This is another Castle AU, Very AU. It is a Science fiction/fantasy story

Disclaimer: Castle is the property of Andrew Marlowe and ABC. I am just borrowing the characters for a while.

Swordwriter.

Author's Note: This is a story I started over two years ago just for myself as I am a major sci-fi fan, especially in the alternate history parallel- world's genre. I just decided to turn it into a Castle story. The characters are very ooc according to canon. I am going to post the first two chapters. If you, my readers don't like them they are coming down

Call Across Space, Call Across time

Prologue

Katherine, Princess Royal of Caledonia, stood looking out her window. The clear, sunny day gave no indication of the storm brewing around New Aberdeen, capitol of Caledonia. That was because the storm was a political storm, not atmospherically related.

Katherine was a tall, slender woman of 24. Large, hazel eyes set in a delicate face, a sensuous mouth and a waist length mass of chestnut hair; she was one of the great beauties of the age. Too intelligent to be vain, she was a Crown Attorney.

There was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" "A page, your highness, His Majesty requests your presence for a meeting, in 30 minutes. "Very well, inform His Majesty that I shall be there." "Yes, Your Highness.

"Damn, there goes my morning." She thought. Caledonia was in a crisis. A constitutional monarchy, the country shared the continent with New Britain to the North and New Spain to the South. Both Caledonia and New Britain had been colonies of England. New Spain still was a colony of Spain.

Caledonia and New Britain had successfully broken away from the mother country 100 years ago. They had cordial relations with each other and with England. Not so, with New Spain. Both Caledonia and New Britain were predominately Protestant, with full religious freedom.

Spain was technically a "Divine Right" monarchy, but was in reality a theocracy whose real ruler was the Prince-Cardinal of Madrid. New Spain followed suit. While France, Italy and most of the other Catholic countries followed a modern, gentle, moderate Catholicism, Spain and her colonies had clung to the aggressive, repressive form of the 15th and 16th centuries.

The continuing disputes between Caledonia and New Spain were both religious and territorial. 50 years ago, New Spain had invaded Caledonia, intending to grab as much territory as possible and force the Caledonians to accept the "True Faith".

The results were disastrous for New Spain. Not only had she failed, but lost vast territory to Caledonia. Caledonia had immediately fortified the new border, but treated her new citizens fairly. As a result, very few wanted to return to the previous rule.

The current Viceroy of New Spain, Carlos De Cordoba, was a lazy, dissolute, man, a prince of Spain. His son, Rodrigo, however was ambitious but a viscous sexual sadist.

Rodrigo was recruiting, heavily, in Europe, for mercenaries, but was such a tightwad that he could only get the poorest quality of a questionable soldiery. He was also drafting large numbers of native troops. He needed huge numbers as the vast majority of his infantry and artillery crews were ignorant Indians or Mestizos. Even most of his noncommissioned officers were illiterate. His commissioned officers mostly bought their commissions and were in the army more for social position, than anything else.

Very few had graduated from Spain's military academy. Most that did were in the engineers or the cavalry. Spain's military was also very conservative. Most of their line infantry carried smoothbore cap locks; their cavalry had musketoons, those who had long arms at all. Only a few of their regiments had rifles and those were all in Spain.

Caledonia's advantages lay in a professional officer corps, most of who were academy graduates. The noncommissioned officers were also professionals. Her enlisted men were all volunteers. They were armed with single shot breech loading rifles and carbines using fixed, smokeless ammunition.

By law, Caledonia's king was also the active commander of the armed forces, actually taking the field with his troops. King James could no longer do this, as he was slowly being crippled with arthritis. This hadn't been critical, until six months ago. James had two sons and four daughters. The sons were twins. Alain, the Crown Prince was two minutes older than Alden. Both were tall, strong, handsome men. Alain was an excellent tactician with a flair for politics. He was Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Guard regiment. Alden, while personally brave, found out, at the Military Academy that he had no talent for tactics at all and couldn't order other men into battle, so on graduation, he had gone to medical school. He was now, a military surgeon.

Six months ago, Alain was killed in a boating accident, that was later found to be no accident at all but an assassination. In the past six months New Spain had been sending increasing demands to New Aberdeen.

Chapter One.

Katherine walked into her father's conference room, wearing her favorite purple with a diamond necklace and earrings. King James, Queen Johanna, Prince Alden and Archbishop Godfrey of Caledonia, were waiting for her. "Please be seated, Katherine," James said.

Katherine, there have been another series of demands from New Spain. Rodrigo has demanded your hand in marriage or he will go to war." Kate stood, her body shaking in outrage. "Father, I will die before I marry that animal! "I know, James said. I would never permit it."

As you know, Alden cannot command in battle. He hasn't the temperament for it. However, if you marry a suitable man, he can become king. "But father, I have met no man that I could love. A Morganatic marriage would kill my spirit, if not my body."

"I know. That is why Godfrey is here. He may have a solution." Godfrey said, "You are familiar with the Oracle, are you not?" "Of course Your Grace. Every noble child must pass the tests of the Oracle, at 12 years old to become a noble in his or her own right."

"There is one aspect of the Oracle that only I, my senior technician and your parents know. There is a prophecy. In the time of Caledonia's greatest crisis, her Princess Royal shall commune with the Oracle. A search shall be made across time and space, through all the worlds of man, to find the Princesses one soul mate, her only love. If found he shall be brought to Caledonia, his true home. He will be the hero, the savior of Caledonia. If not found, the princess will die."

