Lost heir, p.24
Lost Heir, page 24
Hugh tried to imagine that but couldn’t.
“On top of that, she and her team discovered that their hard work in code breaking unintentionally ended up killing loyal spacers, and that they were trapped on a rebel ship. I heard about your little flash of brilliance back on Jeffco that almost blew the operation when you queried the attacking fleet’s transponders to identify them. It didn’t, but how would you have felt if it had?”
His stomach fell. If that had happened, he would have wanted to die. Had Maeve reacted that way when she found out?
She went on, “Your Highness, as emperor, how you deal with women may be even more important than how you lead men. Men have physical advantages in strength, but women are the glue that holds society together. Or women can tear everything apart. The same is especially true on a small ship like ours.”
A sudden stillness took him as thoughts and questions hit him. How had she survived, especially at the end with no friends, no support? For him on Pogue’s ship, would it have been easier or less scary? Probably less terrifying in most ways.
Breaking into his thoughts, Sally answered, “It might help you to understand how to work with her if you knew some more about Maeve, Your Highness.” And without even waiting for him to agree, she began to explain what Maeve had gone through. Some of her experiences Hugh understood only too well, but then there were the differences. While his family had died early in the coup, also, Maeve had actually been there when both her parents had died. And what Maeve had gone through on Bring It really shook him.
Sally continued, “The really sad part in all this is that Maeve has no idea how to act in a normal setting toward normal people, which is why her defenses are always up. She has learned to be tough.” Leaning forward, Sally earnestly smiled before patting his knee, a sincere action that made him wince. “Since her father died, she has been able to rely on only a few men. Then you came on the scene, the dashing prince who rescued her, and she has no idea how to react to you. Without her help, we wouldn’t have been able to get away from that ship alive and she knows it. She also knows, gut deep, that without us, without you, she couldn’t have escaped from that ship either. Ever. She knows she needed to be rescued but had lost all hope. The problem is that her emotional wall keeps her from being at ease with the reality that she is safe.” Then Sally surprised him. “You have a wall, too.”
Hugh opened his mouth to disagree, but Sally’s stern look stopped him. Almost as if she could read his mind, she drove on relentlessly, “You have one, so don’t argue. Why else did you put on that stone face when we started this conversation, if not to keep anyone from seeing what you were feeling?” Sally crossed her arms and sat back, waiting for a response. Hugh bit his tongue, refusing to answer. If he denied having a wall, she’d take that for proof it existed and, if he agreed, she’d probably give him a triumphant smirk. That left shutting up and waiting her out.
After a moment of silence, she quirked up the left side of her mouth and went on. “As I said, she acts the same way, too. Also, unlike you, she desperately needed the illusion that she could handle any situation on her own, something you caused to crumble. Can you understand how, rational or not, this makes her feel vulnerable and terrified? Based upon her past, any hint of weakness would have been blood in the water to the sharks she lived among.”
Almost against his will, Hugh nodded.
Sally gave him an understanding smile. “When she came on this ship, she felt deeply and completely humiliated in a way only a vulnerable woman can. Then, afterward, you didn’t even give her a throwaway thank you for her part in the escape. Bottom line: you hurt her feelings by interrogating her, by not trusting her.”
For Hugh, it all seemed too much. “Interrogating isn’t what I’d call it. More like an interview or a debriefing.”
Gail smiled at that. “Ward said you reacted the same way when he talked about that opening interview with you. But, yes, you did interrogate her. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit it, plus you know you needed to do it. You simply performed your duty as the heir apparent.” Before he could argue more, she glanced at Sally before continuing, voice soft but compelling, “Later, the Marines sat in the mess, talking and joking about the mission. She felt you were all a bunch of insensitive clowns. She knew those people who had died on that ship and, even if she hadn’t liked most of them, laughing about them dying offended her. She’s even been having nightmares about them dying.”
Hugh’s eyes opened a little wider in surprise. Then Sally added another factor for him to consider, “Besides which, and most importantly, she is the one who actually blew up the ship, something she is really struggling with. Being the one who pulls the trigger is always tougher.”
The memory of his own feelings and nightmares after shooting Pogue and his XO popped back into his mind, bringing him up short. He hadn’t even considered how she might react. Based upon what Gail and Sally had just explained, she understandably took it even worse than he had. How could he have missed the obvious?
Gail went on, “Since then, several unfortunate things have happened that have compounded her discomfort: her embarrassing pratfall in the corridor, the simulations where she feels far less capable than the rest of the team, you walking in on her in the shower, and last of all, Peterson.” Hugh opened his mouth to protest, but Sally quelled his attempt at self-defense before he could utter a word. “You have been respectful and proper and tried to do the right thing at all times.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Hugh asked dumbly, now totally confused
“Maeve needs time to adjust to being a part of the team, and after what she went through on Pogue’s ship that may take a while,” Gail said. “Until she does, you need to treat her less like Sally or Karen and more like the girls at Doña Carlota’s estate. You just need to be nice to her and patient with her. Especially patient,” Gail stressed.
“But—” Hugh began.
