The Ninth Cycle of TinTay Exiting from the Prisoner’s cell High General TinTay and General ToPher turn and walk, arm in arm, down the corridor. “Tinny if I didn’t know you better I would think that you really were a love struck newborn Legionary trying to impress his first baby. That interrogation was laughable. We didn‘t learn anything about Dirt that we didn‘t already know. You should’ve let me ask the questions, I would’ve found out what we need to know. I wouldn‘t have let who he looks like affect me like that. Of course I’ve known you for over 60 cycles and so I know that all of what I just said doesn‘t matter. High General TinTay isn‘t going to let a pretty faced prisoner throw his composure out of sync. ” “You’re right on both counts Tophy, I did let who he looks like affect me more than I should’ve. I could never conduct a forcible interrogation of Major Taylor Peterson because in my mind that would be conducting a forcible interrogation of Brian. I’m sure that I learned much more than Major Taylor Peterson thinks I learned, but if necessary for the protection of the Empire and The Legion I’ll do what’s necessary and turn him over to you. Tophy if you ever truly think that I’m letting my feelings overrule what’s best for The Legion you’ll say something won’t you?’ “I’ve the best interests of The Legion in my heart as much as you do and I also have the best interests of High General TinTay in there as well. I won’t let this infatuation you have for the memory of your Brian hurt your career or the interests of the Empire and The Legion. No one will be able to say that High General TinTay ruined his reign because of desire for a prisoner.” “I knew that I could count on you Tophy. I’ve always been able to rely on you. I learned a lot from the few questions that I asked and from the way Major Taylor Peterson answered them. Of course we already knew the most important answers long before we met with Major Taylor Peterson. An Unknown World has developed Inner Space drive, has built ships capable of fighting in space, and most importantly have a grievance against The Legion and the desire to punish us for that grievance.” “Then why did you interrogate the prisoner if you already knew the important facts?” “There are many little details to fill in the holes in the tapestry. I think that I learned some of them today.” “Well tell me what they are?” “Tophy I know that you picked up on what he said as easily as I did; you’re next in line to be High General and you wouldn’t be there if you didn’t know how to figure out when a prisoner is lying, telling the truth, or bending the truth.” “But we might’ve made slightly different conclusions on what we heard Major Taylor Peterson say when he answered your questions.” “True Tophy that’s so true. The most important has to do with the part of his ship that was destroyed. Major Taylor Peterson, not the contact with the debris that crippled his ship, caused the explosion. They had some device that they didn’t want us to find and to be able to use.” “I got that impression as well Tinny.” “My guess is that it’s either something to locate ships in normal space while in Inner Space or how to jump to a specific location in normal space from Inner Space.” “They would be wise to make sure we never capture such a device if it has either of those abilities.” “His answer to the empty storage compartment was so obviously false that it means that it’s something that doesn’t really matter. After all, did he really believe that we would believe that a food storage compartment would have an opening to space and the ability to put the food containers into space? While the compartment is accessible to the pilot‘s living space it would take hours to open the compartment to get any food packages out of the compartment. That was a lie so clumsy it’s a wonder it didn‘t fall down as he was saying it.” “Beacon dispenser would be my guess Tinny. Any exploratory ship carries a supply of beacons so that you can go back to any place promising. He’s young Tinny he might not have realized how obvious his lie was.” “While that’s possible I’m going to go with the idea that he knew full well that we would catch that lie. He might have thought giving us an obvious lie on something that doesn’t really matter would cause us to become sloppy and not catch the important lie.” “The way you were staring at him had to have unnerved him to some degree.” “Was I really that bad?” “He probably expected you to rape him as he stood there. Remember they think we were sold to The Legion to be nothing more than sexual slaves. I almost expected you to start reciting love poems to the boy.” “I only did that once and you’ve never let me forget it.” “It was so not like TinTay, the prodigy of the second rebirth of Gkolath. You had just been promoted to Colonel, the first of our rebirth to do so, and you came to my quarters, recited a few love poems and expected me to just roll over. Hell Tinny you knew full well I would roll over if you just walked in the door and gave me one of your stellar smiles.” High General TinTay gives General ToPher one of the stellar smiles in question. “My latest baby had written those poems and I promised him I would recite them to someone who could judge their literary worth.” “You thought I could judge their literary worth?” General ToPher smiles at his friend. “No I just wanted to fuck you that night as part of my celebration of my promotion. You’ve always been a good lay Tophy. I recited them the next day to Goransolop of the 3rd rebirth of Gkolath. He told me that they wouldn’t get the horniest Legionary in the history of the Legion into a romantic mood. What does that say about you, General ToPher?” “I think My Lord General TinTay that we had better get back to work and forget about this foray into our personal histories.” “Yes we probably had better do that, though you do know that you are spending the night with me don’t you General ToPher?” “The thought never entered my head My Lord General TinTay.” General ToPher’s smile almost matches a stellar smile of the High General. “Dirt has fighters, that we know without a doubt, the numbers are in question but probably a fairly large number. I doubt that they have any battlewagons ready yet, though they probably are building something larger than a fighter. I doubt that they are building some vast array of types of warships though; I simply can’t see any reason to do so. Of course at this point in time it doesn’t matter since their fighters are capable of destroying any ship in our Navy. We have to make sure that the Navy starts arming and armoring their ships. Do you think