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En route back to Cantabrigia, Will and the rest of the team were resting in the mess room, when Will received a call to visit the Captain. Five minutes later, he was standing in the Captain’s office, with the two marines who had ‘escorted’ him on either side of him. ‘Thank you for your assistance, Will. Without it we would have been oblivious of the threat that the base on Nyx seems to have presented. However, the Queen has expressed some concerns about your knowledge of the base and doesn’t believe your explanation about alternate realities. She’s ordered your immediate arrest and incarceration until such time as she can be provided with sufficient information that provides a suitable explanation of your knowledge of it. I’m sorry, Will, but when the Queen demands it, I have no choice but to obey. I hope you understand. As we’re a small ship, there’s a limit as to how this can be achieved, so I’ll simply restrict you to the mess area and have an armed guard with you until we get back to Cantabrigia. The only other restriction will be that you will be unable to send or receive messages to anyone not on board but I don’t think that will present you with any difficulties. Once we’ve docked, you’ll be escorted off ship and imprisoned in the brig in our Cantabrigia base and then, potentially, taken down to Mercia. Whilst there, you may be ‘invited’ to visit her Majesty. Although she doesn’t believe your tale, she is intrigued by it.’
‘That would explain the armed escort. I did wonder what was going on. I have to say that I’m somewhat disappointed but I realise that the concept will take some people a while to get used to. Hopefully this can all be cleared up within a day or two and I’ll be able to help out again. Speaking of that, I suggest that whoever tests the control box we brought back from the central office does so somewhere that is bound to exist in all realities and, if they might need it, wear a spacesuit. Otherwise, I hate to think what would happen to them.’