The Worker Prince

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

  Dru and Nila delighted in swapping places on either side of Brie—one zipping in front of her, the other behind. Sometimes, they cut it a little close, startling Brie, who cried out.

  “Hey! Watch it!” She would shoot them scolding looks as they slid back alongside her, and then all three would break into giggles.

  Ah, to be young, Davi thought, relaxing as he watched it. They were all three skilled enough now to avoid near misses under these conditions. It was pure play and excitement. He exchanged a look with Tela, who chuckled and shook her head.

  “Try not to damage the skitters, okay?” Davi called after them.

  This just led to more laughter as Nila and Dru swapped places yet again.

  “I don’t think they’re listening,” Tela said, her blue eyes glistening with amusement.

  “You got that idea, did you?” Davi said as she chuckled. “So much for military discipline!”

  Tela laughed. “We have kept things pretty loose. We’d better start tightening things up.”

  The comms on the skitters beeped as a red light on the comm panel began flashing. They exchanged a look.

  “The warning beacons,” Davi said.

  Tela nodded. “Better call in and see what they’ve got.”

  The brush behind them rustled and they heard a noise, turning back to see four LSP soldiers slip in to follow behind them on armed skitters. Davi and Tela exchanged looks of alarm, accelerating toward the trainees as the LSP men fired their lasers and the cedars exploded around them.

  “So much for our early warning system,” Tela groaned as they sped up to catch their trainees.

  Hearing the explosions, Brie, Dru, and Nila turned around to look as Tela and Davi pulled alongside.

  “Don’t slow down! Go as fast as you can. Follow me!” Tela warned them. She pulled in front and they sped up to follow her.

  Davi hung back to protect the rear, dodging fire from the LSP soldiers with jagged zigzagging maneuvers. All around, he heard laser blasts and explosions as LSP soldiers engaged the other trainees. The smell of burning wood and leaves thickened the air and debris from near misses fell around him as Davi flicked on his comm-channel.

  “Attention trainees: do not go back to base. Lose them, and then hide until we can rendezvous.”

  His private channel beeped and he switched over, steering sharply to dodge another laser blast.

  Tela’s tense voice came over the headphones. “Right about now, I’m wishing we had armed skitters, too.”

  Davi reached down to the side pocket and pulled out his blaster, gritting his teeth with determination. “I’m going to try and lay down some counter fire, but my blaster won’t do much against their skitters’ guns.”

  “Can you keep them occupied while I go help the others?” Tela asked, drawing her own blaster from the side pocket of her skitter.

  Without answering, Davi turned and started firing back toward the LSP soldiers, who dodged to avoid his blasts. Davi slammed on the brakes, and the LSP soldiers zipped right past him, their faces registering surprise. He slipped back in behind them and began firing at their flanks.

  Tela fired two bolts from her blaster, then she and the trainees sped away, as the soldiers swerved to avoid more bolts from Davi’s blaster.

  Davi managed to land a couple of hits on one of the skitters, sending sparks flying, but causing more fear in the rider than damage to the machine. As the rider and his companions leaned back to inspect his skitter, Davi ducked off onto a side trail. His heart pounded as his body slickened with sweat and he tightened his hands on his blaster and controls, shifting to strengthen his balance.

  In a few moments, the LSP soldiers slid back onto his tail again. Davi accelerated to full speed, zigzagging in and out between trees, jumping over rocks, diving under overhangs—keeping his target profile as small as possible. The wind buffeted him every time he emerged from the trees, forcing him to work harder to stay on the skitter. Then he rounded a bend to find more LSP soldiers joining the chase.

  Great! Are they all after me? He groaned, hoping Tela was helping the other trainees. He was too busy to help them himself.

  Around another bend, Bordox and his aide joined the chase. Bordox. No wonder they’re all after me. Davi smiled, waving, as he dodged their fire. Outgunned, he searched his mind for a new tactic.

  Bordox sped to the front of the LSP soldiers, close on Davi’s tail. Davi, looked back over his shoulder as Bordox growled: “In the name of the High Lord Councilor, I order you to stop! You’re under arrest!”

