CHAPTER 1
Timing is everything. On a cosmic scale, the timing of a Kalenth Hegemony warship arriving in orbit of Trengos just as Kikola Karthen and her friends were about to leave for The Kalenth Hegemony was so improbable, it may as well have been impossible. However, there it was, as large as life outside the cockpit windows, dwarfing her small transport ship.
Kikola stared at the heavy cruiser. It was all straight lines and hard angles, looking as menacing as it was designed to be. Her mind should have been focussed on finding a way out of the situation. Instead, Kikola had one thought stuck in her mind. I have lost.
The past year had seen a great upheaval in her life. She went from a structured life as a member of the Elit in The Kalenth Hegemony, to the freedom of living in self-imposed exile on Trengos, from graduating from the military academy as an Aloyd, First-Class, to working as a lowly city security officer. Her decision to return to the Hegemony and oust the Bren, Ambra ap Lentol, was the first time in months that she felt she had control of her life. Now it was over.
She glanced to her left at Rikana Lardis, who occupied the co-pilot seat. The young woman's face was set hard, brow furrowed, lips pursed, her eyes glaring. Kikola looked behind her at the other passenger. Tehvay Veilan was staring at the ship with her mouth open and eyes wide.
"I—" Kikola was about to say how sorry she was that their mission had failed before it had even begun when her personal communicator beeped. She automatically reached for it and answered.
The voice on the other end confused her.
"Mother?" she queried. "Now is not a good time."
"I am on the warship in orbit," her mother said. "We have come for you."
Come for me? Kikola tried to comprehend the words. Has my own mother betrayed me?
"Kikola?" Tehvay was looking at her for answers.
"What do we do?" asked Rikana.
Knowing their small transport could not out run the cruiser, Kikola had nothing to offer.
"Kikola?" Tehvay and her mother queried at the same time.
I must live to fight another day. Tehvay and Rikana must live. "Take me. Leave the others."
"Others?" her mother enquired.
"I will surrender myself if you allow Tehvay and Rikana to go." She looked at Tehvay and mouthed, 'forgiveme'.
"Kikola, dear," said her mother. "We are here to talk to you, not to arrest you. Have I called at a bad time? I am sorry."
Kikola realised her mistake and chuckled. "No! No, Mother. This is the best time for you to call. I am on a small transport ship." Kikola looked out of the cockpit window at the grey monstrosity. Suddenly it looked beautiful. "I am staring right at you."
"Good. Then you can come aboard. I was not looking forward to coming down to that dreary planet again."
"Very well," said Kikola. "We will arrive shortly."
"I will inform the others to expect you – all of you."
"See you shortly," Kikola replied and terminated the comm. She set the coordinates and settled back in the pilot's seat. The twin suns of the Trengos system disappeared behind the planet, and the dark-grey warship became almost invisible to the naked eye. Fortunately, the transport's sensors were locked on, and they continued on the rendezvous vector.
"Can you trust them?" asked Rikana. The young woman was staring intently at the readouts. Her facial features were bathed in the red, amber, and green lights from the navigation console.
"It is my mother," Kikola affirmed.
Rikana turned her head, her eyes fixed on the warship, her face serious. "Can you trust them?"
"Yes," Kikola stated emphatically. "Contact Commander Simeal. Inform him the warship is no threat and to order the intercept ships to resume their patrols. Also, tell him to contact government officials to let them know everything is fine."
Rikana muttered something under her breath and turned to the comm console. Kikola felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned in her seat to look at Tehvay.
"Can we trust them?" Her voice was soft. The question was asked in a less demanding manner than Rikana, but in a way that compelled Kikola to answer with greater veracity.
"I believe so."
Tehvay nodded and relaxed back in her seat.
We have no choice now, thought Kikola as their small transport ship entered the hangar of the warship.
When Kikola exited the transport, a tall, fair-haired, man with deep-set, blue eyes – someone she had never expected to see again – was there to meet her. Captain Wurth stood to attention – his left arm bent from the elbow, hand formed into a fist and held on the left side of the chest in salute. Kikola instinctively returned the salute. She heard Rikana make a disgusted noise. When Kikola turned to look behind her, the young woman was deliberately looking elsewhere.
"Aloyd Karthen, ladies," he said. "Welcome aboard the Fearless."
Kikola corrected him. "I am no longer an aloyd."
"Uh…" Wurth fumbled to find the right response.
Kikola put him out of this misery. "Lead the way, Captain."
Wurth gave a brief nod. "If you would be so kind as to follow me," he said and started walking.
The Fearless was the same class of warship as the Sword, the ship that Kikola had briefly commanded. She felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. The last time she had walked the corridors of a warship, Captain Wurth had also been her escort, though the circumstances were entirely different then. She had been on her way to a tribunal, a tribunal that had fundamentally changed her life. Kikola wondered what she was walking into this time and in what way would her life be changed.
