by CJ Williams
Carrie spent three days with her family. Rubie was cute, Booker was an idiot, and her stepmom was caring and affectionate. A bit of darkness disappeared from Carrie’s heart. She took time to visit Booker’s store and was pleasantly surprised to find it reminiscent of an old-fashioned tobacconist’s shop. She had feared it was going to be a dark and moldy cave-like place where everyone wore black leather jackets and skintight jeans. Instead it was light and airy and most of the clientele were senior citizens.
On another errand, Carrie spent an hour looking at rods and reels at Kessler’s Bass Shop. They all looked the same to her, but the salesman seemed partial to the Pflueger Trion spinning combo; he had several models. She paid for six of them in different sizes, ranging from five to seven feet long. She also filled a shopping cart with lines, floats, lures, flies, hooks, and every other kind of tackle she could find. She had the entire purchase wrapped in a neat package, and when she got back to the farm, Carrie called Sadie to come down and pick it up. She loaded it into the cargo bay and said, “Tell Roth to scan everything in this box into our replicator database and make sure he sends the update to Governor Lindsey.”
Each night she spent time with her father, listening to his solid wisdom about dealing with the tragedies of life. In spite of being the quiet soul that he was, he understood much.
Early in the morning on the fourth day, Carrie said her goodbyes over breakfast. Not surprisingly, Booker was a bit of a prick. He scoffed when she explained that her spaceship was going to pick her up. He rolled his eyes at her announcement and made sarcastic comments.
When the family walked her onto the front porch, she gave each of them a hug, even Booker. “I love you, little stepbrother. Believe it or not, knowing that you are here as part of my family makes me feel human again. I like knowing that I’m still part of the human race.”
“Whatever,” was his only reply.
Sadie, come get me, she sent to her shuttle. Keep any booms above ten thousand feet. I don’t want to scare the locals too much.
On the way, Sadie responded instantly. Thirty seconds to arrival.
Carrie gave her dad one last hug and then turned to Booker. “Maybe this will change your mind.”
She heard the dull, high altitude sonic boom and then Sadie came out of the morning sky at five hundred miles an hour, decelerating at the last second to float above the gravel driveway, the famous tree still untouched. Carrie ran to her shuttle and boarded, turning back for a final goodbye. Everyone was waving excitedly, except Booker. His petulant expression made her laugh. The cargo door closed and Sadie rose into the sky.
Carrie looked at her surroundings. “You look different,” she said.
“I am different,” Sadie replied. “While you’ve been lounging around, I’ve been working with Riley Stevens. That is one smart young man. He’s making breakthroughs that surpass anything the Nobility has developed in a thousand years.”
“Us Alliance types are pretty scrappy. What’s he done now?”
“Targeting, weaponry, drives, shields; all new and improved. He feels bad for you about J99 and said he would have made the same mistake.”
“Thanks, I guess. But it doesn’t help much.”
“I know. But he took it to heart. He came up with a new projectile design that will keep that from ever happening again. He calls them safe shells. And that’s not all. He made our blast cannons more efficient. Shields are stronger too, but the best part is our new gravity drives. We’re faster than ever, and that’s saying a lot.”
Carrie had to agree with that. “I thought your engines looked a little different just now. Are you an entirely new ship?”
“I am. It was easier than trying to retrofit.”
“We should give you a new model name. How about the Sadie-class yacht instead of armed shuttlecraft?”
“I like it. Shall I make that the official designation?”
“Yes, indeed. So what did you do with the old you?” Carrie asked. “I thought you didn’t like leaving copies of you everywhere.”
“I don’t. After transferring my kernel to this vehicle, the old me flew into the local sun. Mr. Morrow is scheduling upgrades for all existing warships and the design has been sent to the Commander.”
“Let’s get started then,” Carrie said.
