Contrary as always, he pulled her into an embrace, saying, “I like this better. What the heck, we’re among friends!”
Reba, as surprised as Mike but sensing what had gone on in this room between the two of them, clapped enthusiastically. Otis sat at attention, a soft purr continuing to rumble in his throat.
Returning to the couch with Ellie beside him, Mike asked Jake what First Knight was. He received a non-committal reply to the effect that they’d both just been promoted. He wasn’t overly concerned until Otis referred to him as Sire. That got his attention.
“Hold it everyone. This has gone far enough. Just what is this First Knight business, anyway?”
“Jake has not told you?”
“He’s not talking much for a change. I think you shook him up.”
“There is only one First Knight, Michael. You now command all my Knights, you command my military forces, you command the Palace staff, and you preside over the Imperial Senate in my absence. Know this: your word is my command on all worlds of the Empire. Speak wisely and with consideration.”
“Come on!” he said, joining in their fun. When neither Otis or Ellie joined in his laughter, he began choking.
>Jake! What’s going on?< he asked.
>It’s true, Man. I don’t know why, but I think she means it. Please ask.<
“Come on, Ellie, Otis. This has gone far enough,” he said weakly.
“I repeat, there is only one First Knight of the Realm. If I am, in fact, Queen, you Michael and you Jake are my First Knight.” She raised a hand to silence his reply. “Do not forget that titles given can be taken away.”
Mike blinked, more uncertain now than ever. Otis came to his rescue. “Sires, what Daughter needs more than anything else right now is someone she can trust, and I mean completely trust. She will not have the luxury of dealing with court intrigues if we have a rebellion to put down. She must have at least one person in whom she has no doubts. I support her decision. Congratulations, Sires.”
“Michael,” she said, “before you get a swelled head, at this moment in time your fleet consists of Resolve, and your troops are quite minimal.”
“What about you, Otis?” he asked.
“It’s complicated, Sire. She has not told you everything. For the moment, consider me her personal Protector. I’m subject only to her orders. But know this: we are all in this together. Each of us in this room has been called to restore harmony across the galaxy. It is a calling worthy of our best efforts.”
Otis stared hard at Mike. “I asked you once before if you could refuse the call. I know you well enough to know that your response has not changed.”
Mike’s thoughts become unfocused and muddled. Too much had happened too quickly. He decided he needed some breathing room. The bridge would work. He got up, kissed Ellie on the forehead, and turned to leave.
Just before going through the door he turned back to her and said, “Whatever happens, you honor me, my Queen. Let there be no doubt in your mind: I will protect the Heir at all cost.”
Stepping off the central shaft onto the bridge, Mike flopped down in his seat and picked up his helmet, idly running his hands over its shiny surface. Reba came up behind him and put her arms around his neck, squeezing tight. “Did what I think happened just happen?” she demanded.
“I’m not sure what just happened, Reba. Our world has gone crazy. She’s not just mother to the Heir, she is the Heir. And if this coup has succeeded, she’s now Queen.
“Skipper, did you just figure that out? I thought you were smarter than that.”
“Well,” he said defensively, “I guess not. But that’s not all. First she knighted Jake and me, then she named us First Knight, sort of like being a Prime Minister or something.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. I sensed something else in that room, like a big hole in her life had been filled. Do you know anything about that?”
“Well . . . maybe. But we’re aliens, Reba. You know that!”
“Alien, shmalien! She loves you, Skipper. Didn’t you know? Don’t you pay attention when we’re plugged in?”
“I’ve sensed a deep loneliness in her, Reba. I’ve tried not to pry.”
“Well, you should pry. Might do us all some good. I feel like she’s a sister to me, and I think she feels the same way. Does that mean you and I might be in-laws someday?”
“I think it means we’ve bitten off more than we ever gambled on, Reba. This is not some ordinary ship lost in space. Do you know women rule their society? And she’s the Queen!”
