by Saxon Andrew
Dunhan kept his head up and walked toward the trees with his arms away from his side. The children had stopped walking and he went to them and lifted them in his arms. He turned and walked very slowly back toward the freighter. Grady saw movement in the trees; parents were taking their children out of the trees and started them walking toward the freighter. The children saw Dunhan carrying the two children ahead of them and they began running toward him. Most were crying but they were running from being punished for disobeying.
Taffy’s tears were falling, and Grady wrapped her in his arms. “Taffy, the leader of the survivors sees that he’s eliminating a lot of mouths to feed. He won’t dare fire at Dunhan and risk harming the children he’s carrying. The parents would turn on him and he’d lose his power.”
Taffy asked Grady, “Did you figure this out before or after Dunhan walked out?”
Grady shrugged, “After.”
Taffy shook her head, “Grady, I don’t believe I have the courage to have done that.”
Grady blew out a breath, “None of us do, Taffy.”
By the time Dunhan arrived at the boarding ramp, more than a thousand children were following him. They followed him up the ramp and into a new life.
• • •
The freighters remained at Britannia for three-months and, finally, the last freighter was ordered to leave. A fleet was leaving Earth and would arrive in five days. The freighter lifted and headed out away from Britannia toward the edge of the Milky Way. A thousand light years out from the planet, the freighter changed course and turned toward Melbourne. It’s first course was in the direction toward Earth. All the other freighters had taken the same route as they left Britannia.
• • •
The Melbourne warship had detected the powered down alien vessel the moment the first freighters arrived. The Captain settled in and decided to leave the alien ship alone unless it attempted to leave or communicate. It had done neither and the plan was to allow the aliens to see the direct line toward Earth. After the last freighter moved out of scanning range, the alien vessel launched a probe or something that flew away at extreme velocity. The aliens must have sent all the data it collected back to their fleet. The Captain thought about it and then ordered, “Power all blasters. Move the ship in and destroy that vessel.”
“Why are you going to attack now, Sir?”
The Captain turned to his weapon’s officer. “That device the alien launched will have all the data it’s collected including the course the freighters took. I don’t think it’s a good idea to have someone to answer questions. They might notice that we’re wearing different colored uniforms than the forces from Earth. They have what they need to find Earth. They don’t need anything else.”
The warship rushed in and opened fire. The alien tried to power up in time to return fire but failed. It went up in a huge explosion and the Melbourne Warship flew away from the planet toward Earth. The Captain looked at his weapons officer, “There could be another alien ship hiding out here. It never hurts to be careful.” The weapon’s officer smiled and powered down the blasters.
Chapter Twenty-One
Abby showed up at the hotel wearing a royal-blue colored evening dress and Taffy and Grady walked out of the entrance and got in the transport. Grady was wearing a tailored black suit and Abby smiled, “You look dashing, tonight, Col. Henricks.”
“Call me Grady, Abby. My wife bought this suit for me; I hope the government won’t stop funding us at the rate we’re spending their money.”
Abby glanced at Taffy and saw her shake her head slightly. “You look beautiful, like you always do, Taffy.”
Taffy laughed, “Look who’s talking! You are a knockout, Abby!”
Grady chimed in, “You do clean up well, Abby.”
Abby lifted the transport and asked, “Where is Dunhan?”
“I sent him ahead to get the table. I didn’t want to risk the restaurant giving away our reservations.” Grady paused and said, “Abby, did you know the Prime Minister awarded Dunhan the planet’s highest medal for bravery?” Abby nodded; she was in the crowd watching him receive it.
“He’s also been promoted to Major,” Taffy added.
“He deserves it,” Abby responded.
Grady mumbled, “Let us hope he behaves tonight.”
Abby smiled, “Don’t worry, Grady. He won’t do anything to ruin the evening.”
“And just how do you know that?” Grady asked.
“Because he can’t do anything that would upset me.”
Grady shook his head, “I’m not so sure about that. I’ve seen him at his worst.”
