by Saxon Andrew
“Joe Tarver, Your Majesty. It’s my fault they no longer have a father and husband.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’ll not call again, Father.”
Russ saw the screen go dark and he placed a call to Admiral Mirabal’s office. “Good day, your highness.”
“I understand my son’s partner was killed saving my worthless son’s life.”
Jason stared at the Baron and said, “His partner was killed during the operation, Your Highness. They stumbled on a hidden heavy blaster and his partner rushed in and destroyed it but was killed in the process.”
“I need the address of the Warrior’s wife, please.”
Jason punched his terminal and pressed a few buttons. He looked up and said, “I’ve sent it to you, Your Highness. However, there’s something you might want to know.”
“Does it have to do with that son of mine?”
“I’ve recommended him to receive the Bristone Star, Your Highness.”
“WHAT!”
“His commanding General has also made the recommendation and we have removed the stipulation from his records that he never be allowed to command. The King has authorized its removal.”
Russ stared at Jason, “What did he do?”
“He saved the lives of two Brigades that would have died without his actions. The death of his partner has traumatized him, but we expect him to survive and be alright.”
“Do you have a record of what he did?”
Jason reached forward and pushed a button. “I’ve just sent it to you, Your Highness.”
Russ opened the video and watched his son march into the teeth of the enemy leading the Life Warriors to victory. He replayed the video over and over and sat in the dark when night finally fell.
• • •
Ana sat in a dark room holding her daughter. The chime rang on her communicator but she ignored it. She fought her tears but just couldn’t hold them back. The chime stopped but immediately began again. She ignored it for thirty minutes and finally activated the circuit and yelled, “Can’t you just leave me alone!?”
“Mrs. Tarver, Baron Slade wishes to speak with you on an important matter. Would you like to have him call later?”
Ana sighed; a Royal could not be ignored. “I’ll speak with him.”
“Please hold for just a moment.”
Ana watched the display and a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair appeared on her display, “Mrs. Tarver, I am so sorry for your loss but I wish to talk with you about an issue.” Ana just stared at him. “Your husband died saving the life of my son. He has requested that you be given the Royalty he has been receiving to help support you and your child.”
Ana shook her head, “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I can’t accept it. Joe would expect me to do this on my own. I will survive. Thank you for your very kind offer.” Ana reached for the disconnect button and the Baron said, “Please wait.” She hesitated and he said, “Do you have employment?” Ana shook her head. “Will you come to work for me?”
“Doing what?”
“I need someone to take responsibility for the guests that visit our home. I will pay you to perform that function and you may feel free to leave at any point you think you can start over on your own. This will allow you to get things together during this time. Will you please accept my offer?”
Ana looked around the dark room and said, “I have no way to move to your planet, Your highness, and I can’t afford lodging.”
“Employees that work in the Royal Grounds are provided a place to live along with child care as part of their employment. I will pay to have you moved here and deduct a portion of your salary to pay for it. You will earn everything you are paid.”
Ana looked around the room and all she saw was Joe. Her tears began and she said, “I’ll do it for Genia’s sake.”
“I’ll have the movers there in the morning. Thank you for coming to help me.”
Ana nodded and disconnected the call.
• • •
Russell was sitting by himself in the dining hall when Pixie came up and handed him a message. He looked at her and she said, “You need to ask yourself what you would have told Joe to do if it was you that died. Then follow you own advice.”
Pixie walked away and Russell opened the message. “She refused your offer. However, I persuaded her to come and work here in our home. I will make sure she and her daughter are cared for.”
Russell stared at the message and felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders. He knew that if he had died he would have told Joe to do a better job breaking in the next partner and to not blame himself. He sighed and shook his head. He knew that he had to make Joe’s death mean something. That meant he had to make himself worthy of Joe’s sacrifice. He looked up and saw Mitch. He jumped to attention, saluted, and said, “I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t see you.”
Mitch said, “At ease. I’ve sent some coordinates to you and I want you to go there now.”
“Where?”
“There’s someone that wants to interview you.” Mitch turned and walked away. Russell looked at his wrist unit and saw the coordinates. He pressed the activate button and disappeared from the dining hall.
Chapter Eight
Russell appeared in a clearing at the edge of a forest that had giant trees growing more than two hundred feet high next to it. Their trunks were huge and the air was filled with a wonderful fragrance from the blooms high in their branches. He looked out from the clearing into the distance and saw herds of large animals kicking up dust. The air was clean and there was no evidence of any buildings or civilization. This was a primitive planet but a beautiful one nonetheless. The scale of everything around him made him feel insignificant.
“You’re still suffering your loss.” Russell whipped around and saw a giant Northern Mountain Cat lying on the ground behind him. “I know you have some questions and my mother has asked me to help you find understanding.”
