Princess Rescue Inc (129 page)

“You're
not staying lieutenant?” Coji asked, turning to Perry.

Perry
shook his head. Both boys’ faces fell in disappointment. “Sorry son, I've got
to go back. My orders are clear.” He sighed. This was one time he wasn't sure
he wanted his deployment to end. “To be honest I'm not looking forward to
going.” He shook his head as Ryans smiled at him.

“Not
looking forward to the endless debriefs, dog and pony shows, talk show circuits
and quarantine?” Ryans asked with a slight grin.

Perry
wrinkled his nose. “Oh hell no. Medical is going to be a...” Perry grimaced.

“Pain
in the posterior?” Ryans asked grinning outright now. He could just imagine
what everyone who returned was going to go through.

“That
and other places,” Perry sighed. “But yeah, we have to go. You know the nature
of duty and following orders,” he said returning his attention to the young
men.

Reluctantly
both men nodded. “I'm sorry to hear that,” Coji said quietly.

“It
won’t be for a while yet. We've still got a bit of work to do in the meantime.
You've got a day before you have to report to boot Coji; you better get your
stuff sorted out. Go on,” Perry said, waving. The young man snapped to
attention and gave him a salute. It was a Terran salute, almost perfect in its
execution.

Perry
nodded, and then returned the salute. “Dismissed,” he said, voice a little
rough with suppressed emotion. The young man turned smartly and walked out.

“Answorth,
you've got three days until the next semester at the college starts. I suggest
you go over the syllabus with your counselor and fill out all the necessary paperwork.
If you've got any problems talk to him or see Sydney or me,” Ryans ordered,
nodding to the young man.

“Yes
sire,” the young man nodded, bowed, and then and left.

“Think
they'll be okay?” Perry asked quietly.

“Yeah,
I'll be around to keep an eye on things,” Ryans answered equally softly.

“Good.”

  <==={}------------>

“You're
doing
what
??? You're
going
?!” the woman practically shrieked.
“This is unheard of! Preposterous! I won’t have it!” the new minister of
immigration shrieked. She threw her hands up in the air, totally out of it.

“Do
calm yourself,” Deidra replied with a slight sigh. She'd expected hysterics but
not so soon. “There's no need to shout in this room.” She waved to the meeting
room. She now regretted selecting and nominating Mira for the new position. She
was young and determined to do a proper job but she was extremely grating.
Unfortunately she couldn't take the nomination back since parliament had
recently reconvened and the House of Lords had voted to acknowledge her for the
ministry.

Things
were still shaking up with all the changes from the epidemic and her mother's
untimely passing. Most of her interim appointments had been approved readily.
The house was still debating the yearly budget; hopefully they'd have it sorted
soon. The spring repairs were underway and as expected the border lords had
screamed for help with their new lands. Zara had left a week ago but was firm
in stating that she planned to cut the trip short and return before the gaijin
left. Deidra had reluctantly nodded, knowing better than to disagree.

“Like
it or lump it lady, I've got my marching orders. We're going,” Perry said
stubbornly. “We've got a few kinks to work out, but once we do we'll go.” Which
was true Ryans thought. The crews were setting up the walk and Faraday outfits.
It would be interesting to see how well they worked with the people going
through the vortex on foot instead of in an insulated vehicle. If the native's
ancestors had survived without protection then they should be fine, he thought
to himself, putting his worry aside.

“Relax
Mira,” Deidra sighed. The thin woman was excitable. Unfortunately her
predecessor had died during the influenza outbreak. It was a pity; the old
nearly blind lord had been a rock.

“Relax
your majesty?” The woman said throwing her hands up in the air. “We've got
twelve people leaving, the first new people the Imperium have seen in nearly
five centuries! You have to stop them!”

“Why?”
Ryans asked. “I'm staying. So are a few others I think. And a few have hinted
about returning with their families.”

“Returning?”
the woman stopped pouting and blinked at him owlishly in wary confusion.

