“Sir,” Tarillion said, aghast. “You give me far too much credit—”
“I do not think I exaggerate,” Karsath said, suddenly cold. “No, Captain. I think you have made a career out of being underestimated and ignored. There was something about the annexation of Bespiuhiri that changed you. Am I wrong? After you took command of the Lusus you were an entirely different officer. An officer that deprived the Empire—and the admiralty—of a tactical mind that could have conquered dozens of planets in the last ten years. Instead you spend your time plodding around, making circuits around the same three frontier systems.”
Tarillion was speechless. How could the admiral have gleaned so much from his dossier alone?
Karsath leaned back. “You will accomplish this task for me, Captain Tarillion. You have spent too many years avoiding attention. You find the Empire’s conquests detestable, and have been doing just enough to escape notice. But as you will soon discover, there are no in-betweens or halfways or shades of gray in the service of the Empire. There is no such thing as safety. And you must take action.”
Tarillion kept his head bowed. Somehow, he’d made the fatal mistake of underestimating Admiral Attilio Karsath.
“I abhor waste. Your mind and skills belong to the Empire, and you will escape my attention no longer, captain. In order to properly motivate you, I will make the consequences of failure very clear. If you fail, every member of your crew will be sent to a penal colony. From your first officer to the youngest ensign. I will have the Lusus itself decommissioned and scrapped. Am I understood?”
“Yessir.” Tarillion held perfectly still.
“Dismissed,” said Karsath, his face neutral, showing no anger or amusement. “Don’t fail me, captain.”
Read now!
About the Author
B.C. grew up on a steady, highly nutritious diet of Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, and science fiction books that involved aliens, laser guns, and explosions. She likes spicy food, spreadsheets, and talking about books and movies until no one ever wants to go see a movie with her again.
B.C. spends her days working in Silicon Valley and her nights typing feverishly at her laptop.
Join B.C.’s mailing list to be notified of new books, sales, giveaways and free stories (and nothing else. No spam, ever).
@bckelloggwrites
bckellogg
www.bckellogg.com
Sanctuary's Soldier: The Darkspace Saga Book 1 Page 24