Royce Read online

  "I just realized I have a temper," she said as she grabbed him and hugged him as two friends are wont to do in times of stress.

  "Really? I never noticed," he replied.

  She laughed and cuffed him. "Jenny, you got this under control?"

  "Yes, ma'am," the tech said as the rest of the crew sat back down at their consoles and went back to work.

  Ciara grabbed John by the arm and headed to the door. "We'll be in Sickbay."

  "Copy that," Jen said as she watched the data from the bots flow in.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The Searcher landed in bay eight, the landing bay closest to Sickbay. A team of medics and security personnel waited just inside as the shuttle landed, and its engines shut down. As the hatch opened, security rushed in to secure the craft. Satisfied all was well, they allowed the medics to enter. Several people carrying an unconscious Royce on a litter, emerged and placed him on the waiting gurney before whisking him off to Sickbay while Gloria watched, unsure what to do.

  John made his way through the crowd as Gloria looked up. She ran over and embraced him while telling him what happened on the planet.

  "Easy, easy," he said as he held her. "Let's try single sentences."

  She slowed down and tried again. When she finished, she found him just staring at her. "What?" she asked as he continued to stare.

  "You took out two of your father's honor guards with a bow and arrow?"

  "Yeah. Archery was a required course in finishing school, you moron," she said while cuffing him. "I'm in trouble for stowing-away, aren't I?"

  "Maybe. It seems your brother set a precedent for pig-headedness a while back," he explained. "Remember the bark-borer missile incident?"

  "That was him?" she asked.

  "Yeah. You Aymars get around."

  They headed to Sickbay while John filled her in on what happened in the station. She stopped him when he got to Rachel taking the Flagship.

  "So, Ariel and Eldar weren't the only ones involved in this insurrection?"

  "Seven members of the honor guard, fifteen members of the flagship's crew including the first officer, and a number of wealthy Elves, all friends of the chancellor, all of whom are in custody or are being rounded up as we speak, except for the first officer—he's dead."

  "How?"

  "He pissed Rachel off. She has a temper. Personally, I think she'll be a great replacement for Ariel."

  They reached Sickbay and walked into the waiting room. While Gloria ran up to embrace her parents, John walked over to check on Ciara.

  "Nice job in Mission Control. I think you impressed the King."

  "Damn, they made me angry. I was so close..."

  "Can you really do the soul thing?"

  "Do you really want to know?"

  He saw the look in her eyes. "No, not really. Any idea what the plan is?"

  "First thing is to find out what happened down there on the planet. Has anyone given a report yet?"

  "Gloria filled me in when she arrived," he said. He repeated what she had told him including the part about the bow and arrow.

  "So, we still don't know what happened down there or how he was injured," Ciara said as she glared at the door leading into Sickbay proper, as if she were willing someone to come out and give them a report. As if hearing her call, a staff member came into the room and handed Ciara a preliminary report. Attached to it was a plastic bag containing an ornate stylus. She opened the report and scanned it before joining Royce's family.

  "Any word on our son, Director?"

  "Yes, Your Highness," she said while showing them the report she was holding. "He has three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and an odd poison in his system which prevents him from returning to his normal elf state. The surgeons are fixing the broken things and a dialysis machine is removing the poison." She stopped and pulled the Stylus out of its pouch. "This was in his pocket," Ciara continued.

  "That's Parker. Parker, explain what happened… Parker?" Gloria said as the Stylus remained inert. "She's an AI! What happened to her? I talked to her on the way in."

  "The report said it only contains a video record of what happened down there. Something about the Queen of Ralanor Realm and a quest for a crystal?"

  "Ralanor! The Greatest of all the realms. It was thought to have been decimated by a plague millennium ago. May I see that, director?"

  "Of course," she said handing the stylus to the king. He took it and sat down while retrieving a device from his jacket.

  Gloria took the report and showed it to her mother while John and Ciara stood off to one side and watched. Occasionally, Gloria and her mother would put their hands to their mouths and gasp. At one point, they giggled.

