First of the First

by Andrew Maclure

  “Yeah, but you’ve got really bad taste in women.”

  “But you’re the only girl friend I’ve ever had. Oh, I see what you mean.”

  Sally grinned at him and grabbed his arm as they walked out of the water. “Come on, lets run to the bar and you can get me a drink.”

  ◆◆◆

  Mike walked up and sat on the stool next to Mark. “Get me a tea.” she said.

  “Don’t tell me, ask the bar bot.” Mark said.

  “I prefer personal service.”

  “Good for you. If you’re waiting for me to get it you’re going to have a long wait.”

  “Now children, if you can’t play nicely I’ll send you out.” Sally said.

  “It’s good to be back.” Mike said. “I’m going to have something to eat, then I’m turning in. I need some sleep.”

  “We’re going to eat on the beach later on. Why don’t you join us?” Sally asked.

  “I’m too tired. But before I go, I need to ask you something. I was thinking about promoting Major Bryd Sa Dett to Colonel to take over from ex-Colonel Drad, but we may need a new head of the Combined Herassan Armed forces. I have stripped the Defense and Security Advisor of his position and General Affen Dor Ritt hasn’t been seen since the tide turned against the attempted military coup. Do you think Bryd is up to the job?”

  “He’s not ready for it. He hasn’t had the experience necessary to prepare him for the job. He’s a good man, and a realist, but if you abdicate, he’s not the man to fill the power vacuum you’d leave, so you have two choices; find someone more qualified or stay in post as First of the First until he has established his authority.”

  “I don’t know of anyone else qualified to do the job that I trust and I’m not staying here as First of the First.”

  “In that case, you’ll have to take the third option.”

  “Which is?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve given you my ideas.”

  “Could I ‘borrow’ someone from your army to work alongside him until he settles in?”

  “Well, there is a Colonel who doesn’t currently have a mission critical posting and would be acceptable to your people.” Sally said.

  “Great! Who is it? And would they agree to come here?”

  “I’m looking at her right now, Colonel Hess An Sur.” Sally said.

  “Very funny.” Mike said. “Anyone else?”

  “B’Erren Tek could do it, but she’s needed by D’Nesh and probably wouldn’t want to. Brog Dant might act as an advisor, he would probably jump at it, but he’s an academic, not a soldier, and he’s a mammal. I don’t know how that would go down with your people. If he were to come, it would piss D’Nesh off, but I can handle that. I’ll ask Brog and let you know what he says.”

  “Thanks Sally. One more thing, would you come with me when I talk to Bryd?”

  “Sure. Let me know when.”

  “OK, I’ll do that. I’m going to my quarters now; I’ll catch up with you in the morning.” Mike said as she stood up, ready to blink out.

  “You might want to take this with you.” Mark said, passing Mike a flask of her herbal tea.”

  “Thanks Mark. When Sally can’t stand you any more you can come and be my butler.”

  “Piss off, you obnoxious little lizard.” he replied with a smile on his face.

  After Mike had blinked out, Mark said, “She’s struggling with this.”

  “She’s not comfortable with a command position. She’s not interested in the big picture, but restructuring an Empire is a very big picture. When I’ve needed a specific task carried out I’ve designated her as a Lieutenant Colonel and put her in charge of a battalion, and she’s always done a good job, but I couldn’t leave her in charge, she’d lose interest.

  “So what can we do to help her?”

  “I’ll have to think about that, but if Mike thinks she can just issue a few orders and then leave without the Empire descending into chaos, she’s mistaken. I’m not getting tangled up with sorting this out. I have an army to lead and this break we’re on isn’t going to last.”

  “And it goes without saying that I’m not going to be any help to her. I’m not a leader.”

  Sally turned and looked at him. “Not yet, but you’re getting there.”

  Mark snorted. “I’m not, and I don’t want to.”

  “Alan was right about you. Not about being a slow witted twat who can’t see the blindingly obvious, but about you being destined for greatness. Don’t let it go to your head though.”

  “With you and Mike at my side, I don’t see how it could. If Mike can’t just walk away, she doesn’t need to be there all the time, does she?”

  “We’ll put your idea to her in the morning.”

  “What idea? I haven’t told you what I was thinking!”

  “See, you’re getting there. You’ve had a good idea, but you’re not there yet.”

  “What are you talking about! You don’t know what my idea is!”

  “If it’s not the idea that I think you’ve had, I’ll do whatever you tell me for a day.”

  “And if you’re right?”

  Then you’ll do everything I tell you to do for a day, so just a normal day.”

  “Wait until I’m the great leader you say I’ll become. The boot will be on the other foot then.”

