by Francis, Ron
Commander Enosal came into the landing bay with the same four bodyguards Jesse had already met. He had a smile from ear to ear. “Tales will be told and songs will be sung about this battle for years to come,” Enosal happily greeted. He embraced Jesse and continued. “You, my friend, are now a legend in this sector. You orchestrated one of the biggest routes in the history of this galaxy. What is your secret?”
He smiled and shrugged as he replied. “Pirates think like pirates, they will always be at a disadvantage when trying to take on an organized military of significant size.”
Enosal broke into a jovial laughter as the joy of victory had not yet worn off.
“Your payment is loaded onto this hoversled, I can have one of my bots push it for you if you like,” he began. “We owe you a debt, my friend; we could not have won the day without you. I know your men made some sacrifices out there, and I hope this can begin to convey our thanks.”
Enosal looked at him and with a serious tone replied. “I lost nineteen ships and some great men. You have given me enough payment to make sure every one of their families will be well taken care of.” Enosal’s tone turned more joyful as he continued. “You are overpaying me, and you did all the heavy lifting. I’d call this a bargain.”
“Well, the second half of that bargain may reduce future profits” Jesse laughed.
“I doubt it. I don’t think anyone will be attacking Kaldor any time soon. But you have my word that I will never allow my fleet to be hired to attack Kaldor, and I will keep my eye on them. You can trust that my word is good.” Enosal put his hand out as he spoke.
Jesse clasped his hand and replied, “I know it is, that’s why I have one more gift for you.” He brought forth the sword Josiah had picked out for him. The sheath was solid gold, inlayed with many jewels of brilliant color on each side. A silver jewel-encrusted ring marked the tip of the sheath. Inside the sheath sat the jewel-studded golden hilt of a warrior’s sword. The hilt may have been decorative, but when drawn, he could see that this sword had been built for war. Over the millennia it had probably spilled its share of blood. “Do you know what this is, Commander?” Jesse asked with a big smile.
Commander Enosal’s eyes grew wide. His shocked disbelief at what his eyes were showing him slowed his speech. After a long moment, he looked at Jesse and with reverence in his voice asked. “Do you know what it is that you give me?”
“According to my research,” Jesse started. “This is the sword of Targon. Targon was the last great ruler of Ginderbar almost twenty-three centuries ago. Legend has it that the wielder of this sword has the authority to unite the mercenary tribes of Ginderbar into a single army under one banner.”
Commander Enosal’s mind was racing. “You do know,” He whispered in awe. “Then you know that by giving this sword to me, you are effectively making me the ruler of Ginderbar. With all of the mercenary fleets united, you will be making me the ruler of the most powerful planet in the entire Lawless Sector."
“That’s why I had you agree not to attack Kaldor before I gave you the sword,” Jesse laughed. “My friend found this sword among the treasure and presented it to me as a gift. He knew I would like it, and I do, it's beautiful, a treasure who's value cannot be measured. As I researched it, I realized I could never keep it. It holds far too much significance for your planet. So once I decided I could not keep it, it was just a matter of finding someone I thought would do the right thing with it. I was already very impressed with you and your family, but when you told me you would fight for any cause except slavery, I knew you were an honorable man.”
Commander Enosal was still having trouble believing what was actually happening. Not only had he been vastly overpaid, but now this man was giving him the legitimate rule of his own planet. “I receive this gift with great humility, and I hope I am worthy of the confidence you have placed in me. Ginderbar will be great again, and it is because of your gift.”
Jesse embraced Enosal again as he was leaving and Suzy came up to him and asked. “Are you sure you gave power to the right man?”
“I think so, Suzy. He is a mercenary, but that’s their culture. He has kept his word, and he hates slavers. He loves his family, too. I don’t know if we could ask for a better choice among mercenaries,” he replied. He was tired, and now that the battle was over, he knew there were a lot of logistical details to take care of before he could finally rest, so he grabbed an energy drink as he went back to the bridge.
“How did the Commander take your gift?” Josiah asked with a smile.
“I’d say he was overwhelmed,” Jesse replied as he sat in his chair.
He spent the next few hours taking transmissions from the Chairman, Mayor Valinor and Admiral Togglasem. Even Commander Enosal commed him to say goodbye and thank him one more time before his fleet jumped to light space. Finally, all of the details were taken care of, and he could get some rest.
Josiah and Cassie were working hard with SAMMI to catalogue any pieces of artwork, statues or jewelry that might be of great importance to a particular culture. Jesse wanted to give the pieces that were really important to a specific planet back to that planet. He felt they didn’t have the right to own someone else’s history. The final tally estimated that the treasure was worth almost two trillion chrons. Jesse had decided to give most of that away, either as historical gifts to individual planets or to Kaldor. Each member of his crew would then get an equal share of the remaining treasure, which meant that each crew member would receive a share worth almost three billion chrons plus the value of their personal items. They had each taken three or four small items from the treasure aside from the equal share they would be given. Souvenirs, Jesse had called them. He had kept the dagger Josiah had given him, found a magnificent ring which had probably belonged to an ancient king, and also took a beautiful diamond and jade necklace that he planned to give Kiah.
