by Juli Blood
“Goodness, I have a meeting with Father over lunch and I was going to eat breakfast with Prince Bryan. Oh, I just don’t have time!” Princess Kalea said as she dashed into the bathroom for a quick shower.
‘Bryan, I’m sorry about breakfast. I overslept,’ Kalea tried to explain over the link only to hear silence. Waiting a moment she realized he must still be asleep and that made her chuckle. Quickly she got ready and when she sat down to eat a little of the breakfast, she used her AVID to buzz Prince Bryan.
Linda worked on her wet hair as Kalea buzzed him again and again. Finally she felt him waking up but she waited until he activated the AVID to say anything.
“What?” Bryan growled into the AVID. Princess Kalea’s laughter filled his mind and ears at the same time. Her joy at his less than pleasant greeting soothed his irritation faster than a vented cargo hold on a space station.
‘Good morning,’ Kalea said as she turned off the AVID and began eating again. ‘It is almost 11:30 and we have a meeting with my Father. I guess we both overslept. I’ll save you some of my breakfast if you think you’ll have time to eat it or you can just wait to eat with Father,’ Kalea finished as she felt his tension rise with the realization that they were running late.
‘Thank you for waking me up,’ Bryan replied as he rushed about his morning routine. He knew why no one else had tried but he still felt like ringing Leo’s neck. His morning grouchiness was not the impression he had been hoping to make.
‘As for breakfast, I don’t think I will have time to join you but if you could save me a little something to eat on the way it would help. I still can’t believe I slept so late,’ Bryan said as he marveled at their ability to have a conversation while he showered and shaved without the sounds of either interfering.
‘Actually, we both overslept,’ Kalea replied. Placing a multigrain blueberry muffin on a napkin, she then added a handful of almonds and some grapes before wrapping it up and setting it beside her tray. Linda had finished with her hair and it was time to get dressed. ‘I’m rushing around too, I think it was just such an exhausting day yesterday, we both needed the extra rest. We could call Father and reschedule the meeting until after lunch if you’d like,’ Kalea offered.
‘No. This is fine,’ Bryan answered as he tucked in his shirt and tried to find where Leo had put his socks. ‘I’m almost ready and we still have 10 minutes.’
‘Well, I saved you some food so just let me know when you are ready and I will meet you in the sitting room,’ Kalea answered as she slipped into her shoes and went to gather up the napkin.
Linda gave her a questioning look. “Prince Bryan didn’t have time for breakfast so I thought he could eat this on the way,” Princess Kalea explained as she headed toward the sitting room door.
Tempted to ask the Princess how she knew that, Linda stopped suddenly, realizing the answer. The link. Pleased and surprised, Linda gathered up the breakfast tray and slipped out of Princess Kalea’s room.
‘I’m…’ Bryan started to share as he opened up the door to their sitting room only to find Princess Kalea opening hers as well. ‘…ready.’ He finished as he accepted the napkin with a smile that lit his eyes.
‘I thought you might be,’ Kalea answered with a smile of her own. “Shall we go?” Kalea asked out loud and Bryan nodded, his mouth full of the delicious muffin.
Kalea opened the door to the hallway and they walked in silence as Bryan ate as quickly as he could and she gathered her thoughts. This meeting was going to change things, the big question being, which ones?
Arriving at her father’s office, Kalea glanced over at Bryan to find him slipping the empty napkin into his pocket. Giving her a wink he dusted off his hands and smiled. Returning the smile, Kalea opened the door and they walked in together.
“Good morning Father, Randy,” Kalea said as she noticed her brother pacing in front of the windows.
“Good morning.” King Douglas greeted them both and gestured for them to have a seat in the two empty chairs in front of his desk. “Randolph, would you please stop pacing? We’re all here now, so you can explain what you’ve learned since yesterday.”
Randolph stopped pacing and looked at his father, sister and Prince Bryan in silence for a moment before taking a deep breath, he began. “It is worse than I expected. The entire city is gone. The debris is small and most of it was caught up in the oceanic current; and it is being rapidly dispersed. So far sensors have indicated fragments and chemical pollutants as far as 400 hundred miles out and that was early this morning, less than 24 hours since the explosion. As we expected, chemical waste as well as debris from the city have polluted the immediate area, but the explosive itself seems to have had some unique chemicals as well. Some of them we haven’t been able to identify yet and that concerns me even more.”
Without realizing it Randolph had begun to pace again, but this time, no one really cared as they were focused on the implications of what he had just said.
“You mean that this group brought in a bomb from off world?” Kalea asked, stunned by this possibility.
“Yes,” Randolph replied as he turned back to them. “I also fear that the cleanup will take at least a year of constant, directed effort to make sure we gather all the debris and rebalance the eco system. This is the most severe eco disruption we have had in two generations.”
The group was silent for a moment and Bryan was grateful for Kalea’s rapid translation over the link especially when he realized that he had put on the wrong AVID after his shower and this one wasn’t the upgraded one that did translation. It allowed him to stay with the conversation almost as if he spoke the language. He also felt her rising tension and frustration as more and more of what Randolph had said was absorbed by them all.
