Tales from the Academy

Chapter 18

Alby dashed out of the room and down the corridor. He heard several angry shouts behind him but he didn't look back. Shoulda figured they couldn't take a joke. He reached the end of the corridor and slapped the lift button. But when the doors didn't open immediately he turned and ran to the stairs and leapt down them three steps at a time. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but anywhere had to be better than a room full of angry and humiliated Vors. He'd been on the fifth floor of Vorwood Hall and he was gasping by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs. He burst into the lobby, but as he did, the doors of one of the lifts slid open and a mob of cadets spilled out. He cringed when he saw Olaf Levey in the lead. They were between him and the exit. He spun back toward the stairs, but more angry cadets were emerging from there. He was trapped.

"Oh shit."

He held out his hands and tried to smile. "Just a little joke, fellas." But then he frowned and said: "You guys should be used to playing jokes on people in the simulator, right, Olaf?"

Levey's face went pale, but he was quivering with rage. "You miserable son of a bitch!" He stepped right up to Alby and punched him in the face.

Alby went down in a heap, shocked by the pain. But that was only the beginning. A crowd converged around him and more blows rained down on him and he curled into a defensive ball. They kicked him, too. It just went on and on. They might actually kill me… Not quite the result he'd been hoping for…

"Get away from him!"

A familiar voice came to Alby through a red haze of pain and the pummeling abruptly stopped. But the noise got louder, rising to a roar. He uncurled a bit and looked up. Anny Payne was standing over him, exchanging punches with Levey. Both had blood on their faces. Anny's expression was one of fury, but Levey looked astonished. Suddenly Patric Mederov appeared and grabbed Levey by the scruff of the neck and hurled him away. More punching, cursing cadets shoved their way into view and the melee became general.

C Company… C Company came to get me…

It seemed to continue for quite a while, but then Anny was kneeling next to him and propping him up. The brawl was still going on, but a protective ring of C Company cadets had formed around him. "Are you all right?" shouted Anny.

"Not sure," he croaked. "Hurts a bit."

"Well hold on, we'll get you some help."

He gripped her hand. "Thanks. Thanks a lot, Anny,"

She smiled. "I should be thanking you."

"For what?"

"You know darn well for what!"

"Figured it out, did you?" She just patted his hand.

Suddenly there was a shrill whistle blast. "Break it up!" shouted a loud voice. "Break it up or I'll stun the lot of you!" The noise quickly faded away and Alby could see from his vantage point a new batch of legs pushing through the mob. The cadets in front of him parted and a squad of the provost guard with drawn stunners were shoving the two sides to opposite ends of the lobby. Sergeant Cutlus looked down at him and shook his head.

"Cadet Worth. Why am I not surprised to find you in the middle of this?"

[Scene Break]

He spent the night in the Infirmary. He had a broken nose and collar bone and several cracked ribs. Plus an impressive collection of bruises and other minor scrapes and cuts. And yet, somehow, he didn't mind at all. They were like badges of honor. Wounds honorably sustained in a noble cause. A couple of dozen other cadets spent the night there as well.

The rest of C and G Companies spent the night in the stockade.

An improvised stockade, actually, since the real one couldn't begin to handle the numbers involved. Apparently there had never been a ruckus like this in the long history of the Academy.

He stayed in the Infirmary for three days. On the second day he was startled to be questioned by an officer from the Judge Advocate General's office. The man told him that he didn't have to answer any questions if he didn't want to, but Alby gave him the whole story, describing exactly what he had done. But remembering Lord Auditor Vorkosigan's instructions, he said nothing about why he had done it. He was getting the idea that he might get into some serious trouble for his little prank, but that didn't bother him any more than his injuries. The JAG officer made no comments but simply took his statement and went away.

On the third day Anny and Patric and Jer came to visit. They all had bruises on their faces. Anny had an amazing shiner on her left eye. He was delighted to see them. "Whoa!" he cried. "Call out the guard! There's been a jailbreak!"

"How are you doing, Alby?" asked Anny.

"Pretty good. They're letting me out tomorrow. But what about you guys? They let you out of the slammer?"

