My Friend the Emperor Read online

  The city looked to be good-sized. It was as crowded as any city on Lightspar but I wasn’t jostled even once. I was a little uncomfortable at first with all the deference being given me but I soon got used to it. Being a Citizen, it appeared, really did have its advantages.

  It’s very hard to exist in an environment like that and not start feeling special. I walked into a local bank to exchange some of my scrip for local currency. There were long lines in front of all the windows but as soon as they noticed me those in the closest line stepped aside and waved me to the front.

  The teller at first seemed a little confused that I wasn’t using Imperial Denars but certainly wanted to please me. So once I made it clear what I wanted she hurriedly made the exchange.

  I strolled into a small market area and stopped at a food vendor’s cart. Again everyone made way for me so I had a full view of his offerings. The foods were unfamiliar to me but I decided to try some anyway. I pointed at a white curlicue of something on a stick. It was a little chewier than I expected but was more or less on par with what I’d grown up with on Lightspar. Now, after having spent years eating Academy food, it tasted bland and devoid of texture.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’d taken me weeks at The Academy to get used to the new flavors and spicy varieties of cuisine they’d served us.

  After walking around some more I realized there really wasn’t that much to do. Everything I was seeing was new, yet it was really the same as what I’d grown up with. I noticed some children gathered around a small vid pad, intently watching the screen. After a few moments I realized that I recognized the music. It was the theme song from one of the space adventure vids that I’d grown up loving.

  Eventually I returned to the ship. I didn’t know whether to be sad that life on other worlds was all the same or be excited that Lightspar hadn’t been singled out for some penalized existence.

  The only thing I really knew for sure at this point was that Citizens lived a much better life. And that thought buoyed me as I went to sleep.

  ΔΔΔ

  My transfer to the Halcyon bright and early the next morning was anticlimactic.

  A scruffy looking crewmen grabbed my bags, said hello, and then carried them off the shuttle.

  One look at him and my worst fears were confirmed.

  Crewmen were not Citizens, but they were still expected to express discipline and professionalism. They were also expected to wear uniforms when they served on an Imperial ship. My makeshift porter was wearing a faded and somewhat ragged uniform tunic but the pants were total blue-collar civilian.

  It was also obvious that he hadn’t bothered to clean up to greet a Citizen.

  I followed him down a few winding corridors until we reached an open cabin door. “This will be your quarters, Sir. If you need anything you can contact the ship’s steward here,” he said while pointing out the intercom.

  “Crewmen…” My voice trailed off as I realized he wasn’t wearing a nametag. He just stared back at me, offering no help.

  “Where is the Captain? I need to report for duty.”

  “He’s pretty busy right now… Sir. I’m sure he’ll contact you as soon as he’s free.”

  “Then I’ll need to report to the First Officer,” I said. “Who would that be?”

  “Uh… We don’t really have a First Officer, Sir. I’m sure nobody will mind if you wait for the Captain to call for you.”

  “What happened to your First Officer?” I couldn’t help myself from asking.

  “She was injured a while back,” he responded.

  After waiting a moment I asked, “And where is her replacement?”

  “I wouldn’t know, Sir. You’d have to ask the fleet HQ. They’ve never sent one.

  “Will there be anything else Sir?” he asked, obviously anxious to leave.

  “No. No, that’s quite enough.” I said while holding my hands up.

  As he left the cabin I slowly turned and viewed my plush Citizen’s quarters.

  ΔΔΔ

  After half a day of patiently waiting in my cabin I grew hungry. I wandered the corridors until I found the Citizen’s commissary. I was surprised at the reception I received.

  “Hey, there’s the new guy,” someone said.

  Some of the Citizens ignored me but several of them appeared friendly enough.

  “I’m Felix Jones,” one Citizen said. “I head-up Astrogation.”

  He took me by the arm and started introducing me around.

  “This here is Jonah; she’s got the helm on B Watch. Over here is Dontari, he’s the Second for Engineering and runs the A Watch.”

  Each Citizen I was introduced to stood and shook my hand. Several of them actually smiled and said it was good to meet me. They were all polite but not formal.

  The experience was a little bit surreal and not at all what I’d expected.

  “Have you met the Captain yet?” Felix asked.

  “No, they said he was busy.”

  Felix laughed again, “Yeah, he usually is. But you’ll meet him soon enough. What are you in for?”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “What are you in for? You must’ve done something to somebody.” He gave me a wink and what I was now beginning to see as his signature grin. “No one gets put on the C.E.S. Halcyon for good grades…

  “Hey Switzer,” he yelled across the room. “When’s the last time we were assigned anybody direct from The Academy?”

  Switzer’s bald crown was covered in tattoos. He was absolutely scary looking and his shirt bulged as he shrugged his massive shoulders.