Gail shook her head. “I know this is hard for both of you. One more thing, I’m going to give you the same advice all young officers get from their sergeants: If you don’t know what to say, listen.”
Taking a breath, she paused in thought for a moment. “She wants desperately to be included; give her a chance. You’re the heir apparent, so she isn’t supposed to start conversations. Besides which, you are at least a little intimidating to those who don’t know you. You have loads of charisma. Both your father and mother had it, too. Men and women felt his power, believe me. I sure did, and you got his genes in spades. Maeve certainly feels the pull of your personality. She also admires what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. She wants to believe that you can fix what’s wrong with the universe, but is utterly terrified of what will happen if she does begin to believe in you and you fail like everyone else in her life.”
Maeve believes I can save the galaxy? She had a higher opinion of his abilities than he did, to be honest. His darkest nightmares were about his all-too-likely failure. Knowing how much she believed in him helped him feel he might be able to succeed.
An errant thought flitted through his mind. Does everyone on board feel that way? In that instant, the mere possibility of all those hopes and fears centering on him almost crushed the life out of him. He felt, for that moment, an overwhelming urge to run away, hide, and never come back. The memory of that dark meadow back in the mountains flashed before his eyes. He sometimes found himself wishing he had taken the other path back on Jeffco. After the nuke hit the estate, he had run deeper into the mountains for dear life. Resting at the meadow, well ahead of the fire, he relived his decision to either continue ahead toward the towns on the far side where he could disappear or race the fire along the left fork toward the secondary command post where no one might be waiting for him. He had gone to the left, chancing the danger of the fire coming over the mountain, because he knew his duty.
Sitting up a little straighter, he stiffened his spine. Doing one’s duty didn’t guarantee success or that right would always prevail, but it made success possible, if only an unbelievably small chance. His resolve to continue doing the right thing stiffened, too.
Drawing in a huge lungful of air as if he had been swimming deeply and just now broke the surface, he focused on Gail and Sally. Then taking the plunge, he asked the question he dreaded now more than any other, “Does everyone feel that way?”
Gail and Sally exchanged another glance before Gail answered with quiet sincerity, “I guess we do. I certainly feel that way. You’re our best hope, just about our only hope.”
Sally nodded, adding with a quiet intensity, “I do too, Your Highness. For Maeve, it is even more of a leap of faith. For years, she has lived in the bottom of a black pit surrounded by demons we can only imagine. During all that time, she has undoubtedly asked herself late at night, why she should go on living? Did she have a duty to try and save an empire she had no idea still existed? She had nothing to comfort her as she sat all alone in the dark. I’m sure you can understand that. All that changed when you came along: handsome, able, dedicated, charismatic, decisive, restoring a glimmer of hope and peace. You need to help her so that she, too, sees how she can make a difference. Feeling helpless feeds despair, so give her hope by including her.”
“I don’t know if I can do anything about this, but I’ll try,” he stated with a firm nod.
Gail added firmly, “It’s simple, really. For her to trust you, she has to know it’s the real you.”
Hugh nodded. He had no idea what else to do. He couldn’t say no, but he didn’t know exactly what to do next about Ensign uch Robert. “Thank you for the insights. Now let’s get back to something easy, like astrogation,” he said half clowning trying to divert them back to the astrogation instruction. Something he knew he didn’t do well on.
Gail and Sally laughed, but the look they exchanged said they thought he was headed for trouble at light speed.
Galactifacts for Kids 3500
Parsec. One parsec equals the distance of 3.26 light-years. It means one parallax arc angle second. It is based on the radius of Old Earth’s orbit around its sun. In other words, it is how a star seems to change position as Old Earth orbits the sun due to parallax. You can see an example of parallax by staring at a faraway object while closing first one eye and then the other. The object will seem to move, although it remains still. Star distances can be measured in the same way.
17
* * *
Choices Behind the Scenes
Ambrose B, Entering Crux-Scutum Arm
1505 BBMT 7 November 3473
As Hugh disappeared following the tactical simulations, Gail noticed Sally watching her. Deep in thought, Gail ignored her. After a good five minutes, Gail audibly sighed, before turning her seat to face Sally. “So, what do you think, Sal gal?” Gail asked as she searched Sally’s face.
Sally disappointed Gail, but didn’t surprise her, when Sally answered blandly, “About what?”
Gail pursed her lips in exasperation. “Why, is the star La Crescenta 52 a pure diamond or rhinestone, of course? Tell me what you think about Hugh and Maeve.”
Sally snuck a grin. “Just checking. For the record, I think that star is rhinestone. Bardingham is the real deal.”
Gail restrained herself from smiling. She really did need to know what Sally Carr thought about their heirs but agreed about La Crescenta. As for Sally’s judgment about Hugh and Maeve, Gail knew Sally loved the people around her with all her heart, which gave her a special insight into what they thought and who they really were. “And?”
“Hugh is a real smart-mouth and Maeve is uptight. If they opened up to each other, they could really help heal each other. If not, they will deeply hurt each other.”
“Do you think Maeve would make a good empress like Clara for Hugh?”
