Kuen circled around the adolescent cadets as they attempted to master the basics of unarmed combat they would need for survival. “Cadet Bellasiano, your left hand should not be floating in the air,” he said coldly. “If you’re fighting you need to be using all available assets. This includes your weaker side.”

“I think I’ve sprained the wrist, sir,” the cadet said as she smiled coquettishly up at him.

“Cadet Bellasiano, step out,” Kuen snapped. The cadet stopped, color draining from her face. She moved to the side of the ring. “Go to the medics. I expect a full report from them as to the necessity of keeping you out of combat for a few days.”

“Sir, I don’t think I need to go that far,” Cadet Bellasiano said quickly.

“You mentioned a sprain. That is a potentially dangerous injury. You are dismissed,” Kuen said.

“Yes sir,” the cadet sniveled. She started to slink away.

“Cadet Bellasiano.” A new voice, equally as cold as Kuen’s, crackled across the room. The cadet froze. “You are a member of the Central Worlds Alliance Combined Armed Forces. Act like it.”

“Yes sir.” The cadet straightened up and walked briskly out the door.

A blonde-haired young man joined Kuen in his prowling. “These children are so uncoordinated,” Gaspare Benoit said with a derisive snort.

“Were we any better at their age?” Kuen asked.

“You were never this clumsy.” Gaspare winced as a particularly poorly timed block resulted in a cadet being hit in the eye.

“I was in the beginning. I also started younger than most though, so by the time you knew me I suppose I was better than these children.” Kuen walked up and physically shoved a cadet into a more appropriate position.

“Well, you know I’ve always been good at the more physical combat skills.” Gaspare’s voice dripped with the arrogance that always irritated Kuen.

Kuen looked at his friend. “You can’t tell me you were an instant master of these techniques, Gaspare. Even with your family’s notoriety you did not come out of your mother’s womb with a gun in one hand and the mastery of all forms of fighting secured in the fist of the other.”

Gaspare chuckled ruefully. “I suppose we do tend to go on like we start our life like that. In my defense, you’ve met my father. You can see why.”

Kuen stiffened. “I met your father once, Gaspare. I have yet to forgive him for that day.”

Gaspare paused, frowning. Then he nodded. “I agree. That was one of the stupidest decisions I’ve ever seen the High Command make, and I’ve put a lot of my energy into studying military history.”

“The High Command does what’s best for the CAF and for the CWA,” a cadet said from where he sparred against one of the training automatons. “There is nothing stupid about their decisions.”

Kuen shed his jacket. Gaspare caught it before it hit the floor. “Cadet Isaksson, join me on the mats. Everyone else, step down,” Kuen ordered. Everyone took their positions. “Let me make one thing clear – in spite of your childish devotion to the CAF and the High Command, they are human.” Kuen leveled a blow towards the cadet’s head. The younger man easily blocked it. He missed the blow Kuen aimed at his stomach and gasped as all the breath was knocked out of him. “So, like all humans, they do make mistakes.”

“Not…possible,” Cadet Isaksson wheezed.

Kuen dropped and swept the feet out from under the cadet. He was too stunned to evade the blow and went down. “While we are to always offer them the highest respect, we must also remember that sometimes the orders they give are – at best – given with actual military intelligence backing them and at worst with nothing but speculation and political propaganda.” He stood up and stared down at the gasping cadet. “What we choose to do with those orders can make or break our careers. Consider that every time you receive word from the High Command.” He walked back and took his jacket from Gaspare. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir,” the cadets said in unison. The all too familiar tone signifying a change of classes sounded.

“Dismissed,” Kuen said. Two of the other cadets pried Cadet Isaksson off the ground and half carried him out with the rest of the group.

“I think you got your point across.” Gaspare ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair.

“It had better work this time.” Kuen fastened the buttons on his jacket. “I’m tired of seeing children get killed because they don’t know to question the orders they get if they don’t make sense.”

“You didn’t question the orders you were given,” Gaspare said.

“I always question my orders. It never seems to matter. I’m always expected to follow them.” Kuen smoothed his uniform.

“You’re disciplined for questioning orders, aren’t you?”

Kuen shrugged. “Every time. But my questions bring attention to issues, and occasionally the orders are even amended to accommodate my observations. They never give credit to a cadet with more sense than his senior officers though.”

