Cooley enraged, yells, “You let him die just because I don’t like you!”
Edgar coughs up more blood, as he begins to laugh, saying, “Fitting end to my life, wounding the great revered Whitefeather.” He once again begins to cough up blood, as he continues to laugh.
Cooley sees a pillow on the ground next to his bed. She slowly reached over and picks it up approaching Edgar ever so slowly, as she considers smothering him where he lay, but instead she decides to place it next to him, saying, “In time Edgar I too will pass, but when I do so, I’ll be remembered for the good I have done, while you be forgotten like yesterday’s garbage.”
Cooley storms out, as Edgar cackles aloud, coughing and wheezing while he enjoys his last hours.
Cooley angrily stomps her way to the hovercraft. She sits down, telling the guards, “Take me back to my ship at once.” They comply, as they take off heading back to the city's space docks.”
Cooley reaches the ship and enters angered she tells the Captain, “Take me home.”
CHAPTER TEN
BEFORE I LAY ME DOWN
The year is five hundred and ninety-eight, as the five-hundred-year anniversary of the Paladonian people is celebrated by everyone. Benton is once again re-elected for a fourth consecutive term. However, Benton’s temperament and anxiety has caused much concern to most of the Paladonian people. He has now married twice, not having any children in either of his marriages. Regrettably, he divorced, both times because of his temperament. Regardless, of his personal life, he is still considered one of the greatest leaders in Paladonian history. Currently, Benton sits in the council chambers on the moon of the First ones, when Caleb suddenly appears, much to Benton’s surprise, he asks, “Gabe how are you feeling old friend?”
Benton is stunned at Caleb’s sudden appearance, replying, “Wow, you’ve been missing for what? Almost a hundred years, and you show up as if it’s no big deal. Must be nice to do whatever the hell you want.”
Caleb smirks, saying, “Sorry Gabe, but I have a lot to do and very little time to get it all done. Now I asked how you’re doing.”
Benton easily annoyed, as well as a little apprehensive starts, yelling, “Hey, you don’t come in here like you’re the king and start interrogating me! I’m the boss here, not freaking Caleb the great! You just come and go when you want, while you leave me here to run things!”
Caleb walks up to Benton slowly and at the last second he moves at blinding speed, quickly grabbing Gabriel and begins to work on his mind. Caleb like most X’ena has low-level psychic abilities. “This mixed with his ability to heal allows him to do amazing things.”
A few moments later, a blue field envelope both, as Caleb heals Benton’s damaged mind. After a minute, the blue field disappears when Benton feels the weight of so much fatigue and anger wash away. He stands up and looks to Caleb, asking, “What the hell just happened?”
Caleb feebly grins, while he concentrates on dealing with what he just did to Benton. He puts his hand up, pausing for a moment until he finally says, “Sorry Gabe, but off Paladin this does a number to me. Your mind was never able to deal with such a long life span. It’s been amazing that you’ve survived this long without going completely mad.” Caleb shakes his head, saying, “Gabe, meet me on Paladin. I have to return now. What I did to you is starting to really affect me.” Caleb hastily shifts away, back to Paladin.
Benton, feeling more like himself walks out of the council chambers, as several guards follow him down to the spaceport. After twenty minutes, Benton arrives at Celesta and boards, asking, “Celesta, track Paladin’s location, and set us on an intercept course.”
Celesta replies, “Sunshine, I don’t show Paladin on any sensor scan, long or short.”
Benton smirks saying to himself aloud, “You’d really think he’d make this easy sometimes.”
Celesta immediately notices that Benton is more relaxed and not as tense for the first time in almost a hundred years, as she points this out, saying, “Sunshine, you seem to be feeling better today.”
Benton laughs aloud, saying, “Yeah, I guess I feel a lot better too.” The crew is astonished at Benton’s jovial mood, as some whisper that he may be going mad.
Benton sits in his command chair, saying, “Celesta, take us up in high orbit, and open a com signal.”
Celesta concerned asks, “Sunshine, just whom do I open the com signal too?”
