Chapter 8

Kalen Caledon, son of the Traitor Emerick Caledon, the last duke of the Caledonian Duchy. Emerick had been one of the Rebellion's leaders against the Emperor, leading to billions of deaths. Talha recognized his name immediately. Anyone in the Empire would.

Every child learned of the Rebellion, and the trial of Kalen Caledon. Talha had seen the recordings of it herself dozens of times, forced to sit through the teacher’s endless history lessons on its impact. She hadn’t known he had been released. Why was he contacting her Grandmother?

“Caledon is in the grip of criminals, the government has lost control of her major cities, and we lack the personnel to challenge them. You may have read about our plight on the Net, and I assure you that it is worse than reported. With your support, we will be able to secure the planet again.” Kalen paused at this moment, taking a deep breath.

His elegant appearance crumbled at that point, simply becoming a man, worried and tired. He looked away, composing himself once more, before turning back towards the Viewscreen.

“I eagerly await your response.” He stated before the screen went black. The room, which was already grim and depressing, grew even more ominous. No one spoke. The silence was heavy and menacing.

“What is your opinion, Third Seat?’ Tamara asked, oddly formal. Everyone in the room turned their eyes to Talha, the pressure of their gazes like a physical thing, causing her to wilt slightly until her anger pushed past her discomfort.

“I think that it’s ridiculous! The Traitor’s son is asking us to go to Caledon to help him! Why should we? Screw him! His family made that mess, and he should live with it.” Talha said, pointing at the screen as she shouted. The atmosphere grew even more sullen, with traces of anger at every word.

Talha didn’t understand why they were entertaining this nonsense. Emerick Caledon was a traitor to the Empire! His son deserves whatever happens to him.

As she finished her rant, her Grandfather looked like he was going to respond, unfolding his arms, and opening his mouth, when Tamara placed a hand against his forearm. He settled immediately.

“She doesn’t know our history, Elric. Her opinion is important. She speaks for the younger crew.” Tamara said, not taking her eyes off Talha.

“What history?” Talha responded, confused. Why would her grandparents have a history with a Baron who’s been imprisoned in stasis for five centuries?

“Everyone in this room, excluding you, has something in common. We were all born in the Caledonian Dukedom under the Old Duke, Emeritus Caledon. We served in his House Guard before the Rebellion.” Tamara said, her tone holding a hint of pride.

Around the table, Talha could see the veterans sitting taller and lifting their heads slightly higher at the revelation.

“Wait…what?” Talha stammered, looking around the room. She knew her grandparents were old, but she hadn’t known exactly how old they were. They were soldiers, and their genetic enhancements slowed aging, but it just wasn’t something that crossed her mind.

“I was born on Caledon and joined the House Guard at eighteen. It was a record, and I was the youngest to make the cut in a century. I worked my way up to commanding a company of 200 Mechs, and your Grandfather was my technician. Eventually, the Duke assigned us to guard his grandson, Kalen.” Tamara explained, and her face took on a troubled expression.

“I don’t say this lightly, Talha, and I am not ashamed to admit it, but I loved and adored the Old Duke and Duchess. Everyone here did,” The veterans nodded at her words. One grizzled man even wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye, shocking Talha at the display of emotion.

“I believe they were two of the greatest people who ever lived, displaying the very best of humanity. And Kalen inherited the finest traits of his grandparents. His Father, Emerick, may be a traitor, but we owe our lives to Kal.” Tamara said, pausing after speaking.

Talha was stunned. She hadn’t known any of this.

“When the Old Duke died, Kalen kept us on as his personal guard. He had us stationed on Caledon with our families while the rebellion burned across the Empire. Kalen was just a child when Emeritus died, but the lad understood what his father was doing was wrong. It wasn’t until the rebellion began to fail, their armies retreating, that Emerick ordered everyone to the front line.” Elric explained, taking over the narrative.

“So, Kalen gave us a Starship, this Ship, and our Mechs and sent us away with our families.” Tamara said.