  Not being able to contain himself, John leaned over Gloria's shoulder and read the report. After a few moments reading, he shook his head and rejoined Ciara.

  "What's going on?" Ciara asked.

  "They got to the part where a fake Gloria stabbed Royce with a poisoned knife. I'm surprised the kid doesn't have a complex."

  "John Taggart, behave!" Ciara whispered.

  The King stood up, obviously agitated at what he saw. "My Queen, Director, I must return to the flagship and attend to a serious matter. Daughter, call me when you get word about Royce," he said as he hugged her. He kissed his wife before leaving.

  Ciara motioned to the guard near the door, "Sergeant, escort the king to the Shuttle Bay."

  "Aye, ma'am," he said as he held the door open for the king and followed him out into the hallway.

  Ciara walked over to the Queen and asked, "Your Highness, do you have any idea what that was all about?"

  "No, none. I'm sure he will tell us in his own good time."

  While Gloria and her mother read more of the report, John and Ciara sat down and waited for word from the medical team.

  ###

  The king strode across the shuttle bay deck as his transport landed. Its hatch opened and the five remaining members of his honor guard filed out and stood at attention on the deck. He walked up to them and stopped to address them all. "Thank you for your service to both me and the Realm. You five saved the lives of my son, my daughter, and those who risked their lives to find and return Royce home."

  "Sire, we are your Guard. It is what we do," Rachel said. "What's the op, sire?"

  "We go to this rift and see if we can find some old acquaintances of ours. Set course for the flagship, Captain."

  The guards glanced at each other and smiled for they knew no one deserved a promotion more than their lieutenant, Rachel.

  "Aye, sire," she said as they followed him into the ship.

  ###

  The King's flagship Aegnor left the Cube and headed to the rift's marker buoy at flank speed. When it arrived on station, it took up position a safe distance from where the rift last appeared.

  The king sat down at the communications console and typed commands into the system. When he finished, he pressed the transmit button.

  "Now we wait," he said.

  "Wait for what, sire," the captain asked.

  "All communications with the other realms were lost many millennia ago. All that remains from those times, other than legends, is a book of signals to be used if we ever encounter any of the realms to ensure we are who we say we are and they do the same. All Kings from that time forward memorized these codes. As we speak, those codes are being transmitted toward the rift. If the data on the Stylus is correct, we should be receiving an answer soon."

  ###

  The Aegnor hung in space and waited, while technicians at the Cube monitored the ship, and the space surrounding it, for any hint of the rift's return.

  "Rodney, status?" Ciara asked as she paced the length of the control room.

  "Time check eighteen hours after the rift last closed. Sickbay last reported Royce was still in a coma. The rift has not appeared. The Aegnor waits like a puppy by a warm fire."

  Ciara looked up at the flight director and smiled. "Rodney, are you ge
tting poetic in your old age?"

  "Fatigue coupled with an intense dislike for waiting, ma'am," he replied as he scanned his console.

  "Copy that," she said as she looked at the view screen and the image of the Aegnor sitting there, waiting.

  The quiet was broken by the intercom chime. Rodney picked the handset up and placed it against his ear. "Mission Control... Got it. Thanks." He hung up the handset and turned to Ciara. "That was Sickbay. Royce is coming out of the coma."

  Before Ciara could say anything, alarms sounded. "Rift is opening, but not in its previous configurations," Rodney said as he changed feeds to one from a monitoring satellite near the rift.

  Instead of a jagged tear, a perfect circle of blue light formed. It was much larger than the original rift, approximately five flagships across. As with the original, they could see a planet on the other side.

  "Rodney, position check. Is that the same planet and star?"

  "Checking. Aye, ma'am. The rift has not moved. Diameter and shape have changed significantly, though."

  "What about the Aegnor?"

  "Still on station in front of the rift and still transmitting... Wait one... Our sats are picking-up a transmission from the other side of the rift. It seems to be a variation of the signal being sent by the Aegnor."

