Chapter Nine: The Shortcomings of Planning
Princess Brittany had drawn dawn watch from the harbor town in her Squire Brett guise. She was trying to maintain that image, for the moment. It gave her a little edge in the information line. She could pick the brains of the men, as a male squire, getting the wisdom and knowledge of the general solider. As a Princess, she'd have to use other methods to get the same information, methods she wasn't comfortable with.
Today Brittany was paired with a young neophyte to the army, not the best choice for getting information on what the army thought, but this time at least, it was the post and what could be seen from there that lead her to ask for the assignment. As the sun rose from the sea, she looked across the harbor. There were about a dozen ships in the harbor at the moment, none of them being warships. In Sappor Bay, most of those were posted at Bluepor, reserving Odyssey Harbor for mostly merchants. The biggest ship in the harbor at the moment was the merchant 42 gun, Stargazer.
Taking the scope, she took a close look at the Stargazer. A black man was standing at the watch, apparently arranging a drill of some type, judging from the frantic movement of the sailors around the ship. The guns were run out, then back in. Brittany could see the black man calling out some more orders, but forced herself to look further out.
On the horizon, she spied three ships, whose flags she could not see. Quickly she turned her attention to near the entrance to the bay. Signal flags were being run up. Three hostile ships, entering harbor.
"Mister James, run up our signal flag with the query to fort, 'alliance and type.'" Brittany ordered.
"Aye, Squire," James said, going back to the flag pole, and choosing the signals to run up. It wasn't long before the fort replied.
"All Fasstime," Brittany read. "Dagger, 28; Saber, 28; Malcore, 36. James, signal the fort our acknowledgment."
Brittany picked up a piece of paper and quill, and began to compose a quick message. Once James had come back to the watch cover, she handed it to him. "Take this to Prince Avery at the Avtra Palace."
"Aye, Squire," James said. As he began to descend the steps, he noticed the signature. "H.R.H. Princess Brittany, Intel." He'd have to have a talk with Squire Brett when he got back.
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Prince Avery tumbled as he boarded the Stargazer. It was not easy to board from a boat. A young girl met him, with short brown hair, in what he believed was a typical merchantman's midshipman's uniform. "I need to see whoever is in command, midshipman," he said, as she helped him to his feet.
"Lieutenant La Forge has command at the moment, sir," the female midshipman said. "He's on the quarter deck. I'll take you to him."
"The merchant fleet appears to be much more lenient in recruiting requirements," the Prince said. "We don't have any females in the King's Navy."
"The Captain finds he gets better service with cabin girls than boys, and some of us have moved up, sir," the midshipman. "My friend Marrissa is third officer, now."
"There must be a story behind that," the Prince said as they reached the quarterdeck.
"Someone to see you, sir," the midshipman said.
"Lieutenant La Forge, I presume," the Prince said. "I'm Prince Avery, heir to the throne, and I'm afraid that I'm going to have to press your ship into service, temporarily."
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Lord Henry entered the throne room, stomping. His face was red, and one could practically see the steam rising from him. One of his men approached nervously with a piece of parchment. "Response from the town leaders, my lord," the man said.
Lord Henry unfolded the parchment, and began to read, "To Lord Henry, heir to Fasstime and currently occupier of the Odyssey, From His Royal Highness, Prince Avery, acting head of the Privy Council during the King's unavailability, the Privy Council, and Odyssey City Council."
From over in the corner with the other hostages, Lord Dorian perked up with interest. "Hmmm, the boy may have actually listened when I was tutoring him," he mumbled.
"It is with great pleasure that I inform you that the City of Odyssey will not surrender to your forces. Furthermore, I, with the complete agreement of the Privy Council, hereby order you to surrender control of the Odyssey, and depart the City of Odyssey with in a day of your surrender, and the Kingdom of Ellosia within a week of that time. Should you not deliver your surrender to the Privy Council, currently residing in the Avtra Palace, by sunset on the ninetieth day of the twentieth year of the reign of our most noble father, King Richard I of this noble realm."
"He's not doing too bad, sire," Lord Dorian remarked to the King.
