I AM TELEPATHIC. My invisible, telepathic friend replied. Just before adding with obvious amusement AND YOU’RE NOT THAT CRAZY.
Who are you? I asked silently.
SOMEONE WHO HAS WAITED A LONG TIME FOR SOMEONE TO HEAR. His voice, thankfully, had softened. But now it was also cryptic.
Are you with the man who had killed that woman?
IF YOU MEAN WILLINGLY THEN THE ANSWER IS NO. BUT AM I STUCK WITH HIM, SO YES. ALL THE TIME. HE IS THE MAN WHO JUST ENTERED. It took a lot to keep from jerking up and staring at the man. Even more to keep from running away screaming that he was a murderer. But I did look up through my lashes at him. The shadows had hidden much of his form, plus the mask made it impossible to know anything about his features. He must have also done something to alter his voice, because it took a stretch to recognize it. But the admiral was the only man who had entered.
The admiral, right? I asked the voice. As I asked it, I began to panic. The admiral had been hidden. I had not been. In fact, I was still in the white clothes and I was barefoot.
DON’T PANIC. HE CANNOT RECOGNIZE YOU.
You did. I pointed out. And the voice didn’t even have eyes.
BY YOUR THOUGHTS ONLY. I got the impression he was laughing at me. Movement drew my attention outward again. The female admiral (I am guessing since she also had a gold diamond on her uniform collar) indicated that Admiral Knight walk with her to what I guess was her office in the back. Life returned to normal for the rest of the officers. The voice’s presence began to fade, but not before he said cryptically WE WILL MEET AGAIN, I’M SURE. I was alone again with the officer who had a strange obsession with footwear and somehow I had to explain why I was bootless without giving the true reason. And while I was at it, I had to convince them to let me join the Academy. Fun times… Nothing like lying by omission during your first interview.
I turned back to the officer to whom I had been speaking. Her green eyes were narrowed again. “You still here?” She said in disgusted surprise.
I nodded. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked her in return. Her cat eyes widened. “I was sent here. You are holding the letter that strongly advises that I be at least given a chance to be admitted. I ask that I simply be given a chance to live up to the recommendation.”
The officer’s eyes narrowed. If she didn’t stop doing that she was going to be stuck with squinty eyes. “You are correct. I am holding a letter of recommendation. One for a colonist, of all things, named Rylynn of Colony Lenti. However, we were given a heads up by Captain Wingstar. In which he gave a description of the person we were to expect. And while you do have the same height, dark hair, and gray eyes that was in the description, you do not have the boots that were loaned. Nor are you in the company of Ensign Trin.”
I sighed and leaned casually on the counter which, to my satisfaction, made her back up a tad. “The reason why Ensign Trin has not escorted me here was because he decided I should get lost. Mostly because he didn’t think that a colonist should be given a chance to join the Academy. Imagine, an ensign deciding something that should be left to his superior officers…” I shook my head. “I pointed out to him that may not be the most appropriate action of someone given a direct order by his captain. After that, he graciously gave me directions to this place and even offered to be seen escorting me to it, but by then I decided that I would rather find it on my own then have someone who had already proven untrustworthy with me.” I shrugged at her look and softened my voice. “Trust, where I am from, is something earned and worth more than all the money and prestige that could possibly exist in the empire. Once lost, it is hard to regain. Because, where I am from, you have t09o be careful of whom you trust. Trust the wrong person and it could be a knife in your back. Especially since the war going on has depleted much of the resources in the cities. I’m sure you can see where I am coming from.”
“There is no war.” She said stiffly.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You would think that, but then, you haven’t seen Telmicks stomping through your streets cutting down people who had the misfortune of being in the way. Nor have you seen the destruction of a once thriving city with its people becoming little more than thieves, because that is the only way to survive. There is nowhere safe within the walls and getting out is like playing a hardcore version of cat and mouse. If found and lucky, you are killed on the spot. If found and unlucky, you are tortured for who knows how long. But you are right, officially there is no war because certain interests have not been touched.”
