The Assassins guild 3: The Rage of the brotherhood

by Saxon Andrew

  “They put this stage right in front of the teacup ride!” Jee started laughing and Tal shook his head, “That damn thing nearly made me cough up my stomach!” Jee laughed even harder. “It’s demon spawn, Jee.”

  Jee asked through his laughter, “Didn’t you come here many times to be alone?”

  Tal snorted, “I thought no one would ever voluntarily come near the thing!” Jee tried not to laugh but didn’t manage to pull it off. All the news announcers wondered what they were discussing that was so funny but were fortunately left in the dark.

  The ceremony was being televised to every monitor on Earth as well as the fifty-colonies. The colonies were given a dramatic view of the Alpha and the giant warship made many of them pause to wonder about just how advanced Earth had become. The Colonies had nothing to compare with the giant warship they saw on their monitors.

  Tal and Jee walked to the right side of the platform and Tal took his place on a big X with his name on it. He glanced at Jee and saw he also had an X telling him where to stand. He looked at Jee and saw him shrug, “In all the excitement, we might forget what to do.”

  “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do!” Tal replied.

  Jee chuckled, “Well, you got the first thing right; you’re on the X. Just hang on and enjoy the ride.”

  Tal could hear the monitors in the distance telling the crowds about his and Jee’s history fighting in the LMC along with all the advancements his bride had caused to happen on Earth. The announcements were the only thing keeping the crowds quiet as they struggled to hear what was being said. Tal glanced at his watch, “Where is Ka? There’s only five minutes remaining.”

  “RELAX, TAL!” Jee said forcefully while keeping his eyes on the crowds. “The only thing you need to worry about is getting your vows straight at the appropriate time.”

  Tal snorted, “Easy for you to say. I feel like a prize pig being judged at a fair.” Jee started snickering and Tal said, “Hey, I’m not kidding!”

  Suddenly, the Alpha rose quickly as another Alpha arrived to replace it. Tal looked up grateful for the replacement, “It’s hot out here, we can use the shade.”

  Jee shook his head, “Will you please be quiet! This is a solemn ceremony and I’m about to fall out laughing.” Tal snorted and looked up as the second Alpha came moving in. It stopped and hovered above the site of the wedding.

  Suddenly, every loudspeaker in all the four-parks announced, “WILL EVERYONE PLEASE STAND AND REMAIN SILENT AS THE BRIDAL PARTY ARRIVES!”

  Tal looked up and saw a pure-white shuttle leave the Alpha and move slowly toward the platform. Tal glanced at his watch and sighed…it was exactly on time. The shuttle moved down to just in front of the platform as the bow moved up and a white ramp extended out of the shuttle to the ground twenty-feet in front of the platform.

  Music began playing over the loudspeakers, as Tal saw Indie and Katy walk out of the shuttle arm in arm and start down the steps. “This is Captain Indigo Wolfe, who is the coverage officer on the Admiral’s flagship. He is escorting Lieutenant Katherine Montana, who is the flagship’s scanning officer.” Tal saw Indie walking down the ramp in his dress-uniform, and he looked almost regal. Katy also looked incredible. She was wearing a burgundy-knee-length satin dress that was just beautiful and fit her like a glove. She was carrying a cascading bouquet of white and burgundy flowers.

  Tal leaned over and asked Jee, “Why isn’t Katy wearing her uniform?”

  Jee quickly responded, “And miss an opportunity to dress up?!” Tal shrugged. Jee was right about that, dress up occasions rarely happened in the military. Indie walked carefully to his X beside Jee and turned to the crowd. Katy walked to the second X on the opposite side of the platform and turned to face the gathering.

  The loud speakers continued with the lovely background music as Ricardo and Mila stepped off the shuttle, “This is Ensign Ricardo Coronado, one of the missile operators on the Admiral’s flagship and he’s escorting Captain Mila Anand, the flagship’s commander.” Mila was startled by the announcement and was grinning from ear-to-ear when she arrived at her place on the platform. The introductions continued spilling from the loudspeakers, and Tal was surprised by who stepped off the shuttle next. “This is Ensign Jose Coronado, the second-missile operator on the flagship and he is escorting Captain Natalie Gleason, who played a pivotal role in getting the wedding couple to Earth to defend us.”

