Shadow of Truth

A distinguish man watched the sights from a large squared pane window then he turned his back to it. The conference room's two-hundredth floor height had transformed the air-cars and people into mere insects crawling harmlessly along an urban canyon. They never had any idea the events about to unfold. He took his seat.
Hidden in the shadows he waited for the other four informants. On cue his view-screen beeped.
The man pressed the display and up popped four holograms.
"Evening gentlemen. This will be our last meeting together. Let's get started."
He remained hidden from view from the informants.
"Republic of Natrin has recently suffered a flood from their planet Fortine. They are in dire need of supplies. We will make sure they do not make their rendezvous. This will be the start of Operation: Havoc.
The man pressed a display button. "Mr. Costin, I sent you information about the ship, who the CO is, etc."
"Are we taking the supplies?"
"No. The ship must be destroyed. Make sure it looked as if pirates took them out."
"You got it, sir."
Costin glanced down at the info sent to him.
"Mr. S I have placed you in charge of all the informants. Whatever orders I give you, you are to relate them back to the others."
Mr. S nodded. "Yes, sir I understand."
"President Dimitrov is aware of Operation Havoc as you well know. My concern is he may jeopardize the operation."
The man glared at the informant who spoke. "Mr. Goldwin you are the right hand of President Dimitrov. It is your job to make sure it does not happen. Another thing I am placing you on another assignment. I will contact you later for the assignment."
Goldwin nodded in understanding.
"Operation: Havoc is designed to overwhelm Natrin. With tension already between Kadia and Natrin it will be the tipping point.
The youngest informant raised a finger. "What of the nobilities sir?"
"Graham Gallagher will be the one to take care of them. Indirectly, he will be responsible for the schism among them. They too have reached a breaking point. His ego will be the driving force behind their demise.
"In a G-year he will make a run for Prime Minister again, but this is a discussion for later. For now you all have your parts to play.

YEAR ONE

Chapter One

Taylor Gowen woke up with a start. In her dream ships were attacked, some destroyed. The people responsible did a series of hit and runs. The nightmare frightened her with such intensity it gave her a headache. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Privacy windows off."
Her large bedroom windows unfrosted. She saw in the distance the main mountain range on Licis Island, Mount Enciotto. Taylor had spent her childhood here and the thought of leaving the beautiful landscape made her uneasy. Sure she occasionally went on an expeditionary dig with Uncle Daxx, but this was the first time her parting will be extended to two G-years.
It threatened to rain.
"Looks like a storm is on its way."
She sighed and dressed. "Hopefully not a sign."
Taylor packed the evening before so she was ready to go.
To the observer one would think the home was behind the times but stepping inside it was not the case. Inside it had the modern commodities one could hope to have. The nearest transport station was 100 km away.
She walked into the kitchen and noticed the wall screen beeping. Taylor turned on the view-screen. It was Uncle Daxx.
Taylor, I am sorry I cannot see you off there was an emergency at the site we excavating.
"It's fine. I'll be okay." She hid her disappointment. It had to have been an emergency because her uncle never made a promise he couldn't keep.
Well, Pierre is on his way to you instead.
Pierre Beauchamp was a family friend whom she had known since she was little.
On cue the door chimed.
A man came into view behind her uncle. He stood a great deal taller than her uncle.
Hey Taylor. Congrats on your acceptance.
She smiled. "Thank you, Dick, hope you get the emergency straightened out."
Don't you worry about that.
Dick Swann and her it off rather well. She met him half a G-year ago when he allowed her to come onto the site. When Dick was not working, he entertained her with silly songs.
An elder woman's head popped into view.
"Well I'll be Taylor. I reckon I ought to give my congrats too."
"Thank you Pepper."
Pepper Berry hailed from Piridia III. Hence her thick accent. She and Pierre rescued her uncle and herself years ago when she was still an infant. Although she was close to both of them, she still did not know the circumstances surrounding her parents and siblings death. Her parents and three other siblings had died in undisclosed circumstances when she was one and half G-months old.
All she knew was Uncle Daxx was her mother's elder brother. She always wondered about the circumstances but they always sidestepped the answer. Eventually she stopped asking.
The door chimed again.
Daxx's face softened. Your parents would be proud of you today. I know you will make a fine officer. Love you, little groundhawk.
"Love you too, Uncle Daxx."
Taylor shut off the view-screen.
She walked to the door and took off the security. The door slid opened.
Pierre Beauchamp was a tall broad shouldered man with a thick Rancian accent. Rancia was in the Natrin Sector of the Santeria System. She always saw him as a great pillar. Taylor felt safe when he was around and loved him dearly, like another uncle.
"Good morning, Miss Taylor. Are you ready?" He called her Miss in his native tongue.
"Good morning. Yes, I am ready." She grabbed her duffel bag by the door. In her transmission Taylor was informed to bring the essentials. Her uniform and other Academy issue clothing would be hanging up in her assigned dorm.
"Okay, Pierre, I'm ready to leave."

