Ventrexia's Son

Part One: Student

Chapter One: Blue Imperial

MewMew's delicate black hands smoothed the high collar of his uniform as she gazed up at Avocato, her large golden eyes aglow with undisguised pride and delight. He knew without asking she was thinking how tall and handsome her son was growing – it had been a common theme for her of late as she came to grips with the fact that her youngest child was, in fact, on the cusp of adulthood and about to embark on a whole new stage of his life without her. She had done all she could, given all she could, and prepared him as fully as possible. Now it was up to Avocato to make his path.

"Always remember who and what you are, Avocato," she reminded gently. "You are your father's son, but your coloring is my gift to you."

And coming from MewMew of Hiis, a princess of the ancient imperial family, that was no mean offering.

"Be glad, my Little Cato! Not everyone is given the chance to display their heritage for all the world to see," he remembered her telling him when he had first become conscious of how unusual his teal fur was considered. "You are a Blue Imperial. You are the color of an ocean forest, or a storm in space. Very few Ventrexians are so privileged! Everyone who sees it will remember you always."

His color was as much a blessing as a curse, but her words had stayed with him over the years, as surely as his blue-green coat marked him with the Imperial bloodline. They had reassured him when he was very young, but he still liked to think himself the color of sea and storm, something to be loosed upon the unwary.

"I don't expect you'll get a chance for a few days," she said as she fussed, jerking him back to the present, "but contact us as soon as you're able. We want to hear about everything."

"I promise, Mother," he assured her for the umpteenth time. He smiled, for it was rare that Princess MewMew repeated herself, and a sure sign that she was nervous. Too excited to be worried, Avocato nonetheless sympathized. He was going to miss them both, and his brothers and house and his countless cousins and parties and dancing and so many things, especially, he suspected, his bed, but such an adventure awaited him at the academy. He wouldn't miss it for the world. "I'll be fine."

"I know." She smiled, knowing she was playing the anxious, hovering mother. Letting go of a child – especially her youngest - was a new role for her, with her sons Catomar and Catowba safe at home. "I'm just going to miss having you close. And the cooks will miss your appetite."

That much was true, he knew. There were few things Avocato wouldn't eat, and the chefs at the estate loved him for that. Catowba, forever teasing his little brother, claimed it was because he had no taste. "I'll be coming home on breaks."

"You must bring your friends," she ordered. "You'll make plenty of them here, I know. All sorts of young men and women from every part of the world and maybe even the colonies. They might not all be able to make it home, so bring them with you. We'll want to meet them."

"I will, my lady," Avocato promised, knowing he would miss her most of all.

She pulled him down to press her forehead to his, and Avocato instinctively returned the heartfelt touch.

"Protect yourself, so you can protect what you love, my son," she whispered. It was an ages-old blessing for soldiers going to battle. "Know that I love you, Little Cato."

"And I, you, dearest lady."

When MewMew finally released him, Avocato was surprised to see tears brimming in her eyes. Then he turned to his father. Though more composed than his wife, Catomar was no less proud to see his son in uniform. Reaching out, he placed his hand on Avocato's shoulder. With a quiet thrill, Avocato looked at his father squarely and realized only then that he was as tall – if not taller – than the Grand Lord of House Cato. He'd always thought his father to be impossibly large. So what did that make Avocato?

"Remember what I told you. You'll meet people from every walk of life. Each situation presents its own opportunity. Learn from everything and everyone."

"I will, Father. And thank you." He grew serious, and quietly promised, "I'll make you proud, my lord."

Catomar's expression softened, and he smiled faintly. "You already have, Avocato."

So with that final gift, Avocato folded his hands over his heart and bowed formally to his parents before picking up his bags and, like scores of other new recruits, began climbing the long steps to the academy entrance. His heart was light to think he had made his lord father proud, and he had to fight the urge to run all the way to the top. He was stepping into a whole new world. Midway up, he paused to look back, and he was pleased – but not surprised – to see Catomar and MewMew side-by-side still watching him. Avocato glanced around and saw many other similar farewells going on, many anxious parents and eager cadets. With a quick wave and a smile, he pressed on, forcing himself not to look back, but only forward.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What is that?"

Commodore Leoni glanced at the multi-colored crowd of new students assembling in the quad. "I believe those are called cadets, Colonel Tibbet," she responded dryly, returning her attention to the electronic padd in her hands. "You might have seen them a time or two before."

He cast her an exasperated look. "Cadets who are forbidden to show up dyed some unnatural color, if I remember aright, Ma'am."

Unbidden, the exact page, paragraph, and sub-section of the uniform code rose to the fore in Leoni's mind. "That's correct."

"So what is that outside of a deliberate violation of the student handbook?"

Leoni followed his pointed finger to the edge of the crowd below and easily spotted what had Colonel Tibbet so agitated: an unusually tall cadet with fur almost the same dark teal blue as his uniform coat. The commodore blinked in astonishment, never having seen that color on a Ventrexian before.

But she knew her history, and she had heard the lore . . .