“Talha, he could have come with us, we could have protected him, hidden him away on the outskirts of the Empire, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He travelled to Terra and apologized to the Emperor because he wanted mercy for the people. That boy was ready to die to keep us all safe.” Elric added.

“That’s…how is it that I never knew any of this!?” Talha exclaimed. She had thought her family was originally from Alyth, where she was born, and her parents lived.

“You were young, and it’s all in the past. I never expected Kalen to reach out to us, but he likely never expected Caledon to be as bad as it is now when he left stasis.” Tamara responded, shrugging her shoulder.

“So now you know why him contacting us is so significant. We wanted your opinion. You don’t have a history with Lord Caledon. None of us want to drag the crew into this just because of our past. We must help him. The rest of the crew don’t.” Elric clarified, looking around the table as everyone nodded at his words.

“I…I honestly don’t know what to say. I suppose I understand why you would want to go there, to help the Baron, but the crew….” Talha murmured, her thoughts spinning rapidly.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The Ship was falling apart around them, the few Mechs they had were barely functional, and they lacked the funds to repair or replace critical equipment. It was unreasonable to expect the crew to go off and assist Caledon for almost no money, and Talha explained as much.

“I understand.” Tamara responded, nodding her head as she listened to Talha’s concerns.

“I will contact Lord Caledon and explain our circumstances. The ship will jump to planet Caledon, where we will disembark, after which Talha will be Captain of the remaining Sun’s Marauders.” Tamara ordered, standing and turning around to the viewscreen behind her.

Before Talha could respond, her grandmother tapped the screen, accessing the Net to contact Baron Caledon.

Instantaneous communication is an offshoot of technology that began while researching the Engine. Requiring inflexible and expensive structures and direct communication lines, it was only available while at a planet or Starport with Net access.

Talha knew that it worked by sending signals through rifts in space, similar to how a ship travelled, but it was a great deal less power intensive. More information on the technology was restricted, much like how no one but Imperial Engineers understood how the Engine worked or how the Emperor directly owned all the companies who manufactured its systems.

The black screen brightened immediately, showing the logo for the Imperial Network, a Golden Eagle surrounded by twelve stars before a man appeared on the Viewscreen. It seemed it had been only a brief time since he sent his message to Tamara. He had changed his clothes, replacing his grey shirt with a uniform, a black coat with red stitching.

Kalen smiled as he saw the Captain, the tiredness fading from his eyes. He was incredibly handsome, but it was like a figure from history had leapt out of a recording and called her! Talha was stunned for a moment.

“Tamara, it’s wonderful to see you again. You look well.” Kal greeted her. In another move that shocked Talha, her grandmother smiled! A slight grin lifted a corner of her lips. It was a day of firsts.

“For an old lady?” Tamara retorted, causing the Baron to burst out in laughter. It was a glorious sound, filled with warmth, something that was missing from their Starship.

“You look about the same. Thank stasis for keeping you ageless.” Tamara said. The laughter faded from Kal, his face becoming serious once more.

“You know how it is, young body, old soul. My Grandfather was right. Stasis is a punishment for a reason.” Kal responded, going quiet for a moment, his eyes distant, before he looked to the side.

“Elric, I didn’t expect to see you still toiling away. Shouldn’t you be tending to a garden, complaining about the pests?” Kal asked, smiling once more as he saw the large man. Talha was surprised at how well the Baron knew her Grandparents. Not many people knew of her Grandfather’s secret obsession with gardening.

“I couldn’t let my wife pilot a Mech that I haven’t fixed first. She’s too hard on the damn things. We’d be out of all our equipment in a year. The Grandkids can tend the gardens for us now.” Elric responded, surprising Kal by placing a hand on the Captain’s shoulder.

“You’re married, with grandchildren? Of course, you are. I apologize. The lost time is still an adjustment. It seems as if you were watching over me only a couple of years ago, and now….” Kal trailed off.

Ignoring his discomfort, Kal greeted the rest of the people in the room, knowing them each by name and remembering little tidbits of information.

