Starlight Gleaming Ch. 20

Hanami blanched, paling even more.

I shook my head. "Yes, well, I have good reason to blame myself. It's one thing to do what was right, but I rubbed his nose in what we did." At her look, I decided to come clean. "Yalcamara did the raid dressed as Commander Orchid. Did she tell you that? And during the raid, one of the brothers tried armed resistance. Yalcamara shot and killed him. Those two brothers I mentioned are the sons of Pren Bayloks'mec, the so-called Hero of Ventac Two."

Sowitwee just pursed his mouth. Wide eyes from Chita and even bigger ones from Hanami. I wasn't sure if my admin was going to faint or not. She sure looked like it.

My Second simply said, "Shit."

"My thoughts exactly. I had a Ground Service JAG tell me that if I had tried to challenge Sowitwee's case in Chohinze, I'd lose, even with documentation of their bald-faced criminal violations. Like I said, I will do my best to learn from this mistake. The cost in losing two fine warriors was damned high enough."

"Commander, there's no one else I'd rather serve with than you. I'll take my chances with your mistakes than someone else's conviction." Doyya tried to take a drink from her empty beer bottle, then set it back down.

Sowitwee offered her another, but she shook her head. "Shouldn't drink alcohol while on duty," she muttered. "One beer to honor my friends. A second would be to ease my own grief, and that needs to wait until later."

I turned to Doyya. "To quell any rumors, we should tell your command first the news about Yalcamara and Stimmi's deaths right away. Do you want to tell them or would you like me to do it?"

"No, I... I'll do it, Commander."

"As you wish. I'll be there to give support." Reaching into my desk, I took out the marriage certificate and set it in front of her. "I think our friends would like it if you kept this."

Chita saw it, surprise flashed across her face, then she hurriedly scooped it up, sliding it under some papers on her clipboard.

There were two sharp raps at the door, then it popped open. A tired Jay stuck his head in. "Hey, I'm getting ready to head home, and I wanted to tell you... Uh, what's going on here?"

"Come in. Close the door behind you."

I repeated the highlights for him. Including the visit to Capisco and Yalcamara's passing.

Jay scowled at me, and started to speak, but I held up my hand. "Wait. First grab a beer. Sowitwee suggested this, and I think it's appropriate. Warriors have fallen today, and we need to acknowledge their passing. Doyya, grab another bottle. I'll help you finish it, but you need to drink with us."

The tradition was that the drink lifted in tribute to the dead wasn't complete until the glass, tankard, whatever, was emptied. To not finish was considered a sign of disrespect.

As one, we lifted our bottles. "To our honored dead! May we always be worthy of their sacrifice, and as true when our own time comes."

"Air Service," they said, then drank down hefty swallows. After the first set by Doyya, I held out my hand and she passed the bottle over. I still had my own bottle, half full. Sowitwee scooted around and took the one I'd started, then up-ended it, quickly downing it. When he was done, he gave me a sharp nod and returned to his seat.

As Janetta says, I'm a mere beginner when it comes to alcohol -- though her phrase is more colorful -- and apparently Wit knows it.

"Can I speak now, Commander?" Jay asked.

"Go for it."

"First I want to say, fuck! He not only kills two of our own, he tries to kill thousands of kids! Well, I'm telling you right now, you going off on your own isn't going to happen. I know you're thinking about it, but no. I don't think there's a one of us here who wouldn't like to get armored and loaded up with as much killing power as we can carry and start shooting. Considering our opponent, it will also be a quick way to get killed."

Doyya nodded, and the others watched for my reaction.

"I admit, I thought about it," I replied. "I'm a decent sniper, but I don't have the experience navigating the urban landscape, and I've very little actual experience in the field. Besides, Copán belongs to Supay.

"But this morning, I was reminded that we are a regiment of warriors, that we have a motto. Llam nuqan. We work together. So I am open to suggestions on what needs to happen. No court, military or civilian will touch this. That's not going to stop me. I want payback. We might not know the identities of the Imperial Security agents who were involved, but we have photos of the priests. I want their names, and then I want each of them to eat a bullet for what they did."

I turned my focus to Doyya. "Yes, we are warriors, sworn to the Emperor's service and to defend the Empire from all her enemies. The priests can talk about the gods, but when they attack us in defiance of the law and while breaking the Emperor's peace? When you kill those who enforce the law, expect to pay in blood for the privilege."

