by Frank Carey
"You need to retire, My King. The Realm is in turmoil, yet you hide here in this travesty of a castle. For the good of the Realm, I demand you designate an heir and step down."
Montagor tilted his head back and laughed. "You're off your meds again, aren't you? Computer, I want my physician up here, STAT! Daughter, why don't you go lay down and sleep this off? You'll feel much better after a nap."
"Whoa!" Kalana whispered. "This is getting real ugly, real fast."
Seething, Gloria tore Royce’s hood off.
Kalana went stryker and disappeared while Nana and Marcus followed suit. Meanwhile, the film crew dropped their equipment and took positions around Royce and his captors.
The crowd gave out a collective gasp.
"What is the meaning of this?" Montagor demanded. "Who the hell are you?"
Before Royce could say anything, Kalana replied, "Do you not recognize your own son. Prince Royce? He is here to take his rightful place as King of the Realm of Gweyr!"
The king looked at Royce. "Is this true? Are you my son?"
Royce shrugged off the grips of Kalana and Sana, then straightened his shirt. He looked at the King and sighed. "No, sir, I am not your son. I've been kidnapped by these three who planned to use me to usurp the throne. Sir, they plan to kill you if I don't cooperate."
Kalana screamed. With blinding speed, she aimed her gun at the King and fired. The energy bolt flew straight and true at his heart, but came to a stop half-way to its target. There it disappeared as if it were absorbed by something invisible. She fired again, and again it was stopped and absorbed. No one in the room said anything as footsteps could be heard. As the crowd watched, a figure wearing the armor of a futuristic knight walked up, took the pistol from Kalana's hand and removed its power pack before crushing it into a ball. Behind the knight, two more armored figures appeared in front of the King and Queen, each holding a weapon aimed at Kalana, Gloria, and Sana. Next to them, the four battle elves stood with their guns drawn and aimed directly at Kalana's heart.
"Kill them all!" Kalana yelled. When nothing happened, she spun around and found Royce surrounded by the news crew and a gray alien in military garb. She saw her companions held to the ground by members of the royal security force.
"I suggest you surrender," a voice said from behind her. Slowly, she turned to face... herself. "Elf Marine Expeditionary Force Captain Kalana Grenor, Stryker Team 1 second in command. I order you to stand down and surrender. Your people have been detained and General Aymar is surrounded by several, very angry Marines."
"You don't have a weapon," the Gweyr Kalana pointed out.
"I am a weapon. Don't believe me? Then go for that miniblaster you have hidden in your belt. I dare you." The Captain stared at her dopp unblinking.
The Gweyr Kalana slowly raised her hands and dropped to her knees. Captain Grenor stepped back to allow security to take custody. Seeing the threat had been neutralized, Losira holstered her weapon before running into the arms of her husband. She kissed him with enough gusto to cause the stryker team to look away.
Fate wasn't through with them, not by a long-shot.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Doors at opposite ends of the room burst open. Losira (the Gweyr version) burst in with a medical team in tow. From the opposite door, Parker ran in with a male elf in tow. It was Royce. Kalana scanned the new elf. "By the mountains of Ventos, that's this continuum’s version of Royce Aymar. DNA and quantum spin signatures match."
The Gweyrian elves stared as Parker dragged her Royce over to where the general and princess stood. "Take his hand, dammit!"
Royce looked at her, then up at his dopp. "Don't ask me. I was just fixing an engine when she grabbed me and dragged me into a ship." The Gweyr Royce held out his hand. Royce took it. They both screamed, then dropped to the ground.
"Kalana, I need a med scanner," Losira demanded while the other Losira ran over to assist.
"You heard her... Me... Oh, hell,” the Gweyr Losira said as she pulled hers out and ran it over the Royces' bodies. "Gods help me, but they've got a twin link going at a level I've never seen before." She took a pair of gloves from her kit and handed it to League Losira. "Sister, we don't dare shake hands."
Captain Grenor handed her princess a military-grade medical kit before reaching down and taking both Royces' pulse. "Firming up and coming down. I think they're past the worst of it."
"I concur, Doctor," League Losira said.