Captain Wurth stopped in front of a lift. The lift door opened and he gestured for them to enter. Rikana muttered something about a "Hegger stench".
Kikola ignored Rikana and glanced over to Tehvay, who was standing against the wall in the same way a slave would: head down, eyes unfocussed. Kikola touched Tehvay's arm to get her attention. When Tehvay looked up, Kikola gave her a hopeful smile. After that, Tehvay stood with more confidence, her head held up and looking forward.
Being slightly more comfortable with making small talk, Kikola broke the silence with a question. "Who took command of the Sword, Captain?"
"Aloyd Tokask," Captain Wurth replied.
Kikola had known Aloyd, Second-Class Sialan Ajafo ap Tokask at the Academy. Sialan had graduated three years ahead of Kikola and was Kikola's counsel at her hearing on Timar, when she had to answer for killing Supreme-Aloyd Durell ap Taliss. "A good choice. Aloyd Tokask is a more than competent officer."
"She… um… The Sword was destroyed in battle." He avoided eye contact with Kikola as he continued. "Aloyd Tokask was not among the survivors. Neither was Commodore Heln." Captain Wurth paused. "We only have the word of Lentol regarding the survivors, but the Crusade saw the Sword destroyed before it withdrew."
"I didn't think Captain Eadmon would be one to run from battle," said Kikola.
"She didn't. Captain Garin Eadmon was in command of the Relentless, Lentol's flagship. It was the Relentless and Formidable that destroyed the Sword."
Kikola took a moment to absorb the sombre news.
"I am sure Aloyd Willenth will cover these matters further," said Wurth as the lift came to a smooth stop.
The lift doors opened into a corridor that was almost identical to the one they had been on. There was a security guard on duty outside the door on the opposite side of the corridor. He snapped to attention with an audible click of his heels and saluted smartly.
Wurth returned the salute. The guard pressed a control and the door opened. His eyes were resolutely focussed on the wall opposite as Kikola led the group inside.
They had entered a conference room with a bank of system functions monitors on the opposite side from the entrance. There was an oval table with six chairs and a side table with a view screen above it. Two people, a man and a woman, were in the conference room. Kikola immediately recognised the woman. It was her mother, Mariantha Deanna Stren ap Karthen.
On seeing her mother again, Kikola felt the urge to embrace her. However, Elit behaviour protocols instilled by her mother were hard to disregard. Kikola's generation tended to be more tactile among their closer relatives, but her mother's generation felt it necessary to maintain a formality that discouraged overt demonstrations of affection in public. "Hello, mother. It is good to see you again."
"And you, my daughter."
Kikola then turned her focus to the balding man in the dark-grey uniform standing next to her mother – Aloyd, First-Class Gremen Yavip ap Willenth. He was a well-respected officer and also a relative, her mother's uncle by marriage. He offered her a salute.
Kikola returned the salute but said, "You should not be saluting me. I am no longer an aloyd."
"You did not officially resign your commission," Willenth pointed out.
"True, but I was demoted from First-Class to Third-Class."
"However, you are the Rivelor," the aloyd replied.
"I was never officially given that title. Besides, I left in disgrace. Also, I am not in uniform." She gestured to the clothes she was wearing: light grey trousers and a burgundy long sleeve shirt.
Kikola looked around at those with her. Willenth and Wurth wore their uniforms. Her mother was wearing her favoured dark-green jacket and skirt. Tehvay was wearing a simple cream dress. Rikana's clothes were quite subdued for her usual tastes, dark purple sleeveless shirt with matching skirt and leggings. Everyone seemed dressed smarter or more stylish than Kikola. Yet all eyes were on her. Waiting on her. Whether she accepted it or not, she was the leader in the room.
Willenth spoke. "Regardless, you were the designated Rivelor and still are, though the circumstances have changed."
"Designated, but not officially recognised. Or accepted," replied Kikola. "I am sure Lentol has made other arrangements for my replacement."
"We do not serve Lentol, or recognise her authority."
"That is why we have come to see you," her mother added.
The aloyd gestured for Kikola, Tehvay, and Rikana to take a seat at the table. Aloyd Gremen ap Willenth was in his late seventies, but looked like a man in his mid-fifties. If it weren't for his flecks of grey and receding hairline, he would have looked even younger. Kikola noticed his brown eyes sparkle with warmth as he invited his guests to take a seat at the conference table.
Kikola introduced Tehvay and Rikana to the aloyd.
"Welcome to the Fearless." His welcome seemed genuine.
Kikola saw her mother give Tehvay a small nod in greeting.