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that everyone in the office was staring at me. I continued, ignoring them. “But that is neither here nor there. I made my own way here, though I was worried that I would have to disregard the directions because of the detour through the darkened halls of this station. But lo and behold, they proved to be right on the money anyway. Which makes me wonder if the whole point of the detour is to test the conviction of the person wanting to join the Academy.
“But you wanted to know about the boots. The honest truth is this, the boots were too loud. And in a darkened hallway where my eyesight was next to none, I had to take off the boots so I wouldn’t alert every possible hostile of my approach.” I laughed self-deprecatingly. “It was, perhaps, a bit over kill, but at the time I hadn’t known what I would have found around the next corner. So I left the boots behind in favor of having both hands ready to swing the crowbar I found just in case I came across someone meaning me harm. I felt I had to choose between fashion and survival. And, to be frank with you, survival will always win over fashion.”
“And she is a mean one with a crowbar, as ensigns Edwin and Sven can attest.” A voice said from the back of the room. I frowned and turned to see the female admiral.
“Admiral L’Seral!” The cat-eyed officer straightened along with everyone else in the room. I pushed away from the desk and turned to face her. The woman was smiling.
“At ease.” She said coming forward. I studied her, not sure if I should do something like the others. Having no clue I looked down, but I did study her from under my lashes. I was getting quite accomplished at that. “And she did have boots at that point.” The admiral continued before focusing her attention on me. I definitely remembered her eyes.
“You were the old woman.” I said. “The one who was being attacked by the Comic Book thugs.”
She laughed. “I had never heard anyone call those lads a name like that. It was a novel experience for them too, I’m sure. Come, I wish to speak with you.”
“But ma’am!” The cat-eyed officer protested before she could stop herself. She still had my letter of recommendation in her hand.
Admiral L’Seral raised a steel brow at her before nodding. “You are right, lieutenant. I’ll take her letter, thank you.” She said taking the well-traveled paper from the baffled lieutenant. She then turned and walked back toward her office in the back. I hesitated for a moment before following her. I wasn’t sure where the other admiral, Admiral Knight, had gone. Are you still nearby? I mentally called. If the voice answered then I had a possible problem on my hands. That of course being that the voice had been wrong and the admiral had recognized me and now I was in danger.
I didn’t get a response even as I walked into the office in the back. The wood that had served as trim in the front office had decided to take over here. The result was a homelier atmosphere. It wasn’t a terribly large office, but it wasn’t small either. An ‘L’ shaped desk and several comfy chairs were able to fit comfortably in the room without being cramped. Instead of sitting behind the desk as I had assumed, Admiral L’Seral sat in one of the chairs and gestured for me to sit as well.
“It is not often for someone to realize that the detour is a test of sorts until later. Mostly because there is an escort who comes along.” She began.
“I only realized that it had to be a test when the directions had been perfect, even though I should have been past them.” I admitted. I tilted my head. “Is the main test always someone being mugged
?”
“Not always. Since you passed with flying colors, even making sure that the victim made it to safety even though they had said that they could make it on their own…” My brows rose as I realized she had noticed. But then, it was a test so it would figure they would have some way of recording it. Admiral L’Seral nodded with a smile as if she had guessed what thoughts were behind my reaction. She continued. “…Let us discuss your departure for the main Academy.” I stilled and she noticed. “Is something wrong?”
I opened my mouth, closed it then said. “I am not complaining, but I would have thought that there would have been some sort of screening or test or something…” After all, I had planned entire speeches to convince the board that I should be allowed in…Not that I met a board. Just a sour lieutenant and an admiral who pretended to be an incredibly frail woman. The first was obviously against me. The latter was different.
“There was, the test was to see what your morals were.” Admiral L’Seral said.
“I thought there would be something more… official then that.” I said struggling for the words. I wanted her to be telling me the truth so bad, but I was having trouble believing that that was it.
Admiral L’Seral smiled and said. “Usually there are other official tests. However you do not need them.”
“Why? It can’t be because I am a colonist.” If anything, that would see more tests. I figured.