  Tal stared at Natalie and realized she had only grown more beautiful than he remembered her. Even the television commentators remarked on just how beautiful she was. The cameras zoomed in on her and Natalie became an instant celebrity. She was incredible! She looked at Tal as she moved to her spot on the platform and smiled at him. He nodded to her and knew that Ka saw Natalie as one of their best friends instead of a rival. He was so lucky to have Ka.

  Suddenly, the music stopped…and after a short pause, the ancient wedding march started. Ka stepped out of the shuttle and took Tal’s breath away. She was…was…so beautiful in her white wedding dress. Jan followed her out of the shuttle, assisting her with the long train and they took each step with precision and grace. Ka tears started the moment she saw Tal’s love on his face. She walked elegantly up the steps to the platform and took her place across from Tal in the center of the platform. Jee nudged Tal forward prompting a flinch, before he went to stand in front of her. The music stopped, and a final figure walked out of the shuttle. The Chancellor walked up to the platform, stood behind Tal and Ka, and opened a book.

  “We are gathered here today to unite Karen Albritton and Adam Talent in the sacrament of holy matrimony. They are here to pledge themselves to each other and become one. All of you witnessing this are encouraged to join hands and celebrate this joyous occasion together.” John turned to Tal, “Please take your bride’s hands in yours.” Tal only had his eyes on Ka and was lost in her beauty. Ka reached forward and took his hands. The Chancellor smiled, “Adam Talent, do you take Karen Albritton to be your lawfully wedded wife and promise to cling to her and no other.”

  Tal nodded, “I do.”

  “Do you promise to love her through good times and bad times, in sickness and in health, richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?”

  Tal nodded again, “I do!”

  The Chancellor turned to Ka, “Karen Albritton, do you take Adam Talent to be your lawfully wedded husband and promise to cling to him and no other.”

  Ka nodded, “I do.”

  “Do you promise to love him through good times and bad times, in sickness and in health, richer or poorer, for as long as you both shall live?”

  Ka smiled as her tears rolled down her cheeks, “I do.”

  John looked at Jee and he quickly stepped forward. He held out a ring to Tal and had to touch his arm to get him to take his eyes off Ka. He took the ring and John said, “Place the ring on the third finger of her left hand.” Tal slipped the ring on to the second-joint and John said, “Repeat after me. With this ring.”

  “With this ring,” Tal repeated.

  “I give you my troth.”

  “I give you my troth,” Tal said softly.

  “That I will love you and be faithful to you.”

  “That I will love you and be faithful to you.”

  “As long as you both shall live.”

  “As long as we both shall live.”

  John turned to Ka as Jee handed her a ring. Ka slipped it on his hand and John smiled, “With this ring.”

  “With this ring,” Ka repeated.

  “I give you my troth.”

  “I give you my troth.”

  “That I will love you and be faithful to you.”

  “That I will love you and be faithful to you.”

  “As long as you both shall live.”

  “As long as we both shall live.”

  Tal took Ka’s hands in his as John announced to the gathering, “Adam and Karen have freely given each other their troth, which is the most sacred promise that can be gi
ven. By the authority vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. Adam, you may kiss your bride.”

  Tal raised Ka’s veil and saw her tears. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. The crowd erupted into a thunderous roar that shook the surrounding buildings. When they finally broke the kiss, the Chancellor raised his arms and the multitude slowly became quiet. He smiled and said, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Adam and Karen Talent.”

  This time, the roar was explosive. Tal and Ka held their joined hands in the air and began to wave to the gathering. The noise skyrocketed and even the television commentators were drowned out.