"Are Marleen and Tremothen with you?" Tehvay asked Mariantha.
"No. I can tell you they are safe and well. They are at the Willenth tullcooth." Mariantha glanced at Kikola. "If things go to plan, you will get to see them."
"A tullcooth is a secret base," Kikola explained to Tehvay and Rikana. "Elit families have them, just in case…" she let the sentence trail.
Aloyd Willenth got down to business. "You know about the situation in the Hegemony."
Kikola nodded. "I know that Ambra ap Lentol has seized control of the Council, ousted the founding families, and declared herself Bren."
"It is worse than that. Much worse," said Mariantha. "She had Council Chairman Guljein ap Maldan executed, and she had the Karthen estate destroyed. She has decreed that all Sylfainer are henceforth no longer Elit."
"Sylfainer, what's that?" Rikana asked.
Kikola offered her friend from Trengos a brief explanation. "Sylfainer are the original founding families of The Kalenth Hegemony."
Kikola's mother waited for her daughter to finish and then continued her briefing. "Those who could escape before Lentol made good on her threats to purge us, did so. Though we still don't know everyone who made it. Communication is difficult We, the Karthens and the Willenths," her mother said, gesturing towards the commanding aloyd of the Fearless, "have joined with the other exiled families we have contact with to fight Lentol's bloody takeover."
"Does that mean civil war?" asked Tehvay in a timid voice.
"Yes," confirmed Kikola's mother.
"Captain Wurth told me of the loss of the Sword," said Kikola. "I know Aloyd Tokask was not the most experienced aloyd, but the Sword was the best ship in the fleet. It was beaten by two ships not fit for the scrapyard."
"Yes, about this class…" Willenth looked embarrassed. "The Class 85 has flaws. Lentol knew that. She's retrofitting the entire Class 84 fleet with the latest systems. They will be more than a match for the two 85's we have."
Kikola was concerned by the news. "How many ships do you have?"
"Three heavy cruisers: the two Class 85's and one Class 84. Five Class 73 cruisers, as well as twelve Class 65 corvettes, three Class 50 troop carriers, and three Class 33 fuel supply ships."
Kikola waited. It took a while for her to realise that Willenth wasn't going to add any more.
"Twenty-six ships," said Rikana. "How big is the rest of the fleet?" she asked the aloyd.
Aloyd Willenth looked at Kikola for confirmation before speaking. "Over four thousand combat ships, not counting fighters," he said. "Also, it's twenty-three ships. The Class 33 are not combat ships."
"They're fucked," Rikana murmured to Kikola, doing nothing to hide her amusement.
Disregarding Rikana's crude assessment, Kikola asked Aloyd Willenth about the strength of the ground forces.
"Outside of those deployed on ships, we have ten-thousand stationed on Gatlor." Willenth replied.
"Trin'hale and Peltric have fled. They are safe," Mariantha informed Kikola. "The forces there remain loyal to us. Lentol has left it alone – for now."
"May I ask a question?" Tehvay interjected.
"Of course," said Kikola.
"You may," said Willenth at the same time.
"What are you not saying?" Tehvay asked Willenth. "You mentioned your forces, as small as they are, but there is something about them you're not telling us." Tehvay paused. "I don't mean to be rude. I just sense that you're not telling us the whole story."
Willenth regarded Tehvay and said, "I was coming to that." The aloyd leaned forward and directed his explanation to Kikola. "Our forces are scattered, mainly for safety, but communication is difficult. Not that we would risk having all the forces together, but it's impossible for us to co-ordinate all the forces we have. Commodore Manisak commands the one class 84. He was posted to the Andantian border region before Lentol took control. We haven't had contact with him since he pledged his support."
"Manisak? I am not familiar with him."
"He's a good man. Good officer," the aloyd replied. "If anyone can survive on his own, it's him. We also have lost contact with two of our corvettes. We don't know what has happened to them." Willenth relaxed the crease in his brow. "The good news is that there may be others out there that will support us."
"Besides the Sword, what other confirmed losses are there?"
"We lost two hundred troops on Yun'thul. Governor Ultessi ap Taliss decided to stand and fight rather than flee. We sent support, but it was not enough. Unfortunately, Governor Taliss was captured and executed on Lentol's orders."
Kikola met her mother's gaze at the news. Her mother nodded sadly. Kikola returned to the matter at hand. "Any successes?"
"Minimal," Willenth admitted. "I said we have good officers who can lead their ships, but we need an overall leader, not just a military commander for the troops. We need a leader for the people to rally behind," said Willenth.
"Who?" asked Kikola.
"You," said her mother.
Kikola let out a hollow laugh. "No!"
"It makes some sense," said Tehvay. "You are Elit, so the Elit and Fethusal will respect you. You were an aloyd, so the military will respect you."
