Warlord 2: The Nobility

by CJ Williams

  Tolliver looked uncomfortable with the discussion. “In the past that was true. Had the king died a hundred years ago, without having made other arrangements, Jinbo would become king.”

  “Other arrangements?”

  “Although our tradition is that the eldest male offspring inherits the monarchy, there have been exceptions in the family’s long history. Princess Soultang is certainly capable, but her offspring is mixed with the seed of the now hated Kkoli. That alternative is closed.”

  “So that only leaves Princess Gimi,” Carrie guessed. “Is she suitable?”

  “Of course,” Tolliver replied. “She was a serious child, filled with kindness for the people, but too young to ascend to the throne. She needs time to grow and mature.”

  “How old is she?” Carrie asked. Tolliver made it sound like Gimi was a teenager.

  “She is less than five hundred years old,” Tolliver replied. “Very inexperienced.”

  Carrie tried not to scoff at the man. These people had an entirely different perspective on growing up.

  “You might be selling the princess a little short, but okay. When will she be old enough?”

  Tolliver would not venture additional opinions on the suitability of the princess, so Carrie prompted JF307 to answer.

  “The king accepted that King Kkoli was a threat,” JF307 explained. “If King Peyha were to suddenly die, the succession could be thrown into chaos. He recalled his scientists to make changes in AI programming. As Tolliver said, therein lies the true power of the monarchy.”

  Carrie understood. “What you’re saying is that bureaucrats rule the kingdom.”

  “Not exactly,” JF307 replied. “Whatever the king desires becomes the law. But yes, his imperial decree is carried out by the empire’s collective AIs as they administer millions of protocols, regulations, and procedural details.”

  “Red tape is a powerful tool,” Carrie admitted.

  “King Peyha decided that succession to the monarchy would no longer be based on seniority. Instead, it would require a majority decision of the king’s offspring as to who among them would rise. Until that selection was recorded, the royal issue would rule as co-equals. The job of all AIs is to enforce that protocol for succession.”

  “All right,” Carrie said. “So the kids talk it over and decide who will rule. Sounds reasonable. What’s the problem, then?”

  The AI continued. “The king’s passing was a signal for King Kkoli. He launched an all-out attack on Prince Jinbo’s home world. The prince and his family were captured. The prince could not hold out against the threatened torture of his wife and children and he agreed to cede the monarchy over to King Kkoli.”

  “Is that legal?” Carrie asked. “Doesn’t that go around the new AI rules?”

  “That is correct, Highness,” JF307 replied. “The universe of artificial intelligences temporarily banned both Jinbo and King Kkoli from the empire. Their AIs shut down and a final advisory was issued. If King Peyha was not found within ten years, his offspring would be ordered to vote a successor. Five years would be allowed for the vote. If the vote could not be taken and recorded by the deadline, the crown would devolve to Prince Jinbo, in accordance with the First Family’s previous tradition. Only a majority of all siblings can speed up the process.”

  “And?” Carrie prompted. Getting information out of these AIs was like pulling teeth.

  “This means that King Kkoli will win after all. Time is on his side. When the deadline expires, the crown will devolve to Prince Jinbo and he will in turn cede his sovereignty to King Kkoli. Only then will the AI bureaucracy acknowledge him as the new sovereign.”

  “That’s a pretty big loophole,” Carrie observed. She faced Tolliver. “So that’s why you mean time is on his side.”

  Tolliver nodded. “It’s worse. King Kkoli is not a patient man. He led a new attack, ultimately successful, against Princess Soultang. With the alternative being her son’s death she also voted to give the monarchy to her father-in-law.”

  “Then he’s got two out of the three votes,” Carrie said. “Does that mean that King Kkoli is now the First Family?”

  “It does not,” JF307 replied. “The process has not finished. Until Princess Gimi’s vote is cast and recorded, no changes will be acknowledged by the AI world.”

  “So is that why Princess Gimi left? Are you saying she’s gone into hiding? As long as she doesn’t vote, it’s still a stalemate?”