Sadie asked, point blank, “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
“More than ever,” Carrie said. “I can’t stay here. I’m in the way in Earth’s solar system because I outrank Roth, crazy as that sounds. I can’t go back to Bradley’s Planet because I can’t stand the thought of going back into combat. I don’t want to get into a shooting war anymore. In the meantime, I’m not ready to start growing lavender just yet.”
“Your father knows?”
“I told him I was going on another mission, a long one,” Carrie admitted. “But I didn’t tell him what a long shot it was. You’re the one who agreed the mission is not by default a suicide mission.”
“Not if you don’t make it one.”
“We’ve talked about this. I’ve told you that was a just a one-off moment of insanity. I’m sad inside, but I’m not feeling suicidal anymore. You know that’s true.”
“I know you say you’re not,” Sadie corrected. “I can’t peer into your heart. But from everything you say, and from my own observations of your behavior, I agree. Stay focused and stay positive and we may both survive this mission intact.”
“I’ll try,” Carrie promised. “I’m actually excited about this. We’re really going into the heart of the Nobility’s space. Talk about strange new worlds and new civilizations!”
“I believe you qualify as the stranger,” Sadie observed.
Carrie laughed at the comment. “Did you give all our mission details to George? The Commander will need this stuff.”
“Not yet. I wanted to give you one more chance to back out before we set off. If you’re ready, you have to give me the command.”
“Sadie, take me to system R62! Or Japurnam Five as you call it. Did I say that right?”
“Close enough. Course set. Time until arrival, sixty-two days.”
Chapter 6 – Exile
“I’m getting some strange readings,” Sadie said, interrupting Carrie’s shower.
Carrie was exhausted and not just from the morning’s workout. The last two months had been like attending boot camp. Intense exercise and even more intense study. Carrie was now the most knowledgeable Earthling concerning the Nobility and its culture.
One of Sadie’s emphases that Carrie had not expected was language. Thanks to her implant, she had become used to landing on a strange planet and being able to converse with the locals almost instantly. But Sadie explained there was an important difference.
“Don’t overlook dialect. Within the Nobility’s environs, you can establish the importance of an individual by their dialect. Just as it was in old England, a person’s dialect can establish their level in society. Are you a servant or part of the royalty? Your implant identifies you at the very top of our culture. But the wrong dialect will strip all of that away if you sound like the illegitimate child of a serving girl.”
That wasn’t Carrie’s only surprise during her study of Nobility society. She was disappointed to discover that the Nobility was not the Camelot she had imagined. It featured a strict hierarchical social structure. People did use money after all. That meant there was poverty, and poverty was accompanied by violence.
And of course, the targets of violence were always found in the poverty-stricken surroundings of those unfortunate enough to exist at the bottom of the economic ladder. Even weapons were not unheard of. Carrie thought it sounded much like the mass of humanity she knew on Earth.
Replicators, which the Commander was so set on distributing throughout his growing empire, were strictly controlled in Nobility territory. Heavy license fees kept them out of reach of the unwashed masses while most wealthy families considered advanced technology as a dark art. It was dish
eartening but predictable; how often in her own history did the wealthy use ignorance to keep the downtrodden under their feet?
On the plus side, war did not exist. That alone made the trip exciting for Carrie. She wanted nothing further to do with combat and warcraft.
“What kind of strange readings?” Carrie asked.
“I would say they were warships. I suppose it could be a merchant’s convoy, but if so, it’s quite large. I wonder if Princess Gimi is engaging in trade. She was a wild one, to be sure.”
Sadie’s goal was to make Princess Gimi their first contact with the Nobility. She was the youngest daughter of King Peyha, the sovereign monarch of the First Family. Sadie felt she would be welcomed because she had been Gimi’s AI companion during her first hundred years.
Upon reaching adulthood, the princess was expected to move out of the royal household and establish her own abode. It was acceptable for her to accomplish this through business or an appropriate marriage.
Not interested in marriage, Princess Gimi had established her home on Japurnam Five, funded by her father through the Gimi Foundation.
