Commander Sotomeyer sat at his desk, dispassionately looking at the holcom projection. The projection showed a life-size table stretching out to either side of him. The beauty of the holcom allowed for the projection to appear larger than his office. It looked like he was sitting at this table instead of at his desk, which was a good thing because there were one hundred and thirteen ship’s captains seated around the projected table, each representing a command that had not been destroyed during the aftermath of that dragon’s hatred. One hundred thirteen vessels not destroyed. Only twenty-seven of them were currently inoperable, a miracle of wonder after such odds. How these dragons did not prepare for such assault against their vessels was strange. Did they not have defences? It made no sense.
Lieutenant Commander Brandson was detailing the destruction of the Lord Admiral’s flagship, along with the back-up bridge that the Mother’s Plea’s ship’s captain had operated. Sotomeyer thought, it seemed unlikely that they would know exactly where to strike to hit both rooms at once, one lance of fire and both bridges were gone. How did they learn that? After she concluded her remarks, Commander Briggs stood. As he was the one to initiate the request for a Captain’s Board it fell to him to conduct the meeting, he was not the leader of their board, and decisions would be voted on before implementation. He spoke, “That concludes the after-action report. I move that Lieutenant Commander Brandson be promoted to Commander and Ship’s Captain of the Mother’s Plea. Is the motion seconded?”
“Seconded” said commander Dreep from all the way at the other end of the table. Part of the wonder of the holcom was that when a person spoke up at the long table, their image replaced one of the others seated at the table in front of him. He could override such replacements or choose who got replaced, but it was nice to be able to see who was talking.
Briggs spoke again, “The motion has been seconded. All in favour say ‘aye’.” There was a resounding chorus of ‘ayes’. “All opposed?” There was not a single ‘nay’. “The ‘ayes’ have it. Congratulations Commander Brandson on your promotion and on your new posting as ship’s captain of Mother’s Mercy. It will require Imperial Ratification upon return to Homeworld, but until such time you are hereby admitted to this body and required to fulfil all duties, rights, obligations, and privileges of this office and posting. Thank you for your service.”
Commander Brandson bowed to the table. “Thank you for your faith in me to honourably fulfil this new responsibility. I am humbled and honoured to join you.” She rose to her full height and then sat in her chair, back straight and face fixed in an expression of no nonsense. Sotomeyer thought, she is obviously ready to move the subject along and to get back to the repair of her new vessel and the healing of its crew, of which an astonishingly large number remained. The dragon’s strike was targeted a scalpel and not indiscriminate, as it first appeared.
That doesn’t change my view on it though, he thought, there’s no excuse to slay a man and as many of his crew as are near him over a cultural insult without fully explaining the insult in the first warning. The Operatic Empire was brutal, but it always provided an allowance, however small, for cultural differences until they were explained. Otherwise, there would never be a conquered people, merely graves to dig. Empires couldn’t function that way. They needed new blood as well as new land and minerals.
Commander Briggs interrupted his thinking, “There is one final item of business. Commandant Rieven.” Mutters and whispers ran around the table. There were opinions held strongly that couldn’t be voiced until their owners were sure of how they would be received. Fools, thought Sotomeyer, it’s not safe to talk near a holcom. They always listened. How else could the emperor know so much that was so secret among his ranks? Besides, they know just as well as I do that the commandant did not have any real choice in his decision to halt the operation and fight the dragon in single combat – such an insane thought, made stranger by the fact that it was true! Of course the head of special operations would do that. He also brought Master Sergeant Ono with him. That rank only existed in the Void Spectres. Every other company of ship’s marines were led by a sergeant general. Ono was legendary. He was a master. The man’s honour and ability could never be held in contempt, nor questioned. If he said a thing, it was so. He was rumoured to have once made the emperor change his mind. With him there, Rieven will do better than I could or any of us could, he thought. Those men’s actions represented the best chance the fourth had to make it out of this without further tragedy. Politics would invalidate that possibility though, it is a shame. There is only so much we can do to support him from here. I will try though. He should lead. It was not traditional for the commandant of the Void Spectres to lead, it was legal. How do I direct this meeting to that effect?
