by P F Walsh
“The prisoners are charged with the following: First Charge: Trespass upon the Realm in armed vessels, five counts. Second Charge: Theft of a Royal warship by deceit and conversion, one count.” The footman struck the floor again. The Queen sat there with her left elbow on the chair’s arm and the fingers of her hand touching her chin in a constructed, deliberative pose. She said,
“You have entered into my kingdom without permission praying for peaceful accord yet bore arms into my palace which is forbidden by royal decree, bearing arms here is exclusively by royal sanction. Then, when you were restrained for consideration, others of your command usurped control of my warship, threatening its crew with imminent death, and took the ship for your own, posturing it now as a threat to the throne.” Her voce rose as she slid across the words in an accusative fashion until at the end she was shouting with rage.
“Raising such threats against the throne is all punishable by death in a manner of my choosing.” Her voice now resumed in a command level but lower than before.
“Regrettably, our generous offer to release you safely in return for settlement of our claims has been ignored by your crews in orbit. Further regret disappoints the throne in that you can only suffer death once, and therefore leave some of the charges against you unsatisfied. How do you plead?” She asked in an icy voice.
Captain Flynn stepped one step forward,
“As Captain of a peaceful, diplomatic mission I declare all charges false and made by a false, illegitimate usurper of the throne!” He said in a clear and strong voice which was translated by his medallion and heard by all. Audible gasps flowed through the crowd behind him and on the sides. The Queen went into a rage.
“How dare you insult me when you stand before me bound and ready for execution? Gag his mouth!” But before the shocked guards could react, Sean spoke again.
“Your evil grandmother assassinated the true Queen with poison and destroyed her starship, but we have the royal scribe’s journal telling the whole truthful story. You are a fake!” He managed to get out before he was gagged. The Queen was now trembling with anger as she stood up from her chair.
“Bring the Master of Knives, now!” She screamed.
“Before I put you and your crew to death, I will know the satisfaction of watching you stripped of your clothes and neutered right here, for all to see. She hissed.
“Take him and strip him!” She commanded.
The guards started to follow her command as Sean struggled, making it almost impossible for them to proceed quickly when a loud shout from the back of the room echoed throughout and stunned everyone into silence.
“NO!” Was shouted out.
A tall person from the back of the crowd pushed others aside and moved beyond the front row to cut the velvet rope with a single stroke of her blade and stood there shedding the robe. The crowd gasped again as they could see Nasht-Mer standing there in her golden, sparkling, slim gown wearing the Necklace of JihnBaar around her neck, and the Royal Broach. She was holding the whip in her right hand, and the dagger in her left as she moved toward the Throne. Sean and Doris, acting on a cue, shouldered the guards violently aside and they all fell to the floor.
“No one, NO ONE, especially a fake pretender threatens the Duke of Mer!” She proclaimed in a loud voice.” The Queen screamed,
“Kill her!”
Ketrug ran toward her pulling out Doris’s gun and fired directly at the center of her body. The bullet bounced back off the Necklace’s body shield and hit him in the center of his chest with the bullet exiting up through the back of his throat with a splash of blood over those nearby. He fell instantly. They all shrank back at how quickly he was struck down.
Nasht-Mer unfurled the whip with a shake of her wrist, and snapped it out to wrap around the throat of the fake Queen where it locked in place. Nasht-Mer then pulled in the whip and, as though the whip knew what she wanted, pulled the pretender by the throat off her throne and cast her face down at Nasht-Mer’s feet, whereupon Nasht-Mer stepped on her neck pinning her face to the floor and said,
“I repeat, NO ONE threatens the Duke of Mer, especially a fake queen. I AM THE ONLY PROVEN NOBLE IN THIS ROOM! She shouted.
“I am Duchess of Mer by direct descent, and Mate of the Duke. I bring the original Journal of the true Queen’s scribe which proves this despot laying before you is nothing more than a pretender, cruel, evil, and subject to Noble justice.”
