by Karl Morgan
“Of course, Dave,” Jake said. “It would be my pleasure. I know Darlene will be happy to know I’ve got your back. I’ve studied the Sojourn and am interested to learn more about it myself. Mitch can take over for me here. By the way, it is getting late and we should jump down to No-Ja soon. We don’t want to be late for the Dave Brewster Show.”
Jake and Mitch flew up to Dave and Charlie and checked the fittings and gages on their pressure suits. They also reviewed the face plates to make sure they were working. “Whenever you guys think we’re okay, we are ready,” Charlie said. Mitch landed on Charlie’s chest and held on. Jake did the same for Dave. Without a sight or sound, the room was empty.
Cheering and applause filled the air as Dave and Charlie appeared in the Grand Courtyard on Gallia. They were surrounded by fifty thousand Galliceans who were universally thrilled to witness this great event. The landing platform was guarded by twenty Gallicean Marines in their blood red armor. One of the soldiers approached Dave and extended his hand, which Dave shook happily.
“Admiral Brewster, welcome to Gallia. I am Major Um-de-Bo. I don’t think we have met, but I had the honor to accompany General Fa-a-Di on Lagamar 7,” the Marine said. He withdrew his Baloo dagger and presented it to Dave. “The general used my Baloo on Lagamar 7 to release our friend, Bola Deka from the Brotherhood agents. It would honor my family and my soldiers here if you would accept it.”
“Thank you, Major,” Dave said. “You and the general bring great honor to all of the Free Society and I gratefully accept your gift.” Dave held out his hand.
Um-de-Bo frowned slightly. “Admiral, we have a ritual way of passing the Baloo, which only Marines are able to carry. Please hold your right hand over your head and be ready. If you don’t catch it, it’s okay, but we are a ritualistic people.” Dave followed the request and Um-de-Bo threw the Baloo high in the air in the opposite direction. The throng of guests began to shout and scream in delight.
The Baloo flew through the air above the crowd. After fifty yards it began to curve and made a circle around the crowd who continued to hoot and cheer madly. As the blade began to fly back to Dave, Um-de-Bo positioned his hand directly behind his. The handle slammed into Dave’s palm, pushing his hand backward into the Gallicean’s palm. Um-de-Bo closed his hand around Dave’s to secure the Baloo. Dave looked up at Um-de-Bo who was grinning and shouting as he removed his hand to show the Baloo securely in Dave’s hand.
The crowd shouted and hooted more. The Marines jumped into the air and began to fly around the group with their Baloos waving in the air around them. Um-de-Bo grabbed Dave around the waist and flew up with them, while Dave waved his new Baloo. Another Marine grabbed Charlie and flew him around the crowd as well. The group circled for several minutes while the crowd chanted Dave and Charlie’s names. Finally, the Marines delivered Dave and Charlie to a raised dais where Fa-a-Di and the entire High Council were clapping and cheering. Dave set the Baloo down on the table and went to his friend and hugged him. Dave could see joy and sorrow on Fa-a-Di’s face.
Fa-a-Di knelt next to Dave and whispered to him, “Today, you are galli, my brother. The major has made you an honorary Gallicean Marine and I will have red armor made for you as well as a more manageable Baloo. Thank you for the incomparable gift of your company for the next few days. Perhaps by the end of our Sojourn, we will both be worthy to be called Gallicean.” Fa-a-Di rose to his feet and waved to the crowd to quiet them down.
Major Um-de-Bo flew over to a large gong and banged on it. The noise quieted down the crowd and they returned to their tables and seats. The Marine said, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats and give your undivided attention to my dear friend, my mentor, the greatest solider in a thousand generations and the High Commissioner of Greater Gallia, Fa-a-Di.” The crowd applauded again as they sat.
“Thank you, Um-de-Bo,” Fa-a-Di said. “Your actions on Lagamar 7 and tonight bring great honor to your family and your Marines.” Fa-a-Di turned his attention to the crowd. “Um-de-Bo was instrumental in our rescue of the Boley on Lagamar 7. He also fought proudly during the Second Predaxian War, where several of his soldiers were injured or killed. His soldiers accompanied me on the attack that killed Emperor Zendo and ended his reign of terror near our borders. As a first acknowledgment of the evening, the High Council has approved the promotion of the major to the rank of colonel. Um-de-Bo will lead a team of one thousand Marines in the fleet of Admiral De-o-Nu.” The crowd cheered again and the other Marines hugged their leader. Um-de-Bo faced Fa-a-Di and bowed deeply to express his gratitude.
