On so many worlds there were so many languages and so many cultures. On one particular world they had a custom of naming their children in way that seemed stupid. Darkness was a young man from just such a world.
Darkness Grand looked at the time. It was late according to the ship’s clock. He was going to be sleepy the next day but it could not be helped. The words of Captain Tzuda still rung in his ears. Stupid. Idiot. Useless. Darkness didn’t know why it was the case that he did not instantly understand and perform perfectly after just being told how to do something. He was the newest member of the crew of the Adora. He got all the jobs that no on else wanted to do, including cleaning the components for the landing gear retraction mechanism.
It could not just be cleaned. There was a proper order to it. First Darkness had to use a pipe to unlock a panel by using the pipe to rotate the bar coming out of the panel. At the end of the bar it curved up and the pipe fit over that bit so it could be turned. Then once that was opened, one section could be cleaned. Then the next section could be opened. Darkness couldn’t open both sections at the same time because one would block the other. Darkness had not realized this earlier so he caught hell from the captain.
It was after working hours now and Darkness had used his own time to practice unlocking and locking the panel mechanism. In his mind he was breaking the whole process down into smaller steps. First this tool was in his hand, then he had to put it down and use the pipe, then once that was open, he used the other tool again, then the spray, then the pipe, then the tool, then the spray, etc. He believed he had it now.
Darkness cleaned up and went to the bunk room. CT-9FF was asleep in a chair since she wasn’t allowed to have a bunk. Captain Tzuda had made a rule that CT-9FF could only be in a bed for one thing.
Darkness went around her and climbed up to the top bunk.
“Boy, did you eat dinner yet.” Marvin asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well, then get to the kitchen.”
“For what?” Darkness asked.
“Dishes, idiot. I can’t wash them so it’s your turn.”
The alleged reason Marvin couldn’t wash the dishes was because of his robotic right hand. On the Allied world he was from, when a worker began to suffer from a condition known as trigger finger, instead of giving the worker time off to heal, they instead amputated the worker’s arm from the middle of the forearm and replaced the hand with a robotic one. It was faster than just letting the worker heal up. The planet always had to fulfill their quota to the Republic after all. Marvin was older now and joined the crew of the Adora to get off world at least once in his life. Now he was trapped. It was illegal for Marvin to disembark on any other planet and Tsuda had no plans to ever return to Marvin’s home.
Darkness Grand went to do the dishes. As he was washing he thought that maybe he should go ahead and tell Marvin that he knew full well that his cybernetic hand did not in fact prevent him from washing the dishes. But instead Darkness decided to just wash them. He remembered back to seeing the hand and then asking about it and hearing the story. It still sent chills down his back. Besides, his hands were also a lot cleaner after doing the dishes. In the shower he could never quite get all the black oil and dirt out from under his fingernails. He wore work cloves when doing dirty work but they just weren’t good enough to keep his hands clean.
The next day the Adora landed at a Republic station in orbit around a star that had no habitable planet. This system was part of the Republic but wasn’t one of the core worlds of the inner cluster so it did not mean death for the crew of the Adora to land there. At the station two men who were Republic citizens came aboard the Adora for transport to Alrani. The name sparked a memory in Darkness. Alrani was one of the worlds that had rebelled against the Republic when their application to become one of the members of the core cluster had taken too long. Darkness had lost his parents in that war.
The republic citizens came aboard and seemed unimpressed.
“What do you call this? You Allies don’t know how to clean nothing?” the Republic man said.
“I pray you enjoy your trip with us.” Tzuda said.
The Republic man slapped Tzuda. “Yeah. Don’t you dare look at me, Ally.” he said with all the intonation of a racial slur. “Get you sorry white ass out my sight. Bitch.”
Tzuda looked down and went away as the Republic man went to the cabin door and kicked it open instead of using the handle. The bang of metal on metal startled Darkness. He saw how everyone was walking on eggshells as long at the two Republic men were on the ship.
Once the ship got underway the Republic men were in their cabin and Tzuda was verbally abusing anyone who caught his eye. The abuse from the captain continued until CT-9FF came to bring him his coffee. Tzuda saw her and punched her in the face with his fist. The coffee went all over the cockpit floor and then Tzuda kicked the Ctype while she was on her bottom.
“Clean that up.” he yelled at her. “And bring me my coffee right next time.”
“I’m sorry.” CT-9FF said while trying to get to her feet.
“I know you’re sorry.” the captain told her. “Next time I should just …”
…
“Jim was my older brother. He wasn’t really related to me but all of us boys had an older brother assigned to us to help us and mentor us. My older brother was Jim. In the youth corp all of us started out the same so it didn’t matter if you were the son of a noble, an orphan like me, or even the son of the emperor himself, you had to start at the bottom and fight your way up.
