She buried her face in his chest again.
“You have to go.” It was a statement.
“You know I do. What choice do I have? Where will it lead if Annalia gets the plans for the new ships?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“I think you do. But I’ll tell you. Even if they don’t share it with any of the other star nations, they’ll share it with the Democracy of Planets. And that’ll mean that, sooner or later, the DP will figure out how to circumvent all the new stuff the Imperial Navy has spent years developing. And you know what they’re like, Cal. You’ve seen the reports on the mysterious pirates going after Sintaran shipping in the other star nations. What happens when they dare to come into Sintar space itself? What happens when the new ships can’t protect our shipping, our people, anymore? Even if there isn’t a panicked uprising, even if Sintar doesn’t fall apart at the seams from fear, sooner or later, the DP is gonna decide that we owe ‘em. And what we owe ‘em is the Empire itself. And Cal? They don’t operate the way we do. Our Emperor is an amazingly determined, firm, law-abiding man. He respects the people, he respects their rights, and he takes care of them, like… like some sort of father-figure for the entire Empire.” Nick shrugged. “It’s where the term ‘Sire’ comes from, after all. You know how corrupt the IPD was, here on Sintar, how corrupt the Imperial Council was. Imagine what life would be like if the entire government was like that. If there were no Emperor, just a big ol’ bunch of Imperial Council types, running things from thousands of light years away. Not knowing, or even caring, what was really happening here on Sintar.”
“Eww,” Cally said, making a face.
“Honey, that’s how the DP runs,” he said. “You saw those interviews with former DP citizens last week, same as I did. You know this. I know you’re scared, and I’m sorry. I guess we should have waited on the pregnancy a little while longer. But what’s done is done, and now I have to do this.”
“I know. But I don’t have to like it.”
“No, that’s true. But I would hope you’d send me off with a smile and a kiss and your prayers. And your trust, your faith in me.”
“Of course. And I will, and I do. I’m sorry, I just need… the hormones, and, and the baby, and I wasn’t expecting…”
“I know. I’m sorry too.” Nick paused, and his expression grew distant for a few moments. “Okay, Cal, your dad just pinged me and said they’re keeping Paul tonight over at their place, complete with feeding him dinner. It’s a pretend sleepover of sorts, given that their bedroom connects with his. But they thought, by doing that, it would give us the time we needed to settle ourselves and work out what needed working out.”
“That’s… a good plan,” she murmured. “Tell ‘em thanks.”
“Done. Now, it won’t be fancy, but I can go in the kitchen and whip up a big omelet, and we can share it. Or I can make basic bacon and eggs, or grill a steak and make a salad, while you sit in the kitchen with me and try to relax. Does any of that appeal?”
“Um, I’m thinkin’ comfort food…”
“Okay. So which of those is the most comfort of the food?”
“How ‘bout we both cook?” she offered. “I’ll make some crepes, while you scramble some eggs and fry some bacon.”
“That’ll work. Then we’ll eat, and cuddle in the double recliner and talk until it’s time for bed.”
“And then?”
“Then you’ll be glad your parents shut the door between their place and ours.”
Cally giggled.
The next morning, Cally was a little more settled. She still wasn’t looking forward to Nick’s absence, but she had come to terms with it. The door between dwellings opened, and Alexandre, Laura, and little Paul joined Nick and Cally for breakfast – which was ham and cheese omelets this time.
Then Laura and Alexandre took Paul back to the nursery to play while Nick and Cally got ready for work.
Two days later, Nikolas Lindberg boarded a shuttle to take him aboard the IIS Heir Apparent II on a nonstop trip to Carolina’s capital city of Franklin.
Alone.
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Author Notes
I want to thank the usual suspects, plus some, here. There's my personal beta readers Evelyn Zinn and Dr. James K. Woosley who always help me catch any wupsies in the course of the writing, and are good at it. Rich has his own readers as well; I don't know you all like he does, but believe me, I definitely appreciate you all!
Additional thanks go to: Terry Minton, Sgt. (ret.) CSI, Clarksville (TN) PD for helping me restructure the IPD!
Also thanks to Richard Weyand, Jim Scorse, Kevin H. Evans, Andy White, Michael Gene Langford, and Christopher Noel for ideas on assassination.
A very special thanks, as always, goes to Richard Weyand, who trusts me with his characters and his universe. I've tried hard to do well by him on that. I love both of his series, so this is fun for me, too.
Stephanie Osborn
July 2020
Huntsville, AL
