Tales from the Academy
Chapter 42
The trip home wasn't nearly as interesting as the trip out had been and for that Anny was profoundly grateful. They kept her on the flagship and she never returned to her platoon. That saddened her, although she did get a nice message from Sergeant Zeckman which was signed by all the others in the squad.
At first she was dreadfully bored, although she put the time to good use and got completely caught up on all the class assignments she'd been given when she left the Academy. But then, bit by bit, Major Lurray starting finding odd jobs for her to do and before long she was a regular member of his staff. It was mostly routine work, but it was good experience. She got a new appreciation for what it took to run a battalion of assault troopers.
To her surprise she started getting invited to dinner with the Admiral and his senior officers. Vorkoff mellowed amazingly when he got a few drinks under his belt and he could tell a good story. Little by little she was being accepted and it felt good.
They were given shore leave on three different planets and this time she did hug her friends. She had missed them terribly and Jer confided the worry he'd felt when he'd heard that she was in trouble two light-hours away, across a solar system. He pried a bit and tried to find out just how much trouble she'd been in, but she didn't want to talk about it. Alby's own adventure was exciting enough, and he was quite willing to talk about that so it distracted them from the details of hers. She and Jer found a few spots where they dared to hold hands and they stole a few kisses, too. If Vorkoff wasn't going to put her in irons over the other things she'd done she wasn't going to worry about this! If they'd encountered another 'restaurant' like the one on Leander's Hope she might well have dragged Jer into one of those rooms, but alas no such opportunity arose.
Her ribs healed and Alby's ankle was mended and they had a great deal of fun in the precious hours they were granted. From time to time the memory of Zac Karal's dying face would trouble her days as they too often troubled her dreams, but she resolved to live for the moment. She was a soldier and it came with the territory. She remembered that long-ago conversation with Lord Auditor Vorkosigan and realized that she'd finally found a way to deal with it. Just do my job and go on.
To her frustration Captain Bothari-Jesek continued to put off her promised full explanation of what had happened back on Dounby (what a stupid name for a planet!) She'd managed to meet her on one of the shore leaves, but she promised that all would be explained when they reached Hegan Hub. She didn't have any choice but to wait.
She was truly surprised when one day she encountered the ImpSec agent, Labolito or Vorsmythe or whatever the hell his name was in one of the corridors of the flagship. He gave her a strange look, but didn't say anything and she didn't see him again after that. She'd completely forgotten about him in all the excitement. She hoped Elena wasn't going to get into trouble over stunning him.
At last they made the jump into Hegan Hub. Anny had never been there before, but somehow it sort of felt like home. Home's backyard, anyway. Just a few more jumps. The only shore leave was a few hours on the transfer station near the jump point and it was here that Bothari-Jesek summoned her to a room in a rather pricey hotel on the station. The long-promised explanation?
She pressed the door buzzer and the door slid open and in an instant almost everything was made clear… sort of. Lord Mark Vorkosigan stood there with Kareen Koudelka and Elena sat smiling in a chair.
"L-lord Mark!" she stuttered. She'd only met the strange man a few times at Vorkosigan House. Before she could do anything he came to her and took her hands and drew her into the room.
"Just 'Mark', Ensign," he said, his voice was much deeper than the Lord Auditor's. "Thank you, Ensign, thank you very much. I'm in your debt."
"Uh… call me Anny, please," she replied, completely flustered. "So… so you were behind the shipment of weapons?"
"Yes. And you deserve an explanation. Elena's told you some of it, but not all. Come, sit down. Something to drink? I can order lunch for us."
"Just some water, sir, if you don't mind."
"Forget the 'sir'. Just Mark. Please." Kareen appeared with a glass of water.
Lord Mark settled into a chair. "And so. Explanations. It's quite a long story, I hope you don't mind."
"I've got to be back to my ship in three hours."
"Well, not that long," he grinned briefly. "I assume you've heard I'm a clone of my brother, Miles?"
"Yes."
