Scout's Law
Page 20
She presented the same honors to the families of the Wind Dancer’s three lost crewmen. Flown to Morda by Federation representatives, the poor people were still struggling to come to grips with their losses. At least the families of the Naval airmen recognized this day might come. Merchant airmen rarely face such dangers, leaving their families unprepared for tragic news.
With the hardest part of the ceremony out of the way, Callan recognized each of the crewmen standing before her—including the crew of the Wind Dancer—giving special recognition to the Marines who tossed Thor overboard and the Marine Sergeant who tackled her to the ground and shielded her with his body.
When she finished with her presentations to the surviving crewmen, everyone expected Callan to return to the dais and officially end the ceremony. Instead, she called, “Jade Cochran, please step forward.”
The blonde’s eyes widened and her equally surprised mother had to give her a little shove to get her moving toward Callan. The girl stopped in front of Callan and curtsied. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“Jade, you risked and almost lost your life aiding in the rescue of the surviving crew of the Vanguard. In light of the destruction of the mountain base, there can be no doubt that your actions saved their lives and, quite likely, the Prince Consort’s life as well. We all owe you a debt beyond repayment.” A servant presented an open box to Callan. She withdrew an ornate, star-shaped medal dangling from a green and gold ribbon and fastened it around Jade’s neck. “From a grateful country and an equally grateful princess, please accept the Princess’s Star, our highest civilian award for courage and service to the throne.”
Callan kissed the girl on each cheek, lingering to whisper, “David also thanks you for pushing me from the pinnace before you went after him.”
Callan was absolutely right about that. I don’t know how my actions would have changed had Callan been present, but it’s likely Captain Jorson and the Tercel would have been wrecked in the second windstorm had Callan not been there to describe the weather control device and tell him where to look for it. That, alone, probably saved dozens of lives.
Jade giggled and waited for Callan to dismiss her back to her family. Instead, Callan motioned for the girl to stay where she was.
Callan once again addressed the gathered crowd. “Ensign Christopher Marlow, please step forward.”
Just as surprised as his new girlfriend, Chris managed a parade ground march to the foot of the dais. He bowed deeply and said, “I am yours to command, Your Highness.”
“Rise, Ensign,” Callan responded formally. “After surviving the crash of the Vanguard and avoiding death or capture by trogs serving our enemy, Ensign Marlow thought only of finding and aiding the Prince Consort and me. He did exactly that, providing invaluable assistance tracking the trogs to the mountain base. It was near the cave entrance that we found ourselves trapped by a large number of trogs, all armed with blaster rifles. Thinking only to protect David and me, Ensign Marlow offered up his own life to keep our presence secret. By the grace of God, the shots fired at him missed. I mourned him for dead, not knowing one of the trogs had knocked out Ensign Marlow and taken him captive.
“In the hours that followed his capture, Chris aided and protected his fellow prisoners, taking on extra duties so injured crewmen could rest and recover. During the escape orchestrated by the Prince Consort, only Chris’s quick action saved Jade from tumbling to her death. While his deeds in the battle that followed were valorous and a credit to him, Ensign Marlow’s ready willingness to sacrifice his own life to protect ours and Jade’s are deserving of special recognition.”
The same servant presented another box to Callan, from which she drew another green and gold ribbon to which an emerald-encrusted gold cross was attached. Chris’s eyes widened at the sight of the medal.
“Could you bend over slightly so I can reach around your neck, Chris?” Callan asked in a low voice.
Chris did as Callan asked and she fastened the ribbon behind his neck. “From a grateful country and an equally grateful royal family, for actions above and beyond the call of duty I award you the Queen’s Cross, the second highest military award for valor our country presents.”
After Callan kissed Chris on both cheeks, Queen Elaina rose and kissed him on the forehead, adding her private thanks for protecting her daughter. Chris bowed low to his queen and princess. Then Callan turned Chris and Jade to face the crowd and linked arms with them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, officers and airmen, in the history of Mordan only our beloved, late Milo earned the Princess’s Star at a younger age than Jade. And no member of the Mordanian Navy has earned the Queen’s Cross at such a young age as Ensign Marlow.” Callan paused to smile at each of them. “These two are shining examples of the kind of young people our country and our world produces. Look upon them and feel hope, for Aashla’s future rests on the shoulders of such bright and brave young men and women.”
Callan stepped back and gently pushed Chris and Jade together. Immediately, the crews of the Vanguard and the Tercel raised their voices, cheering loudly for the blushing teenagers. A second later, the rest of the crowd joined in and the audience chamber rang with applause.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Chris
While growing up, I dreamed of the day I’d stand before the royal family and receive an award for valor from the beautiful Princess Callan. Most boys have such dreams at one time or another. Actually having that dream come true was even more exciting than I ever imagined. I just didn’t expect the embarrassment I felt, too.
