“Well, I have to go report to my new superior officer,” She said. “It was fun talking to you, Rhys.”
“Yeah, it was. Say, got any lunch plans tomorrow? I know this great café over in block seven.” I gave her my most charming smile. At least, I think it should be charming. For all I know my smile could be truly terrifying, but for my sake I choose to think it’s charming.
“I should be free, see you then!” She slipped a torn piece of engineering paper into my hand before sauntering off to block twelve. I watched her go, a smile still stretching across my face. Her personal com sequence was on the scrap.
Haywire walked up and gave me a friendly blow to the back that almost bowled me over. “Looks like you made a new friend, Rhys. You’re not going to brush off the rest of us are you?”
“Calm down, Jimmy,” I elbowed him in the gut. “I’ll always have time to play with other children. Come on, let’s stash our stuff and go hit Stacie’s restaurant in block eight.”
“I can’t wait to get my hands on that spicy couscous dish.”
“I’d rather get my mouth on it, all things considered. Hopefully there’s not a food shortage we don’t know about,” I turned back to the rest of my squad. “See you around boys, and stay out of trouble! You coming, John?”
My sergeant gave me a rude gesture without turning from his conversation, but then softened it with a smile. He finished up his exchange with the twins Dumper and Gripe, and caught up with me and Jimmy. “You get your way too often, Rhys. You’re way too impatient.”
I clapped him on the back with my free hand and shoved him towards the doorway airlock to the rest of the block. “But that’s the best part of being in charge, Johnny. That’s when you can afford to be a bit impatient.”
We walked out of the hangar, jockeying for position and just enjoying being loud young men who didn’t have responsibilities for a few days. We passed an intersection on our way to the tram that runs between all the section blocks. Someone cleared their throat.
“Captain Castle! Good timing, I was beginning to think you’d decided to stay in Von Braun City.”
My friends and I looked at the handsome Specials captain calmly leaning against a pale blue wall. “Captain McCulloch, it’s good to see you again,” I introduced the men next to me. “This is James Freed, my lieutenant, and my sergeant Jonathan Mace.”
“Haywire and Shot-put, right? You’ll have to tell me how you got those nicknames some day. But not right now, of course. Rhys, will you come with me? We’ve got a meeting to attend.”
“I… yeah, sure, I just have to put my bag in my apartment first and I’ll be right with you.”
“One of these fine men can do that, can’t you guys? This is a rather important meeting. I’m sure Haywire wouldn’t mind.”
I looked at my best friend. “Well, Jimmy… you know the code, you want to drop my bag off? I’ll meet you guys at Stacie’s when this is over with…”
“Sure, Rhys, I can handle it. You want us to order you anything?”
I thought for a second. “If I’m not there in half an hour get me some fish and chips to go, I’ll stop by your place to get them later.”
“Works for me, bro.”
“Alright, I guess that’s taken care of,” I said to Christoph. “Let’s go.”
*****
“So where exactly are we headed?” I asked the enigmatic Captain.
“Block One. The Sentinel wants to see you. He doesn’t do this kind of thing very often so you can imagine how… intrigued and excited I am to be involved.”
“Do you have any advice for me… for whatever this is that I’m being brought in for?”
“Oh sure. First off, don’t make any aggressive moves anywhere near the Sentinel’s direction or Telamon, or one of the other Spartans, will probably gut you. Second off… just be respectful. He likes it when people are respectful, he did earn his position after all, and he doesn’t take it for granted. Ah, we’re almost there.”
The tram stopped and Christoph led me to the door of a lift that was guarded by two Spartans in their bronze power armor. They let us pass without any trouble and Christoph used a passcard to get the lift moving. After a moment the doors opened to a chamber that was remarkably large given how limited space tends to be in space. There were more Spartans posted along the walls of the circular chamber. There was a comfortable looking chair at the opposite end where a distinguished man was sitting.
