Giles beckoned for Anne to come with them and ushered her out the door just ahead of him.
“Have their consort brought through from the library!” The Crown ordered to one of his people as he moved down the hallway to the main dining room.
Anne looked up at Giles. “I don’t think it was the library he went to!” she whispered.
Giles chuckled quietly. “Knowing Bill, no. Probably not . . .”
They headed into the banquet hall, following their host. It was quite a sight. The room was arranged much like their first visit, except everything was on a much grander scale.
Candles lined the floor of the room like tiny cheering fairies. The table was already being spread with food, and wine glasses were being filled as the last of the guests found their places. There was a hub of chatter and activity and an air of relief and celebration.
The Crown wandered over to his throne at the far end of the table, and Giles, Arlene, and Anne were ushered along to sit closest to him. An empty seat next to Arlene awaited Bill.
Ting, ting, ting . . .
The Crown had sat down briefly, only to stand up again and call the banquet to a start. “My fine fellow Queegerts!” he called out as hush fell upon the party assembled.
There was a creak at the door and Bill appeared. Heads turned to see the already-schozzled human bow awkwardly, begging their forgiveness for the interruption. He quietly walked around the periphery of the room to the empty seat next to Arlene.
The Crown continued. “We are gathered here today to give our thanks to the brave souls who came down out of the sky to help us in our plight against elements that would want to exploit us. They, in their wisdom, have organized an exciting program to ensure the safekeeping of our mines, our people, and our society.”
A round of applause and table-banging rippled around the room. The Crown waited for it to die down before he carried on. “Today we feast in celebration of our liberation.” He beckoned to someone at the back of the room. “And in recognition of our deepest thanks, please accept this small token of our appreciation for your efforts.”
One of the butlers appeared at his side with a cushion. Giles gasped, recognizing instantly the talisman as The Crown picked it up to present it to him. He stood, hands by his side, ready to receive the prize that they’d risked life and limb for in the past days.
Already, the guests had erupted into cheers and applause. Giles felt a sense of accomplishment, rising in his chest as the Crown stepped around the table to hand the talisman to him.
“Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!” the party cheered.
Giles noticed across the table that little Anne’s face was awe-struck as she watched him receive the gift and the reaction of the Queegerts. It was the same look of admiration that he’d seen in his students’ eyes when he’d gone GI Giles on them back at the smoke-bomb incident.
Arlene wiped a tear from one eye, before turning away embarrassed and burying her face in a napkin behind Bill’s back.
Yes, this was the moment he’d been working towards. Yet deep down he felt an emptiness gnawing at his insides. Pushing it away, he grinned at the people cheering for him and cleared his throat to speak.
The Crown made a quieting motion with his hands before standing back a couple of feet, allowing Giles to address his court.
“Wow. Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover what this means to us.” He indicated Arlene to include her. “Professor Arlene Bailey and I are humbled to receive this great honor. As you may’ve heard, we’ve dedicated our lives to the study of civilizations—what makes them work, what changes we can make when they don’t work . . . and so on. Very rarely do we find a group of people who are so willing and so able to act in the best interests of all its citizens. You, the Queegerts of Mallifrax-8, have done us a service in your tireless commitment to this common goal. And we are eternally grateful to you, as I’m sure are your subjects in the mines. Our greatest wish is for you to go on with this goal in mind and thrive.”
Another cheer erupted through the great dining hall.
“Thank you so much for this great gift,” he said, holding it up for them to see. “With this token, Arlene and I and my friends,” he gestured to Anne and Bill, “intend to continue our work in understanding more about how the numerous species across the ‘verse are related so we can create more harmony among us. Thank you.”
He sat down, relieved to no longer have to speak because the emotion of his own words was moving him to tears. The empty feeling was gone. As he spoke, he realized those words were true. That this was what it was really all about. The years of adventuring and seeking the high of danger wasn’t the true high he was seeking. It was just the driver that his mind at the time could latch on to.
He was vaguely aware of the banquet and chatter around him as people started to serve the food and eat. But internally, he was distracted by the sudden understanding that his true purpose lay somewhere in the mix of what he and Arlene had achieved here today.
The rest of the dinner went by like a blur, and much wine was drunk by everyone. Except Anne. Arlene made sure of that despite Anne’s protests that she looked younger than she actually was. Giles heard something about how they’d struck a deal in their training about when Anne was able to do such-and-such a thing, then she would be deemed mature enough to partake. He didn’t get the details.
Later, the party moved into a kind of drawing room where liquor was served, and music played. Giles noticed Anne entertaining some of the Queegerts who found her fascinating—even before she started her party tricks.
“Don’t blame me when she starts setting things on fire,” was the first he was aware of what was going on. Arlene had absolved herself from the responsibility.
Giles, who’d been deep in conversation with one of The Crown’s advisers, turned around to see Anne floating seven candles arranged like a Ferris wheel.
“Is that safe?” he asked Arlene, who was sitting in an armchair a few feet from him. Arlene raised her eyebrows and said nothing.
