Center Moon: The Stone of Cordova

by Stephen Gambuti

  “Look at this place, Carlen.”

  “I’ve never seen this kind of stuff before. I’ve read about it though,” Carlen said.

  “What is it?”

  “Grass.” The Enforcer answered before Carlen could.

  “What is it?” Jonas asked again, due to the loud humming of the craft.

  “It’s grass. Probably imported from the other side.”

  Carlen leaned forward. “The other side of what?”

  “The other side of the planet. It’s loaded with grass and these exotic trees.”

  Jonas absorbed what the Enforcer just told them. The other side sounded like paradise. Once he graduated the Academy, he would go there. Maybe Liotta could tell him all about this grass stuff. It was truly beautiful.

  The craft halted and slowly descended. Jonas hopped out without waiting for the craft to reach the ground and ran up to Liotta’s front door. He couldn’t wait to see her. Jonas knocked a couple of times. There was no answer.

  “Didn’t she know we were coming?” Carlen yelled from the craft.

  “No. Why?”

  “Because she’s not answering. That’s why.”

  “Maybe she went to work at the medi-center. I figured we could at least try.” Jonas turned to knock again and discovered Liotta in the doorway.

  Her face was lit up.

  “You are home!”

  “I don’t have to work today.” Liotta looked over at Carlen. “Hi.”

  “Greetings.” Carlen straightened up in his seat as he saluted her.

  Jonas felt a touch of jealousy coming over him. Carlen was off limits. Liotta was off limits. The two of them together? No way. There will be no more greetings going on here.

  “So what brings you here? Miss me?” Liotta’s eyes widened.

  “No … I, uh … need a favor.”

  “Oh.” Liotta’s ego deflated. “What do you need?”

  “Do you know of any port that offers trips to Jenco?”

  “Excuse me?” Liotta blurted with a chuckle.

  “A craft to Jenco?” Jonas smiled at her.

  “What’s going on, Jonas?” She noticed the Enforcer smoking a leaf stick in the craft. “Come inside.” Liotta pulled Jonas in the house.

  Jonas leaned up against the wall and gave Liotta a serious look. He trusted her enough to tell her everything, except about the stone. “I have to get to Cordova before I enter the Academy. I figured I would take a craft to Jenco. Once we were off I would claim it and head to Cordova.”

  Liotta slammed the door shut. “Are you going mad? The Old Republic would shoot you down before you even got into orbit. Claim it? You mean steal it.”

  “It’s something I have to do, Liotta. There is something about my father I need to find out.”

  “Your father was a hero, Jonas.” She rubbed her hands along the side of his head. “You will go to the Academy, too. And you will be a hero, too.”

  “Ya think so?”

  “Remember the maintenance man from the medi-center?” Jonas was about to tell her and hoped she understood. “Well, my father told me about a place called Strom. He barely got the words out and he died. Okay … Then the Crow, Darden, told me about a place his family was searching for. It, too, was called Strom.”

  “So there is a place called Strom. So what?” Liotta was not comprehending what Jonas was talking about.

  “So then Darden turned me in when he heard my father’s name and I still don’t know anything about Strom.” Jonas was getting mildly heated.

  “Okay. Come with me.” Liotta grabbed Jonas by his fingertips and tugged him across the dwelling into the living space. The walls were covered with pictures of the homeland, and miniatures of small crafts were displayed randomly around the furniture.

  “Your father loves the homeland, huh?”

  “Never mind that. Actually he hates what the Council has become. He says the Sapians were at one time a peaceful people.” Liotta guided Jonas to a large dome. It was easy to see that it had been made out of bronze or some sort of brown metal. Jonas could tell it was clearly an antique.

  Liotta pressed a button, which rested in the top of the dome. The semi-sphere illuminated, converting the bronze dome into a backlit globe.

  “That’s awesome. What is it?” Jonas trained his eyes on it.

  “This is a glap. It’s a three dimensional map. Cool, huh?” Liotta grinned at the positive reaction Jonas had. “Let’s see. Strom. Strom. Strom.” Liotta used her fingers to find this mysterious place.