“Skipper, if you’re the filler of that big hole in her life, I think we’re going to have one fine Queen. She’s just about to come into her own.”
Mike stood up to argue, and a twinkle lit Reba’s eyes as she became her feisty self.
“My kind of civilization! Imagine, a woman in charge. Uh . . . are you a man who would be King?” she asked with a wicked smile.
Mike sat back down. Quickly. Reba left the bridge to give him time to stew on his own.
>Jake, fix my head.<
>Yes, Man.<
>Oh, sorry Jake. Please fix my head. What have we gotten ourselves into?<
>That remains to be seen. I’ll do my part, and I know you’ll do yours. I think the Queen chose well. We’re a good team, and we’ll get better as we go.<
>Jake, this has gone beyond teamwork. I need a partner.<
Jake was slow to respond. >Does that mean I get to stay?<
>I think it begins with staying and includes a whole lot more. You’re home, my friend.<
>Home. I like that. I’d better get to work on this ‘alien’ thing. I don’t have a definite answer on that one.<
Otis padded out of the central shaft. Mike called to him, “Hey, Otis! When I told Ellie that she and I were aliens to each other, she said I should do some homework. What did she mean?”
“Sire, I believe she was referring to the fact that your species does not exist solely on Earth.”
Mike chewed on that one for a while, a long while. Was it possible . . . ?
“You mean she’s human?”
“Define human, Sire.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m no scientist, but I believe it would take a geneticist a great deal of effort to find differences between you and her. Your species is quite common among the stars, much more common than any others. Does that answer your question?”
Mike was confused. Did that answer his question, or did it just raise more questions?
>Jake, get to work on this. I want an answer pronto.<
>Yes, Sire.<
>Oh, sorry. Is there an encyclopedia on this boat? I need to do some research.<
>With George gone, I’m not sure. We’ll have to go into the net to find it.<
>Can you do that while I set up the next jump?<
>I can if you’ll quit bothering me. Let’s get to work.<
Mike looked at Otis for a long time, not certain how to phrase his next question. Otis waited patiently with his tail curled around his feet, returning an expectant gaze to Mike. He knew what was on Mike’s mind, and Mike knew that he knew. He trusted Otis, and that gave him the courage to ask.
“I love her, Otis, and she loves me. She’s also probably Queen. Is a relationship between the two of us appropriate?”
Otis growled low in his throat, then lifted his lips in the leer Mike had grown accustomed to. It was the Great Cat’s way of smiling. “I, too, love her. And I am her Protector. If I sense harm to her, you’ll know.”
Otis padded closer to Mike, then sat again. “If my approval has any meaning, you have it, but know this, as well: alienness is not limited to physical differences. You and she are alien to each other. Not physically, but culturally, politically, and maybe even emotionally. She will be Queen one day, Sire. You face a veritable minefield of challenges and adjustments in the time to come. It may be that your relationship will thrive, even deepen as a result, or it may wither. Whatever happens, the road you have ch
osen will be difficult. Is your love for her strong enough to navigate that minefield? Are you man enough to take second place to her? Are you man enough to support her, to hold her up on the pedestal that the Queen must, by necessity, occupy?”
Otis blinked, then went to the central shaft leading to his gun turret. He didn’t expect an answer – indeed, no honest answer was possible at the moment. Mike lifted the helmet to his head, but before pulling it on he called to Otis whose feet were just disappearing into the ceiling. “Please don’t call me sire. That’s ridiculous after what we’ve been through together.”
“Sire is what you are, and Sire is what I will call you,” he heard echoing down the shaft. “That does not mean I will let you forget you are still a cub, and a barbaric one at that.”
Chapter Thirty-one: The Other Side
Mike finished his computations for the last jump. He was done early for a change, and he had nothing to do for the next few minutes. For the first time in weeks, he looked Outside. He was always enmeshed in the outside view, but he rarely had time to pay it any attention. Now he did.
