Saving 1641

by Robert Jay Dilger

  “Me too,” the guard replied, waving them on. “Remember, if you see anyone looking or acting suspicious, report it right away. Don’t try to be a hero.”

  “Thanks,” Conor stated, stepping into the turbolift. “We will remember that.”

  The turbolift offered a particularly splendid, panoramic view of the shopping district and, in the distance, Skyton University and its tall, golden steeples and spires.

  “How about that!” Jonnelle exclaimed as the turbolift floated them to the ground floor. “Alex has been cleared! They’re blaming Casseday and Kourdar! It can’t get any better than this! We’re free and I’m rich! I’m very rich!”

  “Slow down,” Conor stated as they stepped off the turbolift. “Alex taught me that if something seems too good to be true then it usually isn’t true. So, let’s not celebrate just yet.”

  They left the parking garage and made their way through the crowded sidewalk to the street, which was just as crowded as the sidewalk. This particular shopping district’s streets were reserved for pedestrians. No hovercraft were allowed. Jonnelle stayed close to Conor, keeping one hand on him at all times. The crowd seemed to have a mind of its own, moving first one way and then another as the people hurried about, their arms full of packages or with children in tow. Seeing an opening, Conor crossed the street and headed for a large clothing store. Walking into the store, he spotted about a dozen people standing in front of a large viewing screen hanging on a wall. A woman with long, reddish-brown hair and huge, shiny violet eyes filled the screen. She had just finished giving the weather report and was turning to the news of the hour.

  “Here is the latest on Alex Kilgoramond, otherwise known as the Beta Cat,” she started. “We, at Video Nine O Four, have put together a brief documentary on him. As you can see, he’s never been in serious trouble with the law before. Attorneys have been lining up outside of his apartment building, hoping to represent him in an anticipated lawsuit against the government. Some experts anticipate a settlement in the millions of credits. In other news, Justices Brandix and LaRocque continue to meet in private. The doctor’s report on Justice LaRocque indicates that he was stabbed in the upper left torso, with a six-inch serrated knife. The knife severed several muscles and punctured his left lung. The lung became infected and had to be replaced. He is expected to make a full and complete recovery. As soon as there is anything further to report, you can count on Video Nine O Four to be the first to let you know what is happening.”

  Conor turned away from the viewing screen and looked for a quiet, private place. He saw the entrance to the store’s restroom, partially hidden behind a wall of flowers near the store’s return counter. A young woman, no more than 30 years old, stood behind the return counter, looking bored. She smiled at him as he made his way to the restroom. Her smile turned quickly to a scowl as Conor pressed his palm against the restroom’s entrance pad and entered, pulling Jonnelle in with him.

  “What are you doing?” Jonnelle asked. “We can’t be in here together. It’s not decent.”

  The restroom was built for the use of one person at a time. Jonnelle tried to turn around to face the now closed and locked front door, but bumped hard into Conor’s right shoulder.

  “Hold still!” Conor commanded. “I don’t have to use the restroom. Don’t you remember what Anne Hopkins said before we started all this, ‘Never let the other one out of your sight.’”

  “I remember, but this is ridiculous,” Jonnelle answered. “Let me out of here.”

  Someone knocked on the restroom’s door.

  “Just a moment,” Conor called out.

  “I’m going to try to reach Kristi to find out what is going on,” Conor informed Jonnelle.

  There was another knock on the door, this time louder.

  “I’m almost done,” Conor called out.

  Jonnelle tried to stand still, but her right hip was bumping up against the door handle. She twisted around and hit Conor with her left elbow.

  “Sorry,” Jonnelle apologized.

  “That’s okay,” Conor replied, focusing his thoughts.

  “Kristi, can you hear me?” he called out using telepathy.

  Hearing nothing, Conor sighed and tried again. This time, a faint voice in the far distance whispered a soft hello. He thought he heard her say something, but there was another loud knock on the restroom door.

