Author's Note: I want to clarify the time-line of this story, since some of the chapters interweave with chapters from 'A Knight's Journey'. I also need to adjust Bandor and Elena's wedding date, to make the pace of the story work. Hopefully the following explanation is clear and makes sense.
This chapter takes place five weeks after Pidge and Larmina's wedding; they were gone on their honeymoon for a month, and have been back for a week now. Keith left for earth the fourth week of their honeymoon, and will be back at the end of the fifth week. He gets engaged while on earth, and the wedding will take place a week after he and Eimear get back i.e. six weeks from Pidge and Larmina's wedding.
Bandor and Elena's wedding is now six weeks from Keith and Eimear's wedding, not six weeks from Pidge and Larmina's wedding, as I had indicated in chapter13 of this story. I am laying all this out because I want the readers to be able to follow Daniel and Sven's progress.
Faith, Hope, & Spin
Pidge was working in the control room, compiling all the data that had been collected from Sven and Daniel. When Allura had first told him her decision to send the cadet to Crydor, and to have Vince modify the experiment protocols he had been extremely upset. Pidge had let loose a string of Baltan curse words, which Allura had listened to without batting an eyelash. She'd actually heard worse from him, but figured his honeymoon had been wonderful.
Once he stopped cursing, she had explained the reasons why, telling him about the conversations she and Lance had had with Sven. Allura also handed Pidge the memo that Keith had prepared, after the meeting with the Viking. The Green Lion pilot had acquiesced, telling her that he understood her decision. He had then gone to find Vince, and get himself up to speed on what progress had been made.
Vince had made four visits to Crydor, flying with Hunk, Keith, Lance, and then Hunk again. The flight with Keith had been tricky, because he didn't know what the hybrid herb was. Luckily though, Daniel and Sven were well prepped and dealt with the Black Lion pilot just fine. Vince had always left Crydor feeling bad for Daniel, but admiring him at the same time. He saw everything his friend was going through, and didn't think he would have been as strong as Daniel was.
Today had been the first time that Pidge had been able to go through the data that had accumulated while he was gone. He had first noticed the anomaly with the data in its rough state, but didn't pay it too much attention. Only after he had parsed it, graphed it, and studied it for over an hour was he willing to admit that the anomaly had not had anything to do with the raw state of the data.
"Hey Pidge, what are you working on?" Vince came into the control room, and saw two different holoscreens up. He had been very relieved when Pidge had not been upset with him about the change to the experiment. His mentor had even complimented him on how well he had modified the protocols, for two test subjects with different factors to be accounted for.
"I'm looking at all the data you have collected the last five weeks." Pidge sighed, and tried tweaking a couple of input factors, but the result was still the same. "Frankly, I am tempted to go to Crydor tomorrow to try to verify it. I guess though, since they will be here at the beginning of the week it wouldn't be worth it." The Green Lion pilot walked around to the back of the holoscreen, shaking his head as he did so.
Pidge was referring to the fact that Keith was getting married next week, in the Rose Garden colonnade of the castle. He had been vacationing on earth with Lady Eimear Ainsley, when he had proposed. Keith had then sent a memo to Allura, outlining what he wanted, and would she be willing to help. Pidge had actually been in her office when the memo had come in, and privately chuckled at how happy Allura was at the news.
She had then called Lance who insisted on coming up to see the memo in person. That night, Pidge and Larmina were having cocktails with Allura and Lance. The news was discussed extensively, with Allura having them in stitches about Fredericks' initial reaction to the plan, and how she had dealt with him. Lance told them that she had handled the situation by turning on what he called 'bitch with teeth mode'. Pidge had seen that mode, and later told Larmina that he felt bad for the elderly Court Marshall. The Green Lion pilot was brought back to the present by Vince's voice.
"Well if we go we can always bring Daniel back early; he is more than ready! Are the results not what you thought they would be?" Vince was commenting, and Pidge gave him a knowing smile. After hearing about what Daniel had endured, including Wagner, Pidge had decided that if Lance wasn't already going to pay for Daniel's beach vacation, he would have. He was going to offer though that he would pay for Vince if Daniel wanted him along.
"I would almost think you all, on your visits had." Pidge bought up a different holoscreen, and shook his head "No, it happened after the visit with Keith too." He walked around in a circle again, as he peered intently at what the data was showing. Vince gave him a puzzled stare, which he noticed.
"The results are consistently the same, showing gradual lessening of the haggerium, especially in Daniel. I believe that since Sven's infection is so further along, and older, we will be slower in seeing a decreasing of the haggerium." Pidge paused, to collect his thoughts "However, the numbers from the day after each of your visits the haggerium decrease is greater, by anywhere from .02% to almost 1.75%. Those are not large amounts, but it is a consistent pattern."
