had you here. We will do our duty. That duty will be far easier because of your help. In six months I expect to take a drink with each of you. Will this be so?"
"Aye, aye, General," they all roared together; and one old marine added as an afterthought, "I sure as hell ain't never disobeyed that order, Sor." They laughed long.
"General, how about a few songs to prime the journey?"
Piehl sat in the chair, put the case across his knees and pulled out the Syrinx. The men watched with anticipation. He unzipped his suit and placed the back plate against the bare skin over his ribs. He immediately felt a familiar warmth.
"So what'll it be, men?"
"Spacer’s Gal, General; Reef Stars, Midshipman Bill, The Battle at Carney's Rift, shouted others.
After things quieted down a bit, Piehl played out a few minor cords, then a major to get the feel, bumped the volume up and thundered into 'Spacer's Gal'. It was rolling bouncing tune and everybody sang, if not with skill, with plenty of liquor-inspired enthusiasm. Over it all, a booming baritone emanating from his whole body, was the Whistler's voice.
They did several more in the same vein until it looked as if their voices were going to give out, then Piehl eased into 'Mary Rose, I left You', which the Whistler sang in a fine tenor, and many a tear found its way down a grizzled spacer's cheek.
Faintly, in the background, Piehl heard a pure soprano singing the refrains; to his surprise, it was the Princess.
Piehl beckoned her to the lift. "Your Highness, will you sing one for us?"
She climbed onto the platform, blushing. "I don't know, Sir Aubrey, I heard most of these songs from my father when I was a little girl. He is very fond of spacer songs, but I've never sung before a group."
"Don't worry, Miss, just pretend you're in the bath," Flex called up to her. She blushed even harder.
"Easy, girl," Piehl said. "I'll give you the line and keep it moving. Easily done, Your Highness. Do you know ‘The Captain's Lament’?"
"Oh, that's too sad. How about `Jenny Roy and the Star Fox'?"
"You know that, all the verses?"
"Of course I do!" Her voice had the old Royal arrogance.
It was an old song from the first-contact days about a beautiful Earth human girl and a handsome alien called the Star Fox and forbidden love. Piehl played a fine intro to set the tone and she sang it perfectly, never missing a beat or a word. At the end the applause was deafening. She blushed more and laughed, clapping her hands with the men.
"Well, men, it's time to get on with it. All hands stand to!"
The Legionnaires leapt to their feet as he played the opening cords of the Legionnaires Hymn. When it was done, the men gave a great shout and slammed their heels down on the steel deck.
Piehl put the Syrinx away and moved toward the ship, saying a few words to each of the men, shaking an offered hand, taking a salute. He saw Shorty headed his way with an intent look on his face.
Shorty asked him to wait a moment. "Captain, you may not want to hear this, but I want you to listen anyway. Blair Prince is out beyond the Rim somewhere."
"He's a damned Pirate!" It was not a subject Piehl wanted to discuss.
"Will you listen!" Shorty waited for Piehl to calm down. "I don't know what went wrong between you two, but one thing I do know," he said with great conviction, "Blair Prince is not and never was a coward or a dishonorable man. Those who were less than he sought to bring him down. Lies were spread about him. You are known as a fair man, Captain, so weed out the rumors and get the facts straight. Like you, he did not surrender, but chose survival for his men and himself. He took the lot and went to the Rim."
"But what about the reports of piracy? Attacks on helpless settlements?"
"I suggest you review your intelligence, cross-correlate; you may find the so-called victims weren't that at all."
"Why are you telling me this, Shorty?" Piehl asked.
"Because, Captain, you're going to need all the support you can find out there, and no matter what you think, Colonel Blair Prince is your friend and always has been." He reached over and keyed something on Piehl's wrist comp.
"Those are his frequencies. Give it some thought, Captain. Safe journey."
Shorty headed out of the docking bay after his crew leaving Piehl with his mouth agape. There wasn't anything Piehl could say so he went back to the ship. The rest of the crew were in the galley/recreation area sitting around the table drinking coffee and spacer's brandy.
"Well, Captain, nothing left to do except get on with it," Flex said.
"No, we've got to wait a couple of hours; the King is sending a messenger with some special information I'm supposed to wait for."
"I don't like it, Captain," Flex said. "Last minute changes have a bad smell."
"Me either, but the King is financing this thing, so we wait. Apart from the fact he is the King and despite our late differences, I think he's a pretty fair example of what a king should be. Tell everybody, get some rest, the IMP will keep security."
The two hours went by quickly. Imp notified him when the messenger arrived.
"Captain, we've got visitors at the docking bay access."
"Visitors?" Why more than one, he wondered. "How many?"
"Two, Captain. One is a King's messenger and the other is dressed in civilian clothes."
"Do you have any extensors at the door?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Okay, record it. It doesn't feel right. I don't want anybody in here I can't look over first."
Piehl left the ship and walked across the docking bay toward the access hatch. The sergeant appeared in full kit at his right heel. He said nothing, just followed along. A couple of Shorty's men were still on the door as Piehl went into the passageway.
He looked over the Imperial Messenger. The uniform looked right. He held a micro-core toward Piehl. Piehl didn't take it, instead he asked for identification. The man produced it in a hurry. Piehl took it over to the IMP's extensor for scan.
The IMP spoke quietly. "Appears to be authentic, Captain." Piehl ignored the Imperial Messenger and spoke to the civilian in a hard voice. "Who are you?"
The man answered in a bored voice tinged with annoyance. "If you read the messenger's micro-core, you'll find out, Piehl."
"Mister, I asked a question. I'll ask you again. After that I will have the sergeant stimulate your vocal chords."
He spoke sullenly. "I am a messenger to the King's brother on Back N' beyond, I am to go with you. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get to my quarters." He started to move around Piehl.
Piehl reached out and placed two fingers at the juncture of the man's neck and
