The World of Tom Stafford by D.A. Sanford - HTML preview

Chapter 15: First Sign of trouble

“King Stafford, your majesty, please, you have to help me. They will not let me back into Pacifica!” King Percian frantically pleads.

Tom looks to the other departing kings and tell them.

“You both need to delay your departure. We need to meet urgently. This involves all of the kingdoms if it is what I think it is.”

Both kings seem to feel the somber tone in my voice and agree.

“Nadean, please escort the queens to a suitable lounge area and keep them company.”

I turn to the kings and have them follow me to a secure room.

“Gentlemen” as we are walking to that room, I will be having both my chamberlain and his soon to be successor join us.”

Both Gar and Jim follow us into the room. The kings are surprised to see that it resembles a war room. There are maps of the kingdoms in total and detailed maps that have the larger cities in exploded detail.

“As you can see, I have had this room specially prepared for just this crisis. As you may have guessed by Gil’s actions, I much prefer that, in private, to dispense with the formalities of our offices so please do not take offense when I call you by your first names and ask you to call all of us by the same. “

“King Galintine, Harold is that acceptable with you?”

“I prefer Harry, yes, it is acceptable.”

“King Arden Shaffer, Arden is that acceptable with you.”

“Yes, it is acceptable.”

Both kings’ demeanors are now in serious mode. The pompous attitudes are gone.

“Now Gil, I need you to calmly tell us why were you trying to see our research center?

My guards caught you trying to gain access. That is the reason you left in a hurry, isn’t it?”

You could tell that he knows he was found out so before I let him answer, I ask the two kings what they thought of his actions during the past few days.

Harry was the first to respond. “I have never seen him act that way ever before and thought he was trying to pull in some deal with you.”

Arden said something similar “I thought that he was trying to get you to join you in opposing either Alandia or my kingdom.”

“Gill, where you messed up was that I use the casual attitude in private, not in public.

The man you learned that from was fired by me for insubordination to my authority. Now before you dig yourself into a deeper hole, you were spying on Seaden to see our military strengths.”

Now he is shaking as I continue with my questioning.

“Tell us about that seer.”

Arden “Seer, that is a forbidden trade in all the kingdoms They can see events in the future and some can trace back to see main players. That way events can be manipulated to meet a desired out come.”

Knowing the answer before I ask it, I ask both kings,

“Who came up with the original idea of calling the surface population to return to the sea?”

They both, without needing to say anything, point to Gil.

“Gill, your seer told you that Bart was my wife’s son. That seer told you that she needed to be the last person out of her town so that I would meet her. That way she would not ask you or Bart the wrong questions. Your seer told you that we were going to come into the Seaden area, so, with your plans in place, you had Bart come to greet his mother.”

Now he is sitting on a chair and hanging his head with his eyes closed.

“Harry, Arden, did you know that your exiled citizens were among the returns. Did you know that our surface prisons were emptied and those criminals were also among the returns? Gill where are those people?”

“Most of the criminals were brought to Pacifica then sent to the other kingdom as sleepers. Ready to cause disturbances when needed.”

And when were they going to be needed?”

“My military generals assured me that this would be an almost bloodless takeover of the other kingdoms.”

He looks at me then looks back down

“You upset the plans. The seer did not pick up on the fact that you are the heir to the kingdom of Seaden. We were going to take Seaden first but the national pride and fervor on finding you made it impossible to go forward with the plans. The generals were

the ones to send me here to spy out any changes. They were the ones that had me have your satellite to have the prison guards open the cells. Expendable fodder. When I got to the border, the staff turned on me and threw me out of the carriage. they told me that I was no longer king and that I should consider myself fortunate just to be exiled.”

I turn to my chamberlains “I need you both to have the military generals and their seconds here within the hour.”

“Gentlemen, it is my sad recommendation that you both contact your kingdoms. I am going to be interviewing my generals to find out where their loyalties lie. I recommend that you do the same. This man’s infection may have spread to our kingdoms. I make all of our communications systems available to you.”

I call the guard. “Escort these kings to our communication rooms. Tell the operators that they have exclusive priority to contact their kingdoms.”

I turn back to the two “Harry, Arden, I will insist that your communications will be monitored.”

Then I address Gil.

“Gil, by your own admission, you are guilty of espionage and plotting to invade the kingdom of Seaden. I now place you under arrest. You will be judged at a date of our convenience. The other two kingdoms will then have their opportunity to judge you also.”

Upon that, he is taken away to be imprisoned in the castle.

I tell both kings that it is time for us to unite. We are entirely different kingdoms with the same problem. I have my people tracking down the criminals and detaining any they find.

There are a lot of nasty things on the surface, the very least are extremely destructive pollutants that could kill our people. There are also nuclear bombs that could be dropped into the ocean and destroy the planet. We never should have been brought here but here we are.”

“Now for the thing you don’t want to hear. We must plan for the worst. If things go really bad, I will propose to the citizens of Seaden that we abandon Seaden and return to the surface as my ancestor did. Giving up the kingdom to those trying to destroy it. We would need a way to deny those we leave from ever being able to breathe air and we would forever lose our ability to breathe underwater.”

Both kings go out to contact their regents to inform them what is happening in Pacifica.

While they are away, my chamberlains return to say that the appropriate military are coming here. I see that Kar has joined us. I brief them on what I told the kings. Kar was the first to respond.

“We have had peace here for so long that no one can remember the last conflict they had. The military is mainly for show. If war broke out, most would not believe it even when the word comes that we are under attack. The general population would want to run. If we present them with the facts in a way that does not cause panic or an adverse reaction to the recently returned, I do believe that the option to retreat to the surface would be accepted.”

Jim has an idea.

