Princess Rhea swept me into her arms, the silky floor-length sleeves from her blue dress covering my entire body. The corset and matching shoulder pads she had on were made entirely out of golden leaves and complemented the rest of her dress. “By the Goddess, child, I don’t know if you’re brave or just incredibly reckless!” My hands were still shaking a little bit and I could still feel a bit of warmth from the bottom of the bowl.
“It was a huge risk, but I had to take it. I knew that she wasn’t going to shoot me if I moved closer to her. She needed me to be alive and well so we could get onto the rocket together. Plus, I knew that she was feeling very relaxed because everything was going her way. I felt like there was a slight chance that she might take a small suggestion, like having a bowl of hot water brought over to her to wash her face, without even thinking that someone standing next to her might splash the water in her face. I also doubt that she thought the very person who made this suggestion, her helpless captor who has done everything she has told her to do, would even think of turning on her.”
The princess laughed. “You’re a very resourceful young lady, Miss Cosmic Callisto.” I couldn’t stop myself from blushing; receiving such a compliment from the princess was a great honor.
“Are you going to press charges against Janus and Josuke?” I asked.
“No, I’m not going to press any charges against Josuke. I have the rings back in my possession and that’s all that matters to me. Janus, on the other hand—I can’t let her go free. She held a member of the royal family hostage and there’s no way I can persuade everyone on the ship to let this go. She’s going to have to suffer the consequences for her actions. However, I’m going to ask my father to have mercy upon her. To be honest, I feel sorry for her.” Princess Rhea traced her fingers across the edge of the lockbox that The Rings of Saturn were in.
“Your Highness, is what Janus was saying about her grandmother and your grandmother true?” I was probably totally out of line for asking such a sensitive question, but after everything I’d been through, I had to know.
“Yes, all of it’s true. In fact, they were friends, from what I’ve heard. When my grandfather, King Torran the First, started to show more interest in Janus’s grandmother, my grandmother started all of these nasty rumors about her behind her back in an effort to get her kicked out of court and to end her engagement to my grandfather. My grandmother was a very two-faced woman. She treated everyone that way.” The princess picked her golden leaf crown from out of her orange hair. “If it weren’t for my grandmother and her two-faced actions, I wouldn’t have the life that I have now and neither would Janus. It’s amazing how something so small had such a profound effect on both of our destinies.”
I wondered if both Janus and Josuke knew how lucky they were. They were basically getting a slap on the wrist for robbing the princess of Planet X. It sounded like Janus was going to get a royal pardon from the very person she had stolen from. How lucky they were!
“Cosmo, you have to tell us everything that happened before you boarded our ship! How did you figure everything out?” Pallene asked. The three of us sat down at the table together. In about thirty minutes, I was able to catch up the princess and Pallene on everything that had transpired before Janus and I came on board.
“Cole and Phoebe are engaged and she didn’t want to talk about it because she was afraid her lover would get in trouble. Oh, how beautiful!” Pallene blew her nose on a napkin. “Their story sounds like it came straight from out of a romance novel!” Pallene pushed away the tears that were in her eyes.
The princess was sitting with her arms crossed tightly; no doubt she was pondering everything that I had said and was thinking about what her next move would be. “I want to have a press conference on the Titan immediately. The people need to know about everything that’s gone on over the past few days. But I want to hold this conference right in the middle of the Martian living quarters. Maybe by seeing the conditions that the workers on the ship live in, that will start a real dialogue about Martian and human relations.” The princess turned toward me. “Cosmo, I want to meet your nanny, Wendy, along with all of the other Martian women you told me about. Especially Mimas and her daughter. Also, I want you to stand next to me during my press conference.”
Just thinking about standing next to the princess during her press conference made my heart leap for joy. I started to imagine all of the wonderful opportunities that could come my way with this kind of exposure. I wondered if it was possible that people would come to me personally and ask me to solve mysteries for them. I mean, that was something that could happen. I wondered what the girls would think when they saw me on television. I wondered what my parents would think when they saw me and when they heard about their one and only daughter placing herself in harm’s way to solve a case on her own. Maybe I could get the princess to grant a pardon on my behalf so they wouldn’t be so angry at me!
Princess Rhea’s chief of security wasn’t all too pleased with the idea of her traveling to the Titan to do an unscheduled press conference, especially after everything that had happened today with Janus. But she managed to convince him to let her go and speak to the people on a ship that was filled with both those who loved her and those who hated her for no other reason than because she had green skin, in an area on the ship that was dimly lit and where anyone could hide behind any corner with some sort of weapon. Honestly, the more I started to think about it, the more I found myself siding with the princess’s chief of security.
