A Bit of Bobbery
By Jesse Shearer
Star Trek related material copyright Paramount and/or Viacom.
Sonic the Hedgehog related material, characters, et al copyright SEGA, DIC Entertainment, and Archie Comics.
Babylon Five related material copyright Warner Brothers and Turner Entertainment.
Author's Note
This story is intended to be a continuation of "A Bite From Life" by Jesse Shearer; in other words, me. The title comes from a word I once saw on a dictionary calendar someone gave a friend for Christmas in 1997. For the purposes of this story, the phrase given in the definition has been slightly altered to make it more memorable. If, of course, that's at all possible.
This story picks up at the exact point where "A Bite From Life" left off.
A Bit of Bobbery
"Weapons armed and standing by; shields raised at one hundred percent power," Movram responded to Shamus's order.
"No response from the Knothole, sir," Maxive reported.
"What about the starbase?" asked Keating.
"They can't be reached, commander," Maxive explained. "There's too much interference of some sort."
"That's not good," said Shamus.
"Illusion here, captain," the hologram said over ship's communications. "We're having some sort of engine trouble. Things are going on and off-line like mad down here. We won't be able to run if we have to."
"That's worse," said Keating.
"Now the Kelveticans are hailing us," Maxive informed his superiors.
"Communications?" asked Shamus.
"Confirmed, sir," the communications officer informed him. "It's the Kelveticans."
"What next?" muttered Shamus. "On screen. Let's hear them out."
"Attention TAS Midnight Star. I am Prefect Imcheval of the Kelvetican Empire. You have some of our property onboard your ship. We demand that you return it immediately."
*Oh Powers That Be, please don't mean what I think he means* thought Shamus as he tried to come up with a way to stall for enough time to get Dulcy off the ship.
"Don't make me say it again, captain," the prefect growled.
"I'm not so sure that we do have any of your property, prefect," Shamus responded. "I've had some awfully strange injuries occurring over here lately that could possibly have been caused by this 'property' of yours. I could check with my ship's medical staff to see if they've found it, if you'd like?"
"Do so now," Imcheval ordered.
"The intraship communications system's been on the fritz lately, Shamus said, hinting to his communications officer and trying to fool the Kelveticans at the same time. I'll have to go to Medbay and see them in person.
"I don't believe that," Imcheval said, not quite fooled. Fortunately, the communications officer got the hint and informed the medical staff of what was going on. When Shamus contacted Medbay, all he got back was static.
"Like I said, I'll need to see them in person," Shamus told the Kelvetican. "If you could describe your belongings to me and give me time to search the ship..."
"All right!" roared the frustrated prefect. "What you have is, by your measurements, three meters tall by six long by one wide. You have one standard Alliance hour. If you don't find it by then, we destroy your ship."
"I'll do what I can," said Shamus. "Midnight Star out."
"What now?" asked Keating.
"Well, you heard the man. We have an hour, so I'm going down to Medbay to check on things there, explained Shamus. "Meanwhile, you and Movram prepare the ship for evacuation. We may wind up loosing the ship."
"You don't mean..." Keating half gasped.
"It may be the only way," Shamus said, as the lift doors closed in front of him.
*Oh bloody... How did word of this get out? This could cost me everything...* thought Shamus as his lift moved towards Medbay. Doctor Greene was waiting for him when he got there.
"I heard everything, captain," she said. "What's your plan?"
"First I'm going to ask you for your thoughts," said Shamus. "Then, I'm going to go ask our dragon friend."
"She can choose between breathing fire and breathing ice, her lung capacity and strength suggests the ability to blow down large objects at a distance of fifty meters, and she claims to be able to do any of it while flying," the doctor explained. "But Dulcy's a sentient being and we both know it. It wouldn't be right to force her to do something against her will."
"No it wouldn't," said Shamus. "I'm hoping she won't want to go."
"You know you have to ask. She's in the examination area," Greene said.
"Right. Thanks," said Shamus as he turned to head back to talk to his old friend. Things had an erie feel to them when he got there and started asking questions.
"Dulcy," he asked, "do you understand what's going on ?"
"I... I think so...," she answered.