The shuttle shook hard as the turbulence from the storm.
"This storm came rather fast, Miss." Pierre commented. No matter how many times she told him, he always called her Miss.
Taylor did not trust herself to correct him. She was too busy trying to keep her wits about her.
Pierre finally rose above the storm and straightened the transport shuttle.
"See, no problem."
Taylor nodded in agreement.
Ten chrono-minutes later, a female voice came on the opened com-link channel.
"Welcome to Pavro, please state your business."
"Hello, my business is escorting a cadet to Republic of Natrin's Space Naval Academy. I am sending my authorization codes and information to you now."
"Thank you Mr. Beauchamp please proceed to East Docking Bay."
East and West Docking Bays were designated for incoming traffic. North and South Docking Bays were designated for Flight classes.
He landed the shuttle and turned in his seat. "You have a great time and a good first year Miss Taylor. Good luck."
Taylor smiled. "I plan to, Pierre."


Chapter Two

Taylor Gowen stood on the sidewalk and looked around Republic of Natrin Space Naval Academy.
She stood near a large fountain which had been turned off for the autumn and winter season.
Glancing at her holomap she noticed behind her was the female cadets housing units. To her left was the shuttleport designated for flight classes. Directly in front of her was the male cadet housing units. Behind Artrium Hall, named after creator and founder of Natrin Space Naval Academy Charles Artrium, was the library. Artrium Hall was where she needed to head.
Taylor shut off the holomap and glanced at the transmission memo-pad. Although classes would not start for another G-week, incoming First Years were to report to Artrium Hall to pick up their instructions. The dorms were opened for incoming First Years and those with special privileges.
Most likely the Nobilities, Taylor thought with a smile.
For the most part the nobilities ruled the spaceways the only people who kept them from gaining too much power was the Assembly Courts.
She had no problems with the Nobilities, she admired most of them, but her uncle refused to discuss them. Every time there was a news-com on them he would have a sad, longing faraway look in his eyes. Then ask her to turn off the news-com.
Taylor straightened her bag on her shoulder and made her way to the main building. She bumped into a young man making his way across campus.
He dropped his memo pad.
"Hey, watch it!" He snapped.
His accent suggested he was from Chaladen. Chaladen was in the Pivol Sector of the Natrin System. It had two sister planets; Selan and Irenia. Chaladen was the larger of the two sister planets. It was eight light years from Natrin and had good size space navy despite being relatively small compared to Natrin.
The young man looked familiar, but she was not for sure where she had seen him.
Taylor bit back an angry retort, but he had continued on his way.
"Excuse me," she muttered. Taylor was not one to hold grudges so she moved on.
Artrium Hall was packed with First Years and long tables. Some of the lines were long while others had only one or two First Years. Taylor made her way over to the table after asking instructions from a Fourth Year cadet.
A lady with her gray hair tied up in a tight bun sat behind the table.
"Name?" she intoned.
"Gowen, Taylor Reed, ma'am," She responded.
The woman presses several buttons and up popped a hologram. She continued pressing on the hologram, making it scroll through names.
As Taylor waited, she focused her mind elsewhere. With her exceptional hearing, she picked up conversations in Artrium Hall as if the people were standing next to her. Taylor furrowed her brow. She overheard one conversation with a male cadet having to remember to ask for permission to do experiments. Another conversation she heard, about the son of a war hero attending the Academy.
The Natrins was one of many individuals with inept senses. Selan had accelerated healing rate, Chaladen had keen eyesight, Boradan possessed immense strength, and the Ja'an could move so stealthily as if they were death themselves.
Finally, her information popped up on the holo-screen. The woman touched the display screen and the holo-screen closed. She pressed on the right side of the table and memo chips slid out.
"This is your class schedule," she said, indicating the larger of the two, "And this is your dorm code," indicates the smaller of the two. "Memorize it then discard it in the recycle compactor." She picked up a memo-pad sitting in front of her. "These are the rules and regulations. I'd familiarize myself with them. Any rule breaking here will of course have consequences. Depending on the rule or rules broken it may lead to expulsion. Have a good first term."
That was certainly to the point, thought Taylor. She thanked the woman and looked at her dorm code and memorized it. Once again, she bumped into someone. This time it was she who dropped her memo chips.
"Oh, I am so sorry. I am such a dunce." The girl straightened her shoulder strap on her duffle bag.