Stars and hazy nebulae filled his awareness. Resolve had traveled closer to the center of the galaxy during the past year, and slightly off to the side the center of the galaxy glowed in a richness never seen from Earth. Because he was in the net, the skin of the ship did not intrude. He literally felt like he was hanging in the midst of space. With just a thought he turned, soaking into himself the beauty and complexity of the cosmos, and his heart filled with the wonder of it all. Stars were so abundant that he could not pick out the familiar constellations of his childhood.
With George’s help he probably could have, but George was dead. Like the Knight he had pretended to be, George had served his Queen to the end. His death had not been for naught.
To Ellie, Gamma VI was a living place, a place with friends and relatives. To Mike, Gamma VI was just a set of numbers defining a place in space. He had brought them to this place, wherever it was. He was moments away from the last jump, on course and on time. He had only one more command to give and the voyage would be at end.
What did ‘end’ mean for him? Was it truly an ending, or was it a new beginning? Or the beginning of the end? He shrugged. Such thoughts were for philosophers, not for Mike Carver. To him, giving the command would determine whether Ellie was Queen, as she feared, or his princess, as he hoped. He would stand with her in either case, but he hoped desperately that they would have some time first, enjoy some peace first, find out who the other person really was when survival was not the only issue.
Whatever Ellie needed from him, he would provide for as long as she would accept. Out of everything he had done since the Chessori ship crashed to Earth, it was the only thing of which he was certain.
As Resolve neared the theoretical point he had computed, he pursed his lips and gave the command, then waited for the computers to do their thing at just the right instant. When they did, there was no change in sound, no sense of displacement, but the stars disappeared. The computers hummed along happily as he inspected them, so he relaxed. He had done everything he could do. As Otis had once demanded of him, he had given everything that he was to come to this place.
>Things look okay to you, Jake?<
>They do. See you on the other side, Mike.<
The jump ended. When stars again filled the sensors, a brighter star held center stage. >Is it the right one?< he asked Jake.
Jake ran a few calculations. >It is. We made it, Mike. This is the other side. Welcome to your first new world.<
Chapter Thirty-two: Into the Belly of the Beast
Mike’s shoulders slumped, and he relaxed for the first time in many, many months. It was done! His ordeal was over.
He had taken no chances with his navigation: a mistake this close to Gamma VI could be fatal, so he had jumped to a point farther outside the system than George would have. The couple of extra weeks of travel toward Gamma VI paled in comparison to the cost of small errors in his computations, errors on the order of a few nanoseconds at jump speeds. But the time for reminiscing was over. It was time to get to work.
The screens displayed a vast array of commercial and military ships, though none were nearby. Recorders were brought on line and started to record every piece of information they could. Ellie wanted news of the Empire, but she would take news of any kind she could get. She and Otis could review everything later during the weeks it would take to reach Gamma VI.
Mike’s worst fears came true just hours after they came out of hyperspace. A heavy squadron consisting of a cruiser, two frigates, and a dozen Empire fighters, with three Chessori ships in trail, materialized from hyperspace nearby. The hound had found them.
They had only a few hours before the shooting started. The tractor beam did not appear on their sensors, but it probably would soon. Everyone went to battle stations. Mike was prepared to cut Ellie and Jake out of the loop if the Chessori launched a psi attack. They had learned their lessons well.
Without George’s help they couldn’t tell if this was the same squadron that had been chasing them, but it didn’t look friendly, and as before, the cruiser never queried them, never asked who they were. There was no question that it knew who was aboard Resolve. An escape jump, actually a series of escape jumps, had been preprogrammed. Mike activated the program and held his hand above the Execute button as long as he could, querying the net for suggestions. He received no help from his crew and executed the jump.
The jump was as short as he could make it. Their screens blanked, then refreshed farther away from Gamma VI. Twenty minutes later their screens filled with military ships again. Mike jumped twice more in quick succession. The squadron followed each time.
