NO TIME FOR GLORY (SOLBIDYUM WARS SAGA Book 8)

by Dale Musser

  Immediately Kala and Lunnie turned to see who I was saluting. Lunnie screamed, “Reide!” and jumped to her feet, knocking over her chair and jarring the table, which in turn spilled my glass of wine. Lunnie bounded across her fallen chair and threw her arms around Reide, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. “I’ve missed you!” she exclaimed.

  “I’ve missed you, too, sis,” he said as he tried to disengage himself from Lunnie’s embrace. “Hi, Mom. I missed you, too.”

  “Oh my, Reide! You look so… well… grown up and different!” gasped Kala as she hugged him and gave him a mother’s head-to-toe appraisal.

  Indeed, he did look different. He looked fit in a way that I had never seen him before. Both Reide and Lunnie had always been strong and athletic. Jenira's insistent training kept them in good shape. However, I could now see even more muscle definition and a readiness in his overall physique that was entirely new.

  As I gave Reide a quick hug, I noticed over his shoulder that Piebar had directed one of the staff to clean up the mess Lunnie made when she knocked over the wine. “Sit down and have something to eat,” I said. “We’re just finishing our appetizers. Just let Piebar know what you want.”

  “I could really go for a nice thick fubalo steak,” he said.

  “Oh, Reide,” Kala exclaimed. “You and your father with your obsession for fubalo steaks!”

  “Well, they are good,” Reide replied.

  “So tell me, son, how is JAC training?” I asked as we all took our seats at the table.

  “It took a little getting used to,” Reide responded. “I wasn’t accustomed to getting up so early and I wasn’t used to training all day with almost no breaks. The breaks we get are pretty short. I’m exhausted by the end of the day. Was your training on Earth like that, too, dad?” he asked.

  “Yes, right from the start.”

  “We’re done with most of the intense physical training now, at least the hardest parts. When I go back we will begin adding more academic training into our regular school curriculum and the balance of our time will be spent on more specialized physical training sessions. Oh, and Jenira will be happy to know that I’ve been selected to assist in the training of martial arts to the new cadets. I beat our instructor in hand-to-hand combat on the first day of training, so he’s made me his assistant. I’ve also scored consistently as the top marksman for my class.”

  “Is there anything you didn’t excel at?” Lunnie asked admiringly.

  “Uh, yeah,” Reide said quietly as his eyes shifted sideways toward his mother. “I scored lowest in housekeeping and care of my quarters.” Then he muttered in an even lower tone, “I got extra duties because of my sloppiness.”

  “Oh my,” said Kala.

  “I’m sorry, mom,” Reide said as he turned fully to face her. “It’s just that here on the estate and on the NEW ORLEANS, all that domestic stuff is always done for us by the staff. We don’t even have clothing replicators on the base, if you can believe it! We have to wash, press and care for our own uniforms, and they’re inspected every day. Mom, if we don’t have every crease perfect on our uniforms, we get a demerit! I had so many demerits the first week that I think I set a new base record.”

  I had to laugh, because I wasn’t exactly the best at those things either, when I was in the Navy.

  “I don’t see why they make us do that stuff when we could use replicators,” he sighed.

  “It’s to teach you discipline,” I said.

  “Yeah, that’s what Sergeant Nadrona said.”

  “Nadrona?” Lunnie exclaimed. “Your drill instructor is a woman?”

  “Yeah, so what?”

  “What’s she like? Is she cute?”

  “Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “Is she cute? Sergeant Nadrona?” Lunnie pushed.

  “I don’t know? I mean, she’s like most of the women in the JAC. Average, I should say…I guess.”

  “Are there a lot of girls in the JAC?”

  “What? Yeah, I guess. I don’t know. Maybe a third of them, maybe more. Why? Are you thinking about signing up?” Reide asked, just as Piebar placed an appetizer before him.

  “No way,” Lunnie answered. “I’m too busy working with the scientists restoring life forms to Earth.”

  “So, Reide,” Kala interjected. “Have you made any new friends in training?”