  Davi braked and Bordox’s aide wound up in front of him. Bordox remained alongside, as Davi fired several shots with his blaster at the aide, leaning close enough to Bordox to yell: “Give my uncle my regards!”

  He ducked off onto another side trail as Bordox shot on past, cursing.

  The other LSP soldiers followed Davi as he followed the turns of the side trail, staying just out of range of their lasers. He shifted in his seat, trying to stay comfortable but his sweaty body and uniform made that difficult.

  As he shot into a clearing, he discovered Tela, Jorek, Virun, and four others waiting for them, blasters held at the ready. Davi spun his skitter into a one hundred and eighty degree spin and slid in alongside them, aiming his blaster as the first of the LSP soldiers came into view.

  Davi’s group opened fire and chaos erupted. Two LSP skitters collided as the soldiers tried to dodge the blaster fire. Another slammed into them from behind, while yet a fourth ducked to one side and crashed into a large cedar.

  Davi and Tela motioned, accelerating on their skitters onto another trail with their trainees close behind. All continued firing blasts back at the LSP men behind them.

  Tela took three trainees with her and split off onto another trail as Davi, Jorek, Virun, and two others continued on the present course.

  “They’re after you?” Jorek yelled, sounding surprised.

  Davi nodded. “I told you before; I’m on your side.” A laser blast exploded near them and Davi keyed the comm-channel button. “Try and get around behind them.”

  Tela’s voice came over the radio. “Hang on, Davi, we’ve got a plan.”

  A plan? Who’d had time to make a plan? Most of the LSP soldiers stayed behind Davi and his group.

  “Make it hard for them to lock their weapons on us,” Davi said, as his group zigzagged in and out of the cedars in varied patterns, never leaving more than one of them on the trail at a time. Their skills impressed him. They had made a lot of progress.

  Jorek and Virun slid to a stop amidst the trees, watching several LSP soldiers zoom past, then accelerated after them, firing their lasers.

  Davi heard a rebel yell over the comm-channel. “You two be careful. They outnumber us.” Davi warned.

  Jorek’s eager voice came back at him. “Best training exercise ever!”

  Davi knew the feeling. He’d experienced it many times himself in training and since, but were they ready? He put a warning tone in his voice. “Don’t get cocky. This is not a game.”

  “No problem, Captain. We can handle it,” Virun said, ever confident.

  Davi wondered if he’d heard right. None of them had ever called him Captain before.

  Bordox and his aide pulled back into the lead behind Davi, firing blasts which exploded on either side of him. Too close for comfort.

  Tela and her group shot out of the forest, firing at the LSP. Two more skitters crashed with mild explosions and flying debris and two others were damaged and smoking. The LSP soldiers slowed down and dissolved into chaos as they attempting to avoid fire from the lasers.

  Another group of trainees shot out from a group of trees and surrounded them, firing.

  “When did you have time to get all this organized?” Davi said into the comm-channel, as he glanced back at Tela.

  “Quick thinking is a military necessity,” Tela said, grinning. “They were all issued blasters with their uniforms, so …”

  Davi smiled. “You’ve never b
een more beautiful.”

  He braked, sliding in between Bordox and his aide. As they passed him on either side, he swung a foot out and kicked at Bordox’s skitter. Bordox struggled to regain control but flew off to one side, as Davi slipped in behind the aide and shot at his skitter with the blaster, singing the side of its engine compartment.

  Bordox pulled alongside him again, his face a fierce grimace. “You can’t escape this time, Rhii. We outnumber you.” Menace mixed with arrogance. Bordox as usual expected to win.

  “You’re losing men fast,” Davi said as Bordox leaned over and grabbed for his controls. Their skitters banged into each other as Davi struggled to push him away. His right sweat-soaked glove barely maintained its hold on the handlebars of the skitter.

  “I always knew you were a traitor,” Bordox said.

  “I always knew you were a pompous blowhard,” Davi said, freeing his leg and kicking hard.