Talha was impressed by his memory until she thought of how stasis had likely felt like a long night’s sleep to the Baron. The events of 500 years ago would still be fresh in his mind.

“I apologize once again. I’m afraid I don’t know you, Miss…” Kal asked, letting the question linger.

“Talha. Talha Sun, Third Seat of the Marauders.” She offered, standing up in her chair so he could see her better. Kal nodded at the name, looking from the young woman to the couple in front of him.

“She looks just like you, Tamara. Daughter?” Kal guessed.

“Granddaughter. Talented Pilot.” Tamara said, looking behind her to Talha before looking back at Kal.

“Better Mechanic.” Elric chimed in, his scowl fading as he looked at the young woman.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Talha Sun, Third Seat of the Marauders.” Kal responded, his voice formal without being insulting. Talha nodded her head to return the greeting. She wasn’t used to dealing with Nobles, but this one seemed easygoing. Besides, he needed their help, and she didn’t think Kal could afford to be fussy about manners.

“I suspect this wasn’t a social call. Have you received my offer? What are your thoughts?” Kal asked, looking away from Talha and focusing on the Captain.

Before Tamara could speak, Talha interrupted.

“It hasn’t been brought to the crew yet. The Captain and others are willing to help, but I have concerns. There are things you should know first about our capabilities, and I want to talk about the Contract.” Talha said, stepping around the table and coming up to the viewscreen.

Tamara frowned at her interruption, but a look from Elric stopped her from interfering.

Kal blinked, sneaking a glance at Tamara before turning his attention back to the young woman before him. She was wearing coveralls, covered in grease, but she took charge. He admired that determination.

“Very well, I would expect nothing less, Miss Sun. The Contract is simple. I wish to hire Sun’s Marauders to help secure Caledon and stay on as my House Guard for a period of one year to assist with recruitment from the local population and training.” Kal said, adopting a formal tone once more.

Talha turned her head slightly to her Grandmother, silently asking if she should continue. After a moment, the older woman nodded.

“Payment?” Talha asked, knowing that Caledon was in financial hardships. It was common knowledge, and the Baron had admitted it in his communication.

“Your standard rate. I have a meeting with the Imperial Bank tomorrow. There will be no issue with funds going forward. I guarantee it.” Kal said, his voice hard and his eyes cold. Tamara nodded at his words, trusting him to come through. Seeing that, Talha knew there would be no arguing with the Captain.

“Can you provide an advance? Our Mechs require repairs, and we’re at a trading hub that has access to some of the parts they need.” Talha pushed, ignoring the warning look from her grandmother. Kal shook his head immediately at the request.

“No, I’m not in a position to do that. How many Combat Units do you have operational? I need support staff, administrators, and ground troops. Can you provide them?” Kal asked, looking at Elric. The large man let out of huff, running a hand through his grey hair.

“22 Units, maybe 23 if we can get the Scout up and running.” Elric responded, not looking at Kal.

“There are nearly two thousand of us on the ship, mostly support staff, a few hundred pilots, but we don’t have the Mechs to deploy them. We lost a lot of our equipment over the last few contracts.” Tamara explained.

“The Mechs we have working are held together with spit and glue. If you want us to retake a planet, we must repair our current equipment and purchase more. You’re going to have to give us an advance, Baron.” Talha said sternly. Kal looked at her for a moment before turning to Elric.

“If I give you the components, everything you ask for, how many Mechs could you bring?” Kal asked.

“200, a full company.” Elric responded. Kal had given them those Mechs when he sent them away, and they had kept them, even when they were nothing but scavenged husks. Kal thought for a moment before turning to Tamara.

“I’ll provide the parts here, on Caledon. You need to bring everyone you can. I want enough pilots and mercenaries to retake this planet. Do we have a deal, Miss Sun?” Kal asked, focusing on Talha.

“You have components there? How?” Talha asked, confused. If he could do that, this Contract was a lifeline to them.

“Your Grandparents weren’t the only things I smuggled out of Caledon under my Father’s nose. I’ll see you soon.” Kal said, the screen turning black.