"It would appear that we have a problem, and you're at the center of it right now," Shamus explained. "The Kelveticans have us outnumbered two to one and are threatening to destroy the ship if you're not turned over in just less than an hour. If you go to them, they may very well blow us out of space anyway and use you for, well, none of us can bloody well say what, too."
"So most of us loose either way?" asked Dulcy. "I won't go!"
"You know, I was fairly sure you'd say that," Shamus responded. "Hoping, too, in a way. But I want you to take a little time to think about this. Make it quick, though. An hour isn't long."
"I'm not going with them, and that's final!" exclaimed Dulcy.
"Are you absolutely sure of that?" asked Shamus.
"Absolutely," she responded.
"Well, OK," said Shamus. "I'll go to the bridge and prepare the ship for what's next."
"What's that?" asked Dr. Greene, who had just stepped in to check on her guests.
"We may have to blow the ship if we can't run," the captain explained. "It'll be the only way to minimize the losses if there will be any. Get the patient to shuttle deck four and take the largest one there. When I give the signal, set course for Mobius at maximum Post, and don't let down the shields untill you've heard from me."
"Aye, sir," complied the doctor as Shamus turned to leave.
"I can do this...," he mumbled on his way out.
"What was he talking about?" the doctor asked after the doors had closed.
"I have no idea, but we'd better get going," Dulcy responded.
When Shamus got to the bridge, he contacted Imcheval and told him a faked story so that the launching shuttle would seem less like it really was. Naturally, the prefect was angry almost beyond reason.
"How could you let this happen?" Imcheval asked.
"Well, it's like I said," Shamus began for the second time, "When I got to Medbay, the place was in a shambles. This 'property' of yours appeared to have done it while kidnapping the ship's chief medical officer. I got knocked down as soon as I entered, but was not injured. The last I saw of my doctor or our little fugitive, they were headed for one of the shuttle decks."
"I almost believe that, captain. Too bad you're not hurt," Imcheval said, sounding half disheartened.
"Yes, too bad," Shamus agreed, as sarcastically as he could. At that point, the prefect began going on about how an injury could be arranged for the captain, and also for most, if not all, of his crew. Meanwhile, Shamus went to his chair on the bridge and signaled for the doctor to launch the shuttle and depart.
"And as you may also know..." Imcheval began.
"Oh Good Lord!" Shamus interrupted. "They're launching!"
"Target that shuttle!" the prefect ordered his crew.
"You fire on any ship in my area and you risk having a war on your hands. If my sources are correct, the Empire can't afford that right now," Shamus informed his counterpart. The Kelvetican just growled and ordered his ships to leave.
"Now that was strange," Keating remarked. "That's the first time I've seen a Kelvetican back down from a chance to fight."
"I know. Same here," Shamus agreed. "Communications, contact the base. We'd better get looking for the Knothole, too."
Starbase 132 reports having monitored the whole thing despite being unable to contact us," the communications officer reported.
"The Knothole has reappeared on sensors and appears to be on course for Mobius," Movram informed Shamus. "They are about nine lightyears ahead of us and traveling at PL eleven."
"And the shuttle?" asked Shamus.
"Out of sensor range. Latest data indicates that they were on course and traveling at PL eighteen on a similar course to the Knothole."
"Illusion, engines?" Shamus asked his engine crew by way of the restored intraship speakers.
"Working normally, but I wouldn't recommend going over PL fifteen for the time being," Illusion reported back.
"Thanks," Shamus told his friend. "Helm, plot for intercept of the Knothole, PL twelve."
"Course and speed set, sir," Maxive responded a few seconds later.
"Engage," ordered Shamus. The trip proceeded normally under the circumstances. When the Midnight Star caught the Knothole, Sonic made contact and explained what had happened.
"If this Nagus fellow escaped your `Zone of Silence,' where is her Majesty, and when was she taken?" asked Shamus.
"I think she was taken when we vanished off your sensors," Sonic said. "From what Nagus said, it sounded like Sally was in the Void, and he made some sort of reference to that teleportation device the Alliance uses."
"What exactly did he say?" asked Keating.
"He got us so confused nobody can remember," Sonic responded. As he did, Shamus stepped over to a control panel.
