“What’s that?” he pointed at the area of sand surrounded by the low stone wall.
“A sand pit.”
“A sand pit! Have you got buckets and spades for it?”
Mike stopped walking and turned to face him. “What are you talking about?”
“A sand pit. It’s where children play. Why have you built a children’s play area?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s always a hot sand pit where we swim. We get in the sand to bring our temperature back up quickly after we’ve been swimming. My race are ectothermic, remember? Gods, you’re stupid.”
She turned and started walking to the bar again. Mark could hear her muttering: “Children’s play area! Fucking idiot.”
She stopped at the bar and sat on a stool. Mark pulled a stool over and sat next to her. A bar bot slid over. “I’ll have a – .“ Mike said a word that Mark didn’t understand.
“I’ll have a cola with ice please.” Mark said.
As the bar bot slid away to get their drinks, Mike said. “I need to speak to you.”
“Fire away.” Mark said.
“Not just you, everyone, but I’ll tell you now.”
The bar bot brought their drinks over. It handed Mike her drink and Mark a tall glass of ice cold cola. Mike took a sip from her drink, a cone shaped glass of a pale milky fluid with small leaves and some ice cubes floating in it. “I’ve spoken to my father. I said I would come and talk to him.”
Mark nodded and said, “That’s good Mike. Maybe you can arrange something that would mean you can travel freely, and you won’t need to be protected all the time.”
“Yeah. Then I can leave you in peace if you want me to.” she said, looking down into her drink.
“I hope you don’t Mike, or if you decide to go, you come back and visit often.”
She looked up grinning. “I knew it, you freaky mammal. You love having me around.”
Mark grinned at her. “It wouldn’t be the same without you, you skinny little lizard.”
Mark held his glass up to her. “What’s that for?” she asked.
“It’s an Earth custom. When we celebrate, or sometimes just when we have a drink with a friend, we touch glasses together and say cheers.”
“Weird race.” Mike said, but lifted her glass and chinked it against Marks.
“Cheers!” they both said.
“Are you ready to speak to everyone now?” Mark asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Mark told his AI to contact everyone and arrange a meeting as soon as possible around the conference table in the meeting room, where Mike would speak to them. In a few moments his AI told him that everybody would be there within ten minutes.
They sat and finished their drinks in companionable silence, and Mark began to think he liked what Mike had done with the swimming pool, even though he had no intention of using it.
Mark’s AI told him that nine minutes had passed, so he and Mike blinked to the meeting room. Everyone but Simon was seated around the conference table. Sally sat at one end, with Seltet on her right. Mark thought that as it was his ship, he ought to be at the head of the table, but as he’d already pissed Sally off once today, maybe he’d let it go this time and took a seat next to Mike. “Where’s Simon?” he asked his AI.
“On his way.” it replied.
Simon blinked in and said, “You’re all here already?” Without waiting for a response he took a seat opposite Mark, next to Orange.
Sally leaned forward and opened her mouth to speak, but Mike stood and cut her off: “Thank you all for coming. In case any of you don’t know, my real name is Hess An Sur. I am the First Born of the First Family of the Herassan Federation of the Five Planets. I inherit the position of First of the First when the current First of the First Family of the Herassan Federation, my father, dies or abdicates. Normally, the heir apparent is kept a virtual prisoner until they succeed to the title, but as you can see, I escaped. I managed to do that while I was little more than a child, but I have been on the run ever since. The recent attempt by Major Bryd Sa Dett and his task force is just the latest attempt to return me to the Empire, but it is the first one to do so in an open and formal way. With Sally and Mark escorting me, I met with the Major to find out what had inspired such a brazen attempt to abduct me. It transpires that my father, who has been the First of the First for twenty-seven thousand years, now wishes to abdicate, which in my absence would result in a constitutional crisis. That could lead to the Empire breaking up into a number of warring factions. Despite my dislike of the aristocratic structure of the Empire, I have no wish to be the cause of it falling apart into chaos. I have therefore contacted my father and agreed to a private meeting to discuss the future. The meeting will be relatively private, but the visit won’t be. My father has agreed to instruct the army to act as an honor guard and to guarantee my protection and freedom to leave. We have met Major Bryd Sa Dett, and I judge him to be an honorable man, I have requested him to be our military liaison. The visit is scheduled for three days’ time. Sally and Mark have agreed to protect me if I return to meet my father, and you have all volunteered to act as my bodyguard to ensure my safety in the Palace and to make sure I leave in one piece when I want to. Does anyone have any questions?”
Simon spoke up. “I’m just curious Mike, why wouldn’t you want to head up a federation with five planets in it?”