• • •
They arrived at the Roo and Rabbit and Grady asked as they exited the transport, “What exactly is a Roo?”
Abby chuckled, “When the original colonists left Earth, Australia was covered in kangaroos and rabbits. Rabbits were imported to Australia and they had no natural enemies. Their population quickly got out of control. This restaurant chose to use them to name the business.”
They walked in the front entrance and the Maître D’ had a waiter show them to their table. Dunhan was sitting at the table with a drink in his hand waiting for them. He kept his seat as they walked up, and Abby sat next to him. He had that sarcastic little smile he wore most of the time and Abby smiled and looked at him, “Dunhan, you can drop the fake smile. You don’t have to worry about trying to make me angry.” Dunhan’s smile disappeared and Abby added, “I know it’s all an act, and I know who you really are. Relax and enjoy the evening.”
Dunhan’s expression turned neutral and he wondered what the Colonel was talking about. Abby turned to Grady, “What’s the occasion?”
“Doctor Goldman says we will have the Rabbit back in a few weeks. We’re celebrating it now.”
Taffy snorted, “That’s not true.” Abby and Dunhan turned to her. “Grady and I have never been out to a fine restaurant together. I insisted he take me out and make it a dress up occasion.” Taffy smiled at Dunhan, “Sorry about forcing you out of your uniform.”
Dunhan shrugged, “I don’t mind.”
Taffy lowered her eyes, “You’re quite handsome when you dress up.”
Dunhan lifted a shoulder, looked at Abby, and said, “I know.”
Grady’s eyes narrowed but Abby lifted the menu and ignored him. He glanced at Taffy and she shook her head. Grady blew out a breath and picked up a menu.
Their meals arrived, and they were outstanding. Even Dunhan had to agree they were memorable. Abby asked Grady about building the Rabbit and he had no problems talking about it; he was proud of his creation. Dessert arrived, and Taffy closed her eyes at how good hers tasted. She opened them and asked, “Dunhan, I’ve never heard your first name; what is it?”
Dunhan hesitated and then answered, “Rory.”
Taffy tilted her head, “Rory Dunhan…it has a nice ring to it.”
Dunhan nodded, “Thank you.”
Taffy turned to Abby, “Are you ready to give up your last name?”
Dunhan turned to Abby wondering what Taffy was talking about. Abby shook her head, “No!”
Grady looked at Taffy and she said, “It appears Abby doesn’t want her last name known.”
Grady smiled and said, “That’s no problem.”
Taffy smiled, “Is that so?”
“I’ve been given a Melbourne Military Communicator. I’ll just ask who the officer is that’s assigned to you.”
Abby sighed heavily and shook her head, “ALL RIGHT!” Everyone looked at her. Abby pursed her lips and said, “My name is Abigale Berringer.”
Taffy’s expression showed confusion, “Why is that so hard to say?”
Abby glanced at Dunhan and saw his expression. She pointed a thumb at Dunhan and said, “Ask him; he seems to know.”
Taffy and Grady turned to Dunhan, but he kept his eyes on Abby, “Are you The Abigale Berringer?” Abby rolled her eyes.
“Who is Abigale Berringer, Dunhan.” Taffy asked.
Abby interrupted, “Forty-five.”
Dunhan continued, “Excuse me, until he was forty-five and he married one of the leading ladies he starred with in his best-known movie. They had a daughter about a year later…”
Abby interrupted, “Eight months later.”
Dunhan paused and said, “No kidding?”
Abby looked up, rolled her eyes, and said, “Hey, this is your story.”
Dunhan stared at her for a moment and said, “However long it was, every news channel, tabloid, newspaper, and talk show broadcast the picture of his baby with her name plastered on them, “ABIGALE BERRINGER, THE NEXT MOVIE LEGEND!!”
Taffy turned to Abby, “Well, you’re not in the movies.”
