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Fiction. © Copyright 1999, Jim Loy
"Daddy wants to watch you teach me something, Jim."
"It is an honor, Your Highness." Jim bowed awkwardly.
"And a great pain in the neck, I am sure."
"No, of course not, Your Highness."
"My little Mirium likes you a great deal."
"I like her a lot, too. And Mirium has an amazing gift for mathematics." He smiled toward the child, who was now drawing pictures on the wall.
"Yes, that is why we chose you to teach her. We Mordagorans do not normally have any interest in the technical subjects. There is no one on the whole planet who could teach her mathematics."
"Well I appreciate the opportunity. She is very talented, Your Highness.
The king lowered his voice, so Mirium could not hear. "I have come to talk to you because I am concerned for Mirium's safety."
Jim was shocked. He didn't know what to say.
The king continued, "The War Council has gained a great deal of power lately. There may be a coup. They are insisting that we declare war on you humans." The Mordagorans were human too. But they did not consider themselves human.
The king could see from Jim's shocked expression that he had not heard of this before. Jim wondered what the king expected him to do. He remained silent while he thought about this news.
"Starting today, there will be extra guards around the palace. They should not get in your way. That one, by the door, is Mirium's bodyguard. He is famous for his fighting skills."
Jim looked at the man. He was large, had a bald head, and had a neutral expression on his face.
"You may have to help Mirium to flee from the palace."
"How? Where to?"
"I will draw up a plan soon. For the time being, just be aware that there is a danger." And the king left.
Be aware? Jim worried for a few minutes. Then he and Mirium got deeply into her differential equations lesson. And the danger seemed to disappear.
That night, on the other side of the city, Jim woke from a deep sleep to a loud pounding on his door. It was his friend Miller. "Get dressed. We gotta evacuate. The Mordagorans have declared war on the human race. There's a rescue ship waiting for us. The shuttle craft is out back." Miller ran off to grab some of his own belongings.
Rescue? What if Mirium needs to be rescued? Jim figured that he probably could not get to the palace anyway. So the shuttle to safety was the obvious choice. His telecommunicator rang. "Hello. Yes Your Highness!"
"Take a taxi to the palace." The line went dead.
Taxi? Isn't there martial law, or something? What if I can't find a taxi? In the corridor, Jim collided with Miller who was carrying two suitcases. Jim said, "I'll meet you on the rescue ship. There's something I gotta do first."
"Do first? You're gonna get left behind."
Jim rushed down the stairs. There was a taxi waiting outside the door. In the distance, Jim could see flashes and streaks of light in the sky. There was the sound of distant explosions. He got into the taxi. Both Jim and the driver said, "To the palace," at the same time.
They arrived at a side door. A woman smiled at Jim as she opened the door for him. Jim rushed to the school room where, on normal days, he taught mathematics to little Mirium. At the door to the school room, a huge man pointed a laser weapon at Jim and shouted, "Freeze, human scum." Jim tried to protest, but the man shouted, "Shut up!" He was Mirium's bodyguard. He looked like he was going to shoot.
There was a bright flash of light. And the bodyguard dropped dead. Then Jim saw the king with a laser weapon in his hand. There was a smile on his face. "Come in please, Jim. We've been expecting you."
Mirium was sitting on the floor, playing with a doll. She exclaimed, "Jim," when she saw him come in the door.
The king handed Jim the laser weapon. "I have to leave. Lock the door. I think you will be safe here." He left.
The king entered the war room. There were several soldiers, in fancy uniforms, directing the battle from computer monitors. The king walked up to one of the soldiers.
"Ah! Your Highness! Have you come to see our first victory of the war?"
"You may want to negotiate for peace, Sir Jaffery."
"Your Highness must be joking."
"No. My daughter has been kidnapped by her mathematics teacher. He is human, you know. He is armed. He shot the bodyguard. I think that he has taken her out of the palace. He was demanding an end to the hostilities."
Sir Jaffery was stunned. "But we cannot stop now. We are winning." He added belatedly, "Your Highness."
"I think that you are losing. The people will not support your war if you cause my daughter to die."
"We will rescue her."
"It is too late for that." The king pointed to a television monitor which showed a recording of himself addressing the public. In it the king told of the kidnapping of his daughter, and of the kidnapper's demands that peace be restored.
Sir Jaffery sighed in defeat. "You arranged this, didn't you, Your Highness?"
"Does it matter?"
Sir Jaffery chuckled unhappily. "I should call your bluff." He thought for a moment as he stared into the king's eyes. Then he said, "You win." And the war ended within seconds.
Only later did Jim learn that he had kidnapped Mirium and stopped the war. He was a hero back home on earth, and here on Mordagora.