Jack and Chief stood at mirror positions to the sides of the negotiating table waiting for the two men sitting opposite each other at the table to speak. The smoke from the RS-40 swirled around the table as a reminder of the burning RS-40 in the background. The fires were growing and the darkening smoke nearly blocked out the sun now. The incoming tide behind Jack was rising rapidly, they might have to move the table back soon. They might also have to move the growing crowd the soldiers were holding back as well. Everyone wanted to see the ‘Butcher of Aeden’. And everyone had mixed feelings. Lord Aestar had saved them from the missiles, but why? He had conquered entire galaxies without ever showing mercy to anyone. Why now had he given mercy? Lord Aestar was born to privilege, decadent luxury, and brutality. And while the Aestar Island Estate seamed a tranquil place of cherry blossom trees lining peaceful paths with secluded benches set back from the walking paths for meditation, it was far from peaceful. Lord Aestar had been the youngest of eight brothers, but that was not a guarantee of safety. He had been encouraged to show violence and greed since before he could walk. He had killed his next oldest brother at age six by hiding in a clothes hamper next to his brother’s bath until the nanny had stepped away to get fresh towels. He had been taken before his father and praised, and given his first sword. His next brother died by that sword, and so he had grown stronger through the years until only he remained to stand next to his aged father’s death bed and take the House signet ring from the man’s still warm finger. He had risen through the Aeden ranks to the position of Grand Marshal, and had lead the brutal invasions of thousands of planets. Admiral Tatheran was far out of his league facing the man across the table from him. The Admiral had received a commission as an Ensign in Fleet Force after finishing six years at the Fleet Academy with a degree in engineering, and then promoted quickly through the ranks in preparation for the upcoming landing to resupply and refit the Ruk Fleet. Admiral Tatheran was tapped for Fleet Admiral at only 28 years of age by the Council of Captains for his brilliance in engineering and production management. Admiral Tatheran had never been in combat, or even commanded a space flight. His entire Admiralty was to lead the Ruk through the 128 year refit on the uninhabited planet B-164 in the Taler Solar System. “Are you responsible for this unprovoked attack on us?” asked Admiral Tatheran. Lord Aestar’s gaze was so intense that Chief’s hand slowly moved towards his sidearm. Lord Aestar’s eyes remained locked on Admiral Tatheran. “If you attempt to draw your weapon, acting Captain of the RS-40, you will be dead before it can leave its holster.” Admiral Tatheran glanced at Chief and shook his head. Chief could see fear in the man’s eyes. Chief moved his hand away from the weapon. Satisfied at Chief Dagas' compliance, Lord Aestar continued. “You have no further to look than your own ranks for the perpetrators of this attack. Sunth extremists grew the Death Seeds, Ruk traitors set the fires, and the missiles were Ruk manufactured and secreted out beyond the solar system to make it appear as if they were fired by the Aeden.” “I don’t believe you,” replied Admiral Tatheran. Lord Aestar’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “If I were responsible for this attack, everyone on the RS-40 would be dead, and you would already be impaled on a stake with the heads of your children stacked around you. The only involvement the Aeden had were from a faction of the Aeden that call themselves, The Destroyers. They whispered rebellion into the willing ears of your own people that seek to over-throw the Ruk Stratocracy.” “There was an Aeden Fleet ready to invade,” said Admiral Tatheran, his voice rising slightly in anger, or perhaps fear, either way, Chief noticed the Admiral’s pinky finger was twitching slightly. “That was a fantasy that never existed. They only needed Jack to open the Atan Gate so to further the illusion that the Aeden were involved. Do you imagine that the Aeden Fleet was going to fly through the gate into Deck Zero? The Aeden Juggernaut Class Battleships can’t fly within the atmosphere of a planet. Use your head, man. The Aeden Fleet would have been vaporized during molecular reconstruction as they collided with the RS-40 already occupying this time and space. Jumping a fleet requires the gate to be positioned in orbit. If the traitors would have managed to convince Jack to betray you, the public would have joined the rebellion against the Stratocracy for bringing the grandson of the ‘Butcher of Aeden’ into their midst.” “I still don’t believe a word you’re saying,” retorted Admiral Tatheran. “A lie is so much easier to believe than the truth,” replied Lord Aestar. “My grandson, as so many youth have done before him, lent you his sword because he swoons over a Ruk girl.” Lord Aestar smiled like a snake about to strike. “Loyalties have been bought for much less. He now walks a fine line between loyalty to his own family, and his passion for a pretty face. Wasn’t it a human poet that wrote: Was this the face that launched a thousand ships And burnt the topless towers of Illium Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss...” Lord Aestar leaned back in his chair. “Jack is passionate about everything he does, don’t you agree? I do believe he would launch a thousand ships to protect the object of his youthful passion. He certainly