Lunara: The Original Trilogy

by Wyatt Davenport

  "My apologies are not nonsense, and I mean it."

  "You might mean it, but I don’t welcome your apology. Where are those blasted technicians? They were supposed to be in my quarters twenty minutes ago to help me set up."

  "They will be backed up for hours. I just came from the bridge, and they are scrambling to set up the weapons systems. But I can do it for you."

  "So being a thief is a hobby for you," she said.

  "I can help you."

  She hesitated before easing her stance. "I do need these panels hooked up immediately. Can you do that without bothering me?"

  "It won’t take me long."

  She groaned. "Come in."

  Around the cabin, numerous small viewing ports ran along the outer wall. To his left was the bathroom and on the right was her bedroom, with her clothes neatly laid out on the bed.

  In the middle of the room lay several display panels. He began to mount the screens to the wall and then ran cables behind each unit to connect them. Sarah only spoke to give him an order or to point out a mistake. After about twenty minutes, he hooked up the final screen and activated the system from the control panel.

  "The system needs a few minutes to log into the main network so you can get the feeds from Mars."

  "So you aren’t a total miscreant?"

  "I’m not a bad guy. To tell you the truth, I was upset when they assigned me to your security center."

  "Why?"

  "I didn’t want to upset you."

  She cocked her eye. "Upset me?"

  "I thought we had a good time the other night at the restaurant. I wanted to call you," he said, trying to catch her eyes, but she dodged him.

  "This isn’t the time for this," she said.

  He reached for her hand and pulled it up to his chest. His fingers massaged her soft hands.

  She pulled back but not nearly hard enough for him to release her. She smiled warmly at him as if he had passed some test.

  The display screen lit up, startling her. The news coverage of the gala appeared on the screen, showing her father. She moved away from Parker to the wall and touched the screen affectionately. "I shouldn’t have left Mars. How could I leave my father trapped in that horrible place? They don’t know what is coming, and we can’t rescue them. Did I make the right choice?"

  He didn’t know if she was asking him or herself. "You sent a messenger to warn your father and brother. He will make it to them."

  "You know about that," she said. "I doubt he will. The defense perimeter around Trivium Port was too great."

  "Those perimeters are set up to stop a fleet of ships or an army of troops. One man can slip past, with an incentive."

  "By leaving, I disgraced them."

  He stepped toward her. "You made the right choice for Aethpis and for the nonaligned colonies who still believe in the two government system. You didn’t disgrace your family by trying to preserve what they worked so hard to build. Your father would be proud of you."

  "No, he wouldn’t!" she screamed. "I have made a horrible mistake!"

  Her body began to tremble, and Parker moved toward her.

  She threw herself toward him, her fists clenched.

  He caught her and nestled her close to his chest.

  "Let go of me!" she said. "It is your fault! If you hadn’t been in Aethpis Colony, I would be there with them."

  She wept in his arms.

  Chapter 31

  With Chloe at his side, Seth charged into the gala. His focus hadn’t wavered since the ship touched down in the hangar. He wanted to find the chancellor. Only when he stopped to scan the room for him did he realize that the last time Samantha Burns had been with them was somewhere back at the Zephyria private hangar some fifteen levels away. But she mattered little to him. She was only a means to an end.

  Immediately, the front of the auditorium caught his attention. The main delegates were sitting at a large table shaped in a half moon. On the left sat the Zephyrian representatives; on the right were the Aethpisians. However, the chancellor wasn’t with them.

  He scanned the room for Gwen.

  They spotted each other almost simultaneously, and she stood and moved toward him.

  "Seth, where is the rest of the crew?" Gwen said as she approached. "I am embarrassed. I’ve been talking about you guys, but there’s no one to point out."

  "Where is Eamonn?" Chloe said.

  Gwen twisted her face, puzzled. "I thought you would know where he is. I haven’t seen him."

  "Well," Seth said. "They should be here by now. Aren’t we the only ones who are late?"

  "Where were you? Why are your clothes dirty? This is a gala!"

