Defender of the Empire: Cadet #1

by Catherine Beery

  Eventually Rylynn opened her eyes. At first her gray eyes were fogged by confusion. But not for long. “How did you do that?” She asked in a raspy voice. Despite her weak tone she glared at him. “And don’t you dare ask what I’m talking about because you know. Tell me.”

  Marius sighed. Why were woman so demanding? “Let’s get you some water first.” He said as he helped her to sit up against the wall.

  ***

  I had him and I was determined to get my answers. What had he done that had saved me from the firestorm that had threatened my life? That was just one of many questions. But he was right. I needed water. I drank greedily of the first and second glass he gave me before sipping at the third. “So?” I prompted.

  Marius was thoughtfully silent for a long moment. “Where to start?” He eventually asked.

  “The beginning is typically a good place.” I suggested.

  Marius laughed. “Then I guess the problem then lies in which beginning?” Before I could even begin to ask what he meant by that he continued. “I am a Spectral Shade, Rylynn. And I am on a mission right now.”

  I frowned. “What kind of mission would see you in the Legion Fleet Academy?” I asked.

  He smiled sadly. “A witness to the death of Mara Dane.” I felt Scrae sob. “She was a mouse Shade who was murdered on the Imperial Space Station.” I felt my eyes grow large in recognition. The mousy brown haired woman now had a name.

  I met his green eyes steadily “I am your witness.” I said softly.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “You are the only witness we have ever had to these murders. You see, someone has been hunting Spectral Shades for years now. We only know because we found the bodies sometime after the Shade went MIA. All had died the same way and none of the Spectrals have ever returned home. If you hadn’t thrown that crowbar at the light we wouldn’t have found Mara yet.”

  I was quiet for a moment absorbing that. If I hadn’t thrown Bertha the Crowbar that poor woman would have rotted alone with no one the wiser. Nor would Marius be here now. “You found my DNA. That is how you found me.” Marius nodded and I remembered my conversation with Kylesst.

  You mean when I get blamed for it because my DNA is found on the scene? I had asked.

  YOU WILL NEED TO BE CAREFUL, BUT KNOW IF THERE IS ANY BLAME IT WILL NOT STAY AT YOUR FEET FOR LONG….THE WOMAN’S OWN WILL COME TO INVESTIGATE AND THEY WILL SEE THE TRUTH… Well they had come… and they did not appear to blame me.

  “You never blamed me?” I asked.

  “No. None of the scant evidence that we have pointed toward you being the killer. Only that you were there. And if I ever had any suspicions that you might be responsible, the Spectrals removed them. They also told me who is truly responsible.”

  WE DID. Scrae validated.

  I felt my heart quicken. I wasn’t the only one who knew the truth… “Then why is he still free?” I asked frowning. I had heard that Admiral Knight was one of the judges.

  Marius raked agitated fingers through his hair. “Why indeed. I’ll tell you why: lack of physical evidence linking him to the crime. We don’t have any of his DNA or any other evidence placing him there. And without that the courts won’t hear a word. He is an admiral of the Legion Fleet after all.”

  I sagged. “So they don’t count a Spectral’s word as evidence?”

  Marius shook his head. “Nope. Welcome to the frustrations of the Shade Order.” He muttered. His green eyes blazed with anger.

  “So you are here looking for evidence against him?”

  Marius nodded “and keep an eye out for you. Figured he would be after you once he knew your name.” he said with a questioning glance.

  I shuddered. “You’re not wrong. He did confront me just before I first met you.”

  I saw Marius’s eyes widen slightly. “It is obvious he didn’t kill you. What happened?”

  I swallowed remembering the tense interview. “I managed to make him believe that I thought what I had seen was part of the test. One that I failed but no one had called me on it and I was afraid that if I said anything that they would kick me out of the Academy. He told me that I had told him and we would keep the matter between us.” I smiled slightly at Marius. “I only nodded.” Appreciation filled his gaze and he met my smile with that mischievous boy grin that I had started to associate with him, along with his old eyes. “How old are you?” I asked suddenly. “I doubt you would have been given such a mission at the age of fifteen cycles. And you know a lot about weapons.”