“Do you really think beating up on the children will convince them of your point of view?” another junior officer asked.

“Your soft touch doesn’t seem to be working on some of them.” Gaspare turned to face the newcomer. “Sometimes a harsher manner is needed.”

“Like breaking Cadet Bellasariano’s wrist?” the other officer – Lieutenant Jetta Helvig – asked. “I saw her crying as she ran off, holding her left arm to her chest.”

“She claimed it was sprained. I sent her to the medics.” Kuen met the woman’s gaze calmly. “I expect a full report from them on her inability to take part in combat training for at least the next three days as she has the injury tended to.”

“She was crying because she got dressed down in front of her peers.” Gaspare glared at Jetta. “She’s always more worried about what the others think of her rather than what she needs to do to survive.” He paused. “I sense your interference with that one, Lt. Helvig.”

The amber eyed lieutenant glared at the other two young men. “You two don’t know how women ought to be treated, even here in the military,” she began.

“You treat them the same as you do the men, because on the battlefield there are no differences,” the gruff voice of Sergeant Meriadoc “Mad Dog” Gittins came ringing down the corridor. The stocky heavyworlder who was one of the advanced combat instructors got in Jetta’s face. “You’re doing them no favors, girl. Not if you want them to survive their first deployment.”

“Women have no place on the battlefield.” Jetta folded her arms and glared at the shorter man. “You of all people should know that, Sgt. Gittins.”

“Lads, take yourselves off and see to whatever it is you need to.” Meriadoc glared at Jetta. “I’ll handle this one.”

“Of course, Sergeant.” Gaspare pressed his hand to Kuen’s back and shoved him down the hall.

“What duty station did you get assigned this week?” Kuen asked as they made their way towards the mess hall.

“Desk duty.” Gaspare stretched with a groan. His spine popped. “I can’t wait until they open the deployments again. I want off this rock.”

Kuen nodded. “As do I. That last deployment wasn’t long enough, and I am very tired of drilling idiot children.”

“I agree,” Gaspare said.

They reached the mess hall. The cadets were kept on a rigid schedule for their meals. The junior officers were given food whenever they asked so long as they didn’t let themselves get slow or sloppy. Many took advantage of the situation to indulge in packing on extra calories. The young officers were also harder on themselves than the cadets so often burned off those extra calories with extra combat practice or other physical drills.

Food was all high energy protein rations mixed with a liberal amount of fibrous plant material that might at one time have been actual fruits and vegetables. It was now a mostly flavorless pile of slop next to the protein rations that was swallowed as fast as possible if you didn’t want to entertain the notion of seeing your meal return. Coffee was swilled down to chase the unappetizing rations and the two junior lieutenants were back at work.

The final discordant tonal sequence sounded, releasing the cadets and the junior officers in charge of their training to whatever leisure they preferred for the evening. Kuen saw some of his students from earlier in the day at the end of the hall and paused just out of their sight in the recessed shadow of a supply closet’s door.

“They expect nothing less than perfection,” one cadet complained. “We’ve only been here for a month. How can we be perfect at anything?”

“They don’t expect perfection,” another cadet said. “Lt. Nakano and Lt. Benoit just want us to perform to our highest level, so they push us until we reach that point.” The young woman, older than the others, grimaced. “Then they do their best to prove to us we can push beyond that point.”

“What if you can’t ever be good enough to meet their standards?” Cadet Bellasiano asked. “I’m going to get flattened during practice tomorrow.” A wicked grin crossed Kuen’s face. Her left wrist was free of any kind of bandage or regenerator. It looked like he had a new sparring partner for the next day.

“You shouldn’t have lied about your wrist because you’re too lazy to practice the left-hand punches,” another cadet said.

The older cadet winced. “Laziness will get you a good beat down from Lt. Nakano. Or Lt. Benoit if he’s there and Lt. Nakano turns him loose on you.” She paused, rubbing the back of her neck. “Pray you get Lt. Nakano. He at least isn’t obsessed with military discipline like Lt. Benoit is.”

“Why is Lt. Benoit so much worse?” Cadet Bellasiano asked. “He’s gorgeous and seems to be far more approachable than Lt. Nakano.”

