Ch.14
Disclaimer the fourteenth: Wow...I've done 14 of these? Nothing's mine. There's a reference in here to one of my favorite series...I don't own that either.
Sarah Hawkins rushed past two nurses that were talking in the hallway during their break, coffees in hand. The secretary at the front desk had given her the room number, 762, and she was currently on her way to it--two rights, then a left, second door on the left. She pushed open the cream-colored door when she got to it, and stepped inside quietly, closing the door behind her. She gasped when she saw him lying there.
"Delbert!"
He smiled back wryly, sitting up further in bed.
"What the hell happened to you?" she said, going to his bedside. She sat in the brown chair by the bedside, surveying the doctor's injuries. He was wearing the standard hospital smock, but it was easy to tell that large bandages were tied around his upper abdomen. They wove over onto his right shoulder, and his whole right arm hung in a sling.
"It's nothing."
Sarah looked at him incredulously. "Nothing? Looks like a little more than nothing to me."
He smiled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you've mistaken me for Jim, the way you're babying me."
"Well, someone's got to keep an eye on you Delbert Doppler. You're a walking accident, I swear," she laughed.
He frowned. "This isn't like the time I tripped down the stairs at the University. I was saving a man's life."
"So I've heard. I thought you hated that guy."
"I do. I don't want him to DIE, though. Not unless I'm the one killing him..."
"Delbert," she scolded, "That's horrible."
He shrugged good naturedly, then winced. He had to remember to stop doing that.
"Well," Sarah said, "At least you're home in one piece. Now you can rest and recuperate."
Delbert shook his head. "I was going to leave with the Nefarious again when they head for the Queen's homeworld."
"You're not serious...? Delbert, you were nearly gutted by a pirate! You need to rest."
"Amelia's heading into a very dangerous situation. I don't feel good about it at all. I want to help her in any way possible."
"Delbert, really, how much help do you think you'll be with one arm?"
"It's my good arm. I'm left-handed, remember?"
Sarah let out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe so, but you could hurt yourself further. Maybe get yourself killed. You're a sitting duck with a injury like that. Besides, you and I know perfectly well that if anyone can handle things herself, it's Amelia."
He smiled slightly. "Yeah, she is pretty remarkable."
"And if she were here right now, she'd probably tell you 'stay on this planet or so help me I'll throttle you.' She wouldn't want you to go out there."
"I might lose her again..."
Sarah patted his hand. She had heard about Amelia's rescue from some spacers at the Halfhouse, and she could only imagine how ecstatic the doctor must have been to see his lover. "Have a little faith. She'll be fine."
He sighed and leaned back into the pillows, which were a clean, bleached white. "Perhaps. I do have other things to attend to; I have a wedding to plan," he smiled broadly, "I'm an engaged man, you know."
Sarah's face erupted into a large beam, "You asked her?"
"I did," he nodded, "In front of the entire senior staff of the Nefarious as well as Raymond."
"Oh my."
"Indeed. I thought Amelia was going to kill me for that."
"But she agreed to marry you instead?"
"Oh, I have no doubt she'll kill me later, but yes, she did say 'yes.'"
"Delbert, I'm so happy for you!" Sarah hugged him carefully, avoiding his injuries, "I can't wait for the wedding!"
He grinned.
"And the kids! The Benbow will be up by the time they arrive--oh, it'll be so nice to have a baby around the inn again! Or five!"
His eyes widened. "FIVE?"
"Well, all in good time of course," she winked at him.
Delbert blinked a few times. "Five?"
"You could always have more if you liked," she said slyly.
His eyes got bigger, so much in fact, that Sarah was almost sure they would pop out of his head. "Uh...no."
She laughed. "It's good to have you back, Delbert. It's been awhile since I had a good laugh."