This then, was the Sentinel. He was a lean man wearing a grey version of my own uniform, although his had sleeves. Though not skinny by any means he was certainly in shape for his age, with graying hair, and a well trimmed goatee. The man next to him was wearing an unarmored Spartan’s version of the standard Castigar uniform. He had a dark beard shot with silver, a glowing artificial eye, and a confident smirk.
The Sentinel stood up and addressed us. “Ah! Captain Castle! Finally we meet! Christoph, my thanks for bringing him here. You can have the rest of the day off, my boy. Give Izzy a kiss for me.”
“I will, Dad. Be gentle with Rhys, okay? I don’t think he’s ready to accept that the Sentinel is a crazy old man.”
“Then what do I pay you for?” The old man replied.
“Since when do you pay me?”
The leader of the Guardian Corps and the Confederacy of Sol that we all serve gave the Captain’s retreating back a smile. “My only child. Isn’t he something? He became a First Tier Swordmaster only two years out of the academy. Second youngest Swordmaster ever. Amazing,” The old man crossed the room to me and held out his hand, holographic displays springing to life in the air around him. He just walked through them.
As I shook that hand, I think I mumbled something along the lines of “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
He smiled at me and replied. “Maybe not as much as you want to think, but we’ll see.” Telamon, the Captain of the Sentinel’s Guard, chuckled at that. Singly, either man was intimidating, but together they had moments where they were downright menacing. And it was clear they weren't even trying. They weren’t even physically imposing. I had a few inches on either of them, but the way they held themselves made them seem much larger.
“Now, I take it you have no idea why I had my son bring you here, yes? Well don’t worry about that just now. Christoph likes you, thinks you’re special. He thinks you could be accomplishing more than you have been. What do you think?”
I took a moment to compose my racing thoughts so that I could do something more intelligent than blurt out half-mumbled words and sounds that would be reminiscent of a giant slug partially covering an air-intake valve on an air system.
“I don’t think, nor have I ever thought that I am special. I just do my duty and try to keep my men alive so that they can go back to their families at the end of the day.”
“Oh good answer, Captain. Very politick.”
“Very earnest.” Telamon chipped in. The Sentinel gave the man a long-suffering look, which merely caused Telamon to shrug back at him.
“Anyway. You’re record is exemplary. Second only to the Captains in my Specials battalion. Were you aware of that?”
“No sir, I was not. I had absolutely no idea.” I really was astounded. I think I was starting to get an inkling of the purpose of this meeting, but I was still mostly mystified. “If I might ask, sir, what does my record have to do with anything?”
“Your record suggests that you might be special, and your attitude and answers with me and my son suggests that you are special. And so-”
Telamon cut him off again. “Michael, remember when you were subtle? Those were good days, weren’t they?”
The look the Sentinel gave his bodyguard and friend was much more savage than the last one. “Subtlety aside, Captain Castle, I am offering you a position in the Specials battalion. You will have the right to name your squad, you will get customized armor that harnesses the newest breakthroughs in technology and among other things you and your men will receive pay as if you we
re all a full rank higher than you are. Are you interested, son?”
I was struck speechless, I was so shocked. I spoke/mumbled what I thought was “Yes sir. I’m honored for this opportunity and I won’t let you down.” But I’m afraid it may have gotten jumbled since my brain was suddenly firing only half its cylinders. This was a step for my career that I could have only dreamed about. The Specials were the best of the best. Regardless of what escaped my mouth, the Sentinel gave me a smile, clapped my back and told me that he was glad to hear it.
“You will, of course, still have your two weeks of R and R, although I would appreciate it if you visited Bay Chief Ruiz in block three, sooner rather than later, so he can get working on your new armor. Once you’re done with your leave I’ll send you orders. So go out and enjoy. You’ll have plenty of work soon enough. I understand you have plans with your friends that Christoph and I interrupted. You’re dismissed, Captain. Enjoy yourself.”
I saluted and walked back the way I had come, numbly hoping I wouldn’t get lost and so lose out on the delicious food offered by Stacie’s Restaurant, but obviously still a bit preoccupied with what just happened. Jimmy and John weren't going to believe me.