“Excuse me a moment,” Giles said to the advisor as he got up and headed over to the group that’d gathered around Anne. “Anne, dear, do you think you ought to be doing that?”
Anne grinned at him. “Why not?” she asked as innocently as she could.
“Because, erm . . . you tend to not be able to control . . . things.”
Anne waved a hand dismissively. One of the candles wavered in its movement before returning to its intended position in the floating Ferris wheel. “That was before,” she explained. “I’ve got this now . . .”
“Before what?” he asked, nervously pushing his glasses back on his face as he maneuvered around the group to see if he might catch the candles if she dropped them.
“Before Arlene was kidnapped and I had to save her ass.”
There were chuckles around the group of Queegerts and hushed whispers as they looked across at Arlene the Terrible.
“Come again?” Giles pressed.
“You know, when Arlene was kidnapped by those guys. I had to come in and help.” She pulled a face and lifted her hands in a claw-like gesture. “I went all grrrr with my energy thing, and boom, all of a sudden I have complete control.”
She stopped her Ferris wheel from turning and using a wave of her hands and likely a great deal of concentration, by her expression, put the candles down to rest on the patch of floor in front of her.
There were sighs of disappointment around her admirers.
Then without saying another word, she raised her hands again, bringing with it just the flames of the candles. Gasps rippled through the growing gathering. Even Arlene got up from her arm chair and wandered over.
“I really don’t think—” Giles started saying.
Just then Anne divided the flames each into two. Then two again, then again, and then suddenly rearranged them into a kind of sphere.
Applause erupted as the people watched, enchanted by her.
Then she waved her hand ag
ain, creating lines of light between some of the flames, which were now little tiny balls of fire.
Giles face dropped. “That’s a carbon-60 atom!” he exclaimed.
Anne nodded. “A bucky-ball!”
There was laughter around the group, coupled with applause.
Then Anne noticed Arlene. She was standing in the crowd, her hands on her hips. “And what about when something catches on fire accidentally?” she said, waving her hand around at the soft furnishings.
Anne lowered her eyes then opened her hands. “You mean like this?” The bucky ball morphed into a huge ball of fire that burned and expanded. Then disappeared with a woosh.
The crowd applauded again, and Anne reached for her tea and sat down.
Arlene shook her head and went back to her drink and conversation. Giles followed her.
“I’m not always going to be the bad guy on this, you know,” she warned him.
Giles picked up a fresh drink and sat next to her. “No, no, I know,” he said as somberly as he could. He took a sip of the drink. “But did you see what she did!” he added, the excitement escaping him.
Arlene eyed him sternly, then changed the subject.
Somehow, Giles knew this wasn’t the end of the conversation.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Aboard the Scamp Princess, Royal Crown Settlement, Mallifrax-8
The next morning, Giles was up and about early. Arlene found him in the cockpit sipping his second mocha and analyzing data Scamp had been collecting. “You’re up early, considering how much you drank last night.”
Giles pulled his attention from his work and turned to look at her while taking another swig of mocha. “Yeah,” he agreed, “although this time, I carefully avoided that green stuff, and seems my nanocytes were easily able to metabolize the rest of it.”
Arlene lowered herself gently into a nearby console chair. “Lucky you.”
Giles put his mug down. “You look delicate.”
Arlene closed her eyes and put her hand to her head. “I feel it. Please tell me we’ve got an easy day today.”
Giles stood up and took another sip of his mocha. “Indeed, we have. Well . . . you have. I just need to head over to negotiate with the MacKegans . . . Their Gilmurry guy, specifically. Should be a foregone conclusion according to Bill’s people . . . but just want to make sure.”
He headed to the door. “Just need to make sure everything is lined up with Bill, then I’ll have Scamp take us up.”
Arlene raised her finger without turning around. “Sure. I’ll hang here and guard the ship,” she said before letting her head drop into her arm across the console.
Giles chuckled. “You always were a lightweight . . .”
Arlene heard his footsteps tinking down the metal stairs, no doubt to go find Bill.
Not long later, he re-emerged, Bill and Anne in tow. “Ok,” he announced, “we’ll head up and dock with the MacKegan ship. Any sign of trouble, Arlene, you’re in charge of getting you guys to safety.”
Arlene lifted her head briefly, muttered something, then went back to her resting position. Everyone else strapped in for takeoff.
Scamp’s engines fired up, and despite the movement of the ship, Arlene seemed quite happy to stay ‘resting’, slumped across the console. When they docked, she sat up, at least making a show of being capable of taking command. “I’m gonna need a mocha,” she mumbled after Giles took his leave and explained to Anne that he wouldn’t be long.
Anne and Bill remained in the cockpit. Anne picked through some of the Scamp controls. “Scamp, show us the view on the door and a tracking on Giles’s holo. On screen.”
The two screens flashed up. Bill nodded at them. “You like to keep an eye on things, eh?”
Anne nodded.
“Wanna show me some more of your magic while the grownups are out?” he whispered conspiratorially.
Anne smiled and opened her hand, revealing a light green fireball.
Aboard the MacKegan Ship
Giles was escorted down the long corridors through to the conference area where he and Gilmurry had met the first time. This time, however, instead of being shown into the conference room, he was taken into an office.
