by Peter Rhodan
“It’s still your ship, Commander. I’m just here to sort out some communication problems. So, what was the last message?” she said to the Ensign who was at the communications console.
Ensign Stensan played the message.
“This is Fleet Captain Bornham to the captured pirate vessel. You are required to dock with Kimeria One, docking bay C seven. That is a direct order, Commander.”
“Very stern sounding fellow,” Gizel commented. “What’s the delay on messages?” she asked the Ensign.
“Still a bit over six minutes, Your Highness,” Stensan answered.
“Right.” She moved to the console. “Put me on mic, please.”
The Ensign hit a couple of button panels.
“This is Princess Gizel aboard the captured pirate cruiser. I requested an isolated parking orbit for this vessel. It will not be docking at Kimeria One at this stage. Please forward suitable orbital coordinates immediately.”
She stopped and nodded to the Ensign who cut the call.
“Have the automatic data files been transmitted with your log and my report, Commander?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“So that fellow knows I’ve declared this a matter of Imperial Security.”
She grimaced as she considered things.
“Maybe they’re just slow passing that information on.”
Keegan nodded but didn’t say anything and they all stood around waiting a bit over eleven minutes for the reply.
“This is Fleet Captain Bornham. Midshipman Desnoute I am overriding your request for an isolated orbital location as I deem it to be too insecure. You will instruct the officer in charge of that vessel to bring it to docking bay C seven on Kimeria One. Do you copy?”
“Put me on mic,” she said to the Ensign.
“Fleet Captain Bornham. Are you aware I have declared this a matter of Imperial Security?”
They waited.
“Yes, I am well aware of that. This is why you will dock with the space station where we can offer proper protection. Carry out your orders Midshipman Desnoute.” Came the disgruntled-sounding reply.
Gizel looked around at the assembled Imperials and then at Karvon.
“What do you think?”
Karvon scratched the back of his head before answering.
“I’m thinking there may be smoke without any fire but all the same you should call the fire brigade.” This was said in the laziest Brython drawl.
She knew he was putting it on for the Kimerians and couldn’t help herself and sniggered.
“My thoughts exactly.”
She turned to Keegan who was actually smiling a little.
“Bring the ship onto a course that looks like we are following his orders for the moment and start slowing down.”
He looked puzzled at this last.
“Slowing down. Aye, Your Highness.”
She turned back to the Ensign.
“Stensan. Would you be so kind as to put a comm call through to Imperial Security Headquarters on Kimeria and ask for Baron Travgar, please?”
She saw the Ensign’s shoulders tense and Keegan swing around to stare at her.
“Aye aye, Your Highness,” Stensan said in a quiet voice.
There was some fiddling with things. Wait.
“Yes. This is Ensign Stensan aboard the captured pirate vessel. I have a comms request for Baron Travgar from Her Imperial Highness Princess Gizel.”
Wait.
“They’ve asked us to wait one, Your Highness.”
“Roger that,” she answered.
Wait.
“This is Baron Travgar, Your Highness. How may I help you?”
“Baron. I requested an isolated orbit for this little flotilla, while your minions come and collect the Imperially very sensitive, ah, evidence, I have aboard this ship. Fleet Captain Bornham on Kimeria One thinks otherwise and is ordering me to dock with the naval station. This order was issued despite my declaring this a matter of Imperial Security. He is overriding my authority as Heir Secondary which is, well, interesting to say the least.”
This last brought an indrawn breath from Keegan. Technically Bornham was leaving himself open to being convicted of treason.
“Now it may well be I am doing him an injustice, just as I probably did when I removed Admiral Jestwick from command of this flotilla, as she was the one that cut the orders sending the Thister way out the back of nowhere with me aboard. I truly hope I am doing him an injustice, but I order you to have your minions remove him, and the entire Operations Command crew from their positions. I want them to be placed under guard for later interrogation, should you see fit, once myself and the evidence I have aboard is safely ensconced on Kimeria.”
Keegan, Stensan, and even the rating who was currently piloting the ship, all turned to look at her in shock. She looked at all three of them in succession then shrugged.
“I will not take chances with any possible collaborators.” she offered and crossed her arms.
Five minutes later Baron Travgar came back on.
“My minions, as you so eloquently put it, are in the process of carrying out your orders Princess. Expect a new approach from Kimeria One on the next transmission.”
Gizel nodded and tried to stand stoically while they waited. Karvon could see the little grin of satisfaction hovering around her mouth though. Finally, a new communication was received.
“This is Kimeria One. Vice Admiral Danilac. What do you need Your Highness?”
Ah, Uncle Louis. Well, he wasn’t a real uncle although they were related a few generations back. He had been one of her father’s best friends at school and been a family friend forever. But then she had her real uncle’s body just a few cabins away.
“Vice Admiral Danilac. I wish to have my small flotilla positioned in an isolated orbit within shuttle reach of Kimeria until such time as Imperial Security is finished with this ship. There can be no excuse for any ship sailing too close in that circumstance, no equipment malfunctions or such. If I could have such an orbital position sent to all the ships in the flotilla as soon as possible, we can get ourselves positioned for the ImpSec chaps to do their thing.”
