The Academy starship’s commander interviewed me for seven days while the ship was docked at Fortress Bratton. I repeated every action I’d taken during the Tyranus mission dozens of times and answered every question with the absolute truth.

Except how we got back to the ship.

“So, Alice Jones opened a portal, at which point, you all arrived on the starship?” the commander asked. A holographic map of the rift site floated above the escritoire in her office. Various markers indicated where I’d fought the Grendels, and digital scrolls recounted the events from the portal’s location to the extraction zone.

“That’s correct, Commander.” I hated lying to an RTF officer, but if she discovered I’d somehow gotten us off Tyranus, I’d end up on a table with a probe up my ass.

Or worse.

I had undergone various medical examinations, but none of the results had shown any mutations in my genetic makeup. I knew I had somehow teleported to the Academy starship, so I guessed whatever instruments they used couldn’t detect whatever magic lived inside me.

The commander sighed as she gazed at the holo and shook her head a dozen times. “I’m afraid none of this adds up . . .”

My heart stopped. Was she about to call in the guards and have me taken away to the Facility? I’d had hardly any sleep for the last week because I’d been wondering when this moment would come.

Even if the instruments couldn’t detect my mutation, the mind-reading mages known as diviners would rifle through my mind, and they’d know for certain I’d performed unauthorized magic on the planet. Kingdom law forbid the use of diviners outside of criminal courts, but such stipulations would vanish if I was facing charges.

“. . . that is unless my hypothesis is correct,” the commander finished after a long pause. “And now it’s conclusively proven.” She nodded to herself, removed her spectacles, and then her eyes met mine. “One of your fellow cadets must have manifested while the rift was opening. We are done here. You can--“

“Manifested?” I shouldn’t have even asked. I should have gotten my ass out of her office right then, but I was curious about what she meant.

“Unauthorized magical abilities,” she explained. “A mutation event. It adversely affected the Tyranus rift. Such events are so infrequent these days; it’s an anomaly we hadn’t accounted for. Suffice it to say, you’re lucky you survived. I’m sorry these interviews have taken so long. I’m sure you would have rather been celebrating your upcoming graduation.”

“It’s not a problem.” I was just glad not to be shackled and hauled off for dissection.

“Do you have any family coming to the ceremony?” she asked, and I was a bit surprised by her interest.

I shook my head. I didn’t want to tell the commander my home was a two-thousand-mile trip from Bratton, and Mom didn’t have the currency to take a shuttle. The thought only made me more determined to graduate and start earning Kingdom Points.

“No matter,” she said. “You’ll have more than a few fans cheering you on. You’re a hero now.”

“A hero?” I asked.

The commander nodded. “You survived a Level Three portal.”

“But all my classmates died,” I said.

“Not all of them. Ludas Barnes survived.”

I wasn’t sure how to take the commander telling me I was a hero. I had never been anything except an Outlander who had inherited a scholarship. The lowest of the low. Now I was somehow a hero?

“I just did the right thing,” I said to the commander.

“You did more than that. You showed honor beyond your rank. I am pleased to see an Outlander like you in the forces. I read your file, and you were granted a monetary scholarship by an unknown donor. You could have coasted along. Instead, you earned your way. I see you scored in the top 5% of your class. In fact, if the circumstances of your graduation had been different, you might have been given awards for having set a number of records.”

“Thank you for the kind words, Commander,” I said. “I honestly don’t care about breaking records. Nor do I care about being a hero. Neither of those things will bring back Alice Jones or the others.”

“Understood, Cadet Lyons,” she said. “But you should be pleased with your accomplishments. You survived a mutation event. Few are so lucky.” The woman gave me a look that suggested she was a little unsure how exactly I had survived.

After the commander dismissed me, I left the briefing room and realized that I had forgotten to ask her about the Grendel plasma rifle that I had acquired on Tyranus. She had confiscated it for evidence, but it would have been worth a lot of Kingdom Points to me. I debated returning to the room to inquire about the weapon, but I also worried that she might want to ask me more questions. I needed to get to my graduation, so I decided to forget about the rifle and focused on exiting the Academy starship.

