by Renee Duke
“History points to few instances,” said Verim. “In each, the reigning Supreme Ruler recognized the deficiencies in his protégé’s character and revoked the succession order. Prince Taziol served our Supreme Ruler for several years. I doubt anyone here could say Obruk ever appeared to find much fault with him.”
“He was, however, considering Crown Councilman Drazok’s removal from the Supreme Council not long before his death,” said the helpful Sub-Ruler with the falsely indolent look. “An honourable, dignified, early retirement type of removal, but removal nevertheless. Is that not so, Supreme Chancellor?”
All eyes turned to Verim. “That is so,” he confirmed.
Drazok flushed angrily. “An honourable retirement is the usual acknowledgement of long and virtuous service to Cholar, Sub-Ruler Tolith.”
“It was also one of Obruk’s ways of disposing of anyone he had come to distrust,” Sub-Ruler Tolith said evenly.
“His Supreme Highness trusted me implicitly. And my suitability for my position is not on trial here. This tribunal was convened for the express purpose of deciding who will succeed Obruk X as the Supreme Ruler of Cholar—his hereditary successor, Prince Mardis, who is present in this chamber, or his chosen successor, Prince Taziol, who is not. And perhaps never intended to be since he disappeared some weeks ago.”
“That was Crown Councilman Drazok’s doing,” said Simon. “He had Taz kidnapped and taken to a hideout in the middle of Smugglers’ Stronghold on Klavor. He was going to keep him there until after the Succession Tribunal was over.”
Sub-Ruler Tolith raised his eyebrows. “What do you say to that, Councilman?”
“Another made-up story. The charge is absurd. Everything these children have been saying is absurd. Do the tribunal members intend to let the entire day be taken up with their fanciful tales?”
“We will find out how fanciful they are when the High Princess’s men return,” said a Crown Councilwoman. “Until then, I suggest we put aside this debate and take a few minutes to acquaint the spectators and visiting officials with some of the laws pertaining to a disputed succession.”
Vostia nodded. “I think that is an excellent idea.” She obviously did not want Drazok’s insinuations to lower Taz’s standing any further.
“I, too, find it acceptable,” said Prince Mardis, a sudden spark appearing in his anxious eyes. I’m sure the quiet, unassuming young man was willing to endorse anything that might postpone the decision that could transform him from a happy, dedicated naturalist to an undedicated, and thoroughly miserable, monarch.
The inner guards found us seats near the dais. For the next hour or so, tribunal members took it in turn to explain Cholar’s ancient laws of succession. Too keyed up to pay much attention, we nervously waited for Vostia’s Royal Guardsmen to return to Beom’s Chamber.
When they did, they looked far from elated. Feeling uneasy, I got to my feet and watched them approach the dais.
“Has the High Prince been found?” Verim asked the first Guardsman.
“It grieves me to report he has not, Your Excellency. Cholar’s industries flourish. Few warehouses stand empty. Our computers pinpointed those that do, and Guardsmen went out to search them. All of them have now communicated their findings. The High Prince was not in any of them.”
“But he is,” I said. “You just haven’t found the right warehouse yet.”
“We searched each of them most carefully. One had been broken into recently, and did contain the land skimmer reported stolen from the starport, but that was all. No one was with it.”
I glanced at Drazok, wondering if his henchmen could have got to Taz and Trithox before the Guardsmen arrived, but the Councilman’s face projected a mixture of surprise and relief. Quickly, he turned the news to his advantage. “It is as I have said,” he informed the other tribunal members. “These children are just trying to turn us from our appointed task with an endless list of allegations they cannot substantiate.”
“No, we aren’t. I don’t know where Taz is now, but he was in that warehouse yesterday.” I turned imploringly to the room at large. “Please. You must listen to us.”
Ambrose Ramsweir got up from his seat at the end of the first row of dignitaries and strode across the room. “I would say the august members of this tribunal have listened to you for far too long as it is.” He looked up at the dais. “These children come from planets belonging to the Association. I suggest you let me take charge of them. I will see they are returned to their families.”
