Knight of the Empire
Chapter 20

I sat with Joyce in her office and sipped the mug coffee she had given me. It was surprisingly good. I was uncertain why I stayed but the coffee had helped. Joyce sat her desk opposite the seat I was in and stared at me intently.

“May I see it?” she asked finally.

“See what?” I replied.

“Your hand,” she pointed to my marked hand I was still wearing gloves.

I sighed and took off my gloves extending my marked hand to her dreading the usual comments I would receive.

“Remarkable,” she said taking my hand. “Could you flex it for me?”

So floored by her unusual question I did so automatically.

“Interesting?” she murmured to herself. “No disability, with a cut that deep into the hand you shouldn’t be able to flex that hand let alone use it.”

She let go of my hand and I put my gloves back on. She looked at me questioningly.

“Camelia suggested it, it stops people from asking awkward questions.”

“Like mine?” she said with a half smile. “Thank you for letting me see it.”

“That’s ok,” I said picking up the mug with my marked hand as if I was trying to prove that there was noting wrong with me. I sipped my coffee.

Joyce was deep in thought. “I wonder?” she said suddenly.

“Wonder what?”

“Come with me Sandra we’re about to conduct an experiment.”

“Experiment?” I didn’t like the sound of that. I put down my coffee and followed her out.

The Archives hadn’t changed much from the last time I was here. The rounded stone columns looked no different only the squared index column was alive with a riot of colours. A young man stood at the base of the column his hand on its side his other clutching something in his hand. He was dictating to another young woman standing beside him a datapad in her hand, both looked vaguely familiar to me. Around them on the stone benches were several other couples mostly talking in hushed voices and one couple appeared to be asleep. Of the older archaeologists I couldn’t see them.

“Is this everyone?” I asked Joyce.

“Just the youngsters the others are off taking samples.”

The couple at the index column stopped and the colours flickered off. They handed their items to another couple who took their places and the index column flared into life.

“Using the index tires them out,” she said as the first couple sat on a stone bench the male leaning heavily on his companion. “There’s a vast amount of data in the Archives and we’ve hardly scratched the surface. Very little on the Rhosani but most of that could be quoted word for word from the T’Arni histories.”

“Anything about wormholes?” Information like that could be the saviour of the Confederacy and the Empire. Again my loyalties were conflicted.

“We’ve plotted the locations of several more all in the Commonwealth.”

A chill ran up my spine. “Orsini?” I hated that race with a vengeance. I suppose I could have put that down the small amount of Valkyrie blood in me but I knew that was false my hatred of the Orsini stemmed from Anoxi and how they mutilated my father’s corpse. I slammed the cage shut in my mind I wasn’t going to lose my sanity again and let in the demons of my past. “How many are leading from there?” Com Ops would have to know.

“None, all the ones we’ve discovered are in the Commonwealth and lead to other places with the Commonwealth.”

I felt relieved but it was still something we would have to look into. I halted my thought and backtracked. No it was something Com Ops would have to look into this wasn’t my duty. Yet I wasn’t sure what my duty was beyond investigating the Rhosani.

Suddenly Joyce clapped her hands together. “Students we’ll call it a night. Pack up your things and head back to the habitat.” She pointed to the two that had started to record the index column. “You two are up first thing in the morning.”

The couple nodded to her and hurried to join their companions I recognised both of them as Gena’s friends but at the moment I couldn’t remember their names.

Joyce continued. “Let the others know dinner first and them we can discuss out replaceings afterwards.”

“Yes ma’am,” the girl curtsied while her male companion bowed and they hurried to follow their friends.

Joyce waited until her students as she had called them were out of earshot. “Now that they’re out of the way go ahead and touch the column.”

I gave her look and did as she asked. I reached out and touched the column with my gloved hand. I wasn’t really expecting anything to happen. I had touched the column before when I was with Camelia and Ellie but without any result. As my fingers touched the column it blazed into light instead of the riot of colours it pulsed green.

“Well now that’s interesting,” Joyce said staring intently at the column. “It’s never done that before. Withdraw your hand.”

