by Saxon Andrew
He stood up as the ship moved in and landed on the plateau next to the small ship hidden under the shed. The port opened and Ryshana came running out. Jab rushed toward her and took her in his arms. He kissed her and held her tightly. Ryshana broke the kiss and said, “Tal is right.”
“About what?”
“You’re the last man standing.” Ryshana saw the woman staring at them and she forcefully pushed Jab away, “AND JUST WHO IS THIS!?!”
Jab looked at the woman, “I really don’t know.”
Ryshana’s expression turned angry as she glared at the woman. The woman shrugged, “I guess he’s right about that.”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?!” Ryshana yelled.
The woman shrugged, “During the entire time I’ve been here, he’s never asked me my name.”
Ryshana jerked her head around to Jab and he took her hand and pulled her toward the woman. “Ryshana, do you love me?”
“How can you ask me that now?”
Jab stopped and looked in her eyes, “DO…YOU…LOVE…ME?!”
“You know the answer to that, Jab.”
“Then if you do, take her into the cabin and find out who she is and why I saved her.”
“Just who do you think you…”
Jab put his hand over her mouth, “If you love me, take her and ask her any question you want.”
Ryshana glared at Jab and glanced at the woman. She was furious and knew that the only way this woman was still alive was because Jab inoculated her against the spores. Ryshana turned from Jab and he quickly held his communicator out to her, “Take this with you.”
“WHY?!”
“There are some images on it you should see. Look at them when you get inside.”
• • •
Ka looked at Tal, “Boy, she is not a happy camper!”
Tal watched Ryshana and Jab on the monitor and nodded. A missile operator said, “She’s a real looker, Sir.”
Tal sighed, “You’re not helping, Alex.”
“I’m just saying.”
• • •
Ryshana forcefully took the communicator from his hand and turned to the woman, “Come with me, Bimbo!”
The woman replied, “My name is Lilly.”
“Whatever… come with me.” The woman looked at Jab and he nodded. Which only infuriated Ryshana more. They walked in the cabin and Ryshana slammed the door behind her, “WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH MY HUSBAND?!”
The woman’s head tilted, “What is a husband?”
Ryshana looked up and rolled her eyes, “MY MATE!!”
“He never told me he had a mate?”
“DID YOU ASK?!”
“I asked him numerous times who he was and why he brought me here but he refused to answer. I heard you call him Jab, is that his name?”
“You don’t know his name?” Ryshana demanded.
“He showed up at my community when they were planning to punish me and stopped them from doing it. He ordered them to leave me unharmed until I came of age. Then he left. That was the only time I saw him until I woke here.”
Ryshana stared at her and remembered the communicator. She activated it and pulled up the images. She looked at the first one and was shocked by what she saw. She sat down in a chair and looked at the other three images before looking up at the woman. The woman shrugged, “I was attacked while I was asleep. I was hit in the head and don’t remember anything until I woke here. The Law Enforcer told me he used some kind of solution to heal me.”
Ryshana stared at the woman and said in a normal tone, “Sit down…please.” She sat down and Ryshana asked, “Why were you punished?”
Lilly sighed, “I told the community leader that I would never accept a mate.”
“Why would you do that?”
Lilly looked away and answered, “My mother and older sister were murdered when I was ten years old for simply saying that working in the fields was hard work. My father and four brothers all died serving in the fleet and I swore that I would never allow my children to be a part of the culture that killed them.”
Ryshana’s eyes narrowed, “What community did you live in?”
Lilly shrugged, “The one just outside the Holy City.”
Ryshana’s eyes narrowed, “Was your mother named Olivia.”
Lilly’s eyes flew open, “Yes, how do you know that?”
Ryshana sighed, “I was there when they were taken out into the forest and killed by the law enforcer. My mother told me that it was the evilest thing she had ever witnessed.”
“I don’t remember you.”
“Get real, Lilly. There were more than ten thousand people living in the community and your family lived on the opposite side and worked a different field.”
