Hostage Rescue (Princess Rescue Inc Book 2)

by Hechtl, Chris

  “We are transitioning into what my mate calls a constitutional monarchy. It is … different for us.”

  “You don't have to follow his directions if you don't like them,” the doctor said, voice rising slightly.

  “Ah? Well, many of his suggestions are quite good. That is why I back most of them.”

  “Most?” the scientist noticed and pounced on the qualifier.

  “Anything I don't agree with I discuss with him and get his reasoning. We either put it off or implement things gently so as to not shock the system. Like the taking and keeping of thrall .”

  The general frowned. She was speaking English but with a clipped tone of voice. “Thrall?”

  “Your word for it are slaves,” she explained. The doctor's eyes widened. “With my husband's insistence, we are transitioning away from that.”

  “I … see,” Doctor McEntire stated. “I can see how this can be disruptive.”

  “It can be in a lot of ways,” Deidra replied. “Too many people still think of people as cattle, not something to be cared for. But, it is something we are working on. One among many things.”

  “I suppose that is … an interesting thing to discuss,” the general drawled.

  “We have plenty of time to discuss such things during the long hiems ,” the woman replied, lifting a hand to indicate the window with the blowing wind beyond. “General, we have placed your men in the barracks; though if you would prefer to be stationed at the academy, we can discuss it.”

  The general blinked. “Sorry, academy?”

  Deidra smiled. “It is the closest we have to an … independent military command center at this time. Again, a work in progress.” She turned as a paige came into the room. “I have more appointments. We can speak again over dinner,” she murmured, dismissing them.

  ~~~^~~~

  Jessie Adams checked out the auto factory and then a coach builder nearby who was converting his shop into a small automotive factory. He couldn't build full-on cars but he could supply a lot of parts. Converting from a medieval cottage industry to a modern factory was hard to do and definitely not something that could be done overnight. He watched as they continued to work on wheels. The wood wheels had spokes but they had rubber and metal tires.

  He didn't feel truly at home though until he found the electronics shop with the 3D printers and CNC machines. When the tech there told Evan excitedly about how they were working on IT and needed help, he rubbed his hands gleefully together and got down to business.

  ~~~^~~~

  Master Sergeant Wayne Waters got his family settled by the simple expedience of fostering them off on the castle steward and then took off to the academy.

  His clothes got him in to the front desk. A few of the old hands were there in noncom positions; they got him a day pass. He heard some excited mutterings of a mission on and went looking for someone to chat up to find out what was really going on and everything he'd missed.

  ~~~^~~~

  The more she saw, the more Wanda was impressed. Just seeing the carbon plant was impressive in itself. Curious she checked it out and found out it was to make activated carbon for water filtration. She nodded at the wisdom there. The natives made beer every week as their primary drink, mainly because it was one-part meal and one way to make sure the water you drank was not toxic.

  Her tour guide, the plant owner, proudly told her that there was a water filtration plant on the outskirts of town with another being built and a third planned.

  For the moment, their primary market was the government. That would change soon enough as filters were made for manufacturing, businesses, homes, as well as drink and food plants. Making sure they had a proper water supply was one of the top things on her list now that the planet was going to be her permanent home.

  She was amused to see Max had sold off the rights to someone to build a smoke alarm factory. It was just an assembly plant but she appreciated it. She heartily agreed with Max; they needed to have every home and business outfitted with the essential devices in a few years. They would be tied into the grid and battery operated.

  When she saw the small battery factory, she nodded again. A larger one was planned but supplies were short. That did bring up the concern about pollution. She tracked Charlie down to ask that. She looked a bit harried but hugged her.

  When she gave Charlie her list of questions, she got the usual answer. “We're working on it.”

  “Good. Very good.”

  “You just got volunteered to keep tabs on it and the new EPA.”

  “EPA? I didn't even know there was a thing here.”

  “There will be as soon as you remind Eugene and Deidra.”

  Wanda nodded.

  She noted that the smiths were taking lamps and refitting them to accept electric lights to maintain tradition and charm. She heartily approved of that. “So, where do you need me?” she asked.

  Charlie rolled her eyes. “Where don't we need you?” She paused. “That reminds me,” she said and then punched Wanda in the arm.

  “Owe! What'd I do?”

  “You left me here alone!”

  “Well, I'm back now, aren't I?” Wanda demanded as she rubbed her arm.

  “Yeah. But don't do that again! We're a team!”

  Wanda smiled. “Okay, partner, let's show them what two chemists can really do then.”

  “Now you're talking,” Charlie said with a grin.