  With a chuckle Marius leaned back against the wall next to me. “As one of my Spectral gifts I can change my appearance. Usually I appear to be thirty-seven cycles.”

  I tilted my head and eyed him, wondering how unobservant he thought me. He reminded me of Kylesst and Scrae. They wouldn’t lie, but you had to watch how they said things. If you didn’t you could assume things and they would get away with keeping something from you without you knowing. They still kept things from me, but I knew it. I could feel Scrae’s discomfort and smiled. Marius caught the smile and raised an eyebrow in inquiry. “You said ‘appear to be’. You ‘appear’ to be fifteen right now, but we both know you are older than that. I would also say you are older than thirty-seven since you said ‘appear’. So answer the question Marius: How old are you?” I hesitated a moment before asking. “That is your name, right?”

  Marius smiled at my uncertainty. “Yes, I didn’t lie, that is my first name. As to your first question I’m as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Fine, ancient one. Answer me this: How did you keep the energy from killing me?”

  His amusement faded. “I gave it somewhere to go. ‘How’ I don’t know yet.”

  “But you will.” I guessed.

  He nodded. “Once I do I’ll tell you. Are there any other impossible questions?”

  “They are not impossible. You just refuse to answer them.” I said haughtily. “Right now I don’t have anymore.”

  “Then I have one for you. Why didn’t you report the murder?”

  My shoulders sagged. “I wanted to, but Kylesst warned me not to. Not until I found someone I could trust who wouldn’t report it to the admiral. “

  Marius nodded before standing up. “Shall we work together to get him behind bars?” He asked as he pulled me up.

  “We are already a team.” I pointed out.

  “In that case, catch” and he threw me a staff. “We have an hour to practice before dinner.” And thus the bruising started, not that any would show thanks to the energy still in my system. I was starting to think of myself as a living battery.

  Marius didn’t ask me to keep our discussion to myself. He didn’t have to. I had shown myself able to keep a secret as I had said nothing about the Spectrals or Mara Dane’s murder. I only said anything to him because he already knew. More importantly, I felt that I could trust Marius more than I did before. It wasn’t just because the Spectrals vouched for him. I trusted him because my instincts said I could.

  Chapter 18 – Old ‘Friends’

  Admiral Francesca L’Seral set down her tablet deciding that it just wasn’t worth pretending anymore. Everything was fine both onboard the Terrenza and at the Academy Branch. She figured it a good thing. It meant that she could just enjoy the performance of the six teams. The only unfortunate thing was she had to wait until the challenge actually started… She sighed and glanced at the other four judges. They were still busy checking their correspondence. Either that or they just were pretending to look at the screens to avoid conversation. Whatever.

  Francesca looked at the main screen that showed the arena in all its glory. The dirt training yard had been shaped into a desert plain just before a plateau. An outpost had been built into the cliff side. The earthen walls blended well into their surroundings. Francesca smiled to herself. The cadets were going to have so much fun trying to get to and in the outpost to find the ‘hostages’. The place looked abandoned, but some of her own crew wer
e playing the bandits. She grew thoughtful as she wondered how Rylynn and the rest of her team would go about the mission. She assumed that it would be fascinating and probably unexpected. Francesca knew for a fact that ensigns Sven and Edwin were looking forward to crossing wits with Rylynn again. They had to prove, at least to themselves, that a thirteen cycle old girl couldn’t get the best of them in a real fight.

  Francesca anticipated the coming show.

  Movement caught her attention and she turned to the man next to her. Captain Wingstar had sat back in his chair, his tablet forgotten in his lap. He was staring off into the distance with a troubled expression. “What is the matter, Captain? Uncomfortable being off your ship?” She softly teased.

