Defender of the Empire 2: Facades Read online

  I’m pretty sure the great hall was large enough to fit the entire Academy’s administration building inside of with a little room to spare, and that building is at least five stories tall, one of the larger buildings on campus. So yes, the hall was plenty big enough for all available members of the Legion Fleet to attend. It was crowded, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

  Jason took one look at the crowded hall and shook his head. “We will never get close enough to hear what is going on at this rate,” he muttered.

  “We are just crewmen,” Westley replied.

  “But they have that screen so we can all see what is happening,” I added.

  Jason rolled his eyes before gesturing us to follow his lead. Sharing a look, we trailed right after him. After many ‘excuse us’s we made it to the wall.

  “Now we are even farther away,” I pointed out, looking back toward the dais where the Imperial Throne sat, empty at this moment. The Empress’ Throne next to it also sat empty, but the advisor’s chairs behind them were occupied. All but one, of course—that was the one they were seeking to fill tonight.

  “Just follow me,” Jason said, and began to walk along the outside edge of the room. Surprisingly, this was easily done as everybody else was pressing closer to the center to get a good forward look at the thrones and soon to be occurring events. We ended up near the side of the dais. Imperial Guards posted there kept us from getting too close, but at least now we could ease our way through the thin crowd to stand near the dais. From here, even short as I was, I could see those upon the dais very well. I would also be able to clearly hear what was going to be said. Already, I could hear some of the admirals whispering. I just couldn’t make sense of the words.

  Admiral L’Seral caught sight of us and winked. She seemed to be eagerly awaiting the ceremony. I caught her glancing at her watch. Admiral Bieri also noticed, and placed a slender hand on the older woman’s arm. Admiral L’Seral glanced at her, and the beautiful red-haired admiral whispered something. Admiral L’Seral grimaced slightly and sat back in her chair. I could tell she was trying hard not to fidget. I fought hard not to smile, and Admiral Bieri caught my struggle and nodded with a small smile of her own. I grinned as I couldn’t hold it back after that.

  Moments later, the emperor and his wife appeared at the doors leading into the room. Everyone bowed at the waist, except for the guards who placed their right fist over their hearts and bowed their heads. I had discovered the reason for the difference from Marius. The guards (including Shades) and ruling family members put their fists over their hearts instead of bowing at the waist so that they could remain alert for any threat to their emperor. Acting as ordinary Citizens, Jason, Marius, and I bowed like everyone else. I have to be honest. I like the other way better. I can keep watching things then.

  Luckily, the bows didn’t last too long. It looked like a wave that followed the imperial couple. The emperor was dressed in a uniform similar to the Legion Fleet uniform except his was black. It was also obviously better made. I thought it looked a little more comfortable than what I was wearing. Being emperor had its perks. About his throat was the Imperial crest. It looked to be made of the same iridescent substance as the sword hilt at his hip. A woven iridescent crown was perched on his brow, and gleamed against his dark hair.

  The empress was dressed in a slender white gown whose creator obviously came from the school of simple elegance. A silver necklace studded with star emeralds glittered at her throat. The stones echoed her bright silvery-green eyes. Upon her head was a finally woven coronet of the same iridescent metal as her husband’s. The only difference was that hers was simpler, but no less finely made. Her black hair gleamed under the lights. Before they stepped upon the dais, the admirals stood and bowed. Nodding to the admirals, the imperial couple turned to face the gathered crowd, before the empress settled on her throne in a graceful movement.

  Emperor Vailence Imperen’s gaze flickered over the gathered mass, before he finally spoke. He did not need to shout, it was pretty quiet with everyone standing at attention. His voice was one of those that carried easily. It helped that it was melodic, too. “You know why we are here. Who is to be called before Us? Let him or her be called.” And then the emperor sat, his movements just as fluid as his wife’s.

  Of the admirals who remained standing, it was Admiral D’rz who stepped forward. There was no chance that anyone wouldn’t be able to hear him. “We call upon Captain Braeden Wingstar,” he said, and I heard Jason’s, ‘I knew it.’