  “Find it?” Jonas hovered over her shoulder.

  “Nope.” Liotta began to speed up her search. “I can’t find it, Jonas.” She broke from the glap and looked at Jonas like he’d lost his mind. “There is no such place.”

  “That’s impossible!” Jonas walked away, frustrated. “It’s gotta be there. My father wouldn’t lie to me.”

  “I am so sorry, Jonas. It’s not there.” Liotta gazed upon her friend sadly. She could see the disbelief in his face.

  “You gotta help me.”

  “Going to Cordova is suicide.” She knew that was the wrong thing to say.

  “I came to you because I needed your help. Apparently you don’t want to help me.” Jonas turned and opened the door. He was glad he had kept the stone thing to himself.

  Liotta watched him as a tear trickled down her soft face.

  Jonas made his way back to the craft. “Let’s go, Kiyo.”

  Liotta ran after him. “Wait! Jonas?” She pulled him back into the dwelling.

  “Please, not another safety lecture.”

  “Shut the hell up!” Then quickly changing her tone, “Come with me. You had better promise not to tell anyone. Not even that cousin of yours, Carmen.”

  “Carlen.”

  “What?”

  “His name is Carlen. He’s actually okay.”

  “Keep quiet. This could get my father in a lot of trouble.”

  “Fine.” Jonas felt like something good was coming.

  Liotta grabbed Jonas by the hand and led him down the hallway. She picked up a glow wand, which rested on a small table. When they came to a door at the end, Liotta flung it open and Jonas followed her down the stairs. Along the way, Liotta lit electric lamps with the glow wand.

  “This is cool. Where is it leading us to?”

  “My father’s collection.”

  The tunnel led the two of them hundreds of feet away from the main dwelling. Liotta stopped and tapped a metal plate with the wand.

  “More stairs?” Jonas said.

  “They will lead us directly up to Daddy’s collection.” She gently squeezed his hand. Liotta gracefully tugged on his arm as she guided him up the steps. They came to an entrance, which had the smallest amount of light peeking through the space between the floor and the door. “Remember, not even Carlen can know.”

  The door squeaked open slowly. The entrance of the room quietly revealed the masterpieces Liotta’s father had well hidden. Jonas’s mouth watered.

  Every small craft ever commissioned by the Council was arranged systematically before his eyes. Liotta waved her hand in the rear corner of the room as if she was displaying a grand trophy. “Three of the Old Republic’s fastest, finest and well made crafts.”

  “Whoa.” Jonas was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the room. It was at least twice the size of any port hanger he had ever seen. He did not even hear what Liotta had just said.

  “Okay?” Liotta tapped Jonas. “Okay?”

  Jonas snapped back into reality. “Okay.”

  “There.” Liotta pointed to one of the Old Republic’s crafts. “That’s the way to Cordova. It’s a current model.”

  Jonas tilted his head towards her and rolled his gaze slowly into hers. “I think I’m in love.”

  “Really?” Liotta perked up and tugged on her hair to give it a quick fix.

  “Yeah … Look at all these crafts.” Jonas wandered around the room aimlessly.

  “I see.” Liotta dropped her
head in embarrassment. She hoped she had not revealed her feelings.

  “Why would your dad get in trouble for having these?”

  “The Old Republic crafts are off limits. They are supposed to have been destroyed. My father thought they were too beautiful to ruin though.”

  Jonas admired the way the crafts were finely wrapped in chrome tubes, which twisted up the sides of the vessel. He walked over and serenely ran his hands up and down the handcrafted alloy that made up the craft’s shell. Jonas could not believe a race so savage could create something so perfect.

  “The craft you are admiring should take us up to Cordova with no problems.”

  “Us?” Jonas stopped enjoying the ship. “You mean me.”

  “No, Jonas. It’s my father’s craft and you must take me with you.”

  “Come on, Liotta. It is too dangerous. This is something I’ve got to do.” Jonas walked over and placed both hands on her shoulders. “Please.”

  “Nope.” Liotta pushed off Jonas’s hands. “Let’s go.”

  She pulled Jonas out of the room and slammed the door shut.

