To help organize everything I built a Starfield wiki. Use the Sitemap on the right sidebar to navigate. Everything is organized by type. Still needs a lot of work, but expect it to develop as the novel does.
http://starfieldtheory.netcipia.net/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
Some work on the novel is continuing but I've put a lot of effort into a series of short stories that expand the universe. Miner's Glory is complete and will go into editing before being posted. Celestial Cloud and Outpost are still being worked on. I made some significant progress on Celestial Cloud today and hope to add a few more pages to it shortly.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, June 2, 2008
Interval 002 Draft One Complete
Draft one of Interval 002 is done. It needs some serious reworking though, especially the 2nd and 3rd parts of it. I don't expect it to be done before the end of the week.
I'm having some trouble getting Chris Stone's character right. His dialogue comes easily, but his body language and thoughts aren't coming as cleanly. Nick and Caitlin are also a bit tricky. Chris and Caitlin's relationship needs to be firmly established early on. They're supposed to be close but stubbornly independent, a typical Stone trait. I think I can accomplish quite a bit of that in Interval 002.
I'm having some trouble getting Chris Stone's character right. His dialogue comes easily, but his body language and thoughts aren't coming as cleanly. Nick and Caitlin are also a bit tricky. Chris and Caitlin's relationship needs to be firmly established early on. They're supposed to be close but stubbornly independent, a typical Stone trait. I think I can accomplish quite a bit of that in Interval 002.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Interval 002 in the works
Interval 002 is still in its first draft and is planned to be in three sections. The characters Chris Caitlin and Nick are introduced and fleshed out a bit. The first two sections are done in the first draft. Currently running at 2021 words. Interval oo1 was 2422 after second draft editing.
Interval 003 is in its conceptual stages and will likely include Damien, Aaron, Slader, and a few secondary characters who will all be fleshed out a bit.
Even though Chris Stone is supposed to be me translated into science fiction, I've always had an affinity for Damien and his crew. Their characters got really well developed in various prequels. Damien typically was portrayed as a cunning, shrewd and calculating leader who was a bit of a pyromaniac. Aaron Mercer-Stone was Damien's favorite nephew who looked up to him but also feared him. Damien would be his surrogate father figure. Reyna Thermon (who's undergone several name changes throughout development) was Aaron's love interest. Reyna always exhibited a lot of Damien's personality, but also a youthful innocence which is what attracted Aaron to her. Slader is Damien's son, who seemed to be a little bit mad. I had him in charge of their special forces unit, which seemed a good fit for him. He's still a bit of a mystery and I don't expect him to take on a major role in Schism.
Caitlin is also going to be an interesting character to work out. Both she and Chris were prominant in "Last Resort" (a short story written about 4 years ago ~20,000 words) and they were fairly developed but definitely had some great background that I haven't written yet. I'm looking forward to working on them some more in Schism. I think Schism and Last Resort are going to be pretty similar in their plot, I might simply incorporate huge chunks of LR into Schism. I'm thinking of introducing Alex Corwin in Schism. He has thus far has only made an appearance in Last Resort. It would be an ideal situation to bring him in and allow Caitlin to take a more independent story line from her brother.
Here's what's in the works:
Interval 001- 2nd Draft, 1 section, 2422 words
Interval 002- 1st Draft, 3 sections, 2 written, 2021 words
Interval 003- Conceptual, 1 or 2 sections.
Interval 003 is in its conceptual stages and will likely include Damien, Aaron, Slader, and a few secondary characters who will all be fleshed out a bit.
Even though Chris Stone is supposed to be me translated into science fiction, I've always had an affinity for Damien and his crew. Their characters got really well developed in various prequels. Damien typically was portrayed as a cunning, shrewd and calculating leader who was a bit of a pyromaniac. Aaron Mercer-Stone was Damien's favorite nephew who looked up to him but also feared him. Damien would be his surrogate father figure. Reyna Thermon (who's undergone several name changes throughout development) was Aaron's love interest. Reyna always exhibited a lot of Damien's personality, but also a youthful innocence which is what attracted Aaron to her. Slader is Damien's son, who seemed to be a little bit mad. I had him in charge of their special forces unit, which seemed a good fit for him. He's still a bit of a mystery and I don't expect him to take on a major role in Schism.