Gilmurry sat behind his desk, talking on his holo. He put a finger up as Giles appeared at the door, complete with the smaller Queegert who’d accompanied him last time.
The guard seemed to walk with a limp this time though, and he noticed a number of the others had scratches and bruises on their visible flesh. They also appeared in much shorter temper than previously. He wondered what might’ve gone on, but quickly turned his attention back to Gilmurry, who beckoned him in.
“Have a seat, Mr. Kurns,” he said, shifting in his chair, having ended his call. “That was your friend’s company. Looks like we’re being made an offer for our equipment.”
Giles pushed his glasses up his nose and sat down. “I trust it’s to your liking?”
“It’ll do. Seeing as though we can’t compete on the price that the Logans are now demanding for their etheriam.”
Giles resisted the urge to smile. “So . . . er . . . what does this mean for your operation?”
Gilmurry waved at the security detail at the door, effectively telling them to leave. Giles turned to see them wander off like children being sent to bed just as things were getting interesting with the grownups.
Gilmurry’s expression was serious. “There’s nothing more for us here. We’ll be heading out in a day or two. No point in staying.”
Giles crossed his legs. “Just like that?” he asked.
Gilmurry leaned back in his seat, arrogantly steepling his fingers. “Yes. Just like that. Nothing to be done, and there are many more planets on our mining list where we can generate a similar operation.”
Giles frowned. “You mean, you’re going to just do the whole thing all over again?”
Gilmurry nodded. “Of course. Many more Logans out there waiting for their big operation. Many more mines that need labor. We’ll be operating again by the end of the week, I’m sure.”
Giles sat for a moment, deflated by what he was hearing. Then without a word, he stood and ambled out the door as if in a daze.
“Mr. Kurns . . . I assumed you came here to discuss business!” Gilmurry called after him. “Or at least to gloat about your victory.”
Giles had reached the door and turned back. “There’s been no real victory,” he stated, before wandering back out.
The security detail hadn’t completely dispersed. Instead, they’d just shifted down the corridor out of sight of the window-fronted office. When they saw Giles re-emerge so soon, they snapped to and escorted him off the ship, puzzled.
Giles barely noticed them. Nor did he really pay attention to anything on the way back to his own ship. It was as if all of it had been for nothing.
Sure, he thought, they’d helped those Queegerts on this particular planet. But he realized he’d been assuming this might have a greater impact on the way the Gilmurrys of the world did things. Turns out, it didn’t change a thing.
As the door closed on the air lock, he looked into the bewildered faces of the security entourage. And a moment later, he was completely alone.
Aboard the Scamp Princess, near Mining Settlement
Giles sat in the cockpit, staring at a screen.
“He hasn’t moved since he got back from that meeting,” Bill whispered to Arlene from the doorway of the cockpit.
Arlene took a deep breath and turned away from the door. “I know. He says everything is fine. I think maybe he’s just had his illusions shattered though.”
“What do you mean?”
Arlene beckoned Bill to follow her down to the kitchen. Anne passed them heading for the exit door on the side of the ship.
“And where are you going, young lady?” Arlene demanded.
Anne pointed at the door. “I wanted to see my friend before we leave. Scamp says I’ve got about an hour before gating will be recharged.�
�
Arlene narrowed her eyes. “Ok. Make sure you’re back. Giles isn’t on his game, so he may well allow us to leave without you . . .”
Anne giggled as she bounced out. No way was Arlene going to go without her. She knew that. The hard-assed act was exactly that. An act.
“You know, you’re super hard on her,” Bill commented as Arlene led the way into the kitchen and put the kettle on.
Arlene turned around about to give him shit.
“Of course, not that I’d know how to parent,” he added quickly, hands up in surrender. “Closest thing I’ve ever parented has been an android.”
Arlene’s face relaxed. She went back to making some tea. “So what’s next for you?” she said, changing the subject.
Bill plonked himself down at the table, arms folded. “Well, I dunno. Everything is handled in terms of the operation. I was thinking about getting a ride back home . . . but then. I wondered . . .”
He paused, causing Arlene to turn around and look at him.
“Well, you guys are heading back to Estaria next, no?”
“That’s the plan.”
“How do you feel about me coming with you?” He watched Arlene’s reaction carefully. “I mean . . . you wouldn’t have to babysit me or anything. I just thought, you know, I could do with a change of pace. Experience something new. Somewhere where no one knows who I am and doesn’t want anything from me.”
“Uh huh . . .” she said slowly, eyeing him carefully without giving anything away herself.
“You know,” he continued. “It would be like an extended vacation. I could get a job even. Live a new life.”
Arlene folded her arms and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Why would you get a job? From what I hear, you’re . . . what’s the expression . . . loaded.”
Bill chuffed, embarrassed. “Well, er . . . there’s that. But I’m also bored. I live on that luxurious space station with my assistant, pet android, and various business acquaintances who come by now and again. But after a while, it just feels . . . Well . . .”
Giles Kurns_Rogue Instigator Page 17