He nodded. "That part's widely known. What's less widely known is that I made on Jackson's Whole for reasons we don't need to go into here. Not by the Vorkosigans, I should add, although they accepted me beyond my wildest dreams when they discovered my existence." He paused and frowned. "Jackson's Whole is an abomination. There is no law there. None. The strong make the rules and the weak obey. And even their obedience is no protection for them. The planet is one vast criminal enterprise. I've heard it said by cynics that if Jackson's Whole didn't exist it would be necessary to create it. They're wrong. Oh yes, it's true that any civilization will have a demand for criminal services and there will always be someone there willing to supply them. There's probably little that happens on Jackson's Whole that doesn't exist somewhere else in the Nexus. But everywhere else it's illegal!" Lord Mark was getting agitated and his puffy cheeks flushed red. "Everywhere else, the criminals have to hide in the shadows and their victims can at least have hope of being saved or protected. On Jackson's Whole there is no hope. The serfs and the slaves toil and suffer and know they'll live and die with no hope."
He paused and took a drink from a glass on the table beside him. Kareen put her hand on his shoulder. Anny took a sip from her own. She was spellbound.
"Growing up on Jackson's Whole I wasn't really aware of this, of course. But once I was free I came to realize how truly evil the place is. I dedicated myself to putting the place out of business." Anny's eyebrows shot up. One man against a whole world? "At first I had some foolish thoughts about taking military action, but I quickly saw that was hopeless." He exchanged a strange look with Bothari-Jesek. "Only the major powers could take on the place and none of them are willing to do that. Apparently they prefer to have all the rotten apples in one barrel where they can keep a watch on them instead of having rotten apples scattered all over. A foolish policy in my opinion, but there it is. So instead I've tried to put pressure on them economically. Tried to make some of their worse crimes so unprofitable that they'll give up on them. I've had some success, picked up a few allies, but it is a long-term project. In the process I've developed some very good sources of information on the activities of the various Jacksonian Houses. When I got word of what Baron Jacobi was up to…"
"I thought he was a duke," said Anny.
"On Jackson's Whole they only have barons,' said Kareen. "On Dounby he was styling himself a duke. Ego issues, I guess."
"And now he can style himself an ex-baron," snorted Lord Mark in satisfaction. "He lost almost everything with his Dounby venture and my latest information is that he's been deposed and his house broken up."
"Oh, I'm glad to hear that."
"A minor victory in itself," said Lord Mark. "But the victory on Dounby was enormous. When I learned what Jacobi was up to I realized I had to act. To allow the Jacksonians to expand, to allow them to suck the hope out of another world, perhaps the whole Mergenthal Reaches, No. I had to stop that. No economic pressure I could bring to bear would have any effect that far away. The only option left was military. I had hoped that simply supplying the locals with weapons would be enough, but Jacobi moved faster and with far more force than I expected."
"The first time I came to Dounby, just six months ago," said Bothari-Jesek, "Jacobi only had a hundred men or so with light weapons. Just one or two towns were under his control. I made some contacts and arranged for the weapons to be shipped. I never realized we'd be facing such force or I would have been a lot more careful. I'm sorry you got dragged into that, Anny."
"I'm not," said Lord Mark. The other two women gave him disapproving looks. "Well I'm not. It wasn't planned, but it couldn't have worked out better if I'd planned it."
"If you had planned it, it certainly wouldn't have turned out this well," said Bothari-Jesek with a strange and smug look on her face.
"I can't argue with you," said Lord Mark, frowning. "Even if the weapons delivery had gone on without a hitch all that would have accomplished was to set off an endless guerilla war on Dounby. Generations of death and suffering. Your victory saved them from all that, Anny and I thank you."
"It wasn't like I did it alone!"
"No, but your intervention was decisive." He gave her a sly wink. "And there's no one else I can tell all this, so you'll have to take my thanks whether you want it or not."
"You… you could have brought in other troops, hired mercenaries. The Dendarii's…"
"True, and that would have been my fall-back position. I'd talked with my brother about this and he was prepared to use his ImpSec contacts and see if the Dendarii could be given a contract. But we decided to try this first."
"ImpSec!" exclaimed Anny. "Was that why Vorsmythe was there? Overseeing the mission? But no, why would he have tried to stop us…?" Anny trailed off, confused.
"No, we hadn't approached ImpSec yet," said Lord Mark. "But they… ah… like to keep an eye on me and my activities for reasons we don't need to go into here. We didn't know about Vorsmythe."