Benton, still laughing, says, “Wide open to all ships.”
Celesta, somewhat concerned replies, “Ok Gabe, it’s done.”
Benton impatiently says aloud, “Ok Paladin, show your ass now.”
The crew looks onward wondering if Benton has truly gone mad, until Paladin uncloaks directly in front of them. Paladin’s voice then comes over the com, “Gabriel I’m not an ass.”
Benton laughs loudly, feeling joy in his heart, saying, “That’s a subject that’s up for debate Pal. Now dock alongside us and I’ll come aboard.” Paladin quickly maneuvers next to Celesta and connects their airlocks.
Benton quickly departs the Bridge, entering the airlock, as it seals behind him and he is all alone, he says to Celesta in private, “I’m sorry Celesta, I know I’ve been a little off my game.”
Celesta joyfully responds, “I’m just glad to see my Sunshine is back.”
Benton enters Paladin and immediately notices the ship is dark and silent. He yells out, “Hey, anybody home? Turn on a damn light, for crying out loud!”
Paladin turns on the ships lighting, saying, “He is waiting for you on the Bridge Gabe.”
Benton walks to the Bridge, where he finds Caleb sitting in his chair waiting. Caleb seeing Benton again says, “Sorry Gabe. I heard through a few stray com signals that you were getting a bit difficult to deal with, I’m sorry I had to do it like that, but it had to be done.”
Benton feeling like his old self, smiles, asking, “Hey, it’s no big deal Cale, so what did you do to me?”
Caleb leers, saying, “Your mind was failing, if not for the Halimag energy in your body you’d have long since passed on. I’ve healed the damage to your mind, but in time the madness will return again.”
Benton concerned, asks, “So what do I do to stop it from happening again?”
Caleb reluctantly replies, “Gabe, you’re going to need to sleep for as long as you can, I’m figuring about seven maybe eight hundred years. After that time, you’ll probably have at best four hundred years until your mind starts to fade and you start going mad. Unfortunately, that’s a best guess scenario.”
Benton confused asks, “So what, in twelve hundred years you’re going to come back and snap me back into sanity?”
Caleb lowers his head, saying, “Gabe, I’ll do what I can to keep our people on track while you sleep, but after this day you’ll probably never see me again.”
Benton clearly concerned and angered, asks, “What the hell Cale, what are doing?”
Caleb sighs, saying, “Gabe, I have a lot to look out for and I need you to help here. Listen my friend, Allie is going to look out for your mind, and keep you sane, but I need you to live long enough to see our old friends again and make sure what we saw in that future timeline doesn’t happen.”
Benton now confused, asks, “Cale, I need more than that, talk to me Cale, tell me what's going on.”
Caleb lets out a heavy breath, saying, “Gabriel, I’ve been seeding planets far away from here, with both human and alien colonies all living together in peace. My hope is to ensure that the future we witnessed never occurs.
Benton surprised, asks, “Cale, you can’t make people act like you. You know people are natural haters. They live to hate things that are different.”
Caleb grins, saying, “That’s why I’ve been gone so long my friend, making sure I start these colonies off right, but now I need to spend my time here, and you need to make sure that we keep on course after I’m gone.”
Benton shakes his head, asking, “Cale where are you going?”
C
aleb looks out the viewport, saying, “While you sleep Gabe, I’ll be here for the most part, but once you wake I have another mission that needs my undivided attention. I can’t tell you any more than that, because I know you all too well my friend. You’d follow me to the ends of the universe and through the gates of Hell itself, but I need you to stay here and to live long enough to help my daughter not become the demon queen. I need you to make sure Abe becomes the hero, he’s destined to be, not the monster I created, and I need you to make sure no one knows of that monster.”
Benton lowers his head, asking, “So this is goodbye then?”
Caleb grins, saying, “If everything goes well, you may just see me again my friend.”
Benton sighs, saying, “So if I start going mad again you’re going to have to have that ugly overgrown lizard play with my mind.”
Caleb chuckles, saying, “Gabe, you know she can read your mind all over this system.”