***************
Despite it's somewhat rickety condition, the Legacy was able to make it to the royal palace grounds in more or less one piece. The repair crews at the old shipyards there were more than happy to cater to the crippled vessel, and repairs to the Legacy were soon underway. While her crew rested and enjoyed a bit of the port life, Amelia herself was striding down the streets of the capital, making a beeline for the actual palace itself. Behind her, Turgevny kept mostly in step with her, even though his heavy reptilian legs were hardly meant for the brisk paces the feline was able to achieve. Amelia's mind became one track as she quickly approached her destination, the building looming in a great wall of white in front of her. It was a great tourist spot, the courtyard in front of the great palace, and on days when they were feeling particularly nice, the uniformed guards in front of the large ivory doors of the entrance would let the visitors stand on the extravagant palace steps and take remarkable pictures for the viewing enjoyment of friends and family alike. Despite the fine craftsmanship of the intricate entrance, Amelia's thoughts dwelled only on getting her pressing information to the queen, seeing that she was properly protected, warding off the pirate overthrow, and getting back to Montressor as soon as possible. She climbed the steps, taking them one at a time with fast, rhythmic footsteps, and stopped when she was confronted with a pair of guards, a pudgy man and his scrawny counterpart.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but you aren't 'loud in there I'm 'fraid," the pudgy guard said
Amelia gave him a look. "I'm here on business as a member of the Royal Navy."
"You're an officer, eh?" "Pudge" said, "Well now, you're th' prettiest spacer I've ever seen; don't you think so, Nigel?"
Nigel, a young man and obviously new to the military, blushed, then shrugged. "Uhh...I..."
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Oh cut the bull and let me in already."
"I wasn't told 'bout any 'business' the navy 'ad with the queen. I need to see your credentials."
"Credentials? Bloody hell, this is important; I don't have time for this."
"Just your military credentials, ma'am, then you can be on your way."
Amelia frowned. Blast this man.... "I'm not an official naval officer anymore. I haven't been for five years."
"Well then, what would a NON-naval captain 'ave to do with the business of the royal navy, emmm?"
Amelia grabbed the guard by his crisply starched collar; had "Pudge's" companion been an experienced guard, Amelia might have had the barrel of the young officer's weapon pointed at the back of her head, but as it was, Nigel stood there shocked as Amelia got in the face of a man easily twice her size.
"I have business of the UTMOST importance, sir, and if you don't mind being that which keeps us from defending our empire and queen, then by all means, sit here and interrogate me, ID me and strip search me. Otherwise, stand aside and let me in before I plaster you to this spotless white veranda." She released "Pudge" and glared at him pointedly, as if daring him to try and badger her further with identification requests.
"Sorry there, miss...but I'm only doin' me job..." he swallowed. "I...I suppose I could..."
"Amelia!" a voice rang out from the doorway. In the doorway was a kindly older Admiral and a younger Corporal. The Admiral smiled, then approached Amelia. "I got the message you sent during your descent to the surface; I am quite eager to hear about this threat you've encountered." The corporal remained stone-faced as the Admiral talked.
"Very well then," Amelia said in a clipped voice, "Let's get on with it then." She strode past the guards, who both watched her silently as she passed.
Nigel whistled appreciatively, "What a woman..."
**************
The Nefarious was given clearance to land on Nexus VII almost immediately after the ground control learned that the crown prince was alive and on board. Eigram disembarked, Ahai hovering close to his right; the captain had promised ground control that he would escort the prince personally, for matters of security as well as the fact that he had valuable information to give the heads of state. Eigram brought his new confidant, Jim, with him, for Ahai seemed to trust him more than anyone else on board, a fact which caused the young boy to be slightly more at ease with the trying situation at hand. As they approached the main gates of a rather large red-orange building--the rather basic royal castle. The guards at the gate parted upon seeing Ahai, and both dipped low into bows upon seeing their prince, who had been presumed dead along with the remainder of the royal family. Ahai led Jim and Eigram into a long, narrow entrance room, which was decorated rather lavishly with huge painting, stone busts, and ancient Nexian relics. Jim looked around the hall in awe, holding his breath as his eyes shifted from a two hundred year old oil painting, to an old-fashioned spacer solider suit, etched with precious metals and encrusted in fine gemstones at each wrist opening.
