“There are clothes for you laid out. Admiral Vang is requesting your presence,” Benite said as I stepped from the cylinder device.
I looked around the small room. I did not know how long I had been in the machine, though Benite mentioned it would only be half an hour. It seemed like no time at all had passed, yet my stomach was grumbling and groaning. I remembered I hadn’t had anything since the quick microwaved breakfast sandwich this morning before leaving for work. My chest tightened as I realized how completely my life had changed in a span of a few hours.
I felt like I was standing on the brink of the deep black abyss of despair, knowing I might not ever see my family or Earth again. I quickly pushed myself back from the edge. I didn’t have the time to deal with all that. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to focus on what was right now.
“What about food?” I asked.
“You will be served dinner after the Admiral has gone over a few things with you. Your clothes are over there. They will be what you are expected to wear, at least until we get to Ethia.”
I saw the disdainful look he gave my Earth clothes before he buried his head back into his little rectangular device.
I ignored the silent rebuke. These were good threads, and I wasn’t about to let him get me down about it. My eyes searched to where the man had pointed. There on the low platform was a set of clothes that had not been there before I’d entered the healing machine. I walked over to them.
It was a shiny blue coat just like the Admiral and my four guards had worn. I touched the fabric. It was sleek, and surprisingly warm to the touch. I then picked up a pair of pants a few shades darker than the coat. They were just as shiny. I could almost see my reflection in the fabric. I turned back to the Caretaker, but he wasn’t paying me any attention too busy with whatever was on that device in his hands.
I sighed and undressed. I did tell them I would cooperate. I guess I didn’t realize how much this was going to cost me. I don’t think I still did, but a deal was a deal. I needed to get my mind in the game here. If I was already bulking at something as insignificant as clothes this was going to become a very unpleasant experience for me.
A few moments later, I was down to my boxers. I then pulled the pants on. They slid right on like it was made of silk instead of whatever the heavy shiny material they were made from. I was surprised at the light and soft feel of fabric once is was against my skin. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
I reached down to a long-sleeved shirt that matched the dark blue of the pants and stopped as I spied something on my arm. My blood froze as I took in the black mark that most definitely had not been there this morning when I had dressed in my slacks and polo shirt.
“What is that?” I wheeled around to confront Benite.
The man looked up with annoyance to be interrupted. “What is what?”
“This!” I jabbed at the black mark on my arm.
The Caretaker blinked as if he didn’t understand the question. “What do you mean?”
I marched up to the other man until I was standing right in front of him. I turned my bare chest around so that he could get a good look at my right arm and shoulder.
“This. Why is this mark on me? And how did it get there? I sure as hell didn’t do that!”
It was the same mark Admiral Vang, Caretaker Benite, and the other four had on the upper arms of their coats. A black circle with the strange glyph and a sword slashing through them at an angle, and it stretched all the way across the skin of my upper right bicep.
“It is the crest of your family. Your treatment activated the mark. It should have been activated when you turned fifteen and started your Dome-ni training. There would have been a ceremony to celebrate your coming of age too, but you weren’t in Ethia then. Your father decided it was best to skip the ceremony and just activate the mark. He will start your training when you arrive at the palace.”
I stood there looking at the other man not knowing what to say. Several emotions warred for attention. It was two that rose as the strongest. Shock that I had that mark on me and never knew. And anger that no one consulted me or even told me this was going to happen.
I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself, remembering yet again that I agreed to cooperate for my dad’s sake. This too was something I was going to have to let go, even though I felt a distinct feeling of violation. I wondered how many other concessions I would have to make in the coming days, weeks, and months, but decided I couldn’t dwell on that. All I could do was take it one moment at a time.
I blew out a long breath to center myself. I then decided to feed my curiosity to take my attention off my anger. If I had to play by the rules, I figured I needed to know as much as I could about Ethia and its strange way of doing things.
“How is there a mark already there?” I asked, surprised at the steadiness of my voice.
“It was given to you at birth, during your very first treatment. Every noble child is marked at birth.”
