by Peter Kenson
“What did you see, Mother?” Jeren asked.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure. I thought I saw myself sitting with you and Rachel but I couldn’t see David.”
“That’s because you were looking through my eyes, Falaise. You were seeing what I was seeing.”
“And is this what you and Rachel do?” she asked Jeren.
“Yes it is. I’m not very good at showing Rachel what I can see yet but she can do it easily.”
“That’s because Rachel is a natural telepath,” David laughed. “The rest of us have to practice quite hard.”
“So you’re not a natural telepath yourself?” Falaise asked.
“No.” David showed her the moonstone pendant round his neck. “This works the same for me as the amulets do for Jeren and yourself. Now I’d like you to meet someone; a good friend of mine that I’ve been working with since I’ve been here.
“Suzanne, are you listening to this?”
“I’m here, David.”
“Could you please introduce yourself to everybody round the table?”
Rachel and Jeren acknowledged the greeting with a nod of their heads but Falaise spun around in surprise, looking for the person who had spoken.
“I’m sorry, Falaise,” David chuckled. “I should have warned you. Suzanne isn’t here; she’s just talking to you in the same way as I sent the image of what I was seeing.”
“Then where is she?”
“You remember that Rachel was talking about a ship that could travel to the distant stars? Well Suzanne is in such a ship at the moment, high above this planet.”
Falaise looked up at the ceiling and frowned. “If we went outside, could we see her?”
“No. She is far too far away for that. But I’m hoping that she will be able to show you something of what she can see from up there. Are you willing to try?”
Falaise nodded her head and closed her eyes.
“Suzanne, where are you at the moment?”
“I’m in the main control room.”
“Could you show everybody what you can see, please?”
There were little gasps of shock from all round the table as the alien scene swam into view. The control room was not large but the walls appeared to be made of metal and were covered with banks of lights and unfamiliar equipment. There were many glowing panels with images that were continually changing. Half a dozen men and women in strange uniforms sat around the room studying the panels and lights in front of them. In the centre of the room was a large throne-like chair that could obviously swivel to allow the occupant to oversee any of the crew.
“Can you move to look at the external screens, Suzanne?” David asked.
The scene shifted as she walked across the control room floor. She glanced at the man sitting in the command position as she passed and got a smile in return. “What would you like me to show you?”
“I’d like a view of the planet first and then the Ystrad ambassadors’ ship, if you can do that please?”
Suzanne spoke to one of the crew and turned to look at a large panel at one end of the room. A round ball appeared and rapidly expanded to fill the screen.
“That, your Majesty, is your planet. That is where you are living. The green bits are mostly land, trees, vegetation and the like; the blue is water and the white areas are the clouds floating over you.”
“But it’s round,” Jeren exclaimed out loud. “How can it be round?”
Rachel squeezed his hand. “I believe it’s because we are looking at it from a long way away, my love. Is that right, Suzanne?”
“Yes, that’s right. The planet is actually a ball, floating in space, which is why it appears round from where we are looking. We’re actually positioned directly above you at the moment. Normally we’d be able to zoom in and give you a much closer view of the land around you but there are a lot of rain clouds above Marmoros today so I’m afraid that will have to wait.”
Jeren concentrated on trying to frame his next question as a thought, rather than speak it out loud. “Suzanne, how can we be living on a ball? Why don’t we fall off?”
“That was very well done, your Majesty. Your training with Rachel is coming on nicely. The answer to your questions is something called ‘Gravity’ but I’m going to leave David to explain the science behind that.
“Now David, you wanted to see the other ships.”
“Ships?” David queried. “There’s more than one?”
The image on the large panel changed to show a short Vegan class freighter of a type commonly used throughout the empire. Easily adapted to carry either freight or passengers, it would pass unnoticed on any spacefield in the civilised universe.
“That is the Arctic Fox, the ambassadors’ ship that will take Rachel back to her people.” Suzanne spoke to the crewman again and the image shrank to reveal two other ships. One of them was a similar size to the ambassadorial ship but the third one was enormous, dwarfing the other two vessels. It also appeared to be surrounded by a flurry of activity with a host of tiny craft flitting between it and a glittering structure that was taking shape alongside.
“What the hell is that constructor doing there?” David exclaimed.
“When Rachel and the ambassadors leave, the Cleopatra has been ordered to escort them. However, in the light of recent events, the Department of Exo-Affairs has decided to build an orbital monitoring station to keep an eye on things here.
“The other ship, by the way, is the Salamander VI. She only arrived from the shipyard a few hours ago and the delivery crew are still aboard. Are you happy for me to accept delivery on your behalf?”
“Yes go ahead. You know what to look for. But I’m not happy about that orbital station.”
“Neither is Khan, but he lost that political battle. Is there anything else I can show you?”
“No, I think that’s quite enough for now. But there is one thing you can do for me. Mikael has a friend, a surgeon commander. Tony something-or-other. We met him briefly on that Sertian business. Can you track him down and get Khan to pull a few strings? I need a medic here who I can trust to be discreet.”