“His father is High Admiral Fabrice Benoit, the man in charge of military intelligence and one of the most dangerous members of the High Command. High Admiral Benoit is terrifying, and you wonder why his son is so similar?” the older cadet asked.

“How was I supposed to know that?” Cadet Bellasiano scowled. “It’s not as if the names of those in the High Command are public knowledge.”

“Actually, they are public knowledge. All it takes is a simple search of the military records and you’ll find the information. Of course, you’ll only see what civvies see until you’re an officer like Lt. Nakano and Lt. Benoit.”

“Messina, how did you get into this Academy without at least a passing acquaintance with the command structure of the organization you were joining?” one of the other cadets asked with some disgust.

Cadet Bellasiano shrugged. “My father is close friends with High Admiral Claasen.”

“Why would that get you such preferential treatment?” Kuen realized the speaker was Cadet Isaksson. He hadn’t recognized the young man because someone else had taken offense to the young man’s attitude. He looked like he’d been beaten within a heartbeat of his life.

“I was getting into trouble on my homeworld. High Admiral Claasen pulled some strings to get me in here.” Cadet Bellasiano seemed almost proud of her miscreant past. “My father said it would be good for me, and that it was the only way to avoid the detention center again.”

“I wouldn’t let Lt. Benoit hear that,” the older cadet said.

“Why would it matter if Lt. Benoit found out how I got here?” Cadet Bellasiano leaned against the wall.

“His father and High Admiral Claasen don’t get along at all. He’ll take great pleasure in making you his special project. If you survive that you’ll be one of the toughest ketches in the military, but you won’t enjoy a moment of the experience,” the older cadet said.

Kuen stepped out of the shadows. The older cadet snapped to attention. The younger cadets followed a moment later as they realized who was coming up behind them. “Lt. Nakano, the medics cleared me. It seems it was just a small issue of a misaligned nerve,” Cadet Bellasiano said. “Would you care to see the report sir?”

Kuen shook his head. “Bring it to sparring practice tomorrow. I will look it over before the matches begin.”

“Of course, sir,” Cadet Bellasiano said.

“Dismissed, cadets.” They took the hint and dispersed to their appropriate areas.

Kuen made sure to note the name on the older cadet’s uniform. He attempted to place the rather unassuming woman along with her surname of Decoste. He pulled out his pad and tapped her name in. Her service record came up, along with the fact that she was interested in working in the field of military intelligence. Kuen forwarded the information to Gaspare’s inbox, along with his personal observations. The woman knew quite a bit about how the military worked and it would be a shame to have her wasted on the frontlines.

Kuen tucked his pad back into its case on his belt and made his way towards the barracks where the junior officers gathered. The tiny comm unit that was almost grafted to his ear after two decades of life in the military gave a familiar chirp.

Kuen reached up with his left hand. “Yes sir?” His voice was picked up by the speaker in the thin wristband concealed under his uniform jacket.

“Lt. Nakano, report to the Commandant’s office at your earliest convenience,” came the rather impatient voice of the Commandant’s secretary.

“Yes sir,” Kuen said. He turned right instead of left at the junction in the hall. His long stride covered the distance at a far faster pace than others would expect, and he was at the offices of the senior commanders in a matter of seconds.

The secretary blinked. “I said at your earliest convenience,” she blurted.

“This was my earliest convenience,” Kuen said calmly. “If you would notify Commandant Alcides that I’m here?”

The secretary tapped a different button on the comm system. “Commandant, Lt. Nakano is here.”

“He’s exactly on schedule,” Commandant Alcides said, startling the woman. “Send him in.”

“Yes sir.” There was a faint click. Kuen didn’t wait for the secretary to give him confirmation. He simply walked through the door.

Commandant Hidalgo Alcides was a man of indeterminate age. His close-cropped hair and beard were snow white but there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his olive-skinned face. The scars of the many battles he’d fought in were written large across his body, but every soldier carried those. No sign of advanced years bowed his shoulders or slowed his steps. Or, Kuen thought ruefully from the many times the Commandant had sparred with the junior officers, had it inhibited his ability to hit with the strength of a man far younger than him.

