by Henry Vogel
We reached the hatch to the ladies’ compartment. I assigned one of the marines with me to guard the hatch. “I’ll send more men and more…appropriate…clothing as soon as possible.”
When we neared the airlock, we met more Mordanian marines boarding the ship. I selected a squad to help guard the women’s hatch and directed the rest toward the fighting. Exiting into dazzling late afternoon sunlight had all of us squinting and blinking.
Apparently, it’s a medical emergency when the prince consort is bleeding. Rather than wait for the marines to carry me to him, the medic rushed toward me. Right on his heels ran a very concerned Callan.
I gritted my teeth as the medic poked and prodded around my wound. After a moment, he said, “He needs a surgeon, Your Highness, not a medic. I’m afraid the sword nicked an artery!”
Callan’s face paled at the medic’s pronouncement, but she kept her composure. “David, can that thing in your head do anything to fix the wound?”
“My implant? Nothing it hasn’t already done. If we had medical nanites, it could direct repairs, but we don’t have any of those.”
Ignoring the confused look the medic gave us, Callan asked, “Could there be some of those nan-whatevers on this spaceship? I’d think pirates would want a whole lot of them.”
“I’m sure you’re right about the pirates, but I think the nanites were destroyed in the crash. I can’t think of any other reason why Caudill needed Tristan to tend to his wounded,” I said. “But maybe the women who helped me hid some nanites. You should send someone to ask Laura.”
“Who is Laura? No, tell me later.” She turned to one of the marines who had brought me out. “Private, do you know who Laura is and where to find her?”
“Yes, Your Highness, I do.”
“Good. I want you to take Milo and go find her.”
I’d almost forgotten Milo was with us before he stepped up to Callan’s side.
“Milo,” she said to him, “ask this Laura it they have...” Callan got a faraway look in her eyes as she searched for the right phrasing. “Any tiny medical machines. Tell her about David’s wound, if it it helps.”
Milo looked as pale as Callan and twice as serious. I hated to see his spirit weighed down worrying about me. Fortunately, sixteen year old boys are easily distracted.
“And Milo,” I added. “Look Laura in the eyes when you talk to her.”
“What?” he and Callan both asked.
“The pirates chose the clothes the ladies are wearing. Their attire leaves a lot to be desired, starting with sufficient fabric to cover them decently. Strive to be a gentleman, Milo. Don’t let your eyes wander too much.”
A hint of Milo’s impish smile returned. “I’ll try, David!”
The private and Milo bounded into the spaceship and disappeared from view. While they were gone, I told Callan everything that happened after Rupor, the marines, and I set off for the ship. Just as I got to Martin’s heroics on the bridge, Laura and Milo dashed through the airlock.
Ignoring all the marines ogling at her, Laura came straight to Callan, “I hate to say it, but we don’t have any medical nanites. But that’s not the worst of it. I’m afraid the pirates overwhelmed Prince Rupor’s marines and captured the prince. They’re holding both the prince and the doctor hostage!”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Callan frowned in concentration as she listened to the computerized translation of Laura’s words. As the computer finished speaking, she assumed her court face. “Private, give this woman your shirt.”
Laura’s eyebrows climbed as the private removed his shirt.
Callan allowed a smile to light her face briefly. “Laura, you have traveled with these pirates and know them better than anyone else I know. I will need your advice during my negotiations with them. At the same time, I can’t have my marines distracted by the pretty, half-naked woman I’ve brought into their midst.”
Obviously relieved to have the shirt to wear, Laura replied, “You realize there’s no chance your marines will pay any attention to me with you standing right beside me.”
I said, “Sure they will, Laura. After all, Callan isn’t half-naked!”
Callan and Laura glared at me.
I wilted under their gazes. “Um, blood loss makes me say stupid things?” The glares didn’t break. “So, why don’t I just lay here and listen to you over the radio?”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Laura said.
