Republish: Chess
From the Archive
This story was written sometime between 2007 and 2008, it was my first piece of fiction that was ever published.
“Escaping the party, Admiral?”
The celebration was long and annoying, and Admiral Cervidas wanted to leave. He had escaped to the observation deck to look at the newly conquered Hrakkn. Its smallest moon was full and close to the horizon.
“Yes…” He swirled his drink but couldn’t bring himself to take a sip. He ha a piercing headache that commanded his thoughts. Hrakkn was no victory, and he was supposed to give a speech that praised his men? He laughed inwardly. Ridiculous.
“Me, too.” The guest extended a hand to introduce himiself. “Captain Petrokov, a pleasure.”
“Likewise,” said the Admiral, avoiding eye contact.
“The Fleet has conquered yet another planet, and you once again have fired the first shots. That must feel—” Petrokov took a deep, triumphant breath, “exhilarating.”
It’s not over, it’s not over, he told himself. This is no victory.
“It’s just a job, Captain. One day, you will reach that point. I don’t care about doing things first, or doing it fast. All I care about is that it gets done and with minimal casualties.”
“But this isn’t just a job, Admiral. You had to have considered at one point that you are on the living edge of the Empire. You fire the shots that change the maps.”
“That occurred to me, but look out there,” he motioned towards Hrakkn, sitting submissively in the sky. “The planet is the same. The moons, just the same. All that has changed is the flag that flies over it. Trust me; the planet is far from taken. It will take months to settle down. I doubt they will be instantly pacified by this new force that happened to break their defenses. You saw their fleet. These people are desperate.”
The captain considered this carefully. “Desperate?”
“Yes, desperate.” He turned away from Hrakkn and looked at the Captain, making eye contact for the first time. “Tell me, Captain, are you familiar with the game of chess?”
“Yes, I am.”
“In my experience, when the game is nearing the end, the defeated faction realizes that their doom is fast approaching, and they strike out with such vicious desperation that it can take many turns before the King is finally captured. Often times it can change the tide of the game and cause a stalemate. Valuable pieces are sacrificed in the name of a dwindling cause—in vain hope that some semblance of victory can be scavenged from their broken army.” The Captain looked thoughtful. The Admiral turned to him, glass in hand, and looked him coldly in the eyes.
“They sacrificed their flagship, their most valuable asset. They knew when they sent their fleet the game was over. They just went out in a blaze of glory. The men on that ship will go down in history; the men on ours will be forgotten. Yes, Captain, they knew before we arrived that the end was near. What more will be sacrificed? Will it result in a stalemate? Frankly, captain, I’m afraid for the Empire.”
The captain looked shaken. “Admiral…how could you say such things? I mean, war is war; nothing is certain.”
“Some things are more certain than we would all like to think.” The admiral set his glass on a counter and walked out of the observation deck. As he walked into his chambers, he felt the blasts rock the ship.
He grinned as he was engulfed in flames.
If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy the last piece I unearthed from my archive, called Artificial Intelligence, which is vintage 2015.
Thank you very much for reading!
God bless you all!
I KNEW I RECOGNIZED THAT NAME.
I get what the Admiral is saying; myself, I don't think I have the fortitude to grin if I'm set on fire. But that's just me. This was an awesome story! Well done, past you!