by John Short
Up two levels in the intel computer room, a team of tecs were making sure every word and hand gesture was being stored for later use when a trial was called against these three criminals. It might be interesting to see how this Regent, who was guilty of so much, would twist the truth to get himself set free and the charges against him dropped.
The one vid news reporter, who had been taken aboard when the shuttles left Lexon II, sat quietly watching the activity in the room. What he saw was not the scrubby group of near criminal goons he thought he would find. Instead he saw an organized and professional team of males and females from all the planets working to find the truth behind what had to be some of the biggest crimes in the Confederation. What surprised him most was he had been given free run of the ship to record conversations with any of the crew who wished to speak with him.
He was also given a secure com link back to his office so he could send in his stories unhindered by any of the regular traffic between Leviathan and the four Destroyer class ships, each one with its weapons now fully restored, working the outer rim. He'd even had a chance to make several trips on the Destroyers to document how Jon's Stars and Stripes Security Company went about doing its job. Not once did he see one of Jon's ships making demands on any of the ships or colony planets that they helped. In some cases they called for Leviathan to come and carry a damaged ship to its destination port. The only payment that was ever asked was that the cargo ships' Captain or a planet’s leaders remember that they owed the security company a favor.
Thinking at first that he would find just one more criminal group raping the rim for what it could steal, he instead found a dedicated group of professionals who believed in their work, themselves, and most of all in Jon Connell. Everything they did was to help the good people who lived along the rim. The reporter had even been able to interview the King! That had been the interview of a lifetime and his audience back home had loved it. Those are the stories that he sent back to his bosses on Lexon II. Soon he became a household name with people all over the galaxy tuning in to hear his show once a week.
Entering the Med Lab together Jon and Satrina saw the worried look on the Kings' face.
“What troubles you Father?” Satrina questioned.
“I've done as my long lost sister has told me and I've left you two alone. I've sat by and kept my peace as your Healers checked on Zeprik. I allowed your Healer Hukor to give me an injection that had me spending three days in the relief chamber expelling the most foul smelling things you can imagine. I've even given an interview to that reporter you kidnapped. I think I've done a good job of being the King. Now I want to be a father and go sit by my son, but there is a wild beast that refuses to be moved! Jon Connell, will you please move your pet?”
“I am truly sorry Your Majesty. Talga is sometimes very protective of his humans. I shall try to get him to move Sire.” Jon told the King, then he went over and hugged the tiger while coaxing it away from the tube where Zeprik lay in a deep sleep. “Come away now Talga. You must let the Healers tend to your human and his Sire wishes to be near him also. Please come away.” For his part, Talga still refused to be moved even though he did nozzle his massive head against Jon's face before licking him. Jon always tasted good to the huge cat, but he always tasted better when he had come directly from his mates bed. Today he tasted better than he ever had!
Seeing that Jon wasn't having any luck getting the huge tiger to move, Satrina knelt down, threw out her arms and cried out, “Talga, come to me my beautiful tiger. You are a good protector to watch over my brother so. Come here and let me hug you.” Talga stood and walked over to Satrina to nozzle her neck and lick her face. Indeed. They both tasted very good when they were together! It was a shame that the Goddess had entrusted them into his care. She had told him while he was still a lost and frightened kitten that he would one day grow to the strong male he was today, but that his life would be spent in the service of his humans. He could never betray the Goddess. His humans had loved him from the first when he was a weak, sickly kitten, left to die in the forest by his mother as was the way of things among the tigers. Even the one that is called auntie loved him despite her playful sparring. His humans would make a wonderful meal! Actually several good meals since his male had brought him on this metal world they called a ship. However, he was forbidden from eating any of them so he settled for the fresh milk and large meats that were left for him everyday.
They were all in the Med Lab when the lights on Zepriks' tube flashed green three times and everyone heard the locks opening. The lid slid open and inside the Prince opened his eyes before raising his hand to cover his eyes from the harsh light of the Medical Labs.
“ZEPRIK! My son!” the King squealed as he ran over to embrace the young Prince. “How do you feel? Are you well? Is your memory intact?”
“Father!” Satrina yelled over the excited voice of the King. “He has just woken after over a full cycle in a deep sleep. Give him a chance to fully awaken before you smother him with your endless questions.”
“My questions for him are nothing compared to the ones I have for you daughter of mine. When did you mate with this giant? Why wasn't I told? Where has he been? Where did you get such a beautiful gown? Why does no one tell me these things? Does he treat you well? Do you love him? Does he love you? There are many who would use you simply because of who you are. You know that don't you? Does he even know who you are? What you may one day be forced to become?
“BROTHER!” the harsh voice of Gala overpowered the Kings' questions. “Leave the children alone! Yes they love each other. Yes he knows who she is and who she may be forced to become. While neither of them ever want to have that happen, they will face it together should the day ever come. They are ready for anything as long as they have each other to lean on. Each of them completes the other in ways that only true mates can.”
Turning to look down to where both Jon and Satrina knelt and petted the huge cat she said, “Talga, what are you doing here? Jon you brought that big furball onto your ship? Are you insane? He is a wild creature whose home is in the forests of Haven.”