With him was a woman Kuen hadn’t seen since he was a child of five. A cold lump settled in the pit of his stomach. “Ms. Khurana, I do hope my mother is well,” Kuen said after performing the obligatory salute to a senior officer.

“She is. She is desirous of your company now and has sent me to retrieve you.” Lakshmi Khurana was darker than the Commandant. Her hair and eyes were the same light sucking black that reminded Kuen of darkspace.

When she and his mother had left him at the Academy twenty years earlier, she’d been dressed in a dark red business suit. Today she was wearing navy blue clothing that looked more like something a civilian security guard would be dressed in. A casual observer wouldn’t know she wasn’t a member of the faculty at the Academy.

“Lt. Nakano, I am under orders from the High Command to release you immediately back to civilian life.” Commandant Alcides passed Kuen a tablet. Kuen read the flurry of messages between the Commandant and the High Command, most of which were the Commandant’s unflattering commentary on their intelligence in giving in to any of Michi Nakano’s demands. Kuen was pleased to see there were a few members of the High Command who agreed with him, though in the end it hadn’t mattered.

“May I ask why I’m not permitted to choose if I stay or go?” Kuen asked, handing the tablet back.

“You are your mother’s heir,” Lakshmi said. “There were special allowances made when we enrolled you in this Academy that, should your mother find it necessary, we could request your immediate discharge.”

“Did my mother give any indication why, after two decades of ignoring me, she has decided to remove me from the military and force me into a civilian life which I have no experience with?” Kuen asked. “Well, none outside the scope of a toddler.”

“Lady Nakano doesn’t appreciate being questioned,” Lakshmi said with a shrug. “So, I didn’t ask. She gave the order and I obeyed.”

“Lt. Nakano, I would rather there not be any unpleasantness,” Commandant Alcides said. “Ms. Khurana has already injured two cadets who were only doing their jobs. Their military careers may be ending before they’ve begun.” He glared at Lakshmi. “You know our protocols as well as anyone else.”

“Yes, but they shouldn’t apply to me when I’m only retrieving my employer’s son,” Lakshmi said.

“You are not special, Ms. Khurana,” Kuen said. “Regardless of who your employer is, military protocols are applicable to everyone when entering a base.” He saluted again. “I’ll go pack and have her out of your hair in fifteen minutes, sir.”

“Your speed is much appreciated, Lt. Nakano,” Commandant Alcides said.

Kuen turned on his heel and marched out of the office. Anger smoldered deep inside. People melted out of his way as he stalked back to the junior officers’ barracks. Gaspare and the other lieutenant they shared with, a young man named Hajari Rao, were playing a strategy game.

They looked up as he came in. “Hajari, could you give us a few minutes?” Gaspare asked. Hajari nodded and slipped out without a word. “What happened?”

Kuen opened the door to his locker and pulled out his duffel. “I’ve been discharged,” he said through clenched teeth.

“What? Why?” Gaspare asked.

“My mother.”

Gaspare hissed, venting some of the frustration that Kuen was holding in. “Why now? Do you know?”

Kuen shook his head. He tucked his dress uniform in the duffel, and then added his regular shirts and slacks. “Ms. Khurana wasn’t forthcoming. She stated that she was told to retrieve me and didn’t bother asking my mother that particular question.” He tucked the two medals he’d earned into a side pocket. His vibro blade went in as well.

He started to close the locker. Gaspare cleared his throat. Kuen’s shoulders sagged. “I know you don’t like the reminder,” Gaspare said quietly. “But you promised.”

Kuen reached his hand back in and pulled out a woman’s brooch. It was a bird made up of the tiniest fire opals all pressed together and sealed in place with a glittering enamel surrounded by tonquilist flames. The rare gemstones gleamed in the harsh lights of the barracks as Kuen held it in his rough palm.

He shoved it into his pocket instead of the bag. “Have you heard anything from your father?”

Gaspare pursed his lips. “It’s getting worse for veterans back on Bouarus, especially among the elite. Which is where you’re going. My mother took my sisters and retreated to one of our vacation homes because they were being harassed. You’re not in for an easy time of it, Kuen. Try to keep your temper under control, okay? You’re strong enough to kill with just your hands and I don’t know that all your mother’s wealth will be able to protect you if you hit that breaking point.”

