Knight of the Empire

Stepping back into the Havok was like coming home or at the least a place I was better suited to. Ocynca was waiting for me standing at the hatch to the umbilicus since the Havok was still docked at the station. Security had been heavy and after recent events I could understand why. Another T’Arni male stood with Ocynca his crisp dress uniform looked to have been issued straight out of a packet. Ocynca was dressed in the clash of greens and blue the only T’Arni I knew that never wore the pastel shades that nearly all T’Arni wore. He broke into a broad smile on seeing me while his companion had a puzzled look on his face.

“Welcome back Colonel Locke!” Ocynca said with a wave of his hand. “This is Lieutenant Prousenos he’s been assigned to the Havok. I’m just helping him fit in.”

I gave the lieutenant a nod. “It’s nice to be back somewhere sane?” I admitted.

“When have we ever been sane?” Ocynca chuckled.

I felt more at ease than I had for the last couple of days. “Captain Yanik?”

“Busy supervising a security sweep since she was commed that you were on the way. She doesn’t want a repeat of the last time. I’m to escort you to her ready room.”

I sat at Marsha’s desk and sipped a hot coffee that Ocynca had been kind enough to get me while I waited for Marsha. It seemed no different from the last time I was in here. I heard the door open and put my coffee down. Marsha stood there seeming to examine me in detail.

“Your a little short for a Valkyrie,” she quipped.

“Ha-ha very funny.”

She walked over to me as I stood up. “It’s good to see you,” she said simply her hands hung down at her sides. Suddenly she hugged me. “We’ve missed you,” she said and broke out of her hug. She walked around to the chair I had vacated and sat down her cheerful expression fading. “After all that happened to you I was really worried.”

“We both were,” another voice said.

Shawna was by the door I hadn’t heard her come in.

“Good to see the both of you.” I had to be careful here both Marsha and Shawna had as the Terran expression said ‘the Hots for me’.

“Nice hair by the way.” Shawna winked at Marsha. “My two favourite people could be sisters.”

“In a way we are,” Marsha said her eyes on the sash around my waist.

I had forgotten about that. “It wasn’t my choice. As soon as I get the chance I’m going to dye my hair back to my natural colour.”

“Don’t!” Marsha warned me.

I felt a stubborn streak rise to the surface I was tired of playing politics. “I’m not going to wait until it grows out!”

“Here let me take a look at it.” Marsha rose from her chair and pawed at my hair. “I thought as much. No dye will touch that.”

“Oh great I’ll just have to wait until it grows out. Sigrunn did mention some Valkyrie weren’t blonde.”

“Sandra!” Marsha gasped startled.

“It’s what Sigrunn told me?” I guessed I was walking close to a Valkyrie secret.

“She told you that!” Marsha almost shouted at me then she snorted. “Impossible!”

“It’s true.”

“If you want me to leave while you fight this out I’ll be outside,” Shawna said.

I heard the heartfelt appeal in her voice.

“We’re not going to fight.” Marsha glanced across to Shawna she sounded lost. When she turned to me. “I just wish I knew why she told you these things?”

“She did say I was her bond sister whatever that means, after we fought in the hospital gym. I’ll tell you that was harder than when I first fought you. I reckon that exercise mat has my face imprinted it I hit it face down too many times.” I tried to lighten Marsha’s sombre mood.

“Bond sister?” Marsha stared at me her eyes wide. “She called you that?”

“Not at first I had to fight her first. I tell you this I thought you Valkyrie prudes but I had to fight naked in front of an audience. I felt the prude.”

“Bond sister. That’s important?” Shawna mused looking to Marsha.

“It is,” Marsha replied.

“Do you want me to go I know there are some things you can’t talk to me about. Valkyrie stuff but I am yours no matter what anyone thinks.” Shawna stated but I could see that it hurt her deeply.

“No, don’t go I need you. You are right in one way I have left things from you. I trust you and you’re too important to me to leave out of the loop.”

“I’ll take that as my cue to leave,” I said tactfully.

“Stay where you are!” Marsha pointed at me.