Benton smirks, showing a small device on his belt, saying, “I’m no fool Cale, I always keep this on.” The two laugh and carry on about the past and hopeful future. Their discussion goes on until the following day.
The next day, Paladin and Celesta head to the moon of the First ones, as news of Caleb’s return sets off a flurry of commotion across all the moons.
Paladin and Celesta land at the space docks on the moons of the First ones, as both Caleb and Benton shift directly to Allies chambers on the southern pole, avoiding the masses waiting to see Caleb. Allie, elated at seeing Caleb speaks telepathically, “Hello Father, I have missed you so. Will you be staying long?”
Caleb replies aloud, “Yes Allie, I know that your days grow short and you must pass on your knowledge on to another, so I will stay to make sure that process goes well. I also intend on helping guide the next generation of leaders.”
Allie looks down at Benton, whom she has no problem showing her considerable dislike of, asks, “What is the big fat man here for father?”
Benton growls at Allie, saying to Caleb, “You really think that thing up there is going to help me when I need help?
Caleb chuckles, replying, “Gabe, she’ll help you because I asked her too, but would it kill you to be nice to her?”
Allie snarls, as she says, “Perhaps I may have a bit of fun with him first father.”
Benton groans, saying, “She got that attitude from Rachel.”
Allie glares menacingly at Benton before turning to Caleb, reporting, “Father, the Tof, and Rooke’s have continued to build up their psychic defense network, thus making it ever more difficult for me to keep up with the data gathering I’ve been doing. The Black guard has been doing an exceptional job at slowing down all weapons research, but advancements are still being made.”
Caleb sighs loudly, saying, “I will be here for a while. I have to help Allie prepare for the transition and you need to get ready to go to sleep my friend.”
Benton confused, asks, “Cale, what do you mean transition?”
Caleb looks up to Allie, and replies, “T-Challa Queens can only live five hundred years at best and Allie has reached that age. She will create a new Queen, transferring all her knowledge to it.”
Benton alarmed asks, “Wait, are you saying Allie is going to die?”
Allie annoyed, replies, “No Fatso, this body will die, but all that I am will be transferred to another Queen. She will be me in all sense and purpose, but it will also be a new Queen, with her own personality. She will learn from all that I have learned and she will continue on as I have.”
Benton aggravated at the Fatso remark replies, “Cale, just so you know, me and Allie here are going to go toe to toe someday, if she doesn’t quit it with the Fatso comments.”
Caleb laughs, saying, “This from the guy who has nicknames for everyone he meets. Now come on Gabe, this is serious, Allie is in all sense and purpose one of us, and what is going to happen is severe, can’t you try and be nice.””
Benton chuckles, looking up at Allie, saying, “Well, Allie I know you’re not really going to die like we will die, but I’ll miss you.”
Allie leans down to Benton, saying, “I won’t miss you Fatso.”
Benton aggravated, yells, “Damn it Cale, I tried being nice!”
Caleb shakes his head in disbelief, looking directly at Benton, saying, “Gabe you have to prepare for your time in stasis.”
Benton grumbles to himself for a moment, then turns away, saying, “Well, I should spend some time with my people, and set up the change of the government while I’m taking my nap.”
Caleb says, “I’ll be over to see you once Allie has finished her transition.”
Benton scowls at Allie, asking, “So Cale, every four or five hundred years, Allie has to do this transition thing?”
Caleb replies, “Yes Gabe.”
Benton smiles, saying, “Well, that means I don’t have to deal with the New Allie while I’m asleep.” Benton then shifts away back to Celesta.
Allie says to Caleb, “Father, I will make sure to obey your request, and help Fatso keep his mind straight, but in time even I will not be able to help him.”
Caleb lowers his head, saying, “Every day has an ending.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EVICTION
The year is now six hundred and seventy-five, and Caleb has for the most part help direct and guide the Paladonian’s to a course of prosperity and peace. His presence has had an overall positive effect on most all the Paladonians, and even with the Rooke and Tof worlds, Caleb has been able to maintain a positive influence. Unfortunately, from time to time he disappears often for a few years, and during those times issues often arise.
