Steven Gordon 3: The Modloch Empire (3 page)

Charlie took a deep breath, ‘Well this
is unexpected sir, but I would like to reassure you that I hold no
grievance towards yourself or any of your people for what happened
to me. They were bad men sir, or shit as you so accurately
described them. It didn’t even occur to me to regard them as
American. As far as I am concerned, they were just plain bad.
Rotten to the core. May I ask what happened to their masters?’

‘
We are still trying
to track them down. We now believe the Jamaican Warehouse incident
was caused deliberately to help keep the area destabilized. From
what I have been able to ascertain, it was all to do with gun
running and drugs. It would seem that our two generals had their
fingers in a number of dirty pies. Until you turned up and let the
fox loose in the chicken coop, we weren’t even aware of what they
had been up to.’

‘
If I remember
correctly sir, many American troops lost their lives as
well.’

‘
You are right
Sergeant, we did lose some good men.’

‘
All because of the
greed of a few.’

The President nodded, ‘Isn’t it always
the same.’

‘
Please don’t blame
yourself or your people sir, I don’t.’

The President smiled and offered his
hand, Charlie shook it. ‘We will continue to hunt those responsible
down Sergeant, and bring them to justice.’

‘
Thank you for your
concern sir, it is gratefully received.’

Knowing he was dismissed Charlie
returned to his room.

CHAPTER
4

Lady Jane Montgomery Royce stood over
the royal bed, her mouth for once agape in wonder. Isobel burst out
laughing. ‘It is certainly King size.’

Jane regained her composure, ‘It is so
big it is almost indecent. His Royal Highness will be pleased no
doubt.’

‘
He thinks we will
get lost. These animals are much bigger than we are. I suppose it
needs to be big enough to accommodate a cow.’

Jane’s scathing look silenced Isobel
before she could go any farther.’

‘
You will not refer
to them as animals, cows or any other such term Isobel. They are
sentient beings and should be treated with respect. It is a simple
fact that they are all smarter than us, please try and remember
that before you cause another war.’

Isobel sighed, ‘For God’s sake ease up
Jane. We are alone.’

‘
We may well not be
Isobel. According to my sources, there could be recording devices
in every room. You would do well to remember that. These people
know nothing about us, so they will take every opportunity to
gather as much information as they can about us. I sincerely doubt
your royal status will save you from scrutiny. In fact it will most
likely intensify it. Consider yourself and your behaviour as if it
were under a microscope.

The King appeared at that moment and
stopped in his tracks when he caught sight of Jane. The smile
slipped a little.

‘
Ah Lady
Jane.’

She gave a sight curtsy, ‘Your Royal
Highness. I was just telling Isobel that she should consider
herself under a microscope.’

‘
Yes of course, we
most likely are. I have already said as much to Isobel.’

‘
Then you need to
reaffirm that sir. She doesn’t seem to be taking it quite as
seriously as you are.’

‘
Jane says they may
have recording devices in here,’ Isobel whined a little.

The King looked around the room, ‘She
could well be right. I did tell you to be on your best behaviour
twenty-four seven Isobel.’

‘
I didn’t think you
were referring to our bedroom darling.’

‘
I am afraid so
Isobel. Lady Jane, do you have the protocols for this banquet
tonight?’

‘
Yes sir, they are on
your desk. You seem to be getting on well with the
Emperor.’

‘
Remarkably well. The
parade was a great success. They seemed to particularly enjoy the
Naval Gun Race.’

Jane smiled frostily as usual, ‘I think
we all did sir. Was there anything that seemed particularly
offensive to the Emperor?’

‘
Not that I am aware
of. Although he did mention that he could do with a band of pipers.
He thinks that having them march up and down in front of any
potential rebels would be enough to frighten the hell out of
them.’

Jane picked up a noted pad and began
scribbling, ‘I did notice at the ceremony that they all reacted
badly to the pipes. I will bring it to the attention of those that
need to know.’

‘
The Emperor told me
that he enjoyed them thoroughly and apologised for his people’s
reaction. I of course told him about the Scottish regiments. He was
particularly fascinated by their reputation in battle. It helped of
course that the Gordons were the first on to the city ship, and
also took the surrender of the Albany at the very end. It may be a
good idea to have one or two in my personal guard while on this
trip. Keep them visible, and in the public eye as it
were.’

Jane’s pen hesitated for a moment,
‘Steven has a friend of his on board who is a Gordon. He was at the
ceremony today.’

‘
I did notice. Do you
know his name?’

‘
Charles Murison, I
believe.’

The king’s face split into a wide grin,
‘Charlie, Charlie Murison.’

Jane was shocked, ‘Yes sir, I believe
that is what they call him.’

The King rubbed his hands together,
‘Excellent, he will make a great addition our party tonight.’

Jane’s shock deepened, ‘You know this
man sir?’

‘
Oh yes, the Gordons
often provide the Royal Guard at Ballater. I have met Charlie a
number of times. He also attended almost every ghillie’s ball while
they were serving. He is a great dancer, and always made a great
impression.’

Jane was doubtful, ‘Wouldn’t an officer
be a better choice? I heard his commanding officer was in the thick
of the fighting, and actually took the Albany surrender.’

The King’s face fell, ‘Have you met the
Bear?’

‘
I’m
sorry?’

‘
The commanding
officer of the 1
^st
Gordons. His nickname is the Bear.’
The King became thoughtful, and then smiled. ‘Yes, there was always
a spark of competition between those two.’

Jane shook her head, ‘I am sorry your
highness, I seem to have lost your train of thought.’

The King blinked, ‘Oh sorry! When the
Bear and Charlie got together at the ghillie’s ball, they were
always trying to out dance one another. You don’t want to get
between that pair in a Dashing White Sergeant.’