“Yes, fight. It was a constant life and death battle to make it to the next day. We trained hard and we had to learn quickly. If someone didn’t, they wouldn’t make it. A boy in my squad missed a shot during target practice one time and we all got beatings so hard that we had to go to sickbay for days. When we got out we all ganged up on the kid who had missed the shot and beat him for doing that to us. When he got out of sickbay a month later he never missed a shot again.
“The stakes were high. There were only three outcomes at the end of the training. We’d be soldiers in the Imperial Army or we’d be dead. There was also the third outcome which somehow felt like the worst one. If a boy got kicked out he’d never be able to join the military. He’d be a lower class person the rest of his life.
“The incident happened when I was 13. Jim was 14 and he’d been playing cards versus another boy, Brandon, who was 16. An argument happened and the other boy accused Jim of cheating. I honestly didn’t know if Jim was cheating or not but he was very good at cards and I knew never to bet anything against him. Jim would not accept that insult to his honor so he punched the older boy.
“There is a rule everyone knows in the Empire. Unless you’re willing to take a beating for it you had better not do it. That older kid had no right to accuse Jim of cheating just because he couldn’t beat him at a card game. With that attitude how did he ever make it to 16 and still be in the corp? So Jim punched him as just about anyone would. You can’t say shit like that about people and expect them to not hurt you.
“Another rule everyone in the Empire knows is the best fight is the one the doesn’t happen. Jim punched the older boy for insulting his honor. That should have been the end of it. Just that much would not be considered a fight. Even if the older boy had blocked the punch it would not yet be considered a fight. But then to my shock the older boy punched Jim back. That was the point of no return. Now it wasn’t just someone beating someone else for being stupid. By hitting back the older boy was doubling down on the insult and was making a public statement that he did not agree with Jim defending against the insult to his honor. Hitting back meant that the older boy was willing to either die or kill to back up his assertion.
“In the Empire soldiers can retreat if it is for a tactical advantage but can never retreat out of being a coward. You can’t run from battle. You can’t surrender either. All fights are to the death. Either one of the two combatants will kill the other or the state will kill both of them.
“I knew those rules but in that moment when I saw that much bigger kid beating the hell out of Jim I couldn’t take it. I had never had any family of my own. Both of my parents had died on active duty before I could remember. I never had anyone who looked out for me until Jim became my older brother. He looked out for me from the time I was ten and we were best friends. He was the only family I had in the whole universe and here he was losing a fight and perhaps about to be killed over a card game.
“A stupid card game.
“I knew the rules as much as anyone but my emotions could not be kept in check. I couldn’t watch Jim die. I couldn’t. I had to act and my body was in motion before I knew it. I grabbed a pistol and I heard someone I passed asked me with alarm, What do you think you’re doing?
“I yelled for the fight to stop as I pointed the weapon at the older boy.
“Off of him. NOW! I’ll kill you. I mean it.
“The older boy got off and I grabbed Jim by the arm and pulled him away. I had the gun trained on the older boy and I was ready to shoot him the moment he made a move to attack me. But then the adults showed up. When they got there this didn’t look like a fight anymore. Once we were all separated the adults had to talk at length to figure out what was the correct thing to do.
“A few hours later word came about what the correct thing to do was. After interviewing several of the other boys who were there it was decided that this was a fight between Jim and the older boy. Therefore the fight should not have been interrupted. That would likely mean that I would get lashes later but there was something else that had to happen first. We were all ordered to put on our ceremonial uniforms and assemble in the arena. The bright afternoon sun beat down on us and down in the center Jim was brought out by two adults force walking him. The older boy came out under his own power. Before them both on the ground was each a knife.
“One of the adults began to address all of us on the importance of integrity and honestly. The parents for the older boy as well as Jim’s parents were brought into the area to say one last goodbye because one of the boys had to die.
“The older boy was still in prime condition because apparently Jim hadn’t been able to injure him previously. However, Jim was very badly injured and couldn’t even stand on his own. It was clear who was going to win this and all of us boys had to watch as this played out.
“Again I felt the pain in my heart. Jim couldn’t die. I would not allow it. I wasn’t allowed to interfere but I could not allow this. I must not allow this.
“Before the battle started right when the adults were leaving the fighting area of the arena my body yelled out and a scream escaped my throat. Everyone looked at me as I pushed my way to the front and jumped down from the spectator area. I undid the jacket of my ceremonial uniform and threw it to the sand along with my shirt. I walked over to Jim and pointed.
“This is against the law, I said.
“Some of the adults looked back and forth at each other and then three of them came out to me.
“What is the meaning of this, the headmaster asked.
“You can’t let them fight. It is against the law, I repeated as I helped Jim to his feet.
“What are you doing, Jim asked me.
“Shut up, I told him.
“Young man, you had better explain yourself to me. Now. You know the law. The fight must go to the death.
“It’s not Jim’s fight, I said.
“What do you mean, Jim asked me.
“Instead of answering him I backhanded him and at the same time I let go of the hand I had been using to help him stand. Jim fell back to the sand at my feet.
