Shadow of the Blue Ring (32 page)

“I can tell you it hurts but eventually, you have to put it behind you,” said James, “it is one defeat among hundreds of victories. Its something that should spur you on to be better than you are, not something that should make you want to quit.”

“That’s some tough talking there, James,” said Saavoy, “think you can back your words up with actions? There is more than one pair of gloves back here?”

“You want me to go in the ring with you huh?” Said James, “Ok then, but I’ll feel pretty bad having to beat up a cripple.”

“We’ll just see,” Saavoy grinned. James ripped off his shirt and pulled out another pair of boxing gloves before climbing over the ropes and into the ring.

“So what do you call this sport anyway?”

“We call it boxing,” said James, “we go three minute rounds with a minute break in between. No hitting below the belt and no fighting dirty.”

“You do this often?”

“I’ve sparred with several members of the crew on my old ship, I know my way around the ring.”

“Then lets do this.”

James didn’t want to cause too much harm to Saavoy who was still clearly not back to his best but if the sparring would help him recover his strength, he was up to the challenge. James put up his guard as Saavoy took a swing at him. He was fast and he was surprisingly strong, James was rocked by the force of the punch and was pushed back a step. He went for a counter punch but Saavoy was blindingly quick and before James knew it, Saavoy’s fist had struck him in the face, catching him in the eye and the sheer force of it knocking him backwards and on the floor.

“What was that about beating up a cripple, James?” Saavoy laughed, “how long was that? Five seconds?”

“It was a lucky shot, you caught me off guard,” James protested, albeit in good humour, despite feeling a little dazed and his eye throbbing slightly, “come on then, lets go again.”

Saavoy helped him up and the two of them composed themselves before going at the sparring once more, this time James managing to defend himself and keep himself in the fight against the power of Saavoy.

“So tell me then…” James began as they continued to spar, “. . . what is all this about? Why were you down here smashing the hell out our punch-bags?”

“Just a bit of training,” said Saavoy, panting slightly at the physical demand of their fight, “I’m no good to anyone wounded and depressed, I’m a fighter, I need to be in top condition when the Al’cari come calling again.”

“Admirable,” said James, dodging another Saavoy punch, “but I think there is more to it than that. I can see that something is hurting you, something is getting you down.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The boxing is a way to let it all out,” said James, raising the intensity of his hitting, “you’re here to block it all out, you need to release all these years of pain and suffering, you need an outlet.”

“You’re right,” Saavoy increased his own intensity to match James, “it’s all too much. There is only so much one person can live through before you just want it all to stop. But it’s not just that, it isn’t just the battles, the suffering, being defeated, it’s all about the mistakes I’ve made in my life.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Ever since Sarkisian killed my family, all I’ve done is mope around feel sorry for myself about everything that has happened to me in my life. I was never afraid of dying because how could it be any worse than having to live with everything weighing down on me. I was so quick to rush into one dangerous battle after another because the consequences never scared me. No more though, I’m not going to live in the past anymore, I’m not going to feel sorry for myself anymore. I’ve had enough of living every day in constant pain because of all the crap in my past.”

“So tell me, what are you going to do about it?”

“I’m moving on,” Saavoy said as there was a pause in the fight, “I’m not going to deny myself a second chance at the things I deserve in life.”

“With Loca?” James asked, blocking a renewed attack from Saavoy, “are you and her finally going to settle down? Do you think she’ll take you back?”

“I know she wants it to happen,” said Saavoy, “I was her first love, I was the first guy she gave herself to and she hasn’t had any other since me. She might pretend to hate me and she is rightly annoyed at me for bailing on her the way I did. The incident on Sharstrom has made me see differently though, it has made me realise what is truly important. Being so close to death made me realise what I almost missed out on. I’m not afraid to take it anymore.”

“Then go out there and take it,” James panted as he continued to strike at Saavoy’s guard, “show her how you really feel, go out there and make her happy!”

