Princess Rescue Inc

by Chris Hechtl

  “I getcha. Why'd it take so long to make machines' three and well...?” Perry said indicating the fourth machine.

  “See my last statement smartass,” Max growled, looking at him and then to the machine. “I've been kind of busy you know?” he said defensively.

  “Okay...”

  “And yeah, these things print but I've got to be here to load, unload, make sure it did a good job, clean off the flash, recycle the waste and set it up for the next run, for each of them.”

  “Oh. Seems like you could use a helper,” Perry mused. He looked at Corgi who held up his hands.

  “I'm supposed to be helping you my lord,” he said.

  “True. Well, I'll talk to someone about it,” Perry finally said. “Sorry Max, if no one's told you we appreciate all the work you're doing,” he said.

  “Gee thanks,” Max growled. “Now get before I put you to work.”

  “Going,” Perry laughed, walking off with Corgi.

  <==={}------------>

  Ryans studied the court. It wasn't the royal court, it was a mock justice court, but one taken in all seriousness.

  “I take it torture went out of business?” he asked the page near the door.

  The page frowned. “Torture is reserved for the most heinous of crimes my lord,” he explained. Ryans nodded. “My father said we are swift in our justice so that we may get on with life. There are not as many people as we would like, and the taking of a life is only done for...”

  “Heinous crimes, right gotcha,” Ryans finished. He nodded watching the judge rule for the plaintiff. “So how does this work? The sheriff levies a charge?”

  “Or a lord or lady. The accused is brought forth to a hearing then jailed until a final ruling.”

  “No bail?”

  “There are bailiffs,” the page said. He was slightly older than Answorth, probably a few months away from puberty and becoming a squire. The boy pointed to a soldier nearby.

  “No... I meant... you know, skip it. Okay so most of these people are here for petty crimes?”

  “Aye Dominus or those that cannot pay the tax. Or owe money to others.”

  “Ah,” he rubbed his chin. He remembered something about that, and about some of the petty criminals being transferred to the army. “About how many are in the dungeons?”

  “A triple score my lord, at least that. There's been a blight of debt lately due to the weather, the invasion, and poor investment or crops. I dare say there'll be many more if the war isn't won soon.”

  “Ah. Yeah, working on that,” he said grudgingly. He watched as the judge finished his ruling then explained to his students what he did and why.

  “Interesting that he has a class.”

  “Aye my lord, I'm in it.” The boy nodded politely then went forward to view the proceedings closer. The judge noticed Ryans in the back and waved him forward.

  “Watching our class?” the judge asked. Ryans noted he was wearing a toga robe with a silver laurel on his balding head.

  “Yes, your honor,” Ryans replied. He nodded politely. “I was intrigued by it. Your judicial system is much more modern than I had been given to believe.”

  “It is?” The judge fairly preened. The students looked around.

  “Yes, during the feudal times on Terra justice was not... just. It was brutal and many were killed for even the smallest of crimes... or were brutally maimed... Many were innocent, or as my guide just informed me, simple people in debt due to bad fortune or bad judgment.”

  “Aye,” the judge nodded. “But the system has changed?”

  “Very much so in many countries, in my country there is a separation between the powers, and a separation between the sheriff and the prosecutors,” Ryans said. He waved to the kids representing the people. “Much as you have worked out here,” he said in obvious approval. The judge nodded. “I can give you an overview and let you go over it with your class and fellow justices,” he suggested. He bowed again.

  “Interesting,” the judge rumbled as he rubbed his beard. “I shall be waiting for this.”

  “Thank you your honor. I have video of judicial proceedings as well, but they're in my native language and therefore not of much use to you. I do have a suggestion though.”

  The judge looked wary. “And that is?”

  “Well, you ransom the debtor to their families correct?”

  The judge nodded. “Or send them to the mines for a period of time to work off the debt.”

