Battle Cruiser Read Online Free PDF Page A

by their longevity drugs.
    But for all that, I loved Star Guard, and I’d joined up despite the protests of my peers and my parents. Had there been a hint of rebellion in the act? Perhaps, but I enjoyed my uniform and my duties. Joining the Guard had been a dream since I was young, but it was a dream that had never been shared by my family.

-4-
     
    A tinkling sound began, announcing the coming of a speech. All around the vast ballroom, others took up the call, tapping on their cocktail glasses.
    Quiet fell gently over the group. A man entered the party and stepped forward to a lectern that had been hastily set up on a marble dais. The man was my father.
    “Uh oh,” Rumbold said at my side.
    Instead of echoing his concern, I lifted my chin. It was my impression that there were as many eyes upon me now as there were upon my father.
    Lady Grantholm had done her work well, circulating around the chamber and pointing me out to all who would listen.
    I stood steadfast and put a hand on the hilt of my saber. I would not cower and hide, no matter what was being said by those around me. My eyes were locked upon my father, as he smiled at everyone and raised his hands to salute us.
    He took in a breath, as if he were about to speak—and that’s when his eyes met mine. A shock of recognition froze him there.
    But he was too much of a professional to be rattled for long. Still smiling, he turned to an aide and whispered a terse message. Then he turned back toward the crowd and began his speech.
    My father was nothing if not long-winded. He began with a preamble of gracious thanks to everyone present, and a dozen who weren’t. Before he’d moved on to the meat of his talk, the aide he’d dispatched a minute or two earlier finally reached me.
    A hand laid itself over the gold braids on my dark blue sleeve.
    “Commander Sparhawk?”
    I looked at the man. He was Miles Tannish, a simpering fellow who I thought of as one of my father’s most dedicated lapdogs.
    “Yes, Miles?” I asked.
    “Could you step this way, please?”
    Slowly, I shook my head and turned my attention back to scanning the crowd.
    “Sorry Miles,” I said. “I’m on duty. Surely, whatever it is can wait until after the event has concluded.”
    Miles tugged at me slightly, hinting physically that I should go with him. My years of hard training had transformed me, however. I wasn’t a boy any longer. I was not budged.
    Miles made a sound of frustration. “Really, William, your father appreciates your dedication, but—”
    “Does he?” I asked in disbelief.
    “Yes, of course he does. But he’d rather have you attend to his security from another post. Surely, you could trade positions with one of the guardsmen outside, or—”
    “No, Miles. That’s not happening. Good evening.”
    “Very well,” he said, withdrawing his hand reluctantly. He slid away into the crowd and vanished.
    “I wanted to remove that hand myself,” Rumbold said quietly. “With my saber, if need be.”
    “Now, now, Rumbold,” I said, maintaining a mild expression through force of will. “That’s not our mission here.”
    My father moved on, announcing formally that he had been reaffirmed as the head of the party by unanimous vote. I wasn’t fooled by this. Like everyone present, I knew the Servants gathered in private and wrangled until it was clear one person had the votes to win. After that, they all pretended to have supported the victor from the start of the process. The party thus always appeared to be united.
    As the speech continued, I became increasingly annoyed with the situation. The tensions between my chosen profession and my father’s wishes had never been resolved. I’d hoped that several years apart had healed wounds. It now appeared nothing had changed.
    My father and I were much alike. Neither one of us took well to insults and slights. We could be bad-tempered, a thing we generally hid from others, but which came out in moments of stress.
    This was