The fallen pretender was trying to scream from a constructed throat and struggled under Nasht-Mer’s foot which felt like a massive weight on her neck. Her crown had fallen off just above her head and lay there. Nasht-Mer decided to bring her captive upright and pulled on the whip. It instantly tightened around the neck of the fallen pretender and sliced clean through, cutting off her head which rolled away.
Without being the slightest surprised at the temerity of the whip itself, she stepped over the body, now producing a pool of blood, and picked up the crown. The assembled crowd was stunned as was those watching the telecast. Nasht-Mer strode up to the throne, coiled her whip, and seated herself on it, hanging the crown on the arm of the throne, placing the Scribe’s journal on a side table, and declaring,
“As a forced Agent of Noble Justice, I take this throne as Regent Protector and hold it for a new Monarch to be seated. Who calls for objections?” She shouted out. No one spoke. After a pause, two of the guards stepped forward and kneeled on one knee. Others followed, until all did so.
“Very well, let us begin the transition.” Welly and Hal came forward, armed and shedding their cloaks. With them were the other two Sisters of Mak’am. They untied Sean and Doris who stood up silently. Nasht-Mer then commanded,
“Stewards, remove these two bodies. Dispose of them with fire amongst the Palace trash until not a speck of bone remains. Then, spread the ashes amongst salted soil where nothing may grow of the evil they were made of.”
For a moment, no one moved, then four stewards came forth, bowed to the throne and dragged the bodies away. Two other stewards came forth and cleaned the floor of their blood. This all took several minutes as Nasht-Mer looked sternly into the eyes of each person in the room, one by one. Some shrunk from her glare, and others stood with looks of relief in their faces.
When the level of shock had diminished and the realization that the vicious Queen was dead, Nasht-Mer could sense it was time to begin the process.
“I hereby call for the Great Search to begin. Throw open the gates of the Palace and this room and let in the people. Any person who lives in this realm may present themselves for examination to determine who is the real heir. The Journal suggests that one lives among you. The Sisters of Mak’am will bear as Truthsayers, and look into the mind of each who present themselves for consideration. Nothing can be hidden from them, as we will demonstrate.” She declared in clear, crisp, commanding tones.
She then commanded that all who wish to be considered line up. All of this was being broadcast and Nasht-Mer instructed it to continue as long as the examinations continued. The first of the crowd that was in the room during the excitement of the fake Queen’s disposal lined up in front of the throne. Nasht-Mer spoke,
“Here is how the examination will go, so that all of you will know it’s legitimacy, and honest process. Each person will present themselves to the front of the throne one by one. They will each declare the words, ‘I am the just heir.’ Mother Primitia of the Sisters of Mak’am will report on the authenticity of their claim, and the Duke will hold the Royal Broach to the chest of the claimant. If the Sister says the claimant lacks the blood of an heir, and the broach does not light up, they will be asked to step aside, having had a chance to discover an unknown heritage, and a claim to the throne.” She paused to let that all sink in and then continued,
“The next person in line will take their place to be considered. Once the heir is found, you will all know that an equal chance has been offered, and no decision by the Regent Protector has seated another pretender.” Tho
se words stirred the crowd and all those watching that finally, justice will seat a legitimate Monarch after decades and decades of cruel rule.
Hours went by and the day grew late as claimants were considered one by one. They were visibly shaken as Mother Primitia told Sean what their thoughts were, impressing all who watched, that Mother Primitia could really know what was in a claimant’s mind at the time. The Palace Guards, now reporting to the Swordmaster, kept order as each person entered, was considered, and left the Palace grounds. Long hours went by as each was quickly examined and the next one stepped up. It was well after dark when the last of the line had been considered. Nasht-Mer spoke,
“We have offered the throne to all in the realm within the call of my voice to present themselves for examination and hundreds of you have. We will now examine the Palace stewards, keepers of service, and the Palace guards.” She said, and began the process. An hour later she began the Guards, leaving the Swordmaster last. As she called the Swordmaster to present herself to the throne consideration she said,
“All of you have seen this process of equal pursuit of the just heir to the throne. No one was turned away that wished to be considered. If there is anyone not so offered yet, let them come forward before we do the last person in line.”
