The Worker Prince

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

  “Where are you taking me?” Davi asked, his voice sounding stronger than he felt.

  “You’ll know soon enough,” Xalivar said. Davi saw no sign of the old tenderness with which his uncle had once regarded him, even when he’d first raised the issue of the workers after beginning his assignment on Vertullis. Something had changed in the man, and his nephew barely recognized him. Davi felt even sadder at that realization.

  Manaen’s comlink beeped. Davi turned and watched as Manaen listened through his earpiece. “Thank you.” Manaen raced up beside Xalivar, whispering soft enough so Davi couldn’t hear.

  “What are you going to do with us?” Davi asked again, with more firmness.

  Bordox shoved him again as they turned a corner and moved down another corridor. It seemed like an endless tunnel of white walls.

  “The same thing we’re doing to your friends on Vertullis at this moment,” Xalivar said, stopping and turning back with a smug smile. “Destroy you.”

  Vertullis? What does he mean? Seeing the question in Davi’s eyes, Xalivar smiled triumphantly. “It will be a matter of moments before the fleet blasts through your precious energy shield,” Xalivar said as he began walking again.

  A fleet? Attacking Vertullis? Of course! This would be perfect timing! Davi did his best to hide his emotions but inside his heart and mind were racing. We have to find a way to get a message to the base. Uzah and Matheu would do everything possible to defend the planet. He had to get free so he could help Tela and the others.

  “Who is it? Admiral Dek? General Pres?”

  Xalivar smiled. “Ah yes, your old instructors are indeed participating in the destruction of your resistance.”

  Davi’s mind raced to come up with something he could use to raise Xalivar’s doubts. His uncle’s greatest weakness had always been his paranoia. “Well, I hope they enjoy the surprise we have waiting for them,” he said, trying to sound convincing.

  “Your surprises are no match for us,” Bordox said with a sneer.

  “All those years in secret development at the hidden base,” Davi said. “We’ve been hoping we’d have a chance to try it.” Davi grinned, certain Xalivar’s curiosity would get the best of him.

  Xalivar stopped and turned back to face him.

  “He’s bluffing,” Bordox said with mock confidence, his face betraying his doubts.

  Xalivar’s brown eyes locked on Davi’s and they stood there staring at each other a moment. Davi didn’t flinch. He had to win this bluff.

  O O O

  Uzah and Matheu stood at the large radar in the middle of the now chaotic command center. “The energy shield control center reported they’re down to thirty percent. It can’t hold much longer,” Uzah said.

  Matheu frowned in frustration and turned to the comm station behind them. “Launch all fighters! Prepare for enemy infiltration!”

  The controller nodded and repeated the command. A klaxon sounded as Uzah and Matheu turned back to the radar.

  “It took less time than we expected,” Uzah said.

  “They designed the shield, so they know how to exploit its weaknesses,” Matheu said with a shrug as they watched blips representing the fighters launching on the radar.

  O O O

  A very relaxed Dek and Pres watched the attack through the bridge blast shield as a Lieutenant hurried toward them.

  “Admiral, we’ve got two shuttles demanding clearance to land.”

  “Demanding clearance?” Dek frowned, his voice filled with disgust. “Who has the audacity to make demands of my ship?”

  “Lord Tarkanius and members of the Council are said to be on board, sir,” the Lieutenant responded.

  Dek and Pres exchanged puzzled looks, frowning in unison. Council members here? Dek knew he had no choice. “Give them clearance, Lieutenant. And have them escorted here.”

  The Lieutenant nodded, hurrying away.

  “Why would Council shuttles be out here?” Pres wondered aloud.

  Dek shrugged. “I have no idea.” But this can’t be good. Unexpected surprises during battle rarely were. “Perhaps they want to see the victory first hand.” He smiled as convincingly as he could.

  O O O

  Tela paced beside the conference table, worried about Davi. Where have they taken him? Davi being alone right now was not a good idea. Lord Obed stood in front of the double doors, smiling. You’re loving this, aren’t you?

  She fought the urge to make a snide remark, as the doors burst open behind him and Yao appeared with a woman and two men in robes and a large number of armed soldiers.

