“What’s this about me swallowing a tracker?” Mike demanded.
“Don’t worry. It’s harmless and will pass through you. You can swallow it tomorrow morning.” Sally answered.
“Oh great. So you’ll be able to track me for a day and my shit for the rest of eternity.”
“That’s a thought I’d rather not have.” Sally said.
“Should we be holding on to Mike to make sure she’s safe?”
“Do you remember how Bryd Sa Dett reacted when you held my arm when we first met him on his flagship?” Mike said. “No one is allowed to touch the First Born of the First. or the First of the First in public, certainly not a couple of alien mammals.”
“Yes, I remember. He didn’t take it well. I thought he was going to have a stroke when you told him we were lovers.”
“We’ll be extra alert this time.” Sally said. “Simon, Seltet and Ranesh will be right behind the three of us, so if things go sideways we’ll have two big, capable and violent soldiers behind us and one sensible and clever one. Colonel Drad Ki Jass has agreed to us having drones inside and outside the Palace, armed with battle fog dispersant, though I don’t expect anyone would deploy that again, they’ll know we’ll be ready this time.”
“It seems you’ve got everything covered, what else do you expect?” Mark asked.
“The unexpected.” Sally said.
Chapter Seventy One
Marching Orders
Sally messaged the team to meet at the front of the warehouse, with Seltet bringing her five trainees and Sha joining them from the group inside.
They lined up with Sally, Mike and Mark in the front row, behind them were Simon, Seltet and Ranesh, then the six trainees in two rows of three behind them, followed by Bekkreshan and Touren, then Orange and Kar Fen.
“Seltet, take command.” Sally ordered.
Seltet stepped out of line and stood to the side. “Stand to attention!” she shouted, then, “Stepping off on your left foot, slow march!”
The six Herassans were a bit slow to start and made a ragged move forwards, causing some confusion behind. Bekkreshan and Touren almost marched into their backs, Orange and Kar Fen took half a pace forward then stopped, waiting for the squad to move forwards. As soon as the trainees got into step, Seltet called out, “Halt!”
This time the trainees all managed to stop at the same time.
“We’ll try something different.” Seltet said in a loud voice, not quite shouting. “Eyes on me!”
The trainees looked at each other, then looked around. Seltet marched over to them. “That includes you!” she bellowed at them. They jumped when she shouted at them from close up. This was a side of her they hadn’t seen while she was training them. She had always been so patient.
Seltet moved to the front, with the trainees assiduously watching her. “This is line one!” she said, looking at the trainees and pointing at the front row. Moving back she pointed at the row she had been in with Simon and Ranesh, “This is line two! And in case you get confused, it will still be line two when I am back in it!. She pointed at the first row of trainees with Sha in it. “You are line three! And you,” pointing at the next row of trainees, “are line four! The two lines behind you are line five and six, but I can trust them to step off at the right time! Can I trust you to step off together when I tell you!?”
“Yes Sir!” the trainees answered, with a confidence that wasn’t evidenced by their previous effort.
Seltet moved back. “This time, when I say march, I’ll call off your row number and you’ll step off, falling in step with the soldiers in front of you.” She looked at her trainees. “We haven’t practiced that. Do you think you can do it?”
“Yes Sir!” they affirmed again.
“Well bloody well do it then! Or I’ll have you practicing starting and stopping for the next ten hours!” She moved to the back of the rank and barked out, “Attention! Stepping off on your left foot, slow march! Line one!”
Mark Mike and Sally stepped off in unison, and as soon as they had taken one pace, she called out, “Line two!” then “Line three!” This time the first row of trainees all stepped off together and stayed in step as they moved forwards. “Line four!”, who also managed to step off together and in step with the row in front. She didn’t call out for lines five and six. She knew they would take their timing from the line in front.
When the last row had taken about twenty paces she called “Halt! And stand to attention!” She gave them a few moments, then called out, “Right, stepping off on your left foot, slow march!”, then proceeded to call off the lines again. She repeated another three times, then, after halting them, called out, “About face and get into formation.”
This time she got back into position in the second row, and from there, gave her orders to repeat the exercise, calling out the line numbers. When they halted the first time, she turned around and said “Sergeant Bekkreshan, were the trainees in step?”
“Yes Sergeant!” Bekkreshan replied.
Sally was a bit surprised by this, as Seltet had held the rank of Private in the army before joining them on the Swift, and Bekkreshan had been a Corporal. She would have a quiet word with Seltet afterwards.
Seltet repeated the exercise four more times, then came out of line to speak to her trainees while the rest of the group stood to attention.
“Apart from that screw up at the start, you’ve done well. We’re going to try it again now, starting off in exactly the same way, except from now on, when I say march, the first line will step off, then each line in turn, but without me calling out line numbers. Are you OK with that? Tell me if you’re not sure and we’ll have a bit more practice with me calling off the line numbers.”