“Are you saying you lived in my community?”
Ryshana nodded, “Yes, and the man who saved you also saved me from being killed. He took me away with him and is now my…mate.”
“What is he doing here?”
Ryshana shook her head, “Being the wonderful man he is, Lilly. Let me tell you everything that’s happened.”
• • •
Jab sat outside and waited. He knew trying to explain what happened to Ryshana wasn’t possible. She’d ignore him and just start screaming. She might listen to the woman long enough to cool down. Two hours later, Ryshana and the woman came out of the cabin and Jab asked, “Is everything cool?”
Ryshana smiled, “It is. Dispense with the Borgt disguise. I told her about it.”
“But the uniform won’t fit if I do, Ryshana.”
“You won’t be wearing it much longer.”
Jab changed to his normal appearance and Lilly gasped, “I know you told me about this but I had difficulty believing you.”
Ryshana smiled, “Jab, Lilly wants to know why you saved her. Go ahead and tell her.”
Jab glanced at Lilly and then turned back to Ryshana, “I saved her because she reminded me of you.” Ryshana smiled and went into his arms. Jab held her tightly and asked, “How is our daughter?”
“She’s beautiful, Jab. I named her Teresia Ann Montoya; I call her Tam.” She hugged him tightly again and stepped back, “Jab you fly the shuttle. We need to get moving; I’m sure Tal is bothered by the delay.
The three boarded the shuttle and Jab lifted it. Ryshana turned to him and asked, “If you don’t mind, take us over the community where you found me and above the Holy City.”
Jab nodded and turned the shuttle west. Lilly stood beside their chairs staring out of the viewport and her hands went to her throat when the shuttle came out of the trees above the community. There were bodies everywhere. People had died in the fields while working and there were hundreds of bodies in the center of the community where they had apparently gathered. Jab brought the view in close to the platform and they saw the community leader slumped over the podium. Lilly turned to Jab, “Did you do this?”
Jab exhaled slowly, “Yes.” Jab turned the shuttle and flew toward the Holy City. He arrived on the edge of the city and saw numerous smoke plumes rising above the city from fires still burning uncontrolled. There were literally millions of bodies littering the streets everywhere they flew. Jab shook his head and Ryshana put her hand on his arm, “There was no other way, Jab. The Brotherhood was a disease and it’s only right that one would kill them.”
“What’s that red haze?” Lilly asked.
Ryshana turned to her, “That is clouds of spores, Lilly. Tal told me that the spores will reproduce at an incredible speed when they infect a human body. Every time an infected person exhales, they release millions of them.” Ryshana glanced at the viewport, “However, if there are no live bodies to infect, the spores will degrade and disappear within four months after they’re introduced to open air.”
Ryshana saw Jab’s sorrow and said softly, “I’ve seen enough. Take us into orbit and stop the shuttle close to the Admiral’s ship.”
Lilly looked at them, “What happens to me?”
J
ab turned to her, “For the foreseeable future, Ryshana and I will be taking care of you until you find your place in our civilization.” He turned to Ryshana, “Right.” Ryshana nodded. “Besides, you’ve never had a sister, Lilly will make a good one.”
Ryshana laughed out loud and turned to Lilly, “He’s absolutely right. I’ll make sure you are taken care of…Sis.”
Lilly smiled and hugged Ryshana, “I lost my older sister. It’s good to have another one.”
• • •
The shuttle arrived five miles from the Zak’s Jil and Ryshana turned to Jab, “Stop the shuttle here.” Jab frowned and stopped the shuttle. Ryshana stood up and started removing her uniform, “Both of you strip down and take off everything you have on.”
“Why?” Jab asked.
“Because our clothes have the spores on them and they are still viable. We can’t risk taking any of them on the Admiral’s ship.”
“But we’ve been inoculated from them.”
“I know Jab, but some of the planets this ship will go to aren’t. Get moving.”
