by Jim Rudnick
“Why the sudden order for same?” Tanner finished.
“Don’t really know, Lord Scott,” the CWO said, his eyes locked on the horizon as he answered as best he could as he went on. “We were just told yesterday to pick these up and get them to Ghayth immediately. Came right from Commander Williams’ offices, Lord Scott,” he answered, his voice only barely audible now.
Tanner nodded. “Then might I offer that you get some men on this STAT, Chief Warrant Officer? Commander Williams will want them at about the same speed, I’d imagine. Chandler, thank you for your help so far on this,” he said, and he walked away.
Royals shouldn’t interfere in the little things, he’d been told by Helena time and time again. So next time, he’d have to see if he could just ignore the little things. He walked across the tarmac toward Admiral Higgins and Lieutenant Kiraz, who were still deep in conversation. He wondered why Williams and Ghayth would need more WAN cables, as that made almost no sense to him.
“Fodder for another day,” he said to himself. “A Royal’s life was so hard … wasn’t it?”
#####
She wondered who had originally designed the bridge—in fact, all spaceship bridges—as she once again tried to get comfortable in the huge, well-padded leather “Royals” chair on the bridge of the Atlas, and while she had the answer, it just wouldn’t do.
The Seenra, the builder race for most ships, was just one culprit, she knew. But while they built the ships, it was the specifications sent to builders, which included the arrangement of each of the consoles and tiers of seating on a bridge, she wanted to know more about.
She once again rose, folded up her right leg this time, and then dropped back onto the seat to squirm to find a more comfortable position. She leaned a bit to her left and then tucked her bare foot up higher below her left thigh to try to ease how uncomfortable she felt. But it was no use.
I am going to be antsy, she thought, and that is it. Thank God, the Barony Drive meant that instead of it being weeks between Neres and Ghayth, it was now seconds. She nodded to the Atlas captain and said, “Proceed, Captain.”
The star in the target center of the huge view-screen of the ship was suddenly solid as the Atlas went into the Barony Drive. As she watched, that star grew greatly in only a few seconds.
Captain Hauling smiled and nodded as the helmsman stated the obvious.
“Sir, we are now off Ghayth, in low orbit, and the trip took … only eight seconds, Sir,” he said.
Hauling looked over at her. “Ma’am, will you be going down to meet with the commander or …”
Her brows furrowed as she thought on that, and then she nodded to herself. “Captain, I will need a shuttle to take me down to meet with him, please arrange for that in, say, one hour.”
She rose from her seat and tucked her radiantly green toes in the open-faced sandals she’d kicked off earlier. She slowly made her way off the bridge and back to her quarters down on Deck Forty-nine, just down one from the bridge. Once she went through her doors, she once again kicked off those sandals and barked at her quarter’s AI. “Find me a steward, AI, STAT.”
In less than a minute, as she was just settling into the loveseat she so favored in the sitting room area, a man asked nicely what he could get for her.
“Wine—something on the specialty list, please, a nice red,” she answered.
Her sommelier had set up her favorites in lists, so she could just ask for something on a list and not have to bother trying to remember a wine’s name or vintage. Being a Royal was such a difficult job.
She said, “AI, show me Ghayth, please, full color.”
In front of her, the whole exterior bulkhead suddenly dissolved as the planet popped up on the display. Gray. Ghayth was gray; there was no doubt about that, as the continents she could see were just that. Oceans, however, were blue, underneath much less cloud cover, and there appeared to be a storm in the southern hemisphere as she could see the circular formations of a hurricane.
“Wouldn’t want to be out on a boat in that,” she said to herself and then snorted.
With no sentient life, no one was out on a boat, and yet she still knew that storms that big caused much more than a ripple of misfortune.
She stopped cold in her thinking. She had been looking for a way to get the Duchy d’Avigdor to consider her Barony to be their natural successor. She was on their list, but so were others.
To get the Duchy d’Avigdor by “hook or by crook,” as her father used to say, was fair game. However, she’d not yet found a way to circumvent the list process and simply take over the six-planet realm.
The storm below offered her an answer to gain that type of an advantage, and she smiled as she connived. An event would need to happen to threaten the duchy.
She—the Barony, she meant—would need to save the Duchy d’Avigdor by taking them over to quell the threat. And she would then own same.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was the start to formulating a plan; by following the final plan, she would gain six new planets for her Barony—and then the chairmanship of the RIM Confederacy Council.
As the clouds roiled in their circular clockwise paths, she thought she could see the rain bands around the eye. She wondered just how violent it was, but she didn’t bother to ask the AI for details.
Instead, she thought about what kind of storm she could create that would suck up the duchy and allow the Barony to offer aid—and win the day.
What kind of a storm could I create is the question …
#####
Prime Minister Kondo Lazaro moved gracefully from the red and blue Jeep and onto the driveway in front of the Barony Palace. He’d been home on Amasis just two hours ago and had flown in on the frigate the BN Jericho; it had taken longer to get a Jeep and get over here to the palace than it had to come the seven lights from his own planet to Neres.