Thousands of waiters moved through the crowd, placing glasses of ice and bottles of whisky on all the tables. Each glass was filled to the brim. “Charlie, that was one heck of an entrance,” Dave whispered. He passed the Baloo to his friend. “Check this thing out. It weighs twenty pounds at least. I thought my arm would come out of its socket for a minute.”
“That’s quite a weapon, Dave,” Charlie said as he tried to wield the curved blade. “Good luck with the thing. If you dropped it, you might cut off your own foot.”
Fa-a-Di spoke to the crowd again. “As you all know, the High Council has unanimously agreed to join the Free Society of the Milky Way Galaxy. We have already authorized a fleet of ships led by Admiral De-o-Nu to join a new effort to find new worlds and civilizations for our Free Society. This effort will be monumental in scale. Our enemies have great power. We all need to work together to prevent their aggression and to build our might to equal or exceed theirs. That is the only way to guarantee peace. To accomplish this mighty goal, the High Council of our Free Society, of which I am a member, has unanimously chosen my dear friend Dave Brewster as leader of the Grand Exploratory Fleet.” The crowd cheered and applauded wildly. Fa-a-Di let the crowd express their joy and Dave could feel the positive feelings wash over him.
After the cheering quieted down, Fa-a-Di continued, “We Galliceans owe much to Admiral Brewster. His efforts were instrumental in our victory in the Second Predaxian War, which saved the peaceful maklan society on No-Makla and stopped the Predaxians from invading our sovereign territory. Through the planet sharing agreement negotiated by me and the admiral’s wife, our society has already grown by four new worlds. We expect this new effort to add hundreds more. His team discovered the maklans of Tak-Makla who have become our friends and part of the Free Society. Through them, Dave found the Society of Humanity and took many of us to the Andromeda Galaxy. There, we were able to find our own roots on the planet Lagamar 7. I have been able to negotiate with the Hive on the planet Nan to jump Galliceans and Boley back and forth between our galaxies so we can maintain and grow our relationship. I remember not too long ago telling Dave that many of us thought we were alone in the universe since we had never found any other sentient life that developed on gas planets. Not only did my relationship with the admiral change that, he actually led us to find our cousins two million light-years away. Those accomplishments over the last couple of years are amazing enough for any person in their life. Yet Dave Brewster’s voyage is just beginning. Please raise your glass above your heads,” Fa-a-Di continued as he raised his own glass. “At the request of President Mencius, I am overjoyed to announce that Dave Brewster is hereby promoted to the position of Grand Explorer and Supreme Fleet Admiral of the Free Society. Here’s to Dave!”
After toasting, the crowd broke out in cheers again. Thousands of the guests leaped into the air and began to fly around the Grand Courtyard. The shouting continued as the waiters rushed more bottles of whisky out to the tables. After ten minutes, Um-de-Bo banged the gong again to signal everyone to take their seats. Fa-a-Di motioned Dave to come to the podium and say a few words.
A second human sized podium was quickly set up next to the larger one where Fa-a-Di continued to stand. Dave looked up at his friend who was beaming with joy. He could see De-o-Nu at one of the tables near the dais and waved at him. When the crowd was quiet again, he said, “Wow! I’m shocked. This
has been an overwhelming experience for me. I am grateful to the High Council for their support and will do my best to exceed their expectations. I have been very lucky. My family left our normal lives on twenty-first century Earth without knowing what would happen. Everything my brother Fa-a-Di says is true, but those events are not what have been etched into my spirit. Through all of this, I have enjoyed the support of incredible friends and a loving family. Anything I have done to help Fa-a-Di or his brother-in-law has been more than repaid by them. While we did join in the fight against the Predaxians, it was mainly you people who made us victorious. We were led on a voyage of discovery in the Andromeda Galaxy by our friends Wendo Balak and Antar Arrak. They sent Fa-a-Di to Lagamar 7 to discover the atrocities there. I am thrilled the Boley have reunited with their cousins, but most of the credit goes to the general. I wish all of you could have seen the Grand Conclave on Earth Prime. My brother’s management of the situation led to the dissolution of the Brotherhood and now to the collapse of the High Council. What I’m trying to say is that we were successful because we all love each other and work to help one another. Thank you for your confidence in me and for bestowing this great honor on me tonight. I cannot succeed at this mission alone though. It will be the efforts of each of us that will win the day. God bless Greater Gallia and thank you again.”