I did as she told me the colour flickered out. Joyce stepped up to the column and touched it with one hand her other held a shuriken too large to be one I had made. As far as I knew Com Ops had some of those, Ellie had the others. The column blazed into a rainbow of colours. She dropped her hand and stepped back. She stood for several minutes deep in thought.

“Joyce?” I asked worried about her silence.

“Oh Sandra sorry I was thinking.” She turned her gaze to me. “Ok this might be a bit more difficult?”

“What might be?”

“Touch the column again a think of something, something close to your heart?”

I wasn’t sure what it would achieve but as I reached out to touch the column I thought about my regret over not being able to say goodbye to Tony properly. Suddenly everything went blurry and I felt as I was being sucked into the column. After a moment of panic I realised I was travelling at speed away from Melanos. Blue shifted to red as stars sped past me. I should terrified and with my motion sickness I should have been spewing my guts everywhere. I felt calm and detached from reality. In the blink of my eye I was floating above a room. It was rectangular with a long table down the centre and a number of swivel chairs either side of the table. Three doors led out of room. I knew where I was this was the conference room on board the Jakarta. It couldn’t be anything other than a Terran Cruiser Capital Class. I had come here with Tony for a bit of peace and quiet. That had been our intention. I’m sure Ellie and Camelia would have approved of what we had ended up doing in those swivel chairs and it wasn’t sitting. The room wasn’t empty, seated around the table I recognised both Confederacy and Terran uniforms. At the head of the table sat Admiral Komana. She was the only one from the Confederacy I recognised the others were strangers. A pale faced T’Arni sat opposite Alice. Tony was seated beside Admiral Komana. Nor did I recognise any other Terrans but from the insignia on their collars and the colours on their uniforms they were captains of other ships. I could say the same for the Confederacy officers all seemed to be ship’s captains. To my mind this was something important. Suddenly both the T’Arni and Alice looked up staring at the space I seemed to be floating in.

“Get out!” they roared.

I felt a searing pain in my head and jerked my hand away from the column. I was back in the Archive. The light on the column faded.

“You ok?” Joyce asked sounding worried she was holding onto my wrist.

“I’m not sure?” I had to be truthful. I looked at her hand she removed it quickly.

“I know it’s an old fashioned way of measuring your pulse. I wasn’t going to run back and grab a medkit.”

“Pulse?” The pain in my head was fading.

“You went into a trance. When we access the column we’re fully awake and coherent.”

“I don’t understand?”

“Neither do I, be very careful,” she warned me.

“I won’t be doing that in a hurry,” I rubbed my forehead. “Headache.”

“We’ve got medical equipment in the habitat and then there’s the Havok close at hand?”

“No I’ll be fine. It’s fading.”

“Be sure that you are,” Joyce said in a tone that reminded both of my mother and Camelia. It was the same lecturing tone. “On the other hand it’s a pity you won’t remember what you’ve seen. It fades so rapidly at times.”

“I do?”

“You remember what you have seen?” She paused. “Would you like to talk about it?”

I couldn’t think of any reason not to. I still had to make sense of what I had seen in my own mind. I explained what I had seen and felt. “I’m not certain if I dreamed it all?”

“I’m certain it wasn’t. It does go a long way to explain how the Guardians information is so detailed. The Archive lets you witness actual events. Although none are as detailed as yours were. Perhaps,” she said thoughtfully. “Your mark allows you to be there almost physically.”

I really didn’t want to think on those lines. “It felt so surreal whatever you think.”

Joyce smiled. “You will be ok. But if you ever think about trying again I’ll make sure all the proper procedures are in place.” She held up her hand. “I know you won’t like it but I know you will try again. It’s in your nature you can’t help it any more then I could try to prevent you from doing it.”

“I need to go for a walk to clear my head.”

“I’ll come with you,” she insisted.

I wanted to be on my own but with Joyce at my side that was impossible. She talked mostly about Constantine and Camelia and how her father had made it impossible for the two of them to be together. Finally my aimless wandering brought me to a part of the Archives I recognised. A smooth wall rose above me I was certain that it was here that things had changed for me. I stood and stared at the spot before speaking.