Before I could leave the cargo hold, Ludas Barnes flagged me down. I wasn’t expecting to see him until the ceremony, but I walked over to him.

“Hey, Nick,” he said. “I spoke to my dad, and he said he would pull some strings and have you assigned to any starship you’d like.”

“Any starship?” I asked as I wondered whether Ludas was playing a trick on me.

“Correct. It’s my way of thanking you for saving my life on Tyranus. I don’t know how we got back to the Academy starship, but we wouldn’t have even made it to the extraction point if it wasn’t for your swordsmanship.” The noble stared at me with what looked like sincerity, and I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

“I just have to name a starship, and your dad will put me on it?” I asked.

He nodded. “Any ship.”

“The RTF Valor,” I said without hesitation, but a dozen butterflies suddenly gained flight in my stomach. It was the best ship in the fleet, and my dream assignment.

“Consider it done,” Ludas said as he smiled at me. “See you at graduation.”

I nodded at the noble as he sprinted down the exit ramp. He might have been doing me a favor, but he had teased me the entire time we were at the Academy, so I couldn’t help feeling a little resentment toward him. Even though I had saved his life and he had quit calling me ‘Poor Boy’, I wasn’t going to instantly forgive him or become his friend.

I walked through the rear cargo doors and entered Bratton’s giant docking station. All around me were the vessels of the Royal Trident Forces. I didn’t need to access the kingdom’s inventory on my prot-belt for the details of each starship. I knew every model like an old friend. There were Omuras with forklifts transporting giant containers into their cargo holds. I eyed the sleek Orcas, painted black and white, and imagined sitting inside one while their ionic thrusters shot me through space.

The last vessel I passed was the RTF Valor. It was an Assault Cachalot and the best starship in the entire fleet. I couldn’t help but stare at the gleaming metal of the massive combat vessel as I walked by. I wasn’t the only one either. The ship was docked to attend the ceremony, and I threaded through a crowd of spectators staring at the magnificent ship.

After graduation, I’d be on this warship, sailing across the galaxy and earning my keep. Maybe Ludas wasn’t as bad as I thought. He would get me the assignment of my dreams, after all.

I was so busy looking at the starship, I wasn’t watching where I was walking, and I collided with the back of a man in a silver vest. He grunted with annoyance and turned to face me.

“You lost, kid?” The man rubbed sparkling powder over his silver enchanter vest as I stepped back from him. Long gray hair hung in a braid over one of his shoulders. The man was a bit too tall, and his shoulders too wide for a usual enchanter, so I figured he must have been a washed-up soldier.

“Oh, sorry for bumping into you.” I was wearing my civilian garb so the enchanter couldn’t have known I was a few hours away from becoming a squire. “I’m about to be assigned to the Valor, so I was a bit distracted looking at her.”

“Assigned to the Valor, huh? You’re a lucky man, then.” The enchanter scrubbed his hands with a cloth, leaving behind remnants of the glowing arcane specks used to draw runes.

“Sure am,” I said, ignoring the man’s smirk of disbelief. “I’m graduating today.”

“So, you’re one of the cadets who survived Tyranus.” His smirk faded into an expression of admiration. “I hear you’re an excellent soldier. Although you’re going to be a tardy one if you don’t get moving.”

I checked the time on my prot-belt and realized I was running late. I sprinted out of the bay and into the fortress’ main drag. Hailing a sky carriage, I climbed inside and punched in the numbers for the Academy’s spire. While the carriage swung and swayed as it moved from one cable to another, I stared outside at the grand sky fortress known as Bratton. The edifice orbited my home planet, Dobuni--one of eighteen celestial bodies under the Caledonian Kingdom’s rule.