Lilly was shaking her head, “I’ve never been undressed in front of a man.”
Ryshana chuckled, “Now is not the time for modesty, Lilly. Turn your back and Jab will be behind you instead of in front.” Lilly stared at Ryshana and then pulled her dress over her head. Jab took off his uniform and kept his back to Lilly. Ryshana removed her last piece of clothing and turned to Lilly, “Everything, Lilly! And that includes your shoes.” Lilly rolled her eyes and removed her undergarments. She stepped out of her shoes and Ryshana turned to Jab, “Lead the way to the bay.” The three of them left the bridge and went through the pressurized portal into the landing bay. Ryshana closed the portal and then pressed a button on the wall. Immediately, six nozzles on the ceiling started blowing out a thick white cloud of vapor. Ryshana quickly said, “You can breathe the vapor and Tal says it would be better if you do. This vapor will kill any spores in the bay and we need to stand here for ten minutes.”
After the time had elapsed, Ryshana ordered, “Ok, step away from where you’re standing, sit down on the floor, and raise your feet off the floor.”
“Why?” Lilly inquired.
“Some of the spores could be on the bottom of your feet where the vapor can’t get to them. Give it another ten minutes before you stand up.”
Lilly laughed slightly, “This vapor is so thick, I can’t see you.”
Jab added, “And we can’t see you, either.”
Ryshana waited fifteen minutes to make sure and then stood up and walked to the back wall of the bay, “Alright, both of you walk toward my voice and take a spacesuit to put on. Lilly, I’ll help you put yours on before I do.”
“Couldn’t some of the spores be inside the suits?” Jab asked.
“Tal treated the suits and any spore that touches them will be killed,” Ryshana replied. Fifteen minutes later, Ryshana took their hands and led them to the bay’s port, “Alright, this is important. This door has been modified to snap open instantly. We need to be standing just inside the door and allow the air and vapor in the bay to blow us out into open space. Make sure you don’t touch anything on the way out. There could be spores inside the door seals or clinging to the shuttle’s hull. Jab, you get between us and grab us the moment you push the green button.”
Jab saw the illuminated green button through the vapor and said, “Ok, in three…two…one, he pressed the button and grabbed Lilly around the waist. There was a slight pause, and they were blown tumbling out of the shuttle’s bay. Jab quickly said, “Both of you hold on to me while I stop us tumbling. Lilly and Ryshana gripped Jab’s suit as he used the small suit jets to stop the tumbling and bring them to a stop. The giant landing bay door on the Zak’s Jil began opening and Ryshana smiled, “Take us home, Jab; Tam is waiting to meet her father.”
Jab pulled Ryshana tighter to his side and then activated the suit jets. Jab said softly, “We’re resigning from the service, Ryshana.”
“I know.”
“You’re ok with that?”
“What needed to be done has. All I want now is to be with my family in a safe place.” Ryshana paused and added, “That includes you, too, Lilly.” They arrived in the landing bay and, just before the huge ship flew away, a pulse cannon vaporized the shuttle.
• • •
They left the Brotherhood’s home world behind and the fires eventually burned themselves out. The planet looked normal…for a while. Then thousands of berserkers and giant warships began falling out of orbit causing massive explosions and huge craters on the surface. The warships brought to the planet to defend it ultimately destroyed it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Zak’s Jil arrived at the new colonies and Tal stuck out his hand to Jab; they were standing in the Brazils giant landing bay and Tal hated that he was leaving the service, “I hate to see you leaving. I’ve really depended on you and Ryshana.”
“It’s time, Tal. I have a family to take care of and I’ve finished killing others.”
“You sound like you blame yourself for the deaths on the Holy Planet,” Tal observed.
“Tal, I was the one that made it happen.”
“You’re looking at this the wrong way, Jab.” Jab’s eyebrows came together. “If a missile is fired at a warship, is the missile responsible for the ones that die on the ship?”
“It certainly caused it!” Jab replied.
