Chapter 5

The grey wall of an interdiction field went up, totally enclosing the Palace Gardens and the four assault shuttles that had taken up station just inside the outer limits of the impressive gardens. From the hovering shuttles stepped the first of the Marines who descended swiftly to the ground, the tractor beams of the dropships depositing the troops quickly and precisely around the gathered guests.

The two young Royals were grabbed and unceremoniously bundled up by their minders and literally dragged towards the Music room and the relative safety of the confines of the Palace. The Queen spotting the commotion around them moved as quickly as she could towards the Palace, accompanied by her own security detachment who’d nervously drawn their own weapons.

“Wait!” called the monarch, amazingly stopping the couples’ security detail in its tracks. “That is the Confederacy,” she said, “and they are not going to be attacking us! So let us deal with this calmly and sensibly,” she added when she finally caught the small group up. Around her the four men who’d been accompanying her positioned themselves and prepared for the worst while hoping that their sovereign was right in her assessment.

The Marines edged around the entire gardens, effectively surrounding the occupants, and once that was done two Marines strode towards the Royal party, one with an officer’s markings and the other a senior NCO. They kept their hands in view and made no aggressive moves as they approached and then came to a halt just short of the protective cordon.

“Your Majesty,” announced the officer, “I’m Captain Wainright of the Confederacy Space Marines and as I’m sure you are aware I’m here to carry out an extraction for the new colony being established on the planet Albion.”

“Captain,” acknowledged the Queen, “I assume you have a procedure you need to follow to gather the volunteers for this new colony.”

“Yes Ma’am, we have,” confirmed the Captain. “It would help if you could restrain the various members of your security detail,” he glanced at the two men who were protecting the Royal children. “I was in the Regiment and know how messy it could get if they’re not stood down.”

The Queen followed his gaze; “Gentlemen, the Prince and Princess have volunteered for service with the Confederacy, that is their decision and one I wholeheartedly agree with. Please step aside so that the Captain can proceed as he is required to do.”

The two members of the Special Air Service Regiment - which had taken over the Royal protection duties from the police following the attack which had killed so many members of the Royal family - looked from their Queen to the Marine Captain. Both men silently promised retribution if any thing went astray, an unspoken promise that the Marine Captain accepted stoically, before the bodyguards moved back a couple of paces.

Around the garden people were watching the drama unfold on the patio, many of them still a little confused at what they had been caught up in. The thoughts foremost in most minds were ‘Is this a normal extraction?’ ‘Is this a kidnapping?’ and much more prevalent, ‘Can I get selected?”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” said the Captain acknowledging the Queen’s assistance before he turned to address the crowd.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” boomed his amplified voice, “this is an extraction of volunteers for service in the Confederacy.” He nodded to the senior NCO who’d accompanied him to the Queen; he in turn relayed an instruction to the surrounding Marines.

“If you look around you will see several people holding up large purple banners,” and around the periphery of the garden eight Marines unfurled the described banners. “Would those who’ve volunteered for service please make your way to the nearest banner. At the same time would those who haven’t volunteered please move to the centre of the garden.”

It took a moment but slowly people started to move around. The Captain stepped back and Her Majesty moved forward to his side.

“How many volunteers are there?” she asked. They’d aimed to get a full one thousand but there were always absentees from these events for one reason or another.

“The AIs are telling us there are nine hundred and seventy-eight, Ma’am, plus several that have high enough CAP scores that haven’t volunteered,” Captain Wainright said pointedly, as he watched the remainder of the people mill around.

“How long is this going to take?” Beatrice asked.

The Captain sighed, “Longer than I really like Ma’am,” he said, “but you know why this has to be done in one hit, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she said looking at her children. “Shouldn’t they be heading for one of the registration points?” she asked suddenly.

“That’s all right Ma’am, my First Sergeant has got it in hand,” said the Captain indicating the Marine who’d accompanied him earlier. The Marine had just finished looking at the CAP ID cards of the Royal children and that of Steven Brown, who’d joined them. He pointed back towards the Captain and Steven headed in that direction and the Marine turned his attention back to the Queen’s children.

It took nearly thirty minutes to get an accurate count of who was there and what their status was. The final figures were nine hundred and seventy-eight volunteers of whom seven hundred and ninety-two were under sixteen. There were another seventeen with CAP scores high enough but whom hadn’t registered as volunteers for whatever reason. That left, in round numbers, six thousand who could put themselves forward as concubines and another six thousand under the age of fourteen who could not do so.

Roger Wainright looked at his former sovereign and decided to make a suggestion. “Ma’am, I’d suggest that you go inside if you’re even a little squeamish,” he said. “What’s going to happen next often gets a little extreme and...”

Beatrice looked the Marine firmly in the eye, “Captain, I know what’s coming and I’m prepared for it. If I don’t stay and watch how can I, in all honesty, go on television and tell the country that what occurred here was not only necessary but that it was carried out correctly.”

Captain Wainright found himself nodding in understanding, “In that case I’d better get started,” he said stepping away from the Queen.

His amplified voice boomed over the garden, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we now come to the selection process that I’m sure you all have heard of. Well this time there have been a few changes to the procedure and I’m going to run through them now. This applies only to the potential concubines so could they and those who are under fourteen please pay attention.”

He looked over the crowd and felt the weight of their expectations pressing on him. “First of all we need to achieve a degree of separation so when I tell you to move I want all of the children,” he paused for a moment then emphasised, “that’s anyone under the age of fourteen.” Another pause, “to move over to the areas by the blue banners and sit down. At the same time I want all of those who are mothers already and who wish to be considered for evacuation to move into a group over here, under the yellow banners.” As he spoke four large banners, two of them yellow and two of them blue, were unfurled by his Marines. The Captain finished with, “Will all other people remain where they are presently situated, sit if it will be more comfortable.”