"What about the ordinary people? Those things are what they despise."
"You have me." Tehvay smiled. "If a former slave loves you… well, the Quernal and Labror won't see you as all bad."
"Miss Veilan is right," said the aloyd. "You can appeal to all." He paused. "There is one thing though."
"What is that?" asked Kikola warily.
"To command the military, you will need to don your uniform again."
"No, I am not prepared."
"You prepared your whole life for this moment," her mother said.
"Please." Aloyd Willenth produced a small box from his inside pocket. "We had this made." He pushed the box gently across to Kikola.
Kikola picked up the box. The weight told her it was not an aloyd's insignia inside. Slowly she used her thumb to push open the lid. As soon as she caught a glimpse of the contents, she pushed it shut and placed the box on the table.
"I cannot wear this." Kikola pushed it slightly towards the centre of the table, away from her.
"You must," said her mother.
"If you don't, Lentol will give it to someone else," said Willenth. "We need to claim it for our side – to give us legitimacy."
"An insignia does not give a cause legitimacy," countered Kikola. "Its goals and its actions do that."
Willenth cast his eyes downwards and said, "You are right. A poor choice of words." He met Kikola's gaze again and continued to make his case. "However, this is your destiny. You were meant to wear the insignia of the Rivelor. If you accept it now, then if Lentol awards it to someone else, she will only be seen as copying in order to gain legitimacy." He leaned over the table and pushed the box into her hand. "Show everyone what it truly means to be Rivelor. Use it for good, before it is forever tarnished by Ambra's misuse of it."
Kikola kept her eyes focussed on the box in front of her. It was the only part of her that was focussed. Her mind was a jumble of noise. Eventually she reached a conclusion. "Very well. I will do it." Kikola looked up at Aloyd Willenth. "On one condition."
"Name it."
"That you free the slaves on board your ship."
"What?" Aloyd Willenth was shocked.
"You said, 'use it for good', so I am – starting with the slaves on board the Fearless." Kikola glanced over to Tehvay. "I will not fight to restore the Hegemony if that means millions of people will continue to suffer under the yoke of oppression and slavery."
There was silence, and then Aloyd Willenth spoke. "Very well, that can be arranged."
"Also, your personal slave." Kikola watched as Willenth gave a solemn nod of his head in agreement. She turned to face her mother. "And yours."
"I did not bring one," Mariantha replied. "As you know, I left my personal slave behind when I came to Trengos the last time."
Kikola dipped her head to acknowledge her mother.
"The Willenth family were kind enough to offer me a new one," Mariantha continued, "but I declined. I knew coming back here with a personal slave to see you would not be – appropriate." She looked at Tehvay as she spoke.
Kikola glanced from her mother to Tehvay, whose face was unreadable. Does Tehvay recognise what my mother has done in refusing to bring a slave? she thought. Mother did it out of respect for her.
Kikola returned her attention to the aloyd. "How many slaves in total is that?"
"Sixty. Sixty-one with my personal slave."
"Very well. I will need to return to the planet to collect my uniform. Have two large shuttles prepped. The Fearless' slaves will be given their freedom and resettled here on Trengos."
"Wait," said Tehvay. "Shouldn't we ask them first?"
"Ask who?" Aloyd Willenth asked.
"The slaves." Tehvay quickly corrected herself. "I mean former slaves. We should ask them what they want to do."
"Of course," Kikola replied. "Would you take charge of that?"
"I suppose so. I will need help though."
"Captain Wurth, help Tehvay organise a meeting of all shipboard slaves in Hangar Two," ordered Willenth.
"Yes, sir," Wurth replied.
"Rikana, please go with Tehvay," said Kikola. "I would feel better knowing she had protection."
"I can assure you that she will be perfectly safe with me," Captain Wurth replied.
Kikola looked at Wurth. The old Aloyd Karthen would have dressed him down for questioning her decision, but she was not that person anymore. "I have no doubt, Captain. However, I would rather have Rikana with Tehvay."
"I don't need someone to look after me," Tehvay objected.
Kikola turned and leaned towards Tehvay. "Until I am convinced that I can fully trust everyone on this ship," she said, "I do not want you going anywhere without Rikana or me."
"I am not—" Tehvay began.
"It is non-negotiable," Kikola interrupted with a tone of authority.
Thankfully, Tehvay didn't argue it further.
Kikola drew closer to Tehvay and in a hushed tone meant for only Tehvay to hear, she added, "This is about keeping you safe, not controlling you."
Tehvay gave Kikola an understanding look.
Rikana stood up. "Do I get to kick Hegger arse?"
"Only to protect Tehvay or yourself."
"Can I shoot one, just to serve as a pre-emptive warning?"