Caitlin is also going to be an interesting character to work out. Both she and Chris were prominant in "Last Resort" (a short story written about 4 years ago ~20,000 words) and they were fairly developed but definitely had some great background that I haven't written yet. I'm looking forward to working on them some more in Schism. I think Schism and Last Resort are going to be pretty similar in their plot, I might simply incorporate huge chunks of LR into Schism. I'm thinking of introducing Alex Corwin in Schism. He has thus far has only made an appearance in Last Resort. It would be an ideal situation to bring him in and allow Caitlin to take a more independent story line from her brother.
Here's what's in the works:
Interval 001- 2nd Draft, 1 section, 2422 words
Interval 002- 1st Draft, 3 sections, 2 written, 2021 words
Interval 003- Conceptual, 1 or 2 sections.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Interval 001
Damien Stone stared coolly across the marble table at the individual at the other side. His orange hued eyes remained fixed on the figure of his sister, who returned the unrelenting gaze. Observers, if they had been allowed in, would have believed they were simply waiting for the meeting to start but they were silently waging a battle of wills, challenging the other to speak first. Damien knew he had the advantage, that's what this meeting was all about after all. Parker Stone was dead, the ducal throne was vacant and his armies were without leadership. Damien stood in line to receive all of his brother's duties.
It was the damn three week interim period between the death of the ruling duke and the coronation of the new one that was causing problems. Historically, the new duke was always the eldest child of the old duke, or the next oldest sibling if there were no offspring or they were too young. Parker's only child was killed in childhood and his wife committed suicide just three years later after an extended bout of depression and hospitalization. Parker died childless, leaving Damien as heir.
He had hoped that maybe his sister would relinquish her claim to the throne and submit to his new power. Parker wasn't here to watch over her anymore and her brazen behavior couldn't be swept under the rug. If she antagonized Damien too much, he could have her replaced, banished to the Stone ancestral homeworld of Anarrk. Parker might have put up with her insubordination, might even have encouraged it, but Damien would have none of it.
Salena Stone was just two years Damien's junior but still outranked him. The Duchy relied on three regiments of the Duchy Guard and a host of smaller militias to protect its five worlds. The duke controlled those units and Parker had made Salena his second-in-command, passing over Damien. Despite his outbursts Parker remained firm and Salena was kept as his executive officer. She used her position in the duke's army to base her claims to his now empty throne. And Damien was getting impatient.
“Let's get this under way,” he said finally. “I'm prepared to receive the throne and control of the Duchy's armed forces. This needs to be done quickly. The Commonwealth needs a strong border with the Dominion. The Dominion is sabre rattling again and leaving our forces leaderless for too long will weaken morale.”
Salena spoke slowly and carefully, “You know the rules, Damien. We cannot crown a new duke until the deceased has been buried in the crypts. Those are the rules the Sorensens put down centuries ago and we need to follow them. Besides there is still the matter of my superior rank. If Parker had wanted you as his heir he would have made you the marshal of his armies. This is a matter for the Sorensens to decide.”
Damien grunted and narrowed his brow, “where is Major Sorensen anyway? He is supposed to be here.” He stroked his goatee. Damien had gone gray many years earlier but whether it was natural, or he simply dyed it he refused to disclose. If any mistook his grayness for weakness they would be sorely surprised. Damien was one of the best pilots in the Duchy's Brigade and an excellent hand to hand fighter. More than one broken body had been left in his wake.
“He will be here shortly, his transport was hung up.”
