“I told you that Tauri enlisted me as soon as it happened, but when did you figure out that I was supposed to be reporting to the Admiralty?”
“Oh, I knew that right from the beginning. Before you ever came on board actually,” he said.
“How?”
The Captain took a sip of his cognac. “Because it was too good an opportunity for the Admiral to pass up. He’d tried to recruit Citizens from my crew before but it had never worked. You coming fresh from The Academy and having screwed up the way you did…”
He saw the grimace on my face and tipped his glass at me.
“… It was a rare chance to get someone close to me. And besides… An aide? I’ve never needed an aide.”
“If you knew why didn’t you leave me behind on a planet someplace, or…?”
Suddenly the pieces came together. The patterns all added up.
“You needed me!” I said. “You needed my codes!”
“Well, let’s just say you made for a good contingency plan. I thought they might come in handy.”
I gave him a questioning look.
“The Admiral never trusted any of his other spies with those kind of codes,” he said. “They all handed off data chips and used other dead drop routines. But with your high marks in loyalty and the double Deep Core conditioning they put you through…”
“And the fact that I was terribly naïve…” I said quietly.
The Captain just smiled.
“Besides,” he eventually said. “I thought you could use the second stipend for being the Admiral’s spy – you are sending it to your mother, aren’t you?”
“One of the three, yes,” I said distractedly.
“Three?” he asked with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, Tauri put me on the IDF payroll too.”
“Well, don’t mention it to anyone and maybe they won’t catch it for a few years,” he said absently.
There was a comfortable silence between us, but I knew the biggest revelation in our conversation was yet to come.
“So what did you mean when you said you’re not going to save the Empire? You said that it never had been the plan…”
He drained the last of his cognac, put his feet down, and leaned forward on the desk.
“Jac, the fact that you had the codes was only one of the reasons that I needed you. The Empire can’t continue the way it’s been going. The corruption, the greed… My brother and Lord Carrington seceding have given us a unique opportunity.”
“We originally agreed to go along with you because you said you were going to put the Empire back together again,” I said. “Now you’re talking as if the Empire is an evil thing.”
“In many ways it is,” he said. “Jack, in your naïveté you have always assumed that the Empire was a good system of government just being run by bad people, but that’s not accurate. The Empire is a bad system of government because it corrupts good people.
“Just removing all the corruption might help things for a while but within a few years everything would return to the way it is now. Only this time it would be even harder to weed the corruption out; the new leaders will be stronger and smarter about how to protect their turf. Eventually it would lead to the collapse of the entire society.
“I suspect if we actually knew all of mankind’s history we’d see a similar pattern repeating itself over and over.
“By the way, I never lied to you about what I was planning. I just let you think what you wanted to think.
He continued, “We have a unique opportunity. The heaviest concentration of cronyism and power has just removed itself by seceding. The other powerful and corrupted force has just had its head cut off. The IDF is still an immoral and corrupt organization but if it’s ever to be changed or disbanded now’s the time to do it.”
“What are you proposing?” I asked.
“I want the thousand suns of the Empire… Well, I guess it’s down to a little over 600 suns now but anyway, I want those worlds to have their sovereignty back. They’ll be given the opportunity to request membership in the Meri Acá. Those kinds of trade opportunities have the potential to give a tremendous lift to their prosperity.
“But there’s a catch.”
If I hadn’t sensed it was coming I wouldn’t have believed what I was hearing. I don’t think I was even breathing. He actually wanted the Empire to wither away!
He continued, “The problem is our worlds aren’t ready to join the Meri Acá. They need to learn how to govern themselves, how to value freedom over authority. I suspect you understand the dynamics far better than I do; but I also suspect you’re just the man to direct it.”
“Me? I’m not the Emperor! I don’t have any idea how to do something like that,” I protested.
“It can’t be me Jac,” he said. “Oh, I’ll retain the title and I’ll make myself available as a figurehead from time to time but if I’m seen as being in daily control true change will never happen. Everyone will assume the old ways of corruption and cronyism will still persist.
“I need a Regent. I need someone I can trust and, more importantly, someone with the moral backbone to see it through…
“Jac, you once told me about your dream of growing Lightspar’s economy and making it a prosperous world. You prepared your whole life to do that. I just want you to up the scale a little bit.”