“He won’t,” Kirsty avowed. She and the others were now standing us as well. “We’ll not go with him. He’s in this too.”
“Oh, so now you seek to implicate Director Ramsweir, do you?” Drazok tried to conceal a smile of amusement. “Is everyone who refuses to go along with your preposterous story going to be accused of involvement in what you appear to think is some kind of plot to keep High Prince Taziol from the throne of Cholar?”
A few Crown Council members and alien dignitaries sniggered.
“No,” I cried, furious at how our words were being twisted. “Director Ramsweir is involved. He wants Taz to be discredited. I heard him talking to Councilman Drazok on an audio transmission back on Klavor. He asked how things were going and said the Directorate would sanction anything that brought Prince Mardis to the throne—including the permanent disappearance of the children of some of AUP’s own people.”
Instantly, an angry buzz filled the spectator’s gallery. Even some of the tribunal members exchanged frowns. Ramsweir hastened to placate them. “I didn’t say that, or anything like it. The girl is putting quite the wrong interpretation on our conversation.”
“Oh?” said Verim. “Then you admit a conversation between you and Councilman Drazok did take place. And that these children were present to hear it.”
Ramsweir looked startled. He began to speak hurriedly, to cover up his slip. “A conversation did take place, but not as the girl describes. Being a member of the AUP Directorate, I was naturally anxious to learn how the search for the High Prince was coming along. I thought Councilman Drazok might know something. The children must have been listening in on our frequency and received a garbled version of what was actually said.” He stopped and considered for a moment. “I cannot recall where Councilman Drazok was at that time. Wherever it was, the four of them would hardly have been there too, unless, of course, they were paying him a social visit.” He smiled as this brought another round of laughter from some.
“He was on Klavor, and the visit wasn’t the least bit social.” Kirsty cast a scowl in Drazok’s direction. “We were his prisoners, just like Taz.”
Drazok gave a long sigh and tried to look victimized. “Oh, come now. I know some esteemed members of this tribunal”—he scowled at the portly Tolith—“might think me capable of seizing the High Prince and immuring him at some unknown outpost on that nefarious world, but even they cannot believe I would have taken these children there. What could I have possibly expected to gain by such an act?”
“The sacred Ring of Beom,” said Jip. It was her first utterance since entering the chamber, and her words brought whispered exclamations from several people up in the spectators’ gallery.
Verim quelled them with a look. “Are you trying to tell us Councilman Drazok took you prisoner because he thought you had information regarding the whereabouts of the sacred Ring of Beom?”
“Yes.”
“And did you have such information?”
“Och, we’d not just information,” said Kirsty. “We’d the ring itself.”
At this, no one was content to whisper. Voices resounded from every section of the room. Verim had to bang on the table to restore order.
“We’ve had it all along,” I said when the clamour finally subsided. “It was my brother Simon, here, who stole it.”
“I didn’t know I was stealing it,” Simon said as everyone turned to look at him. “I thought I was just playing a joke on someone.”
He q
uickly explained what had happened. “Once I knew the ring was real, I went after the girls to get it back. I wanted to give it to the people who were after us,” he added shamefaced, “but they said we had to take it to Taz. And as soon as I met him, I knew they were right. The Ring of Beom belongs to Taz. He’s the rightful successor, and no one else.”
Prince Mardis nodded his head eagerly. “I agree. If my cousin has the Ring of Beom, his claim cannot be disputed.”
The hereditary successor made no attempt to hide his relief, which no doubt infuriated Drazok, but being supposedly subservient to him, he couldn’t very well tell him to shut up. Not publicly, anyway. He settled for glaring at him.
“To retain the succession, the High Prince must present the sacred ring to this tribunal. An act he must, by law, perform today. If he does not, his claim is forfeit, and since he is not here—”
I broke in before he could say any more.