  “There are a few cadets I sort of hang out with,” Reide said as he began sampling his appetizer. I noted a certain care he took in his eating manners that was new. He sat straighter and leaned forward when placing food in his mouth so as not to drop or dribble any on his uniform. “But we don’t have much time to socialize and during early training. They keep pairing us up with different people, so we don’t get to be with any one person or group for very long.

  “What are your quarters like?” Lunnie asked.

  “Well, four walls, no windows, and four bunks with a locker at the foot of each bunk.”

  “That’s it? No desk or chairs… or even vid screen?!” Lunnie blurted.

  “That’s it,” Reide said. They have vid screens in the lounges, but we’re all usually so tired that no one ever pays attention to them. The tables and chairs are in the lounge as well. There’s a common shower facility and toilet area in each of the barracks. When I go back, we’ll be allowed to use the food synthesizers, but for the first three weeks they were locked.”

  “So what are your bunkmates like?” Lunnie pressed, as Reide turned his interest to the entrees that were arriving at the table.

  “We’ve been assigned different rooms every night, so we never have the same roommates twice. When we return, we’ll be given roommate assignments that last for the next two months and then we’ll be switched around again.”

  “Wow,” Lunnie exclaimed. “I don’t think I would like that very much.”

  “Sir,” Reide said, turning to face me. Hearing him call me sir, caught me off guard. “How is Rory doing? Have any of you seen him since I went off to training?”

  “Oh, that’s right. You wouldn’t know, because you haven’t been allowed communication since you left. Rory’s been working with A’Lappe on the NEW ORLEANS as a lab assistant. A’Lappe is super pleased with Rory and says he is a great asset to his projects; and Rory is nothing less than thrilled to be working with A’Lappe.”

  “That’s great!” replied Reide with a sigh of relief. “I always knew Rory was smart. A lot of the kids here on the estate tend to treat Rory like he’s stupid, because of his physical characteristics, but Rory is really very smart.”

  “Yes, A’Lappe says Rory is a savant and that his math and physics skills are incredible.”

  “Sir,” Reide said with a change of tone in his voice. “There’s a rumor going around among the officers at the base that you’ve been assigned strictly to Sector 1 by Admiral Regeny. They also say Regeny’s taken charge of the entire fleet and is preparing some kind of offensive against the Brotherhood. Is it true?”

  I paused from my meal and looked at him silently for a moment. If the word of this had leaked out and was circulating among the ranks of the military, I was certain that it had also leaked out beyond them and had surely reached the Brotherhood at this point.

  “Exactly what are they saying?” I asked.

  “Well, I’ve only overheard a few officers talking about it. They seem pretty upset that Admiral Regeny is taking charge of the fleet and that you’ve been restricted to Sector 1. None of them seem to know for sure where Regeny is planning to attack the Brotherhood. Some say it’s going to be a trap in Sector 4 and others say he is planning to retake some planet in Sector 3 controlled by the Brotherhood.”

  “I see,” I said stiffly. “Well, to answer your question, yes I have been assigned to lead Sector 1 and protect the Capitol. Beyond that, I can’t tell you anything.”

  Reide stared at me intently before nodding and replying, “Sir, you should know… the officers are scared and they fear that Regeny is making a huge mistake
.”

  “How long will you be home?” Kala asked, breaking the tense moment.

  “Two days,” Reide replied. “I need to report back day after tomorrow.”

  “Aw, that’s not very long,” Lunnie complained.

  “Well, it’s all the time I have,” Reide replied.

  I would have enjoyed spending more time talking with Reide. Even though he was only sixteen, it seemed that he had unexpectedly transformed from boyhood to manhood in a period of only two weeks. There was a serious and attentive change in his behavior that captivated me. I felt both immensely proud of him and at the same time sad that my little boy was now a man. I glanced at Kala and wondered if she was feeling as conflicted as I was. One thing that was clear was that I departed for Eh-Netta in the morning and that the evening was all I had with Reide before he returned to Plosaxen.