wouldn’t have betrayed you, or allowed any betrayal to occur. Are you so willing to throw away that which has already been bought with a stolen kiss?” Chief’s face clouded with anger as his eyes went to Jack. Jack looked like he wanted to find a hole and jump in. He had hoped Chief would never find out about the kiss Jack had given his daughter under the moon the night before the forest fire at the camp ground. Lord Aestar’s eyes flicked to the Senior Master Chief. “Ah, I see. You are the girl’s father. Now I understand how Jack has risen so quickly among the Ruk, you have been lifting him up. And rightfully so to support the young man that has a fire burning in his chest for your daughter. A union between the Aeden and Ruk would be infinitely beneficial to both of us. Perhaps it is you after all that I should be speaking with, and not this trembling coward in front of me.” Lord Aestar gestured at Admiral Tatheran. “This fool has insulted me three times already, and I have destroyed worlds for less. Admiral, I suggest you leave this table while you still can and install someone here with more backbone than yourself.” Admiral Tatheran stood so quickly his chair tipped over into the sand. “You are the vilest man the universe has ever spit out from the bowels of hell. The Ruk Federation has no interest in anything you have to say.” Lord Aestar did not bother standing, and even appeared pleased with himself for causing the Admiral’s impotent outburst. “Hold,” shouted a gravelly voice. Captain Thoru of the RS-72 had been standing back with the guards and now hurried forward to stand next to the Admiral at the table. “Let’s all take a breath. I’ve been listening to the Council of Captains discussing this issue. It is the general opinion of the Council that since the attack was focused only against the RS-40, any discussions with Lord Aestar are solely the province of the Captain of the RS-40. The Council advises that Senior Master Chief Dagas be promoted permanently to Captain, and have the sole discretion to deal with this matter, so long as anything agreed upon does not affect the Federation.” The Admiral’s face twisted into rage as he responded. “The Council is jumping through a loop-hole in our laws. I have made my decision.” “Yes, on both accounts,” said Captain Thoru. “The Federation has decided to have nothing to do with Lord Aestar, but each ship is a country unto itself and the Federation may not interfere with the internal political affairs of any ship.” “What ship! That thing is burning to the ground!” shouted the Admiral. Captain Thoru placed a hand on the Admiral’s shoulder to calm him. “And more so the reason it is vital to immediately appoint a permanent RS-40 Captain. So long as there is a Captain, that thing can be a pile of ashes and the RS-40 still exists. The Captain is the RS-40, and the RS-40 is the country of Sunaria that bordered the Sunth Sea on Cormon. A break in the continuity of that ancient and proud country cannot be allowed to occur.” The Admiral had the foresight to know what defying the Council of Captains could mean. The Fleet Admiral selected the Captain of each ship, but the Council of Captains in turn selected the Fleet Admiral, and could relieve a Fleet Admiral. It was a checks and balances system that made it nearly impossible for a military dictator to rise. “What is the Council’s current vote?” asked the Admiral. “61-14 in favor of promoting the Senior Master Chief and turning this issue over to his discretion,” replied Captain Thoru. The Admiral’s eyes shifted to the Senior Master Chief. He had 80% of the vote, higher than almost any Captain candidate before him, but it was interesting that 14 was the number of Captains the Admiral had installed so far during his command. Still, he didn’t have enough Captains loyal to him personally to ensure he would stay in command if the Council were to turn on him. The checks and balances were working against him, it would be very unlikely he would ever have enough votes to over-ride a decision he didn’t agree with unless it was something that directly threatened the Federation. His best move would be to promote the Chief, then if something went wrong, it would be the Chief’s head that would roll, not his. The Admiral glared at Lord Aestar. “Your diplomatic immunity is revoked within Federation territory. Senior Master Chief, you are immediately commissioned to the rank of Captain with Command of the RS-40. We will conduct the ceremony when you get everyone to the Gobia Desert shipyard. Salvage what you can here, but I need you to start building the new RS-40 as soon as possible. And you have my permission to arrest this criminal.” The Admiral kicked the fallen chair out of his way and headed back to his shuttle. Captain Dagas, the former Chief of the Boat and now new Captain of the RS-40, walked around the table, righted the chair, and sat down. Captain Dagas locked eyes with Lord Aestar. “The Admiral is normally a level headed and intelligent man. You goaded him into acting like a petulant boy. How does this serve any purpose?” Lord Aestar leaned forward. “Nine demands will be made, meet all nine demands and I will answer any question you ask, without restriction.” Captain Dagas flicked a hand at the vile man before him. “Very well, what are your nine demands?” Lord Aestar nodded slightly and began: First, No charges will be brought against Jack Aestar for any actions that occurred today. Second, Jack Aestar and Luca Aestar will remain with the RS-40 for the rest of their lives. Third, Jack Aestar