Starship Armstrong - Season 3

Part 34 - Family Ties (XII)

The Queen contacted Mitzner over the earpiece before she had made her way to the surface.

"We just received the ransom demands," she said. "Kidnappers sent a video. Your friend is alive although they don't appear to be treating her well."

"I'll kill them," said Mitzner. "What are the demands?"

"All kinds of impossible antimonarchist rubbish. Their chief demand is the abolition of the monarchy and it just gets more infeasible from there. They're not realistic demands they're statements of principle. They're a martyrs demands."

"They could just be a bargaining position," offered Mitzner.

"I do not negotiate with terrorists," the Queen snarled.

"What happened to all that stuff you kept saying about McAfree being under your protection?"

"She was and is," said the Queen. "This is different. If I set the precedent that political kidnappings are a valid form of negotiation then no one in my queendom will be safe. I will save your friend but I will not do so by conceding even a centimeter of ground to these people."

Mitzner found it really hard to argue the point. It's probably what she'd do in the exact same situation.

"I need to see that video," she said, after a long pause.

"I've already sent a copy to the tablet my people are bringing you with the map on it."

"Thank you," said Mitzner. "I appreciate all your help even if the situation is making me terse."

"Don't thank me," replied the Queen. "These are my enemies. This is my fight. Your friend is in danger because she was my guest. The guilt lies with me."

"We don't need to worry about assigning blame," said Mitzner. "Let's just find McAfree."

"Agreed. I'll let you know if we hear anything."

Mitzner grunted with frustration and pushed herself even further, flying through the dripping wet tunnel with renewed urgency.

* * *

"Here," said one of the Queen's men, handing Mitzner a tablet. "Do you want us to come with you?"

"No," said Mitzner. "You'll slow me down."

And then she was gone.

* * *

Mitzner watched the ransom video while she continued through the tunnels. McAfree's scent trail was growing faint but she could still navigate by it exclusively.

The tablet showed McAfree. She had several cuts on her lip, one just above her left eye, and a pretty decent sized bruise on the left side of her face. There was no reason to rough her up like that, she's a kid not a soldier.

Her ubiquitous computer glasses were missing. Her hair was tangled. Her eyes were glassy, like someone who had just been awakened from a stun. She was looking at something off-screen with obvious fear, probably a weapon being aimed at her. She was holding a tablet in trembling hands.

Mitzner had to stop herself from grinding her teeth.

"Hello Your Majesty. I am Ensign Yoshiko McAfree of the Huxley Foundation and I am a prisoner of war held by the Revolutionary Patriots. My captors would like me to inform you that you have 48 hours to begin implementing the following demands or they will-" McAfree winced as she read the next part as though she believed it, "-start cutting of pieces of me and sending them to you as a token of their seriousness. At the first sign of any rescue attempt-" she winced again, "-they will kill me."

No, thought Mitzner, I'll kill them first.

"Their first demand is the immediate and complete abolition of the monarchy. The Queen's last act as sovereign will be to call for elections to select a committee to draft a new democratic constitution."

It was hard to argue with that one, even if it was completely untenable.

"Their second demand is the rescission of all noble titles and associated privileges."

So they didn't just have a queen as their head of state? There was a whole feudal system?

"Their third demand is the immediate release of all currently incarcerated political prisoners. This includes any and all persons imprisoned without trial, officially or unofficially, for any reason."

Why were these demands all so reasonable? Mitzner was trying to nurture a hatred for these people and their demands were making it very difficult.

"Their fourth demand is for the present Judiciary to be dissolved, all previous precedents set by it thrown out, and a new Supreme Court to be appointed as per the provisions of the new constitution to be drafted."

Mitzner hated lawyers too. Damn it, now she didn't know if she wanted to kill these people or join them. She'd see how McAfree looked when she got there and play it by ear.

When the video finished, and the rest of the genuinely reasonable demands had been enumerated, Mitzner brought up the map. It appeared first in two dimensions but them popped up into 3D as the holos engaged. A glowing red sphere represented Mitzner's current position.

Scrolling with her finger Mitzner moved the map around until she found the area where the scent trail ended. She tried to visualize the space as she saw it while comparing it to the image on the map.

Mitzner smiled. Her hunch was correct. Whatever she decided to do to these people, she'd be doing it soon.