  “Well anyway, I figure you blew smoke up someone’s skirt but I’m sure you’ll get around to telling us in your own good time. Meanwhile, grab some chow. I’m sure you’ve got some questions and I’ve got a little bit of time.”

  ΔΔΔ

  I had been somewhat concerned… No, shocked actually, at Felix’s candor. I was accustomed to having every word I said, every facial expression, every reaction I made recorded by the Empire. It had become so ingrained it was just habit to always give guarded responses. And after all, it was in the best interest of the Empire to keep everybody civil and thinking correctly.

  Citizen Jones had warned me that things were somewhat less formal on the Halcyon than I was probably used to. He suggested I take it all in stride and get settled in before I made any judgments.

  “Are you asking me to believe that the Empire does not maintain constant vigilance on its ship’s personnel to ensure safety and loyalty?”

  “Wow, that’s kind of a mouthful… Let’s just say that not all ships of the Empire are quite that formal,” he replied.

  It was nearing the end of the second day when my cabin intercom finally sounded, “Ensign Nikolay, report to the Captain’s cabin.”

  Now I stood in front of the Captain’s door, hesitating before announcing myself. I had spent my whole life believing in the greatness of the Empire. From everything I could tell, the man I was getting ready to serve had spent his whole life embarrassing it. I took a deep breath, then hit the buzzer.

  “Come,” came a voice through the door speaker.

  The hatch slid open and I walked inside to one of the grandest foyers I had ever seen. There were wide columns supporting a 10-foot ceiling and at least three different paths I could take from the foyer to access different areas of the interior.

  I wasn’t sure which way to turn when I suddenly noticed movement straight ahead of me. A man beckoned to me and said, “Come on in, Ensign.”

  I walked into a reception area that could easily host 40 people. The accommodations were breathtaking. There was an immense amount of art, both paintings and statuary. The seating was elegant but looked comfortable.

  What commanded my attention, however, was the tall man standing in the middle the room. There was something striking about him, and then I realized what it was; he had green eyes!

  I walked up to him, snapped to attention, and said, “Ensign Jacoby Ni
kolay, reporting for duty, Sir.”

  After a very long moment his face broke into a grin and he said, “Stand down Ensign. You’re among friends here.”

  As the silence started building again I felt the sudden need to fill it. “I tried to report in yesterday, Sir. But I couldn’t find anybody to report to. Everyone told me you would get around to summoning me, but I hope that was all right.”

  He continued watching me throughout my entire declaration; he was studying me I think.

  “Well Ensign, there’s no harm done. I suspect we’re going to get to know each other quite well so let’s start off on the right foot.” He waved to a couple of chairs and said, “Have a seat and tell me about yourself.”

  “Um, don’t you have my record, Sir?”

  “Oh I’m sure it’s around here somewhere,” he said while actually glancing around the cabin. “But I’d rather hear it from you. What did you do to get assigned to the Celcium Empire Ship Halcyon?”

  I was caught between a natural desire to make a good impression and not knowing if I wanted to be associated with him at all; yet I needed his goodwill and the time to make my own evaluation. He didn’t come across as crazy, or spoiled, or intolerably arrogant; but then I’d only just met him. How candid should I be?

  “Well Sir…”

  “Look Nikolay, let’s get something straight right up front. If the crew is around you can call me Captain or Sir. In front of outside dignitaries you can even call me Citizen Acamar, but when we’re alone just talk to me. If you have to use my name call me Alyster. I find anything more formal really inhibits good communication, don’t you agree?”

  “Of course, Sir… I mean, Alyster.”

  Just then, the intercom buzzed.

  “Captain, we’ve intercepted an Imperial drone with a high priority message,” a female voice said.

  “Very well Maria, send it to my desk.” As he stood up he looked at me and said, “Since you’re here we might as well check this out together. Come with me.”

  I followed him to another part of his incredibly large suite of rooms and into what appeared to be a private office. He was already sitting down behind the desk and facing the terminal.

  “Here, watch this,” he said.

  The monitor came alive but instead of a person we were facing the Imperial Seal with a red background. This was the color code for all high priority messages requiring immediate action and involving possible danger. In the lower right-hand corner of the screen there was a box that contained coordinates, a timestamp, and other pertinent data.

  “Communications,” the Captain said aloud.

  “Yes Captain,” the same female voice responded.

  “Maria, where is the rest of the message?”

  “I’m sorry Captain, but that’s all there was. Do you want me to respond?”

  “Not yet, send me everything you’ve got on the origin coordinates, and have Hakeem come to my cabin.”

  “Yes Sir. I can tell you now that the message originated from Imperial Station 417, in the Arien quadrant.”