  "Long story." His breathing was heavy from the dash into the gala from the landing platform. "Can you just bring your father over here? It is urgent."

  "I don’t understand. What were you doing?" Gwen said, looking at both of them. "You should have told me. I’m part of the crew, too!"

  "Jan filled you in," Seth said.

  "Yes, but she didn’t tell me everything."

  "You asked for me," the chancellor said from behind them.

  Gwen straightened her back, turned around, and twisted her face quizzically toward her father. "What are you doing here?"

  The chancellor sneered. "Is that any way to speak to your father? I wanted to meet your friends."

  She looked at him skeptically.

  Seth took a step forward. "Your life might be in danger. We have evidence."

  "My life?" the chancellor said. "Let me see this evidence."

  Seth reached into his pocket and pulled out the datapads.

  The chancellor looked over the report, while Gwen eyed it from his side. As she read it, her eyes widened in an expression of astonishment. Seeing her reaction justified Seth’s instinct. Aethpis had betrayed them.

  "This can’t be true," Gwen said. "Is it certified?"

  "Of course," the chancellor said sharply.

  "Seth?" Chloe said.

  "What?" He turned when she pulled on his arm.

  Chloe darted her eyes around the room, and desperation washed over her face. She begged Seth to stop. "There is something wrong here. I can sense many minds thinking about us."

  "That means we were right," Seth said. "Aethpis is planning something for tonight."I don’t like this," she whispered. "A conspiracy is circulating in the minds of the room."

  He scanned the room again. Champagne flowed; laughter tickled the air. Everyone was enjoying the evening. "I don’t see anything."

  "You can’t! Only I can. Their minds show me enough."

  Seth pursed his lips and had to admit that he sensed her dread. He turned toward the chancellor. "You should leave now."

  "Yes, Father," Gwen said. "Chloe senses things we can’t. I can represent Zephyria. You must be kept safe."

  "My security force can protect me," the chancellor said. "We should take the offensive and share this information with the world. We can question Aethpis openly. No more secrets."

  "That might start a fight," Gwen objected. "This isn’t the time or the place for such matters. We need to bring this to the council."

  "The more information we share, the more people will understand. Remember when the minister didn’t warn Lunara about the incoming invasion force, you felt betrayed. Do you want us to do the same thing to the people of Mars? They need to hear the evidence from someone who has lived through the hardships of the last two weeks. Seth and Chloe can shine the light on the entire situation with a beam brighter than we could in chambers. The public eye will force the Aethpisians to agree to a settlement."

  Gwen rubbed her chin. "If my father says this is the right move, it is the right move."

  "I will get everyone’s attention," the chancellor said.

  "I am not much of a speaker," Seth said. "Gwen or you should present the evidence."

  The chancellor put his hand on Seth’s shoulder. "You are believable. Gwen and I are tainted with a Zephyrian bias. You are from
Lunara, and you will be believed."

  Gwen nodded. "He has a point. My father and I will not be received like an outsider would. Please, you can do it. I’ll summon the attention of the audience. Father, take your seat at the table."

  Chloe’s doubts passed into Seth. He didn’t want to address Mars, but he had to get over his fear and push Aethpis into telling the truth. It was the only way. The chancellor and Gwen were right. He would do this for Lunara, for Ty, for the crew, and for Chloe.

  Gwen’s father turned around, and she followed his focus toward several people across the room. Thomas Cross stood and rushed toward the exit. She whispered into her father’s ear, "Do you think Cross knows what is up?"

  "No doubt he does. Do not worry about him," the chancellor said. "Go up to the podium and get people’s attention. Quickly."

  Her father’s defiance of the threat perplexed her. He discounted the apparent threat on his life, and now he ignored Thomas Cross’s abrupt departure. Had her father already taken the offensive and was now dangling the Aethpisians by a thin thread? For what reason? she thought.

  Doubt crossed her mind, but she trusted her father. He never lied to her. Moreover, he hadn’t said anything about Roche’s death or the break-in, so he had no reason not to trust her, and he wouldn’t use her.

