Free Nightmare Kingdom: A Romance of the Future by Barbara Bartholomew

didn’t look away from the Aremians as he responded, “That’s right, Karen. We can go back to Kevin Hartley and the council and let them debate the matter for a week and a half and then tell us what to do. In the meantime I wouldn’t give Claire and her girls twenty four hours to survive on Capron.”
    They all knew the reputation of the prison planet . Jamie vowed that he would go to their rescue if he had to do it all by himself. After all, he now had the transportation he needed to get to Capron. He looked past the imperial soldiers to the little ship now only slightly lighted, quieted from the swirling beacon of light that had come in for a landing.
    Old George, the only one of the group who didn’t carry a rocket gun because he simply hadn’t the strength to support one, now joined him at the front. “We need some evidence that you speak for Claire,” he said in his gentle voice. “For all we know, this could be some sort of trick to take over our city.”
    The Aremian leader gave a jerky nod, than seemed to wait a moment as though listening elsewhere. If Jamie hadn’t known better he would have thought he was in radio contact with someone. But, of course, the Aremians were disdainful of such technology.
    “The empress sends greetings to you and to Sylvie and the rest of the elders. She regrets never having actually met you, having had to depart from New London rather abruptly.”
    This was true enough and not something just anyone would know. Claire had been among those kidnapped by the Aremians in those first days after arrival before they’d even known that the elders of New London had survived the purge that had taken the rest of the original settlers.
    “I regret to say,” old George answered, “that my dear friend Sylvie is no longer with us. In fact I am the only surviving elder.”
    “My empress expresses her regret at the losses time has brought and greets her old friends: Boots, Skinny and Mack.”
    These were the nicknames Claire had first hung on him and Isaiah. This had to be her, but how? It was as if she was not only hearing, but seeing them standing here confronting her cruiser crew. Even Karen looked taken aback.
    She and Claire had not known each other long enough to become friends. Initially the tall fair woman who was now Mack’s wife, had been a rival for command of the community.
    “Wait a damn minute,” Karen yelled. “Just one minute. If Claire is back on good old Capron, how is she talking to you here? This is all one big fat scam, Jamie, that’s as obvious as the nose on your face.”
    “Obvious,” agreed Mack, backing up his wife.
    “Not obvious at all,” George added pleasantly. “Seems to me a far speaker is involved.”
    If a stony-faced Aremian could look embarrassed, then this one did. “That is possible,” he answered conservatively, addressing himself to George and ignoring the others.
    “The emperor is deceased,” George continued the conversation. “He was the only remaining far speaker.”
    “Though they do say the kid emperor might have some talent,” Karen added.
    “Not the emperor,” the Aremian corrected. “He would not speak for Empress Claire. Further than that I can not comment.”
    Nearly had to be one of the girls, Jamie considered and eliminated possibilities in a flash of thought. But the Aremians claimed females never were far speakers. And he’d never heard of anybody being able to more than hear and speak over the distances. This one seemed able to see out of this guy’s eyes.
    He was about to ask what Claire wanted them to do when the sound of roaring motors disturbed the quiet of the night and he looked around to see lights approaching from nearby New London.
    This wasn’t exactly a surprise. No doubt people back in town had been aware for some time of the landing. Maybe they’d just now gotten up the courage to come and investigate.
    The bad news was that this meant Kevin Hartley and his security staff were approaching. That