  “By order of the Council of Lords, you will release these people right now,” the woman said to the surprised Obed.

  “Lord Kray, what are you doing?” A truly shocked Obed demanded as two soldiers grabbed him and pushed him to the side. “Get your hands off me! I am a member of the Council!”

  “By order of the Council, you are to be detained,” Kray said, eyes full of confidence.

  “This is an outrage!” Obed yelled, stiffening as he watched as Yao and other soldiers untied the hands of the WFR contingent.

  Tela rubbed her wrists as the binders came loose. “Thank you. What’s going on?”

  “A slight change in roster for the peace negotiations,” Yao said smiling.

  A robed man stepped forward, his eyes warm and apologetic. “I am Lord Simeon of the Council of Lords. On behalf of the Council, we apologize for the way you’ve been treated here.”

  Aron smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Lord Simeon.” He glanced at Tela. Things were getting very interesting indeed.

  O O O

  From the moment he saw Davi and the others in their blue WFR uniforms, Xalivar could barely hide his disgust. Blue! Blue represented the opposite of order—the expanse of ever changing blue skies, the blue of cresting waves, the icy tundra of Plutonis, chaos, sadness and the bitterness of Jax fruit. It seemed to him the perfect choice for worker scum. He continued staring at Davi for a moment, making a decision.

  “In there.” He motioned curtly toward a nearby door.

  One of the LSP men opened the door and Bordox shoved Davi through. The others followed. As the door slid shut, Xalivar heard a commotion down the corridor. “See what’s going on.”

  One of the LSP men nodded and hurried out of the room.

  Xalivar turned to Davi, whose arms were being held behind his back by Bordox. “Secret weapons? A hidden base? You think one tiny planet can defeat an entire solar system?”

  “With God on our side? Yes, I do,” Davi said, nodding.

  Xalivar clenched his fists, glaring at him. “Your false god is no match for the Alliance, Xander.”

  “We’ll soon find out,” Davi said without flinching. “And you can stop calling me that. My name’s Davi now.”

  Xalivar’s face grew angrier and he looked at Davi with a level of hatred that took his nephew aback. Xalivar turned to Bordox as Manaen reacted to something in his headset.

  “My Lord—”

  “What is it Manaen?” Xalivar snapped.

  Manaen hurried forward, whispering in Xalivar’s ear.

  “Lord Kray? Lord Simeon? What?”

  The LSP man returned out of breath. “There are soldiers everywhere. They’re headed this way.”

  What do they mean soldiers? Council members? Here? Had everyone gone mad? His enemies seemed intent on ruining his plans, but he wouldn’t allow it. He cursed, looking around them for another exit but finding none. “Bring him!”

  He grabbed Bordox’s blaster and aimed it at the large window along one wall. The others reacted to the sound of the laser as the glass exploded, flying everywhere.

  “Bring him with me! Hurry!” Xalivar handed Bordox the blaster then stepped through the window frame, kicking glass aside with his boot as Bordox shoved Davi toward it.

  O O O

  Yao took a quick head count. Xalivar was missing, along with Bordox, Manaen, two guards and Davi.

  “They took him down the cor
ridor,” Tela confirmed. “We have to find him.”

  Yao nodded, sharing her sense of urgency. He had none of the fear of his actions costing him his career one might expect at such a moment. He’d decided days ago he had no choice. This was something he to do, the right thing to do. “Lord Kray—”

  Kray motioned that she’d heard. “I’m coming, too.”

  Yao stopped in the doorway, motioning to a Lieutenant. “I need two squads of your best men, now.”

  The Lieutenant nodded, hurrying out into the corridor. Yao, Kray, and Tela followed.

  O O O

  Davi breathed in the fresh clean, post-rain air as the twin suns broke through the clouds. He wondered what had happened to Tela, Yao, and his friends. His uncle’s cruelty wasn’t important. What mattered was their safety.

  Xalivar and his officers led Davi across a broad lawn past trees and shrubs, almost at a run. Davi looked back and saw soldiers lined up in formation outside the Library entrance. Xalivar saw it too and quickened his pace.