  “Okay Maria. Have navigation plot us a course to IS 417 and get us underway,” he said as he signed off.

  “Well Nikolay, what do you think?”

  “What do I think? I don’t have any idea. I know that’s an Imminent Action signifier but there’s no message to go with it. Does this type of thing happen often?”

  “Ah, good question… and the answer is no. I’ve never received one of these without a detailed follow-up. Any ideas why there wouldn’t be anything else included?”

  “No Sir… I mean, no I don’t have any ideas.”

  “Okay, well I guess you’re supposed to be my aide, but frankly I’m not used to having an aide. So I don’t really know what to have you do. I know Hakeem likes coffee, and I could probably use some too, so once you grab us all a cup why don’t you sit back and help us figure this thing out.”

  “Are we going to investigate?” I said. “Do we have a backup? Are there any other ships in the sector?”

  He gave a small laugh and said, “We’re the only ship within 100,000 parsecs Nikolay; get used to it. And of course we’re going to investigate. That station is the drop off point for some the rarest cognac in the galaxy.”

  I had undergone some incredible learning experiences at The Academy, but right now I didn’t know whether to be stunned, chagrined, or embarrassed for my Empire. This Captain seemed more concerned about his cognac supply than he was about the personnel on that station; and that’s not to mention the fact that he was having his Citizens initiate maneuvering commands without a Captain or First Officer on the bridge.

  I realized I had initially been impressed by this man and had allowed my expectations to rise, but at the end of the day I was realizing why the Halcion had the reputation it did…

  The Captain was a fool and his ship was for losers.

  Chapter eight

  ENSIGN JACOBY NICOLAY

  An Emergency Message

  Imperial Station 417 was eight days away at maximum running speed.

  When the Captain was on the bridge my station was an auxiliary console behind him and to his right. The problem is he was seldom on the bridge. I had never heard of any commander that spent so much time in his stateroom, but then again I’d never been around a commander that was part of the Imperial Family. His cabin was actually a large suite of rooms; large enough that it had two separate entrances opening out into two separate corridors.

  As the Captain’s Aide I became very familiar with the second entrance. I jokingly thought of it as the servants’ entrance because it opened up into the suite’s kitchen area and it was just down the corridor from my own room.

  The ship ran on four 6-hour shifts. That meant there was an A Watch, a B Watch, and a C and D Watch. Theoretically, the A Watch’s shift started at 0600 ship’s time and was made up of the most highly skilled Citizens and crew. The B Watch would follow and represented the second best, etc. I hadn’t had a chance to get to know the C and D crews yet but, from what I’d seen, I was hoping they were at least as professional as the day crews. Otherwise we were in more trouble than I’d imagined.

  As I mentioned before my fellow Citizens were friendly enough… well, most of them anyway. But they were far from The Academy’s finest. The lack of discipline was appalling. I assumed that some of the crew’s sloppiness and uniform discipline was the result of not having a First Officer, but I still couldn’t explain the casualness the Citizens showed towards their duties and the disrespect they showed each other.

  The crew was even worse.

  So far, being the Captain’s Aide was the equivalent of being his personal steward. I fetched coffee and meals for him and the various Citizens he had meetings with. The truth is, I’m using the word meetings lightly. Most of the time it simply seemed like they were having a good time; in other words they were dinner parties.

  It was the beginning of the A Watch and, as usual, I reported to the bridge bright and early. But again, as usual, the Captain was nowhere to be found. I dutifully waited through the crew changeover and then another 30 minutes more, but still no Captain. With a sigh I got up and made my way towards his cabin.

  The only thing I could figure was that our Captain was a drunkard.

  Since I did have access to his suite of rooms, or at least most of it, I knew that he was in the habit of sleeping until noon. I also got the impression that he didn’t always sleep alone.

  I never disturbed him in his inner sanctum, but my morning ritual was quickly becoming the job of picking up the empty wine bottles and dirty plates from the previous night’s entertainment. A few times I even found some things that it wouldn’t be appropriate for a Citizen to mention.

  When I wasn’t busy preparing for or cleaning up after the party, the Captain had encouraged me to get familiar with the ship. So I had taken it upon myself to visit the various sections, get to know the section Citizens, and even rub shoulders with a few of the crew – just to get a feel
for what was really going on.

  I wasn’t encouraged.

  “Crewmen Arroyo,” I said. “You work with the deck 4 maintenance locker, correct?”

  “Uh, yes Citizen, I do.”

  “Why have the hull rupture patches been removed?”

  “They haven’t been… Ah, they’re still there sir. They just look different than the old ones.”

  “My next question had to do with the orange balls of wax…”

  “Yes sir, that’s them.”

  “Really? I’ve never seen them before.”