by R.E. Rowe
Chapter 27
Jayden sat at a polished wood table in Emperor Ruchbah9’s castle and reflected on everything that had happened. In the flickering light of white candles spread around the room, two guards in red blaster-proof spandex stood at attention on either side of the door archway, each sporting long, handcrafted swords.
The emperor pounded his fists on the table, and then sat back down. “Damn him. Damn him.” Jayden noticed his double chin had turned dark green. “Nuk’ana must be removed from power. He is getting more aggressive, more evil, and hurting more innocents. Killgeek, what is your plan? How will you take down Leader Nuk’ana?”
“Forget Nuk’ana right now,” said Nora. “We need to get back to Earth, right, Jayden? We need to get our families to safety. Nuk’ana knows where they live.”
“Yeah, I agree with Nora,” Parker said, tapping the table repeatedly with his fingers.
“Lizard gas,” Altair3 grumbled. “Nuk’ana barks like a snake.”
All eyes turned to Jayden. He peered at the red tablet, waiting for the light energy to show up and tell him what to do.
Nothing happened.
“Well, young man?” the emperor said. “Your plan?”
Just when he was ready to give up, an idea popped into his head. He slapped the table. “We need to do both. Return to Earth and destroy Nuk’ana.”
“Both?” Parker asked.
Nora sighed. “Right. But how in holy Higgs particles are we going to manage both?”
“Look, I want to make sure our parents are safe,” he replied. “We know how Nuk’ana works. The slime bucket is ruthless.”
“So we get back to Earth, right?” asked Nora.
“Yes. But—”
“What of Nuk’ana?” Ruchbah9 asked.
“Look, I don’t want us to walk into a trap. We know Nuk’ana is always a few steps ahead of the masons. Heck, he might even have spies here too.”
“Killgeek is truth,” Altair3 said.
Emperor Ruchbah9 stood and glared at the two guards in spandex. “Out, now!”
They scrambled out of the room, nearly falling on their faces in their haste to obey. The door slammed behind them.
Jayden peered at the emperor.
“Just in case,” Ruchbah9 said, then sat down, and sucked in a long, deep breath.
“Go on,” Parker said. “What’s the plan?”
“We need to change the rules of Nuk’ana’s game,” Jayden said. “Keep Nuk’ana off balance. Something unexpected.” He rubbed his face, slammed the table with both hands, and gained his feet. “We’ll need two intergalactic transports with a UFO on each of them.”
Ruchbah’s eyes went wide. “Done. I have what you need all fueled up in my courtyard.”
“But I still don’t get it. What’s your plan?” asked Parker.
He winked at Parker, and then turned to the emperor. “I’ll need as much explosive as you can pack into the hull of one of the transports. Just leave room for one UFO inside the transport’s hull.”
“Oh, really?” the emperor said as his brow deeply creased.
Jayden turned toward to Nora. “I need you to crack Nuk’ana’s passwords and hack the Ga database using my dad’s tablet, only this time dig deeper. Break into Nuk’ana’s personal data. Find and decrypt his detailed information. We need to know where Nuk’ana’s next communication briefing will be located.” He turned back to the emperor and asked, “Will these new communicator earplugs connect across the galaxy?”
The emperor rubbed his green double chin, which had lightened a tad. He nodded. “Yes, of course. They are entangled.”
“And they’re secure, right?” Jayden asked.
“Indeed. The devices have been custom configured and paired to the three of you with our most advanced encryption. But one limitation does indeed exist.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“You will not be able to communicate when you are in the space between the space.”
That made sense to Jayden given the place didn’t even have stars. It was clear to him what they needed to do. “Nora, I need you to hack the offline Space Command database copy while you’re traveling on an intergalactic transport to Earth. Take BBgun with you. With any luck, by the time you reach our sun, you’ll know how to decrypt Nuk’ana’s personal live database.”
“With a lot of luck,” she muttered.
He continued. “When you arrive in Earth’s solar system, connect to the live database. Find out where Nuk’ana’s next briefing is going to be. I’ll need the location. After you get that info, hack into their system again, but let space command locate your position.”
“But won’t they destroy our transport?” Nora asked.