  By his reaction an observer would have thought she had shouted in his ear. His startled wide gray eyes met her gaze. Francesca smiled in amusement. It was rare indeed to see the man so flustered. “Sorry admiral. You startled me from my thoughts.” He admitted sheepishly.

  “I could guess that. What has you so preoccupied?”

  Captain Wingstar’s shoulders slumped slightly before he straightened again. That tell and the almost haunted look in his eyes puzzled her. What was going through the good captain’s head? “May I speak freely, ma’am?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  He nodded his thanks before saying “There is much I have to do and yet I am here where I can do none of it.”

  Francesca shook her head. “You, sir, are a workaholic. Most people would be honored to be asked to judge an Admiral’s Challenge.”

  “If you consider an order the same as asking…” He muttered.

  Francesca laughed. The others in the room glanced at them before returning to their tablets. “No one is forced to participate.” She reminded him. Braeden just looked at her. Francesca rolled her eyes. “It’s your own fault, you know. No one sees you unless they order you somewhere. Otherwise you would stay on your ship all the time.”

  “I am a captain. It is my place to be on my ship.” He said solemnly.

  As if that is what truly bothers you. She thought. She knew the captain pretty well, well enough to still see the haunted expression in his eyes. His preoccupation was another red flag that something was off. She wondered if he would ever tell. Knowing him, it was a personal issue. He would never stay quiet if he felt the Empire was in danger. “You should be an admiral.” She said instead of asking him to tell her what was going on.

  “No room at that table.” Braeden pointed out.

  “Only because you denied the position when there was an opening. Not once but twice.” Francesca reminded him.

  Braeden sighed. “I didn’t feel that I was the right person for the job. I’m still not.”

  Francesca’s eyes narrowed. “It is the person who does not want power who should have it.”

  “True, if they had proven to have the skill needed. Which, if I may remind you, both admirals Bieri and D’rz have.”

  “You are right in that they do wear the Admiral’s Diamond well. However, you deserve it more than either. You have proven yourself a strong leader. Do I need to remind you of the way you handled the situation in the…”

  “Please.” He interrupted her with a pleading hand.

  “Medrais System.” She finished at the same time he had risen his hand.

  He flinched before dropping his hand and looking out the main screen. In a soft voice he said. “Ma’am, what happened in the Medrais System had been plain dumb luck. I happened to be in the right place at the right or wrong, depending on who you ask, time.”

  Francesca shook head in wonder. The man honestly wanted her to believe that he was no hero. “You stopped a riot that would have destroyed a good chunk of a large city if not the whole thing.”

  Braeden shifted uncomfortably. “But I didn’t stop the force behind it.” He muttered.

  “One step at a time.” Francesca said. “What about the second time? Are you going to tell me the events on Forestrium were also dumb luck?”

  Pain flashed in his eyes so briefly she wondered if she had truly seen it. “It was. I was paying my respects to an old friend when I heard the alarm. I did what any decent person would have done. I helped. I have done nothing to earn the position of admiral.” He paused and smiled at her, noticing her narrowed eyed glower of exasperation. “Except for that last bit we seem to have that debate so well memorized we could have it in our sleep, ma’am.”

  “Next time I will remember not to grant you permission to speak freely.” She warned.

  “Duly noted. Though we have a version for that too.” He reminded her politely. She shook her head. “Can you imagine how many debates we would have if I did wear the Admiral Diamond?” the unrepentant captain mused softly.

  He was lucky the challenge started then.

  ***

  I stood on the once flat training round and stared at the structure before me. “How did they do that?” I asked numbly. “And so quickly?”

  “A Shaper.” Jason told me. “Or in this case many Shapers probably led by Admiral L’Seral.”

  “Right.” I said as I remembered what I had learned about the people from the prime world known as Swava. They were a race who had developed an extreme love of small robotics. They were the best in the Empire for developing nanites. Depending on the type of nanites a person had decided their specialty. A Shaper was one who could take the raw materials around them and make something. In this particular case, the side of a plateau with a barely distinguishable outpost built into the rock.