"Oh, my," Leoni breathed, her green eyes growing wide. She ignored the inquiring look Tibbit cast her. "Cataloupe!" she called towards the office behind them, not looking away from the cadet. He was a handsome and spirited-looking thing, with a ready smile and a sharp blaze of white down his face. If he was aware of his own distinction, he gave no indication of it. "Colonel, we have a present for you!"

Colonel Cataloupe, catching up with some last-minute details for the incoming class, joined them on the gallery overlooking the quad. He reached the railing before he even glanced up from the padd he was reading as he jammed in some last-minute work before his welcoming speech. In a swift glance he took in Tibbit's annoyance and Leoni's mischievousness and prepared himself for the worst. Strong and stout and blessed with a moustache handed down from heaven, he limped from a partially healed leg injury. Normally Cataloupe was a frontline officer and not due to be rotated back to Ventrexia for another year, but the battlefield injury had hastened that timeline and the military intended to keep him in-system for the next few years. Rather than sit behind a desk doing paperwork while he recovered, he had signed up to oversee the next cadet class at the royal military academy, a five-year commitment that worked well with the military's intent to set him to training. The job was turning out to be substantially more complex than Cataloupe had anticipated, but that didn't worry him. He was surrounded by old friends and peers who were willing to help guide him, and the academy had provided him with an experienced secretary, two interns, an office to hide in, and no one was trying to shoot him. What was more, the food was excellent.

He dwarfed Leoni and elbowed his friend and peer Tibbit as he surveyed the crowd below. There were about two hundred young Ventrexians assembled so far, all dressed the same in teal and gray military uniforms, standing in loose clusters in the academy courtyard. More recruits filed in each passing moment. They talked quietly amongst themselves as they waited for speeches and instructions to start their journey to become officers.

"Use your crutches," Leoni reminded softly in a warning sing-song. She gestured toward the opposite corner of the quad. "I don't know if congratulations or commiserations are due, but see what you've been blessed with."

Cataloupe scanned the crowd, then blinked, completely taken aback. "Is that . . . ?" He looked to Leoni to confirm what he saw.

Leoni nodded, fighting a smile. Tibbit huffed in frustration.

"What is it? What is this marvel outside of a walking violation, Cataloupe? A mutant? Enlighten me!"

"A Blue Imperial," breathed Cataloupe, shaking his head in awe. "That's a Blue Imperial."

Tibbit was done with him. "Which tells me . . . absolutely nothing of use."

Leoni chuckled. "You need to read more history, Colonel."

"I do," he huffed. "Engineering history."

"Time to branch out, my friend," said Cataloupe. He jerked his chin towards the teal cadet. "Blue Imperials only happen in the ancient Imperial bloodline. It's very rare. Generations can pass without one being born."

The commodore glanced at her fellow administrators. "They're supposed to foretell great change for Ventrexia."

"Good or bad?" wondered Tibbit dryly.

"Time will tell, Colonel. Change is change, and good and bad go hand-in-hand. Have you ever seen one before, Cataloupe?" asked Leoni.

He nodded. "Yes. Once. I saw Arch Dame MoMo at the funeral of King Bestat. All the academy classes still planetside were turned out to supplement the royal guard for the procession. She wasn't as dark as this young specimen, but she was also fantastically old."

"It is more common in females when it does show up," added Leoni. She took pity on Tibbet. "Blue Imperials are a color variant that appeared over a thousand years ago in the royal house. The old Imperial family is predominately black in color, occasionally brown, and once every few lifetimes, teal. It wasn't until the marriage laws were relaxed that we got more variety in the royal family," she added, seeing as how the present heir apparent to the throne was ginger.

"So he's an inbred mutant?" Tibbit concluded, updating his assessment. "I'm so glad you have this year's class and not me, Cataloupe."

Cataloupe laughed. "I seriously doubt he's a mutant."

The engineer huffed in frustration. "I don't. Look at him! He's blue, Colonel."

"Teal," corrected Cataloupe. "Definitely a green tint to that fur."

"That just improves everything. Blue Imperial, you said. So he's blue. That's not natural. If that's not a mutation, what is? At least you don't deny he's inbred. And more importantly, why do you know this?" Tibbit addressed his peer, but he included Leoni in the scope of the rant and question.

He spread his hands, smiling as he shrugged and said, "History." Cataloupe glanced at the Commodore to be sure they had the same answer. "General Mau, Prince of Hiis, who won so much territory from the Tryvuulians and the B'nall five hundred years ago, was a Blue Imperial. There's an old saying in the infantry that started around that time: All things must bow to Death, but Death bows to the Imperial Blue. Originally the saying was 'bows to the Blue Imperial,' meaning General Mau, but it changed over the years since they're so rare. Most people assume it means the Ventrexian military since our uniforms are imperial blue, but we wear this color to honor him."

Leoni listened with interest. She smiled as she added, "The Fighter Corp has a different saying: Imperial Blue on a Blue Imperial makes Ventrexia smile. The war goddess, not the planet, mind you. Though if we could end this war, the planet might smile as well."