  The crowd looked around for the called captain. Movement came from the farthest corner of the room. Captain Wingstar had apparently thought that if he was out of sight he would also be out of mind, but he had been mistaken. As I leaned toward Jason, I noticed Admiral L’Seral’s small, satisfied smile. “Why were you worried that we wouldn’t be able to hear?” I whispered very softly.

  Without looking away from the approaching captain, Jason whispered back, “The formal stuff is always easy to hear. I wanted to hear the whispered conversations they have before announcing things.”

  “Oh.”

  Captain Wingstar reached the dais. He performed a smooth half kneel, his right fist over his heart and his head bowed. He held the pose for a moment before rising and stepping up onto the platform. I wondered if the grace came with practice as you rose through the ranks, because I doubt I could have been that smooth.

  “Captain. Once again you stand before me, called to this position,” the emperor said in a softer tone. And now I really understood what Jason was talking about. Only those on the dais and those of us close to it could hear what was being said.

  The captain inclined his head before saying, “And again, Your Imperial Highness, I must beg forgiveness…”

  He was cut off by the emperor’s raised hand. “Captain, the appropriate answer is, ‘Thank you, Your Imperial Highness, for this great honor. I pray to God that I serve admirably’… no pun intended of course,” the emperor said softly, with a smile. He continued when the captain didn’t immediately parrot him. “You are needed, Captain. And there is no one else.”

  Captain Wingstar bowed his head slightly before saying in a louder voice, “Thank you, Your Imperial Highness, for this great honor. I pray to God that I serve admirably.”

  No pun intended, I added silently, with a small smile.

  The emperor nodded, and Admiral L’Seral stepped forward to remove the Captain’s Gold Star from Wingstar’s shirt collar. I’m pretty sure she wanted to hide it away so Wingstar couldn’t ever find it. She then stepped aside so the emperor could put the Admiral’s Diamond in its place. The emperor then turned to the rest of us. “I present to you Admiral Braeden Wingstar.”

  ***

  Marius

  Despite hearing the conversation between Wingstar and the emperor, Marius was surprised that the captain had finally accepted the commission.

  GOOD THING YOU DIDN’T BET ON THIS… OH WAIT! YOU DID! Zara jeered in her silent way to him. He could feel her smugness. YOU OWE ME, BOY, she added, licking a paw.

  Marius grunted. He didn’t have to worry that anyone heard it as they were all clapping. And what would Miss Smugness want? he asked dryly.

  COME NOW, MARIUS. WHAT DO ALL FELINES WANT?

  Clean litter and fresh cream. Oh! And an ear scratch.

  NOW YOU ARE JUST BEING OBTUSE, Zara sniffed. AND WHILE THOSE THINGS ARE NICE, WE JUST WANT OUR CHOSEN COMPANIONS TO ADMIT THAT WE ARE THEIR CARING MASTERS WHO DESERVE TO BE PAMPERED.

  Marius rolled his eyes. Just like a cat… Now you are just laying it on thick. Why did Braeden finally agree to be an admiral? Marius asked before she could say anything more regarding her winnings. There is nothing worse than a gambling feline.

  RAJ SAID THAT IT WAS TIME, she replied. Because Raj was a Raven Spectral he knew something the rest of them didn’t, which naturally made Marius wonder what it could be. Why was it important that Wingstar become an admiral now when Rylynn, the others, and himself were commissioned on
the man’s ship? Did it have anything to do with their being on his ship? And if not, what else had changed between now and the last time Wingstar was offered the Admiral’s Diamond?

  Marius found out later that night, after the festivities following the ceremony. Zara told him that the emperor wanted to speak with him. He told Rylynn and the others that he had to speak to someone and that he would see them tomorrow. As he walked away, he heard Jason ask what he had meant. Rylynn had replied that it was probably someone he had interned for, or a professor. Marius smiled slightly at her plausible cover as he made his way to the emperor’s study.