Wait.
“Very good, Your Highness. I will have someone determine a suitable orbit and have that passed along to your ships.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
Keegan broke in at this point.
“I have a small corvette flagged as Imperial Security heading for us. They came around from the far side of the planet and two shuttles just reached orbit from the planet in a hurry and are headed this way as well.”
“Also Imperial Security?” she asked absently, while thinking about having to face her parents with all this.
“So flagged, Your Highness.” he replied.
She nodded and simply stood and waited.
“I have a new course.” Ensign Stensan said after a short while. “Passing it to the helm.”
Keegan would get it as well, Gizel thought, resisting the temptation to grab a console and look at the orbital track herself, as she watched the sailor make changes to the ship’s course.
“You’re doing the flag officer bit quite well,” Karvon whispered in her ear.
She started and turned to face him, then it sank in what he meant so she smiled, nodded, and turned back to follow what was happening.
An hour later her flotilla came to rest in the assigned orbit and the Imperial Security corvette arrived just moments later. She elected to meet the party that came over from the corvette personally, so she made her way to the boat bay. She didn’t don her armor but was she wearing her pistol on her hip. At Karvon’s insistence, she had removed the midshipman pins from her collar, so she was effectively wearing an officer’s uniform with no rank indicated.
“There doesn’t seem to be any rank pins for Imperial Princess’ in your navy’s uniform regulations.” He offered, rising and indicating the page showing a listing of officer’s rank pins with a smirk. “Somet
hing you will have to correct.” He continued in a smart arse tone.
She poked her tongue out at him in a very un-Princess-like manner, but later, standing in the boat bay, she rather thought she might do just as he suggested. Then she had to grin to herself, delusions of grandeur at an early age. She was still grinning when the door opened revealing the disembarking Imperial Security officers. A hard-faced man wearing major’s tabs led them onto the ship, he looked to be in his forties, but that could have been just his severe visage.
She watched his eyes click down at her collar then back to her face as he marched up.
“Your Highness. I am Major Arno Gundar. I have been placed in charge of the investigation of this ship and its crew. May I also add that we are all very glad to see you back in one piece.”
His grave expression didn’t change one iota.
“As opposed to nearly half my crewmates aboard the Thister. But thank you for the thought, Major.” She nodded and then half-turned toward Karvon. “This is Karvon Alistair, Captain of the Kormorant, the merchant vessel out there with the flotilla, he was responsible for our surviving our encounter with this vessel.” She turned back the other way. “And this is Janus Dedsun, my personal security guard.”
She nodded to Dedsun whose eyes opened a little wider at this announcement, but just as quickly gave an infinitesimal nod back.
“We have been keeping the cruiser’s crew, well the survivors, under rather poor conditions in the other boat bay. A couple of female crew members have been kept separately, as has a female civilian who claims innocence, but who had to know a good deal more than she is letting on.”
She paused and looked at the several officers and numerous troopers forming up behind Gundar.
“I won’t try to tell you how to do your job Major, but I think some sort of amnesty guarantee, perhaps even a change of identity and some financial inducements would work well with her.”
She stopped then and gave him a moment to digest this idea, then pointed back to the corridor leading to the ship’s interior.
“If you would like to follow me I will show you the main evidence we have.”
She turned and went to lead led him out of the boat bay. The Imperial Security Captain who had come to stand on the Major’s right shoulder blocked Karvon from following. Gizel stopped and stared at the man. Everybody else had to stop at her halt as she and the Major were effectively blocking the corridor. The man sort of flinched and took a step back. Karvon took a step forward and she turned and continued towards the stateroom her uncle was in.
“Unfortunately, the main computer system aboard this ship was slagged during the battle and the secondary system was destroyed by the pirate crew while they waited for us to board.” She said to the major as they moved deeper into the ship.
“One of Karvon’s people was able to resurrect some of the files from the backups but they mostly deal with operations of this ship before she became involved in this conspiracy.”
She pointed to a room as they passed.
“The backups are in there if you have some IT people along?”
She didn’t stop but heard some words behind her as they came to the door into the stateroom, presumably some IT types being sent to check out the backups. An Imperial Security fellow and a Marine stood guard on the door to the cabin her uncle had been using.
“Gentlemen.” She said, nodding to them before opening the door and then stopped before entering.
“Major Gundar. Just you, I think. After you have assessed the evidence then I will leave it up to you as far as need-to-know is concerned.”
He studied her for a moment and then nodded.
“Very well your Highness.”
He turned to the ten or so people following.
“Wait here for a moment, people.” He commanded and turned back to the Princess waving a hand for her to proceed.
She waited for him and Karvon to enter and then shut the door in the other people’s faces.
“Very well Major. When we boarded this ship our people spread out to take charge of the important areas, my marines mostly, in support of Karvon’s people. It was reported to us that there was a civilian in this suite requesting to talk to the Captain of the cargo ship. He was holding a gun to the head of a woman. Yes, that would be the same woman mentioned earlier.”
