JSC: Chapter 4 – The Solider And The Servant

“Ow!” Lucas expressed as Jane finished cleaning his wound.

“Don’t be such a child.” She commanded playfully. Whatever awkward tension was between them before was now gone. “Can you get these?” She asked as she turned so that he could see the set of cuts on her shoulder.

Lucas began to treat them as he asked, “So where are we going?”

Treating his wounds had brought Jane back to reality and she knew she had to protect him from getting hurt again. “We need to get supplies. My plan is to get another government to offer you protection and with a little luck it can be made to look like a diplomatic visit. That will get us out long enough for things to calm down.”

“Ok. That sounds good. So where do we get supplies?” He asked her.

“Relantia. It’s a descent place but not as high-class as Casella. It’s eight systems over so no one there will expect us. When we drop out I’ll call Jarrarde and see if we can arrange somewhere to go after this. We have a few hours still, though.”

“What should we do? I’m not especially tired. I know I should be but I doubt that I’ll be able to sleep.” He informed her. He wasn’t trying to be suggestive but he did want to know more about her.

“First,” She said with a smile, “We should get dressed.” She moved back into the bunkroom and headed for the clothing dispenser. She pulled off a set of male clothes for him and then set of female for herself. He took them from her outstretched arm. He held them out before putting them on and noticed that they were uniform-like but had no labels. They were jet black and form-fitting but didn’t restrict motion.

After they were dressed they moved to the common area where Jane studied him intently for a moment. Lucas was about to try to ask her more about herself when she started. “I think you should learn to handle a weapon. I know it sounds unorthodox but it could save both our lives.”

He was a little startled by the suggestion but very few surprising things got to him anymore. He nodded his agreement and she stood from the table. He raised himself as well and she led him down the hallway opposite the one they used when they first entered the ship. There was a secure door along the hallway and she let the lock scan her BioDats. The thick door opened and she led him into the armory. There was a holographic shooting range to his right but the other three walls were covered with gear. Guns, tools, and gear of all sizes and types. She led him to the range where there were a few models already sitting out. She clearly had used the range recently.

She handed him a destabilizer much like the one she used on Count Sisco. She picked up one that looked identical to it for herself. “Okay, its pretty easy. Safety off, don’t point it at something you aren’t willing to shoot, and aim down the sights.” He lifted the gun and put his thumb on the auto-safety. As long as his thumb was there, it would fire at the pull of the trigger. There was a tone as Jane activated the range’s system. Targets popped up and she sank them all in seconds. “Your turn.” She said to him.

More targets popped up and Lucas did his best to hit them. It took a few shots for him to get the hang of it but he was holding his own after about twenty minutes.

“You’re actually pretty good for never using one before.” Jane told him approvingly. “I think it would be a good idea if we worked on this regularly. I’ll also try to teach you some hand to hand. Your uncle had too many enemies for you to not to.”

“It’s not a bad idea at all,” He said as he took his finger off the safety release and replaced the weapon on the range table. “But will we have much time for me to shoot while we are out and about?”

“See, I was thinking about something. High Casper Fredallas went on a tour of all of our allies and planets back in his day. I think we should stage the same thing. We can use it to both protect you and restore some faith to the name that you now hold.” She said as she turned and leaned against the range’s bench.

“Yeah, thanks for that by the way.” He said in mock displeasure.

She smiled at him and asked, “Think you can get a bit of sleep now? We still have almost three hours until we get to Relantia. You can use the bigger bed in my quarters if you like. I think I am going to check on some of the ships systems after that quick escape.”

“Uh, sure. I actually can feel this day catching up to me, thanks.” He said and she crossed to the door opposite the one they used to enter. She keyed it open and it unlocked much like the other one. This opened to a hallway not much bigger than a closet. The door on the other side opened to the bunkroom. The armory sealed behind them and she crossed to the door across the bunkroom that, Lucas assumed, led to her private quarters.

The last door opened and they were in her home away from home. Unlike the rest of the ship that was defined by cold light on cold surfaces, this room was warm. It was home. Deep reds and browns made up the color palate and the light was warm. The whole room was inviting and it was like they were no longer on the ship.