Taylor picked up her bag and memo pad from the floor.
"It's fine, no harm done."
"Right, right. Well, anyway, I am Regina. 'Reggie' to friends." The girl stuck out her hand. She had a brogue accent suggesting she might have been from Selan.
She caught the eye of a young man glancing at the young woman, but the young man quickly left Artrium Hall.
We're not here even two and half chrono-minutes and already Reggie has an admirer. She refocused her attention. The name sounded familiar, but she wasn't for sure where she had heard it.
"I am from Eben, Selan." She blew a strand of her beautiful red hair out of her face.
Selan, I thought as much.
"Taylor Gowen. I'm from Licis Island, Natrin." She grasped Reggie's hand and shook it.
"Pleasure to meet ye. So ye are a First Year? How do ye like it so far?"
"Yes I am. And I haven't been here long enough to decide how I like it."
Reggie beamed. "I am a bit nervous myself. I come from a long line of Space Naval officers, so I decided to try my best to do this. A bit of a shock when I found I was accepted. My family was all so proud. So what dorm are ye in?"
How does she manage to speak all in one breath?
Taylor glanced down at her memo chip She pressed it and a hologram of a number popped up.
"Delongis Hall. Room 102, Onyx Ward." She replied. Most of the dormitories were named after a famous person in history. Not all were from Natrin.
"Really! Me too. So we are dormies. I had this image in me head what my dormies would look like, but I never imagined someone as beautiful as you. Ye look a wee bit familiar." She tapped her finger on her chin thoughtfully. Reggie shrugged. "Oh well, I guess it was not important to remember who."
Taylor blushed at her comment. Her uncle was always telling her she was a beautiful image of her mother. To have a complete stranger tell her this... well... it made her blush.
"It's kind of you to say so."
"Tis true though."
"Anyways, it is fantastic we are dormies. If you want we can walk over there together. We do not have to though." She said quickly.
Taylor shrugged. "It's fine."
I don't think I will meet a more spirited person, she thought. Taylor could not help but like her.
Reggie switched shoulders with her bag and together they went looking for their dorm.
There were few girls in the hallway, one in which the same young man she noticed earlier, was helping a young woman carry items onto a trans-lift. He grinned and nodded at them, winking at Reggie. The young woman was fighting a battle to get her hair out of her face. She beamed at Taylor and Reggie in passing.
Taylor and Reggie looked at each other and smiled. They continued on their way.
"Here we are." Reggie indicated to the door marked 102. As the doors slid opened, they walked into the dorm that would be theirs for the next two G-years. A window overlooking the campus was the first thing Taylor noticed. On one side of the room was a single bunk with a desk beside the front of the bed. On the other side was a bunk bed with two desks at the foot of the bed. The top bunk was occupied.
"Well, it looks like our other dormie has arrived as well." Reggie glanced at Taylor.
"Which bed do ye want?"
Taylor looked back and forth at the two beds and made her decision.
"I'll take the single. That is if you don't mind."
"Not at all."
As the girls, unpacked, another cadet walked in. The young woman had mocha-colored skin with a slender built. She stood at 175 cm. Beautiful was the only word to describe her.
"Hi, I'm Fallon Cormick, Second Year. So you are the two new dormies." Fallon smiled and stuck out her hand to Taylor. She returned her smile and shook Fallon's hand.
"I'm Taylor Gowen from Licis Island, and that's Reggie from Selan," she pointed to her, "we're First Years."
"Wow, a native and a Selan. They didn't tell me that. I'm under-dorm floor consular so I have the privilege of getting in dorm early. Otherwise, I'll have to wait till the end of the week."
"Where are you from, Fallon?" Taylor asked.
"From here. My ancestors immigrated from Southern Gaida, the village of Kea to be exact. I don't remember when."
Reggie looked up from packing and smiled. "How are ye?" she asked Fallon.
"I'm fabulous." Fallon returned her smile. "Sorry, I didn't bother asking you which bed you wanted. I didn't want to leave my stuff on the floor. So I picked the first bed and placed them there."
"That is fine, we do not mind." Reggie replied.
Leaning into Taylor, Reggie asked, "We do not care do we?" whispering low. She smiled and shook her head.
"Do you want the top bunk?" Fallon offered to the girls.
"Nah." Taylor responded.
"No, ye can take it." Reggie replied.
Fallon changed the subject asking about their career track.
"I am going for tactical." Reggie said.
"I'm going into command track, maybe go into Intel later. What is your career track, Fallon?" Taylor asked.
"I am engineering track. I'm surprised you aren't Taylor, what with you being Natrin and all."
"Well, I thought about it, but decided instead I wanted to command."
It was the start of an excellent first year, or so Taylor thought.