"You're not in trouble are you, Elena?" asked Anny. Somehow she was slipping into a first-name basis with the woman…
"Not that I've been told," smiled Elena. "Vorsmythe was just there to observe, but for some reason he decided things were getting out of hand. Probably thought that the whole thing was some plot to drag Barrayar into the situation. Anyway, I don't think ImpSec's going to be too upset considering the outcome. Results matter to them and they can't have been happy about a Jacksonian colony on Dounby."
"In any case," continued Lord Mark, "thanks to you there is no need to bring in the Dendarii and that will save the Empire and myself a great deal of money. You'll forgive me if some of my Jacksonian upbringing shows through, but I've always considered money to be one of the sincerest forms of gratitude." He pulled a credit chit out of a pocket. "I'd like you to have this in token of my thanks and my admiration."
"My lord! I… I can't accept that!" cried Anny in shock. "I was just doing my job!"
Lord Mark raised an eyebrow and leaned forward and placed the chit on the table next to her. "Then give it to your regimental fund or the Soldiers' Widows and Orphans Society or hang on to it until you retire. It's yours to do with as you will. And my admiration still goes along with it. You're one hell of a soldier, Ensign."
"He's certainly right about that," said Elena getting to her feet. Anny automatically rose as well. The woman came over and embraced her. "Thank you," she whispered.
Anny was totally flummoxed. She didn't protest as Elena slipped the credit chip into her tunic pocket. "I… I have to be getting back to my ship," she stammered.
"Safe trip home, Anny," said Kareen. "I'm sure we'll meet again soon. Say hi to my family when you see them."
"I will. Good-bye."
[Scene Break]
They jumped into Barrayar a week or so later and now it really did seem like home. Due to the 'incident' on Dounby and the disruption to their schedule it had caused they were almost a month late. An avalanche of mail and messages caught up with them and Anny spent nearly the whole voyage from the jump point sorting through it and making replies.
Because of the delay they had missed the Vorbarra Pentathlon and with their captain, lieutenant, first sergeant, biggest private, and sneakiest private absent, C Company had finished a disappointing third. It vaguely bothered Anny that they wouldn't be the honor company at graduation, but she found that she didn't actually care all that much. The Academy was rapidly becoming the past. She was focusing more and more on the future.
They made orbit and because of their tardy arrival she and the other jaygees (soon to be mere cadets again) were going to be shipped directly back to the Academy rather than accompany the battalion dirtside and leave from Fort Vormeyer. She was gathered in the hangar bay with the others when she saw Major Lurray approaching. They came to attention and saluted.
"Stand easy, ensigns," he said. "I just wanted to have a word with Payne and Vorsworth." He led the two of them aside from the others. He stared at her and then at Alby and than at her again. "Well, you certainly made things interesting! But I wanted to thank both of you for your service. And to tell you that if you're ever at Fort Vormeyer, stop by the officer's mess, you'll always be welcome."
"Thank you, sir," said both of them in unison.
Lurray rummaged around in his pocket and pulled something out. "I know you'll probably be assigned to other regiments when you graduate and you'll never get to wear these, but you can keep them as souvenirs of an interesting voyage and your time with the Countess Theresa Fusiliers." He held out his hand to each of them. In his palms sat a brass number '42' and an intricately cast set of letters, 'CTF'. They matched the ones he was wearing on his collar.
Anny was truly touched. She and Alby took them and looked at them wonderingly. "Thank you, sir. It's a time we won't forget."
[Scene Break]
The Academy seemed… smaller. Or maybe it was just that she was bigger. It was only a month until graduation and there was so much to do to finish up her classes and get ready for the big day. But it was good to see her old friends in C Company and check in on how the girls were doing. Abigail Vorburn had become the de facto leader of them and the Commandant had given her some of Anny's authority in overseeing the others. One of the plebe girls had given up and resigned and that saddened Anny, but she supposed it was inevitable. After all, over a third of her own class had left one way or another during the last four years.
Two weeks went by and Anny was so busy she had little time to think about anything else, but then one day came a summons to see the Commandant and she knew that her actions on Dounby had not been forgotten and it was time to pay the piper. Perhaps she wouldn't be graduating after all.