  Bordox cursed as he spun off to one side.

  Then Tela zipped up, firing at Bordox as his aide and another LSP soldier slipped in behind Davi.

  Bordox corrected his course and charged back toward Davi, ignoring Tela’s blasts and somehow completely missing them.

  Slowing and sliding upward with his skitter, Davi watched as Bordox’s aide and the other soldier flew right underneath him. Distracted, both turned, crashing into each other as Davi dropped down to fire on them from behind.

  Bordox headed straight for his nemesis again, but Davi rolled his skitter, dove off, and landed on his feet in the dirt. He aimed his blaster and fired at Bordox, forcing him to turn suddenly and crash his skitter into Davi’s. The impact sent Bordox flying off into the cedars. Both skitters sputtered and smoked, amid a field of debris.

  Tela turned her skitter back and slowed down beside Davi, who hopped on behind her as the other trainees raced up beside them. For the first time in several minutes, he could breathe a bit easier again. He wrapped his arms around her waist, enjoying the touch and smell of her sweat mixed with perfume.

  “We’ve got them on the run,” Virun said triumphantly.

  “Want us to go back and finish this?” Jorek said, sounding a bit too eager.

  “No, get the others and get back to the hangar,” Davi said.

  “At least they don’t know where the base is,” Tela said.

  “They know enough to keep looking for us here,” Davi said. “It’ll be a matter of time. We have to warn everyone. The forest won’t be our refuge much longer.”

  Tela nodded as the group brought their skitters to full speed and sped away, disappearing into the trees.

  Davi looked back; no LSP soldiers were following them. He blinked, double checking his vision. He couldn’t believe they’d gotten away. Maybe his trainees deserved more confidence than he’d had in them. He took a deep breath and leaned in close to Tela, enjoying the ride.

  Virun and Jorek passed them, smiling and laughing and enjoying it more than they should. He didn’t have time to worry about it now. He had to get back to the leaders at the base and warn them. Then Bordox’s curses drifted through the nearby trees.

  “Get after them! You know the High Lord Councilor’s orders! I won’t disappoint him again,” Bordox shouted.

  Xalivar? Davi’s uncle had sent his worst rival after him? The one man who had hated him for years and tried to destroy him? Davi couldn’t believe his ears.

  The revving of skitters and crashing through nearby brush shook him from his thoughts. He had to go before they found him again.

  He tapped Tela on the shoulder and she turned the skitter, racing off across the forest trails, while inside, his mind raced through a gamut of emotions at what he’d learned.

  O O O

  Bordox gave up trying to dust off the dirt clinging to his sweaty uniform and looked around for his skitter. It was a disaster, destroyed along with Rhii’s. His men were scattered everywhere. His body ached from bruises and scratches but he could walk, and he pounded his boots on the dirt as he went.

  Corsi ran toward him. “Are you okay, sir?”

  “Don’t stop. Catch them!” Bordox’s voice was full of frustration.

  “It would be a little difficult at the moment,” Corsi said, motioning to several crashed skitters.

  “Get the men regrouped now and go after them!” Bordox yelled. A bunch of untrained workers against LSP troops? Bordox couldn’t believe it. How could they have embarrassed him again? Furious, he drew his blaster and fired at a nearby cedar. He’d find the next available skitter and go after Rhii himself. Let the men fend for themselves.

  “Yes, sir,” Corsi nodded, but his face questioned whether it would matter.

  Bordox ignored him and focused on finding a ride.

  O O O

  Davi entered the command center at a run, having left Tela behind to wait for and gather the others. It was busier than he’d ever seen it with technicians and workers occupying every chair, fiddling with dials, adjusting wires and screens, and talking on communicators. Final preparations were underway for what lay ahead.

  He found General Matheu and the other leaders in the conference room. “Our training today was interrupted by LSP troops searching the forest,” Davi blurted out as he entered almost out of breath.

  “So we heard,” Uzah said.

  “What were they looking for?” Aron asked.

  “Me,” Davi said.

  They all looked at him with surprise.