"This way," Ahai said, proceeding down the hall. His footsteps quickened as they advanced, and his posture began to take on a grander stance, as if being back in his childhood home had somehow brought out a hidden courage. He strode toward a set of engraved glass doors with a purpose, and pulled on one of the ruby handles with his left arms. As one of the doors swung open, Jim could make out the alien saying "Ino Dus Almagius Notobu." What it meant, he hadn't the slightest idea, for the language hadn't been covered in his interplanetary studies class back at the academy. In the back of his mind, he filed away the saying to ask Ahai about it later, but kept his attention to the task at hand as Ahai took them into a rather large throne room.
With the exception of the high queen, few royal members of indivuals planets or systems had throne rooms anymore, but this particular one still existed and was being well used at the moment. On the central throne, where the king may have sat if he were still alive, sat an older woman, her graying hair tied back into an intricate knot and fastened with a fancy gold clip. She was peering over the tops of her glasses at a slightly younger man, who was standing before her, rambling off words as fast as his mouth could spit them out. In the queen's throne, a still younger man, maybe only five or six years Jim's senior was snoring quietly in the detailed, handcrafted golden seat. The old woman looked up from the rambling man and gasped when she saw Ahai. Her face lit up as she leapt from her chair and rushed to the prince.
"Ori Matir! This is a happy day!" she said, sweeping the boy into a bone-crushing hug with all four arms, "It's does my old heart much good to see my cousin's son again."
Ahai blushed slightly as his mother's cousin released him. "I'm...uh...glad to see you too, Patai." Jim could tell he was more than glad to see close family that wasn't trying to kill him or his kin, but he imagined the boy was too embarrassed to admit it in front of the captain and himself.
"We thought you were dead! We heard all about the terrible, terrible ambush! Thank the goddesses that you are alright!"
Ahai just nodded.
Patai regarded Eigram. "On behalf of the people of Nexus VII I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bring the young prince back to us. Please, stay as our esteemed guest, honorable captain..."
"Eigram. And as lovely as your invitation is, I'm afraid I bring nothing but more grave news with me. We must see to it that the prince is coronnated immediately."
Patai looked at Eigram in shock. "Saq qui! Why ever would we have to worry about that? After an ordeal like that, I'm sure the prince would like to rest and enjoy being back in his palace."
Ahai turned on Patai. "No, you don't understand. He's right. Call the priests and have them come to the throne room immediately. We have to start up preparations at once."
"But your highness..."
"CALL THE PRIESTS NOW!" he bellowed.
Patai frowned but turned toward the rambling man. "Assemble High Priests Marcel, Amirge, and Jeannin at once."
"Y-y-y-y-yes ma'am."
Patai turned back to Ahai. "I trust you have a good reason for this, highness?"
Ahai grimaced. "Remind me to tell you when this is all over."
**************
"So there's a spy in our midst?" the Admiral, Kondage asked, shocked, "Dear god, he's been under our nose the whole time and we had no idea."
Amelia grimaced. "I have no idea who your agent is, but I assure you, he is in service in the palace at this very moment."
The Admiral rubbed his chin. "Hmmmm...well for now, I propose we keep this quiet...we don't want to tip of the spy that we know."
"Exactly."
"I can put guards on the queen around the clock, even as she sleeps," the quiet corporal, Orthout, spoke. It was one of only three times he had said something all day, and for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend, it gave Amelia a funny feeling. It was a lot like when a house with a notoriously rambunctious child suddenly goes quiet--though it seems perfectly harmless, there is an ominous quality that something very bad is about to happen. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She would keep a close watch on this one.
"A good idea," said Kondage, "I have a few good Lieutenants who would be perfect for the night watch."
Amelia nodded. "I can help you survey the palace. In the meantime, we should inform the security control that they should be on high alert of any approaching fleets of three ships or more."
"Ah! Very good. Head off their planetary attack by catching them before they strike. No wonder they promoted you so young," Kondage smiled. Amelia smiled politely back, though she had no use for such compliments. She wanted nothing better than to see this mission over, the overthrowers all lying dead, heads separated from bodies, and her back on Montressor with her lovely boyfriend---no, fiancé, who she already missed dearly.