She put on her best set of black fatigues (she missed her undress greens) and reported to headquarters. Instead of the Commandant's office, where so many memorable conversations had taken place, she was directed to a small conference room. She swallowed nervously when she saw that in addition to the Commandant there was an admiral, a commodore and a general waiting for her, seated around a table. She snapped to attention and saluted.
"At ease, sit down," said the Commandant. "Cadet-Captain Payne, this is Vice Admiral Vorhallon, General Shackleford and Commodore Vormaster." She nodded at the men and they nodded back.
"Cadet-Captain Payne," said Vorhallon. "First, I want you to know that this is not a hearing or an inquest of any kind. We three have been charged with reviewing the events that took place on the planet Dounby during your recent cruise. We were ordered to study the reports of the senior officers in the convoy, study the sensor data, take statements where we thought necessary, and review the data stores from the suits of battle armor used in the operation." Anny swallowed nervously. Each set of battle armor had a data chip which recorded everything that happened. Everything she said, everything she saw, everything she did was recorded. "Based on what we saw, we were to present our recommendations on what, if any, action should be taken in response to those events on Dounby."
"Stupid name for a planet," muttered Commodore Vormaster.
"We have completed our task," continued Vorhallon, "and our report has been submitted and reviewed at the highest levels and actions have been decided upon. We have now been charged with informing you what those actions will be."
Anny's head was spinning. Vice admirals didn't come to arrest cadets! What was this all about?
"Before we do, however," said General Shackleford, "we have decided to also give you some words of advice. Sage wisdom from older and wiser heads." The man's craggy face broke into an unexpected smile.
"Yes," said Vorhallon and he wasn't smiling. "You took an enormous risk, Cadet-Captain. Several enormous risks. While some of that can be chalked up to your inexperience and the rather unusual nature of the situation, the fact remains that you disobeyed several direct orders from a superior officer, disobeyed several more implied orders, and took actions far outside the scope of any authority you may have possessed. While we do encourage officers to use their own initiative…"
"You can only get away with it by being right," interrupted General Shackleford. He was grinning again.
"And sometimes not even then," added Commodore Vormaster.
Vorhallon frowned at his compatriots and cleared his throat. "Yes. Things did turn out well in the end. But they might just as easily have turned out a complete disaster, in which case—in the unlikely event that you were still alive—this conversation would be taking place in a military prison, Cadet-captain."
"I understand, sir," said Anny. Her previous visits to headquarters had taught her to keep her mouth shut. No excuses. Let them do the talking! Still, she was starting to squirm in her chair.
"Do you? I have to wonder. There are reasons why we have orders, Cadet-captain. There are reasons for the chain of command. Subordinate officers can't know the big picture. They have to trust their superior's judgment. He probably knows more than they do."
"Probably," said Shackleford.
"Sometimes," added Vormaster.
"To go haring off just because you think you know better can be very dangerous," said Vorhallon.
"Very dangerous."
"Extremely dangerous."
Suddenly the Commandant cleared his throat noisily and the others looked at him. "Uh, excuse me, Admiral, I'm sure Cadet-captain Payne is profiting greatly by your words of wisdom, but I'm a bit worried that my cadet is being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment here."
Vorhallon frowned but Shackleford guffawed. "Yes, Yuri, I think we've flayed the poor girl enough. Don't keep her dangling. Let's get to the point."
Vorhallon twitched in his chair but then said: "Very well." He opened up a small folder that had been lying on the table and drew out a flimsy. He held it in front of him and began to read:
"By order of General Franz Vordalla, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, etcetera, etcetera, Cadet-captain Andreanne Payne is hereby commended for her actions taken on the Planet Dounby on date, etcetera, etcetera. Her quick-thinking, bravery, and tactical skill proved a decisive factor in the victory there and significantly reduced the casualties taken by friendly forces. Her actions were in the finest tradition of the Imperial military."
Anny was gawking and her mouth was hanging open.
"In recognition of these facts, Cadet-Captain Payne is hereby awarded the Imperial Medal for Conspicuous Gallantry."
Anny blinked in astonishment. The MCG! It was the second-highest military award there was. She couldn't believe it.
Vorhallon leaned back and slid the flimsy toward her. "This wasn't an easy decision, Cadet-captain. There were some people who wanted you court-martialed instead. But…"
"Experience has shown that medals pay better dividends than court-martials," said Shackleford. He grinned again. "You were lucky, kid."