The silence stretched out. I was stunned. Frak, I hated feeling that way again.
“I… I truly don’t know if I’m up to it. What if I fail? What if I can’t hold up and get the job done?”
“I have faith in you Jac, and actually, a lot of other people do too. That’s not to say that you might not need some help. You’re going to need to team up with people you can trust.”
I guess I was lost in thought; I know I was looking down at the floor because when the Captain cleared his throat I looked up.
“I’m sorry sir,” I said. “Did you have someone in mind?”
I couldn’t believe I was actually contemplating this.
“Well yes. Monica’s been the best First Officer I’ve ever had. Although maybe she might serve you better as an advisor? Anyway, that would be up to you. If I were you though, I’d start putting my team together immediately. I’ll be making the announcement in a couple of days.”
“A couple of days!” I almost screamed. “You think I can get ready for this in just a couple of days?”
“Oh, you’ll never be ready for it,” he said with a grin. “But I meant it; I have faith in you.”
My head was swimming. The Captain was right; I had been preparing for this my whole life. I already had good ideas on how to transform the structure of planetary governments. And now with the example of the Meri Acá there were so many new ways available to incentivize people to contribute and produce…
I found myself elated. This is what I’d always wanted to do, but I also felt overwhelmed. This wasn’t just one planet we were talking about. What would we do about mutual protection? The fleet couldn’t just be disbanded, and what about the IDF? How was I supposed to handle that?
And then, of course, there was still the question of the refugees and what might lie in wait downspiral, but at least we did have some time to prepare for that.
The Captain was right. I needed to put my team together quickly and the thought of Monica sticking around lifted my spirits. If I could only talk her into it.
“Do you happen to know where Monica is?” I asked. “I haven’t seen her today.”
“As a matter of fact I do,” the Captain answered. “She’s been taking care of some things at the palace for me. Unless I miss my guess she’ll be taking her daily ride in a few hours. You’ve got just enough time to get down there and join her. If you want,” the Captain said nonchalantly.
I blinked several times; I really didn’t know what to say.
“Thank you, Captain.”
“When we’re not in public you really should call me Alyster. After all, we’re going to be good friends, ar
en’t we?”
Epilogue
ENSIGN JACOBY NICOLAY
Unexpected Opportunities
I was walking towards the barn just in time to see Monica walk her mount out into the yard.
When she looked up and saw me approaching her face broke into a beautiful smile. I was so surprised I almost stopped, but somehow I kept walking.
When I was within hearing range she called out, “What in the seven heavens are you doing here?”
I walked up and started admiring her horse.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about. I was hoping to find some time alone with you.”
She frowned slightly, probably thinking there was a problem somewhere.
“I was just about to take a ride, could it possibly wait until later?” she said with a sigh.
“Why don’t I come with you?” I said.
“You know how to ride?” she said surprised.
“Well, I’ve done it once before,” I said somewhat self-consciously.
Just then a stable hand stepped up and asked, “Would the Ensign like me to bring out the same horse as before?”
I nodded and we both waited in a comfortable silence until Starlight, fully saddled, was led out to me.
Monica mounted with a practiced ease and I realized she’d probably been riding many times with the Captain’s brother.
Thinking about that gave me a surge of adrenaline and as I put my foot in the stirrup I stepped up onto the horse’s back so strongly that I almost fell off the other side.
Monica’s mild laughter did nothing to calm my blush.
We headed out at a slow walk. All the instincts and memories of my previous ride came back to me. Starlight and I were like one. Even at a walk I felt the majesty of the creature beneath me.
Monica, I noticed, was also comfortable on her mount but there was something missing. It wasn’t anything obvious but she used the rains almost exclusively to guide the horse; it was subtly obvious that rider and horse weren’t always both on the same page.
All of this I was noticing subconsciously as I tried to figure out how to explain the duty my Captain… My Emperor, had given me. I realized more than ever that I wanted her help but I knew what an independent person she was. She would only stay if she wanted to and I didn’t want to blow it with an awkward conversation.
Before I could formulate my words she spoke…
“Jac, there’s something I want to talk to you about too.”