“Probably,” Jayden said. “But that’s why the hull will be filled with explosives.”
The emperor let out a loud laugh. “Very creative, young mason leader.”
Jayden continued. “After you tell me the briefing location, use a time delay to insert the transport’s location into Space Command’s live data feed.”
Nora grinned.
“Genius,” Parker said, as if he could read Jayden’s mind. “Smoke-a-bloke?”
Jayden peered at Nora. “You’ll let them get up on the transport, and then, boom, BBQ those shifty Zepar. But you won't be on the transport. You’ll be on the UFO from the transport’s cargo hold.”
Nora’s smiled grew.
Jayden turned to Altair3. “When’s the next briefing?”
“One hundred, seventy-two thousand, eight hundred pulses,” Altair3 said.
“Huh?” Jayden said blankly.
“Two of your Earth days,” the emperor replied.
“After you tell me Nuk’ana’s meeting location and booby-trap the transport with explosives, take the UFO to Earth and pick up our parents. BBgun will be your backup. Once you have all the adults onboard the UFO, hightail it to the far side of Earth’s moon and hide out until I check in with you.” Jayden turned to the emperor. “Nora will call you. She’ll let you know when to send them an intergalactic transport that will bring them back to the Royal City.”
BBgun looked nervous and Nora’s expression changed to a frown. “You’re not coming with me, Jayden?”
“No time. That’s the second part of my plan. Parker and I will punch out somewhere near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. When you tell me where Nuk’ana is going to give his briefing, we’ll have other masons start raids as far away from the briefing as possible. From there we’ll use a galactic transport to travel to the briefing. Nuk’ana will think all the rebel activity is far away from his pathetic little briefing.”
“Then what?” asked Nora.
“Parker and I will sneak in with a group of masons. We’ll replace the recruits he’s planning to put on display at his briefing.” Jayden turned to Altair3. “Can you arrange for masons to join us onstage?”
He nodded. “No issues. Bigger puzzle is weapon pieces.”
“I’ll work on getting weapons and credentials,” the emperor said. “We’ve recently upgraded a set of skin tight wearables that blends in with your natural skin color. They’ll be perfect. Blast 50,000 volts of shock. It won’t kill, but it will disable very effectively.”
“Once at Nuk’ana’s talking spot,” Altair3 said. “Mason sleeper cells wake up.”
“Yes,” Jayden told Altair3. “But you’re going with Zeekmo too. She’ll need help enabling the explosives.” He smiled. “Understood? I need you to make a light show to keep Space Command distracted near Earth.”
“Understood,” Altair3 said, “I bus with Zeekmo and BBgun.”
“We shall send my other son with you and G-striker, Killgeek,” the emperor said. “His name is Altair5.”
“Altair3 has a brother?” Jayden asked.
The emperor nodded. “Yes, Altair5 is twelve of your sol years.”
The Andros sure don’t get too creative with their naming tradition.
“Then what?” Nora asked
Jayden. “How will you stop Nuk’ana at his briefing?”
“Yeah, well, that part Parker and I will need to work out,” he replied.
Altair3 stood and gestured for them to get moving.
“May the beings of energy be with you,” the emperor said.
“And some luck too,” Jayden added, and then paused. He peered at the emperor. “The energy being said: ‘Find the spot behind the neck, push to switch off the hologram tech.’ Does that mean anything to you?”
The emperor gazed at Jayden carefully then shook his head.
Jayden continued. “Reveal you will the truth at last, tell all you can, quantum fast. No idea at all?”
The emperor frowned. “Unfortunately, I do not know the meaning.”
Jayden let out a frustrated huff. “We should get moving.”
They all headed for the door.
Nora grabbed Jayden’s arm, holding him back until they were the only two left in the room. Her hair was growing back, but it was still short. He loved the way her glinting brown eyes softened when she talked to him.
She touched his face with one hand and gazed into his eyes. “Be careful, Surfer Boy,” she whispered. “And take care of my brother.”
“I will,” Jayden whispered back to her.
“Come now!” shouted Altair3 from the hallway.
Jayden’s focus shifted. Both fists tightened.
Time for a Zepar BBQ.