Kinnit had been spending the day in Admiral Stonefist's office alternating between fiercely focused work and daydreaming. Admiral Stonefist himself was scowling more than usual.
He was going through his messages when he stopped, and his eyes grew round with fury. He slammed a fist on his desk and spat an oath so vile that Kinnit's head popped up.
"Sir!" she said disapprovingly.
"Sorry," he said shortly. He stood and paced back and forth, muttering to himself.
"Is... everything okay, sir?"
"It's fine," he barked, still pacing, deep in thought.
"Is there anything I can help with?" she asked after watching him pace for a bit.
"Not unless you have a hammer big enough to knock some sense into those idiots at CenCom."
"What's going on?"
Admiral Stonefist visibly struggled with himself for a moment, then sagged. He stared out the portal, looking tired and beaten.
"I was hoping to keep it a surprise. But I guess it doesn't matter now." He turned to her. "After you saved the Ninth Fleet from the trap at Krivax, I put your name in for a Medal of Distinguished Action."
She gasped.
"A medal?"
"You deserve it," he groused. "I've struggled to think of anyone else who's done more to earn it. Without you, the Ninth Fleet would functionally no longer exist. But CenCom is... being CenCom about it all." He stalked over to his console and began reading the message that had roused his ire. "'While Assistant Kinnit's actions were beneficial to the Ninth Fleet--' beneficial, ha! 'it is against policy for the Imperial Navy to issue military commendations for actions performed by a member of a Subject Species."
He ground his teeth.
"Sir, it's fine. I wasn't expecting a medal or anything. I'm just glad I was able to help."
"It is not fine." She shrank back a little at his fierce tone, and he moderated his voice. "Sorry, Kinnit. I'm not angry at you." He took a deep breath. "I just wish I could shake some sense into those morons. 'Against policy.' Hmph."
He calmed himself a little and sat back at his desk.
"Very well. If they won't recognize you, then I will. I'm going to take a vacation."
Kinnit's face took on a confused cast.
"Sir?"
"Time off. You mentioned a while back that I should take some time off. And I think you're absolutely right. I haven't taken a vacation since..." he thought quietly for a minute. "In a while."
"Okay, sir," Kinnit said hesitantly. "I think that's a wonderful idea. But I don't see--"
"A very extravagant vacation. Somewhere nice. And of course, I'll need my trustworthy Assistant on hand, in case of emergencies."
She covered her mouth with both hands.
"Sir, do you mean--"
"Yes. I want to take you on a luxury vacation. If you'd like to go."
"Sir, I couldn't... it's too much!"
"Kinnit, you deserve more. So much more. You've saved my life twice and saved the entire fleet, and your only reward so far has been my grouching and more work. But I'll do my best to at least give you some recognition. Besides, we've both been through a lot lately. We could both use some time to decompress."
She couldn't respond, but she did bounce in her chair a little with excitement.
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She sat on her bunk that evening, staring unseeing at her novel.
Her! Admiral Stonefist was going to her on a 'luxurious' vacation! Of course, who knew what Grimthorn considered 'luxurious?' Indoor plumbing, maybe. She giggled to herself.
To Kinnit, her bunk was luxurious. The ISS Swordheart was luxurious. From her youth on her homeworld, everything she had experienced in the Imperium was luxurious, and she struggled to imagine what could be grander.
But she was excited to find out.
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There was a snapping tension in the meeting room. Sehren Senn stared at the other participants.
The courtier affected to look bored. "Well, another one of your Hands is down, it seems. I was beginning to wonder if you'd just kill them all yourself, but it looks like Admiral Stonefist's Assistant beat you to one of them."
Senn ground his teeth.
"You think I'm happy about this? All my Hands on the Swordheart are gone! But it had to be done. You know how vital secrecy is for our cause. Would you rather I let Captain Caltrel fall into the hands of the Cryptographers? You'd like him spilling his guts to CenCom? Or maybe you'd prefer Jorya being interrogated? She's been working with us for years. You knew her, Captain Denth, how do you think she'd have reacted to a plea bargain for amnesty for her embezzlement?"
