The Far Speak

For the first time in many months, Emily was dressed in her best attire with her makeup done and her hair immaculate. She walked with her cane down a long hallway that opened into the massive Airship factory. The massive CCAS Indomitable, the second Destroyer of the Connaissance Defense Force Fleet was in for routine maintenance after her maiden voyage. Emily saw her old friend Professor Samuel Thatcher sitting at one table and James Duhan sitting fifty feet away. Each of them was speaking into a cone-shaped device connected to wires. "Aw, Lady Connaissance, thank you for coming here on such short notice. We believe we have solved one of Captain Gibbs's major problems. He asked that there be some sort of device that would allow him to speak with any area of the ship from the Bridge instead of having to run out into the quiet room to use the blower."

He handed her the cone-like device and motioned for her to put it up to her ear as she did she heard James Duhan's voice say clearly, "We also believe this can be used in buildings throughout the city. Imagine being able to pick up this device in City Hall and have Mr. Duke on the other end at his office in Phase three? With this device, we believe that will be possible."

Emily had her excited happy face back as she asked, "How do I speak to him?"

James said over the line, "You just talk into the horn."

"Wait he can hear me? James, I hope you will have my Rhinoceros completed by the end of this week, I need to have it running out to the reservoir project last week!" Emily glared over at James.

He yelled out, "I think it's malfunctioning, I didn't quite hear what you said, I better go see if I can find some new parts!" He then took off sprinting out of the massive factory building.

Emily raised an eyebrow but couldn't help laughing happily. The Professor smiled and asked, "You seem to be in a good mood, something good happening today?"

She nodded and said, "Teslaimia and I are going to see the first play ever performed here in Connaissance. It has been a long time since I have been to a theater."

"I thought the theater was part of Phase four?" He asked looking surprised.

"You remember Dean Wilson? Well, he invited the faculty back to the college and one of them was the dramatic arts teacher. He raised the money to pay for a new theater through charitable contributions and Dean Wilson donated his former Estate which was already earmarked to be the new home of Connaissance's theater. Since the plans were already made, they just needed an architect and a building crew, which came via the Windsor Kingdom's Six Finger's Construction Company. The design used many local elements like Pillson Concrete and our new glass. It should be quite beautiful." She smiled.

"Which play is it?" He asked.

"It's a new play called, 'The Lady of Dreams.' I am not sure what it is about, but I am told it's a love story. They even brought in actors from the Windsor Kingdom. I heard that even the great Lawrence Charles will be in the cast. Did you see him in the King's Army? He was wonderful!" She did a little clap she was so happy.

"When do you have to be there? Isn't it getting late?" He looked worried.

"Oh, yes I need to leave right away. Princess Teslaimia might leave me behind of I dawdle any longer, thank you for reminding me." She stood back up and picked up her cane walking away at a confident pace even while using the cane.

The Professor watcher her leave and whistled a little, "How could Jon just let her go like that? What a fool."

*****

"Sir Colton, what good are shields and swords against our modern weapons? Why must we even bother training in the ancient weapons?" A young recruit asked.

Sir Colton picked up a wooden practice sword and said, "These ancient weapons are still being used by every army on the planet. It is only our City which has the means to defeat such an army without using such a weapon ourselves. Let me ask you. Say you and your friends from this recruiting class found yourselves surrounded by ordinary brigands as you went on leave to spend your pay on good food and good women at the village over there. He pointed to the village outside of the wall using the wooden sword. "Would you be able to put the Zealous right over them and signal to have them killed or would you be forced to fight with these ancient weapons?"

The young recruit rubbed the back of his head, "I guess we'd need to use a sword."

"I have one arm, my left, and I was born right-handed. I want all five of you to attack me at once, this is the kind of fight you'll most often find yourself in when you are out whoring, gambling and drinking." He commented.

The five young recruits came sprinting in swinging the swords with brute force and no finesse. Sir Colton calmly, tapped the wooden blades away shifted his balance, and slapped their sword hands one by one with enough strength for the five young recruits to cry out in pain and lose their weapons. He walked to each one and used the flat of the wooden blade to slap them on the cheek. "Well, you are all dead and I am alive. The Zealous never came to save me, but I was still able to defeat five brigands with a sword, and I am one-handed. I want you to remember. Weapons of war are there to be our tools in battle, we still need to have the strength and skill of our own hands and feet when those weapons are not there to help us. Did that answer your question?"