".Should you decide not to take this proposal, the following charges will be levied against you: Treason, against your king and ruler; Conspiracy to commit Treason; Murder of Lord Palmer, late General of His Majesty's Army; Murder of the late Earl of Dunsen; Conspiracy to Commit Murder; Unlawful Imprisonment of his majesty, the King; Unlawful Imprisonment of various members of the Privy Council; Trespass on Royal Grounds; and Defilement of Public Property, in particular the City of Odyssey Sewer System. Sentences for these crimes runs anywhere from Death to a fifty pound fine."
"Defilement of Public Property?" the King said. "Avery really must have paid attention."
"And he has better intelligence than we do," Lord Harlan said. "The murder charge of the late Earl of Dunsen means that he's got some information we didn't have."
"Do you think Duke Murdock is going to be out for blood?" Lord Sidney asked.
"He'll be lucky if Murdock doesn't challenge him in single combat," Lord Toshio said.
". I await your response, signed Prince Avery Richard Paul, Privy Council Chair, Duchess Desiree of Castrome, Duke Nolan of Armedge, Earl Cedric of Avtra, Princess Brittany Celeste, Privy Council members."
"I want Prince Avery dead," Lord Henry concluded.
"It appears that Prince Avery did listen to his lessons," Lord Dorian said. "I must apologize for saying otherwise."
"Sometimes you don't show what you know until you get in the field," King Richard said.
"We certainly study the Prime Directive enough," Picard said.
"Jean-Luc, if you can find a better way to minimize our Prime Directive violations, I'd like to hear it, because I couldn't find one in all this time," King Richard said, as Lord Henry called for his writing equipment.
"On the surface, this seems to be an open and shut case," Picard said. "You're on the planet, ruling a nation. All the flags are thrown up. Of course, rarely do you encounter a true open and shut case."
"I had no real choice to avoid a Prime Directive violation here," King Richard said. "I was chased here by that Cardassian warship. I had to abandon the stardrive section, which exploded, then I destroyed the warship, and that explosion left me with just two thrusters and a decaying orbit. The only control I had on that landing was speed."
"That does not explain why you ended up as King," Picard said.
"I landed on the Royal Family," King Richard said. "Apparently King Ferrel was having a family reunion. When my saucer section crushed his castle, I took out every known related royal with a known claim."
"Surely there was someone with some relation to the throne," Jean-Luc said.
"Not within memory," Lord Dorian said. "We think the Dukes of Castrome might have a claim through an illegitimate daughter about four centuries ago, but that's pushing it. Even then, it took fifteen years to find that relation. Lord Henry will no doubt tell you about his great grandfather's claim to the throne, but he had seized the throne by force of arms and was executed for treason by King Avery II."
"Lieutenant Dorian Gray has become our expert on Ellosian history over the last couple decades," King Richard said. "He's also my son's tutor. He knows what problems this realm has had since the Preservers transported humanity here. Lord Dorian once was my Chief of Staff, until he decided to retire to research and teach."
"Lord Dorian, what was the state of Ellosia when the Odyssey landed?" Jean- Luc asked.
"Ellosia was on the verge of civil war," Lord Dorian said. "Avtra and Castrome were preparing to fight each other. King Ferrel was gathering his family in order to break it up. He'd been successful in breaking up the Avtra/Armedge problem two years before, so there was a great likelihood that he would have succeeded, with a full royal press."
"So, you took it upon yourself to replace the King," Jean-Luc said. "How did you acquire the throne?"
"Originally, I was just going to see if one of the Dukes could take the job," King Richard said. "A negotiated transition being better than the fight I'd doomed them to otherwise. Then I met the dukes. Duke Murdock of Avtra was, and still is, a first class pain in the ass who can't work with anyone."
"He's getting better," Lord Toshio said. "His last chamberlain lasted 3 weeks."
"That's still not good," King Richard said. "Duke Carlisle of Castrome was some how hanging onto life. It's simply amazing that he hung on for the seven years he did. Duke Nolan of Armedge was new to his job and didn't want more. Duke Lionel of Fasstime, I've never seen a man so indecisive."