  “Look sharp, kids. Our mission is to find the hostages and get them out without losing anyone.” Westley said bringing Jason and I to attention.

  “I don’t see any hostiles.” Jason said softly looking at the ridge.

  “Don’t see the wind either.” Marius said fingering the pulse gun at his hip. For this challenge, everyone received training weapons. We were informed of what they could expect from the weapons before we entered the ring. The guns were like the real thing, but they had only one setting: stun. Every shot fired would mimic a real wound, complete with blood loss, but without resulting in any fatalities. They would still hurt, though. And if the shot had been good, it would paralyze you till the challenge was done. That would not be fun at all.

  “And unlike us.” Westley added, “They know exactly when and where to expect us.”

  “Not necessarily.” I said with a frown. When the guys looked at me I elaborated “Yes, they know when we would be coming and from where, but they don’t know exactly where they can find us. We can be like a storm they know is coming but cannot see. And we can use that.” I indicated the rough terrain before us. “Granted, they would know it better than we do, but that only works so well if we go where they want us to. So let’s get them to meet us.” I greatly enjoyed this semi real life scenario. We were given our mission and allowed to choose our weapons. We were also allowed to decide when exactly the challenge would start. Granted, we couldn’t be all day about it. At least this time we weren’t going in blind.

  The older boys, and I use ‘boy’ lightly since Marius was much older than the others realized, considered my words. Westley’s hazel gaze eyed the terrain as he considered the challenges before us. Marius glanced at our surroundings before looking back at me. He tilted his head and smiled. “This is gonna be fun.” He said.

  “Any idea on how to tempt them out of their preferred niches?” Jason asked in that melodic voice of his, excitement brightening it.

  “Don’t be where they expect. Deceive, strike hard, and disappear.” I said eyeing the surroundings and fingering my own pulse gun. It was an idea Carden would have approved of.

  We laid out a quick, loose plan that could easily be adapted because, as three of us knew from experience, a plan never survived real life. The basic idea was to split into pairs and move quickly. We would seek out any hostiles and take them out as quietly as possible. Though, since they knew we were coming anyway, there really wasn’t much point in stea
lth. Westley, however, said it was good practice and the rest of us added that it would keep us invisible. We weren’t that easy. Once the sentries were taken care of we would seek out the hostages and any other hostiles. Hopefully none of us would get shot.

  Challenge one would be to make ourselves disappear. Stepping out of the safety zone would be the most dangerous part of the operation. I really wish that we could have chosen our entry point, but no one ever thought to ask me.

  I guess there had been some rule about not shooting us when we first stepped out of the safety box, because no one did. Nice of them to give us a chance. The team split into pairs. Marius and Jason went one way towards the high ground. Westley and I went the other to invite the sentries we knew were up there somewhere to join in a little game of cat and mouse.

  Everything was all quiet when suddenly Westley shoved the both of us behind a large bolder. “Get down!” He ordered needlessly as we fell to the ground. I stared in wide eyed shock as red blasts skittered over the loose sand and pebbles where we had just been. That was close. I thought before hesitantly peeking from behind the other side of the bolder. I caught movement up on the ridge above us. I smiled and shared the look with Westley.

  “Found one. “ I said.

  Westley grunted. “Now, what is the best way to keep him from telling his buddies where we are?”

  “By keeping him occupied with us.” I smiled sweetly at him, which by his widened eyes, startled him. I glanced quickly around the boulder again. “Let’s play a quick game of peek-a-boo with him before Marius and Jason get to him. Then we can hunt for the next one.”

  We didn’t have a long game with our friend up there. I had only gotten to my fourth rock shield before the stunning red blasts stopped suddenly. I glanced at Westley who wasn’t too far away. He was peering up at the ridge. His teeth flashed in a satisfied hunter’s grin before indicating to me that sentry one was down. I grinned back and hurried after him. We might be friends now, but that didn’t change the fact that I was short and he was tall.