Celestial Love

by Juli Blood

  ‘I can barely see the shuttle now; can you still hear me?’ Bryan asked.

  ‘Yes. Keep talking,’ Kalea said.

  ‘This is amazing! I can’t even see the shuttle. You must have crossed over the horizon. I wonder if this will work while you are at SC-17, how far away is SC-17 anyway?’ Bryan asked. After a few minutes when she didn’t reply Bryan got his answer. Walking back to his bed he sat down and stared out at the vast clear blue sky.

  “Father, I’m in awe. This gift is amazing. I could feel how sad she was to go even before she said it. And to be able to hear each other over such a great distance without a communication device. This must indeed be a blessing from You. Please Lord, keep her safe and help her to solve the problem and the mystery quickly. You know, for a moment I doubted her. I don’t know if she felt it but thank You for this gift that makes it easier to believe her.

  “Please be with me today as I try to get everything organized. I should have spent my time in transit doing some of this but I was too focused on myself. Part of me still wonders why it had to be like this but I feel that You might be using this experience to strengthen my faith. I still have doubts and questions but thank You for this gift, of the link with Kalea. It reassures me that You are indeed in this.

  “There is much to do and I have a feeling this new situation may change more things than we know. So again, I pray that You will help all of us to stay focused and get it done. Please bless Kalea today and all my family. May Thy will be done, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” Standing, he again walked to the window and after a moment went to take a shower. Today was going to be very busy.

  Twenty minutes later Leo was talking with Edward regarding the need for a large room to serve as Prince Bryan’s office and meeting area.

  Across the bedroom Bryan sat at a small table enjoying his breakfast as he viewed the message from Princess Kalea. Somehow it felt strange to see her and hear her but not feel her. ‘Funny, we’ve only had one conversation – two at best – and already it just feels so natural and right.’ He thought as he pressed the restart button. This time he concentrated on what she actually said and was amazed at her level of involvement in the development of the water filtration systems for the sea cities.

  “You mean to tell me that in a palace this large you don’t have anything suitable?” Leo exclaimed.

  This captured Bryan’s attention and he tuned in to the conversation behind him. “We have several large rooms that should work fine but none of them look out over the garden,” Edward replied calmly but Bryan was sure he was frustrated.

  “Well do they have any windows at all?” Leo asked sarcastically.

  “Yes, they look out over the valley. The view is almost identical to the view from here.” Edward explained as he pointed to the far window.

  Deflated, Leo said, “Oh, I apologize. I thought you said that there were no rooms with a view.”

  “I also apologize. I may have said that but it isn’t what I meant. I am distracted and could have easily made a translation error,” Edward explained. “We weren’t scheduled to begin until tomorrow so many of our plans have to be adjusted. This isn’t a problem really; I just can’t concentrate for thinking of the situation at SC-17.”

  “I am the one that should be apologizing,” Prince Bryan stated as he rose from the table and approached the pair. “I should have taken into consideration these things before I changed everyone’s plans.”

  “No, Your Highness, really, it isn’t a problem. I am just a bit unorganized because of Princess Kalea’s departure. I can easily get you set up in one of two locations in about ten to fifteen minutes. If that is agreeable to you?” Edward asked.

  “Thank you Edward,” Prince Bryan then turned to Leo. “Please contact everyone and let them know where to meet. I have a few more things to do before we start.

  “Edward,” Prince Bryan asked, “would you please see if King Douglas is available? Princess Kalea said that he had some information for me and of course I need you to translate.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Edward answered. “The king did mention that he needed to see you.”

  “Fine, then if you could show Leo the conference room, I will be ready in about five minutes.” He then headed back over to the small table to finish his breakfast.

  Edward notified the king of Prince Bryan’s desire to see him. Then he showed Leo the conference room and was relieved when he approved. With Leo busy contacting the prince’s staff Edward slipped back out into the hall for a brief moment alone.

  “Holy One, please strengthen me today and help me to stay focused. Please be with Princess Kalea. Keep her safe and bless her with wisdom. You know that I’m not just saying that because of all the extra work I have now, but because I have a very bad feeling about all this.” Just then his AVID beeped and Edward answered it. “Yes?”

  “Edward this is Alexis. I know you must be very busy as our only translator. I’d like to help with our staff. Is there anything that I could take care of for you?” Alexis asked.

  “Thank you, Your Highness. Normally I would never accept such an offer but I must admit that I am a bit overwhelmed. If you wouldn’t mind just checking on the kitchen staff and perhaps the housekeepers, I would appreciate it. With the departure of the wedding guests today and moving Crown Prince Bryan’s staff, it might go more smoothly if they know who is available to handle questions. There shouldn’t really be a need, but it is good to check on things from time to time,” Edward answered as he silently praised the Holy One for answering a prayer that wasn’t even finished.

  “Oh, Edward I completely understand. I’m happy to help. I’ll also check in on the grounds keepers and maybe even pop in at the Med Lab to make sure they don’t need anything either. My prayers are with you. Have a good day.” Alexis said as she signed off.

  “Thank you Holy One.” Edward said just before Leo walked back into the hall. “Is everything satisfactory?” he asked.