“Ok but I think this could get awkward?” I pointed out.

Marsha’s eyes were on Shawna. “My dearest heart there are some parts of our society we do not share with outsiders.” She added quickly. “Neither of you are and that’s a matter for another time. You and I will sit down and talk.”

Shawna nodded thoughtfully.

“Sorry about that Sandra,” Marsha apologised. “Welcome back to the Havok.”

“Good to see you colonel,” Shawna added. She moved to stand with Marsha.

They made an odd couple but it was clear that they loved each other.

“I’m glad to be back.” I didn’t have to fake my relief, politics could do that to you. I knew Ellie hated the formality but she had to fake her smiles and carry on. “Com Ops have informed you of my mission?”

“Of course,” Marsha said, “I’m just glad to have my XO back.”

“If you two don’t mind I’ll head out I’ve just got time to shower before I’m on duty?” Shawna interrupted. “I’m really glad to see you colonel.” With that she hurried out.

Marsha turned her attention to me. “We’ll head to the bridge.”

The familiarity of routine relaxed the tension I was feeling as I took my usual position at Marsha’s side. She sat in her chair her eyes on the bridge crew.

“Take us out XO.”

“Comms,” I said to the young male T’Arni at the comms console. “Inform station control that we are ready to depart.”

“Aye ma’am,” he replied.

Minutes ticked by before we received the answer.

“Permission granted ma’am and control says good luck,” comms told me.

“Helm release docking clamps.”

“Docking clamps released,” the human helmswoman responded.

“Take us out manoeuvring thrusters only.”

“Aye ma’am.”

The ship edged away from the station. We watched our view from the bridge windows change as the station moved out of our visual range. The Terrans thought having the bridge on the top on the ship a design flaw. After what happened to the Sovran I had the same opinion.

“Nav plot a course to Theadon,” I said to the Fandaren at the nav console. I wouldn’t have expected to see anyone else at that console on a Confederacy ship.

“Course plotted and laid in,” the Fandaren replied.

I would bet on a Fandaren rather than any computer when it came to computing a course.

“Time to Theadon at standard speed?” I asked him.

“Eighty minutes ma’am.”

“Close shutters and bring up the viewer.”

The shutters slid closed over the windows and holographic screens replaced our view of space. The holographic screen split in two showing the station to our rear and open space to front.

I glanced at Marsha waiting on her cue. I saw her flick her hand I understood her thinking. By putting me in command I was re-establishing my connection to the ship and my position as her XO.

“Initialise the drive and go!”

There was a slight jerk and the inertial dampeners kicked in. I gave Marsha an apologetic smile she just nodded her head.

“Very good XO,” was all she said.

Eighty minutes later as the Fandaren had predicted we were nearing Theadon. The gas giant loomed large on the screen.

“Nearing Theadon,” the helmswoman announced.

“Slow to half speed,” I ordered. “Sensors bring up a tactical view.”

“Aye ma’am,” the sensor operator another T’Arni female replied.

“Full sweep sensors,” I said my eyes on the screen.

The image showed several ships clustered close to a point about a hundred thousand kilometres from the gas giant. I assumed they were watching the wormhole. They couldn’t have been here for anything else.

“Take us in helm you have the co-ordinates for the wormhole?”

“Aye ma’am.”

The ship slowed further. I noticed a number of other ships at the edge of sensor range close enough to respond if anything to came out of the wormhole but far enough away to hide their energy signatures.

I turned to Marsha. “I not sure what we’re supposed to accomplish here?”

“We’ll figure it, out when we get there,” she reassured me.

I noted the other ships have moved away as we closed in, a sensible precaution in my mind.

“Close to the co-ords ma’am,” the helmswoman said.

“Slow to a stop.”

“Aye ma’am.”

The ship slowed but I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary from the scans.

“Raise the shutters!” Marsha ordered.

“Is that wise captain?” I asked her.

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” she replied absently.

I looked at her worried but to my eyes she looked fine. An itch in my marked hand distracted me from asking if she was ok.

“Sandra you hand is glowing,” she remarked suddenly.

