by Saxon Andrew
Victoria looked at Grainger, “We need to start now.”
“What has you concerned?”
“The birth rate in the Royal Family has fallen over the last ten years. Something is happening.”
Grainer quickly nodded and worried that she might be right.
• • •
Cassandra waited in her quarters on Avalon for the warriors to arrive and take her prisoner. Juliette had asked her several times what was bothering her but she had just pushed her away. The wall unit buzzed and she pressed the receive button. She saw William Dodd on the display. “My son has saved your life.” Cassandra sat on the edge of her chair staring at the screen unable to speak. “He killed himself before they could bring in a Zord to question him. You are now safe.”
Cassandra fell back in her chair and said, “I never should have gotten involved in this.”
William looked at her with a sneer and said, “But you did. Now one of my sons is dead.”
“I never thought that would happen.”
“You pitted him against a Duke that is second to none in power. This was easily anticipated. Now I expect you to keep your end of the bargain.”
“Juliette is too young to be betrothed.”
“I know that, but you will start having her spend time with James’ son.”
Cassandra said, “The Royal Family has announced that they are planning to start their family.”
“Easier said than done; until they have a child, nothing has changed.”
“One thing has. I’m out of the treachery game. I’ve learned my lesson.”
William showed his disgust, “You’re too weak. We’ll eliminate that problem easily. He’ll be on the front lines of the next battle against the Megat. You and that idiot son of mine just didn’t have enough patience to wait and do it properly.”
The display went dark and Cassandra wondered what James’ son was like if the father and grandfather was like this. She began to worry about what she had agreed to do.
• • •
After six months of grueling training, the three brothers completed their training and qualified with a select few to become White Warriors. The three were told to report to the armory and when they arrived they were told to wait. Fleet Admiral Mandel and a Northern Mountain Cat teleported in and Jon wondered why they were the only graduating warriors in the giant facility. Jon looked at the two approaching them and said, “I don’t think this is going to be as easy as we thought.”
The Cat thought to them, “You’ll have to continue to talk. I can’t see your thoughts.”
The three looked at each other in surprise. Everyone knew the Cats could hear everyone. Jon looked at them, “Do you have us here for a reason?”
“We’re having a lot of difficulty deciding whether or not to give you three one of the most powerful weapons the Realm has in its arsenal.”
Dern said, “Why is that?”
“Because the three of you are unique; no one else in creation is like you.”
Tegen said, “There are billions like me. I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
The Cat looked at the three brothers and said, “Are you still able to hear each other’s thoughts?”
Jon without hesitating said, “Yes, we’ve never lost that ability.”
The Cat sat back on its haunches and smiled, “I’m genuinely surprised you admitted it. Why did you say you had lost the ability?”
Dern said, “It was time for us to leave the orphanage and begin our training.”
“Training for what?”
The three looked at each other and Jon said, “We don’t know? However, what do you mean by we’re unique?”
Admiral Mandel said, “The Zord and Cats determined when they originally found you that you were not created by the force that made Creation. The three of you come from somewhere else.”
Tegen was stunned and said, “You’re kidding.”
“You’ll find that I never kid in my official capacity.”
The Cat said, “He’s right. You are not from the creation we all live in.”
Jon looked at his brothers and said, “That explains a lot about how we’ve been treated over the years.”
The Cat said, “What do you think about this, Jon Gee?”
Jon smiled, “I don’t think we’ll be getting our armor.”
The Cat smiled, “Now that was an astute observation. We won’t allow you to have the White Armor but we will allow you to don the Life Warrior’s armor.”
Dern said, “That’s because you could always turn it off and take it from us.”
Mandel nodded, “You’re exactly right. Can you blame us?”
Jon shrugged, “We wondered why everyone treated us as outsiders. We know we survived the Dremor but we were too young to even remember that. We really didn’t think we were any different than anyone else.” Jon paused and looked at his two brothers and then said, “If what you say is true, we couldn’t wear the white armor anyway.”
The Admiral and Cat jerked their attention away from Dern and back to Jon. The Cat said, “What leads you to say that?”
“Our bodies would reject it if we’re not part of Creation.”
The Cat looked at Mandel and said, “Is there any way to confirm this?”
Mandel raised his wrist unit and said, “Send out a nano-probe bot.”
A machine rolled out of a hole in the wall and rolled quickly up to the group. Mandel looked at Jon and said, “Give me your wrist.”
Jon didn’t comply and a voice overhead said, “All instructions will be followed.”
Jon looked up and saw the main laser pointed at him. He shrugged and put his arm out. A needle came out of the machine and moved toward Jon’s wrist and stopped before penetrating it. Mandel said, “This is something we do with all White Warrior candidates. This is used to confirm that their body will not reject the armor.” A huge screen appeared behind the five with a greatly enlarged view of Jon’s arm and the needle above it. The view flashed closer until the needle point filled the display. Everyone watched the display including Jon. Mandel said, “Start the process.”