“The name is archaic and misleading. For one thing, it’s called a federation, but it isn’t now and never has been. It is an Empire. The Empire now extends to seventy four planets plus various orbiting space habitats and moon colonies, in eighty three solar systems. The Empire’s total population of native Herassan’s is approximately four hundred billion.”
Simon said, “I’ll rephrase my question. Why wouldn’t you want to head up an Empire with seventy four planets plus how ever many other colonies and habitats?”
“Simon, you know me fairly well, or at least you think you do. How do you think I’d settle in to a life of being pampered by simpering flunkies who attend to my every wish and desire, and being surrounded by conniving, manipulative, parasitic so called advisors whose only interest is maximizing their own power, influence and wealth, keeping facts and the truth of what is really happening in the real world away from me? Trapped in the palace, unable to move without a mob of soldiers, flunkies, and hangers on surrounding me, and an avalanche of reporters, potential assassins, adoring public and protesters trying to get to me every time I stepped outside the Palace boundaries?”
“I don’t think you’d have a problem with the adoring public for long, not once they’d met you. They’d soon go away. But couldn’t you tell them all to clear off?” he asked.
“Simon, you are an experienced and skilled soldier and I respect you for that, but you are a peasant, and you’re really not right in the head. I don’t expect you to understand the nuances of life in a palace, but take my word for it, that wouldn’t work.”
“OK,” he said, settling back in his chair. “Just thought I’d ask.”
“Sally,” Mike continued, “We need to have a military plan for this. Would you arrange that please?”
Sally gave Mike a stony look, then said, “Orange, you’re the tactician. Come up with a mission plan allowing for all contingencies. Consult with everyone here to make sure you know their specific strengths and weaknesses. Everyone else, get ready to brief Orange with what’s required and prepare an equipment list you will need. Mark and I will meet you all in turn. I’ll set up a schedule and let you know when it’s your turn. I’m going to have a break and a sleep cycle. We’ll start the meetings in the morning – my morning. Seltet, go to my quarters. Mike, Mark, stay here, the rest of you are dismissed.”
Seltet stood and blinked out. Mike and Mark stayed seated, everyone else stood and one by one, blinked out until just the three of them remained. There was an unnerving silence while Sally sat, hard faced, staring towards Mike and Mark. Mike
sat back in her chair relaxed. Mark sat on the edge of his chair, wondering exactly what it was that Sally was mad at him about now.
“Mike.” Sally at last broke the silence. “You might be heir apparent to one of the biggest Empires in the galaxy,” her voice increased in volume, “but you don’t give me orders! I don’t take orders from anyone! Except maybe Mark.”
Mark nearly fell off his chair. Sally took orders from him? Since when?
“You can ask me politely if you would like me to do something in future, but if you ever spring anything like that on me again you’ll be going home by yourself! Got it!”
Mike sat up in her chair. “Right, sorry boss, I guess I just got carried away.”
“Don’t do it again! Mark, with me.” Sally said and blinked out.
“Simon gave me a lesson on army communication protocols a while back.” Mark said with a grin on his face. “Rule number one was ‘Never piss off Sally.’ All the other rules were a variation on that. Would you like me to go over them with you?”
“Fuck off.” Mike said.
“Your wish is my command, First Born of the First Family.” he said with a bow, then blinked out to follow Sally.
Chapter Twenty Two
Decision Time
Mark hadn’t specified a location to blink to, he just told his AI to follow Sally, so he was surprised to find himself in his and Sally’s quarters along with Seltet.
Seltet was sat in one of the armchairs by the coffee table with a drink in her hand. Being observant, Mark immediately noticed that there were now four armchairs by the table, last time he had been there, only a few hours ago, there had only been two. Sally turned away from the synthesizer with a mug of tea and another of coffee. She handed the tea to Mark and sat in one of the spare chairs.
“For fucks sake sit down.” she said to him.
Mark took a seat and said, “Could you make an effort to cut down on the swearing, we’re not in the army now.”
“You may not be, but I am still General of the biggest independent army in the fucking galaxy. Try to remember that.”
“Uh, something you said just before blinking out. You said you would take orders from me.”
“What about it?”
“It’s just that I hadn’t noticed it happening.”
Sally smiled. “Yes, but you’re not very observant, are you.”
“I noticed that the number of armchairs had doubled.” he said indignantly.
“But I bet you hadn’t noticed that bloody great massoon in the corner of the room behind you.”
“Where?” Mark spun round to look for it.
Seltet laughed and Sally smirked at him.
Turning back, he said, “So am I forgiven?”
“You mean for being crassly insensitive and offending both of us?” Sally said.
“Yes.”
Seltet stood and stepped over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You meant well. You’re a good man Mark. You convinced me to come and see Sally, even though I wanted to back out as soon as we got here. I am so grateful that you did.”
