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Three days later, Will was escorted into the Queen’s formal guest room on Mercia by four elaborately uniformed soldiers, who were members of her personal guard. As he hadn’t been planet-side for a few years, he was finding it difficult getting around in the higher gravity. While the gravity on the station wasn’t much below the planet’s, the extra amount would take him a few days to get used to. Will had been informed that he must address the Queen either as ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Ma’am’. He just hoped that he would say the appropriate term when he addressed her as he had only heard of the latter being used when addressing senior female military officers. As a civilian, it wasn’t a term he was used to using.
As he entered the room, the Queen was looking away from him, reading something on her computer terminal. A few moments later, she turned round and looked at him. He had no idea what to expect but hadn’t been prepared for her to be a young woman, possibly in her mid twenties, wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with the words ‘CHIC ROC’ in red emblazoned across the front. Never having heard of the title before, he had no idea what to expect but had had in his mind an image of a much older woman wearing something more formal, such as a business suit or dress. At least, all the senior female politicians he’d ever noticed seemed to be much older and be more formally attired.
‘Good afternoon, Will. Please sit down. Would you care for a drink?’ she asked, gesturing towards a chair in front of her desk.
He sat down ‘Thank you, Ma’am. A white coffee with no sugar, please.’
At that, someone who had been standing in the rear corner of the room started to prepare drinks and, once they were ready, placed them carefully on the desk, bowed slightly and retreated backwards to his corner.
‘Thank you, Rodney. Now then, Will, I’ve been informed that you come from an alternative reality. I have never come across the concept before and would be grateful if you could explain it to me.’
Will explained the basic principles of alternate realities as he understood them. He also gave her some of the details of his discovery, with Billy Hunt, of the enemy base in Billy’s reality and what had happened there. He went on to say that he would have liked to have shown the Queen some images from his organiser but he had left the device with Kat, so that she could show her manager at BridgeCam Technology.
After a few minutes in thought, the Queen asked ‘Thank you for that explanation, Will. Now I understand why you knew about the base on Nyx. This may be a strange question but is there a version of me in your reality and is she also Queen?’
‘There may well be a version of you, but if there is, she isn’t Queen I’m afraid, your Majesty. The head of state is Chancellor Eleanor Powell. She was elected to the post about four years ago and will seek re-election in another two. We have no such thing as a royal family in my reality.’
‘Oh well, that’s a shame. Even though your tale is most entertaining, how can I believe any of it?’ asked the Queen.
‘I may have a solution, your Majesty. As I explained, my organiser is currently on Cantabrigia and is being examined to see if it is possible for a company called BridgeCam to exploit the technology. It ought to be possible to have them demonstrate it to you from there. I gave the device to Kat Brown who was going to show it to her line manager to investigate the commercial potential it provides.’
‘That is certainly possible’ replied the Queen, pressing a button on her desk. A moment later, there was a gently knock on a side door, followed immediately by a woman entering the room and moving in front of the desk. ‘Karen, please arrange an immediate video conference call with Kat Brown and her manager at BridgeCam on Cantabrigia. I would like to discuss Will’s communicator with them.’
‘Certainly, ma’am’ replied Karen, turning and leaving the room. ‘Obviously a more senior aide, if she doesn’t have to back away from the Queen’ thought Will.
Two minutes later, the Queen’s computer monitor made a buzzing sound. The Queen pressed a button on her keypad and Karen’s voice could clearly be heard announcing that the call had been made.
The Queen turned around and, after pressing another button on her keypad, a large screen behind her appeared as if from nowhere. Facing Will and the Queen were Kat and her manager. On the desk in front of them, Will could clearly see his organiser.
‘Good afternoon, your Majesty. I am George Craven, Technical Development Manager and this is Katarina Brown, a Product Designer. I gather you would like to know more about the device we have that belongs to Will Hunt, who I see is with you.’
‘Yes, thank you, George. Will has been telling me an interesting story about alternative realities and has suggested that the device you have contains a number of images that may help persuade me that there is some truth in his story.’
‘We haven’t explored the device fully yet, your Majesty but I’m sure that Will could guide us in showing you the images that he thinks you will find interesting.’
