Tales from the Academy

Chapter 28

Shore leave party now boarding at lock three! Shore leave party now boarding at lock three!

The announcement rang through the frigate Daring, but the only ones who paid it any mind were the thirty-two cadets in their bunk room. Jer looked around at his comrades, all freshly showered, hair slicked down, and wearing their best black fatigue uniforms. Since no one had told them not to, they were all wearing their cadet rank insignia.

"Whew!" exclaimed Alby. "I thought they were never going to let us go dirtside!"

"Yeah," said Patric, "I was getting a little claustrophobic in this tin can. I need some fresh air—or whatever passes for that down below."

"Well, if it stinks in here you've got no one to blame but yourself—you and about a dozen others," smirked Alby as they made their way down the corridor. Patric blushed. He had lost his lunch during the first jump and it hadn't all fit into the puke bag. Quite a few others had gotten sick, too. They'd spent the time waiting for the second jump cleaning up the mess from the first. But by the fifth and last jump they were all taking it pretty well and there were no more mishaps.

From the wormhole exit it had been another sixteen hours to Komarr orbit and they had been put back to work. This time it was mostly tidying up and 'polishing the brass', not that the ship had much brass. But the skipper, Commander Arnsberger, had scheduled an inspection and the Exec had warned that there would be no liberty if he wasn't satisfied. Jer suspected that the threat was only for the regular crew since the Academy wanted their young gentlemen to go ashore, but by this time the cadets didn't want to let down their new comrades and the ship had been very ship-shape indeed by the time the inspection occurred—less than an hour before they made orbit.

But rank hath its privileges, and since the cadets had no rank at all, they were the last ones to be allowed to go down to the planet. Nearly all the rest of the crew had already left. Now it was their turn. They crowded into the shuttle and strapped themselves into their seats and in a commendably short time they were cut loose from Daring and made their de-orbit burn. They were on their way!

There was about a twenty minute span between the burn and re-entry and the shuttle's pilot was kind enough to allow the cadets to come up and take a look out the front canopy. Jer had seen it all before, so he let everyone else go first. In truth, except for the Soletta Array, the enormous orbiting mirror that added light and heat to the centuries-long terraforming project, there wasn't much to see. Komarr was a nearly uniform gray-brown sphere with just the few sparkles of widely spaced city domes. Home.

"Wow, the Soletta is really something!" said Patric as he came back from the cockpit.

"Yeah," agreed Alby. "Hard to really get an idea of the scale of the thing until you see the tiny specks of the construction vessels all around it."

"It's what? About five hundred klicks across?" asked Fallon.

"When the new ring of mirrors is added, yeah, about that," replied Jer. "Right now they're just finishing up the repairs from the accident." Five or six years earlier there had been a terrible accident where an ore ship had collided with the array.

"How long until the atmosphere is breathable?" asked Patric.

"Longer than any of us will live to see," said Jer. "Actually, I'm not really sure now," he amended. "Before the new ring was planned, the figure was about two hundred and fifty years. The added mirrors will speed that up, but I'm not sure by how much."

"Must be… strange spending all your time indoors," said Fallon.

"Hey, it probably seems strange to Jer to spend so much time outside on Barrayar," said Alby.

"That true?' asked Patric.

"A little maybe. Some of the domes are so big it's almost like being outside. A few Komarrans are seriously agoraphobic, but it doesn't bother most people to go outdoors on Barrayar or other habitable planets. For me, the strangest thing is not having my breath mask. It's drummed into us from the time we can walk to always keep a mask handy and never even think about going outside without one. My first year on Barrayar I was constantly reaching for my mask even though it wasn't there. Kind of gotten out of the habit," he grinned sheepishly. "Hope I don't embarrass myself once I'm dirtside."

"Don't worry, we'll keep you in line!" promised Alby.

Shortly after that the shuttle started its re-entry and conversation lapsed as the vehicle began shaking and the muted roar of the wind filled the compartment. Eventually that died down and after a few turns the shuttle lurched to a halt. But then there was a considerable delay while the vehicle was pulled in through a huge airlock from the landing pads into the dome covering the military base that adjoined the Solstice domes. Finally, the hatch was opened and the cadets trooped out—for most of them, their first time on alien soil.

Well, concrete, actually. Jer had never been inside the base since he had taken commercial transport to Barrayar but it had a remarkable resemblance to Fort Plattsburg on South Continent where they had conducted an exercise the previous fall. Standard military engineering, he supposed.

