Amantus
Copyright© 2026 by QM
Chapter 19
“You upstart, don’t you know who I am?” the Commander snarled.
“No, should I?” Amantus countered, also pressing the alarm button that summoned the troopers. “IDs for all of you, please.”
“I am Hertrucha Dilios, and you will permit my team entry!”
“With respect, Commander, no, I will not, not without seeing your ID and those of your men,” Amantus replied, noting the presence of the armed troopers now surrounding the yard engineers.
“I outrank you; you will obey my order!”
“You are not in my chain of command,” Amantus explained patiently. “Now. Please show your ID or leave.”
“Let’s go, men,” the Commander finally decided. “I’ll report this little shlecker to the Admiral!”
“What was that about, sir?” one of the troopers asked as the Commander and his men marched away.
“Damned if I know?” Amantus shrugged. “Though I’m reporting it to Commander Veris as something didn’t feel right about that at all.”
Five rotations later, Commander Veris, along with Captain Sulli, turned up and studied the security feed.
“Well done, Lieutenant,” Sulli finally said. “I’m not sure if Commander Dilios is incompetent or unused to being said no to, but you followed procedure perfectly.”
“I just wanted to know why he had eleven men, ma’am, not ten,” Amantus replied.
“A reasonable request considering previous incidents,” Veris nodded. “Though Dilios’ reaction infers he knew that, but didn’t wish to be challenged over it.”
“Indeed so,” Sulli nodded. “Ah, I have a comm from the Yard Admiral demanding that the installation team be given access to do their work.”
“A demand?” Veris queried.
“Indeed so,” Sulli chuckled, before typing a reply into the perscomp. “I said no problem, so long as they are all identified as to the orders given.”
“What are they installing anyway?” Veris asked.
“An upgraded low-band sweep sensor, sir,” Amantus replied. “The paperwork checked out, just not the numbers.”
“I don’t recall a schedule submitted to fit any sensor arrays on our logs,” Veris frowned.
“Odd, if they do turn up, with IDs, and in the right numbers, I want them watched, and I want engineering to check their handiwork after they leave,” Sulli ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” Amantus replied with a salute.
Sixty rotations later, the commander and nine crewmen returned and handed over the paperwork. Amantus checked it and verified their IDs, and permitted them entry to the Talonfire. This was done in total silence, though Commander Dilios was still visibly angry.
“Dilios and his party have entered Talonfire,” Amantus informed comms.
“Commander Veris is aware, sir,” Comms replied. “They are being monitored.”
Amantus continued with his shift until he was relieved. He then made his way to the canteen and grabbed the standard meal package, noting that today it was one of his favourites. However, he still had no idea what it was flavoured with, as the canteen posted no notices other than the standard meal and the chef’s special, which was very popular with the crew but cost credits. As Amantus had plans for his credits through the purchase of data packets and the occasional letter to his mother, he remained constant in his adherence to the standard meal. The chefs had naturally noticed this, so Amantus went to the service counter and found the meal already on a tray waiting for him.
He then chose a table and began reading from the current data packet whilst spooning his meal into his mouth without thinking. Occasionally, he was interrupted by one of the ship’s Middies who was after some help in finding information on a task they had been given, and this was where he picked up what was the current topic or topics of the grapevine. Currently, the major rumour was of a possible punitive expedition being planned by the Sixth Fleet into Tarpheli territory, though not as yet a destination. The other matter concerned Commander Dolis’ promotion to Captain of the Searcher, causing Amantus to smile and give a small note of satisfaction when he heard it.
The following day, Amantus was on shore leave and headed for his usual haunt, the data library, where he hoped the records had been updated with a new set of files for him to look through. In this, he was successful, including getting his hands on a full version of the history of the Protectorate, something he’d avoided studying when under tutelage, but now wished he had. ‘Better late than never,’ he mentally chuckled as he left the data library only to pull up short when facing a person he did not expect to see.
“A pleasant day to you, young Amantus,” Trisa greeted him.
“Trisa? I ... uh ... a pleasant day to you too,” Amantus replied, quite shocked.
“You are looking well,” Trisa continued. “Indeed, you look quite dashing in uniform.”
As Amantus was in his fatigues, he was pretty sure that was a white lie on Trisa’s part. However, it matched the upper classes of Vreekoos’ penchant for polite conversation that never really said anything but pleasantries.
“And you look as beautiful as ever,” Amantus replied gallantly.
“Such flattery,” Trisa smiled. “Is there somewhere we could go for refreshments?”
“Indeed, please allow me to escort you,” Amantus replied.
It was obvious that Amantus and Trisa were the centre of attention when they reached the central pleasure district of the station ... or rather Trisa was, as she was dressed in the height of Vreekosian fashion. Still, they made it to a pleasant café and were soon served tuch’s and an assortment of dainties which the pair enjoyed as they talked trivialities.
“Your mother is pleased you are putting the indolence of your past behind you,” Trisa said, finally getting down to business.