When Will, with help from Kat, had finished showing the Queen the images, including the holo images, he asked ‘George, can you confirm to her Majesty that the holo images especially are impossible on any current equipment available in this reality other than on my organiser?’
‘I certainly can, Will. The quality of the images is like nothing I’ve ever seen before and didn’t anticipate seeing for quite some time. The best we can currently manage, especially as regards the holographic images, are amazingly crude in comparison and are projected using equipment considerably larger than this device. I find it truly amazing that the images we have shown you were taken by the device itself.’
‘Thank you George and Katarina for your assistance. Goodbye’ said the Queen, disconnecting the call. Turning to Will, she said ‘There seems to be something in your tale, Will. On the basis of your demonstration, I feel comfortable in letting you go free. Now tell me, where will you stay?’
‘Thank you, your Majesty. When I first arrived here, I sort of materialised in the bed of Kat Brown, the young woman we have just been in conference with but staying her would have been something of an imposition on her and her girlfriend, as they have a small apartment on Cantabrigia, so I had moved in with Bill Hunt, my alter-ego, and his wife.’
‘Is that convenient for you all? asked the Queen.
‘Sort of, Ma’am. Their daughter is down here somewhere, and I was using her room until I went on the mission to Nyx. I don’t have any money to rent my own place anyway, so appreciate their generosity.’
‘I think in the circumstances, I could get something arranged if it would help. Now I better understand the situation, I think we owe you a debt of gratitude for bringing the danger inherent in the base on Nyx to our attention, so some kind of reward would seem to be appropriate. I will discuss that with the Prime Minister and he will arrange for you to be informed. It also sounds like you need a job. I’m sure I could have something found in the navy until you can get yourself sorted out. They’re always short of technically savvy people. Unfortunately, I have no sway with the telecoms companies, so I’m afraid I can’t help you there. I will see if I can do anything to help but I can’t guarantee anything. As regards accommodation, would you prefer to be planetside or on Cantabrigia until such time as these can be resolved? I would expect you to have all the information within the next couple of days.’
‘Wow. Thank you, ma’am’ exclaimed Will. ‘To be honest, I would rather be on Cantabrigia. Although the planet’s gravity isn’t that much higher than it is up there, I’m finding it a bit wearing at present. I would like to have a look around down here first, if I may. As yet, I haven’t had an opportunity to see anything more than my cell and the journey from Cantabrigia to here, so would like a look around the city.’
‘Hmm. I understand. The city isn’t that big but there are some sights that are well worth seeing and there are undoubtedly some shops here that aren’t on the station. I will ask the Chamberlain to provide a small amount of funds so that you can buy some clothes and
so on. I’m afraid that I have another meeting to attend now, so I will have to ask you to leave. Good luck.’ With that the Queen rose and moved to shake hands.
Will moved to shake her hand, though not before he sensed a slight increase in the alertness of his guards. They made no move to stop him but he didn’t think he would survive more than a few seconds if he had made any kind of untoward movement towards the Queen. Having shaken his hand, the Queen turned and left the room. She didn’t look back. One of the guards approached him and ushered him from the room and into a small room near the outer door to the palace.
After half an hour, a besuited older man entered the room. ‘Good afternoon, Mister Hunt. My name is Josef. Her Majesty has asked that I show you round Milnsbridge and help you in any way I can. I have also been authorised to fund the purchase of any items you may require, such as items of clothing and toiletries. Tonight I have arranged for you to stay at the Plaza Hotel prior to you returning to Cantabrigia tomorrow afternoon. I have been advised that tomorrow, prior to your departure, you will be visiting the Chamberlain, who will advise you as to the value of your reward and provide details of anything we can offer in the navy. I understand that her Majesty will also discuss the possibility of you assisting in the work being undertaken by BridgeCam Technology with the P.M. at her meeting with him tomorrow morning.’