“I wish you were coming with me then,” Kuen said. “Oh, since you’re likely going to be the one dealing with the babies and their hand-to-hand training, take special note of Cadet Bellasiano, would you?”

“Isn’t that the one I had to snap at to get her to walk normally today?” Gaspare asked.

Kuen nodded. “She was allowed to enroll here as a special favor to High Admiral Claasen.” Gaspare’s eyes narrowed. “She’s also lazy about practicing with her left hand.”

“I’ll deal with her personally.” Gaspare stood and held out his hand. Kuen clasped it. “Take care, Kuen. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” Kuen shook his head. “I’m not cut out for civilian life.”

“You’re not entering civilian life.” A mischievous glint shown in Gaspare’s deep blue eyes. “You’re infiltrating enemy territory as a spy. Think of it that way and you’ll be fine.”

Kuen snorted. “Trust you to come up with something to make it a game I can play.”

“Keep reading Art of War, okay? It’ll keep you centered.” Gaspare put his free hand on Kuen’s arm. “Live well, Kuen.”

“Live well, Gaspare.” Kuen released his friend’s hand, zipped up his duffel, and returned to the Commandant’s office.

“That didn’t take you nearly as long as I expected,” Lakshmi said.

“A soldier is on the move more than they are settled in one place. If I couldn’t pack and be ready to march within a matter of minutes, I would be a poor example for the cadets,” Kuen said.

“I was expecting you to take longer to say goodbye to your friends,” Lakshmi said.

“I have said my farewells to those who were available to hear them,” Kuen said. “One does not interrupt military duties for such things.”

“Ah,” Lakshmi said. “Well then, shall we go?” She didn’t wait for an answer. She led the way out of the office, her movements very much like the lethal hunting predator she was. Kuen followed her out with the same steady gait he always used.

They made their way to her personal shuttle. He settled into one of the seats, his tall frame not suited for the compact comfort for the much shorter woman. She lifted off after getting clearance. Kuen watched the planet that he considered his home fade as they made their way to the beacon that marked the point where ships entered and left darkspace.

“I’m still not sure why mother is so insistent on my coming home now, especially with the hatred of veterans running so high on Bouarus,” Kuen said.

Lakshmi glanced over at him. “You know about that?” she asked.

“Yes,” Kuen said. “There’s been some talk about it among a few of the junior officers with family back on Bouarus.”

“To be fair, I was under the impression she was going to leave you in the military until the situation between the Aureliya and Duyelia sectors was resolved,” Lakshmi said.

“It is far from dealt with,” Kuen said in a half growl.

“I’m aware of that,” Lakshmi snapped. “Which is why I’m very confused as to why you’re being called home.” The comm chimed. The planetary code for Bouarus was the only number Kuen recognized. Lakshmi tapped the comm. “Yes, Lady Nakano?”

“Lakshmi, did you retrieve my son?” The woman framed by the comm’s steel grey exterior was as black haired and almond eyed as Kuen himself, but that was where their resemblance ended. She was pale, almost frail looking, with high cheekbones and full lips. The absolute perfection of her features told him that she’d had herself sculpted to fit some ideal of beauty that only she seemed to understand, for she was too perfect to be real. Her face almost looked like a mask.

“I did, Lady Nakano.” Lakshmi kept one eye on the console and one eye on the comm.

“I trust he was suitably pleased to be called home from that dreadful Academy?” Michi Nakano asked in a bored tone.

Lakshmi shook her head. “No, Lady Nakano. He was not.”

That got his mother’s attention. Deep brown eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and impatience. “What do you mean he was not suitably pleased?” Michi asked.

“He did not wish to leave. He was happy there,” Lakshmi said.

“My son’s happiness does not come into it, Lakshmi. He is my heir, and it is his duty to abide by my decision,” Michi said.

“It is the fact that you made the decision without first consulting me that I find most displeasing, Mother,” Kuen said.

Michi frowned. “Who was that, Lakshmi?”

“That was Lord Kuen, Lady Nakano.”

“Are you in a position he can release his harness and come into the range of the comm?” Michi asked. Lakshmi glanced at Kuen. He nodded and stood. He stretched, popping his cramped spine, before moving to stand beside Lakshmi.

