IMPERIAL SENTINEL INTERLUDE: REVELATIONS

By Stormwolf Dawn

Rated: PG

Summary: Jim learns the astounding truth.

This is a short story that takes place four months after the events in Guiding Principles. Jim is off bed restriction as well as leash punishment, however the rule against anyone touching him except for the Empress and Blair is still enforced. Hope you like it.

IMPERIAL SENTINEL INTERLUDE: REVELATIONS

By Stormwolf Dawn

Jim Ellison, the personal pet sentinel to the Empress, walked through the carpeted corridors of the Imperial Jewel heading for the quarters of the Empress where he slept and ate. He paused and leaned against the wall as a coughing fit hit him. Luckily no one else was in the hallway, so once the coughing subsided, Jim straightened up and continued his journey. He had a few minutes before he would be late for dinner, and being late would mean being punished, and Jim had had enough of the that in the past year.

He made it into the room with seconds to spare to find he was the only one in there. Then he remembered that Blair had had to go with the Empress to the formal dinner for the Duitrian ambassador. Jim of course had not been taken because the Duitrians didn't like or trust sentinels, especially one that could understand Duitrian.

Another coughing fit started and Jim went into the bathroom to spit out the phglem he had coughed up. He could hear the fluid in his lungs, had heard it for the past few days actually, but had done nothing about it. He'd had colds before, and didn't think it was that big of a deal.

Jim went to the food dispenser, which materialised his plate of food. Jim picked up the plate and headed over to his pallet on the floor next to the sofa. Sitting crosslegged with his back against the end of the sofa, Jim moved his fork around his tuna noodle casserole. He coughed up some more pghlem, and spit it into his napkin. He was disinterested in his food, and only took a small bite before he gave up.

However, he was thirsty, so Jim drank an entire glass of water. He placed the plate back on the dispenser, not caring that the computer would report to Blair and the Empress that he had not eaten, and had the computer refill his glass. After drinking it down, he went into the bathroom and took a long hot shower. Changing into a clean pair of black boxers, Jim climbed up into the Empress' bed, and lay on the foot of it, head on his soft pillow, and his blanket thrown over him. A few minutes later one of the servants came into the quarters, and began to clean the place quietly. Jim didn't even wake up as the servant cleaned, so used to their movements around the quarters.

Sometime later, Jim was awakened by the Empress, the Consort and Blair getting ready for bed. Once he determined who they were, Jim layed his head back down and tried to go back to sleep.

When morning came, Jim found the quarters empty of everyone except a few servants. Blair had to go with the empress while she entertained the Duitrian Ambassador, and the Consort was in a meeting with the Royal Senate. Jim went into the bathroom coughing. He spat into the toilet, then took his shower. The servants were cleaning the quarters, and when Jim came out wearing clean boxers, they were making the beds. Jim ignored them, and put on one of his black uniforms. He bent over as another coughing fit hit him, and he ignored the sympathetic looks by the servants. His chest hurt, but he ignored it. When the coughing fit was over, Jim went over to get his breakfast. He ate a few bites of his eggs, and a couple bites of toast. The smell of coffee, usually his favorite smell, was making him gag. He placed his plate on the dispenser. The computer would register that he didn't eat much, and tell the Empress and Blair. Jim didn't care. On barefeet, he walked out the door, and through the corridors heading for the gym that only he, his guide, and the Royal Family could use. Inside he lifted weights.

It wasn't long before he sensed another presence in the room. Jim looked up to see General Ellison walk into the room. Replacing the bar in its holder, Jim sat up on the bench.

"I know I am taking an awfull chance here, Jimmy. But I need you to come to Observation Lounge 10 on the twelfth level after lunch." General Ellsion said in a low tone only Jim could hear. William walked around the room as if he were inspecting it. Jim wiped his face with his towel, and nodded. General Ellison nodded his head as if in satisfaction to his inspection, then left the gym.

Jim finished his workout, then went on his own inspection tour. As a sentinel, Jim was programmed to protect his tribe. It had taken awhile, but Jim had finally come to acknowledge the ship as his 'territory', and the people on board as his 'tribe'. Just as the Empress' personal sentinel was supposed to. And each day, Jim roamed his territory looking for any dangers to his tribe.

