by Randal Sloan
#
Jarra easily led her team through the super-dreadnought. After all, she had spent months on ships just like this one and she knew nearly every inch of it. Master Sergeant Gibbons and his team of marines followed her, but although Jarra really wasn’t worried about needing an escort here on board the Imperial Navy flagship, it still was required. Nevertheless, Jarra appreciated their presence as an honor guard and for the stability they gave her team, who still were reeling from being onboard such a large vessel.
Finally, they arrived at the Admiral’s quarters, currently occupied by the Crown Prince who was next in line for the throne after Jarra. Her uncle had to have been really worried about the situation if he had sent John and his squadron. John had earned his right to be onboard as an officer in the Imperial Navy, but he was currently serving in the role as Crown Prince, which put him in charge just the same as an Admiral.
As they entered his suite, John rushed forward to hug his cousin. Her statement about him almost advancing in line to the throne had made him realize how close he had come to losing her. Finally, he broke the embrace and held her out at arm’s length so he could look at her.
“You look good, Ja,” he told her. Turning to look at her team, he told them, “Thank you for looking after my near sister. She means a lot to me.”
Jarra laughed at her team’s expressions. “I can still kick his tail at Tau Won Du,” she told them. “John is no different than anyone else. You just have to get to know him. Growing up, he was like having an older brother, looking after me all the time.”
“That’s not entirely true. I usually had to pull her off the bullies, for their sake, not hers. Jarra has always been driven to be the best, as I’m guessing you’ve already seen, and she always takes the side of the downtrodden or those being harmed by others.”
“Why do you think I chose the Rim Patrol over the Navy? I needed to be able to get my hands dirty, not sit in a huge suite and watch everyone else do the work.”
John laughed. “We could go on with this debate all day. But I do believe you have a story to tell. Shall we adjourn to the conference room so you can tell your tale? That way we can record it and make it your official debriefing.”
Jarra nodded. “Yes, but first, I need you to send a team in to try to capture the third moon of the planet where they were making the drones. They have some kind of beam weapon that came close to taking us out. It’s got to be alien technology and we need to get it for the Empire.”
Realizing the significance of that, John quickly called the Colonel in charge of the marines, telling him what Jarra had said and ordering a stealth Marine assault team to be sent in. He turned back to his cousin, “Ok, that’s done. Are you ready?”
“Oh, yes. Let’s get this done; we have a lot to do. We have a rebellion to put down, beginning in our District Capitol.”
#
Jarra sipped her coffee as she thought back over the last couple of hours. She and her team had just finished their debrief in which even her cousin John had been astounded at the things they had accomplished. Altogether they had done the impossible more than once and rewritten the rules for a covert operation.
John also knew just how close he had come to losing his near sister and had been unusually quiet during the debrief, letting his officers complete most of the questioning. John had been Jarra’s biggest supporter during her quest to become an officer in the Rim Patrol and she wondered if he were having second thoughts about that support.
When they stopped for coffee after the end of the debrief, Jarra pulled John aside where she could look him straight in the eyes as she told him, “John, you know I’m doing what I always wanted to do. You have to stop worrying like a brother and second-guessing what I’m doing. You know we’re never really safe anyway. What if I hadn’t been here to stop that drone? Based on the explosion it produced when we launched it against their destroyer, if it had gotten anywhere near the Emperor, I could still have been at risk. At least out here I’m doing what I have always wanted to do and working for the good of the Empire.”
John nodded, finally accepting her declaration, but she could have sworn he was at least a little teary-eyed. Unfortunately, he really wasn’t going to like her next proposal. Jarra waited as her team returned to the table, although most of the others weren’t back yet. She looked over at her team and then she asked them the important question, turning to speak quietly to them.
“You guys, if they can fix our ship here on the Dauntless, are you willing to go back out there? We need to find out more about the rebels, but I won’t ask you to do that if you aren’t ready.”
Galen looked over at the other two, who just nodded in answer to his silent question. He continued his role as spokesman. “You already knew the answer to that. You know we’re ready and you know we’ll give it our all.”
“Yes, but I needed to ask.” Jarra told them.
Finally, the rest of the group returned to be seated at the table. Since he was technically in charge, John started them out.
“You’ve just heard a most incredible story from my dear cousin and we now know that we are up against an organized rebellion. She and her team are an amazing asset and I feel certain our Emperor will wish to reward them, but that’s a discussion for a later date. Right now, we have to decide what exactly we’re going to do about these rebels.”
Jarra didn’t hesitate, quickly jumping in while the other officers thought about what they had just heard. To her, it was the only logical next step, and she had been thinking ahead of what she and her team needed to do. “It’s obvious. We have to get back to the District Capitol to find out more about these rebels and my team is the only one that can realistically get boots on the ground to find out who is behind it. We just need a little help pulling it off. Our ship needs basic repairs and I believe you can do it onboard this vessel.”
That brought about considerable discussion from the officers present, most wanting to take the whole task force directly to the District Capitol. John finally reeled them in, declaring, “She’s right. If we go guns blazing into the District Capitol, the group will just go underground and we will have to deal with them later. Without any doubt we can get her ship operational here in our ship’s bays, so let’s just see what she has in mind.”
