Amantus
Copyright© 2026 by QM
Chapter 29
“Please sit, Commander,” Dorrus requested. “We have an escort mission which indirectly relates to you.”
“Escorting the Clan Aman head?” Amantus asked.
“Yes, I believe, by inference from what you said, that he is your great-grandfather?”
“He is,” Amantus confirmed. “Though he won’t acknowledge me.”
“Ah, yes, I understand,” Dorrus nodded. “Just I received orders from Admiral Kleevi that I’m not to permit you to approach him.”
“I wouldn’t anyway,” Amantus replied. “That would not go well for me, either in Fleet, or by way of family.”
“Good, we’ll be escorting the Talion, the Aman private yacht, to Trema where he’ll be meeting the Regent Imaris and we’ll be there for some time,” Dorrus further explained. “I want no incidents from the Devastator’s crew whilst we’re docked.”
“From what Pre-Regent Arla told me, Confederation space bases are quite austere,” Amantus replied. “They have nothing like entertainment centres and tend to be reserved.”
“I’ll speak to their base Command and see what is available before putting out standing orders,” Dorrus frowned.
“That probably will be for the best,” Horth nodded. “Thank you for the information.”
“Yes, sir,” Amantus replied.
“Very well,” Dorrus said. “Return to your duties and keep in mind what you do at Trema will be monitored and reviewed by Protectorate security.”
“I assume they have an agent there?”
“Gods alone know, but that was also in Kleevi’s message,” Dorrus sighed.
“Yes, ma’am,” Amantus nodded.
“Dismissed.”
Amantus stood and saluted, then left the day cabin and ran into Limune, who was on duty.
“In trouble again?” he asked in his usual cold tones.
“Again?” Amantus smiled before leaving.
The Devastator was underway when Amantus reported for duty, taking the handover from Limune and finding, for once, that all logged tasks were complete and there was little to do. So Amantus set up an exercise with Lieutenant Endo, who now normally handled detection after a promotion, replacing Sub-Commander Risse, who had transferred to another ship and had shown a talent for tactics on previous shifts. Filliq, the pilot, was currently handling detection alongside his usual duties.
The exercise went well, though Endo struggled through inexperience. This did not stop Amantus from praising his efforts; Endo never made the same mistake twice, and Amantus mentioned in the log that the man be put forward for extra training.
“Engineering is logging a request to examine the air filtration on deck four,” Honack passed along.
“No problem,” Amantus replied. “Get them to let us know when they are done.”
“Acknowledged.”
Amantus logged the request as he continued his checks, occasionally glancing over the bridge crews’ shoulders to make sure everything was OK.
“The Talion is keeping pace just fine,” Endo observed.
“It’s a Clan head’s ship,” Amantus replied. “It will have Fleet-grade engines.”
“They let civilians have them?”
“Elite Clan heads, yes,” Amantus smiled. “Just a little perk of the upper nobility. Plus Clan Aman owns the company that builds them.”
“Yes, sir,” Endo nodded.
“Must be nice to be that rich,” Honack sighed.
“Guess so,” Amantus shrugged. “But a lot of it is used for staving off boredom.”
“Boredom?”
“Their positions in society constrain a lot of the sons and daughters of the nobility,” Amantus explained. “That means they can’t or won’t do certain jobs as society deems them beneath them.”
“So, loads of money, but shleck all to do?”
“Yes,” Amantus chuckled. “The lower nobility have a lot more freedom to choose, but usually need to work to pay the bills.”
“Doesn’t sound as enchanting now you’ve explained it,” Honack chuckled.
“I didn’t notice that much when I was among it, though my education kept me occupied, but yes, the upper elite drift through an endless series of soirees, parties, salons and other entertainment all to avoid boredom as there isn’t really enough for them to do except get up to mischief.”
“Mischief?”
“Affairs, gossip by way of whispered slander, one-upmanship, etc.”
“Everyone?” a shocked Honack asked.
“No, but a small majority of them,” Amantus chuckled.
“Weird place,” Honack shrugged.
“Yep, a bit.”
The next time Amantus was on duty, the Devastator was docked at the Trema space base, and all the various ceremonies of dealing with the arrival of a VIP were out of the way. Amantus had read the standing orders for visiting the base and found, as he suspected, they were very limited on where he could go and what he could do.
‘Bars, restaurants and a few shops,’ Amantus mentally chuckled. ‘I suspect the crew might get a bit bored, though hopefully without acting up.’
“We have a request from Confederation command to collect several crew detained for being drunk and incapable,” Honack informed Amantus halfway through the ship when the bridge crew were engaged in an exercise.
“Detained or arrested?” Amantus enquired.
“Just detained, sir.”
“Give them an acknowledgement and have a Force squad meet them at the boarding tube,” Amantus replied. “I’ll go down and log them in myself.”
“Yes, sir.”
Amantus thanked the Confederation Guardians for returning drunken crewmen, who were more incapable than active. The force troopers held the crewmen upright whilst a medic injected them with a detoxifier and vitamin shot before they were carted off to their barrack rooms.