  She stepped up to the podium. "Attention. We have an announcement to make."

  The crowd stirred with a buzz. Some people stood up and looked around while others turned toward her. After several pleas, the crowd settled down and took their seats.

  "Seth Smith from Lunara would like a few moments of our time. You must hear his vital information that concerns the invasion force," she said, stepping aside and allowing Seth to walk up to take command of the podium.

  Seth felt like Atlas with the weight of Mars resting on his shoulders, but he could carry the load for the next few minutes. Then he would pass it to the minister.

  Chloe grabbed his arm. "I don’t think you should make this announcement. Something is off here. Something we aren’t seeing. Please, I am begging you. Speak to the council or to Eamonn first."

  He narrowed his eyes. "Your feelings justify what I’m about to do. Something is about to happen, and we need to stop it! They can’t act if I bring them out of the shadows."

  "Ask Eamonn first," she begged.

  "Eamonn is gone, and the council will do nothing without pressure," he said. "We need to show the evidence so they won’t hunt for us anymore." He looked at her hand on his arm. "Now, please let go."

  Chloe squeezed tighter. "Gwen thinks something is wrong. I can sense her doubt, but her father’s wishes conflict her. Do not use her to validate your hunches about Aethpis."

  He bit his lower lip, fighting through the doubts she put into him. "Your feelings are my validation. You know something is wrong, don’t you?"

  She nodded.

  "The certification is proof enough to pose questions to them," he said. "These datapads are enough to prove they built the invasion fleet."

  Her grip loosened, and he walked up to the podium.

  He looked out into the audience and fidgeted with the uneasiness of a child in front of his classmates. "My name is Seth Smith. I am a member of the mining ship Protector. An unknown force invaded our colony some days ago. Many of you probably think you know all the information, but they told you lies. I come to offer you the true reason Lunara was invaded."

  The crowd broke out in little whispers. The camera crew working the gala moved up closer to Seth to get a better shot.

  "Settle down. I will explain." He raised his arms to calm the chatter. "Yesterday, Chloe Jones and I—she is also a crew member of the Protector—traveled to a distant colony of Memnonia located in the eastern planitias. We were told this colony was the staging point for a massive attack on Lunara. This was simply not the case, since they use depleted equipment, and their land isn’t suited for landing large cruisers. We obtained photos of the area with global positioning markers stamped into the corners to confirm their locations. To believe they staged such an attack on Lunara is absurd.

  "In subsequent talks with the leader of the Memnonia, Josef Vhortov, his operatives inside Trivium Port and other colonies have showed that several vital resources were hidden within the accounting statements of a colony. This colony deceived us into thinking that we had nothing to worry about after the invasion of Lunara. That it was back under the control of Ty Falloom and Mars Central. The invaders also claimed that we could not communicate with anyone on Lunara, but this simply isn’t the case. They have been communicating the entire time. These certified datapads hold the truth, and we want them to admit their mistake and offer an apology and full reimbursement for all the damages done."

  A senior delegate from the Zephyrian table stood and shouted, "Who are the invaders?"

  "The members of Aethpis Colony can offer the answer. The minister and Thomas Cross lied to us."

  The minister leapt up from his chair and pounded the table. "You fool. Your statements are ridiculous and filled with blasphemous lies. I demand the evidence."

  "What is he doing?" Eamonn screamed in exasperation. "This is some kind of cruel joke aimed at me."

  The screen displayed a full-length picture of Seth. Chloe was close behind him, standing beside Gwen. The angry minister moved down from the table and began to yell. The conversation was inaudible on the holotube, but the overall tone was unmistakably intense.

  "Why is he doing such a thing?" Jan said. "He said he had evidence. The chancellor and Gwen tricked him somehow." Guided by her maternal instincts, she was trying to find a reason to defend him. She balled her hands into fists.

  "If Seth was on the bridge, he would be on his butt," Eamonn seethed. "And to think I was beginning to believe what he said about Mars. He is still all backward."