  “Come on, Liotta. Can’t you understand? This is something I have to do. I don’t want to drag anyone else into it.”

  Liotta stared into his green eyes and shoved him up against the dark wall, which lined the stairwell. “I am going with you and that’s final.” She inched her face closer to his.

  Jonas gently grabbed her waist and pulled her in even closer. He leaned into her and placed his lips upon hers. His heart raced as his endorphins trickled down to his feet.

  Then he broke their connection and opened his eyes to notice hers were still sealed shut. “Okay. You can come along.”

  Liotta slowly opened her eyes. “I knew you would see things my way.” She dragged him along the stairs. “My father leaves on an Academy retreat this evening. He will be away for two rounds.”

  “So we leave tonight.” Jonas lips curled into a smile.

  All three moons waned over the city of Niles. Jonas finished stuffing a few more things in his backpack. “Carlen. Carlen?” The teen grinned as he realized his cousin was fast asleep. Jonas carefully made his way over to the door and tugged on the handle with the utmost caution.

  A beam of light began to illuminate the dark room as the opening doors widened. Voices chuckling in the hallway meant that Jonas needed to find another route. The Enforcers were everywhere. Jonas figured that, because he heard more than one man’s voice, the outside had to be clear. Therefore, he went toward the wall length window.

  Jonas tugged back on the curtain. His hunch was correct. But why were the Enforcers in the house? They couldn’t detect any probes from in here. He held the thick curtain back and cautiously slipped his body through.

  Just as Jonas left, the Enforcer, Kiyo entered the room. He unclipped his blaster, which was strapped at his side. He quietly approached Jonas’s bed and quickly whisked away the covers. Kiyo then felt a breeze come across his hard face. He noticed that the curtain was shifted.

  Jonas had quietly hotwired one of the Enforcer’s crafts. He had zipped through Niles to the outer territory where Liotta lived. He hid the vehicle in the odd-looking trees that decorated her father’s property. Jonas hurried to the front door and knocked three times.

  Liotta cracked open the door and flashed her eyes around the landscape. “Alone?”

  “Of course.” Jonas grinned.

  Liotta pecked him on the lips and pulled her friend inside with her. “All we need to do is a little preparation and we’re on our way.” She led Jonas down the dimly lit stairway.

  “What do we need to do?” Jonas asked as he watched Liotta tap the glow wand along the lanterns.

  “I can’t pull the craft out. It’s too heavy.” She massaged his shoulders. “But a big guy like yourself…”

  Jonas came to a sudden halt. “Did you hear something?” He placed his hand on Liotta’s stomach to stop her from moving.

  “No.” She flipped off his hand. “We had better hurry though. The moon’s light is perfect. It will change within an hour or so.”

  They traveled down the tunnel and back up the other stairwell. Liotta pushed open the door. “All we need now is to get some fuel into the craft.”

  “Cordova … Here we come.” Jonas clapped his hands together.

  “What exactly are you planning on doing with this Darden guy once you talk to him?” Liotta asked.

  “Kill him, of course.” Jonas flashed an evil grin.

  “No one is going anywhere,” a dark voice called from the entrance.

  Jonas and Liotta stopped arguing to see Kiyo step out into the light.

  “I heard everything. Not only are you two in a heap of trouble, but so is the master teacher. I always thought your father was up to something.” The Enforcer drew his blaster and motioned Liotta and Jonas to take a seat.

  “Why did you follow me?” Jonas asked as he sat on a short chair near the craft.

  “Because you’re a Troupe. You may be a boy but you are still a Troupe.” The Enforcer cackled. “Everyone knows Troupes can’t be trusted.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jonas cried.

  “You’ll find out. I’m sure you’re a very nice boy. I will signal the authorities and let them know what’s happening.”

  “So now my father gets in trouble?” Liotta approached Kiyo.

  The Enforcer cocked his weapon, stopping Liotta’s advance. “Very much trouble. I am sorry, young lady. This is a breech in the code.” The Enforcer tugged on his necklace and a digital tone beeped. “I am so very sorry, kids.” Kiyo waited for his signal to be received, as he stared with a huge sarcastic grin across his face.

