Diplomats apprentice, p.1
Diplomat’s Apprentice, page 1
DIPLOMAT’S APPRENTICE
DIPLOMAT’S APPRENTICE™ BOOK 1
LJ DIX
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To
George Wynne
Without whom Anwyn wouldn’t be part Welsh
Joyce Wynne Diks
Who encouraged a lifelong love of reading
This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.
Copyright © 2024 LJ Dix
Cover Art by Jake @ J Caleb Design
http://jcalebdesign.com / jcalebdesign@gmail.com
Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing
LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact support@lmbpn.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
LMBPN Publishing
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Las Vegas, Nevada 89119 USA
Version 1.00, January 2024
ebook ISBN: 979-8-88878-383-2
Print ISBN: 979-8-88878-732-8
THE DIPLOMAT’S APPRENTICE TEAM
Thanks to our Beta Readers:
Rachel Beckford, Mary Morris, Kelly O’Donnell
Thanks to our JIT Readers:
Diane L. Smith
Deb Mader
Zacc Pelter
Dorothy Lloyd
Jeff Goode
Dave Hicks
Paul Westman
Daryl McDaniel
Jan Hunnicutt
Editor
SkyFyre Editing Team
CONTENTS
Foreword
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Author Notes
Connect with The Author
Other LMBPN Publishing Books
FOREWORD
BY KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN
It’s not every day someone gets asked to introduce one of their mother’s first published stories. I wanted to do this justice, so for mood music I’ve settled on the soundtrack to Star Trek: the Motion Picture.
Why that? Because in December 1979, six-year-old Kevin and his mom attended a premier showing of the movie in New York City. Now, I’d been to movies before.
I’d never been to a movie with a standing ovation before.
I’ve still never been to a movie with two standing ovations since.
Here I am, forty-four years later, writing science fiction novels for a living. A cautionary tale, parents: Be careful which movies you take your kids to when they’re young and impressionable! You, too, might end up with an author for a child! (Gasps of horror!)
The wonderful thing about the story above is that I am sure I got at least one detail wrong. I’m equally sure my mother will want to correct me on it. I’m triply sure she doesn’t get to do that here, so this story will go to print precisely the way I wrote it. Why?
Because it isn’t really the truth of stories that matter so much as it is the emotions the stories convey.
For me, that silly movie was formative. I was already hooked on SF, thanks to Star Wars, Godzilla, and other stuff. But being present for the energy in that theater was awe-inspiring for a bright kid. I could feel the intensity of emotion in all the adults around me. That was all because they were united by a story—or rather, by the emotions behind the story. It was maybe the first time I realized that stories could change the world, and I’ve never lost my interest since.
It was maybe a year or so later that Mom gave me her old manual typewriter so I could begin writing my stories. She was trying to write back then, too. I’d go to sleep at night listening to soundtracks and the tack-tack-tack of an electric typewriter. She wrote some great stories! But sadly, they never saw publication.
Until now, anyway.
The book you’re holding is a story I was told when I was young. I still remember Mom telling us this one many times on long drives in the car. The other stories set in this universe, the tales of Anwyn and her friends, are a piece of my childhood as well. Of course, Mom rewrote these things because people change over time, so all her experiences over the past forty-ish years have been poured into the new versions of the stories.
Stories carry weight. They change the world. The story you’re about to read was one that helped change mine. I hope you enjoy it and all LJ Dix’s other books as much as I did!
PROLOGUE
“Tell me a bedtime story!” the tiny girl demanded, grinning and bouncing up and down with enthusiasm. Her uncle looked down at her and smiled. Once again, she was spending the night in his apartment, avoiding the mother with whom she was too often in conflict. This niece of his, with her high energy, was the most like him of all his family. Even at age six he loved her dearly.
“What story would you like, Anwyn?” He willingly indulged her.
“Tell me how we got here.” Her short bronze-colored curls bounced with her energy. “Tell me how we became Mythri!”
“I feel like I’ve told that a thousand times,” he protested mildly.
“But Uncle Owen, it’s one of my favorites!”
Owen picked her up and carried her to the spare bedroom in his section of the huge family living complex. She immediately curled up in bed, looking at him expectantly.
“Okay, bach.” This term of endearment meant “small” but was often used for loved family members of all sizes and ages. Then he began his story.
“More than a thousand years before the great human expansion from Earth, the League of Free Planets was in its early centuries and made up of only a few planetary systems. They had already banded together in a loose trade and mutual protection agreement when the belligerent Hrithain Empire attempted its first foray into League space. While the Hrithain were unsuccessful in this initial attempt by and large, they added a few non-League worlds to their growing empire. Then they attempted the same with the Syrithii.”