  “What are we running away from? I thought all of you are on the same side?” Davi asked, trying to unnerve his uncle. If only he could somehow reach the side of him that had once cared.

  Bordox shoved him and Davi stumbled as they hurried along the pathway.

  “You already know I have more enemies than friends,” Xalivar said in a no-nonsense tone. “Extra precautions are always required. For your protection as well as my own.”

  So, Xalivar and the Council have a rift? When Xalivar had arrived and taken him into custody, Davi assumed the peace conference was a ruse. What if it wasn’t? Had the WFR really succeeded?

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “We ask the questions, prisoner!” Bordox shoved him again.

  Davi was getting tired of it. “Could you try and enjoy this a little less, Bordox?” Davi said, pulling his arm free of Bordox’s grip and moving forward alongside Xalivar. “I’m talking to my uncle.”

  “We’ll see how you refer to me, when we’re safely aboard my ship,” Xalivar said. Davi didn’t find the tone reassuring.

  Xalivar led them down a slope almost at a run, and Davi saw the Royal Shuttle waiting on a launch pad ahead.

  Lord Kray appeared in front of the shuttle, and Xalivar frowned, hesitating. He stopped at the bottom of the slope, waving a finger in warning at Kray. “Don’t interfere with me, Kray!”

  “By order of the Council of Lords, you are to release the prisoner at once,” she said.

  “The Council has no authority here,” Xalivar insisted.

  “We do under the act of emergency powers,” Kray said as Yao and Tela appeared, blasters at the ready, leading two armed squads of Alliance troops. Davi couldn’t help but smile.

  Bordox shoved him. “Stop smiling!”

  “This is a family matter, Kray. It is not the business of the Council,” Xalivar said.

  “Yet it is the business of the LSP and Boralian military troops?” Yao scoffed, staring down Xalivar for the first time in his life. Davi was impressed.

  “He is here as a member of a WFR contingent invited by the Council,” Kray countered. “He cannot be detained.”

  Xalivar ignored her. “Step aside, Councilor!” He shoved Kray aside as Yao pointed a blaster at him.

  “High Lord Councilor, I’m going to have to ask you to halt,” Yao said.

  Xalivar stopped and turned, staring at him. “I outrank all of you, Captain.”

  “The Council’s orders override yours,” Yao said, unwavering.

  Bordox drew his blaster and shoved it into Davi’s back. “You will allow us to pass or Xander here dies!”

  Yao, Tela, and the soldiers aimed their blasters at Davi and Bordox.

  “Let him go,” Tela demanded, looking afraid.

  “Slaves give no orders here!” Bordox shouted, pushing his blaster harder into Davi’s back.

  Davi winced. He’d never known Bordox to be so brave—defying the Council. Then he saw Obed being led across the campus under armed guard, wondering if Bordox had seen it, too.

  “Lieutenant, you are violating Council orders,” Kray said, in a commanding tone. “Drop your blaster now.”

  Bordox stared at her, glanced over his shoulder at Obed being led down a pathway across the campus from them, and then shook his head. “I can’t do it, can I, Xander?”

  Behind them, the Royal Shuttle’s engines whined. They all turned to see Xalivar peering out of the cockpit, the shuttle doors now closed and locked behind him. He smiled as the shuttle lifted into the air.

  “I told you—” Davi kicked backwards with his right foot, shoving his elbow back hard at the same moment. The foot caught Bordox’s knee and the elbow dug into his ribs. Bordox cried out and stumbled backward and Davi dove to the ground. “—stop calling me that!”

  Bordox hesitated a moment then aimed his blaster at Davi again. Tela and Yao fired. Bordox screamed and crumpled to the ground, grabbing his wounded leg. Davi dove and grabbed the blaster away from him, so near he could smell Bordox’s charred flesh.

  “Nooooo!” Bordox yelled through gritted teeth.

  Soldiers surrounded Bordox as Yao reach down and helped Davi to his feet. “You okay?”

  Davi smiled, reaching out to grasp his friend’s shoulder. “Yes, and now I owe you my life!”

  Yao shrugged. “Along with the answers for most of your tests at the Academy.”

  They both laughed as Tela rushed over to embrace Davi. “Thank God you’re okay! I was scared for you,” she said.

