Knights of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book Two)

by Lawrence P White

  “If it’s possible for a computer to be happy, I’m happy for you, Reba. And thank you for letting me sense that happiness.”

  “George, you’re more than a computer. Admit it. Have you met any others of your kind?”

  “Many, here. We talk all the time. Would you like to talk with Joline?”

  “Not at the moment. I just left her. I’m sure she hasn’t forgotten me yet.”

  “Definitely not. She says you’re a natural starship commander. She’s happy to serve with you any time.”

  “Who knows,” Reba mused. “Maybe you’ll both get the opportunity.”

  Chapter Two

  Juster knocked lightly before entering and slumped onto the couch across the room from the desk.

  Struthers looked up from his work, irritated at the interruption, but this man had unlimited access to his office. “It’s a little early for a drink,” he said pleasantly.

  “You’d better pour one. No, make it two. I have bad news.”

  “Tell me you found her.”

  “I did, but she got away. This time, she took Chandrajuski and several squadrons with her. I’m very sorry, Sire.”

  Struthers could only stare as he sensed the complex threads of his grand plan unraveling. His sense of doom had been growing of late. He knew it showed, and he knew it was affecting his performance, but he couldn’t help it. He went to sleep with her on his mind, and he awoke to thoughts of her. No amount of work or liquor or women or anything else seemed to help, nothing except the growing kernel of hate in his gut. He fed it, and he liked feeding it.

  He hated the Chosen, had for many years. Because of the Chosen, First Knight had been the highest position he could ever attain within the Empire, and it wasn’t enough. He was smarter, stronger, and better than them in all ways. He had earned the right to rule, but the gap between First Knight and the line of Chosen, where all the power truly lay, could not be crossed. Only fate, in the form of a genetic trait inherited by the line of Chosen, held him back from his rightful place.

  He had pulled off his part of the coup, the really difficult part, flawlessly. Daughter’s fate had, he thought, been sealed the moment she departed on the treaty mission, a mission whose sole purpose had been to place her and a few others in the hands of the Chessori. The Chessori’s part had been so simple and so certain of success that he had erased her existence from his mind weeks before the coup to focus on the principle target, the Palace. The Chessori had let him down, badly.

  He was so close! Of all the Chosen, she had been his least concern. And now . . . now he hated this particular Chosen most of all. He had considered issuing orders to capture her rather than kill her on sight, just so he could one day feel his hands around her throat, but he had come to his senses. He just wanted her dead. He needed her dead. Then he’d get back in the saddle and continue the charge.

  He shook himself back to the present, then got up to mix a drink for each of them. “What about the gleasons? We were pretty confident there,” he said over his shoulder.

  “All dead, Sire.”

  “Vorst?”

  “Captured, Sire.”

  The delicate crystal glass shattered in his hand. Bright red blood flowed freely, but he didn’t notice, nor would he have cared. “It’s the cats, my friend,” he whispered. “Everything she’s accomplished is because of the cats. But she hasn’t been to Brodor. We have it staked out. And none of her ships have shown up anywhere. We’d know if they had. Where is she getting them?”

  “She’s pretty sharp, Sire, and she knows how we work. She probably has a few sharp officers with her who know us, as well. We can’t know what’s happening on every planet – we’re not that well entrenched. Heck, we don’t even have our own fleets under control yet.”

  “Then get them under control.”

  “It’s not that easy, and you know it. Our plan calls for the process to take years. The Empire has some incredibly sharp officers in charge. You know it, you helped put them there, and we don’t just want to get rid of them: we want them on our side. It’s going to take time, lots of time. They’ll come around or else, but it’s too soon.”

  “Time is the one thing we no longer have,” Struthers said. “She’s out there, and she’s plotting. I can feel it. We have to stop her.”

  “Sire, we still have our ace in the hole. There aren’t enough cats to take out all the Chessori, and we now know from tests that the cats are not nearly as efficient under the scree. We need to make her come to us. We need to sit down and calmly figure out what her strategy is. If we can do that, we can be waiting. We can beef up the Chessori wherever we think she’s headed, and we’ll take her out. Just like that,” he said snapping his fingers.