Jon’s arm suddenly felt like it was on fire. He grimaced but the machine held it immobile in an arm band stronger than steel. Jon closed his eyes trying to fight giving in to the pain and then it started to subside. The other four watched as eight tiny devices crawled around on the surface of Jon’s skin and remained there. The voice announced, “Total rejection.”
The Cat said, “What percentage?”
“One hundred.”
The Cat looked at the Admiral and said, “It’s good to have confirmation.”
Mandel said, “Did you ever doubt this?”
“We had no physical proof; only the word of our Mother.”
Jon said, “That should have been enough.”
The Cat looked back at him and shrugged, “We are made to doubt and wonder. It’s part of who we all are.”
Tegen said, “At least you know who you are.”
“And you don’t?”
“We have no idea.”
Mandel said, “Then you understand our reluctance to give you White Armor.”
Jon nodded, “I wouldn’t do it either, although it’s a moot point. I’m surprised you’re allowing us to have Life Armor.”
The Cat said, “The Jury is still out on that. We’re here to determine what to do about that issue.” The three brothers smiled. “What do you find humorous?”
Tegen said, “Oh you’re going to do it.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“What happens if you say no? We go back to being civilians and you’ll never know why we’re here. You’ll do it because your Mother has more questions about what’s happening than you do. This allows her to decide how we fit in the ultimate Creation.”
The Cat went to all fours, “What do you mean by Ultimate Creation?”
Jon said, “Well, if you’re from this Creation and we’re from another…”
&nbs
p; Mandel said, “There is a larger existence than we thought.”
Tegen said, “Something like that.”
The Cat asked, “Do you know about the Creation you came from?”
“We have no idea. Until you told us about it a moment ago, we didn’t know.” The Cat thought about what should be done. Jon said, “I think we should both try to discover what our purpose in being here is all about. We’re not trying to hide anything from you and we would like to have an answer as well.”
The Cat looked at Admiral Mandel and said, “What do you want to do about this?”
The Admiral laughed out loud, “When has a Cat ever asked anyone about what to do? You’ve always provided the direction for us to travel.”
The giant cat closed his eyes and linked with every other cat in creation. None of them could determine what to do. The Cat thought, “Guide us, Mother.” The Cat was astounded when she did not have an answer. It opened its eyes and said, “You may be fitted for your armor now. You will be assigned to different units. We can’t see you so putting you in different units will make it easier for us to follow your movements and actions. It will also increase the probabilities that something will happen to help us understand your purpose.”
Jon smiled, “You really don’t have much to worry about. We’re no different from the species we belong to. We’re not stronger, faster, or smarter than those around us. We have no special talents other than our ability to hear each other’s thoughts. If we are a danger, I, for one, just can’t see it.”
The Cat said, “I’ve examined your training records and see you’re telling the truth. That is what has made me decide to do this. I do hope you will let me know if you discover anything that would be of interest.”
“Put your contact frequency in our armor and you’ll be the fourth to know.” The Cat looked puzzled for a moment and then smiled, “You three, of course, would be first.’
Tegen said, “Something like that.”
Even Mandel laughed.
Chapter Five
The three brothers stood on raised platforms in the shape of a circle while thousands of lasers read the contours of their bodies. They stood with their arms raised out to the sides and followed the instructions of the machine making taking the readings. After an hour they were told to take a seat and wait for their next instructions. Dern said, “Why did I have twice as many lasers?”
Tegen said, “Duh, you have twice as many arms.”
Dern looked startled and then said, “I forgot.”
Jon laughed and said, “At least the new armor is not like the old bulky outfits you stepped in. It at least conforms to our body.”
Dern thought, “Uhhh…Jon.”
“Yeah.”
“You weren’t completely honest with the cat.”
Jon tried to keep his expression neutral as he thought, “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t mention our ability to meld with weapons.”
“Oh crap! I forgot.”
Tegen and Dern mentally laughed and Dern said, “Do we tell them?”
Jon thought about it and said, “No, not right now.”
“Why not?”
“That information was blocked from me and I’ve got to believe it was done for a reason. Let’s wait and see what happens.”
An amplified voice said, “Return to your platforms for fitting.” The three stood and went back to their platforms. “Please raise your arms.” They did and white pieces of armor started appearing on their bodies. The pieces came in so fast that they were hard to track visually. A chest plate would appear and then disappear. The leg coverings appeared and disappeared multiple times. It looked like white pieces of armor were appearing and disappearing at an unbelievable pace. Suddenly all three of them were inside their armor and their computers were making connections to their various systems. They watched and then the voice said, “Your armor is complete.”
Admiral Mandel appeared in the room and said, “Jon Robbins, you will report to Camp Jingo tomorrow for your training on how to use your armor. You will be allowed to select your armaments at the conclusion of training. Do you have any questions?”