"Damn lucky," added Vormaster.
"But congratulations anyway, Cadet-captain," said the Commandant. He got to his feet and offered his hand. Anny, in a complete daze took it. "You'll be getting another wound medal, as well."
"Thank… thank you, sir. But… but I didn't do it alone."
"Indeed, not," said Vorhallon, standing up. "There will be quite a few other decorations as a result of this. The two sergeants who dropped with you, some of the men in the other squads. Oh, and your friend, Cadet Vorsworth will be getting the Distinguished Service Star. His actions, holding on until relieved, were very meritorious, too,"
"And he didn't even disobey orders," muttered Vormaster.
"Cadet-captain," said Vorhallon. "I hope this won't undo all the words of caution I just gave you, but well done. Very well done." He stuck out his hand and Anny shook it. The other two officers offered their congratulations as well.
"T-thank you, sir."
"Well, we leave her to you, Thayer," said Vorhallon to the Commandant. "God help you."
"Only for another two weeks, sir. Then she's back in your court."
"Then God help us all. Be seeing you." He and the other officers departed, leaving her alone with the Commandant. He was smiling.
"Can I offer you a drink? You look like you could use one."
"I… I really shouldn't…"
"Nonsense!" He opened a cabinet and took out two glasses and a bottle. "You've just been awarded the MCG. No other cadet in the history of the Academy has done that. It deserves a drink. Here, take it and sit down before you pass out." She found herself back in her chair with a glass in her hand.
"I can't believe this," she whispered. "I don't feel like a hero."
"What do you feel like?"
"A… killer. I can't quite call myself a murderer, but still… Two of my own men dead, one because of… And the enemy I killed, I tell myself they deserved it, but… it wasn't pretty, sir."
"I know." She looked at him. "I've seen the reports."
"Oh." The Commandant seemed to be looking right into her. She hadn't mentioned any of this to anyone, not even Jer, and yet somehow she knew she could speak to him. Still, she hadn't told him everything. During the fighting, the terrifying rage that had gripped her. The violence sickened her now, but at the time…
"There's nothing I can say to you, Anny. I'll have been in the service thirty years next month and in all that time I've never killed anyone. Not face to face like you did, anyway. It can't be easy, but you seem to be handling it."
"Yes, sir. I've gotten a few other 'words of wisdom' along the way on that score, sir. They do help."
"Good. Oh, and as you know, I've been holding up your final grade on your training cruise, waiting for these results. I'm happy to say that you have officially passed and will graduate on schedule."
"Thank you sir." She looked out the window. It faced the parade ground and there were several companies out there drilling. "I'm going to miss this place."
"It does become a home of sorts, doesn't it?" asked the Commandant. "Between my time here as a cadet and my time as commandant I've lived here longer than anywhere in my adult life. I think I shall miss it, too." He looked out the window for a moment and then back at her. "But graduation is a beginning, not an end. My career is drawing to a close, but yours is just starting."
"Yes sir." Although she'd only spoken with the man a few times, just then she felt very close to him. Once again she'd found a friend where she'd never expected to.
"And there's one more thing. You turned down the Cadet-major's post once and I'm not in a position to offer it to you again, but the Academy has all sorts of traditions dating back a long time. One, which has only recently been brought to my attention, is that an especially deserving cadet can, when there's no room in the table of organization for a normal promotion, be appointed a 'junior major' in the battalion. I'd like to appoint you to that position."
"Sir, I'm not sure that…"
"Don't worry, you'll still march with your own company. It's just a ceremonial thing, but it will go on your record."
"I see, sir. In that case I accept. And thank you."
[Scene Break]
"Cadets, kneel!" shouted the regimental adjutant. Cadet-major Andreanne Payne lowered herself to one knee. It had rained the night before and she could feel the moisture soaking through the fabric. She looked up at the podium and the adjutant stepped aside and General Vordalla stepped forward.
"Repeat after me: I, state your name…"
"I, Andreanne Payne…"
"Do hereby solemnly swear and affirm, that I will, as an officer of the Imperial Forces, bear true faith and allegiance to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Gregor Vorbarra, and will faithfully serve His Imperial Majesty in whatever duties are assigned to me. That I will defend the Barrayaran Imperium against all enemies, even unto death. That I will obey all lawful orders given to me by His Majesty or such deputies as He shall appoint, and that I will duly lead those placed under my command, respecting their oaths as they respect mine."