"Yeah, for now," said Jer and he couldn't keep the worry out of his voice. "There's some sort of hearing set for the day after tomorrow."

"Hearing? For who?"

"Everyone, I guess."

"Fighting is against the rules," added Anny.

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that. But if they're bringing up everyone at once it can't be too bad. Not like they'll kick out two full companies of cadets."

"We can hope," said Patric.

Alby could see that they were all worried. None of them were Vor, so offenses that might get a Vor a slap on the wrist could get commoners expelled. He'd never thought that his actions could lead to something like this. "Guys… guys, I'm sorry I got you all involved in this," he said. "But thanks. Thanks got getting me out of that jam."

"You're our friend, Alby," said Anny. "We couldn't let them beat you to a pulp."

"Although they nearly did anyway," said Jer pointing at his bandages. "Bastards."

"It was just a gag," said Alby. "A little payback for what they… But I didn't want to get any of you in trouble."

"We know why you did it, Alby," said Anny. "And I'm pretty sure I know what else you did, too. When the simulator started and my head didn't feel like it was going to explode I knew that someone had done something. And when Jer and Patric told me about all the research you were doing… well, I put two and two together. Thank you, Alby." He blushed but couldn't think of anything to say.

"And it was a really good gag," said Jer, grinning.

"Really good," agreed Patric. "How'd you manage to pull it off?"

"Oh, I just tinkered around with the scheduled simulation a bit. Took some time, but it wasn't really that hard."

"But those rabbits! They must have taken some work!" said Jer.

"No, I got lucky with those. Originally I just planned to use Cetagandans as the enemy since those were already on file, but then I found this folder with a bunch of comical stuff like the rabbits. It must have been something the simulator techs put together to play jokes on each other. Anyway, when I saw them, it was just a matter of substituting the images. Actually, the most work was creating the ballerina costumes." He grinned.

"Yeah, that was the perfect touch," said Patric. "Those jerks are never gonna live this down! The whole battalion saw them!"

"But you realize,' said Jer thoughtfully, "we've made ourselves a whole batch of enemies. They are never going to live this down and they are never going to forgive us for doing it to them."

"But I'm the one who did it to them!" protested Alby. "You had nothing to do with it!"

"You think they are going to believe that? Or that it would even matter to them? We are going to have to watch our backs forever."

"Oh hell, I never thought…"

"One thing at a time, guys," said Anny. "Let's just get through that hearing first. Oh, and if at any point they give you the choice between an administrative review and a court martial, take the administrative review!"

Alby had trouble sleeping that night. He couldn't imagine Anny getting kicked out of the Academy over this. Not when people like Lord Auditor Vorkosigan and even the Emperor were backing her. But what about Jer and Patric? What about all the other non-Vors in C Company? They had come to his defense, too. They were his comrades and friends. He could imagine the parents of the humiliated G Company cadets demanding that someone pay a price for what had happened. What if they decided to pick a few people from C Company to make an example of? With actions come consequences. Anny said that a lot. It was some quote of Countess Vorkosigan. He'd never really thought about the consequences of his actions… Eventually he slept.

[Scene Break]

The hearing was anti-climactic after all the worry they put into it. All the offenders, both companies, were assembled in an auditorium and a panel of three officers were up on the raised stage. They read off the charges which, stripped of all the legalese, came down to beating the snot out of fellow cadets. As Anny had warned, anyone who wanted a court martial was given that opportunity, but apparently the word had gotten around because no one asked for one. The triumvirate lectured them on the seriousness of their crimes and the stain it put on the honor of themselves, their companies, their battalion and so on up the chain of command until Alby was feeling a little guilty about besmirching the honor of infant Princess Kareen.

But finally they wound down and announced that each of them would receive one hundred demerits. There were a few hastily shushed groans over this, but by and large, most of the cadets were sighing in relief. "In addition," continued the officer in charge, "each of you will be assigned forty hours of punishment rounds to be carried out over the next eight weeks." This produced a slightly louder groan. "This hearing is concluded."