  ~~~^~~~

  Once Ginger Lewis got her family settled, she beat feet for the airport and hangar. She hung around outside, checking out the setup. It was like a bush airport in some ways. They even had a windsock. The tower was crude but it was there.

  When security came by to chase her off, she told them that she had been sent for by Cecily and Max.

  Security was dubious but recognized her as a Terran from her outfit so they took her to the hangar. There she met and hugged Cecily. Cecily grinned. “I've got this. We're going to put her to work,” she said, dismissing the guards. They nodded and left.

  “So, what first? Tour or taking up a teaching job at our flight school? Or are you interested in the new birds? Cecily asked.

  Ginger turned to the bird under construction and whistled softly. She went over and checked it out, running an experienced hand over the bird. She tested the flight controls. “Okay, I'm impressed,” she said as Max came over and gave her a bear hug.

  “Impressed despite the accident?” Max asked.

  Ginger cocked her head, a clear indication that she hadn't heard that and wanted more information.

  Max grimaced but he and Cecily took turns telling the third- or fourth-hand version of events from the previous evening. Ginger listened and nodded. “That's the problem with bush flying. And at night? In winter?” She shook her head. “I'm actually surprised you didn't have more accidents before this.”

  “Oh, we had a few minor dustups. This is by far the worst though,” Max admitted.

  “With you here, can you take over a lot of the aircraft side? And the airfields?” Cecily asked.

  Max frowned. “Now wait, let's not pile it all on her …”

  “I'm, ah, yeah, that's a lot,” Ginger said.

  Cecily snorted. “He's doing it,” she said, poking her husband in the midriff with one finger. “On top of managing the automotive industry, electronics and other industries, mining, architecture, and a bunch of other things,” she growled.

  Ginger reared back in surprise and then whistled in appreciation. “Damn!”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, Eugene and everyone helps out,” Max said, rubbing the back of his head in a self-conscious gesture. “And you are a real trooper,” he said, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.

  “Yeah, but it's time to get a real expert in the field in,” Cecily stated. “That's what you said, you wanted someone to hand it off to. Well, she's a pilot,” she said, indicating Ginger.

  “I don't know about expert,” Ginger said.

  “But you kno
w the field. We're engineers; we're making it up as we go. Like flight rules and airports and stuff,” Cecily said.

  Ginger frowned and then nodded. “Okay, I suppose I do know a lot more. I'm willing to sign up.”

  “Good. We weren't asking though,” Cecily said. Ginger blinked. “Consider yourself drafted to Eugene's flying circus as Max calls it.”

  Max snorted as Ginger smiled.

  ~~~^~~~

  Nate ran into his old friends. He recruited Mary and the university staff to get them proper housing.

  He picked up a bit of muttering from Sydney about the new team. He excitedly showed them to the university and pointed out the expansion plans as Mary quietly helped get the families settled. Everyone was a bit crammed for space, but at least they were indoors and together.

  A few hours later they found that they needed to find additional rooms as the UN science team joined them.

  Doctor McEntire shook hands with him but more or less kept to his room with his partner. Doctor Isobella Giovani, the young Italian zoologist/biologist, was eager to see things and verify their findings. She rubbed him the wrong way by expressing skepticism over the first expedition's achievements and findings.

  Sydney warned Nate quietly that some of the scientists wanted to prove them wrong.

  Nate got into an argument with the new zoologist over dinner. It started on a debate over how the animals could survive the long winter. He pointed out various methods of hibernation. She demanded evidence of that, which he couldn't provide because he hadn't yet confirmed his hypothesis. Her eyes gleamed over that minor victory.

  There were problems with the ecosystem as it was currently structured though; he was free to admit that. “The deep snow and cold temperatures make animals that can't go into a hibernate state starve. That leads to more predators scavenging carcasses, but eventually, they would run out of food too.”

  “Site your sources,” she insisted.

  “Well …”

  Sydney looked over to Mary and the new botanist, noted they too were going at it and slumped in his seat. It was going to be a long winter at this rate.

  ~~~^~~~

  Wanda nailed down Sue and Charlie over dinner. They ate with the others but she made a point of needing to talk to them. When they were in the ladies’ room, Wanda warned them that there was serious shit going on back home and with them. A lot of it was above my pay grade, but I know something is off. This whole UN thing smells.”

  “Ah?”

  They had to table the conversation when some of the natives came by.

  “Talk later,” Sue said as she checked her radio.

  “Good, we've got a latte machine to set up and some coffee to brew,” Wanda said. “Providing you can find some good cream and sugar.”

  That earned a startled look from Sue and Charlie, then grins. “It's a date!” Sue said. “Real honest to goodness coffee?”

  “Yup and not decalf. And I got seeds. Three varieties. I don't have a clue about where to grow them though.”