Carrie learned all about the royal siblings during the trip. Prince Jinbo, Gimi’s oldest brother, had fulfilled his filial duty by marrying well and was now happily producing offspring to ensure the royal bloodline.
Gimi’s older sister, Princess Soultang, had likewise accomplished her mission in life by marrying Prince Rakkaie, eldest son of King Kkoli, ruler of the Second Family. Sadie emphasized that knowing which names to drop gave one an enormous edge in dealing with the mammoth bureaucracy.
The administrative machinery kept the Nobility’s economic engines running, and at the same time kept billions of subjects sated with their lot in life. Upward mobility was certainly possible, even encouraged, but it was not commonly the result of an ingenious startup company. The most likely path to society’s upper echelons was through celebrity.
Carrie had been amused to discover that even in the center of the galaxy, people grew bored and vegged out in front of their favorite entertainment series. Sadie showed her clips of what could only be called Pop Stars going back thousands of years. Trends were cyclic and recognizable.
Carrie watched performances that would have done well on Broadway and others that would be a hit in Nashville. There were many more that ranged from boring to outright gruesome. Most interesting was that each brand and style came and went with startling predictability. I should have kept my bell-bottoms, she thought at one point.
In anticipation of arrival on Japurnam Five, Carrie dressed in an outfit prepared by Sadie, a rather old-fashioned, traditional-looking ensemble suitable for Earth’s Victorian era. At least it was comfortable. Sadie promised it was indicative of that worn by branch members of an upper nobility family. Not servant-class, not ostentatious, but representing outlying power and wealth.
“Tell me more about the convoy,” Carrie said as she settled into the cockpit’s left seat. “Do you think it’s a bad sign?”
“Not sure yet,” Sadie replied. “Going sub-light now. I’m allowing a little extra distance. We’re about thirty million miles from the planet. Whoever it is will know we’re here soon enough. Our reception may tell us a lot.”
It didn’t take long.
Sadie announced, “I’ve just been pinged by a ship AI with an order to heave to. I’m ignoring that.” A moment later she added, “And now we’re getting hailed. You should respond.”
Sadie put the incoming call on the side viewscreen.
A sternly uniformed man said, “Private yacht 92-9000, identify yourself and your intended destination.”
Carrie put on her most innocent expression. “This is Carrie Faulkner, bound for Japurnam Five. Who are you?”
“Heave to, 9000, and prepare for boarding. Japurnam Five is currently under First Family diplomatic sanction. Acknowledge.”
This was unexpected. “I hear what you’re saying,” Carrie replied. “But Japurnam Five is owned by the First Family so how can it be under a diplomatic sanction?”
After a moment’s silence a new face appeared on her viewscreen. Another uniform but with a starburst on his collar insignia instead of a diamond. The problem had been booted up a notch.
“What is your mission, Miss Faulkner?”
“I am engaged in personal business,” Carrie said evenly.
“Of what nature?” the officer demanded.
“I don’t see that First Family matters are any of your business. You have not identified yourself. Please explain the reason for your inquiries.”
Her calm statement that she was on First Family business had an effect but not what she’d intended. His eyes narrowed. “This planet is under political sanction by the First Family. I am a fleet officer charged with enforcing their sanction.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Carrie snapped back. “No one in my family is involved in politics.” Carrie wondered if that were true. Wasn’t royalty all about politics? For safe measure she added, “I’m certainly not.”
“Perhaps not, Miss. But we must determine your cargo before you may pass.”
“My cargo? That hardly sounds like a diplomatic sanction. It sounds more like piracy.”
“Not at all. Certain items are prohibited from landing on this planet. If you are carrying any of those products, your cargo may be seized. This is allowed by Nobility law.”
“That is not true, Officer. What you are describing is an embargo. Are you engaged in an embargo? If so, what items are you listing? Any embargoed item must be published. That is the law.”