Chapter Three

It was the first morning of classes after a whirlwind week.
"What are ye classes this term?" Reggie asked.
Until this morning Taylor could not send a transmission to her uncle.
In her transmission she apologized for not letting him know sooner she is settled. Then Taylor and Reggie had breakfast in the Academy's mess hall.
Fallon said she would meet them in the mess hall for dinner and left for her own classes. They walked to their classes early just in case they became lost. It gave them extra time to get acquainted with the campus. But the two friends still had trouble finding everything.
"Beginning Flight, Survival Training, Honors Quantum Physics I, and Zero-Space Training." Taylor replied glancing at her info-pad.
She glanced up again. "What are you taking?"
"Tactical Situations I, Quantum Chemistry I, Zero- Space Training, and Beginning Flight," Reggie replied.
"Who do ye have for Beginning Flight?" Reggie asked. She glanced over Taylor's shoulder at her info-pad.
Taylor looked at her info-pad again.
"Timothy Silva."
Reggie groaned.
"Me too. Silva is known to be a hard case. Me brother, Duncan, said Instructor Silva once made the whole class run 50 laps for one person being late. One of many examples of him being a hard case. Instructor Billie Harris is more relaxed. She is the instructor everyone wants."
"When do ye have him?" Reggie asked.
Taylor looked at her memo pad again.
"It's my first class."
"Fantastic! We are in the same class. Though I am concern about passing."
"Oh, well I'm sure we'll do fine." Taylor shrugged.
"Ye are not a negative person, are ye?"
"I try to look for the best in every situation."
"An optimist. We will get along just fine." Reggie said with a smile.
Taylor and Reggie arrived in their class North Docking Bay. There were vessels in different shapes and sizes, but she knew they would most likely be using simulations for this class. After all it was Beginning Flight. As cadets progressed into advanced Flight Classes they would use actual shuttles.
As Taylor looked around, she recognized only one or two. One particular male cadet looked to be part Ja'an, with chocolate color eyes and thick dark brown hair. He stood at 168 cm. He smiled and laughed with the other male cadets around him. The cadet looked familiar, but could not remember his name. Soto or Sueyoshi.
Cute, Taylor thought to herself. Then she swept her eyes toward the other side of the docking bay. Another male cadet caught her attention. She remembered his name being Evens, Ethers or something like that. His father was Chief Marshall on Piridia III, if she recalled correctly. They escorted her and Uncle Daxx to safety during the riots some G-years ago. He stood 175 cm, trimly built, and thick close-cropped hair.
Another cute one, Taylor thought.
"Hello, Taylor over here, lass." Reggie said waving her hand in front of her face. Taylor shook her head.
"Sorry. What were you asking?"
"Who do you have for Z-space Training?" Reggie repeated.