  Upon arriving he found the emperor, Commander Sam Blackmore, and Admiral Wingstar. Marius shared a nod with the other two Shades, before placing his right fist over his heart and bowing his head to his sovereign.

  “Thank you for coming, Marius,” the emperor greeted.

  “Sire,” he said, then glanced at the others. Looking back to the emperor he asked, “May I be so bold as to ask the reason for this little gathering?”

  Emperor Vailence leaned on the edge of his desk and said, “The point is this. Each of you knows that the Empire is under threat from a very ancient enemy—an enemy most consider a myth, but we few know the truth.” He met Braeden’s eyes. “You saw the threat coming with your visions. Visions that are supported by texts Sam has found. The texts mention a prophecy that speaks of only one hope for the Empire against this darkness; a person known as the Defender.” The emperor turned to meet Marius’s gaze. “And you, Marius, have seen signs of the enemy moving.” As the emperor spoke, Marius felt that the room grew colder with each word spoken. But he knew it wasn’t the room’s fault. It was his imagination.

  “And if there were any doubts among us, they disappeared the moment Scrae and Luna told me about the Lous-eci’dalb,” Marius said, naming the two Spectrals who had been the latest in a long stream of those who had gone missing. Their Shades had been killed by Admiral Knight, using the cursed weapon. They were free now because Kylesst, a mythic Spectral, had slipped their bonds from the blade around him to Rylynn. And Rylynn had been the only witness to Knight’s killings.

  “Which is also how we know who the Defender is,” the emperor continued.

  Marius tilted his head in question. He had a guess, but he was a little biased. Zara snorted at his silent confession. Marius shot the panther Spectral an annoyed glance.

  Sam, who had caught the interaction, shook his head before answering the silent question by quoting something he had obviously read. “‘You will know the Defender by four signs. The first is the chosen will be found young. The second, the Defender will have been raised in truth, but surrounded by deceit. The Defender will be of the First, but considered last. And finally, the Lous-eci’dalb will resurface at the same time.’” Sam paused, then continued. “We believe that the Defender is Rylynn. She fits three of those signs.” He began to tick off his fingers. “She was found young. She witnessed the Lous-eci’dalb being used, thus it ‘resurfaced’. Third, we know that both her parents were noble Citizens and her mother’s family are related to the Imperens,” he said, with a glance at the emperor. Emperor Vailence nodded and Sam continued. “She is of the First, but considered a colonist and thus last by most.”

  “Well I think I understand the final sign,” Marius said. He pulled the letter Rylynn had shown him earlier during the festivities—a mysterious letter that her aunt had written to her before the woman died. Marius personally thought it begged more questions than it answered, as did the circumstances surrounding her receipt of the letter. It made him wonder what the aunt had been part of. And, what about this Ace character Rylynn talked about? Marius knew it was possible to get around the system that separated Citizens from colonists, but he was a little surprised that a gang leader on a colony world most considered a backwater had known how. His gut instinct was practically screaming that Ace was more than he seemed… as was the letter, which was why he had asked Rylynn if he could borrow the letter to show to Sam. This sudden meeting solved his dilemma of when he would be able to meet the commander.

  “What is this?” the emperor asked, as he took it from Marius.

  “A letter, sire, from Rylynn’s aunt.” Both the emperor and Sam looked intrigued, as Sam read the letter over the emperor’s shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he noted Braeden’s tiny jerk of surprise. The emperor finished reading the letter and handed it to Sam, who then passed it to Braeden, who seemed to pale as he read it. Marius wondered about the new admiral’s reaction.

  “I see what you mean,” the emperor said. He was obviously troubled. “I am glad now that you two told me who you thought she was before I entered the Admiralty Board’s chamber,” he said, glancing at Sam and Braeden. “The commission I gave her and her team was the only way I could think of to get them out of the Academy before the enemy could kill her. Not that they didn’t deserve it,” he added with a smile toward Marius. Marius grinned back, bowing his head.

  “How are the repairs to your ship coming?” Sam asked Braeden. “The sooner you leave, the safer we will all be.”