and Luca Aestar will have exclusive possession of the Atan Gate, and there will be no restriction as to how they use it. Fourth, The Atan Gate will connect to a secure facility that I Command. Aeden engineers and scientists loyal to me will travel freely back and forth to assist in the rebuilding of the RS-40. I will also supply all of the materials that will be used in the rebuilding. And though I had nothing to do with the attack on your ship, you may consider this restitution for the part Aeden played in the attack. Fifth, The Ruk do not engage in arranged marriages, but the Aeden do. I will meet you half way on this point. If your daughter agrees, I want your blessing now for a marriage between Jack Aestar and Kalu Dagas. Sixth, Mr. Tan is to retain permanent custody of both Jack Aestar, and Luca Aestar. Seventh, The tension between the Aeden and Ruk has grown out of a belief that you are hiding secret technology from us. I want free access to your computers, libraries, and inspection of your ships to determine if this is true. Eighth, You will not engage in a counter-attack against any Aeden planet, ship, satellite, space station, or personnel for today’s attack. Ninth, You will take three-hundred children of House Aestar, two-hundred adults of House Aestar, and two-hundred additional House Aestar engineers, scientists, medical personnel, teachers, and various other technical fields with you when you launch from this world. All restrictions to Aeden technology will be lifted, and all personnel will be required to swear an oath of allegiance to the Ruk under penalty of death for any violation of their oath. Captain Dagas sat back in his chair reeling from the implication of the ninth demand. “You’re evacuating House Aestar from Aeden. What has occurred?” “I will not answer any questions until the nine demands are met in totality,” replied Lord Aestar. Captain Dagas turned to Captain Thoru. “Sir, this would affect the entire fleet. I want the advice of the Council of Captains.” “I’m talking with them now,” replied Captain Thoru. “All hell has broken out in the teleconference. Many are arguing that the third, fourth, seventh, eighth, and ninth demands are unacceptable.” “Might I remind you that you were given sole discretion in negotiations with me, are you not up to the task of making your own decisions?” asked Lord Aestar. Captain Dagas waved a dismissive hand at Lord Aestar. “You initially dismissed talking with me because I did not have the authority to speak for the Ruk. You then discovered that the Admiral would not be friendly towards any demands you made, so you cleverly embarrassed him in front of the Council of Captains and got him to withdraw from the talks and install me, because you thought my relationship with Jack would make me friendly to your demands.” Lord Aestar glanced at Jack. “Set up the gate, my diplomatic immunity has been revoked. By Ruk law I must be allowed to withdraw without harm.” Captain Dagas frowned. “Nobody will harm you, if for no other reason than you saved the lives of everyone on this beach. But do not test my resolve, Sir. You may leave, and take Jack with you if he wishes, but know this, once you are safely back on Aeden, I will have the gate destroyed, and that will end your plans. I suspect you have either fallen out of favor with the Emperor, or something has occurred that not even you…” Captain Dagas paused as realization dawned on him. “Aeden is in a state of Civil War, isn’t it? The rebels… these ‘Destroyers’ are more powerful than you knew, House Aestar is going to fall.” “Hey Jack,” shouted Luca as he jumped out of a SAR truck just arriving. “Did you see my energy stream, it was awesome. I bet that was the biggest force field ever in the history of ever!” Lord Aestar looked past Captain Degas and smiled, pleased with Luca’s unintentional, but perfect timing. “Ah, my ward has arrived. I should like to meet him. Take your time and discuss the demands with the other Captains.” Lord Aestar got up from the table without a further word and headed towards Luca. Captain Dagas shook his head at the audacity and arrogance of Lord Aestar. The man hadn’t been offended by the Admiral, he probably wasn’t capable of being offended. It had all been play acting to get what he wanted. The moment Captain Dagas had called the bluff, Lord Aestar had backed down. Captain Dagas looked up at Jack. The boy was waiting for someone to dismiss him. “You couldn’t find anyone else on Aeden that might have been less annoying?” asked Captain Dagas. Jack shrugged. “Do you still think I’m guilty?” “You murdered Alani, whether by action or inaction, there is no doubt of your guilt.” “I never touched her, it was the poison gas she tried to kill me with that got her. She got what she deserved.” “I’m going to drop the matter, it would only cause a public outrage to charge the Hero of the RS-40 with the murder of the terrorist that started all this, but you and I are going to have a long talk after all this is over.” “Do you hate my grandfather?” “No, I don’t.” “The Fleet Admiral hates him.” “The Fleet Admiral didn’t stick around long enough to see what I saw. Four of those nine demands had something to do with you directly. For all his faults, your grandfather loves you. Everything he’s doing is to ensure you have a future. Remember that.” “Yes Chief… I mean Captain… I mean Dad.” “Don’t push it.” “I do love Kalu.” “Drop it.” “We’re going to have two dozen kids.” “Stop while you’re ahead.” “Yes, Pops.” Captain Dagas stood and Jack darted away with a grin on his face.