“They’re definitely tracking us,” Otis observed. “There’s no escape without disabling the thing.”
Mike thought fiercely. These ships were not here to take prisoners. If there had been a coup, Ellie and Alexis were worth more dead than alive to them. Resolve needed help. He called Ellie to his side and opened a communications channel to the cruiser, requesting a conference with the captain. To his surprise, he got a response. The overweight figure of a bemedaled officer filled the screen. Beside him stood a Chessori.
These were definitely not friends.
Ellie was ready. After weeks and months of frustration there was no hesitation. She was her royal self again. Jake took the initiative and set the controls to general broadcast. The whole squadron would hear their Queen.
The man sneered. “Your Majesty, how nice of you to call.”
“Who are you, and why are you doing this?” she demanded.
“I’m Admiral Shuge. It’s time for a new order, Your Majesty. Your reign will be short, indeed.”
“Perhaps.” Her chin lifted, and her voice rose to take on its most commanding tone. “Loyal officers of the Empire, I am Daughter. The Chosen have not fallen. I command you to come to my aid. Rise up against these criminals within your midst. I will never yield.”
The man chuckled. “There is no one left to answer your call. Those of questionable loyalty have been incarcerated. Your commands mean nothing here. But I’m curious. We lost you months ago. How did you manage that?”
Mike moved into the picture, the First Knight’s medallion displayed prominently on his chest. The man looked startled, impulsively raising a fist across his chest. A long moment passed, then he looked at his fist in disgust and dropped it sheepishly back to his side and sneered again. “Sire. I do not recognize you. You look a little ragged about the edges. Do you not have a uniform?” He chuckled, turning to introduce the Chessori. “My friend offers mercy. Surrender and you may live. Not so Her Majesty, that would be impossible, but we welcome your loyalty, First Knight.”
“You forget yourself, Admiral Shuge. A First Knight is loyal to his Queen and to the Realm as, I believe, are many of your men. I offer mercy to no one. Loyal officers need no mercy.” He looked through Admiral Shuge and his voice rose. “Men and women of
Empire, rise to me, rise to Her Majesty.” Mike stood at attention, staring into the eyes of Admiral Shuge.
There was a commotion behind the admiral, and the communications link filled with savage growls and screams. A shape flew through the air knocking down the admiral, then the head of a cat thrust its face toward the camera, its mouth open in a bloody leer of triumph.
“Yes!” Otis yelled. “My brothers!”
The screen blanked. Mike quickly returned to the net and ordered everyone to prepare for battle. He went to full speed, angling Resolve away from the squadron, but they were immediately followed by both frigates, two Empire fighters, and the three Chessori ships. The Empire ships veered off before coming into range, leaving just the three Chessori.
Ellie was angry, but the effect of her words on the squadron convinced her that all was not lost. The net hummed with a sense of confidence that affected everyone.
With Resolve at maximum speed, the Chessori approach was slow. Mike didn’t like that – it would let them activate their mind weapon for as long as they chose. He slowed so they could catch up. He waited until they just reached firing range, then he hit the brakes, hoping to scatter them. The Chessori angled up and away as they shot past holding beautiful formation, and Resolve was ready. The hours of training and the experience gained from their previous skirmishes paid off. Resolve stayed engaged, angling tightly up to follow. Ellie assigned targets and lasers reached out, followed shortly thereafter by the charged particle beams. Shields lit up on two of the three Chessori.
Otis, out of the net and operating manually, got the first kill. Pandemonium broke out over the net, but Mike could even physically hear the women cheering beside him in the control room. The two remaining Chessori tried to escape, but Resolve held on. A weak cicada sound threw them into momentary turmoil, but Jake and Ellie hung on and stayed in the net. Mike’s whole body burned from Jake’s response to the psi weapon.
Reba got through the shields of her target, and the Chessori were down to one. The cicada sound diminished further as everyone concentrated on the last Chessori. It, too, disappeared in a flash.
Last of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book One) Page 31