Pidge had been impressed with how well Vince had been running the experiment, but now he wondered if maybe the cadet had missed something. He didn't want to think that, because he had been so glad to have Vince working with him again. "Ok, I was all set to think that you all, on your trips there, had an extra little party, which would have resulted in our test subjects getting a higher dose." He saw that Vince had a horrified look on his face, which made him want to laugh; he didn't, but was looking forward to telling Larmina later. Obviously the stay at the Arusian military academy had only taken Vince so far.
"The reason why I don't think that is the case is because the same thing happened after Keith took you there. I can see Hunk and Lance letting it happen, but not Keith!" Pidge stated vehemently, and Vince nodded in agreement. The thought of Keith smoking a joint occurred to them both at the same time, and they burst out laughing.
"Vince, maybe we should go to Crydor anyway. I really don't want to wait until the beginning of next week to try to resolve this." Pidge almost groaned as he suggested it, not wanting a long flight, cold atmosphere, and an aggrieved Sven. He decided that for the sake of science though, he would make the sacrifice.
"Daniel will be over the moon; he is very lonely." Vince remarked, as Pidge smiled at him, before he started contacting flight control. The Green Lion pilot was busy inputting the coordinates, and request for flight clearance, into the system. Vince's voice was registering in his ear, something about faith and hope, but he wasn't really paying attention.
"It's too bad I don't have time to go see Faith and Hope, and get a care package to take to Daniel. They're great girls, and I think Faith really likes Daniel a lot." Vince divulged, not wanting to add that when he'd told the twins about the beach vacation they had been very willing to participate. He was also less obsessed with Larmina, and the thought of Pidge being with her. Hope had made it very clear to him that she was ready for whatever he wanted.
"It is set with tower control, we are clear to launch Green Lion in twenty minutes." Pidge turned around to look at Vince as he inquired "I know that I've been gone for over a month, but I don't think my flying skills have declined to the point that you need faith and hope?" He hoped the cadet had been joking, but hadn't understood what he was referencing.
"No, not faith and hope like that! Faith and Hope Hutchinson, the Admiral's twin daughters. I always go see them and Edmund, before I go to Crydor. They put together a package full of fresh fruits and vegetables from the greenhouse. You know, stuff to make a salad, berries, all that kind of thing. It even cheers Sven up when he eats them." Vince explained to Pidge, not understanding why his mentor was standing perfectly still, a horrified expression taking over his face.
"Vince, say what you just said again?" Pidge didn't think he'd heard wrong, but wanted to verify it. He listened as the cadet told him about the packages, with the fruits and vegetables from Edmund's greenhouse. The implications were staggering, and also an indicator of something else. Pidge buried his head in his hands, as he groaned very loudly.
"Pidge, are you all right? What is wrong? Are you sick?" Vince was aghast at how Pidge was reacting, and how he looked. He walked over and put his hand on his mentor's back, starting to get scared at what was happening.
After letting loose a string of Baltan curse words, Pidge regarded Vince and announced in a shaky voice "It's not the pot that is getting rid of the haggerium. I mean it is, but not just the pot would do it! Don't you see?" Pidge had turned to face Vince, and putting his hands on the boy's shoulders was almost shaking him.
Vince processed what Pidge had just told him, along with the spikes in the test results after his visits to Crydor. "! #$% it's anything grown in the water that the magma has been in!" They both looked at each other, realizing what they might have stumbled on. The magma might have the power to destroy haggerium.
"Ok, we need to get Sven and Daniel back here, to test the theory." Pidge started to talk very fast, before another thought came to him "Wait, before we do anything I think both of us need to look at the computer disc we got from Edmund, the one with his diary and notes. Maybe we can figure out where this planet is, if it still exists."
"But didn't Edmund say that the star chart had been lost, and that the Drules had attacked the planet? And even before it had not appeared on any maps?" Vince wasn't too hopeful at what they were going to find. Pidge acknowledged all that, but reassured the cadet that if anyone could figure it out, it would be the two of them.
Meanwhile, on Planet Pollux
Bandor was sitting in his office, finishing up some reports when a holoscreen popped up in front of him. "Your Majesty, there is an incoming call from Odeos, priority immediate, code black." A man wearing the uniform of the communication office announced, and Bandor indicated for the transmission to come through. It was Fauk, and they chatted for a bit, before the Odeon prince got down to business.
"I hate to say it Bandor, but there is no way for Elena and I to accompany you to your friend's wedding on Arus next week. Her wedding is six weeks away, and we have a lot of preparations to do. However, I am going to send our regrets to Commander Kogane, as well as a generous gift." Fauk explained to Bandor.
"Fauk, I do understand; it is short notice and all. Romelle and I are going, since we have known Keith for a long time." Bandor had been pretty sure that Elena wouldn't be available, but wanted to ask anyway. He missed her so much, and even though they spoke every day, it wasn't the same as being with her in person.
"Bandor, since you have brought the subject of your sister up, I would like to have a personal discussion with you." Fauk intoned, making it a point put a concerned expression on his face. He saw that he had Bandor's attention, so he asked "Will Sven be attending the wedding?"