The Kalephi members of the crew couldn't believe that he was giving almost the entire treasure away. They also couldn't believe that from what he had kept he had given them all equal shares, including Agent Sandstorm who had only been with them a short while. They figured they would be handsomely paid from the treasure, but he had split it equally among them taking no more for himself than what he gave each of them. As the commanding officer and owner of the ship they used for the hunt, he would have been entitled to a much larger portion and no one would have argued, but he didn't take more. He simply said that they all shared equal risk so they should all reap equal reward and left it at that. The more they saw of Colonel Jesse Marcos, the more they were impressed.
He asked the Chairman to invite representatives from almost three dozen worlds to come to Kaldor for a diplomatic reception. There, they were to pick up the important pieces of art and history that Endeavor’s crew was donating to their respective planets. Each of the planetary leaders were in awe of the fact that the now famous treasure hunters were giving away almost the entire treasure. The date was set for ten days later. During that time, there would be planet-wide celebrations for Kaldor’s great victory. He also revealed to the Chairman and Mayor Valinor that he planned to give Kaldor a sizeable chunk of the treasure. Of course, this was on the condition that they use part of it primarily for three things.
The first was rebuilding Kaldor’s fleet. Kaldor had lost thirty-eight vessels in the battle, which left them with only forty-three. He thought they should have at least one hundred and twenty, knowing how Garrinoras felt about them.
The second was raising the Outposts’ standard of living, significantly. He had seen their poverty and figured they should live at least as comfortably as the people on the main continent.
The third was to build nine orphanages. The Chairman and the Valinor's had already begun to change the culture on Kaldor concerning orphans, but they still had no way to adequately take care of them. Three orphanages with the capacity of almost one hundred for each of the three districts would be a good start. He just hoped they could find people caring enough t
o run them effectively.
After doing those three things, there would still be funds left over to do several huge public works in each of the three districts. The entire High Council was buzzing with the possibilities. Endeavor had saved their planet and now they were sharing their treasure, Colonel Marcos would be forever remembered on Kaldor.
______
The following day, Endeavor landed in the Capital City spaceport to much fanfare. People were buzzing as they wanted to get a look at the man that saved their planet. Jesse was a little uncomfortable being singled out. He wanted the entire crew to be recognized with him, but they refused. The plan and the execution of the plan was entirely his doing and they all agreed that he was the one that needed to be honored. Josiah had convinced him that if not for his plan, the planet would have been lost, and that he was in fact the man that saved the planet. Eventually, he agreed to be honored, but only if Admiral Togglasem was honored with him. The High Council heartily agreed, knowing the Kaldorian people would take pride in one of their own being portrayed as a hero and a parade was scheduled for the following day. The parade route would travel down the main thoroughfare of the city, leading up to the planet’s capital building. Jesse and the Admiral would be honored there in front of the entire planet for their part in saving the planet from Garrinoras' invasion.
Endeavor’s crew used their day to rest and offload the treasure they were giving to Kaldor. Even that was an event, as nearly five hundred armed soldiers arrived to escort the treasure to the waiting bank vaults. One hundred armed soldiers would be stationed at the bank around the clock until the treasure could be converted to chrons. The historical pieces were moved to Capital City's largest museum and put on display for all to see for a week until the diplomats from the invited planets came to bring their treasures home.
Each member of the crew had sequestered their share of the treasure either in their room or in a storage area on Endeavor. Jesse knew that after the parade he would be ready to sleep for a month. He had decided this had been a good week. He would never forget Kiah’s reaction when he gave her the jewels he had picked out for her. She was so happy and she hugged his neck so tight he couldn’t breathe.
As the week was coming to an end, there was only one more gathering to go, and it was the only one he was actually looking forward to. The Chairman and his wife were throwing a small party, and only people the crew of the Endeavor actually knew were invited. Mayor Valinor, Seeja and Kiah, The Admiral and his family, Teha and Sibbie, who were both very excited to be included on the short list, were there. Sandstorm’s sister, Dr. Kinson, his wife, and a few people Cassie, Wennagal and Enso knew rounded out the guest list. One of Kaldor’s top entertainers was invited to perform for the crowd of about thirty people.
During the party, the vid cams came in and began rolling. The Chairman announced publicly for the first time that Mayor Valinor had adopted the orphan Kiah. A cheer went up in the room followed by the Chairman's announcement that he and his wife had also planned an adoption. The culture was beginning to change on Kaldor and Jesse felt a hint of pride as Suzy patted his back and whispered, "You made all of this possible, you know."
He just smiled as the Chairman continued his announcement.
Later, Kiah found Jesse and asked if she could play with the wolves, he led her and Seeja to the private room Shadow and Commando were staying in to play with them a bit. After that, he began making the rounds. He talked to Wennagal and thanked him again for finding the information on Hyperia. He shook hands with Enso and was introduced to Agent Sandstorm’s sister. Sibbie and Teha wanted to take vid stills with him, and he didn’t mind at all. They really were both quite beautiful, but a little young for his taste. That didn’t seem to stop them from going after Collin, though. He almost felt bad for the big fella.