Briggs continued, “He has instituted INL 247-2 and INL 247-2A as a formulated response to the initial attack and then abandoned both in favour of a personal duel, ritual combat with the dragon in question in an attempt to settle the score. The duel is to be overseen by a second dragon of questionable intent. While we have been promised safe passage to the bounds of their realm and peaceful passage from them after that, we have no guarantee that it will happen. Then there is the dragon that the red one claims is his son. This dragon is currently being held on the Hidden Dagger as surety to the promise’s fulfilment, but we have no understanding of how this son is valued by the father, if indeed they are father and son.
“Additionally, we have no understanding of the working the green dragon almost unleashed. It was larger than anything our empire has managed and it was freeform, created on the spur of the moment and in seconds it began to appear. There is an intimate understanding of axiom in this realm that our empire could surely use. It is also dangerous. Highly likely to cause death and destruction if not countered. It is believed by my axiom engineers that we could have most likely disrupted it prior to its release.”
Voices clamoured at this and commander Brandson spoke over everyone, it was impressive really how loud that woman managed to be while effortlessly maintaining her indifferent demeanour. “That conclusion is incorrect, ship’s captain Briggs.” Her statement silenced every other voice. She had the authority to speak on the subject as she was the only one present who endured, and survived, the previous working which slew the previous commander and lord admiral.
Briggs chuckled, maintaining his part as a kindly uncle who was humouring a child. “Commander Brandson, every axiom engineer in the fourth saw the effect our axiom torpedoes had on their fleet. Every working and defence was blown through in an instant. We would have destroyed that working without thought or effort had we been allowed to.”
Brandson simply stated, in her same tone of disinterest, “False.” Now that really got people going. Conversations were picking up and personal opinions were taking shape and forming others’.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Briggs smiled, a little sharply, but he still managed to maintain his comportment. “That is not false, every axiom engineer in the fourth saw that engagement. The maths speak for themselves. Our axiom torpedoes undo or cut through their workings.” He ended with a gracious gesture of his hand, looking like he was gently setting a mild disturbance aside for the good of the listeners.
He opened his mouth to continue but Brandson interrupted. “That is not what was false. Your latest statement was true. What was false was the statement that every working was cut through. You should speak to your axiom engineers again. They had no axiomatic shielding.” Sotomeyer nodded at this, as did many others. Those who chose to come prepared were already aware, while the others looked down to their datapads to see for themselves. There was no need, however, it was true.
“Furthermore,” she continued, entirely ignoring the frustration that was quietly gathering in his eyes, “as the only officer present who has personal experience with their workings, I can say with one hundred percent certainty that the speed with which the dragons’ workings are executed put the speed of our torpedoes to shame. The amount of time between that green dragon saying that we would pay and the Mother’s Plea being hit, was less time than it would take for our torpedoes to travel a third of the distance between our ships and his. That working around the fourth was complete. By the time our contact screens registered the working as present, it was complete enough for us to be unable to interfere with or to prevent its activation, unless we had something faster and more destructive than our axiom torpedoes.
“As we are not newly supplied and are coming off the Medusean Gambit, we do not have any FTL missiles. I believe, as do my axiom engineers, that commandant Rieven made the only decision reasonably assuring us continued existence. The gamble of the dragon’s intent is of less import than the gamble of every soul in the fourth. We may have survived the working, but we may not have. Our axiom engineers don’t even know what it was or how widespread the effect it would unleash would have been.
“Now, did commandant Rieven do what he did for those reasons? Only he knows. However, in the absence of his lieutenant commander, who legally ought to be here to represent his interest, we do not know.” Having completed her thoughts, she again sat down and looked to Briggs as if to say ‘what item is next on the agenda?’
He obviously had no wish to continue a losing argument so he said “Thank you commander Brandson. That was a well-reasoned argument. We shall set that point aside for additional discussion upon commandant Rieven’s return. His lieutenant was unavailable to be present at this meeting as she is working to secure their draconic passenger safely.”
Well that was a nice lie, thought Sotomeyer. Glancing around the table it was clear many others failed to believe it as well, but it covered the barest requirement ceremony dictated and so was accepted as no one else had any contradictory information. He pinged lieutenant commander Gahst on his data tablet, informing her of this meeting and asking if she had truly declined to participate. Immediately he received a string of invectives that surprised him. He had no idea there were so many phrases he had never heard before. He had started life as a fisherman and believed he had heard it all. Not so, apparently. He smiled. A reckoning was coming.
