Empire (Empire, Book One)

by Logan Rutherford

  Not his blood, the blood of the soldier that died in his arms. He’d never met the guy formally. Their introduction was the man’s right leg getting blown off by a bombing run from an alien ship. Ivan scooped him up in his arms and ran him back to base. The soldier was only alive in his arms for a few moments, only Ivan didn’t know that.

  The blood.

  The battle.

  The heat.

  The burning.

  A searing pain rose from Ivan’s lap. He looked down and realized he’d spilt his tea. “Aw shit.” He jumped up from his seat and set his mug down on the desk. He moved towards his quarters then stopped. A blue blinking on the corner of his computer screen caught his eye.

  Ivan blindly reached for his chair behind him. He grabbed it and pulled it forward, sitting as close to his computer screen as possible. The pain from the spilt tea faded. The hurt from the memories faded. All he could think about now was that someone had actually contacted him. All he could smell was the sweet peppermint.

  He tapped the screen and the message opened. It was from Admiral Carvol. Ivan wasn’t sure whether or not he should be excited or scared.

  Attn: Captain Ivan:

  How you doing, pal? Been a long time since we talked. Care to chat? I’ll give you a call in five.

  Carvol

  Ivan blinked and read the message again. He couldn’t believe the Admiral actually wanted to talk to him. They hadn’t spoken in forever. Ivan hadn’t talked to any of his old friends in the service, really. No one wanted to risk it, for fear of the repercussions.

  Ivan looked down at his lap. His uniform was stained. He looked at the clock. Only two minutes before Admiral Carvol called and he wasn’t going to make the man wait.

  Ivan got up as fast as his old bones would allow and ran over to the closet. He pulled out his spare Space Fleet uniform. The dark blue jacket buttoned up over a plan white undershirt. He didn’t have time to move his Capitan’s medallion over to the new one. He sat down in his chair right as the call alert flashed. The face of his old friend filled the screen.

  “Joshua, it’s a pleasure to see you!” Admiral Carvol exclaimed, his smile wide and eyes sparkling. His face had considerably more wrinkles and his head considerably less hair than the last time Ivan had seen him. But he was still the same old Admiral Carvol. His bright green eyes assured Ivan of that.

  “How you been, Admiral?” Ivan asked, unsure of how casual this call was going to be. The Fleet left Ivan to his own devices for the most part, so whenever he received a call from his superior, he was afraid it’d be because of bad news.

  “Come on, Joshua. You’re among friends.”

  First name, then. “That’s good to hear, Percy. Not sure how many of those I’ve got left Earthside.”

  “Nonsense. You’ve got plenty of friends,” Carvol said. “Just not many who can do anything about your current situation.”

  “I don’t suppose you’re calling about that?” Ivan asked. “I’m getting a bit stir-crazy out here.”

  Carvol shifted and glanced away. “Unfortunately, no. Still looks as if the only way you’re getting out of that assignment is if you retire.”

  Ivan sighed and leaned back. He didn’t realize how much he hoped his dream would come true until Carvol shot it down. “Like hell I’ll retire. I should be an Admiral right now, serving alongside you. I’m not going to retire until I make it.”

  “Still as stubborn as ever.” Carvol chuckled, his cheeks flushing.

  Ivan’s mouth was a straight line. “What are you calling me about, Percy?”

  Carvol cleared his throat and looked down. He picked at the nonexistent lint on his dark blue uniform, his chestful of medals tinkling against each other and the tiny golden eagles on each side of his collar reflecting the light. “I wanted to talk to you about one of the new recruits that will be coming aboard the Empire within the next couple of days.” Carvol looked back at the camera, his eyes locking with Ivan’s.

  Ivan sat up straighter. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be telling me this?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not.” His voice lowered. “This cadet’s activities and assignments are classified for security purposes. But I owed you a heads up.”

  A pit form in his stomach. “Who?”

  “Hayden Key. He did the advanced training, of course. His two years are up, and the Empire is his last training assignment. He’ll be aboard soon. Already on his way.”