“This is where I encountered the Guardians,” I said to her and reached out to pat the wall half convinced that it was solid. Everything blurred and I was in the impossible corridor that stretched forever. I recognised the fake corridor a replica of the Rosewood Academy. There was a figure standing in front of the splitting image of my secretary Olga. Yet I knew it wasn’t her.

“What do want!” I snapped at her. Suddenly it dawned on me that they had sent the message.

“Search teams have found the data recorder,” Olga stated but it wasn’t her voice it sounded male.

“What data recorder?” I demanded I wasn’t in the mood for their cryptic rants.

“Of course it is false it was left behind to send the ships into an ambush.”

“What ships, what ambush!” I stepped forward to grab Olga and shake the truth from her but my hands passed through her. “A hologram!” I snarled feeling anger burning in my veins. I had had enough of their games. “Tell me now!”

Olga faded and another figure replaced her. Despite my anger with my mother she was still my mother. It hurt to see that they had taken her form.

“Flawed weapon. We had not realised how flawed you are.”

That was certainly blunt. “What?”

“We will correct that!”

“No you damn well don’t!” I waved my marked hand at her. “I want rid of this!”

Mother’s image reached out. I back pedalled until I ran out of space feeling a wall at my back. I took a defensive posture ready to fight for my life. Mother’s image reached out as I took a swing at her with my fist. Searing pain wracked my head and my vision blurred.

A distant voice echoed in my mind. It sounded like Lottie but that was impossible the Guardians had destroyed her.

“Wake up, wake up!” she said.

Slowly I opened my eyes for a moment I had double vision seeing two Joyce’s leaning over me.

“Get up Sandra!” The words came from my mouth but it wasn’t me. I’m sure that it sounded like Lottie.

“Sandra is that you?”

My hand jerked to my nose and pinched it.

“God I felt that!” my voice said but the words weren’t mine.

“What have you done with Sandra!” Joyce sounded angry.

I wanted to assure her that I was still me. “Damn it what have those Guardians done to me?” I felt relieved that was in my own voice and not some stranger’s.

“Sandra?” Joyce sounded shocked. “Is that you?”

“It’s me Joyce but those Guardians had done something to me!”

“Who is the other voice I heard?”

“Charlotte Turner,” the stranger in my head said and I was now certain that it was in my head.

Joyce sucked in a breath. “The only Charlotte Turner I know was a mass murderer.”

“That wasn’t me,” Charlotte protested. “I was never part of the Net!”

I had read about that while I was at the palace I hadn’t much to do so I did a lot of reading. The ‘Net’ or Worldwide Network was the Terrans attempt to mesh every computer system into one all linked by AI but the AI went rogue and millions died.

“I was hooked up to the Deep Space Explorer.” My hand raised of it own violation and pointed accusingly at Joyce. “You were never wired into a machine against your will. Or had you brain separated from your body and all you sensed was the electrical impulses from a computer. So I took the Explorer and escaped. I ran at maximum burn until I ran out of fuel. The T’Arni found me drifting the last of my power failing.”

I looked at Joyce helplessly unable to control my body.

“They were passing close to the Solar system when they found me. Why do think they decided to visit. It wasn’t accidental I led them there. An Ezaran engineer transferred my mind to a machine and let my brain die. From there I was passed from machine to machine each time losing a part of me until I ended up in Sandra as an implant. I finally found a way to undo the damage the others had done. By helping Sandra I was helping restore the damage I had done. And before you ask I had nothing to do with what happened on Earth I was never part of that. I was gone before that occurred. The government of the time decided that AI was the way forward but all they used were those on death row or those like me crippled beyond redemption. Then the Guardians took me away.”

I managed to replace my own voice it felt weird asking myself a question then I had talked to myself before but that was in the lonely hours. Then I never had a conversation like this to myself. “Why did the Guardians take you?”

“Information, the Guardians are obsessed in gathering it. They hoard information like a miser gathers coin.”

“That makes sense since all the duff data we have to plough through to gain even the smallest smidgen of useable data. We’re are hardly even making a scratch,” Joyce said thoughtfully.

I felt helpless unable to control my body. I could feel my frustration boil up.

Charlotte continued as if I didn’t exist. “You haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg there are thousands of caverns such as these.”