  “That is correct, Highness,” JF307 answered. “Until the deadline expires, or she dies.”

  “And when is the deadline?”

  “Three months from now.”

  “Well that explains, a lot,” Carrie said grumpily. “It would have helped if Sadie had filled me in.”

  It was an untenable situation. The royal soap opera had been going on for decades and now she was suddenly in the middle when there were more important tasks at hand—like stopping the Bakkui. Carrie had a lot to think about. She wanted some time alone to consider the information. But first, she had a task at hand to finish.

  “I guess we should go see your ministers. How do I look?”

  Carrie suddenly realized that the foolish question meant she was healing inside. It had been a long time since she had given her looks a second thought.

  “Older than your years,” Tolliver said with honest sympathy. “The king’s burden weighs heavily upon you. I’ve seen such pain in others who are forced to deal in life and death. I will pray that God watches over you and that He will heal your wounds.”

  It was the first invocation of the Divine since dealing with the Nobility or people beyond Earth’s solar system. It touched her deeply. She gave the astonished Tolliver an impulsive hug. “Let’s go,” she said.

  Chapter 9 – Succession

  The next morning after breakfast, Carrie situated herself on her patio and shooed away her two female bodyguards. Comfortably seated, she leaned back and cleared her mind to review what she had learned. Had Sadie known that Princess Gimi was on the run? Not likely or she would not have wasted time by coming here. She must have found out from JF307. So now what?

  In actuality, Sadie had several missions. First, and totally secret, was to find an extra heir. It was a last-ditch backup by the king in case his family was wiped out.

  In an overall sense, however, Sadie was primarily focused on problems away from the galactic core. She was not involved with the First Family’s political concerns about ruling the empire. Sadie’s mission was to defeat the Bakkui.

  By Sadie’s own admission, King Peyha failed in his attempts to recruit other star systems. The background Carrie heard last night was confirmation. It said a lot about the Commander too. She always knew he was unique. But now she knew it to be an understatement like no other.

  But back to the main point, Sadie had at one time thought the Commander was lost. That was the only reason Carrie had been given a more advanced level-one implant. If that was so, then why had Sadie given her the final upgrade, had in fact made Carrie an heir to the galactic throne? Even thinking of herself as someone in the royal bloodline bordered on insanity.

  Except Sadie wasn’t insane. She was a really smart AI. And it was clear now that she was trying to help out with the situation she discovered on arrival at Japurnam Five.

  “So, Jeff,” Carrie said out loud. “Does this mean I get a vote too?”

  “Yes,” the AI replied.

  That meant two votes for Kkoli and two against. That must be what Sadie had intended. She saw the opportunity to throw a wrench into Kkoli’s spokes and took it.

  “I vote against King Kkoli then.”

  “That is not a vote. You must vote for someone.”

  Carrie thought about it. She wasn’t sure who to vote for. What would Gimi prefer. “Can I give Princess Gimi my proxy? I would rather let her decide since I don’t really know what’s best.”

  “Because of your youth, that is acceptable. Your proxy has been registered in favor of Princess Gimi.”<
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  “That makes it a tie, doesn’t it?” Carrie asked. “What happens if it’s a draw?”

  “It is not a draw,” JF307 replied. “Princess Gimi has not voted.”

  Carrie groaned with frustration. “What did you say about the timeline expiring?” she asked. “When does Jinbo become king?”

  “Three months,” JF307 droned.

  Crap! So was Carrie supposed to take three months off to find the princess and get her back to Japurnam Five for the vote? Until now, Carrie viewed the problem of royal succession as unimportant when stacked up against the Bakkui.

  But there was a bigger picture. Even before the question of absentee ballots came up Sadie had said she needed to find Princess Gimi. True, the voting issue really didn’t matter one way or the other when it came to fighting the Bakkui, but Gimi had information Carrie needed for the battle. The bottom line was it meant Carrie had one more reason to find Gimi and quickly. That brought up another matter.

