by John Short
As soon as he reached the lowest possible safe altitude to drop the troops without scattering them all over the planet, he called back one last time to let them all know he was opening the bottom bay doors. As the doors opened, the wind rushing into the passenger area grew to hurricane force until the rear ramp opened to help even the flow of the air through the passenger area. Within five seconds of the doors fully opening, all of the grubs and Jon's entire flight crew were released from the shuttle and found themselves falling. Once he was sure his team was away safely he pointed the stricken shuttle away from where they would land and unstrapped himself. Climbing over his command chair, he made a giant leap for the open bottom of the shuttle. His large body and long legs just clearing the metalwork of the shuttle's bay door before he too was rapidly falling towards the planet.
When his suits glide wings finally opened he could see his shuttle crash into the rocky surface below and burst into flames. He could also make out the forms of the grubs off to his left in the scarlet flight suits they had adopted to match their leader’s suit and falling in a tight formation except for one individual in a bright scarlet pressure suit that was further away. That only left his own flight crew unaccounted for. Jon tried twisting around so he could get a look behind him but no mater what he tried, his people stayed out of sight. Giving up on the flight crew for now as he knew each of them was well able to take care of themselves, Jon steered himself toward the lone person falling off to one side. Someone was already taking shots from the ground up at that one, so Jon figured he'd need help the most. Whoever had fallen off to the side had already taken three or four direct hits from the pair of shooters hidden in the rocks below.
Once Jon reached an easily survivable height, he cut himself free of the glide wings and fell to the ground. Landing on the balls of his feet he still felt the sharp pain shoot up his legs as he hit the ground much harder than he thought. The two shooters had left their hiding spot and were now making their way over to the lone trooper who was laying on his back on the ground and trying to draw his weapon. It appeared that the plasma rifle was jammed into its sheath and could not be taken out by one person reaching over his shoulder. Especially not while he was laying flat on his back on top of it. Jon reached for his own plasma rifle only to find that he'd left it on the now wrecked shuttle. All he had were his swords, so he drew them from behind his back and instinctively grabbed the hilts so that the plasma fire raced over their long curved blades. Holding the swords at arms length, he ran toward the two large males that were about to attack the smaller trooper.
Jon bellowed out a war cry just as he came up behind the pair and one of the males turned to fire at him from point blank range. The shot took Jon in his shoulder, but thanks to the adrenaline rush of having his shuttle shot down, and now having only a pair of ancient swords for weapons, plus the boost in strength he got from the nanoids coursing through his system, Jon never felt the bolt hit him. He just followed through with his swing and the large male was sliced cleanly in half as the plasma encased blade of Jon's sword easily cut through muscle, guts, bone, and clothing.
Attacker number two got in several more shots at the trooper who has now laying perfectly still on the ground before Jon reached him. Screaming out again, Jon lifted his arms to attack when he was hit several times by a long range plasma rifle in his back. The searing pain caused him to stumble but not before he embedded one of his swords in the head of the male attacking the trooper who was still lying on the ground. Jon crawled over to the trooper and removed the male's helmet. When Jon saw the face of his good friend, and the Crown Prince of Lexon laying there, his eyes closed and his face in that peaceful pose that only death can bring to ones features, his heart cracked and he openly cried! His only friend from Haven and the brother of his beloved wife was gone now forever.
Jon could no longer feel his legs or anything else from the middle of his back down to his toes for that mater. Still, he refused to leave Zeprik lying alone on the ground. He unfastened his armor and used it to try to block any more shots from the sniper somewhere behind him so that none of the long range shots would hit the Prince's body, then he took his swords in both hands and sat beside his friend guarding his body. Within a few minutes Jon passed out from the pain that wracked his own body and that's how his flight team and the grubs found him the next morning.
When the Healers were called Jon came to just enough to struggle against their attempts to get him onto a stretcher and into a shuttle for the trip up to Mercury. They finally resorted to using a tranq rifle to sedate him, as even in his present state he was deemed too dangerous to approach. They had found him with no less than five more enemy attackers lying dead around him. All of their bodies mutilated and beheaded by those terrible plasma swords he used. One enemy was found lying across Jon's body with his sword still rammed completely through the attacker's body and his dead heart cut out and stuck to its point!