“I will call Leo immediately and have him send Gregory to help you identify those unknown chemicals,” Bryan said and waited for Kalea to translate. “Gregory is the leading chemical expert on our team. He should be able to help you with at least the identification issue.”
Kalea again translated and both King Douglas and Randolph thanked him before he activated his AVID to call Leo. He quickly and quietly explained that he needed Gregory and where. Leo answered and signed off. That taken care of, the meeting continued.
“Crown Prince Bryan,” Randolph began, only to have Bryan hold up his hand.
“We’re brothers now Randolph,” Bryan replied when Kalea started to translate his title. “Please, call me Bryan.”
With a small half smile, Randolph nodded and began again. “Bryan, we are going to have to find someone else to lead the Environmental Restoration team to your world. I can’t possibly leave right now. I have several trusted assistants, but the potential complications this disaster could cause just can’t be delegated.”
Bryan had known this was coming once he understood that the bomb, or some part of it came from off world. The possibilities were vast but the necessary investigation had serious implications. He also knew that politically Saxionias expected a member of one of the three royal families of Estar Beta to lead the Environmental Restoration teams that were to be arriving in little over a week. He’d checked into the agreement more closely after hearing of Randolph’s original plans.
“According to our agreement,” Bryan began and paused regularly for Kalea to translate. “A member of one of the royal families is required to lead the Environmental Restoration teams on Saxionias. Is there any other member of the Royal families who is qualified?”
King Douglas and Randolph both looked at Kalea but neither of them spoke. Technically she was the only other Royal with qualifications that even came close. She had originally volunteered to go, but because of the social environment on Saxionias regarding women, Randolph had been chosen.
No one said anything. Bryan started to wonder what was going on, when he realized the King seemed to be waiting on Kalea. Understanding dawned, and he too started to speculate about the possibility of Kalea leading the teams on his world.
> Kalea, in the meantime, was trying to honestly evaluate whether or not she could lead the investigation and eco recovery teams on Saxionias. It was possible, but she knew that Randolph would truly be better at the investigation side of it than she would. He had more off world contacts and though she was highly qualified in eco system recovery, he had more years of experience, specifically with oceanic Eco systems.
Standing, Kalea walked over to the window and looked out over the ravine before her. The light and shadows on the rocks and the rich greens of the valley further down. ‘Holy One, what should I do?’ she prayed. ‘You know all that has happened and all that will happen. You know who would be best to stay behind and who should go to Saxionias. I am willing to go where You lead. I must admit that if I go to Saxionias, I wonder if it will cause more harm than good.’
Time slipped by and Kalea didn’t move. She didn’t talk or communicate with Bryan over the link. But Bryan could feel her tension slip away and he marveled at the sweet peace that seemed to fill her. Glancing around, he found King Douglas and Randolph both watched Kalea but neither spoke.
Finally Kalea turned around. Her face was serious but not tense. Both King Douglas and Randolph seemed to lean forward in anticipation of what she was going to say.
“I will go to Saxionias,” Kalea said and then repeated herself over the link to Bryan.
King Douglas nodded and Randolph looked almost relieved. Stepping forward, he hugged his sister and whispered in her ear, “I know it won’t be easy, but I really feel that I need to stay here and handle this myself. Thank you.”
Kalea gave him a squeeze and then stepped out of his embrace and looked to her father. “This will complicate things greatly. With Randy working on the SC-17 disaster and Gilbert going back to the space ports with the defense evaluation teams from Saxionias, who will assist the planetary evaluation teams? Edward is needed here and the Royal Council needs to have a valid presence among the teams.” Pacing, she repeated everything to Bryan over the link.
“Also, there is the matter of working everything out with Saxionias. They might not accept me as the leader of the Environmental Restoration teams because I’m a woman. They also might feel that we are not giving them our best effort.” Repeating this to Bryan Kalea added, ‘How big a problem do you think this will cause?’
King Douglas and Randolph both looked to Bryan without even knowing she had asked the question. Taking a moment, Bryan tried to run a few scenarios of his own. Finally he answered. “Princess Kalea is right on several points, but I think we can work around some of them. The easiest way would be for me to return with her to Saxionias. I can help explain the situation and sooth some of the concerns that might arise.” Waiting for Kalea to translate, he considered what this would mean for Estar Beta as well.
“However,” he continued. “That would leave you without a royal to supervise my evaluation teams that are already here. There are a few others that I could send to take my place, but, they wouldn’t be royals. I mean, Saxionias could send another royal, but I am the most qualified in my field, just like Randolph.”
When Kalea finished translating, King Douglas didn’t say anything. Just then, there was a knock on the door and King Douglas’ assistant, Henry, entered at his call.
“Your Majesty, I have a gentleman whom Edward claims you summoned. His name is Gregory,” Henry said respectfully, as he blocked the opened door with his body in case the King hadn’t summoned the man.
“Yes, that’s fine Henry, send him in,” King Douglas answered.
Gregory, a tall lanky young man, stepped into the room and bowed deeply before the entire group. Clean cut and well pressed, he look almost military in his appearance. He didn’t say a word, but simply stood before the group.