The Polluxian king sighed as he answered "I would like to think so! He and Keith go way back, and they were teammates. Unfortunately though, that opens up a whole set of problems." Bandor wasn't looking forward to a repeat of his last two visits to Arus, and dealing with Sven.
"There was a great deal of talk after Lady Larmina's wedding, about Romelle and Sven's marriage." Fauk started to say, and saw that Bandor was set to interject, so he held up his hand "Through no fault of your sister of course – the woman is a saint, and handled herself as a true royal. No, the talk was because of Sven's behavior and several other things too." The Odeon prince tilted his head as he made his observation, wanting to make sure that Bandor would take the bait he was throwing out.
"Fauk, we have been through this! I can only do so much with Sven, and it is not from a lack of trying. You know that Lance and Keith have tried to reason with him too!" Bandor was at his wit's end, not sure what to do, until after his wedding.
"Relax Bandor, I have several ideas on how we can manage the situation, and take care of your sister." Fauk couldn't believe how easy this was; everything was coming together perfectly. "Some of the problem was magnified by where Sven was staying on Arus, and his lack of proper wardrobe for all the functions. Couldn't you talk to your cousin about putting him in a proper guest room? Don't you also think that you and Lance could work together to make sure he is properly dressed? If he shows up at the various functions with your sister it will alleviate some of the talk."
Bandor listened to what Fauk was saying, and had to admit that he made some good points. Sven, sleeping in the pilot's quarters and slouching around in his worn black pants and shirt, had not made a good impression. "I can see how that might help the situation, on the surface at least" He was willing to try anything at this point.
"Capital! However, I think you need to be proactive in managing the story; do you have a media consultant?" Fauk already knew the answer, but had to go through the motions.
"I have someone who handles public relations for the royal house, if that is what you mean?" Bandor wasn't sure what his future brother-in-law was talking about.
"No, not your public affairs officer! A media consultant is rather like your secret source to the news outlets. They are sometimes called 'spin doctors' because they take a story and 'spin' it so it is presented in a favorable light." Fauk explained to the young man, privately thinking his sister was going to have a lot of work to do, once she was Queen of Pollux.
"Ok, I am lost now, Fauk. What does this have to do with Sven and Romelle?" Bandor was perplexed at where this was all going.
"I spent some time talking with Romelle on our trip from Arus." Fauk smiled as he remembered the time on the observation deck. The memory of how she had responded to him had given him some incredible fantasies to think about. He came back to the present, as he saw Bandor acknowledge the statement.
"Just between us, I think your sister is starting to see that while she is more than willing to work with Sven, the man has no interest in working with her. Did you know." Fauk went on to tell Bandor how Sven had left Arus without saying goodbye to Romelle. He was pleased to see the horrified, and then furious look that the Polluxian king got, as he slammed his hand on the desk, while cursing.
"I think it would be good for Sven and Romelle to be seen together as much as possible, while on Arus. There will be some media there I am sure, so it will be covered on the newsfeeds. I can have my media consultant drop a few hints to the effect that Romelle is trying very hard to reconcile with her husband, but he is not cooperating. I think we can almost guarantee that Sven will behave badly, which will only give the story credence. This way, down the road, if the marriage breaks up your sister, and your royal house will be blameless." Fauk almost beamed as he laid out his plan, pleased at what he had come up with.
"That is genius, Fauk! Thank you for thinking of it. Do we tell Romelle?" Bandor thoroughly approved of the plan, but wasn't sure what his upright sister would think of it.
"Bandor, I don't recommend it. It might affect how Romelle acts toward Sven, or influence her behavior. She is starting to see how things really are, but she will need to make the decision on her own. You just need to support her, no matter what happens." Fauk apprised in a firm voice. Romy must not know anything about the plan, he thought to himself. She was very loyal and would not abandon her husband lightly, especially with a child involved. However, the woman deserved a man who would treat her like the princess she was.
Fauk and Bandor chatted a little longer, both men very happy at what they had put into place. Fauk though had one more item he wanted to get Bandor to agree to. He was sure that by now the Polluxian king would be putty in his hands.
"Listen, I feel bad that we can't make the trip to Arus, but am glad you understand. I would like to suggest that you and your sister come to Odeos several weeks early, before your wedding." Fauk tossed the idea out there "I know that the original plan was for you all to come three days before, but I don't think it is enough time. My aunt Alesta and her son Thierry are coming from their country estate, to help out, but still. It would also give you some extra time with my very pretty sister." He smiled winningly, as Bandor almost groveled as he accepted the offer.
Bandor exchanged a few more pleasantries with Fauk, pleased at how everything had turned out. It was such a relief to be able to confide in the Odeon prince. The man had been so helpful in dealing with Sven and Romelle, Bandor mused to himself before he was sidetracked by the idea of extra time with Elena.