Abby snorted, “The only reason my father married my mother was to produce an offspring to carry on his legacy, Taffy. Quite frankly, he was disappointed he didn’t have a son. But the news blew up the notion of how a daughter would lock down all the important leading roles and confirm that his talent was greater than gender. My father bought into that myth.”
Dunhan asked, “Was it a myth?”
Abby jerked her head to him, “I swore I wasn’t going to let you bother me tonight but you’re starting to piss me off!”
Dunhan ignored her, “I’m genuinely curious, was it a myth? You must have tried to star in a movie.”
Taffy added, “I’m curious as well, Abby. You had to be a ‘can’t miss’, at getting roles in movies.”
Dunhan added, “You certainly have the looks.” Abby jerked her head back to him and he raised his hands, “I’m serious. You look incredible.”
Abby blew out another breath and lowered her eyes before saying, “From my birth, my father took me with him to every production and made my mother look after me while he played his roles. By the time I was six, I started to see the underbelly of the entertainment industry. My father cheated numerous times on my mother forcing women who wanted starring roles in his movies to…well…you know what I mean; he told me when I was sixteen that I would have to do the same thing to get ahead.”
Grady interrupted her, “It’s amazing how you and Taffy are so much alike.”
Abby and Dunhan turned to Grady, “How is that?” Dunhan asked.
“Taffy’s father was the wealthiest man on the planet and had a business empire that no one could rival.” Grady put his hand on Taffy’s back and rubbed it, “But Taffy ran away from all that wealth and turned her back on her father’s business. She detested how a business could ruin one’s life.” Grady looked at Taffy, “Isn’t that right, pumpkin?”
Taffy saw Abby staring at her and she said, “Yes, Dear.”
Abby shook her head slightly, “I imagine you ran across some rather evil people in the business world?” Taffy nodded. Abby shrugged, “Some of the meanest people I’ve ever met in my life were very beautiful. On the outside they were almost too beautiful to see but crack that outer shell a little and you’d only see true depravity and ugliness inside them. They used beauty as a weapon and they were good at it, very good! I told my father when I turned eighteen that the last thing I’d ever do was follow in his footsteps.”
“What happened when you told him?” Grady asked.
“He disinherited me and disowned me as his daughter. He kicked me and my mother out; he blamed my mother for my state of mind.” Abby smiled, “My mother, who had sat quietly in the back ground all those years while I grew up came through for me. She was wealthy in her own right and she paid for me to go to University. I graduated with honors and joined the service after I graduated.”
The table was silent, and Abby looked at Dunhan, “When I first met you, I saw you as one of the pretty faces on the outside but ugly on the inside. Frankly, you disgusted me. But I saw inside you on Britannia. You aren’t who I thought you were. So, even if you try to make me angry, I know it’s all an act and that inside you is a man I admire. Nothing you can say or do will change that opinion.” Abby turned to Grady and Taffy, “Now you know. Can we please change the subject?”
Dunhan asked in a quiet voice, “You’re attracted to me.”
Abby shook her head and then nodded. Dunhan stood up and said, “I apologize but I must leave.” Dunhan put his napkin down and walked out of the restaurant.
Grady stood up to go after him, but Abby said, “Let him go!” Grady glared at Abby and reluctantly sat back down. Abby took a breath, “Grady, do you remember telling Taffy at Britannia that no one was brave enough to do what Dunhan did going out to pick up those children?” Grady nodded. Abby sighed, “I don’t know why, but I know that Dunhan wants to die. That’s why he’s out on the front lines so much. He’s hoping to run across an enemy ship that will kill him. Think about how he threatened you when he confronted you. That’s why he walked out into that field after the children. That’s why he pushes away any woman that shows an interest in him. He’s longing for death.”
Taffy’s eyes were sad, and she asked softly, “Why would he want that, Abby.”
Abby raised her eyes to Taffy, “You’ve saw how big his heart is on Britannia?” Taffy nodded. “He’s lost something important to him and he gave all of his heart to it. He has nothing left to give anyone else.”
Taffy put her hand on Abby’s arm, “What are you going to do about it, Abby?”