  “By the way, Sire, did you know your hand is bleeding?”

  Struthers looked at his hand and shrieked, shaking the blood from it. “See what she’s done to me?” he screamed.

  Chapter Three

  Chandrajuski cornered Mike in a corridor and shepherded him into a nearby conference room. It was just the two of them.

  “What’s up, Admiral?” Mike asked as he stood beside the long conference table.

  “We’re wasting time, that’s what’s up,” Chandrajuski stated, brooking no dispute as his long legs carried him to the far side of the table. He leaned over the table with his bright green head angled toward Mike. “Until the Queen is back on her feet, you’re the senior person here, and I’m next in line. Both of us have been sitting around for two whole days, just waiting, for what, I don’t know. We can’t afford idleness, and we can’t just wait around for the Queen to recover. Even after she’s out of the tank, she’ll need another month or two to get her strength back. I’m supposed to be developing a fighting force. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to be doing, but you’re not really accomplishing anything either.”

  Mike frowned. “My thoughts exactly. This First Knight business is a little hazy to me; I’m not sure what I should be doing. I need to go to Earth, but the recruits I bring back need ships, and we need to make arrangements for their training. To do that, we need your men. I guess I’ve just been waiting for Ellie, I mean the Queen, to wake up and give me direction.” He paused in thought for a moment. “On a theoretical level, as First Knight I should be running the Empire in her absence. In reality, there’s nothing to run at the moment, nor would I know where to begin if there was. I thought you were busy preparing for an influx of ships and sailors.”

  “What influx?”

  “Serge could show up any day.”

  “He’s weeks away, and my staff, provided he hasn’t shanghaied them somewhere along the way, is months away. It’s a good staff, and they don’t need me around to get things started. All I’ve been able to do so far is put Jons in charge of upgrading our ships. It’s not his forte, he’d rather have a squadron, but he made a lot of headway on his own while you were gone. He’s got the engineers working on plans that can be put in place as soon as Serge gives the okay.”

  “The engineers are cooperating?”

  “To a point. Drawings, craftsmen, and probably some parts will be available by the time Serge returns. It will be up to you and me to coerce Serge into giving his men the go-ahead. Jons’ immediate goal is to have things ready as soon as that happens.”

  “He’s a good man. You say he got started on this on his own?”

  “He did.”

  “I’m impressed. What else is on your agenda?”

  “Personally, I do not want the Queen waking up to find I’ve been idle. Besides, it’s not my way. I’m going on a trip.” Chandrajuski leaned across the table again, his wise, bright eyes meeting Mike’s. “Want to join me?”

  “Why, and where?”

  “You and I have a number of priorities. The Queen’s safety obviously tops the list. I believe Shipyard provides a reasonable level of safety for her at the moment, though we need to restore her complement of Protectors. I’m not sure how that’s best accomplished, but there aren’t any here. A
nd you’re right; if we’re going to bring recruits from Earth, we have to prepare a place to train them. For the recruits who will work with her Protectors, it’s your problem, and it will be a difficult integration. For the ones going to the fleet, my men will make the preparations, but I have three other urgent priorities: intelligence, ships, and trained military personnel to operate them. All speak of more people. I’m going to see how successful Krys has been, and I could use your help.”

  “I’d like to be here when the Queen wakes up.”

  “So would I, but she can’t afford such luxuries right now. She needs us to do our jobs. With a fast ship, we can hit two or three worlds and be back in six months or so if all goes well. What do you say?”

  Mike’s desire to be there to hold Ellie’s hand when she awoke was strong, but so was her need for him to help her restore the Empire. To do that, he needed to know more about the Empire and what was going on out there. He sorely missed Jake and the guidance he provided.

  “Do you have a plan?”