“Will you get cross with us if we mis-step again?” asked Sha.
Seltet smiled. “I wasn’t cross with you, it’s the way we do things in the army. Nobody likes drill. If you think this is bad for you, it’s worse for the others. They don’t need this training; they’re not learning from it. They are doing this for your benefit. Show them how grateful you are by trying your best.”
“Yes Sergeant.” Sha said. She turned to her comrades and said, “You heard the Sergeant. Show the rest of the squad how much we appreciate what they are doing by getting this right! We want to hold our heads up in front of the aristocrats tomorrow, not to show them we are as good as they are, but to show them we are better!”
Seltet turned them round and repeated the exercise, five times out, then five times back, checking with Bekkreshan each time that the trainees behind her were in step.
Finally, she dismissed the group, holding back the trainees. Sally and Mark came over to join them.
“Well done team.” Seltet said to the trainees, “apart from the stumble at the beginning, you did brilliantly. We’ll do it a couple more times first thing in the morning, but remember, you only have to do it twice in Tefran city, once when we leave the lander to go into the Palace and once when we leave the palace.. Go back to the training area beside the warehouse, Simon and Orange will be there soon with all the other volunteers and we’ll do a bit more drill with the crowd around you, I’ll join you shortly.”
After the trainees had left, Sally, Mike and Mark came over to her. Sally said, “You’ve done a good job with them, considering you’ve only had them a few days, Sergeant.”
Seltet grinned and said, “How do you think the rank of Sergeant suits me.”
“Not well.” Sally said. Seltet’s face fell. “From what I’ve seen, Major might be more suitable. Satisfy my curiosity, who promoted you and Bekkreshan to Sergeant?”
“When Simon asked me to join you on the Swift, he said that no-one in your team had a rank. I thought it better to tell the trainees that with the exception of you and Mike – and Mark of course, that they should consider us all as Sergeants. I hope I haven’t overstepped the mark.”
“No, that’s a sensible approach, and Simon is correct, while you are in my team you have no rank,
but next time you want to assign ranks to anyone, I would appreciate you consulting with me first.”
“Yes General! Uh, What happens when I return to the army?”
“You will assume what ever rank you want, subject to my approval. In your case, that would be anything below the rank of a full Colonel. Before you take on that rank you need some experience as a Lieutenant Colonel. I anticipate that Bekkreshan and Touren would want to stay as Corporals. They have always turned down the offer of promotion in the past.”
“What about Mark?” Seltet asked.
“He is not a member of the army, so as a civilian. he wouldn’t have any rank. But he carries my full authority, so he would have the courtesy title of General and the authority that goes with it.”
“I was impressed with the way you took control Seltet.” Mark said. “Having heard you bawl out the trainees, I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of you.”
Seltet lifted her hand and cupped his left cheek in it. “I hope you never do anything to get on the wrong side of me.” She smiled, then drew her hand back from his face and slapped him.
“Shit! That hurt! Why did you do that?”
Seltet leaned toward him and gave him what would have been a bone crushing hug if his AI hadn’t set his protection at a level to protect him, even though it had allowed the full force of Seltet’s slap to reach him.
“Don’t be a wimp.” she said with a grin as she released him. “I was only being playful. I am so grateful you persuaded me to stay when I wanted to go straight back to the army as soon as I got to the Swift. I feel like my life has started again.” The grin dropped away, and a tear slid down her cheek. “I really am grateful Mark. I can never thank you enough.”
‘Weird aliens.’ Mark thought, but said, “If you really want to show your gratitude, stay with us when this is over.”
“Can you two stop before I’m sick.” Sally said. “Of course she’s going to stay with us.”
Seltet smiled and said, “I’d better get back to my trainees.” and left at a jog to catch them up.
Mike smiled at Mark, then slapped him on the right cheek.
“What the -! Why did you do that?”
“I was just being playful Mark, and I thought it would help balance Seltet’s slap on your left. And I owe you one for knocking me off my stool and bruising my ribs in the meeting.”
“Children!” Sally barked at them. “Behave yourselves or I’ll get Touren to take both of you in hand and teach you how to play nicely.”
Mike grinned and flicked her long forked tongue out at Mark. He glared at her.
“Come on, kiss and make up.” Sally said,
“We’re not children!” Mark snapped at her.
“Then stop acting like you are. Mark, you’re coming with me to see Major Bryd Sa Dett. Mike, practice pretending you are responsible adult.”
“When is he expecting us?” Mark asked.
“In fifteen minutes.”
“OK, we’ll take my shuttle.”
“We’ll take a lander. Something strange has happened to your shuttle.”