"I'll take care of the planetary defenses if you want to take care of palace security, sir," Orthout said to Kondage, "I did major in planetary defense."
"Excellent. See to it then. And thank you again for your information, Captain, it's been most helpful," the Admiral smiled once before heading out the door.
"Indeed; very helpful," Orthout said tonelessly, as he followed Kondage into the brightly lit hallways of the royal palace.
Amelia squinted at him. Yes, a VERY close eye on that one.
*************
The ancient Nexian rites required a two-day ritual before a king could take a throne. The prince would have to first be cleansed, then blessed. Fasting would then be done for a day, complete with meditation and prayer. After the tedious activities, Ahai stood in the old throne room, staring out at the crowd of officials, Jim, and Eigram. He was shivering, but more from cold than any fear or trepidation he was feeling. The priest in front of him was reading the final pieces out of an old text. Ahai repeated some of the words back at the priest, wishing that the old man would just pick up the pace. They had been lucky to avoid Carysa's presence thus far, but even for his young age, Ahai could tell that the situation at hand was far more pressing than the old man squinting at the book in front of him knew. How Eigram and Jim had managed to stay calm was beyond him, for the very thought of war on the brink of his homeworld chilled him. The old priest finished his reading and placed the silver book down on the podium he was standing at. Grabbing an extremely ornate crown with jewels only found in the Nexus system (and even then, only rarely), and went to place it on Ahai's head as the prince bowed down.
"May your rule forever--"
Eigram usually had nerves of steel, as the academy teaches a good captain to have, but the sound of the glass doors slamming open made even him jump.
"Stop! He has no claim to the throne!"
Ahai rose his head sharply to see his sister standing there, glaring at him.
To be continued...
Wheeeeeeee...I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I wanted to get SOMETHING out there. It's been a wild couple of weeks...I usually post on Mon. (as if you couldn't tell), but last Mon. yours truly turned one year older, and then a horrific week of midterms followed. Now that that's all over, I can get back to this. I really hope no one's losing interest... .
Anyway, while you're all still reading anyway, I'd like to write another fic when I finish here. Any ideas?
Aloha,
J.
Disclaimer the fourteenth: Wow...I've done 14 of these? Nothing's mine. There's a reference in here to one of my favorite series...I don't own that either.
Sarah Hawkins rushed past two nurses that were talking in the hallway during their break, coffees in hand. The secretary at the front desk had given her the room number, 762, and she was currently on her way to it--two rights, then a left, second door on the left. She pushed open the cream-colored door when she got to it, and stepped inside quietly, closing the door behind her. She gasped when she saw him lying there.
"Delbert!"
He smiled back wryly, sitting up further in bed.
"What the hell happened to you?" she said, going to his bedside. She sat in the brown chair by the bedside, surveying the doctor's injuries. He was wearing the standard hospital smock, but it was easy to tell that large bandages were tied around his upper abdomen. They wove over onto his right shoulder, and his whole right arm hung in a sling.
"It's nothing."
Sarah looked at him incredulously. "Nothing? Looks like a little more than nothing to me."
He smiled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you've mistaken me for Jim, the way you're babying me."
"Well, someone's got to keep an eye on you Delbert Doppler. You're a walking accident, I swear," she laughed.
He frowned. "This isn't like the time I tripped down the stairs at the University. I was saving a man's life."
"So I've heard. I thought you hated that guy."
"I do. I don't want him to DIE, though. Not unless I'm the one killing him..."
"Delbert," she scolded, "That's horrible."
He shrugged good naturedly, then winced. He had to remember to stop doing that.
"Well," Sarah said, "At least you're home in one piece. Now you can rest and recuperate."
Delbert shook his head. "I was going to leave with the Nefarious again when they head for the Queen's homeworld."
"You're not serious...? Delbert, you were nearly gutted by a pirate! You need to rest."
"Amelia's heading into a very dangerous situation. I don't feel good about it at all. I want to help her in any way possible."
"Delbert, really, how much help do you think you'll be with one arm?"
"It's my good arm. I'm left-handed, remember?"