“We’re here, and we have the ring with us. The law allows us to present it on his behalf.” I took off my belt and held it aloft so everyone could see that it appeared to be empty. Then I turned and gave Jip a brief nod.
Jip nodded too, in acknowledgement. Quickly focusing her thoughts on the appropriate dimension, she withdrew from the initial plane. To the people watching, of course, it was as though she had disappeared. They began to jabber excitedly.
“Jip’s a dimension traveller,” I shouted through the hubbub. “She put the ring in another dimension for safekeeping. But it is here. She’ll return with it in a moment.”
After that, everyone in the room kept absolutely still. Even when Jip reappeared, no one moved or spoke. Then, suddenly, Drazok snatched a liquidator from under his top-gown and pointed it at Jip. It was clear he intended to vaporize both her, and the incriminating ring.
Simon and Kirsty were closest to him. They reacted immediately. As they threw themselves at his feet, I grabbed a recording device from the nearest table and hurled it at him. Once again, my aim was good. The recorder struck the liquidator from Drazok’s hand at exactly the same moment Simon and Kirsty knocked him over.
Cursing, he sprang up and tried to retrieve his weapon. Before he could reach it, the bright flash of a stun gun engulfed him and he toppled from the dais.
I thought, at first, that one of the Royal Guardsmen or inner guards had fired on him. Then I realized the blast had come from the Supreme Ruler’s personal entrance behind the state throne. In front of it, stun gun still held firm, was Mr. Skoko.
None of the spectators or tribunal members knew who the Ralgonian was. They didn’t know the aged alien who came in after him, either. But they certainly recognized the old fellow’s companion.
“All stand to receive the High Prince!” Verim cried joyfully.
Chapter Twenty-One
The arrival of Supreme Ruler Obruk’s chosen successor was met with shouts of jubilation inside the Council Dome and out.
As the inner guards escorted a groggy Drazok from Beom’s Chamber, Taz held out his hand for his sacred ring. Then, leaning heavily on Prince Mardis and Sub-Ruler Tolith, he presented the ring to the Succession Tribunal in formal compliance with Cholar’s succession laws.
Formal acceptance called for certain rituals to be performed but the tribunal members cut these as short as ancient protocol would allow. The young High Prince was trembling with the effort of staying on his feet, and few could have been taken in by his attempts to conceal his pain and exhaustion. He looked far more feverish and haggard than he had the day before, a result, no doubt, of his having gone long hours without proper medical treatment. Speeding through the streets of Cholaris in Mr. Skoko’s ground car probably hadn’t helped much either, but at least the Ralgonian had found him.
His change of heart concerning Taz was completely understandable. Intergalactic guardians take their responsibilities very seriously, and after we got away from him, he’d been forced to accept that the best way to protect us was to make sure Taz got to the Succession Tribunal and became Supreme Ruler. To that end, he had made inquiries about disused warehouses and gone systematically around all of them until he found the one Taz and Trithox were in. They had been decidedly distrustful of him at first, and their attempts to kill him while he was trying to convince them of his good intentions added yet another grievance to the list he planned to attach to his demand for a bonus from Jip’s father.
As soon as the succession was officially re-established, Verim dissolved the Succession Tribunal and gave an order for all of Drazok’s friends and associates in Beom’s Chamber to be placed under arrest. None of them resisted, the innocent because they knew they would later be exonerated, the guilty because they knew there was no point. Protected by diplomatic immunity, Ambrose Ramsweir wasn’t arrested, but was definitely persona non grata. Upon receiving a host of contemptuous looks, he quickly made himself scarce.
The Royal Guardsmen let the inner guards handle the arrests and turned their attention to complying with Verim’s next order, which was to get Taz to the royal physicians without delay.
Close to collapse, Taz was only staying on his feet through sheer obstinacy, but would not submit to the indignity of being carried from the room. “My subjects have been made to doubt my ability to rule,” he said, almost in a whisper. “I…I cannot display weakness now.”