  “We’ll need to do a final systems check to make it official, but the Hail Mary is spaceworthy now. We will be flying out tomorrow,” Braeden replied.

  “Good,” Emperor Vailence said.

  “Not to sound thick, but what kind of danger is Rylynn in now?” Marius asked.

  “The enemy will also know who Rylynn is at this point. The prophecy that speaks about the Defender also warns that if the Defender does not leave the ‘place of learning’, the Academy, soon the Defender will die young. Killed by the enemy,” Sam explained.

  “Even though she’ll be out soon, I want the two of you,” the emperor said looking pointedly at both Marius and Braeden, “to guard her. Keep her as safe as possible. I don’t think I need to tell you the consequences if something should happen to her.” Both Marius and Braeden bowed in the traditional Shade’s salute.

  “I understand, sire,” Marius said.

  Braeden copied him but added, “By whatever strength granted me, I will keep her safe.” To Marius it sounded like the man had just made an oath not only to the emperor, but to himself. This was personal—Marius was very curious.

  Zara sighed. MARIUS, HE KNEW THE GIRL’S PARENTS, she told him as they left the emperor’s study.

  I think there is more to it than that, Zara, Marius thought back.

  CAREFUL. THERE ARE REASONS WHY NOT EVERYTHING IS REVEALED AT ONCE. Marius blinked at Zara’s cryptic warning.

  I see someone has been taking lessons from Kylesst, Marius thought to her.

  Zara snorted as she coalesced next to him. He did not fear anyone else seeing her, because only another fully bound Shade could, and they wouldn’t bat an eye. She shot him a look. I AM A SPECTRAL, MARIUS.

  You know something I don’t.

  OF COURSE I DO, she replied with a huff. I AM SEVERAL CENTURIES OLDER THAN YOU. I’M JUST TELLING YOU, THINGS WILL REVEAL THEMSELVES IN TIME.

  And you know that I’m a curious son-of-a-gun, Marius returned.

  YOU ARE GOING TO GET INTO TROUBLE AGAIN, Zara said in a bored tone. She knew him well.

  Of course. That’s why you love me, Marius thought with a smile. The Spectral panther rubbed her head against his leg with a purr.

  JUST BE CAREFUL. AND STAY FOCUSED ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN LIFE.

  Zara? What are you not telling me? Marius asked. Zara often playfully scolded him, but this was different. There was something in her tone. She met his gaze with her golden eyes for a moment, then looked away. She did not reply as she padded alongside him, and for once Marius let her be. Something was bothering her, and if he pressed she would never tell him. He would wait. Hopefully, though, she would tell him before he died of curiosity.

  Chapter 5 – Sweet Dreams

  Iceron System

  Spectral Empire

  Betrayer

  Once he had a name. Once it had been a proud and glorious thing. But that had been so m
any ages ago… he no longer remembered it. Now, he was known as the Betrayer. He had earned that title, that name. Everyone he had ever known, he had betrayed. His own kind, the people he mixed with… his enemies, his friends… he snorted as he walked the shadowed hall. Friends. Now, that was inappropriate. Betrayer didn’t have friends. He had tools. All to get what he wanted.

  And what did he want?

  Ah, now there was a universe of possibilities... So many games. Betrayer was like a rock in a river, something all else had to go around. Or perhaps a better, more appropriate analogy would be that he was a black hole. Small in a physical sense, but with a gravity and power that everything else orbited. Betrayer smiled. Yes, he was a black hole. Not only did he have the ability to tug things into an arrangement he preferred—he could destroy them. And let’s be honest, he enjoyed pulling them to their doom, and his strength. So yes, ever since that discovery that changed his people to something new, he had been affecting the course of history.

  Betrayer was a scientist at heart, always pushing the boundaries of what could be achieved. Sometimes he even did so for the benefit of others. Most of the time… well he was a black hole. He often played with the genetics of select species. And when that wasn’t interesting enough, he would rework entire ecosystems. When he was feeling particularly ambitious, worlds would be shaped by his hand.