by Rick Shelley
Henry III, King of Buckingham, Protector of the Second Commonwealth, was past his seventy-fifth birthday. There was no trace of gray in his hair, nor any age lines in his face. The hair was reddish brown, only slightly less red than it had been a half century before. The eyes were grayish blue, alert. Comfortably over six feet tall, Henry had the build of an athlete, and did remain active.
“Good morning, William, Shrikes,” the king said.
The prince and captain both gave a brief bow of their heads. Their “Good morning, Your Majesty” came in almost perfect unison.
“Is the tea still hot?” Henry asked.
“I believe so,” William said. There was always a place setting for the king whenever refreshments were served in the palace, just in case His Majesty should appear. William poured tea for his brother, who took one of the seats near the cart.
“Sit, both of you,” Henry said. He made every show of concentrating on his first sip of tea while the others returned to their seats. “It is time, William,” he said after he had set the cup back on its saucer.
“Yes, sir. That is what we both thought,” William said.
“We have gone over your brief on this thoroughly,” the king said. “This meeting is more to let me wish you both good luck before you leave. Your staff is prepared to depart?”
“I’ve had everyone on notice for a week,” William said. “The ship is provisioned and needs only a few hours to get the last members of the crew aboard, about as long as it will take to get all of my staff up to it.”
“Yes.” Henry let that word sit alone while he took more of his tea, refilled the cup, and took another sip. Then he leaned back and made himself comfortable.
“I have every confidence in you, Will,” he said, very softly. He turned toward Ian. “And in you, Captain Shrikes. I must say that I have had glowing reports of your abilities from a number of quarters. You have taken to this diplomacy dodge with admirable facility.”
“Thank you, sir,” Ian said.
“I have long been amazed at the extraordinary caliber of so many of the men and women who come out of our Combined Space Forces. That has never been truer than during this lamentable war. Knowing that there are people such as you serving the Second Commonwealth has been a most invaluable comfort through some of the more trying times we have experienced.”
Ian was too flustered to reply coherently.
“Sorry, Ian. I did not intend to make you uncomfortable.” The king smiled. “I would not have thought it possible after your time under Admiral Truscott. I’ve been trying to discomfit him for five years without success.”
“The admiral is one of a kind, sir.”
“So I have been told. But I did want to make sure that I expressed my appreciation to you for a job performed to the highest standards.”
Ian’s acute embarrassment had passed. “Again, sir, I thank you. I have but done my duty to the best of my abilities.”
After that, the king turned his attention to his brotheragain. The prince had been watching the byplay between the others with thinly disguised amusement.
“When do you want us to leave?” William asked.
“There is no call to put everyone to the test to see how rapidly you can depart,” Henry said. “If you go up to your ship this evening, you should have plenty of time to make the trip to Dirigent without stressing ship or crew.”
“Dirigent? The mercenary world?” Ian asked, the question out before he could keep himself from speaking out of turn.
The king turned toward him. “Yes, the mercenary world. If it were not for the Dirigenters, there might not be any talks. Their position as a neutral in the war, and their military strength, are both important. We had to have neutral ground, and we had to have a venue where our negotiators would be safe even if the Federation should happen to play us false.”
“Yes, sir. I apologize for interrupting.”
“No need for the apology. William’s reaction was almost identical when I told him.”
“We’ve spent so much effort trying to convince Dirigent to ally themselves with us,” William said.
“And, if necessary, we shall spend more effort,” Henry said. “A large part of that might have to come from you, Captain, should the talks with the Federation go poorly. With your naval background, you might well succeed where career diplomats and courtiers have failed.”
“Go home and spend some time with your family,” Prince William told Ian as they left the Emerald Room, after the king had made his exit. “We have a final briefing at the Admiralty at four this afternoon. That should only take thirty minutes. We’ll go up to the ship from there.”
“You’re sure you won’t need me before then, sir?”
“I believe I can survive,” William said over a chuckle. “Give your wife my regards and tell her that I promise not to keep you away one day longer than absolutely necessary.”
“I’ll tell her, but it won’t be soon enough to please her. At least, that’s what she’ll say.”
“It is eminently possible that our mission will bring us back to Buckingham several times before we finish. My authority is not absolute, even with the concurrence of the representative of the Prime Minister.”
The prince stopped walking, so Ian also stopped. They were in the middle of the staircase leading down to the west wing of the palace, where Ian had arrived. He had not noticed that William had glanced at his watch before he stopped.
“We really might do a lot of shuttling back and forth,” William said. “It all depends on the course of the negotiations, what authority the Federation delegation has, and so forth.”
“I still think it all sounds like a crashing bore, sir,” Ian said. “Staying awake might prove to be a problem at times.”
William laughed. “That’s all part of the game. If you can’t reason the other fellow around to your point of view, get him so bored that he’ll agree just to escape the torture.”
“And hope your threshold of boredom is higher than his?”
“Precisely.” The prince had stopped where he could see the doorway. He made no move to resume his path down the stairs until a floater in navy colors pulled up in the drive outside.