“So am I.” Sally said.
“The extra chairs,” Mark said, “is Seltet staying with us, in here?”
“What if she is?” Sally asked.
“No, that’s fine. Stay as long as you like Seltet. We’ve got plenty of room. If we could just have a little privacy now and then, when we’re, uh, when…”
“When we’re having sex?” Sally finished for him.
“No! Well, yes. I was going to be more subtle than that.”
Seltet laughed again, She seemed to be much more relaxed than when Mark first met her. “Don’t worry Mark, I’ll get my own quarters, I won’t impose on you.”
Mark stood up and faced her. “No Seltet, I mean it. I’d like you to stay with us, for a while at least. I’ll have another bedroom added with your own bathroom. You’ve had a shitty time, Sally loves you and I like you, please stay with us.” He turned to Sally, “If that’s all right with you.”
“Of course it is!”
“Well, if you put it like that, of course I’ll stay with you. But will Simon mind? He’s very protective of you.”
“As long as you don’t threaten me or make me unhappy, Simon will be happy. I think he’ll be pleased you’re here and that we are friends again.” Sally said.
“What about the others?”
“I’ve no idea what Orange will think.” Sally continued, “He’s so different from anything else I’ve ever met. He doesn’t seem to have emotions like we understand them, except he occasionally shows a sense of humor. Mike won’t care. She’s good to have around, as long as you can put up with her being obnoxious. You have to ignore the offensive things she says. It’s not that she doesn’t mean them, she does, it’s just the way she is. She is loyal, trustworthy and would lay down her life to save a friend, and she’ll quickly become your friend – unless you find her too offensive. Touren and Bekkreshan, they’ll be fine. As for Kar Fen, his race, Krendors, are a warrior culture and you’ll be part of his fighting unit, so he won’t be a problem. And there’s Ranesh. She’s a puzzle to me. What do you think Mark?”
“I’m not sure, but I think I understand her. I’ll keep you posted. She won’t have a problem, she’s new to the team too.”
“You understand Ranesh? I’ve never known anyone who got to know her – apart from Bekkreshan. She has always got on with her.”
“Yeah, but you’ve never sparred with her.” Mark said.
“Yes, I have, not long after I first became a soldier. I was doing a lot of, uh, training, and she volunteered to help train me.”
“Training?” Seltet said, exchanging a glance with Sally.
“I’ve asked my AI to add a basic bedroom and wet bathroom for you. You have full privileges on the ship, except for weapons and navigation, so you can add to it or change it as much as you like.”
“You call it a ship? I thought the People didn’t like that and they called them all craft.”
“Yes, they do. My AI still refers to it as a craft, but I still think of it as a starship, not a starcraft. I’ve been thinking about getting a bigger one, as big as Alan’s.”
“In that case, there doesn’t seem much point in customizing my rooms if we’re all going to move into a new ship.” Seltet said.
“Sean explained to me, he’s the supervisor at one of the People’s shipyards, or craft-yards I suppose I ought to call them. The Swift’s main AI knows down to the last atom exactly how the ship has been modified and can easily replicate it on a new one. all the AI personalities will move to the new ship too. When it’s all ready, the main AI will arrange for everyone and their possessions to be simultaneously blinked to the new ship, nobody would notice the difference.”
“If it’s that simple, why haven’t you done it already?” Sally asked.
“I don’t know. I suppose I thought everyone would think it was silly, the Swift is far bigger than we need, so why get something even bigger? And Mike didn’t seem impressed.”
“Don’t worry about Mike, she doesn’t care. In fact, if she’s going to see her father, she’d probably prefer something even bigger to impress him with.”
“Right, I’ll do it! Although I’d better check with Alan first.” Mark blinked out.
“Why does he need to check with Ker Din Ser Forn?” Seltet asked.
“He’s Mark’s sponsor as Friend of the People. He’ll say yes. He seems to let Mark do whatever he wants.” Sally answered.
Mark blinked into the room he used for virtual meetings. His AI had already contacted Alan and a few moments later Alan appeared as a virtual image placed in Mark’s visual cortex by his AI.
“I don’t wish to be rude,” Alan said, but please make this quick, I’m busy with a group of Chookli’chians.”
“Right. I want to upgrade the Swift to a bigger craft, the same size as yours.”
“Sean has already spoken to me about it.” Alan replied, “Is there anything el
se, because if not you’ll excuse me if I get back to my hosts.”
“Is that a yes?” Mark asked, but Alan had already disconnected.
‘That was easier than I expected.’ Mark thought, then blinked back to his quarters.
“Well?” Sally asked.
“He said yes, I think.”
“Sally turned to Seltet. “Told you.” she said.
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