Empire of Bones Read Online Free PDF Page A

they send out to possibly contact other systems. Though I’m sure you already know this, allow me to state for the record that I pulled no strings. You earned this honor on your own merits. Well done, Commander.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    The two of them sat sipping their drinks and talking about recent events for the next ten minutes. Even after all these years, Jared still wasn’t sure what the Emperor hoped to see happen. The gulf between them was too wide. Perhaps the man just wanted to connect with his illegitimate son. That wouldn’t be easy for anyone, but it was probably more difficult for the Emperor.
    He rose when the Emperor did and followed him into the dining room. They’d just walked in when Princess Kelsey came in the other door. She wore a pale blue dress made of some light material that showcased her elfin figure. The men sat once she’d seated herself. Jared made no move to hold her chair for her. He’d learned the hard way that she didn’t appreciate the gesture from him.
    The Princess was dainty. A full head and a half shorter than him, she couldn’t have weighed more than forty-five kilograms. Long curly blonde hair framed a heart shaped face with bright blue eyes. Some nobleman would be happy to have her. Jared wished the poor bastard the best of luck.
    She shook out her napkin. “Ethan is feeling ill tonight and begs our guest’s indulgence for his absence.”
    A polite fiction Jared knew, but infinitely preferable to the hostile snipping disguised as conversation the Prince favored. “Of course, Princess. I hope he recovers swiftly. Please send him my regards.”
    Their father didn’t look very pleased, but he didn’t make an issue out of it. “Kelsey, to answer your earlier question, Jared has been appointed to command an exploratory expedition beyond the borders of the Empire. He’ll be leaving tomorrow. We won’t publically announce it until after they’ve departed.”
    Her expression brightened. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations. I’ve been reading about the last expedition. It all sounds very dangerous and exciting. Will you be looking for Terra?”
    He smiled, pleased at her enthusiasm. “I’m sure everyone would be happy if we found it, but that isn’t our mission. We’ll be locating unexplored flip points and seeing what’s on the other side of them. The odds are very good we’ll find something similar to the primitive systems we’ve already discovered.”
    She looked disappointed. “You don’t think you’ll find anything else?”
    “Perhaps there will be some intact ruins from before the Fall. That’s what the science community hopes anyway. A true treasure would be chancing on some undamaged computers, ones the rebels hadn’t fried. Finding Terra or any other major world isn’t very likely considering Avalon was on the edge of the original Empire. This part of space didn’t contain one of the Core systems they spoke of in the old stories.”
    “Wouldn’t that be something to see?” The Emperor mused. “I’ve seen the few existing images and videos of Capitol on Terra. The buildings seemed to touch the skies. And I’ve always thought the Terran Empire should have Terra as one of her planets again.”
    The Emperor shook his head. “I suppose I should just be pleased that our ancestor was able to flee here and that the few rebel ships that followed him didn’t eradicate all life before they were destroyed. We lost so much.”
    Jared had seen the crater left after the destruction of the former capitol of Avalon and its spaceport. He understood completely.
    The servers came in with dinner. The palace chefs had cooked the fish to perfection. It smelled delicious. Jared sipped the wine the man poured for him with approval.
    Jared continued the conversation after taking a bite of his crisp salad. “I’ve been looking over the records since I received my orders. The worlds we rediscovered didn’t seem high tech before the Fall. They were mostly