Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights

by Lawrence White

  Krys shuddered. "We're talking about gleasons here, Your Majesty. In my heart I say no, but philosophically the answer must be yes. Pity the crews who would carry them.”

  * * * * *

  Following dinner, Atiana sat with Lady Krys in her quarters. It was just the two of them if you discounted the presence of Borg. Krys was never without protection when there were visitors on the ship.

  "My Lady, may I ask what blinded you?" Atiana asked.

  "You may and I'll tell you, but only if you agree to call me Krys."

  "Of course, My Lady, but you’re a Knight of your great Empire. I'm just queen of a province on a remote world that has little importance to the Empire."

  "Don't sell yourself short. Mother will enjoy meeting you, I’m certain. But consider: there is only one other woman on this ship, our healer. Conversation with women is a rare luxury for me.”

  “Oh, I know what you mean. I, too, live most of my life in a man’s world. But you and Tarn are friends. Even in the short time I've been here I can see that."

  "We're best friends and life partners. I get the feeling something is building between you and Colonel Havlock?”

  Atiana hesitated. Was it appropriate to bare her soul to this woman who was probably younger than she was? More important, was it fair to Gar? Then she remembered—it was because of this woman that the Empire was trying to rescue her people. Lady Krys had earned the right to ask anything she wanted to ask.

  “I wish,” she said, “but he's juggling too many complex issues to think about me, at least the way I think about him. If I can borrow a favorite term from Sir Galborae which neither of us understands, Gar’s thinking is light-years ahead of the rest of us. He's intensely focused on refining methods to attract gleasons to the kill, but he's also trying to save them as a species. Not only that, he’s constantly focused on Tranxte’s future. Everything he does, he does with that view in mind. It’s why he talked to the gleason. It’s why he’s involving us in the fight, not just doing the fighting for us. It’s why we have a Teacher and a Healer.”

  “I’m intrigued with his focus on Tranxte’s future,” Krys said. “No one in the Empire really knows what to do with Tranxte. We’ve had some great failures along the way when emerging worlds learned of our existence, but we’ve had no great successes. Those we guided—to the best of my knowledge all of them—came into the empire passively, bringing little creativity or energy.”

  "Hmm. That might be what’s driving him to see Tranxte succeed. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find he’s studied those failures to see what went wrong. Whatever the case, he’s determined. One of his concerns is that a horde of experts will descend on us when the gleasons are dead or gone, a horde who will supplant all of his efforts.”

  “Hordes of experts can be wonderful tools if they have the right guidance. Is he the one to guide them? Are you? Have the two of you discussed specifics?"

  “He's made a start by naming two of his people Teacher and Healer. They live with us, they have the ability to inform us at a level we understand, and they’re respected. The Teacher reaches out to kings and captains of the guard. The Healer has saved countless lives while teaching our own healers in the process. I’m one of her success stories. She might have saved my life by convincing me to abandon my kingdom long enough to spend time in a tank."

  "How does the Teacher reach out to kings?”

  "He accompanies either Gar or myself and the Healer as we introduce the Empire to new kingdoms. Keep in mind that we’re showing up at their doorstep in a sky ship. We use magic weapons and we dress in clothes that cannot be pierced by a blade. Hawke has a knack for knowing just the right words to use with people who are afraid, suspicious, and desperate. He was a sergeant before Gar reassigned him."

  Krys lifted an eyebrow. “A sergeant is in charge of replacing local leadership?”

  “Just the opposite, My Lady. Gar has not come to conquer. He is going to great effort to keep our current structure in place. The Teacher and Healer are the foundation of what he calls his ‘mentoring group.’ With the power at his fingertips, he could easily defeat any kingdom on the planet. Instead, he empowers kings and queens. He brings the local king out to a caravan, teaches him and his guards how to fight gleasons, then makes certain the king and his guards lead the caravan into their own cities and through their castle gates in triumph. Let me tell you, the arrival of a caravan is a huge event. Before the marines came, travel between villages, towns, and even kingdoms had come to a complete halt. The caravans bring badly needed supplies, but more, they bring hope that there’s an end to this.