Bryan always wanted to laugh when he saw Gregory act like this. The young man had wanted to join the military forces, but his near genius abilities with chemicals had kept him in research and development, instead of fighter training.
“Gregory, I need you to assist Prince Randolph and his team in identifying several chemicals that were used in the destruction of their sea city. After the chemicals are identified, you will help them find out where they came from and how they got here, as well as how to clean them up, or neutralize them. Any questions?”
Kalea softly whispered her translation to Randolph and her father while watching the young man’s reaction. There wasn’t much of one, but she could tell he was surprised.
“No, Your Highness,” Gregory replied.
“Excellent. Do you have the upgraded AVID with translation ability?” Bryan asked.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Gregory answered even going so far as to tip his wrist forward in order to give evidence to his claim.
“Very well, you may wait outside until we finish. Then you will accompany and report to Prince Randolph until further notice,” Bryan commanded as he dismissed the young man and turned back to King Douglas and the others.
Gregory bowed to Bryan’s back and backed out of the room to wait. Questions filled his mind but he knew that none of them could be answered in the company of those gathered.
“Thank you Bryan,” Randolph said as he finally took a seat by the window, as if his legs couldn’t hold him up anymore.
“You’re welcome.”
Getting back to the issue at hand, King Douglas asked, “Bryan, if you were to choose the best person to take your place, royal or not, who would it be?”
Instantly, Nathan came to mind. The problem would be the political fallout, both here and at home. Nathan was definitely the most qualified and had the advantage of already being here. The problem would be whether the evaluation teams would accept him as their leader, not to mention the Royal Council of Estar Beta.
“Nathan Stevens would, in all honesty, be the best in my stead,” Bryan began. “However, he is not a royal. He is actually my Chief of Security and a close personal friend. I have no idea how your Royal Council or my staff would react to putting Nathan in charge.”
“But you are sure that he would be the most qualified?” King Douglas asked again.
“Yes,” Bryan answered. “Nate has been with me both through school and on countless missions over the last nine years. He knows everything I do about defense systems and strategy. He also has great instincts, and has proven very trustworthy over the years.”
Kalea translated and almost smiled at the feelings of pride she was feeling via the link. She had no doubt that Bryan thought Nathan would be perfect for the position.
“Then I will take this situation and your recommendation to the Royal Council,” King Douglas said as he stood to his feet behind his desk. “However, if they approve of this change, do you feel that you could get your people to cooperate with Mr. Stevens?”
Bryan wanted to say an instant yes, but he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Looking the king in the eye he said, “I will speak with Nate. If he is willing, I will take care of the others.” The authority in his voice was clear, without the link or the translation, but Kalea translated the words anyway. Everything was just too important to let negative attitudes hinder the projects.
King Douglas nodded and everyone stood as he headed out the door. When he had left, Randolph shook Bryan’s hand and said, “Thanks for lending us Gregory. I can certainly use the help.”
Kalea translated and when Bryan had answered, Randolph left to meet Gregory and head back to the lab. Bryan looked back at Kalea and said, “I need to talk with Leo and Nate as soon as possible, but we need to talk, too. When would be best for you? Oh, and weren’t we going to have lunch with your father?”
“I think he forgot. I’m sure he will be meeting with the Royal Council as soon as possible. As for my schedule, I have no idea,” Kalea answered. “My entire schedule is ruined and I have so much to do…I’m not sure where to start.” Shrugging her shoulders she started for the door with Bryan following. When they were again side by side in the hallway Kalea headed out the nearest door to the gardens
and then stopped to take a deep breath.
‘Just let me know when you have time to talk and I’ll let you know where I am,’ Kalea said via the link as she took another deep cleansing breath. ‘I have a lot of questions and concerns that I would like to talk with you about, but it will take time. If things work out with the Royal Council, Nathan and your staff, I could really use the rest of your day.’
Trying to lighten the stress he felt building in them both, Bryan answered, ‘Now that is what I call motivation.’
When Kalea looked at him, they both laughed. The light dancing in her eyes drew him in and all he wanted was to kiss her. He moved closer and started to lower his face toward hers when he felt her tense. He wasn’t sure if he felt it via the link or just from her body language, but he had no doubt that it was too soon. Smiling he said, ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’ Then he dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and headed back into the palace.
Sighing, Kalea walked into the garden and finally sat down in the Rose Arbor. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, trying to force the tension away. Tension that seemed to mount every time she thought of any of the things she needed to be dealing with.
Just the thought of leading the Environmental Restoration teams on Saxionias made her tense. Not only did she need to review all of Randolph’s preparations and team members, she would need to meet with them as soon as possible. She needed to make sure they understood not only the reason for the change, but the potential problems it could cause as a result of Saxionias culture.
The cultural implications themselves were simply daunting. How was she going to lead her teams on a world that treated women as if they didn’t have any purpose outside the home? Not to mention her new role as Bryan’s wife. What would be expected of her above and beyond the evaluation teams? Would Bryan change when he returned to his world and was again immersed in its culture? Would he ever be able to fall in love with her there?