“Yes,
coming back. With their families,” he said pointedly. “And of course other
people will come too if they can. It will take some time; we can only use the
vortex once a year.”

“How
many?” the woman suddenly asked, eagerly intent.

Ryans
shrugged. “Anywhere from ten to forty, it all depends on variables I'm not
going to bother to discuss now.” He shrugged again. He really didn't know how many
could come, or if the vortex would work only one way a year or what. They'd
have to find out.

“Will
they be impotent like these?” she asked, turning to the Queen. She looked to
Deidra, giving Ryans a disdainful sniff.

“I
wouldn't say impotent,” Deidra said, pursing her lips as she fought a smile.
Perry looked amused.

“You
better not,” Ryans growled, giving the immigration minister a dirty look. “And
no we're not. We've taken medication to prevent pregnancy. When it wears off
we'll be fertile. Max has already had the procedure reversed. He's fathered a
child. Mine is chemical so I've got to wait a while for it to wear off.”

“Not
soon enough for me,” Deidra murmured huskily. They smiled at each other.

“Ah?”
the minister asked, breaking into their shared smiled. “Again, they should stay
then to produce a new generation with as many as possible!” she spread her
hands. “We lost so many in the unpleasantness last year! First the war and then
the epidemic and then the winter!”

Ryans
shook his head firmly. “Nope, not happening, I made a promise to them that
those who wish to leave can,” Ryans said, breaking his glance with Deidra. “All
part and parcel of the program lady. Better get with it and accept it.”

“No,
this is wrong!” she said. “I'll...”

“You'll
do nothing. You don't have the authority in this matter,” Ryans said smiling a
firm smile as they locked eyes and wills. “Besides, we've got other plans.”

“Well,
we shall see about this. Good day your majesties,” she frowned and stomped out.

“What
makes you want to bet she's heading to the House of Lords to try to put a stop
to this?” Ryans asked, turning to his spouse.

“If
she does she's sadly mistaken. You rammed that provision through with father
and the lords in that treaty,” Deidra answered. “Besides, I bet a few of the
lords are happy to see the others go.”

Perry
nodded. “I can't stay. I know a few of our people wouldn't mind, but the
majority want to go home to their families if possible. We're making it
possible.”

“Yeah
well, I can't exactly complain if they're eager to see our backsides I guess,”
Ryans frowned.

“It'll
be all right,” Deidra smiled and patted his hand. “We'll make happily ever
after work, one day at a time.”

He
chuckled at that then turned to the steward. “Okay, who's next?”

  <==={}------------>

The
debate raged in the house for several days. Bills were drafted, only to die in
committee. Threats of kidnapping the gaijin were floated and ultimately
rejected.

Ryans
knocked the debate of letting the gaijin go by pointing out a clause in the
gaijin treaty. He then stunned the House of Lords when he announced Doctor
Carter and her medics were getting ready to implant the first gaijin seeds they
had brought along. He explained the embryos to a stunned crowd and when he was
done the house broke up into thunderous cheers.

“That
should take care of that,” he said, dusting his hands and smiling slightly to
Deidra. She snorted.

  <==={}------------>

As
time drew near to return they talked about what they would do. Some were eager
to return, eager to see what they had missed. Others weren't sure. “Hey at
least politics isn't so damn permanent there as it is here! Yeah they bitch,
piss, and moan and its gridlock but I don't have to worry about someone killing
me!” Newman said shaking his head. “Sorry Ryans,” he said, glancing at Ryans.
Ryans held up a hand briefly to signal he took no offense.

Doctor
Carter stood. “I'm staying,” she told the group and then sat down. Charlie and
Wanda looked stunned like a few of the others. Ryans snorted softly, glancing
at Perry. Both had pretty much worked out that Sue would stay. Charlie and Max
the machinist also announced that they were remaining. The others were
surprised by Charlie but not by Max. “Max, yeah we kind of figured you and
well, you're married now, you've gone local but Charlie?” Corporal Patterson
said, turning in shock to the biochemist.