The Moon of the First ones, as Commander Callen and Lieutenant Oni of the Black guard arrives before Allie. Commander Callen is a strong leader and direct descendant of previous Black Guard officers. She is tall, standing over six feet, with piercing eyes and long black hair. Her heritage is clearly from the south Asian isles. With her is her second in command, Lieutenant Oni, a Candorian alien, who has been psychically trained by Allie herself. Candorians are a form of feline humanoids that possess a high degree of telepathic power
Callen approaches Allie, reporting, “Allie, we have news that the Rookes have once again established a colony near the Pi’orel. Our history of the current timeline shows that the T-Challa will destroy the Pi’orel civilization in the next six years. With a colony so close it is strong possibility the T-Challa could discover them, and thus cause a paradox in our timeline.”
Allie stands upward, towering over two hundred feet as her mass encompasses virtually the entire chamber, she then speaks to both telepathically, saying, “I’ll do what I can with the council, but as we all know too well, both the Tof and Rooke worlds have always denied their outer colony's existence. I fear this will require Caleb to intervene directly, and he is somewhere near the Triangulum galaxy. He is too far away to contact without sending a transmission that could be detected by the X’ena or the T-Challa.”
Allie pauses, as she thinks to herself. Moments turn into minutes, when she finally says. “I’m afraid our only hope will be to send out our fastest ship the destroyer Salem to find him. Caleb and Paladin have personally helped design this vessel as it is the only ship ever built by us that possess both a shift drive and an A.I. system. Regrettably, the journey is over three million light-years and will take the better part of two years to reach.”
Oni concerned, asks, “Where will we search for him? The Triangulum galaxy is large and using only short range communications bursts will take us far longer than we have.”
Allie lowers herself down to the two and speaks once more telepathically, saying, “Hopefully, Caleb will detect you long before you detect him. Caleb was given the gift of foresight by the Flower stone. He should be aware of any, and all-possible dangers to our timeline. As a result, he should already be aware of the situation. Nevertheless, we cannot risk that he is or is not aware of the present risk. You will need to use your instinct
and training to aid you in locating him. Hopefully this will be for naught, and Caleb is already on his way to us.”
Callen, concerned about everything, nevertheless accepts her mission, as she states, “I will assembly my team, and prepare to head out as soon as possible.”
Several days later, the Salem has left in search of Caleb, while the council of the Paladonian leaders convenes. The First ones are represented by a Black guard agent named Oliver, who also traces his lineage directly back to the Black guard heroes of the Ice world incident, Orpheus and Jasmin, and because he the great grandson of Jasmin who was an original survivor from the alternate timeline, Oliver has been endowed with the gift of long life. Today, he speaks to the other council members, each representing the six other moons.
The Bentonian moon representative is Augustus, an original descendant from Paladin crew and a personal choice by Benton to succeed him during his time in stasis. Augustus takes much of his leadership style from following Benton’s philosophy of leadership. Conversely, he has also learned much from Caleb’s guidance.
The Valen moon representative is a young man named Valentine. The Valentine name is considered an honored name and many children are given this name in honor of the man their world is named after. Valentine was just recently elected as council leader, and is considered reserved, and not very vocal, however, he is deeply passionate about their overall mission to save the human race and maintain Caleb’s prime laws.
The Whitefeather moon has always been represented by a direct descendant of Reginald and Rachel. The representative is their great granddaughter Regina, who is currently the oldest living Paladonian at three hundred and forty and will soon be stepping down. She is very wise and often blunt.
The Uari moon is represented by Domino a woman who came to the Uari moon as an orphaned infant, and is the only Earther to hold such an office. She was raised by a prestigious family within the Uari upper echelon. She would later use her family’s influence and power to gain elected office to the Uari council. Eventually, gaining the favor of her people and was elected to her world’s council leader. She is often looking for what benefits her wants and needs, more so than what would be better for those she represents.
The Ocoda Chronicles Book 5 Paladonians Page 11