by Juli Blood
Pulling herself back to the moment, Kalea looked around at all the beautiful roses, and listened to a few insects flying nearby and a bird singing in a distant tree. ‘All the reports show that his world is completely devoid of life outside the domes,’ Kalea thought and unwittingly shared the thought with Bryan via the link.
‘Yes, it is.’ Bryan replied feeling her sadness at just the thought. ‘Where are you?’ he asked.
‘In the Rose Arbor,’ Kalea answered, embarrassed but not knowing what else to say.
‘I’m talking with Nathan now. To say the least, he’s surprised.’ Bryan paused for a moment and then said, ‘Kalea, don’t think about any of that for a little while. Just enjoy the wonders of Estar Beta. We’ll talk soon.’
‘I’ll be waiting, somewhere.’
Trying to decide what she should do first, she pulled out a data pad and started making a list. Then her AVID buzzed. “Yes,” She answered.
“Princess Kalea, this is Dr. Wingate. I need to see you immediately.”
“On my way.” Kalea stood and headed through the garden to the Med Lab. It didn’t take her very long and soon she was walking in the sliding doors.
“Is it true?” Dr. Wingate asked as she crossed the threshold.
“Is what true?” Kalea asked feeling like she was coming in halfway through a conversation.
“Will you be leading the teams that are going to Saxionias?” Dr. Wingate asked, seeming somewhat frustrated because she didn’t instantly know what he was talking about.
“Yes,” Kalea answered. “Prince Randolph has to stay here to handle the SC-17 disaster and I am the only other Royal qualified to go.”
Dr. Wingate nodded and then turned and started for his office. Knowing he wasn’t done with her, Kalea followed. Holding the door, he waited until she had entered and then closed it behind her. Walking over to his desk he pressed a button and then sat down as the window behind him dimmed.
“Princess Kalea, there are things you need to know. However, you cannot share them with Crown Prince Bryan or anyone else. Do you understand?” Dr. Wingate asked as Kalea realized that he had done more than dim the window when he pressed that button.
“Yes, Dr. Wingate, I do.” Kalea’s guard went up.
“Very well.” Dr. Wingate made himself more comfortable behind his desk and waited for Kalea to take a seat. “Is it true that you were successful in forming the link?” he asked.
“Yes,” Princess Kalea answered. Dr. Wingate could tell from her tone that she had no desire to discuss it further with him.
“I’m concerned you see,” Dr. Wingate began. “Prince Randolph and Princess Alexis have been preparing for the last six months with vaccinations, exercise and vitamin supplements to be ready to go to Saxionias. Every member of the team has as well. Now that you are going, I need to find a way to get you up to speed in just a few days. It can’t be done!”
“What are your primary concerns?” Kalea asked, wondering what the true problem was.
“Air, water and nutrition,” Dr. Wingate answered. “Our original delegates found that all of those living on Saxionias had less than normal readings in all three areas. Most are slightly dehydrated because their water supply is so critically low. What foods they do produce in space are highly processed to provide the largest number of individuals with food. Unfortunately that means that they lose much of the nutrients from the food in the processing. Also, the air filtration systems they use allow for much higher levels of pollutants than ours. This thereby greatly decreases the air quality from what you’re used to.
“I was hoping that by having every member of the Environmental Restoration teams in top physical shape they would be able to handle the changes better than the original delegates,” Dr. Wingate paused and Kalea jumped in.
“What problems did the original delegates suffer?” she asked.
“Nothing life threatening,” Dr. Wingate hurried to explain. “They suffered headaches, dehydration and a bit of weakness from lack of nutrition. The problem that I see is that you have to stay for an extended period of time. This opens up the possibilities for other problems occurring; problems that we may or may not be able to correct. Prince Randolph and Princess Alexis had time to think about all this and they made some decisions accordingly. I asked Princess Alexis if I could share those decisions with you and she said yes. You see Princess Kalea, they decided to postpone having children until they returned to Estar Beta and had fully recovered. Not only that but as a precaution, they have put uncontaminated specimens in stasis.”
Kalea let that sink in and realized that she and Bryan hadn’t even kissed, much less talked about children yet. “Just a moment Doctor,” Kalea said as she listened and felt for a moment. She was quickly learning to tell when Bryan was focused on a task or relaxed. Currently she was sure he was busy, but she felt the need to tell him that she was in a meeting.
‘Bryan,’ Kalea said softly to get his attention.
‘Yes,’ Bryan answered.
‘Sorry to interrupt, but I just got asked an important question and thought you might want to tell me your answer before I give mine.’
‘Okay, what is it?’ Bryan asked and then told those he was with that he needed a moment of quiet. Confusing them greatly, but he didn’t care.
‘I was asked if we planned to have children; and if so how many and starting when?’ Kalea asked somewhat briskly in an effort to cover her tumultuous emotions regarding this subject.
‘Oh. Well we haven’t really had time to discuss it but I always planned on our having children at some time. Not right away of course. I guess I thought we might plan to begin a family in a year or so. Once we really know each other and things have stabilized a bit. I have no idea how many. I mean there are so many things to discuss, what with the customs of both our worlds to consider and everything.’ Bryan was a bit surprised by the subject and wondering about the context in which it was asked.