“Such a short ride meant he’d not had the chance to get his “space legs” on—nor for that matter to get back to gravity either,” he said to himself, and he snorted at his not being a real navy man anymore.
His boots crunched on the shoulders of the huge circular driveway as he strode up the giant walkway to the steps that led to the enormous double doors to the palace. He’d been here a few times before, when he’d been in the Barony Navy, and he’d learned early and well that it was best to play dumb to everyone in the palace—except the Baroness.
His meeting today was with her, and he was a bit un-nerved as he’d not been able to figure out what was the agenda of today’s meeting—nor was he able to prepare for same.
Un-nerved. Yes, that about said it, and he climbed the large, wide steps and presented himself at the EliteGuard station at the door.
“I am—”
“Mr. Prime Minister, we know you, Sir, and we acknowledge that you are here to see the Baroness. Please follow the lieutenant who will guide you to the meeting room, Sir,” the EliteGuard at the doorway said, and he smiled nicely as he dipped his head in recognition for the visitor’s position as a head of state.
Nicely done, Kondo thought, and he smiled. With that kind of greeting, one might think what would follow would be just as nice. He hoped he was right.
The EliteGuard lieutenant spun on his heels and walked toward the huge doorway that the palace AI opened for them. Inside, as Kondo followed along, they went through room after room with furniture and aesthetics more posh than he’d remembered. One room, he knew as soon as he entered, but he slowed down as they entered. The center of the large, long room was filled with a beautiful round table that must have been forty feet across. At the very center of that table—maybe made of wood from Gayaza—lay a vase that must have been twenty feet tall. But now, he saw, instead of sitting at the exact center of the table, it hung in midair, about three feet up off the table.
He paused as he was following the lieutenant and pointed. “Lieutenant, any idea on how that vase is floating off the table?”
The EliteGuard shrugged. “Not a c
lue—Barony secrets I’d guess, Sir,” he said, and he spun once more and led the way across the rest of the long room, and Kondo followed.
They moved through three more large rooms and a corridor that had no art on the walls but on the floor instead. He’d thought he was supposed to walk around the paintings below his feet, but instead he just did what the lieutenant did and stepped along normally.
In what must have been the meeting room, he was pointed to a small setting of facing loveseats and took a spot on one. As he looked around, he saw immediately that he was not alone. Across from him on the arm of that loveseat, an animal—a pet of some kind—was staring at him.
He stared back.
It was a tawny brown with patches of iridescent blue—and it had fur. Sort of. When the animal—he decided he was going to call it a cat—breathed, the brown and iridescent blue waved like fur. It had what looked like three ears placed around its head like a tiara, and they were blue too. He could see four legs and a tail that was as long as the medium-sized cat.
Its eyes did not blink, and he blinked quickly to try to catch the cat blinking—but it just did not blink.
Its eyes were the same shade of blue but brighter.
Just staring at him.
He wondered for a moment about poisonous bites, the claws on those paws, and more, but it just looked at him.
He hadn’t even noticed, but from his right, the Baroness had appeared. She scooped up her cat and sat heavily on the opposing loveseat.
She was in blue too, but not the same shade. Instead, she was dressed in a bird’s egg blue with a dusting of gold he could barely see until it twinkled as it gathered ambient light from the room.
She nodded at someone behind him, and she said, “Please, the same Quaran white as at lunch,” and she waved the steward away even though Kondo had never seen the servant.
Moments later, a glass appeared on the table in front of him as the steward returned, served the two glasses of wine, and then disappeared again.
She picked up the cat and placed it on the seat beside her, and it stretched as it rose up onto all fours. Hopping down off the loveseat, it walked off, but he was surprised to see it walk with such an odd gait. Instead of walking like a cat, one leg in front of the other, it moved one leg over the top of the same leg on the other side and moved sideways. The two left legs reached over the two right legs, and then putting them down, it picked up the right legs and moved them over to the right.
Sideways. The cat walked sideways. He shook his head.
The Baroness said a bit dryly, “If you think its gait looks odd here in the sitting room, you should see it hunting prey on Anulet.”
He smiled. Interesting animal …
She smiled at him. “Prime Minister Lazaro, I am glad that you could find the time to meet with me today,” she said.
He nodded to her and ensured his head dipped in the traditional bow to a Royal too. “Ma’am, the quickness of travel now on the RIM due to the release of the Barony Drive has made it very easy,” he said and smiled once more.
She nodded and waved away the compliment. “I have asked you here today, Kondo,” she said with a familiarity that could only come from a Royal, “so that we can discuss an upcoming issue. An issue of great importance to the Barony, which means it is of similar importance to Amasis too.”
He sat and listened for more than an hour as she queried his loyalty to the Barony and to Amasis as well. Once satisfied, she spelled out how she was determined to gain the Duchy d’Avigdor and merge it with the Barony. Finally, she spoke about how he might help—if he would consider same.
For many minutes after that, Kondo asked several questions, and eventually he nodded. He didn’t like what he’d heard, but he knew in his heart of hearts that it would be for the best—and would trump all the other powers here in the RIM Confederacy too.