  “It’s true,” Tela confirmed, arriving out of breath as he answered and slipping into the room.

  “Why would they be looking for you?” General Matheu asked.

  “I’m wanted for questioning in the murder of a guard who was beating my cousin Nila. His death was accidental, but the Council brought charges.” Davi sat in an open chair, trying to catch his breath. Tela sat next to him, as every eye in the room focused on them.

  “Against a member of the Royal Family?” Joram said with surprise.

  “One who questioned worker policies, yes,” Davi said. “And I suppose I’m also wanted for betraying the Alliance.” He wondered if the minds of those who’d doubted him would change now.

  “It’s clear your chance encounter with them during previous training was not forgotten. They must have been searching for weeks now,” Aron said sympathetically.

  “Which means we have been discovered. We must put our plan into action right away,” General Matheu said, standing and walking over to examine some charts hanging on the wall.

  “You’re sure you didn’t lead them back to the base?” Joram asked, as he moved over to join Matheu at the charts.

  Davi whirled and glared at him. “What will it take for you to trust me?”

  “We just need to know if they’ve discovered our location,” Joram responded, blanching at Davi’s harsh tone.

  “I’ve been with you for months now, training pilots, and helping you. What’s it gonna take to prove myself?”

  “The decoders already confirmed your story about the e-post,” Aron said, putting a hand on Davi’s arm.

  “You have our trust now,” Uzah added with a nod.

  Davi glanced around at the leaders. Even General Matheu’s face looked supportive. Tela smiled reassuringly. He sighed, realizing he’d made an ass of himself and his shoulders sunk. “I’m sorry.”

  Uzah shook his head. “No. I think we deserved that.”

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet,” Aron said. “I’m sorry.”

  “We’re sorry, too,” Joram added.

  Davi met their eyes one by one and saw that they meant it, then took a deep breath, releasing the anger, and remembered he hadn’t answered Joram’s question. “It won’t matter if they followed me or not. The man leading them is a rival of mine from the Academy. He won’t stop until he captures or kills me.”

  “We can’t wait until we’re discovered,” Aron said.

  “We must prepare final plans and brief our teams,” Uzah said as they all nodded in agreement.

&nbs
p; Feeling guilty for being the cause of this, Davi looked away. Rushing into battle could cause extra loss of lives. He wished they had another way.

  Aron noticed Davi’s sullen face and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Davi. It was a matter of time.” Davi still felt responsible.

  “Yes, our time for execution was drawing near regardless. Now we will act while we can still hope for some element of surprise,” General Matheu said.

  The others all looked at Davi with anxious smiles. “My trainees are ready,” Davi said. “They now have actual experience in combat.”

  Aron laughed, patting him on the back. The others laughed too, encouraged at the thought.

  “They’re about to get a lot more,” Matheu added, his narrowing eyes making it clear he hoped they were all ready.

  “Let’s commit our plans to the Lord and He will guide us,” Uzah said.

  The others mumbled agreement, bowing their heads.

  O O O

  The Leaders met for several hours, after which Davi joined Tela at Lura’s quarters for dinner. His mother had prepared beef with gixi sauce, accompanied by fried gixi and fresh jax salad. The fruits added just the right sweetness to go with the beef and red wine.

  As they finished the meal, Lura raised a glass in toast. “A salute to the brave men and women who will accompany you both into this battle.”

  Davi and Tela raised their glasses, clinking them against hers. “And to all those who support us here at home,” Tela said.

  “Hear! Hear!” Davi said, smiling, as they sipped their wine. It brought warmth to his whole body as it flowed down his throat. He wondered how long it would be until he could relax like this again.

  “May God protect you and give you wisdom,” Lura said.

  “May God protect us all,” Davi said, placing his hand over hers atop the table.

  She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m very proud of you,” Lura said.

  “I’m proud to be your son,” Davi said.

  Lura’s eyes grew moist, tears forming at their corners. “I wish your father were here, he would be so proud. He fought with Aron and Joram in the revolution twenty-five years ago.”