Princess Rescue Inc (63 page)

“We'll
get out of his hair, what little there is of it soon enough.”

“I
know Max,” Ryans nodded.

<==={}------------>

Doc
checked in with the King and found Ryans visiting. They were playing chess. The
King was amused and amazed to be using an electronic board. He was sitting up
and looking much better. When the King narrowly beat him Ryans smiled. “Good
game your majesty, I'll have to pin your ears back some other time,” he bowed
slightly to the King who was now tired.

“I
think his majesty needs some rest now. Besides, his lunch is here,” Doc pointed
to a waiting cook. Cassius rolled his eyes.

“We'll
have to have a rematch sometime soon sir,” Ryans smiled to the King who smiled
as well.

“I
look forward to it,” he said smacking his lips and looking pointedly to the
cook. Ryans smiled and backed away.

Out
of earshot Doc asked. “Why are you playing a game? Wasn't it you who said you
had better things than fooling around?”

He
shrugged. “Even I need a break Doc, but this served several purposes,” he said,
looking around to make sure the guard stationed at the door was out of earshot.
She gave him a you better come clean look. He shrugged.

“It
gave me an opportunity to brief the King in a relaxed manner, making him feel
like he's still in the loop and improve his morale.”

She
froze and then nodded slowly. “And another?” she asked, eyes narrowed in
suspicion. She wasn’t happy about stressing the King but she understood anxiety
and frustration would do more damage than a properly worded briefing would.

He
smiled. “I was checking his mental acuity.”

She
frowned and then caught on. “He won. So he's still got it.” Ryans nodded. “But
you don't,” Sue teased. He laughed softly.

“Even
the best lose. This isn't our first game Doc, I beat him twice before,” he
said. She nodded.

Princess
Deidra came around the corner and then stopped. “Is my father...? I mean, is
his majesty okay?” she asked. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw tightened as she
saw Ryans.

Doc
smiled. “He's fine princess. He's eating his lunch now,” she said. She motioned
to the alcove near the window. Deidra looked around the corner. Her father was
eating a from a plate. The sun was shining in, making the silverware sparkle.
“Good. Mother was concerned,” she said grudgingly. Her father hadn't had much
of an appetite since his illness had struck. She turned on Ryans.

“I
heard you had an interesting conversation with...Charlie is it? The chemist?”
she demanded intently. Doc gave her an amused look. Ryans blinked then sighed.

“I
was hoping we were discrete,” he said. Both women's eyes narrowed at that
statement. Deidra had her hands on her hips, Doc's hands moved to cross her
chest then to her pockets. She looked down and away, suddenly feeling like she
was intruding.

“Did
they overhear much?” Ryans asked suddenly intent. The princess looked furious,
but then confused.

Deidra
blinked at him. “I ah...” He looked at her. “I... not that I know of.”

He
sighed in relief. “Good. Perry will have my hide if I spilled the beans and it
got out. The mission's too important to get intercepted because I forgot to
keep my mouth shut,” he grumbled, angry with himself. He sighed at the futility
of that and shook his head putting the frustration aside.

“You
were briefing Charlie about an op?” Doc asked. He looked at her then to Deidra.

“Ah,
yeah, hello, wasn't that what we were talking about?” He looked at the
princess. “I thought you were calling me on the carpet about loose lips and all
that,” he said shaking his head. “I promise to be more careful in the future,”
he said, holding up his hands. She blinked.

“Princess
why don't you go check on your dad while I go check on my other patients. I
believe you had another meeting?” Sue asked, giving Ryans a pointed get out of
here while the getting’s good look and chin nod to the door.

“Ah
right, okay... thanks for reminding me,” he nodded, catching the hint and left.

“Jealous
princess?” Sue murmured as he left. She blushed. “Not everything is what it
seems. I don't think he's been thinking about anything but the war right now.
Hell I don't think he's got the energy to play the field. I know I don't,” she
sighed letting the princess restore her mental balance on her own. Deidra
nodded as her expression cooled to normal. She smiled.

“Well,
the good news is you kept him off balance. That's always something to enjoy
princess,” Sue said smiling. “Give your dad a kiss. Let him know you care. I'll
see you later,” she said. She bobbed a nod and then walked off.

<==={}------------>

The
King got antsy to leave the next morning. Sue wanted him to rest more, and do
light exercise. Unfortunately he was confined to that small area because she
didn't want him on stairs. The strain would cause too much damage to his
already severely stressed heart.

She
quietly confided in the Queen and Ryans that the King needed major heart
surgery, something she wasn't prepared for with the limited gear they have. “Oh
I have a laparoscope. Two actually, but they aren't the scale I need. Max and I
could rig something up to go in and clean up some of the plaque, but if we
dislodged a big enough piece it could go downstream and block something,
killing it or him. Like a muscle, an organ... or up to the brain and cause a
massive stroke,” she explained. She carefully left out the already damaged and
strained heart tissue. She would be very surprised and gratified if the King
lasted to the end of the year. Every day was a blessing as far as she was
concerned. The Queen eyes became fearful.

Deidra
rested her hands on her mother's. “The doctor will do what she can mother.” She
looked to the Doc. “Why is he moving? Shouldn't he be resting?” she asked,
turning slightly to indicate her father who was moving slowly around the
medical wing to visit the other patients. Two orderlies and a nurse followed
him, the nurse held his IV's.

Sue
glanced at the King and then to the princess. Her eyes caught and held the
princess's with intent purpose to get her point across. “Because he needs to
move or the same problem will happen. He needs to feel like he's making
progress, and he needs to move to keep his circulation flowing so a clot
doesn't form. I have him on blood thinners and anti-clotting medicine, but we
only have so much,” she explained. She sighed. “When it's gone...” she turned
to the Queen. The Queen nodded, biting her lip in pain.

