First of the First

by Andrew Maclure

  “I don’t think they take their horses into lifts with them, but can we talk about something else?”

  They stood in silence for few moments as the gravity tube took them upwards.

  “So what do you want to talk about?” Sally asked.

  “I don’t know. Have you booked your holiday for this year yet?”

  “What?”

  “Have you booked your holiday. That’s what they always ask me at the barbers when they can’t think of anything else to say.”

  Sally shook her head in disbelief, then said, “We’re almost there, which will save my sanity from your inane ramblings. Try to be sensible when we meet with D’Nesh and Brog.”

  Mark was about to make a witty response, if he could have thought of one, but was saved the trouble as Sally stepped out into a corridor. Two armed guards snapped to attention and saluted.

  “Are you new? “Sally asked them.

  “Yes Sir!” the soldier on the left answered. “I was with the Sinth Army. I was one of the volunteers that joined you on Gnn’Ath.” Turning to Mark he said, with a grin, “I saw you deal with Captain Re'an Mazur.”

  “Uh, yes. I’d forgotten about that.” Mark said.

  “And you?” Sally asked the other soldier.

  “I was with the Dark Storm Army of Retribution Sir, zero gravity specialist.”

  “Excellent. They had a good reputation for quick resolution of their missions, and we don’t have too many zero gravity specialists. Welcome to my army. I’m sure you’ll both be great assets to us. Are you escorting us? I’ve never had an escort in my own headquarters before.”

  “Uh, no Sir. The Colonel said you wouldn’t need an armed escort. We’re guarding the entrance to the gravity tube.”

  Sally smiled. “The Colonel was right. Come on Mark, my office, I mean D’Nesh’s office is just down here.”

  As soon as they walked in, D’Nesh introduced Mark to Brog Dant, the military advisor, historian and academic. Mark immediately thought he looked very human, apart from the extra joint in his fingers, the third eyelid that flicked across his eyes every time he blinked, and his ears were a bit further back on his head than was normal for a human. His hair grew lower down on his forehead too. And his nose started higher on his face, almost at the hair line on his forehead, broadening out until it was almost as wide as his mouth, which when he spoke, Mark saw was full of pointed teeth. On reflection, Mark thought he looked nothing like a human.

  Brog Dant greeted Sally as though she was a long lost friend, which apparently, she was. D’Nesh’s enthusiasm was more muted, probably because he was losing a valued advisor and gaining an unwanted prisoner.

  Mark’s attention wandered as they discussed army stuff. He wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but he was sure he wasn’t interested in it. He wondered if anyone back on Earth had noticed he had left yet. The scanning project he had been working on didn’t have an end date set, so no-one would notice that no progress was being made, which meant he was probably still being paid. As long as there was money in his bank account, his rent would be paid, so his slimy landlord wouldn’t know he’d left. His parents never called him and as for his friends, he didn’t have any. He sighed. He hadn’t made much impression during his life on Earth. No one would have noticed if he’d been kidnapped by aliens, never to be seen again. Then he realized, that is almost exactly what had happened and laughed. He noticed the room had suddenly gone quiet.

  “What are you laughing at?” Sally asked.

  Mark looked up and saw that all three were looking at him. “I just thought of something funny.”

  “He has his moments,” Sally said, “but he really is good most of the time.”

  “What do you mean good?” Mark demanded. “I’m not some kind of lap dog!”

  “I was saying that you were becoming the kind of leader that Alan said you were capable of, and that you took charge of several situations on Tefran and quickly resolved them. I’ve built you up as a great warrior and leader, now you’re sitting there giggling like an idiot, then acting as petulant as a child.”

  Mark glared at her for a moment, Then grinned and said, “Was I really giggling like an idiot?”

  The tension that had built up in the room released and Sally smiled. Brog still looked a bit uncertain. “Is he dangerous?” he asked Sally.

  “No, he’s quite harmless.”

  “She’s wrong Brog, but you have nothing to fear from me.”

  Brog didn’t look reassured by this pre-emergent savage in possession of the People’s advanced weapons assuring him that he had nothing to fear.

  “Are we all done now?” Mark asked.

  “Yes, you’ve finished ruining my day. You might as well leave now.” D’Nesh said.

  “Don’t be so grumpy.” Sally said. “Brog will be back in less than half a year. He’ll have the new Herassan armed forces commander up and running by then. You’ll be fine D’Nesh. You’ve got B’Erren Tek supporting you, she’ll get all the processes and procedures in place and the army will practically run itself.”