“Do you have one?”
“I am not of noble descent.” He said like that should be a satisfactory answer.
“But you wear it on your coat.” I pointed to the bold black mark on one of the upper arms of his white coat.
“That is because I am in service to your family. I was not born into the Imperial family, so I am only worthy of wearing it on my coat.” He tone clearly implying that I was being dishonorable to my family by not appreciating the mark on my skin.
I scoffed. “Great. So I’m stuck with this for the rest of my life?”
“It is permanent. Yes.”
I felt the anger rising again. It was bad enough that these people had to drag me away from a life I was perfectly happy in, but they also had to brand me. I felt like kicking something. I glanced at the mark on my arm. It sat there bold and blaring against my pale skin. It felt wrong for it to be there, and my anger soared. The ferocity of it kind of scared me, so I closed my eyes and took a long inhale and slowly let it out. I then started counting to ten. It took five rounds before I felt my anger start to dull.
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I opened my eyes to see the Caretaker was buried once again in his device. I turned back to the new clothes laid out for me and roughly pulled them on. At least with the clothes on, I didn’t have to look at the horrible thing on my arm.
A few moments later, I stood slipping each of my arms into the coat. I purposely averted my eyes from the two marks blazed on the upper shoulders of my long coat. My eyes caught the sight of a pair of black boots.
I went to them and slipped them on too. I looked for laces or zipper to fasten them, but there were none. Instead, I felt the boots tighten around my feet all on their own. It was a weird sensation, but it engaged my curiosity and wonder, reminding me that even though somethings may be hard to adjust to, there would be many that could be fun and exciting if I let them.
A small smile cut across my face in spite of my lingering anger. Maybe this whole thing wouldn’t be so bad after all. I could look at it all as some grand adventure. Because it really was. I marveled at how quickly my reality had changed, and that it now offered me something I could never have on Earth––the unknown factor.
I had been on a planet where most corners had been discovered years ago and where most possibilities had been lived and experienced already. But now I had truly stepped into the great unknown where anything and everything could be possible now. And as someone who was naturally curious and enjoyed new experiences, it seemed like a dream come true. If this was going to be my new life, then I might as well try to enjoy it.
So I decided to own it. I marched across the room and stopped just before the door and looked back to the Caretaker who was still entranced by his little hand held device.
“Will you be showing me the way?” I asked.
The other man looked up with surprise on his face. I’m not sure what he was expecting, but clearly something had caught him off guard. He quickly put the device away in his pocket and came to meet me at the door.
“Of course, Highness.”
The Caretaker placed a palm at the side of the door and it slid open. He then gave me a nod before stepping out into the corridor.
I followed in quick and confident strides. It was strange walking in these new clothes. They were surprisingly comfortable, but I had never worn anything so long before as the length of the coat nearly fell to my ankles. Was this was it felt like to wear a dress? I did my best not to laugh out loud at that, but I was definitely laughing in my mind. Eric would totally be making fun of me right now.
My heart squeezed thinking about him. I could only imagine how he would take everything once he got the full truth from mom and dad. Oh, he was going to be soooooo pissed. Pissed because they’d kept this massive secret from him, but mostly pissed because he hadn’t been there when it all went down.
Another thought drifted up to me, one I had been hard trying not to think about since I left dad in that half-comatose state in our farm house living room. Would dad even be able to tell Eric anything? Would he come out of whatever was wrong with him?
I felt the panic and fear welling up and I immediately shut it down. I couldn’t do this right now. I couldn’t think about what had happened to dad and if he would be alright. I also couldn’t think about whether my sacrifice for him was even worth it. Maybe he was already gone? Maybe I had signed my life away for nothing?
“Go on in, Highness. The Admiral awaits,” the Benite said.
The Caretaker’s words thankfully brought me out of my downward spiral. I had been so wrapped up in my mental chatter, I had not noticed the other man had let me to another part of the ship.
The narrow corridor had widened considerably and we were in a cross section of opened door ways. From my vantage point, I could only see into the one opposite from where Benite stood.