“No need. Tony’s already here. Arrived on the regular supply shuttle a few days ago. Apparently the Pushkin is laid up for a major refit. So he took some leave and wangled himself a passage out here to see Mikky.”
“That makes life easier. Brief him on the situation and ask him if he could do a full medical on Rachel. Let me know what arrangements he wants to make. And thank you for showing us round, Suzanne.”
David looked up as Suzanne said goodbye to the others and broke the contact. “Well I don’t know how much that helped…”
“Some of the names were strange,” Falaise admitted. “And that room she showed us. I’ve never seen anything like it. Who was the man who smiled at her?”
“That was Mikael. Lieutenant Commander Mikael Boronin, captain of His Imperial Majesty’s corvette Cleopatra.”
“There you go, talking about ‘Imperial’ again. Who is this Imperial Majesty that I’ve never heard of?”
“Rachel told you about her planet, Ystradis, circling a different star a long way away. There are billions of stars out there, many more than we can actually see in the night sky. And many of those stars have their own planets around them. Only a very tiny percentage of those planets are habitable; most are too hot, too cold or have no air that we can breathe. But that still leaves thousands of planets that have been colonised over the ages. We believe that this planet was one of the early colonies; that your ancestors came here as part of the First Great Expansion.”
“There are legends about men coming from the stars but I thought they were only stories,” Jeren said. “But if we could travel to the stars then, why do we not know about it now?”
“There was a war. In fact there was a series of wars involving weapons of immense destructive power. Whole planets were destroyed and the ability to travel between the stars was all but lo
st. Many colonies became isolated, cut off from all outside contact. They were mostly small; too small to maintain the level of technical knowledge it took to establish the colony in the first place.
“So they regressed. Knowledge was lost and, over the centuries, the colonies turned in on themselves until they found a way of life that they could sustain from their own resources. And then they started to move forward again but at their own pace. Some of the larger colonies regained spaceflight early on and began to dominate and take over any of their smaller neighbours that they came across.
“Small empires were founded in many parts of the galaxy and, inevitably, as the boundaries of these empires touched, conflicts broke out. The war that ended what is known as the Second Great Expansion was as terrible as before but with one big exception. One little cluster of colonies drew in on itself and set up a perimeter shell that the other empires could not breach. They tried. For many years they tried. And when they had fought themselves to a standstill, Galgos opened up its shell and sent out its own navies and armies in a massive show of force. They crushed all remaining opposition and imposed law and order on this entire sector of the galaxy.
“That is the empire I’m talking about. His Imperial Majesty Marcus V spends most of his time on Galgos which is the centre of the Imperial government. The corvette Cleopatra that you saw just now is a warship, part of the Imperial Navy and the two soldiers who helped defend this palace against the Belsi are part of the Imperial Guard.”
“So we are part of this great empire, are we?” Falaise asked.
David grimaced.
“Technically, this planet is within the volume of space controlled by the empire. However, a colony cannot apply to be recognised as an independent entity until it has a government of planetary unity. Until then, it is monitored and administered by the Department of Exo-Affairs.”
“I see. And you, David. Where do you fit in?”
“Every government has enemies and has, therefore, to maintain a department to deal with intelligence and security matters. That department of the Imperial government is headed by a man called Khan. He sent me here to find Rachel and protect her against the Belsi.
“Now that is a lot to take in and I know that most of it will seem very strange to yourself and Jeren. When you have had time to think about it, you will have more questions which I promise I will answer. But nothing that I tell you must go outside this room. Please keep all of this discussion just between the four of us.”
“So what happens now?” Jeren asked.
“Well I would still like Rachel to be examined by a doctor and the man I had in mind happens to be aboard the Cleopatra right now. Rachel you will obviously have to talk to the ambassadors and reassure them about your health but I would not mention the pregnancy until after you’ve seen the doctor. I will arrange that as soon as I can, possibly tomorrow so don’t make any plans before then.
“Other than that, the official story is that Queen Rachel was indisposed this morning and her departure has been postponed for a few days to allow her to recover. And everything else is business as usual.”
“I’ll go and talk to the ambassadors,” Rachel said, getting to her feet.
“And I’ll go and pacify the council,” Jeren added.
“David, would you stay for a minute, please,” Falaise asked, as the other two headed for the door, hand in hand.
“You’ve given us a history lesson this morning and you’ve told me why you’re here. But you’ve told me nothing about David Held. Who are you really?”
“Me! I’m nobody special. I’m just somebody that Khan sends in when he’s got a job that is particularly difficult or dangerous. I’m not sure whether that’s because he thinks I’m the right man for the job or whether I’m simply expendable.”
“I somehow doubt it’s the latter. But you still haven’t told me anything new. Is David Held even your real name?”