The military man leaned back and waved dismissively.
"Don't drag me into this," he said. "I don't care who you kill."
"Maybe I'm just concerned where I'm at on your kill list," the courtier said airily.
"Keep running your mouth and you'll find out," Senn hissed.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Gentlemen," the industrialist said, leaning forward. "Please, let's not let petty insults drive us apart, shall we? Idrian, you know you're a valuable part of our agreement, nobody's really threatening you. We're all just upset at this latest setback."
"It's been nothing but setbacks, as far as I can see," said Idrian, the courtier.
"Look here, that's not true," said the industrialist. "Sure, Senn has lost a couple Hands, but we've still got the entire bug fleet at our disposal. And we're still here, aren't we? What have we really lost? A couple tools, that's all. Our circle is still strong. Our influence is still strong."
"Very well, Rax, I'll concede the point," Idrian said. He looked off into the corners of the room. "But it strikes me that we need to have some successful operations."
"True enough," said Rax, the industrialist. "I've got the bug armies under control for now, but they're not long-term thinkers. If I don't give them a juicy target here soon, I'm not going to be able to hold onto them. It's already outrageously expensive to keep them in line."
"The cost is irrelevant," Senn groused. "Once we have our war, your factories will be churning out weapons at unprecedented rates. You'll have to take over more planets just to build enough factories to keep up. How much return on investment will you get from an indefinite demand for your goods?"
Rax grunted with satisfaction.
"Yes, yes, I know. Nothing's as profitable as war." He rubbed his hands together. "The money from our eternal war will fatten the Imperium beyond anything ever before seen!"
"Nonsense!" said Captain Denth, banging the table with his fist. "War isn't about money! It's about the military! The Imperial Navy is fat and corrupt. We need a war to get us back into fighting trim. New war will cut the fat, and eternal war will keep us strong!"
"You have no idea what you're talking about, Denth!" said Rax. "The money we'll make will be so astronomical we can simply buy our way out of any new trouble! Eternal war is eternal profit!"
"Who cares about money or military?" said Idrian carelessly. "As long as my War Council can hold the Emperor's ear. And a permanent war will keep me at his elbow."
Sehren Senn grinned.
"Well said, all. We all have our unique ways of supporting the Imperium. We will all have an important place in this new world. We will all profit greatly from the new order."
"Well, what do you get out of all this, Senn?" Idrian asked.
Senn's grin turned unpleasant.
"Me? I get fear. Fear and anger. Eternal war is eternal fear. Stories of bloodbaths on the other side of the galaxy will keep every person in the Imperium glued to their scanners and holos, filled with dread, filled with hate. And the more they hate, the more they'll stay with me. And the more they hate, the easier it will be to guide them when the time comes."
"When the time comes for what?" asked Rax, a little unsettled.
"Sorry, I should have said if the time comes. If we ever need an uprising. Something to keep the Imperium moving in the direction we want. Something to keep our war in place."
"That's all fine and good, but again, we need a win to get all this started," Idrian pointed out.
Senn nodded, a sour expression on his face.
"Yes," he said. "Our primary enemies right now are Admiral Stonefist and his Assistant."
"Why do we care about the Assistant? She's just an SS, isn't she?"
"I understand now why Admiral Stonefist brought her in. This was a very clever maneuver on his part. She flies under the radar, because she's an SS, but she's his brain trust. She's clever, for an SS. If we want to eliminate Admiral Stonefist, we need to figure out how to eliminate both of them at the same time."
Captain Denth leaned back in his chair.
"Well," he said, a smug smile creeping across his broad face. "If that's the case, I came across some information the other day that may be very helpful in that regard."
All faces turned to Captain Denth. As he continued to speak, they all began smiling, unified for the first time that day.
