by Paul Phipps
The Congress will still have the traditional means of blocking that order. But they only have ninety days to do that in. Who knows if they can get their shit together by that time?” He finished with a derisive tone of voice.
* * *
Surabaya, Indonesia
The Mother Superior of the Three Sisters of Mother Teresa Home for Children once again sat as if in prayer at her desk. On her computer screen was an e-mail from a Quarn-Slave in the nation of England.
::Mother, may I converse with you?::
::Yes my daughter, you may.::
::I have received a notification that I will be receiving a fact finding delegation from the United Nations Children’s Welfare Bureau.::
::Go on…::
::Yes Mother, they are part of an investigation into the missing children here in Indonesia. I am told that the head of this investigative group is a Dame Meredith Fowler. Your child in England has prepared her for her visit here.::
::Is she one of the whole of us now?:: The Mother asked in passing curiosity.
::No Mother, your child had no more of the Q-Mots. She has been given the drug and will obey all orders that begin with the phrase, ‘In the name of the Mother’.::
:: Good, inform my child that he has done well. Also tell him to gather all of the rest of his brothers and sisters and come to my home by the end of this month. All who can come will be needed, the Master says he will be free of his prison in a few weeks.::
::Really? So he has managed to find a way out through the shield wall?::
::He says that he has, and with the followers he has created I believe that he will do it too. He also will have his followers release the Shaitan’s Breath both as a diversion as well as the next stage in his ‘Great Plan’ to make this world ours completely.”
::And if he doesn’t succeed in his ‘Great Plan’?:: The Mother Superior asked carefully.
::That really isn’t any of your concern Daughter.:: Came back the answer quellingly. ::But it doesn’t matter really. His ‘Great Plan’ is rather juvenile but it would be effective in the short term. What he doesn’t take into account is how much life force would be destroyed and dissipated before I could consume it properly. And I must eat or I fail to grow and if I fail to grow then I and the whole of us will have failed in taking this world for the greater whole.”
::Yes Mother, I understand that. There is a ship from South America coming into the port this weekend.::
::I think that they must be met at sea this time, Daughter. I will have the ‘Mother’s Love’ intercept them and transfer the children to the base the Master had constructed for me.::
::I have enough children for four buses. Do you want me to hold on to them or send them now?::
::Hold on to them, this investigative group will want to see lots of children about your home for children.::
::Yes Mother, I will hold them until you send for them.:: The Mother Superior said.
::Speaking of sending, arrange for this Dame Meredith to visit my home. I will use her to send a message.:: The Mother’s voice contained something like cruel laughter in it.
::A message, Mother?:: The Mother superior asked in confused surprise, ::A message to whom, Mother?::
::You overstep your bounds, child!:: Came back the mother’s voice angrily.
::Yes Mother.:: The mother Superior said meekly.
At which point the mental conversation between the two was snapped like a whip cracking through the air. The Quarn parasite rubbed the temples of her host’s body as she felt a headache form for the first time since she had taken the body.
After some time had passed she turned to the Computer and composed a message for her Quarn brother in England.
London, England, Friday March 5, 2027
Because of her size the TSN Huntress had only come down to ten thousand feet instead of the originally requested fifteen hundred feet. She was visible to most of England as she moved across the sky at a leisurely two hundred miles an hour. She was even visible from the shores of France and crowds jostled as they watched in awe at the size of her.
In London itself, King William and his uncle the Duke of York waited calmly. The Prime minister and most of his cabinet were also present on the raised dais and reviewing stand. The traditional Horse Guards and the House Guards regiment were arrayed in their most formal splendor.
As they all gazed out to the Southeast the vast bulk of the TSN Huntress became visible through the hazy sky. A stir went through the massed troops and the crowd of Londoners beyond them had turned to watch. Quiet for the most part was the order of the day. The news reporters for the BBC and SKYNEWS were talking animatedly to their cameras.
On board the Huntress herself, Mary Roberts was in her element, directing Camera feeds of the ground below as the Huntress moved along.
Ansel and Sarah were in the Public Affairs office monitoring all of the transmission feeds from the BBC, SKYNEWS and FOX/CNN. So far they were mostly pleased at the coverage being provided. The BBC had thrown out a few snarky comments about the Pirate Llewellyn being the Captain of the TSN Huntress.
Ansel in turn had conferred with Admiral Webster and Seeker, the result of which was that Captain Llewellyn and he were off of the leash. If the Newsies got in their faces or were just plain vicious then they could respond in turn. Neither of them was looking forward to such an occurrence but in turn it was reassuring to have the backing of High Command.
Ariadne/ Comm Mode: “Ansel, please contact Tanya and Harum immediately. They have found something out about Bambang and his disappearance.”