“Of course not.” She said off handedly. She then held up the letter. “It is because of this. Captain Wingstar is one of our greatest captains. He should be an admiral by now, but he is the only person I know of to not only turn down the Admiral’s Diamond once, but twice.” Her tone was both admiring and frustrated. “Though God knows he should wear it.” She muttered. I guess it was a long standing debate between the two. Admiral L’Seral turned back to me “He also doesn’t recommend many for the Academy. In fact, before you, there were only two. Both are now excellent captains in their own right. One will probably be made a commodore by cycle’s end. I swear the man somehow knows the kind of people the Fleet will need when he sees them. It may not be many but they proved to be invaluable over the years.” I blinked at her. “Yes.” She continued seeing my expression. “His recommendation pretty much automatically grants you acceptance. Welcome, Rylynn of Colony Lenti, to the start of your Legion Fleet career. It is now up to you to see how far you go.”
Ten minutes later found me on the Academy shuttle bound for the planet with a new pair of boots on my feet. Of course, I wasn’t the only one on the shuttle. That would have been too kind and life had a policy against being described that way. My fellow passengers were Admiral Knight and the disembodied voice who congratulated me on being admitted to the Academy. Somehow (I figure it was because he could hear my thoughts) he knew that admittance meant a great deal to me.
JUST TELL ME IF THERE IS ANYTHING I COULD HELP YOU WITH. He said as I focused on staring out the window and not paying my physical companion any attention. I made it look like shyness when in reality I was terrified. The other voice, the one I had heard briefly after the woman had died, hadn’t said a word since. When I tried to focus on it all I got was a jumbled tangle of gut wrenching fear with an ounce of anger. I could only assume that it was caused by the same source as my terror: Admiral Knight. Of course, experiencing gut wrenching panic did not help still my own terror. So I didn’t focus much.
Tell me when I can report that poor woman’s death.
The voiced sighed and I distinctly heard it shift into a hiss. THE TIME IS NOT, OBVIOUSLY, NOW. YOU WILL KNOW IT WHEN IT COMES.
You mean when I get blamed for it because my DNA is found on the scene?
YOU WILL NEED TO BE CAREFUL, BUT KNOW IF THERE IS ANY BLAME IT WILL NOT STAY AT YOUR FEET FOR LONG.
How? I asked pressing my face closer to the window. There were probably nose prints on it now. Too bad.
THE WOMAN’S OWN WILL COME TO INVESTIGATE AND THEY WILL SEE THE TRUTH. He paused a moment before adding AND ONCE HE CALMS DOWN, THE MOUSE WILL HELP YOU.
Mouse? I asked surprised.
YES.
It intrigued me to learn that one of the voices saw itself as a mouse. It made me wonder what entities were behind the voices. I was fairly sure that they were not proof of my insanity. They were far too helpful, even when they were cryptic, to be products of my own mind. So one was a mouse, what was the other? Are you a mouse too? I asked. It seemed a reasonable question to me.
NO. I AM MOST DEFINITELY NOT A MOUSE. He replied stiffly.
NOT THAT BEING A MOUSE IS A BAD THING. The mouse muttered before descending back into panic.
The first voice snorted. HE’LL BE FINE. I GOT A RISE OUT OF HIM. He sounded very pleased with himself.
If you are not a mouse, then what are you? I asked. Prompted by the question memory flickered. Admiral Knight had struck a chord when he had called himself a serpent. Are you a snake?
SLIPPERY, CUNNING BEASTS. The mouse muttered softly.
A KIND. The other replied in his cryptic fashion.
What kind? I asked.
I waited…
The intercom buzzed briefly before the pilot’s voice. “Just a head’s up, the ride is about to get rough. Hold on.”
“I hate reentry.” I heard the admiral mutter softly to himself. A moment later the shuttle rocked violently. I gripped my harness as vicious shreds of red and orange raged past the shields.
WELL, OH MYSTERIOUS ONE, YOU GOING TO TELL THE GIRL WHICH KIND YOU ARE? The mouse asked after a time.
There was a telling silence during which I could feel the snake’s irritation. Finally he said. IT IS TOO DANGEROUS RIGHT NOW. SOON WILL BE SOON ENOUGH. I could tell from his tone that he couldn’t be convinced to say more at this time. The mouse seemed to realize this too because he didn’t press matters either.
