“For Struthers?”
“If it’s Struthers, he’ll be in for a few surprises,” he said, looking up sharply. “Harylda, too, knows that Daughter was away. We’ve all held on to that shred of hope.” He looked thoughtfully to the ceiling, then continued, “There was a lot of confusion at the time, and everyone associated with the Palace was under the gun. Many were rejected during the inquisition but many survived, probably because they were so needed. You can’t take away all the experts and expect government to continue functioning. I think that’s why the Professor kept his job. They needed him badly, and they still do.”
“How did he survive the blast?”
“He was off planet attending a seminar on power plants.”
“How did you survive?” Mike asked.
Turning his attention to Mike, Bruston responded, “I was off duty and at home.”
“You didn’t live in the complex?” Mike continued.
“No. Not even in Crystal City. Triton Sector enjoyed too much attention from the Royal Family as it was. There’s no room for a sector headquarters up there, and locating our headquarters here in Crystal City would have sent the wrong message to other sectors. We operated with as much separation as we could.”
“How about Governor Veswicki?”
“He did not live here, but he would have been at the party had he not been away.”
A knock sounded at the door. One of Bruston’s men stepped in. “They were followed, Dua.”
“I knew it!” Bruston exclaimed rising from his seat. “They’re on to us.”
“Hold it,” Val said, rising with him. He turned to the new man. “Describe him.”
“Them. A male of medium height, hard looking, and a female with red hair.”
“Relax,” Val said. “We brought a little security with us.” He looked the man hard in the eyes. “Do not try to apprehend them. You definitely do not want to tangle with those two.”
The man looked at Bruston who nodded, then took off at a run, his communicator to his mouth. Mike and Val sincerely hoped it was not too late.
“Who are they?” Bruston demanded. “Did you recruit them here?”
“No,” Val responded. “The female is a Knight of the Realm.”
That gave Bruston pause. Mike watched as his thoughts coalesced. Bruston used a finger to point at Val. “One Knight in here.” His finger turned toward the wall. “Another outside. What does that make you, sir?” he asked, his finger turning to point at Mike.
“Who I am is unimportant to you, Mr. Bruston. All you need to know is that Sir Val is in charge. He has the authority held by all Knights. He speaks in the Queen’s name.”
“Hmm,” Bruston mumbled. “Very well. I will see to a meeting with the Professor. Do you have any particular skills he can put to use?”
“We might need a little training,” Val responded. “Maybe some pretty close supervision, as well.”
* * * * *
It took nearly a week to meet with the Professor, and when they did, Mike and Val quickly learned why this man was referred to as Professor. Tall and ascetic with long, gray hair and wide-spaced, bright blue, watery eyes, he looked like he would be equally at home lecturing in a classroom. After very brief discussion, it was evident that here was a deeply angry man, angry at Struthers and what he had done. Too, he deeply loved his position as caretaker of the palace complex, having spent his whole life living within its boundaries. By great good fortune, he and his family had been off world during the attack. He had been engaged by Struthers personally to return the palace complex and its surroundings to their former condition. Struthers had not only called for a convocation of the Imperial Senate, he had a lavish ceremony planned to install himself as Emperor, a ceremony that would take place in the Palace during its grand reopening immediately after the Senate convocation.
“Sire,” Harylda stated evenly, “I will . . . no . . . I must know the details of your plans. Besides the fact that I am now a part of those plans, an intimate part, I have plans of my own that may require modification. Severe modification if the Queen visits.”
“If she does, it is equally important that we not chance her discovery,” Val answered, looking between the Professor and Bruston.
Bruston took the hint. “Not only do I not need to know your plans, at least for the moment I do not want to know them. Discuss them at your leisure somewhere else, in the Palace itself for all I care. My use to you ends with getting you credentialed to enter the complex.”
“Not so,” Val replied. “You are our link to the Rebels. You and your network are essential to our plans. We will take you into our confidence at the appropriate time. At the moment, we need to provide the Queen with an agenda, a list of attendees, and the disposition of Struthers’ forces here on the planet and in space.”
“I can do that, though it will certainly go through modifications up to the last minute.”
“We know, and those modifications will give us insight to his thinking.”
“Very well. Let’s see to getting you into the Palace. What will they need, Professor?”
“A purpose,” Professor Harylda answered instantly. “I’m in the midst of a huge hiring spree. Getting credentials should not be too difficult. Tell me what skills you have,” he asked, turning to Mike and Val.
“My focus since childhood has been the skills needed of a line officer,” Val stated.” He rubbed his jaw, thinking. “I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few things that probably won’t be much help, such as flying ships, weapons control, communications, cargo storage, planning strategies, that sort of thing. I spent a few years on Rrestriss, and I’m pretty good with computers.”
The Professor’s eyebrows rose as the mention of Rrestriss. “Pretty good with computers?” the Professor asked. “Please be honest, Sire.”
Val didn’t hesitate. “Among the best, I would say. I grew up a beggar, but I’ve picked up a few essentials along the way.”