Kikola heard a laugh from Aloyd Willenth. "Not yet," said Kikola.
She turned toward the curly-haired security officer and said, "Tehvay's safety is vitally important to me personally and to the success of our overall mission. Do you understand what I am asking of you?"
"Sure, I'm not an idiot, Kiks," Rikana replied. "Keep Miss V. safe so she can keep your feeta warm." Rikana cackled.
Kikola was getting used to Rikana's coarse humour, even appreciating it some of the time, but this was not the place for it. Not in front of others, particularly her mother. She held off chiding the younger woman when a quick glance around saw bemused looks on the faces of her mother, Captain Wurth, and Aloyd Willenth. Thankfully they don't understand what Rikana said, thought Kikola.
"Just keep her safe."
"Got it."
~~~~
Mariantha studied her daughter as she waited for Captain Wurth to leave the conference room with Tehvay and Rikana, and for Gremen to take his leave as well. Kikola still looks thin, and her clothes hang on her like sacks, she silently observed. Still, Kikola was a very welcomed sight for a mother's eyes.
Kikola was the first to speak. "You look well, Mother. I am glad."
"You also look… well. Still too thin though. Is that girl not feeding you properly?"
"Her name is Tehvay, and yes I am eating the appropriate amount of nutrition. I don't work out as much as I used to."
"I know her name, Kikola. I was making a joke."
"I see," Kikola replied. "How are Rephon and the rest of the family? Was anyone injured when the estate was destroyed?"
"No, everyone got away safely," Mariantha replied. "Rephon did a commendable job in organising the family's evacuation."
"Good."
Mariantha knew that single word was hiding a mountain of emotions and concern. She sometimes cursed Elit protocol.
"Toman named Rephon as his successor as head of the family in his suici… in his note."
"I am pleased," Kikola said. "Rephon deserves the recognition. Being too young to succeed father hurt him, and then with the family being focussed on my role, he was a little jealous."
"He was? He never said."
"He wouldn't, not to you," her daughter replied. "He did confide in me though." Kikola paused. "Has he offered his thoughts about me and Tehvay?"
"I have not broached the subject with him." Mariantha felt as though the conversation was exposing her failings as a mother. She changed the subject. "Speaking of Tehvay, where were the three of you going when we arrived? You weren't on your intercept duty."
"I was on my way to Kalenth, as a matter of fact."
"You were? Why?"
"I was going there to assassinate Ambra."
"You what?" Mariantha registered her shock. "Why would you risk everything to kill Ambra, and why would you take Tehvay and Rikana with you? It seems a fool's errand, and you, my daughter, are no fool."
Kikola glanced down before answering. "Yuniph, Tehvay's sister…"
"Yes, what about Yuniph?" asked Mariantha.
"Ambra had her executed."
Mariantha felt the blood drain from her face. "You mean Yuniph was captured?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't make sense," Mariantha replied. "When I left her and Rikana, their ship was headed to Losper territory. What happened? How did Rikana manage to escape?"
"Ambra mistook Yuniph for Tehvay and had her killed to send a message to me," Kikola replied. "Rikana was the messenger."
"I am very sorry to hear it, Kikola, truly," she said. "How are the Veilans taking the news?"
"Not well, as one would expect."
Mariantha understood the anguish Tehvay's parents must be experiencing. Her mind flashed back to a time when she had received tragic news, when she was told of her husband Strambik's death. "They have my deepest sympathies. They all do."
"Speaking of which," Kikola said, "Governor Taliss. Jenissa does not know about her aunt's death, does she?"
"No. I doubt the Taliss family knows of it, and they certainly don't know that Jenissa is on Trengos."
"She deserves to know how her aunt died," Kikola said.
"Yes," Mariantha replied. "I will speak with her before we leave."
Kikola paused. "Mother, how did my father die?"
Mariantha remembered the day clearly and the look of confusion on her daughter and son's faces when she broke the news to them about their father. Elits don't hide the truth from their children, but it was never spoken of again.
"You know how he died."
"Yes, but I don't remember much. I only remember you telling us that Father was killed when his ship was destroyed somewhere in the Graelands. I was too young to really know what that meant, or exactly how he died. You never talked about it."
Mariantha settled in a nearby chair and pondered whether to re-open this painful chapter in their family's history. Her son and daughter were so young when it happened and neither had questioned her since. She gestured for Kikola to join her.
"Your father was a fine man and a good husband, but diplomatic missions were always taking him away from his family."
"I can barely remember his face or the sound of his voice," her daughter replied wistfully.
"Rephon doesn't remember much about your father either."
"Did Father die on a diplomatic mission?"
"Yes," said Mariantha. "You know all that I know about it. His ship was destroyed in the Graelands. Details were scant. He went away and never came back. We didn't even have a body to bury."