Kuen leaned on the back of her seat and bent down so he could look into the comm. “Hello Mother. I trust the two decades you chose to ignore my existence have been both fruitful and profitable for you?”

Michi’s eyes widened. “This is my son? Lakshmi, are you sure?”

“I’ll run a genetic scan when we reach darkspace, but with just a cursory visual comparison I’m fairly certain this is Lord Kuen. The commandant verified this was him when he was called into the office,” Lakshmi said.

“I did not request height or such a deep voice,” Michi said. “He should have been closer to me in height. His voice was supposed to be closer to a tenor rather than a bass.”

Kuen smirked. “Baritone, actually. Or so the military choir said.”

“Is that a scar on your face?” Michi asked.

“Yes Mother,” Kuen said. “I’ve been on multiple deployments since I turned twenty. It is a part of being an active member of the CAF.”

“I did not think they would actually require you to enlist,” Michi said.

“You enlisted me yourself when you entered me into the Academy, Mother. I simply had to wait until I was old enough to legally serve on the front lines before they sent me.” Kuen shrugged. “I served on several interesting missions.”

“Lakshmi, what did the Commandant say about my son?” Michi asked.

“He didn’t say anything.” Lakshmi looked between Kuen and the comm. “I advised him why I was there. He ordered his secretary to request Lord Kuen come to the office at his earliest convenience. Lord Kuen arrived within two minutes of the request. I collected Lord Kuen with minimal incident.”

“Then why does he seem so angry?” Michi asked, looking at her son.

“Because, Mother, I am what the Academy shaped me into,” Kuen said. “I’m a killing machine with a brain. I can think for myself, so I know when to question orders I’m given. I can process information at a higher rate of speed than most and my physical abilities are on par with soldiers far older than me due to how long I have been training. I can adapt to any environment with the appropriate tactical gear. I am, in the words of my instructors, the perfect soldier. Do you really think I’ll fit into that arena you play in?”

“You say you are the perfect soldier, yet you seem perfectly willing to leave the Academy when offered the chance,” Michi said.

“Whatever hold you have over the High Command forced them to order my immediate discharge,” Kuen said. “No matter what rank I hold I can’t counter the commands of those who run the military.”

“So you don’t hold any rank at all?” Michi asked.

“I hold the rank of First Lieutenant, the highest a person of my age is allowed,” Kuen said. “Were I to have remained in the military I would have continued to rise in the ranks until I could contend for a position on the High Command.”

“Interesting.” Michi’s bored expression and tone told Kuen she felt his words were far from interesting. “Lakshmi, I cannot have a veteran for a son. Clean him up and make certain that he is dressed properly. Also, work on his way of speaking. He cannot sound like he spent his time among those of a lesser caste.” The line went dead.

Kuen returned to his chair. “She’s as unpleasant as I remember.”

“Lady Nakano is a very busy woman, Lord Kuen.” Lakshmi regarded him curiously. “Is the scar on your face the only one you have?”

“No. My body is covered in the trophies of every battle I have successfully fought.”

Lakshmi frowned. “You consider scars as trophies?”

“Yes. A scar is a reward for surviving a battle someone else didn’t. So, they are trophies. They are proof I am the soldier I have trained my whole life to be.”

“Once we are in darkspace we’ll be removing them,” Lakshmi said.

Kuen clenched his teeth. “Why should I allow you to come anywhere near me? I’m not inclined to give up the things I most value in life just to please a woman who abandoned me as a child, and only for some bizarre reason now wants me back.”

“You don’t have a choice, Lord Kuen.” Lakshmi’s tone was as hard as kuyper steel. “I will follow Lady Nakano’s commands whether you willingly comply or not.”

It was the way she said those words that sent shivers down Kuen’s spine. She reminded him of a woman he’d encountered during an assassination attempt on some high ranking official. He, Gaspare, and a few others were on guard duty. It was his first assignment after graduating from the basic classes in the Academy, before they moved him to the officer training program.

He closed his eyes and drew on the memory. Kuen’s first friend from the Academy, a woman named Nafisa Catalan, stood on one side of the door. Gaspare was on the other. Kuen was at one end of the corridor while Hajari was on the other. This was also their first encounter with Hajari Rao. He was a recent transfer from another Academy and none of the teams had wanted him. Nafisa, as squad captain, took him because she knew no one else would. That had always been her way – helping those she considered to be in need.