All five men answered as one, "Yes Sir Colton!"

"You men are doing it right. I have survived some of the worst battles ever fought on Hanston and I can honestly tell you, we serve a city that has the finest tools for war ever created on the planet. That's why it is our duty as military men to be worth the cost of those tools. We need to be the finest soldiers on the planet as well. Can you do that?" He stood tall looking at each man in the eye.

All five men answered as one, "Yes Sir Colton!"

Sir Colton then began to lead them through the basic sword drills one after another. Sitting up on the wall Captain Alexander smiled as he watched. An officer walked over and handed a newspaper to the Captain, "Looks like you have been banished from town by Lady Connaissance."

Captain Alexander felt a twinge in his heart and then quickly read the article, "What the... Who wrote this? None of this is true!"

The officer shook his head and said, "Captain me and the boys here are grateful to have you down here at the lower camp and all, but we figure that what you have been doing here is personal and not because it is militarily necessary. I don't mean to butt into your personal life, but that woman is every man's dream woman. That day we saw her kill the Church's General with her own sword... I knew she was just like her father. No, that's not right. She is more like her uncle. Ruthless when she needs to be, and a woman's woman when she doesn't need to be. She's smart as a whip and until I saw that Fursian woman, the single most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. The Fursian Princess is mightily gorgeous, but our Lady Connaissance, she's got something much more. Anyway, 'scuse my saying so Captain, but trading beauty for the rest of that is absolute stupidity."

"That night I came out with the kiss marks? She did that for your morale. All of you. She let you think we did more so that you'd take your mind off the coming battle." He sighed, "I didn't have the courage to ask her for more because I have never thought I was worthy of her highness."

The officer chuckled, "A woman like that? No one is worthy, one just has to take the initiative. Kind of like that Fursian Princess. That woman sees someone she likes and just takes them not waiting for them to accept or not."

Captain Alexander asked, "You ever been married?"

The officer nodded, "Yes I was married. I married an ugly woman. Fat as a house with a face that would scare a baby. She cheated on me while I was off to war. I came back and she had left and even took my things with her."

Captain Alexander looked horrified, "That's terrible!"

The officer looked at him smugly, "I may have had a crap wife, but I had a wife." He saluted and walked away.

Captain Alexander thought for a while and then called out to the man, "I'll go talk to her!"

*****

Teslaimia was laughing so hard she was gasping for breath, "This play is too much, I love it!"

Emily stood there with her arms crossed under her breasts looking cold, "Oh, ha. Ha. Laugh it up, see if I don't make you go back to your Embassy tonight."

"I can't believe this play is about you! Did you see how big the actress playing you..." She cupped her breasts and started to laugh once again.

Emily sighed and then relaxed shaking her head, "The play itself is very good, and if you read all those articles in the Observer as facts, this play is very accurate. It's just written based on idle gossip. That military man was obviously supposed to be Jon and the hyper flirty girl is supposed to be you, you know."

Teslaimia brushed her hair over her shoulder and said arrogantly, "I thought it was a wonderful homage to my greatness. I wonder how it will end? I bet you that my character is killed by your character after she finds Jon in bed with her."

"So dark? I think the Jon in this play will rediscover his feelings for her and then they will live happily ever after."

Teslaimia shook her head, "If they want it to end right, my character will steal the bride at the altar and the Jon character will end up marrying some horrible fat woman that will cheat on him and steal his things leaving him for the butcher."

They both laughed loud and long. The ushers came out and said, "Ladies and Gentleman, our intermission is coming to a close, please find your seats at this time."

Emily thought for a while and asked, "Do you still regret what happened to you with Polo? You could have been an Empress you know."

Teslaimia smiled warmly at Emily, "I have never told you the cruel things he said to me, and that is for the best. Just believe me that there are worse things than newspapers and playwrights misjudging your personality and taste in lovers." She took hold of Emily's hand and smiled sadly, "Come they will be offended if we are late getting back to our seats. This play was written and performed in your honor. Try to look happy about that."