As the party continued, with everyone sharing the experience from their perspective, Jesse excused himself to find Cassie. He was a little put out to find she had left without even a goodbye. Come to think of it, he had barely seen her the whole week. He was beginning to feel like Suzy had been right when Enso confirmed it. He joined Jesse on the balcony and looked a little nervous as he began. "Colonel Marcos, my cousin has decided against pursuing a relationship with you. She wasn't going to say anything, but I felt that after everything you have done for both of us, you deserved better. I'm sorry."
"I have to admit, I'm more than a little disappointed that she couldn't tell me herself, but thanks for letting me know, Enso."
"For what it's worth, I think she's making the biggest mistake of her life." With that, he was gone and Jesse just stood out on that balcony overlooking the beautiful skyline of Capital City, alone with his thoughts. He no longer felt like celebrating.
After a while, Wennagal came out to say goodbye. "Colonel, I don't know if you have been told, but Captain Reed has been offered a position heading up Kaldor's Special Assignment Task Force. Enso, Sandstorm and myself will be joining her and she can choose anyone else she would like for the task force."
"That's great, Wennagal, I'm really happy for you guys. I just wish Captain Reed had had the courtesy of telling me herself."
Wennagal could see he was hurting and surmised Enso must have spoken to him. "I'm sorry, Colonel. She's never been very good at goodbyes. I do hope our paths cross again; I consider you and your crew to be friends."
"I would like that, Wennagal, goodbye, my friend, and stay safe."
After a short embrace, Wennagal left, and the Colonel was alone on the balcony.
______
As the party ended, everyone said their goodbyes and goodnights. They were not scheduled to leave until after the diplomatic art reception scheduled in two days, so he planned to sleep in. All of Cassie's crew had already offloaded their belongings and treasure and it was now back to the original crew plus a still sleeping Reece. He now knew that Suzy had been right, and Cassie did in fact use him. He realized he should have seen it coming, but he was still hurting. He was happy he wasn't going to see her again, he wasn't quite sure what he'd say.
“Are you all right, Jesse?” Suzy asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
“I will be,” he replied, knowing he couldn’t dodge this conversation. She just knew him too well.
“It’s for the best; I just hope Kimi can get over it. Then, maybe you two can finally get together,” she offered with a smile on her face.
“It’s not that simple, Suzy,” he replied. “You were right, Cassie was playing me, and finding that out hurts. Getting over it might take a little time. Kimi is probably feeling pretty hurt, too. Maybe Kimi will be a possibility when she's ready; but I'm not even sure I'm really interested in her.” He was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince her. He did have feelings for Kimi, but he might have ruined his chances with her. Cassie had been a mistake from the start. The first woman I fall for since Rebecca, and it had to be her, he thought bitterly.
“Really? Jess,” she replied with a dubious look. “I don't know about that, but I do know the last thing you want to do is hurt her again."
“I know, Suzy, I’m gonna go get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her on the cheek and turned and went into his room as she walked down the corridor towards hers. She watched him disappear into his quarters and wished she hadn't helped talk him into helping Cassie. While they did make some good friends, it wasn't worth the pain Cassie had caused her oldest and closest friend.
______
They were finally ready to explore the remaining three sectors of the Kalephi galaxy. Four months and eleven days after they had arrived through the matter conduit, they had been to seven planets and they were leaving Kaldor as heroes. The reception had gone very well. Grateful planetary leaders took their prizes back to their worlds, thankful for Colonel Marcos generosity. He had spoken briefly about not deserving to keep important history from the people it was meant for and received a rousing ovation. Jesse hoped that giving priceless ancient wor
ks back to planets like Chawanas, Taglaharn and Zinnebulous as well as dozens of other worlds would ease some of the tension that had built up in the sector due to Garrinoras' attack on Kaldor. By having the event on Kaldor, Jesse hoped to build some goodwill between them and the planets they hoped to align themselves with. Now that the reception was over he said a final goodbye to Mayor Valinor, Seeja and Kiah as well as the rest of their friends and made their way back to their ship.
As Jesse and the crew stood in Endeavor’s landing bay, they waved goodbye to the enormous crowd that waited at the spaceport as the hatch slowly closed. Endeavor lifted off slowly as people came out into the streets and cheered the crew that had saved their planet. Then Kaldor began to fall away behind them. He sat in the commanding officer’s chair, put Cassie out of his mind, and looked at this beautiful painting that he hoped would get them an audience with King Dominus of Hyperia. Suzy arrived on the bridge and reported no change in Reece’s condition. Jesse knew he would one day wake up. He just hoped it was soon. More than anything, he hoped for the opportunity to make things right between himself and Kimi. He tried to put that out of his mind as well. It proved to be more difficult than he thought.
“Lieutenant Torrensede,” he began, “Plot a course for Hyperia.”
“Aye, aye, Colonel,” Collin responded.