  I didn’t get to sleep much that night. I struggled to clear my mind of the fact that rumors of Regeny’s plans had already reached the general ranks. Beyond that, Kala was wide awake, thinking out loud about Reide and how she was so proud of him. I would nearly drift off to sleep when she'd start saying something like, "It’s so wonderful that he’s been selected as the martial arts training assistant. Say, didn’t you mention that you helped with martial arts training when you were in the military back on Earth? Like father, like son.” Even when half asleep I had to grin at this comment and marvel at how this particular expression was the same on all worlds.

  Again, just as I was on the cusp of sleep, she said, “I wonder how many female bunkmates Reide has had so far.”

  “Huh?” I muttered.

  “You know. The barracks are co-ed, so at some point Reide will have females in the same bunk room.”

  “Yeah… well… so?”

  “Do you think he will find one he likes?”

  “What? What kind of question is that? Did you find yourself being attracted to bunkmates you had when you went through basic training?” I asked, now fully awake.

  “Well, there were two I kind of found attractive.”

  “So? What happened?” I asked. Even though my back was toward her, she now had my complete attention.

  “Nothing really,” she sighed. “I just found them attractive. Nothing ever came of it. As it turned out, one was homosexual and the other had a long-standing girlfriend. Besides, relationships are forbidden in boot camp.”

  “Right. So what’s the concern then?” I asked as I rolled over and tried to get into a comfortable position to sleep.

  “Oh, I don’t know. He looks so grown up now… and he’s handsome, like his father,” she said teasingly. “Women are sure to take notice of him.”

  “Right, they will take notice of him and do nothing, because if they do they will get into trouble. Now can we go to sleep?” I asked, tossing one of the extra pillows on her head.

  Kala laughed and kissed me on the cheek. “Good night, lover.”

  Something in her tone reminded me for an instant of her sister, Lunnie, and I felt a sudden pang of sadness.

  “Good night, Kala,” I said as I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

  I woke early the next morning. I dressed quickly and went to the MAXETTE, where I received the usual morning updates from Marranalis. Since Regeny had taken over fleet command, there was little in the way of reports for me to review. I made sure everyone I encountered that day knew that Reide was home on leave, in hopes that people would assume I was back on Megelleon spending time with my son, in the event that my absence was noted while I visited Eh-Netta.

  The conditions that were presented for my visit to Eh-Netta precluded me from bringing my military guards, so I would be violating protocol by going without them. Marranalis would stay behind to field any problems that might arise in my absence and Padaran would join me for the duration of the visit. Padaran was not military and nothing about his actions would give that impression. In the event of an emergency, however, he was one of the most skilled fighters in the known universe and I felt safe in his presence. After the brief meeting with Marranalis was finished, I transferred quickly to the NEW ORLEANS, where Padaran was waiting by the Cantolla Gate into the freighter we would use to land on Eh-Netta. We passed through the gate just as the ship was setting down on the planet’s surface. All the arrangements had been made ahead of time, so the freighter cleared the Imports and Customs process quickly. We were about to leave the terminal building, when we were approached by an official in a dark uniform of the planetary government.

  “Excuse me, Thibodaux James Renwalt, I am Lood Kamass, servant to his Holiness the Gom‑Pasha. The Gom-Pasha wishes to meet with you before you speak with the one called Asalott.”

  I was taken aback by his comment – first because he knew who I was, since we had not alerted anyone that I would be coming personally, and secondly, because the Gom-Pasha was the spiritual leader of the Neovian Universalists and, as such, was also considered to be the supreme ruler of Eh‑Netta.

  “I’m sorry,” I began. “There must be some mistake.”

  “There is no mistake, Tibby. The Gom-Pasha is aware of your visit and wishes to speak with you. Be assured, you will not be prevented from contacting Asalott. The Gom-Pasha only wishes to meet with you briefly, after which he will personally see to your introduction to Asalott.”

  I looked at Padaran, who stared back at me and shrugged.