She waited for what seemed like a very long time. No one came forward through the doors which remained open throughout the process.
“Swordmaster, come forward. It is your turn to utter the phrase you have heard all day.” Jillip came forward to the Sisters and Sean, who was holding the Royal Broach and said,
“I am the just heir.”
Mother Primitia immediately bowed and said to Sean,
“She speaks truth!” Sean repeated what they said to the shocked Swordmaster who stood there stunned, and a bit frightened. Sean drew her near and pinned the Royal broach upon the front of her uniform and it began to glow brilliantly for the first time in more than one hundred annuals. The remaining crowd in the room issued “ooo’s and ahh’s.” Finally, one shouted out,
“Long live the Queen!”
Then they all joined in with the expression, joyfully knowing they had a new legitimate Queen. Jillip was speechless and looked confused. Nasht-Mer stood up and gestured for her to approach the foot of the throne. In a strong voice declared to all,
“As Regent Protector, I present to you, Queen Jillip of New Mak! You are all now subject to her rightful rule. The Sisters of Mak’am have declared her to be true and of clean heart. The Royal broach, removed more than one hundred years ago from her assassinated ancestor, burns brightly, certifying this finding. Let no one cause challenge to this just and true crowning, lest the Regent Protector return with anger and justice against those who would oppose!”
Nasht-Mer then stood, took the crown from the arm of the throne and stepped down to place it on Jillip’s head. She directed Jillip to unfasten her sword, hand it to Nasht-Mer, and then to sit upon the throne. Once she did, the crowd energetically repeated the cry,
“Long live the Queen. Long Live Queen Jillip!”
Echoes of that could be heard beyond the open Palace doors. They all bowed, including Nasht-Mer and Sean.
Chapter Eighteen
Book Three
“Nasht-Mer, Duchess of Mer, Regent Protector of the Throne of New Mak, and Director General of Interplanetary Affairs for the Council of Worlds, I hereby award you the Star of Mak. It is the highest award ever given to those who acted with bravery and honor to protect the throne of Mak. Only two others have ever been awarded in the long history of Mak. Accept this from a grateful people, and a grateful Queen.” She said as she pinned the broach on Nasht-Mer’s dress. Once attached, the center stone, smaller than the Queen’s, began to glow brightly.
“It will glow for no other than the Throne’s Regent Protector.” She said as she turned Nasht-Mer around to face the crowd and cameras in the throne room of the Palace. Applause broke out and continued for a very long time. Queen Jillip had persuaded Nasht-Mer to wear the same gown she wore to dethrone the fake queen, along with her dagger, Necklace of JihnBaar, and her whip.
The drapes on the high windows in the Throne room had all been drawn back to let in the flush of bright sun for the ceremony. No one could recall when they were last open. As Nasht-Mer moved, her necklace and her gown sparkled and flashed shafts of pinpoint light at the crowd and cameras. As the applause continued, the Queen leaned over to whisper to Nasht-Mer,
“I insist you tell me where you got that gown, it is amazing.”
The next day, Sean and Doris were meeting with the Science and Space ministers about providing some fuel for their Cruiser now returned unharmed and also arranging for some trade with Earth. At the meeting, Sean presented the Science Minister with one of the Seed Kits he brought from Caerus.
“Minister, I understand that you lost a great deal in your emergency migration, libraries, scientists, information and technicians on how to acquire anti-matter for your ships and much more. I cannot replace it all, but I can give you a Seed Kit that will contain a great deal of information on how to direct your technicians and scientists to redevelop your world. I recommend you begin immediately to assemble as much information about the natural resources of your planet to begin trade. My Artificial Intelligence, we call Allister, has sent his drones around your planet to scan and map it. He has discovered evidence of deposits of rare earths, petroleum, and metal ores all in abundance that you will need. Here is his report.” He handed the printout to the minister, and then the seed kit case with the red stripe on it.