  “The Teacher convinced him to hold a meeting of kings from every single kingdom we’ve reconnected to. At the meeting, Gar laid out Empire strategies and plans before all of them so that no one felt slighted. The Teacher hopes to continue such meetings as we reconnect to additional kingdoms. He wants every ruler to know every other ruler in order to foster discourse and hopefully form bonds of trust. Gar believes there will always be a measure of distrust among them, but if he can keep them trusting the Empire, they’ll at least have a neutral place in which they can talk with some measure of freedom.

  “His vision includes the Teacher forming a network of mentors who will spread out across the planet. These teachers will give everyone an equal chance to learn, which he hopes will make it harder for large or aggressive kingdoms to swallow the smaller ones. He expects disagreements, maybe even wars, but he hopes to keep them to a reasonable size since he claims that one day we'll be able to blow up our whole planet.”

  She stood up, frowning in concentration. She was speaking for Gar, and she really had no right to do so. More important, she might not have it all right.

  “My Lady, his vision might be at odds with your own because I’m certain he does not want the Empire to rule Tranxte. He wants us to rule ourselves. Actually, he envisions some form of an Empire presence that has as it's ultimate goal that of working itself out of existence. He hopes the day will come when Tranxte no longer needs or wants the Empire’s help. Whenever either of those two events comes about, the Empire must be willing to leave.”

  "Not so easily accomplished when you factor people into the issue. Empire administrators and their staffs will build little domains of their own and settle in."

  "Well, it won't be Gar's problem, but it will be mine to whatever extent I can influence things from my little province."

  “Not his problem?”

  Atiana smiled sadly. "Tranxte has become more a part of him than he knows, but when your main forces arrive here, everything will get turned over to General Stymes, including Gar’s vision of the future. He’ll no longer be Sky Lord. He’ll just be one officer among many.”

  "Hmm. I see what you mean. I wonder if General Stymes has a similar view of things?"

  "Gar assures me he is an excellent soldier and a good leader."

  "My Queen has been fortunate in her choices of leaders, military and otherwise. A small handful of them have been visionaries.”

  “If General Stymes ever succeeds in clearing Tranxte of gleasons, your Empire will send experts to help us start the process of rebuilding. I hope you send experts with vision.”

  “I’m sorry to tell you this, but there are no experts to send, Atiana. We have people with ideas, people who would make wonderful advisors, but I like the idea of starting that process now, not waiting until the gleasons are gone. There is great power in bringing people together in crisis rather than afterward.”

  Despite her blindness, her eyes seemed to focus on Atiana. "You're a queen, and I suspect you’re a good one. You even rule other kingdoms. That can't be an easy task."

  "It was all set up by my father before the gleasons came. I haven't been tested yet."

  "Surely you jest. Every minute of every day has been a test. You've led your kingdom through difficult times, you’ve adapted to strangers from the stars, and you're encouraging Colonel Havlock as he struggles to keep to the high road. Those are
qualities of a good queen, maybe an excellent queen. I’m certain my words do not surprise you.”

  Atiana sat down and fidgeted, suddenly uneasy. "Your point, My Lady?" she asked formally.

  "You're an expert manipulator. I'll bet you guided your father for years without his knowing. Are you manipulating me as well?"

  Atiana blushed furiously. Krys could not see it, but Atiana sensed correctly that Krys knew and was enjoying catching her out. But she would not lie to this Great One from the stars.

  "Perhaps a little."

  Krys chuckled, her whole face joining in the process. "You call this a little? You're mapping out the future for a whole world."

  "We deserve to map out our futures, My Lady, and you have the power to help us. I’m not beneath groveling if that’s what it takes.”

  “We’ll have no groveling here. Clear, intelligent discussion works better.”