“Did the blows you received damage your ears?” inquired Prince Mardis. “The people outside are hailing your return with such enthusiasm it almost shakes the building.”
“I hear them.”
“Then you must know that they approve the succession,” said Verim. “A lack of physical strength does not denote weakness of character.”
Taz remained stubborn. “I will not be carried out of here.”
“You prefer to crawl?” Vostia’s patience was clearly at an end. “You are hurt, Taz. Badly. Our people know that. They expect you to require assistance. Refuse it, and they will think one of those boxes came down on your head and knocked all sense out of it. And that might indeed make them doubt your future capabilities.” Her face softened and her eyes filled with tears. “I have been so worried about you, my husband. Do not cause me further distress by trying to walk unaided.”
One of the Guardsman tried a compromise. “I have brought an anti-grav chair, Your Highness. If you would let me help you into it, you could convey yourself to an air car in no time.”
Taz eyed the chair with disgust. “That is Sub-Ruler Halid’s chair. He’s a hundred and seven.”
“As you might be in another eighty years if you are sensible now,” said Verim.
Taz looked mutinous for a moment, but then capitulated and let the Guardsman assist him into the chair.
Outside, Taz had to be shielded from a horde of excited media people from all around the Zaidus system. Barred from getting anywhere near him, they descended on his rescuers, and were outraged when Verim had us taken off to the royal palace before we could talk to any of them.
By the time we arrived at the palace, it was a hive of activity. Worn out from the tension and excitement of the last few hours, I passed the day in weary confusion. Aside from hearing a late afternoon announcement about Taz being weak, but out of danger, I don’t remember much about it.
Early the next morning, Ambrose Ramsweir turned up to request a royal audience. I was able to eavesdrop on his exchange with Verim because I happened be lurking near the palace’s receiving room when he arrived.
“The High Prince will not be granting audiences for at least a week,” I heard Verim inform him. “I doubt you will obtain one even then. His Royal Highness is not desirous of further contact with you, or anyone else from the Association of United Planets.”
Ramsweir’s reply sounded agitated. “Please, Lord Verim. I know I gave support to one now exposed as a traitor to Cholar, but I did so with the best of intentions. Councilman Drazok led me to believe that the hereditary successor’s claim to the throne was a valid one—and supported by the majority of your people. His Royal Hi
ghness must not allow my naïveté to put him against the entire organization I represent.”
“The organization itself did that. Prince Taziol has come to learn much of the Association of United Planets of late. He does not believe further dealings with it would be in our planet’s interests. He will soon be its Supreme Ruler, and he has told me his first official act will be to issue a decree forbidding Cholar’s entry into the Association. The decree will be issued under the sacred Ring of Beom and will stand in perpetuity.”
On some planets, decrees issued in perpetuity only have to be honoured for a few generations. On Cholar, they really are honoured forever. Hearing this, Ramsweir must have known that AUP’s plans for Cholar and the other independent planets had received not a setback, but a deathblow.
And the Association’s troubles did not end there. The account Mr. Skoko relayed to Professor Vor-Zoag was forwarded to the Vorlan Planetary Council. Within a day, Vorla informed the AUP Directorate it was withdrawing from membership and reverting to its former independent status. With it went Delveck and Ralgon, the only other conditional-member planets in the Zaidus system, and Heltiga, a full member planet. Heltiga’s withdrawal could have been challenged, but its leaders resented the position AUP’s secret alliance with Drazok had put them in. With all the bad publicity the Association was receiving, the Directorate would have been foolish to use military might to keep them in the fold. The rest of the Zaidus planets stayed in, but Yerth did take back its old name, Yaix, which Yaixians apparently hadn’t been too thrilled about giving up in the first place.
As full details of AUP’s involvement in an attempt to dethrone a lawful monarch reached other star systems, other conditional AUP-member planets withdrew from membership, and violent demonstrations on some of the most recently acquired worlds prompted their governments to come up with intricate new laws enabling them to limit AUP’s influence.