"I see," Shamus said. "I'm assuming that your ship has the same emergency sensor setup as most Alliance ships."
"Good," said the captain, as he entered a few commands into the ship's computer. "Look for the file containing the most recent emergency scanner records. I'm sending you instructions to upload it to our computers."
"Sure," Sonic said, as he did a quick search for the file, "but I don't know what good it'll do you."
"It'll be nice to know what he said, at least," Shamus responded. "Looks like the file transfer's complete on this end. I'd advise continuing on course to Mobius at maximum Post."
"Right," Sonic said. "Knothole out."
A few seconds later, as the Mobian ship increased it's speed, Illusion called the bridge and informed the ship and crew that the engines were confirmed safe to their maximum capacity. Shortly thereafter, the Star was on it's way, too.
Upon arrival, there was a big celebration, presented in true Mobian fashion and held in the main square of Mobitropolis. The next day, after a few hours of rest, the remains of the all-night party were cleaned up and the palace courtyard was set up for speeches to be made by the various delegates. During the hours that the previous day's arrivals were at rest, the representatives from the Zandorian and Lemonite systems had arrived and were demanding to see the other two ambassadors for the Alliance. Shamus was the one contacted, as T'Lem was nowhere to be found.
"So, who is it that I'm going to see, again?" Shamus asked the young fox that was escorting him to the room where all four ambassadors were to meet.
"The representatives from Lemonite and Zandor, I think," the fox responded. "If I recall correctly, their names are Mokino and Relkinor, respectively."
"Anything else I need to know before I meet these two?" asked Shamus.
"Not that I'm aware of," the escort told him. "Is there any other way I can help?"
"Well, Earth hasn't assigned me a staff yet, and I may need an assistant during the meeting," Shamus responded. "If the others have staffers with them, I'd gladly have you there to help."
"I would be honored, Ambassador," the fox said. "My name is Raymond White Paws, but, please call me Ray, sir."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ray," Shamus said, "and let's not use formal titles unless it's actually necessary. I'm still used to people calling me `Shamus' in general conversation."
"As you wish," Ray answered. "Here's the place. We may as well see if the others are ready to start."
Relkenor and Mokino were already seated at the center table with their aides standing next to them in the traditional places for their respective races; to the right for Zandorians and to the left for Lemonites. T'Lem had yet to arrive.
"Ambassadors Relkenor and Mokino?" asked Shamus. "I'm Shamus O'Reiley, representing Earth. This man, Raymond White Paws, will be assisting me until Earth sends my staff, possibly longer."
"Relkenor, of Zandor," the Zandorian said. "This is my aide, Orlino."
"Mokino, Second House of Lemonite," the second representative said. "My aide is called Kavlat."
"Has anyone seen or heard from Ambassador T'Lem?" asked Shamus. "I haven't seen her since we beamed down last night."
"Which only confirms my concerns," Relkinor said.
"If she hasn't shown in five minutes, I'll go and check on her," Shamus told his counterparts. "Meanwhile, would you care to tell me about your concerns, sir?"
"The two issues that bring me the most distress at this time are the Kelveticans and this person claiming to be a wizard, Nagus, I believe his name was," Relkinor said. "The Kelveticans provide a longer lasting problem, and as such, should be discussed in full council, with at least one full representative of each of the Alliance members and also this world. Therefore, it would be wise to discuss the matter of this perported wizard at this time."
"You think he has T'Lem, don't you?" asked Shamus. "To be honest, I'm not really sure what to think. T'Lem seemed more impersonable than most Gemnians when I met her, to tell the truth; and I've only heard of two appearances of Nagus since I made contact with these people, and the last time, he wanted to get his hands on Alliance technology."
"What better reason to abduct an ambassador?" commented Mokino.
"I don't understand," Ray said. "Why not the princess or His Majesty the King, instead?"
"Actually," Shamus answered, "he already has Her Majesty. Didn't Prince Hedgehog make an announcement? He was there when it supposedly happened."
"This isn't good," Relkinor said. "If the heir to the throne has been captured and temporarily replaced, then chances are, the king doesn't know."
"That's for sure. Is King Acorn in?" Shamus asked Ray.
"Yes, but he's..." answered the fox.
