Cornelius moved from left to right in nervousness. Frankly speaking, he couldn't help himself. Not when the person in front of him had a way of looking at you like your very existence was a disappointment.
Orn, as many of his friends knew him, looked everywhere else but his father's face. The six-star general grunted, obviously disapproving of that as he spoke up. "Since you have the balls to hand in your resignation, then you should at least be strong enough to look me in the eye." Orn swallowed, you could never tell what his father was thinking. The man was like an ocean, unclear, and murky, with hidden depths you would never be able to reach. No matter how much you scratch at the surface. But much more than that, Orn knew his father would call out his bluff the moment he saw the retirement letter.
"All of this because of your mother and sister? I told you they're dead!" Orn frowned, they have had this argument a thousand times, but that doesn't mean it gets easier each time. "You should move on and make the best of your life. There's no glory in chasing the past." his father finished, as he leaned back on his seat and gave his son a debilitating stare.
Orn clenched his fist tightly, he shook in his seat, with anger that swiftly turned into rage ablaze in his eyes. His father chuckled. Orn usually had no spine, or the confidence to match up with his father unless the man mentions his mother or sister.
"I am not your enemy, son, but someone has to tell you the reality of life. This is a total and complete waste of time." The general reached forwards as he downed an entire glass of fruit juice, taking his time to swallow, as Orn kept trying to stare a hole through his throat. He dropped his glass, wiped his mouth and continued as if he never stopped.
"The outer rings of the galaxy are such a place that even the toughest soldiers of the empire can never step foot in. Yet you want to go there to look for your mother and sister, who, mind you, have been missing for the last ten years, since the disaster happened." A little bit of anger seeped into the general's voice, and with a sort of bitterness and hurt only Orn and his stepmother has seen. "There's no way you turn in this letter Cornelius, it would be suicide!"
Orn looked down at his fist. What could he say? He might not like the fact that his father could move on so easily, even having a whole new family by this point. But they understood each other, and much more than that, he knew his father loved him, in his own way at the very least.
"I refuse! I am not accepting your request for discharge from the Aegean military. You are one of the best and brightest we have, plus you just got promoted to admiral, the youngest ever in the history of the galaxy." Orn rolled his eyes as his father listed out his achievements. There was nothing wrong with that, it was just that his father listed those achievements, like he was the one who achieved them.
"Your future is bright and the prospects available to you right now mean you have the chance to go much farther than I could ever possibly go. You're a Psionic, and you have training from the order of the white Ones, a connection I'm thankful to your mother every day for leaving. You have a chance to become a Planet Lord."
"I am already a Planet Lord." Orn muttered, only for his father to slam his hands on his table, startling the young soldier as years of training kicked in immediately, and he sat up straighter and at attention. He wasn't just talking to his father, he was Six-Star General George Reese. Hero of the battle of Cosus. Breaker of chains, liberator and grand imperator of the emperor of the galaxy.
"That scrap heap moon of beggars and lost souls your mother left for you is worthless. It's a worthy memento, and would be much better put to good use if you just repurposed it as a dumping ground for debris." Orn wanted to be defiant, but hard-earned discipline would let him do nothing else but look his father in the eyes.
"If you do that, at least you can make a bit of money from the trawlers that way. But you are being stubborn and even sank money into the purchase of a Terra-forming Core. You will need more money than you can ever make in your lifetime to afford it, and you took the damn thing on a loan!" Orn winced, that might not have been his brightest idea.
"Nothing you have done so far has encouraged or led me to believe you are actually using your dumb head. But I also know you won't be here if you're not so sure that you could convince me, so…what do you have to say for yourself?" Orn watched as his father threw the letter into the disposal besides him, then interlocked his fingers as he brought down the full power of his gaze on his son.
He was right though. Orn had not spent the last ten years of his life, training and fighting and clawing his way up till this point, all for a chance to go find his mother, to be waylaid so easily. This time he raised his head and met his father's eyes. "I ask that you give me two years, to at least set things up. The moon itself borders a planet that has been a thorn in the side of the empire for the last 48 years. Let me go there as an agent of the empire. I will recruit some of the best minds that I can from my cohort and the graduation pool from the academies this year." Orn paused, he did that to see if his father was paying attention. The general raised an eyebrow in question as he quickly continued.
"I will develop the moon into a base for the empire. They would be none the wiser as I intend to do it as a pirate. That planet is also the forward base of the Theocracy of the Black Sun. Their agents have been funding pirate activities against the Aegean Empire for years. Let me infiltrate." Orn held his father's gaze, he had to show the general that his conviction was set and unshaken.
"No one really knows what I look like, father. You have made sure of that, for my own safety. I'm the best person for this job, and you know it, I get to look for Mom and Elizabeth, and you get all the glory in the universe that you want." His father scoffed, then leaned back on his seat to look at Orn.
"That's barely enough to convince me, because there's the sheer matter of the fact that you might fail my boy. So that's not enough for me to let you go get yourself killed due to your stupidity. I have invested a lot in you." Orn had to resist rolling his eyes, that would start another lecture on proper military etiquette. "Your promise of future glory and your arrogance in thinking that you alone have the power to change the stalemate of a war between our two empires, that has been in place for more than fifty years, is nothing more than the wishful thinking of a child. And you have seen 25 cycles Cornelius, taken lives in the hundreds and commanded men and women to take even more lives. Nothing about you is a child." Orn gritted his teeth then swallowed hard. This is honestly, all he had been living and training for. It didn't matter to him what he had to sacrifice, he just needed to know what happened... he needed to find them.