  “Well, I’ve described Gar’s vision, though I’m sure he’ll present it better when he gets here. You deserve to know that my part in his vision includes all the people of Tranxte, not just those under my immediate rule. I seek no advantage for my province.”

  "We wouldn't be having this conversation if that was not the case, my dear. And it's Krys, remember?"

  "Krys."

  "So let's back up a little. The Empire has always had a complete hands off policy in regard to emerging worlds, meaning we do everything we can to prevent their learning about us. Occasionally a world slips through the cracks and discovers us. Tranxte and Earth are both in that unfortunate group, and my Empire is now attempting to guide two emerging words at the same time. Since there are no experts, everyone is learning right along with you and Gar. We’ll undoubtedly make mistakes along the way, but we want to limit those mistakes. Whatever we learn here might help us with Earth and vice versa. We have to find a mechanism for comparing notes as we go.”

  Atiana swallowed hard. “You said you were keeping this other world’s existence a secret. Why are you telling me?”

  “Because from the moment you came aboard, I knew you were a key player. I don’t see you fading into obscurity. One of the problems we have with helping Earth emerge is that many different nations are fighting for superiority. There is no one single person who can speak for all of Earth. The same thing could happen to Tranxte. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could change that?”

  “You're inviting me to help?"

  "In this business of running an Empire, people tend to invite themselves. I could see you becoming Tranxte’s voice.”

  “I hope to, but let’s face it—I don't even know what a light-year is."

  "I was only 16 when I was called, and I'd never been tested in life. You're far more mature. It's people like you who end up making all of this work. Without even having met him, I suspect this Colonel Havlock of yours is one as well."

  "Where is this going?"

  "There's someone I'd like you to meet. He's been listening to our conversation at my request. I lean heavily on him for advice, and Tranxte might truly benefit from his insight here."

  Atiana stood. “Bring him in."

  “We'll . . . it's not that simple. He's not human."

  Atiana sat back down, her body ramrod straight. "I've been aboard the transporter. I'm over that shock."

  “Hmm. I doubt it. Nevertheless, I want you to meet him. He’s a close friend who just happens to be the captain of my ship. Stven?”

  The door to the corridor opened and Stven ambled in. Atiana sucked in a sharp breath as she took in the dragon. His fearsome head nearly brushed the ceiling as his nostrils tasted the air. Shiny, purple scales covered him from nose to tail, scales whose edges, tipped in bright yellow, created the illusion of a body flowing across the deck. Wise, purple, kindly eyes met her astonished look.

  Stven lowered a knee as his head swooped down to her level, a dragon’s method of bowing. "Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty," he said in a mellow voice.

  Atiana stood without thinking, her eyes taking in this awesome creature. She took a step toward him, then another and another, finally reaching out a hand to brush her fingers lightly across the scales on his head.

  She looked directly into his eye and said, "You're so beautiful you take my breath away."

  "Well! I think you'll fit right in," Stven answered. "You're supposed to fear me. I guess I'm failing as a dragon."

  “Fear? I grew up with tales of dragons, magical creatures who always came to our rescue. Are you magical?"

  "Sorry. No magic spells here, though I do breath fire from time to time."

  "I can't speak for all of Tranxte, but you would be welcomed everywhere in my province."

  Krys interrupted. ”My dear, you're speaking to a Rress. His people are one of the most ancient and revered species in our Empire. What’s more, he, too, is a Knight of the Realm."

  A hand came to her mouth in horror. “Of course you would be. I'm forgetting myself." She backed away and went to a knee with her head bowed. "I'm so pleased to meet you, Sire."

  "The pleasure is mine. We don't stand on formality much here. Please make yourself comfortable. I’d join you but dragons don't sit in chairs."

  "Thank you, Sire."

  “I’m not Sire aboard this ship. I’m Stven or Captain. Your conversation intrigues me. I have a feeling those experts who come to Tranxte might include some of my people—the Rress. We're widely recognized as educators and philosophers. Some of them will want to observe the process you’re going through here and possibly comment on it from time to time.”