Carrie was guessing at most of what she was claiming, based on her study of international law during her criminal justice degree. So far, society on Earth had exact parallels in almost every aspect of the interplanetary societies that she had come across. Her guess couldn’t be that far off.
Aside from that, she was fairly certain that a mid-level military officer would not know the letter of the law. The officer’s expression said she had struck a nerve and the screen faded to black.
“Are we okay, Sadie?” Carrie asked. “You need to tell me if I’m getting off base.”
“You’re doing fine,” Sadie replied. “I will put a warning on the front screen if necessary. Follow your instincts, Admiral.”
Carrie worried when Sadie used her military rank.
The side viewscreen came to life with yet another stern visage. Three starbursts on the collar. I’m moving up, Carrie decided.
“Young lady, you will land in our transient hangar and submit your yacht to inspection. All military supplies of any kind are embargoed from Japurnam Five.”
“I am not carrying military cargo, sir,” Carrie replied sweetly. “And your so-called embargo now sounds suspiciously like a blockade. Blockading a planet owned by the First Family is highly questionable. Please explain your authority.”
“Our authority is beyond your questioning, Carrie Faulkner. Our duty to the king is to determine your identity and your own authorization. I would prefer to keep this discussion on a civil basis, but you will not be allowed to approach the planet without a proper inspection.”
Carrie considered the matter. The officer sounded both emphatic and legitimate. Perhaps there was civil strife on the planet and they were acting in her best interests. Yeah, right.
During Carrie’s back and forth with the officers, Sadie scanned the vessels around Japurnam Five. She split the viewscreen and displayed the close-up images. They were definitely a military force.
The warcraft had a disquieting resemblance to the Bakkui warships Carrie had engaged. But perhaps that was to be expected. It was obvious the Bakkui had originated somewhere within Nobility territory by virtue of their AI hierarchy.
“One moment, Officer,” Carrie said. “You are treading on dangerous ground and I will not be toyed with.” She cut the connection.
“This is worrisome,” Sadie declared needlessly. “Nothing about his claim makes sense. Wait, he’s calling back.”
&n
bsp; This time a much older man appeared on the screen.
“How can I help you, sir?” Carrie asked, surprised that her call had been booted up so high. His collar insignia displayed only a simple crown. Probably an admiral.
“Miss Faulkner, perhaps we can avoid trouble if you would let me know what faction of the First Family you represent.”
“Faction?” Carrie exclaimed. “I serve no faction, sir. My duty is to the king and I only serve members of his family.”
“So you are a member of King Jinbo’s household? Then of course, you serve the Progressive Faction.”
Jinbo? That was the king’s son. That meant old King Peyha must have died! But Sadie had said he was less than sixteen hundred years old. For a monarch that was not an advanced age. Had there been foul play?
“I detect a tractor beam,” Sadie announced grimly. “I suspect they will try to pull us aboard their flagship. That’s it approaching dead ahead.”
A feeling of unease settled on Carrie as the admiral nodded to someone out of the camera’s veiw. “I believe our conversation has come to an end. Good day, sir.” She cut the connection again. “Sadie?” she asked worriedly.
What had been a bright dot in the distance expanded rapidly. Carrie gasped when Sadie put a close-up display of the vessel on the front screen. “It’s like something out of Star Wars,” she whispered.
“Not really,” Sadie replied. “It looks more like one of your sea going container ships. Note the U-shaped hull and the elevated bridge spans the entire width of the fuselage.”
“Are we in any danger?” Carrie asked.
“I don’t believe so. Their tractor beam is not that strong. As long as we keep our distance, I can defeat it easily.”
“Can I use my implant to make the flagship’s AI shut it down?”
“It’s possible,” Sadie agreed. “Give it a try and remember the techniques we talked about.”
Carrie sent her thoughts toward the approaching vessel. She could feel the muted buzzing of hundreds of low-level AIs that powered large tools, major components and other ship systems. From a practical aspect, those were closed systems. Without individual study, they were impervious to her manipulation.