‘Good, I think we are in agreement. We should take some time to think about this and discuss it again when we have the time. Unfortunately, I just got called into a meeting. I’m not sure how long it will last so I’ll let you know when I’m done. Sorry about all this but I wanted your input and to let you know I was in a meeting,’ Kalea explained.
‘I understand about the meeting, but what was with the question?’ Bryan asked.
‘Just curiosity, I guess. Doctors have it in spades.’ Kalea joked as she tried to hide her discomfort in a laugh.
‘Yes, doctors seem to think they can ask you anything. You must be with Dr. Wingate, then. Well, I hope your meeting with him isn’t too long. Just let me know when you are free. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be either. The Royal Council accepted Nathan, so I am in the process of discussing things with my staff.’ Bryan’s frustration was evident but she could tell he was handling it well.
‘I’ll let you know as soon as I’m free. Blessings upon your meeting,’ Kalea replied and heard Bryan say ‘Thanks’.
“Okay, Doctor, you may continue,” Kalea said as she refocused her attention on the problem at hand.
“For the last twenty minutes I have been trying to come up with a solution, but I am not sure what problem to address first.” Dr. Wingate jumped right back into the conversation.
“Let’s start with the nutritional supplements,” Kalea suggested. “Are they designed individually or for the entire team?”
“Over the last six months I have been able to develop what I thought would be a supplement that would meet the needs of all the team members,” Dr. Wingate explained. “Here again, the problem is that you haven’t been on any supplements and so I have to design some specifically for you. This wouldn’t be a problem except that the previous delegates didn’t live with the royals. You will ...” Dr. Wingate kept talking but Kalea tuned him out. None of this sounded nearly as important as his message had implied.
“Dr. Wingate,” Kalea said, deciding to take control of the conversation. “I think this si
tuation can be solved easier than you think. First of all, I will not be without communication and neither will anyone on my team. I have not had the opportunity yet to review the names of those on the team, but I am sure one of them has enough medical knowledge to be able to run periodic scans and send the results back to you. You could then make the supplements that you feel are necessary and send them to me. Yes, there will be a week’s delay in the process, but that is better than taking a large supply of the wrong supplements with me and hoping that they are correct.”
After a moment, Dr. Wingate nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, that will work,” he said as he started to mentally review who on the team could perform the scans. “Except that you may only have minimum contact with the Environmental Restoration teams. If this were Prince Randolph and Princess Alexis they could scan each other but with Crown Prince Bryan, I’m just not sure…”
Seeing his point Kalea wondered how Bryan would react to discovering her need for supplements on his world. As she considered finding a way to scan herself, Dr. Wingate stood up and began to pace.
“We will just have to add another member to the team,” Dr. Wingate decided as he paced. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t really be to the team as much as it would be a med tech assigned to you in some capacity.” Spinning to face her he asked, “Princess Kalea do you plan on taking Linda with you?”
Realizing she hadn’t even thought about it, Kalea took a moment before answering. “I could probably take a maid or an assistant but I don’t think I’ll ask Linda. She and her husband are quite happy here and I wouldn’t want to separate them. Besides I think he has a health problem. So it wouldn’t be advisable for him to travel with us.
“Do you have any single female med techs that would be willing to travel with me both as a tech and an assistant?” Kalea asked.
“If not, I’ll find one.” Dr. Wingate answered as he again began to pace. “Yes, I think this will be best. If I could send a tech with you, they could monitor you regularly. That would not only allow us to keep you supplied with the proper supplements, but would also help with overall research.”
“You can’t use my scan results in research, Dr. Wingate, and you know it.” Princess Kalea stood from her chair and walked toward the door.
“Oh, yes,” Dr. Wingate answered somewhat distractedly. He knew the law she was referring to applied to public research, but he was thinking of the private research that was exclusively conducted on all members of the royal families. Those results were only shared with members of the Royal Council. A council that Princess Kalea would one day be a member of, he realized as she paused at the door.
“Was there anything else, Dr. Wingate?” Princess Kalea asked.
“Actually, yes. You see, there is one other area that concerns me and that is Crown Prince Bryan,” Dr. Wingate said as Kalea started back to her seat. “He has only been here a short time and I know he hasn’t had time to reach his full nutritional potential. I am sure the added water and sunlight have already helped him, but he was lacking in a few areas when he arrived. I worry that should he become ill once you return to Saxionias, he might blame the illness on the vaccinations that I gave him when he arrived. Which reminds me, you will need a few vaccinations, once I determine if we can produce the ones you need. Having Crown Prince Bryan’s information has provided important insight into what you may or may not be exposed to.”
“I’m sure you can provide nutritional supplements for Bryan as easily as you can for me. As for his probability of becoming ill, I suppose the risk is valid for all of us. I will try to reassure him that the vaccines had nothing to do with his illness, should he develop one, but I don’t see it as being a problem. Was there anything else?”
“Only to ask you to consider the decision that Randolph and Alexis made regarding children. If you wish to take similar precautions, I will need to know immediately. It usually takes a few hours to prepare and extract the eggs for storage and you would need a good night’s rest before-hand,” Dr. Wingate explained as he walked over and opened his door for her.