Jay set the empty bottle down. "You know Pen and I will follow you, whatever you decide, Commander. Pen, myself, and the captain here -- we'll discuss this turn of events over the next few days and let you know what we come up with." He set his hand briefly onto her shoulder, and she smiled gratefully at him.

"However, tomorrow, we have the inspection, and that takes precedence," Jay said. "We want to impress the Air Marshal so we get to keep our commander."

I looked at Doyya. Her hands were steady again. "What do you have to say about this, Captain?"

"I'm afraid it's true, sir," she dead-panned. "We want to keep you."

Chita snorted loudly and even Sowitwee chuckled. Jay just grinned at me.

I chuckled. "All right, you scoundrels. We'll table this until next week. I appreciate all of you, your loyalty to the Emperor, to the Air Service, and to me. Are you going to be okay driving home, Jay? Oh, and what was it you were going to tell me? You obviously had something on your mind when you opened the door."

"Yeah, I have a ride." He gave a sad grin. "Seems sort of trite now, but... well, Pen met a girl --" there were sharp intakes from Hanami, Chita, and Doyya at that -- "and it was like instant attraction for them both. There could have been a riot next to them and neither one would have seen it. She's agreed to have lunch with him tomorrow, and he couldn't stop grinning after she left. I tell you, he's got it bad. Every time I looked at him, he'd start grinning again."

I wasn't alone in smiling at the news. In the midst of our grief at the loss of two friends, another one of us might possibly be finding love. Or so I hoped.

"Come on, Lieutenant," Doyya urged. "You can't leave it at that. Details, man. We want more details.

"Just so you can gossip about his love life," Jay chided. "Ah, well. He's a big boy. He can take it. Apparently this woman he met just started working at the school a couple of days ago. Her name's Tanti Yakalme." Then he raised his eyebrows thoughtfully as he mulled over his own words. "Say, that name sounds familiar. Isn't that the same House name as one of your women, Commander?"

Pen and Tanti?

"It is," I replied, leaning back in my chair, vastly amused. Zinja once said she thought the gods of chaos had a hard-on for Janetta. It appeared they liked me, too.

Jay rubbed his chin a moment. "Hunh. There are dozens of Raltikons on Tacana State, and more in Je State. Coincidence about the House names, Commander?"

"Nope. Tanti is Cholan's older sister. She came back with us from Copán, along with her sister Breena and Breena's three kids."

"Should I--?" Jay began.

I chuckled. "Not a word to him. I have no objections and I doubt Cholan will either. Tanti's been a widow for more than a year, and if she's ready to move on, more power to her. If they're both smitten like you say, let them enjoy it. There's not enough happiness in the world as it is."

Narrowing my gaze at my admin, I said, "Hanami, you don't seem as intrigued by this news. Something I should know?"

Startled, she lowered her gaze. "No, Commander. Lieutenant Fortri is a very handsome man. No, I'm... just concerned about what you said earlier. Are you sure it was Minister Supay who killed Stimmi and the lieutenant?"

"Hanami, if you're scared, then good. Supay is a very, very dangerous man. Most people agree the only man more powerful is the Emperor himself. The Minister is a man most would be rightfully afraid to challenge. Last year, Commander Orchid came and foiled the Drug Plot. Commander Orchid is not one person but as many as four women scattered across the Empire. She made arrangements for the women who wanted to stay in the military to have abortions at family planning clinics within the Seven Nations, and to allow them to re-test for pregnancy, and have the second test be the official test of record. For those women who could not bear to have an abortion, they were given the option to emigrate to the Seven Nations with an honorable discharge and a cash-out for their time served.

"Aside from the Drug Plot, there were several extortion, embezzlement, and theft-rings, all stealing from the Empire. Commander Orchid put a stop to those, and helped stop a child trafficking ring in the bargain. Unfortunately, the Minister's lover arrived, assumed the role of Commander Orchid, and tried to murder almost two thousand women, children, and servants of the men who were caught and executed for committing crimes. The Commander Orchid who was here first fought the Minister's lover and killed the fake Orchid. I consider the woman who won to be the real and only Commander Orchid.