  “Yes, I just thought I would stand out here to indicate which room we’re in. We should be fine for today after Prince Bryan gets back from seeing King Douglas,” Leo answered.

  The gentle reminder was not missed and was appreciated. Feeling like he was trying to do the work of three people Edward replied. “Yes, the King is ready so I’ll go get Prince Bryan now. If you need anything just let me know.” Edward said as he pointed to his AVID and started down the hall. Leo nodded and then looked toward the stairs.

  Arriving at the door to the prince’s suite Edward raised his hand to knock when the door opened. “Oh, sorry, Your Highness. Are you ready?” Edward asked as he stepped aside.

  “Yes. I have even more questions, now, than I did before I got Princess Kalea’s message,” Bryan answered as he closed the door and started down the hallway.

  Knowing it would be best to let the King explain things, Edward simply led the way.

  Upon entering, Bryan quickly took in the details of the King’s office. To his right at the far end was a table with four chairs. On his left was the king’s desk. The wall behind the king’s desk was lined with book shelves and there was a credenza behind his chair. Before the desk where two chairs and the far wall was nothing but windows. The dark wood and dark red carpet with the gold accents in the fixtures gave it a strong formal feel.

  “Good morning Prince Bryan,” King Douglas greeted as he gestured for them to have a seat. “Did you receive Princess Kalea’s message?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, I did. Unfortunately, it left me with more questions than answers.”

  “Yes, I imagine it did. Even with secure communications there are just some things that we don’t say except in person,” King Douglas explained. “But before we go any farther, we can dispense with the formalities. You can call me Douglas. How does that sound?”

  Edward was a bit uncomfortable translating this because for him to call King Douglas anything other than ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Sir’ just felt wrong. He was faithful in his duties however, and Prince
Bryan replied, “Thank you, I shall try to remember, also please feel free to call me Bryan. It will make things easier on Edward.” Bryan said with a smile and waited for Edward to translate. At the slight smile on the kings’ lips he continued. “Now, about Princess Kalea?”

  “Yes, well, Bryan you see not everyone on Estar Beta was in favor of your marriage to Kalea. There is a relatively small group of people who feel we can improve our own defenses. They feel that if you know our defense capabilities and strategies you could simply attack later and we wouldn’t be able to defend against you. We considered that possibility but it was felt that our current need outweighed the threat. We also did extensive research and found that your planet is very honorable in all its treaties. You also haven’t attacked any other inhabited planets in an effort to increase your territory, so we felt you could be trusted,” King Douglas explained and watched to see how Bryan would react. When Edward finished speaking he continued.

  “What this means is that when the water filtration system in SC-17 was damaged, either purposefully or by accident, it opened up an opportunity to get Princess Kalea out there. You see, the exact date of your wedding hadn’t been released to the people until this morning. The holographic image was broadcast just after we received the news about SC-17. Unfortunately, it could easily be seen as a response instead of a report.” King Douglas shrugged his dismay and waited for Edward to finish translating.

  “Why would damage to a water filtration system require Princess Kalea’s presence?” Bryan asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

  “Kalea developed the systems. Actually she did most of the planning and development of all the sea cities. She and Randolph have similar interests and pursued similar degrees at the University. She is the best one to determine how the system was damaged and if it was intentional,” King Douglas explained.

  When Prince Bryan nodded that he understood and Edward had a sip of water, the king continued. “Captain Fletcher and his men have taken control of SC-17. Because they are suspicious, they are allowing only Kalea to enter or leave the city. I told her to keep her quarters on the shuttle instead of moving into the city, and that she is to have her personal security detail with her at all times. I informed Captain Fletcher of this as well. If he has a problem with it, I have instructed the head of her security team to prevent her from going without them. If she finds out … she is not going to be happy with me,” he finished with a shrug.

  Bryan was relieved that these details had been taken care of but he still had questions. “Sir, what other security measures have been taken?” he asked.

  “Ah! Good, I was hoping you would ask,” King Douglas replied with a smile. “This morning, moments after I received the news, I dispatched two elite defense teams. They had a few hours head start on Princess Kalea and their mission is to get as close to SC-17 as possible without being detected. If all goes well, they should be within a few meters of the outer dome any moment. They have only one objective – keep Kalea safe.

  “Everyone in SC-17 has an emergency escape pod. If activated, it will slowly rise to the surface where rescue boats will collect them. I have several boats in the area now for that purpose. If indeed the system was sabotaged and those responsible get away because of the need to protect Kalea, so be it. She is their number one concern, and mine.” King Douglas’ concern was obvious even without translation.

  “Sir, if you receive any additional information or communications from Kalea, I would appreciate it if you would let me know.” Bryan said as he stood.

  “Yes, of course.” King Douglas answered as he also stood and shook Bryan’s hand. “If you finish with your staff in time, please come and join us for dinner,” he invited.

  “Thank you, Sir. I will see how the day progresses.”

  “Edward,” Bryan said when they were both in the hall again. “Thank you for translating. I will call you if I need anything else. See you later.” With that he strode down the hallway to join his staff as he had seen Leo in the hallway earlier.