The Cat was huge. It was easily a hundred and eighty feet long and Russell was in awe of its obvious power. Somehow, the cat fit in with the size of everything else around him. The giant Cats were telepathic and were the species chosen by the Creator to direct the species fighting to defend innocent civilizations. They were remarkable creatures. “I’m not sure what you mean?”
“You don’t know where the music came from or how you weren’t killed after you lost your partner.”
Russell sighed, “No, I don’t.”
“When your partner died, your grief mirrored what our mother is feeling at the loss of all the lives in her creation. You opened a channel to her and she heard your suffering.”
“She feels this grief all the time?”
“There are good and bad days but yes, she is hurt by all the evil being done to her children. She felt your anguish and recognized a fellow suffering spirit.”
“I don’t remember much of what happened after Joe died. I should have been the one killed. He was a better person than I am.”
“Your being able to see that is part of your growing up. Your rage at the ones that killed him and your determination to stop them from further killing made Mother decide to give you her blessing. That’s why you heard the music. She wants you to help bring balance.”
Russell shook his head, “I’m not worthy of her blessing.”
“That is precisely what makes you worthy of it. You have seen who you are and are changed by it. Now you are charged to use her blessing and fight to save her from the sorrow that assails her.”
“Í really don’t want to live. My family has disowned me and I’ve been rejected by everyone I come into contact with and I, quite frankly, deserve their disgust. I’m really not all that when you strip away my title and status.”
“Then if you don’t want to live, give your life to her defense. You have nothing to lose. Make your life worth something.”
Russell thought about that idea and decided it had merit. “That’s all I was trying to do afte
r Joe was killed. I wanted to kill as many of those creatures as possible before they killed me.”
“I think you should continue down that path.” The big Cat paused and said, “It will give your life meaning and purpose. You need that right now.”
Russell nodded and looked the Cat in the eyes, “I have no other reason to live. There’s nothing for me but to fight the ones that bring your mother such pain.”
“She’s also your mother as well.” The Cat stared at Russell and said after a moment, “You should understand that with this purpose also comes responsibility. You can’t refuse to do difficult things because you feel weak or because others try to persuade you to another path.”
“You think that as a result of the battle I’ll be given rewards and it would diminish my resolve?”
“Most would be affected by such things.”
“They won’t bring Joe back will they?” The Cat shook his head, “Rewards can’t remove my sorrow at his sacrifice. I really don’t want rewards for what happened.”
“You should take what you earned.”
Russell nodded and he disappeared from the clearing and appeared back in the dining hall. He stood to take his tray to the cleaning table and heard clapping. He turned and saw several Warriors standing and applauding him. Soon the entire room was applauding and he felt shamed by their cheers. Sgt. Semy came over and said, “Thank you, Private Slade. All of us owe you our lives and we want you to know that all of us will be honored to be your partner if you need one.”
Russell stared at Semy and said, “Thank you, Sir.” He put his tray down and bowed to the room. They rushed forward and carried him out of the hall.
• • •
Pixie sat with Mitch and watched Russell being carried out of the hall and she saw something in Mitch’s expression, jealousy. “What’s bothering you?”
“I just can’t get over that he was chosen to hear the music.”
“You think it should have been someone else?”
Mitch took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. He didn’t respond and Pixie knew that he thought that he should have been the one chosen. She watched Russell disappear from the room and Mitch said, “He’s being promoted to command a platoon in the first battalion.”
“I thought he couldn’t hold a command position?”
“The King had had that restriction removed from his file.”
“Why is he being sent to First?”
“Because I’m not willing to promote him.”
Pixie looked at Mitch, “You know that those around him also hear the music?”
“I do.”
“And you’re willing to let those outside of your command benefit from that?” Mitch looked at Pixie and didn’t like where the questions were leading. Pixie shook her head, “I think you need to put your ego behind and do the right thing.”
“The only way I could keep him now is to promote him to a higher rank.”
“Bander was killed. You need a new company commander and it’s worth the risk to have him with you.”
Mitch’s eyes narrowed as he said, “I’ll think about it.”
Pixie stared at Mitch and said, “It appears you have no problem sending your warriors into combat without the best weapons.”
Mitch jerked his head around and said, “Where do you get off saying that?”
Pixie nodded at the door, “The best weapon in our arsenal was just carried out and you’re going to allow others to use him instead of your own command. What’s wrong with you?”
“Alright! I’ll do it.”
Pixie stood up and picked up her tray, “He saved your life.” She turned and walked away.
Mitch sat and tried to hear the music and failed. He remembered how effectively his armor had performed and he wanted the feeling again. He just hated that it had to come from Russell. He thought about it and sent his Sargent Major to bring Russell to his office.
• • •
Russell arrived in Major Callaway’s office and came to attention. “At ease, Private. Sit down.”
Russell sat down in front of Mitch’s desk and Mitch said, “If you had to do the exercise again, what would you change? Would you have still sent those fifteen warriors into that camp?”