  Ivan wasn’t sure what to think. What to feel. Just the mention of Hayden’s name brought up conflicting feelings. One thing was clear: the face of Hayden’s father, Gerald Key. The man who sent him to the Empire, a hell of an assignment. Gerald Key was the reason Ivan was Captain, and not Admiral.

  “Joshua, are you alright?” Corval asked.

  Ivan’s fingernails cut into his palm. He relaxed his fist, his knuckles turning from white back to their regular color. “Yeah, Percy. I’m alright.” But I’m not.

  “I just thought that I’d give you a heads up. He’s been good in his years in training. He aced his combat training, flight training, pretty much everything you’d want out of an L-Recruit. Shouldn’t give you too much trouble.”

  “Why here?” Ivan asked, almost more to himself than to Corval. “Why send him to the Empire? To me? His father could’ve passed him without having to participate in the Empire simulations.”

  Corval shook his head. “I’ve got no idea. From what I’ve heard about this kid though, I don’t think he would’ve let his father do it even if he tried.”

  Ivan stood up from his chair and scoffed. “Great, the son of the universe’s biggest asshole is a saint. That always works out well.”

  Corval remained still, his face a cryptic mask.

  “That son of a bitch had the nerve to station me all the way out here—right after what happened with Beth too! Why’s he trying to get at me like this? He’s already won and he’s gotta rub it in my face like this?”

  “Joshua, please, don’t read too much into this. Empire’s where everybody goes for wartime simulations. You and I trained on Empire ourselves for Chrissakes! Don’t think this is some way of Key trying to get at you. It’s just regulations.”

  Ivan turned and stormed towards his computer. “Don’t speak to me about regulations, Percy! This is another one of his mind games. I know it. I oughta ring his neck myself,” Ivan said, wrapping his hands around Gerald Key’s imaginary neck before him. After two years on this hellish assignment, he’d fantasized plenty about what he’d do to him.

  “Careful, Captain,” Corval began, leaning forward in his chair. “Making threats like that could get you court-martialed and imprisoned.”

  Ivan wanted to continue, but Corval was right. He was taking things too far. He reached behind him and grabbed his chair. He pulled it closer and sat down, rubbing his face in his hands. Too many memories he’d pushed away came up all at once. Too many emotions he’d tried to forget about.

  It was two years ago that he received the orders to captain the Empire. He knew he was being punished. That was abundantly clear. Everything the universe threw at him was punishment, even after all he did, not just for his brothers in arms, but also for his race. He couldn’t remember who exactly had handed him his orders. All he could think about was the fact that Gerald Key was too much of a coward to do it himself. With the death of his daughter just days before, when he left that office, all he could do was cry—out of fear, shame and anger. But mainly it was sadness. Sadness from a lost daughter, a lost friend, and a lost dream.

  And at the mention of Hayden Key’s name, Ivan was right back there.

  “Ivan, can you handle this?” Corval asked.

  Ivan cleared his throat and straightened out his uniform. Acting like this in front of a commanding officer was shameful, but Corval was more than that to him. The two of them had been through hell together. Corval was a friend—and more than that, he understood. “I’ve got this. It’ll take some getting used to, but Hayden Key is ju
st another soldier for me to train. It’ll get done, and in two weeks, Gerald’s precious L-Cadet will be a lieutenant. I’ll never have to see him again.”

  Corval nodded, a small smile on his face. His eyes betrayed him, though, as there was still sadness in them. “Good to hear.”

  “Thank you for letting me know in advance, Percy. I really appreciate you looking out for me,” Ivan said.

  “Anytime, Joshua. I better get going. You take care of yourself, alright?”

  Ivan nodded and forced a smile. “I’ll try.”

  Corval hung up. Ivan let out a long sigh.

  Most people would relish training the son of President Gerald Key. But all Ivan could think about was how much he wanted the next two weeks to be over with as soon as possible.