Turning toward the airlock, Callan added, “And make sure you don’t die.”
Callan, Laura, and an escort of marines vanished into the pirate ship. I listened as Laura told Callan about the remaining pirate officers and answered Callan’s incisive questions. Otherwise, I concentrated hard on not dying. Callan had better appreciate how seriously I was taking her last order to me.
At the end of Laura’s briefing, I heard Callan call out, “I am Princess Callan of Mordan. I wish to speak to the pirate commander.”
After translation lag, one of the pirates yelled, “Captain Caudill is our commander! You can talk to him.”
“No, I can’t. Caudill is dead.” Callan let that sink in for a few seconds. “It appears someone just got a promotion.”
The pirates were silent for several seconds before the same pirate spoke. “My name is Artin. If you’re telling the truth, I guess I’m in command.”
“I most assuredly am telling the truth. Now, Captain Artin, I’ve been told you are holding my doctor and the crown prince from our neighboring kingdom.”
“That’s right, lady!” Artin sounded more confident of himself on the topic of hostages. “Here’s a list of our demands. We-”
“I am here to accept your peaceful surrender, Captain Artin. I will not listen to, much less accede to, any demands.”
Callan’s response caught Artin off guard. “Well, um…Maybe we’ll start cutting up that prince! Yeah, if you don’t start satisfying our demands, that’s exactly what we’ll do!”
“Captain Artin, sometime in the near future you and your crew will end up as my prisoners. Any atrocity visited upon your hostages will, in turn, be visited on each one of you tenfold!”
“You can’t do that!” Artin sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than he was Callan. “Torture and mistreatment of prisoners is against Terran Federation law!”
“You do not seem to grasp the situation, Captain Artin. My country is not a member of this Terran Federation, nor are we bound by its laws. Furthermore, in Mordan my word is law.” Callan blew out her breath in irritation. “I grow tired of this, Captain Artin. The choice is yours. Surrender peacefully or I swear that you and every single one of your men will die slowly and in unspeakable agony, begging for the merciful release of death!”
Silence stretched for several seconds. I could only imagine the looks of disbelief plastered over the pirates’ faces at Callan’s response to their demands. Artin’s next words confirmed the accuracy of my mental image.
“Look, princess, is there a king or another prince I can talk to, because I don’t think you get the picture. We have your prince and your doctor. We hold all the cards!”
“No, Captain Artin. You hold nothing more than a single compartment in a crashed spaceship. I hold everything else. That includes all the food, all the medical care, and hundreds of men-at-arms who want nothing more than my permission to come in there and carve you scum into little pieces.” Callan spoke slowly, as if explaining this to a child. Alas, the sarcasm in her voice was lost in the mechanical translation.
“Can you believe this, men?” From the tone of his voice, Artin obviously couldn’t believe it. “You don’t even care what happens to our hostages, do you princess?”
“I care more deeply than a vile and violent man such as you could ever hope to understand. That is why I am giving you one last chance to surrender peacefully.” She paused for several seconds but Artin didn’t take the hint. “The rest of you pirates, is there someone I can speak with in that room who isn’t st
upid?”
“The captain speaks for the crew, lady. Seeing as you’re the one who promoted me by killing Caudill, you’re just going to have to deal with me!”
Callan sighed then spoke quietly. “Sergeant, who is your best marksman?”
“That would be Corporal Dobbs, Your Highness.”
“Corporal, I am tired of speaking to this idiot. Would you please promote someone else.”
“Hey!” Artin called. “What are you muttering-”
There was the snap of a crossbow firing and Artin’s voice cut off with a gurgle. Pirate voices rose in shocked surprise.
“I do hope your new captain is more intelligent than your previous one,” Callan called over the hubbub. “Whom do I congratulate on their promotion?”
More muttering among the pirates was followed by a tentative voice. “Um, this is Captain Rondle?”
“Are you asking me or telling me, captain?”
“I... Uh...”