"It doesn't matter what he's doing!" Shamus exclaimed. "We have to let him know that trouble's on the way. Take us to him!"
The young fox complied and took the ambassadors to the king's chambers. King Acorn was naturally not pleased to be disturbed while he was working, and even less so to hear that both members of the future royalty had been kidnapped. Almost as naturally, the tensions were reduced somewhat when one of the ambassadors said that one of their own had also been taken. With little discussion, an arrest order was issued for Sonic the Hedgehog, to be delivered by the king himself.
Afterward, the three ambassadors and Ray headed back to the meeting room. Not one of them was particularly happy about what they had just done, and Ray felt the need to talk about it.
"I hope they don't find him," he said. "That would be terrible for all our sake."
"Actually," said Shamus, "we had better hope they do find him and that it's not the real Sonic. If what I'm lead to believe is true, then we can't have Nagus running around pretending to be Sonic until he winds up sharing the throne with the true heir. That really would be bad for all of us."
"But what if you're wrong?" asked Ray. "What then?"
"Then the three of us have just lost the first new Alliance member in eighty years and thrown away our careers, and yours, too," said Mokino.
Within an hour, the search had ended with the capture of what turned out to be the real, if not dazed, Sonic. Amongst the items found in his pack was a set of instructions for retrieval of the princess. The Midnight Star, which had yet to be ordered to a new destination, was still in orbit. With little discussion from anyone involved, Shamus was selected to return to his ship and attempt the procedure described in the instructions found in Sonic's pack.
Once back aboard, Shamus called a few key members of his old staff and discussed what was to be done and how they would pull it off.
"A genetic lock?" asked Illusion. "Is it possible to beam someone up by locking onto their genes?"
"We'll most certainly find out," responded Shamus, "and it looks like we'll be doing it the hard way."
The End
End Note
This is the second of a three story arc, continuing from "A Bite from Life," and to be continued in a story to be titled at some point in the future, as I have yet to come up with one as of the date I completed this installment(1/2/99). I hope you enjoy reading this installment, and I hope you'll be patient with me while I work on the third.
--Jesse Shearer
----JMShearer@aol.com
By Jesse Shearer
Star Trek related material copyright Paramount and/or Viacom.
Sonic the Hedgehog related material, characters, et al copyright SEGA, DIC Entertainment, and Archie Comics.
Babylon Five related material copyright Warner Brothers and Turner Entertainment.
Author's Note
This story is intended to be a continuation of "A Bite From Life" by Jesse Shearer; in other words, me. The title comes from a word I once saw on a dictionary calendar someone gave a friend for Christmas in 1997. For the purposes of this story, the phrase given in the definition has been slightly altered to make it more memorable. If, of course, that's at all possible.
This story picks up at the exact point where "A Bite From Life" left off.
A Bit of Bobbery
"Weapons armed and standing by; shields raised at one hundred percent power," Movram responded to Shamus's order.
"No response from the Knothole, sir," Maxive reported.
"What about the starbase?" asked Keating.
"They can't be reached, commander," Maxive explained. "There's too much interference of some sort."
"That's not good," said Shamus.
"Illusion here, captain," the hologram said over ship's communications. "We're having some sort of engine trouble. Things are going on and off-line like mad down here. We won't be able to run if we have to."
"That's worse," said Keating.
"Now the Kelveticans are hailing us," Maxive informed his superiors.
"Communications?" asked Shamus.
"Confirmed, sir," the communications officer informed him. "It's the Kelveticans."
"What next?" muttered Shamus. "On screen. Let's hear them out."
"Attention TAS Midnight Star. I am Prefect Imcheval of the Kelvetican Empire. You have some of our property onboard your ship. We demand that you return it immediately."
*Oh Powers That Be, please don't mean what I think he means* thought Shamus as he tried to come up with a way to stall for enough time to get Dulcy off the ship.
"Don't make me say it again, captain," the prefect growled.
"I'm not so sure that we do have any of your property, prefect," Shamus responded. "I've had some awfully strange injuries occurring over here lately that could possibly have been caused by this 'property' of yours. I could check with my ship's medical staff to see if they've found it, if you'd like?"
"Do so now," Imcheval ordered.