"That's why he's dead now, and I'm taking over," Lord Henry said. "Joshua, take this to the signal man."
"So, I asked for their endorsement to become King, after convincing them that they didn't want the job," King Richard said. "I stripped the Odyssey of her advanced systems, as much as possible, and turned her into my primary seat. I still use the old castles at Verifor and Castromepor, but a sea port is a better place to govern an island from, even a large one like this."
"How much of the Odyssey is still functioning?" Jean-Luc asked.
"The automatic logging function is still running on battery back up here and on the old bridge, but we can't do any play back," Lord Sidney said. "We took apart all but the padding on the beds in Sickbay after about three months. The Impulse engines were slag, and the shuttles were scrap."
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Prince Avery stepped out of the heat into the main room of the Golden Rinnebeast. As Marrissa had instructed him, he'd chosen to dress down, wearing a rough white tunic with the insignia of a squire in the Castrome household. He'd been in a few taverns in his life, but never for very long. The Golden Rinnebeast was perhaps typical for a tavern in Ellosia's Capital. White plaster walls, with dark wood beams, surrounded the room's dozen rough square tables. Sturdy, was how Avery would describe the room's furnishings. There was a fireplace, but it wasn't lit, since it was still the heat of the day.
In the back corner sat Avery's little sister, though the sister part was somewhat questionable at the moment, as she was in the guise of a male squire, with the faded arms of Armedge on her tunic. It definitely wasn't Brittany's best tunic, or as she was going by, Squire Brett's. "Avery! When did you get back?" Brittany said.
"I just got off the Stargazer a few minutes ago," Avery replied, taking a seat across from her. "Her commanding officer and I had some disagreements. So, have you learnt anything, oh exulted Chief of Intelligence?"
Brittany blushed. "I think I've discovered how Lord Henry is getting messages in and out of Odyssey," she said. "I can disrupt it now, or we can find the whole route and see if we can put it to our use."
"Can we intercept any messages now, without their knowledge," Avery asked.
"That we're already doing," Brittany said. "I've got a young army officer copying their signals between the upper dinning room and a house near the Odyssey. He thinks this is some sort of grand adventure. They are using common semaphore flags for signaling, holding them up to the windows, but not everything is transmitted in the clear. I'm still trying to figure out what 'Proof in Pretender's Pudding' means. Have some meat pie. Marrissa said it was good here, and she wasn't lying."
"I'll order my own," Avery said, drawing the attention of the waitress.
Across the room, Marrissa nervously approached another table. Seated at the were Commander Riker, and Geordi La Forge. "Lieutenant Marrissa Picard, reporting as ordered, sir," she said.
"Marrissa, take a seat," Riker said, pointing at the one directly across from him. "Where have you been the last couple of days?"
"Sorry, sir, but I got caught up in a little side adventure," Marrissa said.
"Would this adventure have anything to do with Prince Avery shanghaiing our ship?" Geordi asked.
"Maybe a little, but I never suggested that," Marrissa said, nervously.
"Let's start at the beginning," Riker said. "I know you and Lieutenant Calgary, who still hasn't returned, were going to investigate the sewers for potential prime directive violations."
"Right," Marrissa said, with a little more confidence. "We were tracing the route of the sewers so we could see if they were using the Odyssey's waste reclamation systems. They're not, but in the sewer we encountered Lord Henry and his men, who attacked. Calgary and I got separated. I ended up in a swamp about a mile from town. Fortunately I was able to get a ride with Lady Hayley and her finance, Prince Avery, back to town on Prince Avery's rinnebeast."
"So you spent the night on the Odyssey?" Riker said.
"I wish," Marrissa said. "We were attacked when we reached the royal stables. I defended myself and we retreated to the Avtra Ducal Palace. Lord Henry now controls the Odyssey. I stayed with them over night, as my leaving would be suspicious. This morning and late last night I did a few errands for the Prince's Privy Council, then brought the Prince here to see his sister and report in."
"Did you give this Prince any advice, at all?" Riker asked.
"Only in clothing choices to come here," Marrissa said. "His usual tunic stands out too much for a clandestine meeting."