Sally did a double take before answering, “Really cutting to the chase, aren’t you? Personally, I think it’s a bit premature to think about matching them up. Hugh has to complete the test and we all have to live to get to Earth, so I’d let it go for now.” After a moment, an even bigger realization hit her. “Clara . . . as in good Emperor Ira and Empress Clara, the double heirs? Maeve’s an heiress?”
Gail didn’t answer the last question. “I need to make up my mind about something right now. Leave it at that. With everything coming up, especially Alpine, I need your opinion on my original question.” Sally didn’t know everything Gail did, and Gail couldn’t explain it to anyone. Well, anyone except Ward, and maybe an heiress, until both heirs, not just one of them, completed the test.
“Well, before we marry up the love birds, don’t you think we ought to let them decide if they even like each other?” Sally’s face echoed the disquiet she felt talking about this.
“Valid point, but not what I asked. How do you think she’d do as empress?”
Sally sat up after a moment more of thought. Confidently, she asserted, “She could make a great empress. I’m probably biased, but there is something special there, steel under all her defenses, which would match him.”
Gail nodded. “Thanks. I agree, but the only real way to know will be as nature takes its course. It may turn out they hate each other.” She paused, making a decision. “Let the girls know they’ll be providing Maeve with a protective detail when she’s off the ship.”
Sally quirked an eyebrow but left her question unasked.
“She is not taking the test . . . yet. But she is an heir. And keep that last part quiet, please.”
Without another word she stood, leaving Sally with the controls.
A rap on his hatch brought Ward’s head up with a snap, out of his deep concentration.
Hitting the com to the hatch, he simply said, “Come.”
Gail poked her head in. “Have a moment?” she asked.
Ward couldn’t read her expression, so he responded with a question, “Personal or professional?”
Gail shrugged. “Professional for sure; could be both.”
Ward’s eyes narrowed. There would be lots of coming and going in the corridors with dinner time near, so why had she come here now, taking the chance that she might be seen entering his cabin? “Come in and sit. I just finished reviewing Hugh’s progress.” In front of him, a series of graphs and notes filled the computer screen.
Gail perked up. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s on track.” Saving the file, he closed it. “I know you didn’t come to discuss Hugh, though, so what’s up?”
Gail gave an impish grin. “But I did come to talk about him. Him and Maeve, to be exact.”
Ward suddenly felt like he had walked into an ambush. Gail wanted to talk about both heirs, while seeming to dangle personal time as a carrot to get what she wanted. She had never manipulated him before, but they had never faced a situation like this one either. “Uh huh,” he answered noncommittally.
“I’ve just had a chat with Hugh, and I had one with Maeve, earlier. I’ve never seen two teenagers more confused about their feelings, honestly.”
“Feelings?” Ward asked. “For each other? I haven’t seen it. I mean, yes, Hugh seems to have noticed she’s female and in his age range, but no more so than any of the women on Jeffco.”
“From what you’ve told me, you kept him far too busy to even think about dating.”
“He wasn’t exactly locked in a monastery. He met girls. Mostly who had fathers who didn’t approve. Remember, they all thought he was an orphan being given a scholarship, not an heir to the throne.”
“So, what we have is a young man who has been alone most of his life, other than a pair of authority figures who undoubtedly loved him but never shared it, and some Elite Marines with all the manners of a wildebeest. It’s a miracle he’s not feral, never mind being clueless about women.”
Ward started to speak, but Gail cut him off. “And on the other hand, we have a young woman who lost both of her loving parents, whose sisters would just as soon see her dead, and who also grew up not just surrounded by the military, but by those who are the worst part of it: the misogynistic, egotistical filth, the very embodiment of ‘conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline,’ who commanded Bring It. It’s astounding to me that she could even imagine a romantic relationship with a man after all that. Yet, if I were a betting woman, I’d say Hugh has caught her eye.”
Ward raised his eyebrows and asked, “You done? Or is there more to this lecture?”
“I’m done.”
“Good. Now let me say this: Yes, Hugh isn’t as experienced as some his age when it comes to women and dating. But Doña Carlota absolutely drove into him the need to be a gentleman and to treat women with respect. In that regard, he may have been the most civilized male on Jeffco. Yes, Peterson provided the worst kind of role model, but Hugh recognized that he was trash when it came to women and demonstrated that by standing up to him when Pete behaved inappropriately with Maeve.
“Further, even if he is smitten with Maeve—and I’m not saying he is—he has far more important things to worry about than whether or not to pass her a note in homeroom.”
Gail just shook her head. “Oh, ye of little faith. First, Hugh actually doesn’t need my help. He understands that Maeve has been through a lot—more than any woman her age should have—and needs him to just be there, being normal and aware that what she’s been through makes it difficult for her to be trusting of men, in general. Second, I am still a little concerned about her emotional stability, but I think Maeve is about ready for the oath.”
“What!” thundered Ward, shooting to his feet. Glowering, he made an effort to contain himself as he sat back down, slowly. Gail really knew how to push his buttons when she wanted to! “Don’t you think we ought to discuss giving her the oath before you create a potentially fatal competition?”