"The intraship communications system's been on the fritz lately, Shamus said, hinting to his communications officer and trying to fool the Kelveticans at the same time. I'll have to go to Medbay and see them in person.
"I don't believe that," Imcheval said, not quite fooled. Fortunately, the communications officer got the hint and informed the medical staff of what was going on. When Shamus contacted Medbay, all he got back was static.
"Like I said, I'll need to see them in person," Shamus told the Kelvetican. "If you could describe your belongings to me and give me time to search the ship..."
"All right!" roared the frustrated prefect. "What you have is, by your measurements, three meters tall by six long by one wide. You have one standard Alliance hour. If you don't find it by then, we destroy your ship."
"I'll do what I can," said Shamus. "Midnight Star out."
"What now?" asked Keating.
"Well, you heard the man. We have an hour, so I'm going down to Medbay to check on things there, explained Shamus. "Meanwhile, you and Movram prepare the ship for evacuation. We may wind up loosing the ship."
"You don't mean..." Keating half gasped.
"It may be the only way," Shamus said, as the lift doors closed in front of him.
*Oh bloody... How did word of this get out? This could cost me everything...* thought Shamus as his lift moved towards Medbay. Doctor Greene was waiting for him when he got there.
"I heard everything, captain," she said. "What's your plan?"
"First I'm going to ask you for your thoughts," said Shamus. "Then, I'm going to go ask our dragon friend."
"She can choose between breathing fire and breathing ice, her lung capacity and strength suggests the ability to blow down large objects at a distance of fifty meters, and she claims to be able to do any of it while flying," the doctor explained. "But Dulcy's a sentient being and we both know it. It wouldn't be right to force her to do something against her will."
"No it wouldn't," said Shamus. "I'm hoping she won't want to go."
"You know you have to ask. She's in the examination area," Greene said.
"Right. Thanks," said Shamus as he turned to head back to talk to his old friend. Things had an erie feel to them when he got there and started asking questions.
"Dulcy," he asked, "do you understand what's going on ?"
"I... I think so...," she answered.
"It would appear that we have a problem, and you're at the center of it right now," Shamus explained. "The Kelveticans have us outnumbered two to one and are threatening to destroy the ship if you're not turned over in just less than an hour. If you go to them, they may very well blow us out of space anyway and use you for, well, none of us can bloody well say what, too."
"So most of us loose either way?" asked Dulcy. "I won't go!"
"You know, I was fairly sure you'd say that," Shamus responded. "Hoping, too, in a way. But I want you to take a little time to think about this. Make it quick, though. An hour isn't long."
"I'm not going with them, and that's final!" exclaimed Dulcy.
"Are you absolutely sure of that?" asked Shamus.
"Absolutely," she responded.
"Well, OK," said Shamus. "I'll go to the bridge and prepare the ship for what's next."
"What's that?" asked Dr. Greene, who had just stepped in to check on her guests.
"We may have to blow the ship if we can't run," the captain explained. "It'll be the only way to minimize the losses if there will be any. Get the patient to shuttle deck four and take the largest one there. When I give the signal, set course for Mobius at maximum Post, and don't let down the shields untill you've heard from me."
"Aye, sir," complied the doctor as Shamus turned to leave.
"I can do this...," he mumbled on his way out.
"What was he talking about?" the doctor asked after the doors had closed.
"I have no idea, but we'd better get going," Dulcy responded.
When Shamus got to the bridge, he contacted Imcheval and told him a faked story so that the launching shuttle would seem less like it really was. Naturally, the prefect was angry almost beyond reason.
"How could you let this happen?" Imcheval asked.
"Well, it's like I said," Shamus began for the second time, "When I got to Medbay, the place was in a shambles. This 'property' of yours appeared to have done it while kidnapping the ship's chief medical officer. I got knocked down as soon as I entered, but was not injured. The last I saw of my doctor or our little fugitive, they were headed for one of the shuttle decks."
"I almost believe that, captain. Too bad you're not hurt," Imcheval said, sounding half disheartened.
"Yes, too bad," Shamus agreed, as sarcastically as he could. At that point, the prefect began going on about how an injury could be arranged for the captain, and also for most, if not all, of his crew. Meanwhile, Shamus went to his chair on the bridge and signaled for the doctor to launch the shuttle and depart.
