Free Shadow of the Blue Ring by Jerome Kelly Page A

commendation for outstanding contribution to the future of the Voronian military, Karlo… come to the stage old friend.”
    As had each of the others before him, Danero took to the stage and proudly to receive his award from Ravenn to loud applause from those watching on. He gave a quick bow before heading back down to rejoin the party. Ravenn continued through each of the remaining awards, honouring each recipient as they came to collect until only one remained. This one was slightly larger than the others. It must have been reserved for the biggest contributor to the alliance from the past six years.
    “. . . And now, we come to our final award,” Ravenn continued excitedly, “this award goes to a man who has done as much for this alliance as any other individual alive today. Without him, we would not be here today, in fact our alliance would probably not even exist anymore. This award goes to a man who endured more hardships than any man should have to bear in an entire lifetime within the space of just a few years but despite this, his efforts turned what was a hopeless situation into a brand new future for our people. He does not know that he is receiving this tonight, it was left as a surprise… ladies and gentlemen… please welcome to the stage Captain James Tavarez of the Earth Nations Fleet!”
    Danero had not been lying, James immediately felt several thousand pairs of eyes on him, the entire crowd falling silent, the only sound being Isha struggling to hold back a chuckle next to him.
    “Not funny,” he silently mouthed at her, awkwardly making his way towards the stage, not one person in the hall taking their eyes off of him. James made his way up the steps to where Ravenn stood while the former general continued to speak to the gathered masses.
    “This award is in recognition of the incredible efforts that this young man went to in an attempt to overthrow an empire almost by himself, his efforts in bringing together the people of the old alliance and helping us form bonds of friendship between our people that when I was a lad, we had not believed were possible. It goes to show how a man of modest tastes from a modest background, who enjoys his archaic forms of music, sports and entertainments can be the most daring and heroic of all of us. It does not matter who you are or where you come from… if you have the heart and you have the courage, anything is possible, regardless of your roots.”
    Ravenn handed James his award as he arrived on the stage, shaking his hand as he went. The whole room broke into applause as James showed it off in front of the entire gathered crowd. He could see Isha, who had now been joined by Melina, chuckling away below. He had a distinct feeling that she might have known something of this beforehand. He must have been the only person present who did not know what had been in store for him. He wanted to make a quick exit from the stage but Ravenn was indicating to the microphone next to him, he wasn’t going to be allowed off the stage without a few words.
    “Thank you general,” James said, slightly nervously, to the watching audience, “a man of modest tastes huh? I think my wife may have something to say about that. Anyway, I just want to say how thankful I am to be presented with this award tonight, it really is an honour to be recognised as one of the great heroes of the alliance. I would like to add that my efforts to bring down the Vulian empire and restore peace to the alliance were not without sacrifice, I lost a great friend that day… and I was not the only one to do so, let us not forget how many great men and women gave their lives to make all of this possible. While I still feel the sorrow of those last days of the revolution, I am also filled with hope… hope that as we continue to rebuild our worlds, our bonds of friendship will continue to grow and that our people will once again become as great as they were in the days of the old alliance. I look