“We might as well get moving,” William said. “I’m subtracting from the time you’ll have with your family.”
At first, Ian paid no attention to the Marine lieutenant in dress blues who entered the palace. It was not until the lieutenant removed his hat and handed it to a butler that Ian really looked at him. And stopped, three steps from the bottom of the stairs.
“I’ll be damned,” Ian said under his breath.
Prince William was laughing softly when he turned to Ian again. “I thought you might recognize the chap.”
“I nearly didn’t. The uniform threw me. He was a sergeant the last time I saw him. When was he commissioned?”
“Year before last, I believe.” William was having difficulty suppressing his laughter.
“You set this up?”
“Only when I heard that he would be coming here this morning. Come on. We might as well meet him halfway.”
David Spencer had recognized Ian Shrikes and Prince William as soon as he saw them. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and speak to them, but was too uncertain of proper behavior at the palace to do so. His hat and gloves were taken. The butler was ready to take him in tow, to lead him off … somewhere.
“A moment, please,” David said as Shrikes and the prince started toward him again. The butler, who had been warned to keep Lieutenant Spencer available until the prince came down, merely nodded and stepped off to the side.
David took several steps forward. Prince William and Ian were moving more quickly. Ian was grinning broadly. The prince wore a self-satisfied smirk.
“Are you out of uniform, or are belated congratulations in order?” Ian asked.
“I still feel like I’m out of uniform,” David said. “But they keep telling me that this is proper kit for me now. Good to see you
again, Captain Shrikes, Your Highness.” He paused. “Sorry, sir. I seem to have got that twisted around.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lieutenant Spencer,” William said. “An unexpected summons to the palace is a perfect excuse.”
“His Highness set this meeting up,” Ian explained.
“I’m glad you did, sir,” David said. “It’s always good to meet people you’ve been through tight spots with.”
“It is,” William agreed. “I’ve followed your career with interest, David. Never a disappointment. You’ve more than lived up to the impression I had of you back on Buchanan.”
“That’s been all of five years, sir. A lifetime.”
The smiles faded from all three faces for an instant. “A lifetime and more for some,” Ian said softly.
“Too true, sir,” David said. “We’ve lost a lot of mates.”
“This is supposed to be a reunion, not a wake,” the prince said. He made a subtle gesture, and the butler came over.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Harold, could you find a place close by where three old friends could spend a few minutes?”
“Of course, sir. Right this way, gentlemen.”
“Er, I’m supposed to have an audience with His Majesty,” David said. “Blessed if I know why, but that’s what I was told.”
“It’s all right, David,” Prince William said. “Your appointment isn’t for another half hour. I asked Colonel Zacharia to send you around a bit early.”
Harold led them to a room no more than fifteen paces from where they had met, on the north side of the corridor. For the palace, it was a small room, its length and width matching the eighteen-foot ceiling height. Three upholstered chairs were arranged in a narrow arc facing a fireplace. There was a fire burning. A small table held bottles, ice, and glasses.
“It seems that you arranged more than the time, sir,” David said when he saw the arrangements.
“You might say that,” William acknowledged. “It’s a brisk day outside, and I thought a stiff brandy might be just the thing. And you do have an ordeal ahead of you, don’t you?”
“Ordeal, sir?”
“A figure of speech, the meeting with His Majesty.”
“Could I ask a question, sir?”
“Of course.”
“Apart from this reunion, which I much appreciate, sir, could you tell me just why I was summoned to the palace?”
“You have received movement orders, have you not?”
“Yes, sir, but those have never occasioned an audience with His Majesty before.”
“Quite right. But I can give you no more help on the subject. I learned long ago not to try to steal my brother’s thunder.”
“I’m not certain I like the sound of that word ‘thunder,’ “David said, and the prince laughed.
“Not to worry, lad. You haven’t gotten yourself in trouble. Far from it, I would say, and that’s saying more than I should. Ian, will you do the honors?”
“Already working on it.” Ian had filled three glasses with appropriate amounts of brandy. He handed two of them to the prince and David. The three men sat, but only William appeared comfortable.
“I do want to congratulate you on your commission, David,” Ian said. “I think the Royal Marines should have done it long before they did.”
David took a cautious sip of his brandy after he had seen the prince take a drink. “I’m not so certain. I think I must be the oldest lieutenant in the RM. It feels a bit strange, if you know what I mean, sir. All these youngsters commissioned straight out of the Academy. Some weren’t even born when I took the King’s Shilling, and they still outrank me. Perhaps I shouldn’t say it, but it’s been as much a nuisance as anything else. The difference in money is nothing special, and there’s bags more grief comes with it.” He glanced at the prince again, to see how his statement had been received.
“It’s always that way, then, isn’t it?” William said. “The higher the rank, the greater the responsibilities.”
“Aye, sir.”
“So, what line of work have they put you in now?” Ian asked.