Sarah let out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe so, but you could hurt yourself further. Maybe get yourself killed. You're a sitting duck with a injury like that. Besides, you and I know perfectly well that if anyone can handle things herself, it's Amelia."
He smiled slightly. "Yeah, she is pretty remarkable."
"And if she were here right now, she'd probably tell you 'stay on this planet or so help me I'll throttle you.' She wouldn't want you to go out there."
"I might lose her again..."
Sarah patted his hand. She had heard about Amelia's rescue from some spacers at the Halfhouse, and she could only imagine how ecstatic the doctor must have been to see his lover. "Have a little faith. She'll be fine."
He sighed and leaned back into the pillows, which were a clean, bleached white. "Perhaps. I do have other things to attend to; I have a wedding to plan," he smiled broadly, "I'm an engaged man, you know."
Sarah's face erupted into a large beam, "You asked her?"
"I did," he nodded, "In front of the entire senior staff of the Nefarious as well as Raymond."
"Oh my."
"Indeed. I thought Amelia was going to kill me for that."
"But she agreed to marry you instead?"
"Oh, I have no doubt she'll kill me later, but yes, she did say 'yes.'"
"Delbert, I'm so happy for you!" Sarah hugged him carefully, avoiding his injuries, "I can't wait for the wedding!"
He grinned.
"And the kids! The Benbow will be up by the time they arrive--oh, it'll be so nice to have a baby around the inn again! Or five!"
His eyes widened. "FIVE?"
"Well, all in good time of course," she winked at him.
Delbert blinked a few times. "Five?"
"You could always have more if you liked," she said slyly.
His eyes got bigger, so much in fact, that Sarah was almost sure they would pop out of his head. "Uh...no."
She laughed. "It's good to have you back, Delbert. It's been awhile since I had a good laugh."
***************
Despite it's somewhat rickety condition, the Legacy was able to make it to the royal palace grounds in more or less one piece. The repair crews at the old shipyards there were more than happy to cater to the crippled vessel, and repairs to the Legacy were soon underway. While her crew rested and enjoyed a bit of the port life, Amelia herself was striding down the streets of the capital, making a beeline for the actual palace itself. Behind her, Turgevny kept mostly in step with her, even though his heavy reptilian legs were hardly meant for the brisk paces the feline was able to achieve. Amelia's mind became one track as she quickly approached her destination, the building looming in a great wall of white in front of her. It was a great tourist spot, the courtyard in front of the great palace, and on days when they were feeling particularly nice, the uniformed guards in front of the large ivory doors of the entrance would let the visitors stand on the extravagant palace steps and take remarkable pictures for the viewing enjoyment of friends and family alike. Despite the fine craftsmanship of the intricate entrance, Amelia's thoughts dwelled only on getting her pressing information to the queen, seeing that she was properly protected, warding off the pirate overthrow, and getting back to Montressor as soon as possible. She climbed the steps, taking them one at a time with fast, rhythmic footsteps, and stopped when she was confronted with a pair of guards, a pudgy man and his scrawny counterpart.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but you aren't 'loud in there I'm 'fraid," the pudgy guard said
Amelia gave him a look. "I'm here on business as a member of the Royal Navy."
"You're an officer, eh?" "Pudge" said, "Well now, you're th' prettiest spacer I've ever seen; don't you think so, Nigel?"
Nigel, a young man and obviously new to the military, blushed, then shrugged. "Uhh...I..."
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Oh cut the bull and let me in already."
"I wasn't told 'bout any 'business' the navy 'ad with the queen. I need to see your credentials."
"Credentials? Bloody hell, this is important; I don't have time for this."
"Just your military credentials, ma'am, then you can be on your way."
Amelia frowned. Blast this man.... "I'm not an official naval officer anymore. I haven't been for five years."
"Well then, what would a NON-naval captain 'ave to do with the business of the royal navy, emmm?"
Amelia grabbed the guard by his crisply starched collar; had "Pudge's" companion been an experienced guard, Amelia might have had the barrel of the young officer's weapon pointed at the back of her head, but as it was, Nigel stood there shocked as Amelia got in the face of a man easily twice her size.