Not even Wrenches could approach him safely. Even though she spoke to him in a soft, affectionate voice, he attempted to attack her when she approached and tried to reach out to him. Finally, with tears in her eyes, she had agreed to let the Healers shoot him with tranquilizers from a safe distance using knock out darts. It was the only way they could examine and treat him. He had lost his civilized parts to the physical and emotional pain that now gripped his body and mind. Lost in a killing rage, he was now more animal than man.
The Healers all agreed that they had seen this type of reaction before when a loved one had been lost in battle within eyesight of another. Jon Connell could never again be sent into combat, his reactions to it would be far too unpredictable and dangerous for friend and foe alike. One minute he would be fine, the next he'd strike out at anyone or anything. Some who suffered from the condiction had killed their own mates while sleeping peacefully in their beds. There was only one possible cure, but since his records did not list a mate, the Healers felt Jon would never recover.
They returned him to the military med labs on Lexon II and kept him sedated until they got him into a healing tube. Not counting the many wounds that he had suffered to his legs, across his back and his chest, one of the shots that had punched through his armor had nearly severed his spine. It would be many cycles before he would be able to walk more than a few steps on his own. He'd need to be fitted for an eckto-frame to keep him standing and help him to walk. Most of the time though he'd be forced to use a wheelchair. Several months after he had been brought in, the Healers had done everything they could for him. Before they would release him, he had to prove that he would not be alone. That's when the three flight crews from Jon's attack shuttle wing showed up along with Phillmma and Kelesro and every last one of the grubs plus the civilian crews of all of his FTL ships to inform the Healers that Jon would never spend one second of the day alone.
The nurses helped him into a fine clean dress white uniform, complete with his Dragon Swords at his sides, and all of his awards pinned to his chest, stood him up in front of a bank of news cameras while Generals pinned several more awards on his chest. Then they quietly discharged him and sent him on his way. His body had healed enough to let him live a more or less normal life. He was given a discharge with high honors and a promotion to ensure that his pension was enough to let him live a good life. The Peacekeepers didn't care that he owned five FTL ships, all of them military surplus and fully combat ready. They didn't care that he made more credits in one day than they'd pay him in an entire cycle. He had earned all the respect and honor that any one Warrior could ever hope to achieve. He would be honored for his dedication and loyalty to the Peacekeepers. Arrangements had already been made and his retirement payments would continue to be sent to his accounts on Haven.
The news turned him into a hero and named him “The Butcher of Canari Prime." They talked endlessly about how he had attempted to save the Crown Prince single handed by killing more than ten of the enemy with nothing but two antique swords even while he must have been in intense pain
due to his own injuries. They showed endless videos of the raid on the pirate base, his crashed shuttle, the fallen Prince with Jon sitting beside him still fighting off enemies and the dead laying in pieces near where he had killed them. The only video the Military refused to release to the news was the one of the dead man lying on Jon's lap with his heart cut out and being held in the air on the tip of a flaming sword. Jon personally refused all requests for interviews and decided to live on the Defiance where he could prevent the news any access to him. It was bad enough that the Peacekeepers had made his wounds public and all had seen the scared mess his back and chest now were, he'd be damned if he'd give the news any 'live shots' of his condition.
Maybe once he got to the ship and back out on the rim the news reporters would forget about him. He made one stop on his way from the Peacekeepers' med labs to the shuttle that would take him to his ship. He went to a tailor and had several black capes made for himself. They were long enough to come down to his ankles and had a hood that could be pulled forward far enough to hide his face. The cape was made so that it perfectly hid the eckto-frame he was forced to wear just to stand and walk. How he hated that cold alloy metal brace and his failure to save the life of Prince Zeprik that it reminded him of whenever he was forced to wear it. To add insult to injury, the thing actually clanked when he walked! He sounded like a living battle tank whenever he entered a room! Even Phillie's cyborg engineer friend could walk into a room and not make as much noise as he did wearing the frames! Then there was the constant intense pain that the frame did nothing to help. His body screamed in agony with each step he took! The Healers had given him medications to ease the pain, but Jon refused to take them claiming that they made him too drowsy.