"I'll agree to any match of your choice! Hell I'll get married and consummate the damn thing before I leave so that you can at least live secure in the knowledge that you have secured a match with a powerful family." Orn paused, fighting the urge to sneer at the amused and satisfied look in the eyes of his father. "You will have an heir, to carry on the legacy. If I do turn out to be a total failure, as you expect that I'll be." Orn could not help it, he shuddered, the sheer look of joy and victory on his father's face revolted and scared him at the same time.
This was a man who was all about his glory, a sheer obsession to let his name live on forever. He hungered for power in a way Orn had never seen or experienced, and it terrified him, because that hunger made everything in his path food that could be devoured… even his own son.
"Good! But you will also take a concubine, maybe from one of the up-and-coming houses with a potential for a seat in the senate. What do you think? You should discuss this with me. You know. It's your future after all, my boy. I already have a suitable candidate for who your wife will be, but I'm on the fence about the concubine, or concubines, if you would not be remiss to having an extra." Orn was not put off by the sudden switch in character, his father was never one to drag on tension, when a lighter tone was required. Since he was getting what he wanted, it was time to play the supportive father.
"Enough blood in the game would ensure we grow into a great and powerful family, especially if your sons have rivalry with each other." Orn rolled his eyes, the quick change in attitude aside, the man still cared only for his glory. This was something he was used to, so there was no use getting angry.
General George Reese believed in rewarding his children with a jovial and lively attitude whenever they did something that made him happy. It was like a switch he could just flip whenever he wanted to. But he was right, if Orn could salvage this disaster that has just been made of his life, it would be to have a little say in it. He didn't want to end up married to an old hag, or some underage child, or worse, an ugly woman. He was all about making sacrifices for his goals, but he'd take a little comfort whenever he could.
"What candidates do you have in mind?" Orn asked. It would be best to let his father take the lead in this. He would be able to come up with extra strategies on the side, once he sees what he has to show him. The old man chuckled as he waved, and a screen popped up. On it were three women, there was a digital profile and assuredly every single one of them was older than he was, and one was even an old enemy.
"You don't need to look so surprised that she's on this list. Your rivalry is actually well documented, and she would have been as talented if not more talented than you are if not for her low standing and the fact that she is a woman." Orn rolled his eyes, "There's nothing wrong with being a woman… Dad." It was an unspoken rule, Orn had learned it early on, and his younger siblings have and were still learning it. Whenever their father was in an amicable mood, no matter how angry you might be at him for a perceived slight, you had to play ball.
"Of course there's nothing wrong with being a woman, especially for her. I raised you and taught you everything you know, and she, a woman from a low caste, could match that vigor and power to become one of the most valuable new assets of our empire's military. She keeps you on your toes, and concubine or not, she would make sure you remain true to your 'real' mission and not have your head stuck in the dirt looking for someone already dead."
Orn clenched his fist again. "It seems to me the whole thing about making a choice is just you playing with my head. Both my marriages, it seems, have already been decided upon." His father chuckled as he asked. "Do you disagree with my choice? She has potential, and unlike you who want's to throw away everything that has made you the force that you have become, she is ambitious. She will make sure you keep being ambitious and serve the military aims of our illustrious empire."
"So you're saying she's going with me?" Orn asked, but his father shook his head. "Not immediately, I'll give you three months. Go set, whatever it is. You can set up and create some contacts. Build a home, you're a man, regardless of whose son you are and how much you hate that I control your life. Wife or concubine, you need to give a woman a home, a household to run for you…it makes you stronger."
Orn looked down at his shoes, he could not fully write off this advice. Maybe being with a woman or women was not top of his agenda right now, but his father was right. The man might be old school and maybe a little misogynistic, but he is someone who was birthed by one of the most resilient females in the galaxy. A trait his grandmother had passed on to her children and grandchildren, and a trait that made the respect and honor of any woman in their household absolute. It's what has made his stepmother the great woman that she is… the family creed. The Men Fight Wars, and The Women Build Nations.
"You need three officers. I know you already have a Grigarian following you. Be careful with that one. They might be an intelligent race, but they know nothing of loyalty. Not in the face of their technology and the advancements it brings. They have no culture and no tradition, just parasites, so make sure you place a bid for new subordinates before other more ambitious soldiers do so. Since I'm sure you are in a hurry, you can skip the wedding ceremonies and get right down to it. You just need to sign the marriage certificate and consummate your marriage, then you're free to go play in the dirt somewhere. As for the concubine, once she gets to you, then you can at least try to fulfill your duty and put children in her belly. You need sons Orn, strong sons to take this family to the next stage. So what do you think?" Orn would roll his eyes again if he didn't think it was too exhausting. He didn't think anything, all of these sucks. But at the very least, he had one last question to ask.
"My …my wife? The woman that's to be my wife. Who is she?" Orn asked, as his father developed a smile on his face, that spelled trouble for Orn, and the answer he gave so soon after, more than drove it home. "I have already finalized everything. Your new wife would be Grand Princess, Kikian Zaloan Drake. The lady of light, the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, and such a delight to be around. You should be happy, out of all the suitors vying for her hand… She. Picked. You!" Orn forced a smile on his face, knowing full well his father had just sentenced him to death for power.