"Then why did Prince Avery take control of the Stargazer for three hours to fight off some Fasstime flagged ships?" La Forge asked.
"Because no other ships were in range that he could use, and it's an accepted practice," Marrissa said. "Read the contract the Captain signed so he could fly the Ellosia Merchant Flag. It's right there in paragraph four."
"She's right," Riker said. "Star Fleet won't like it, but we agreed to it, and it's exactly the same as the one on file from our last use of the Stargazer here, save the signatures, and the fact that we get some cash if we're impressed for more than a week. Marrissa, you'll need to file a full and detailed report on you activities while you were with Prince Avery. Meanwhile, I'd like you to continue to work with the Prince, as we need to figure out how much contamination he's had."
"He's the son of two Star Fleet Officers who's heir to the throne," Marrissa said. "By definition, he's cultural contamination."
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Prince Avery returned to his temporary headquarters though the afternoon rains. He'd borrowed Marrissa's spare cowl, to help him keep dry, and was glad he did so, as the rain came a little earlier, and quite hard. As he entered the main hall, he found the room in an uproar. Staff were going in and out. The Duke and Duchess were shouting for this and that. "What is going on here?" he asked.
Every eye turned towards him, and the room was suddenly silent. For a minute, the room remained a still tapestry. The stillness was broken by Duke Nolan. "Thank the Lord, our God, you're alive," he said.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Avery asked.
"You went to the Kitchens before you left, and the Cook has been poisoned," Duchess Desiree said. "We thought you might have sampled some of the stew and collapsed out on the street."
"I was going out to eat with Brittany, so I didn't need a snack," Avery said. "I just had to change to blend in a little. How is the Cook?"
"She's dead," Duke Nolan said. "And where is my squire?"
"My sister has taken it upon herself to set us up a little intelligence network," Prince Avery said. "She's doing quite well. We've already intercepted some of Lord Henry's messages. Tell me, was it the pudding that was poisoned?"
"Yes it was," Duke Nolan said. "I can't countenance that young girl running a spy network."
"Who better?" Duchess Desiree said. "No one should know be able to tell whose running a spy operation, and who would expect a Princess to be in charge?"
"I told the King that little girl was going to cause trouble," Duke Nolan said. "Becoming a knight, okay, it's not often done, but it's not unprecedented. The great Queen Diane the Dragon-tamer was one before she married King Ferrel II. But Brittany thinks she can do anything a man can, and that will be trouble."
"And a woman can't do anything a man can?" Duchess Desiree asked, sweetly.
"Humph," Duke Nolan replied.
"I see Brittany hasn't converted you yet," Avery said. "I'm convinced that she's the right person, at least for a little local activities, for the post. I'm going to meet her for dinner at another Tavern to get more updates, but we've got other things to do at the moment. Duke Nolan, how long until Lord Gregory gets here with our reinforcements?"
"They should arrive early tomorrow morning," Duke Nolan said. " I haven't had any word from my son Oswald on the border with Fasstime though."
"Duke Murdock has sent word that he's taking control of the Army that Lord Palmer was commanding, and is moving on Fasstime," Duchess Desiree said. "Sorry Cedric, but he's not going to hold off anymore."
"He did it long enough," Earl Cedric said, as he adjusted his lute strings. "Your highness, with your permission I'd like to see if I can get the weekly music for the people show to start up a little early to night. It's supposed to be in Procession Square, just within hearing distance of the front gate."
"So you have some new tunes to play?" Prince Avery said.
"Of course, and Lord Henry and his men won't like a single one," Earl Cedric said, as a commotion developed outside the hall.
"Duke Nolan, see what is going on out there," Prince Avery said. Duke Nolan left quickly. "Should I make an appearance there?"
"Yes, but we won't let anyone know you're coming," Duchess Desiree said. "Hayley should be with you, and make it short."
After a couple minutes Duke Nolan reentered, his face pale. "Your highness, Lord Henry has sent his response," he said.
"He refused to surrender, I assume," Prince Avery said.
"Yes, but he also set proof of his seriousness," Duke Nolan said. "Lord Dorian is dead, and Lord Henry sent his head along with the message."