The officers started getting to their feet but there was an angry squawk from the far side of the room: "But what about…?" The officers paused and Alby could see Olaf Vorlevey pointing in his direction. But Vorgarron had him by the arm and was shaking his head vigorously. Vorlevey subsided and the officers left.

"C Company cadets!" said Anny in her command voice. "Fall in outside!" Vorgarron did the same a moment later and a chill went through Alby. Fall in with G Company? Go back to the barracks with them? Would he wake up dead in the morning? Anny looked sharply at him, obviously thinking the same thing. "Alby… maybe… maybe you should come with us."

"But how can I…?"

As they stood there, undecided, an officer approached them. "Cadet-Captain Payne? Cadet Worth? The Commandant wants to see you both right away." A summons to the Commandant's Office would normally be something to fill a cadet with terror, but both of them breathed a sigh of relief instead. Anny told Jer to take the company back to the barracks and then she and Alby went with the officer.

Spring was only a month away, but winter hadn't given up and Alby shivered in his greatcoat as they walked across campus. Big mounds of snow lined the walkways. "I wonder what he wants?" said Alby to Anny.

"I don't know, but he seems like a fair man," replied Anny.

"Yeah."

They reached the HQ building and divested themselves of their greatcoats. After only a very brief wait they were ushered into Commandant Sylvanus' office. His aide closed the door behind him as he left. Alby and Anny stood at attention and saluted.

"Stand at ease," said Sylvanus. He sat at his desk staring at them for a minute or more. "Miss Payne," he said at last. "When they first dumped you in my lap I foresaw a host of problems. Most of those problems did, in fact, come to pass and yet somehow all of us managed to survive them. But this latest incident… this wasn't something I expected at all."

"Sir?" said Anny. She looked as confused as Alby felt.

Sylvanus's eyes shifted to Alby. "Cadet, you admitted to the JAG officer that you were the one who buggered the simulator software, so I don't imagine you'll try to deny it to me."

"Uh… no sir."

"There are certain people who are demanding that whoever sabotaged the recent battalion simulation should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Technically, such sabotage could call for a dishonorable discharge and a prison sentence." Alby turned pale.

"Sir!" exclaimed Anny. "Cadet Worth was just…" Sylvanus held up his hand and Anny desisted.

"However," he continued. "The Academy Provost tells me that the infraction could also be interpreted to fall under the rather broad category of 'Cadet Pranks'. It seems I have the authority to decide which set of regulations should apply to you."

Alby held his breath, pinned like a bug in the Commandant's gaze.

"My judgment is that since you did not actually strike a single blow in the fight, the punishment meted out by the review board will suffice to cover this other infraction. The matter is closed."

"Thank you sir!" The Commandant made a little ambiguous gesture with his hand.

"One thing you didn't tell the JAG officer was why you did it. I think I know, but I'll ask you now: why?"

Alby hesitated. Sylvanus had been right there when they dug up the computer worm and discussed its implications. But Anny hadn't. Still she had to suspect… "It was payback, sir. For what they tried to do to Anny." He stared straight at Sylvanus but he could sense Anny looking at him.

"I wasn't aware that the Lord Auditor had issued any report on his investigation yet," said the Commandant very dryly. "There certainly haven't been any arrests made here at the Academy. Perhaps you received some secret communiqué from Lord Auditor Vorkosigan to carry out your 'payback'? He's got a reputation for unconventional methods."

"No sir. But… but we know who did it!"

"Do we?"

"Well… it had to have been… they must have…" he sputtered to a stop.

"'They'? All of G Company? They were all in on it?"

"Well no…"

"But they were hurting Miss Payne? Trying to drive her out of the Academy?"

"Yes! You know they were, sir!"

"But the plot had been foiled. You foiled it, Cadet. But that wasn't enough. You felt you needed to punish the people behind it. The people who were hurting your former company commander."

"I… I was afraid they'd escape any real punishment because they were Vor. Sir." Alby stared at the Commandant. Why was he doing this? He knew what the score was!