"And as you may also know..." Imcheval began.
"Oh Good Lord!" Shamus interrupted. "They're launching!"
"Target that shuttle!" the prefect ordered his crew.
"You fire on any ship in my area and you risk having a war on your hands. If my sources are correct, the Empire can't afford that right now," Shamus informed his counterpart. The Kelvetican just growled and ordered his ships to leave.
"Now that was strange," Keating remarked. "That's the first time I've seen a Kelvetican back down from a chance to fight."
"I know. Same here," Shamus agreed. "Communications, contact the base. We'd better get looking for the Knothole, too."
Starbase 132 reports having monitored the whole thing despite being unable to contact us," the communications officer reported.
"The Knothole has reappeared on sensors and appears to be on course for Mobius," Movram informed Shamus. "They are about nine lightyears ahead of us and traveling at PL eleven."
"And the shuttle?" asked Shamus.
"Out of sensor range. Latest data indicates that they were on course and traveling at PL eighteen on a similar course to the Knothole."
"Illusion, engines?" Shamus asked his engine crew by way of the restored intraship speakers.
"Working normally, but I wouldn't recommend going over PL fifteen for the time being," Illusion reported back.
"Thanks," Shamus told his friend. "Helm, plot for intercept of the Knothole, PL twelve."
"Course and speed set, sir," Maxive responded a few seconds later.
"Engage," ordered Shamus. The trip proceeded normally under the circumstances. When the Midnight Star caught the Knothole, Sonic made contact and explained what had happened.
"If this Nagus fellow escaped your `Zone of Silence,' where is her Majesty, and when was she taken?" asked Shamus.
"I think she was taken when we vanished off your sensors," Sonic said. "From what Nagus said, it sounded like Sally was in the Void, and he made some sort of reference to that teleportation device the Alliance uses."
"What exactly did he say?" asked Keating.
"He got us so confused nobody can remember," Sonic responded. As he did, Shamus stepped over to a control panel.
"I see," Shamus said. "I'm assuming that your ship has the same emergency sensor setup as most Alliance ships."
"Good," said the captain, as he entered a few commands into the ship's computer. "Look for the file containing the most recent emergency scanner records. I'm sending you instructions to upload it to our computers."
"Sure," Sonic said, as he did a quick search for the file, "but I don't know what good it'll do you."
"It'll be nice to know what he said, at least," Shamus responded. "Looks like the file transfer's complete on this end. I'd advise continuing on course to Mobius at maximum Post."
"Right," Sonic said. "Knothole out."
A few seconds later, as the Mobian ship increased it's speed, Illusion called the bridge and informed the ship and crew that the engines were confirmed safe to their maximum capacity. Shortly thereafter, the Star was on it's way, too.
Upon arrival, there was a big celebration, presented in true Mobian fashion and held in the main square of Mobitropolis. The next day, after a few hours of rest, the remains of the all-night party were cleaned up and the palace courtyard was set up for speeches to be made by the various delegates. During the hours that the previous day's arrivals were at rest, the representatives from the Zandorian and Lemonite systems had arrived and were demanding to see the other two ambassadors for the Alliance. Shamus was the one contacted, as T'Lem was nowhere to be found.
"So, who is it that I'm going to see, again?" Shamus asked the young fox that was escorting him to the room where all four ambassadors were to meet.
"The representatives from Lemonite and Zandor, I think," the fox responded. "If I recall correctly, their names are Mokino and Relkinor, respectively."
"Anything else I need to know before I meet these two?" asked Shamus.
"Not that I'm aware of," the escort told him. "Is there any other way I can help?"
"Well, Earth hasn't assigned me a staff yet, and I may need an assistant during the meeting," Shamus responded. "If the others have staffers with them, I'd gladly have you there to help."
"I would be honored, Ambassador," the fox said. "My name is Raymond White Paws, but, please call me Ray, sir."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ray," Shamus said, "and let's not use formal titles unless it's actually necessary. I'm still used to people calling me `Shamus' in general conversation."
"As you wish," Ray answered. "Here's the place. We may as well see if the others are ready to start."
