14 A Whole Culture Awaits

The Flight of the Armada

Book 14: A Whole Culture Awaits

By

Jay Michael Jones

Smashwords edition

Copyright 2018 by Jay Michael Jones

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Table of Contents

Chapter 140 – Malcontents

Chapter 150 – Duplicity

Chapter 151 – Kasah Galp

Chapter 152 – Return from Purgatory

Chapter 153 – The Song Yet to be Sung

Chapter 154 – Imagine, at My Age

Chapter 155 – The Baron of Pleoni

Chapter 156 – A Whole Culture Awaits

Chapter 157 – The Persistent Roar

Chapter 158 – Restless Feet

Chapter 159 – All Ransom Aside

Timeline

Excerpt

Other Books in the Series

Chapter 149: Malcontents and Revelations

Now is the time to strike, Asa Menner urged the handful of potential malcontents gathered in his apartment aboard the Moze Ginty. Six visitors sat on the edge of the sofa and chairs, pouring lina tea and passing around a plate of sweet biscuits. Their host sat in an overstuffed chair at the head of the group, his bright yellow eyes gleaming with calculating menace.

The meeting was officially announced as A Discussion of Earthian Democracy, and for the first hour it was an interesting if benign meeting of nearly forty people. Thuringi society was curious about the notion of elected rule even thought it sounded rife with the potential for unseemly opportunism. The discussion lost steam when a Garin pointed out that the idea of making politics an Hours Task was as useful as making Acting an Hours Task: making promises with pretense was not a seemly way to make a living in an altruistic society.

"The monarchy of Thuringa is expected to follow through with caring for the welfare of Thuringi in whatever capacity is required. There was no promise about it. As tiring as their duty may be, as endless as their worries may list, there is no other task a Royal may choose, Mink Garin stated, dignity shining from her earnest face. They know what they must do for the rest of their lives from birth. It is foolish to entrust rule to amateurs whose only expertise is making promises in boastful campaigns." Mink was a herbologist and was only there because fellow pharmacist Asa Mennar had invited her on the spur of the moment.

Quite! declared Odon Rebaum, a former farmer and current shuttle pilot.

Friend Michael Sheldon did say that Americans had no experience in such rule until they invented it, Asa pointed out silkily.

"I farmed bran and shoaf for three hundred years before I boarded the Appala and became a shuttle pilot, Odon replied. That does not mean piloting particularly suits me. As Asa scrambled for a suitably cutting response, Odon added, But I am a capable pilot if not a gifted one, and as soon as we reach Farcourt I shall become a farmer once again. The hours I gain for farming and for flying is comparable. But – ha! – if anyone tried to tell me that sitting at a desk and telling others how to live is equal to the work I do, I would strike him!"

The Phillipi tell others how to live, Asa said.

No; no they cannot in normal circumstances. Before we fled Old Thuringa, we worked our gifted task based on the advice of the Academy Masters who study our capabilities and talents, but we were free to take up any other task we please later, as long as it contributes to the wellbeing of Thuringa. The Phillipi cannot order me to become, say; a Poddack instructor. I am free to turn it down because I do not want to be trapped in a schoolroom when I am not a teacher at heart. On the other hand look at Prince Darien Phillipi: he would have been brilliant as a medical or a biologist and it is said he would have wished it, but he was destined to be the Warrior Prince and really had no choice in the matter.

Instead he became the shame of the House of Phillipi!

Odon stared at Asa, but it was Mink Garin who spoke. He saved the Lost Crew and kept the Shargassi from returning to finish us forever. If that is shame, then we should all be so burdened with nerve!

In the chilly reception of his speaking against the crown Asa recognized his blunder and moved swiftly to correct it. "Precisely my point! If Prince Darien had had the right to choose, he might indeed have been a brilliant medical. Under democratic society rules he would have been. Monarchal rule is as unfair to the monarchs as it is to its people."

As if you have ever cared about unfairness toward the monarchy, Mink sniffed. Good evening, Lord Asa. I shall see myself to the door.

And I shall close it with you, Odon said stiffly, and together they led a dozen people out of the discussion group.

What cheek! Asa heard Odon bellow before the door closed.

The crowd rapidly dwindled after that until only those who were there for a purpose remained for the real reason: a discussion of how to overthrow the throne of Thuringa in favor of a democracy. Not as many people remained as Asa had hoped, and concern made him aggressive.

Meeka Mennar never attended these meetings. Asa knew the subject did not sit well with his wife, so he always arranged to hold them when she would not be in the apartment. He continued his message of discontent.

The ice-blooded prince is on Earth with the king. The only royal here is the younger prince and he is too raw at his position to put up a fight.

