Time had passed and the Princess and I were on our way up to Orbital Dock Markath. A massive space dock where many our of the ships in the Imperial navy were built, housed and launched from, our shuttlecraft awaited us. The hum off the elevator was the only thing breaking the silence between us. I felt her looking at my left arm, she was obviously interested in it.
“You never said that you lost your left arm when you fought Eragus, Ser Korvo.” Avanna spoke, attempting to break the silence between us.
“That’s because I didn’t. I lost my it long before I fought Eragus.” I explained.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to assume.” the Princess replied, her embarrassment flush across her face.
“Don’t be. It happened years ago.” I tapped the digits of my metal arm on the railing of the elevator, “Would you like to know how it happened?”
Avanna nodded as I began to regale her with how I lost my arm. When every Seiran, excluding the Royal Family, turns 16 they are required to perform a minimum 18 months of military service, it guarantees job placement afterwards and further education. During the 18 month term they are put in non-combat positions and are put through the entire training regiment of the Imperial Guard. I was one such Seiran, but after my 18 months I decided to stay with the Military and keep working as a solider. I was placed on one of the neutral space security details, protecting less evolved species, mostly just from planetary annihilation. When I was 19 I was assigned to Vertun Three, a small arboreal planet native to a species of plantoids called the Verdanta.
Everything was fine for a while, they were a surprisingly peaceful race, able to make anything and everything from other plant matter, they had some form of Flora-kinesis. But then the Ankarii attacked. It wasn’t an invasion, it was genocide. The unleashed a chemical weapon, changing the planets atmosphere from a nitrogen-oxygen based atmosphere to a methane based one. They had begun to toxify the very planet as a sick means of expansion and domination. I had evacuated as many civilians as I could on to the escape ships, but in my efforts I was captured by the Ankarii.
“I remember hearing about the devastation of Vertun Three, but I had no idea it was that bad.” Avanna spoke, a look of dread on her face.
“It was worse on the Ankarii ship.” I continued. “They kept me barely alive in one of their cells, barely feeding me and torturing me for information for the access codes to our Hyperlanes. I spent maybe 2 weeks as their prisoner before they moved to more extreme methods. It still hurts from time to time.”
My gaze must’ve travelled a good thousand lengths because when I came back from my recollection Avanna looked genuinely worried. “By the Eternals.” she mutters.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“I nearly broke until their ship entered was in moved to a new system, they were attacked by Pirates.” I continued, “I was rescued as the pirates made their way through the ship they found me. Seems back then even pirates had a respect for the Seiran military. They patched me up with a temporary prosthetic and dropped me off at the nearest Seiran station and I was able to report the movements of the rest of their fleet.”
Avanna spoke again, “We retaliated about a month later, took out an entire fleet and placed the Verthun System in our Empire, if I’m remembering correctly. The K’tiir were not happy about that.”
I nodded as the automated voice chimed in, “Now Exiting Exosphere, arriving at Orbital Dock Markath shortly.”
The elevator hummed as it came to an abrupt halt and the doors hissed open as we came out to a very sterile and clean environment, the site of transit shuttles moving from the dry dock to vessels. The Princess and I walked down the port an older woman was standing at the end of the last shuttle dock, dressed in a naval officers uniform giving orders to every grunt in a 15 foot radius. As we approached she spun around and gave me an order as soon as I took a breath.
“Why the Hell’s haven’t you loaded the replacement bionics?! Our VIP’s will be here any...” She slowed as she saw the princess at my side.
“I haven’t loaded the replacement bionics because I’m one of your VIP’s, Captain.” I joked.
“Ser Korvo!” The Captain panicked as she saluted, “I wasn’t expecting you so soon! Kassandre Vos, Captain of the Seleucia at your service!”
Kassandre Vos was a sturdy woman, well built, visibly strong, her left eye hidden behind an eye patch and a very obvious scar down the left side of her face. From the rumours I’ve heard she was in the Guard before being moved to the Imperial Navy. She was, and still is a hard-ass, taking no nonsense and respecting the chain of command.
“At ease Captain. Glad to see you run a tight ship.” I say saluting her.
“Well I would, IF THESE SLAG-HEADS WOULD PICK UP THE PACE!” she say looking at her crew as they almost instantly begin to work faster, hustling any and everything they can get their hands on into the shuttles cargo hold. “Honestly, if this were a Frontier Sector station we’d be on the Seleucia by now. Core Sector IG’s are slower than I expected.”
A hearty laugh came from her as she directed us to the shuttle, obviously poking fun at her crew, “So I’m given to understand that we’re heading to Novux-em? Beta Sector’s been awfully rowdy since the Betrayal.”
“It’s less Beta Sector and more the governor of it entirely. They’ve been obstinate ever since Novux-em went dark a month ago. I think the traitors might be responsible for that.” Avanna replied. “How long will it take us to get there Captain?”
Kassandre spoke matter-of-factually, “It’ll take us a week at the least to get there, Seleucia can make a hyperspace jump of a maximum five systems, That’ll put us on the edge of the Beta Sector border, after that it’s a matter of making it to the Novux System.”
We boarded the shuttle, a look of disdain came from one of the other crew members toward me as we strapped in for transit to the Seleucia itself.