"You're a doctor too?" Gweyr Kalana demanded.
"And a mother. Oh, and I was once accused of murdering my fiancé. Any more questions will have to wait..." She stopped as the two Royces released the other's hand. General Aymar sat up and stared at Prince Royce as he, too, sat up.
"How do you two feel?" Kalana asked as she took one's pulse, then the other's.
"Like I just drank from a firehose," the prince replied. "Wow."
"Any idea what happened?" Princess Losira asked her husband.
"I just gave the prince all his memories back. Right, Your Highness?"
Prince Royce nodded. "And some of yours, methinks." He looked at Kalana. "This must seem boring to you, Captain Grenor."
Kalana blushed. "A little, sire."
Prince Royce next looked at Doctor Irithyl then kissed her. "Sorry about that. I got lost while getting milk at the convenience store..."
"Fool! You couldn't ask for directions?"
The king reached down and helped Royce to his feet. "It’s really you? How is this possible?"
Royce shook his head. "I woke up on a floor with this guy checking my pulse. He thought I was sleeping off something. We got talking, and I ended up working for him as a pilot and mechanic. The time between the last memory the general returned and that one is blank. Somehow I ended up transported to Earth and dropped in a hangar."
"How the hell did you get past the biometric ID scanners?" Murphy asked.
"Not only is my employer a crack pilot and smuggler, he's probably one of the top hackers in the Realm. You should see what he makes when he's bored."
Colonel King joined them. "Your Highness, EMEF Lt. Colonel Titus King. With your permission, we'd like to get back to our universe."
"What about you, Healer Parker? Are you returning with them?" the Queen asked.
"Your Highness, let me explain how transdimensional beings work..." Parker said while leading the Queen out of earshot.
"I understand, Colonel. Thank you all for what you have done."
"And please apologize to the news crew for us. They're locked in a storeroom labeled C57D."
"Of course. General, it took great bravery to say what you did."
"The EMEF only trains the best. The moment I knew they were in that room, I knew everything would be OK. It was good to meet you all."
"Murph, where's our ride?"
"The Wump is waiting on the south deck. Captain Meersh signals that they can leave the moment the Wump is safely stored in the hanger deck."
"Excellent. Get us out of her, Sergeant Mersa!"
Mersa stepped forward, still in dress and heels. "Atten-shuh! Salute!"
Stryker Team 1 and General Aymar saluted the King, Queen, and Prince. They returned the salute and the team from the League universe exited the building.
The king walked over to where security was holding his daughter and her co-conspirators. "He looked at them and frowned." I did this. I should have stepped down a long time ago." He looked at Royce. "Did you ever want to be king?"
Royce shook his head. "No, Sire, I would be a terrible king."
Montagor looked back at his daughter and shook his head. "Then who shall lead the Realm?"
"Sire, If I may make a suggestion," Royce said.
"Of course."
Royce looked at Losira. "The other Losira was Queen of the Elves for over a quarter-century. If his memories are accurate, the elves of Ventos Prime prospered under her rule. Perhaps it is time for something more than a simple transfer of power?" he said as he looked at his bo
nd mate."
"Now wait a damn minute!" Losira said, but it was too late. In a single, fluid motion, the king removed his crown and placed it on the doctor's head before going to one knee while the others, including the three co-conspirators followed. "My Queen!" he said, transferring the power of the crown with two simple words.
"Dammit!" Losira said as she came to grips with her new job.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Stryker Team 1 stood around the room and talked while waiting for Queen Lansing to arrive. They were back on Degreb putting the finishing touches on their new HQ when the call came in to drop everything, get into their dress uniforms, and assemble in the reception room. The Queen of all Ventos Prime wanted to talk to them, all of them.
Kalana walked over to where Titus stood and handed him a drink. "Thanks." He looked down and saw the smoke pouring out of the thick, pewter mug she was holding. "Unicorn Fart?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yep." She tilted her head toward the bar where Glean was mixing up drinks. "Our scout seems to have a whole box of talents we didn't know about."
Titus sipped his martini. "Very nice. Kalana, I have to congratulate you on a job well done. As ops go, that one will go down in team history as one of the smoothest."