She took a deep breath. She'd said almost these same words eight months earlier. But this time it was for good. This time it was forever. It's done. It's done.
"Officers of the Empire! Rise up!" commanded Vordalla. Six hundred and thirty-nine men and one woman, cadets no longer, rose to their feet.
Vordalla stepped aside and the Emperor came forward.
"I, Gregor Vorbarra, Emperor of Barrayar, Komarr, and Sergyar, do accept these oaths and in turn pledge to respect them in the same spirit as they were given. Loyalty with loyalty, duty with duty and honor with honor. Go forth now to your duties with the thanks of ourself and the empire you serve." The Emperor stepped back and there was a spirited applause from the watching audience. The Emperor's words, just as their oath, was prescribed by long tradition. Nothing added, nothing taken away.
The new officers wanted to cheer, toss their caps in the air, whoop for joy, but instead they were forced to endure the rest of the ceremonies. First, the battalion of plebes had to be presented with their colors. Anny wished she could see that, but they were clear on the other end of the parade ground and it was too far. She wondered how people were going to react when they saw that the color sergeant taking the flag from the Emperor's hands was Cadet-sergeant Sandra Woitek and that the Honor Company was commanded by Cadet-captain Gloria Vorkolgan? That ought to raise a few eyebrows.
"Wow, didn't seem to take this long when we were underclassmen!" whispered Jer from behind her.
"Just your imagination."
"What do you want to do afterwards?"
"The Countess and everyone else are here. They'll want to take us to dinner. After that… we'll see."
By the time everything was done the wet spot on her knee had dried completely in the strong morning sun. It was getting hot and she was sweating under her parade red-and-blues. Finally the Emperor was back on the reviewing stand and the adjutant called the battalions to attention. Time for the pass in review. The brass and the drums of the band crashed into a march, the companies swung into column, and they were off.
As she marched at the head of her company, Anny was filled with a sense of sadness. This was the last time. She would never do this again. Not with C Company. In a few short minutes the company would cease to exist. There would be a new C Company, 1st Battalion as the junior class became the senior class. A new C Company filled with strangers. Her C Company would never parade again—except in her memory. She found herself blinking back tears. They had shared and endured so much together. The death march, that first pentathlon, the Great Rabbit Hunt, the Fire… Part of her never wanted it to end, but another part of her was looking eagerly to the future.
"Company, eyes—right!" They were approaching the reviewing stand and there was the Emperor. He returned their salute, but her eyes were searching the crowd. There was the Countess and the Count. The Lord Auditor was there with his wife. Drou and Kou and… wait, was that Elena? They moved on past and she couldn't look back. No, I didn't fail you My Lady. I did fail some people… like Zac, but I didn't fail you. I kept my promise. She had other promises to keep but they could wait for another day.
They swung around back into line, opened ranks and presented arms. The Emperor returned their salute and the adjutant came forward once again.
"The 1st Battalion, Imperial Service Academy, the 125th Class of Cadets is Dis—missed!"
The battalion roared out a cheer and tossed their caps into the air and disintegrated into a swirling mob. Anny hugged Jer and then found Alby and Patric and hugged them. She saw Denis Fallon standing a distance away, looking on and she went over and hugged him, too. "Friends?' she said, shouting above the noise and offering her hand.
"Damn right," he said, smiling and gripping her hand firmly.
She shook hands with a number of her old comrades, but she kept watching, hoping to catch sight of someone special. She paused for a moment when she saw Color Sergeant…oops, excuse me… Ensign Paley walking by with the furled colors of the battalion. He would deliver them to Memorial Hall where they would hang with the colors of the one hundred and twenty-four classes that had gone before them.
Then she spotted a group of familiar faces making their way through the crowd and she broke into a smile when she saw the person she had been looking for was with them. Countess Vorkosigan and the others began shouting greeting, but Anny said:
"Excuse me, My Lady, but there's something I have to do first." She moved around her to where Sergeant Major Szytko was standing next to Commodore Koudelka. "Sergeant Major, may I have my first salute from you?"