“Someone's
got to keep the ball rolling,” Charlie said, and turned to Ryans. “Besides, I
like it here. Getting better every day.”

“Doc?”
Ginger asked uncertainly, looking at Sue.

Doc
told them that here she was not just a country doctor, she was
the
country doctor, and saving lives was what she wanted to do, not just make money
and live comfortably. “What the hell am I going to do to compete with this? I
go home then spend the rest of my life doing plastic surgery? Wiping some rich
snots ass and treating hangovers? Or working for an HMO? A TV celebrity Doc?
No, here I can make a difference. A real difference for a lot of people,” she
said. She shook her head.

Charlie
nodded. “She's right, which is why I want to stay. I know I can help,” she said
firmly. She looked over to the machinist.

He
grinned, hand sheepishly tugging on the brim of his grease stained ball cap.
“Well, here's the deal, I got me a girl now, and well...” He shrugged
helplessly. “I kinda like building stuff here. It's neat seeing them all wide
eyed over stuff we take for granted, or stuff we dug out of the history books.”

 Ryans
chuckled. “What about you?” Doc asked.

He
froze. “I don't know yet. I said I'd cross that bridge when we came to
it.”  He squirmed under her intent gaze and the sudden icy silence.

“Well,
hell, it's coming up pretty damn fast! Best make up your mind before someone
makes it up for you!” the machinist drawled, making them all laugh. “I got me a
turbine to finish, see you later,” he said, getting off the stool and walking
off.

“I'm
staying too. I mean, if it's okay,” Mary said blushing.

Perry's
eyebrows nearly went to the sky in surprise. “Mary? Don't you need to go back?
Win the noble prize in botany or something?” Perry asked surprised.

The
quiet botanist shook her head blushing. “I can do a lot here, learn a lot too.
I can help feed millions, end famine on this world. Besides, if we can, we may
go back and forth right?”

She
looked appealingly to Ryans who reluctantly nodded. “That's the game plan
anyway. It's all dependent on the solar activity of both suns, all three suns I
mean,” he said.

The
biologist held up his hand. “IF you’re staying I am too. I'll send my work and
papers through though,” he said. He smiled. “I'd rather explore a new biosphere
and see new animals than sit behind a desk writing papers.”

Sydney
snorted. “You're all nuts. ME, I'm going,” he tapped his chest meaningfully.
“I've been caffeine deprived long enough!” he said waving a disgusted hand.
Several chuckled at that.

“Starbucks!”
Ryans snorted. “Don't get too excited. IF this thing pans out then you might
see them coming through to set up chains here someday.”

Doc
winced theatrically. “Just what we
don't
need. Strip malls and crap.
That starts happening I'm heading to the Sticks.” They chuckled at that. “You
go get your Pulitzer. Make sure you only use my good side,” she smiled to the
historian. The others chuckled at that once more. Sydney looked offended and
then shrugged.

Wanda
grimaced. “Give me six months to a year to bask in the glory and close out my
stuff then I'll toddle back here,” she said. “I want to pick up a few things
and see what we've missed. Maybe get my family to come too.”

“They're
welcome. You're all welcome, with your families. I'm sending a note to Perry to
tell my people to foot the bill if you do,” Ryans said.

Doc
grinned at Wanda. “Knew you'd want to stay. Bring me back a latte while you’re
at it.”

Wanda
snorted. “Latte machine you mean. I just figure I'd get sick of the lime light
after a bit... But that doesn't mean I don't want my fifteen minutes of fame
first,” she admitted and then grinned. Ryans chuckled.

  <==={}------------>

“What
are you going to do? The girls need you now more than ever,” Doc murmured to
him as the group split up.

He
sighed. “Yeah. I know,” he said softly and then grimaced. “I'm just not a
medieval type. I'm a cutting edge kind of guy,” he said plaintively. He waved.
“I want to explore, to set up infrastructure, to go into space. Not dig in the
dirt, deal with manufactured crises, and people who can't or won’t get along.”