“He doesn’t belong here, I said as I pointed to Jim. I reached over to pick up the knife. This is not Jim’s fight. It’s mine. I was protecting an innocent and my fight should not have been interrupted.
“I heard Jim’s mother cry out in pain because she knew the meaning of my actions. I was saying that Jim didn’t have what it took to be a soldier and so the laws about soldiers shouldn’t apply to him. Jim would have wanted to protest but the only protest he could make that would count would be a physical one. He was in no shape to fight even me, much less that other kid over there. I was saving his life and putting my own on the line but even still if Jim could have killed me just then he probably would have.
“The adults accepted my judgment and the headmaster announced to everyone that Jim was no longer ever going to be a soldier. He was out and so was any chance of him becoming a full citizen. He would forever be just an Imperial Dependent with no say in the political process or anything else of note unless there was an emergency or he got a private commission from a noble.
“The adults dragged Jim away even as he protested verbally. There in the sun I held the knife, brave enough to fight to the death, but not brave enough to look at him.
“He will always hate you.” Sarah said. “I’m sorry for that. In secret I thank you every day.”
Max nodded. He wanted to say more but the words were not coming. Jim’s wife was very pretty. She had come to meet Max out here at this Ziot trading station. Max had held out some hope that Jim himself would come out to see him but actually it was just Sarah and she told him that Jim couldn’t know that she’d met with him. She’d wanted to hear the story herself from Max to see if it matched up with the version Jim had told her.
Sarah’s parents were objectors so they were Dependents and Sarah was destined to only ever be a Dependent. Jim had been in training as a boy. He could have been a full Imperial and he blamed Max for not making it.
“I don’t know how I can explain it to you. Jim was going to die. He couldn’t even stand up. Brandon was 16. Three years older. He wasn’t injured at all. Jim was going to die. And … uh … I couldn’t let it happen. He was the only person in my entire life to ever love me. I only had a moment to think.” Max struggled with his words. He looked up at the ceiling and gestured with his hands to try to get his brain to make a sentence that made sense. “As an Imperial we’re supposed to protect the weak. I saw Jim on the ground and he couldn’t get up. He was going to die. So I accused him.”
“Just like that? They never talked about it to me.”
Max shrugged. “I had to fight Brandon.”
“How old were you?”
“Thirteen. We were each given a knife.”
“I guess I know how the fight ended. But how? He was 16.”
“He charged at me and I threw my knife at his neck. He never reached me.”
“Imperials never miss.” she said, repeating the worlds that were common knowledge across the galaxy.
Sarah had gotten the information she had been looking for. She needed to leave to get through security for her trip back to Imperial Domain. Max was sitting alone again and wondering how long he would stay here. He was on leave and could go wherever he wanted but the prospect of meeting up with Jim and making peace with him had been so tempting he had come out to a Ziot station to do it.
The Ziot were strange to Max. He had been on dependent worlds before where it was Imperial law in space but local law on the planet surface. Max had training for that. Being at this trading station in Ziot space was different. They were not dependents of the Empire. They were trading partners of the Empire but the Ziot had their own fleet and did not rely on the Empire for protection.
In fact, the Ziot had their own money. Max had to change some of his creds to pezims and then was constantly doing calculations in his head to figure out how many creds different things would cost.
Max was considering going to a dependent world where gambling was legal. It was illegal in the Empire but legal on the surface of the planet. Max had never gambled before but he’d seen so many advertisements for gambling here on the Ziot station that it was getting him interested. However, if he was going to gamble and potentially lose money, he’d rather do it on a dependent world than here in Ziot space.
For now, Max had ordered a meal. He was planning to eat dinner, get a good night’s rest, and then head out in the morning. The problem with that plan was some puny publican assholes came into the place. There were nine of them. The Empire and the Republic had been at odds since before Max was born. The Empire was preparing for war with the Republic. They were on the lookout for any reason to start shooting. Any reason. Any reason at all. The Republic, with their fake government, and fake voting, and fake fleet, and fake laws was destined to fall to the Empire. Max himself felt his nostrils flare up and his face became hot as he looked at the puny publicans get a table. The nine men seemed to be in good spirits. Following behind them was a woman dressed in a boiler suit.
Max looked down at the meal he was halfway done eating but he could feel his anger coming up. Officially there was no proof but everyone knew the Republic was responsible for the attack on Invictus Station. Everyone knew it was true. There was officially no proof which was why war was not already declared but since the destruction of Invictus the Empire had been preparing for war. It meant to go to war. Every Imperial knew the names of the men, women, and children lost at Invictus.
Max brought food to his mouth and he felt his hands getting hot. He had to chew with his mouth open because of his breathing.
“Give me a reason. Just give me a reason.” Max thought to himself.
Max glanced over at the publicans again as if they had heard his mind they did give him a reason. One of the men slapped the woman who was with them. Striking a woman carried the death penalty in the Empire.
There was no thinking necessary. Max was an Imperial. He lived by rules. He lived by the law. The law was sacred.