The man had a lot more white in his hair than the first time she saw him, but he gave her a smile and came to attention. His hand flashed up to the visor of his cap and his eyes gleamed as he looked into hers. Her hand came up to her own cap and she held it there. "Congratulations, Lieutenant," he said.
"Thank you, Sergeant Major… for everything." Her hand came down halfway and he took it in a strong grip. "I wouldn't have made it but for you."
"Yes you would. Nothing's going to stop you, girl. Nothing."
She stepped back and then the poor man was mobbed by dozens of other new officers who also wanted a first salute from him. Anny smiled and turned back to the Countess. "And thank you, My Lady. You gave me the chance…"
"But you took it and ran, Anny," she said, smiling broadly. "I don't think any small favor I've done has ever paid me back quite so well."
Anny blushed and then the others crowded in to offer her their congratulations. Drou and Kou and the Lord Auditor and his wife. She had seen Elena Bothari-Jesek and she was there with her husband and Lord Mark had been hiding in the crowd with Kareen as well. It was quite a mob.
"I… I don't think we're all going to fit into the Officer's Club," said Anny.
"I anticipated that," said the Lord Auditor with a grin. "I've had a section of Emperor Ezar's Hall curtained off and a catered affair is awaiting us. Shall we go?"
Anny laughed. "Yes, My Lord, that sounds fine."
[Scene Break]
Much, much later that day Anny was walking with Jer across the Academy Campus. The heat of the day had passed and the stars were out. She looked at the empty flag pole on the edge of the parade ground and was sad that she'd missed Retreat. One last time. They held hands as they walked, no longer worried that someone would see them and talked of their years at the Academy. They laughed at the funny things and spoke with pride of their accomplishments.
"It's been a hell of trip, hasn't it?" said Jer.
"Yes, and with more twists and turns in the road than I could have ever dreamed of."
"But with a happy ending, right?"
"It's not the end, it's just the beginning."
"Yeah." Jer turned more somber.
"What?"
"Oh, it's just that we've been accepted for the Assault Troops and there are nine regiments of them in the military. What are the chances that we'll both be assigned to the same regiment?"
"I know, I've been thinking about that." And she had.
"You've got a lot of very important friends, Anny. Influential friends. Maybe they can pull some strings."
"I've been thinking about that, too. But they've already done so much for me."
"Well," said Jer, brightening, "Alby has no such scruples and knowing him he's probably already got us all assigned to the same regiment!"
Anny laughed out loud. "Yes! What were we worried about? In any case, I'm not going to worry about it any more tonight."
They continued to stroll. They walked past the barracks that had been home for so long. The lights were all dark inside. A new company would be moving in there soon. They reached the path leading through the woods and followed it. There was a sentry at the gate, but she knew Anny and let her through, although she eyed Jer suspiciously. There were lights on in the Women's Barracks, but Anny steered Jer toward the little cottage. It had sat, unused since that memorable meeting last year but when she tried the palm lock the door still opened.
Nothing had changed at all except there was a bit more dust. She wandered around for a bit, glancing at the wall where that rude message had greeted her in her plebe year. Not a trace of it remained.
"Remembering all the time you spent here, Anny?" asked Jer.
She came over to him and stood very close. "No, I'm remembering the very last time I was in here. And what we did. And what we didn't do."
"Anny…" gasped Jer.
"We're not cadets anymore, Jer. We're all grown up now." She started unbuttoning his tunic.
"You mean you want to…?"
"Yes. Right now."
And they did.
Quite some time later they were lying together on the bed, Anny's head resting on Jer's chest, listening to his heartbeats. She was content and very sleepy. She was seriously considering spending the rest of the night here. Why not?
"Hey," said Jer suddenly.
"What?"
"I just realized something."
"What?"
"Well, because of our medals we both were commissioned as Lieutenants, right?"
"Yes…"
"And we were both commissioned on exactly the same day at exactly the same time, right?"
"Yes…"
"Well, that means you don't outrank me anymore! The first time in three years!"
Anny smiled and poked his chest. "Read the regulations again, Jer. In determining seniority where the date of commission is identical any decorations won can also be considered. My MCG trumps your Distinguished Service Star. I still outrank you, kiddo."
"Well poo! That's not fair!"
She smiled and kissed him.
"Welcome to Barrayar."