Tera shook her head. Sitting in front of her was the first noble don she had ever interviewed in private, and not about matters of state. For a moment she thought that perhaps he was not as vulgar as the rest, but she shook her head, dismissing the thought. “Excuse me, I’m still finding it hard to get used to all of this,” she said finally. “I need to make sense of everything you have told me.”
Tera frowned, angry at herself. At the end of the day, he was not to blame for whatever silly thoughts came into her mind. Besides, it was worth the cost to get to know their new allies better.
“How about this?” she decided, “I want you to be close to me at all times. As soon as I have a free moment, we will continue our conversation. In the meantime, see you again soon, Yv.”
She looked at him demandingly, and he was able to squeeze out. “See you soon, Tera.”
***
Don Krushinka was killing time in the flagship’s control center, humming some kind of bravura under his breath. He was crawling all over the holocube, examining a schematic of the space around Outpost, zooming in and out. Next to him, two dozen noble dons were doing the same thing at the same time, and a dozen senior officers of the fleet of the kingdom watched on in puzzlement at this unusual spectacle. The dons were making notes in their electronic notebooks, pushing each other with their elbows, occasionally swearing at each other, and not paying any attention to the women staring at them. If they took on a contract, then there was work to be done, but before it becomes clear how things should be done, nothing else matters.
Tera entered and nodded to the duty officer who was already opening her mouth to issue a command but remained silent. Tera slipped into the corner and stayed low. All the officers spotted her but remained at their posts, staring towards the holocube, and the dons took no notice.
Finally, Don Krushinka straightened up and rubbed his lower back. “So, Two Pints, what do you say?”
He turned to a gray-haired Don, who was sitting peacefully at a table with his notepad.
All the dons immediately stopped fussing about and straightened up.
Two Pints shrugged. “Hard to say. Judging from the records, The Enemy attack on Outpost was the standard two-doors assault. If they had multiple-barreled mortars in those days, or at least bombards, then this whole venture would have come to nothing, and the losses would have been much lower, but using conventional gravitational weapons ... they stood no chance. There is no point even discussing their chances of fighting them off or defeating them. I wonder why they did not destroy the entire fleet and escape into space.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
“I don’t know.” He thought. “If I were in the trolls’ place, then I would sit quietly somewhere in space where nobody could do me any harm, not even a fleet four times more powerful than ours. Maybe if half of our ships were armed with orbital mortars ...”
One of the royal officers snapped. With an indignant snort, she rushed forward and exclaimed. “Are you refusing to fight?”
They all turned to her. Two Pints smiled and replied calmly, “I said that if it was me there, not the trolls. So ... I don’t think that the trolls will sit there quietly, especially when they find out that we are coming with you too. But ... we must think carefully.” He turned to Don Krushinka. “It’s worth having a chat with the veterans, they may have some sensible ideas. We will send out probes, then we will see. It is too early to talk about plans.”
So that is what everybody agreed to do.
***
Yv deflected a blow and grabbed Pip by the arm.
“Touché.”
Pip threw his blade away in frustration and sat down on the hard floor of the fencing hall. Yv shook his head.
“You get too excited my boy. You rush from one extreme to another. You are trying to create an image of your fight in your mind, forgetting that a skilled swordsman will work it out after the first couple of clashes. On the other hand, you are only working on the counterattack, forgetting that in this case, I can make you take up the position that I want.”
“I’ll never learn to fight as well as you,” Pip said, his head in his hands and shoulders hunched.
“Who knows?” Yv slapped him on the shoulder. “OK, get up. Once again, only this time try to focus.”
Pip jumped to his feet, sighed a couple of times, and took up a stance. After a minute and a half, his sword was already on the floor again.
“OK, enough for today,” Yv said
He turned to take his jacket and froze. Tera was stood in the doorway to the fencing hall.
“Do you have enough time for at least one more lesson? With a new student?”
Yv nodded stiffly. Tera came to the middle of the hall and took up an unusual stance, arm straight and with the top part of her leg bent forward and strongly exposed. Yv immediately relaxed. He observed the stance with the look of a connoisseur, wondering what surprises he could expect, and holding the grip of his training sword more comfortably. For some time now, he noticed that he had tried to avoid the use of real weapons of war. Tera attacked swiftly. Lunge, lunge, more ... Yv turned his blade almost to the en garde position, brought down Tera’s blade, and struck sharply. Standing nearby Umarka shouted. “Touché!”
Tera jumped back, giving Yv a withering look.
“One more time.”
Yv thought for a second if it would be better to let her win, but he was worried that it would look obvious, so dare not pretend. Another two matches ended with the same result. After the third time, Tera put down her sword. With a sharp nod, she thanked him for the lesson and ran from the room without another word. For a few seconds, Yv watched Tera and her officer who rushed after her. He picked up the sword, smacked himself on the forehead, and like Pip, sat down on the mat, thinking why did nothing go right for him?
