Serve and Protect

by Douglas Varnell

  Brad finally made it to the podium. He was given the pleasure of handing her the trophy and giving her a kiss. The sexy blond trophy-girl knew it wouldn’t go over well in a very conservative Islamic country for her do the honors. As soon as Tala received her trophy and her kiss, she handed the Ducati rider the customary bottle of Champagne, saying, “Here, I’m not old enough drink.” The enraged Spaniard threw the bottle to the ground and stomped off the podium. Every motorsport magazine in Europe took photographs of Tala with her boyfriend, her manager Neil Hodgson and her teammate from Australia Mark Sloan. The Italian rider on team Aruba.it was moved up to fifth over-all due to the wrecks and unpredictable order of finish. He for one was glad she had been chosen as a wild-card rider and hoped she would be signed on for the next season. After the photographers and interviews were finished, the track doctors insisted that Tala be examined to be sure she had sustained no injuries during her spectacular crash. She didn’t like to undress in front of male strangers, doctor or no doctor. They finally agreed to have a female EMT examine her in private. The very nice German woman was amazed to see no marks or bruises from the crash that would have shattered anyone’s bones. As she gripped her arm to check her pulse and used the stethoscope to listen to her breath, she pulled back in wonder and said, “Gutter Gott.” Tala replied in German, “Those of us from Verron eat very healthy and get lots of exercise.” The EMT shook her head and commented, “You are stronger than any man, yes?” Tala smiled and told her, “Not the ones on Verron.”

  Since the exam was held in the Aruba.it motorhome, Tala changed into her street clothes and exited to the paddock area. One look at her paddock area and she knew something was not right. There were over twenty men in uniforms surrounding Neil, Mark and Brad. Several of the men actually had guns drawn and pointing them at her friends. She walked closer and yelled in Arabic, “You people better have a darn good reason to be harassing my friends.” Tala suddenly realized this was not about her friends. This was about her, King Verron’s niece; the man who had been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Islamic terrorists. The commander of the armed group of Qatar police turned to the sound of the girls demanding voice. It was obvious he and his men were unaccustomed to a woman, especially a young woman, talking to them with such a tone of voice. He asked, “You are Princess Tala Verron, yes.” Tala was getting mad, “What business is it of yours?” The now angry man raised his voice for all to hear, “You and your friends are under arrest for entering Qatar illegally and for committing crimes against Islam. You will be held without bond until you are given a fair trial for these acts against the Nation of Qatar.”

  Tala was really getting mad now at this pompous ass acting like he could do anything he chose to do to a stranger, especially a woman, in his country. She actually laughed at how ridiculous this man and his petty laws were, she put her hands on her hips and continued in Arabic so the police officers could understand, saying, “Excuse me, but you have obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a damn about your stupid Islamic laws and this two-bit sandbox you call a country. Now put those toys of yours away before someone gets hurt, turn my friends loose and go home and beat your wife and kids or something, I’m sure they are used to it, but I am not going to tolerate your ignorance or your arrogance.” Twenty-six guns raised in her direction. Twenty-six guns instantly turned so hot they melted the plastic handles to the skin of those foolish enough not to let them go in time. Tala quickly had twenty-six police paralyzed, smoke and the smell of burned flesh filled the air. She calmly walked over and took a handcuff key from one of the uniformed officers and undid Brad first, and although Neil and Mark were legally in Qatar, she decided to still get them out ASAP. She waved goodbye to the surrounding onlookers and just before she stepped through her gateway to return her friends to Australia, she released the petrified jerks and simultaneously hurled a ball of compressed air at them so hard that it not only bowled them over, it broke several bones. The men were writhing in pain on the ground as Tala and her friends vanished.

  She dropped Neil and Mark off in Melbourne, asking them, “Are you two alright. They didn’t hurt you did they?” Neil smiled his charming smile and gave Tala a hug, saying, “Best season of racing I’ve ever had, I can’t remember having so much fun. I’ll let you know what the FIM folks have to say. No doubt Qatar will demand some ridiculous reparations or fines.” She told her two friends goodbye and headed back to Area 51 with Brad. It was almost morning in Nevada and both just wanted to get some sleep. Brad gave her a long kiss at her door and as he turned to leave asked, “Is it always this exciting wherever you go?” Tala smiled and asked, “I didn’t kill anyone did I?” Brad shook his head and walked toward his room, thinking, “Just who have I fallen in love with.”