“They were known as a generally peaceful race and had helped cofound the League, but they also placed a high value on their freedom. They fought the Hrithain nearly to a standstill but at a significant loss of life. In the end, a small number of Syrithii fled their planetary home, destroying that planet and the Hrithain fleet in orbit above it. By doing so, they halted Hrithain expansion for generations to come.”
“Uncle,” the child interrupted. “Are the Hrithain still trying to take over the League?”
Owen smiled. “I think they’d like to, but we are doing a pretty good job keeping them to their own space.”
“When I grow up, I’ll stop them for good,” the child announced, not for the first time during this oft-repeated story.
“In good time, Anwyn. Now, do you want to hear the rest of the story?”
“Oh yes!” She sat up in bed and leaned forward, listening intently as her uncle continued.
“Those Syrithii who escaped the destruction of their planet set out to locate another world to settle. Like their lost world, this was a relatively hot and dry planet with a similarly higher gravity than League normal. Still, there were sufficient resources to provide for the settlers at the time of landing and in the future. The atmosphere was breathable, and there were no sentient and few dangerous native species. There was more tectonic activity than they would have liked, but not enough to prevent settling there.”
What was not sufficient was diversity, he reminded himself silently as he sipped water. Their final Pyrrhic victory against the Hrithain had genetically damaged much of the population. “The Syrithii needed more people and needed them quickly if the race was to survive,” he continued, never quite sure how much of this the child could comprehend. “So, while the majority began to adapt to their new world, another group took to the stars again to locate compatible people with the desire or need to immigrate.
“This journey took them to Earth, where they located a group at the losing end of a struggle for their freedom. Although we don’t know why they selected this particular group, history has proven it a successful choice. The rebellion in Wales led by Owain Glyndwr had failed. Owain himself was considered an outlaw, although at that point, he remained free from capture. While Owain elected to remain in Wales, many of his followers were willing to take a chance with the Syrithii and migrate to the stars, led by another Owain. The Owain Wyn who decided to lead his followers and their families on this interstellar adventure had been a trusted advisor of Glyndwr and soon became trusted among the Syrithii as well.”
“You’re named after that Owain,” Anwyn smugly commented.
Her uncle chuckled. “As are many of our people. It’s a popular name still. Now, shall I continue?”
His niece nodded enthusiastically.
“The new planet was about as unlike Wales as it could be and still be habitable by humans, but the Welsh immigrants adjusted over the next several centuries.” Again, his mind added the details that were beyond his six-year-old niece’s understanding. Yes, intermarriage had occurred as hoped, and a new race emerged over time. The Syrithii were a hardy race from a planet with higher gravity than Earth. The new planet also had higher gravity, but not so much that the Welsh immigrants couldn’t adjust over time. The new race was also sturdy and comfortable in higher gravity and temperatures than Earth-normal.
Again, he paused and remembered more of the story she would learn in time. Initially, the Welsh found it difficult to make the leap of millennia-worth of technological advances that this move required, but succeeding generations adapted well. A national language evolved, based largely on Old Welsh, resonant with heavy undertones of Syrithii. “The people tend to be short and on the stocky side but strong and agile,” he continued.
“Over time, as the League of Free Planets developed, the new race became prominent as diplomats. It has been the norm for generations now for a League Council to have at least a few of our people in leadership roles. The Welsh took the role of naming the planet. It became known as Mythrys, based on the myth that the Welsh race would be free when the legendary Merlin walked the earth again. Our people call themselves Mythri, or People of Merlin.”
Owen concluded as always, “Which is why the Wyn and Owens families have provided both Mythrys and the League with trusted diplomats for centuries now. A heritage that your mother and I continue to this day.”
“Our family,” Anwyn responded sleepily.
“That’s right. Your great-aunt recently became the next ruler of Mythrys, and your mother is already a highly respected diplomat.”
“And you, Uncle Owen!” the child reminded him with a sleepy grin.
“Yes, bach, and me. Now get some rest. School tomorrow.”
CHAPTER ONE
Fifteen Years Later
The ground shook underfoot with enough violence that the small group of academy cadets exchanged worried glances as they waited in a massive hangar. It would soon be their turn to grab one of the heavy ground vehicles they would use during their final field exercise. A faint rumbling could be felt more than heard, and a moment later, the ground shook again, the vibrations even stronger this time.