When matters of succession arose it was always customary to have the ranking Sorensen present. The Sorensen family were the retainers of the royal Stones for centuries. They were involved deeply in anything the Stones did. The Sorensen family ruled as regent until the family's elders chose the new duke and they took their sacred charge very seriously. More than a few times the family had to exercise violence to ensure its proclamations were carried out.
Damien pushed on in his absence anyway, “He needs to make an exception in this case.”
“They've never made exceptions,” Salena interjected quickly.
He held up a finger. “That might be true, but this is an extreme situation. The Dominion has become way too overaggressive. They've already raided Anderson, and it will be just a matter of time before they set their sites on Goteborg.”
The Alborg Commonwealth's neighbor, the Caeph Dominion had been an interstellar rival for centuries. Pitched battles between the two had become myth and lore in their histories. The Goteborg Duchy was nestled between the two as if carved from Dominion. Although the Duchy was firmly aligned with the Commonwealth, it had its fair share of pro-Dominion factions, and violence between the two was commonplace.
“There's nothing that suggests they're planning an attack on Goteborg.”
“Yet, dear sister. They know Parker is dead. With the Duchy leaderless and the armies in mourning the incentive for an attack has increased dramatically. It's the perfect time to launch an assault. Anyone with any training in military affairs would know that and capitalize on it.”
Salena ignored the verbal slap, “Damien, the rules are in place so that the coronation of the next duke doesn't detract from the entombing of the former one. Parker deserves our respect. And the people of the Duchy should benefit from a wise selection of the next duke, not one chosen out of fear.”
“But not at the expense of the Duchy. Respect is going to be moot if we has Dominion troops running loose over our territory, killing our people and destroying our infrastructure. The Prince might even demand that a replacement be put on the throne if we cannot select one in a timely manner. The mandatory three week interim period between death of one duke and coronation of a new one is too long, especially in these troubling times, Salena.”
“Well that's something you need to bring up with Major Sorensen, Damien. I don't control them. But there's a lot more to this than rites of succession.”
Damien cocked an eyebrow and Salena lowered her voice, “I think Parker was assassinated.”
That shocked Damien into silence. Parker had a lot of enemies, sure, every duke did, but the thought of assassination did not cross Damien's mind, but as he thought about it, the possibility seemed more real. Parker's only child was murdered by a disgruntled assassin. The child took a bullet meant for Parker. That alone nearly crushed the duke. That someday Parker might also be felled by an assassin was a possibility that never left the minds of Damien, Parker or his security teams. But that it had actually happened, and so quietly? Unlikely.
“I was told it was a heart attack,” Damien said figuring he would see how much Salena knew.
“Yes, I was told the same thing. But I received a report yesterday that claimed it may have been something else.”
“Poison?” Damien offered.
“Something like that, but Doc Mandel couldn't find any trace of anything.”
“May have dissolved in his system before the autopsy.”
Salena nodded, “That's what I think but he's still working on it.”
Damien blinked, “That's going to delay any coronation even further.”
Salena nodded.
Damien leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. The Dominion would have every opportunity to launch an assault. With the Duchy foundering in mourning and a victim of its own tradition, the Dominion could easily sweep before them any opposition. As much as he wanted to blame Salena for the impending disaster he could not. It was not her fault. Or was it?
“Did you have something to do with it?”
Salena's eyes widened, “Excuse me?”
“You heard me! Did you have something to do with Parker's death?”
Salena stood, “Absolutely not, Damien. You know better than that!”
“Really? Because delaying my coronation only serves your ends, allows you to mobilize your supporters, try to influence the Sorensens.”
Anger burned on her face, “Damn you, Damien. You have some nerve inventing conspiracy theories and throwing me into them. I have a legitimate claim to the throne, as do you, and this sort of behavior doesn't help either of us.”
She was right, Damien realized. The Sorensens would need to be dealt with directly.
As if answering his thoughts the door to the small room opened, and the major himself entered. He hobbled slowly forward, aided by a cane which rapped against the floor loudly. Slowly he pulled a chair from the table. Neither Stone stood to help him; he would have been offended at their lack of faith in his physical capabilities. He placed some folders on the table but did not open them.