"In retaliation, the Minister ordered the death of all the Imperial Security forces present where his lover died, as well as blowing up a Condor transport that killed everyone aboard. Over three hundred men and women dead, on his say-so alone, because of his rage. No appeal, no chance to explain. Nothing. Not everyone who works for Imperial Security is an enemy. Indeed, I consider Commander Orchid to be my personal friend.

"The Minister then put out a warrant to apprehend Orchid with extreme sanction. In case you didn't know, Hanami, that means shoot on sight. I helped arrange Commander Orchid's escape, and I assigned Captain Lovyanchiti here to guard her. She took a bullet while guarding her charge in Capisco and nearly died. As far as I know, the Commander Orchid who helped clean up this war base and saved the military careers of a few thousand women is alive somewhere, still working in the service of the Empire, even while having a death sentence on her head. If all this is too much for you, Hanami, I need to know now."

She looked at the others, and Chita spoke up. "If it helps, Hanami, I'm scared, too. But I believe in Commander Kandikan. What we have at High Guard is better than much of the rest of the Empire because we also have the Protection Order. We have the right to say no to sex. These days, if a woman is bent over a desk with her trousers at her ankles, chances are it's because she wants it that way. When I was with the Ground Service after the Commander left, I never had to have sex with anyone I didn't want to -- because they had adopted the Commander's Protection Order. It's okay to be scared because there's real danger involved here. The murders of our friends, Stimmi and Lieutenant Tchanoonka, are proof of that. But this is a fight worth fighting for."

"If either one of them are doing it over a desk, it better be on their lunch time or after their duty shift," I grumbled.

"So noted, Commander," Chita commented drily.

Doyya snorted at that, then said, "Hanami, you see a lot of the Commander's confidential information. If this is too much for you, you need to let us know now, so we can find a replacement for you."

"Commander?" Hanami looked at me, her face worried.

"If you want to leave, now is better than later," I told her. "I want committed volunteers in the 602. We do a dangerous but necessary job for the Air Service and the Empire. There'll be no punishment and no retaliation if you want to leave. You have my word on that."

She gave a loud exhale and then smiled grimly. "I'm scared -- terrified actually, but I'll stay. Count me in."

"Good," Jay said. "Because the rest of you should know something else important. Some of you are bright students and have probably figured this out, but I think it's time for this to be above board. The Commander, Lieutenant Fortri, and myself are also members of Imperial Security. Pen and I met the Commander at that training. Not all Imperial Security agents are corrupt. The difference -- and there are many more like us -- is that we serve the Emperor and the Empire -- and not Minister Supay."

I think the only one who was surprised at the revelation was Sergeant Hanami. And glancing around, she quickly realized that fact. I had already known that Doyya, Chita, and Sowitwee were pretty tough cookies. They were also proving to be pretty sharp, too.

Doyya caught me looking at her, and shrugged. "After that firefight at Chitolpo, it was an open secret. Meeting your brother, Commander, more or less confirmed it. Sergeant Sowitwee was with me at that little dust-up. And, I might have shared that information with Sergeant Chita when I got back."

I saw Jay closing his eyes briefly as he leaned against the wall. "Jay, I'll talk to Pen about the status of the school before he goes off shift this afternoon -- which is only an hour from now. You can let me know tomorrow morning whether the school stays closed tomorrow or not. In the meantime, take off and get some rack time. And that's not a request."

Giving a sleepy salute, he quietly exited, closing the door behind him. As the meeting seemed to be over, I turned off the jammer and dropped it back into the drawer and secured it. After a yawn, I finished Doyya's second beer.

Doyya and Chita also got up to leave, Doyya saying she wanted to work on what she was going to tell her troopers at roll call.

Sowitwee stood up. "We need to eat, sir. We both had a short night. Neither of us had breakfast, and if we skip lunch, we'll be lucky if we don't fall asleep at dinner. I'm going to see if these sandwiches can be warmed up. Hanami, do you want me to get you something while I'm out?"

"I have my lunch at my desk."

"Are you sure about that?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "The Diner has stir-fry and barbecue pork on special today. I can also pick up some fried shrimp. I understand you're partial to sweet chili sauce."

She bit her lower lip, then nodded. "All right, you talked me into it. Thank you."