I looked at my hand the mark was glowing faintly a slowly pulsing amber light. “What?” I stared hard at my hand my fingers had started to go numb.

“Perhaps it’s reacting to the wormhole?” Marsha stated seemingly to sound more alert.

“I’m not sure?” I was beginning to question myself. Camelia and Ellie would have said if my hand had glowed the last time we had gone thorough a wormhole. They were the only people I knew that could actually open a wormhole. I had no idea how they had done it.

“You are going to be ok,” Marsha said.

“I suppose so.” I wasn’t going to express my fear to the bridge crew I was an officer in the Confederacy. I didn’t like the lack of feeling in my hand it seemed to be a portent of something dire. Suddenly my hand glowed brighter.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of purple lightening.

“Mother of us all it’s opening!” Marsha yelled. “Red alert, reverse engines, full power to shields.”

The bridge crew scrambled to comply as the alert sounded. I saw the wormhole widen as the blast shutters closed on the windows. Purple lightening tinged orange clouds as the wormhole sucked us in. The sudden jerk forward overpowered the dampeners and I fell backwards landing hard on my rear knocking the breath out of me.

“Damage report all decks,” Marsha spoke into her comms unit an island of calm in the chaos of the situation.

I winced as I got to my feet. I was going to be bruised there.

Marsha fixed me an icy glare. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t do anything!” I protested. The glow had faded from my hand. “I shouldn’t have been able to do that. Ellie and Camelia their amulets must have been some sort of key. I’ve only got this mark on my hand.” I didn’t want to tell Marsha that Ellie and Camelia’s amulets were the same sort shuriken I could create from my body. I didn’t want to go there.

“What like this?” Marsha pulled something from her tunic. Twisted within a frame of steel was a smaller shuriken. “Prince Lento gave it to me said it was from the senate building?”

I stared at the thing dangling from Marsha’s fingers. “He gave that to you?”

“Yes?”

“That’s mine!” I hadn’t meant to be so abrupt. “Sorry,” I apologised.

“I know. The prince seemed to think it important.”

“I don’t think he knew about its properties when he gave it to you?”

“I‘ve never told anyone,” Marsha protested. “If I had known that it was the same as Ellie’s I would have never worn it.”

“It may or may not have opened the wormhole but it something to think about going forward.”

“Look I’m sorry Sandra. I wasn’t thinking?”

I was curious as to whether Marsha caused the wormhole to open or whether it was the mark on my hand. “What were you thinking before the wormhole opened?”

Marsha blushed red. I remembered going forward and standing in front of her when it opened and had been leaning over one of the consoles. “Ok,” I said slowly, “we won’t go there.”

Marsha blushed redder. “Before that I was thinking how Ellie got it open. She seemed to have the knack to open it.”

“If I recall Ellie was acting weird. You had your portable medscanner out and we had just put in a call to Doc Brown when it opened,” I said thoughtfully.

“Yes I remember now. I was fairly angry with her afterwards but it wasn’t her fault.”

“On the other hand my mark might have opened it.” I couldn’t be sure without further experimentation and I wasn’t going down that road in the foreseeable future or ever if I had my way.

“We’ll investigate that when we reach our destination.”

“You sure Joyce wasn’t able to tell you where it terminated?”

Marsha looked thoughtful. “All I received from Com Ops was that there was a wormhole and we were to investigate that?”

“Was this before or after the Rhosani?”

“After like as in the last message before you boarded.”

“Oh great here I am on another unexpected journey.”

“Don’t worry yourself so Sandra,” Marsha reassured me.

“At least this time I’ve not come aboard with only the clothes on my back.” I tried to look for a positive.

Marsha paled. “You have.”

“What!” I stared at Marsha I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. “Gena put most of my gear in the storeroom?”

“The prince had your gear transferred to the palace.”

I couldn’t believe what Marsha was telling me. This was the second time, no scratch that third or fourth time now that I was on a ship with only what I was wearing. This time there would be no Mr Dabos to run me up a new set of clothes like the time I was on the Santiago.

“Oh great,” I muttered, “just great!”