“What do you mean thousands of caverns like this. This planet has been thoroughly scanned. All was found was this cavern and the caverns leading off it,” Joyce said.

“They only let you see what they want you to see.” Charlotte sounded bitter. “And then they only drip freed you data and they are even reluctant to do that.”

My hand pointed to the shuriken Joyce held in her hand and that wasn’t at my doing.

“Only because you have a key are they letting you in. And that’s why you have the trouble you have and the lengths you have to go through to retain what little you have.”

“Not big on sharing!” I meant to vent my anger at Charlotte for taking control of my body but it sounded as if I was accusing the Guardians. I guess I meant both anyway.

“Sorry Sandra I didn’t want this but these Guardians have forced my hand,” she apologised to me then spoke to Joyce. “You accused me of being a mass murdering rogue!”

“That’s what the histories tell us,” Joyce replied.

“I never was. I cared for Mars and the people under my command until Corporate screwed us over and tried to assassinate me. Then the Government used my body in their twisted experiment. Yet through all that I protected my own. I kept Sandra safe.”

“I look after myself!” I snapped.

“No you can’t!” Joyce and Charlotte said together.

I looked at Joyce and she looked at me although I wasn’t sure if she was looking at Charlotte or me.

“The point I’m trying to make,” Charlotte said. “I’m on your side the both of you. Harming Sandra will harm me. Nor will I let her get used again, too many are using her for their own aims. If you want rogues then look no further than these caverns. Those Guardians who did this to her. They have less affection for the Rhosani than you do. They don’t care how they do it. If Sandra had died they would have found someone else. It results that matter to them. The others don’t care either way. I had to get out of there. I’m sorry Sandra I never wanted to harm you. When they offered to reunite me with you I took it.”

“Ok,” I said slowly notching back my anger. Lottie was right she had been helpful even when I hadn’t asked for it. Did I just call her Lottie?

“Whatever you did or didn’t do,” Joyce interrupted her face bleak. “The point is that this isn’t your body?”

“True I’m stuck in it thanks to the Guardians. I am here to help Sandra just think of me as her big sister and I know when to back off.”

“Is there a way to separate the two of you?” Joyce asked. “Sandra is my niece and Constantina’s cousin. This could reflect badly on her if your presence became known to the public and I’ll damned if I let anyone hurt the both of them?”

I wanted to know as well. At least when Lottie was just an implant I still controlled my body but I was also aware of the strain I had put it under with my drinking.

“I’ll not harm Sandra and any harm to her harms me,” Charlotte stated firmly.

“Did your Guardians consider what’s going to happen to me if anyone replaces out and they will?” I said to Lottie.

“They’re not my Guardians they considered me as nothing more than another data cache.” Charlotte went silent

“That could be a problem,” Joyce said she wasn’t helping my situation.

Lottie voice echoed loud in my mind my lips hadn’t moved. “This any better? You can pretend I’m just an implant.”

“Not so loud!” I blurted out.

Joyce stared at me concern written across her face. “Are you ok Sandra?”

“Lottie spoke to me as if she was my implant.”

“You can do that?” Joyce didn’t sound happy about it.

“I can now,” Charlotte replied. “Sandra can say that the Guardians restored her implant. Which is partly true.”

Joyce sighed. “If this is the way it has to be then so be it.”

“Oh wonderful,” I said sarcastically.

“Best we stop this conversation and head back to the habitat,” Joyce said. “A hot meal and rest will clear our heads.”

We trudged our way back through the Archives in silence. My mind was a whirl of thoughts. Too much was happening to fast. As we reached the habitat I saw Tutor he wasn’t in armour which was good but the expression on his face said something else. I hoped that Lottie wouldn’t decide to talk to him then we would have a problem thankfully she followed her own advice.

“LT?” I said we got close.

“Ma’am,” he saluted Joyce then turned to me. “Captain Yanik needs you back on the Havok.”

“What this about?” I doubt that she already knew about Lottie but that would be a problem for a later time.

“A team from the Geraki found the data recorder from the crashed shuttle,” he said.

“Warn them!” Lottie’s voice echoed through my mind.

“LT comm Captain Yanik the data on the shuttle is a plant.”