As he moved through the corridors, the smell of a Duitrian suddenly hit him, and Jim saw the insectoid coming down the corridor.

The Duitrian Ambassador was a worker class Duitrian, which meant that shee did not posses a stinger on the end of her tail. Only those of the warrior class had a stinger. Like all workers, the Duitrian was a sterile female. She wore a red sash with Duitrian symbols decorated on it in gold thread. The Duitrian suddenly stopped as she saw Jim in the corridor.

Quickly, Jim knelt against the wall in the corridor, head bowed. Duitrians actively disliked sentinels, and they could tell a sentinel apart just by smell alone. Of course with the gold collar around his neck, Jim wasn't hard to spot as a sentinel.

The Duitrian resumed her journey down the corridor now that Jim had done what he was supposed to. The Duitrian walked past him as if he didn't exist, and continued down the corridor. When the Duitrian was far enough away, Jim stood back up and continued his exploration of the ship. Having a Duitrian on board made any Sentinel wary.

When Jim returned to the quarters at lunch, Blair and the Empress were waiting for him. A plate of food awaited him as well, and both his guide and the Empress made it a point to make sure he ate everything on his tray. Luckily, Jim didn't have any coughing fits while he ate under their watchful eye. When he was done, Blair took the plate from him and put it back in the dispenser. The Empress patted his head murmuring "Good, Jimmy." before she left to attend her duties. Blair looked at him, before following the Empress out.

Jim let out a disgusted snort, then went into the bathroom and threw up his meal. Once his stomach calmed down, Jim left the room and went to the Observation lounge.

Inside the lounge, sitting in the comfortable plush chairs was General Ellison and his wife Grace. Jim's parents. Grace looked as if she had been crying. William had a stoic mask in place, and looked as if he intended not to let it slip.

"I'm glad you came, Jimmy. I know your taking a risk coming here." William said.

"As were you in asking me to." Jim answered. Unable to sit in the chair, Jim sat crosslegged on the carpeted floor. "It must be important to take such a risk."

"It is." Was all William said before turning to his wife.

Jim looked at his mother.

"Jimmy, I know you'll hate me for this, but you need to know." Grace said.

Jim was starting to get nervous, but he said nothing, only listened.

"My sister, as you know was a guide. Do you remember her sentinel?"

"Vaguely, " Jim said. "I remember that he was male, which is unusual. Most pairs are the same sex. His name was Seth, if I remember correctly."

"Jimmy, my sister and Seth were lovers."

Jim nodded. It didn't surprise him. They had been very close, and his aunt had been upset over Seth's death.

"A few times though..." Grace trailed off.

Jim could feel the trickle of sweat down his back, "Mother, what are you trying to say?"

"Jimmy, Seth, not William is your father. I-I have known this since you were born. I was afraid. I didn't want to lose you. They would have taken you away." Grace was crying now. William had his mask firmly in place.

Jim turned to his father, "How long have you known?" Jim asked in an accusing tone.

"Your mother told me when I told her about your senses coming out, and being taken by the Observors."

Jim was finding it very hard to breath. Grace was crying, saying over and over that she was sorry, that she hadn't wanted to lose him.

She was right, though. If anyone had known, Jim would have been taken when he was three by the Observors to be trained, and guided to his senses. He would have lived his whole life as a sentinel, never knowing freedom. He was having a hard time deciding which would have been worse.

"I can't stay here." He said, and got up and ran from the room. Outside the lounge a coughing fit hit him. He double over, then retched onto the floor. Standing up, sweating profusely, Jim staggered away from the lounge.

He found his way to one of the cargo rooms on that floor. He had been there before. It was his hiding place. A place to go to get away from everyone, to think, and be by himself. He had taken a blanket there, and hid it in one of the ventilation shafts, along with a couple of pillows.

Jim crawled into the vent shaft now, and curled up on the blanket. He started sobbing. The knowledge had hit him like a ton of bricks. William Ellison was not his father. His father had been a sentinel. Shaking as he sobbed, Jim drew the blanket around him as he suddenly began to shiver. He continued to sob, as realisation that his mother could have prevented his torture if she had just given him up. Instead, he had tasted freedom, and had lost it. Pain wracked his body. Emotional, physical, it all felt the same, and Jim felt as if he would explode.