It had many people in blue coats like mine. Some were moving around and others were seated at individual panels that were lit up in a soft green. Out past them, I spotted a large view screen and it showed a swirling mass of rainbow colors. I was memorized by the dancing light.
“Our ship is currently in hyperlight. That is what you are seeing on the display.”
I turned expecting to see Benite, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, a tall man in a blue stood next to me. He was currently looking in the direction I was, so I got a good look at his profile.
The first thing that caught my attention was the hawklike hook of his nose. I also noticed that his hair wasn’t quite as long as the others I had seen so far. While everyone was sporting slicked back hair and ponytails, this man’s hair was loose and barely made it past his ears. He must have noticed me noticing him, because he turned and gave me a nod.
“Forgive me, Highness for not introducing myself. I am Chief Thaddeus Hon. It is an honor to meet you.” The man gave a slight bend to his waist in a bow.
I was immediately impressed by this man. His whole manner and being seemed different from the other Ethians I had met so far. He was much more friendly and open. I felt a great relief at meeting someone that wasn’t so uptight.
“It is nice to meet you, Chief Hon, and it’s good to know that not every Ethian is sooooo…”
“Serious and tense,” the chief finished. He then smiled and leaned toward me. “It’s kind of prerequisite to being in the Zahnian Legion.”
I raised an eyebrow, “And what about you?”
The other man chuckled. “I haven’t been in the Legion as long as most of these others. They haven’t had the chance to scourer my personality yet. Give it a few years, I’ll probably be as emotionless as the rest of them. Besides, you looked like you could use some assistance.”
I blew out a breath. “Yes, this has all been a little overwhelming.”
The other man nodded. “I’m sure it can’t be easy being uprooted from all you know.”
I looked at the other man with curiosity. There was something about the way he said it that got my attention, but I couldn’t quite place what it was.
“You seem to know a lot about me?” I also didn’t add that that I couldn’t help but feel that us running into each other wasn’t some random event, though how I knew that, I had no idea.
Chief Hon smirked. “Your return to the Empire is one of the most talked about events in a decade. When I found out I was going to be on the ship to retrieve you, well I considered myself lucky, and I also couldn’t help but find a way to meet you. Now I can tell all my friends I talked to you. They’ll be buying me drinks for a month.”
A steady beeping sounded and my attention turned to a silver band on the Chief’s right wrist. It was pulsing a soft green that matched the beeping.
“Duty calls,” the other man pressed a small rectangular display at the top of the bracelet, the beeping and pulsing color stopped. “Perhaps, we will meet again.”
“It would be nice if someone could show me around the ship,” I said before he could dash off.
A look of uncertainty crossed the other man’s face. “I’m not sure if they will want me to do that, but I can ask.”
I gave the man a questioning look. “Why wouldn’t they want you to show me around?”
The Chief looked a little taken back by that. “I’m just a Chief. Technically, I’m not even supposed to be talking to you.”
“Then why are you talking to me now?”
The other man’s face paled. “Well, I––”
I gave a little laugh to try and lighten the sudden serious mood that had fallen on the other man. “I was just joking. I don’t mind. I like talking to you, and if it helps, you can tell whoever you ask that I insist that it be you who shows me around, and they can come to me to confirm if need be.”
The Chief nodded. “I will do that. I must go.”
I stepped aside so Hon could take his leave. I didn’t want him getting into any trouble on my account. “Of course, I look forward to the tour.”
The Chief gave me another slight bow, “Highness,” and then he marched away.
I felt a lightness in me that hadn’t been there since this whole nightmare began. I found myself looking forward to touring this ship and discovering all the secrets it held, and even conversing with Chief Hon again. But there was something else I had to do first, and my heart felt heavy at the thought of it.
I remembered my last encounter with the Admiral, and I wasn’t in a hurry to be in his presence again. But a deal was a deal, so I turned to the door that Benite had indicated earlier and made my way to it. I steadied myself for what was to come, hoping for the best, but knowing it would be far from it.