  “It’s not that I’m not grateful for her help, but I wish she’d stop barging in here and issuing me with strings of orders! I’m in command of the army and it’s restructuring and she’s just a civilian! When are you coming back to take over from me General?”

  Sally laughed and said, “If I hadn’t thought you could cope with the task D’Nesh, I wouldn’t have put you in charge of it. If we don’t have any more diversions, we should be back in about thirty or forty days, then you can take a few days leave.”

  “A few days? I think I’ll need at least twenty days in a Celestial Heaven habitat!”

  “I can arrange that.” Sally said. “Consider it done.”

  “You can?” D’Nesh, said, a bit shocked. “But it’s virtually impossible to get a reservation in one of them.”

  “I have contacts.” Sally said. “While you’re thinking about that, we’re leaving. Are you ready Mark?”

  “I’m ready.” he said, standing up. “We’ll blink straight to Dock Four.”

  “No we won’t. We’re not on the Swift now. We have to travel the old fashioned way, by foot. And remember what I said about what not to do in the gravity tube.”

  “What shouldn’t you do in the gravity tube?” D’Nesh asked.

  “You know.” Sally said. “What Simon does.”

  “Oh yes.” He turned to Mark. “Take my advice. Never, ever travel in a gravity tube with Simon.”

  “Are you coming Brog?” Sally asked.

  ◆◆◆

  “Do you know how to use the People’s internal travel system?” Mark asked Brog as they walked through the energy tube into the Swift’s Dock One.

  “Yes, I’ve travelled on People’s craft before.”

  “Good. And by the way, it’s only the People who insist on calling them ‘craft’. We always refer to it as a ship, and the other thing that’s different from the People’s convention is that I have given this ship a name, it’s called the Swift. My AI has prepared a map of the Swift for your AI with a coordinate mesh so you can get anywhere you want to go. I’ve had a suite made for you, so although you’re only here for the night, it will be comfortable for you. It was late morning on the army HQ habitat but on the Swift we’ve synced our time with Tefran City, so here it’s early evening. We have a meeting with the new General at first light tomorrow. Do you have any more luggage to bring on board or is that case all you’re bringing?”

  “I’ve got everything I need here thanks.”

  “Good. I have asked Sean, he’s one of the People who is here to help the Herassans set up their new voting system, to make contact with you and get you anything you need that the Herassans can’t provide. You’ll get on well with him, he’s very friendly. Blink to your quarters to drop off your luggage, then come to the pool area. We’ll meet you there for a drink and you can get something to eat if you need it.”

  “Thank you Mark.” Brog said, a bit surpri
sed that the pre-emergent savage was so hospitable and well organized. Then he blinked to his quarters, Mark and Sally blinked to the pool.

  Chapter One Hundred And One

  General Bryd Sa Dett

  The lander settled quietly on the lawn outside Bryd Sa Dett’s office, As they walked down the ramp, Mark could see twelve depressions in the lawn left by the lander’s feet on their previous two visits. There would be eighteen now. The two armed guards who had appeared at the ramp led the way into the Palace.

  “Mike, look what a mess we’re making of the lawn. Why can’t we use the visitors landing area?” Mark said.

  “I told you before, I’m not a visitor. Although, I suppose we could use my personal landing pad on the Palace roof.”

  “Your personal landing pad? Why aren’t we using that?”

  “It’s prettier this way.”

  “It was before we made the lawn look like a battlefield.”

  “Don’t make such a fuss. It’s only a lawn.”

  “And you’re only a Herassan, though you seem to have slipped into the persona of a demi-god quite easily.”

  “Only a demi-god? I need to try harder.”

  “Are those two always like that?” Brog asked Sally quietly.

  “Yes we are.” Mike answered, overhearing him. “I apologize on behalf of Mark. He’s a dick.”

  “And I apologize for Mike, she’s an arrogant, foul mouthed, obnoxious megalomaniac with delusions of adequacy.” Mark said. “And you two guards, remember my immunity.”

  “Yes Sir!” they said in unison, one tight lipped and disapproving, the other doing his best to suppress a smile.

  As they entered Bryd Sa Dett’s office he stood up to attention and gave a crisp salute. Good morning Sir.” he said to Mike, “Good morning General.”

  He dropped his salute and turning to Mark and Brog he said, “Good morning to you too Mark, and you must be Brog Dant. Welcome to Tefran.”

  “It is an honor to meet you General.” Brog responded.

