Protector of the Realm Read Online Free PDF Page B

areas, which catered to trade between homeworlds. A multitude of restaurants offered a variety of cuisines from the different Supreme Constellations worlds. Hotels were prosperous, especially their casinos, since gambling had become legal five years earlier.
    The residential sector’s lower decks served as housing for the lower-ranking military staff and the permanent residents working in the private areas. Rae resided on deck 3, and so did her XO and a few other senior staff members.
    She stepped out of the car two stations and two minutes later, crossing an intersection full of people before she entered the school. Only seventeen children resided on the station, but occasionally generational ships would linger, and then Terence would work long hours to prepare lessons for them all. Right now the children, ages six to sixteen, were working in small groups at different projects.
    She saw Terence waiting for her at the entrance, and he waved her over while he walked toward his office.
    “What’s up?” Rae asked when the doors to the inner room closed behind the two of them.
    “Armeo arrived this morning with a security guard, and Dorinda and David immediately introduced him to the class. They’re both his age, and he seemed thrilled and settled into their group easily.” Terence scratched the back of his neck, a gesture Rae recognized as signifying his uneasiness. He looked regretful. “It’s my fault, Commodore. I should have realized…”
    “Go on.” Rae wondered with increasing concern why the seasoned teacher looked so distressed.
    “This particular group is studying trials and legal procedures in various parts of space. Since the six children in this group all belong to different homeworlds, they find this topic particularly interesting and were helping Armeo catch up when suddenly Dorinda came and got me.” Terence paled and slicked back his thinning gray hair. “Armeo was sitting by the computer, shivering all over. For a moment I thought he was going to be sick.”
    “Oh, God. What was wrong?”
    “Because he’s quite intelligent and curious, he looked up the different punishments for the same crime on several worlds. When I saw the screen, I noticed he was reading about Onotharat’s punishment for abduction and kidnapping. He must’ve figured out what his guardian is suspected of.”
    Icy fingertips tapped down Rae’s spine. “And?”
    “It’s an ancient, barbaric law, and it’s incomprehensible why any nation would cling to such cruelties. The punishment for these offenses is death by starvation.”
    Slumping into the teacher’s chair, Rae felt her lungs cave in. Forcing oxygen back in, she steeled herself at the images her imagination sent flickering through her mind. “Are you sure about this?”
    “Yes, ma’am. I double-checked while Dorinda took care of the boy. He seemed to respond well to her, so I decided to keep him here until I spoke to you.”
    “I should have researched this, but I haven’t had time yet,” she said, angry at herself for not studying this case as meticulously as she usually did. “Damn.”
    “I know. It’s unfathomable, ma’am. It also brings another question to mind.”
    Rae could read his mind. “Heavens, yes. Does Kellen O’Dal know? And what will she do now that the boy knows?”
    “I don’t envy you having to deal with that.” Terence regarded her with kind blue eyes. “Will you take Armeo back to his guardian?”
    “Yes, I have to tell her what happened.” Rae rose from the chair and looked through the window facing the classroom. “What’s Armeo’s educational level?”
    “He seems to be keenly interested in math and research. He’s well educated in all general subjects for his age. Whatever the circumstances, Ms. O’Dal has provided him with a proper education. He’s also polite, with excellent social skills, and his sense of humor has struck a chord with his peers. If we hadn’t been studying this particular subject, he would have