  Wham!

  The officer slumped to the floor.

  Carlen popped out from behind him holding a large stone. He looked over at Liotta and Jonas. “Looks like we’re all going to Cordova—with an official escort.”

  Jonas laughed. “Carlen … I can’t believe…”

  Carlen slowly peeled the blaster from the Enforcer’s hands. “He woke me up when he entered our room.” He removed Kiyo’s restraint straps from the officer’s uniform pouch. Carlen bound the officer’s hands together.

  “Carlen. You aren’t the dork I thought you were.” Liotta smiled. She walked up to the Enforcer and ripped the transmitter from his neck.

  “What the hell are we doing? I didn’t want this.” Jonas’s mood changed. “I didn’t want you guys involved.”

  “Well, cousin. Looks like it’s too late.”

  “What’s your plan?” Liotta said as she stepped beside Jonas.

  Jonas started pacing back and forth. He was not sure he really had a plan. Now the stakes were higher than he had expected. He had a hostage, two tagalongs and a craft that was highly against code regulations. If he messed up now, the stakes would be tremendous.

  “Let’s leave him here.” Jonas pointed at the Enforcer.

  “My father! Jonas, they will seize him,” Liotta said.

  Jonas came to the realization that not only would Kiyo turn Liotta’s father into the Council, but Aunt Cleonia would be in danger as well. “Okay. Kiyo comes with us.”

  *

  Eight

  The craft was dollied outside the storage port. Jonas siphoned bits of fuel from the other vehicles. Carlen studied a map of Cordova’s orbit. Astronomical geometry was his favorite subject.

  The grid was outdated. It was dated from before the early days of Enforcement. Carlen figured it was still usable since Cordova had not changed much. The only difference was that the center moon’s purpose had changed. It went from being a lookout post to a military fortress, which housed the Emperor and the Old Republic.

  Liotta sat at her father’s old desk writing him a note. She explained why she needed to go with them. She wrote confidently that she would return. Liotta ended her letters like every one she had ever written—she puckered her lips on the bottom of the page.

  “That’s so stupid.” Jona
s caught her kissing the paper.

  “Shut up. It’s for my Dad.” Liotta quickly stuffed the note into an envelope and labeled it.

  “What did you tell him?” Jonas asked.

  “Just good-bye for now.”

  “I’m thirsty,” Jonas licked his parched lips.

  “There’s a small cold box over there.”

  Jonas turned to see metallic box sitting in the corner. “Thanks.”

  “I got it! I got it!” Carlen jumped up and headed over to Liotta. “This map was pretty easy to read. We need to go here. The third ring in from the surface.” Carlen pointed to a ring on the grid. “This will take us here.” He pointed again to another spot on the surface.

  “What’s that?” Liotta asked as she sealed the envelope.

  “It’s the holding area—for prisoners.”

  Jonas looked over his cousin’s shoulder. “That’s probably where Darden is.” Then he stared at Liotta. “Does your dad have any blasters?”

  “Sorry. Just big powerful ships.” She smiled.

  Carlen put down the map. “I hear something.”

  “You’re crazy,” Jonas said.

  “No, really. The Enforcer’s awake.”

  “Where is he?” Liotta asked.

  Carlen ran over to the craft waiting outside. “I stuffed him in the craft.”

  Jonas and Liotta followed.

  “We have to get going before any more Enforcers come around.”

  “Let’s get this thing up into the air,” Jonas yelled.

  “I don’t know how to fly that particular one.” Liotta looked ashamed of the fact that she could not pilot all the vessels in Cling’s collection.

  “I can do it. Carlen, make sure the officer is secure. Liotta, you sit next to me. My father taught me how to fly when I was about thirteen. I’m sure I’ll remember how as soon as I see the controls.”

  Inside the craft, Jonas was checking out the buttons. There were plenty. He looked behind him to see Carlen sitting uncomfortably next to the bound officer, who had his mouth stuffed with a rag. Liotta sat in the empty seat on Jonas’s right.

  “Okay. Strap in everybody.” Jonas flipped open an ignition panel. He pressed his thumb onto an orange button.