Authors: Phil Geusz

Captain (16 page)

BOOK: Captain

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It wasn't until James arrived amidst what seemed like half a battalion of marines that I was finally visited by a human I truly wanted to see. The moment we were alone he smiled his crooked little half-smile and I felt my ears relax the way they usually did only when I was alone with my fellow Rabbits. "Howdy," he greeted me. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here any sooner."

"No worries," I replied with a sweeping gesture. "I understand entirely, and always will. Besides, I haven't exactly been what you might call a hundred percent 'here' myself."

He nodded back. "So I've been told. Though they say you're growing stronger every day now."

"The stuff's all out of my system, finally," I agreed. "I'll recover fully, though it'll take some time to get my strength back. Except for my stomach, that is."

"Yes," James replied. "I'm sorry about that. Even there, the long-term prospects are good."

I nodded back. "It's hardly worth losing months in a Tank over. Besides, I can drink tea without problems. So long as I'm able to keep on doing that, all will be well."

James smiled back; we both knew I was mildly addicted to the stuff. "We'll be extra-kind to you at family banquets from now on. No more forcing human food on you in order to help you fit in better."

I nodded back—this had always been one of the greatest crosses I'd had to bear. Then I changed the subject. "They haven't told me much of anything, James. About what's going on in the outside world, I mean. Will you?"

"They didn't want you stressed any more than necessary," my blood-brother replied. "You very nearly died, you know. But I've been cleared to bring you up to date personally." He smiled again. "It's the damnedest thing, it is! Practically nobody seems to want to tell me 'no' these days! Not even doctors!"

"Heh!" I chuckled back. It was the first time I'd laughed in days, I suddenly realized. Then my expression sobered. "How was His Majesty's funeral?"

"It was… Dignified," James allowed after taking a moment to consider his answer. "We left a seat empty in the front row to represent you, with your hat and Sword in it. Right next to my own. We did something similar at the Coronation."

I nodded—it was perfectly suitable, and a higher honor than I'd aspired to. "Thank you."

James shook his head. "Thank
you
, David. For everything. I don't have to enumerate it all. We offered to let some of the Wilkes-Hashimoto people out of prison so they could attend the funeral, but none accepted the offer. They assumed it was a trap. Which it wasn't, of course." He sighed and looked down. "It's funny, how life works. For years now I've thought about being seated on the Throne, but never once in all that time did I even begin to imagine under what awful circumstances I'd begin my reign. Our prisons are chock-full, David. With political prisoners, of all things! You know how much I hate even the
idea
of that. And yet here we are, involved in wars both internal and external, threatened by a slave mutiny…"

My eyes opened wide. "A… A
slave
mutiny?"

He titled his head to one side. "My god, man! Have they kept you
that
isolated?"

My dangling jaw was all the reply he needed.

"Well… It began at the palace proper, the morning after you were poisoned. Then it spread across the entire planet in an eyeblink." He looked away. "It wasn't anything violent, mind you. But first all the Rabbits and then the Dogs and Horses refused to work. Very politely, I'll add—none of them so much as raised their voice that I've heard about."

"But…" I stuttered. "Why? Over what?"

"You, of course," he answered, still not meeting my eyes. "You see, word spread that you'd been poisoned but none of your fellows understood by who or why. Nor did they care, really. As near as anyone can tell, all they wanted was to know that you were getting proper care and weren't in any further danger." He sighed. "I gave a speech explaining everything in the simplest terms I could, with Nestor standing alongside me swearing it was all true. That, along with allowing as many Rabbits as we could manage from all over the planet to see firsthand that you were safe and recovering, did the trick. Everything's back to normal again, or at least as normal as they'll ever get. A lot of us humans won't ever forget the first time a Rabbit looked them in the eye and said 'no', you see." He shook his head. "I can't believe nobody told you!"

"I was pretty sick," I admitted. "Even delusional at times. They probably figured it was best if I was spared the worry." Suddenly I felt very small and pathetic. "You're going to have to free them, James. Sooner rather than later. It's the only way there can ever be any justice in the realm."