"How can this be true Your Grace?" "The Oracle is an inter-dimensional scanner and transmitter. How it works, we do not know, only how to use it. It can only be used this way, once. Why that is, I don't know either.

"Why will I die, if the search fails?"

"Because your whole psyche will be connected to the Oracle. If you fail, the psychic trauma will be so great, that you will die. If, however, you succeed, you will know a love such as no woman has ever known before, because you will know his whole mind, his soul."

"How much time do I have to decide?" "Very little Your Highness. Tomorrow is the summer solstice. We must draw power from the sun. It is tomorrow or not at all."

"Father, Mother, what shall I do?"

Gently, James put his arms around her. "We cannot advise you, my daughter, this choice is yours, alone to make.

She sat for a few minutes, and then said. "For Caledonia, I will undertake this quest. At least, if I fail, I will never know it. The alternatives, if I do nothing are far worse.

The next morning, Kate, dressed in a simple white gown, entered the chamber of the Oracle. It was a sphere, 30 feet in diameter that appeared to be polished black obsidian. Thick cables led off from its' base. A technician sat at a keyboard. Kate lay back on a couch and Godfrey fitted a sensor net to her head. He handed her a glass of cool liquid. "Drink this, Your Highness. She drank and lay back, closing her eyes.

A deep, resonant voice filled her mind. "Sleep, My Princess, dream of your one true love, your only soul mate. In all the worlds of man, there is only one.

There was a swirl of stars a timeless journey, until she saw a lovely, blue and white world. Coming closer a continent. "Why it looks just like home," she thought. Coming closer she saw a handsome young man, wearing a black shirt and tan trousers with polished boots and a black wide brimmed hat. He was heavily armed with a holstered pistol at his hip, a revolver in a shoulder holster a shotgun in the crook of his arm and a rifle slung across his back. He wore a Bowie knife at his belt and a boot knife. He was standing in a clearing in the woods with his right hand on the head of a Tri-color Collie.

Kate exulted in her mind. Yes! I have found him, my soul mate. I shall live, we shall love.

Richard Alexander Rodgers, Captain, Infantry, United States Army was an Airborne Ranger officer. He'd been badly wounded during his third tour of Afghanistan. He was on recuperative leave, indulging in two of his favorite activities, walking in the woods and shooting. He was helping a friend who owned the land and needed the area cleared of predators and vermin that were preying on his crops and livestock. When in the field he liked to practice with several of his weapons. He carried several boxes of ammunition in a rucksack. Rick was a powerfully built man, two inches over six feet. His hair was brown, his eyes blue. A strong chin, broad cheekbones and a high- bridged nose gave his face a rugged handsomeness.

Graduating from West Point, third in his class, he was a career officer. Although he had chosen Infantry as his branch, he was trained as an engineer and had a fondness for small arms design. Highly intelligent, articulate and affable when he wanted to be, his usual manner was direct and to the point. He did not suffer fools gladly. He'd been an only child, never even knowing who his father was. Having an intense interest in weaponry, from an early age, encouraged by a friend of his mother. Rick was an expert with any type of firearm. He was also an accomplished archer and swordsman. He was a black belt in Karate and Tai Kwon Do and a Golden Gloves boxer, a true weapons master.

Rick felt a tingling in the air and a faint blue glow infused the clearing. Rowdy began to bark. Rick looked up and saw a ghostly face floating among the trees... "What the Hell?"

Was all he got out, before everything went black.

Princess Katherine woke up, her throat felt parched. Godfrey supported her head. "Here, Your Highness, drink this." A cool mint liquid soothed her throat.

She sat up. "How long have I been out?" "Four days, my dear." Her mother said.

"He is here. Do you want to see him?" "Yes, Mother, as soon as I have bathed and changed and eaten something, I'm famished.

Kate, freshly bathed and wearing her usual clothing ate a quick meal then met her parents and Godfrey.

"Follow me, Your Highness." They went to an apartment, its' door guarded by a pair of Royal Guardsmen. The guardsmen presented arms. "Open the door, please." James commanded. "Yes Your Majesty."

They entered the bedroom. A nurse, seated by the bed, rose and curtsied. "How is he?"

James asked. "He is well Your Majesty. He is just sleeping. The sedatives should wear off, shortly."

Rick lay on his back, the covers pulled up to his neck. "He is very handsome, my dear,

a match for you." The queen said.

"What do you know about him," The king asked.

"He is a Captain, Father, a commander of Infantry. He is young for his rank only 26.

There are terms I don't fully understand. He calls himself an Airborne Ranger. That he somehow attacks out of the sky I have seen it in his mind, he and his men jumping out of a flying machine on a device like a big umbrella. He calls it a parachute."

I have been connected to his mind. He is a very good man, a brave one. He has led his men in combat. He has many medals, but does not think that makes him special.

And I love him! But how can that be? I don't know him!"

Godfrey said, gently, "You do know him, Your Highness, more intimately than any woman before has known any man. You have been in his mind. You have seen his soul."

"But will he love me, the same way?"

"He will, in time. Much or little, I don't know. Remember that as you have been in his mind, he has been in yours. But as you knew what was happening, beforehand, he did not, so at this point, it is a dream for him. He will realize, too. But it will be a psychic shock for him and he may need time to adjust. But that he is here and you are alive proves the prophecy. He will love you and he will save the nation!"