Tommy Thorn Marked

by D. E. Kinney

  And so, between his studies, field trips and vacations, time passed quickly. It had been just a little less than two standard years since the loss of his parents, and although he thought of them almost every day, the pain had lessened. And something else—the respect and admiration that he had felt for Remus early on had grown into something much larger and more endearing. Yes indeed, these last two years together were to be forever cherished, but Remus never let Tommy forgot about his dream.

  In fact, shortly after his fifteenth birthday, at the urging of Remus, he had applied for and been selected to attend the Imperial Star Force Academy. His foster father insisted that his title and wealth had nothing whatsoever to do with his acceptance, but Tommy was sure that it hadn’t hurt.

  “Your test scores are in the top two percentile, my boy,” Remus had insisted.

  It was true that Tommy had graded out very well, but he knew much of his success was due, in no small part, to the advantages he had been given. Advantages in education, travel, and access to the finest trainers and tutors in the Empire. A fact that was never lost on Tommy, no matter how much Remus lovingly pontificated. Still, he was overjoyed with his appointment, but now came the unbearably long, anxiety-filled months of waiting for his new life at the military academy to commence. His civilian education had ended, and although he still trained, it was becoming harder and harder to fully focus. Even a final trip to Mietree, prior to his leaving for the Star Force’s orbiting school, did very little to quell his jitters.

  But then, finally—the big day arrived. Tommy had been so excited that he had barely eaten, and although Remus smiled and helped with his uniform and Academy-issued wristcomm, Tommy could see a sadness in the Tarchein’s eyes. Both worked hard to keep from getting emotional, a task that got tougher as the day wore on, but as they departed the long gray limo and headed, along with several other cadets and their families, into the main administration building, Tommy was consumed with only one incredibly cheerful thought. I’m going back into space, and I’m going to be a pilot…

  It was just turning dusk. The first and brightest of the Tarchein suns had already dipped behind the cityscape when the two exited the lift and stepped into the spacious port of debarkation for the Academy. The large room, covered on one side by ceiling-to-floor clear steel, was soon cluttered with friends, loved ones, and enthusiastic young first-year cadets, or Toadies as they were called by upperclassmen, who were required to report one month prior to the start of classes for orientation and indoctrination.

  “Where has the time gone? It seems only yesterday that we first stepped off the landing platform together,” Remus said as they made their way into a clearing toward the middle of the room.

  Tommy smiled, distracted, while trying to look over or around parents in order to take in some of the new cadets. He felt a twinge of nerves and a bit of sadness at leaving. Let’s go, he thought, sure that he’d be fine once strapped into the shuttle. No turning back then, he thought.

  “You’ve grown so much since that day, Tommy, and I must say, you do look splendid,” Remus said, standing back to admire Tommy’s beautifully tailored Academy uniform, trying hard to keep the mood upbeat.

  Tommy looked down at the snug-fitting, slate-gray uniform. It was essentially one piece, although an integrated belt was fastened at his waist with a square golden latch that bore the Star Force symbol of a winged dagger. It also included long tapered trousers, flared slightly where they attached to the lower part of his gloss-black boots, and a black, waist-length, high-collared jacket.

  “Thank you, sir,” he said while making yet another adjustment to his invisible waist belt. “I suppose we’ll be loading soon.”

  Remus looked down at the boy, sensing his uneasiness. “Yes, anytime now you’ll be on your way to an exciting adventure—one day closer to becoming a pilot, my boy.”

  Tommy let his mind go to the imagined snugness of a fighter cockpit, soaring over unseen landscapes—and a life in space.

  “Yes, sir,” he said with a broad smile.

  “I’m proud of you, Tommy.” Remus extended his hand and placed it over one shoulder. “Your parents…” He hesitated for a moment as if something was stuck in his throat. “Would be—“

  Remus looked away. He wanted this to be a happy time. Things at the Academy would be tough enough—of this he was sure.