Bratton was like a primitive castle made entirely of bleached metal. The imposing fortress was built on an orbiting platform comprising over seven hundred square kilometers. Hundreds of carriages moved along metal cables from one spire to another. Wrapped around the spires were silver wheels etched with gravity runes glowing brilliantly. I remembered watching Bratton orbit the planet from my home in the tenements, always fascinated by its pulsing lights. Now that I was soaring along the skyline, I wasn’t any less impressed.

When the carriage arrived, I linked my belt to pay the fee. The carriage interface beeped loudly and registered an error. Before I could check my currency balance, a knight poked his head into the carriage.

“This one taken?” he asked. His dreadlocks were tied back, and faint runes glowed against the dark skin of his neck. My eyes were then drawn to the four-pronged kite shield embossed on the chest of his black dress uniform--the shield knight sigil.

“I’m just arriving,’ I said. “I . . .”

He glanced at the interface and gave me a knowing smile. “I’ll get it,” he said as he keyed his Master-class belt. Everything about the knight was massive. Most shield knights were big, but this guy was at least seven feet tall, and his muscles bulged beneath his uniform. I wondered how he ever found armor big enough to fit into. In full-gear, he’d probably look like a walking tank.

“Thanks for taking the fare,” I said as I stepped out of the vehicle.

“Wait a minute . . .” The knight looked me up and down. “You’re one of the cadets who took on a whole Grendel horde, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly like that.”

“Don’t be modest,” he said with a grin. “Everyone has heard what you and Duke Barnes’ son did on Tyranus. You might end up a specialist knight one day.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“I’m sure you will. Take care,” he said as he entered the carriage, and then the doors closed.

As I took the elevator to my lodgings, my steps were lighter, and I couldn’t help feeling like things were finally looking up. The doors opened with a hiss, and I crossed the long corridor to my room.

I unclipped my prot-belt and laid it on my bed. The Novice class item identified me as a cadet in the RTF, granted me access to the Caledonian network, and, most importantly, enabled me to modify the kingdom’s Runetech. As soon as I graduated, I was going to purchase a new belt, among other things. I couldn’t wait to see what I could buy with the Kingdom Points I’d accumulated.

Most of all, I was looking forward to opening the message my father left me. When I was fifteen, I had found it in my personal account along with the scholarship. It would remain sealed until I could open it with the squire palm rune I would receive during today’s graduation.

I opened the menu on my prot-belt and stared at the encrypted message. What could it possibly contain? Maybe a revelation about the secret missions my father had been sent on? I knew nothing about the role my father played in the Caledonian Kingdom’s military, only that he was involved in clandestine missions. Even my mother knew little about his past, but she had told me that he reported directly to the King.

After I closed the menu, I picked up my ceremonial cadet’s uniform: a full white coat with matching trousers. The items once belonged to my father, and from the way the coat hugged my shoulders when I buttoned it over my shirt, I was a little bigger than he’d been.

I attached my belt and glanced in the mirror. I didn’t see anything indicating I was a mutant. But then I’d never seen a mutant before. I couldn’t be sure there were any outward signs. The commander certainly hadn’t identified me as one from the way I looked.

For all I knew, Alice had been the one to bring us back to the starship somehow, and the mutation event was some cadet other than me. After all, the Academy’s doctors had been unable to find anything with their tests.

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No, it had to have been me who had transported us from Tyranus. I had desired more than anything to be on the Academy starship, and then we were there.

What was my ability to teleport if not a mutation? My skin paled and my mouth lost all moisture as I considered the implications. Was I responsible for the deaths of my fellow cadets? For the death of Alice?

I might have somehow triggered a change in the portal through a mutation event, but I wouldn’t let guilt weigh me down for the rest of my life. I could make amends by honoring the deaths of my classmates. I would become a squire and pass the knighthood examination. Then I would go kick Grendel ass for the rest of my life.