  When Tala entered the apartment that she and Katelyn shared, Katelyn knew immediately that something was wrong with her little sister. Partly because of the fact that she was back earlier than expected and also by the wrinkled forehead she always got when she was worried. “OK, what happened? Did Brad try something he shouldn’t?” Katelyn asked. Tala shook her head and replied, “No, I had a great race, a spectacular 200 mph crash and started an international incident with the Nation of Qatar, just your normal sort of day.” Tala slumped in the chair by the couch and told Katelyn the entire story from beginning to end, except for the part about the great kiss just outside their door. Katelyn grabbed her communicator and called their Dad. He was sound asleep when the communicator buzzed, but he knew if one of his kids was calling him at 3400 hours, it had to be important. When Tala responded to his gruff hello with, “Hi Daddy”, he knew she had something important to tell him. After a complete rundown of events with her Dad, he called his Uncle Paul to let him know what happened in Qatar. Paul had left the race as soon as they knew Tala was alright, and was having a difficult time sleeping and had just returned from a three hour mountain run when he returned to the quiet Mansion at 3520. He was about to hit the shower and do a little practicing on his guitar when the communicator buzzed. He disconnected with Marcus ready to bomb Qatar. After he calmed down, he had Lucy look for anything she could find about the incident.

  Qatar had already posted an alert on INTERPOL complete with pictures of Tala and her racing team. She was now being charged with Qatar visa and passport violations, assault on Qatar security forces, acts of terror against the Nation of Qatar, violation of Sharia law and resisting arrest. It was already making the news in the Middle East and Europe and would no doubt make the UPI reports that hit the networks in America by the AM news broadcast. Paul was steaming mad that these pompous jerks in Qatar had used Tala as a tool to exact revenge on him. He decided to take a shower and calm down before he did something stupid and wondered how his brother was going to react when he found out. Paul put on his favorite black Levi’s and his Triumph T-Shirt, slipped on his Nikes and headed to breakfast; he didn’t like to make a decision on an empty stomach. He was half through his bowl of strawberries and bananas when a raging Kary Verron entered the kitchen, grumbling, “I know where Chase and Daniel can test those new weapons they have been working on. You never like to test them where there is evidence of intelligent life, well I think Qatar qualifies. What were those people thinking? I sure wish you and I had stuck around instead of leaving after her back flip.”

  After calming his brother and assuring him that something would be done, Paul made a quick stop at Area 51 to make sure Tala was doing alright and to let her know that she handled everything very well. He also wanted to pass on word for word what her Grandpa had said. The girls were in the Interceptor hanger preparing the now armed Interceptors for pilot training. Brad was standing by with Tala talking about the day before when Paul arrived. When he saw Paul he asked, “Tell me we can use Qatar for target practice today. I doubt anyone would miss it.” Paul smiled, knowing he was growing to like the kid. After assuring Tala that she had done well and Brad that he was on his way to Qatar, Tala gave him a knowing look and told him, “Gee, Un
cle Paul, you and Papaw should have stuck around a bit longer and you could have joined the fun.” He only replied with one word, “How?” Tala smiled and said, “You always wear that stupid white Ron Jon’s Surf Shop hat and that long sleeve Ole Miss T-shirt every time you want to go incognito, and Papaw really should wear something besides that dessert camouflaged boonie hat. Even at 100 mph I could spot you two down the back stretch.” She gave him a hug and said, “Thanks for coming. What did you think of that crash, pretty spectacular, uh?” Paul laughed as he was about to leave and held up 8 fingers saying, “I give it an 8. Now that Speeder crash of yours, now that was a 10.”

  Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was having dinner in the Royal Palace in Doha. With almost 1.5 million square feet at Al Wahrah, Paul was a little concerned about finding the man. He ended up jumping from one point to another and eventually found the Emir dining by a large garden alone. Paul was standing behind the man while he ate for a moment, then cleared his throat and said in Arabic, “If you ever try to harm a member of my family again Sheikh, this entire country will cease to exists and you with it.” The Sheikh almost overturned his table as he leaped to his feet to face the man who had dared to address him in such a manner. He stood looking at Paul a moment; Paul asked, “You know who I am?” The Sheikh nodded his yes. He continued, saying, “I have so far allowed your little country to go unharmed. I’m not stupid. I know that the reason terrorist never bother this place is because you support them financially and give them a place to hide now and then. That officially stops right now, or I’ll level this palace as an example of my resolve. Now, I’m going to leave and you’re going call people and have all charges dropped against my niece and her friends and offer a sincere apology for the misunderstanding. Do I make myself clear?” The seething Emir was about to explode when Paul used his telekinetic powers to place a very large sharp carving knife from the table directly in front of the Emir’s eye. The Emir was completely unable to move. The knife drifted to within a fraction of an inch of his eye as the man began to sweat. Paul once again spoke, saying, “I care nothing of your Sharia Law or the laws of Qatar. I don’t even care if you own half of London. I will crush you like a bug if you do not do as I demand. I will be monitoring your activities closely. If I can eliminate a member of the Saudi Royal family, clean house in Somalia, and push ISIS away from Israel’s border, I can eliminate you.” With that he propelled the large knife across the room for a perfect shot into the right eye of the six-foot tall painting of the Emir and vanished, loosening the Emir’s paralysis as he did.

  The news story was squashed as quickly as it began and there was a public apology for the misunderstanding made by a member of the Royal family, not the Emir. Major General Johnson got on to Brad for traveling to a foreign country without approval, but since he was there and back in a weekend, he let it slide. Marcus made arrangements to buy the crashed motorcycle Tala had ridden in Qatar. He planned to have it copied and rebuilt using all Verron materials, then present it to Tala as a Tala-proof motorcycle. Kary suddenly developed a real interest in security issues and had Lucy keep him informed about any questionable activities in Qatar. Kary did not forgive or forget easily, he also bought a new hat for himself and Paul.

  With Hunter making most of East Africa more or less secure, relief efforts were being increased in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. The fighting along the border of Ethiopia and Somalia had ended and Ethiopian soldiers were kept busy protecting refugees as they returned home. Paul approved an additional five thousand Verron Marines to support the U.N. They were being used in every situation where there was a risk of armed conflict, Paul did not want any U.N. Peacekeepers killed or injured policing the aftermath of a war he started. As democratic governments were established in both Kenya and Somalia, armies were being formed using their own citizens and were slowly becoming involved in their own protection against terrorist activities, under the close supervision and scrutiny of both U.N. and Verron forces. The U.N. was no longer looking at King Verron as the invader of three African Nations; more and more they were proclaiming him as the man who could very well bring peace and prosperity to Africa.

  The year was winding down and soon the group at Cape Canaveral would return home. It would be a while longer before Hunter and Amber completed their tasks and the rest of the Dragon Guard were beginning to feel left out. Paul had Daniel, Chase, and Camil assist Hon IV in his Chinese Prison Camp breakout. Hon could make gateways just fine, but having four people in different sections of the prison would make evacuating almost 12,000 people much easier. Everything went smoothly with the cloaked body armor, but the whole operation was soon borderline unbelievable. Camil had entered the Camp Commanders quarters and rendered him unconscious. She then transformed into his image and stepped from the front porch and announced to his prison guards that it had been ordered by the Committee that all Christians should be set free. While the prison guards actually helped the prisoners pack their meager belongings, over a dozen of the guards joined them. With the addition of the 12,000, the population of Klelta-Chinese grew to 40,000; Hon had evidently been making trips to recover friends and families of the original 30. He had every intention of having 200,000 by the end of the following year.