Kuen replayed the scenario, shoving his emotional connection to Nafisa back into the recesses of his mind. They’d been stationed outside the conference room where the official was meeting with a delegation made up of the Commandants of the different Academies. Kuen heard it first, the sound of a body hitting the floor. He turned and saw Hajari on the floor – disabled, but not dead.

He sounded the alert. Nafisa and Gaspare turned to look. Gaspare went down. Kuen moved to stand with Nafisa. Then she went down. A slim, dark woman with violet eyes looked up at him and jabbed him with a taser. Kuen remembered reaching out and grabbing her arm, the taser having little effect through the armor he’d chosen to wear.

She had looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. “You would do best to comply with what I want, little cadet,” she’d said. “Else you and your friends will all perish.” He’d ended up breaking her neck in order to stop her from fulfilling her mission. That was after Gaspare and Hajari were both stabbed multiple times in vital areas and Nafisa was shot in the face.

Kuen opened his eyes and rubbed his hand across his stomach. “Does your stomach hurt, Lord Kuen?” Lakshmi asked.

“No,” he said. “Just remembering how I got some of these scars.”

“Is it a tale you are allowed to tell?”

“It’s not classified if that’s what you mean.” Kuen shrugged. “I was just thinking about the first assignment I was given prior to going into officer training. I met a woman that you remind me of a little. She was a formidable opponent.”

“Oh?” Lakshmi seemed intrigued.

Kuen told her the story. “If I hadn’t broken her neck, she probably would have successfully killed the official.”

Lakshmi was sitting rigidly straight in her seat. “You killed Avatari by breaking her neck?”

“I broke her neck, and then shot her between the eyes to be certain,” Kuen said.

“Avatari was the oldest of the Devas,” Lakshmi said. Kuen raised an eyebrow. “That was the name given to the thirty-three girls chosen before we were more than a few cells in our mothers’ wombs to serve in various capacities. We were all born at the same time, called the same man – Dr. Asura – our father. Avatari was the oldest because she was the first to be born.”

Kuen filed that information away for later. “So she was the best of the Devas?”

Lakshmi smiled. “No. I am.”

“You are.”

Lakshmi nodded. “The Nakano family funded the research that led to our births. When it came time to choose a worthy companion for their daughter, Lord Keitaro and Lady Sada chose me out of all my sisters to serve their only child. So, I was deemed the most worthy and the best.”

“Perhaps you were simply the most docile, the one who never asked any questions,” Kuen said.

Lakshmi shook her head. “Oh, I questioned everything, Lord Kuen. I was the most inquisitive out of all of us. Father told me that he thought that was why I was chosen. Lady Nakano was a rather apathetic child and he thought that perhaps my personality would inspire her to increase her interest in the world around her.”

“Did it?”

Lakshmi shook her head again. “No. She did not find much interest in her life until she reached adolescence and met – him.” The last word was spat out with more venom than Kuen expected. Lakshmi took several deep breaths. “She met a kericopac player who transferred to Bouarus from Gaitera in order to further his ambitions of entering the University. They dated all through secondary school and on into their university years. Then one day he simply abandoned her with no explanation. Lady Nakano did not take that well.”

“She’s never taken being told no well. Even I know that, and I haven’t seen the woman since I was five. I used to end up in a half-conscious heap on the floor if I dared defy her.”

Lakshmi tilted her head to one side. “She may not be able to physically overpower you now, Lord Kuen. But she can still hurt you. Do not ever think she won’t find a way.”

Kuen rubbed his forehead. “She already did a great deal of damage by taking me away from the military and forcing me back into civilian life. Especially within a culture that devalues and despises veterans.”

“So long as you don’t mention you’re a former member of the military you’ll be fine,” Lakshmi said.

“My mannerisms will give it away to those who know what to look for.” Kuen tried to find a more comfortable position to sit in. “You can’t change a lifetime of habit in a single journey through darkspace.”