Major Sorensen breathed heavily and raised his crinkled face into the dim light. He noticed Salena still standing, “I hope I'm not interrupting. Please have seat.”
Once Salena had seated herself and shot a satisfying hateful glare at Damien, Sorensen smiled. “My friends. First let me express my sorrow for the loss of your brother. He was a great leader, a great man, and a personal friend for many, many years. The entire Commonwealth is mourning his loss, and we shall struggle to find one who can lead as nobly as he. As you know we have been very busy at work these few days and we have recently concluded that work.”
Damien flicked his gaze to Salena, who dutifully ignored him. “What about rumors of assassination?” She asked quickly.
Sorensen cleared his throat. “Oh my. You have heard then.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. “Doctor Mandel believes the death to be suspicious. He hasn't found there to be any real evidence of a heart attack but has not uncovered any conclusive evidence of anything else either. The investigation is continuing.”
“There can be no coronation until the funeral, and no funeral until the autopsy is complete,” Damien said.
Sorensen nodded, “Typically yes. However, we feel these are extenuating circumstances and the Duchy is in need of a leader. We have selected one.”
The Stones leaned forward in anticipation as Sorensen passed the folders to the two heirs.
Damien slid the folder towards him and opened it. There was a pack of paper, the top page was a profile of a young man Damien had never seen before.
“Who is Christopher Stone?” He asked slowly.
Sorensen blinked. “Your nephew, Damien.”
“My only nephew was killed nearly twenty years ago, Major,” Damien laughed. “I don't know who this is.”
“Have neither of you been told?”
When the Stones didn't respond Sorensen clapped his hands and exclaimed, “My Lord! Parker never told either of you, then.”
Sorensen leaned back and like a grandfather about to tell a tale of his childhood spoke. “Christopher and his twin Caitlin are Parker's second and third children. He realized that when Phillip was killed better protection was needed for his future offspring. And a military base was too obvious a solution...”
“So he hid them in plain sight,” Salena finished. “He's out in the public somewhere.”
Sorensen nodded. “That he is. Parker's wife, Alecia, was indeed suffering from depression, and we hospitalized her on Anarrk for her protection and so that she could give birth in secret. Both Christopher and Caitlin were born there, and immediately transported to Goteborg and integrated into the population. They are both students now at Madgebourg University. I believe he's studying interstellar relations and his twin is a bio-chemistry major. Both of them are receiving high marks.”
“You're spying on them?” Salena asked.
“Hardly. The people they believe are their parents are GI 4 agents, entrusted long ago with their care and upbringing. They send annual reports, but nothing else. The twins themselves have had no contact with the Duchy, except for Christopher who had applied to work for the Duchy government, but we feared he would be too close for his own safety. Ironic isn't it?” Sorensen smiled.
Damien rested his hands on the table. “What you're telling me then, Major is that you have turned the keys to the Duchy over to a school boy? A child with no experience in government beyond classes and no military experience beyond video games. This must be some sort of joke. Secret births, hidden children, putting a child on the throne, I don't-”
“Enough, Damien!” Sorensen stood much more quickly that a man of his age should have been able to, knocking back the chair and banging the table with his cane. His face was contorted in anger and his eyes glared daggers. He held the cane like a weapon, seemingly barely able to restrain himself from lashing out at Damien.
Damien felt himself visibly jump, the hairs on the back of his neck rose and he felt a chill run down his spine. Never had he seen any Sorensen lose their temper and it was something he immediately noted never to witness again. Salena watched with stoic silence, mostly likely making the same note.
“How dare you question our decision? We have been entrusted for centuries to make the correct choices for the Duchy. You have no ground to stand on Damien. Judging by your lack of respect for your retainers I'm now very confident that we took the right course of action. Your arrogance will get you into trouble and has in fact already. You would be wise to some day learn to control your tongue.”