In the end, he agreed. The planet of Amasis was in, and as its head of state, he had a large part to play.
His part might mean the difference between success and failure for the realm, as well as a new role for him too.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A typical academic, Tanner thought as he nodded and listened to Professor Randall Reynolds as he gave the xeno team leaders’ report in person.
He’d flown in on the Sword, and it had taken less than a full minute to travel from Neres to Ghayth. Tanner had spent more time walking across the enormous new landing tarmac on Base-1 and had been met by Commander Williams in person. Nice to see, Tanner thought, that simply being a Royal meant you got the most polite, politically correct treatment from all the citizens here on the RIM. At least so far.
Williams had greeted him nicely and had walked with Tanner since he’d wanted to walk to the administration building and forgo riding in the Jeep, which followed behind them.
“Lord Scott, so nice to have you here, and might I say that we were all so happy with your full recovery as well,” Williams said.
“Thank you, Commander. Base-1 looks like she’s growing pretty quickly too. We’re going to have to give the city a real name soon …”
Many cranes topped the city outside the far base walls as new buildings were going up against the gray skyline. What had been a simple plain running down to the ocean was now a city with more than two hundred thousand new citizens. All the citizens of Base-1 had taken the pioneer option offered by the Barony to its citizens across the realm. Move to Ghayth and receive government funds for your new home, or farm with free land, or start a business—it mattered not what you wanted. Ghayth would accommodate the citizens’ needs. Most realms established the pioneer option setup for their newest planets after acquisition had occurred.
He walked and made what he now called “Royal-chat” with the commander, careful to nod a lot and say well done often, but there was no real substance to the conversation. Updates on the latest population and demographics figures might have been important to someone else, but for me, Tanner thought, it’s just yadda, yadda, yadda.
He allowed the commander to open up the administration door after the ten-minute walk, and while the planet was gray and misty, as always, he did enjoy the short walk. Inside, a lieutenant led Tanner up a flight of stairs to the second floor and then down a long hallway to the conference room.
He paused at the doorway and realized the whole xeno team had been assembled to meet with him, but the only one actually seated at the table was Professor Randall Reynolds. The rest sat behind him on the far side of the table against the wall, and all rose when he walked into the room.
Royalty again.
He smiled at them and then went to take the chair at the head of the table—Helena had drummed that into him. Royalty commands from the power chair, she had said to him, so take that chair. And if there was not one, make one. So far, he’d had it pretty easy, and he lowered himself into the business chair and pulled himself closer to the table.
“Be seated, please, one and all,” he said.
Everyone sat at once. Commander Williams took the seat on Tanner’s right and the xeno team leader sat on his left. Commander Williams introduced the professor, and he and the rest then waited for the xeno team leader to begin.
It had taken almost an hour for the man to make his presentation. Sometimes, he’d had the video display show items, like the huge arctic warehouse they had discovered. There were more videos about how the door to the bridge of the wrecked ship could teleport items to that warehouse too.
There were also still images detailing the floor plans of the ship, breakdowns of the bridge areas and the consoles, labeled rooms, and inventory lists. Close-up photos of alien technology, including the alien step-plates that allowed a winged alien to stand in midair without hovering by using their wings, took up several minutes of the meeting.
The report was quite detailed. All xeno team groups had contributed. Linguistics had the least amount of information; however, they too appeared to be making some progress.
“Our aliens,” Reynolds said
finally, “were more advanced than us for sure, yet we’re making headway in the first steps of finding those differences. As we work on learning the how-tos of those items, i.e., for care and control of the functionality of them, it’s a much slower process—but so far, so good, Lord Scott,” he said, and he looked like he’d finished.
Tanner would have liked to have taken notes, but he’d been schooled that taking notes was one more thing a Royal never did themselves. If he wanted, he could just ask that the report be sent to his aide, Ayla. He wondered for a moment if he should have brought her along, but then he thought not for something like this.
He nodded and looked over at Commander Williams. “Commander, no issues at all with security around the wreck, I take it?” he asked
Williams shook his head. “Not at all, Sir. We have marines under Major Stal there, and he tells me that it’s not as yet even a hint of a rumor here on Ghayth. He sends his regards, too, Lord Scott, but was unable to make it here today as he’s on Amasis for the afternoon but will return for evening chow—er, dinner—Lord Scott. We would very much like to have you stay for that meal. Stal and the professor will be there, and we can chat a bit more on this wreck too, if you’d consider same?”
Tanner looked away for a moment and then back at the commander. “Would love to stay, Commander. Just let me know what time. I’m going to pop down to look over the wreck itself this afternoon as well, but I will return for that dinner then too.
“Professor, ‘til then—and please thank your team for their work and efforts. I know we will learn all there is to learn with your team at the helm,” he said and smiled.
He knew that if he’d been a plain navy captain, he’d have had several more questions about their findings, but Royals, he reminded himself, delegated those chores to others. He needed his aide, Ayla, and he made a mental note to include her much more often. He would return to the Sword and send off a request for her to come to Ghayth this afternoon. She could then join him, and he’d bring her back tomorrow.