Commander Webster/Comm Mode: “Thank you Ariadne, I’ll do that in a few minutes.”
“Chief, keep an eye on things here. Ariadne says I need to contact Tanya and Harum about their missing friend Bambang. It appears they have found something.” Ansel told her in an official tone of voice since they were on duty.
“Aye aye, sir” She replied and then said “If it’s important Ansel, let me know immediately.” She added with a look that brooked no defiance.
“I will Sarah.”
Ansel used the room’s Trans-portal back to his quarters and the connection to Asimov City and his Apprentice was made.
“Tanya, Ariadne said you needed to talk with me about your friend?”
“Yes sir, we were demonstrating that facial and body image recognition software to Harum. And she asked if we could use it to see if we could find Bambang’s image.
I didn’t think we would find anything sir, but it came up with a hit after only ten minutes. It was from a video clip taken by a tourist in Banda Aceh. According to the structure identifiers he was in a large group of children that were at a swimming pool. The pool must have been a quarter mile along each side!
He looked happy but tired, real tired sir. I could see his ribs above his swimming suit. Harum was worried about that because when she saw him last he was actually overweight from all of the good food they had been eating the last couple of years.”
“Do you know when the video was taken?” Ansel asked.
“The date on Youtube-Max was three days ago sir.” Tanya told him.
“Excellent work there Tanya, and you also Harum.” He said in approval as he spotted the other girl trying to sit out of the camera’s pickup range. “Send me all of the information you have found and I will get it into the hands of someone who can do something about it.
After complimenting them both once again he broke the connection and thought quickly about what to do next.
Commander Webster/ Comm Mode: “Albert, are you available to talk?”
Lt. Commander Fuller/Comm Mode: “Certainly Ansel, I’m watching the reporters chatter about your upcoming arrival in England.”
Commander Webster/ Comm Mode: “I’ll make this quick then because I need to get ready for the festivities down below.” And he quickly brought the intelligence chief up-to-date with the information his apprentice had found. As they were talking the data package from Tanya was made
available to his console which he in turn forwarded it on to Lt. Commander Fuller.
* * *
Tom-Cat looked over at Ratter from his position in the Central Intelligence and Analysis room that was the heart of the Heavy Scout Cruiser Cathartes.
“Looks like Mouser needs us to check up on this lead. I suggest we use the Ahmed and Rani Telefactors for a quick in and out. What do you think?”
“Sure, why not. We were there last week with them. We didn’t go to the temple though…” She trailed off with a frown. “Mouser says that this kid was there and there is a slight chance that he still is. If we find him do we snatch him?”
“Good question, let’s take it as it comes.” Tom-Cat shrugged his shoulders. Then he used the intercom to give the Corporal in charge of the small crew new instructions to head for Banda Aceh.
* * *
Now that the welcoming ceremonies were complete and the Huntress was at eighty-five thousand feet in a holding position over the Naval Academy, Ansel, Sarah and Captain Llewellyn and his first officer Commander Aimee Delacort were in the Captain’s Conference room discussing the official Schedule for the rest of the day and the weekend.
“At 1600L, all of you are scheduled for the pre-dinner meet and greet with a full court receiving line. Once that is complete, the formal dinner will be served between 1830 and 1945. That’s it for today, tomorrows schedule however does have you and Commander Webster doing a round-robin with the Reporters from 0830 to 1400. To facilitate that we are bringing them aboard rather than having you go to their various headquarters around the city.” Diana told her Captain.
“Chief Cavendish is scheduled for a tour of the Academy starting at 0900L tomorrow. That is expected to take most of the day as she is also expected to do a ‘meet and greet’ with the staff and any interested students. Commander Delacort is to oversee the Open House on board the Huntress that is scheduled from 1100L to 1730L. We will be using the modified Gravity Elevator for that. The London Air Traffic Control Center has given us given an Air space clearance and warn-off for the duration of our visit here.
And now on to the sticky question you have been avoiding. Will the crew be granted ‘Shore Leave’ while we are here in the United Kingdom?” Diana asked with a tone of voice that indicated a wicked grin.
Captain Llewellyn smiled wryly at that and then said, “All of us here realize that although our people are the cream of the best that the United Kingdom has produced so far. We all know that some are not saints. That’s fine; the Royal Navy has given us a tradition in handling Shore Leave and personnel problems resulting from that.
What we have to worry about now is the Quarn and that nasty little trick of near instant parasitation they have, as well as the Zombie drug. And our people are going to be targets, every last one of them and their families too.
