Huzand, Captain of the Imperial Navy, Hero of the Empire Third Class, Initiate of War (Gunnery), Vermilion Wound Badge, Companion of House Jerrazis, and so forth.
‘You mean, “Cadet Khemri reporting, sir”, said Huzand. ‘You’re late. And what’s that filth on your face?’
‘It’s a Bitek digestive agent,’ I said. ‘Someone tried to drown me in the stuff on the way to the temple.’
Huzand glared down at me. I’d been worried that I might not be very handsome among Princes, but looking back at him, I knew I’d done all right in the looks department, comparatively speaking. He wasn’t ugly—no Prince is ever actually ugly, unless it’s by choice, like not having a wound fixed properly—but he had a very round head and sticking-out ears. He looked a bit like the Karruskan cabbage that Uncle Coleport, my last teacher priest when I was only a Prince candidate, had been so fond of. A Karruskan cabbage sitting on top of a very smart tailor’s dummy, since Huzand was wearing full dress uniform, complete with illuminated medals and a blindingly white holster at his side that contained a millennia-obsolete gunpowder revolver with an ivory grip, prominently tagged in my visual overlay as GIFT OF THE EMPEROR TO THE TALENTED DUELIST PRINCE HUZAND, PRESENTED ON THE OCCASION OF HIS FIFTEENTH VICTORY.
‘The Imperial Mind has no record of any such attempted assassination,’ he said. ‘In any case, it—’ ‘I hadn’t connected to the Mind when it happened—’ I started to say.
‘Silence!’ shouted Huzand. Now he looked like a red Karruskan cabbage. I wondered why he let his face change like that. He must like it that way, because he could easily dial down the capillary response. ‘You still haven’t introduced yourself properly. Take one demerit, and another for your improper turnout.’
I felt the transition of data concerning me from Huzand to one of his attendant priests nearby, and then to the Imperial Mind, and checked it out. It was not good, as it turned out. Apparently I’d been formally in the Navy only since walking into Huzand’s office, and I was already in trouble. The actual record went like this:
Enlistment recorded Imperial Navy Prince Khemri <> Cadet Ordinary Commence Naval Record 10:47:05 IST
Naval Record Demerit Applied Authority Huzand <> 10:47:50 IST
Naval Record Demerit Applied Authority Huzand <> 10:48:05 IST
I queried the Mind to see what a ‘demerit’ actually was and came up with the fact that it was a negative value in a score that was used to determine my eventual success at the Academy and graduate outcome in terms of rewards and appointments, but also—more important to me at that exact moment—every demerit meant a week confined to the cadet barracks.
I mean, what is the point of being a Prince of the Empire, one of the masters of the whole damned galaxy, and then you get stuck with stupid stuff like this?
‘I never wanted to join the Navy anyway,’ I said. ‘How do I get out?’
I said this aloud, but I also sent it as a question to the Imperial Mind. Naturally, I didn’t like the answer.
:Initial Service must be completed by order of Hier Majesty:
‘I can well believe that you didn’t want to join the Navy, Cadet Khemri,’ said Huzand. ‘I’m sure the Navy does not want you. I suspect you would do far better in something like Colonial Government . However, you have chosen the Navy, and the Emperor has accepted you. Now we must try to make you into an officer. You will begin by reporting correctly.’
I didn’t answer for a few seconds. I was still fuming inside, partly at myself. I was going to be stuck in this place, answerable to Huzand and every single Prince downward from him, for a whole year!
But a Prince can do a lot of thinking in a few seconds. I went from anger to consideration to something like acceptance. I was only going to make things worse if I didn’t obey Huzand. I had two demerits already, and
‘You mean, “Cadet Khemri reporting, sir”, said Huzand. ‘You’re late. And what’s that filth on your face?’
‘It’s a Bitek digestive agent,’ I said. ‘Someone tried to drown me in the stuff on the way to the temple.’
Huzand glared down at me. I’d been worried that I might not be very handsome among Princes, but looking back at him, I knew I’d done all right in the looks department, comparatively speaking. He wasn’t ugly—no Prince is ever actually ugly, unless it’s by choice, like not having a wound fixed properly—but he had a very round head and sticking-out ears. He looked a bit like the Karruskan cabbage that Uncle Coleport, my last teacher priest when I was only a Prince candidate, had been so fond of. A Karruskan cabbage sitting on top of a very smart tailor’s dummy, since Huzand was wearing full dress uniform, complete with illuminated medals and a blindingly white holster at his side that contained a millennia-obsolete gunpowder revolver with an ivory grip, prominently tagged in my visual overlay as GIFT OF THE EMPEROR TO THE TALENTED DUELIST PRINCE HUZAND, PRESENTED ON THE OCCASION OF HIS FIFTEENTH VICTORY.
‘The Imperial Mind has no record of any such attempted assassination,’ he said. ‘In any case, it—’ ‘I hadn’t connected to the Mind when it happened—’ I started to say.
‘Silence!’ shouted Huzand. Now he looked like a red Karruskan cabbage. I wondered why he let his face change like that. He must like it that way, because he could easily dial down the capillary response. ‘You still haven’t introduced yourself properly. Take one demerit, and another for your improper turnout.’
I felt the transition of data concerning me from Huzand to one of his attendant priests nearby, and then to the Imperial Mind, and checked it out. It was not good, as it turned out. Apparently I’d been formally in the Navy only since walking into Huzand’s office, and I was already in trouble. The actual record went like this:
Enlistment recorded Imperial Navy Prince Khemri <
Naval Record Demerit Applied Authority Huzand <
Naval Record Demerit Applied Authority Huzand <
I queried the Mind to see what a ‘demerit’ actually was and came up with the fact that it was a negative value in a score that was used to determine my eventual success at the Academy and graduate outcome in terms of rewards and appointments, but also—more important to me at that exact moment—every demerit meant a week confined to the cadet barracks.
I mean, what is the point of being a Prince of the Empire, one of the masters of the whole damned galaxy, and then you get stuck with stupid stuff like this?
‘I never wanted to join the Navy anyway,’ I said. ‘How do I get out?’
I said this aloud, but I also sent it as a question to the Imperial Mind. Naturally, I didn’t like the answer.
:Initial Service must be completed by order of Hier Majesty:
‘I can well believe that you didn’t want to join the Navy, Cadet Khemri,’ said Huzand. ‘I’m sure the Navy does not want you. I suspect you would do far better in something like Colonial Government . However, you have chosen the Navy, and the Emperor has accepted you. Now we must try to make you into an officer. You will begin by reporting correctly.’
I didn’t answer for a few seconds. I was still fuming inside, partly at myself. I was going to be stuck in this place, answerable to Huzand and every single Prince downward from him, for a whole year!
But a Prince can do a lot of thinking in a few seconds. I went from anger to consideration to something like acceptance. I was only going to make things worse if I didn’t obey Huzand. I had two demerits already, and
Similar Books