  “That’s the introductions over.” Sally said, “now let’s get down to business. General, Brog helped me when I first formed my own independent army. He was immensely helpful with setting up the command structures and advising me how to run the army. Like you, I had held the rank of Major before becoming the commander of a whole army. My army was very small in those days and had no structure. You are commanding a large combined armed services organization, but you already have all the structures in place for it to operate. Your challenge is to get to grips with the management of it. Brog will give you all the guidance you need. You will find him polite, efficient and extremely helpful. You have agreed to my request to guarantee his safety and wellbeing while he is here. If I discover that he is not being treated with respect and deference by you or any of your staff I will return immediately and remove him from your care. Mark will brief you on the communications he has set up for you to keep in touch with Hess An Sur at all times, and you need to make arrangements with him to remove your ships that were impounded by the People and are currently in one of the docks on the Swift. I understand that you have pilots standing by, but if the ships are not removed by this time tomorrow they will be recycled.”

  “Thank you General. I think I’ve just had my first lesson in how to behave as a military commander.” Bryd Sa Dett said with a smile.

  Sally smiled back. “There is one more thing. Colonel Hess An Sur would like to discuss the future of the Freedom Movements security force and how it fits in with the military and the civilian police. It is interesting that you now outrank the First of the First.”

  “Only her rank in your army General,” Bryd said, “as First of the First she has overall command of all the state organizations in the Empire.”

  “Only until I abdicate, General, after that I will have no more authority than any other citizen, while you will still be commander of the Combined Herassan Armed forces.”

  “That is true Sir, but I hope we will remain friends, although hopefully with a slightly more formal relationship than you have with Mark.”

  “We’ll see about that Bryd.” Mike said and gave him and exaggerated wink.”

  “Don’t worry General, after she has abdicated, you won’t have to be polite to her.” Sally said.

  Mark proceeded to explain to Bryd Sa Dett how the communications with Mike would work and passed the access codes that would allow him to initiate a communications session to his AI. Mike then discussed the proposed role of the Freedom Movement security force to act as a security service for the protection of the premises and officers of the voting system management committee. Fortunately, the General could see the sense of having a separate organization perform that function.

  “By your grace Sir,” Bryd Sa Dett said to Mike, “I think that concludes our business here today, with the exception of the arrangements for my pilots. You are caring for eight of our vessels Mark. I have eight pilots waiting for you at your lander. I would be grateful if you would transfer them to your ship and facilitate their recovery of our ships.”

  “Of course General. Mike, Sally, do you have any other business, or are you all done?”

  Sally and Mike both stood to indicate they were ready to leave. Farewells were made and they left to walk back to the lander. They found eight nervous looking pilots waiting to be taken to the Swift to recover their ships.

  Mark greeted them and invited them aboard the lander, explaining that they were going to another meeting before returning to the Swift, but once they had disembarked, the lander would take the pilots to Dock Two on the Swift where the Herassan ships were being held. They still seemed unsettled, so Mark sat them at the back of the lander near the synthesizer and told them to help themselves to refreshments while he sat at the front with Sally and Mike.

  “You were a bit harsh with the General.” Mark said to Sally.

  “If he thinks that was tough, he’s going to have a shock when he settles into his role as General.” Sally said. “But he seemed to take it OK. I think with Brog’s help he will do well.”

  “That’s a relief.” Mike said. “I’ve had more than enough of being First of the First. I can’t wait to get away from here.”

  “I thought you’d miss being able to tell everyone what to do.” Mark said.

  “I will still have you to rule over, puny mammal.”

  “Wow, you sound just like the evil alien in a nineteen fifties sci fi movie.”

  “My AI is having a problem translating that into a relevant cultural context.” Mike said.

  “So am I.” Mark’s AI told him.

  “Never mind Mike. Take it from me, it wasn’t flattering.”

  “And you can take it from me, I didn’t think it would be.”

  The lander touched down just long enough for Mark, Sally and Mike to disembark, then took off again to take the Herassan pilots to the Swift.

  “Mark, send one of the two landers that are still here back to the Swift, we’ll take the other one back to the Palace for our final meeting and then return to the Swift in it, then we’ll be all finished here. Mike, do you have agendas for these meetings?”

  “Of course. Mark prepared them. At the meeting with Sha, you are going to update her on Bryd Sa Dett’s promotion and that Brog Dant will be working with him to ensure his transition from Major to General Commander will be quick and effective, Mark will explain how she can communicate with me after we have left the Tefran system and I will talk to her about working with the Senior Secretary.”