James hit a powerful right hook that finally broke though a tiring Saavoy’s guard and struck him around the face, knocking him off balance and onto the canvas. He was covered in sweat and looking exhausted but there was still a smile just about working it’s way onto his face.

“I plan to, James, I really do,” he said after a few seconds to get his breath back, “thats why, when we get back to alliance space after all of this is done, I’m going to hand in my resignation from the Malorian fleet. I’m going to win her back and I’m going to make a life with her, just like you and Isha have done.”

“You’re really willing to give up your place in the fleet?” James had never imagined Saavoy would make such a drastic decision, the Malorian fleet had been his life, “you would walk away from your people just for her.”

“No, James, I’ll never walk away from my people,” Saavoy corrected him, “I’ll always be there for my people and I will not rest until I have done everything I can to help them rebuild after the Vulian occupation. I just feel that after twenty years of fighting with the Malorian fleet and after so many battles and near death experiences that it’s finally time to step aside. I’m not a young man anymore, I turn forty next year, my injuries have been building up for a while now and there is only so much more of this my body can take. The doctors back home tell me that if I continue to fight and I continue to take these injuries, then despite our improvements in our medicine, I wont live to see fifty. It’s time for me to put the past to one side and settle down and enjoy my life while I can. I only wish it hadn’t taken me almost dying in the arms of the woman who I love to make me realise all of this.”

“I’m just glad you’re finally ready to put it all behind you,” James said, helping Saavoy to his feet, “I’m sure the alliance will miss having you leading one of their fleets, you’re a damn good soldier and a strong leader.”

“I appreciate it,” said Saavoy, “and I’ll still be there for my people and for the alliance, I just want a new life from here onwards. Don’t worry about me though, I’ll see this mission right through to the end before I step down. I wont abandon my crew, my friends, in their time of need.”

“We’re all happy to have you,” said James, “you should probably get back to the medical bay though, I’m sure doctor Markova wont be happy that you ran out on her like this.”

“Oh and before you go, you might want to put some ice on that eye,” Saavoy pointed out. James could feel a little bit of swelling there but he hadn’t thought anything of it. One look at his reflection in the screen in the gym showed that he had picked up a very distinctive black eye.

“Good advice,” James chuckled, “I’ll get it seen to right away.”

He was glad to have had that chat and the sparring session with Saavoy. It had seemed for so long that there was an incredible amount of hurt and pain that he had needed to release but there had been no way for him to do it. Somewhere along the way, something had seemingly just clicked into place in his head and made him see the light and see what he needed to change. James was happy for him, he had finally gotten past everything that had happened to him in the past and he was almost a man reborn since he had woken up.

“Where have you been!?” James quickly spun around to see Isha running up behind him, “we’ve been looking everywhere for you and… what the hell is that!?”

Isha had clearly noticed his swollen eye and she was not looking too impressed about it.

“Just sparring in the gym thats all, a little bit of boxing.”

“What the hell were you boxing? A Vulian kosus walker?” Isha shot back at him, “look, never mind, you’re needed back on the bridge right now. The alliance fleet has dropped out of warp far sooner than we though they would. We’re twelve minutes from intercept.”

“That soon? They shouldn’t have stopped so early, something must be wrong.”

“Which is why we need you, now,” Isha said with more sternness in her voice than James was used to hearing, “everyone else is assembled, we’re just waiting for you.”

Melina had given him a quick warning about the speed at which Andurian pregnancies progressed and how mood swings were very common even at this early stage but James was still slightly taken aback by Isha’s tone. The next nine months were certainly going to be interesting and he would have to be extra careful to stay on her good side.

Arriving back at the bridge, everyone was already gathered, with the exception of Saavoy, and were ready for action. A few of them had a glance or two towards his swollen eye.

“That’s a great look for you James,” Ansare chuckled, “you should try it more often.”

“Yeah, Ok guys, laugh it off,” James said as he took his seat in the captain’s chair, “Isha said the fleet has dropped out of warp and made camp early, what’s going on?”