When I didn’t respond she continued, “When I first met you I totally misjudged you. I didn’t think badly of you, I just hardly thought of you at all. I was so caught up in my own situation and events were happening so fast… I didn’t know who I could trust”
I laughed softly. “I can relate to that,” I said
“The thing is you’ve always been your own person. No matter the situation, no matter the politics you remain true to what you believe. You haven’t been putting on an act, you haven’t been trying to deceive anyone, you’ve clung to what you think is right.”
“Isn’t that just a nice way to say that I’ve been naïve and stubborn?” I asked lightly.
She laughed again. I decided I liked her laugh.
“Yes you’ve been naïve, and you’ve definitely been stubborn,” she said. “But it goes deeper than that. You’ve been real. I haven’t met many people like that in my life. I just want you to know that I respect and admire that.”
Maybe this was a better start to my conversation that I’d hoped for?
We continued our slow ride in a comfortable silence. By now we were a couple miles out from the barn.
Finally she said, “Jac, I want someone like that in my life. Do you think there’s a chance…? Could we…? Do you think we could start spending some time together?”
I was stun… No. I refuse to be stunned again. I wasn’t going to let this moment slip by. My heart was racing but I knew I had to take control of myself.
“Monica there’s a challenge,” I said.
From the corner of my eye I could see that she was watching me intently.
“I understand the terrible things you’ve been through. I understand that your heart has been played with. And Monica, it has affected you,” I said.
“You’ve put up walls to shield yourself from getting abused like that again. Look at you now, you can barely bring yourself to say that you like me.
“Well, I like you too. And if I can retrain myself to be open about it I would expect the same from you. I don’t want to play games with you and I don’t want to just date, I want you to be my lover, my best friend, I want us to know each other’s deepest desires and fears and to be each other’s providers and protectors of those things.
“I don’t just want the hard emotional shell you’ve wrapped yourself in; I want the inner core of who you are as well. I want all of you.”
Was I really saying these things? Well, it was too late to stop now.
“And what if it doesn’t work out?” she exclaimed. “You want me to open myself up and hold nothing back… Again!”
“If it doesn’t work out we’ll go our separate ways and wish each other the best. There are worse things than carrying fond memories of a previous relationship. But I can think of nothing worse than holding back, playing games, and possibly missing out on a truly shared life. Vulnerability is a two-way street. Letting ourselves be vulnerable, having that kind of trust in each other… it’s the only kind of relationship I’ll ever settle for.”
We rode in silence for a while longer. I started getting nervous. Had I pushed it too far? She wouldn’t tell me to go pound sand, would she?
“Or…” she said. “We could play it safer and kind of see how it goes. Honestly Jac, I don’t know if I can do what you’re asking. I don’t know if I can let down my guard all at once like that.”
Drak, I thought to myself.
“So I guess we’re at an impasse,” I heard myself saying.
After a moment she said, “Yeah, I guess so.”
And then she suddenly laughed…
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll race you! You see that giant tree in the distance? It sits on top of a small hill; I used to go there when I wanted to be alone.
“If I get there first we do it my way,” she continued. “We take it slow and you have to understand that this is hard for me; you have to be patient and let things develop or not as they will.”
“And if I win?” I asked innocently.
“Then I’ll do what you want,” she laughed. “I’ll throw caution to the wind and do my best to open myself up.”
I reached down and patted my horse on the neck. “Sometimes,” I said to Starlight. “Life really does work out fair.”
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to thank my good friend Darrell Smith for brainstorming numerous plot ideas and not laughing too hard at some of the more absurd ones. I also want to thank my entire family for putting up with me as well as my business partners for allowing me the time to work on this project. I especially want to acknowledge my wife; without her unflagging belief and confidence this manuscript would never have b
een written.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
www.WilliamLeeGordon.com
William Lee Gordon is the pen name of the last baby born in the city of Wichita, KS in the year 1958. Along with that distinction came televised appearances, local fame, and most valuable; a year’s worth of diapers.
Bill has a diverse background and is known as a strong public speaker; receiving standing ovations from audiences numbering in the thousands at Cesar’s Palace in Las Vegas as well as other venues worldwide. His favorite topic is Leadership.
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