Free 13 Day War by Richard S. Tuttle Page A

came by. It looks as if the storm woke the entire palace.”
    The colonel ordered a light meal when the servant came for his order. He was tempted to engage the general in friendly conversation, but his mind was already reflecting on the events of the prior night. He ate in silence as he planned his day. When he finished his meal, he looked up and was surprised to see that the general had already left the room. He pushed the plate away and rose to his feet.
    Colonel Taerin’s first stop was with the duty watch. He inquired about the patrols of the previous night and asked if the intruders had been captured. He learned that the grounds had been thoroughly searched, but no intruders had been found. He frowned as he nodded to the officer. As he made his way to the archives, he wondered if that meant that the Badgers had a secret way onto the grounds of the palace, or more ominously, did they already reside on the palace grounds? He halted in the corridor as a shiver raced up his spine. It was quite possible that some of the soldiers posted to protect the Imperial Palace could actually lead double lives. Could the Badgers have men on the palace staff?
    The colonel shook off the ill feeling and entered the repository of official documents. Colonel Donil had said something the night before that stuck in Colonel Taerin’s mind. He stated that General Forshire was not under the control of Grand General Kyrga. Taerin found that hard to believe, but he intended to check on it anyway. Colonel Taerin was one of the few people who had access to the emperor’s archives, and he was let into the special room without question. He started going through the stacks of proclamations and suddenly halted, a mask of confusion staining his face. He turned around and exited the room and faced the guard outside.
    “The emperor’s papers are not up-to-date,” declared the colonel. “Where are the newest proclamations?”
    “There are no other proclamations,” answered the guard. “Everything pertaining to the emperor is in that room.”
    “Who is now responsible for bringing the emperor’s papers down here?”
    “You are, sir.”
    Colonel Taerin looked stunned. The task had been his for years, but he thought it had ended when the emperor’s guard had been changed. Evidently, it had not ended. He flushed with embarrassment as the guard stared at him.
    “Then I have been derelict in my duty,” Colonel Taerin stated. “I shall rectify that immediately.”
    The guard tried to hide his smirk, but the colonel cared little for the guard’s opinion. He strode out of the archives and headed for the emperor’s office. The emperor’s guards knew Taerin well, and they knocked on the door as he approached. One of them cracked the door open and stuck his head inside. He immediately opened the door to admit the colonel. Colonel Taerin entered the emperor’s office and saw the emperor sitting back in his chair. The colonel bowed respectfully and waited for the emperor to speak.
    “What is it, Colonel?”
    “I have come to collect the papers for the archives,” the colonel announced as his eyes moved to a rather large stack of papers on one of the shelves behind the desk.
    “What? Oh, yes,” the emperor said as he turned and saw what the colonel was staring at. “Let me add one more to the pile before you take it.”
    The emperor leaned forward and slid a paper from the corner of the desk to bring it closer to him. He picked up a writing utensil with his left hand and brought it towards the paper. With a low grumble under his breath, the emperor quickly reached over with his right hand and seized the pen. He scrawled his signature on the paper and shoved it towards the colonel.
    “There is no need to announce that one,” stated the emperor. “It has already been carried out. Just file it with the rest.”
    Colonel Taerin nodded and picked up the proclamation and carried it to the shelf. He placed it on top of the stack and then picked up the