“We don’t always get what we want, Taffy. I’m going to respect his feelings and not make his life any more miserable than it is. I shouldn’t have said anything tonight, but I had to know if I was right. He ran because he knew his usual defenses wouldn’t work with me.”
Taffy put her hand on Abby’s hand and Grady said, “I remember you telling him that being so aggressive wasn’t needed when he flew in on us, Taffy. He forced me into a confrontation. I could have destroyed his ship; he was lucky I didn’t.”
Abby sighed, “He probably thought the opposite of that, Grady. He could just kill himself, but there’s something preventing him from doing it.” Abby thought for a moment and shook her head, “I just don’t know.” They left the restaurant and the ride back to the hotel was done in silence. Neither Grady or Taffy knew what to say.
• • •
Grady was sitting on the sofa in the motel room thinking about Dunhan. They had returned from the restaurant and Grady took his bath first and he could hear Taffy singing in the shower; she always did that. He chuckled and turned on the display. Taffy possessed a lot of talents, but singing wasn’t one of them. What she lacked in tonal quality she made up for in volume. He flipped through the channels and stopped when he saw the woman on the screen that was so overweight. He was amazed at what he saw; she said she weighed 125 pounds and Grady was amazed at how pretty she was. The change was incredible from her before image. He started to change the channel, but heard, “That’s right, you just take four small balls a day and we guarantee you’ll lose weight. The Spring Hill Weight Loss Program is perfect for you to take control of your eating.” Grady stopped the commercial and used the remote to run it back to the start. He watched all of it, paused it, and waited.
Taffy came out of the bathroom humming and Grady smiled, “Honey, come here a moment, please.” Taffy smiled and sat beside Grady on the sofa. Grady pointed the remote at the display and Taffy looked at it and saw Eddie Larson’s wife smiling back at her. Her eyes went to the corner of her eyes and she saw Grady staring at her. “Want to tell me what’s going on?” Grady asked. Taffy turned her head slowly to him and her eyes were wide open. Grady wasn’t happy, “What have you done, Taffy.”
Taffy started speaking at high-speed,
“Grady, I really planned to tell you but there never seemed a good time to do it; every time I tried…”
Grady put his hand over her mouth, “Slow Down! Start over and stop whining. What have you done? Just the details; I don’t need a long explanation filled with excuses.” He kept his hand on her mouth and finished with, “Got that?” Taffy nodded, and Grady removed his hand.
Taffy lowered her face and began, “The first day Abby took me out, I noticed that there were large numbers of clothing stores exclusively for plus sized people. I looked around at the people on the street and saw a huge number of them were overweight.” Taffy turned to him, “I thought about how I lost six pounds in less than a week eating the balls on the Rabbit.” Grady’s expression didn’t change. Taffy sighed, “I saw an opportunity and I took it, OK? I remembered our conversation on the Rabbit coming here about how the balls could be a billion-solar industry on Britannia and I figured if it could be one there, why not here.”
“What did you do, Taffy.”
Taffy shrugged, “I had Bob draw up the blueprints for the food processors and I took them to the government’s patent office and registered a patent on them and the balls they produce.”
“Go on!” Grady prodded.
“Abby helped me find an ethical food distributor and I approached him about marketing the balls as a weight loss program.”
Grady’s eyes narrowed, “So, you told Abby…”
“NO!” Taffy interrupted. “She’s asked numerous times what I was doing but I told her I couldn’t tell her without telling you first. Ask her and she’ll tell you I’m being honest about that.”
Grady nodded, “Taffy, I know you won’t deliberately lie to me, but you have a habit of not telling me things, which in my opinion, is a form of deceit.”
Taffy lowered her head before continuing, “I think seeing the balls used on the freighters allowed her to understand what I was doing but I’ve not told her anything and she’s not mentioned it.” Grady’s expression softened but his eyebrows were still together. Taffy shrugged, “I guess her seeing the bank cards is what really gave it away.”