“Thank you, Captain, this is..., well your whole appearance on New Mak has changed everything. The fake Queen would not support science, she preferred a feudal existence and held us all back. We are more grateful than we can express. Thank you again.” He said.
While Sean and Doris walked back to the Palace, Sean recreated the throne room rescue scene in his mind again, and said,
“I had no idea Nasht-Mer could handle a whip like that.”.
“I did.” Doris said, “I watched her practice every day in the gym, but I didn’t know she was a fearless warrior. She never blinked or hesitated once. I will never forget the deadly fierceness in her eyes. Wow!” She said. Sean replied,
“I was speechless, I knew she was going to do something, but I expected Welly, Hal, and guns. She did the whole thing with a whip.”
“Not just a whip, Sean. She was wearing the Necklace; it causes a shield for the wearer and gives life to that whip. Scary, spooky stuff. No one would be prepared for all that.” She said as they walked along.
After the crew shuttled back up to Discovery, Sean met with Mother Primitia.
“Mother, we now know where New Mak is. I believe it is within reach of your repaired and updated starship back on Hhearn. Will you be returning or stationing some of the Sisters here to help the Queen? She has asked for some of you to return to assure that truth is the bedrock of her reign.” He asked silently.
“Yes Captain, all of that is right. The two Sisters we brought with us have volunteered to stay and live within the Palace. When we get back to Hhearn, I will assign a group of Sisters to serve the Queen. I granted her the privilege of conversing with us, so she can be effective in ruling on those who appear before the throne with pleadings.” She replied, nodded and floated back to her cabin to confirm that the Sisters would stay.
Welly was kept busy for three days helping to renovate the Cruiser and add some fuel to it. He looked over the idled ones parked in orbit and concluded that they were all useable as soon as they got some fuel, but should have updates to their systems.
Sean made one more trip down to meet with the Queen and give her information on the Council of Worlds for when she felt her world was ready to consider joining. Aside from that, he gave her the location of Earth and said her ships would be welcome to come and trade. He encouraged her to make their first stop at Caerus.
The Discovery and her fleet left New Mak and slipped into ‘no-space�
� with a destination to recover the executive starship Bettlrig that they found abandoned after it ran out of fuel. After a few long jumps, the fleet transitioned back into normal space and began the scanning to find the drifting ship. It had drifted a bit from its original location, but scans located it, and in a few hours the fleet and Discovery pulled alongside.
“Welly, how much of our standby fuel do you think it will need to make the jump back to Earth? He asked.
“Not much Captain, a little anti-matter goes a long way in energy production. ‘Course, we won’t know if there is anything else wrong with her until we restart the energy core and run diagnostics. Might take a day, if all goes well. Longer, if not. She’s more than a hundred years old.” Welly said.
“We’re not on any schedule so take your time and be careful. The owner may have set systems to prevent anyone else taking her. There is no telling what those might be. It could be anything from a password we don’t have, to something that would injure a person.” Sean cautioned.
“Aye Captain, just what I was thinking too. I’ll be picky careful.” He said.
Welly suited up and took the sled over to the Bettlrig. Sean watched on a monitor as Allister re-broadcast the helmet camera on the EVA suit. Welly operated the airlock hatch and watched as it opened slowly.
“Power’s down quite a bit, just enough for us though.” He said as he slipped into the airlock and initiated the cycle. The outer door closed and air from the pressure tanks began to flood the lock. An hour later Welly sent back,
“Captain, I’m recharging the anti-matter jar now. Didn’t need the jar I brought. There was a spare containment jar here. It was plugged into an outlet in the engine room, just sitting there, but it looks like the owner didn’t know how to use it. I should begin powering up in a few winks. I’m taking off my helmet, atmo is up full.” He said.