  "Sound alert. Get Taggart and Gloria up here ASAP."

  "Copy that," Rodney said as he activated the station-wide alarm. "Station Alert. Station Alert. Set Condition One-No Drill. I repeat, set Condition One-No Drill. Dr. Taggart and Gloria report to Control Room Three." Rodney watched the displays for a moment before reporting, "Ma'am, the Cube is at Station Alert Condition One."

  The control room door cycled as Gloria and John ran in. "What's up, boss?" John asked as he and Gloria took up positions next to Ciara.

  She nodded toward the screen. "We've got signals coming from the other side. Rodney, anything?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Something odd. Part of the transmission is the IFF chirp of a Cube patrol ship, the Alanis. We haven't been able to decode the other part."

  "Put it on speakers, please," Gloria asked.

  Rodney complied and the room was filled with a voice speaking in a language the universal translator had no idea how to deal with. Gloria tilted her head and listened. "I think it’s Ralanor's part of the ID code. There's a lot of code, but the word Ralanor is in there a lot."

  "Aegnor is entering the rift," Rodney said. Everyone in the room watched the ship slip through the doorway into the other galaxy.

  "Rift status?" Ciara asked.

  "Rock stable, ma'am. No change in dimensions. No change in energy output. It’s like the entrance to the Holland Tunnel in New York."

  "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm still having trouble wrapping my brain around instantaneous transport across fifty kiloparsecs of space," John observed.

  "Our history books tell of an age where this was common. It was the only way to run a collection of realms spanning several galaxies," Gloria explained.

  "Gloria, what happened? Why is Gweyr the only one left?"

  "We were always told the story of a plague from a faraway alien planet decimating the elven population. Gweyr was spared the brunt of it. According to what I saw in Parker's transcripts, the decimation was due to political upheaval. I don't know if I find either prospect more palatable than the other," she said. She watched the screen and the readouts, worried about her father and the crew of the Aegnor and wondering what was happening on the other side of the rift.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  "Sir, wakeup," a voice in my head said.

  "Who? What? Parker, is that you?" I was groggy and felt like someone had hit me with a truck.

  "Yes, sir. I am contacting you over the SAC. I need your help."

  I sat up and found myself connected to a monitor and an IV in my arm. The room was dark except for the alert light flashing above the door. I looked down and saw I was wearing only a hospital gown. "Parker, where are you, and where am I?"

  "Sir, you are in the Cube’s Sickbay. The staff has patched you up and filtered the poison out of your system. I'm still on Ventos Prime. Sir, your father is here."

  "The King is on the other side of the rift? I'm still a little wonky, Parker, so could you fill in some of the large gaping holes in this narrative?" I said as I disconnected myself. Once I was free to move about the room, I hunted out my flight suit which some kind soul had cleaned and pressed. I remained human for now.

  "Your father is threatening to arrest Queen Aiella and take over the castle unless she surrenders to his forces."

  "What? Did I suddenly fall into a rabbit hole?"

  "No, sir. You completed your mission and activated the revival circuit. Long story short, your father is following a set of instructions—the Precepts—set down millennia ago in the event of Ralanor rising again."

  Shit. Forgot about that. There must have been a failsafe handed to Gweyr when the shit hit the fan back in the day. I had to get back there and diffuse the situation. "Parker, Father takes a current copy of the elf Master Database when he takes the Aegnor out for a spin. Can you access it and see if a copy of these Precepts is in there? I need to know if there's a way out of this mess, assuming Father doesn't back down.”

  "Yes, sir. Working... There are two ways. First, you must become betrothed to the Queen."

  "Okay, not on my short list. What's the second?"

  "You must defeat your father in a combat to the death. In either case you become King of Gweyr, only then can you rescind the order."

  "Who in the name of all the holies comes up with this shit? It sounds like a bunch of children sat down and made this all up."

  "Yes, sir. I totally agree."