“We’ve been tracking the fleet’s movements through their warp trails,” said Ivanov, “from the communications that Iyacs was able to intercept, the fleet was supposed to travel to a destination at least six hours further out than the one at which they stopped.”

“Any sign that they were attacked?”

“No sir, not as far as we can tell,” said Elena, “there have been no distress calls and no unusual communications in either direction.”

“Then it looks like we’ve arrived in time,” said James, “Ok then helmsman, prepare to bring us out of warp. Lets see what the admirals in charge of the fleet have to say for themselves.”

Daniels dropped the ship out of warp. They had arrived once more in the depths of the Blue Ring sector, only this time they were not alone. There was a mass of alliance ships in the distance, formed up in battle positions as if waiting to receive an Al’cari attack at any moment. Given their location, it was not an unlikely occurrence.

“Do you think they’re willing to talk?” Kalmar asked, “if the head of the alliance council was trying to stop you interfering, surely he passed word on to the fleet about us following them out here.”

“Regardless of what Artennes said, Marek is an old friend and he can be trusted,” James assured him, “Ok, Stevens, hail the Suran command ship. Lets see if we can talk the fleet down and get them out of here before the Al’cari show up on the scene.”

The Evening Star approached the alliance fleet at a steady pace, not wanting to provoke anyone into assuming hostility. James assumed that Artennes had warned them that he might try to interfere and that they should not let him disrupt the operation. Regardless, they pulled up alongside the Suran command ship, the Vizastador, and opened hailing frequencies. If Juarez was going to be anywhere in the fleet it was here. Just as he had assumed, once the view-screen came to life, he found himself face to face with his former crew member.

“Captain Tavarez, this is an unexpected surprise,” said Juarez, “it’s good to see you again although I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“So do I, general,” said James, “although I must say, you’ve done pretty well for yourself these past years. Hand picked by the council to lead this attack. You must be honoured.”

“I am indeed, James, it’s a great honour,” Juarez said proudly, “but what of you? The council ordered that you were to stay behind and take no part in this mission. You’re risking a great deal by going against the council’s wishes.”

“My insurrection is necessary on this occasion,” said James, “Artennes has no idea what he is sending you into out here but we do. Myself and my crew are the only ones to have gone up against the Al’cari and lived to tell the tale, therefore we are the only ones who know how to fight them. Let’s be honest here, you need us out here with you.”

“Well I wont deny we could certainly use any intel you have,” Juarez agreed, “I also agree that Artennes acted fairly rashly in sending us out here but after hearing what these Al’cari can do, they need to be stopped before we lose any more good people.”

“I guess we’re not going to talk you down then,” James sighed, “if we’re going to go ahead with this attack then we need to be well prepared. I’m forwarding all relevant data we have on the Al’cari, including technical readouts of their ships. You’ll need to have the tactical officers on all of your ships review them with all haste if you want them to be able to plan efficiently.”

“Thank you captain,” said Juarez, “this information will aid us greatly. In the meantime we should…”

Juarez was distracted by a call from one of his communication officers, there were alarms going on both the Evening Star and the Suran command ship.

“General Juarez, we have incoming,” he warned, “long range sensors are showing one Al’cari ship on a direct course to our location, thirty minutes out.”

“All units, prepare for battle,” Juarez ordered, “all ships are to go to red alert. Form up the fleet and prepare for assault. Get me the other admirals on the comm so we can organise our force.”

Juarez kept James on the line but they were now connected with admirals Raviano and Valentina, along with the Vulian executor Kyrakian.

“Captain Tavarez, I see that you have seen fit to join the party against the wishes of lord Artennes,” the Voronian admiral Raviano said to him, “you have a nerve though, I will certainly give you that much. Not many would risk their career in such a way.”

“There is more than my career at stake here admiral,” James pointed out, “I’m acting to help save the people of this alliance. You need me here admiral.”

“Indeed…” he replied indignantly, “. . . well lets just hope you know what you’re doing.”