***
Yv sat on the observation deck looking at the stars. He had never seen stars during a flight. There had not been an observation deck on any of the ships that he had flown on, not even simple portholes, only a protective hull with antennas and vision sensors. Yv leaned over and picked up a bottle of wine, which according to Pip was called Minossk. At this moment he would prefer to drink gin, whiskey, or vodka, but hard spirits were not produced in the kingdom. Minossk was the strongest of the wines to be found in the ship’s cellar. Yv took a good glug and sighed heavily. More than a day had passed since the meeting in the fencing hall.
He had tried a couple of times to gain entrance to the royal chambers, but he was politely told that Tera was busy. So, he had time to see Grey Moustache and Beer Keg, who were also passing their time around the holocube discussing options with the commanders for the future battle.
The eyes of the senior officers of the kingdom stood out on stalks at the sight of such a method of decision-making. But Don Krushinka explained to them that in the past many of the current ordinary soldiers in the boarding party had once led a squadron in battle, and those who commanded the squadron now were nothing but young punks in those days.
For some reason, Yv was not interested in the preparations for the battle. He thought about going to Don Krushinka and requesting a return to the corvette, but he realized he could not allow himself to leave. All of it was silly, a little scary, but ... in a good way.
Yv took another sip and bent over, putting the bottle down. When he straightened up, he almost fell off the chair. Tera was sitting an arm’s length away in a nearby chair, behind which Umarka loomed as usual. For a few seconds, he just stared at her, unable to utter a word then he blushed and looked away. She nodded to Umarka, and when Umarka had retreated a couple of dozen steps, she reached out and put her hand on his wrist.
“Forgive me, but at home, I am considered to be a good swordsman. It is a hard thing to get hit on the nose repeatedly, especially if you consider yourself to be an expert.”
Yv shrugged sheepishly. Tera laughed.
“Yet, I requested a lesson, so I would like to hear about the mistakes I m
ade.”
Yv shivered, afraid to blurt out something that was inappropriate, and began to answer cautiously.
“In general, everything is fine, only your fencing is too ...” he paused, choosing his words, “predictable. Instead, we are accustomed to using any part of the sword that manages to catch the enemy’s blade. Also, we use a smaller number of movements. The narrow corridor of a ship is no place for swinging your sword around. It isn’t a fencing hall. You expect to counter using standard movements. Having parried using the lower part of the blade, thrust upwards, slash here, here, and across.” He demonstrated what he meant.
“That’s what I thought.” She nodded pensively and turned to him. “I want you to teach me.”
Yv’s face beamed.
“Of course.”
They were silent. Then Tera asked. “Why are you training your servant?”
“He wants to become a noble don.”
She stared at him.
“But is that not a privilege. Are you not a gentleman yourself?”
“No. I come from Pakron, where we have no nobles, just some farmers and even ichthyologists. We have huge oceans.”
“So, there are no gentlemen among the noble dons?”
Yv shrugged.
“There probably are. Maybe, say, in the army of the Russian Empire or the Sultanate of Regulus there are more of them, but in our place, no one is interested in that.”
Tera nodded.
“You know, I want you to tell me more in detail about my noble dons.”
“I’m a bad storyteller.”
“We shall see,” she laughed. “I will be expecting you tonight for dinner.”
When she left, Yv finished the bottle and threw it into the waste container and moving closer to the glass wall of the observation deck, he winked at the stars. Then he laughed and went to dress for dinner. Interestingly, he thought to himself, we could have something in common with Romeo and Juliet. That is if Romeo was seventy-nine years older than her, and before meeting her, he did not let a single skirt in the port taverns he was quartered in pass him by. Although, admittedly, he had done it without much enthusiasm. Wait a second, what does Romeo have to do with all this?
5
Yv was standing on the balcony of the palace, goggling at the green sea that lay before him. In the last two months, he had long ago lost touch with the life that he had led before. To be honest, Yv didn’t really feel comfortable with his new life, but there was a time in the past when he read a lot about it and, of course, often quietly dreamed about it. A lot of time had passed since then, which had involved a series of cheap taverns, a thin wallet, and long tedious raids in the hot steel hulls of ships that stank of oil, followed by short fierce battles. Before them, he would feel a sneaking fear and after them a pressing fatigue and a feeling of complete emptiness. But now...
They had reached the Throne of the World two weeks ago. So as not to shock the wider conservative mood of the population, the don’s squadron had been banned from landing on any of the kingdom’s worlds, but in the Lusus system, there was an old Navy base, which was only being utilized to a quarter of its capacity. It was, of course, a little small to accommodate such a large fleet, but the dons were not as fussy as regular troops, so enough food and fuel for the ships was delivered there, and Lusus turned into a huge military camp. Don Krushinka, Yv, and Stubborn Bull’s corvette, which Don Krushinka had made his personal courier, arrived on the Throne of the World.
After they arrived, the dons were horrified at how the men were abused, and how the women who were full of themselves, while drinking in groups in the port taverns, crowded into the rooms and stared at them dumbfounded.
From time to time they behaved like barnyard bullies, just from seeing men with swords drinking local wine and looking around having fun, while at the same time their males were at home diligently doing the housework. The dons took this as a personal affront.
This typically ended in fist fights—duels were not practiced here—and the dons had more than a little experience in tavern brawls. Besides that, they had already got used to the belligerent women, and their opponents, at first, were even happy with the change of scenery after the downtrodden local men.
