Faith & Empire: Book One of The Holy Terran Empire

2. Mission Briefing

We filed into the hanger deck where thousands of chairs were set up in concentric half-rings around a raised dais. The first few rows, but for two in the center marked reserved, were filled with Angel Fighter pilots in their bright blue flight suits. Our regiment's other four battalions occupied the seats behind them. We filed into the outermost seats.

A couple of minutes after we took our seats, Colonel Llewellyn L'Amour entered from a separate entrance on the ship's starboard. He wore a white brigandine, red sash and black zouave trousers tucked into black, knee-high boots. His gaiters were white with red buttons. He had large, thickly-veined hands and a bald, egg-shaped head beneath his white and red beret. The colonel had a black beard, cut in the short, spade-shape favored by his order of knights. His dark green eyes regarded us coolly from above a large hooked nose as he made his way to a raised dais at center stage.

At the colonel's heels followed two men in red brigandines, gold sashes and black, straight-legged pants tucked into red, long boots. Gold capes hung from their shoulders to the back of their calves. Swords hung from their sides in gold-fluted and gemmed sheaths. Their sword belts were wide, black and buckled by golden, double-headed griffins. Their heads were uncovered.

One of them was a young man, no older, I guessed, than my own twenty-two years. He was fair of skin, blue-eyed with a full head of blond hair that reached to his shoulders. He was handsome in the extreme, possessed of the softly-chiseled good looks that could've made him a holoflix star, with or without acting ability.

The second man trailing our colonel was considerably older, sixty or seventy years old. He was just as fair but also taller, leaner and wore what was left of his gray hair close-cropped, seeming like a thin layer of ash across a bony skull.

Our company's Captain, Dayo Obey, black and lean of face and limb, snapped to rigid attention and bellowed, "Lords on deck!"

The regiment rose to attention together with the more than three hundred pilots. We clicked our heels and our right hands snapped to our shoulders in the Imperial salute, thumb, fore and index fingers raised and spread in representation of the Trinity, ring and pinky fingers curled together against the palm symbolizing the human and divine natures of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

More than five thousand voices cried out as one, "Faith and Empire!"

Colonel and companions returned the salute before L'Amour added, "At ease, gentlemen. Take your seats."

Our raised hands balled into fists and we beat them once against the center of our chests. We then dropped our hands and sat.

When we were settled in, Colonel L'Amour continued. "This is Lord Zoltan, First Born of Prince Sandor Kelemen of Crimea Secundus."

The young man bowed his head and clicked his heels in greeting.

"And his aide-de-camp, Lord Earl, Kosta Kolchick."

The elder repeated the greeting in turn.

"Our lords will be sitting in with us. They're here to represent the Princedom of Austros which, as you all know, has, with noble generosity, volunteered to buttress our ranks with their justly celebrated First Regiment of Space Marines, the 'Sons of Thunder,' as well as with Martel's Marauders, Second Armored Company, the Destroyers, Emperor Karl and King Sobieski, the carrier Czar Peter Magnus as well as a dozen Flying Hussars of the Royal House, Kelemen.

"We are honored and most pleased to have these brave, brother Christian warriors of Austros in our company. They are watching our briefing aboard their various ships. So, a warm welcome to you all and allow me, once again, to express our beloved Emperor's gratitude for joining our ranks. The Princedom of Austros is dear to his Imperial Majesty's heart and he counts House Kelemen among his most fierce and faithful of friends. You are ever in his prayers."