  Tommy was fully aware that any sign of sadness or remorse were, for Tarchein, a very rare thing indeed. Although he did not want to make this moment any more difficult, Tommy turned to the elder statesman, dressed in black diplomatic robes, a red-lined hood pulled back off of his oval head, and gave him a bear hug.

  “Well, well, Chairman Remus, please do try and control yourself,” said General Ethos. He was properly attired in the green and burnt-orange colors of the Warrior Corps; his dress uniform replete with colorful decorations and awards.

  “Honestly, the way you carry on with these Herfers,” the general continued before glancing down at his son, a first-year named Maco.

  It was by no means a common occurrence for any Tarchein to have a son. In fact, having a specific offspring to raise was afforded only to a privileged few. All Tarchein fetuses were formed in incubators housed in large birthing facilities. It was here in these secluded compounds that egg bearers, the female of the Tarchein species, lived—rarely if ever to be seen, even fully veiled, in public. Tarchein childbirth was a regulated, rigidly scrutinized event, based primarily on the needs of the Empire, leaving heirs to be contracted through covenant agreements or genetic threads, if they were known.

  Remus stepped forward to confront the general. “Take care, General. I’m not one of your cowering staff members. Don’t count on me to curtsy.”

  The use of the word Herfer, an ancient Tarchein beast of burden, was especially offensive to the former viceroy to Earth, a Tarchein who had grown to respect and even love Humans. That said, in defense of the general, the Human trait of hugging or showing any kind of affection was foreign to most Tarchein and was therefore considered quite distasteful.

  “How disappointing. As a political minion, I would have thought you would be used to a bowed position by now. And as for your disgraceful carrying on with this Human…”

  “I’ll treat my son in any fashion I deem fit!”

  “Your son!” The general moved a bit closer and pointed his command baton at the slightly taller Remus, but he was very careful not to touch the statesmen. “Really, why not just simply acquire a pet?”

  Tommy tugged at the sleeve of Remus’s robes in an attempt to calm him down, whispering under his breath, “It’s okay, sir.” Not the kind of attention he wanted on his first day.

  “Adoption of any species falls under the—“

  The general raised one hand, his index finger adorned with an enormous Star Force Academy ring. “Adoption—spare me your legal mutterings, Remus.”

  “Chairman Remus, Ethos.”

  “Oh yes, lest we forget your title and position as monitor in the endless debates held in the toothless Imperial Patrician Congress.”

  “A title given by our beloved Imperial Queen Darvona, General.” Remus emphasized the word general, tilting his large head a little. They both knew that all military commanders ultimately reported and were responsible to the Empress and her royal coven, which wielded power through appointed political leaders.

  “You chair a council of old women who cackle over water rights, Remus.”

  “Careful, General…”

  The heated conversation was soon interrupted by a father and son from the Kallderios system.

  “Come now, gentlemen, this is a happy time—a day of beginnings.”

  The general looked up at the towering seven-foot-tall alien and his son with disdain. “Why we ever decided to allow aliens into this institution…” Ethos snorted, motioned to the young Cadet Maco, and stomped off into the gathering crowd.

  The Kallderian paid no attention to the Tarchein general. Instead he turned to Remus and
held both hands high in the air, as was their custom. “Greetings, brother.”

  Remus returned the gesture, his hands barely reaching the Kallderian’s nose, and smiled broadly. “Greetings, brother.”

  “Sir, please forgive me, but I believe your young protégé may be wearing an inappropriate collar tab,” the Kallderian said while pointing at the red tab attached to one side of Tommy’s high stiff collar.

  Remus smiled and puffed his chest out just a bit. “No mistake—he is a Tarchein.”

  All cadets wore a pair of colored tabs on the collar of their jacket. The left was the symbol of the Imperial Star Force; the other represented the cadet’s race or system of origin. Because Tommy was legally the son of Remus, he was therefore Tarchein, subject to all the rights and privileges of any citizen.