“What if we present to them that in order to protect their loved ones from the ravishes of war, that we prepare some of the town by the river town where we came here from Thornton. Make it inhabitable for their families to be safe.”

“As king, I will ask you to get some of the returned along with some of the open minded native residents to mount an expedition to see the condition of the surface town. Gar, what is the population count of Seaden?”

“Roughly 50,000 people.”

“The expectation that all would go is slim. At first, we could expect that less than half would go. We will not force anyone to go if war breaks out.”

The kings return to the war room, so I address this to both kings, Gar and Kar,

“I will not force anyone to go to the surface if they do not want to go, but you need to know that most, if not all, of the returns will feel that you brought us down here to be cannon fodder. Expendables to protect your people. With what we now know, even I feel that we were coerced to come here against our better judgement by the lure of a false paradise.”

“Up at the river town, where I came in, you will see a corpse sitting on a bench, by now a skeleton. He refused to return and killed himself. He was not alone. We found a few that killed themselves. I doubt that we would find the answer but it will be the start of a rumor that will fester that those who did not come were forced to commit suicide. I will ask you to think about what will happen to your paradise?”

After some silence King Galintine tells us,

“For now, Alandia is relatively calm but there have been some disruptions in services.

Some sabotage. The military is trying to keep the calm but the border has been reinforced.”

“How sure of your military leaders are you?”

No answer.

King Shaffer comes back. He is in shock, “Tridinia has informed me that I am no longer welcome and will be executed if I try to return. I have no kingdom”

I make it a point to emphasize this.

“King Shaffer, Arden, I grant you sanctuary in Seaden and offer you our full protection.

My generals are here now. King Galintine, King Shaffer, would you please come with me to attend my meeting with them. Your input will be greatly appreciated. By the way, King Galintine, I offer you the same. If you would like to stay here for a while you are welcome.”

“King Stafford, would you please look after my wife? I feel that I need to return to my kingdom.”

“It will be my honor. I offer to house both of your staffs here. Of course, only those that want to stay for safety reasons. I ask that you personally interview them. Any that seem to be of, shall we say, the Pacifica feelings need to leave this kingdom.”

“Jim, please bring Nadean and Doris up to speed. I also want Nadean to take both queens under her personal care. I want Doris to also review both our staff and the visiting staff for her feeling on which can say and which need to be expelled.”

Jim goes to do that.

The two kings, Gar and myself go to the meeting. Jim joins us after delivering the messages.

There are ten military men and women in the room. As we enter, they stand but you could see the confusion in their eyes.

“Everyone, please be seated.” I command “We are at the precipice of war. Pacifica has been taken over. Its king was in on the plot to take over all of the four kingdoms. It was going to start with Seaden but not for the fact that I was found to be the heir to the throne, we would have fallen. That king is now in our custody. Tridinia has also fallen.

King Shaffer and his queen are now honored guests in our country. King Galintine will be returning to his kingdom but we will be hosting his queen also.”

I explain the situations, have the kings give what information they have, then I hit them with my plans to possibly return to the surface.

“Who’s in charge of the research?”

One general says that she is.

“Top priority of research is how do we make it so that those who opt to stay in the water can no longer adapt to air breathing and vice versa.”

She looks flustered. “Why would you do such a horrible thing?”

Trying to keep calm but not winning.

“Why did you force us to return to the water? Why did you not even give us a choice?

Why did you have all the exiles that you put on the surface return? Why did you have all the crooked, despicable and downright criminally insane surface dwellers returned?”

She has her answer in the form of heated questions.

“If things go bad down here and we may have to retreat to the surface, do you want them to follow us? Our safety depends on it. If you are morally against this then I will replace you. You will then be able to live a peaceful life for however long that lasts.

She makes it perfectly clear to me that she will work on it. The idea is abhorrent to her and states that if it is deployed, she will be one of the ones that will make sure that she is in the affected area. She would rather live under the tyrant rule as opposed to living in an air bound prison.

Why do I get the feeling that this will be the majority opinion on both indigenous and the returns.

Both kings have a heavy heart expression on their faces. I ask,

“Your majesties, may I ask you what is bothering you?”

King Galintine is the first to speak. “King Stafford, I regret to inform you that, now that conflict is at hand, given the option of living under tyranny in their home land or retreating to the surface, never to return, most of the underwater citizens would opt to stay.”

Then King Shaffer tells me that a large majority of the returns, despite the possibility of being treated as hostiles, will stay too.

“You’re surface people that were in positions of authority, have already inserted themselves into similar positions here. If they were to return to the surface, they would be nobodies. They are not equipped to live a rustic life just trying to survive. That would go for those that lived in your cities.”

My suspicions confirmed.

Gar adds that with a limited population of surface people returning to the surface, your wars will no longer affect us. Once a new normal is established, we will return to peace.

I’m getting confused, “You mean to tell me that the majority would rather surrender to the opposition?”

“Yes, the majority would stay.”

“I still want to have the research done. Worst come to worst, both camps need to be defended. You don’t want to go to the surface and those that go back to the surface would not want you to dump your unwanted people on the surface. That research will be a last resort.”

Kar now speaks. “Even in this short time, news spreads quickly. Information leaks happen. From what little I have heard; the public opinion is starting to blame the returns for the tension.”

I sigh and shake my head, “It blame game has started. Soon there will be open hostility towards any that they feel are from the surface. If you want to win the general population, give them someone to blame their problems on.”

Addressing the generals, “I want you to come up with counter measures to this undertone of blame. Your task is to try to peacefully keep this kingdom running. Rabble rousers are to be rounded up and sequestered. They are most likely to be the sleepers.

I also want the battle readiness assessed. Let’s find where we stand. Reports are due by noon tomorrow.”