  “Hot house for the moment,” Charlie said thoughtfully. “Huh.”

  “What?”

  “Does this mean we're set to open up our own coffee house in the future? Starbucks franchise maybe?” she asked slyly. The other two girls laughed.

  ~~~^~~~

  To Sydney's surprise, he was drafted by Deidra no less to be in the university's administration. She also got the other scientists to guest lecture at the schools and college.

  Those with medical knowledge took tours of the medical school and academy. They were flattered for a request for input by eager students and faculty.

  Sydney saw it as more than flattery, though he was careful to not say anything. By engaging with the Terrans, the natives were gaining access to their body of knowledge, seeing an independent view on what was still needed, and getting to explore the people while passing on some of their own knowledge.

  He also noted that the two sociologists remained aloof—sometimes talking to each other, occasionally taking notes—but neither took any sort of offer to lecture or teach. If they engaged, it was only to ask probing questions. Some of those questions seemed to make the people they talked to annoyed or confused.

  He made a note to talk to someone about it later.

  Chapter 46

  Duluth

  On top of watching the air, Tycho had at least one person on his radio. They had to wind it to transmit, but he hoped the signal would get out there. There was some fear that the enemy would pick the signal up with any captured radios, but he kept that fear to himself.

  Tacitus arranged to use a bit of cobbled-together copper wire as a longer antenna in an attempt to extend the range of the radio.

  Trying to find something for everyone to do was easy. He had them rotating on duties and chores and didn't interfere when the people bartered those duties and chores among themselves. As long as everyone did something and they all worked together, he was okay with it.

  There was a problem though; the hunting parties quickly hunted out the area. Food became scarce again, and that would force them to move on soon unless they decided to try to raid some of the surrounding farms and villages. He was not ready to do that; most of the natives seemed neutral. He didn't want to antagonize them.

  ~~~^~~~

  Akemi looked out the window to the left wing. So far so good.

  “Will you quit doing that?” her copilot demanded. She glanced at him. “It's fine,” he said.

  She shrugged. “I can't help it.”

  The mechanics had managed to get her bird repaired. She was still embarrassed about the landing. The king had told her over the radio that she'd done her best under the circumstances. That had only helped a little.

  While the mechanics worked, she'd insisted on overhauling the landing strip. She had worked with the ground crew to improve the strip lighting and ways for pilots to see the strip. They also worked on taking the snow down as much as possible.

  She heard noise and turned to look over her right shoulder through the door behind them to the engineering station. There her flight engineer had a headset pressed to his ears, and he was delicately twisting knobs in an attempt to home in on a garbled infrequent radio transmission.

  Localizing the signal was a pain. They had a map with arrows on it with what they hoped were pointing in the direction of where the signal was strongest. She didn't want to do a grid pattern search. They didn't have the fuel, and they didn't want to draw more unwanted attention their way.

  If Tranis was right, they might be on to something. They'd know when they flew directly over the site in another, she checked their location and then nodded mentally, fifteen minutes she thought.

  ~~~^~~~

  Galius was on duty when the guards on duty outside reported the sound of a motor. He realized they were hearing a plane. He had Agnes wake Tycho and the others since he knew what it meant. He threw himself at Tycho's kit to get to the radio while barking orders for people to get outside and wave to the bird.

  His orders immediately kicked the place into bedlam. The lodge was hidden by trees. A pair of guards went out with brooms to clear the snow from the SOS that had been made out of burnt wood and soot in the snow. Another soldier went out the door with an improvised Imperium flag.

  ~~~^~~~

  “The signal is stronger,” the flight engineer said. “We're getting it … they see us,” he said in excitement.

  “And I see them,” Akemi said, looking down and then pointing to the SOS. “Radio it in,” she ordered, just as they got a clear radio signal of someone chattering excitedly.

  She banked over the site, memorizing as many features as she could. She waggled the wings in a side-to-side rocking motion to let the people below know they could see them. She felt her heart soar as she saw a soldier came out with an Imperium flag and wave it.

  “We're low on fuel,” her copilot said.

  She checked the gauge and cursed softly.

  “Hey, we'll be back,” he
r copilot said as he made a notation of their location on the map in his lap.

  “Right. Let them know we're low on fuel but we'll be back,” she said over her shoulder to the flight engineer.

  “Understood.”

  ~~~^~~~

  Tycho heard the people cheering. Some questioned if it was really a plane, it had been painted to resemble a mythical dragon. But it had too many straight lines to be a beast. They'd gotten a clear look at it.

  People were hugging and then cheering. When they questioned why the aircraft was leaving, he turned to see Galius come out.