I am interested in the notion of democratic rule but I’m still unconvinced of its depth of utility for our people. And aren’t you forgetting something? asked Eta Fennel. Like Asa, Eta was high in the social structure of Thuringa but unlike him, had several family members in the Air Command. Eta was among the youngest Elders of the Fennel family line and what she lacked in Elder pomposity she made up for in Fennel stubbornness. There isn’t a warrior in the Air Command who wouldn’t fight to keep their royals in place.

Don’t be so sure about that. I know a dozen who would not mind a change.

Oh? Then why are they not here? she asked archly.

For a moment Asa was caught offguard but only for a moment. Conflicting schedules.

Yes; thanks to that outrageous Prince Erich and his air of unfriendliness I know a warrior or two who are displeased with the situation. But Asa, Prince Yjarnnah is as opposite of his brother as you could ask. He could easily win them back. And just how do you propose getting by Hartin Medina? Don’t tell me Tomas Hellick has that covered. Even on a good day, Hellick couldn’t best Medina. Ha! He couldn’t even defeat a mechanic.

There are ways of getting by Hartin Medina without lifting a sword.

For a moment the room was still, mulling the implication. Then a young man spoke up.

If by any chance you mean to strike out at one of the Medina women then count me out of your future plans. I would like to try this idea of democracy but not at the expense of my dignity. I do not raise my sword against a woman and I don’t know of a decent man who would. The others in the room shifted uneasily where they sat. Asa's proposition grated against their basic beliefs.

Then we will always be under the thumb of the Phillipi rule!

Young Ferrell Mendell rose to his feet. To what harm? It was not their fault the Armada was attacked, nor was it their fault you didn’t seize command while there were no royals on board after the Great Attack. It makes me wonder why you didn’t.

Fool, Asa spat. What good would it have done to shackle the warriors if it meant being even more vulnerable to a second attack? We did not anticipate the arrival of Spence Beace to tell us the king and his heirs were alive and well at a crucial time.

Crucial time? Ha! Your problem, Elder Asa, is that you have many ambitions but are too lazy to work for them. He pulled on a pair of gloves. Right now things are better than they have been in a very long time. We are healthy again and have real hope for our future and even though it may stick in your throat to say it, our little test at democracy failed. The monarchy is once more the favorite love of the masses. You have proven beyond doubt that democracy boasts more opportunity for corruption than most other methods of rule.

He pulled on his ever-present letterman’s jacket, and Ferrell Mendell stroked the bold upraised letter S fondly. If you strike Yjarnnah Phillipi now, it will only make him a martyr again for Erich and bring out untold vengeance from King Stuart. Your best chance is to wait until just before we reach Earth. Some Earthians respect the desire for democratic rule and might support your cause. He leveled a stare at Asa. "And don’t call me a fool, old man. There is also the matter of Arda liquid. We must have it to power our weapons and fuel our engines, but the mist that rises in the main pool of the Freen makes me sickly. Only the Phillipi have ever been able to control and handle it. You’re going to need one of them to handle the Arda liquid and my personal vote is for the princess, purely as a matter of aesthetics. Frankly, if you haven’t the sand to do it when you had the chance don’t count on me to assume you’ve any now." He walked out of the apartment.

Young Mendell’s right, Eta said. It’s all in the timing, and perhaps the time has passed.

It's more than just timing, another member said irritably. This reeks of simply exchanging one house of power to another, nothing more. I was willing to consider new ideas for our society but I draw the line at treason. The Phillipis are only human and they are good-hearted ones at that. They are our leaders and I accept their rule until something better comes along. With that, the other three would-be conspirators left.

Asa went to the observation deck after the meeting to think. Ferrell Mendell was correct in that the new government of Thuringa would need at least one Phillipi in place to handle the Arda liquid. Princess Carrol was a logical choice; not only was she a medical and therefore useful but her husband was the remarkable Gareth Duncan. Certainly they would need his engineering genius to rebuild their society. He was a common man, and therefore acceptable in the no-royalty utopia Asa envisioned.

In order to successfully overthrow the royals, Asa wanted distractions in place for each while the civilian conspirators brought out their stockpiled weapons. The royals on Earth were not a problem; the transporter could be shut down. Asa regretted not seizing power when the Armada had no royals but they needed Hartin Medina and the Air Command to protect them from possible attack, and Asa was not fool enough to try to divide loyalties at such a dangerous time.

