien’s life out of his body. “And you will not speak to me with such insolence, Captain. You will be—”
“Riliq,” Lixu said, “Unhand Crown Prince Amidien immediately.”
Riliq turned. Emperor Lixu walked toward him, oblivious of the Terallians who dropped to their knees and lowered their foreheads to the floor. Riliq dropped his chin and immediately let Amidien go. He was careful not to meet Lixu’s eyes.
Amidien neither bowed or looked away from his father’s gaze.
“How many Merchant Raitor ships did you destroy, my bairn?” Lixu asked Amidien.
“Fourteen, Father.”
“Fourteen in two months? Does that sound like a failed mission, Admiral Riliq?”
“If you do not feel so, Emperor, neither do I.”
Lixu’s eyes drifted back to Amidien. “But I would like to know where your family has disappeared to, Amidien.”
“We had planned a journey to celebrate the completion of my indentured servitude. I told them to take it without me.”
“That isn’t what the communique we found at your house hinted to,” Riliq hissed, lifting his eyes back to Amidien’s.
“As I recall, the last communique I sent to Rouchel told her to take our journey without me. Unless you found another communique that I never sent to my spouse while you were intruding in my domicile, I don’t know what else you could be speaking of, Admiral.”
“Your trip was to Varesivun. They are not there, and they neither boarded a transporter to Varesivun, or were registered arriving. In fact, they seem to have disappeared without a trace. They haven’t been seen on security cameras since you left for the Eslin system. You clearly informed your spouse not to keep those plans, and go elsewhere. You will tell us where that is.”
“Rouchel must have changed plans and didn’t tell me. She also has friends I’ve never met in the outer regions, where there are no cameras. Unlike other cruel and controlling spouses I know, I respect my spouse’s ability to think for herself and her skills to protect our children.” Amidien lowered his snout so he could stare level at Riliq. “Could any of your wives keep your bairn from being murdered?”
Riliq growled, “You have spoken with—”
“Riliq, evacuate the hall,” Lixu ordered. “My bairn and I have matters to discuss.”
Riliq looked from father to son, as if confused by the order.
Lixu slowly looked at him. He quickly turned away, ordering the crew, “Soldiers, rise and depart. The Emperor wishes privacy.”
In a burst of motion, the crew obeyed, leaving Lixu and Amidien alone in the hall within seconds.
“Merchant Raitor is an infestation that must be stopped, Amidien.”
“If you say so, Father.” Amidien didn’t even attempt sincerity.
“You are the most disrespectful bairn! Have you no pride for your lineage?”
“So murder me as you did Arinaught or Dase.”
“They were not murdered. They died in accidents.”
“If you say so, Father.”
“Where is your family, Amidien?”
Amidien moved close to Lixu, holding his gaze. “Safe.”
“Safe from who?”
“Anyone who might try to use them against me.”
“Such as?”
“Anyone.”
“You mean me? Your father? I would never harm my children or their families. You know that, bairn.”
“My half sister and brother died by accident, in their sleep. That’s the official story.”
“Yes, because it is what happened.”
“And I suppose suggesting to our doctor that he should drown my daughter at birth was a joke?”
“Of course it was!”
Amidien smirked. “You have such interesting alternate truths, Father.”
Lixu’s eyes narrowed. “If you become a problem, nothing will protect your family.”
“And with threats like that, you wonder why I would want them safe?” Amidien looked down the hall. “Safe from whatever plan you and those advisors who want your throne have devised. A plan that sends us attacking our allies.” Amidien lifted his chin with pride. “However ill-advised your plan may be, Father, I am under oath to obey your commands while I am a Battle Fleet officer, so I will follow my missions w
ithout question.”
“Then I’m commanding that you bring your family back to Tetra. Immediately.”
Amidien smiled. “How would my family being present be in the Fleet’s best interest? Or my future lounge, for that matter?”
“Your mother was asking, again, who I’d chosen as my successor,” Lixu said. “She still thinks I’ve chosen you.” Lixu hissed, “But I would never leave my lounge in your incompetent hands!”
Amidien nodded. “I’m not surprised she was asking. She loves power and wealth. Perhaps you should name her as your successor.”
“You think a woman could rule our people?
“Surely she would be as competent of a ruler as you are, Father.”
Lixu’s eyes blazed with anger. “You’re an insolent bairn!”
“Good night, Father.” Amidien walked away.
“Amidien,” Lixu called, “Amidien, I did not excuse you!”
Amidien turned the corner, finding Riliq standing against the wall.
“The Emperor needs your advice, sir,” Amidien told him as he passed.
“AMIDIEN!” Lixu screamed.
Amidien didn’t stop or look back. Riliq watched Amidien leave and then walked back to Lixu. He was pacing the width of the hall, hissing and snorting curses about Amidien.
“I will order his immediate execution, sir,” Riliq told Lixu.
Lixu’s burning gaze turned on Riliq. “Find his family, Riliq. I want them back on Tetra. If I don’t have them, I have no control over him.”
“Yes, Emperor. In the meantime, I can arrange—”
Lixu stopped in his tracks. “Assign him and his crew to my private vessel. Since he loves his Merchant Raitor Confederates more than his own people, he’ll get to kill as many as it takes to win this war. And find his brood! I will dismember his spouse and bairn if this insubordination continues. He will become worthy of my throne one way or another!” Lixu started walking away.
“Yes, sir,” Riliq replied. “But perhaps assigning him to—”
Lixu suddenly spun and stormed up to Riliq. He stopped with his snout pressed against Riliq’s and snarled, “If I ever see you lay a hand on royal skin again, or you ever threaten to kill any of my bairn, again, I dismember you personally and I will make it last for days.”
Riliq swallowed hard several times. Quietly, but still with confidence, he said, “Yes, Emperor Lixu. I hear and I obey.”
“Find me his brood!” Lixu stormed off, his robes billowing out and around him.
Riliq watched him leave. He turned to the captain’s quarters and opened a panel above the biometric pad. He entered a key code, and the door opened. Riliq walked into the Captain’s cramped quarters and sat down at the computer.
“Computer, access all of Amidien’s personal records. Any records sent to his home or anyone other than Fleet Command or Fleet ships. Scan for the last 120 cycles.”
The search will take two ke, Admiral Riliq, the ship’s computer reported.
“I’ll wait.” Riliq sat down in the desk chair.
To be Continued…