  “Will you please stop that?” Conor called out. “I’m trying to concentrate in here.”

  “Brandix thinks that he got the best of the deal,” Kristi’s voice whispered in his mind. “He agreed to drop all charges against Alex and Alex agreed to not sue the government for false imprisonment. Brandix liked that. He wasn’t looking forward to having the lawsuit dominate the videopapers for weeks on end. Michael also agreed to drop all demands related to Anne Hopkins and to forego a formal investigation into his attempted assassination. Brandix really liked that part of the deal. If you ask me, he and Dee Sanders were behind the whole thing. In exchange, Brandix is squashing Relcovic’s investigation into the credit laundering scandal. Rumor has it that he is going to give Relcovic an ambassadorship.”

  “Does Brandix know anything about the credits we gave to Anne and her family?” Conor asked.

  “He has no idea,” Kristi answered.

  Jonnelle nudged Conor, giving him a “what’s up?” look. Conor smiled and circled his right index finger to his thumb, signally that everything was going to be okay.

  “One more thing,” Kristi added. “Michael is taking a five-week leave of absence from the Court. Brandix liked that too, kind of a cooling off period for both sides. The official word will be that Michael needs some time to recover from the attack. But the real reason is that he wants to help us prepare your people for spaceflight. He thinks that he owes you that much, given all that you have done. Also, Kathryn wants to come too. If that’s okay with you.”

  “Of course,” Conor answered. “The more the merrier.”

  “So, there has been a change of plans,” Kristi continued. “You no longer have to go to the spaceport or worry about getting off-world. Get back to the hovercraft and head straight for Michael’s spaceship. We’re throwing a party.”

  Jonnelle nudged Conor once again.

  “The guards were right about the charges being dropped,” Conor said out loud. “We no longer have to get off-world. Everyone is headed for Michael’s spaceship.”

  Jonnelle let out a loud “Hooray!” and started jumping up and down.

  Someone started pounding on the restroom door.

  “What is going on in there?” a very irritated male voice shouted from outside the restroom. “This is the store manager. Get out of there right now!”

  Conor pushed the restroom door’s release lever. Nearly three dozen people had gathered around the restroom’s door, all of them staring at him with contempt in their eyes. Conor smiled, gave the crowd an innocent “who me” look, and shrugged his shoulders. Jonnelle’s face turned crimson with embarrassment as several women in the crowd started chanting “shame on you, shame on you.” Conor grabbed Jonnelle by the arm and headed for the front door, the store manager hot on their heels.

  “Don’t you ever come back!” the manager shouted as Conor and Jonnelle left the store and headed down the street. “We don’t need your kind in here!”

  The crowd behind them erupted into spontaneous applause, their cold, icy stares following them until they turned the nearest corner.

  “That was the most embarrassing moment in my entire life,” Jonnelle blurted out, tears welling up in her eyes. “I hope that there weren’t any robocameras around.”

  “There were,” Conor answered. “But I took care of them.”

  “And how did you do that?” Jonnelle asked.

  “Just another one of my numerous talents,” Conor answered with a laugh.

  Placing his left arm around Jonnelle’s shoulders, he gave her a warm hug and told her, “Come on, rich girl. We’ve got a party to attend.”
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br />   Michael’s spaceship was bathed in searchlight. An honor guard, consisting of six young cadets, leaned against the ship’s main entrance door, engaged in a heated argument concerning which of them was the best athlete. The cadets came to attention as Conor and Jonnelle approached. None of them had a laser pistol, but each of them carried a stun wand. Conor noticed that three of them reached for their stun wand as he approached.

  “I come in peace,” Conor called out, trying to calm their nerves.

  “What is your business here?” one of the cadets asked, motioning for Conor and Jonnelle to stop.

  “We’ve been invited to a party,” Jonnelle answered. “Why don’t you check inside? I’m certain that you will find that we are expected.”

  “What are your names?” the cadet asked.