After Wit left, Hanami closed up the cooler with the beer, and when she realized the cahault-maker was empty, set about filling it and setting it to brew. Once that was done, I knew I needed to take a nap. Tired, I moved to my couch and lay down, telling Hanami to wake me when Sowitwee returned. She nodded as she turned down the lights and left, closing the door behind her.

It seemed I had just closed my eyes when she was shaking me awake. Standing up, I stretched. Twenty minutes wasn't a lot, but it would have to do. Sowitwee laid out fare for the three of us. The smell told me that I really was hungry after all.

We quickly demolished the meal, Wit and I eating like ravenous hounds. Both of us were hungry enough that we looked at the sandwiches Chita had purchased earlier, and to the amazement of Hanami, decided they were serviceable, so we polished them off, too.

In the meantime, we worked until start of shift changeover. I stepped into the private toilet and shaved off the morning shadow, straightened my uniform, and then accompanied Doyya and her XO, Lieutenant Minhawee to the shift briefing room.

As expected, the news about Yalcamara and Stimmi made for a somber meeting. There was no getting around the fact that both of them were well-liked and respected. When questions began to come up, Doyya glanced at me, and with my nod, she stepped back from the podium.

I cleared my throat before speaking. "First off, I want to assure you that we're working closely with the Capisco Police Department on this matter. They have already shared some crucial information with us, and we are following all leads and avenues of action. As we learn more information that we can share, we will share it with you.

"As Captain Lovyanchiti has said, Lieutenant Tchanoonka and Sergeant Stimmi will be greatly missed. They weren't just security troopers in my command. They were my friends. Their valor, expertise, professionalism, and loyalty to their fellow troopers, to the Empire, to the Air Service, and to Air Security are hallmarks that the rest of us can measure our own success by. They were warriors, and they were part of the 602. Their service has added to our regiment's honor. Their service record reflects the best traditions of the Air Service. Lieutenant Tchanoonka taught me that every field trooper has a partner. That partnership is a team that must work together to be effective, and to avoid accidents or death.

"When you attend your duties, be mindful and be careful for yourself and your partner as well as your fellow troopers. When we work together toward a shared purpose, we increase both our strength and our ability to accomplish great things. Our motto, llam nuqan, isn't a silly catch-phrase. It's a way of approaching our duty as warriors. As your commanding officer, all of you are mine. When any one of you are attacked or injured, it matters to me. It matters to Captain Lovyanchiti. It matters to your officers. Rest assured, your officers and I will do everything in our power to make things right.

"However, there's no escaping the fact we are warriors. We wear the uniform of Air Security. We are pledged by our oaths to serve the Emperor and the Empire, even at the cost of our lives if need be. As Sublieutenant Yalcamara Tchanoonka and Sergeant Stimmi Parletl have given theirs. A moment of silence, please, to honor our fallen fellow warriors."

For the most part, heads bowed respectfully, and I stepped back. At the end of a minute, Doyya lifted her head and snapped out, "Air Service!"

"Air Service!" they echoed back.

"Air Service!"

The reply was louder still.

"Air Service!"

The third cry was nearly a shout that vibrated off the walls.

Doyya and I exchanged nods, and as I turned to go, she went on with the duty assignments for swing shift. "First platoon, you are covering the airfield today. Lieutenant Minhawee, please make sure that all the troopers get time working with Sergeant Paolto and his trained dogs. Second platoon, sections one and two, you are on gate duty, and the rest of the platoon is at C&C. Third and fourth platoons, you are in classes until eighteen hundred hours, and then you will switch out with Fifth and Sixth platoons, who are on roving patrols until..."

As I walked out of the room, I knew that many of the men and women were working as hard as I was. Besides the regular shifts, many of them were taking advantage of the training bonuses to earn extra pay. These were in addition to the class time to become certified and trained as Air Security troopers.

I'd already told Hanami to handle anything she could, but that I was available for emergencies. She was a skilled admin and she was getting good at handling things. As we approached my office, I told Wit, "Let's pack it in for today. Tomorrow will be an even longer day."

While he turned off the freshly filled cahault-maker, I gathered my things and flipped off the lights. As I locked up my office and told Chita good night, he grabbed his gear from his desk next to Hanami's.

* * * * *

Part 5 - Surprise Visit

* * * * *

I saw them at the same time as Wit did and we both froze.