  “I doubt it. I’m tired too. Let’s start getting everyone together to eat on the beach, then I’m going to get some sleep.”

  ◆◆◆

  Sally was woken by a call from Mike. “Meet you in the dining room for breakfast in ten minutes.”

  “Make it twenty.” Sally answered.

  She elbowed Mark in the ribs. He sat bolt upright, instantly awake. “What the… what’s wrong?”

  “Get up and shower. We’re meeting Mike in twenty minutes. Less now, make that eighteen minutes.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t wake me up like that. You know it takes me a few minutes to come round.”

  “You’ll never be a soldier with that attitude.”

  “Good. I don’t want to be a soldier.” he answered but was talking to Sally’s back as she disappeared into the bathroom.

  “Morning Mark.” his AI greeted him. “Would you like some endorphins for breakfast?”

  “Thanks. It might make that incredibly annoying woman more tolerable.”

  “You are grumpy this morning. I won’t do this every day, but you need to be in good form if you are going to be of any help to Mike.”

  Mark was already feeling in a better mood as the endorphins started to flood into his bloodstream and bind to the opiate receptors in his brain. He ordered a tea from the synthesizer and followed Sally into the bathroom to wash and shower.

  Chapter Ninety Four

  More Bloody Rules

  Mike was already eating when Sally and Mark blinked into the dining room,

  “I see you’re eating those shellfish things again.” Mark said.

  “Mmm. They’re delicious. I didn’t realize before that your synthesizers made them so well. Try some.” Mike said, holding out a spoonful of them.

  “They are compatible with your biochemistry, so they are safe for you to eat.” his AI told him.

  “They might be,” he subvocalized, “but they look…” he shuddered, “less than appetizing.”

  “Are you OK Mark?” Mike asked. “You just shuddered.

  “I’m fine, I just had a passing thought. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll give them a miss today.”

  Sally took a tea and a coffee from the synthesizer, passing the tea to Mark.

  “So what are your plans now?” she asked Mike.

  “I don’t know. I’m not staying here, but I can’t allow the Empire to descend into chaos. I had this same conversation with Alan. He said I already knew the answer and when I woke up, I thought I did.”

  “You had a dream that you spoke to Alan?” Mark asked.

  “No, I fell asleep after I spoke to him.” she said to him as though speaking to
a child.

  “Mark has an idea.” Sally said.

  “Does it involve him sitting quietly and not speaking?” Mike asked.

  “No, it’s a good idea.” Sally continued.

  ‘I wonder what’s coming next.’ Mark thought.

  “His idea is that you don’t abdicate as First of the First straight away, but that you rule in your absence. You can go back to Tefran to kick arse whenever you want, because Mark can blink the Swift back here as needed, kick you out in a lander and then blink back to wherever we left from. We’ll come and collect you whenever you’re ready. As time goes by, they’ll need you less and less until the People’s voting system is fully in place, then you can abdicate. I don’t know why you didn’t think of that.”

  Mike sat quietly, finishing her breakfast, deep in thought. “Are you sure that’s Mark’s idea? It seems quite sensible.”

  “Mark,” Sally said, “what are you going to be doing today?”

  “Everything you tell me to.” he answered through gritted teeth.

  Sally’s face lit up with a broad grin. “Yes, its’s all his idea, though he may have put it across more eloquently.”

  “Right. It seems like a good plan. I’ve already arranged for you and I to meet Bryd in about two hours.” Turning to Mark, Mike said, “You’d better come too, but before that, I need to meet with Sha and her team again. You’ll need to be there Mark.” looking at Sally she continued, “Would you mind if you didn’t attend the meeting with Sha?”

  “Now let me think, would I mind not attending a meeting?”

  “OK, I get your point. Sorry I got you to meet with Bryd, but I really need you there.”

  Sally grinned at her and said, “That’s different. He’s a soldier, and you’re a friend. And I’ll have Mark there to torment if I get bored.” She leaned over and ruffled his hair.

  “Piss off.” he said.

  “I’ve heard from Brog Dant. He’s quite excited about the idea of being advisor to the head of the armed forces of one of the biggest empires in the galaxy. D’nesh isn’t too happy about losing him. He’s only just got him, but he’ll get over it. I’m concerned about how Brog will be accepted as he’s a mammal. I need guarantees about his safety and treatment before I agree to it.”

  “If Bryd isn’t enthusiastic about having him and can’t make those guarantees, I’ll tell him he can’t have him. What about B’Erren Tek?” Mike asked.

  “You can’t have her. I need her.”

  “OK. I’ve contacted Sha, she will have everyone there in an hour, I’ll put the meeting with Bryd back, though I don’t think Mark and I will need long with Sha and her team.”