  Chapter Six

  Hayden stepped foot off the shuttle and onto the hangar deck of the USTS Empire in awe. People who’d arrived earlier buzzed around him, exploring every inch of the room. He looked around at the rows and rows of S-23 fighter ships, also known as Mamba’s. He imagined what it’d be like to hop into one of them and fly off into space, fighting off alien ships. There were H-27 Deathstorm bombers lined up in the hanger as well, their large forms more rigid than the sleek fighters, taking up twice as much space as one, too.

  “Where do we go now, sir?”

  Hayden turned, ready to tell whoever it was not to call him ‘sir’. But the man wasn’t calling him ‘sir’ because he was the First Son of the United States. He was the man’s squad leader. He much preferred that reasoning over the other, even if the result was the same. “We’ll wait here until everybody else is transferred over from the Gettysburg. Then Captain Ivan should come and welcome us, before we go off to our quarters. Sound good?”

  The nervous faces of the five people in his squad looked up at him, their eyes wide as they nodded. Hayden had spent his time on the Gettysburg getting to know them. There were Leon and Henry, two brothers with shaved heads who were both infantrymen. There wasn’t much for them to do during these types of simulations given that infantry were mainly trained for ground combat, but they still had to experience life on an actual warship. They had two weeks of guard duty and cleanup work ahead of them.

  Next came Miri, a tall, bulky Middle Eastern girl who looked as if she could pass for a marine, but instead served as an enlisted communications specialist. She didn’t vote for Hayden’s dad, and wasn’t afraid to let that fact be known.

  Then there was Cecily, one of two marines in the squad. Like infantrymen on crack, the marines spent twice as long training and with double the weapons. They even had basic flight training just in case they ever needed to pilot a fighter in an emergency.

  The other marine was Allen, the Chinese-American guy who stood up for Hayden during his altercation with Ben. It was far from an ideal first impression, but there was nothing Hayden could do to change that now. He had to focus now on making sure they stayed out of trouble and got to their assignments on time, as well as getting all his work done himself. Thankfully that’s exactly what he’d trained to do as an L-Cadet for the past two years. It’s also why L-Cadets were the only ones trusted enough to be Cadet Leaders.

  Hayden knew how much responsibility that was. The Space Fleet trusted them to keep things under control for the next two weeks—their first real test of leadership without having a lieutenant or commander hovering nearby. It was time for Hayden to prove himself—that he was capable enough to live up to the L-Cadet name. If everything went just right, in two weeks he’d graduate straight to the rank of lieutenant with enough special training and commendations to go anywhere in the fleet—to do anything he wanted.

  “Attention!” a voice boomed.

  He turned and faced the direction of the sound, raising his hand to his brow in sallute. He glanced to his left and right and realized while he was lost in thought his entire squad had left him. He tried to see where they went, but a sea of people had crammed into the hangar deck of the Empire.

  Hayden’s eyes wandered to the walkway that hung twenty feet above the floor of the hangar, only a third of the way up the wall, the tall ceiling of the room many more feet above. He searched for the face of the man he’d wanted to speak to for so long. Although his dad had made it almost impossible by stationing his former friend all the way out here to the Empire, he finally was looking at him in the flesh.

  He stared at Captain Ivan, his hand glued to his forehead in a crisp salute. All the fear and anxiety rushed back in and settled in his legs. The seemed to spin beneath his feet, and he thought for a moment he’d fall over. He was a fresh recruit again, just like two years ago. He was staring at a man of immense history and intellect. A man he was excited to learn from. But all he could think about was how it was his father’s fault he was way out here, on an assignment so far beneath him.

  Would he give him the time of day? Would he hold a grudge against him because of Dad? It was the story of his life. People who don’t agree with the father hating the son, even though he didn’t do anything wrong—Ben Tillow being a great example, one that had been a thorn in his side for years.

  “At ease,” Captain Ivan said in a smooth, intelligent, powerful voice, one that would’ve dominated the room even if he wasn’t everyone’s commanding officer. “Welcome aboard the United States Training Ship Empire. I am the captain of this vessel, Captain Ivan. I am your commanding officer for the next two weeks. Whatever I say, you do. This is a wartime simulation, ladies and gentlemen, and despite how it may sound, it is not a game. You L-Cadets have been training for two years for this day. Some of you may not have been training for nearly as long, but the next two weeks will be just as important for you. They will define your careers as soldiers in the Space Fleet.”