A bored-looking sergeant was waiting for them and he led them to a building where an equally bored-looking ensign was waiting. He gave them a short, but thorough briefing on breath masks and standard safety procedures while on Komarr. He then checked the time and announced: "It is now 1035, local time. You will have liberty until 2500, local midnight. You are free to go to any public area of Solstice, but you are not to leave the city. No exceptions to that—we'll be tracking you via your wrist-coms. Anyone not back here by 2500 will be considered AWOL." He paused and pulled out a stack of white cards. "The Academy has graciously provided you with credit chits for fifty marks as spending money." He paused and smirked. "Enough for a couple of meals and a souvenir or two, but not much else. You are reminded that Komarr and the City of Solstice are parts of the Empire like any other. You are to act as you would in Vorbarr Sultana or the streets of your own home town. Anyone violating local laws will wish they were never born. The main gate into Solstice is to the west and clearly marked. Have fun." He handed the chits to Fallon and started to leave.

"Excuse me, sir," said Jer. The ensign paused and looked back.

"Yeah?"

"Did another batch of cadets—from Swifsure—come through here yet?"

"Almost an hour ago. They're already in the city." He left.

Fallon handed out the chits and the cadets were out the door as soon as they had them. Jer, Patric, Alby—and Fallon—followed at a more sedate pace. The main gate was a double airlock big enough for a heavy tank—several of which they'd seen parked nearby—but the doors were standing open. A quick scan of their IDs was all that was needed to get them through and a fifty meter walk brought them through another set of locks into the Solstice Dome.

"Well!" said Alby, "We've got almost fifteen hours to explore a strange new world. Why do I feel like finding a hotel and sleeping for about fourteen hours?"

Patric snorted. "Yeah, I think they worked us so hard on the way here so we wouldn't have the energy to find any trouble."

"Not that it would take much energy to find trouble," said Fallon, jerking his head toward a row of buildings just ahead.

"Saints preserve us!" exclaimed Alby. "Will you look at that!"

The buildings were commercial establishments and there wasn't any doubt about what they were serving. Lurid holo-signs hung over the doors and women in revealing outfits lounged outside. A few soldiers were chatting—or bargaining—with them. Many of their fellow cadets were lingering to watch.

"In the middle of the morning?" said Patric, amazed.

"The base runs round the clock and I guess they know it," said Fallon.

"Wow, I would have expected something like this at Beta Colony, but not…" said Alby.

"Oh, on Beta Colony I'm sure it would have been much more tastefully done," said Jer. "And there would be men and—other things—besides women. They know who they're catering to here." He spoke almost flippantly, but in fact he was a bit embarrassed for his homeworld.

"My God," said Patric suddenly.

"What?" Jer looked around but didn't see anything any more shocking than what they'd already seen.

"Anny… Anny would have had to walk by here." The look on the tall farm boy's face was grim and the expressions on the faces of the other Barrayarans mirrored his. Despite nearly three years of working with Anny, following Anny, there was still an ingrained social duty to protect their women in most Barrayarans. Even Jer was disturbed.

"She's tough as nails, you know that," he said a bit lamely.

"I… I wonder how she made out on Swiftsure?" said Alby. "The close quarters, the showers… some of the ratings on Daring seemed a little on the rough side…" The boy looked worried.

"I told the guys who were going with her to keep on watch," said Jer. "They'll look after her."

"We could always call her," suggested Fallon. "She's got a wristcom."

It was tempting, but Jer was afraid that if they did and suggested they meet up Anny would make another of her painful excuses to avoid them. Alby and Patric seemed to feel the same and the suggestion died. We can get by without her. The thought didn't seem as outrageous as it once had.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said. "The rest of the city's not like this." He led the way and soon they left the seedy establishments that clustered around the military base behind. As they got away from the edge of the dome, it soared higher and higher above them until it was nearly invisible. The buildings, which had been clustered closely together, were farther apart and gardens, parks and wide boulevards greeted eyes tired of steel bulkheads and black space.

"Ah, this is more like it!" said Patric, swiveling his head from side to side. Jer had studied the layout of the city before they left so he could act as tour guide. They walked for a bit and then Patric suggested lunch.

"All the places we've passed so far looked pretty expensive," said Fallon, eyeing his credit chit doubtfully.

"Tish tosh!" exclaimed Alby. "Follow me!" He had his ubiquitous computer pad out and used it to lead them to a bank. He left them outside while he went in. A short while later he emerged holding a credit chit that looked quite different from the ones they'd been given. "Suspecting that Our Glorious Superiors would attempt to hamstring our efforts to have fun by restricting our funds, I planned ahead. We now have an unlimited—well, nearly unlimited—budget!" he announced. "Pick any establishment you like, gentlemen! Lunch is on me. Dinner, too!"