Before the princess’s ship landed on the Titan, I called everyone that the princess wanted to see at her press conference, from Hati on down to Prometheus. To my surprise, I was able to get hold of Kari; she was in the ship’s infirmary, and thankfully, she had managed to get out of Mr. Hayate’s house unscathed. The doctors were keeping her there as a precaution, but they said if she wanted to go, she could. We all agreed to meet at Kari’s house after the princess’s press conference. The princess’s guards performed a quick security sweep before they let us off her private ship onto the Titan’s parking lot and into the Martian living quarters. There, we were greeted by the members of the press, who were hungry to actually have something to report on. Just making the small trip from the parking lot to the Martian quarters, I thought that I was going to go blind from all of the flashing lights coming from the reporters’ cameras.
Upon seeing the princess, every Martian reacted in their own way—from the elderly with their frail bones that barely allowed them to bow in reverence, to the young children who were doing cartwheels in the street next to their mothers, who couldn’t stop crying, on down to their husbands who wanted to cry, but their pride wouldn’t allow them to. It was such a beautiful sight, one that I’d never forget, and I was so happy that I was a part of it. As the princess greeted the people and took questions from the press, I quietly walked behind her; this was her moment and I didn’t want to take it away from her. Suddenly, the princess stopped and she turned toward me. “This young lady beside me solved the case of the missing Rings of Saturn. This is Detective Cosmic Callisto Caprica.”
All of the bright flashing lights instantly turned toward me as the princess kept her hands on my shoulders. A silver-colored microphone appeared from out of the bright flashing lights and underneath my mouth. “Detective Caprica, tell us: how did you solve the case?” Did that reporter just call me Detective Caprica? God knows I’ve been called everything from a little girl to sweetheart to being told that I’m just playing detective; hearing someone call me “detective” sounded absolutely beautiful right now.
I quickly composed myself before I spoke into the silver microphone. “I did what any detective would do. I just followed the clues, which eventually led me to the culprit.”
The princess pulled me away from the microphone and whispered in my ear, “I’m ready to go and meet your friends now.” She turned toward the members of the press. “If you’ll excuse us, Detective Caprica and I have some private business to attend to. I know you all have plenty of questions and we will be releasing an official statement soon.”
The princess’s guards rallied around us as I led the way to Kari’s house. The door to Kari’s house was pushed open just a little bit. Princess Rhea pulled the door back, and standing in the doorway in a pink dress that had lacy white pockets, with her orange hair pulled back into a curly ponytail, was Anthe. Her tiny hands were wrapped around a napkin; a few plastic daffodils were stuffed inside of it. Anthe pinched the corner of her pink dress up as she slowly went into a curtsy.
“My name is Anthe. I’m pleased to meet your acquaintance, Your Highness.” Anthe presented the flowers to Princess Rhea and then she turned toward Mimas. “Momma, did I do it right?” Mimas kept her hand over her mouth as she shook her head yes.
Princess Rhea bent down and gave Anthe a small peck on her forehead. “Thank you so much, little one.” The princess made her way toward Mimas. Poor Mimas—she tried to hold her composure, but she completely unraveled into an emotional mess once the princess was in front of her. “Cosmo told me about you and your daughter. I’m so sorry about everything.”
Mimas looked down at the princess’s hands; you could tell that she wanted to shake them, but she was too nervous to do so. Princess Rhea pulled Mimas in for a hug, and Mimas quickly dissolved into a puddle of emotions. Once Mimas gathered herself, the princess turned her attention toward everyone in the house. “I’m grateful for everything that each of you have done for Cosmo. I want to reward each of you personally for your bravery.” Oh how wonderful! I wondered what the princess had in store for them.
“Mimas, Hati, and Kari, I know that you risked losing your jobs by helping Cosmo and I would love to have you come aboard my ship and be one of my ladies in waiting. If that position doesn’t suit you, I will give you whatever position you would like to have.” All three women, including rough-and-tough Hati, burst into tears. “And, Mimas, if you decide to take me up on my offer, I’ll make sure that Anthe receives the best of everything. Several of my ladies have their children with them on the ship and I’m sure that Anthe would make a wonderful addition to the group.”
How generous and thoughtful! I could only imagine what kind of a positive impact this would have on Anthe’s life. The princess turned toward Prometheus. “How would you like to be a part of my royal guard?”
Prometheus bowed before the princess. “It would be an honor to work for you, my lady.”
“Cole and Phoebe, I know that your wedding plans were ruined because of what has transpired these past few days. I would like to host your wedding on my sister ship, the Enceladus. You needn’t worry about anything at all.” Phoebe buried her face in Cole’s chest, her shoulders shook uncontrollably, and tears fell from her eyes. “I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries by asking this, but how did you two become a couple?”