Unable to restrain myself I asked, Is it too dangerous to know what the two of you are? I prayed the snake would at least answer that. I was sure the mouse could answer, but he seemed to be deferring to the snake. Maybe it had something to do with predation?
I WILL ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BUT DO NOT ASK ANYMORE ON THIS TOPIC FOR NOW. My cryptic serpent friend said. I mentally pouted before nodding my head slightly in acceptance of the terms. Satisfied with my acquiescence he continued. WE ARE SPECTRALS.
And damn did I wish I hadn’t made that promise! There were so many questions! Spectrals were creatures of pure energy and color. There were also twenty five kinds, all animals from old Earth. They were the reason why the empire was called the ‘Spectral Empire’. They were special, beautiful, and intelligent. All my life I had heard stories about them. But I had never heard of them communicating with a corporeal being not of a noble house before. But then, I couldn’t imagine the noble houses admitting that they were not special.
Even so, here I was talking with two… which made me wonder what the hell I had stumbled into.
***
The Academy shuttle dove into the atmosphere of Prima Imperium. Its shields held back the dazzling display of light and color of entry. Back above the falling star of the shuttle was the station continuing its pirouetting dance. The same dance it would step for as long as it was able. Within its many corridors life continued as it often did with travelers coming and going. Some happy that their trip was going so well, others complaining about lost luggage and exorbitant prices.
But there was a section that didn’t have the same heartbeat. A main hall cast in darkness. Silence reigned here. In a small nook behind the counter of an abandoned storefront were a pair of lonely LF boots. Forgotten in the wave of horror that shattered silence’s peaceful reign. Down the corridor that still trembled with the suffering and terror of a life forcefully ended were glassy, desperate eyes that stared and stared. Stared at the shards of glass that would glint around a crowbar thrown in a bid to distract a hungry blade from its target. A bid that failed.
A lingering shadow stretched and padded toward the carcass. It could not touch the flesh t
o get the treasure inside as that would warn those who were suspicious of its presence, but it could dream. It could hunger. It turned its head toward the crowbar and its glittering attendants. There was a scent on it that gave the shadow pause. A potential enemy? A threat to its plans? It snorted. Soon its friend would search for the one who interrupted and this potential threat would disappear.
The staring eyes watched the shadow slink back into the deeper darkness.
Chapter 5 An Introduction to Beauty
To be courageous is not to be without fear. There must be fear to have courage. But you cannot let the fear win. To be courageous one must accept that they are afraid and then do what must be done anyway. My aunt Sylvia had told me something like that once, before the day everything went wrong. Before that day when she sent me to the market only to return to a burning crater. Aunt Sylvie hadn’t been talking to the Officers of Order who had come. Nor had she been in the small clinic that also served animals. I hadn’t needed anyone to tell me that because I knew she hadn’t escaped the building. She had probably been at her afternoon practice before her old piano-forte. She often played when she was in need of solace or just had some emotion that she could express no other way. It was her gift and I had always enjoyed returning home to the melodies that she tickled from the ivory keys.
I missed it.
I’ve heard that people often hold on to hope that their loved one had made it through some tragedy. That they believed that if they had faith that their loved one had survived they would see that person again. That they could feel that the loved one was still alive. As dark as this sounds, I knew Aunt Sylvie wasn’t there anymore. That she had been beyond my reach. Just as I had known something was wrong that day. I hadn’t wanted to leave her, but she had practically kicked me out the door. She had been scared.
Before that day I had never seen Aunt Sylvie scared.
“Are you ever afraid?” my seven cycle old self had asked on a particularly bad night when our neighbor had threatened her in one of his drunken rages. We had been returning from her job. A basket of fresh fruit from the produce stand down the street on her arm, she had faced him calmly. Aunt Sylvie had told him something that I no longer remember, but whatever it had been it had startled our neighbor. He had grumbled and sat back down. He, a big man who worked in the mine and she a small, older woman. It had seemed like magic to me. She had been without fear.
Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1 Page 4