  “Ah, well, I was thinking, instead of having them rot in jail, what about putting them to work in the mines or military?”

  “We already send them to the mines,” the judge said.

  “Ah, yes, sorry, I'm a little excited. What I mean is, give them the option of the two and then sentence them for a period of time to work off their debt. We need soldiers, and a few of the people may be of use.”

  “Pickpockets and lice?” a student asked. “You want them tearing a camp apart?”

  “It depends on whose camp they tear apart doesn't it?” Ryans asked. He smiled wickedly as the class looked startled. “They may not make great soldiers, but pickpockets and thieves can learn to make great spies and saboteurs. We can give them a minimum of equipment and training then send them into the enemy camp to wreak havoc.”

  The judge rubbed his bearded jaw once more. “Ah. An interesting idea, I will take it up with the justice council this very evening.”

  “It would also clear out some of your backlog,” Ryans smiled as the class began to murmur. “Thank you for your consideration your honor,” he said politely. He bowed again.

  “Indeed, I shall expect those notes soon young man,” the judge said eying him.

  “I'll go print a sample now,” Ryans smiled walking out. “I'll give it to your secretary in an hour or two,” he said. The judge waved a dismissive hand then turned back to the class. Ryans chuckled softly as he walked out.

  Chapter 13

  “I suggest a general health and welfare check up of all ministers and lords time permitting,” Ryans said after lunch. He bowed to the Queen who nodded regally. Ryans had spent the better part of lunch murmuring about this fellow or that and how they looked. The cataracts of the minister of gaijin were also brought up.

  The Queen looked at him, perplexed as to why he would suggest this until his words registered. A health and welfare... showing she cared for her subjects welfare... She nodded finally as she caught on. “I see merit in such a suggestion. Make it so,” she said nodding to a page who wrote the order down.

  “Why?” a minister asked snidely.

  “Why not?” the Queen asked, leveling eyes upon him. “The gaijin have many medicines we can use. Even ways to heal things that have long plagued our subjects. If your health is a problem we should know and you should be given treatment.” She nodded to Ryans.

  Doc is not going to be happy with me, he thought cheerfully. Some of the ministers gave him a jaundiced eye. A few were curious.

  “We have ways to correct some things. Doc and the healers have limited access to equipment, but she can at least do what she can. For instance.” He nodded to the minister of migration. “Some of you are having trouble with your vision, possibly due to cataracts. We have the ability to correct it with surgery. Doc may or may not have access to the equipment and materials needed right now. But even if she doesn't she may be able to do minor repairs until the equipment and materials can be made.” He bowed slightly to the minister.

  “To see clearly again,” the minister murmured then nodded sitting up straight. Hope blazed on his face.

  “Can she fix my gout?” a minister called forth from the end of the table.

  “She can see what is causing it and give you medicines to ease it or repair it. Or if needed she can recommend surgery to repair a problem. For instance, bones that have been improperly healed can be broken again and then splinted so they will heal properly,” he said.

  “An interesting prospect. I shall apply for an appointment with h
er forthwith,” the Minister of immigration said.

  “To other matters then,” the Queen murmured.

  <==={}------------>

  “A word Eugene,” Sue said, pulling him to one side later.

  He glanced at her and then moved to a more secluded place away from the traffic in the corridor. “What's this I heard about you sicking the ministers on me?” she demanded.

  That was fast, he thought. He'd only put the offer through a few hours ago. He snorted, looking around. “Sorry Sue, I was going to call you but I got tied up,” he said indicating Ciara the textile minister.

  “And you didn't think to ask me before you offered my services?” she asked, hands on her hips. He realized she was in a rip roaring snit.

  He huffed a sigh and spread his hands. “Again sorry, look, I want you to do a double assessment. One for the patient but I also wanted you to see a broader geriatric profile while also getting a handle on these people. How they think, act, react, that sort of thing.”