They tried—for about five seconds—to turn him down, but were soon in a very nice restaurant being served a very nice meal. It sure beat the stuff the modest galley on Daring could provide. Jer hadn't been sure how the locals would react to their uniforms, but Solstice had a far larger Imperial presence than his own home and they had seen many others in uniform on the streets. Once they had been assured of Alby's solvency, the staff of the restaurant treated them with professional courtesy.

They sampled the local beer, which seemed a bit thin and watery compared to what they served on Barrayar, but it was good. Alby tried to order a second round but the others stopped him. "Throttle back, Alby," said Patric. "We've got the whole day ahead of us and Abigail's not here to carry you! Don't expect me to!"

Alby snorted, but didn't seem angry at the mention of his non-girlfriend. Good. It seemed like he was getting over his earlier infatuation.

Back outside they bumped into some of their company-mates who had been on Swiftsure. They compared notes for a while as they walked the streets. It seemed like their skipper had viewed them in exactly the same fashion as Commander Arnsberger: a pool of manual labor.

"Did Anny have any problems?" asked Patric. Jer had been wanting to ask the same question.

"Don't think so," the cadet shrugged. "They closed off the shower room for her a couple of times. One of the officers hung around a lot to keep an eye on her and keep the ratings from pestering her. Didn't hear about any problems. We watched out for her, too, of course."

After a while the two groups split up again. Shortly after that Jer's wrist com pinged. It was his mother. "Hi Mom. Yeah, I'm in Solstice, got here about two hours ago. I can stay 'til midnight. You and the others coming? Good! Where shall we meet? Okay! I'll see you there around 2100!"

He turned to the others. "My folks are on their way. I'm meeting up with them this evening. You're all welcome to come, of course, but I understand if you'd rather not."

"Sure," said Alby. "You've endured our families, only fair that we return the favor." Patric agreed as well. Fallon was non-committal. Jer, himself, wasn't sure how he felt about the coming reunion. His family had never been terribly close-knit and most had either opposed or ridiculed his decision to come to the Academy. He didn't know how they felt about it now. They are making the effort to come here…

He put his worries out of his mind and they spent the rest of the afternoon touring the city. It was a big place, larger than Vorbarr Sultana—in population, if not actual area—and no one could hope to see it all in a week let alone an afternoon. So he took them to a few of the main highlights like the government buildings, hydroponics plants, and major parks. They spent over an hour at the Terraforming Institute which had a large museum chronicling Komarr's long effort to make their world habitable. They learned that with the planned addition to the Soletta Array it might be possible for people to walk around outside without a breath mask in as little as a hundred and fifty years.

"So, in other words: don't hold your breath," quipped Alby.

By late afternoon they were in the Market District looking over the amazing array of goods that Komarr's trade fleets brought back to the Empire from the rest of explored space. The place was acting like a magnet for the other cadets, too and they saw many of their friends from C Company. The variety of products was dazzling and even Alby was amazed. "Why don't we see stuff like this in Vorbarr Sultana?" he demanded, holding up a clever gizmo that the tag said was from Kline Station.

"Not expensive enough," said Jer. "Until Barrayar develops a real middle class, there will only be enough demand for the really high-end luxury goods there. Or at least that's what my uncle once told me. He follows the trade fleets very closely."

"Huh," said Alby, putting the gizmo back on the shelf.

By some unspoken agreement they limited their purchases to what the fifty marks on their original credit chits could manage. Somehow it just didn't seem right to go back to the ship with something big and expensive—even if they could manage to smuggle it aboard—when their comrades couldn't do the same. They each picked up some bit of junk that was plainly marked Made on Komarr and left it at that.

Meals were a different matter, of course.

"I guess we'll be going to dinner or something when your family gets here, Jer?" asked Patric.

"That's the plan."

"Two more hours until then. I'm kinda hungry now."

"You're always hungry," observed Alby.

"Hey, I got way more tonnage to keep fueled than you, pipsqueak!" replied Patric, grinning and thumping his impressive torso with a fist.

"Well, no reason we can't get something to tide us over," said Alby twirling his credit chit in the air. "Pick a place."

Their wanderings had brought them to the edge of the Market District and they spotted a street that appeared to have several modest-looking pubs where they could get a beer and a bite to eat. As they turned into it Jer spotted a figure ahead of them and jerked to a halt. "Hey! Isn't that…?"