She looked at her info-pad.
"Rich Didier."
"I have Frances Kinoy." She said glumly and her face brightened again.
"At least we have one class together. Shame we do not have Survival Training together. I do not have it until next term."
"You're getting it out of the way? So am I." Taylor said.
"Aye. My Dad suggested I take it as a First Year. So when I am a Fourth Year, it will be relatively stress free.
"Funny, that's what my uncle Daxx said."
They stopped talking and watched the incoming students spilling onto the docking bay and Taylor recognized Justin Isaacs since they were from the same city of Pavro. His family was her neighbors nearly every summer. He was book smart, but low on common sense. Ironic because last she heard he was taking the medical track.
Half a chrono-hour had passed and their instructor blew a whistle. Taylor snapped to attention.
"Morning!" Silva barked.
"Morning, Instructor Silva, sir!" the First Years barked in response.
"Form a line!"
They did as they were told. Reggie and Taylor stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the cadets.
"When I call your name step forward and form a line in front of me." Instructor Silva backed up and emphasized with his index finger.
Taylor wondered what Silva had in mind.
"Abercombie, Byron." The short, stocky, chocolate-toned First Year nervously made his way to the start of a new line.
"Cloud, Ashley." Her name suggested she was from the planet of Shatri in the Echodine System. The Shatri was said to have links to the future through their dreams.
"Etheridge, David."
Taylor inwardly smiled. It's Etheridge I knew it was something like that, she thought.
"Gowen, Taylor." She took her place beside Cadet Etheridge and could smell his aftershave. It had a lovely aroma in her opinion. Taylor was disappointed Reggie was further down the line. She wanted to be near a familiar face.
"Sueyoshi, Russell."
The cadets murmured in awe.
"Quiet!"
It ceased immediately.
No wonder he looked familiar, thought Taylor.
Russell's father was well known for the Battle of Hanari. He and his crew came home heroes ending a long drawn out battle. Lord Walter Sueyoshi is the Third Order of Nobility. Their homestead was on Tajen Providence, Ja'an. It was located in the Calbern Sector in Natrin System. His mother was Sonia LeBeau of the LeBeau Distributing located on Rancia.
Must be frustrating to have a father as a war hero, Taylor thought again. She refocused her attention back to Silva. When he finally came to Yeager, Kevin he placed his hands behind his back.
"This is the line you will form every day until this term is finished. There are only two grades for this course. Pass or Fail. No exceptions."
Reggie was right. He was indeed a hard case. She prayed she would get through this course without trouble.
"If you are late there will be consequences. Three absents and you are gone."
"If you find this difficult," he gestured toward the door, "You're welcome to leave." No sound was heard.
"With that said, let us begin..."