  “I always have a plan,” replied the Gamordian. Then in a lower voice, “Well, my men think I’m always acting according to a plan of some sort. In this case, I really do have a plan. There are three individuals I consider vital to our cause. One is a sector commander, another is a fleet commander, and the third is missing and may be dead. What I have in mind might be a long shot, but if we’re successful, we’ll come away with squadrons of ships and personnel. It’s even possible that these men have their sectors under control as we speak. If so, the Queen will have a true base of operations from which to expand her influence to more sectors.”

  Chandrajuski backed away from the table to pace. Whenever he did so, Mike was reminded of his strong resemblance to a praying mantis. His long legs moved with incredible grace, then the whole body froze for a few moments. The process would repeat itself over and over. That was not to say Chandrajuski could not move fast. He could move very fast when it suited his purposes, but regardless of how slowly his body moved, his mind continued at full speed.

  “These individuals, like me, have built commands based on loyalty to themselves in addition to loyalty to the crown. The Rebels will have a hard time gaining the upper hand in the two sectors I’m thinking about, but you can be certain they’re working on it. The sectors are key to both sides. We might already be too late, but I want to try. It’s not essential that you accompany me, but the presence of the First Knight will not only remove doubt, it will prove that the Queen is in control. What do you say? Will you go with me?”

  “Yes,” Mike replied without hesitation. “My trip to Earth is critical, but certain things need to be in place first. When will you be ready to go?”

  “Why wait? I can be ready in an hour.”

  “Let me see to a few things. It won’t take long.” He went to the door, then turned back to face Chandrajuski. “You’ll be talking with other admirals?”

  “I will.”

  “And you’re recruiting them to work for you?”

  “For me and the Queen, yes.”

  “Then you need a higher rank. Is Grand Admiral the right rank?”

  “I believe that’s what the Queen had in mind. There’s no hurry, though. I don’t have much of a command to be grand about yet.”

  “But you will, and you have to be able to order these men.”

  “That’s what you’re there for.”

  “No, sir. I’ll just be there to add legitimacy to your leadership. If these men are to report to you, you must command from the very first moment. These conversations will not be among equals. If they were, you would simply be forming a larger unofficial underground like you had on Centauri III. The Queen no longer rules from obscurity, Admiral. She’s the legal ruler of the Empire, and you are her Grand Admiral. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sire. It will be so. Give me two hours, no, three hours. I think I’ll make some adjustments to our plans, and I’ll get some things started for your eventual recruits.”

  “I’m bringing Val along.”

  “Whatever for? Isn’t First Knight enough weight to throw around?”

  “It’s not because he’s a knight, it’s because of why he became a knight. He’s very, very good at everything I’ve asked of him, and I value his counsel, especially now that Jake is gone.”

  Mike called Val and Reba to a meeting that he did not look forward to. Looking at Reba rather than Val, he announced, “Val is leaving with me in three hours. We’re going on a recruiting voyage with Chandrajuski. We’ll be back in a few months or so.”

  Reba looked stricken, seeming to age before his eyes. Val, too, experienced a moment of resentment, but Mike also sensed his excitement. Reba looked deep into his eyes. “I won’t argue with you, Mike. All I ask is that it be necessary.”

  “It’s necessary, and I believe it’s what Ellie needs of us right now. We can’t sit around doing nothing while she recovers. She needs us to be productive.”

  “I can go with you.”

  He shook his head. “No, I need you here. Ellie needs you by her side when she awakens, and I need to know that someone not susceptible to the Chessori mind weapon is here to protect her. You’ll be the only one on the planet that’s immune.”

  Reba looked away, then focused on Val. Her eyes filled to the brim with tears, but she rose to the occasion. “You can’t hide it from me, Val. You’re excited for the first time in days. Go get packed.”

  Val took off like a shot. Reba turned back to Mike. “He’s bored, not with me but with the inactivity. So am I. Got anything for me to do?”

  “Yes. Keep an eye on Ellie.”

  “You already said that. Anything else?”