*****
After Captain Castle was safely out of the room the conversation continued, and the consequences of that conversation would be felt within months.
The High Sentinel turned to Telamon. “I’ve got a good feeling about this one. But I still can’t believe my predecessor put Joshua in the specials at all. Let alone as Captain of the First squad. The man is a mad dog who shouldn’t even be in the service.”
“But you can’t argue with his effectiveness. The First Squad has never lost a man and never failed a mission. That has to stand for something, right? I’m not going to defend him though. You did right by putting your son in charge of the group. Of course, you realize that since the battalion is going to have a full company now that you’ll need to put someone who is at least a colonel in charge, right?”
“I do and the newly promoted Colonel O’Neal has already been approached by Venator Simeon about the job,” Michael McCulloch looked at one of the holographic displays that listed the squads and captains in the Specials battalion. “Christoph is taking his squad out to the Pluto outpost. We need a new recruiter. Who do we have on the station that’s stable enough to take that over?”
Telamon called up a manifest from his personal pad. “Cari’das and the second squad are back with the tech from that Republic assault. I don’t think they completely understand how we operate yet or normal human behavior so he’s probably not a good choice. Joshua is still taking his time harassing that AEU army even though he was due back three weeks ago… It looks like Jacob and Frank just got in from an intervention in the Sudan. Everyone else is on assignment elsewhere. Do you want me to send those two over?” The Captains of the Fourth and Fifth squads never did anything without each other. They were old friends and highly competitive. They even argued about who was inducted into the Specials first.
“Yes, do that. They’ll be able to cover more ground than any of the others, and thank the Light that their feud won’t let them accept just anyone for this. Imagine what one would do to the other if he recruited an inferior unit. I’ve been getting some reports from around the system that bring up questions without answers and I have a bad feeling that we’re going to need Beta Company up and running as soon as possible. We’ll need all of them, mark my word.”
“Word marked,” Telamon replied. He checked a data pad that he pulled from his belt. “The Liberation is on schedule with its refit. We’ll be riding in style to this year’s summit in Kyoto. Anything else you need me for Mike? Delilah’s shuttle should be here soon and I’d like to meet her at the airlock.”
Michael McCulloch smiled gently at his friend. “Give her my love, and I expect a full report on all the children and grandchildren later.”
“Will do, my friend. See you tomorrow.”
5
June 1, 2289. The Forge, Block 7
The man that stood before me was well-muscled but only of medium build. The Vindicator danced back and forth before throwing a straight and powerful right-handed strike at me. I brushed his blow aside with my forearm and stepped in to drop him with a hit to the chin. The bell proclaiming me the winner tolled as the referee raised my arm. I was, however, disappointed. The man had had a fearful reputation and the match only lasted about twenty seconds.
Perhaps I was expecting too much, I was tournament champion two years running after all. Still, I had hoped that some my fellow Guardians would rise to the occasion. Over the next few hours, I took out three more Vindicators and four Castigars. Only the man after this Vindicator had given me any trouble. He opened a cut on my forehead before I was able to take him out with a left hook. I had a few hours to rest before the final match, so I decided to stop by the cafeteria to see if I could get some decent grub.
My shoulder still hurt, and it was maddening. It had nothing to do with my opponents so far today; none of them had come near it. It seemed that even with the regenerative treatments, that tank had done a lot of damage to me. At least the pain wasn’t slowing me down. The last fight was always the worst. Once I finally got back to the gym I found a quiet corner, and with a full belly, settled in for a nap.
*****
Something nudged me, yelled at me, but it was not enough to actually awaken me. "Come on, Rhys! Wake up, slag it! I'm your X.O. for Pete's sake - who is Pete anyway? - You should listen to me!"
Sighing, Haywire pulled back his leg, and kicked me in the head (lightly, of course). This actually got my attention, in that I tried to hit Haywire.
"Blast it! What was that for, Jimmy?"