"Do you miss him?"
That was not a question Mariantha had anticipated from her daughter. She paused to contemplate her response since it had been many years. Even when he was at home with them, Strambik was always preparing for his next mission. So, Mariantha became used to taking care her children, the estate, and her career all without his help. I missed him even when he was alive. "Yes, I miss him."
"Did he love me?" Kikola asked, with a daughter's concern.
"Of course he loved you," Mariantha assured her. "You were his little Kiko – the light of his life."
"Do you think this family is cursed?"
The question confused Mariantha. "What do you mean?"
"Great-grandfather died on duty. Grandfather and Grandmother died before I was born," Kikola expounded. "Father. Uncle Toman. They all died before their time. What if I can't live up to being the Rivelor? What if I am doomed to fail?"
"Don't talk nonsense." Her daughter never failed at anything before in her life. Well, maybe once, thought Mariantha.
For a few minutes, no words were spoken between mother and daughter. Mariantha wanted to reach across the table and take Kikola's hand. She did so little of that when Kikola was growing up – showing her children, especially Kikola, spontaneous affection. She felt she had to be strong for both of them – to be both mother and father. They had to be strong; she saw to it.
"Do you think my father would be disappointed in me?"
"Why would you say that?"
"I know I have disappointed you."
How do I answer her? Mariantha thought. With the truth, always. "You are not a disappointment, Kikola. Your actions regarding your choice of a partner were…" Mariantha searched her mind for a nuanced way to express her honesty. "Regrettable, given the cost to your career and to this family."
Kikola was about to say something, but Mariantha held up her hand. "However, you are not to blame for the upheaval and destruction Ambra has caused. Regardless of the circumstances, you are now the Rivelor. You will fulfil your destiny and restore our family's honour. So, my daughter, I can say with all honesty, that your father would be very proud of you, if he were here with us today. As am I."
~~~~
Tehvay watched the slaves file into the hangar – former slaves, she corrected herself. They looked slightly confused about the change in their routine, but not enough to question the order to assemble in the hangar. Slaves didn't think like that. They didn't think. They obeyed.
Captain Wurth and Rikana stood to either side of Tehvay, but it was Captain Wurth who stepped forward and spoke first. "I am Captain Wurth. You have been directed to come here for a very important reason. Your full attention is required." He looked to Tehvay and took a step back.
"Hello." Tehvay stepped forward. "My name is Tehvay Veilan. You have been asked to come here so I can talk to you about what is going on and how it affects all of you."
Tehvay realised this wasn't going to be easy to explain to the group standing before her, with their heads slightly bowed and their eyes trained on the floor instead of her.
"You may or may not understand what I am about to tell you, but please know that we are sincere." Tehvay paused again and pondered just how much she should tell them about the political unrest in the Hegemony. Don't overwhelm them with details right now, she determined.
"I was once a slave, like you. And like me, you are now free." Tehvay paused. She surveyed the group. Their faces remained unreadable. Of course they won't react, she chided herself.
"That is correct," said the captain. "As of today, each and every one of you has been granted your unconditional freedom."
Tehvay spoke again. "As newly freed citizens of the Hegemony, you have your first decision to make. This ship is currently orbiting the planet Trengos. It is located outside the borders of the Hegemony. You can choose to leave the ship and settle on Trengos, or you can choose to remain aboard this ship. It means your duties would be similar, but you would have shorter hours, no beatings, and you will be compensated for your work. More importantly, no more blue uniforms. You would be a member of the crew."
There wasn't a sound – not a murmur, not a cough, not a shuffle of feet.
Rikana leaned over and whispered to Tehvay, "What gives? Why aren't they reacting? I'd be jumping for joy!"
She knew that they had just had their whole existence turned upside down. Slaves are trained from birth to obey orders, not think for themselves. It seemed a lifetime ago that Boran had freed her from slavery and taught her how to be a person in her own right. Tehvay remembered how confused and how frightened she was at first.
Tehvay whispered back. "They don't understand what it means to have to think for themselves, and they are terrified."
"They have a funny way of showing it."
"Slaves are conditioned to have no reaction to whatever is said or done to them or in their presence."
"Were you like that?"
"Yes."
"Then you can't let them stay!" Rikana sounded exasperated.
Tehvay understood Rikana's frustration, though she herself didn't feel it.
"I can't order them off," she said to Rikana. "If I did, I'd be no better than a slave owner." When Boran freed me, he took my hand, she thought, but I cannot take all of their hands. I cannot tell them what to do.
Tehvay turned and raised her voice to address the ex-slaves. "You need to know that if you choose to remain on this ship as part of its crew, you will very likely be heading into battle. It might result in your death."