“Ah, yes it is actually. Very well, let me present myself. Lord David Held, at your service, my lady. Junior member of the Held Trading Company currently headed by my uncle, Baron Frederick Held. On reaching the age of majority, I spent a few years negotiating trading contracts on behalf of the family and got into several scrapes. After the last one, the family and I jointly decided that I would never settle in the mainstream business, so they outfitted me as an independent trader and sent me out to make my way in the universe.
“I drifted around a bit, poking and prodding at anything that looked interesting. Got myself into a few spots of bother but always managed to get myself out again. That’s when Khan found me and recruited me into his organisation.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been working for him ever since. Wherever the old devil sends me. Means I’ve seen a lot of different places and met a whole lot of different people.”
“So you’re a trader, just like me?”
“I come from a trading family but I doubt that they would acknowledge me as a trader.”
“And your family trades between the stars as we do between different countries?”
“Essentially yes. There are half a dozen trading companies that dominate the interstellar market with, maybe, two or three dozen smaller companies. The Held Trading Barony is one of the largest companies.”
“Why didn’t you say anything about this before?”
“I couldn’t. Actually I really couldn’t. They did some experimental work on me before they sent me in here. Suppressed a lot of memories and gave me a completely false identity. When I first met you, I had absolutely no idea who I really was. The only thing they didn’t change was my name. That would have been too great a risk.”
“And now your job here is nearly over. What will you do next?”
David looked at her for a long moment before replying. “Khan has sent me on missions to planets all over the empire, Falaise, but there have been very few times when I have felt so personally involved. I have become very fond of Jeren and Rachel. And of yourself and the Lyenar people. Technically my work here is finished when Rachel and the ambassadors depart but I have some leave due; some free time built up. Khan owes me that. If I may, I think I would like to stay on a bit after Rachel leaves.”
“Yes, I think I would like that too.”
Chapter 4 - Marmoros
The day was dawning bright and clear as David led the small group out of the network of tunnels through the hills behind the palace. The rain clouds of the previous morning had cleared away and the sun was already appearing behind the eastern hills as they emerged into the disused quarry.
In the weeks since the attack on the palace, David and Jeren had ordered the entire tunnel system to be explored and mapped. They had not found any more hidden storage chambers but they had found tunnels leading to the quarries and others leading up into the hills where the widow Deribe had fled. This particular quarry had once been used for building stone but had been abandoned when other sources of workable stone had been found nearer the city.
The flat base of the quarry, however, now provided an ideal spot to land the Cleopatra’s shuttle away from prying eyes. They had been slightly delayed by Rachel’s morning sickness and the shuttle was already landed and waiting for them. The open hatchway at the top of the ramp was almost totally filled by a burly crewman in full space armour and with a very dangerous looking blast rifle held across his chest.
The bosun pushed a button inside the hatch and spoke for a second before walking slowly down the ramp with his rifle pointing at the oncoming group. At the bottom of the ramp he stopped and then suddenly snapped to attention, raising the rifle in salute.
“Sorry, my lord. Didn’t recognise you at a distance. And we weren’t sure exactly how many to expect.”
“That’s all right, bosun. But you appear a little overdressed for the occasion.”
“Captain’s orders, my lord. Said there were hostiles in the hills that you hadn’t tracked down yet.”
Further discussion was interrupte
d by the appearance in the hatchway of a slim young woman in the uniform of a junior officer. She paused briefly to take in the scene and then walked down to stand by the bosun.
“Lord Held? My name is Ensign Fleurie Marisse,” she said holding out her hand. “I am the pilot on the Cleopatra and it is my honour to escort your party today.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Ensign Marisse. This is His Majesty King Jeren of the Lyenar and Lady Falaise, the Queen Mother. And this is Queen Rachel of the Ystrad, about whom you’ve probably heard a great deal by now.”
Rachel blushed furiously as Marisse shook hands with each of them. “I’m sorry if I’m causing any trouble,” she said.
“It’s no trouble at all, your Majesty,” Marisse replied. “It’s nice to be allowed off the ship after all these months in orbit. So if you’d like to come aboard, we’ll be off.”
“Ensign Marisse, could you take us up fairly slowly please?” David asked. “This is their first time off-planet and I’d like to show them something of Marmoros and the surrounding area as we go up.”
“This is a military shuttle, my lord, not a tourist craft. We’re not equipped with much in the way of viewing screens other than for navigation.”
“Perhaps the hatch could be left open for the first few minutes?”
Marisse looked doubtfully at the bosun, who nodded and bent to whisper in her ear.
“The bosun says we can override the automatics and put a force field across the open hatch to stop anybody falling out. But it wouldn’t be an airtight field. I’d have to seal and secure the hatch before we leave the atmosphere.”
“That will be fine, thank you.”
The little group clustered around the open hatchway as the bosun made some adjustments on the control panel and the access ramp retracted. There were little gasps of surprise as the shuttle lifted smoothly off the ground and rose up past the rock face of the quarry.
“How are we doing this?” Jeren asked.
“I’m not going into that explanation right now,” David laughed. “For the moment, just enjoy the view.”