Jarra smiled. Her near brother was onboard with her. “We need to come up with a cover story to convince them into thinking we know nothing about the rebellion. Perhaps give your squadron the credit for the kills here and the destruction of the drones. Although we need you to return our ship to the District Capitol, we need to at least make it outwardly appear that your squadron is going somewhere else.”
John smiled. He liked the way his cousin thought. “I can see your point. Keep them guessing. I think we can come up with a satisfactory story.”
Jarra went on, “From the information we obtained from the drone, I suspect the rebel forces are all based close by to the Capitol. If I had to guess, they have ground forces hidden on the southern continent and a warship task force hidden in either the Rigelus asteroid belt or just inside hyperspace. The job for my team will be twofold. We need to find information on the Governor’s involvement and we need to gather information on the two forces. I believe the Governor’s son is the key to both. If his father is involved, he is too and he and I have some unfinished business.”
Surprisingly John didn’t argue with her. “Master Sergeant Gibbons mentioned the encounter with the Governor’s son. I’ll agree to your plan only if you agree to allow his Imperial Marine squad to accompany you to the planet. I don’t trust the boy not to have backup nearby and I want you to have protection just in case.”
He smiled at Jarra’s reaction. “Even you can’t take on a handful at a time, and what about your team? You couldn’t possibly protect them all. We’ll also station our squadron close to the system, so no more fighting it out on your own with superior forces.”
Jarra certainly didn’t argue the last one. After all, older brothers were still
sometimes right. She also didn’t like the next thing he brought up.
John knew this was going to be a harder sell, but he really believed it was the best choice. “Jarra, you also need one additional member on your team for this mission and I have just the person to fill that position.”
Jarra started to protest but he went on, “Hear me out. We just happen to have transported out to the Rim Capitol a young sub-lieutenant from Imperial Intelligence. The Imperial Marines had just escorted her to Rigelus when you ran across them there. Based on the brief I received from her when we began this mission, she will be a strong asset for you in intelligence gathering. She’s about the same age as you and your team members, so you should be able to work with her.”
Jarra started to argue, but such an asset for the upcoming mission might be useful. She could always send her back. “Ok, but if she can’t get along with my team, she’s out.”
John nodded. “I’ll send a com to her superior assigning her to your team. You can meet up with her on Rigelus.”
He was pleased with her easy agreement. Before she could come up with any more qualifications to put on her agreement, he changed the subject. “I’ve already sent a request to our uncle to get two more squadrons assigned to my task force. We don’t know how many rebel ships they have out here, so we need to be prepared. They should be here in a few days.
“Tomorrow we’ll get started on the repairs to your ship. Have your team work with the repair crew to make sure everything is done correctly. Repairing those missile ports is probably going to take most of the trip back to get done.”
John looked around the room. “Does anyone have anything else they wish to discuss?” When no one spoke up, he went on, “This meeting is dismissed. Thank you everyone for your time.”
As everyone started to leave the meeting, John stopped Jarra and her team. “You have all been assigned quarters in a nearby wing. I trust you will find them satisfactory,” John told her with a hint of the smirk he had often used with her while they were growing up. “I’m also expecting you and your team back here for dinner tomorrow night. Formal dress, Your Highness.”
Jarra gave him a scowl, but she didn’t argue his choice of attire. “We’ll be there, My Prince.”
#
Formal dinners were a common occurrence during Jarra’s life. She had probably attended more state dinners than most people spent eating out in a restaurant. Of course, in the past she had a full staff assisting her to prepare for those dinners. Back then, dressing up had been fun and exciting. Now it was just another job as far as she was concerned, but at least with her quarters she had her own personal steward to assist her. Fortunately for her, John had arranged for a portion of her wardrobe to be brought on board before he left on this mission, so she was covered in that department.
Jarra was more concerned for her team and she spent most of the next day working with the Imperial staff assigned to her cousin to get each of them custom fitted with formal attire. Sara enjoyed the attention, but the guys quickly grew tired of it. Jarra would have felt sorry for them except the whole process for them was nothing compared to what she often had to endure. The guys finally begged off, saying that they needed to work with the repair teams working on the Aeres. She let them go, knowing they were really needed there.
Jarra met with all her team a short time before they were to leave for the dinner. She needed to prepare them for what was to come. Galen and Gabo had thought they had it bad enough trying to keep their eyes off Sara, who was looking beautiful in her formal dress, but when Jarra came in they couldn’t help but stare. Everyone recognized Lieutenant Jarra was a pretty woman, but when they saw Princess Jarra, they realized just how beautiful she really was. Beautiful and elegant, wearing a long gown that combined the most extravagant materials available in the Empire and a custom fit that displayed her best features. Plus, Jarra wore a set of her Crown Jewels, a blazing combination of jewels that told all of her royal personage.
When Jarra entered the room, the group as a whole dropped to one knee, bowing their heads to their Princess. Having known this was inevitable, Jarra didn’t attempt to stop them; instead, speaking to them softly, she told them. “Thank you for your service. Please arise and join me.”
