The Admiral and the Assistant

Herin Kasra entered the interrogation room with a box under his arm.

The room was small and soundproof. It was narrow enough that a table stretched across most of its width. A humming stretch of shielding split the room in two.

Herin sat facing the shielding, waiting for Senn Sehren to arrive.

After a few minutes, Senn was ushered in by a bored-looking guard. Herin checked his scanner to make sure the recorders in the room were disabled. He'd specifically requested it, and Roeder was willing to let Herin interrogate prisoners however he wanted.

Senn shuffled over to the chair, dressed in his orange jumpsuit, his wrists bound. His face was lean and haggard, and he clearly hadn't shaved in a number of days. He was a far cry from the urbane, well-groomed socialite that he had been in Techterra some months ago.

The guard left, closing the door behind him.

"Why are you here?" Senn asked. "Didn't you get your jollies when you arrested me?"

Herin's grin widened.

"Please, sit. I just wanted to talk to you about something I found in your hideout on Brolla," Herin said.

Senn stayed standing, but his eyes fixed on the package on the table next to Herin's elbow.

"What are you talking about?" Senn said.

Herin patted the box with proprietary air.

"I found a little something that I thought you might recognize," he said. With slow deliberation, Herin opened the box, lifting out the transmitter and setting it on the table.

Sen paled visibly. "What are you going to do with that?" he said.

Herin stroked the transmitter with something like fondness.

"It's not what I'm going to do with it," he said. "It's what I've already done with it."

Sen looked positively ill.

"What did you do?"

Herin's grin stayed fixed, watching Senn's eyes, watching the slow realization dawn.

There were so many delicious ways to hurt someone.

"I've made some new friends," he said slowly, relishing the crumbling of Senn's face. "Hungry friends. You might know them." Herin looked casually at his fingernails. "As it turns out, someone who'll spend the rest of his life in prison is not all that useful to them." Herin fixed Senn with a gleeful stare. "But I am."

Senn spat a vile oath, slamming his hands down on the table.

"You can't take my place!" he shrieked. "I found them! I contacted them! This planet rightfully belongs to me!"

Herin laughed.

"Senn, Senn, you think so small! How would you even rule anything once they're done? One planet? One galaxy? After it's been harvested?" Herin shook his head. "The best of a bad situation is still a bad situation. You lack vision."

"What vision?" Senn bleated, nearly foaming. "You're going to tell me you have some way to control multiple galaxies? Some way to rebuild more quickly after the harvest?"

"No. I'm telling you that this galaxy is irrelevant. One garden among thousands. I will become something greater. I will become one of them."

Senn's faced dropped open in horror. Herin's steady, unflinching grin shone back at him.

"You... can't," Senn said hoarsely. "That's not possible. You can't!"

"You can't," Herin corrected him. "I've already made the arrangements."

Senn's face flip-flopped between terror and rage.

"No!" he shrieked, spittle flying from his lips. "You can't take my place! It's mine! Mine! Mine!"

Herin carefully repacked the transmitter and stood.

"This has been fun," Herin said, "but I've got to go. I promised our friends I'd create a distraction, to make their work easier. Safer." He grinned. "I've already sent them the coordinates of the first planet to target."

"What do I care about what deals you've made? You're vile! A cheater! You cheat!"

Herin put on a mocking face of sadness.

"Now that's just hurtful. After all, I've done you a favor."

Senn's eyes rolled wildly.

"What favor?"

"Well, you're serving a life sentence. You might say I'm helping to reduce your sentence." Herin laughed with genuine delight. "I'll be taking a vacation off-planet here in a couple weeks. Say hello to our friends for me."

Herin Kasra cackled and walked out of the room, the transmitter tucked under his arm.

Senn came unglued.

"Guard! Guard!" he shrieked, his voice cracking.

"I'm coming, hold your shorts," the bored guard said, opening the interrogation door.

"Guard! You have to arrest Herin Kasra! He's bringing aliens to kill us all! He's calling them here to Techterra!"

"Sure, sure. Let's get you to your cell, get you some rest."

Senn snatched the guard by his lapels.

"They'll eat us!" he shrieked, spittle flying into the guard's face. "Don't you get it! They came from another galaxy and Herin stole them and now they'll eat us all!"

