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He turned to the
Emperor, ‘You will have to excuse the Sergeant, he is a typical
Scottish soldier. They can get a little carried away sometimes.’ He
turned back to Charlie, ‘Dismissed.’
    ‘ Yes Sir.’ Charlie
took two steps back and saluted, ‘Gentlemen.’
    The Emperor growled, ‘That didn’t
translate. What did he say?’
    ‘ It is a form of
respect towards those of higher status,’ the Chief almost
squeaked.
    ‘ It is, is
it?’
    ‘ Yes
sire.’
    His eyes sent the Chief scuttling after
Charlie. He turned to the King. ‘Why did you invite a common
soldier to this evening?’
    ‘ Ah! He was the first
soldier on to the city ship and one of the last off. He and his men
fought the entire length of the campaign without respite and took
the surrender of the Albany. This is a little treat. My show of
appreciation for their efforts. He represents all of the common
soldiers that fought.’
    The Emperor was almost growling, ‘I
understand.’ He accepted the King’s explanation. ‘It is
occasionally necessary to throw the commoners a few scraps from
your table. Their gratitude is pathetic, but it can make them more
loyal and fight all the harder.’
    ‘ Exactly.’
    ‘ It would seem that
we aren’t all that different after all.’ The Emperor noted that his
Chief Engineer had caught up with the Human soldier and by their
body language it was clear that the two were familiar with each
other, maybe even friends.

CHAPTER 7
     
    Steven and Komoru spent a week in
academic bliss at the royal institute. Steven had a list of
questions and the Professor welcomed each and every one. Their
presence also seemed to inspire his other pupils. Steven noticed
there were seats for over a hundred, but only about a dozen were
taken.
    The Professor showed the pair of them
around and they soon became aware of the prestige of the academy.
His schedule was very light so he was able to give them a lot of
personal tuition. After a couple of days Steven took Hailey in to
see how she would fare. For the past few months Steven had been
teaching her the basics. Hailey dived into the classes with as much
gusto as Steven and Komoru, to the great delight of the
Professor.
    Their arrival didn’t go unnoticed
though and at the end of the week they were called upon to attend
the Dean of the institute. He eyed them coldly.
    ‘ Captains Gordon and
Kiazu, your reputations proceed you. It is a pleasure to see you
here. However, I have had a number of complaints from some of the
students and their patrons, to the effect that you and another
member of your crew are receiving free tuition. That is
unacceptable. The patrons of this institute are amongst the most
influential in the Empire. As such I will have to put a stop to
your visits.’
    Steven and Komoru were devastated.
Steven tried to reason with him. ‘With respect sir, in the short
time I have been here we have learned so much. I was going to
suggest that together we start a program to teach Human navigators.
The Professor has informed me that too few pupils take his course
and the institute is even considering cancelling the program. We
can fill those seats and pay for the tuition of the pupils. As a
race we are so far behind in the art of astral navigation. Yes, we
have computers that do it, but I truly believe that the first
generation of navigators should know the absolute basics. Only then
can we truly begin to learn.’
    ‘ You are correct
about the institution wishing to close the department. However, the
majority of us hold exactly the same view as you do. To which end
as long as a single pupil crosses that threshold then the
department will not be closed.’ He sat forward, ‘Your offer is very
tempting. There is one major problem though. The Human race has no
collateral or cash on this side of the great barrier. You may have
rare minerals, metals and gems to trade but without a formal trade
agreement in place with the Universal Mining Commission they are
little more use than