Having released his wrath on Damien, Sorensen righted his chair and pushed it in. He leaned on the back of it for support and addressed both Stones. “We shall be collecting young Christopher and his sister in the next few days. We will need him here for the burial of Parker and of course for his own coronation. I request, nay I demand, that you aid your nephew into his new role. He will need your help and I expect you to give it, no strings attached.”
He gave both of them a stern look and tapped his cane against the floor, the sound echoing through the room. The elder Sorensen turned from the table and hobbled away, closing the door with a resounding bang behind him.
Damien lifted his gaze to his sister, who stared back unspeaking. Suddenly former enemies had been turned allies, but hardly aligned with what the major had demanded of them. Neither needed any words to acknowledge their new found nephew needed to be rid of, immediately. The fate of the Duchy and their own pride depended on it.
It was the damn three week interim period between the death of the ruling duke and the coronation of the new one that was causing problems. Historically, the new duke was always the eldest child of the old duke, or the next oldest sibling if there were no offspring or they were too young. Parker's only child was killed in childhood and his wife committed suicide just three years later after an extended bout of depression and hospitalization. Parker died childless, leaving Damien as heir.
He had hoped that maybe his sister would relinquish her claim to the throne and submit to his new power. Parker wasn't here to watch over her anymore and her brazen behavior couldn't be swept under the rug. If she antagonized Damien too much, he could have her replaced, banished to the Stone ancestral homeworld of Anarrk. Parker might have put up with her insubordination, might even have encouraged it, but Damien would have none of it.
Salena Stone was just two years Damien's junior but still outranked him. The Duchy relied on three regiments of the Duchy Guard and a host of smaller militias to protect its five worlds. The duke controlled those units and Parker had made Salena his second-in-command, passing over Damien. Despite his outbursts Parker remained firm and Salena was kept as his executive officer. She used her position in the duke's army to base her claims to his now empty throne. And Damien was getting impatient.
“Let's get this under way,” he said finally. “I'm prepared to receive the throne and control of the Duchy's armed forces. This needs to be done quickly. The Commonwealth needs a strong border with the Dominion. The Dominion is sabre rattling again and leaving our forces leaderless for too long will weaken morale.”
Salena spoke slowly and carefully, “You know the rules, Damien. We cannot crown a new duke until the deceased has been buried in the crypts. Those are the rules the Sorensens put down centuries ago and we need to follow them. Besides there is still the matter of my superior rank. If Parker had wanted you as his heir he would have made you the marshal of his armies. This is a matter for the Sorensens to decide.”
Damien grunted and narrowed his brow, “where is Major Sorensen anyway? He is supposed to be here.” He stroked his goatee. Damien had gone gray many years earlier but whether it was natural, or he simply dyed it he refused to disclose. If any mistook his grayness for weakness they would be sorely surprised. Damien was one of the best pilots in the Duchy's Brigade and an excellent hand to hand fighter. More than one broken body had been left in his wake.
“He will be here shortly, his transport was hung up.”
When matters of succession arose it was always customary to have the ranking Sorensen present. The Sorensen family were the retainers of the royal Stones for centuries. They were involved deeply in anything the Stones did. The Sorensen family ruled as regent until the family's elders chose the new duke and they took their sacred charge very seriously. More than a few times the family had to exercise violence to ensure its proclamations were carried out.
Damien pushed on in his absence anyway, “He needs to make an exception in this case.”
“They've never made exceptions,” Salena interjected quickly.
He held up a finger. “That might be true, but this is an extreme situation. The Dominion has become way too overaggressive. They've already raided Anderson, and it will be just a matter of time before they set their sites on Goteborg.”
The Alborg Commonwealth's neighbor, the Caeph Dominion had been an interstellar rival for centuries. Pitched battles between the two had become myth and lore in their histories. The Goteborg Duchy was nestled between the two as if carved from Dominion. Although the Duchy was firmly aligned with the Commonwealth, it had its fair share of pro-Dominion factions, and violence between the two was commonplace.