Chapter 6
“Dave, I’m not sure I like this side trip,” Darlene said. She could see him frowning on the view screen. “I still remember being stuck in my pressure suit for days when Darak and I were negotiating the planet sharing treaty. How long will you be gone?”
“I’m not really sure, honey,” Dave replied. “Your trip was different though. Back then the Galliceans didn’t know anything about us. De-o-Nu has set up a cabin on Kong-Fa with a breathable atmosphere for me. He has also made similar arrangements on the gas giant. On the terrestrial planet it will be Fa-a-Di and De-o-Nu who need the breathers.”
“I know, Dave,” she said. “Mencius and Darak told me you’re an important man now and can make your own decisions. I just wish I could go too.”
“Ambassador, I need you to manage the fleet while I’m gone,” he laughed. “While I’m there, you should visit Nanda. Elder Odo Pak has moved there to help with the integration of the Nan. See if he needs any help.”
“Now you are the funny one, Supreme Fleet Admiral,” Darlene said. “Imagine me helping Odo Pak, a man who can transport Billy two million light years in the flash of an eye. Okay, we will head there right after I jump back. By the way, Aria and Alana might be delayed a while. The mystery of the time eddies is confounding everyone. The impact on the portal system is growing by the day. High Consul Zee Gongaleg told me his Hive will be up and running in a few days. We’re counting on their help to find out what’s going on.”
“When you see Odo, let him know about the time eddies. He might be able to use the Nan Hive to help out. How are Cybil and Bill doing?” Dave asked.
“Very good. They are working with the High Council to set up the new campus for the DNA project. Bill keeps asking me when Jake can come join the team. What is his status?” she asked.
“I’m taking Jake with me to Gallicea,” he replied. “Just in case there is some problem with the atmosphere or my breathers, he can jump me to safety.”
“Thank God,” Darlene sighed. “It’s about time you thought about your personal safety. I still have the image in my head of you being shot on Aranar Zu.”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one who was kidnapped,” Dave laughed. “But I don’t know if that’s why I asked him to come. There was a strange creeping feeling in my gut that called out for him. Odo told me to rely on that gut instinct, so I’m not about to ignore it now.”
“I’m thrilled he will be there,” she replied. “I’ve got to get going, sweetheart. I’m meeting with Mencius in a half hour to review our first mission. We’ve also been hearing about a Maklakar battle station moving in this direction. Hopefully he has more information on that too. Dave, please take care of yourself. I want you to have a good time and I know how much Fa-a-Di’s mood is affecting him. I hope this trip helps him out as well. I love you.”
“I love you too, Darlene. Nightsky out,” he replied as he closed the call. A tone sounded on his control panel and he pressed it. The image of De-o-Nu appeared on his screen. “Good morning brother.”
“Good morning to you too, Dave,” the Gallicean replied. “I hope you are ready for this trip. Your quarters on my ship are now ready. In fact, I’m in your room right now. That’s why I’m wearing this damned breather. It seems comfortable, but the new furniture looks as though it came from my daughter’s doll house.”
“I’m ready now, brother,” Dave replied. “I’ve got a bag packed and Jake should be here any moment. How is your brother-in-law this morning?”
“He is remarkably well, Dave. I think the ceremony and dinner last night did a great deal to lighten his mood. You have a great impact on Fa-a-Di, Dave. Just being with you yesterday was therapeutic for him. Thank you for that. Oh, I see Jake has joined you now,” De-o-Nu said.
“Jake, you know it unnerves me when you pop in and out like that!” Dave shouted. “Can’t you warn me or something?”
“Sorry, Dave,” Jake laughed. “I’ll try to send you a card or something next time. Are you ready to go?”
“I’m ready. De-o-Nu, I’ll cut the connection now and we’ll be there in a couple seconds,” Dave said.