  “He is my son,” Remus continued, patting Tommy on the back.

  The tall alien, made even more so by his lofty pointed headdress, nodded politly before, still somewhat confused, turning to another parent from his home world.

  All in all, it was like any first day of school. The parents and loved ones of cadets met their counterparts. Strangers only minutes ago, they were now joined by the common bond of mixed pride and separation anxiety, excited chatter, hugs, and tearful goodbyes. But soon the group was brought to silence by the commands of an immaculately dressed and decorated senior cadet.

  “All incoming first-year cadets report to your gate for processing. Have your wristcomm set for ID scan,” the Tarchein’s voice boomed over the room’s PA system. “And mind your brigade!”

  The Academy core of cadets was divided into six brigades, all named for a prestigious deceased Tarchein graduate, and each having its own gate, all monitored and controlled by a seemingly nasty-tempered senior cadet. Tommy had been assigned to the Hondo Brigade and therefore wore red collar tabs and a red banshee on his right shoulder, the symbol of the Hondo.

  Tommy gathered himself before giving Remus a parting smile and one more quick hug. The Tarchein bravely smiled back and tapped Tommy on the head before watching him disappear into the growing mob of first-years, who, like Tommy, had left the comfort of their parents and escorts to assemble, for the most part, into six single files. He then set his Academy-supplied wristcomm for the ID scan, and fell in behind another cadet wearing red trim on his uniform, both suddenly preoccupied by the berating of a first-year Hondo as he approached the gate. The first-year was being questioned about his apparent lack of intelligence for failing to have the proper setting when approaching check-in. This verbal assault made Tommy even more thankful that he had spent time going through the device’s operations manual. The apparatus, along with his uniform, was all that first-year cadets were permitted to bring.

  All uniforms and personal items will be issued by Star Force supply once onboard the station. His orders had been very clear, a sign of the military nature and the seriousness of his commitment.

  “Looks like a nice ship.”

  Tommy turned, with a puzzled expression, to face a human who had fallen into line behind him.

  “The shuttles.” The dark-skinned boy pointed at the six gray Star Force ships, each attached clear boarding tunnel now filling up with anxious cadets.

  In all the excitement, Tommy hadn’t noticed the shuttles positioned on the pad. “It sure does,” he replied.

  “She’s Gemini class. We’ll be at the Academy station in less than twenty minutes,” a female cadet from Drake added, her bright turquoise eyes sparkling.

  The two Humans looked back at the very pretty cadet while shuffling along in line.

  “I’m Bo, from Drake,” she said, putting both hands by her sides, palms out. “Glory and honor be yours.”

  “I’m Tommy, from Earth,” Tommy said. “And this is…”

  “Gary Cruise, from the red planet of Mars,” Tommy’s new acquaintance said proudly. He flashed a wide grin, bowed slightly, and displayed his palms. “And yours,” Gary continued, giving the proper response to the Drake greeting.

  “Are you serious, cadet,” the senior cadet scanning IDs shouted while grabbing the Alterian’s wristcomm and making some hurried entries. “Wyatt,” he continued, “I’m going to keep my eye on you, Toadie.”

  Wyatt tapped his wristcomm, as if to imply that there had been some sort of technical glitch, before moving hesitantly into the boarding tunnel, still under the watchful glare of the fourth-year.

  The senior cadet’s tirade motivated Tommy to once again glance down at his wristcomm, and once again convinced that all was in order, he looked back to his new friends, who were both nervously checking their comm settings.

  The air inside the tunnel felt different, cooler, crisper. Maybe it’s a pressurization thing, Tommy thought while looking back through the clear boarding device in the hopes of seeing Remus among the crowd of parents gathered at the windows.

  “It’s the oxygen content,” Bo said.

  Tommy looked over at Bo, her long black warrior braid somehow staying draped over her left shoulder as she spun around to speak.