“Thank you, Doctor. I will consider it and let you know.”
‘Holy One, be with her,’ he prayed as he watched her walk past his window as it again let in the light.
~
Kalea wondered as she walked away why Dr. Wingate was concerned about her talking with Bryan regarding vitamin supplements. Lost in thought, the buzz of her AVID startled her. Taking a deep breath Kalea flicked her wrist and said, “Yes.”
“Princess Kalea, this is Henry. His Majesty requests your presence in his office,” Henry stated simply.
“I’ll be right there,” Kalea answered as she glanced around and thankfully found herself near the palace entrance closest to her father’s office. Within moments she was standing in front of Henry’s desk and he rose and opened the door for her.
Entering her father’s office Kalea found both her father and Randolph waiting. Before she even had a chance to greet them her father began speaking.
“Kalea, the Royal Council has agreed to your taking Randolph’s place on Saxionias, but they have a few stipulations,” her father began as he read from a data screen on his desk. “First, you must return for the quarterly Council meetings. Since we are not sure how long you will be gone, they felt it was important to let the leaders of Saxionias know your first priority is Estar Beta.”
Without looking up King Douglas continued, “Second, two additional members will be added to the original teams. These members are in addition to your security force, which will also be joining you. The first will be your assistant, whom Randolph will help you choose from among the original team members; his previous position will then be filled again. The second person will be the med tech that Dr. Wingate just called about.” With all that said, King Douglas finally looked up from his notes. Seeing the slight smile on Kalea’s lips he relaxed just a tad.
Looking over at Randolph, Kalea said, “You don’t think they will really let me lead the Environmental Restoration teams, do you?”
Randolph looked at the toe of his shoe and took a fortifying breath before he answered. “No. I think they’ll only see you as a figure head and therefore won’t let you lead. If we send you with an assistant, a male assistant, then they will probably see him as the leader and not hinder the process. Samuel, however, will know who is really in charge and he will truly function just as an assistant,” he reassured her.
“We aren’t trying to justify or support their views of women, but we thought this might make for a smoother transition. I just don’t think they’re ready to handle the truth, and you don’t want to spend every minute fighting for the respect you deserve. We thought this would…like I said, smooth things over,” Randolph finished with a touch of apprehension.
“I can see you're trying to help and I appreciate it,” Kalea began. “There are several issues that Bryan and I need to discuss before we finalize things with Samuel, or make any other final decisions. I still need to review the list of team members already assigned and if the Royal Council is really insisting on the assistant, then finding a replacement for Samuel would be advisable. However, I have a feeling something else is going on here and you need to tell me what it is.”
When neither of them would look her in the eye, Kalea knew she was right. Neither seemed willing to answer her, so she stood up and walked to the window. Several long quiet moments passed before she turned around and said, “Well?”
“I’ll buzz Dr. Wingate and then we can explain.” King Douglas finally answered as he pushed a button on his desk. “In the meantime, would you like me to order some lunch? This might take a while.”
Realizing that it was indeed nearing midafternoon Kalea nodded and waited. ‘I have to speak with Bryan soon.’ Kalea decided as she tried to calm her sudden case of nerves.
Dr. Wingate arrived right behind the food. After the kitchen helper set everything up and left, King Douglas blessed the food and they all filled their plates. When everyone wa
s sitting comfortably around a circular table off to the side, Kalea asked again, “All right, what is really going on?”
King Douglas and Dr. Wingate shared a look and then Dr. Wingate put down his fork and began. “Over the past…”
“Doctor please,” Kalea interrupted knowing the doctor's fascination with long explanations that had a tendency to wander. “I don’t need a history lesson, just give it to me straight. Something is going on and I need to know what it is.”
“Very well. In short, each member of the royal families has a tracking device that is specially designed with long distance detection. These tracking devices are in different areas on each person and they are nearly undetectable as far as we know,” Dr. Wingate explained.
Kalea nodded and waited. She knew there was more and with a raised brow she indicated as much.
“Crown Prince Bryan was given one of these without his knowledge upon his arrival. Only the members of the Royal Council and a very small number of medical staff know of the existence of the devices at all, and only a few engineers know how they work and how to activate them,” Dr. Wingate continued.
Suddenly it all made sense. Kalea realized that vitamin supplements were just an excuse to convince her to allow a med tech to join the team. “So do I really need vitamin supplements?” Kalea asked skeptically.
“Yes.” All three men answered together, making Kalea laugh.
“So, you’re all worried that somehow they will be able to detect these devices and try to either remove them or figure out how they work so they can track all of our royals, right?” Kalea asked.
“Actually,” Randolph answered, “we hadn’t thought of that second possibility. Primarily we were concerned with them being able to detect the device that was implanted into Bryan and causing a political fiasco.”
“Removing the device,” Dr. Wingate explained “is not possible. Well it technically is possible but highly unadvisable. The device is armed with a self-destruct mechanism that is activated if it is removed or tampered with. The problem with this is twofold. First, it generates a radioactive signature to aid in locating the royal and second, the odds of anyone surviving are non-existent.”