"Well boss, your final match is in 20 minutes. I just thought you'd want to be awake for it."
"Oh... I see. I guess what I meant was: WHY DID YOU KICK ME?"
"I tried everything else short of my pistol," James "Haywire" Freed sighed again, very theatrically. "That skull of yours is just too thick for your own good."
I finally looked at my executive officer; the African - tall, rangy, and amiable - was almost indistinguishable from the black of his uniform.
"You really don't have anything better to do than to kick me?"
"Of course not. Because I want my credits’ worth out of you and this last match. The whole squad is banking on you."
I glared. "Oh, thanks for that added bit of pressure."
"Happy to help!" Jimmy smiled broadly. "Heads up though, this last guy is apparently a Spartan of some large reputation. Or at least that’s what his squad mates keep saying."
"Spartans aren't so tough..."
"I'm sure you'd like to think so, but don't take this one lightly. His squad mates call him 'Ruin.' The fellow even has a huge omega symbol tattooed on his back. He might be fresh out of the Agoge but still... Be careful, boss."
"Yeah, I'll see you at the ring. Oh, and I think that the Pete in Pete’s sake probably refers to Saint Peter. Although if it does I don't know why. Stay out of trouble, brother."
"You know me, brother." Haywire sauntered out to the stands surrounding the ring, by the squad's reserved seating.
*****
It felt like someone had hit me with a sledgehammer. The Spartan's fist slammed into the side of my face. I kept enough of my wits about me to use the force of the blow to spin a backhand into "Ruin's" face, staggering the man back a few steps.
We stared at each other, catching our respective breaths. I was bleeding from the cut on my forehead again, as well as just under my ear and on my right cheek; my left arm felt slightly numb. The Spartan had similar cuts on his face and seemed to be favoring his ribs on one side. The bell ending the round sounded. We went back to our respective corners.
I sat down for a moment, sparing a glance over by my squad. There was the cutest, most irresistible little technician by them. I had been lucky enough see Rachel every day since we had gotten back to the Forge - I gave her a wink.
She smiled and blushed! Now that was the best thing I had seen all day! The bell rang out again - have to finish this now, I thought, before I fall down.
I started in immediately with a left hook. Ruin ducked under the punch and replied with a biting jab, knocking the wind from me. I returned by chopping down hard on the Spartan's injured side. Ruin's leg buckled, I skipped away to take the time I needed to catch my breath a little.
Ruin tentatively got back on his feet, and grinned. I couldn't help but shudder at the insanity that seemed to be bred into these Spartans - the harder the fight the more savage - and gleeful - they became. I had just been complaining about easy fights though, hadn't I? Hard hurts, but is usually more fun.
Ruin and I came at each other with a flurry of ferocious blows. We kept hammering at one another, until I was finally able to slam a meaty fist into the Spartan’s jaw. Yes, I called my own fist meaty.
Finally the black-bearded madman went down. The count went up: One... Two... Three... The Spartan tried to rise, Four... He staggered, Five... He fell back to his knees, Six... Seven... He glared daggers at me, Eight... He fell to his back, Nine... He took a deep breath and sighed, Ten...
The referee raised my hand, and announced the win. Haywire came up, taking me by the shoulders to steady me. The Spartan gained his feet after a minute or two, still didn't seem all that stable.
"Hell of a fight, brother... I am Hektor, at your service," Reaching his hand out to me.
"You Spartans sure have a way about you. I'm Rhys Castle," Pointing to Haywire. "That's Jimmy Freed. You just gave me the best fight of my career... Let's try not to do that again. Ever."
"Hah!" Hektor burst out. "No promises. You’ve bested me. It’s only proper that I try to return the favor next year.” The younger man made some odd noises in his throat. “I'm thirsty; let's go get some drinks, brothers."
“I’m going to have to take a rain check on that, Hektor. I already have plans for tonight, but I’m sure Jimmy will be happy to commiserate with you. See you guys later.”
The Guardians of Sol Page 4