"Yes," he agreed. "Of course. I've always believed that, as you well know. But…" He sighed, still not meeting my eyes. "I hadn't thought I'd have to come to grips with it right off the bat, with so much else on my plate."

I nodded back. Theory was one thing, practicality quite another. James had a million excellent reasons to put the matter on the back burner. And yet… "I'll help wherever and however I can," I promised. "You know that."

"I'm absolutely counting on it," he agreed. Then he turned to face me again. "David… The doctors tell me you'll be fit for duty in about a month. Do you agree?"

"More like a week! In fact," I replied, throwing back my bedsheet as if to get up, "if you really need me I can—"

"In a month," James replied, grabbing the sheet and firmly patting it back down over me, "I'll need you very badly indeed." He sighed. "I've had no time to reconstitute the Heraldry yet, though it's a top priority. And yet I must immediately send someone who understands my mindset and can negotiate in my name out to deal with the Wilkes-Hashimoto situation."

I blinked. "I'm a naval officer, James. Not a diplomat."

"Exactly." His face hardened. "I don't intend for you to negotiate terms, David. I intend for you to
dictate
them. Which calls for another mindset entirely. That's the proper way to end a civil war. Unless of course they capitulate unconditionally, in which case you're to offer them generous terms, welcome them back, and promise a full restitution of their House's respective positions. Nothing in-between will do. My crown
will
be recognized, and the kingdom
will
be reunited."

I nodded in agreement. While I was hardly an expert on interplanetary reconciliations, it was good common sense.

"You'll require an appropriate force to accomplish your mission, of course," James continued. "I won't compromise your chances of success for lack of a few ships. Yes, they're urgently needed elsewhere. But this mission is most important of all." He stood up and began to pace. "First things first. You're not to risk yourself in any way, period. This isn't just because I'm personally attached to you; it's become a life-and-death matter for us all. Next time the Rabbits and the rest might not be so polite, and none of us want to even imagine where that might lead. While they're far more likely to accept your death in combat, well… Let's not run the experiment."

No, I most certainly did
not
want to learn what horrors a violent slave rebellion would lead to. So I merely nodded.

"That in turn requires that I assign you to a capital ship, one that's likely to survive practically any disaster." He smiled. "Once I framed the question to myself in those terms, the answer became obvious.
Javelin
will complete her refit in six weeks. What she can't outgun she can easily outrun. She's yours, David."

My jaw dropped again; commanding our sole battlecruiser was the plum job in the entire navy! "I… I…"

"That's a captain's berth, of course." He reached into a pocket and pulled out two rank emblems. "So we'll have to make you a captain to fit it. These are from Uncle Robert, with his blessings and good wishes. He asks you to accept them because you've still not worn any of his old insignias and, well…" He grinned. "Captain was as high as he ever got, you see. So this is his last chance."

My jaw was still working, though no words came out.

"My grandfather promised you a knighthood as well," James continued. "But… Under the circumstances, I don't feel it's wise to create a Rabbit-noble just now. Would you… I mean…"

"Of course," I replied. "Besides, I've always thought that 'Sir David' sounds silly anyway."

"I'll make it up to you in other ways," he promised. "I swear it. And…" He smiled. "Keep in mind that I don't think 'Lord David' sounds silly at all."

All I could do was to look at the floor.

"You're the most junior captain in the fleet, naturally enough," James continued. "Which will make finding subordinate commanders for your squadron difficult. But I imagine the Second Space Lord will prove accommodating. If he's not, of course…"

I nodded. "I know where to turn for help."

"Absolutely," my best friend and blood brother agreed. Then he held out his hand. "We're in this together, David, and have been for a very long time now. I won't be forgetting that any time soon."

"Nor will I," I promised, taking it in my paw so that the scars that'd once bonded us as blood-brothers rubbed firmly against one another. "Ever."

Then we hugged bunny-style, and once again everything in the universe was possible.

David Birkenhead’s adventures continue in Book 6: Commodore

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