  Thankful for some time to work on all the rescheduling, Edward turned the other way and headed for his office.

  ~

  “Princess Kalea, we have arrived at SC-17,” Franklin announced as he entered the lounge area.

  “Thank you Franklin. Have we been contacted by Captain Fletcher?” she asked.

  “No visual contact, Your Highness, just audio. I feel it necessary to point out that their refusal to establish visual contact, now that we are within range, concerns me. This could be a trap,” Franklin explained.

  “True,” Princess Kalea replied. “I am not going into the city today. I will be examining the exterior damage today. Notify Captain Fletcher of my plans and if he has concerns he is more than welcome to come discuss them with me on the shuttle.”

  “Very good, Your Highness. Where would you like to begin?” Franklin asked.

  “Opposite the damaged water filtration system and then circle around to the right. I want to see if there’ve been any unusual water currents or sea life in the area that might have caused the problem. Also, go ahead and download the security data from both the internal and external and secondary surveillance stations,” Princes Kalea ordered.

  “Yes, Your Highness. Umm, forgive me but, what external and secondary surveillance stations?” Franklin asked.

  “Here are their locations and the access codes to download the information.” Princess Kalea handed him an actual piece of paper as she explained. “Their existence is classified, so do not inform the others. There are seven stations outside the city and dozens inside. It will take most of the day just to download the data,” she explained. Franklin accepted the paper with obvious surprise and gave a slight bow before he returned to the crew quarters and cockpit.

  Alone again, Kalea took some time to take in her surroundings. Throughout the trip she had reviewed all the data on this sea city as well as the specific water filtration system it used. Now she forced herself to relax against the plush cushions of her seat. This couch lined one wall of the lounge compartment. Across from her an anchored table and four cushioned chairs. There were no windows but the walls were a calming yet cheery shade of pale yellow.

  Each end of the room had a door. The one Franklin had used led to the crew quarters and cockpit. The other door led to her small private quarters which included a bed, bathroom and recliner all crammed into a room no larger than the rose arbor in the garden.

  Smiling at the comparison, Kalea stood and walked to the crew quarters. “Hello, Gentlemen.” She addressed her security force. “Did Franklin inform you of the situation and today’s schedule?”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Danielson answered. “We are monitoring all communications from and within SC-17. So far the only unusual thing of note is that no one is using visual communications.”

  “Interesting. Franklin is downloading security data, I will need you to review it as it comes in. We will be looking for anything out of the ordinary, even something that may seem insignificant,” Princess Kalea said as she moved over to one of the control panels. “I am going to activate the bio signs reader and set it for human readings only. I want to monitor movements inside the city today as we slowly circle it. Again, if there is anything unusual, let me know. I am also programming this station to keep a plotted journal for each bio sign. Hopefully this will tell us something.”

  “I was unaware that we had that technology,” Pierce commented.

  “Well, as with most of the equipment you brought on this mission, it is experimental,” she answered. “All the tests appear accurate but this will be its first real deployment.”

  “Did this come as part of the treaty?” Jackson asked.

  “No, we developed it ourselves,” Princess Kalea answered. “Many believe that all of our new defense technology will come from Saxionias but the truth is we are only using their technology for external defense. Our engineers are still hard at work and won’t stop even after the new defenses are in place.”
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  Each man nodded just as their stations started to flicker with the download of information coming from the internal data stations. Moving to the cockpit, Princess Kalea leaned in and said, “Franklin, please download the other data into my station only. I will have to review it all myself.”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Franklin answered as she closed the door and headed back to her lounge. Her station was located inside the table and was independent of the others. Knowing that her security detail would be swamped with all the data from inside SC-17 she didn’t feel the need to inform them of the external secondary security data.

  Hours later Jackson knocked on the door and then entered. “Excuse me, Your Highness but we have something you might want to see.”

  “I’ll be right there Jackson. Thank you,” Princess Kalea said as she lifted her hand from the table, automatically securing her station and lowering the display. Rising she followed Jackson back to the crew quarters.

  “It’s regarding the bio signs monitoring, Your Highness.” Jackson explained as he led her to his station. Pointing to the display he said, “You see, each of these blips represent a person, but when we ran a summary of the morning this is what we discovered. Only fifteen of the blips moved all morning. They also seem to be moving in certain patterns like patrols.”

  “Yes, I see. Now, there are two possible ways to interpret this data. One, Fletcher and his team have secured the city by forcing everyone to stay in their residences. Or two, another force has taken control of the city and they are trying to make the bio signs look normal at first glance. Unfortunately, I think the second is most likely,” Princess Kalea summarized.

  Jackson agreed. “We do as well, even if people where confined to their quarters they would be moving around within them. We have been analyzing the security data and we found that it all ends as of midnight last night. We tried to run a systems diagnostic but the whole thing seems to be down.”

  Princess Kalea moved over to Pierce’s station and quickly entered in some command codes. Additional data started appearing on the screens. “This is from the backup security system,” she said in answer to their questioning looks. “After the riot we realized that disabling the security system had been one of the objectives of the workers that rioted. So while doing the repairs we incorporated an entirely independent system with less access.”