The Professors eyebrows lifted in surprise. “And spent time on Rrestriss while managing to rise to Knighthood. Interesting. Yes,” he added after a short pause, “you would be good at whatever you do, I suppose. And you, sir?” he asked turning to Mike.
Mike pursed his lips. His current position as First Knight had not imbued him with any special skills that this man could use. “I was an architect. I build things, mostly buildings, warehouses, large homes, that sort of thing, but I did so on a world far behind Triton in technology. I owned a very successful company that I turned over to partners since I won’t be going back. I have no knowledge of the materials and techniques used here. Beyond that, I’ve gotten intimate with the nets aboard ships, and I have learned to function with computers generally in use here. I’m quite adept at managing a ship without an artificial intelligence, which means I know enough about basic systems to get by. Other than that, I’m pretty good at lots and lots of meetings.”
“I see,” the Professor answered. “What world do you call home? I ask only that I might judge your level of knowledge as an engineer.”
“You don’t know of it,” Mike stated with finality, ending further queries on that subject.
“So your skills are limited. You mentioned a lot of meetings, which infers management. I always need help with management. Does that suit?”
Mike paused to think, deciding that it was appropriate to reveal more to both of these men, something that would compel them to have faith in their judgment. “I have limited skills, but I’m a fast learner. You should know that I carry a Rider. It comes from Wooldroo’s line.”
The Professor and Bruston both showed their surprise. The Professor spoke first. “How is Jornell?”
“He’s dead,” Mike replied grimly, “and his demise was unexpected. Wooldroo fissioned unexpectedly, and not all his knowledge made the transfer, though a lot of it did.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the Professor replied sadly. “He was a good man. So the Queen has had her own adventures, eh?�
�
Val answered his question. “She has. It’s probably fair to say that she would not be here had Mike not risked all.”
The Professor looked at Mike, his eyes twinkling in spite of just hearing that Jornell and Wooldroo had died. “And not always of your own choosing, I suspect.”
Mike smiled at the memory. “Not in the beginning, but I’m fully aboard now. Uh, there are two others in our small group.”
“Bring them in,” the Professor demanded. “We might as well get this all over with now. It’s extremely difficult for me to leave the Palace at any time, now more than ever.”
Reba and Josh were called. Both revealed their skills, minimal in this technological world, but the Professor did not mind in the slightest. Even Josh’s skills, limited to a lifetime of fighting, did not give him pause.
“We have weapons, surely this comes as no surprise. I am not responsible for their operation, but I am responsible for their well-being. All of you are managers. It’s easy to find technicians, not so easy to find supervisors and managers. You might not like your duties, whatever they end up being, but I’ll come up with something that gives each of you unfettered access to all areas of the facility.” Turning to Bruston, he finalized the meeting. “I’ll get the process started. I’ll need some help from your end with the paperwork and clearances, but we’ve been through this before. I see no insurmountable problems.”
The paperwork took another week. They spent a lot of time with Bruston, learning more about his operation as both sides gained confidence in their relationship. He and Mike had a conversation about Bruston’s job. He had not had time to replace the job he’d run from on the day of their first meeting, though for one with his talents, jobs were not difficult to come by. Mike had access to unlimited funds and convinced Bruston that he should not seek work for a while. The Queen needed his expertise and all the hours in every day to make this operation work. Bruston would be working his contacts hard to come up with solid information concerning Struthers’ plans. Subsequent to that, Bruston would have to find a way to hide a large number of individuals on Triton and to help infiltrate them into the palace complex. A daunting feat, to be sure.
At the end of the week, the team had bona fide credentials that would pass any inspection, including computer queries by Rebels in charge of such things. They traveled the twenty miles across the park in trams, each arriving at different times, and checked in with the employment office. They eventually met with the Professor in a conference room that he was certain was not bugged.
“There will be no secrets among us,” he stated right from the beginning. “All of our lives, and if I suspect correctly the life of the Queen, stand in the balance. To prove myself to you, I will reveal a secret plan of my own that, if it gets out, will result in the deaths of myself and my family.” He looked each of them in the eye, then leaned forward with his hands reaching across the table. His fists clenched and unclenched several times, then he spoke. “I have installed a virus in the Palace computer network. Personally,” he added. “No one else but my son, Torre, knows about it. The virus will cause all computers in the complex to malfunction.”
He looked hard at each of them, then stood up and leaned on the table, thrusting his head toward them. “You know I love this place. Should this virus be activated, I will have given up everything and my time here will be over. With luck, I might escape with my life, but I will be one of the most wanted men in the Empire.” He gave them time to digest this revelation, then continued. “I have given you my greatest secret. I ask in return that you tell me everything about yourselves and about your plans. I am your greatest ally here, and what I do for you will make a difference, but I must act with knowledge.”
He looked hard at Mike. “Despite appearances, it’s clear that you are in charge. Who are you, Mr. Carver?”
“Before answering that question, I have one of my own. How will the Queen ever return here if you’ve jinxed the whole place?”