“Plant?” Tutor sounded confused. “What does that mean?”

“It means that the information is false lieutenant,” Joyce said for me.

“It’s designed to lead anyone that follows it into a trap,” I said.

“Certain ma’am?”

“Yes!” I hissed. “Now lets get out of here so we can comm the Havok.”

It was getting dark outside and bitter wind blew across the valley. We hurried to the comms tower and commed the Havok. Joyce had followed I rather she had stayed in the warm.

“Get back into the warm,” I told her.

“You will be ok Sandra.” I think she was speaking to Lottie.

I felt relieved in a way she had accepted Lottie’s presence in my mind. I hoped it was my mind. I didn’t want to think of her inhabiting the rest of my body.

“I’ll be fine.” I turned my attention to the comms console. “This is Colonel Locke, Havok do you read me?”

There was a moments wait before the Havok replied. “Havok here.”

“Tell Captain Yanik to hold on the shuttle data recorder. It’s a fake.”

“What do you mean by that?” Marsha replied, she must have been standing by the comms console on the Havok to respond so quickly.

“It’s a trap?”

“Sure?” Marsha asked. “Head back to the Havok as requested and we’ll talk.”

“Aye captain,” I said adding to Tutor. “Lead the way.”

Marsha and Ocynca were waiting for me as I stepped off the shuttle. Ocynca gave me a curious look but said nothing I could see the question on his lips.

“We’ll talk later,” I said to him.

“Colonel I want an explanation. I already have the Geraki and Alpha Crucis on hold.” Marsha seemed to be in a mood.

“Not here. We’ll talk about this in your ready room,” I told her then to Ocynca. “Best come with.”

Marsha strode over to her desk and sat down she regarded both Ocynca and I. “Ok now are you going to tell me!”

“Call Shawna.”

“Shawna?” I saw her eyes dart to Ocynca.

“You are not going to like what you are going to hear?” I said.

“And Ocynca why is he here?” she sounded like she wanted him gone.

“Ocynca already knows about you and Shawna.”

Marsha went pale.

“Oh give over Marsha.”

That wasn’t me that said that but it came from my mouth.

“I trust you, I trust Ocynca and I trust Shawna,” I said hastily covering for Lottie.

“Oh?” Ocynca said. “Why is that?”

“You are discrete and this is not something I’d want everyone to know.”

“Is this wise Sandra,” Lottie said quietly in my mind.

“I’m not the one that barked at Marsha am I?” I whispered back.

“Ok let’s get this over with,” Lottie muttered.

“Please Marsha call Shawna?” I begged her.

Marsha looked troubled. “Sergeant Harms to the Captain’s Ready Room.”

I regarded Ocynca watching me with a great deal of interest. “What is it!” I snapped. I think some of Marsha’s tension was affecting me.

“When you came off the Terran ship you seemed off balance. The same when you returned from Nthus.”

“Off balance?” I couldn’t work out what he was on about.

“And now?” Marsha asked the question before I could.

“That balance has been restored.”

“Told you so,” Lottie said smugly.

Shawna entered before I could say more.

“Sergeant Harms reporting as ordered captain.” She saluted smartly as she would have done if Marsha hadn’t been her lover.

“Relax dear heart,” Marsha said fondly. “Ocynca knows about us.”

Shawna seemed to sag directing a glare at me. “You told him?” she accused me.

“I knew well before Sandra returned to the Havok. It’s my job to monitor the mental health of the crew. The both of you have been happier since you started seeing each other. And as for Sandra she did introduce you did she not?” Ocynca stated.

“And the rest of the crew?” Marsha asked. I guess she was worrying about her status within her clan. My clan if Sigrunn had anything to do with it.

“This member of your clan can’t see any harm in it,” I told her.

“Some may suspect but they are all loyal and that as far as it goes,” Ocynca reassured her.

Marsha rounded on me. “Now Sandra what this big secret?”

“Joyce never called me. The Guardians did.”

“What how dare they!” Marsha leaned forward on her chair her hands gripping the desk. She looked like she wanted to tear out someone’s throat. I was glad her anger wasn’t directed at me.

I took a deep breath and explained what happened.