Although Prince Erich did not seem to be a threat when he first returned to the Armada, Asa quickly learned he was far more of a concern than realized. Erich represented the crown and pointedly used his position to inspire loyalty and relief among his Thuringi subjects. Even though his icy demeanor occasionally made him personally unapproachable, his sole intent was to bring order to chaos and calm to proceedings. He was a firm link to past days of glory and assurance from the throne, unwavering in his purpose and unpredictable in the anticipating of his plans. Even when his weaknesses surfaced, his Naradi Famede Glendon Garin was on hand to take up the slack. Garin missed nothing where his royal charge was concerned and Erich’s temporary reign appeared seamless to the rest of the Armada.

Asa was regarded as a wise counsel in the king’s absence but the influence he managed to build faded quickly upon King Stuart’s return. His was the true power, and years of learning to wield royal power made Stuart Phillipi an awesome figure among the populace. The Royal Thuringi Air Command fostered loyalty to the crown. If any overthrow of the throne were to happen, it would have to be by weakening the royal family from within, not through brute force from without.

His sister Orchis caught up to him as Asa made his way to an Observation Deck. Asa, they tell me you have been complaining again about the Royal Family. Tch! That sort of talk makes me nervous.

It is for our own good, Orchis.

Oh, spare me your lectures, Asa, please! You may spin whatever little ideologies however you wish, that is not my concern of the now.

Then what is, dear sister?

She paused and searched for words in her mind before she said, Just please promise me that whatever you have in mind, it will not mean harm to certain factions of interest.

What factions? Asa did not realize Orchis was so keen to protect factions within Thuringa, and he wondered if she championed perhaps certain noble families, or sections of the populace such as committees or Academy students. Perhaps she spoke of her friends among the Elders, Tinte Fern.

Well… you are not against the Naradi, are you?

The Naradi? Dear sister, they are the very shield behind which the Royal Family crouches! They are part of the problem of our societal structure.

Oh, hang your societal structure! Orchis spat in frustration. I don’t give that for the Naradi in particular, nor any other branch of the Armed Command. I only want to make certain you leave Argo Garin alone! Her hand flew to her mouth as if to cover her outburst, but it was too late.

Asa smiled fondly at his sister. Ah, the illustrious General Garin! It must be heady for him to know so many hearts flutter when he strides by. I had no idea, Orchis.

Don’t tease me that way. You have no idea how dreadful it is to be without a mate.

Asa softened. Forgive me, pet; I only meant to play, not to hurt. I promise I will try to avoid unpleasant dealings with him for your sake. So you fancy him, do you? Well, if he is smart he will appreciate you the way all men should. He kissed her forehead. It would be nice if I could sway him to my point of view, but once a warrior always a warrior.

Oh Asa –

My dear, I am glad you have found someone but I must consider the welfare of the entire Thuringi populace. It is my duty to find a better way.

She seized the front of his shirt firmly with her bony hand. You had better make certain that your better way does not harm Argo Garin. Her jaw was set and her voice was grim.

Yes, dearest. As long as he is smitten with you, I do not think our paths will run afoul of each other.

All right, then. Oh Asa, do be good! I don’t want Argo to think of us as an argumentative family; just an assertive one perhaps. Perhaps I can see to it that he is too distracted to cause you any problems.

Asa laughed. My, I have not seen you this wound up in many a day! I promise I will be good, Orchis; on that you can rely. Orchis sighed in satisfaction and went on her way.

Love was a powerful force, Asa reflected as he entered the Observation Deck. The love of a people for their king could also be used against that king, especially one as soft-hearted as young Stuart. Orchis’s words hit a very telling point: distraction could play a very handy role in his plans.

He spied Miris Gordon as she passed through the expansive room on the way home from her common task. Miris was an elegant young woman of civilian status, a pediatrician by gifted task. On Old Thuringa Miris’s hobby was weaving and design, but of course that held limited opportunity now since most of the Ilsa’s plant life grew food, not fiber flax. Miris turned her hand instead to cooking as a secondary task while the Armada was in flight. Miris was also an extremely popular single woman who traded up kindly but persistently. Her reputation as a harmless flirt was not detrimental to her social standing.

Good day to you, Lady Miris, Asa greeted. It’s the fortunate shift that has you as a cook in the kitchens.

Oh, you flattering thing, Miris laughed at him. It’s a shame I haven’t a cookie in my pocket; I hope you weren’t counting on one for your kind words!

Asa smiled as he shook his head. "Ah, but you are too swift for me! Tell me, Lady Miris: I heard the king was concerned about his mother’s health and hoped to find a good cook for the Daven Bau dining hall. He hasn’t approached you with it, has he?"

No, I haven’t heard a word.

"Good! Oh, of course if Queen Oriel needs your talents I would be the last to protest. I would just have to go to the Daven Bau every now and again for a cookie."