  “Me, too,” Davi admitted, enjoying her arms around him, the smell of her hair. It smelled like freedom.

  Bordox struggled and two soldiers took him by the arms and led him away. “You’ll regret this, Rhii! You haven’t seen the last of me!”

  Davi sighed and waved.

  Lord Kray approached. “I’m sorry for the way you were treated.”

  Davi shrugged. “Nothing that won’t heal, Councilor. Thank you for your help.”

  She smiled. “Your mother would be very proud of you.”

  Davi smiled, feeling sad. He wished Miri were here. “What about Xalivar?”

  Kray shrugged. “Where can he go? The Council declared emergency powers hours ago. He’ll be detained soon enough. You’ll be negotiating with the Council now.”

  Davi nodded as Tela leaned her head on his shoulder. “I have no doubt the Council will be fair.”

  He could hardly believe it. With the Council’s help, the WFR had won. He’d never dared imagine how it would feel. His heart jumped for joy as he and Tela walked with Kray and Yao back up the slope and across the campus toward the Library again.

  Epilogue

  The starport on Vertullis bustled with activity as Davi, Tela, and Lura arrived. In the two weeks since the peace conference, things had returned to normal—transports, shuttles, and starfighters launching one after another. Workers and mech-bots hustled around loading, unloading and servicing the various craft. Passengers and ticket agents bustled around them. It was almost as if the war had never happened.

  The Council of Lords had agreed to all of their demands. The workers would be free and treated as regular citizens of the Borali Alliance. Shipments had resumed from Vertullis bearing agricultural products out while other products were brought in. In the next month, Aron would join the Council as a full member to represent the planet. He would take the place of Lord Obed, who, along with the entire LSP, had come under suspicion.

  Xalivar and Manaen had disappeared in the Royal Shuttle. They had not landed at any of the expected ports. Rumors had it they’d refueled at Alpha Base before word of the settlement and rearranged government had reached there, but no one was certain. High Lord Councilor Tarkanius had declared them wanted men. Though the Council had promised no sanctions at first if Xalivar relented and abided by their decisions, his flight left them outraged. It had been a sign of total disrespect and the Council would not stand for it. Xalivar’s reign had been terminated, and Tarkanius had t
aken his place.

  Davi accepted their decision not to choose him to replace Xalivar. The Council had always chosen the ruling family by election, and given what had occurred, he could understand their feeling that a change had been appropriate. His heritage was in question now, an issue which couldn’t just be brushed aside despite the Council’s new attitude toward their former slaves. Besides, he was too young to be a High Lord Councilor, and, at this point, there wasn’t anything he thought he would miss about being Royal.

  Davi, Lura, and Tela arrived at the designated platform, as the white shuttle from the Alliance Prison Centauri Two entered the landing bay. Lura seemed more nervous than he’d ever seen her.

  “You okay, Mother?”

  She nodded. “It’s been so long.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be as happy to see you as you are to see him,” Tela said and Davi knew she was feeling much the same about seeing her father again.

  Lura smiled. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

  Davi turned away, feeling nervous. He couldn’t believe this moment had arrived.

  Aron approached and patted him on the back as the shuttle lowered onto the platform before them. “He’ll be very proud of you.”

  “And very proud of you, too, no doubt,” Davi said.

  Aron shrugged. “A Lord on the Council! We never could have imagined it.”

  “It’s well deserved,” Tela said, squeezing Davi’s hand.

  Davi smiled, pulling her to him. “I’m proud of you both.”

  The shuttle’s engines wound down and the door opened. The first person to step onto the platform was a young Lieutenant Davi recognized.

  Farien kept his military posture, a stern expression on his face as he walked to where Davi and Tela were standing. He stopped there, examining Davi’s blue uniform. “You look like a worker to me!”

  Davi broke into a broad grin, and they embraced like brothers. “It’s good to see you,” Davi said.

  “Guess you should have kept me around to keep you out of trouble,” Farien said. They both laughed.

  Miri stepped off the shuttle, spotting Davi and hurrying toward him. They embraced like two people who had been apart too long. “When I heard they were bringing us here, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I missed you so!”