There was still no audible reaction from the ex-slaves. There wouldn't be. Danger held no fear for them. They lived under the constant possibility that at any moment their life could be terminated on the whim of their owners.
"If you choose to leave, you will be transported down to the planet Trengos," Tehvay continued. "Some good people will take care of you and teach you what you need to know to live as a free person – to live for yourselves, not for an owner."
One of the ex-slaves looked around at the others before nervously stepping forward. He bowed his head. "Thank you, Ma'am."
"No!" Tehvay replied more firmly than she meant to. "You do not need to call me 'Ma'am'." She stepped up to the man, reached out, and raised his chin. "Look at me. Look me in the eyes. You don't need to look down anymore." She stepped away from the man and addressed the group. "I know this is hard for you to understand. But from this moment on, you are no longer slaves. You are free people with the same rights as any other person."
From the blank stares, Tehvay could tell it was too much for them to understand, but explain she must. "If you choose to stay on the ship, you will have your normal duties to perform. But as I said earlier, you will be compensated for your work and you will no longer be punished." Tehvay realised that she was starting to repeat herself and could add nothing more. Was it this frustrating for Boran when he tried explaining it to me? She had become comfortable speaking in front of a crowd, decrying slavery at Planetary Protection Group meetings on Trengos. However, when confronted with talking to the people she so desperately wanted to help, she felt inadequate.
She turned to Wurth. "Orders will need to be issued to the crew, making it clear that those who choose to stay on board are to be treated with respect and dignity as free and valued members of the crew."
Wurth said, "Technically they won't be crew, as they are not part of the military. They would be…" He paused to think. "Civilian Service Personnel."
"Sounds good. We can work out the details later," Tehvay replied. "We should leave them to decide." Tehvay realised how unfair it was to expect these former slaves to even comprehend the idea of what freedom meant, let alone make such a monumental decision. It was a near impossible task, but this ship was bound for the Hegemony, and she needed their answers right away.
Tehvay spied some crates near the control room and decided it would be a good place to wait – some distance, but not completely out of sight. She turned back to the group of slaves. "We will give you some time to make your decision." With that, the three of them moved away.
"Do you think you got through to them?" asked Rikana.
"I'm not sure. I hope so."
~~~~
Rikana was frustrated by the slaves' attitude. She wanted to free them, but they didn't seem to want to free themselves. Dejectedly she followed Tehvay, and they moved away from the slaves to the opposite side of the hangar. They sat down on some storage crates to wait.
"Get off them crates!" An angry crew member came out of the control room and approached them.
"Eat my feeta!" Rikana said as she stood up and challenged the crewman. She put a hand on Tehvay's shoulder to make sure she didn't stand up.
The crew member looked as if he were about to escalate matters when Captain Wurth arrived. "Petty Officer Sankin!"
The officer snapped to attention and saluted. "Captain."
"They are with me," Wurth replied. "Return to your duties."
"But, sir, those—"
"I gave you an order." Wurth's voice was level and his face neutral.
"Yes, sir!" Sankin hurried back to his control room.
"I didn't need your help," Rikana said to Wurth with a sneer.
"I know," replied Wurth. "But this way, the next shift won't have to clean blood off the deck." The captain gave a little nod and a slight smile, and then walked away.
Rikana scoffed.
"He likes you," said Tehvay.
"What?" Rikana snapped her neck to look sideways.
"Captain Wurth. He likes you."
"Don't be ridiculous." Rikana turned back to look across at the group of pale-blue clad former slaves. "You need to tell them to go. Don't give them the option to stay," she expressed her dismay. "If you don't, I will." She started to head towards the ex-slaves.
"Rikana, no! You are not their owner! You have no right to tell them what to do!"
She had never seen Tehvay so forceful. "Someone has to," Rikana countered.
"They are no longer slaves. I will not order them to leave, just as I will not order them to stay – even if they are important for this ship to function smoothly." Tehvay covered her eyes with a hand and shook her head. "You can't understand." She removed her hand and looked at the group. "They do not understand."
"You're right, I don't understand." Rikana sat back down. "Make me understand."
"They have never made a decision in their life. They don't know how to. But I still can't force them."
"What do you mean they don't know how to?"
"Look at them. It looks like only a handful of them are self-aware. Slaves are conditioned to just be tools. If my owner told me to do something, I did it. Make the bed, clean the floor, fetch a drink, suck their cock, lick their feeta. You don't try to resist, because you don't know how. You do what you are ordered to do and hope you do it well so that you don't get punished."
Rikana suddenly felt very uneasy. What Tehvay was saying raised so many questions, questions that she didn't want to know the answers to. However, Tehvay was not finished explaining.