Princess Brittany had drawn dawn watch from the harbor town in her Squire Brett guise. She was trying to maintain that image, for the moment. It gave her a little edge in the information line. She could pick the brains of the men, as a male squire, getting the wisdom and knowledge of the general solider. As a Princess, she'd have to use other methods to get the same information, methods she wasn't comfortable with.
Today Brittany was paired with a young neophyte to the army, not the best choice for getting information on what the army thought, but this time at least, it was the post and what could be seen from there that lead her to ask for the assignment. As the sun rose from the sea, she looked across the harbor. There were about a dozen ships in the harbor at the moment, none of them being warships. In Sappor Bay, most of those were posted at Bluepor, reserving Odyssey Harbor for mostly merchants. The biggest ship in the harbor at the moment was the merchant 42 gun, Stargazer.
Taking the scope, she took a close look at the Stargazer. A black man was standing at the watch, apparently arranging a drill of some type, judging from the frantic movement of the sailors around the ship. The guns were run out, then back in. Brittany could see the black man calling out some more orders, but forced herself to look further out.
On the horizon, she spied three ships, whose flags she could not see. Quickly she turned her attention to near the entrance to the bay. Signal flags were being run up. Three hostile ships, entering harbor.
"Mister James, run up our signal flag with the query to fort, 'alliance and type.'" Brittany ordered.
"Aye, Squire," James said, going back to the flag pole, and choosing the signals to run up. It wasn't long before the fort replied.
"All Fasstime," Brittany read. "Dagger, 28; Saber, 28; Malcore, 36. James, signal the fort our acknowledgment."
Brittany picked up a piece of paper and quill, and began to compose a quick message. Once James had come back to the watch cover, she handed it to him. "Take this to Prince Avery at the Avtra Palace."
"Aye, Squire," James said. As he began to descend the steps, he noticed the signature. "H.R.H. Princess Brittany, Intel." He'd have to have a talk with Squire Brett when he got back.
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Prince Avery tumbled as he boarded the Stargazer. It was not easy to board from a boat. A young girl met him, with short brown hair, in what he believed was a typical merchantman's midshipman's uniform. "I need to see whoever is in command, midshipman," he said, as she helped him to his feet.
"Lieutenant La Forge has command at the moment, sir," the female midshipman said. "He's on the quarter deck. I'll take you to him."
"The merchant fleet appears to be much more lenient in recruiting requirements," the Prince said. "We don't have any females in the King's Navy."
"The Captain finds he gets better service with cabin girls than boys, and some of us have moved up, sir," the midshipman. "My friend Marrissa is third officer, now."
"There must be a story behind that," the Prince said as they reached the quarterdeck.
"Someone to see you, sir," the midshipman said.
"Lieutenant La Forge, I presume," the Prince said. "I'm Prince Avery, heir to the throne, and I'm afraid that I'm going to have to press your ship into service, temporarily."
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Lord Henry entered the throne room, stomping. His face was red, and one could practically see the steam rising from him. One of his men approached nervously with a piece of parchment. "Response from the town leaders, my lord," the man said.
Lord Henry unfolded the parchment, and began to read, "To Lord Henry, heir to Fasstime and currently occupier of the Odyssey, From His Royal Highness, Prince Avery, acting head of the Privy Council during the King's unavailability, the Privy Council, and Odyssey City Council."
From over in the corner with the other hostages, Lord Dorian perked up with interest. "Hmmm, the boy may have actually listened when I was tutoring him," he mumbled.
"It is with great pleasure that I inform you that the City of Odyssey will not surrender to your forces. Furthermore, I, with the complete agreement of the Privy Council, hereby order you to surrender control of the Odyssey, and depart the City of Odyssey with in a day of your surrender, and the Kingdom of Ellosia within a week of that time. Should you not deliver your surrender to the Privy Council, currently residing in the Avtra Palace, by sunset on the ninetieth day of the twentieth year of the reign of our most noble father, King Richard I of this noble realm."
"He's not doing too bad, sire," Lord Dorian remarked to the King.
