Captain Dodd said, “Yes, Your Highness.” She turned and said, “McAnn, Ortiz, take these two Algeans to the library and show them how to use the readers.” Tommy noticed that she had chosen two of his friends. The message was clear, if Tommy made life tough on Dodd; she would do the same to his friends.
Tommy thought about that a moment and then said, “Captain, I would feel much better if you took them yourself. These Algeans are from very high families and I know you’ll give them extra consideration.” Captain Dodd looked in Tommy’s eyes and knew that her plan to hold Wes and John hostage was not going to work. She didn’t really like the idea anyway but she had to try. She bowed and said, “Yes, Your Highness, I’ll take them at once.” Then she turned and said, “Crew, dismissed.”
She turned to the Algeans and said, “If you will kindly follow me; I’ll take you to the library. I know you must be hurting after the voyage.” The Algeans thought their thanks to the Captain and stiffly walked out of the hanger.
Tommy was surprised. Captain Dodd actually sounded sincere. Obviously he was wrong. That woman had no heart and no feelings for anything but herself. As the Captain left Tommy said to her, “As soon as you have them on the readers I want to have a meeting with your command staff.”
Dodd turned and said, Yes, Your Highness. Lt. McAnn will you set it up, please,”
Wes said, “Yes, sir, right away.”
Thirty minutes later the ship’s officers and Captain Dodd gathered in the conference room. Tommy entered and everyone came to attention. “As you were,” Tommy ordered. “The reason I’ve called this meeting is to make sure that we understand the necessities of dealing with Algean adolescents and particularly these two particular adolescents. I know you have heard about the curiosity of the Algean young but I want to make sure you understand the dangers of it. Algeans have an informational storage capacity that we still have not been able to explain. They are created with genetic information that contains most of their racial knowledge. Although this represents a huge amount, the adolescents also have an empty reservoir that pressures them to fill it. What I mean by pressure is that they experience severe physical pain if there is not a regular intake of information. This pain can be debilitating.” Tommy paused for a moment and then said, “We also know that Algeans have differing capacities of storage. An adolescent from a high family will have more than ten times the capacity of a normal Algean. This also means they suffer ten times the pain if their learning needs aren’t met. One of the Algeans with us is a seed from the Eldest who is the leader of their entire race.” Tommy paused to let that sink in and then he said, “The second is a seed from the fleet leader that led the final attack on the Dremels’ planet. Both of them are from the highest families in Plant culture. This means that they will be insatiably curious and we are going to have to be creative to find ways to keep them mentally occupied until we can fill their storage. Are there any questions?”
Wes raised his hand and said, “What do we call them?”
Tommy smiled and said, “Some of you may not know but Algean Adolescents do not receive a name until they complete their learning cycle. The reason for that is that so many of them die from placing themselves in dangerous situations, it would be a waste of good names. However, the female that is the shorter of the two is named Twig. The male is named Sprig.” Tommy noticed the officers smiling. “Any other questions?”
Lt. Ortiz raised his hand and said when Tommy nodded at him, “Duke Gardner, we have heard that there are some unresolved issues between you and Captain Dodd because of things that happened when you both attended the Academy. Is there any truth to that rumor?”
Tommy stared at John Ortiz who was one of his childhood friends with a glare that everyone in the room recognized as possible trouble. Captain Dodd’s expression did not change but her face was turning red. Tommy said, “I’ll answer your question but first I want to know what prompted you to ask it.”
Tommy expected John to reveal that Captain Dodd had ordered him to do it. John said, “As you probably know, our ship just received the highest rating in the fleet. I think I speak for my fellow officers when I say that I’m personally proud of that accomplishment. I don’t want to lose that rating or have anything jeopardize us keeping it.”
Tommy fought to control his feelings at that moment. He hated Cassandra Dodd with a passion and wanted to make her pay for what she put him through at the academy. Then he remembered something Tgon-gee had told him, “Royalty does not have the luxury of revenge when it conflicts with the safety of one’s subjects.” Tommy sighed and said, “Captain Dodd, would you like to answer his question?”
Captain Dodd stood up and faced her officers who Tommy could tell were nervous for her being put on the spot. She said, “I was Duke Gardner’s cadet officer his freshman year and I made life a living hell for him without just cause. I made him do things that were unjustified. He took the punishments I passed out with class and never complained to my superiors which he had every right to do. Quite frankly, whatever he chooses to do to me here and now is totally justified and I would not blame him for making me pay for my sins. I just hope I can endure it with the class and professionalism he exhibited.” Captain Dodd then sat down and did not change her expression.”
Tommy listened to her and was stunned at what she said. He still did not like her at all but he knew what courage she possessed to confess her actions to her officers. Tommy stared at her for a minute and silence ruled the room. Then Tommy sighed and said, “I have been given a Royal title and declared Protector of the Realm. If taking revenge weakens the Realm in any way, even a small one, then I violate the vow I made. I have viewed your fleet rating and I know that it was due in large part to the direction of the ship’s captain. I tried not to be but I was impressed with your performance and the outstanding teamwork exhibited by the crew. I cannot take any action against Captain Dodd that would diminish her ability to effectively command this vessel. I am forced by my position in the Realm to leave what happened in the past in the past, and there it will stay. This is the last time this issue will be discussed, is that clear!”
Everyone shouted, “Yes Sir.”
Tommy looked at Captain Cassandra Dodd, his former nemesis, and said, “Captain, I congratulate you and your crew for your rating and I insist that you continue to perform at that high level. I trust that we will work together at just that high a level also.”
Captain Dodd said, “Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll work hard to make that happen.”
Tommy looked around the room and said, “Dismissed,” and then he turned and walked out.
Captain Dodd said, “You head the Duke, quit being so lazy, report to your posts immediately.” The officers rushed out of the room and Captain Dodd got up and closed the door. She sat back down and put her head in her hands and cried. Tommy Gardner had just humbled her; he was better than she was. She knew she would have taken her revenge if roles were reversed but he showed he was stronger. She just could not understand what drove her to treat him as she did when it was so out of character for her. She got herself together and promised herself that she was going to be as strong as him some day. She shook her head and left the conference room for the bridge.
Sprig and Twig were in the ships library scanning the contents of the computer. If Algeans could be smiling then these two were going to split their face with it. The amount of input was going in at a prodigious rate and the pain of their empty storage was allayed for the moment. Twig thought to Sprig while she scanned a manual that dealt with magnetic anomalies present in cosmic string distortions, “We have got to control ourselves here. The loss of that megaship almost cost us further development.”