‘Good grief’ muttered Will, hoping that Josef hadn’t heard him. ‘Thank you Josef. Her Majesty is being most kind and I would certainly appreciate your assistance. Please call me Will, by the way. I assume Milnsbridge is the name of the city but can you also fill me in a little? I haven’t come across a Queen before so I’m not quite sure what her role is, especially as there is a Prime Minister, who I assume runs the government. The only ones I’ve ever heard of were historical figures that I learned about in school. She’s obviously important, as she has a large retinue of staff.’
As he led Will from the room, Josef explained the background to the Queen’s role ‘When the original settlers arrived here, the majority of them were practical people, such as farmers, metal and wood workers etc.. There were also a number of scientists from a variety of disciplines, so that they could make best use of the planet’s resources without, it was hoped, damaging the ecology any more than was absolutely essential. They were all highly skilled in their fields, in readiness for settling a new planet. However, there were relatively few who were skilled in management or administration, especially at a strategic level. Once we had landed, however, the ship’s Captain and senior crew were experienced in such matters but, once they had landed, were not really in a position, as a group, to help build a new civilisation. Some of the crew had family backgrounds that helped them to create the early township, factories and farms but most of the rest moved towards overseeing the strategic direction of the planet, settling disputes etc. This wasn’t dissimilar to some of the functions they had done on board ship. A small number returned to space to make sure we were safe from external attack, using the ship as their base and using the shuttles and so on as cruisers to keep an eye on things from space. The settlers decided that they wanted to have a government led by elected politicians, elected by all adults. They also decided that the Captain should remain independent of the politicians and have the power to veto unpopular political decisions, as a last resort. As most of the settlers were from those European countries that still had a royal family, they felt that he should become their King, rather than a President, as occurred in some Earth countries. After much argument, his exact roles and the limitations as to what he could and couldn’t do were agreed. It was also decided, as his family were also on board ship that, upon his death, his daughter would become Queen. This has been the case ever since, with the Monarch’s eldest child being made King or Queen upon the death or abdication of that Monarch. So far there has been only one exception to this. About a hundred years ago, the eldest child of the then Monarch was universally disliked as an adult and his passage to become King was blocked by the majority of the population. His younger brother, Francis, became King but upon Francis’s death, the daughter of the unpopular descendent became Queen as she hadn’t inherited any of his dislikeable traits.’
‘I see. Thanks for the explanation. I think I understand now. So what does the King or Queen actually do?’ asked Will.
‘Mostly, they provide a steadying influence upon some of our more extreme politicians, so maintaining a degree of stability. Politicians serve a five-year term and then seek re-election. This can give some of them a rather short-term thought horizon, rather than thinking of the effects their decisions can have in the longer term. They are only allowed to act as politicians for twenty years, after which they must stand down. The Monarch also gets involved in meeting dignitaries from other planets, as well as acting as an ambassador for us when we are seeking new or improved trade agreements.’
‘In my reality, politicians remain in power for as long as they are elected. Some do it until they decide they’ve had enough, often in older age when they decide they would rather do something else. Is it a full-time job?’
‘I’m not sure that’s an advantage or not. Generally, no. The Queen performs her royal duties every weekday afternoon and one morning a week, as well as some evenings, unless something arises which requires her attention at other times. The rest of the time she manages a number of businesses both on the planet and on Cantabrigia. Her Majesty is a shrewd businesswoman. Although some successful business people are successful at the expense of others, her Majesty has retained her human touch and is popular with most of the population.’
‘Okay, I think I understand. Thank you, Josef’ replied Will, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the explanation.
‘If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.’
By seven o’clock that evening, local time, Will, with Josef’s help, had invested in various items of clothing, as well as a selection of toiletries and other personal items. He was particularly pleased to finally have some footwear he could call his own. Josef had also shown him some of the sights of the City and Will was interested to note how different it was to the equivalent in his own reality. While some parts of the layout were much the same, due to the terrain and the main river running through the centre, he was impressed by the gardens that ran alongside the river in this reality, which were a far cry from the somewhat functional industrial units that occupied the same space in his own reality. After a while, he decided to stop trying to compare the two realities and just enjoy the guided tour that Josef was providing him with. As he collapsed onto his bed, before cleaning up for a dinner in the hotel restaurant, he just wished that he had had more time to sightsee.