Sylvanus was silent again for a while, tapping a finger on his desk. He looked back to Anny. "Winning the respect, the loyalty, of those under your command is something we try to teach here at the Academy. Law, tradition, and sometimes brute force back up an officer's authority, but it's always best if you can lead your people rather then drive them. It's one of the most important skills a good officer can have. And it's very hard to teach. Miss Payne, it seems as though you've already learned that skill. I confess, I didn't expect it."

Anny frowned but didn't say anything.

"Well!" said Sylvanus suddenly as if he'd made some decision. "Mr. Worth, if it will satisfy your demand for justice, I can let you know that there will be some real punishment for what was done. Perhaps not as severe as you'd wish, but we do what we can. However, it is obvious that we cannot return you to G Company. We need to find somewhere else to put you to keep you out of trouble." He looked at Anny again. "Cadet-Captain Payne, you have shown a knack for keeping Cadet Worth under control. Do you think you could do so again?"

A grin broke out on Anny's face. A ray of sunshine seemed to blaze inside Alby's heart.

"Yes sir. I think I can handle him," said Anny.

"All right then. He is transferred to C Company, effective immediately. That's all. You're both dismissed."

They both saluted and Sylvanus returned it. Anny faced about to leave, but Alby hesitated. "Sir? Thank you sir. But… but this could make some problems for you." His father wouldn't be happy about having his plans for Alby thwarted.

"Perhaps," replied the Commandant. "But they'll be my problems. You just deal with you own from now on, eh?"

"Yes sir." He turned and followed Anny.

[Scene Break]

"Detail—Halt! Ten minute break! Fall out!"

A hundred and thirty weary cadets stopped in their tracks and lowered heavy rifles from aching shoulders. A routine had established itself and G Company went to the north end of the courtyard while C Company went south. Alby flopped down on the flagstones and propped his back against the wall. Anny, Jer and Patric were close by. This was the fourth week of their punishment. Four more to go. It was getting a bit old, but Alby was still so happy about being back with C Company that he didn't really mind. He suspected that the others weren't quite so happy about it.

Still, none of them had put any blame on him and if anyone started griping about it someone would get up on their tip-toes in a ballet pose and they would all crack up laughing. C Company had had a running feud with G Company long before the current incident. No, nobody in his company was giving him trouble over the situation.

But there were a lot of people in G Company who would like to!

He glanced over to where Olaf Levey was sitting. His uniform tunic was bare of any decoration. The Commandant had made good on his promise that there would be significant punishment for the assault on Anny via the simulator. Every officer and NCO in G Company had been busted back to private and others promoted over them. That had to hurt nearly as much as the Bunny Incident (as it had come to be called). Naturally they held Alby to blame. They hadn't been able to exact any sort of revenge yet, but Alby was careful where he went and tried to always stay in a group. He wasn't sure how long he'd have to worry about that.

Not that he let it bother him.

He was back where he belonged. He had found where he belonged! He couldn't remember ever being happier than he was right at that moment. Friends. Comrades. Family. Everything that he'd been wanting without even knowing it. He needed to call his sister and let her know she didn't need to keep the guest room ready for him. He would be staying here.

Still, with actions came consequences…

"Anny? I'm… I'm sorry that with all the demerits we got we're not the Honor Company anymore. I know it meant a lot to you." Indeed, with 6,500 demerits added in a lump C Company was now ranked second to last in the battalion. Only G Company had more. Anny looked at him for a moment and then smiled.

"Acceptable losses, Cadet. Especially considering what we won."

"Won? What did we win?"

"You tell me."

"But… the only thing you got out of this was… was…"

"Yeah," said Patric Mederov, smiling in turn.

"A bargain at twice the price," added Jer Naddel.

The meaning sank in and Alby was suddenly blinking back tears. "Thanks," he whispered.

"You're more than welcome," said Anny.

"And hey," said Jer. "The pentathlon is coming up in a couple months. We'll just win it again."

"That's right," said Patric.

"Yes, our loss was negligible," said Anny. "And you want to know something else?"

"What?"

She looked over to where Olaf Levey was glowering. She slapped her fist into the palm of her other hand.

"It was worth it!"

They were still laughing when Sergeant Cutlus called them back into ranks.

End of Book Two