  “While you’re having breakfast, I’ve got something I need to do. I’ll take my tea with me.” Mark said.

  He blinked to the pool. It was rapidly becoming his favorite place on the Swift. “OK Kate, what’s this surprise you threatened me with?”

  “It’s supposed to be a nice surprise. I’ll blink you there.”

  Mark looked around. It was familiar but furnished with control panels that looked like they had been rescued from a museum exhibit of a twentieth century nuclear power station.

  “What is this? A recreation of Chernobyl?”

  “No! It’s the command center. I’ve restyled it to look like the bridge of the original Enterprise!”

  “The USS Enterprise? That was decommissioned decades ago. Why make this look like the bridge of an ancient aircraft carrier?”

  “No, the original Starship Enterprise! If you check out the communications console, there is a replica of the earpiece that Lieutenant Uhura used.”

  “Who? Lieutenant O’Hara?”

  “Lieutenant Uhura, the communications officer in the original series.”

  “Kate, when was the original series made?”

  “1966.”

  “OK, I didn’t realize it was that old. That was almost fifty years before I was born. What possessed you to create this travesty in my command center?”

  “Don’t you like it?”

  “What’s the word I’m looking for? Ah, got it. No. Making my shuttle look like the TARDIS was quite funny. This is just tragic.”

  “So you don’t like it?”

  “I appreciate the effort you’ve made, but could you change it back please?”

  “Consider it done. I’ll have to think of another surprise for you.”

  “No! I mean, I don’t much like surprises.”

  “I’ll take you back to the dining room.”

  Mark blinked and he was back with Sally and Mike.”

  “Ready to go now?” Sally asked.

  “Yes, are the others joining us?”

  “No, they can stay here. Kar Fen, and Orange are back on board now. It will do them all good to have a break from the army for a while. Simon hasn’t had any real down time since he joined my army, apart from bar brawls and short periods in prison. I’ll need to keep an eye on him though, if he starts getting moody, I’ll need to send him on a mission.”

  They blinked directly into a lander and left the Swift. “I’ve asked Alan and Sean to join us when we meet Sha and her team.” Mike said.

  “For any particular reason?” Mark asked.

  “They’ve got to get used to working with the People, I thought it would be a gentle introduction to them.”

  “Bloody hell Mike, you’re beginning to think like a normal person!”

  “Actually, it was Sally’s idea.”

  “That figures.” Mark said. Sally smiled at him.

  They spent the journey in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. The lander settled to the ground in front of the HQ building. As the ramp extended to the ground, six armed Defense Force troops ran to it and stood three on each side. As Sally, Mike and Mark descended, one stepped forward in front of them. They all bowed their heads and held their left hands in front of their eyes. “Welcome to the Freedom Movement HQ, First of the First.” They dropped their left hands, swapped their weapons over from right to left hands and snapped up passable military salutes. “Welcome to the Freedom Movement HQ General and Mark, Friend of the People.”

  “I recognize you.” Mike said. “You were with Sha when you kidnapped me. You’re Fet Al Dron.”

  “Yes, First of the First. Squad Leader Fet Al Dron. If you would come this way, we will escort you to Commander Sha Ast Ral.”

  Mark looked around and saw there were two armed guards at each of the two landers already parked there, and another four guards at the entrance to the HQ building. They followed Fet Al Dron and another guard who marched in front of them to the entrance, while the other four guards fell in behind them. As they reached the entrance, the four guards at the doors bowed their heads and covered their eyes with their left hands while they passed into the building.

  “It’s suddenly got very formal here.” Mark said to Mike.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”

  Mark subvocalized to his AI, “Did Mike really say ‘pretty cool.’ ?”

  “It’s a close idiomatic translation, conveying the informal and slightly outdated expression she used.”

  “A simple yes would have done.”

  “A simple acceptance of my translation would have done, too.”

  “Bloody lippy AI.” Mark said.

  “Pardon?” Sally said.

  “Oh, did I say that out loud?”

  “Are you arguing with your AI again?”

  “No, but it’s not showing the deference that I think is due to me.”

  “How much deference do you think is due to you?”

  “More than I get.”

  “Perhaps you should learn to roll with the punch.”

  “That was another loose translation of an idiomatic metaphor.”

  “Thanks, I realized that!”

  “There’s no need to be snappy!” Sally said.

  “No, sorry Sally, I didn’t mean… That wasn’t directed at you. It was because of my AI. I didn’t mean to say that ou
t loud.”

  “If you’re not getting on with your AI, you need to speak to Alan about it.”

  Mark sighed. “No, I’m getting on with it fine. It’s really helpful and looks after me. It even tries to give me nice surprises, it’s just that it gets a bit snippy with me sometimes.”