With renewed resolve, I turned back to the mirror and traced my finger over the intricate embossing on my coat. On my right breast was the royal symbol of the Caledonian Kingdom: a glowing trident. Today, I would become a squire, and take the first step toward knighthood. I wished Mom could have been here, but I knew she would be proud when she watched the ceremony on the Cube.

I exhaled and left for the amphitheater in the Academy’s carriage. I didn’t need to key-in my belt for this trip since it was inside the same zone. I watched hundreds of other carriages make their way to the massive stadium for the graduation. My heart fluttered as I thought about all those people looking at me. Not only would it be those in attendance, but the ceremony would be broadcast to billions of others. For a few hours, I’d be on every Cube throughout the Caledonian Kingdom.

Situated in the middle of the spires, Bratton’s amphitheater was an enormous domed arena with seating for over ten thousand. From my vantage point high above the arena, I could see the seats were full, despite only two cadets graduating today. Core World nobles and foreign dignitaries sat in the elevated circle, members of the Royal Trident Forces lined the center auditorium, and civilians amassed on the ground floor.

The carriage lurched to a halt, and I made my way through the arena’s reception. By the time I reached the podium overlooking the arena, I was feeling unsure about my presence here today. Behind me were dozens of caskets. I glanced at them for only a second, but the thought lingered that I was responsible for the deaths of my classmates.

Ludas stood beside me in a uniform similar to mine, except his noble family crest ran along his cuffs and collar. We awaited the arrival of whichever royal would officiate the event. I would have liked it to be Queen Catrina, but she didn’t attend the graduations personally anymore.

I’d been to three other ceremonies as a cadet. Normally I couldn’t hear myself think for all the cheering family members, but today a somber atmosphere silenced the crowd. Most everyone was garbed in the black robes of mourning. Even the nobles seemed to have chosen to don darker clothing, rather than their usual gaudy attire.

“Dad got you the assignment,” Ludas said to me.

“Thanks for following through for me,” I said as I blinked a few dozen times. I almost couldn’t believe this was happening to me. I still felt terrible that all of my classmates had died, but the Valor was the ship I’d wanted to be on since I first applied to the Academy.

“It was the least I could do after you saved me from the lizards. You’re a hero,” Ludas said as he put his hand on my shoulder. “Look, Nick. I’m sorry about giving you such a hard time and calling you—”

“Don’t mention it,” I interrupted him. “that’s all behind us now. We are good.”

“Alright,” he said as he nodded and turned to the audience.

I was ecstatic to be here awaiting my graduation, but the caskets behind me drained any desire to show it outwardly. All forty-eight of them represented the bodies of the fallen cadets I’d spent three years training with. The other two were for Sergeant Myers, the only person besides Alice who hadn’t called me Poor Boy; and the point clerk who’d died in my arms.

I tried to avoid looking at the parents of the fallen cadets. One face caught my attention, and suddenly I was walking down from the podium. Every eye watched me as I waded through the crowd on the ground floor and climbed the steps to the middle section where the members of the RTF were seated.

Alice’s family was gathered together, her mother clutching a tear-soaked handkerchief, her brothers and sisters silent. Under different circumstances, they might have been cheering and waving as Alice prepared to graduate as a jump mage. Standing above them all like a sentinel of honor, was Alice’s father. I shook his hand, and he returned a firm grip. Dozens of medals lined the right breast of his RTF veteran’s royal blue robes.

“Congratulations, Nicholas. You’re a fine lad. You deserve this.”

“I’m sorry Alice couldn’t be here today, sir.” I choked out the words.

“I’m sorry, too. At least I know she’s a hero.” He sniffed and gave me a strong clap on the shoulder. Alice’s mother smiled weakly at me, though she didn’t seem able to bring herself to speak.

With a nod, I walked back to the podium. Alice was definitely a hero, even if she hadn’t been the one to jump us back to the Academy starship. I wiped a stray tear from my face as trumpets blared.

A disc laced with gravity runes carried two figures over the crowd to the podium. Duke Edmund Barnes and a man I didn’t recognize wearing the purple robes of a mage stepped between Ludas and me.