  The citizens in the colonies knew that Tal and Ka were one of their own. The respect and reverence shown to them during the ceremony by the people of Earth did more to repair the ill will and history of bad feelings between Earth and the Colonies than anything that had ever happened before. Humanity was once again united, and it was this wedding that cemented the union.

  The crews in Tal’s fleet stood at attention through the entire ceremony and their cheers were some of the loudest. Tal and Ka moved off the stage into their mist and began hugging them all. Soon, many well-wishers moved forward for the opportunity to shake their hands. The crowds were respectful and as Ka and Tal greeted many of them, the crews steadily moved behind the platform and began lifting on shuttles that were arriving from the two Alphas holding position over head. Once all of them were moved out, the Chancellor went to Tal and Ka and pulled them back to the platform. Tal leaned toward John and asked why Duncan hadn’t performed the ceremony.

  “What?!” John snapped back. “You don’t think I deserve to do it?”

  Tal raised his hands, “No, Sir. Of course, you have the perfect right.”

  John smiled, “I pulled rank on him. He’s waiting for you back on the base.” Tal stared at him and John winked, “How many voters do you think watched today?”

  Tal laughed as he and Ka moved to their places on the platform. Suddenly, the loudspeakers erupted into music and the Chancellor Gave a nod to Jose and Natalie as the white shuttle arrived and lowered the ramp. They walked off the stage together, followed by Mila and Ricardo. Indie and Katy followed them and Jee and Jan fell in behind Ka and Tal as they all started down the steps. They disappeared into the shuttle and it rose slowly above the gathering and flew at low altitude above the four-Disney Parks and then moved out over the streets of Orlando. The loud cheering started and didn’t stop for hours. The celebrations began all over the planet and ‘FIESTA’ was the word of the day.

  • • •

  Tal walked over to Natalie in the shuttle and took her hands, “Thank you!”

  Natalie stood up and kissed him on the cheek, “Thank Ka. She insisted that I be present.”

  Ka walked over and smiled at Natalie, “What about you?”

  “What about me?” Natalie asked.

  “Don’t you think it’s time?” Natalie stared at Ka and Tal asked, “Time for what?”

  Ka nodded to Natalie, “She knows.” Natalie released a long breath and then nodded. Ka smiled, “You’re burning daylight, Natalie.”

  Tal and Ka walked away, and Tal asked, “What was that about?”

  Ka shook her head and simply said, “MEN!”

  Indie came over and hugged them both. Ka went to Katy and Mila and he wondered if he’d find out what he was missing. They arrived at the base and went to the huge ballroom. The crews were there awaiting their arrival and Tal saw the tables were set and an orchestra playing for the reception. The festivities began and went well into the night. Finally, Tal took the microphone from the orchestra leader and announced, “We are scheduled to leave for Andromeda at nine am, however, we’re delaying the liftoff until five pm. Get some rest and we’ll see you tomorrow afternoon!”

  The reception broke up and Duncan left Tal and Ka to go to his office. It had turned out perfectly. He heard a knock on the door and he called out, “Enter!” Natalie opened the door and stepped in. Duncan’s smile was huge, “You were magnificent today.”

  Natalie smiled sweetly, “Do you think so?”

  “I’ve never seen you more beautiful and you’re beautiful all the time,” Duncan said with a smile.

  “So…you think I’m beautiful?” she asked coyly.

  “I do!”

  Natalie walked back toward the door and just before she stepped out, she turned and asked, “Are you ever going to do anything about it? You’ve taken pains to ignore it.”

  Natalie stepped out and Duncan’s smile vanished. What was she talking about? Duncan thought about it and suddenly knew. He jumped up and ran around his desk. He caught Natalie outside the outer office and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to him. She looked up into his eyes with a smile and he pulled her in and kissed her passionately. Natalie finally broke the kiss and said, “You’ve been such a dunce.”

  Duncan nodded, “I have…but that ends tonight!” He pulled her in again and this time, Natalie didn’t break the kiss. She owed Ka bigtime.

  • • •

  Ka and Tal arrived in his quarters and Tal sighed, “We should have done this earlier. I’m sorry we’re not going on a honeymoon.”