Kelesro came to visit him before she left to return to her position at Jamie's Place. This time when she touched him she was terrified by what she saw. His heart had been broken and heavy scars were holding it tightly in their grasp. She had expected to find some heart scarring, he had lost his good friend, but what scared her was the state of Jon's soul. The once open and loving person she had come to like was now clouded over and his soul had turned a dark gray. This male was no longer looking to be loved. He was looking for his own death. He didn't care who he had to take with him. The Jon Connell they all thought they knew was gone! His real self was buried so deep inside that Kel feared no one could ever bring back the male they all loved. Jon Connell had become death! “Find peace my friend.” she pleaded with him before she kissed his cheek then turned to leave. She walked away with tears streaming down her lovely face until she reached the bar.
“What's wrong Kel?” Jasmini asked when she went directly back to the office.
“We've lost Jon.” Kelesro openly wept. Something very rearely done by the people of her race. “His soul has turned. He'll need a miracle now.”
“Phil is with him.” the girl offered. “She'll know what to do. She loves him like a brother. She can reach him, you'll see.”
“Only if he lets her child. Only if he lets her.” Kelesro cried.
Helios had managed to sneak back into his armor and rejoin his unit the day of the big battle on Canari Prime. Right now he was peacefully enjoying his late meal in a Peacekeeper ship's mess. He'd hidden the stolen credits in a cave near the farm where he had stolen the vehicle and to top everything off, he had made sure that his father's name was never connected to Canari by killing his uncle and setting fire to the bar. He'd also gotten in several good shots from distance at the human freak that had made his life miserable since that day he'd insulted the human's heart-mother. How was he supposed to know a Lexie had raised the freak? Anyway, all he had to do now was wait a few more months until he was out of the Peacekeepers. Then he could go back to Canari, collect all those credits and set himself up in the smuggling business. The same drugs his father and uncle had used on his mother were still in high demand on the black market around the inner worlds and that farm had been one of the biggest producers of the drug. Some males still needed to drug females to make them interested. He knew because apparently he was one of those who could never find a willing female without the drug or a month's pay for her services at a pleasure house.
His luck was running really good since the Canari operation. Not only was the Crown Prince killed in the heat of battle, something that the Regent paid him a great many credits for making happen, but also all of the troops on that mission had been given their choice of duty stations. He had picked an easy assignment onboard a Peacekeeper cutter patrolling the inner planets. It meant an easy berth and plenty of leave time planteside. Lots of opportunities to have some fun with the locals, like in raping a few young females, beating up a few smaller punks, and stealing a few credits. Not to mention cheating at cards every night. Helios King was finally coming into his own place in his father's criminal organization. Once he was discharged from the Peacekeepers his life would be one of easy profits bought on the labor of his slaves! The only bad to come from the entire mission was that Jon Connell had survived. Somehow the freak was still breathing. Oh well, as badly injured as the news told everyone that he was, Jon Connell would never again be a problem.
He'd contacted Phillie earlier to find out if she had followed his instructions and if Defiance was waiting for him at Lexon station. When she assured him that she had brought the destroyer to the station the day before he arranged for a shuttle to take him off planet. Jon carefully walked from the shuttle docking area around the tubeway to where the Defiance was docked and waiting for him, his new cloak fluttering behind him as he walked. The hood covered his face enough so that even those people he passed closest to could not see him clearly enough to make a positive identification. He appeared to be some kind of strange deadly apparition to the people who saw him as he moved with slow deliberate strides. The people who normally crowded the orbiting station all moved to clear a path for him. Just the sight of his taller and broader than usual build combined with the black cape that clearly displayed the ranking of an eighth degree Master Swordsman while hiding his face so well and the evidence of the twin swords he now wore at his waist gave people a terrible need to move out of this being's path. Many thought that Death walked among them, searching for its next victim. Those people would have been right if they thought he would kill them as soon as ask them to move, so they moved on their own as quickly as they could.