"Anny!" exclaimed the others. Sure enough, there was Anny Payne strolling down the street, looking from side to side. She was alone and not in any apparent hurry.

"Maybe she'd like to get a bite with us," suggested Patric.

"Doubt it," grumbled Alby.

"Can't hurt to ask," said Jer firmly, suddenly filled with a need to talk to Anny again. "Come on, let's…"

"Ho ho! You were right, Yosef! The little bitch really fills out a uniform nicely, doesn't she?" The loud voice from close at hand stopped all of them in their tracks as if they'd hit a force field.

Four men in navy officers' undress blacks were turning into the street from the other direction. They seemed oblivious of the cadets, their eyes were all focused on… Anny.

"I told you, gentlemen," said one of them. "While I was only able to catch a glimpse of the delights that await beneath the uniform, I assure you they are well worth your attention."

"But you say you weren't able to sample them aboard your ship?" asked a third.

"Sadly no. The damn cadets with her stuck closer than the Emperor's bodyguard, leaving me no opportunity."

"Guarding their own territory, no doubt," said the fourth one. "Must be some interesting times at the Academy these days!"

"That son-of-a-bitch!" hissed Alby. "How dare he…!" Patric's huge hands were curled into fists and a red rage was boiling up inside Jer. Without another word all four of them were following the officers.

"Well, she's got no guard around her now, gentlemen. I suggested yonder establishment to her as a fine place to eat that welcomes Barrayarans and the little idiot seems to have swallowed it hook, line and sinker. Look, she's going in." Anny, unaware of what was going on behind her, went into one of the pubs that had attracted their attention.

"Well, let's go in, too," said one of them. "No point in wasting time when an inviting target awaits!"

"Rather public place for a seduction, isn't it, old chap?" said another.

"There are private rooms upstairs," assured the one called Yosef.

"Still need to get her into one."

"Have no fear," said the first one, patting a pocket in his tunic. "I have a little something I picked up in the Hegan Hub last year that will not only assure her enthusiastic cooperation, but take care of any possible complaints on her part afterwards. If the little whore has the temerity to thrust herself into our world then she deserves to experience all of it! I trust you are prepared for an extraordinary evening, gentlemen?" They were all laughing as they approached the door Anny had just gone through.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Fallon. "What do we do? Call for the Patrol?"

"No time for that!" cried Jer. "We've got to stop them!"

"Come on!" shouted Alby and Patric in unison.

All four of them charged through the door, nearly tripping each other in the process. The interior was dim and it took them a moment for their eyes to adjust. There was a bar at one end, tables and chairs in the center and rows of booths down either wall. There were a few Komarran patrons, but the place was mostly empty—except for one booth near the back.

The four officers had all sat down, trapping Anny in the booth, and the look of alarm on her face turned to relief when she spotted Jer and the others. "Anny!" he cried and then all four of them were standing there, the startled officers turning from their prey to gape at the would-be rescuers.

"What are you doing in here, cadets?" snapped one of them, regaining his poise. "Beat it! Officers only."

"Certainly, sir," said Jer, barely containing himself. "Come on, Anny," he said holding out his hand toward her. "You heard him: officers only."

"Oh no!" said another. "Miss Payne, here is our guest. She stays, the rest of you go."

"Please, sir," said Anny, "I really have to go." She tried to stand, but his hand gripped her arm and pulled her down into her seat again.

"We all go together… sir," said Fallon. "Or not at all."

"Oh really?" said one on the end of the bench who stood up. "We are giving you a direct order to scram, cadet-lieutenant! Now do it, or I'll put you on report."

"Not a chance in three worlds, sir!" said Jer taking a step forward.

The men, suddenly seeming to realize that this wasn't some easily handled disturbance, grew angrier. Three of them got up, while the fourth continued to hold Anny. One took a computer pad from his pocket. "What are your names?" he demanded, menacingly. Jer could smell alcohol on his breath. He seemed surprised when the threat didn't send them packing.

"Cadet-Lieutenant Denis Vorfallon."

"Cadet-Sergeant Jer Naddel."

"Cadet-Corporal Patric Mederov."

Alby stared at the officer, his face twisted into an expression unlike anything Jer had ever seen on him before. "Cadet Albustus Marion Vorsworth… the Ninth," he hissed.

The officer rocked back for a moment but then he sneered. "Your grandfather's dead and your father's retired, kid. Do yourself a favor and get out of here before you get spanked."

"I'll see you in hell first, you bastard!"