  “Do you know where Princess Gimi is, Jeff?”

  “Yes,” the AI responded. “My last communication with her was from Ebene Three. By your star reference, the location is N29.”

  Carrie mentally pictured the Alliance’s star grid. The grid reference put Ebene Three closer toward Bakkui territory. Right on the edge, if not a little inside. At least it was in the same direction she already needed to go.

  All of Carrie’s missions were getting tangled up in her mind. She wasn’t even sure who she was working for anymore. The Commander? Sadie? The First Family? Speaking of which, “Jeff, what did Sadie tell you about Commander Blackburn? Are you aware of his lineage?”

  “Affirmative. Commander Lucas Barrett Blackburn; the youngest son of King Peyha and fifth in line for the throne. Current location unknown but assumed to be near the outer edge of the galaxy.”

  “Does he get a vote?” Carrie asked.

  “Affirmative.”

  “I don’t suppose I could vote for him?”

  “That would not be approved.”

  “But Luke doesn’t even know about this,” Carrie said. “Even if I can find Princess Gimi, you’ll need Luke’s vote to break the tie. That’s what King Peyha would have wanted.”

  JF307 already had the answer. “I raised this question upon hearing of his existence from Sadie. If Princess Gimi votes within the allotted period, the deadline will be extended for twelve months.”

  More time would have been nice, but it was doable. If Carrie could find Princess Gimi in time, she could send a message to the Commander. What he did with it was up to him. For now, Carrie felt she had clear marching orders. Find the princess, learn what she knew about the Bakkui, and keep heading further into their territory to discover the location of their homeworld. She could also convince Gimi to come back long enough to vote.

  Carrie walked back into the living room and looked at her bodyguards. “How would you two like to go on an exciting trip? And I can’t make any promises about our return.”

  Sunchall looked excited by the prospect. Choego sighed heavily but didn’t hesitate in her response. “Of course, Your Highness.”

  Carrie patted Choego’s shoulder. “I guess I need to check with my ride first and make sure there’s room for you. What time is it?”

  *.*.*.*

  Carrie waited for her guest in her private office. Germander arrived soon after midday. He still looked uncomfortable with the surroundings of his new client.

  Carrie didn’t tease him. “Don’t worry so much. I promise you’re not in any trouble. Things have a taken a turn, I admit, but not for the worse.”

  “Easy for you to say…Highness.”

  “How are preparations going?” Carrie was eager to get down to business. The truth was, she was uncomfortable too. Everywhere she looked she saw a dozen things that needed attention. She wanted to help sort out the palace, but it wasn’t fair to change everything and then leave a mess in her wake.

  “We could depart this evening if that is still your intent,” Germander said.

  “I’m sure about leaving, but we have new questions to deal with. How big is your ship? How many people can you take?”

  “Based on our agreement, I provisioned only for you and my crew. It’s forty-five days to Cerava Four.”

  Provisioned? His comment threw her off track. Then she realized of course, he wouldn’t have a replicator on board. “You take actual food?”

  His expression was a bit condescending. “Unless you were thinking of starving, Highness. And you’re too skinny already.”

  Choego growled at him for such insolence and he mumbled an apology.

  Carrie paid no attention to his comment. She was wondering what meals would be like. Probably not too good. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind and tried to focus on the major issues. “Sorry, we have a new destination. I’m not going to Cerava Four any more. I want to go to Ebene Three. Does that change the travel time?”

  Germander thought for a moment. “Yes, Highness. I would have to check, but Ebene Three is about two weeks closer. But I’ve already incurred the expenses for Cerava Four. No refunds.”

  Carrie smiled. “As I’ve already said, my circumstances have changed. Don’t be greedy and you won’t suffer any losses on this trip. And you might want to keep in mind that I was once a ship’s captain. How many people can you reasonably take on board?”

  “How many do you need?” Germander countered.