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Kinnit darted from one side of the shuttle to the other, eagerly gazing out of the ports on either side. She'd been hyperactive all day, anxious to see what Grimthorn had planned.
There were only a few others on board the transport, besides herself and the Admiral, so her antics didn't bother too many people.
Grimthorn had managed to keep it a secret from her so far. They'd had a transfer to a civilian transport, and the difference astounded her. On the Swordheart, conditions were comfortable, but there were certain things that you learned to watch out for. There were edges and angles that would bruise or catch you, if you weren't careful. You didn't move too quickly around the corner of your bunk, or any desk, or the folded sheet metal edges would snag you. You didn't lean back in your chair with your fingers underneath it unless you wanted a nasty pinch. And so on.
But the civilian transport was completely different. Instead of bare metal surfaces, everything was covered in fabric, or plastic, or something smooth and pleasant to touch. Hallways and doors were wider, lighting was both softer and more abundant, and the air smelled of flowers or citrus instead of machine oil.
And that was just the transport. The civilian spaceport, too, had been roomier and less crowded, and everything moved faster.
She had been getting herself hyped up for weeks, and already this vacation was beyond her wildest expectations. Today she would finally get to see what Admiral Stonefist had planned.
One of the destination signs for the transport they'd boarded read "Ophir."
She hardly dared hope for so much.
"So, Admiral," she asked, her voice high with excitement, "any more clues to where we're headed?" She moved to the portal on the other side to gaze at the sprinkled stars.
Grimthorn grinned.
"We'll be there soon enough. Just a few more minutes."
She tried to frown at him, but she couldn't keep the grin off her face, nor her tail from swishing in excitement.
"Kinnit, I know that technically you're here in an official capacity, but this is really a vacation for you. You don't have to call me 'Admiral' or 'sir' until we're back on the Swordheart."
"Oh, yes, sir," she said without thinking. "I mean, Admiral! I mean--"
"Grimthorn is fine."
"G-Grimthorn." She smiled nervously.
He was in civilian clothes, and she realized she'd never seen him in anything but his powder-blue Navy uniform with the gold piping. Now he was in a loose t-shirt, canvas pants, and a ball cap, of all things. It was shocking to see him out of uniform, as though he'd switched into a different body entirely.
Not that it changed his bearing. The uniform just put angles and straight lines on him. The casual clothes did not hide his strong posture, broad shoulders, or effortless coordination. There was no mistaking what he was, with or without a uniform.
Part of her mind was yammering at her, nagging her to pause and drink in the look of him in civvies while she could. But the other part recognized that the thought was nonsensical, and she shouldn't look at him that way at all. And another, much larger part was still trying to figure out what their destination was, and had no time to spend looking at anything else.
The overhead speaker crackled to life.
"If you look out the starboard portal, you'll see we're nearing the planet Mebrin."
She gasped and dashed to the portal. As their transport turned to set an intercept course with the planet, it came into view.
"Grimthorn, you didn't! You did!" she nearly screeched, bouncing on her toes.
Mebrin was an ocean planet that orbited a friendly yellow star. The planet was a glittering cerulean pearl hanging against a splendid spray of stars and galaxies. The waters of the planet ranged from nearly white at the poles to a deep, rich purple at the equator. Small landmasses dotted the surface, rich green speckles scattered across the vast oceans. The sun shone proudly on the beautiful planet, its rays sparkling on the waves below.
Kinnit could barely breathe for the beauty of the sight.
And there, just visible against the blue of the ocean, was a distinctive silhouette: a transparent dome like a bubble, trailing a long, ornate ship colored white and gold.
"We'll be docking with the Ophir in ten minutes."
A wide smile split Kinnit's face as she made out the shape of the Ophir, the richest, most luxurious cruise ship in the galaxy, in permanent orbit around the exquisite tropical world of Mebrin.
"Grimthorn... it's too much," she said, her eyes laser-focused on the stunning display.
"It is not," he said. "Not for you," he added quietly, with his eyes fixed on her instead of the portal.