The Princess of Caldris Read Free

of immense size was carved with
geometric triangular motifs and inlaid with mother of pearl and
brilliant blue lapis lazuli.
    I sensed things then.
Doorways are like that, capturing the passing thoughts of people
busy with tasks. This was the Royal libraries and private schools
of the Royal children, and some of the more esteemed nobles, but
there was something else. I could sense the Princess, though I had
never actually been close enough to sense her before. A muddled
compilation of self images came through- as
she thought the world saw her, as she saw herself, and a grave
concern regarding a task-she had been researching
something ...“The Arcturian Wars.” I said
aloud.
    “ This is the Library and
the Princess had been doing research-she was profoundly concerned
that an aspect of the Arcturian Wars had completely been
misunderstood by the public.”
    Hammerstein’s female officer spoke then,
“Brilliant!” At which Hammerstein felt obligated to introduce her
at last, “Winteroud this is officer Tokushima.”

    Steve Moore
    I already knew that, of course. I bowed, and
wished I was older. I could sense she thought I was a “cute little
boy”, which was infuriating to no end. She was in the full flower
of womanhood; all I could do was wait, grow, and dream. I also
sensed she was in love with Hammerstein, which was funny because he
didn’t have a clue and thought of her as far too young for him, and
more or less a distraction with all her beauty moving through
criminal investigations like a fine art piece at a demolition
site.
    “ Maam .” I said, which I immediately
regretted.
    “ She was indeed
researching the Arcturian Wars. Specifically New Galen. Had even
funded a small expedition there, a couple bots,” Hammerstein looked
at Mr. Gibbon who had been dutifully following, “No
offense.”
    “ None taken.” Gibbon
lifted his chin.
    “ A couple of bots, nothing
Major. An analysis of the remains of ship building facilities on an
outer moon had her convinced the Arcturian Fleet was far smaller
than the Transhuman Imperials at Deneb IV have long asserted. Much
of her research, however has been deleted from the Royal Archive.”
he said.
    The doors opened and I felt
the well of time like a vortex. I stepped back a moment and Captain
Venkatesan held my shoulder. Hammerstein’s chin went forward like a
fist, he stepped in ahead of me like a prize fighter, like he would
protect me from the quantum streams. He still didn’t get it, I
managed to muse with a smirk, that this wasn’t something he could
find and wrestle to the ground.
    It was a vast circular room, many levels
high. A multicolored skylight crowned its dome. In the center of
the floor was a holomap of the galaxy. Built even before colonies
had spread to the globular clusters.
    “ Something dark she found.” I said. “ A
hatred and hunger! ” I stepped back, away
from the room.
    “ Away, boy!” Hammerstein
snapped. “You rescue no Princess if your wits fail you.”
    So I retreated, towards the
fountains with their hologram sculptures. Away from the geometric
doors, away from the room where the hologram of the galaxy
glittered across the floor like a toy, like a barrel full of fish.
    Tokushima, for all her martial arts and
weapons training, exuded nothing less than the same emotions my
mother glowed with when I was sick or bruised. Men frame it in
terms of “motherly love”, but there is something fierce and feral
in it for all of that. Men would do better to think of Artemis; the
ancient Greeks had it right with that. If one seeks to understand
humanity, go to the Age of Bronze.
    Of course, even at twelve I was compelled,
in the presence of such a female archetype, to find my center; my
own archetype. Courage and duty and honor in the face of
danger.
    So I looked back toward the
room. Toward the darkness that had eaten the Princess in her search
for truth. Caution sometimes the better part of valor, I was slow
in my probing. A great lie had