“I have a very simple bit of code that will fix it. Only my son and I have the code, and it can only be activated by one of us through a secret log-in process. I will add you to that log-in and provide you with the code if you wish.”
“So if I’m in league with Struthers, your plan fails.”
“Just so, sir.”
Mike looked around the table and received nods from the others. Though they had had little contact with Harylda, each had concluded that he was genuine. And the Professor was right, Mike knew. Without him, their success would be unlikely. He told Harylda everything he needed to know. Not about the Chessori, not yet, and not about their efforts out in the other sectors, but of the Queen’s purpose in coming to Triton, he held nothing back.
“My little plan seems trifling in comparison,” the Professor said when the telling was done. “Thank you, Sire. Thank you all. I have your assignments here. In light of what you have just revealed, I think they will provide excellent cover while permitting you free access to the complex. We may make some changes as we go, but we can get started immediately.”
He looked at Mike with that glint back in his eyes. “You, First Knight, are going to check out every bathroom in the facility - personally. I have prepared an exhaustive list of locations and specific items to be checked in each. Every toilet will be flushed, every bath and shower will be tested, every light checked, etc., etc., including those in the Palace and the Senate Chamber. I do not include here the gzeikolts. They will require a separate army of craftsmen. They will not be habitable in the time Struthers allotted me.”
Turning to Val, he said, “Every above ground computer was destroyed in the attack. Most have been returned to service, and the remainder are on a schedule to be returned to service. You will run test procedures on the ones I designate, beginning with the cleaning and service robots.”
To Josh, he said, “You will accompany the manufactures’ representatives as they inspect and test weapons installations. You will represent me, but you are not expected to know weapons. Your function is to check off items on my list and to bring problems to my attention. Do a thorough job,” he added. “You might find yourself on the receiving end of those weapons one day.”
Reba got the hardest job. “You will be a troubleshooter. I am drowning in problems. Your job is not to resolve these problems unless, of course, you can. Your job is to represent me, gather knowledge of the issue, and bring it back to me for consideration.”
He finished by saying, “Your Riders know their way around to some extent. You shouldn’t get lost too often, but when you do, know it’s okay. It’s not called the palace complex by accident, complex being the key word here. Everyone gets lost on a regular basis.”
Parsons’ World
Chapter 8
Trexler had last seen the Queen several months earlier, just after the battle at Aldebaran. When his shuttle touched down on Parson’s World, she was waiting at the foot of the ramp.
Trexler led Nancy Shaw from the ship, accompanied by Commander Akurea Skvechavka’a. This was Nancy’s first step onto an alien planet, but the thrill was overshadowed by her introduction to Ellie. She tried to curtsy, but it didn’t come off very well.
“Sorry, Your Majesty. I’m still a little weak.”
With a scornful look at Trexler, Ellie shouldered him aside and took Nancy by the arm. “I can see that. We’ll get you settled, then I want to hear all about it.” She brooked no argument as she helped Nancy to her quarters and into bed.
“Your Majesty, I’m embarrassed with all this attention,” Nancy mumbled, clearly overwhelmed as the Queen of the whole Empire waited on her.
“If you’re a guest of Raymond Trexler, you’re my guest as well. We think quite highly of him here.”
“So do a lot of other people. He saved Earth, you know.”
“I do know, though I do not know all the details.” She turned to Akurea. “I’m sorry, Commander. We have not been introduced.”
Akurea bent to one knee. “Commander Akurea
Skvechavka’a, Your Majesty.”
“And your purpose here?”
Trexler coughed into his fist. “Uh, that’s not a simple answer, Your Majesty. I’d like you to call your Inner Circle to a meeting, at which time she can explain. It might be appropriate to conduct a couple of Testings before we do.”
Ellie stared at him, then turned to look at Akurea and Nancy. When she turned back to Trexler, she said, “It’s just me and Otis here. Everyone else is out on assignment. We can meet in my quarters.”
Trexler frowned. “Now would be a good time.” He leaned down to Nancy and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “We’ll be back in a little while. Get some rest.”
She nodded, sensing her exclusion. When they left, she sighed. She looked around the room, knowing in her mind that she was on an alien world. She wasn’t overwhelmed very often, but at the moment, she wanted anything but to be left alone.
Otis joined them just as Ellie finished Testing Akurea. She steadied the woman for a few moments, then shocked everyone by stepping back and going to one knee before her. “You have labored mightily in the name of our Empire, Commander. You are a credit to your uniform. Thank you.”
Akurea stared at her in astonishment, then went to both knees before Ellie. “I have only answered the call to duty, Your Majesty, and our labors are not yet ended.”
Ellie took her hand and the two stood up. “They have not, Commander. Many have labored, do labor, on my behalf, but a few stand out. Your efforts have placed you within a very small group of individuals who are leading our efforts to restore the Empire. Be welcome to that small group. And now, let me introduce Sir Otis. He has endured much in my name, but when he hears your story, he, too, will be as amazed as I am.”
Voice of the Chosen (Spirit of Empire, Book Three) Page 14