  “Very well. Please lead us to the Gom-Pasha.”

  “We will travel from here in the Gom-Pasha’s personal transport,” replied Lood. Since Asalott is also at the Gom-Pasha’s Haljmat, it will save you time. Upon completion of your visit, the Gom-Pasha has instructed that his personal transport is to return you to your ship.”

  Again, I was taken aback by what Lood was telling us. The Haljmat was sort of a temple palace compound located quite far from the spaceport in the lush mountains of the mountainous continent. It was here that the Gom-Pasha lived and ruled.

  “If you do not mind,” Lood continued, “there are many officials and dignitaries who come to visit the Gom-Pasha and, in order to protect their identities and maintain secrecy, outsiders visiting the Gom-Pasha are asked to don these special garments before departure. Once we are aboard the Gom-Pasha’s transport, you may remove them again.” He motioned just over my shoulder to an adjunct carrying two robes, who had amazingly approached without either Padaran or I noticing. We were each handed a robe that we wore over our clothing and a mirrored faceplate that permitted one-way vision to our surroundings. Once the faceplates were fitted, the robe cowls were lifted over our heads to conceal our hair.

  After we were sufficiently covered, Lood led us outside to a small, open-topped surface transport. After boarding, we moved quickly across the surface of the spaceport toward an odd snail-shell-like construction roughly six stories in height. As we hurried toward this structure, I could see a rather long ramp that extended to the ground from the side of the building. Our transport raced up the ramp and into a large door before decreasing speed and coming to a halt in what appeared to be a small hangar. It was only after we were inside that I realized we had entered a ship and not a building.

  We had barely come to a stop before guards appeared from doors leading to the interior of the ship.

  “Welcome aboard the Gom-Pasha’s personal transport,” said Lood. “The duration of our journey to the Haljmat is approximately two hours. In the meantime, allow me to escort you to the lounge, where you will find refreshments for your enjoyment. You may leave your robes here, as you will not need them again until you return. I will be here to assist you and answer any questions you may have. Now, if you would please follow me this way, I will see to your comforts in the lounge.”

  “Tibby, this feels odd to me,” Padaran whispered as we followed Lood.

  “I agree, but let’s just play along and see where things lead. If they meant to harm us, they could have done so on the spot when we arrived,” I answered.

  “True,” Padaran replied. “Besides, I
get the feeling that the guards here are more for decoration than for an actual functional purpose. Still, it’s strange.”

  The lounge was actually located below the hangar area on a lower level of the ship. The space was designed in a large gazebo-type arrangement with windows around its outer rim. Large, cushioned swivel seats lined the walls beneath the windows, where one could gaze out at the scenery or turn inward for discussion with others in the lounge. The overall size of the room was about one hundred square meters. In the center was a table arranged with gold trays of sweets and fruits. Several beverage dispensers were located at one end of the table next to a tray of beautiful crystal glassware.

  “Please, indulge yourself with any refreshments you desire,” Lood said. “We’ll be passing over the land fairly rapidly, but you can get some small appreciation of it by looking out the windows. In about fifteen minutes we will pass over the shoreline, after which there is little to see but water. Once over the sea, I will be happy to provide you with a tour of the remainder of the transport and you will be free to make use of its amenities.”

  At this point the transport had gained altitude and was flying at an elevation of about 2,500 meters. I was surprised that we experienced no turbulence in the craft at this low elevation. There was nothing aerodynamic about its design, so I expected to feel some measure of disturbance at the speeds we were traveling.

  “Lood, may I ask how it is that we are not experiencing any air turbulence at this altitude and speed?”

  “A good observation and question,” said Lood with a polite smile. The transport is surrounded by an electronic field that buffers atmospheric disturbances by providing a flexible absorption layer around the craft. It works well for all but the most severe atmospheric conditions. It won’t work against things like extreme wind shear or cyclonic storms of great intensity, but otherwise, it serves as a very effective stabilizing mechanism.”

  “Very interesting,” I said. “Is the technology a secret or is it something that you sell?”