  “In other words spy?” she demanded, crossing her arms. “Ever hear of a little thing called doctor patient confidentiality?” she asked dryly.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and sighed again. “Look, I'm not asking for you to tell tales out of school. I want a general psychological profile. Who you think we can trust. Who you think is going to be a problem and who sounds like they are going to be trouble. Can you do that?”

  She frowned and tapped her foot staring at him. Finally she looked off to the left for a moment and then grunted. “I suppose I can let you know something like that.”

  “I want them to see what we can do for them up close and personal. I want them to see first hand our technology and see its benefits and how by working with us they will gain from it.”

  “Ah,” she said nodding. “Getting more than one bird with this rock aren't you? Lucky I don't beat you with it,” she mock growled.

  “Thanks. This is also to help the Queen out. To get them to see that she cares about their well being.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, a little mending fences, tossing her a softball to help her out and keeping us in her good graces. Hopefully it won't be too hard on you and your students.”

  “Students,” she muttered.

  “Think about them as a teaching method Doc,” he said. She nodded. “And yeah, I want you to expand to the entire castle and the capital in stages as well.”

  “Shit,” she muttered. “Don't want much do you? You realize I've only got a finite amount of medical supplies and equipment. Once it's gone...” She shrugged hopelessly.

  “Yeah I know. Try to use supplies we're getting from the natives first. Triage. And don't get bogged down by cosmetic crap, that can come later,” he said.

  “What have you gotten me into,” she muttered, shaking her head as she stopped off.

  <==={}------------>

  The next morning Sue checked the minister of immigration aka the minister of gaijin and told him she could restore some of his sight, but not all of it. She explained that he needed artificial corneas, something she didn't have in her limited bag of tricks. “I can scrape the cataract off your existing cornea, but what would be left would probably grow back in a year or two,” she explained. He sighed.

  “What about stem cells?” Charlie asked. The doctor shook her head. Charlie had insisted on helping with the crush of new patients. Sue was fairly certain that Charlie wanted to get away from her lab and Sergio.

  “Not happening, we don't even begin to have the gear for something that complex.” The minister stared at them. She explained that by taking healthy bits from one eye, she can culture them like a gardener would in a petri dish and then plant them in both eyes. When the bits took root his eyesight could be almost normal. The minister was amazed. She shrugged. “But that's not the entire problem here, you've got cataracts, we'd need a laser and artificial retina's to repair that.”

  He looked confused. “Equipment beyond what we have here for years to come,” Sue explained.

  Charlie shook her head. “Not so Doc, we've got a couple of lasers in the storage cave,” Charlie reported with a gleam. They both looked to Charlie who shrugged. “If we can get this damn war licked we can get in there and dig it out. If it didn't get soaked in all that rain,” she grimaced. Doc nodded.

  The minister looked glum and then nodded. Doc treated him for kidney stones, a common ailment with men in his age bracket and then gave him a few gentle pointers on his diet and cutting back on the salt. After he left Doc rounded on Charlie for getting his hopes up. “There aren't any overnight cures here Charlie, some things yes, we can fix, but not a whole hell of a lot,” she growled. Angrily she ran one hand through her hair. “Hell, just in what we've been teaching them we've accelerated their civilization by a couple of centuries, but that's still not even close to where we were on Earth!”

  Charlie nodded, sobered. “Sorry Doc, guess I got carried away with the moment,” she sighed. “What about all that gear the boss man brought though? Can we make some of what you need?” she asked giving Doc a look.

  “What other gear?” Sue asked sitting down on a creaky wooden stool.

  “You know the databases,” Charlie explained as she too sat on a stool. Sue blinked at her. “Those silver brief cases he's got are protected databases. Some petabyte sized drive clusters, DVDs, solid state drives, all in a lead container wrapped by a Faraday cage. He picked my brain about the chemistry stuff, had me dump a copy of what I wanted into the central database. I was dating a tech and he told me about it. Did any of it survive the transit?”

