Career progressiont Part II
27 Apr 2016Jellicoe
Naval attaché at Cubeo is a dream posting for any officer, you are at the court of the most glamorous woman in the galaxy in a system she has turned into the jewel of the Empire. Cubeo offers every imaginable kind of luxury as both the headquarters of a princess of the blood and a playground for the galaxy’s super rich, for the first time in a long time I felt like a pauper in comparison.My official duties were light, collating information and preparing reports for Admiral Craddock, and providing occasional military advice for the head of the delegation which left me plenty of time for my real job, that of assessing Princess Aisling and her senior councillors, and being included in the whirl of parties and social functions that was life for the Cubeo elite gave me the perfect opportunity. The princess herself was a delight; vivacious, flirtatious with a roguish sense of humour hiding a very shrewd intellect behind the façade of a vacuous party girl, she was so utterly different to the caricature of so many Federation comedians. She was young, beautiful and full of natural charm which she made full use of to gain the measure of her rivals and enemies. Her advisors were harder to identify, in public she surrounded herself with a coterie of other bright young things, all exceptionally wealthy and glamorous and if one was taken in by the princesses’ bimbo act it would be easy to believe that these playboys and girls had her ear in council, but if one could see through that to the real woman it was clear that these people played no role whatsoever beyond the ornamental. The man I courted most assiduously was King Damon Tasigny, one of her fleet commanders and so far as I could gather her most trusted advisor, he was a hardened, grizzled veteran of countless hard campaigns with a chest full of medals to prove it. The king seldom attended social functions preferring the military surroundings of his headquarters or the bridge of his flagship the interdictor Thunderor and it proved extremely difficult to arrange a meeting until, at the request of the head of our delegation citing military protocol he agreed to see me at his planetary HQ. I was ushered through the palatial surroundings into the kings magnificent office where he sat behind a carved hardwood desk in a throne like armchair. The office, like all Imperial décor was sumptuous in its elegance, grandeur and comfort far from the more Spartan utilitarianism of the Federal military. The king ignored me for a long moment before slowly looking up and appraising me with clear, sharp eyes, his craggy face was framed with neat grey hair, a trimmed beard and sported a magnificent moustache, his uniform was immaculate and his sash was covered with medals and battle honours.
“So you’re the latest ornament Hudson’s sent us. I assume you were chosen to impress the Princess?” he demanded as though addressing a newly commissioned ensign he felt not up to the job.
“You’d have to ask Admiral Craddock why I was chosen, and I suspect the Princess is much harder to impress than many people in the Federation seem to think.” He looked long and hard at me then before continuing his interrogation.
“You’ve seen some action at least, not like the last one.! He growled looking at my comparatively meagre collection of medals. “What did you make of Emperors Dawn?”
“Tough opponents. Well trained, equipped and organised. Certainly not a rag tag of criminals and fanatics.” I replied. “They’re certainly very well funded and I very much doubt we’ve seen the last of them. Do you have any idea where their money’s coming from?”
“Not that I’m prepared to discuss with a serving officer in the Federal Navy. I’m still not entirely convinced you lot aren’t behind them.”
“Our intelligence suspects an Imperial faction, seems more likely to me.”
“Alas to me too.” He replied gruffly. “Of course there is another possibility…” he fixed me with an extraordinarily intense gaze.
“There is indeed.” I replied holding his gaze “and a man of your eminence and position mentioning it suggests it may not be pure fantasy.”
“Elaborate please Rear Admiral.” His tone had changed, and while he still regarded me keenly, his eyes and his use of my rank for the first time perhaps suggesting the beginnings of a grudging respect.
“The Vice President dead in very suspicious circumstances, the President missing presumed dead, a journalist looking into it murdered, the Emperor assassinated, unidentified objects floating in space and now these ‘barnacles’, the rise of a very dangerous terrorist movement, while everywhere I go I hear hushed whispers of dark forces rising. I suppose it could all be coincidence but I wouldn’t bet on it.” The king looked at me long and hard, I sensed he was thinking deeply but his face gave away nothing.
“I think we should talk again Rear Admiral. Come to dinner at my country house on Sunday.” I nodded, thanked him and turned to leave. “One more thing.” He said as I reached the door. “That was good work a few months ago in our space in that Fer de Lance. You made yourself a right royal nuisance destroying our transports.”
“Just doing my duty King Damon, you must understand that.”
“Of course. But not firing on our police of military even when they fired on you on you impresses me. I salute your honour.”