Commander Briggs continued, “Lastly, we know that the dragons do not thread axiom through themselves or indeed through any form of matter; their only course is projecting axiom, a powerful but energy expensive alternative. How they manage it must be related to their physiology or perhaps to a training method? It has even been hypothesised that they give up the ability to thread axiom for the ability to project it, that it is either one or the other, and they are taught this method exclusively. Possible, but the assumptions made a wild at this point. What matters is that we will soon either be in full conflict with three draconic fleets, or we will be on our way. This presents two issues.” He was again wrapping himself in the diaphanous robes of a virtuous and practical leader, regaining a large measure of his lost composure.
“One: Where are we? If we don’t know where we are, how are we to get home? My people have not had any success locating a known start. We must be so far from our empire that we can’t even see them, assuming we are in the same universe and parallel universal theory proves correct.
“Two: Commandant Rieven. If he dies, Imperial Law commands us to avenge his death at the hand of this strange custom, but I am not sure we are positioned to do so. Especially if what commander Brandson says is true, and she attest that it is. If he lives, what does that mean for us? His legend will grow sufficiently to pose a security risk for the journey home. He could speak and our men would listen. He is a hero, rightly so, but the question remains: how do we maintain order in the fourth on our journey home through the void with him victorious and our new admiral not looking as shiny to the rank and file, whomever is chosen to replace the lord admiral?”
There were many nods and even voiced agreement. Many commanders were unhappy to have to compete with this hero and saw their chances of recognition raise as his fell. Sotomeyer smirked to himself, they have already chosen to not put the commandant’s name forward, eh? I think he would do a splendid job. He has led us through the most statistically successful engagement in recent imperial history. It was impressive. Briggs felt so threatened that he didn’t even invite lieutenant commander Gahst to attend, as would be traditional. I think it’s time for a change, he thought, something to shake up this man’s confidence and force him to view the situation objectively. He received a ping from Gahst, I am unable to attend, I have been locked out of the meeting as it has been determined that voting rights are to be given to all participants and I am late to the meeting. An unannounced Captain’s Vote? Is that even legal?
A sinking feeling settled into his gut. The engagement was legally considered ongoing. As such, a Captain’s Vote could not be called to choose a new admiral. They could hold a Captain’s Board to review strategy, actions, and make plans in the absence of commandant Rieven, but they could not vote for a new admiral. This was dangerous and all participants would inevitably be court marshalled. If Rieven did so before they returned to imperial space, execution of all offenders would be on the table. Briggs’ only hope now was that Rieven died in the duel and the meeting notes could be post-dated.
Sotomeyer tapped his datapad, sending the code for Gahst to join the meeting. She immediately appeared next to him. Briggs saw her and his eyes lit up with anger, though Sotomeyer saw his fingers tremble slightly. I think he’s scared, he said to himself, he has every right to be. His deception is about to be unmasked and those who supported him are about to become complicit in this farce.
Just then, their holcom session was interrupted. The conference room did not cut out, but a holoscreen popped up in front of each face around the table and, while they were translucent and enabled faces to be seen, the details on the screen were shown in perfect clarity. It appeared to be from a hovering camera and showed master sergeant Ono and the squad he brought with him to protect Rieven. They were standing at attention and faced the commandant. The view was from behind Rieven, though perspective would likely shift as events unfolded. The men’s armour, especially one, were spattered with blood and their hands were absolutely dripping with the stuff. What had been going on there? Also, why was there so much stone on a star ship? More importantly, how did Ono have the codes to override a Captain’s Board? He must receive them from the Ship’s Intelligence upon the initiation of INL 247-2. Looks like Briggs didn’t plan for everything, he smiled.
He focused on the screen again as Rieven’s voice came through listing the various accomplishments of the squad, giving one of their members – the bloodiest one – a new name and then forming a new squad. Sotomeyer looked in the corner of the screen and saw that it was being broadcast to every screen in the fourth. Each person would be viewing this now. He laughed, I guess Rieven will not be shuffled under the table anytime soon. He’s not nobility, but he certainly does not lack for political sense. That practical streak serves him well. I hope this does not go poorly for him. The last time a new squad was formed as a result of merit in the field was four hundred years ago. This was a huge moral booster to the rank and file of the fourth. Well done commandant!
Lieutenant Commander Gahst looked particularly proud, and spitefully smiled at Briggs, who glowered. This was not going as he had planed, was it?
Sotomeyer laughed again to himself as he considered Rieven.
Fantastic, boy!