  You could hear a pin from in the room as the recruits listened to a man who—according to some—had saved every person in the room forty years ago. Hayden knew for a fact he wouldn’t be there if it not for Captain Ivan. He’d heard—not from his father, of course, but from others—that Captain Ivan had saved his dad numerous times in the Mortuk war.

  “Follow your cadet leader to your bunks. There will be two squads to a room, with the name of your cadet leader printed on the door to the bunk. Get settled in, get some rest. We start training tomorrow. One last thing,” he said. “This ship is currently being operated by a fleet of Wor—MetaBots. Do not interact with them. They all have video cameras and security sensors on board, so if you foolishly decide to ignore my orders and tamper with one of them, we will find out who you are. You will be expelled from Space Fleet. That is all. Dismissed.”

  The room exploded in a rush of excitement. Everybody talked fast and loud, throwing out theories on what the next two weeks would hold. Whether or not their bunks would be comfortable, what the food would be like—all sorts of things that they’d already talked to death, but now that they were on the Empire the topics took on a new life.

  Hayden didn’t participate, however. He stared up at the point on the balcony where the Captain had been addressing them, unable to shake the feeling that Ivan had been looking directly at him the entire time. He could’ve been looking at any of the hundreds of fellow soldiers around him. It was impossible to tell from that far away. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the next two weeks were going to be hell.

  Chapter Seven

  Hayden sat on his bunk, tablet in hand, going over everybody’s assignments for the next day. Whomever he was sharing a room with hadn’t shown up with their squad, so for now it was just Hayden and his group. “Alright.” He stood up. “Everybody pay attention.”

  The room quieted and the faces of his squad looked up at him. They stood up, ready to listen.

  “Miri, you’re to report to the bridge tomorrow. You have the first shift handling long range communications, so congratulations on that.”

  Miri’s face turned slightly green. If she was trying to keep her nervousness a secret, she wasn’t doing a good job.

  Then again, Hayden
wasn’t sure anybody was. He also wasn’t sure he could blame anybody. The next two weeks would be a big deal. They’d already been trained by the best in the Fleet at their specific duties. Now it was time to find out if that training had paid off.

  All those times he didn’t pay close attention in class, or blew it off entirely, flooded back to him. He imagined that everybody else, as well, was praying that their laziness wasn’t about to come and bite them in the ass.

  “Leon and Henry.” Hayden pointed to the two brothers who stood leaning against the wall, whispering to each other. “The two of you are going to report to the armory at 0800 tomorrow morning, where E-Cadet Josiah will be your superior officer for the day. You’ll do whatever she says.

  “You mean we went through all this training and we’re going to be under an ensign?” Leon whined.

  “That’s some bullshit,” Henry said.

  “Watch it, Henry,” Hayden said, raising a finger. “Cadet Josiah is more than capable. If you don’t like it, suck it up, and wait a day for the assignments to rotate.” Hayden didn’t wait for a response, he kept on issuing his squad’s orders until every one of them knew exactly when and where they’d be the next morning.

  “What about you?” Allen pulled a chair out from the metal table in the center of the room and sat down. He extracted a deck of cards from his back pocket and began to shuffle.

  “I don’t know yet. That’s actually what I’m about to go find out. I’ve got a debriefing with Captain Ivan,” Hayden said, addressing the rest of the room now instead of just Allen. “It shouldn’t take too long, but until then I expect all of you will be on your best behavior. In my absence, Cecily and Allen are in charge.”

  “Why the two of them?” Miri asked, flashing them a look.

  “They’re marines—if any of you start some shit, they can end it.” Hayden walked towards the rounded metal door that sat in the wall like something he’d seen in the submarines of his military history textbooks. “I’ll be back soon,” he said, and with that, he walked out the open door, on his way to his first meeting with Captain Ivan.