There was a loud buzz, then a thump as Senn's body hit the floor. The guard stood over him, stunner in hand.

"Geez, this one's finally snapped." He keyed his radio. "Dispatch, tell the warden Senn's a mental case. He's come unhinged, screaming crazy stuff. Get a psych in here, somebody that can medicate him. We probably want to put him on self-harm watch, too."

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"Acknowledged," came the reply.

"I do not like this," Minius said.

The sector they were in was empty, just like the last three they'd checked out. No red ship, no mysterious Aberrant. Another dead end.

"I did think that last gent was level with me," he said bitterly. "After I paid him a hundred credits, too."

Brutus twisted awkwardly from his console on the bridge to pat Minius' back with a huge hand nearly half the size of Minius' torso.

"It's okay, Captain," he said. "We're making good scrap money. We'll make it up."

"I are not worried about the money," Minius said. "I are worried about this Aberrant. Every story I hear, it gets worse."

Brutus gave Minius a worried stare. It wasn't like Minius to just dismiss lost money.

"They say the Aberrant moves around a lot," Brutus said. "Maybe we're just missing it."

Flander began tapping excitedly on the deck.

"What are it?" Minius asked.

Flander scraped out a complex pattern on the deck and pointed at its console with one of its many arms.

"What energy signature? You mean the Aberrant leaves an energy signature?" Minius peered at the smear of colors of the waterfall plot on the console. He cocked his head. "I'm not seeing it."

Flander pointed at the console again and scraped more patterns on the deck. It pointed at the console more firmly.

"There's... I don't understand, Flander."

The robot clanged a pincer on the deck in frustration and waved its arms in the air, looking for all the world like an angry sea anemone. It dialed over the display on the console and pointed at one of the jumpholes in the system they were in.

"It are okay," Minius said. "I do believe you. Brutus, set course. Let's see what is through that jumphole. Maybe Flander are the one that can find the Aberrant for us."

The shuttle touched down on the surface of Takkar, blowing leaves every which way as it settled on the firm turf of Kinnit's home planet. After a brief shutdown sequence, the hatch irised open. Kinnit and Grimthorn stepped out.

Kinnit took a deep breath. The fall air was crisp with a brisk breeze, and smelled of the harvest. She smiled. Fall was her second-favorite season, after spring. It was the last gasp of seasons before winter closed in, sealing them in the cave.

Before the Imperium came, the Kobolds had to hope there had been enough forage and harvest stored to see them through the cold months. If stores ran low, scouting parties would have to go out hunting for food. Most of them never came back. It was a benefit either way; hunting parties that never returned didn't eat, either.

Now, though, with the technology and bounty of the Imperium, there would always be enough to eat.

She closed her eyes and smiled, feeling the cool air brush across her skin, reveling in the feel of the familiar chill snap of fall air. She lifted her face, sniffing the wind.

Grimthorn laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I'm just... being home for a moment."

He stepped back and gave her time.

Kinnit spread her arms, feeling the wind, listening to the rustle of it rushing through the millions of trees around them, hearing the distant mating calls of the cat-bears. The bright yellow sun warmed her skin. She opened her eyes. The forest stood tall around them, vibrant greenery filling her view.

She let out a deep, satisfied sigh.

"I'm ready," she said, smiling.

Grimthorn nodded. They walked to the cave entrance and entered.

Her grin widened as they entered the dim, smokey interior. The sounds and smells of her youth flooded her.

"Hi!" she cried, waving one arm high in the air. "I'm back!"

The response in the cave was immediate.

"It's Kinnit! It's Kinnit!" the collected Kobolds cried. They quickly gathered, piling over each other. "Kinnit Longlegs has returned!"

Grimthorn ducked his head to step into the cave as well.

"Grimthornstonefist the Stormfighter! The mighty Grimthornstonefist!"

He gave an awkward wave.

The Clamber formed before them, the pile of Kobold bodies forming a swirling, swarming mass as they climbed over and around one another in their excitement. Kinnit gleefully flung herself into the pile. Grimthorn, used to the Clamber by now, climbed into it more carefully, mindful of his larger mass, making sure not to hurt anyone.