  “Where on Earth could we have gone and been left alone, Tal?”

  Tal gazed into her eyes and shrugged, “Maybe in the middle of the Sahara Desert.”

  “And just how much fun would that have been?”

  “Not much, I guess.”

  “When we get back, we’ll change into Zak and Jil and take time for a honeymoon then.”

  Tal took her in his arms, “Zak and Jil it is, Love.” She went on her toes and kissed him. Tonight, was going to be their first time together…Tal had insisted, and Ka wasn’t going to waste any more time. She was shocked at how fast Tal got her out of her wedding dress. His dress-uniform was a different story, unbuttoning his collar was a nightmare, they were both laughing hard by the time it was off.

  • • •

  Katy and Indie left the reception walking together toward the exit. A shuttle waited outside; they boarded and waited on other members of the crews to arrive. The pilot noticed another shuttle moving in to land and closed the shuttle up to make room for it, “Looks like you get the shuttle to yourselves. The shuttle took them into orbit and entered their new ship’s landing bay. As they waited for the bay to pressurize, Indie turned to Katy, “You look amazing in that dress.”

  Katy shook her head and waved a hand at him, “Indie, I am far from amazing. I’m not even pretty.”

  “Yes, you are!”

  Katy sighed, “You don’t need to lie. I’ve known all my life that I’m a plain Jane and always will be.”

  Indie shook his head, “Since you started growing your hair longer and wearing makeup, you’ve become very nice to look at, Katy. That dress is amazing on you.”

  Katy looked up and saw he was being truthful. “Well, thank you, Indie. I appreciate it.”

  Indie shrugged, “Most of the uniforms you wear don’t do your body justice; this dress does!” Indie turned away and smiled, “Having you on my arm at the wedding made me really proud!” Katy stared at his profile and she suddenly leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Indie’s eyes widened, and he touched his cheek with his hand.

  “What’s wrong?” Katy asked as Indie’s face turned bright red.

  Indie lowered his eyes, “I believe I just had my first kiss.”

  Katy’s head went back slightly, “You can’t be serious?!” Indie shrugged. “Nearly every single woman in the fleet is all ga-ga over you, Indie.”

  “Now who’s lying,” Indie chuckled.

  “I’m serious, Indie. You are brilliant, caring, and downright good looking to boot; of course, they’re interested in you.” The pilot turned around, “Bay is pressurized; enjoy your night.”

  Indie stood up and offered his hand to Katy. She took it and he pulled her up. He continued to hold her hand as they walked out of the shuttle and started walking out of the landing bay. They st
epped through the pressurized port and Indie closed it, so the shuttle could leave. He was silent, and Katy wondered what she had done. “Are you still angry at me for what I did at the Academy?”

  Indie jerked his head to her, “NO!” Katy flinched, and Indie softened his tone. “What you did going out to talk with those cadets has made me admire you more than you know. It took bravery to go to see them. You’re not the same person I met when you came to the Z-J.” Katy sighed. Indie was silent again and he finally said, “If any woman was interested in me…” he looked at her, “I’d want it to be you. You are perfect to me. You’re brilliant, brave, compassionate…his voice ran down.”

  Katy’s head went back, and she started shaking her head, “But Mila and every other woman I know is far prettier than me, Indie.” Indie was silent, and Katy saw something was wrong. “Tell me, Indie!”

  “What?”

  “Something is wrong, and you aren’t telling me what it is,” Katy said staring into his eyes. Indie lowered his eyes and blew out a hard breath. “Tell me, Indie!”

  Suddenly, Indie changed into a young adolescent. Katy’s eyes flew wide open and Indie shook his head, “This is my true appearance, Katy.”

  ‘How…what…”

  “The Admiral gave me a means of changing my form. What you’ve been seeing is how I’ll look in ten years or so from now.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty.”

  Katy lifted Indie’s chin forcing him to look into her eyes, “You’re going to look spectacular, Indie.”