When Jim didn't return for dinner, the Empress became angry. However the anger turned to worry when the computer reported that Jim had thrown up his lunch.

"He's sick, and we didn't even notice." Blair said.

The Empress nodded. She had the computer do a search for Jim. There was a tracking device in Jim's collar, and it wouldn't take long for the computer to find him.

"Cargo Bay 7?" Blair said confused.

"Let's go, Blair." The Empress said. She turned and walked out of the room with Blair following. Two of the Empress' guards followed as well.

They reached the cargo bay, and searched it for Jim. One of the guards found the sentinel in the ventilation shaft.

Jim was shaking from cold, and began coughing when Blair crawled inside.

"Jim. Come on Jim. Need to get you to a doctor."

"Why, what does it matter." Jim said.

Blair took a close look at Jim and saw the tear streaked face. He's been crying. Why. Oh god, did his memories of Lash return. Jim had been raped by a madman on Orion 4 four months ago. Though the sentinel claimed he didn't remmeber any of it, Blair had been skeptical.

"Come on Jim, let's get you out of here." He reached over and touched his sentinel's leg. Jim flinched away. Another coughing fit hit him, and Jim coughed up some more pghlem this time tinged with blood.

Blair crawled back out. He knew he wasn't strong enough to pull Jim out of the vent shaft.

"He won't come out. He's been crying, and he's shivering." Blair told the Empress.

She gave him an unreadable look, then told one of the guards to bring him out. The guard nodded, and crawled inside.

Jim was to weak to fight the guard, but he struggled a bit anyway as the guard gently brought him out. Once out of the ventilation shaft, the Empress had the guard carry Jim out of the cargo bay and to the infirmary. The Empress, Blair and the other guard went with him.

At the infirmary, the doctor scanned Jim, who was now lying on a hospital bed bundled in a thick blanket. The sentinel still shivered, and he would break into coughing fits, but he was mostly out of it.

"Donarian flu." The doctor said.

Blair's eyes widened. Donarian flu if not caught in time was lethal to sentinels. In fact only sentinels with their different physiology could get Donarian flu along with Donarians. However, there was an anti-virus, and the doctor administered it through an injection.

"I'm going to keep him here overnight and start an IV. He needs the fluids, and the nausea will keep hm from getting them the conventional way." The doctor said as he covered Jim back up after having administered the injection in Jim's hip. The Empress nodded.

The doctor had a Pair's hospital bed set up so that Blair could stay with Jim in the infirmary.

The next evening Jim was back in his place at the foot of the Empress' bed covered with a thick blanket rather than his usual one. He was half asleep, staring at the headboard, half formed thought scittering through his mind. The sentinel didn't even notice the tears falling down his face.

He flinched, startled, when a hand rested on his head, and familiar fingers stroked his hair. The Empress stood beside the bed, silently stroking her sentinel's head. Jim just lay there, his eyes staring straight ahead and seeing nothing.

"I didn't think she would tell you. Of course, I didn't think she would tell William either."

Shocked, Jim rolled over onto his back and looked at her.

The Empress ran her fingers down Jim's neck as he moved, then withdrew her hand. She looked at him with her dark whiteless eyes.

"They don't know, of course, that I know. My father always suspected, and his suspicion was confirmed when you developed your senses."

Jim opened his mouth, then closed it, refusing to ask the question that popped into his mind.

She shrugged, "He didn't want to take William's son from him without a good reason. He felt the knowledge of his wife's betrayal would destroy his friend. My father was wrong. He should have had you take, and tested. But that it is in the past. My father is dead. There will be no recriminations against Grace, except the loss of her husband's trust in her, perhaps. This will stay between the four of us. There is no reason for your guide to know."

Again she reached out, and moved a stray strand of hair from his forehead.

"For what it might be worth, I am sorry my Father made the wrong decision. You should not have had to suffer for his mistake. I can't make up for that, however. I cannot change the laws, nor can I break them. It is not within an Elium soul to do so. Honor is everything after all, but compassion is also important. After having conquered humanity, I believe humanity conquered us. Compassion is honorable, after all."

With that, the Empress lightly patted his head, and left the room. Jim turned back on to his side, and allowed the tears to fall freely.

THE END