Martin’s voice cut in. “May I speak to the pirates, Your Highness?”
“Oh God yes, Martin. Please be my guest.”
Switching to galactic basic, Martin said, “Princess Callan represents the most enlightened monarchy on this planet. If you surrender peacefully, she will take that into consideration when dealing with the rest of you. Unfortunately, her tolerance for fools was sorely tried by Artin. She won’t be as patient with you, Rondle. If you want to come out of this alive, don’t be another Artin!”
Rondle responded with remarkable alacrity. “I see your point. We surrender!”
Minutes later, Callan and her escort of marines swept out of the airlock and came my way. My wife was in full princess mode. She assumed this bearing as easily as she put on a new dress — easier, when I considered how many ladies-in-waiting were required to help her change clothes. Most of the time, Callan only went into princess mode while presiding in court or during official royal appearances. Today, she used it as armor to hold her worry for me at bay.
“Private?” Callan smiled at the private who gave his shirt to Laura. “I’m afraid we have twenty-two more women in need of proper clothing. On my authority, please gather a shirt for each of them. My page, Milo, will be along shortly to guide you to them.”
She turned to the medic. “Corporal, please prepare to move my husband. Tristan will be operating in a surgery on board the pirate ship.”
Callan’s princess armor cracked a bit when she knelt beside me. I wiped a single tear from her cheek as she said, “I see you’re still alive. Thank you for following my orders!”
“I strive to please, Your Wifeness.”
Callan gave a bark of laughter, quickly smothering it into a quiet fit of giggles.
“I’ve been saving that one for just the right moment,” I said.
Through her giggles, Callan replied, “How very thoughtful of you.”
“Your Highness, we’re ready,” the medic said.
Once again, the princess armor snapped shut around Callan as she rose to her feet. “Follow me.”
She led the way to the surgery. Inside, we found Tristan staring goggle-eyed at what I considered a somewhat outdated ship’s surgery. Once I arrived, Tristan’s attention focused entirely on me. His face grew serious as he examined my wound.
“He’s lost a lot of blood and is losing more by the second. Let’s get started while there’s still a chance to save him!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Tristan’s pronouncement hung in the air for a second, then people bustled all around me. One of Laura’s women — a med tech, I assumed — hooked me up to one of the machines in the surgery.
“Are you ready for me to put him under, Doctor?” she asked.
“Yes, Pamela.”
As Pamela fiddled with her machine, Callan lifted my right hand to her lips. “I’ll be here waiting for you when you wake up, darling.”
I squeezed her hand. “That’s good, because I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather see.”
Then Pamela’s machine did its job and everything faded to black.
Despite the anesthesia, some small part of me remained aware of what happened around me. Or maybe what I think I remember is simply sounds my implant picked up and then leaked into my dreams.
“There’s the cut in the artery. Now, let’s see if- Damn! Clamp the artery! Now!”
“His blood pressure is dropping, Doctor!”
“Pamela, we need to try that blood transfusion thing you told me about!”
“Tristan, what’s happening to David?”
“Martin, get her out of here and find me some blood donors. At least three, preferably more!”
“Martin, don’t you dare try to take me away from David!”
“Callan, you’re distracting Tristan and neither he nor David can afford the distraction. You’ve got to leave!”
“Hang on just a little longer, lad!”
I woke up. Callan, dry eyed and calm, sat next to me, holding my hand. Tristan stood on the other side of me, watching Pamela take readings from her machines. Laura was at the foot of the bed, along with four other women. All of them wore marine shirts and, to a woman, looked quite fetching in them.
I grinned at my wife. “We have got to get you one of those shirts, Callan.”
Callan rolled her eyes. “You nearly died and that’s the first thing you think of? Maybe you should try thanking those women for donating their blood instead of ogling at them.”
“Or, even better,” Laura said, “you could thank us by keeping your promise.”