"I have business of the UTMOST importance, sir, and if you don't mind being that which keeps us from defending our empire and queen, then by all means, sit here and interrogate me, ID me and strip search me. Otherwise, stand aside and let me in before I plaster you to this spotless white veranda." She released "Pudge" and glared at him pointedly, as if daring him to try and badger her further with identification requests.
"Sorry there, miss...but I'm only doin' me job..." he swallowed. "I...I suppose I could..."
"Amelia!" a voice rang out from the doorway. In the doorway was a kindly older Admiral and a younger Corporal. The Admiral smiled, then approached Amelia. "I got the message you sent during your descent to the surface; I am quite eager to hear about this threat you've encountered." The corporal remained stone-faced as the Admiral talked.
"Very well then," Amelia said in a clipped voice, "Let's get on with it then." She strode past the guards, who both watched her silently as she passed.
Nigel whistled appreciatively, "What a woman..."
**************
The Nefarious was given clearance to land on Nexus VII almost immediately after the ground control learned that the crown prince was alive and on board. Eigram disembarked, Ahai hovering close to his right; the captain had promised ground control that he would escort the prince personally, for matters of security as well as the fact that he had valuable information to give the heads of state. Eigram brought his new confidant, Jim, with him, for Ahai seemed to trust him more than anyone else on board, a fact which caused the young boy to be slightly more at ease with the trying situation at hand. As they approached the main gates of a rather large red-orange building--the rather basic royal castle. The guards at the gate parted upon seeing Ahai, and both dipped low into bows upon seeing their prince, who had been presumed dead along with the remainder of the royal family. Ahai led Jim and Eigram into a long, narrow entrance room, which was decorated rather lavishly with huge painting, stone busts, and ancient Nexian relics. Jim looked around the hall in awe, holding his breath as his eyes shifted from a two hundred year old oil painting, to an old-fashioned spacer solider suit, etched with precious metals and encrusted in fine gemstones at each wrist opening.
"This way," Ahai said, proceeding down the hall. His footsteps quickened as they advanced, and his posture began to take on a grander stance, as if being back in his childhood home had somehow brought out a hidden courage. He strode toward a set of engraved glass doors with a purpose, and pulled on one of the ruby handles with his left arms. As one of the doors swung open, Jim could make out the alien saying "Ino Dus Almagius Notobu." What it meant, he hadn't the slightest idea, for the language hadn't been covered in his interplanetary studies class back at the academy. In the back of his mind, he filed away the saying to ask Ahai about it later, but kept his attention to the task at hand as Ahai took them into a rather large throne room.
With the exception of the high queen, few royal members of indivuals planets or systems had throne rooms anymore, but this particular one still existed and was being well used at the moment. On the central throne, where the king may have sat if he were still alive, sat an older woman, her graying hair tied back into an intricate knot and fastened with a fancy gold clip. She was peering over the tops of her glasses at a slightly younger man, who was standing before her, rambling off words as fast as his mouth could spit them out. In the queen's throne, a still younger man, maybe only five or six years Jim's senior was snoring quietly in the detailed, handcrafted golden seat. The old woman looked up from the rambling man and gasped when she saw Ahai. Her face lit up as she leapt from her chair and rushed to the prince.
"Ori Matir! This is a happy day!" she said, sweeping the boy into a bone-crushing hug with all four arms, "It's does my old heart much good to see my cousin's son again."
Ahai blushed slightly as his mother's cousin released him. "I'm...uh...glad to see you too, Patai." Jim could tell he was more than glad to see close family that wasn't trying to kill him or his kin, but he imagined the boy was too embarrassed to admit it in front of the captain and himself.
"We thought you were dead! We heard all about the terrible, terrible ambush! Thank the goddesses that you are alright!"
Ahai just nodded.
Patai regarded Eigram. "On behalf of the people of Nexus VII I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bring the young prince back to us. Please, stay as our esteemed guest, honorable captain..."
"Eigram. And as lovely as your invitation is, I'm afraid I bring nothing but more grave news with me. We must see to it that the prince is coronnated immediately."