In your dreams, you swell with pride as your deeds are recounted before your shipmates and the nobles of the court. In your dreams, you know you deserve such praise and are worthy of the admiration directed at you. In your dreams, you’re like David Rice—resolute in the face of danger, an implacable foe of evil, and certain of your rightful place in the pantheon of heroes.
Throughout the ceremony, I kept waiting for someone to point at me and shout, “Hey, he’s not a hero—he’s just a kid!” But no one did that. They did something worse. They cheered. For me. And for Jade, but at least she deserved it.
The next thing I knew my shipmates were slapping my back and pumping my hand. Then the officers saluted me—even Captain Wright—and told me I was shaping up to be a fine young officer.
When the officers and crew parted, it was to let my family through. Mom hugged me and kissed me and cried and told me how much she loved me. Dad squeezed my shoulder and, in a voice husky with emotion, said he was so proud of me he was about to burst. The scariest part was my brothers and sisters. They were nice to me and said they always knew I’d make a name for myself.
Then we were whisked off to a fancy ball where lords and ladies shook my hand and told me they expected great things from me. Admirals saluted me and their wives introduced giggling daughters to me. I found every dance on my card taken up with the admirals’ daughters or admirals’ wives. All I really wanted to do was dance with Jade, to look into her green eyes and find a little sanity in this strange world I’d been thrust into. But Jade was busy dancing with lordlings and the sons of merchant princes.
Finally, Callan used her royal prerogative and placed herself at the top of my dance card. She whirled me out onto the dance floor, leading without appearing to lead. She studied me for a moment before asking, “What’s bothering you, Chris? And don’t tell me it’s dancing with every eligible young lady in the court except Jade. It’s something deeper than that.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. How could I tell my future ruler she’d given an award to someone who didn’t deserve it? Instead, I just shook my head.
Callan gazed at me thoughtfully for a few seconds then said, “Let me guess. You think you’re just a regular ensign who doesn’t deserve all of this attention, much less the Queen’s Cross, and you’re just waiting for someone to realize it’s all a mistake.”
My mouth dropped open and I blurted, “How did you
know?”
Callan leaned closer to me and whispered, “Because I’ve heard the same thing from David half a dozen times.”
My mouth dropped open a second time. “David? But he’s a true hero! He deserves every honor given him and more.”
“If you ask David, he’ll tell you he’s just a man doing his duty as best he can,” Callan said.
I found myself nodding vigorously. “Yes, that’s exactly how I feel!”
“May I tell you a secret, Chris?” Callan asked. When I nodded, she continued, “A hero is someone who does their duty and keeps on doing their duty no matter how trying the circumstances.” Callan brought us to a halt in the middle of the dance floor, took my hands in hers, and stared deeply into my eyes. “And you, my young Ensign, are a hero.”
David and Jade spun to a stop next to us and I heard David say, “Of course he’s a hero. And so is Jade!”
“But I don’t feel like a hero!” Jade and I said at the same time. We looked at each other in amazement and both said, “Of course, you’re a hero!”
Callan deftly maneuvered Jade into my arms. “I’m declaring both of your dance cards closed except to each other for the rest of the ball. Dance or don’t dance, but do so together.” Callan laid a hand lightly on Jade’s arm. “Oh, and Chris has been so sweet he really deserves a kiss. I thought about giving him one, but why would he want to kiss an old married woman when he can kiss the most beautiful young lady in the palace?”
“Who, me?” Jade asked in surprise.
I pulled her close and said, “Yes, you.”
And, right there in the middle of the crowded dance floor, in plain sight of both of our families, the admiralty, and the gathered nobility, I kissed the most beautiful young lady in the palace and in my universe.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up, Henry worked at the usual range of menial jobs -- from grocery store bag boy to pizza delivery to retail sales -- before ending up in software development. In between the menial jobs and the IT jobs, he achieved some small fame as the writer and co-creator of the small press comic book titles Southern Knights and X-Thieves. For the past ten years, Henry has also taken up the mantle of professional storyteller, performs regularly throughout the state of North Carolina, and has recently released his first book of children's stories.
Henry has been a fan of science fiction for as long as he can remember. He has loved space opera and planetary romance since the beginning, that is why his science fiction novels end up in those subgenres.
Henry currently live in Raleigh, NC, with his wife, son, one cat, and lots of imaginary friends all clamoring to tell him of their adventures.
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Other Books by Henry Vogel
Scout Series:
Scout’s Honor
Scout’s Oath
Scout’s Duty
Scout Omnibus (a compilation of the three books listed above)
Scout’s Law
Matt & Michelle:
The Fugitive Heir
The Fugitive Pair
The Fugitive Snare (coming in 2017)
Captain Nancy Martin:
The Counterfeit Captain
The Undercover Captain (coming in 2017)
Recognition Series
The Recognition Run (coming in 2017)