".Should you decide not to take this proposal, the following charges will be levied against you: Treason, against your king and ruler; Conspiracy to commit Treason; Murder of Lord Palmer, late General of His Majesty's Army; Murder of the late Earl of Dunsen; Conspiracy to Commit Murder; Unlawful Imprisonment of his majesty, the King; Unlawful Imprisonment of various members of the Privy Council; Trespass on Royal Grounds; and Defilement of Public Property, in particular the City of Odyssey Sewer System. Sentences for these crimes runs anywhere from Death to a fifty pound fine."
"Defilement of Public Property?" the King said. "Avery really must have paid attention."
"And he has better intelligence than we do," Lord Harlan said. "The murder charge of the late Earl of Dunsen means that he's got some information we didn't have."
"Do you think Duke Murdock is going to be out for blood?" Lord Sidney asked.
"He'll be lucky if Murdock doesn't challenge him in single combat," Lord Toshio said.
". I await your response, signed Prince Avery Richard Paul, Privy Council Chair, Duchess Desiree of Castrome, Duke Nolan of Armedge, Earl Cedric of Avtra, Princess Brittany Celeste, Privy Council members."
"I want Prince Avery dead," Lord Henry concluded.
"It appears that Prince Avery did listen to his lessons," Lord Dorian said. "I must apologize for saying otherwise."
"Sometimes you don't show what you know until you get in the field," King Richard said.
"We certainly study the Prime Directive enough," Picard said.
"Jean-Luc, if you can find a better way to minimize our Prime Directive violations, I'd like to hear it, because I couldn't find one in all this time," King Richard said, as Lord Henry called for his writing equipment.
"On the surface, this seems to be an open and shut case," Picard said. "You're on the planet, ruling a nation. All the flags are thrown up. Of course, rarely do you encounter a true open and shut case."
"I had no real choice to avoid a Prime Directive violation here," King Richard said. "I was chased here by that Cardassian warship. I had to abandon the stardrive section, which exploded, then I destroyed the warship, and that explosion left me with just two thrusters and a decaying orbit. The only control I had on that landing was speed."
"That does not explain why you ended up as King," Picard said.
"I landed on the Royal Family," King Richard said. "Apparently King Ferrel was having a family reunion. When my saucer section crushed his castle, I took out every known related royal with a known claim."
"Surely there was someone with some relation to the throne," Jean-Luc said.
"Not within memory," Lord Dorian said. "We think the Dukes of Castrome might have a claim through an illegitimate daughter about four centuries ago, but that's pushing it. Even then, it took fifteen years to find that relation. Lord Henry will no doubt tell you about his great grandfather's claim to the throne, but he had seized the throne by force of arms and was executed for treason by King Avery II."
"Lieutenant Dorian Gray has become our expert on Ellosian history over the last couple decades," King Richard said. "He's also my son's tutor. He knows what problems this realm has had since the Preservers transported humanity here. Lord Dorian once was my Chief of Staff, until he decided to retire to research and teach."
"Lord Dorian, what was the state of Ellosia when the Odyssey landed?" Jean- Luc asked.
"Ellosia was on the verge of civil war," Lord Dorian said. "Avtra and Castrome were preparing to fight each other. King Ferrel was gathering his family in order to break it up. He'd been successful in breaking up the Avtra/Armedge problem two years before, so there was a great likelihood that he would have succeeded, with a full royal press."
"So, you took it upon yourself to replace the King," Jean-Luc said. "How did you acquire the throne?"
"Originally, I was just going to see if one of the Dukes could take the job," King Richard said. "A negotiated transition being better than the fight I'd doomed them to otherwise. Then I met the dukes. Duke Murdock of Avtra was, and still is, a first class pain in the ass who can't work with anyone."
"He's getting better," Lord Toshio said. "His last chamberlain lasted 3 weeks."
"That's still not good," King Richard said. "Duke Carlisle of Castrome was some how hanging onto life. It's simply amazing that he hung on for the seven years he did. Duke Nolan of Armedge was new to his job and didn't want more. Duke Lionel of Fasstime, I've never seen a man so indecisive."
"That's why he's dead now, and I'm taking over," Lord Henry said. "Joshua, take this to the signal man."