"There are many good cooks on the Daven Bau, they do not need me."

Perhaps they do, but the king might like a cookie now and then. He detected the gleam of interest in her eyes, and catered to it. I understand he is keen to find a woman with a talent for the homemaking arts for personal reasons. Of course, that is just the conjecture of an Elder with a penchant for idle talk. It was enough to whet her interest in Stuart Phillipi.

Miris’s mother’s family was mainly from Arne and had been members of the royal court for centuries. In her youth, Miris had her eye on Stuart and Darien. She was not foolish enough to fall under Darien’s spell; he would not respect the willingly conquered and Miris did not wish to be merely another addition to Darien’s personal checklist. Stuart was constantly on the go for the crown and Miris was never in the right place at the right time to be noticed.

When Stuart married Aura, Miris was one of the few young women of the court to make friends with the hard-to-approach new princess. She genuinely liked Aura, and the two were friends with Aquatic noblewoman Paten Rebaum de Fin since childhood. Aura was quick-witted and fun company in private. She played a delightfully vicious game of Rattle and liked to make up song parodies to mutter under her breath during concerts. If Miris was seen as silly and constantly giggling, it was because Aura kept her in stitches.

But Aura had been careful around even her good friend Miris: like the rest of society, Miris believed Aura loved Stuart with all her heart and that Darien was simply an irritating twin who was jealous that his brother’s wife replaced him in Stuart’s regard. If Aura seemed to have Darien on her mind, she explained smoothly that she was busy plotting to put him in his place for embarrassing her. That was easy for a noblewoman like Miris to believe, and fun sport to watch.

Miris long admired Stuart, the ideal Thuringi. Noble of character, selfless and adventurous, he was a popular figure even if he hadn’t been the Crown Prince of Thuringa. She was bewildered when the royal couple separated their roofs and believed Stuart’s mission to the Earthian school was to blame. It made Aura terribly jealous of women who were previously beneath her notice, particularly warrior women like Keleigh Shanaugh. Miris had to admit her friend Aura was not easy to tolerate at times and privately advised the Aquatic princess to display less dignity and more passion in order to win back her husband’s attention. Before Aura could actively act on the suggestion, the Shargassi launched their Great Attack. Aura and many thousands of other Thuringi died.

Years passed, and Miris felt it was no longer inappropriate to make interested overtures to His Majesty Stuart Phillipi. The fact that he took up with an Earthian woman for a time indicated to Miris that he still needed passion in his life. Miris was confident she could supply that. With that in mind, she mapped out a campaign to win the heart of the Thuringi king.

She was careful in her approach, keenly aware that he might recall she was a close friend of his late wife Aura. She did not want to trigger sad memories that would make him equate her with Aura’s loss. It was Miris’s brother Serene Gordon who solved her dilemma of how to connect with Stuart, and using Serene was not something she had even remotely considered.

She and Serene were fond of each other but they had never been particularly close siblings. Miris did not like her sister-in-law in the least. Maylin Gordon de Bau was from the interior of Thuringa and Miris considered her little better than a bumpkin who married her brother for his tunic. But Serene and Maylin enjoyed a very successful marriage and had wonderful son named Jessick. Miris liked her nephew and hoped Serene would see to it he was raised as a child of a nobleman and not influenced too much by their common-stock mother.

She went to the Daven Bau in a glum mood. Serene told her earlier that Maylin might deliver their second child at any moment, and Miris knew that as a sister she was expected to seek them out and celebrate the birth. She did not want to celebrate.

Oh, I don’t care how much Aura thought Gareth Duncan was a nobleman at heart; he is still just a commoner, a plain dusty everyman without a trace of grace or breeding in him. It was easy for Aura to think kindly of him; he was the princess’s lover and close friends with Stuart, and the king thought he was brilliance itself. She was making the best of a bad situation. And now here is Maylin, adding to her brood so Serene will feel too guilty to ask for separate roofs. Well, that is what weak blood plots.

Serene paced in an observation deck next to the obstetric area. Childbirth was not a common occurrence among Thuringi, and Maylin was the only pregnant woman in the fleet at the moment. She had her choice among obstetricians and did not choose her sister-in-law as hers, telling Serene there would be less anxiety in the family that way. She used the same doctor who delivered Jessick.

Stuart walked through on his way to the hanger and Earth when he spied the obviously agitated warrior by the monitor. Is something the matter, Lieutenant?

My wife is giving birth, Serene explained nervously. She made me leave the room when I wouldn’t stop twisting my hair around my fingers. She said I made her nervous.

Is this your first?

No, but it’s been over thirty years since our first and I have forgotten everything to do with childbirth between then and now, I fear.

