Hesitation (The Coalition Book 5) by Nick Steverson

Author:Nick Steverson [Steverson, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2020-09-21T22:00:00+00:00

* * *

Cortal stood by the fountain in the center of the atrium. He was staring into the water, watching his reflection ripple as the water cascaded from the statue of Razal. He felt, rather than heard, another being step up beside him. Several hundred years of military training had honed his senses much more than some realized.

“Hello, Maran,” he said in a low voice.

“I see you got my message,” she said.

“I did,” he said. “Very bold of you to send it while sitting right in front of him,” he added, smiling at her.

She smiled back. “I know you hate hearing slate notifications and keep it on silent. I was fairly certain we were safe.”

Cortal took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. “I’m not sure I can be certain of anything anymore.”

“So, you feel it too?” Maran asked. “Draktal was right when he said Gortal wasn’t fit to lead.”

Cortal shook his head. “I don’t know what it is. I feel like I will be leading an invasion very soon, something I thought I would never have to do. All the evidence points to it—the need for a larger military presence in the system, the added ships, forcing beings to join the ranks—it all screams invasion.”

Maran looked at her friend of several centuries. “I can see the conflict in your eyes, Cortal. You know in your heart what he is demanding is wrong. There was no honor in his actions today, only a thirst for power and a foreshadowing of dark times for our empire.”

A sigh escaped Cortal’s lips. “My heart’s opinion does not matter. What matters is that I swore an oath of honor to obey the commands of my emperor. If I am commanded to go to war, that is what I must do,” he replied. He looked down at his reflection again. At this moment, he didn’t really care for the being he saw.

Maran gave him a scolding look. “So that’s it? You’ll just follow orders blindly? If he orders you to take one hundred ships to a system barely able to defend against five ships, you’ll go there, destroy them, and take their system? You would take innocent lives and murder beings simply because you are ordered to? Where, I ask you, is the honor in that?”

Cortal was silent for a long moment, and he looked around before he answered. “We shouldn’t continue this conversation. There are too many beings around, and one may get the impression we are plotting against the emperor,” he said. “We should go now.”

Maran’s expression could have killed a newly bloomed Rosanta flower. She glared at him with rage. Through gritted teeth, she said, “Of all the beings here, I believed you would be the one I could count on to do the right thing.”

“I will do my duty, Maran. I suggest you do the same,” Cortal said, not looking at her. He turned and, without another word, walked away to make the necessary preparations to fully crew every ship in the Sheingalian fleet.

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