  The whish of the door sounded, and they both turned around. Eamonn already knew who it would be and had hoped to delay the confrontation by a couple of minutes.

  Sarah Cortez strode across the bridge.

  "What is the meaning of this mockery on the holotube?" she said. "Guards, arrest the crew of the Protector."

  "Wait!" Eamonn said, holding his hands up. "We are as surprised as you are."

  "Aren’t those three a part of your crew?" A vein on the side of Sarah’s temple throbbed. "They are accusing my colony of hiding resources for a sinister plot. Did you lure my ships away so your fight on Mars would be easier?"

  "Now listen here," he blasted back. "We are your ally. I don’t know why they are saying those things on the holotube, but they aren’t true. We will die fighting beside Aethpis and the Alliance. Those crew members were lied to just as you and I were."

  "I’m not a fool. They believe what they are saying."

  "They probably do, but they don’t know the entire truth."

  Jan knocked her hand against the paneling, drawing their attention. "We were all in agreement that someone on the inside of Aethpis had been helping the chancellor. Therefore, we are safe to assume that they made it appear like the minister took the resources from Aethpis." Jan paced around her workstation. "Bear with me."

  "I have a limited amount of patience," Sarah replied.

  "All I ask is a minute," Jan said. "Now, obviously, Chancellor Arwell wants total control of the meteor stones. So first, he makes it look like an outer, nonaligned colony invaded Lunara to delay Mars’s reaction to his treachery. And with him taking the communications array down, Mars has no way to verify Lunara’s status, aside from believing Thomas Cross and his report, and since even the minister—with no reason to disbelieve—supported Cross’s report, the rest of Mars accepted the explanation. Step one complete."

  Sarah put her hands on her hips. "Your tale doesn’t explain your crewmates accusing my colony of being traitors—"

  Jan raised her hand toward Sarah. "Step two, the chancellor needs to discredit Minister Cortez and make it look like Aethpis did all the dirty work. Once the Martian people believe Aethpis is the
evil colony," Jan put her hand up before Sarah could defend Aethpis, "which isn’t true, Zephyria will be the rightful heir to total power across Mars."

  "What are Chancellor Arwell’s motives? The two colonies have a great relationship," Sarah countered. "Damon Arwell worked with my grandfather for years to build the two governments during the height of the revolution. He wouldn’t betray us."

  "He did," Jan replied sharply, "because the chancellor is forbidden to run for office after his term is up. Force is the only way he can continue in power."

  "But Seth Smith . . . he must be part of this," Sarah said. "Somehow. Why him?"

  "Seth hates Mars. He is loyal to one thing: Chloe. He would never do anything to hurt her, and he would do anything to save her. The chancellor spotted his weakness and used it against him, giving the illusion that Chloe was in trouble and then leading Seth to a solution. When in reality, he tricked him into discrediting Aethpis. Additionally, now that Seth trusts him, he will capture Seth and Chloe."

  Eamonn rubbed the scar along his forehead. "Why didn’t the chancellor present the evidence implicating Aethpis at the council debriefing? They would question the minister. Why delay? Why risk Seth cooperating, willing or not?"

  "He used Seth as a naïve pawn to bring credibility to the false reports," Jan said. "Seth is from Lunara. Lunara is neutral. If a Lunaran takes a side, it must be true. The population will believe him. Jinx, someone from Titan Colony or Ares station could been used . . . as long as the person throwing accusations is not from Zephyria."

  Sarah relaxed her stance. "The chancellor would need someone outside of Zephyria to make the claim, or disputes would tangle the council for months. By using a Lunaran as the voice box of these lies, he will bring credibility with the nonaligned colonies. They have no reason to distrust anyone on Lunara. Ingeniously evil."

  "Shh," Eamonn hissed. "Something’s happening. Soldiers are entering the auditorium."

  The camera swung around toward the entrance doors as troops poured in. A woman in a green dress appeared on the screen.

  "Madelyn! She came!" Eamonn cried. Suddenly the screen went black. "Put it back on!" His eyes flared with anger and turmoil as if a sun had hit supernova within him.