  Sue looked thoughtful, toying with her stethoscope. “Could be. Maybe, that might have been where he got that anatomy poster.”

  “Or he got it from the medical DVD he's got Doc. Or the net. Or one of the first aide booklets,” Charlie said looking away as she picked up a tray of culture dishes.

  “Medical DVD?” the doctor asked, parsing it out. “You mean he's had it this entire time and never said anything?” she asked dangerously.

  Charlie shot her a startled look. “Sure Doc, so do you. So do each of us for that matter. It's in your kit,” she said. She waved to the doctor's kit. “Your tablet PC has the database; he's got the hard copy back up in case you or it gets lost.”

  Sue suddenly nodded. “Oh, okay, that makes more sense,” she said. She sighed again, running a frustrated hand through her hair...

  “Too much work, too little time Doc,” Charlie said as a nurse waved to the Doc. “Looks like duty calls,” she said.

  Sue got up with a groan. “Yeah tell me about it. Well, back to the salt mines,” she said.

  Charlie chuckled. “Careful Doc, they have the real deal around here somewhere,” she said. Sue chuckled tiredly.

  “Not on your life or mine,” she muttered patting Charlie's hand as she passed by.

  <==={}------------>

  “Do we have any intel on the enemy? I mean other than the refugee reports?” Ryans asked, looking at General Pendragon. They had just finished a military working dinner and were sitting back relaxing over beer. The meal was a way for the men to form a common bond and get to know one another. Ryans was there because of his leadership role. Surprisingly none of the other lords were present. Only the gaijin officers and the native officers and Maximus were present.

  Captain Maximus sat back, holding his goblet. Lieutenants Perry and Galloway looked thoughtful and then turned to the general as well. “Come to think of it we haven't seen anything at all. That's odd, no one has tried to get better information?”

  “We have some reports,” the general rumbled cautiously. He wasn't certain what to say. He looked definitely uncomfortable. Ryans couldn't really blame him, revealing intelligence was tricky and dangerous to you and to your sources.

  The general had turned out to be a decent military commander. His aides were brown nosers to the first degree but Pendragon had a good head on his shoulders and a good sense of tactics and strategy. A
few demonstrations of the new weapons and tactics and some game theory with the help of an improvised Risk board had tightened up his skills and made them appreciate them even more.

  The general in turn had come to appreciate both gaijin military officers and their people. He'd found they had a treasure trove of military knowledge that matched his own. Instead of being jealous or threatened by such things he'd taken both men in as subordinates and shown them a level of trust he didn't even show his aides.

  Of course both Galloway and Perry had not only held field command; they'd held it in combat and done well. That was a brotherhood they shared with the general. Even Maximus had little actual combat experience. The general's aides had none.

  “I realize you don't want to reveal any sources general. I can't blame you. And revealing that you even have spies in the enemy camp could be a risk. But let's say for oh, a hypothetical exercise you do. Now, if you did, what do you think they'd be looking at right now?” Ryans asked.

  Perry shot him an amused look and then snorted softly. Galloway played with a pen, flipping it end over end on the table.

  “Harrumph. If, and only if we did they would be there to try to get the number of enemy soldiers, how they are supplied and to try to overhear or gain access to any maps or plans they have.”

  “Dangerous,” Ryans murmured nodding. He immediately wondered if it was some sort of servant, a high placed one at that. To gain access to the maps and plans of the enemy took access and steady nerves... and a keen eye to note anything and pass it on. It also spoke of a network to get the information out of the enemy camp without being detected.

  “I'm curious if our numbers were confirmed. And how many soldiers they have lost since the siege started,” Galloway said not looking up.

  “The siege is still ongoing?” Maximus asked.

  Perry and Galloway looked at him. The general grunted and looked away. “Oh yes, if Emroy had fallen they would have sacked the place and been at our doorstep by now. Or headed to another duchy to pick that one off,” Perry explained.