it’ll work better for you to go to the Admiral of the Fleet or summon him to you?” “He’s a levy officer, I will summon him to me. Even in the face of disaster we have to maintain traditions.” “Spoken like a true General of The Legion.” The High General almost giggles as he speaks. “Now we come to the most important lie that Major Taylor Peterson tried to get past us. They are definitely trying to figure out how to control the jump from Inner Space to normal space. I’m sure they don’t have it now but who knows how close they are, of course our experts don’t think that it’s possible no matter how long you research the idea. But then our experts don’t think fighting in space is possible either.” “Well we know what happened to that idea. 6 fighters from Dirt destroy 28 Imperial ships in less than 2 minutes.” “I do believe Major Taylor Peterson when he says that they just followed the convoy and then jumped in after them. That would explain why they ended up so close to our ships. They simply managed to jump from the same point in Inner Space and so they wound up in the same point in normal space.” “That gives me hope then, since something like that is not very likely to happen again so our ships will be able to jump to Inner Space and escape before they can be carved up.” “True but we can’t win a war if we have to run away every time we meet up with the enemy. Then there’s no way we can assault Dirt if we have to worry about protecting the transports in orbit since you can’t jump while unloading troops.” “What’re we going to do then?” “First thing in the morning we have our meeting with the remaining members of the second rebirth of Gkolath, then I’ll head to Orkon to meet with the Emperor.” “Tinny are you forgetting what Major Taylor Peterson gave away about your personal life?” “No ToPher, but that’s my personal life and I can’t let that get in the way of what’s right for The Legion and the Empire.” All hints of levity leave TinTay’s body language. “He all but told you that your Brian is still alive and that he thought of you as his lover. I remember enough from our life on Dirt to know that’s important.” “Yes it’s very important, I remember so little of my life before I became of The Legion but almost all of what I remember is loving Brian and trying to make him love me. To find out now that it really did happen is wonderful news, but what can I do about it?” “Instead of taking me to your quarters tonight you could have the prisoner brought to you. You could sleep with your Brian’s grandson and remember the times you slept with your Brian.” “ToPher there’s no way I can do that. I’ve never forced anyone into my bed and I’m not starting with my grandson.” “Your what?” ToPher stares in disbelief at his long time comrade. “Grandson, if Brian considered me his lover after the night we were captured by the Horab then if that event hadn’t happened then Brian and I might very well have become a couple. Gus would have thought of me as his father and so his son would be my grandson. So as far as I’m concerned Major Taylor Peterson is my grandson and while I’m away from Hakim he is to be treated with all respect. No one, no matter how highly ranked, is allowed to force Major Taylor Peterson to do anything he doesn’t want to do. I mean anything ToPher. I will expect you to obey my orders on this.” “I always obey your orders Lord General, but Tinny he isn’t nearly as desirable as you seem to think.” “He isn’t? I look at him and I see Brian. I remember that last week before the Horab came to Dirt and changed my life completely.” “What do you remember Tinny?” “My mothers convinced me to go to the dance. They told me that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t go. So I remember asking Brian if he would go as my date. He said ‘What would I do in a room full of fucking 18-year-olds.’ and I replied ‘I thought you liked fucking 18-year-olds.’ but he turned me down. So I went to the dance with a girl. Can you imagine Tophy one of The Legion doing anything with a female?” “Well Tinny since it has been over 60 cycles since we could do anything with a female without the fear of being executed for doing it; not really.” “I was at the dance having a good time with Daphne, does that sound right?” “I remember that there was a Daphne in our school grouping so I suppose it could be right.” “Then Brian appeared, walked over to me and then took my hand and walked me to the dance floor. We started dancing, I’m pretty sure I was floating on air. By doing this he was telling everyone there, including me, that he loved me. We ended up with a romantic kiss then we ran off the dance floor. I know I was floating on air after that kiss. Somehow we wound up in a building full of ground transports.” “I wish I had seen you so happy, I suddenly remember that you weren‘t happy very much back then.” “I remember we were dancing and singing as we moved to his ground transport. I remember what we said to each other, Tophy where are all of these memories coming from?” “I suppose seeing Major Taylor Peterson has pushed some button in your memory.” “I can see it in my mind. ‘Did you see their faces?’ ‘Yeah, we gave them a prom they’ll never forget.’ ‘Me either.’ Then Brian smiled at me. ‘This was the best night of my life.’ ‘Even if it was ridiculously romantic?’ Then we kissed tenderly Then there was a tremendous noise and the building started shaking. I suppose I thought it was an earthquake. Brian and I just grabbed each other. Of course I know now that it was the effects of the Horab ship landing next to the building. Then the Horab appeared, forcing everyone they encountered to move towards the main building. Now that I think about it Tophy; you were in that same group, why were you there instead of at the dance?” “I don’t remember, I suppose I was going home.” “Eventually they had all of us in the ballroom where they started the culling process. A couple of the adults made the mistake of trying to stand up to the Horab and were killed on the spot for their efforts. After that demonstration of power everyone just did what we were told. I remember plenty of noise from outside of the building so I suppose someone was fighting the Horab. Could it be that some of the Horab ships were captured and that’s how they learned about Inner Space? Brian and I were holding onto each other as tightly as possible when the Horab got to us. One of them tried to pull me away from Brian but I just hung on even tighter. I remember Brian saying ‘Take me and leave him here where he’ll be safe.’ Then there was a tremendous pain in my head. When I woke up I was in your arms on the Horab ship.” TBC