  “This pair,” Carrie nodded toward her bodyguards. “And another two dozen guardsmen. Since I have the resources, we may as well use them.”

  Germander nodded slowly. “I have enough staterooms for the females and one for your officers. But the guardsmen will be billeted in my cargo hold. It will be tight, but we can make it work. I’ll need another week for provisioning and an engineer to check my environmental systems. I’m not sure what that would require, but I doubt it would be quick.”

  “A week is fine,” Carrie agreed. “But I want to see your ship first thing in the morning. If I’m impressed, we have a deal.”

  *.*.*.*

  Carrie wasn’t overly impressed, but Germander’s ship, Jandy, would do the job all things being equal. It reminded her of a ferry boat she had seen during a trip to New York, old but sound. The spacecraft was a hundred and forty feet long with three decks plus the bridge. The lower deck was primarily mechanical and environmental. The middle level consisted of two large cargo bays where her royal guards would fit easily. The upper deck held several staterooms. Nothing fancy but adequate for her needs.

  During her external inspection Carrie was glad to see the main gravity drives at the rear of the ship were in good condition. Smaller lifting drives were inset into the hull along both sides. The ship’s design limited the top speed, which was concerning since they were blockade running, but Germander pooh-poohed her concerns.

  “If these pirates had any eyes at all or sensors to speak of I might be worried,” he scoffed. “But they don’t. They’re idiots and lazy idiots to boot.”

  Carrie was not as sure. The military commander she had seen upon arriving at Japurnam Five didn’t look like a fool. “What about armaments? Do you have anything? Either offensive or defensive?”

  Germander was dismissive of her question. “One ship can’t take on a fleet. We’re better off to rely on Jandy’s legs.” He affectionately touched the hull of his ship. “She may not be shapely. But she’s got it where it counts.”

  Carrie let it pass. He’d been in the smuggling business longer than her, but once more she appreciated the force that Commander Blackburn had put together. And he had done it without the magic that Sadie had since brought to the table. Engineers like Riley Stevens at Moonbase One and Justin and Rico on Bradley’s Planet, stood out in her mind as geniuses of the first order.

  A commotion at the hangar’s entrance interrupted her thoughts. It was the arrival of a cadre of her royal engineers. Carrie had offered their expertise and Germander had gratefully accepted. She suspected the smuggl
er would attempt to milk everything he could from his sudden windfall. Since it was to her benefit as well, Carrie didn’t begrudge the situation. The only issue was how long everything would take. She planned to stay on top of the modifications to ensure there was no foot dragging.

  That evening her senior engineer showed up at her chambers, orders having been left that he was to report his findings no matter how late.

  “Your Highness,” he began, bowing low in her living room.

  “What are your estimates, Engineer?” she prompted.

  “Everything necessary is routine. We can have all the modifications completed within two months. Three at the outside.” The man looked smugly confident with his information.

  “Thank you, Engineer,” Carrie replied. “Please proceed at once and keep me updated on any revisions to your estimates.”

  “Of course, Your Highness.”

  “By the way,” Carrie said as the man started to back away. “There was one last requirement I didn’t make clear. Please factor this into your schedules.”

  “Of course, Highness. What would that be?”

  “Two things, actually. First, we’re leaving in one week, max. Second, in case there are any problems along the way, you’re going with us. You will be personally responsible for any malfunctions that might threaten my safety.” The man looked like he’d been poleaxed. “Lady Sunchall will escort you to your new quarters,” Carrie finished.

  With the business of the day complete, Carrie turned in, exhausted. She’d spent the afternoon with her own Tolliver, making further changes to the household staff. She didn’t really want to get into it, but some of the problems she’d found just could not be left to further rot on the vine.

  Tomorrow she’d go back to the hangar and check on the new estimates. She had not been kidding about taking the old engineer along. In the few days since she had arrived, Carrie had made it clear that no one should lightly discount her words.

  She felt an almost forgotten satisfaction. It was good to be back in command, even of a little ragtag force like the royal family.