Patai looked at Eigram in shock. "Saq qui! Why ever would we have to worry about that? After an ordeal like that, I'm sure the prince would like to rest and enjoy being back in his palace."
Ahai turned on Patai. "No, you don't understand. He's right. Call the priests and have them come to the throne room immediately. We have to start up preparations at once."
"But your highness..."
"CALL THE PRIESTS NOW!" he bellowed.
Patai frowned but turned toward the rambling man. "Assemble High Priests Marcel, Amirge, and Jeannin at once."
"Y-y-y-y-yes ma'am."
Patai turned back to Ahai. "I trust you have a good reason for this, highness?"
Ahai grimaced. "Remind me to tell you when this is all over."
**************
"So there's a spy in our midst?" the Admiral, Kondage asked, shocked, "Dear god, he's been under our nose the whole time and we had no idea."
Amelia grimaced. "I have no idea who your agent is, but I assure you, he is in service in the palace at this very moment."
The Admiral rubbed his chin. "Hmmmm...well for now, I propose we keep this quiet...we don't want to tip of the spy that we know."
"Exactly."
"I can put guards on the queen around the clock, even as she sleeps," the quiet corporal, Orthout, spoke. It was one of only three times he had said something all day, and for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend, it gave Amelia a funny feeling. It was a lot like when a house with a notoriously rambunctious child suddenly goes quiet--though it seems perfectly harmless, there is an ominous quality that something very bad is about to happen. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She would keep a close watch on this one.
"A good idea," said Kondage, "I have a few good Lieutenants who would be perfect for the night watch."
Amelia nodded. "I can help you survey the palace. In the meantime, we should inform the security control that they should be on high alert of any approaching fleets of three ships or more."
"Ah! Very good. Head off their planetary attack by catching them before they strike. No wonder they promoted you so young," Kondage smiled. Amelia smiled politely back, though she had no use for such compliments. She wanted nothing better than to see this mission over, the overthrowers all lying dead, heads separated from bodies, and her back on Montressor with her lovely boyfriend---no, fiancé, who she already missed dearly.
"I'll take care of the planetary defenses if you want to take care of palace security, sir," Orthout said to Kondage, "I did major in planetary defense."
"Excellent. See to it then. And thank you again for your information, Captain, it's been most helpful," the Admiral smiled once before heading out the door.
"Indeed; very helpful," Orthout said tonelessly, as he followed Kondage into the brightly lit hallways of the royal palace.
Amelia squinted at him. Yes, a VERY close eye on that one.
*************
The ancient Nexian rites required a two-day ritual before a king could take a throne. The prince would have to first be cleansed, then blessed. Fasting would then be done for a day, complete with meditation and prayer. After the tedious activities, Ahai stood in the old throne room, staring out at the crowd of officials, Jim, and Eigram. He was shivering, but more from cold than any fear or trepidation he was feeling. The priest in front of him was reading the final pieces out of an old text. Ahai repeated some of the words back at the priest, wishing that the old man would just pick up the pace. They had been lucky to avoid Carysa's presence thus far, but even for his young age, Ahai could tell that the situation at hand was far more pressing than the old man squinting at the book in front of him knew. How Eigram and Jim had managed to stay calm was beyond him, for the very thought of war on the brink of his homeworld chilled him. The old priest finished his reading and placed the silver book down on the podium he was standing at. Grabbing an extremely ornate crown with jewels only found in the Nexus system (and even then, only rarely), and went to place it on Ahai's head as the prince bowed down.
"May your rule forever--"
Eigram usually had nerves of steel, as the academy teaches a good captain to have, but the sound of the glass doors slamming open made even him jump.
"Stop! He has no claim to the throne!"
Ahai rose his head sharply to see his sister standing there, glaring at him.
To be continued...
Wheeeeeeee...I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I wanted to get SOMETHING out there. It's been a wild couple of weeks...I usually post on Mon. (as if you couldn't tell), but last Mon. yours truly turned one year older, and then a horrific week of midterms followed. Now that that's all over, I can get back to this. I really hope no one's losing interest... .
Anyway, while you're all still reading anyway, I'd like to write another fic when I finish here. Any ideas?
Aloha,
J.