Stuart laughed and patted him on the back. Now don’t worry. There is nothing for you to do but to wait. The time to really step in is after the baby is here. I’ve been through this enough times to know that for certain.

Really, Your Majesty? How, how many times?

Five all told, but I was actually present for the last three.

Five! Serene’s eyes were round with awe. Word, that is busy! He paused in mortification at such a phrase spoken to his king. But Stuart only laughed, putting Serene at ease. Why, it was like chatting with any of other his Air Command brethren!

I know, and I have learned my lesson! All you can really do is hold her hand and perhaps wipe her brow with a cool damp cloth, and let her seize your arm or pull herself up by your braid.

Heh. That is close to the way she got into this state. It was the sort of joke men shared with each other, and they chuckled together like school chums.

How long have you been married?

One hundred years next month. She’s a Carzon girl; we met when I trained at the interior base there.

Ah! Gareth’s hometown!

Yes, Serene laughed. She used to go around with his brother Clive. She gave up on his philandering about the same time I saw her and I petitioned everyone in town for information about her. Then Clive met me and said, Here, I’ll introduce you and there you are. I courted her for three years and we moved to Gallina after we married.

Ah. My wife Aura was from Gallina. Lovely city. Did you enjoy it there?

Yes. I always envied Aquatics. I wanted to be a fisherman, but it was a rather insulting notion to some of the watermen so I didn’t apply.

I don’t know why it would insult anyone. No one objects to an Aquatic becoming a pilot.

Well, you know Aquatics. They can be so… territorial. Brent said it would be all right, but his father refused to allow me onboard.

You know Brent? Stuart was delighted.

Our house was just down the street from Edgewater, Serene said, in reference to the name of the Aquatic neighborhood. My sister and Aura were close friends.

My pardon; I didn’t catch your name?

Serene Gordon. My sister is Miris.

Oh yes! I recall her now. Aura was very fond of her.

Miris walked onto the scene and caught her breath at the sight of King Stuart and her brother in a friendly chat. Oh, Miris! I’m so glad you’re here, Maylin is in the final stage.

Oh. Hello, Your Majesty. She made a graceful curtsy, and he returned a grand bow.

Good day, Lady Gordon. Your brother and I have been recalling old days in Gallina. Stuart was cheerful; the imminent birth of a child was always happy news, and knowing there was another survivor from Carzon pleased him. The interior of Thuringa was hard hit and survivor numbers from there were paltry.

Miris smiled prettily. Gallina! Oh, how I miss that wonderful place and its grand harbor! I loved the arching bridge that connected the mainland to the island.

An orderly appeared at the door. Lieutenant, she’s asking for you; it’s nearly time now. Serene hastily excused himself as he rushed away to join his wife. Miris silently blessed this handy alignment for her and Stuart Phillipi to be together without distractions. She was well prepared for this moment.

Your Majesty is so kind to speak to Serene so he will have an easier time of waiting. The poor dear has been beside himself with concern. She had no idea what the poor dear had been through, but her logical guess was correct.

Oh, it’s nothing at all, Lady Gordon. All men are concerned at a time like this, especially since everything is out of our control. We are useless.

I would hardly call you ‘useless’, Your Majesty, she laughed. Perhaps, oh…temporarily idle?

That sounds less ignoble, he agreed with a smile.

She invited him to attend the naming ceremony on behalf of her brother and sister-in-law, and when the time came Stuart appeared. The Gordons and the Baus were pleased to have the king present. Because Stuart attended alone, Miris accompanied him around the room and introduced him to the guests. To her surprise, the king greeted her sister-in-law Maylin warmly.

Dame Gordon, I am delighted at the opportunity to congratulate you on such a happy occasion! I spoke to my brother-in-law recently and he also sends his joyful regards.

Gareth? Oh, how kind of you both! Thank you so much!

My pleasure. It is nice to see another Carzon native.

‘We few but proud, we are tenders of the soil and guardians of the vine’, she quoted, and Stuart laughed in delight and chimed in with her: ‘When winds blow lonely across the grain and hearts ache with the rheamor’s cry, we shall stand stalwart in our task, dusty but resilient and true’.

Aha, you did not think I knew that poem, he teased.

To tell the truth, I did not. I feared all of Faedin Deering’s poetry died with Carzon.

No, no! I always liked his style; he had that defiant ring in his poems that declared his pride in his choice of tasks. He tickled the baby under the chin. What a charming little boy! Elquin is an excellent name.

Serene always admired tales of Lord Elquin Shanaugh’s exploits. We thought perhaps the Shanaughs would not mind.

"Oh, indeed they wouldn’t! It