The man's face turned crimson and he slapped Alby across the mouth. "Insolent whelp!" he roared. He brought his hand back for another slap, but suddenly his arm was caught in Patric's iron grip. An instant later the astonished officer was flying halfway across the room to crash into a table and some chairs and tumble to the floor in a heap.

A second man slammed a stiffened hand into Patric's solar plexus that even doubled over the huge farm boy, but then Jer's fist caught him in the mouth and spilled him backwards into the booth. I just struck an officer… part of his mind jibbered with the realization, but the rage that gripped the rest of him didn't care. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Fallon and a resurgent Alby grappling with the third one.

"Jer! Look out!" screamed Anny suddenly. He looked to the fourth one, the one still in the booth, and his heart stopped. The man had a weapon in his hand. Not a stunner… He recognized the deadly shape of a nerve disruptor swinging in his direction.

But then the weapon was bouncing across the table to clatter at his feet and there was a squawk of pain and Anny had the fourth one's arm twisted behind his back.

Jer scooped up the weapon and even though he didn't point it at anyone the brawl came to a sudden end. The one he had hit pulled himself upright, but did nothing more. The one Fallon and Alby had grabbed pulled free of their grasp, but just stood there. Behind him he could hear the last one groaning.

"We are in so much trouble," hissed Fallon.

"You're all under arrest!" snarled the one Anny was holding. "Let go of me, bitch!" Anny just twisted his arm a bit more.

Jer pointed to the stunned barkeep. "You! Call the patrol! The base military patrol! Do it!" The flustered man did as he was told. All the other Komarran's seemed to have vanished.

"If you've got any sense, you'll all get out of here and pretend this never happened," said the one Jer had hit, wiping his mouth with his hand and looking at the blood on it.

"Oh no!" said the fourth one, still trying to get free from Anny. "These bastards are all up on charges!"

"Don't be a fool, Yosef!" snapped the one facing Alby and Fallon. "This has gone way too far already! Let's get out of here!" But Patric had recovered from the blow he'd taken and blocked any escape. He glanced back at Jer.

"Whadda we do, boss?"

"We wait for the Patrol," said Jer.

The officers, even the fourth one, quickly lost all their bravado and looked around uncertainly. "Hey there, Cadet-Sergeant," said the one he'd hit. "No hard feelings, eh? We were just keeping the lady company. No harm done."

"Not yet!" growled Patric, "But you sure had some planned!"

"Says who? You? Who's going to take your word against an officer's?" snapped the one in Anny's grip. "Let go of me, will you?"

"We heard you talking outside… sir," said Alby. His cheek was a bright red where it had been slapped. "Wonder what the JAG people will have to say about that 'little something' in your pocket that you got in the Hegan Hub?"

"And they won't have to take anyone's word on anything," added Fallon. "They'll fast penta the lot of us, I expect.

"Good God…" hissed the one Jer had hit. The fourth one's face drained of all color.

A noise behind him made Jer turn his head. The one Patric had thrown was on his feet and limping for the door, but he ran right into the arms of the Patrol who had arrived in commendably short order. The lieutenant in charge demanded to know what was going on.

At that point everyone started talking at once and the lieutenant's face took on a decidedly tired and depressed expression. The four officers tried to talk their way out of it, passing the whole incident off as a misunderstanding, but the Patrol lieutenant looked decidedly more interested when Jer handed over the nerve disruptor and Alby grabbed a small vial out of the fourth officer's pocket and gave him that, too.

"This sort of weapon is not allowed in the city," he said, staring sharply at the officer who had it.

"It… it's not mine!" the man cried in panic. "They had it!"

"Where would a cadet get a nerve disruptor? Sorry, you are all coming back to headquarters, where someone else can sort this out. Sergeant, call for a wagon."

While they waited, the four boys formed a protective circle around Anny. She seemed very shaken. "Are you all right?" asked Jer.

"Not hurt," she said. "Just… just…" She suddenly looked at them, all of them. "Thank you. If you hadn't come along I don't know what… Thank you."

"Do you know these idiots?" asked Alby gingerly touching his cheek.

"The loud one is Lieutenant Vorritter. He's from Swiftsure. I've never seen any of the others before. What… what was that thing you took out of his pocket?"

An embarrassed silenced followed for a moment. "He said… he said it was something to ensure your… cooperation, Anny," replied Jer quietly.

"My God…" she whispered. She was shaking and Jer put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you," she said again.

Eventually a large vehicle pulled up in the street outside and they were all loaded into it. They sat so as to keep Anny as far away from the others as possible. As they pulled away, Jer's wristcom pinged. He looked at the caller and groaned.

"Uh, Mom, I think I'm gonna be late for dinner."