Jane sighed, ‘I see. Shall I make
enquiries as to their availability tonight on your behalf sir?’

‘
There is no need for
you to put yourself out Jane. In fact I will say no. What we will
do is host our own party.’ He rubbed his hands together, ‘Yes that
is a very good idea. We will host a ball of our own and invite the
Emperor. In the meantime Charlie, Captain Gordon, and Lord Dunedin
will suffice for this evening from your crew, along with those
guests that have already been invited of course. You yourself will
be joining us at the top table as part of the royal
party.’

‘
What about Mya
sir?’

‘
Ah, Mya is the
personal guest of the Emperor and will be taking the place of his
brother. She is actually a part of the Imperial family now.
Tomorrow she is to be taken to the home and estate that she
inherited from his brother.’

‘
Did you get a chance
to talk to her today sir?’

‘
No I didn’t, the
Emperor told me himself. He seems as fascinated by her as his
brother was.’

Jane smiled grimly, ‘Mya has the most
impeccable manners; I just hope she is coping will these
people.’

‘
I have never had the
opportunity to meet her yet, but I hope so.’

CHAPTER 5

The music at the Grand Ball was no
better than it had been in the morning. Many of the Humans had
gagged at the food as it was put on the table. A soup that seemed
to be made from silage bree was served first. The Humans were
treated to a plant of some sort that most races could eat and was
readily available. It was one of the vegetables that had been
available on the Burning Wind, and was declared edible. Tonight it
had been cooked to a soggy mess that resembled porridge.

The Royal table was raised high on a
platform. Mya was almost invisible between two of the Emperor’s
brothers, both decked in their military finest. The King sat next
to the Emperor and the Queen next to the women of the Emperor’s
household. Lady Jane was almost at the end of the huge table.

Steven found himself next to the
President and they talked animatedly throughout the meal, enjoying
each other’s company and picking at the food. Tapper was at a
higher table with other nobles, while Charlie was way down at the
bottom table with those just above common status. There were other
military people at his table, mostly Modloch Officers. Of the lot,
Charlie was the lowest ranked there.

Komoru sat at the same level as Steven
but across the other side of the room. The giants siting opposite
her ensured that they couldn’t see one another. Thankfully for
Komoru, she had the President’s wife and daughter to talk to, both
of which were eager to hear of her adventures so far.

The President was asked a question by
one of the other political leaders and Steven took a moment to
absorb the atmosphere. The banquet hall was the biggest he had seen
in his life. The décor was extravagant, the architecture alien, to
say the least. The roof must have been at least thirty feet above
their heads and the single room a hundred meters square. Yet there
were no supports or signs of any braces. The roof itself would have
graced any cathedral with its high arches.

‘
You seem fascinated
by the ceiling.’

Steven turned his attention to the
portly Modloch who had been slurping through the meal next to him
and who Steven had been trying his hardest to ignore all
evening.

‘
Yes it is rather
grand. I was wondering how it was supported.’

‘
The material of its
construction is extremely light weight, but that isn’t its secret.
The secret is the central support that runs along the middle of the
roof. It is like a big cross, can you see it?’

‘
Now you mention it,
yes I can. It’s a little thicker than the rest and runs in both
directions. Oh! There is a number of them.’

‘
Yes that’s right.
The walls support the braces and the arches press against the
braces. Those braces are completely ridged, no sag. In reality the
walls don’t really support anything more than themselves. Those
braces actually run down the walls and under the floor forming a
ridged structure.’

‘
I understand. Like a
box or a frame. Each side supports the other.’

‘
That’s right, and
everything else is simply hung on it. I am impressed that a
military man would be interested in architecture.’

‘
I’m not a military
man.’

‘
Are you not the
Captain Gordon that led the assault on the City ship.?’

Steven was shocked, ‘Yes, I was
involved, but I am not military. How do you know of me?’

‘
The Emperor has been
trying to sell us this trade agreement for months now. To do so his
propaganda machine has been working overtime. We know all about you
from the battle reports submitted by our ambassador. There are
documentaries depicting the whole story. It has been quite
fascinating to watch. Did you not also rescue your people from that
Black Planet?’

‘
Yes, that is
correct.’

‘
Forgive me, but the
documentaries depict you as a military man.’

‘
Well that much isn’t
true.’ Something was mulling over in Steven’s mind. ‘I thought the
Emperor could just please himself about these trade
agreements?’

The Modloch sat back chewing his cud
while thinking over an answer. ‘Technically that is true. However a
wise ruler should always have the backing of his people and his
politicians. We have a governing body that is responsible for
running the empire on a daily basis. The Emperor is our guiding
light. Of course every one of our planets has its own governing
body that has to answer to the main government and the Emperor. To
deny the Emperor is usually fatal, if you try and push forward a
policy he objects to. However such a thing is very rare.’

Steven was aware of much of this,
however he hadn’t realised that the Emperor really needed the
backing of his own politicians. ‘Are you a politician?’

‘
No thank goodness. I
am an academic. I teach celestial navigation at the Emperor’s Royal
Academy here in the city.

Steven sat up, ‘Wow! Do you have any
published papers or books I can purchase?’

The Modloch’s muzzle wrinkled in a
manner that Steven recognized as a grin. ‘I teach hands-on
navigation, the old fashioned way of doing things with a slide rule
and a pen.’

Steven nodded, ‘I have a stellar
cartography room on my ship and had one built back in my academy.
It is a C.E.T.i. 110083.’

Now it was the Modloch’s turn to sit
back and take notice of the man beside him. ‘Yes, that is the
standard primitive unit that I teach on. It is a dying art I will
admit, but if one wishes to be a navigator on any of the Royal
ships then you must complete the course.’