The Kobolds shouted and sang, passing the pair from hand to hand, reacquainting themselves with the heroes. Little hands touched, stroked, felt, and communicated. Kinnit touched back, communicating in the touch-language of the Kobolds, greeting and talking with her people.

Grimthorn, for all his familiarity with Kobold tradition, still rode stiffly through the Clamber as they were thoroughly re-introduced to everyone.

After a while, the Clamber settled. It spread out a little as Kobolds found spots to sit, though every Kobold was still touching at least three others.. Grimthorn and Kinnit were carefully set down on the floor.

"I bring news from the Imperium!" Kinnit cried.

The tightly assembled Kobolds chattered excitedly. Electric touch ran through the mass.

"The Emperor has eliminated the status of Subject Species!" she yelled, loud enough to be heard to the far edges of the crowd. "You are all now full citizens of the Imperium!"

The Clamber erupted in cheers, hooting, yips and singing. A group of Kobolds broke off and dashed to the stores to fetch some food.

"A feast! A feast for Kinnit Longlegs and Grimthornstonefist the Stormfighter! We feast!"

The Clamber spread out as the food was distributed. Grimthorn smiled wanly as he was handed a raw haunch of cat-bear. He knew it was a rare honor. He looked at the partially dried meat and put on a brave face.

He would do what he must.

As the celebration continued, Kobolds chattered excitedly with each other. Kinnit smiled at her people as they discussed Autumn, and the cat-bears, and the harvest. Her smile dimmed a little. There was no discussion of her news. She bolstered her smile.

"Aren't you all excited to be citizens now?" she said. The Kobolds cheered briefly, then went back to their discussions. Her face fell a little.

One of the nearby Kobolds, seeing her countenance, scooted closer.

"What is 'citizens?'" he asked.

Kinnit started.

"You don't know?"

The Kobold shrugged and took a bite of his food.

"It means we can go anywhere in the Imperium," she said. "It means we can all travel to the stars!"

The Kobolds cheered again, then turned back to their conversations.

"Don't you want to go to the stars?" she asked quietly.

"We do! We have Kinnit Longlegs to go to the stars for us!"

"But..." The food turned to ashes in her mouth as the chatter around her continued. "But you could go." She stared down at the bowl in her hands. "I... I just thought you would all want to be citizens," she said.

One of her neighbors, sensing her mood, spoke up.

"Kinnit Longlegs is happy we are citizens, so we are happy we are citizens!" General assent circled the group. "Hurray for Kinnit Longlegs!"

Kinnit forced a smile onto her face, willing her tears not to fall.

Some of the Kobolds began singing. Songs of Kinnit Longlegs and Grimthornstonefist rang through the cave as the Kobolds celebrated.

Kinnit broke away after a while, leaving Grimthorn to manage their social obligations. She stood in the mouth of the cave, looking at the evening sky. Her eyes shone as she gazed up at the stars she loved so dearly.

A small hand grabbed two of her fingers. She looked down. A very young Kobold was holding on to her, looking at the stars.

"What do they look like up close?" he asked.

"What's that?"

"The stars," he continued. "Are they big? Are they too big to hold? Old Rhody says the stars are too big for me to hold, but that doesn't sound right. They're so tiny."

She scooped him up and held him. They looked at the stars together.

"They only look small because they're so far away," she said. "They're not just too big to hold, they're bigger than anything you've ever seen."

The child's face screwed up in thought.

"Bigger than the cave?"

"Much bigger."

"Bigger than Lookout Rock?"

"Yep. Even bigger than the whole forest."

"So I can't hold one?"

Kinnit smiled and shook her head.

"No. Even if they were small, they'd be too hot. The stars are hotter than Flamefoot. That's why they're so bright."

The child's face opened in wonder as he gazed at the stars.

"Wow." They watched the skies for a few minutes. "I wish you were in the creche," he said finally. "I would come to you every day as my story-mother. You could tell me all about the stars."

Hot tears spilled down Kinnit's face. She squeezed him.

"You're very sweet," she said, once she could control her voice.

The little Kobold reached up to the sky.

"I want to see them," he said. "When I grow up, I want to go see the stars." He yawned hugely and snuggled deeper into her arms.

She looked affectionately at the child in her arms. His eyes were drifting closed.

"You can," she said softly, holding him tightly. "You can."