So to that end I have decided that Shore Leave will not be granted this weekend. I want you and Commander Delacort to watch for any Quarn-slaves attempting to come aboard during the open house. Those numbers will inform us about the Quarn attention on the TSN and ourselves in particular.
Also I will inform the crew that any family or friends that they would like to come visit us here will be given priority during the Open House.” Captain said decisively.
* * *
Buckingham Palace, England
The receiving line had been a success; Ansel had stopped counting after he had reached two hundred and fifty. One of the interesting things he noticed right away was that the TSN Dress Uniform was amazingly drab next to what everyone else was wearing with sashes, gold braid and cummerbunds. King William and his uncle were both wearing their Royal Navy Uniforms suitably bedecked in medals. Even Sarah, Captain Llewellyn and Commander Delacort were displaying their various medals that they had earned during their years of service with the Royal Navy.
He started to feel a bit naked and then realized that his very plainness was attracting more attention than all of the peacocks around him.
He started a little bit when he heard Captain Llewellyn tell the King that Commander Webster was in actuality the second most important officer in the Terran Space Navy. Titles and rank were mainly used to indicate authority and responsibilities. And other than Fleet Admiral Webster no one had more authority or responsibilities than the Commander did.
Ansel continued to listen shamelessly as he greeted one Lord, Lady, Officer or Politician after another.
“So why doesn’t he call himself an Admiral then?” The Duke of York said in confusion.
“What? And cause confusion when talking about which Admiral Webster was being referred to? No, it’s not necessary, what matters is that WE know who is who and what they do.” Captain Llewellyn said with a smile.
“So, what does the Commander do when he isn’t on Television talking to the Reporters?” asked the King.
“Well, let’s see, Chief of Personnel, Head of Recruiting and Training, Commanding Officer of Asimov City, Commanding Officer of Camp Heinlein although Command Chief Cavendish runs that for him. Commanding Officer of the Local Earth Defense Forces and there are probably a few other jobs in there too that I’m not familiar with.”
The King and his uncle both turned to look down the receiving line to reassess their first impressions of Commander Webster.
“If it’s possible, I would like to speak with him after the reception.” King William said reflectively.
“I’m sure that he’ll be glad to do that, your Majesty.” Captain Llewellyn told him.
Later after a delicious dinner where Ansel had caused a bit of speculative talk when he had found his assigned place at one of the lower tables suddenly moved to the High Table where King William and his uncle could talk to Captain Llewellyn and himself in a more intimate manner as if being under the microscopic view of half a dozen TV cameras and several hundred pairs of calculating eyes of the Court and Political class could be described as intimate.
After the formal dinner the four TSN officers found themselves being ushered into a room that was obviously a private one for the King as it combined the aspects of a private library and a den.
His personal desk was set in the center of the room with a comfortable looking high back leather chair of Corinthian leather. There was also a tea service next to a low table with several chairs arranged around it. With a murmur from the headman of the household to were instructed to choose a chair and within a few minutes the King and his uncle as well as the Prime Minister, Home Secretary and Sir Jamesway came in and settled themselves down to discuss what was on their minds.
“Let’s cut to the chase Commander Webster,” The King started off, “I can appreciate political theatre as much as any man. Your stated reasons of trying to foster better relations with the United Kingdom are appreciated. We also appreciate the fact that you have recruited several thousand of our former Officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines and have provided them with the first of your advanced Star Fighter Carriers to show off to the rest of us here in the Isles.
I’ve also just had a lovely chat with our Ambassador to the United States, The Honorable Harrison Wallace. He in turn tells me that your uncle, Fleet Admiral Webster, has visited the White House several times lately, very probably to deliver covert briefings. You also appear to have the IUR situation under control, at least enough to concentrate on building up your forces.
My sixth sense is just nudging me over and over that something is happening and if it will affect the well-being of the subjects of the United Kingdom negatively I really want to know about it.” He paused and gave Ansel a penetrating look and then gave out a small sigh. “Well?”
Ansel in turn was moderately surprised at the bluntness of the King of England, he then reflected quickly over how the man in front of him had become the King. With a nod to himself he accepted the King’s statements at face value. Before speaking Ansel removed the TSN truth verifier he always carried and set it down on the Tea table in front of him. Once that was done he began to spea
k.
“Your Majesty, I appreciate your observations and yes, the blunt manner in which they were delivered. Let me be as blunt and direct as I can right back to you.” He then paused while he collected his thoughts and had a quick conversation with Fleet Admiral Webster and Seeker. With their concurrence he continued to speak.
“In dealing with the Iranian Unified Republic and their Bio-weapon known as ‘Shaitan’s Breath’ several things have been discovered. The end result of those discoveries is that not only is the United Kingdom in danger but so is the rest of the world’s population.”