  “Conor Sinclair and Jonnelle Carter,” Conor responded. “We work for Justice LaRocque.”

  Scanning the invitation list, another cadet announced, “Here they are. They are on the list.”

  “Too bad,” the first cadet stated, a sly grin spreading across his face. “I’m afraid that the party is over. You missed it. Everyone has gone home for the evening.”

  Conor looked up toward the ship’s bridge. It was nearly a quarter of a mile away, but thanks to his acute hearing he could hear music playing and Michael, Alex, Kathryn, Kristi, Anne, Selder, and Aunt Emma’s voices. There were several other people there as well. He turned his attention back to the cadet.

  “Don’t fool with me,” Conor stated angrily.

  “Fool with you?” the cadet asked. “What are you talking about? The party is over, so move on.”

  “If the party’s over,” Jonnelle interrupted. “Why are you still here?”

  “Duty,” the cadet answered without pause. “When duty calls, you can count on us, right guys?”

  The other cadets stared at their companion, wondering why he was being so difficult.

  “Go away!” the cadet shouted.

  The cadet floated into the air. The other cadets retreated a few steps as they watched their companion get whipped around like a rag doll.

  “Excuse us,” Conor stated, moving toward the spaceship’s main entranceway. “There is a party going on upstairs and we have been invited.”

  As he passed the cadets, he announced in a commanding voice, “I would suggest that you have a long talk with your friend about his manners.”

  As he and Jonnelle entered the spaceship, the five cadets gathered around their still airborne companion and tried, without success, to pull him to the ground.

  “Are you alright?” one of them asked.

  “I can’t move,” the floating cadet answered.

  “You will remain in that position until I decide otherwise,” Conor’s voice boomed out of nowhere.

  The five cadets scattered, leaving their floating companion all by himself.

  “Guys!” the cadet shouted. “Don’t leave me here! Come on, guys. Where are you? Don’t leave me!”

  “Weren’t you a little hard on him?” Jonnelle asked as they made their way up to the bridge. “You could have hurt him pretty badly shaking him like that. Are you okay? You nearly lost it back there.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with me!” Conor answered angrily. “It’s the rest of this planet that’s the problem. I’m sick of this place. I’m just sick of it, that’s all. I just want to go home.”

  Jonnelle wrapped her arms around Conor and gave him a warm, friendly, comforting hug. Conor returned the hug, tears welling up in his eyes.

  “Excuse me,” a feminine voice announced from down the hallway.

  Conor looked up. Kathryn stood at the end of the walkway, her arms crossed across her chest. She was not smiling.

  “Excuse me!” Kathryn announced a lot louder.

  Jonnelle let go of Conor and took a small step away from him.

  “Hi,” Conor stated a little awkwardly. “Kathryn, I would like to introduce you to Jonnelle.”

  “I know who she is,” Kathryn interrupted, taking a step toward Jonnelle. “Thank you for helping to bring Conor back to me in one piece.”

  Jonnelle smiled as Kathryn extended her hand.

  “We were just talking,” Jonnelle started to explain as she shook Kathryn’s hand.

  “Right,” Kathryn stated sarcastically, turning toward Conor and taking him by the arm. “I’m sure that it was all very innocent. Conor and I will discuss that later. But, for now, follow me. We have been waiting for both of you.”

  The bridge was a mess. Red, blue, yellow, and purple party streamers hung off of the ceiling, many of them stretching all the way down to the floor. Thousands of pieces of confetti, dozens of plates, several half-full glasses of multi-colored liquid beverages and assorted disposable knives, forks, and spoons were strewn about, making it difficult to walk across the floor without slipping. Kathryn grabbed a voice enhancer and announced over the music blaring from the intercom system, “Hey everyone, look who is finally here!”

  Alex was the first to react. He bounded across the room and wrapped his arms around Conor’s shoulders.

  “It’s about time you got here!” Alex bellowed. “Have you heard the news? We’re headed for your planet.”