“I hope they’re right about this being minor tectonics,” Bran fretted. The group's quietest member had grown up nearby and knew more about tectonics than the others. “If I was home, we’d be getting ready to evacuate with this much activity.”
“They wouldn’t hold the exercise if they thought there’d be any problems.” Deri, the lone female in this group, was usually the most practical and optimistic. “Or they’d have moved it to a different location.”
Nonetheless, all three checked their readouts, still anticipating the instructors would call off the exercise any moment. From across the hangar, they saw the concern on the faces of the instructors as they sent yet another vehicle into the wilderness outside the building.
For the cadets assembled, this exercise would be the capstone to their training, only one week before their much-awaited graduation from the prestigious Mythrys Academy. Groups of three or four went out at timed intervals, ensuring there was enough distance between each team that they were temporarily on their own. They had been flown to this facility earlier that morning, which placed them less than a day out by ground transportation from their final objective. This trio had been excitedly watching other groups head out before them, talking strategy among themselves. Now they were nervous as the earth shook again, this time even more violently.
The rocky terrain of one of the more remote wilderness areas on the planet showed outside the large hangar door. While Mythrys had a relatively hot, dry climate, this area was more temperate and had more than the average planetary precipitation. A small forest was in the distance, and broad swathes of low-growing grasses covered the ground closer by. The area was also tectonically active, which generated the group’s quiet concern. A noise off to one side of the hangar caused them to turn and stare in surprise.
A short, sturdily built young woman hurried through a side door of the huge half-open structure where the remaining teams prepared to leave. She wore the same gray jumpsuit and carried the same gear as the other cadets. With her helmet tucked under one arm, her short bronze curls and cheerful, rounded face made her look more like a freshman in her late teens than a candidate for graduation in a week. She strode across the wide hangar with a bouncy, energetic step, grinning broadly.
“Hey, sorry I’m late!” she called to the group.
“Anwyn!” Deri called. “Come all this way to see us off?”
“No, Deri, going with you.”
“You’re not on the list,” one of the men protested.
“Sure I am.” She flashed another infectious grin. “Take a look.”
Reflexively, all three of the group flicked their gazes to their headset readouts. The group leader, a young man named Rhys, frowned in consternation.
“Your name wasn’t there earlier,” he complained. “How did you do that?”
Anwyn cheerfully replied, “It was an oversight. It got fixed about an hour ago. I’m just glad to be teamed up with all of you.”
Rhys was still frowning. “I’m not. We had a good group already. You aren’t even a military track student. This isn’t a graduation requirement for you.”
“No, but I’m a military minor. All interspace pilot candidates are. And there’s still room in the group.”
“Just don’t do anything to mess this up.” Rhys was still annoyed.
“Unlikely! It’s important to me too, you know.” She smiled as she approached him. They had been friends since childhood and closer friends from their first days at the academy. Unfortunately, their friendship included his knowledge that Anwyn tended to act first and think later far too often.
At a shout from one of the military faculty near the bay’s open end, the group and Anwyn went to stow their gear in their assigned massive tracked and armored vehicle, colloquially nicknamed a cat. These vehicles easily held five to six people, plus a spacious rear for storing gear. Tall enough that passengers could walk inside them, they were comfortable for long-term travel and more useful over rough terrain than the standard planetary transport.
The instructor did a double-take when she saw Anwyn, glanced at the tablet she held, then looked up again, frowned, and shrugged. She wasn’t going to argue with the somehow changed student list. While they stowed their gear, the instructor reviewed their final instructions.
“Green Team Three, your goal is to rescue the ‘hostages’ at the observatory. To do this, you will need to link up with the other groups out there and form a plan. If you can’t link up with all the groups, find as many as possible and adjust your plans accordingly. Your comms will tell you when you are close enough to another group to signal them safely. Otherwise, maintain comm silence from the time you exit this hangar. Remember, the ‘enemy’ could be anywhere, not only near or inside the observatory.”
She slapped the side of the vehicle to let them know they were approved to leave. “Remember, no grandstanding, no solo adventures.” She specifically looked at Anwyn as she said that. “This is a team exercise, and your team is part of a much larger group. Work together, stay safe, and come back with the hostages.” Then she smiled as Rhys, their driver, gunned the engine. “Good luck!”
As they headed out, Deri turned to Anwyn. “How did you do it? I know you weren’t included in this exercise when they announced the teams. Did your uncle pull some strings?” Although she had done her best not to use family influence while at the academy, it was common knowledge that Anwyn’s great-aunt was the current planetary ruler, and her uncle, who had helped raise her, was expected to eventually take over that role.