Smiling at her team, she told them, “Listen, guys, it’s still me, the same Jarra you’ve worked side-by-side with and struggled together with to survive when we faced grievous danger. I love my team more than life itself and you are a much more important part of my life than this kind of stuff. I’ll always be a Princess, but it doesn’t define who I am.”
She looked them each in the eye until they nodded. “Good. As my guests tonight, you’re expected to sit at the table with me. Prince John will be on my right and Sara will be on my left. The guys will be seated across from me. Even though the attire is formal, the protocol will be Imperial Navy, which I know you were taught in your Rim Patrol training. You’ll all be fine.”
She smiled at them, once more fighting those tears that wanted to flow, “I’m so proud of you all. You’ve already accomplished the impossible and I know you’re not finished yet.”
Dinner went as well as it could, the formal protocol limiting the discussions at the table. Gabo and Galen did find the officers seated beside them to be quite knowledgeable. As everyone finished dessert and coffee was served, questions came up about just how they had accomplished some of the feats everyone had deemed impossible. Jarra could tell John was intently listening to them and she knew he had picked up on just how well her team worked together.
After a few minutes, John stood, announcing to the gathered assembly of officers and Imperial staff, “Tonight we honor the team that at such great risk to themselves brought us the news that we must deal with over the next few weeks. Not once did they hesitate to do their duty, even when they believed they had no way to survive. Their service to the Empire will not be forgotten and we can only present them a small token of our gratitude.
“As befitting the occasion, I have arranged for another to present our thanks to them. Please turn your attention to the display on the wall before us.”
A 3D view opened up before them with the Imperial logo. Jarra caught her breath as the Imperial logo gradually resolved into a view of her uncle, the Emperor himself. She couldn’t help giving her cousin a glare for keeping this a secret from her, although she had to grant him the kudos for pulling it off. Real time transmission across the galaxy was possible with their technology, but not easy.
As the view stabilized, John announced to the room, “Please rise to recognize Emperor James Cessor Von Hasson, Emperor of the Empire of Man and our Liege.”
Everyone stood and then dropped to one knee as the Emperor rose from his throne to face them. “Thank you for your service. Please rise and join with me as I recognize someone very important to me. My dearest niece, Jarraosa Christinee Von Hasson, I hereby recognize you and your team for service to the Empire by bestowing upon you each the Galactic Medal of Honor.” He smiled at the spontaneous applause that arose in the chamber where their small audience was present.
When the applause died down, he went on. “The Galactic Medal of Honor is only offered to those who at great risk to themselves provide a service to the Empire, as this team has done. I reserve the right to formally present this medal in person, but know tonight I recognize you for your service.
“Also know I understand the call to arms that we face and I will be sending two additional squadrons in support of your endeavors. May you continue to serve to the glory of the Empire.”
As the view faded out, Jarra was struck by just how tired her uncle looked. Just for a moment she longed for a return to her past when she sat on her uncle’s knee and listened to him talk about the glories of the Empire and his dedication to its service. Negotiations with the Borjon must not be going very well. If she had to guess, the Aerestone she’d learned about from the drone were somehow the source of dissension between the parties. She couldn’t help but worry abou
t her father and his service as the Ambassador to Borjon.
Jarra vowed to do whatever she could to resolve the situation here, perhaps to alleviate some of the pressure this was indirectly causing for them.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Service to the Empire
Marcus Joshin Von Hasson, Ambassador to Borjon from the Galactic Empire of Man, was tired. For many years, man thought he was the only sentient creature in the universe, barring your occasional animal that minimally reached that level such as the earth dolphins and whales. Huge efforts had been spent on pre-hyper capable earth to try to find aliens and all had failed. When man discovered hyperspace, he was sure he was going to find aliens, only to be disappointed over and over again. It had taken the establishment of the Galactic Empire before such discoveries were made. Only then had man finally been able to penetrate closer to the core of the galaxy and take a look at the other spiral arms, leading to the discovery that he really was not alone.
On the spiral arm inward from ours lived a race man called the Octarians. Man had been able to learn very little about them, because while they appeared to be very powerful in their technology, they apparently only wanted to be left alone. Areas of hyperspace leading into their arm were almost unnavigable to human technology and somehow they had found a way to block the entrances to their space with what for want of a better name for them had been called hyperspace mines.
When the Empire’s ships first neared their area of space, they were met with a huge and powerful ship that had only one thing to say to them. “GO AWAY!” Among other things the Octarians had was a weapon that neutralized the Empire ships’ power systems. After a handful of ships received demonstrations of the aliens’ version of the stun gun and had to be towed home, mankind got the message. Once a decade a ship was sent to make sure the aliens hadn’t changed their minds, but so far they hadn’t received any other response.
On the next spiral arm out from ours lived a race man called the Borjon. Contact had first been made over decades past and although the two races didn’t immediately go to war, they didn’t exactly hit it off either. A very minimal treaty had been established from the beginning, basically only recognizing the other’s existence and promising hands off for a time. That relationship had not gone anywhere further and the distance separating them was just too great for trade to flourish, so for a very long time nothing happened. When Maximus Sorilus Von Hasson finished consolidating the Empire, he had made very basic overtures to the Borjon and they appeared disinterested.