"When Boran freed me, I didn't know what he was doing. He had killed my owner, took my hand, and walked away. I followed him, because taking my hand was as good as an order. When he tried to tell me I was free, I couldn't understand. When he told me I could think for myself and do what I want, I was scared. It's like…" Tehvay shook her head. "I can't describe it."
Rikana was intrigued. "Try," she said softly.
Tehvay looked her in the eyes. "Imagine if someone placed you in a dark room, absolutely no light, you're tied down and can't move and they tell you to… to build this ship," she waved her hand around. "Not only do you not have the skills, the tools, or the materials, you have no way to see or move to acquire those skills. It's an impossible task."
"But you managed it."
"Eventually. It took two years. I needed help. I needed someone to turn on a light, to gather materials and tools and instruct me how to use them, and to stop me trying to offer myself to them as the only way I knew to repay their kindness."
Rikana gasped at the revelation. "You mean?"
"Yes."
"Boran… he never…"
"No, he did not. He had to explain to me that it was wrong. It still took a while for me to learn that lesson. Thankfully I was with good people who didn't take advantage of me." She gestured at the group, "They don't think of themselves as free people. It is up to us to start treating them like free people, and that means allowing them to make the first choice they've ever had to make."
Rikana looked at the assembly. They were just standing there, eyes downcast. They were not shuffling around as they pondered their fate. They were not talking it over with the one next to them.
"I'm sorry," whispered Rikana. "I knew slavery was bad, but not how bad." She realised these were the first 'real' slaves she had encountered. The Veilans had been slaves, but they'd had twenty years to adjust to freedom before she met them. She had assumed that Tehvay's anger and outspokenness about slavery, as a recent slave herself, was the norm for all slaves.
"You can never know how bad it is until you've experienced it and understand what you've experienced. Ask any one of them if they think they've been treated badly, and they won't say 'yes'. They have nothing to compare it against. The horrors I had to endure – the abuse, the pain, the degradation – it was nothing at the time. Only when I was free did I feel anything about what happened to me, and what I was forced to do. Being ordered to fetch your owner's coat or being ordered to have sex with two other slaves at a party while the guests are betting on which one was going to come first: it was the same thing to me."
Rikana could see the pain Tehvay was experiencing recalling the events of her past. "Shit, Miss V. I'm so sorry. You don't have to say anymore."
"No, I want to tell you," said Tehvay. "If I don't, you will never understand what being a slave is like, not that you can ever really know. I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad or for you to feel sorry for me. It is a part of my life, a part of what makes me who I am today. I can't shut off my memories. But no matter how badly I feel, I would rather be free and understand and feel this way than be a slave."
Rikana's life had not been easy. She had blamed many people for it. She had felt sorry for herself, but her life had been infinitely better than Tehvay's. The losses, the hardships, the grief – they still hurt, but she had felt the pain at the time. She could not imagine if she had to deal with all the pain at once.
"Come on," said Tehvay. "More time won't help them."
Tehvay walked back to the group of ex-slaves and Rikana followed.
~~~~
Tehvay's heart lifted to see Kikola enter the hangar. Even the sight of Mariantha couldn't put a dampener on that.
"How did it go? Kikola asked.
"As expected," replied Tehvay.
"What did they decide?"
"Thirteen have chosen to leave the ship for Trengos; the others have opted to stay on the ship. I've contacted Boran to tell him we're coming back to Dansek and why. He said he would help. Rikana has contacted the customs office, and they will be prepared to process the ex-slaves when we arrive. I've also called my parents. They'll come and help too."
"I'd like to put you in charge of the former slaves that remain with us."
"Me?"
"I can't think of anyone better suited to help them adjust to freedom than you."
Tehvay didn't reply. She thought back to how she handled them earlier. Maybe it will get easier.
"I still don't get it," said Rikana, as she wandered over from the shuttle.
"You can't understand," said Kikola. "These—"
"I know." Rikana stopped Kikola. "Miss V. has told me… stuff. I'm just saying…" She threw up her arms and walked away.
Kikola gave Tehvay an enquiring look. "What did you tell her?"
"Enough," said Tehvay. "Enough for her. Rikana couldn't cope if I told her everything." Tehvay glanced at Mariantha as she approached Tehvay.
"My daughter tells me you followed my wishes in looking after Jenissa. You have my thanks for that." The older woman suddenly appeared indecisive. "You… Kikola also told me about your sister. I wish to offer my sincere condolences."
Tehvay was dumbstruck and could not offer a reply before Kikola's mother abruptly walked off. She turned to Kikola. "Did you put her up to that?"
"No," said Kikola. "She really cares. She did not bring a personal slave with her out of consideration for you. That is a significant gesture."
Tehvay nodded and turned in the direction that Kikola's mother had gone.
Maybe Mariantha has a heart after all.