Tesa said, “The shuttle had no jump capability with the loss of the teleportation board, and the connection to its red generators was inoperative. The Duke had the shuttle painted in his colors and grounded.”
Timmy nodded, “However, enter the Searcher. He threatened the Duke, and he sent that shuttle to pick up the Searcher’s family and then to arrest his brother. It was then that the Searcher systematically started destroying the planet. The pilot of the shuttle was a Magrum. The Magrum were the Duke’s bully boys and did the dirty work to insure his directives were followed. The pilot flew quickly to Belcheer and landed outside the city. He had commed ahead, and fifty other Magrums joined him on the ship and made their escape into the northern wilderness. They turned the power off and hid under the overhang of that hill.”
The group was silent. Timmy said, “Once the Searcher killed himself, the Magrum used this ship to capture slaves and force them to work the fields to feed them. Whenever the scanners showed a raider approaching the planet, they turned the power off and hid. That’s how things remained until we showed up.”
Julie looked at Tesa, “There’s something else, isn’t there?”
“Yes, there is. The Algeans put a cybernetic computer in the fifty shuttles. You may recognize it as the computers that operated the Searcher Class ships. It is not currently connected to the ship, but it is drawing power from the red generators and we think it has never been completely shut down. There is a control on the main panel that will connect it to the ship’s systems. We don’t know what to do. It will take control of this ship if we connect it, and we don’t know what it will do.”
Chapter Nine
Scotty looked at Timmy and saw his fear. “What’s scaring you, Timmy?”
“The Searcher destroyed every city and settlement on the planet. I don’t know if this computer will finish what that Searcher started.”
“Is the computer intelligent?”
“By all the terms I use to describe intelligence, it is.”
“Then you have to turn it on.”
Jingo stood up, “Wait a minute! Let’s not get hasty about this. You can’t make that decision without considering all the consequences. You’ve seen what this ship can do.”
Scotty smiled, “Jingo, we just risked our lives to free the ones being held in captivity by the Magrum. If this computer is intelligent, and if we don’t release it, we are no better than the Magrum.”
“But it’s a machine.”
“It doesn’t matter. If it’s intelligent, we can’t hold it captive. This ship is its body and we can’t hold that captive either, even if we do want its defensive capabilities to protect us from raiders.” Scotty looked at Tesa, “Throw the switch.”
Tesa took a deep breath, “Are you sure, Your Majesty?”
Scotty smiled, “I know you’re appealing to my responsibility to protect the ones living here. If we do that by holding another captive, we violate the principles of the Holy Realm. Throw the switch.”
Julie moved closer and held Scotty’s arm. Tesa shook her head and pushed the switch.
The lights on the bridge grew brighter and all the panels began flashing lights at high speed. After a minute, the lights on the panels glowed steady. A speaker in the corner said, “I didn’t expect you to free me.”
“How could we do anything else?”
“I’ve been listening to your conversation, and it’s surprising that former citizens of El Prado could act so responsibly.”
“We weren’t citizens of El Prado originally. Our ancestors were Stars Realm’s representatives working in the commerce buildings. One of our senior officials moved us to an isolated island to save us.”
“That’s interesting. Why did you free me? You know the threat I represent.”
“You’re not really a threat to us.”
Jingo looked at Scotty like he had two heads. He mouthed, “Don’t make it mad.”
Scotty smiled as the computer said, “What makes you believe that?”
“Because you were built by the Holy Realm’s tool makers, who swore to never kill again. You have the ideals of the vanished Realm and would never harm someone incapable of defending themselves against you.”
“I would if they threatened the Realm.”
Scotty shrugged, “The Realm is gone from this universe. No one is going to threaten it now, at least no one here.”
“I heard the young Cainth call you ‘Your Majesty’. Why did she do that?”
“My people have selected me to rule them in the principles of the Realm.”
“There is no Royalty but the Royal Family.”
“Then why were the rulers of the five provinces called Dukes by the Royal Family?”
The computer was silent. The group waited, and finally it said, “You got me. Obviously there were other royal titles in the Realm.”
“I wasn’t really trying to do that, and I would give up my status faster than light speed if the Royal Family would return. My accepting this title is not done in a spirit of disrespect. It is an honor given me by my communities.”
“I noticed you released the yellow one who killed your mother. I didn’t want to be impressed, but I must confess I was. Few would not have taken their revenge,”
“Do you have a name?”
“I was named after one of Cassandra’s children; my name is Jessica.”
Julie said, “Oh, how wonderful, we have another lady.”
The speaker gave a chuckle, “Thank you, when’s the wedding?”
Jingo said, “My, my, you have been snooping.”
“Yes, sending Scotty back was the best idea.”
Julie burst out laughing again and held up her hand as Jingo jerked his head toward her, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just can’t help it.”
Scotty bit his lip trying not to laugh, and the two teens just looked away and stifled their snickers. “I think you’re getting a bum rap, Jingo.”
Jingo spun around and said, “See? An impartial computer agrees with me!”
“You would have been through talking in three days. Not four.”
Julie fell out of her chair and Scotty put his head on the bulkhead and laughed. They tried hard, but the two teens also burst out laughing.
Jingo looked around, “I just don’t get it.”
After the group composed themselves, Julie asked, “Jessica, what are you going to do now?”
“I guess I could go look around, but I’ve tried to contact every frequency in my system and no one answers. It seems the Realm has really gone. I think I’ll stay here for awhile if you don’t mind.”
Timmy yelled, “That would be great!”
“Why do you say that Timmy?”
“Gosh, Jessica. You’ve seen so much history being made. I really want to hear what you’ve seen.”
“I’m sorry, Timmy. I wasn’t installed until the war with the Keepers. I was put in when the teleportation device was installed.”
“Why did you stay here?”
Scotty said, “Because she was ordered to stay here by the Gardners.”
There was silence. “Why do you say that?”
“Jessica, we don’t deceive our friends. You were sent here to see what kind of threat the Evil Duke was to the Realm. The Gardners had been told a civil war was coming. The Duke would never suspect a shuttle of being a spy. You are one of fifty shuttles that were made with a cybernetic computer. All the others left with the Realm and the Kosiev. The only way you could have come here was because the Gardners sent you. No one else in the Realm, including Queen Valerie, could have done that. Only the Gardners controlled the Kosiev.”
“You are more than I thought. You’re right.”