Russell stared at Mitch and after a long pause said, “If I only knew what I knew then, I would.”
“Then you haven’t learned anything.”
“There would be one small difference.”
“What is that?”
“I would go in with them.” Mitch stared at Russell and he continued, “I am not near the tactician you are. I didn’t even think to go in early and scout the site of the exercise. I didn’t have the information you did and had to make decisions based on that lack of information. I made the mistake of not listening to you and others offering me suggestions and I deemed it important to force the enemy to engage us. Jumping into that camp was important. However, I should have gone in with them. You could have handled the other tasks.”
Mitch knew that Russell was different. If he had shared what he had learned before the exercise, Russell would have changed his plan and would have probably won the exercise. “So you would still send warriors into a certain death situation?”
“If the success of the mission depended on it, I would. However, I would lead them into it.” Russell stared at Mitch and said, “You’re right to think I didn’t hold any value of other’s lives and wouldn’t think twice about wasting them in combat. Joe showed me the value of a Warrior. I would do everything in my power not to send Joe into a suicide mission and would go with him to help him survive. I’ll do the same with any other Warrior now. Besides, this is a moot point; I’ll not have to make those decisions. I am not cut out for command and the Navy knows it.”
Mitch’s panel chimed and he said, “I told you, no interruptions.”
“Admiral Mirabal is on your line, Sir.”
Mitch said, “Put him through.”
Jason appeared on the wall display and said, “I was looking for Private Slade. I was told he was in your office.”
Mitch said, “We were discussing the operation, Sir.”
Jason smiled, “Private Slade, you have been recommended for the Bristone Star and the King has approved your receiving it. You are ordered to report to Bristone to receive it in six days.”
Russell said, “I will not accept the medal, Sir.”
Mitch and Jason stared at him with shocked expressions. Jason said, “Why not?”
“I’m not the one that deserves it. You’re doing this for the wrong reason.”
Jason shook his head, “You saved the Warriors on those slopes.”
“No I didn’t. Saving them wasn’t even in my mind during that operation. They could have all died and I wouldn’t have noticed or cared. Medals should be given for those that place themselves in harm’s way to save those in danger around them. My intention was to die on that slope and I could have cared less about all the others around me. The one that died to save me and thus caused me to do what I did was Joe Tarver. He took a blaster blast to save me. If he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have done what happened. He is the one that deserves the medal and his family should receive the benefits the medal recipients are given.” Russell paused and said, “Sir, I don’t know what happened to me on that slope, but it wouldn’t have happened if Joe had not saved my life. He saved me and as a result of his actions; everyone else was saved. Surely you can see that?”
Jason stared at Russell and slowly nodded his head. I’ll discuss it with the King.”
“Sir, I will not accept it; I’m really not deserving of it.”
“I’ll get back to you.”
Mitch stared at Russell and decided, “Private Slade, you have been given a battle field promotion to Captain and will assume command of D Company.”
Russell whipped his head around from the display and said, “I am not allowed to command.”
“The King has removed that restriction from your file and you ar
e now free from that restriction. Your Company Commander was killed on the slope and you led D Company in his place during the operation. I gave you the promotion when you moved your command forward.”
“Sir, I respectfully decline the promotion.”
“If you intend to remain a Warrior, you will accept it.”
Russell stared at Mitch and heard him say, “Now you will have a company of Joes to defend. I trust you’ll do a good job. Now report to your unit or give me your resignation.”
Russell stared at Mitch and said, “I have no other place to go.”
“Then your Company will be your home. You’re dismissed.”
Russell stared at Mitch and knew that this is what the Cat meant by accepting what he earned. Russell stood, saluted, and left the room. He walked out of the Headquarters building and sat down on a bench overlooking the training fields. Pixie appeared and said, “You have to do this.”
“Tell me why. Would you want someone like me to be your commander?”
Pixie smiled, “I’m starting to think I’d want that. But Russell, you and those around you will hear the music. You can make a difference in the chances of your command’s survival. Mitch was right; there are a whole company of Joes waiting for you. Go and make them into something extraordinary.”
Russell stared at Pixie and then nodded. She disappeared and he stood and walked toward D Company’s barracks. He found Master Sgt. Semy waiting for him outside the barracks. Semy saluted and Russell returned it. “Congratulations, Sir.”
“Sarge, I tried to avoid this promotion but had it forced on me.”
“I’m glad you were unsuccessful.”
“What?”
“The Company has lost half of its Warriors and officers. We are substantially weakened and have a lot of work to do to be ready for any combat operation. The announcement was just made about your promotion and the men are excited at being in your command.”
Russell listened and heard the music in the back of his mind and said, “Form the Company and have them ready to teleport to the main armory.”
Semy nodded and ran into the building. Russell pressed his wrist unit and saw Mitch appear, “Sir, I request permission to go to the Realm’s main armory with my company.”