“That’s true, but the one responsible for it is the one that launched the missile.”
Jab stared at Tal and then blinked, “Are you suggesting you are responsible for the billions that died?”
“Well, I developed the spores and I’m the one that sent you there to deliver them. You were simply a tool I used to make it happen. I have the ultimate responsibility for what came out of it.”
Jab continued to stare at Tal and then asked, “How does that make you feel?”
“Jab, if you knew Ryshana and Tam were going to be killed by the Brotherhood, would you hesitate to do it?”
“Of course not!”
“Well, if I didn’t develop the spores, thousands of my sailors would have died fighting against the Brotherhood. I’d do it again to protect them.”
“And you’re not bothered by how many died?”
Tal shrugged, “I guess that’s the assassin in me, Jab. I can live with what’s happened and not lose sleep over it.”
Jab slowly nodded his head and smiled, “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”
“It’s the only way, Jab.”
Ryshana and Ka walked up and Ka handed Tam to Ryshana, “Stay in touch. I wish you’d stay a while longer.”
Ryshana laughed and nodded toward Lilly who was surrounded by a group of sailors, “We need to get Lilly out of here. Every sailor on board is all ga-ga over her. She needs some time to settle in before she chooses someone to be interested in.”
“She is a very extraordinary woman, Ryshana.” Ka paused and turned to Jab, “Thank you for all you’ve sacrificed and done for us.”
“The biggest toll was not being here for Tam’s birth,” Jab replied. “I intend to make up for it.”
Ryshana put an arm around Jab’s waist and Tam laughed. “Tam is a very happy baby. We’ll see you when you get back to Earth.”
They turned and headed toward a high-speed courier. Ryshana yelled for Lilly to join them and she reluctantly left the sailors walking toward the small interstellar vessel. Ka looked up at Tal, “I’m going to miss them.” Tal nodded. They watched Jab maneuver the courier into a launch tube and saw the door close behind it. A few moments later, the courier launched and immediately changed course as it left the Brazil. It was headed back to the Milky Way and a new home.
• • •
The Order Giver arrived at the Crayen home world with his fleet and stared down at the dead invaders filling the large cities. It was finally over and they were gone. Now all that remained was removing them and their creations from the planet and
he had years to make that happen. There were thousands of engineers and construction workers on board his ships and he looked forward to starting the job. A month had passed and the human was right about the Invaders no longer posing an issue in taking his planet back.
“Order Giver. I have a Cyren wishing to speak with you.”
The OG’s eyes narrowed and he said, “Put him on my screen.” This was unusual. Why would the Cyrens be contacting him.
“I’ve contacted you to determine the status of your war against the Invaders.”
“The war is over.”
The Cyren’s color instantly changed, “What are you talking about?”
“Every planet the Invaders conquered has been freed from them. I’m at our home world now and about to start removing them from the planet.”
“HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!”
“The black ships used a biological weapon to kill all of them. The war is over.”
The Cyren said with a deadly tone, “The war won’t be over until those black ships and the planets they’ve settled are removed.”
The OG was stunned by the comment, “But…they removed the Invaders. It’s because of them that we no longer have to continue fighting them. They are not our enemies.”
“But we do consider them enemies!” the Cyren sneered back. “You will immediately take your ships back to the planet they came from and remain there! Failure to comply will lead to the destruction of your civilization! You will notify all the other civilizations that fought against the Invaders to stay at their planets until we authorize them to leave!”
The Order Giver’s monitor went dark and his communication leader asked, “Should we warn the humans?”
The OG lowered his head and shook it, “We can’t run the risk the Cyrens will hear us; they’ll attack us immediately if we do. Order the fleet back to port.”
The OG stared at his home world in the monitor and feared the Invaders were being replaced by another civilization more ruthless than they were. But he had no choice but to comply; no one could stand up to the Cyren’s giant warships.
• • •
“ADMIRAL!”
Tal lifted his communicator and saw Drum, “What’s going on, Drum?”