“No, but we can discuss methods where you are able to better conceal your education and previous employment.” Lakshmi sighed. “Lord Kuen, I can resort to violence and DiME in order to change those things Lady Nakano wishes altered. However, with as formidable a personality as I suspect you have the DiME wouldn’t take and we’d have to deal with some rather nasty incidents when your own thoughts reasserted themselves. Which would then lead to your…disposal, and Lady Nakano being forced to go through the indignity of having another child. I would highly recommend you not make us have to do that.”

They reached the beacon and Lakshmi transmitted her intent to make the shift into darkspace. The approval came back a moment later and Lakshmi dropped the ship into darkspace. The place that existed between all worlds and provided a faster mode of travel between the planets in the binary system that held both the Aureliya and the Duyelia sectors was not a pleasant place to be if you were claustrophobic, afraid of the dark, or had an overactive imagination. It was also the scene of many early disappearances until humanity learned how to maneuver through it.

“Darkspace is the most peaceful part of any long voyage,” Kuen said, glancing out at the almost pure darkness outside the main windows.

“What is your answer, Lord Kuen?” Lakshmi asked.

“What do you think?” Kuen turned away from the window. “I don’t intend to have myself killed because my mother is so insecure that she cannot allow me my own life. The only thing I ask is you not remove one particular scar.”

“Which scar is that, Lord Kuen?” Lakshmi asked.

“The one Avatari gave me,” Kuen said. “If you have to do something to hide it better, so be it.”

Lakshmi’s smile was almost proud. “I would be honored to leave that mark on your body, Lord Kuen.” She gestured to the back part of the shuttle. “I can monitor our course from the console back there. We need to get to work. We have a lot to do and only a short period of time to do it in.”

Kuen followed her into the back. She ordered him to strip and had him lie down on a table. She was able to identify the scar Avatari gave him quite easily and adjusted the directives given to the system.

“Now, what’s this about my way of talking?” Kuen asked.

“You have to learn to talk like Lady Nakano and the rest of her social caste,” Lakshmi said. “She’s always getting after me for not talking like them.” She shrugged. “I simply point out I’m not paid enough to sound like her.”

“So, no contractions, use as many pretentious and pompous sounding words as possible, and make everything as convoluted as I can while still being clear in my meaning.” Kuen snorted. “Sounds like a typical conversation with about half of the members of the High Command.”

“Are most of the members of the High Command not also members of the same social caste as Lady Nakano?” Lakshmi checked her instrumentation.

“I know High Admiral Benoit is.” Kuen hid his smirk when Lakshmi grimaced. “As are High Admiral Mercado, High Admiral Seaton, and High Admiral Dartle. Those are the four I’ve personally met. I’m not entirely sure if High Admiral Claasen and High Admiral Aceves are among my mother’s constituents, but it is possible.”

“The names aren’t familiar to me, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t known to Lady Nakano.” Lakshmi tilted her head to one side. “So you know how the members of the wealthy elite speak.”

“Yes. I find it extremely distasteful as it comes across as making them sound as if they believe their wealth insulates them, making them superior to those without their financial advantages.” Kuen chose his words carefully, mimicking the speech patterns he’d heard when he dealt with the High Command.

“They are insulated,” Lakshmi said.

“I would rather have the cadets I was training at my side than the civilian offspring of those same people I named, as I can at least guarantee that the soldiers will not attempt to kill me simply for being the heir to one of the most notoriously troublesome women in the twin systems.” Kuen ran his hand through his hair. “Those who share my age and apparent status among the wealthy? I do not trust them any farther than I can feasibly lift and throw this ship on a high gravity world.”

Lakshmi stared hard at him. “You do know how to talk like your mother.”

“No. I know how to speak like the members of the High Command.” Kuen grimaced. “They are far more straightforward in their formality than my mother ever could be.”

“It’ll do, until you find your place among those your own age.” Lakshmi handed him a tablet. “Now, since you’re going to be there for a while, I’ll need you to read this. It will help you understand a bit more about where you’re going.”

Kuen made himself as comfortable as he could, in spite of the faint electrical burning going on in his abdomen as the scar erasure continued. He looked over the tablet and started reading.

While a part of his mind was screaming at him to break free, to take down Lakshmi as he had her older sister, Kuen knew now was the time for patience. A corpse was impatient. A survivor calculated the odds, made his battle plans, and then adapted as those plans became superfluous.

And Kuen was an excellent survivor.