The duke wore a bright red coat lined with expensive fur and a white silk tunic that pulled against his ample belly. His hand sat on the pommel of his jewel-encrusted sword as he looked out at the masses. I couldn’t help noticing the sneer he gave them, but it soon vanished when he turned to me. “Hello, Nicholas.” I bowed my head, and he turned to Ludas. “Son.”

Ludas seemed to cower before the imposing presence of his father. I didn’t blame him. The duke exuded a commanding aura, and it wasn’t just the Legendary runes glimmering along his garments when they caught the light. This man wielded power beyond anything even the guardian knights of the RTF were granted, and he had a personality to match.

Duke Barnes raised his jeweled hands to the audience, and the runes glowing around his clean-shaven neck enhanced his voice as he spoke. “Greetings nobles, dignitaries, warriors of the Royal Trident Forces, and subjects of our illustrious Queen Catrina, who wishes she could have been here today. Unfortunately, the constant threat of insurrection has made her presence impossible. Nevertheless, this ceremony is marred by a horrible tragedy. These empty caskets behind me represent those cadets who might have become squires today, were it not for the Grendel hordes which took them from us.”

When the duke finished speaking, the trumpets began the funeral ode, and the crowd silenced until the final stanza played. I thought of Alice and how much I cared for my only friend in the Academy. I swallowed back my tears as the trumpets died down. I should have asked her out. I should have at least told her how I felt about her, but now I would never be able to.

“With the Fallen watching from the furthest star, I present the cadets who will become squires today.” The duke adjusted the crown sitting atop his permed mop and held out his arm toward me. “Nicholas Lyons, Outlander, and survivor of the Tyranus Tragedy. His low birth was not the only obstacle he conquered to be here today. This cadet showed himself valiant against insurmountable odds.”

A chorus of cheering and applause erupted from the stands. Smiling faces filled the crowd, and I realized the truth of the commander’s words. These people all thought I was a hero. The viewers watching at home via the Cube’s broadcast would think the same.

A failed mission had brought me renown. I only wished it hadn’t taken the death of Alice Jones and the other cadets.

When the crowd silenced, the duke raised his other arm to Ludas. “Ludas Barnes, nobleman of the Core Worlds, Heir to House Barnes, and my son. Showing an unmatched bravery, he fought against an innumerable horde of Grendel monsters.”

I bristled a little at the duke’s exaggeration and tried to ignore the way Ludas puffed up his chest. I was a few seconds away from becoming a squire, and I didn’t want a lie to sour it. The audience broke into cheering a second time, and I saw Ludas mouth a silent thanks to me.

In that moment, I let all my resentment toward the noble fade away. I couldn’t hold onto my anger, not when I would end this day on the starship of my dreams.

“I present these squires elect to the subjects of our beloved Queen.” Reaching both arms to the stars, Barnes asked the crowd, “Do you, the people of the Caledonian Kingdom, accept these men as squires in the Royal Trident Forces?”

The crowd broke into an applause that rocked the amphitheater, and my chest blossomed with pride. The triumphant noise was much louder than before, and the people waved streamers in their hands. The black garments of mourning they wore vanished before the glittering colors.

Even in the tragedy, there was a silver lining. The broadcast drones zoomed over the crowd and faced me. I stared into their optics and thought about Mom watching me from home.

“This is for you, Mom,” I whispered.

Duke Barnes faced the mage. “Then I shall request High Sorcerer Silvester Polgar to anoint these men with their graduation honors of squire runes.”

The dour sorcerer took my right palm. All along the surface of his hand were scars. He removed a small canister from his robes and flicked it open. Bright gas fluttered out from it and then vanished. Inside, was the precious substance known as Arcane Dust. Grendel items brought back from rifts could be dismantled to produce this incredibly powerful material. The sorcerer placed a jewel-encased pinky finger into the canister and removed a tiny fraction of the glowing mineral.