Tibbit snorted. "Engineers aren't so dramatic."

"Oh, really?" countered Cataloupe. Genuinely curious, he asked, "So what do you say?"

Tibbet gave a little grumble, mostly for show. "When in doubt, paint it blue."

They all laughed, enjoying the exchange.

"There hasn't been a Blue Imperial in service since Captain Lady MeeMaw's ship was lost in the Battle of Choran," Leoni said thoughtfully. She glanced at Tibbit. "That was over forty years ago for those of you who don't read military history."

Cataloupe turned to her. "Wasn't there some scandal many years back about a Blue Imperial here at the academy?"

"Calling me old, old friend?"

Cataloupe stroked his moustache with dramatic flair and gave the commodore his most dashing smile. "Never. I call you seasoned. Experienced. Wise. Mysterious. Never old."

Leoni shook her head, amused. "Is there anything you won't flirt with, Colonel?"

"Engineers," Cataloupe answered without hesitation.

Tibbit snorted. "For which my division is infinitely grateful." Holding the rail, he leaned back to see around the burly frontliner to address Leoni. "He has an extreme aversion to coveralls."

"They're abominations. No one looks good in them." Cataloupe shrugged, spreading his hands in an expansive gesture. "I joined for the uniforms. I stayed for the company."

"And the food."

"Your reputation proceeds you, Cataloupe. Not at my academy." Leoni pointed a warning finger at his nose. "But you are right," she said, not clarifying the point he was right about. "It was a graduating class or two before I started. Some enterprising cadet wanted to be taken for more than he was and dyed his coat that color. He caused quite a stir both here and in the royal family. They watch these things closely."

"How was he found out?" asked Tibbet, glancing up from where he was again watching the new cadets.

"He was injured in a shuttle accident in his second year. When his parents arrived, not only were they both white and gray, but they didn't recognize their own son. He was in medical long enough that his hair started growing out."

Both colonels battled to keep from laughing aloud at that mental image. Tibbet won, Cataloupe lost.

"There was nothing in the uniform code at that time saying he couldn't dye himself any color he wanted," Leoni continued, "but he was disciplined for misrepresenting himself since it's well known that color is exclusive to the imperial bloodline. If I remember aright, he had to write a very long and detailed report on the genetics of Blue Imperials and why it was impossible for him to be one. He was not allowed to bleach himself white again, but had to let his coat grow out. I saw a picture my first year. He looked quite absurd."

"Well, this one should be easy enough to verify," Tibbits said. He glanced at his old schoolmate. "I'm still glad they're yours and not mine, Cataloupe."

"Unless he signs up for engineering," teased Cataloupe.

"Bite your tongue. He's command material. I can smell it from here."

Despite being unfamiliar with the role he'd taken on, Cataloupe was nonetheless grateful to be exactly where he was and at this exact time, and he smiled as he mentally agreed with his friend's assessment as he watched the cadet in question. His bearing was proud and graceful, and there was sharp intelligence in his golden eyes. Definitely command material. A Blue Imperial in his class? It was an auspicious start. To guide and shape these young Ventrexians was the opportunity of a lifetime, and if one of them happened to be the stuff of legends, who was Cataloupe to complain? He would not trade places with anyone in the universe right now.

"I'm sure you'll do your best by them, as I will," he said, elbowing Tibbet again. "At least we know they'll have better teachers than we did."

"Mmm," he agreed in kind. "They have us."

"Precisely."

Releasing a long sigh, Commodore Leoni closed her eyes and held the bridge of her nose as if to stave off a headache. "Are you two done?"

"Ma'am," said Cataloupe, completely serious, "I believe we've only just started."

"And we've five years to go," agreed Tibbit.

She gave them a look of suffering and shook her head, clearly not nearly as annoyed as she tried to act. They were all intently curious about their new student and the reaction of his peers and the academy's staff. There was a delicate balance to be struck between skills and expectations, between legend and reality, history and the present. Time would tell indeed.

"Just remember, sirs – put a helmet and uniform on them, and they all look alike. And in battle, they all bleed the same color."

The two colonels silently agreed..

"Still, I want you to keep a sharp eye on him, Cataloupe," she ordered. "He's an unavoidable distraction, but he's not responsible for his coloring. There's going to be a lot of jealousy and prying. I won't tolerate misbehavior."

"Yes, Commodore," he responded crisply. "I'll keep them all in my sights."

She gave him a look. "Watch your own back, as well. The jealousy may not be limited to would-be officers alone. There are instructors and other class heads who like to collect prizes. Who wouldn't want a Blue Imperial?" Leoni allowed herself a little smirk. "It's going to be an interesting year."

"Undeniably," said Cataloupe with a smile of anticipation.

They all turned their attention back to the handsome young man with the white blaze. He was listening to something a female recruit standing next to him was saying, and he smiled and laughed with easy familiarity, seemingly unconscious of the curious looks he was receiving and the distance many of the recruits put between themselves and him.