  Katelyn turned 20 but insisted on not having a party. Instead she opted to go to Australia and celebrate with her surfer friends and do a weekend of entertaining at an all weekend beach party. She informed Marcus and Danyel that she would have them make up for it next year when she turned 21. Marcus did make arrangements for her to obtain one of the new BMW transports. Katelyn in classic Katelyn style replied, “That’s what Tala got and I drive it more than she does, how about that small island where my friends and I have been surfing, that would make a nice present?” Marcus knew the one she was talking about, he and Danyel had gone to see them surf. The waves were consistently between 10 to 20 feet, and had a perfect roll to them. The surfers were making runs so long they were exhausted by the end of the ride. He smiled, then joked, “By small, do you mean the one that’s about the size of Ohio?” Katelyn nodded and answered, “That’s the one; do you think Uncle Paul would let me have it?” He paused a moment and picked-up the communications unit, he asked, “Vlad, you still thinking about investing in the ocean resort thing?” He listened a minute, then replied, “Katelyn and her friends have found the best surfing on Verron. Pretty soon I’m sure Paul will make the island hers for a birthday present. It would be a perfect place for you to build.” He listened again, then hung up, saying, “Next trip to Verron get with Vlad. He’s been itching to build a resort ever since he and Jesserrica got back from their honeymoon.” Marcus smiled as his headstrong daughter grabbed her surfboard and a bag full of clothes and headed for the Australian beach, singing happy birthday to herself.

  General Zarman and Paul decided to have Chase, Daniel, Ibrihim and Lydia head out for an exploratory trip. Paul figured they had enough time to check out a couple of planets Lucy claimed had life and still be back in time for the holidays in late November. Chase and Daniel were going to miss the twins but actually looked forward to getting off Verron for a while. Ibrihim and Lydia were beyond excited about the prospects of discovering a new civilization. The four were accompanied by a squad of Marines and took one of the extended travel Light destroyers. Tlase and Zimuel were being the typical worried parents. Chase and Daniel assured them that their children would be perfectly safe. Both Ibrihim and Lydia had been through their enhancement and were studying daily with Zimuel, Tlase and Xhing Li. They had also spent a lot of time with Chase and Daniel and even began taking morning runs with Paul on occasion. They were progressing very well in all their skills and Powers and Kary Verron had made special body armor to fit Lydia. Ibrihim was filling out pretty well and had just celebrated his 15th birthday; there was no problem with body armor to fit him. Little Lydia was now 12 but still looked like she was 10. She was extremely healthy, just small and thin. The planet the probes had located was one charted by Xhondar 40,000 y
ears earlier and listed as filled with living creatures but no advanced cultures. The probes had confirmed that the environment was perfect for human inhabitants and oxygen and water where in abundant supply. The probes had not sensed any nuclear, antimatter, or internal-combustion engines or any other sources of generated power. The exploration team was tasked with determining just what lived there and to do a surface examination to find out the suitability for colonization.

  Having grown-up in a male-dominated society where the women in the home were pretty much subordinate to the father or older brother, Lydia was very quiet and shy and rarely stood her ground with her older brother, at least not when they first arrived on Verron. After a year of having Tlase, Xhing Li, Renee and the female Dragon Guard for role models, she had emerged from her shell. She still loved and respected her older brother. In fact she almost adored him, but she was becoming her own person and was determined to not allow her age, small stature or gender keep her from being all she could be. As the four Dragon Guard members boarded the Light Destroyer with the Marine escort, Lydia pushed past the three men to claim the pilot’s seat for herself. Chase noted that she was more determined to prove herself than Tala had been, and decided it was because Tala was family and knew she had a place regardless of her performance, Lydia and Ibrihim were afraid they would not be accepted. Chase and Daniel relinquished the control of this flight to the brother and sister. Ibrihim capitulated to Lydia’s demand to pilot first on agreement that he would fly the next leg of the journey. Although Lydia was actually a little taller than 99, at 4 foot 9 inches, she was so thin she looked almost skeletal in the command seat, but Chase and Daniel had been teaching them to fly almost every day and Lydia was as capable a pilot as many far more experienced. Ibrihim was becoming one of the best Fighter Pilots in his group of peers at the Air Force Base. Lydia had the most adorable dimpled child-like smile as she slowly flew the ship out of the hanger bay and waved goodbye to nearby Tlase. As soon as she was clear of the bay and Capital City, she slammed the throttle forward, anxious for a new adventure.