“Not by choice,” Amantus replied with a wry chuckle.
“Indeed not, though it has permitted growth that would otherwise not have happened,” Trisa nodded.
“True,” Amantus agreed. “Is my mother well?”
“Hisuat Helia is most well,” Trisa confirmed. “She enjoys your occasional missives and has passed them onto the Patriarch on occasion.”
“I’m glad she found something useful in them,” Amantus replied.
“Yes, you confirmed her suspicions that something is very, very wrong with regard to the border fleets,” Trisa nodded. “Not so much the people crewing them, though there are a few bad trellecs amongst them, but at the command-and-control levels of Fleet and the political guidance it is getting.”
“Yes,” Amantus agreed. “It becomes very apparent the higher you go.”
“Which is why Hisuat Helia is giving you this,” Trisa handed over a small package.
Amantus opened the package, finding a small plug-in device used on the long-distance communication array terminals to encrypt calls and data transfers.
“I must warn you that Fleet can, if necessary, crack the encryption on these,” Amantus informed Trisa.
“Not this one, it is set to the Patriarch coding,” Trisa smiled. “They will find what they do read to be sweetly suggestive platitudes from a young man to his mature ladyfriend.”
“Er...”
“Come now, do I not look the part of a tempting siren?”
“Well, yes ... but...”
“One of your past conquests, come to see what had happened to young ‘Mant’ and renew an occasional liaison of a sexual nature,” Trisa replied with a sultry smile. “And to reinforce that, let us away to one of these pleasure rooms these places are infamous for, and give some evidence to the lie.
“Trisa, I couldn’t...”
“You will, your mother orders it!”
“But Trisa, your reputation,” Amantus warned.
“That’s sweet of you, shame it never occurred to you in your past conquests,” Trisa chuckled.
“I have much to regret there,” Amantus sighed. “Though there is precious little I can do about it.”
“You seriously annoyed several women of high station married to some very powerful men,” Trisa explained. “Lendmenos Hachat only succeeded because of your reputation; had you been more discreet, you would not be here now.”
“Yet here I am,” Amantus pointed out. “Gradually discovering what a raptor’s nest Fleet is, the higher you progress.”
“It brought out something in you that your mother can use,” Trisa nodded sagely.
“Mother?”
“The Patriarch is not the only one within the clan with power, or the intent to keep the Protectorate relatively effective at the borders,” Trisa explained. “She’s where you got your brains from, not your father.”
“It must be difficult for her having to work behind the scenes?” Amantus mused.
“She manages quite well, despite the strictures placed upon her by the Protectorate laws not permitting the female gender political power ... openly,” Trisa smiled. “Even now, she moves against Hachat, his wife and his daughter by way of revenge.”
“Saves me the bother,” Amantus chuckled.
“She cannot, however, remove the strictures on your Fleet career,” Tina added.
“I know, I’ve read them,” Amantus nodded.
“Your mother does, however, want to know your future intentions as you progress,” Trisa replied.
“Nebulous, at the moment, as my progression relies upon officers dying ahead of me,” Amantus darkly chuckled. “But I intend to pull down the system that permitted it and enables the corruption that endangers the good people within Fleet and replace it with something that works for all, not just an elite few.”
“Interesting,” Trisa nodded. “But this isn’t giving you a cover story.”
“Are you sure you want to be seen entering an entertainment centre, Trisa?” Amantus asked.
“I’m sure, I wouldn’t be dressed like this if I weren’t,” Trisa smiled. “Normally, I dress not to attract attention.”
“True,” Amantus nodded, realising what had been niggling at his attention.
“Plus, it will be nice to find out just what had you so popular with the upper noble women,” Trisa chuckled.
“Trisa!”
“What, you never lusted after me?”
“Well...”
“It was rather obvious,” Trisa replied with a tinkling laugh.
“I respected my mother far too much ever to do such a thing,” Amantus sighed.
“I’d have said no anyway, your reputation for seduction and moving on was well known to your mother and hence me, though the servant girls reported that they did enjoy your prowess, though not your ignoring them afterwards,” Trisa smiled.
“I was being assessed?”
“Constantly, you were quite the disappointment to Hisuat Helia, at least until now.”
“I never realised,” Amantus replied wryly. “I really should have.”
“There is much about the inner workings of the Protectorate that you’ve likely missed, including the servant network that sees all manner of things and passes them on to those who treat them with respect,” Trisa explained. “Hisuat Helia, being one of a few who do.”
“That’s interesting to know,” Amantus admitted, realising that it was akin to the grapevine prevalent within Fleet.
“Should you survive and return to enact your desires, it will be something for you to consider,” Trisa replied.
“I will,” Amantus nodded.
“Good,” Trisa smiled. “Now, escort me to this entertainment centre and ‘entertain’ me.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll visit irregularly, but that’s where we’ll interact,” Trisa replied. “For now, though, prove to me that the rumours about your prowess are true.