Wrenches followed him closely pushing a wheelchair in case he decided to use it. So far he'd only allowed himself to be pushed in it while leaving the Med Lab. Now it was being used to carry the extra capes Jon had the tailor make for him. He stood as tall as ever even with his custom made eckto-frame legs supporting his body. “Wrenches, I'd like you to try and make these things quieter when we get to the ship. I sound like a tank for the Goddess' sake! I couldn't sneak up on a deaf enemy wearing these things!”
“The chair is nice and quiet Boss. The Healer said you should use the chair more than you do.” Phillie told him. She had already spoken with her friend, Kelesro while she waited for Jon to arrive at the station, and knew the state of Jon's soul. What she didn't know was how it had happened. Why had her friend lost his last hope? She did not know how to help him find it again, but by the Goddess she knew she had to try! Jon Connell had given her a life she was proud of again, she owed him everything. Somehow she would bring him back from the darkness that was stealing away his soul and with it his goodness.
“I'm not going to use that chair in public Phillie.” Jon told her roughly. “I'd rather sound like a tank than be seen in that thing in a crowd.”
“Have it your way Boss.” Phillie replied. “Just remember what the Healer told you. Don't push it too much or you could end up with permanent damage to your spine. Then you'll never heal.”
“Don't try to be my mother Phillie. I don't need a mother anymore.” Jon snapped at her. “I need a flight engineer who obeys my orders, not one who questions my every move.”
“Sorry Boss.” she quietly told him. She knew the g
reat pain he suffered in his body. She alone had seen the intense effort it had taken for him to stand and walk just a few steps in the mechanical framework that kept him upright. No being should be in that much pain just to stand! She wanted to cry but knew she had to be strong, for him.
Soon enough they approached the hatch that would take them to the Defiance but there was a crowd of reporters with their cameras gathered around. Zarrieal was standing guard at the hatch preventing them from forcing their way into the ship by threatening them with his side arm. “If you people don't clear the walkway, I'll start shooting!” he bellowed and several reporters cleared a path which Jon wasted no time taking and getting onboard as quickly as he could. He ignored the reporters called out questions and demands for answers as he passed. One of the females in the crowd touched his arm. She pressed a small object into his hand and quietly told him, “I'm sorry for the loss of your friend giant.” When he turned to look at her, she smiled up at him and continued; “I lost someone close to me on Canari too. My employer has questions, but I understand you're desire to avoid the news. Please, find your peace giant.” Then she bowed to him and backed away.
Jon returned her bow and then went through to the bridge of the Defiance where he finally collapsed in the commander's chair. “Someone help me get out of these things!” he called out pointing to the eckto-frames. Phillie ran to his side and began removing the straps that held the frames in place tightly around his legs and body.
Later that night the vid-news channels all played the story of the raid on Canari Prime again and this time they all added the scene of Jon's cloaked arrival at Defiance. None of them knew for sure if the strange being who had entered the ship just before it left the dock was indeed Jon Connell, but all of them suspected that it was despite the fact that his cloak had hidden his face. They had gotten a shot of one of his finely carved sword pummels and the reporters had decided the only person to have been known to use such swords was the 'Butcher of Canari Prime'. One channel had even videoed the female who had touched him and spoken. She was clearly heard to call him a giant and her wish for him to find peace after the loss of a friend. Everyone knew that Jon Connell was often referred to as a giant by the people of his home world. No one knew who she was but from her size and the exotic beauty of her features they were sure she was a pure Lexonian. They had also heard her tell the stranger that she had lost someone at Canari Prime herself. Of course now they all wanted to know who she was and whom she might have lost in the raid, so they began searching the records of all the Peacekeepers who had been killed during that raid. They found only three possible names other than the Prince himself.