“David has my full support, but don’t you need a working spaceship before David could hope to lead a mission to rescue your husbands?” Callan asked. “As I understand it, this one is rather badly broken.”
“Oh, it’s not broken, Your Highness,” Laura said. “Merely sabotaged.”
“Who sabotaged the ship?” I asked.
Laura grinned. “We did.”
“You women committed sabotage without Caudill or his men discovering it?” I asked.
Laura nodded. Her grin grew wider, as did the matching grins of my blood donors.
“Is that why the pirates didn’t simply threaten to blast our airships out of the sky with their lasers?”
“Yep. The external lasers were the second system on our list.”
I considered Laura’s comment for a moment. “Let me guess, the aft inertial dampener was the first system on the list?”
“Got it in one,” Laura said. “A bunch of Caudill’s men, including most of his best officers, manned the aft laser banks during wormhole exits. We knew killing the inertial dampener would also kill half the crew.”
“You and David have talked about inertial dampeners a lot lately. Could you please explain what one is?” Callan asked.
“Sure…” Laura’s brow furrowed as she thought through something. “You know how you sway back when an airship speeds up and sway forward-” Laura began.
“I know what inertia is, Laura,” Callan interrupted with a smile. “I don’t know why you need to dampen it for space travel.”
Laura reddened. “Oh, right, sorry! So anyway, inertia is the big problem entering and exiting wormholes because a spaceship instantly accelerates to well over the speed of light going in and does just the opposite coming out.”
“Ah, that explains a lot,” Callan nodded. “So these dampeners keep everything inside the ship from being crushed against the ship’s walls when it accelerates or decelerates.”
“Such strong forces generally just cause everything to disintegrate, but you’ve got the gist of it,” I said, then turned to Laura. “From what you’re telling me, I’d guess you and your husbands weren’t just a random bunch of tourists on a space liner?”
“Right. We were supposed to be part of a second colonist wave.” At Callan’s quizzical expression, Laura added, “The first wave is mostly agronomists and farmers. They get the farms working so future colonists don’t starve. The second wave is mostly engineers and technicians to b
uild the infrastructure for future waves of colonists.”
“So, you’re all engineers and technicians? And, what, Caudill kept your husbands at the base to repair ships? So, you women were...” I trailed off, unwilling to bring up such a painful subject.
Laura was less squeamish than I was. “My friends and I repaired Caudill’s ship, served as hostages against our husbands’ good behavior, and served as…entertainment...for the crew in our spare time.”
Staying well away from that last ‘duty,’ I said, “So you had plenty of opportunity to insert backup controls into ship’s systems and then bided your time. But why did you choose this wormhole for your sabotage?”
Laura smiled. “Because we knew we’d find you at the other end!”
Callan turned to me. “Are you famous in the star-spanning civilization you’ve told me about, darling? Some kind of galactic hero?”
“No, I’m just a Scout.”
“Just a Scout?” Laura interjected. “Your Highness, the Scout Corps are a rare breed among a complacent and unadventurous people. They blaze trails, discover new planets, and find lost civilizations. Scouts are the last heroes in a civilization desperately in need of them!
“When we discovered the pirates were following a Scout’s emergency drone,” Laura continued, “we knew the Scout would find a way to help us.”
“That’s a lot of faith based on an emergency drone,” I said.
“You’re here. The pirates are dead or captured. We’re free,” Laura said, ticking each item off on her fingers. “I’d call that faith well placed.”
“Don’t laud me too much, Laura. I had a lot of help capturing this ship and freeing you. Beyond that, all I did was my duty. It’s nothing more than any man would have done.”
Laura and Callan exchanged glances. “He believes that to his core, Laura.”
“You married a remarkable man, Your Highness. A most remarkable man, indeed.”
Callan leaned over and kissed me. “I know.”
“And if I have anything to say about it, David will be a famous galactic hero!” Laura said. “Milo told us tales of your adventures. Even discounting his exaggerations, it’s an amazing story.”