Polgar’s eyes met mine, and for the first time, I noticed the scars fracturing the runes tattooed to his pale cheeks. The sight only increased my nerves as he held my right hand and used the Dust-soaked jewel to pierce my palm. I clenched my jaw as the sorcerer made an incision in the shape of the squire rune.

Arcane energy warmed my hand and flowed along my limbs until every part of me was about to burst. The magic infused my soul, making me something more than I had been before. This was the secret humanity stole from the Grendels, the secret granting us untold power from across the stars. Rune magic. The sensation faded, and all I was left with was a throbbing hand.

Polgar crossed the podium, his cloak billowing out behind him. He took Ludas’ hand and went through the same process.

“Now,” the duke said, “you shall kneel before me as the vector of our Queen’s divine graces, and enter the Holy Order of Squires.”

I took my place in front of the duke with Ludas beside me. I bowed my head as the duke pressed his ceremonial sword onto each of my shoulders three times.

“Stand, Squires. Your path to knighthood has only just begun. Go into the vast corners of the universe, fight our Grendel foes, and win relics for the kingdom. Once you have achieved bounties equal to 50,000 Kingdom Points, you shall be eligible for the knighthood examination.”

The duke grabbed our arms and thrust them into the air. “Honor your Queen and serve your kingdom for the rest of your days!”

Trumpets erupted into a celebratory chorus, and streamers burst from the drones, showering the crowd in dozens of colors.

The air above the crowd crackled, and the image of Queen Catrina appeared. Her golden hair framed an angelic face, and the sapphires encrusted into her crown made her azure eyes sparkle. She raised an ivory skinned hand and stretched her slender fingers in a royal blessing. Unable to do otherwise, I genuflected. Everyone followed, and the amphitheater went quiet as her beautiful face became sorrowful. I wanted to reach out to her so I might give her solace. Everything I’d heard about the Queen’s irresistible allure was true. I couldn’t tell if I was feeling this way because of magic, or because she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“My condolences for the many losses on Tyranus,” she said. “Your sons and daughters gave their lives for the Caledonian Kingdom.”

The music suddenly changed a fraction, and I noticed the expressions on the audience shift a little. It seemed as though their sadness melted away as the Queen’s mouth turned upward into a proud smile.

“Congratulations, Squires,” she said as her eyes turned toward Ludas and I. “For as long as the Caledonian Kingdom has existed in this section of the vast galaxies known to mankind, we have needed warriors. You shall defend against the terrors from beyond the rifts, and, should there be a need, you shall be called upon to fight against enemies in our dimension.”

The Queen’s visage vanished, and trumpets played a celebratory song while the crowds shuffled out of the amphitheater in single file. When I exited through the rear curtain, I saw an ensemble of knights strumming stringed weapons. Their tabards were inscribed with silver mandolins. These were herald knights with the magical equipment that affected others with their music. Their presence here explained how the crowd’s mood had changed so suddenly.

I had thought the Queen had removed their sadness, but it had been the magical melodies of these Space Knights.

“Sometimes people require a slight push in the right direction,” High Sorcerer Silvester Polgar said as he came alongside me. “A few runesongs from these heralds and the people calm down soon enough.”

I sighed and nodded. Those people the heralds manipulated with their magic had probably welcomed the enchantments. Their grief had been taken away while they stared at the beautiful face of Queen Catrina.

The sorcerer touched me on the shoulder, and the scars made his face pull into a hideous approximation of a smile. “Congratulations, Squire Lyons. You are quite the hero.” Before I could answer, he slinked away from me. The hem of his robes grazed the floor as though he was levitating.

I shuddered a little at the strange way Polgar had looked at me, but my thoughts turned elsewhere when I heard someone call my name in the passageway behind me. I found a bunch of strangers waiting to speak with me, and I lost count of the accolades I received as I walked to the amphitheater’s reception. Instead of whispers of my Outlander lineage, I heard recounts of my heroic exploits while I offered apologies that I was needed elsewhere.