  “If they come, they will be welcomed. Their words will be heard, more because they’re dragons than because of what they say.”

  "You say you can't speak for all of Tranxte. What if we asked you to do just that?"

  A hand came to her throat. "I beg your pardon?"

  “You heard me. I know you enough to know you know what I mean. Sir Galborae has been a good beginning, and I suspect he’ll remain an important part of the picture, but at heart he’s a soldier.”

  “Be careful what you say, Sire. I’m a soldier too. I constantly find Sir Galborae one step ahead of me, and he has a remarkable ability to show up just where he’s needed the most. He’s far more than a soldier. He’s the glue holding all of us together, including the Sky Lord.”

  “Hmm. I stand corrected. Such activities remind me of our First Knight. It sounds like Sir Galborae is everything we hoped he would be. Still, he’s not a queen. His words will not carry the same weight as yours.”

  “I will do whatever I can, Sire, but the process we’re discussing will take generations. I’m already an old maid. Gar has brought together a group of six, including himself. Realistically, if we’re to succeed, our most important gift to Tranxte will be to find individuals to carry on the work we’ve begun.”

  “Hmm. There is that, I admit. In the meantime, let me reiterate something you inferred earlier: the people of Tranxte will never be restored to what they were. I believe you’re right, Your Majesty. Furthermore, I believe that whatever your people are destined to become, the process of getting there has already begun.”

  She frowned. "It looks a little different when the problem is right now instead of later."

  "But conceptually nothing has changed. The problem exists, the process of resolving it has already begun, and there are no experts to whom you can call for help. From what you’ve told us, Colonel Havlock is already focused on this issue. He has, in fact, been focused on this big picture from the very beginning.” She stared at him, but she did not reply so he said gently, "He can’t do it alone. He’ll need help, a lot of help. I hear your people calling you, Your Majesty. Don't you?"

  She stood up and started to turn away to consider his words, then she remembered she was not a queen presiding over her advisors. She was the guest of Great Ones. She turned back to him and said, "You know I do. Outside my province I have no authority, but still, I hear their call."

  "Authority is not the problem. Your responsibil
ities as queen might be an impediment, but your position as queen legitimizes you.”

  "I'm queen for life. The people of my province must come first.”

  “If that’s the case, maybe you’re not the one we thought you were. We can't make that choice, nor will we."

  Atiana turned to Krys. "Who's manipulating whom, My Lady?"

  "All of us in this room are skilled manipulators, I'm afraid. You've been making a case for Colonel Havlock since the moment you boarded our ship. We, in turn, are making a case for the broader issue: your people—all of your people. You, Sir Galborae, and Colonel Havlock appear to have made a good start. Will you help them further the process?”

  Stven nodded in agreement, meaning his whole neck rippled up and down, the light dancing along his scales. “Sir Galborae has already answered our call, Your Majesty, a call we made on behalf of his people and our own. We won't argue the point that others will answer our call—we have yet to meet your Colonel Havlock for example—but you . . . you we do call. We call you in the name of our Empire and on behalf of the people of Tranxte to lead them through their emergence. If you’ll allow me to be presumptive, I hope your leadership will one day help bring ‘the Tranxte that would have been’ into our Empire.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Havlock shuttled up to Resolve and brought Galborae’s wife, Milae, and Sergeants Hawke and Kori with him. None of them had ever met a Knight, and none of them had taken the time to change into dress uniforms, under the circumstances a major discrepancy for a marine, though they had dressed in fresh body armor. Borg escorted the four visitors to an already crowded lounge where most of the crew awaited. Atiana and Galborae, with Limam by his side as always, waited with them.

  Milae stopped in amazement at the sight of the great dragon, her mouth dropping open and tears filling her eyes to brimming. Tarn made introductions and invited everyone to sit down, though Galborae and Milae distanced themselves and remained standing. Hawke and Kori sat at attention on the very tips of their chairs, and Havlock was only slightly less at ease.