“There's nothing that suggests they're planning an attack on Goteborg.”
“Yet, dear sister. They know Parker is dead. With the Duchy leaderless and the armies in mourning the incentive for an attack has increased dramatically. It's the perfect time to launch an assault. Anyone with any training in military affairs would know that and capitalize on it.”
Salena ignored the verbal slap, “Damien, the rules are in place so that the coronation of the next duke doesn't detract from the entombing of the former one. Parker deserves our respect. And the people of the Duchy should benefit from a wise selection of the next duke, not one chosen out of fear.”
“But not at the expense of the Duchy. Respect is going to be moot if we has Dominion troops running loose over our territory, killing our people and destroying our infrastructure. The Prince might even demand that a replacement be put on the throne if we cannot select one in a timely manner. The mandatory three week interim period between death of one duke and coronation of a new one is too long, especially in these troubling times, Salena.”
“Well that's something you need to bring up with Major Sorensen, Damien. I don't control them. But there's a lot more to this than rites of succession.”
Damien cocked an eyebrow and Salena lowered her voice, “I think Parker was assassinated.”
That shocked Damien into silence. Parker had a lot of enemies, sure, every duke did, but the thought of assassination did not cross Damien's mind, but as he thought about it, the possibility seemed more real. Parker's only child was murdered by a disgruntled assassin. The child took a bullet meant for Parker. That alone nearly crushed the duke. That someday Parker might also be felled by an assassin was a possibility that never left the minds of Damien, Parker or his security teams. But that it had actually happened, and so quietly? Unlikely.
“I was told it was a heart attack,” Damien said figuring he would see how much Salena knew.
“Yes, I was told the same thing. But I received a report yesterday that claimed it may have been something else.”
“Poison?” Damien offered.
“Something like that, but Doc Mandel couldn't find any trace of anything.”
“May have dissolved in his system before the autopsy.”
Salena nodded, “That's what I think but he's still working on it.”
Damien blinked, “That's going to delay any coronation even further.”
Salena nodded.
Damien leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. The Dominion would have every opportunity to launch an assault. With the Duchy foundering in mourning and a victim of its own tradition, the Dominion could easily sweep before them any opposition. As much as he wanted to blame Salena for the impending disaster he could not. It was not her fault. Or was it?
“Did you have something to do with it?”
Salena's eyes widened, “Excuse me?”
“You heard me! Did you have something to do with Parker's death?”
Salena stood, “Absolutely not, Damien. You know better than that!”
“Really? Because delaying my coronation only serves your ends, allows you to mobilize your supporters, try to influence the Sorensens.”
Anger burned on her face, “Damn you, Damien. You have some nerve inventing conspiracy theories and throwing me into them. I have a legitimate claim to the throne, as do you, and this sort of behavior doesn't help either of us.”
She was right, Damien realized. The Sorensens would need to be dealt with directly.
As if answering his thoughts the door to the small room opened, and the major himself entered. He hobbled slowly forward, aided by a cane which rapped against the floor loudly. Slowly he pulled a chair from the table. Neither Stone stood to help him; he would have been offended at their lack of faith in his physical capabilities. He placed some folders on the table but did not open them.
Major Sorensen breathed heavily and raised his crinkled face into the dim light. He noticed Salena still standing, “I hope I'm not interrupting. Please have seat.”
Once Salena had seated herself and shot a satisfying hateful glare at Damien, Sorensen smiled. “My friends. First let me express my sorrow for the loss of your brother. He was a great leader, a great man, and a personal friend for many, many years. The entire Commonwealth is mourning his loss, and we shall struggle to find one who can lead as nobly as he. As you know we have been very busy at work these few days and we have recently concluded that work.”
Damien flicked his gaze to Salena, who dutifully ignored him. “What about rumors of assassination?” She asked quickly.