“Are our guys behaving out there?” Amantus asked.
“So far,” the leader replied. “They appear to have been surprised by the strength of our drinks.”
“I’ll add it to the standing orders of something to be aware of,” Amantus chuckled.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Nothing to worry about, sir?” Honack asked.
“No, just crew caught out by alcohol content,” Amantus chuckled.
“Let’s hope that’s all it will be,” Honack smiled.
“We can hope,” Amantus nodded, returning to the main tank to observe the exercise.
Unfortunately for the bridge crew, that wasn’t the end of it, nor was it the worst. Fifty rotations later, Honack was alerted by the Confederation Guardians to an arrest of several officers.
“Put them through,” Amantus requested.
“On screen, sir,” Honack replied as Amantus faced the leader of the Guardians.
“Commander Amantus here, I gathered you’ve arrested several officers?”
“Yes, for drunken, abusive behaviour and attempted rape,” the leader replied.
“My apologies for their behaviour,” Amantus immediately replied. “Are you turning them over to us, or keeping them in confinement?”
“The allegations are serious; we will be holding the accused in our confinement cells,” the leader replied.
“Understood, please let us know when charges are to be laid, and we will arrange legal representation for them.”
“Very well, here are their names and the video feed of the event,” the leader acknowledged.
“They were observed?”
“Yes, our AIs watch everything in a public area.”
“I’ll inform the Commodore and the Captain of that and hand over the evidence.”
The leader signed off, and Amantus looked at the names of the officers involved, his face going still as he read the name of Commander Limune. Amantus then checked his perscomp and saw that both the Commodore and the Captain were asleep. He then set up for the files to be sent through once they were awake. After that, it was dealing with the occasional drunk until finally Dorrus entered the bridge and summoned Amantus to the day cabin.
“This could be a major diplomatic incident,” Dorrus commented after the salutes. “The video evidence is damning.”
“Agreed, ma’am,” Amantus nodded. “I’ve read a little through their legal code, and there is no way we can get them returned to our custody and justice, ma’am.”
“Not sure if I want them,” Dorrus sighed. “That said, dress uniform on, and we’ll go and see the top executive in the base to offer our apologies and what, if anything, we can do to put things right.”
“I suggest we use your discretionary fund to offer compensation to the victim, ma’am,” Amantus suggested.
“Won’t they see that as a bribe?”
“No, particularly if you make it clear that you have no intention of interfering with their justice system,” Amantus replied.
“Worth a try,” Dorrus nodded. “Now, uniform on and meet me at the boarding tube.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The senior coordinator at the base was not particularly pleased to see Dorrus, though he did clear his schedule to meet her. Amantus suspected the man was expecting Dorrus to attempt to apply pressure to get her officers released.
“Coordinator Devlis, it is good of you to see me on such short notice,” Dorrus began. “Rest assured, I am not here to interfere with your justice system regarding the arrest of my officers.”
“I see,” Devlis nodded. “Though I fail to see what your intentions in visiting me are.”
“Having reviewed the evidence your base security provided, I’m here to request to see the woman assaulted, apologise on behalf of myself, the Devastator and the Protectorate,” Dorrus replied. “I can also offer compensation to her for her trauma at the hands of my officers who failed to uphold the honour and dignity of the Protectorate Fleet.”
“A bribe?” Devlis frowned.
“Most definitely not,” Dorrus replied. “You are free to deal with the officers as you see fit; the Protectorate will not interfere.”
“They will be facing a justice table at 10 chimes this morning,” Devlis informed Dorrus. “Assuming they are found guilty, compensation can be discussed then, and only then.”
“Do you wish me to restrict my crew to the Devastator?” Dorrus enquired.
“That will not be necessary, not for this one incident,” Devlis frowned. “Please do warn them, however, that our justice is swift, and should they commit a crime, they will be arrested and tried within a station cycle.”
“Understood,” Dorrus nodded. “My thanks for your time, Coordinator Devlis.”
“You’re welcome,” Devlis replied. “I’ll have one of my people escort you to see the prisoners and then to the judgement table.”
The officers involved in the incident looked both hungover and initially pleased to see Dorrus. Their pleasure faded as she told them the Protectorate had no intention of interfering in the Confederation’s justice, and that, should they be found guilty and incarcerated, they would be court-martialled in absentia, stripped of rank, and dismissed from the Fleet.
“You can’t do that!” Limune screeched. “The bitch led us on!”
“I’ve seen the recordings.” Dorrus refuted the man. “If you think that was leading you on, then you’re sorely mistaken!”
“They were clearly faked!”
“I doubt it, but feel free to plead your case at what they call a judgement table,” Dorrus replied. “I’ll be there as a witness to the proceedings.”
It was a hundred rotations later that Amantus and Dorrus sat in a small chamber where several figures sat facing the assembled people in the room across a broad table.
“Bring in the accused,” the central figure at the table ordered.
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