Relkenor and Mokino were already seated at the center table with their aides standing next to them in the traditional places for their respective races; to the right for Zandorians and to the left for Lemonites. T'Lem had yet to arrive.
"Ambassadors Relkenor and Mokino?" asked Shamus. "I'm Shamus O'Reiley, representing Earth. This man, Raymond White Paws, will be assisting me until Earth sends my staff, possibly longer."
"Relkenor, of Zandor," the Zandorian said. "This is my aide, Orlino."
"Mokino, Second House of Lemonite," the second representative said. "My aide is called Kavlat."
"Has anyone seen or heard from Ambassador T'Lem?" asked Shamus. "I haven't seen her since we beamed down last night."
"Which only confirms my concerns," Relkinor said.
"If she hasn't shown in five minutes, I'll go and check on her," Shamus told his counterparts. "Meanwhile, would you care to tell me about your concerns, sir?"
"The two issues that bring me the most distress at this time are the Kelveticans and this person claiming to be a wizard, Nagus, I believe his name was," Relkinor said. "The Kelveticans provide a longer lasting problem, and as such, should be discussed in full council, with at least one full representative of each of the Alliance members and also this world. Therefore, it would be wise to discuss the matter of this perported wizard at this time."
"You think he has T'Lem, don't you?" asked Shamus. "To be honest, I'm not really sure what to think. T'Lem seemed more impersonable than most Gemnians when I met her, to tell the truth; and I've only heard of two appearances of Nagus since I made contact with these people, and the last time, he wanted to get his hands on Alliance technology."
"What better reason to abduct an ambassador?" commented Mokino.
"I don't understand," Ray said. "Why not the princess or His Majesty the King, instead?"
"Actually," Shamus answered, "he already has Her Majesty. Didn't Prince Hedgehog make an announcement? He was there when it supposedly happened."
"This isn't good," Relkinor said. "If the heir to the throne has been captured and temporarily replaced, then chances are, the king doesn't know."
"That's for sure. Is King Acorn in?" Shamus asked Ray.
"Yes, but he's..." answered the fox.
"It doesn't matter what he's doing!" Shamus exclaimed. "We have to let him know that trouble's on the way. Take us to him!"
The young fox complied and took the ambassadors to the king's chambers. King Acorn was naturally not pleased to be disturbed while he was working, and even less so to hear that both members of the future royalty had been kidnapped. Almost as naturally, the tensions were reduced somewhat when one of the ambassadors said that one of their own had also been taken. With little discussion, an arrest order was issued for Sonic the Hedgehog, to be delivered by the king himself.
Afterward, the three ambassadors and Ray headed back to the meeting room. Not one of them was particularly happy about what they had just done, and Ray felt the need to talk about it.
"I hope they don't find him," he said. "That would be terrible for all our sake."
"Actually," said Shamus, "we had better hope they do find him and that it's not the real Sonic. If what I'm lead to believe is true, then we can't have Nagus running around pretending to be Sonic until he winds up sharing the throne with the true heir. That really would be bad for all of us."
"But what if you're wrong?" asked Ray. "What then?"
"Then the three of us have just lost the first new Alliance member in eighty years and thrown away our careers, and yours, too," said Mokino.
Within an hour, the search had ended with the capture of what turned out to be the real, if not dazed, Sonic. Amongst the items found in his pack was a set of instructions for retrieval of the princess. The Midnight Star, which had yet to be ordered to a new destination, was still in orbit. With little discussion from anyone involved, Shamus was selected to return to his ship and attempt the procedure described in the instructions found in Sonic's pack.
Once back aboard, Shamus called a few key members of his old staff and discussed what was to be done and how they would pull it off.
"A genetic lock?" asked Illusion. "Is it possible to beam someone up by locking onto their genes?"
"We'll most certainly find out," responded Shamus, "and it looks like we'll be doing it the hard way."
The End
End Note
This is the second of a three story arc, continuing from "A Bite from Life," and to be continued in a story to be titled at some point in the future, as I have yet to come up with one as of the date I completed this installment(1/2/99). I hope you enjoy reading this installment, and I hope you'll be patient with me while I work on the third.
--Jesse Shearer
----JMShearer@aol.com