Cole blinked back the tears in his eyes. “It’s funny, really. Phoebe would come to clean my office and our small office talk turned into serious discussions about human and Martian relations.” He chuckled. “My Phoebe is actually pretty cute when she’s in the middle of a debate. Her cheeks get all fluffy and red!” Phoebe playfully jabbed Cole in the chest. “I grew up on Pluto and everything that I knew about Martians and Martian life I learned from the people around me. Deep down, I never really believed those things to be true. I’ve learned so much from my Phoebe. If she hadn’t shared the things she had with me, I would probably still be the same wishy-washy guy who went along with the Divided, Yet One Law because everyone else was doing it.”
“That’s beautiful. I’m so happy for you both!” The princess turned toward Wendy; she was standing beside me and I was afraid that she was going to faint at any moment. “As Cosmic Callisto’s guardian, tell me: is there anything that I can do for you? I don’t know what we would have done without her quick thinking and wits.”
Wendy pressed her clasped hands against her chest. “Just keep advocating for Martian rights. That’s what you can do for me.”
Pallene gently tugged the princess’s sleeve. The princess bent down and Pallene quietly whispered into her ear. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to return to the press, who are waiting for me outside. My officers will escort you all to my ship when you’re ready.”
Pallene pulled me aside as the princess headed out the door. “I’m going to need you to come with me to the princess’s ship so we can put our report together on what happened and so she can present her gift to you.” I instantly became dizzy with excitement. I wondered what the princess had in store for me!
It took me about an hour and a half to summarize everything for Pallene. She wanted to know every single detail, even small things like the name of the shop that Anthe and I stopped at before we went back to my hotel room. “Is the princess going to continue with her jewelry showcase at the other locations?”
Pallene looked up from her keyboard. “Oh, most definitely yes! We’re heading to Jupiter after this and we’re going to give a refund to everyone who didn’t get a chance to see the jewelry showcase at this location.” That was good.
“Do you know what’s going to happen to Josuke and Mr. Hayate?” I knew the princess wasn’t going to press any charges against Josuke, but I couldn’t see things ending well for Mr. Hayate after everything that had happened.
“He quit his job, actually. He said he’s going to leave the Titan as soon as possible.” I guess he didn’t really have much of a choice: either quit or wait to be fired. I wondered if he was going to take Josuke with him.
The video phone next to Pallene’s keyboard started to ring; she balanced the phone receiver between her cheek and elbow as she continued to type. After she hung up the phone, she said with a smile on her face, “The princess is ready to see us. She will be here any second.”
I nervously started to rub my hands together. Should I accept whatever gift she might have for me? I mean, the publicity alone that I received by standing next to her was enough. I should have told her that was enough for me. I shouldn’t accept anything else from her. While I was still thinking about how I was going to graciously decline anything the princess was going to give me, she walked through the door with two golden wristlet bags in her hands.
“Here, these are for you, my dear.” I placed both bags in my lap. I pulled on the braided drawstring to the first bag, and it was filled to the brim with sovereign silver, which was official currency for Planet X. My lips started to tremble. I looked up at the princess. “No, not a single word. It would be wrong for me to not pay you for your services.”
The second bag was lying flat on its side on my lap. Just what could be in there? I tugged on the braided drawstring; low and behold, resting inside of the bag was one of The Rings of Saturn. “No, I can’t accept this!” I placed the bag back into the princess’s hand.
“Yes, you can! And you will because I want you to have it!” The princess took the ring out of the gold bag; she slipped it over my hand and onto my wrist. “This is one of the smaller rings; it’s referred to as an inner ring. It’s not as large as the outer rings. Some of the outer rings are so huge that you can wear them as a necklace.”
I hung my head down. “I don’t deserve something like this. It’s far too precious.”
“If it weren’t for you, I would have lost all of The Rings of Saturn. I want you to have it as a special reminder of what you did not only for me, but the entire royal family, and as a symbol of our friendship.”
I felt a lump forming in my throat. I pushed it back down. “Your Highness. For you to consider me a friend, I feel so honored.”
The princess pulled me in for a hug. “Who wouldn’t want to be friends with an intelligent young lady such as yourself? You have a very bright future ahead of you, Cosmic Callisto Caprica. I can feel it in my bones.”
The lump in my throat came back at full force and brought with it all of the emotions that I had been trying to hold back. I pressed the ring up against my chest as tears ran down my cheeks.
After my meeting with the princess, I went back to my hotel room and helped Wendy pack up our belongings. Wendy and I said our goodbyes to Mimas and everyone else before we boarded my dad’s flying saucer. As Wendy drove away from the Titan, I looked down at the ring that the princess had given me. Even out here in the darkness of space, with only the light from the inside of the saucer casting down on it, the ring’s rainbow crystals shone beautifully. I wondered to myself if my future was going to be as bright as the jewels on this ring.
The End