“This is amazing. This is nicer than my room in the palace.” Lucas said to her as she sat on the edge of her bed.

“Unless you downgraded since I was there last, I doubt it.” She said with a laugh.

“Okay well that has expensive things but this, this is home, isn’t it?”

She smiled at him and this time it was truly bright. A smile that betrayed how young they both really were. “I’ll come wake you when we drop out.” She promised and then he suddenly didn’t want her to go. She was already at the door to the outer hallways and she turned to look at him and said, “May the moons guide your dreams high.” With that she exited her room and he was alone. He stripped down to his generic undergarments and slid into the bed. It was amazing and as soon as he hit the pillow he was asleep.

Jane leaned her head against the bulkhead in the hallway. What was she doing? She was becoming involved. The elders would be angry with her for all of this. They wanted her to just meditate and become a monk of the order. She can’t do that though. She was bread to fight but raised to love. This is the only way she would be able to do both.

She moved about the ship checking the systems. The engine room was pristine but she tinkered with little things here and there. She had made it around the ship twice and prepared some food in the common area when the NST chime came over the speaker. She left the food in the mess corner of the common area and headed for the bridge ramp.

A few minutes later the ship exited the starless void of null space and reentered normal space. After the rainbow of colors had ended she checked the area with her scanners. She tucked the ship into the asteroid belt at the outskirts of the system and activated the stealth systems. She knew it was time.

After pressing a few buttons a large holographic screen appeared with the seal of The Order. A few moments later the seal dissolved and was replaced by the face of Elder Tammes. “Sister Smith, is the Casper safe?” He asked tersely.

“Yes Elder. I will not be disclosing my location in case we are being monitored.” Jane said respectfully.

“Jane,” The elder said in a more personal manner, “We both know that this channel is secure. The High Elder told me that you signed yourself up to serve him. Why Jane?” The concern was clear in his voice.

“Listen, you are the closest thing to a father I have but I need to do this. I am exactly what is needed to keep him safe and, well, I care about him. I did this to him.”

“Jane, what are you saying? I knew I shouldn’t have let you go to the capital for this trip. I hoped that it would give you closure.”

“I need to do this. I just can’t be a monk. I spent twenty years alone and I want to live. It would be nice if The Order could support me in this.”

The elder sighed and then looked back at Jane, “Lucky for you they Council of Elders decided that you may pursue this as you see fit. But be careful Jane, you can’t let yourself get, well, involved, with the High Casper.”

“Elder I am no monk and he is just a servant. You made me a soldier and I made him Casper.” She said solemnly.

“May the moons guide your hand Sist–, Sentinel Jane Smith of The Order of Guardians.”

“May the moons bless your path Elder.” Jane said as she closed the channel. She spun her seat around and jumped slightly because Lucas was leaning on the wall halfway up the ramp. She looked down for a moment and then back at him. “I see you’re up.”

“Yeah, I heard the alarm and wanted to see what it meant. I guess we are back in real space then?” He said as he walked up the ramp slowly. Lucas looked out at the space around them. The asteroid they were on passed into the light of the system’s sun which lit up the bridge despite the low light levels used during stealth mode. “Talking to the elders, huh?”

“I promise I was going to wake you, I just wanted to call in first.” She said defensively.

“I know. It’s not a big deal.”

“Lucas, how long were you standing there?”

“I came in shortly after ‘hello’ I figure. It’s okay. I care about you too. Can we make a deal?” Lucas asked her slowly.

She looked relieved until he asked about the deal. She tried to hide how nervous that question had made her. “Sure, what kind of deal?”

“Can we agree to be completely honest with each other? We need to trust each other with everything. It’s the only way either of us can be safe.”

She was slightly relieved by this turn of events but this was also new ground for her. “That doesn’t sound fair. There are things that you aren’t allowed to tell me. What then?”

“I said everything didn’t I? I can get you top-level clearance. I get to entrust my knowledge with whomever I chose. I am the boss, remember?” He said with a shrug.

Jane smiled at him and knew she had made the right choice. “Can I teach you how to use some of the ship’s systems while we take her in?”

“Sure. Mind filling in some holes about you and the order for me along the way?” He asked, returning her smile.

“Yeah. I think I can do that.”