“They’ve done the odd bit of reorganizing,” David said. “They took the old I&R platoons, increased the manpower, gave us more equipment, and more training. Now we’re the 2nd Marine Commando Detachment, still part of the 2nd
Regiment, but more often than not, they seem to expect us to work off on our own.”
“He’s being modest, our lad is,” William said. “Lieutenant Spencer is the commanding officer of his detachment, and helped write the training manuals for the whole show.”
David gave an affected cough. “The colonel told me, ‘This way you’ve got no one to blame but yourself if there’s anything wrong with the drill.’ “
“Colonel Laplace?” Ian asked.
“No, sir, Colonel Zacharia. It’s Brigadier Laplace now, and they’ve stuck him off in a staff position, last I heard,” David said. “I doubt there’s anyone in the regiment still doing the same job as five years ago. Some have been killed, some promoted or transferred out. You know what it’s like, sir.”
“I do indeed. It’s the same in the navy.” Ian took another long drink of his brandy. “The next time we’re both in town, we’ll have to get together for more than a few minutes.”
Prince William looked at his watch. “It is near the time for your appointment, David.” He stood, and the others hurried to get to their feet. “I want to wish you the best of luck, Lieutenant, and I want to offer my own congratulations on your commission.” He extended his hand, and David took it.
“Thank you, sir. It’s been good to see you again. And you, Captain Shrikes.”
Ian also extended a hand. “It’s Ian at times like this, David. We’re old comrades, the three of us. We went through Hell together.”
“We did indeed,” the prince said. “And once this cursed war is over, I hope to have the both of you to my place in Haven, along with any others who went through that battle with us.”
“There aren’t so many of us left, sir, not of the old I&R batch,” David said, shaking his head.
“I know,” the prince said, nearly whispering. “I’ve done my best to keep track of the lot of you.”
“Why was he called to the palace?” Ian asked after David had left the room.
“To find out what his next campaign is going to be.” The prince finished his brandy. “This is Most Secret, Ian. Spencer’s lot is being sent to Camerein.”
Ian blinked. Hearing the name was enough to trigger the memory. “Where Prince George was at the start of the war?”
William nodded. “Henry wanted to talk with David personally about this. I suppose I’m to blame for him getting stuck with the job. I’ve bragged him up so often over the years.”
“You think it will be a rough go?” Ian asked.
“I don’t know. It might be the roughest job of work he’s ever had. That’s why I wanted to have this reunion before he leaves.”
“In case he doesn’t come back?”
There was no need for William to answer that.
2
David Spencer tried to memorize landmarks. Harold had been waiting when he emerged from his talk with Prince William and Ian Shrikes. The butler led David along a series of corridors to a lift tube that took them to the third floor. Then there had been another series of corridors to walk. I’m supposed to be able to find my way from point A to point B anywhere, David thought after several turns. It would be a disgrace to get lost here.
He had been to the palace only once before, and on that occasion, he had needed to go no farther than the Elizabeth Ballroom on the first floor. That had been for a Commonwealth Day function the year before, his first as an officer. There had been wall-to-wall servants that day. It would have been impossible for David to get lost, even if he had not been with several other officers from the 2nd Regiment.
At least the ceiling was not so distant on the third floor, fourteen feet instead of eighteen. Bu
t there were all of the paintings, photographs, and busts that lined the corridors, the fancy chandeliers, and the rest of the trappings of luxury.
This is almost more frightening than being on patrol behind enemy lines, David thought as Harold finally stopped in front of a door. David thought that they must be nearthe northeast corner of the palace, about as far as possible from where he had entered the building.
The butler knocked softly. David heard no response from inside, but Harold apparently did. After a few seconds, he opened the door and gestured for David to enter before him. David was in the doorway when Harold announced, “Lieutenant David Spencer, Royal Marines,” loud enough to startle him.
“Come in, Lieutenant. Over here, by the windows. Thank you, Harold. That will be all.”
The door shut quietly. To David’s right, near the windows, the king turned toward him. David moved cautiously forward. When he came to within two paces of his monarch, he stopped and gave a formal officer’s bow, ten degrees from the waist.
“Good morning, Your Majesty.”
“Please relax, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir.” David tried, but his body resisted any easing of posture. The king came a step closer.
“This is the third time we have met, Lieutenant Spencer.”
David blinked. “Yes, sir. I’m surprised that you recall.”
Henry smiled. “With most people, I probably would not have done so without prompting by one of my social secretaries. You would be surprised how many people I need to have around to make certain that I do not forget those who should be recalled.”
The revelation had its intended effect. David relaxed visibly. The king was human, and had a sense of humor.
“In your case, I needed no reminders. The first time we met was nearly five years ago, when I pinned that King’s Cross on your tunic. The second time was Commonwealth Day last April.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And I’ve had my brother, the Duke of Haven, singing your praises over all of those years. He has made certain that I remain informed of your exploits. That is why, when this current … affair came up, I broke one of my hardest rules and interfered in routine CSF operations.”