  "I hate to ask this, but I kinda have to. What about the assassin in my head? Will I be able to control it if I were to see my Father?"

  "Sir, I scanned you before they took you aboard Searcher. The Assassin is gone. I suspect it either believed you were dead and disassociated or the code was moved into the synth instead of a simple copy. In either event, the Assassin no longer exists."

  Ah, a ray of hope in a possibly apocalyptic future. "Parker, can you access airframe inventory and find me a ship?"

  "Working... Launch bay twenty-two. Frame C57D has been checked-out and is being prepped to move to Maintenance Hangar Eight for a paint job. No weapons."

  "Don't need them. I just need a lift. Is there anything else I need to know before entering the dragon's lair?"

  "No, sir. Sir, what are you planning to do?"

  "I have no idea," I said as I opened the door a crack and checked the hallway. It was clear, so I slipped out of the room. "Parker, how am I physically?"

  "Very weak, sir. Do not overexert yourself for you are literally hanging on by a thread."

  Lovely. I am going to face my father while barely able to stand up. It's always a good time in House Aymar.

  I took a shortcut down the central corridor, but soon realized that was a mistake. People recognized me. I needed to hurry. I made it to Bay twenty-two and was reaching down to palm the lock when I heard a familiar voice. A rather upset familiar voice.

  "Royce, what the hell are you doing?"

  I turned to face Lyscka. "I'm stealing a frame and saving my father from a horrible mistake."

  "Not going to happen. The Doc has issued a retrieval order for you. She said you were delirious and a danger to yourself and others when you bolted out of Sickbay."

  I walked up to her and looked her in the eye. "I am neither, and you know it. My father is about to throw my people into civil war, and I have to stop him. You know me better than anyone on this station. I have to do this, not only for my people, but the people of the League, who will surely be dragged into this mess. Please, step away this one time."

  She put her gun away and kissed me on my cheek. "Get out of here." As I turned back to the door, she asked, "What did Anna see on Tennosh? We saw you on the planet, but it was pretty far away…"

 
; I went elf and stood there, my tail moving back and forth while my long, pointed ears flicked in the air currents. She looked at me in shock. "I am Royce Aymar, Prince of Gweyr and Heir Apparent to the Realm. You, Lyscka of Stora, are my friend and I will always be grateful for that," I said as I palmed the lock and walked into the bay.

  Once inside, I reverted to human form—only way I can fit in a human ship. I grabbed a helmet and gloves from a rack and climbed inside the C57D which was the same make and model as Alanis only much newer. Once aboard, I started preflight. I brought up systems one after another until the ship was ready to fly. I sat for a moment, wondering if this would be the last time I saw the Cube, my sister, and my family. With a sigh, I pressed a switch on the joystick and watched the outer door open. I could imagine the alarms going off in Flight Control. "Flight Control, this is the C57D requesting takeoff clearance from Bay twenty-two, over." Like that was going to happen. I set the plane to hover while I retracted the landing gear.

  "Who the hell is this? Clearance not granted. Cut your engines and wait for Security to arrive," Flight Control ordered.

  "T'enga, it’s Royce. No can do, buddy. I'm meeting my father for lunch, and I can't be late," I said as I pushed the thruster control forward. Jets of gas from the attitude control quads gently pushed the ship forward through the atmo shield and into the harsh vacuum of space.

  "Royce! Bring that ship back immediately! Royce, do you hear me?" T'enga yelled. I could imagine his fur bristling in frustration. I set course for the rift and pushed the throttles forward before changing frequencies. "Rift Mission Control, this is Patrol C57D, do you copy?"

  "Patrol C57D, this is Rift Mission Control. We read you five by five. Who is this?"

  "Mission Control, this is Royce Aymar. Are Gloria and the Queen there?"

  "One moment, C57D..."

  "Royce, this is Gloria. Why the hell aren't you in Sickbay? The doc is losing her mind!"

  I explained what Parker told me. "Listen, little sister, I've got to stop this before all the shit hits the fan."