"We got the general back in one piece without leaving a trail of death and destruction in our wake. I hope more of the ops go that way. Did you get the request I forwarded you?"
"The one from Parker asking to join the team? Yeah, I got it. What do you think? Should we bring her aboard?"
"I ran it past Murph and Nova, and they're OK with the idea, though Murph insists she returns to using synth bodies, so I think it's a great idea."
"I ran it past EMEF Commander Renfrew, and she approved the request tentative of my approval, so I guess we have a new member. I read your report on what Murph told you about the AIs, then passed it on to General Renfrew. She has placed it in the Ultra Top-Secret File until she can figure out what to do with it. That is some powerful shit he told you."
She smirked. "I remember talking to Gabe Adon about what it's like living two centuries after he was born and died. He thinks we all fell into a mirror."
"I read that story when I was a kid. I have to agree with the detective. Earth three centuries ago was a pretty boring place compared to now. Back then I would have been a Marine assigned to a ship while Gabe would have been a big city cop. Now, I work for and with elves, and dozens of other races. Oddly, the novelty wore off five minutes after I met my first drill instructor, a Katalan woman who ate raw steaks. She kept hinting they were from recruits who failed their first pass through boot camp."
"How many people fail boot camp?"
"Back then? None. Nowadays? Less than none."
"Atten-shuh!" Mersa yelled. "Officers on deck!"
"It's show time," Kalana and Titus said in unison as they went to attention and saluted the Queen of the Elves.
"You are all just so sweet!" Lansing said with a smile.
###
Losira held on to Royce's arm in a death grip as they walked down the middle of the docks. Escorting them were the new royal physician and four guards in battle elf form. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Royce asked. "The memories may not be valid in this continuum."
"We have to try. The Realm is in complete disarray and your friend may be able to help us. Anyway, I need to establish a relationship with the smuggler's guild and your employer is high up in their roster."
The group walked up to a rather decrepit ship surrounded by crates of merchandise. "Is any of this legal?" Losira asked as her guards took defensive positions around her and Royce.
"Ummmm, sort of. Don't let her looks fool you, the Gonk is fast and reliable; she just looks decrepit." He looked around. "Boss! You got visitors!"
A figure dropped from above to land in front of Royce and Losira, much to the consternation of the security detail. Royce defused things by hugging the gangling elf. "Greg, where the hell have you been? The damn drive unit is packed up... Who’s your friend?"
"Harmon Aymar, I would like you to meet my bond mate, Losira Irithyl, Queen of the Realm."
Harm laughed. "Right. First off, you're not bonded. Second, we don't have a Queen. Last I heard, the Realm was being run by King Montagor. Big guy; sharp dresser. Who are you really, miss?"
She held her hand. "I'm the Queen, fool, so shake my damn hand."
Grinning, the smuggler elf took her hand.
He screamed.
She screamed.
Royce grabbed Losira and kept her from falling while the doc did the same to Harmon. After a few minutes, the two released each other's hands and opened their eyes.
"Who the hell is Lucien?" Harm asked.
Royce pointed at him. "You are. Prince Lucien Irithyl, meet your identical twin sister, Queen Losira Irithyl."
Losira got up off the ground and dusted herself off. "So, brother, got anything to drink in that tub you call a ship?"
Lucien nodded.
"Good. We have a lot to talk about." She took his hand and led him to the future for both him and the people of the Realm of Gweyr.
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About Frank Carey
Frank Carey has been formally writing and publishing works of science fiction since late 2013. Over the years prior, he had dabbled in various forms of writing including haiku poetry, but that all changed when he and his wife, Jo, decided to try their hand at writing and self-publishing. All his work, to date, has been in the science fiction genre.
Most of his stories take place about two centuries in the future when Earth joins the League of Planetary Systems. Many of his protagonists are strong females. He is an inveterate pantser who believes the story will go where the story wants to go.
Frank’s background includes degrees in physics and extensive work as a scientific programmer and technologist.
Frank and his wife produce a podcast—Xtreme Self-Publishing—which details their self-publishing efforts.
Frank can be reached through his podcast at xtremeselfpublishing.podbean.com or via e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]
