Renegade by Joel Shepherd

having any fun. “What brings you here?”
    “You need to come with us,” said Thakur. Her voice was cold and hard, and her words did not sound polite. Off-ship she did technically outrank him, but still…
    Erik drew himself up. “What’s going on?” he retorted, mindful of the audience behind him.
    “What’d you tell him?” Dale snarled from Thakur’s shoulder. “Fucking Admiral Anjo, what did you tell him?”
    Erik was shocked. “Lieutenant, that’s no way to speak of a superior officer!” he snapped as command reflex reasserted itself. As Thakur held up a hand to stop Dale from speaking further. From Thakur to Dale, a hand was all it took. “Explain yourselves!”
    “The Captain’s been arrested,” said Thakur. Erik stared at her, not quite believing he’d heard that. “Placed in detention prior to court-martial proceedings. What did you tell Admiral Anjo?”
    Erik stared. “Court-martial? For what?”
    “We don’t know, they won’t say. He’s in isolation, no one’s allowed to see him. Huang’s up at the ship, so you’re now senior Phoenix command on the ground. What did you tell Admiral Anjo?”
    “I… I told him…” That he’d be happy to accept a big promotion for a senior job in Fleet Command. Anjo had to have known. Court-martialing any senior captain, let alone one with the record and reputation of Pantillo, was a huge move. Anjo would be in on it, no question. And he’d just paid Pantillo’s third-in-command a home visit that very morning, and not thought to mention it? Fishy didn’t begin to describe it.
    And this offer of huge promotion and responsibility, to a relatively junior and untested officer… a coincidence? To get him onside? To drive a wedge between him and Pantillo? Between him and the crew of Phoenix ? He looked at the marines’ eyes, and saw hard suspicion… in Dale’s eyes at least. Thakur was as always unreadable. Isolate the rich boy whose promotional advances to date everyone was already suspicious of? Make sure Family Debogande wasn’t in Pantillo’s corner?
    What the hell was going on?
    “We have to go and see the Captain,” he said. “Now.”
    “They’re not letting anyone see him,” Thakur repeated coolly.
    “Oh they’ll let me see him,” Erik muttered. “Or I’ll bring the fucking roof down on their heads.”

4
    T hey went home first , to silence and concern from the family, while Erik put on the dress uniform, and the marines waited outside in the garden. No one ventured any of them any questions — Alice put a stop to those who tried. This was Erik’s business, Fleet business, and he need not be troubled at this point by family concerns. Erik was grateful for it, and took a family cruiser to the city with Thakur in the passenger seat, and Dale in the rear.
    “What did Admiral Anjo say to you?” Thakur asked again. Erik realised he hadn’t answered her the other times.
    “He offered me a job as a colonial administrator,” he said shortly. “Helping to industrialise the new territorial possessions.”
    “That seems like an enormous promotion for someone with very little relevant experience,” Thakur said matter-of-factly.
    “Yes it does, doesn’t it?” Erik muttered.
    “What did you say?”
    “I said yes.” Thakur seemed to shake her head slightly, and gaze out the windows at the approaching city towers. “What would you have said?”
    “They don’t offer these things to normal people,” Thakur answered. “That’s the point.”
    “And you’re a normal person, are you?”
    Thakur’s lips twisted slightly. “Relative to you, I’m positively pedestrian.”
    Erik felt his temper boil. Usually he was good at holding it, but today it was too much. “And so what?” he snapped. “Am I supposed to apologise for the conditions of my birth? I’m not in control of any of this, Major. I have no idea whether I receive favourable treatment or not, I certainly never asked for it. I can’t go around apologising for every