I needed to check the assignment board to see whether Ludas Barnes had actually kept his promise. Part of me thought he had lied about speaking with his father, so I wanted to know for certain.

At the reception, a yeoman was standing in front of a console, and she smiled at me as I approached the assignment board.

“You’ll be pleased to know you received your requested assignment,” she said.

My heart pounded as I read the board.

Squire Ludas Barnes (Core World Noble) - RTF Valor (Assault Cachalot)

Squire Nicholas Lyons (Outlander) – RTF Valor (Assault Cachalot)

“We’re going to share a starship,” Ludas said as he peered over my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I said as I gave him a broad smile. Even if I would share the assignment with the guy who had made my Academy experience hell, I had to admit that life had just taken a significant upward turn.

I was now a squire aboard the RTF Valor.

“Want to head to the starship now?” Ludas asked me.

“In a minute,” I said, and my voice trembled a little in anticipation of what I was about to see. “I have something I need to do.”

I stepped away from the assignment board and found a quiet corner where I could open my prot-belt’s menu. I navigated to the encrypted message my father had left me, and I scanned my squire palm rune to deactivate the lock. A bell chimed, and the message opened.

Instead of a video recording or an audio message like I had expected, two words projected as a holograph from my belt.

RTF Stalwart

I didn’t know what my father intended by listing the name of a ship, but a few seconds of thought made my stomach sink with realization. Dad wanted me to open this note after my graduation, and everyone knew that a fresh squire would receive his first assignment on that day.

For some unknown reason, my father wanted me on the RTF Stalwart.

An assignment on RTF Valor was the most prized position for a squire, but being assigned to the Stalwart was the worst punishment imaginable. It was infamously known as the worst ship in the fleet. It was the laughing stock and butt of every joke.

My stomach sunk, and I let out a long sigh as I stared at the message for what felt like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes.

I couldn’t ignore Dad’s note, and I couldn’t ignore its clear implication. Despite my aspirations, the wishes of my dead father came first. I needed to honor his memory, and I knew all it would take is another favor from someone whose life I had saved.

For some reason, my long dead father wanted me on the RTF Stalwart, and I was going to find out why.

I closed the holographic message and walked back to Ludas.

“Are you ready now?” he asked.

“I need to change my assignment. Can you speak to your dad again?”

“What? What do you mean change your assignment? This is the Valor! An assignment like that doesn’t come around so easily.” His eyebrows bent up with confusion and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Do you think you can talk to your dad?” I insisted.

Ludas sighed. “Which ship?”

“The RTF Stalwart.”

“Is this a joke?” He gasped. “I said I was sorry for treating you badly at the Academy, but if you’re trying to trick me--”

“It’s not a joke,” I interrupted, and the nobleman took a few seconds to read my expression. “I’m sorry, I just… I want to serve on the Stalwart. I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but you said you would get me on any ship I wanted. Can you tell your dad I want to be assigned to the RTF Stalwart?”

“Okay,” Ludas said with a shrug and obvious disappointment on his face. “I’ll call him now. Are you sure? I was looking forward to us serving together on the same ship.”

“Yeah,” I said with a nod of confidence. “It’s what I want.”

The nobleman stepped aside and made the call while I waited. After a few minutes, Ludas returned with a concerned expression on his face.

“Dad wants to meet with you,” he said.

“Now?” I asked.

“Yeah. I think he wants to convince you not to take the Stalwart.”

“Damn,” I sighed. “I guess I’ll go see him.”

“Good luck, Nick, or maybe not.” The nobleman laughed. “I’d be happier if you stayed on the Valor, and you would be too. The Stalwart would be the end of your career.”

“Maybe,” I said as I gave him a smile, and then I turned from him and walked toward the noble quarters.

Now that I knew my father wanted me assigned to the fleet’s worst starship, I wouldn’t let anything stop me from getting on it. Even a duke.