"So, I asked for their endorsement to become King, after convincing them that they didn't want the job," King Richard said. "I stripped the Odyssey of her advanced systems, as much as possible, and turned her into my primary seat. I still use the old castles at Verifor and Castromepor, but a sea port is a better place to govern an island from, even a large one like this."
"How much of the Odyssey is still functioning?" Jean-Luc asked.
"The automatic logging function is still running on battery back up here and on the old bridge, but we can't do any play back," Lord Sidney said. "We took apart all but the padding on the beds in Sickbay after about three months. The Impulse engines were slag, and the shuttles were scrap."
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Prince Avery stepped out of the heat into the main room of the Golden Rinnebeast. As Marrissa had instructed him, he'd chosen to dress down, wearing a rough white tunic with the insignia of a squire in the Castrome household. He'd been in a few taverns in his life, but never for very long. The Golden Rinnebeast was perhaps typical for a tavern in Ellosia's Capital. White plaster walls, with dark wood beams, surrounded the room's dozen rough square tables. Sturdy, was how Avery would describe the room's furnishings. There was a fireplace, but it wasn't lit, since it was still the heat of the day.
In the back corner sat Avery's little sister, though the sister part was somewhat questionable at the moment, as she was in the guise of a male squire, with the faded arms of Armedge on her tunic. It definitely wasn't Brittany's best tunic, or as she was going by, Squire Brett's. "Avery! When did you get back?" Brittany said.
"I just got off the Stargazer a few minutes ago," Avery replied, taking a seat across from her. "Her commanding officer and I had some disagreements. So, have you learnt anything, oh exulted Chief of Intelligence?"
Brittany blushed. "I think I've discovered how Lord Henry is getting messages in and out of Odyssey," she said. "I can disrupt it now, or we can find the whole route and see if we can put it to our use."
"Can we intercept any messages now, without their knowledge," Avery asked.
"That we're already doing," Brittany said. "I've got a young army officer copying their signals between the upper dinning room and a house near the Odyssey. He thinks this is some sort of grand adventure. They are using common semaphore flags for signaling, holding them up to the windows, but not everything is transmitted in the clear. I'm still trying to figure out what 'Proof in Pretender's Pudding' means. Have some meat pie. Marrissa said it was good here, and she wasn't lying."
"I'll order my own," Avery said, drawing the attention of the waitress.
Across the room, Marrissa nervously approached another table. Seated at the were Commander Riker, and Geordi La Forge. "Lieutenant Marrissa Picard, reporting as ordered, sir," she said.
"Marrissa, take a seat," Riker said, pointing at the one directly across from him. "Where have you been the last couple of days?"
"Sorry, sir, but I got caught up in a little side adventure," Marrissa said.
"Would this adventure have anything to do with Prince Avery shanghaiing our ship?" Geordi asked.
"Maybe a little, but I never suggested that," Marrissa said, nervously.
"Let's start at the beginning," Riker said. "I know you and Lieutenant Calgary, who still hasn't returned, were going to investigate the sewers for potential prime directive violations."
"Right," Marrissa said, with a little more confidence. "We were tracing the route of the sewers so we could see if they were using the Odyssey's waste reclamation systems. They're not, but in the sewer we encountered Lord Henry and his men, who attacked. Calgary and I got separated. I ended up in a swamp about a mile from town. Fortunately I was able to get a ride with Lady Hayley and her finance, Prince Avery, back to town on Prince Avery's rinnebeast."
"So you spent the night on the Odyssey?" Riker said.
"I wish," Marrissa said. "We were attacked when we reached the royal stables. I defended myself and we retreated to the Avtra Ducal Palace. Lord Henry now controls the Odyssey. I stayed with them over night, as my leaving would be suspicious. This morning and late last night I did a few errands for the Prince's Privy Council, then brought the Prince here to see his sister and report in."
"Did you give this Prince any advice, at all?" Riker asked.
"Only in clothing choices to come here," Marrissa said. "His usual tunic stands out too much for a clandestine meeting."
"Then why did Prince Avery take control of the Stargazer for three hours to fight off some Fasstime flagged ships?" La Forge asked.