Jon said, “Would you use my first and middle name? I think Robbins may draw too much attention.”
Mandel frowned and made a note, “I’ll do that. You’re probably right, especially after that news report about the three of you. Your being in different units should prevent your identity being discovered.”
Dern said, “Are you going to transport the armor to the training camp?”
The Admiral smiled, “Your armor is now coded into your wrist units. Press your main activate button and twist it to the right and then left. Your armor will then teleport to you wherever you are in creation. We never know when our Life Warriors will be needed to fight for creation and we can’t wait for you to be called up for us to use you.”
Jon looked at his brothers and said, “I understand your reluctance a little more now, Sir. We will not disappoint you.”
Mandel stared at them for a moment and said, “I truly hope you don’t.”
Dern said, “Uhhh, how do I get out of this?”
Mandel chuckled, “You’re in only a few moments and you want out.”
“I have to take a quick break to the far wall.”
“Your armor will handle that as well.”
Everyone looked at each other for a moment and Dern said, “Ok, now I’m ready.”
Mandel and the two brothers laughed.
• • •
Juliette sat beside her mother at one of the regional Baron’s coming out parties for his daughter. She didn’t really like going to these events but they beat the boredom of court life at home. She looked around the room and saw many Royals she knew. She glanced at her mother and was thankful she had started to act normal since James’ death. Word had gotten out that he had tried to assassinate the Duke’s son and had killed himself before being questioned. Many in the room didn’t hold him at fault and thought he was acting in the interest of the Realm’s safety. She looked at her mother and wondered if she had anything to do with the attempt.
She looked around the room again and thought about the attempt’s target. She had only met him briefly three years ago, but she still saw his face in her mind. She refused to believe that he was a danger to the Realm. She still couldn’t explain his prowess with the cutlass. That was really incredible. She was startled when she heard, “May I have the honor of this dance.”
She looked up at Admiral Dodd’s son and looked at her mother who was nodding her approval. Now that was interesting. She never approved her being with any male. She nodded and stood. James took her hand and led her to the floor.
“I’m sorry about your loss.”
James sighed, “I know he thought he was doing the right thing.”
“I’m sure he was.”
They were bumped by another couple and Janie Rico said, “I’m sorry; I’m such a klutz.”
James snarled at her, “Well watch where you’re going.”
The couple quickly moved away and James said, “These minor nobles need to know their place.”
Juliette stared at James and his smile quickly returned, “I’m sorry for that interruption. You are a marvelous dancer.”
“Thank you.”
The music ended and Juliette moved back toward her table, “Wait, would you like to dance again?”
“No, I’m feeling slightly tipsy from the wine; maybe later.”
James led her back to the table and Juliette saw him and her mother exchange a look. She knew something was going on and she knew she wouldn’t like whatever it was. She managed to excuse herself from the gathering and teleported back to her room and started reading the news reports on the Admiral’s death. Most of the reports had a tone supporting the Admiral’s actions. She used a code she had stolen from her mother years before when she was ten years old and looked at her messages. She wondered why every message before the Admiral’s death had been
erased. One recent exchange caught her attention. Her mother had sent a message to William Dodd saying that she would still keep the agreement.
She sat back in her chair and thought about what agreement she had made, who it was made to, and why she was now agreeing to still keep it. The answers that came to mind disturbed her. She looked at the stories of the attempt on the Duke’s son’s life. The vision of James snarling at Janie refused to leave her mind. She finally went to sleep knowing that the Duke’s son was still in great danger and she was being placed in a position where she felt nothing but dread.
• • •
The company of Life Warriors charged in on their target and took the city. A voice announced, “Mission complete and objective achieved.” A White Warrior stood in front of the company and said, “You have completed your training. You will graduate tomorrow and the Realm welcomes our newest Life Warriors to our fraternity. Congratulations and I know you will make a difference in the fight for creation.”
The warriors shouted their glee and everyone hugged each other. Jon joined his comrades in the celebration, after which they left to contact their families. The six weeks had been hard, but they had emerged from it stronger and wiser in the use of their armor. All three brothers were being considered for future promotion in their units and though they didn’t know it, they had passed several tests of the watchers following their actions.
• • •
The Graduation went smoothly and the class was surprised by Duke Robbins and his wife being there as the Realm’s representative. They felt immense pride when the Duke and his wife walked through their ranks and personally congratulated each of them.
Jon waited until his father arrived in front of him and said, “I’m very proud of you, Warrior. Your accomplishment means so much to the Royal Family.”
Jon smiled and said, “Thank you so much, Your Highness.”
His mother came up next and hugged him. Everyone wondered why the Duchess did that but figured she was overcome with emotion. Jon’s eyes were moist but he held the tears back. His brothers were with their families at their units and he joined them as his parents teleported back to Ross. He was going to join them later that evening. His company commander didn’t know about his family and he wanted to keep it that way.