After a week, the dons agreed this was a world they could like. Only one thing was bad. After walking around all the drinking establishments, they found that only wine was served. That was why, at an emergency meeting, it was decided to put together a spirit-making still as soon as possible.
Today Yv was being invited to taste his own brandy. Yv had not yet decided whether to go. Of course, he really wanted to see his old drinking buddies, but he knew it would end like usual. Could he afford to do that with his new position?
Yv sighed and decided not to take everything so seriously. In the end, he had been in no rush to take up this position, so if they had chosen to appoint him, then let them get used to it. On top of that, he didn’t want to feel embarrassed in front of Pip. Yv had received a hint that the palace attendants would do their best to ensure his complete comfort, so left the boy under the supervision of Grey Moustache.
After that the boy volunteered to serve on the ‘Unpleasant Surprise’, which was presently hanging in a parking orbit above the Throne of the World, waiting for Don Krushinka to finish his affairs in the capital and depart to join his fleet.
So, it was worthwhile for him to go and see Grey Moustache and ask how things were going with the young man. Yv threw a farewell glance at the park; it was time to get ready.
The tasting was to take place in Emilate, a small town, located the same distance from the palace and the spaceport, where Blasco Ninyas was parked. If he didn’t want to be late, he needed to be ready for takeoff in the next half hour.
“Noble Don!”
Yv whirled around sharply. Before him was a short, plump lady in a magnificent, fitted costume, wearing a sword, and with a heavy intricate Order of Merit hanging over her chest from a broad ribbon. It would be more accurate to say that because of her huge breasts, the Order of Merit rested there almost parallel to the ground.
“I am at your service.”
The lady pulled a face as if she found the fact that he had not instantly recognized her offensive, but for some reason or other, she chose not to put this peasant in his place. With a disingenuous smile on her face, she casually remarked, “My title is Baron Medjid.”
Yv had started to get used to the fact that here all the titles were defined in masculine terms, despite the fact that they were exclusively female, but this irritated his ear.
“At your service, Baron.”
The lady flashed him a casual look of contempt and walked slowly away along the parapet. Yv shrugged and turned away, deciding to leave the balcony at the same time as his strange visitor, but then came an angry shout
“What do mean by this?”
Yv turned. The lady stood and looked at him angrily.
“Excuse me, what do you mean?” Yv asked.
“Why do you not escort me?”
“But you did not ask,” said Yv, his eyebrows scrunched.
“Yes, you ... you ...” It seemed that she was about to burst from indignation. Finally, the lady controlled herself again and pretended to smile. “I beg your pardon, Noble Don, you should understand that we are used to slightly different behavior when dealing with our men.”
Yv looked at her through narrowed eyes. He knew that Tera’s plans to call on the dons for help had caused mixed reactions, to put it mildly. Among the aristocracy, a party had even been formed acting under the motto ‘Throw these rude bastards out immediately along with those that brought them here’. Not very snappy but as clear as daylight.
Tera was accused of violating the secular foundations and traditions of the state. It all smacked of revolt, but the party was small, although Tera could not afford a civil war on the eve of the attack on Outpost. Judging by her manners, this Baron was clearly one of this orthodox aristocracy, and in theory, he would be better
off shying away from her like she was a leper. However, she wanted to get to know him more closely, albeit rather awkwardly ... The question was why?
“At your service, Baron,” repeated Yv. “Please forgive my ignorance of your traditions.”
The Baron nodded haughtily.
“It is all right, I should have known better.” The haughty Baron nodded, turned again, and moved on. Yv quickly caught up with her, but she said sharply, “Walk half a step behind me.” He fell back behind her.
They walked on in silence for some time. Then the Baron turned her head slightly and said, as if in passing. “Your ignorance is surprising because you are ... ahem ... pretty close to Tera are you not?”
Yv almost choked. He wasn’t used to being considered a fool, though, it was possible that this lady considered all men to be idiots. He had happened to encounter similar types of thought regarding the opposite sex from men, but this was an aristocrat ... Moreover, according to her Order of Merit, one from the highest circles...
“I beg your pardon, Baron ...”
“Your Grace,” she reined him in.
“Yes, Your Grace, but I’m just Tera’s liaison officer,” he showed irritation on his face. “Besides that, I am unemployed. I was not allowed to attend meetings, and for my entire stay in the palace, I only once had the honor to witness her majesty and then only briefly. So, I am a complete ignoramus as regards to etiquette, and the only instructions that I received from Tera can be expressed in one sentence. ‘When I need you, then I will summon you’.”
The Baron shook her head in exasperation.
“For Adam’s sake! This is bad.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” nodded Yv. “It could be worse.”
The Baron stopped and turned to him.
“Well, what are you waiting for? I heard the dons’ glory is not only as conquerors of fortresses but also in the bedchamber. Does Tera not inspire any desires within you?”
Yv looked at his companion in shock. Surely, she could not truly be so direct. What kind of idiot she must believe him to be? Or just some performing dog? My God, how different this world was to the one he was used to living in. Yv gave his voice a shade of extreme reverence along with notes of light panic. “But she’s the queen!”
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