"Because no other ships were in range that he could use, and it's an accepted practice," Marrissa said. "Read the contract the Captain signed so he could fly the Ellosia Merchant Flag. It's right there in paragraph four."
"She's right," Riker said. "Star Fleet won't like it, but we agreed to it, and it's exactly the same as the one on file from our last use of the Stargazer here, save the signatures, and the fact that we get some cash if we're impressed for more than a week. Marrissa, you'll need to file a full and detailed report on you activities while you were with Prince Avery. Meanwhile, I'd like you to continue to work with the Prince, as we need to figure out how much contamination he's had."
"He's the son of two Star Fleet Officers who's heir to the throne," Marrissa said. "By definition, he's cultural contamination."
*--------------------------*-------------------------------------*---------- -------------------*
Prince Avery returned to his temporary headquarters though the afternoon rains. He'd borrowed Marrissa's spare cowl, to help him keep dry, and was glad he did so, as the rain came a little earlier, and quite hard. As he entered the main hall, he found the room in an uproar. Staff were going in and out. The Duke and Duchess were shouting for this and that. "What is going on here?" he asked.
Every eye turned towards him, and the room was suddenly silent. For a minute, the room remained a still tapestry. The stillness was broken by Duke Nolan. "Thank the Lord, our God, you're alive," he said.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Avery asked.
"You went to the Kitchens before you left, and the Cook has been poisoned," Duchess Desiree said. "We thought you might have sampled some of the stew and collapsed out on the street."
"I was going out to eat with Brittany, so I didn't need a snack," Avery said. "I just had to change to blend in a little. How is the Cook?"
"She's dead," Duke Nolan said. "And where is my squire?"
"My sister has taken it upon herself to set us up a little intelligence network," Prince Avery said. "She's doing quite well. We've already intercepted some of Lord Henry's messages. Tell me, was it the pudding that was poisoned?"
"Yes it was," Duke Nolan said. "I can't countenance that young girl running a spy network."
"Who better?" Duchess Desiree said. "No one should know be able to tell whose running a spy operation, and who would expect a Princess to be in charge?"
"I told the King that little girl was going to cause trouble," Duke Nolan said. "Becoming a knight, okay, it's not often done, but it's not unprecedented. The great Queen Diane the Dragon-tamer was one before she married King Ferrel II. But Brittany thinks she can do anything a man can, and that will be trouble."
"And a woman can't do anything a man can?" Duchess Desiree asked, sweetly.
"Humph," Duke Nolan replied.
"I see Brittany hasn't converted you yet," Avery said. "I'm convinced that she's the right person, at least for a little local activities, for the post. I'm going to meet her for dinner at another Tavern to get more updates, but we've got other things to do at the moment. Duke Nolan, how long until Lord Gregory gets here with our reinforcements?"
"They should arrive early tomorrow morning," Duke Nolan said. " I haven't had any word from my son Oswald on the border with Fasstime though."
"Duke Murdock has sent word that he's taking control of the Army that Lord Palmer was commanding, and is moving on Fasstime," Duchess Desiree said. "Sorry Cedric, but he's not going to hold off anymore."
"He did it long enough," Earl Cedric said, as he adjusted his lute strings. "Your highness, with your permission I'd like to see if I can get the weekly music for the people show to start up a little early to night. It's supposed to be in Procession Square, just within hearing distance of the front gate."
"So you have some new tunes to play?" Prince Avery said.
"Of course, and Lord Henry and his men won't like a single one," Earl Cedric said, as a commotion developed outside the hall.
"Duke Nolan, see what is going on out there," Prince Avery said. Duke Nolan left quickly. "Should I make an appearance there?"
"Yes, but we won't let anyone know you're coming," Duchess Desiree said. "Hayley should be with you, and make it short."
After a couple minutes Duke Nolan reentered, his face pale. "Your highness, Lord Henry has sent his response," he said.
"He refused to surrender, I assume," Prince Avery said.
"Yes, but he also set proof of his seriousness," Duke Nolan said. "Lord Dorian is dead, and Lord Henry sent his head along with the message."