She paused and looked around.
“I was wearing the unmarked marine armor Captain Deltron had insisted I wear when he reluctantly agreed to my being the Thister’s designated boarding officer.”
She saw the surprise on the Major’s face at this.
“I was easily the best person for the job Major, despite my other role as Imperial Princess, and in the end, he agreed. At the time we boarded this vessel I was one of only three officers still on their feet aboard the Thister, so I was really was the only choice. Besides I had worked with Karvon and his people before, so I knew how they operated and I felt safe with them.”
She saw his surprise at this statement and the quick glance he gave the Brython Captain, and then she pointed across the cabin.
“The person was indeed holding a gun to the woman’s head and wanted to negotiate safe passage aboard the Kormorant for himself. As Karvon negotiated we gradually separated so it became impossible for him to keep an eye on both of us at the same time. At a certain point, Karvon said something to attract his attention and I pulled my gun.” She pattered her blaster still strapped to her hip. “And I shot him in the head, killing him quickly enough that he didn’t get the chance to fire the gun he held until he was falling backward and the shot hit the ceiling.”
“He didn’t notice you raising your weapon?”
The Major asked looking puzzled.
“I didn’t raise my weapon. I shot from the hip,” she answered simply.
The Major looked like he thought that unlikely but Karvon interrupted before he said anything.
“Never bet against Gizel hitting her target Major, word to the wise.”
The Major glanced at him, and then his eyes opened a little wider at the familiar term of her name Karvon had used before he turned his full attention back to the Princess.
“And do we know who it was?” the Major asked.
“Oh yes. He was quite happy to tell us both how he had planned this whole operation so that the ship I was assigned to would be destroyed by pirates, along with me. And his plan would have been successful too if not for the Kormorant’s timely arrival. Captain Alistair makes a habit of rescuing me.” she smiled at Karvon who smiled back. “And I have no doubt you will recognize the instigator of this rather baroque plot yourself Major if would care to check that body bag over there.”
The Major walked over to the body bag and released the magnetic clamps then undid the zipper, pulled the opening wide enough to see who was inside, and then recoiled before shaking his head and closing it all back up. He turned back to the other two patiently waiting for him.
“I can now see why you wanted just me to witness this, Your Highness.” His eyes flicked to the gun on her hip and back up. “How do you want to handle it from here?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it Major. As far as we can tell the crew only knew him by his normal name, Petro Kugar. They thought he was some sort of businessman who’d got badly burned on a business deal. This had forced him to run to the outer reaches rather than get caught over some shady deal, and he had decided to play at being a pirate. The crew are from all over the galaxy, and the only two Kimerians aboard don’t seem to have recognized him. What the officers may or may not have known we have no way of telling, as apart from one junior engineering fellow, they are all dead.”
She paused, but he waited, obviously convinced she had a plan of action she wanted to expound on. Which of course she did.
“Baron Travgar and my parents need to be appraised of who we have here and what has transpired before there are any leaks. I would suggest we continue the pirate attack story for the present, it makes a good cover story
with all our people until word comes down from above.”
She cocked her head slightly and waited for him to respond.
“Definitely, Your Highness. I would like to get all the marines off this wreck and back to their own ships, then transfer the pirates to a secure facility at Darmia.” she nodded. “How much do the cargo ship people know?”
“Apart from Karvon, not much. The backups Krevis managed to bring to life made no mention of this operation or him.” she nodded at her uncle’s body.
“Is that why you kept Captain Alistair on board?” he asked.
Gizel smiled and shook her head.
“The Captain insisted on staying aboard and has been my shadow during the whole tedious voyage back.”
She paused and looked the Major in the face.
“He will be accompanying me to the Palace to meet my parents.,” she said firmly.
The Major’s eyes widened, he glanced at Karvon, then at the gun on Gizel’s hip, and finally back up to her face.
“As Your Highness wishes.”
He nodded slightly at the same time, perhaps realizing where things were going, or maybe he was just impressed having an Imperial Princess who could shoot her own uncle, and from the hip no less.
She waved a hand around.
“We haven’t checked this cabin out at all so your boys should have fun in here,” she said lightly and headed for the door. “You’re happy to be left in charge?”
“Oh yes. No problem there Your Highness. I have one man who I will assign to begin the search in here but otherwise, I will simply get the prisoners moving and so forth until I get further orders from the Palace or the Baron.”
He glanced around again and Gizel nodded and opened the door for them to exit.
“Captain. I want two men on this door around the clock, no one in or out except Sergeant Longarm. Understood?”
The Captain looked a little non-plussed but nodded.
“Replace all the marines with our people and see to them getting back to their ships. We’ll keep the ImpSec people. The prisoners will be transferred to Darmia on the Kettarn. There is a civilian woman in one of the guarded cabins. She is to be kept separate from the others at all times and nothing is to happen to her. Do you understand?”