  “Think about what I just said, Reba. Do you remember Lieutenant Rebecca Morrison, lately of Earth? She’s now Lady Rebecca, the Queen of All Space’s senior representative here. She’s on an alien planet, right in the middle of a war, and she has no one of higher authority to turn to other than herself. I think you’ve been promoted.”

  She wiped a last tear from eyes that had suddenly gone dry. “Is that what it’s been like for you?” she asked softly.

  “To some extent, and I’ve been feeling guilty about doing nothing. I’m glad Chandrajuski brought me to my senses.”

  “Remember when we were training as a crew on Earth? And remember what happened when I had George remove you from the crew?”

  “It was a disaster. Everything came to a standstill.”

  “That’s what’s happened to us here, but instead of you being removed, it’s Ellie. I didn’t realize it until just now, but we’ve graduated to a new phase of this war. We’re not just one ship anymore. We have truly moved into the realm of politics. You captained a craft of the state, but she’s captaining the craft of state now, and we’ve come to a standstill without her leadership.”

  “And as on Earth,” he said, continuing the thought, “we’re over the shock and struggling to get things going again. I saw the inefficiency then, and I see it now. We’re stumbling along until she gets back in the saddle.”

  “Yet we’re all leaders, titles or no. We can get things moving in the right direction without her, we’re just not as efficient.” Her eyes rose to the ceiling in thought, then she turned her gaze back to him. “You’ll miss her, but she’ll miss you more when she finds you gone. I know she’d like to wake up to your touch.”

  “I’m counting on you to be there in my place. Give her whatever support she needs, just be there. And while you’re waiting, see if you can come up with a plan to recruit more Protectors. We’re desperately short-handed. And we need to design a training program for the trainees from Earth, assuming we can pull that off.”

  “Yes, Sire. I might be able to get us started on some other things, as well. I’d better check on Val. He probably needs help packing.”

  Mike, Val, and Chandrajuski met at the bottom of the entrance ramp to Resolve. Mike hid his surprise at the choice of ship, but Chandrajuski offered an explanation. “I had planned t
o take a fast scout, just the two of us, but after what you said, this makes more sense. The ship itself will add legitimacy to our positions. It might also complicate things, but in the end it will be worth it.”

  Turning to Sir Val, he said, “I barely know you. Are you ready to get underway?”

  “It’s just the three of us?” Val asked in surprise.

  “No, I’ve borrowed some men from Jons’ squadron. We have enough to man all stations. I hope you don’t mind handling the conn when it’s your turn?”

  “Not at all, Admiral.”

  “Good, because you’re also Resolve’s captain on this voyage. I can give you ten minutes to assure yourself the ship is ready. Set course for Aldebaran I as soon as you can.”

  “Yes, sir!” Val headed up the steps at a dead run.

  “You know, Admiral,” Mike said with a grin, “as a Knight of the Realm, he outranks you.”

  “I know that, but he doesn’t. Come on. You supposedly know your way around Resolve. Show me where my cabin is.”

  * * * * *

  Later, Mike found himself on the bridge out of old habit. Resolve was already underway with Val in Mike’s old command seat. He and the two other pilots were engrossed in the net, probably computing a micro jump. Sure enough, moments later the screens blanked as they jumped. The screens refreshed in a moment, then they jumped again. And again. In no time at all they settled into the first long jump, after which one pilot and Val took a break. Val removed his helmet and rubbed tired eyes before discovering Mike sitting quietly in a crew seat before one of the active screens.

  “Hi, Mike. Feel at home?”

  Mike smiled. “Not exactly. This is better. My time aboard Resolve was anything but relaxing.”

  “So I’ve heard. Do you realize you’ve probably made more jumps manually than anyone else in the galaxy? Would you like to set up the next one?”

  “Heaven forbid we ever get to that point again. I’ll pitch in wherever you assign me, as pilot, cook, or repairman. Do you realize,” he said in embarrassment, “I’ve never landed a ship?”