Sorensen cleared his throat. “Oh my. You have heard then.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. “Doctor Mandel believes the death to be suspicious. He hasn't found there to be any real evidence of a heart attack but has not uncovered any conclusive evidence of anything else either. The investigation is continuing.”
“There can be no coronation until the funeral, and no funeral until the autopsy is complete,” Damien said.
Sorensen nodded, “Typically yes. However, we feel these are extenuating circumstances and the Duchy is in need of a leader. We have selected one.”
The Stones leaned forward in anticipation as Sorensen passed the folders to the two heirs.
Damien slid the folder towards him and opened it. There was a pack of paper, the top page was a profile of a young man Damien had never seen before.
“Who is Christopher Stone?” He asked slowly.
Sorensen blinked. “Your nephew, Damien.”
“My only nephew was killed nearly twenty years ago, Major,” Damien laughed. “I don't know who this is.”
“Have neither of you been told?”
When the Stones didn't respond Sorensen clapped his hands and exclaimed, “My Lord! Parker never told either of you, then.”
Sorensen leaned back and like a grandfather about to tell a tale of his childhood spoke. “Christopher and his twin Caitlin are Parker's second and third children. He realized that when Phillip was killed better protection was needed for his future offspring. And a military base was too obvious a solution...”
“So he hid them in plain sight,” Salena finished. “He's out in the public somewhere.”
Sorensen nodded. “That he is. Parker's wife, Alecia, was indeed suffering from depression, and we hospitalized her on Anarrk for her protection and so that she could give birth in secret. Both Christopher and Caitlin were born there, and immediately transported to Goteborg and integrated into the population. They are both students now at Madgebourg University. I believe he's studying interstellar relations and his twin is a bio-chemistry major. Both of them are receiving high marks.”
“You're spying on them?” Salena asked.
“Hardly. The people they believe are their parents are GI 4 agents, entrusted long ago with their care and upbringing. They send annual reports, but nothing else. The twins themselves have had no contact with the Duchy, except for Christopher who had applied to work for the Duchy government, but we feared he would be too close for his own safety. Ironic isn't it?” Sorensen smiled.
Damien rested his hands on the table. “What you're telling me then, Major is that you have turned the keys to the Duchy over to a school boy? A child with no experience in government beyond classes and no military experience beyond video games. This must be some sort of joke. Secret births, hidden children, putting a child on the throne, I don't-”
“Enough, Damien!” Sorensen stood much more quickly that a man of his age should have been able to, knocking back the chair and banging the table with his cane. His face was contorted in anger and his eyes glared daggers. He held the cane like a weapon, seemingly barely able to restrain himself from lashing out at Damien.
Damien felt himself visibly jump, the hairs on the back of his neck rose and he felt a chill run down his spine. Never had he seen any Sorensen lose their temper and it was something he immediately noted never to witness again. Salena watched with stoic silence, mostly likely making the same note.
“How dare you question our decision? We have been entrusted for centuries to make the correct choices for the Duchy. You have no ground to stand on Damien. Judging by your lack of respect for your retainers I'm now very confident that we took the right course of action. Your arrogance will get you into trouble and has in fact already. You would be wise to some day learn to control your tongue.”
Having released his wrath on Damien, Sorensen righted his chair and pushed it in. He leaned on the back of it for support and addressed both Stones. “We shall be collecting young Christopher and his sister in the next few days. We will need him here for the burial of Parker and of course for his own coronation. I request, nay I demand, that you aid your nephew into his new role. He will need your help and I expect you to give it, no strings attached.”
He gave both of them a stern look and tapped his cane against the floor, the sound echoing through the room. The elder Sorensen turned from the table and hobbled away, closing the door with a resounding bang behind him.
Damien lifted his gaze to his sister, who stared back unspeaking. Suddenly former enemies had been turned allies, but hardly aligned with what the major had demanded of them. Neither needed any words to acknowledge their new found nephew needed to be rid of, immediately. The fate of the Duchy and their own pride depended on it.
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