Mark turned around to look at the shuttle. It resembled a giant TARDIS. “Kate,” he said to his AI, “that had better look like my shuttle again by the time we get back.”
Chapter Seventy Two
Major Meeting
The lander settled on the ground in the visitors landing area, just behind a row of surface to air missiles and anti-air pulse weapon batteries. Major Bryd Sa Dett came to the ramp to meet them, accompanied by two armed soldiers.
“Are the armed soldiers necessary?” Sally said to the Major as she and Mark walked down the ramp to meet him.
“Welcome General, and you Mark, Friend of the People. It is Palace protocol that all visitors to the Palace are escorted by an armed guard. In your case, that’s me.” He patted the holster by his side that held a hand-held pulse weapon. “The soldiers will stay with your landing craft to guard it while you are away. I realize that these precautions are somewhat redundant with you. It is well known that you,” he nodded to Mark, “have an embedded People’s weapon and armor, which I believe can be extended to the General, so we couldn’t defend ourselves against you and you have no need of our protection, and I’m sure your lander is more capable of defending itself than we are of defending it. But, protocol is protocol, so we have to observe it.”
“I understand Major. If protocol isn’t followed, anarchy will reign.” Sally said.
“Come, we will sit in the garden outside my office as it is a pleasant day.” the Major said. and led them along a broad gravel path towards the rear of the palace. “If you would ask your AI’s to send me patterns, I will pass them to our hospitality staff to bring you refreshments.”
“Thank you Major,” Mark said, “my AI has already taken the liberty of ordering refreshments from the synthesizer nearest to your office. I have asked it to provide me with some biscuits too, but my AI told me that they would be toxic to you.”
“Biscuits?” Sally said. “I haven’t seen you eat any biscuits before.”
“Ah, no. It was a pattern made for me by Bob a few days ago.”
“Are they toxic to me?”
“No, but the lemon in them would be distasteful to you.” Mark said, apologetically.
“I am sure we can provide you with something to your taste General. I believe that my favorite accompaniment to a drink would be non-toxic and palatable to you. Ask your AI to accept the pattern from my AI a check for toxicity and palatability.”
A few moments later her AI confirmed that the pattern was nontoxic and should be palatable.
Mark sent Sally a message, “We’re making good progress, we’ve got the tea and biscuits sorted out.”
Sally responded with a one word message. “Idiot.”
The path led to a wide carved wood door with an armed guard either side, but before they reached the door, the Major led them off the path and across a lawn towards a table with four stools about fifty meters from the palace. The lawn was soft but shifted slightly under Marks feet. It felt like he was walking on soft sand. He paused and knelt down to have a closer look. Instead of grass, the lawn was made of a small vivid green plant that looked a bit like four leaved clover, but with much smaller leaves.
“Have you dropped something Mark?” The Major asked.
“No, I was looking at the plants in the lawn,”
“It is a species native to Tefran. It grows in clearings in the Great North Forest and never gets any higher than that. It makes a convenient ground cover between the paths and paved areas”
By the time they reached the table, one of the Palace hospitality staff had brought a trolley with their drinks, Mark’s langue’s de chat biscuits and a large plate of what looked like small balls of pâté for Sally and the Major. When he saw the biscuits, his stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten for over a day.
When they had taken their seats, Sally outlined to the Major how the honor guard would be made up, emphasizing that Mike insisted on the six members of the Herassan Freedom Movement being part of the procession, but that they would not be armed or armored. Although not happy with the arrangement, the Major was agreeable.
“Colonel Drad Ki Jass won’t object,” he said, “she would agree to whatever Hess An Sur wanted. She has always been fond of the First Born and will be a loyal servant when she ascends to the throne. However, I insist on making a slight change to your proposed arrangements.” Sally stiffened, ready to veto whatever changes Major Bryd Sa Dett proposed. “When you disembark from your lander, I will deploy an extra layer of my guard around your people. This is purely to protect your troops and Hess An Sur from the crowds who will be pressing round you. Police will be lining your route, but it is not unknown for crowds to break through police lines. I will place a double rank of my soldiers in front of you, one soldier either side of your ranks and a double rank behind you. If there is any need to control the crowds, it will be Herassan soldiers who pacify them,
not your alien army. As soon as you enter the Palace grounds, my soldiers will peel off and you will continue un-escorted across the courtyard and into the palace. I trust that this is acceptable to you?”
“Yes, of course Major. You are aware that we will have crowd control drones deployed both outside and inside the palace?”
“The Colonel has told me that you will have, but I’m sure you will agree it would be better if they do not have to be used.”
“I agree, but I’m not having another fiasco like last time. I’m sure you feel the same.”
The Major gave a tight smile. “We are agreed on that. Should anything happen, we might be better working separately, but I would like to keep in contact with you.”
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