“See you then. Kong-Fa out,” he replied.
Dave tapped a button on his control panel. “Yes Admiral,” Lia Lawson said.
“Lia, please advise Captain Lake that Jake and I are jumping to the Kong-Fa now,” Dave replied. “We’ll see you all in a few days.”
“Aye-aye, Dave,” she smiled. “Have a good time and we’ll take care of things here.” The connection was cut off.
“Let’s do this, Jake,” Dave said. He grabbed his suitcase and Jake floated over and landed on his chest. Instantly, Dave was standing inside the massive cabin on the Kong-Fa. The ceilings were more than twenty feet tall to accommodate the tallest Galliceans, like De-o-Nu. The human-sized furniture barely filled a quarter of the space. “Here we are, brother.”
“Welcome to my flagship, brother,” De-o-Nu smiled. “As you can see, we’ve left some regular furnishings here for any guests. I presume we will share some whisky here from time to time.”
“Of course, that’s a great idea,” Dave replied. “By the way, Darlene asked me this morning about how long the trip will take and frankly, I had no idea.”
“Dave, you can contact my sister any time while on Kong-Fa. It is not permitted to use electronic communications in the Gallicea system, except in emergencies. There is no portal in that system either. It will take two days at top speed to reach it. We will spend two to three days on each planet. Then we will leave the system and catch up to your fleet wherever they are.”
“Sounds great. I don’t want to keep you from your bridge, De-o-Nu. If you have to go that’s okay,” Dave replied.
“Don’t worry about that, brother. Now that I am an admiral under your command, I have a captain to run this ship,” the Gallicean said. “I don’t know if you remember Commodore Ka-a-Fa, who led the fleet to attack No-Makla?”
“I don’t think we ever met,” Dave replied.
“After that event, he felt disgraced and retired from the fleet. He believed his reputation was ruined after he almost started an intergalactic war while abandoning the Predaxian frontier,” De-o-Nu said. “Ka-a-Fa went to the academy with me and studied martial arts with me as well, under the tutelage of Fa-a-Di.”
“But none of that was his fault,” Dave replied. “He was being manipulated by the Predaxians too.”
“That’s what I told him, but he couldn’t face my brother-in-law or me. When I learned of our new adventures, I reached out to him again and almost begged him to join my fleet. Finally, I had Fa-a-Di reach out to him and convince him to join us. Ka-a-Fa is now captai
n of the Kong-Fa,” De-o-Nu said.
“That is great news brother, and I look forward to knowing him,” Dave replied.
“I suppose you’ve heard the rumor of the Maklakar battle station nearing our borders?” De-o-Nu asked.
“Yes, but only unsubstantiated rumors,” Dave answered. “We’re hoping the Hives on Tak-Makla or Nan can find out what’s happening.”
“No need for that, Dave,” Jake interjected. “We have sensed their presence approaching from No-Makla. Their ship is still too far out for us to jump to it. After the attack on Tak-Makla, we are very concerned that No-Makla may be the next target.”
“Dave, that’s why I’m sending the Kong-Fa to the Earth system after they drop us off,” De-o-Nu said. “We will have a shuttle capable of returning to Gallia if necessary. If everything calms down, Ka-a-Fa will return for us. But if there is trouble in the Earth system again, we need to be ready.”
“Jake, what do you think?” Dave asked. “Are you still okay with going on this journey, or do you want to go home?”
“Dave, we’ve sensed the Maklakar for some time,” the maklan replied. “We aren’t sensing anything sinister right now though. Also, one single maklan can’t do much if war comes. I think I need to be here with you. I don’t know why, but I’ve been feeling drawn to Gallicea for some time.”
“It is a magical place, my friends,” De-o-Nu said. “While all Galliceans are required to visit every ten years, I have gone there every two or three years. When I am there, I feel completely at peace and happy. Of course, I’m speaking of the gas planet. Being on the terrestrial world is very troubling for me. When I am there, I feel the spirits of the dead staring into my soul. It is an even more excruciating experience for Fa-a-Di. He tells me those same souls seem to be tearing him apart. That’s why he has skipped the trip a few times. Being High Commissioner, he can always find matters of state that trump this ancient ritual.”