  “They increase the percentage of oxygen prior to all space flights—Star Force regulation,” she continued before moving ahead of the two Humans to the shuttle’s open hatch.

  Tommy exchanged looks with Gary and continued toward the ship, when suddenly they were startled by the appearance of a hovering mechbot. It had darted up and over the clear boarding tube in an effort to join dozens of others all floating around the shuttles, each checking systems or plugging into data ports, ensuring that all was well for the upcoming spaceflight.

  “It’s just a bot!” someone from back in the line yelled.

  “Keep moving,” another said.

  But Tommy stopped again before boarding, just the same. He wanted to get a good look at their ship’s impressive exterior, bathed now in the harsh lighting of the landing pad.

  As with all Star Force ships, it was coated in a flat gray color, but their shuttle also included a broad red stripe, stenciled caution information, a large red designation number, and a Star Force Academy seal—all of which depicted its military heritage and filling Tommy felt a touch of pride. I’m part of this, he thought as he stepped through the hatch and once again paused to take in the military shuttle’s neat interior.

  To his left, or forward, there was an open hatch, but his view was blocked from seeing the limited forward seating. To his right were twelve rows, each with six launch chairs, divided in half by a single aisle, now partially blocked by eager cadets.

  “Well come on, cadet.” A senior from Farsee was motioning him to the right. “Take a seat and strap in, princess,” the cadet continued.

  Tommy looked for Gary and Bo as he maneuvered past first-years trying to claim a window or in the process of figuring out how to secure themselves.

  “Tommy!” Gary stood and waved.

  “No talking!” the irritated cadet stationed at the hatch bellowed. “And stay seated!”

  Tommy silently moved to the rear of the shuttle and took a seat between Gary and Bo.

  “Making friends already I see,” Tommy whispered to Gary while strapping in and glanced over at, Bo, who was completely preoccupied by the prelaunch activities taking place outside her window.

  “I said to the left, Toadie!” The cadet’s wrath was now directed at a hapless Tarchein first-year who had hesitated when told to move through the forward hatch.

  It was Star Force policy that Tarchein cadets be kept separate whenever possible. Tommy, seeing the commotion, was glad he hadn’t known about the rule. He was thinking of how nice it was to be able to sit with his new friends as he reached for one of the shoulder straps. He was still fiddling with his harness when, looking past Bo, Tommy noticed the mechbots hurriedly scurrying out of sight, clearing the pad; and while still attempting to look as if he had strapped into a Star Force shuttle on many previous occasions, detected a slight, barely noticeable vibration when the first of the ship’s two D-drives came online.

  “D’s com
ing online,” Bo said quietly, not bothering to turn from the window.

  Her observation, although obvious to Tommy, was apparent to very few others. Truth was, the majority of the new cadets were completely unaware of the events and activities taking place as their ship prepared for launch. Tommy, on the other hand, found the subtle sounds and the occasional flicker of lights comforting. He was very much looking forward to once again living in space, a feeling that was apparently not shared by everyone. In fact, most of the first-years sat now in numbed silence as the senior cadet moved down the aisle checking that all were securely strapped in, stopping occasionally to chastise or to point out his lack of faith in an individual’s long-term future in the Star Force.

  It had become obvious that many of the young cadets, on their own for the very first time, were now overcome with a mixture of anticipation and dread. The magnitude and finality of their decision just now settling in as the shuttle lifted off and headed for the isolation of the orbiting academy. The mood onboard the ship, in sharp contrast to the jubilant core of youngsters that had excitedly entered the military shuttle, had turned apprehensive and solemn.

  It was about to get worse…

  The planets Drake and Kap, both of which are located in the Trebula system, were, after a prolonged engagement, conquered in 6585-07. Kap capitulated first and was quickly followed by Drake, the birthplace of the Tiejon race. They were both awarded full Imperial status after the total cessation of hostilities, which officially occurred in 6592-04.