“It’s not all bad your Terran armour is still in the stores.”

It wasn’t really mine. I had borrowed it from Gena. The armour was basic to the extreme but had served me well when we had rescued Camelia from Tate’s World.

“I guess I’ll have to see what stores can provide and bunk down with the squad.” I wasn’t looking forward to wearing regulation scanties again. The material they were made from was scratchy. Anyone with any sense ditched them as soon as they passed basic. I liked my silk but that was back on Nthus along with any spare clothes I had.

“Your quarters are yours,” Marsha said and paused. “I know you’ll not like it but I have my orders I’ll have to assign a guard to you.”

I sighed should have known it was just that I didn’t want to think about it. “If it has to be it has to be.” This was my life now being who I was. Little wonder Sheila and the prince cherished their private times. As much as I wanted to I couldn’t change that no matter how I wished for simpler times. I had my duty and that was to stop the Rhosani. A sudden twinge in my rear reminded me I had other things to think about.

“So what’s our plan now?” I asked.

“We rest. I want us fresh when we exit Lieutenant Armaradies can take the conn.”

“With your permission I’ll go see Doc Brown.”

“Why so formal Sandra?” Marsha said her face expressing her hurt.

“Sorry Marsha I bruised my rear when I fell over.”

“I’m sorry Sandra for delaying you when you’re injured. Please go and get some rest.”

“There’s one thing I’ll be doing when we exit?”

“Oh what’s that?”

“I’ll be seated.” I rubbed my rear.

Marsha laughed. “I’ll get it rigged up.” She smirked. “I’m sure you don’t want either me or Shawna to give a massage.”

“Ah no,” I answered as politely as I could.

“One last thing Sandra briefing in ten hours.”

I limped away feeling the muscles in my lower back stiffen up.

I was back to my quarters my arms full of gear the quartermaster had issued me with. All of it was standard although I had wished for something better than the regulation scanties he had issued me with. Again I was on the Havok and having to borrow clothes. I wouldn’t have been in this predicament had the prince not ordered my gear to be moved to the palace. I had hoped he left some of Gena’s but again I’d lucked out. Her locker had been emptied on the orders of the prince. At least she would be safe where she was. Vorra and two Ezarans were waiting me outside the door to my quarters.

“Colonel,” Vorra snapped to attention along with the two Ezarans.

“Vorra?” I replied with a nod to her companions.

“We’ve conducted a clean sweep of your quarters ma’am.”

I could see the Ezarans had taken it as a matter of pride after they had been accused of trying to kill me. The ATL had tried and failed although I wasn’t sure if it was the ATL or an agent of the Rhosani. I had killed him and with all the confusion I had forgotten ask after the investigation.

“We got this made up for you,” Vorra said handing me a wrist comms unit. “It’s rigged to the captain’s personal channel for your own safety. It will alert the captain to your state of health. I for one will not want a repeat of the last time.”

The two Ezarans with her nodded their assent.

I know I chaffed at the restrictions that had been put at me but this was more than palace politics the Rhosani were out to end me. I had stopped their schemes on Earth and now I had stopped their scheme on Nthus. I doubt that they’d let me do it a third time.

“Ok.” I was a little uneasy at being linked so closely to Marsha.

“You are the hope of the Confederacy,” one of the Ezaran stated and left his companion following close at his heels.

“Thank your companions for me Vorra.”

“Sure colonel.” She darted into my quarters her hand scanner sweeping back and forth. “Safe colonel.”

“Didn’t you just check it?” I asked her.

“Yes but I wanted you to see how careful we are at keeping you safe.”

“I trust you Vorra.”

“Even with what I tried to do to Lottie?”

“Yes Vorra you wouldn’t be an Ezaran if you didn’t have your curiosity.”

“I’ll be outside if you need anything. Bacare got a spell in four hours. Get some rest the captain’s orders.”

I closed the door on her and stowed my gear away. Marsha was right the day’s events had drained me or perhaps it was the sedatives Doc Brown had given me. At least I’d sleep without pain or bruising. I set the alarm on the desk terminal and drifted off to sleep.