  “I can’t wait,” Conor answered, giving Alex a big hug. “How are you doing? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Alex replied. “I’m just glad to get out of that cage. By the way, remember that annoying guard? The one who kept saying ‘Bang, bang, you’re dead.’”

  “I remember him,” Conor answered. “He was annoying.”

  “Part of the deal with Brandix is that he is being demoted and redeployed off-world,” Alex stated happily. “Plus, I will be kept informed of his whereabouts. I am looking forward to the day that we meet again. That will be a day that he will remember for a long, long time.”

  Anne Hopkins interrupted their conversation and gave Conor a big hug.

  “You did great,” she whispered in his ear. “Thank you for what you have done. Especially for the credits that went to the families of those who died. I am so proud to know you.”

  Aunt Emma and several other members of Anne’s family gathered around him and Jonnelle, taking turns giving them a welcoming hug and thanking them for transferring the credits. Just when he thought all of the hugging and congratulating was done, Michael, his left arm still in a sling, shook his hand firmly with his right hand, and embraced him. Kristi was the last to approach. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and held him in her arms for the longest time.

  The party continued on throughout the night. Alex, of course, was the center of attention as he danced with all of the women, one after the other, sometimes two at a time. He had obviously had a bit too much to drink, but no one seemed to mind. As the celebration continued, Conor finally had a chance to speak with Michael alone. They huddled in a corner.

  “The robomedic says that I will be fine,” Michael explained. “Fortunately, the knife missed the main artery. I’m not supposed to

  do any heavy lifting for a week or so, but then I should be as good as ever.”

  “Thank you for taking a leave of absence,” Conor stated. “I know how important your job is.”

  “Nothing is more important than family,” he answered. “And you are family. Besides, I can use the time away to figure out my next move on the Court. I’ve had some interesting conversations with Justice Stevenson. She’s a very interesting person. I think that I can trust her. Well, as much as anyone can trust a politician.”

  “Which isn’t very far,” Conor stated. “No offense intended.”

  “None taken,” Michael answered.

  “So,” Conor continued. “What happens now?”

  “As usual, Alex and Kristi disagree on how we should proceed,” Michael replied. “Alex thinks that we should fly in, take out the Batar forcefully, and just start over with you sitting on the throne. Kristi prefers a more subtle approach. She wants to negotiate a peace among the tribes, introduce an educational sy
stem and social reforms, and try to get the tribes to work together as a unit. I am fine with either approach. What do you think we should do?”

  Conor was about to answer when every wrist transponder and viewing port in the room started beeping at once. Looking down at his transponder, Conor saw the words “This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill. All military personnel report immediately to their duty station. All civilians with prior military service are hereby recalled to service under emergency authority provided under Article 5 of the Consortium of Allied Planet’s Articles of Confederation. Recalled service members must report within 24 hours to their assigned Armada auxiliary post. Anyone wishing to volunteer their services should report immediately to a local recruitment center. This is not a drill.”

  Kristi turned the music off and turned up the volume on a viewing screen. A reporter, tears streaming down her face, announced, “Video of the carnage from the eastern quadrant has just arrived. I must warn you that this video is very disturbing. The invaders have laid waste to three planets and their armada is headed in this direction. Still no word as to who they are or what they are after, but their technology is very advanced, and the destruction they are leaving in their wake is horrific. An estimated four billion souls have been lost in just the past hour.”

  A grainy satellite image of an entire planet on fire filled the screen.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Robert Jay Dilger is a Senior Specialist in American National Government at the U.S. Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service where he conducts policy analysis for the U.S. Congress. Previously, he served as a Professor of Political Science at several universities and as a research fellow at the Brookings Institution.

  He has written eight books on national political issues. Saving 1641 is his first novel.

  Dilger hails from Connecticut. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the Johns Hopkins University and his doctorate in politics from Brandeis University. In addition to politics, he loves science fiction and spending time with his grandchildren, Kate, Lucy, and Jacob. They always bring a smile to his face.