“We
must tell him,” the Queen said. “When he is suitably rested.”

“Well,
from experience this walk will tire him out. He'll take a two or three hour nap
and then you can talk to him after lunch,” Sue replied.

“Then
we will do so then,” the Queen said firmly.

<==={}------------>

“Your
majesty...” They each took turns explaining to the monarch the problems. When
the Queen finished she rested her hand on his. He coughed weakly and then he
nodded. “I should be on the battlefield with my men. Better to fall in battle
then abed,” he said struggling to get up. “My sword. My armor. Send for my
armor. My Imperium needs me.”

The
Queen rested her hands on her husband’s shoulders and pushed down firmly. “Your
Imperium isn't ready to fight just yet dear so you have some time. Right now
your wife and daughters need you more.”

Ryans
cleared his throat when the King balked, reddening quickly and gathering for a
blow up. “Your majesty, should you get to the battle alive...” he looked over
to the Doc who cocked her head and then shook it silently. “Should you get
there and still be alive you would fall when stress overwhelmed your heart. If
that happens in battle what will happen to the army?” he asked gently. The King
blinked.

“They
would falter,” Deidra supplied taking up the thread. Her father looked to her.
She eyed him. “Morale would plummet, some would break,” she said quiet but
firm.

Ryans
nodded. “And if this happened at just the wrong moment, the battle would turn
in Duluth's favor. If this happened, your army would splinter, withdraw, or be
annihilated.”

The
Queen nodded. “And should that happen, or even if they won but we lost you,
then the lords would fall upon themselves to seize the throne. This too would
weaken the Imperium. Duluth would win.”

The
King sighed, sitting back. “So the best thing for me to do is to do nothing?
Unacceptable,” he rumbled.

Ryans
smiled. “Sometimes the hardest thing in a war or battle is to do nothing. To
wait, to gather your strength until your moment comes but be ready to seize
it,” he said eyes intent as they bore into the King's. Deidra looked at him in
surprise. “The same is true in politics and many other things I suppose,” he
said and then smiled politely.

The
King nodded. “Wisdom if I ever heard it,” he murmured.

“The
Queen has ordered platoons of men to ride ahead of Duluth's scavengers to warn
villages of impeding raiders and to bury or destroy any food or animals,”
Deidra supplied.

Doc
nodded. “Scorched earth. The Russians did it in their wars. I remember seeing
that in history class. Both in the Napoleonic wars as well as the invasion of
the soviet union in World War two.”

Ryans
nodded. “Right. All part of siege warfare. Force them to go further and further
away for food. This extends their supply line, forcing them to pull men and
material from the front to keep it secure, and to scavenge for food. If the
platoons can chop up a small raider party or two, they will,” he smiled darkly.

The
King nodded laying back. “To be there, protecting them,” he murmured tiredly.
His eyes were tired and glassy.

Ryans
nodded. “You'll be there in spirit,” he said. The King sighed, closing his
eyes.

Sue
nodded. “He's finally resting,” she said, glancing at the King's read outs. She
motioned them out.

<==={}------------>

The
courtiers tittered as the jester capered and danced at dinner. When Sergeant
Waters came in he moved to talk with the General. The jester capered and danced
his way over behind the Sergeant and then began to ape and mimic the Sergeant.
He at first acted as an ape, then swelled with self importance and strutted,
hands on his hips.

Waters
ignored the fool until the group tittered. He caught a glance of the fool behind
him and made his way to the General. When the jester pulled on his shirt the
Sergeant turned and gave the fool a cold glance.

The
jester jingled a bell on the tip of his shoe, presenting it then tipping his
tricorn hat. He grinned at the Sergeant and then bowed, tipping his hat.

“Cute,
now get out of here before I clock you. I've got work to do,” the Sergeant
growled. The jester grinned and retreated bowing. When the Sergeant turned his
back on him he mockingly made a face and then made like he was going to throw a
fist.

Waters
turned fast, caught the outstretched arm and then twisted the man over his hip,
throwing him up over the table and across the room.

Ryans
and Perry came in just in time to see the jester go flying and groaned softly.
“So much for diplomacy,” Perry grunted.

“Not
really, I was tempted to do that a time or two myself. Looks like the Master
Sergeant has had his fill early,” Ryans sighed as the courtiers fell silent. He
cleared his throat.

“Master
Sergeant? A word if you will,” Perry ordered. He curtly indicated the doorway
they were standing in. The Sergeant gave a metered nod then handed the General
a slip of paper and left.

“Your
man does not suffer fools lightly,” the General murmured watching the Sergeant
leave with Perry.

“Yeah,
he's a no nonsense kind of guy,” Ryans agreed watching the jester get off the
table with a groan. “Then again, some people take a practical joke a little too
far and get what's coming.” He turned to the General who looked amused.

“True,”
the General said chuckling. He raised his wineglass. “To the Sergeant and those
who work with him,” he saluted and then saluted the jester who was clutching at
his back, “and to the fool, for suffering for his arts.”

The
courtiers applauded lightly and tittered at that. The jester groaned, nodded in
appreciation and made his escape rubbing the small of his back and limping.

<==={}------------>

The
machinist was exhausted but still enthused at the next meeting. He sat on a
folding stool, looking about ready to fall off the thing. He was obviously not
getting enough sleep, his eyes were bloodshot and he had bags under them. He
had sucked down three cups of precious coffee first thing in the morning
already.

“I
finally figured out a simple way to fix that bolt problem,” he said glancing at
Perry. Perry looked at him in inquiry. He shrugged. “Calipers weren't working,
even the ones I fabbed up. So what I did was set up a series of rings. One is
the proper size; the others are too big or too small.”

“The
three bears,” Ryans said with a nod. He saw Deidra frown out of the corner of
his eye but ignored it.