“No auntie, I did not bring him. He brought himself.” Jon explained about how the animal had waited until Jon was ready to leave his home before jumping into his shuttle and refusing to get off. As he spoke Gala walked over to scratch the animal behind its ears and it rubbed against her purring loudly the entire time.
Zeprik sat still and tried to drink the foul tasting drink the Healer had given him. Then wrapping the covers from the tube around his naked body, he also slowly walked over to Talga and patted the big cat's head. “Thank you guardian.” he said to the tiger. “How did I end up on a ship?” he asked to no one in particular. “The last thing I remember was being attacked by two of the pirates we were sent down to Canari to capture.”
“If you're really interested in what happened on the planet, we have data archived on the events of our last battle together.” Jon told him. “After that we were both taken to the med labs on Lexon Station. My spine had been severely injured and I was told that you had died. They turned me loose after several months of recovery, you ended up at the Palace on Lexon II where they kept you in a deep sleep. Our Healer can explain this better than I, but someone wanted you out of the way. You were slowly being poisoned. In fact, your death has been public information for nearly a full cycle.
The reason Satrina's messages to you sounded strange was because someone at the palace was changing them before they were sent out. They also blocked all my messages to her and her's to me. The Regent was trying to keep us apart, but my heart-mother brought us together. That's when Satrina told me you were still alive.
I brought Leviathan into Lexon II's space and demanded that you be brought onboard. Your father insisted that he be brought along with you. Seems he has not left your side to do more than eat and sleep the entire time you've been kept asleep. You are onboard the Leviathan. The ship of legend is real and is under my command. One of the
most amazing devices on her are these healing tubes. They put me in one and the tube healed my injured spine. Now they have given you back to us as well. From the look on your face, I see our Healer has not improved his wonderful nutrient drink since he made me drink the stuff.”
“But sir,” Healer Hukor tried to defend his drink, “it has all the proper nutrients and liquids needed after a prolonged suppression of the digestive system!”
“Have you ever tasted it, Healer?” Zeprik asked.
“Well no, but...”
Zeprik handed the half full glass of the drink to the Healer. “Drink, your Prince demands it!”
The Healer took a mouth full of the thick liquid and his face twisted into a contorted expression of pure anguish before he spit it out and ran to find some water. Everyone else in the room laughed until Zeprik nearly dropped the only coverings he had which made everyone except him laugh much harder! Jelio rushed in with a proper tunic for Prince Zeprik and scolded them all for laughing at the Healer before giving in and laughing herself. “The Healer means well. He just thinks about what is needed for his patient’s health and well being, not their comfort. He went out from here and threw away several vats of his drink.”
“Tell him to have a supply of good Lexon beer ready for his next victim.” Jon suggested.
“Or wine for the females” Satrina offered. “Wine is good for both the body and the soul. Beer only makes the stomach fat!” As if to illustrate her point she patted the Kings' ample belly. Then she turned to look Talga directly in the eyes and asked him, “May we take my brother now guardian? I welcome you if you must follow, but we need to have him with us too. He needs to eat. We are going to the eating place. If you are a good tiger, there maybe some milk there for you.”
Talga looked at the King and gave a low growl before walking over and pushing the Prince toward the door by butting him with his massive head.
“I think you said the magic word.” Jon told Satrina. They all left medical on their way to the mess room where they were joined by Tiaz, Phillie and Jarrieal. Talga took off in a fast lope to go into the kitchen area where the cook had set out a bowl of fresh milk for him everyday. Today there was even a thick hunk of his favorite meat to eat as well.
“Hey Prik, it's good to see you up again.” Jarrieal greeted the Prince with a hand shake.
“Thanks Jackal. Its good to be up, I wish you would stop calling me Prik though.”
“You want a different name on this ship, you have to earn it first.” Phillie said by way of introduction, “Isn't that right Skinny?”
“Yes, you don't want to know what I was called when I first arrived.” Tiaz told him as she gave her respect to the Prince.
“If Jackal named you, I'm sure it wasn't very nice.” Zeprik told her with a knowing smile. Orders were taken with Jon ordering for Zeprik, and their meals were brought out. “This is delicious. Much better than what we had on any of the Peacekeeper transports.”
“We've got a real chief onboard who loves what he does and he only orders the best stock. Plus we've got a lot of the original food stocks brought from the human home world.” Jon told him. “You are having chicken noodle soup. It was the one thing I could keep down for days when I came out of a tube. None of us have figured out what a chicken noodle is yet, but it tastes good.” Jon waited for the Prince to have severals mouthfulls before he asked. "Zperik, there has been one thing about the Canari raid that has been bothering me. What happened to your sail that made you go so far away from your team?"
"I'm afraid that was all my fault. Instead of dropping with the others, I was going after you. I wasn't going to leave you behind even if I had to make Jackal help me drag you out of the shuttle. I was almost to you when I saw you preparing to jump, so I let the wind take me out too." Zeprik then told them a story that they all found hard to grasp.
“The strangest thing happened while I was asleep. It was almost like I was living in a different world. I think I was somewhere I've never seen, but I do know it was near your house on Haven, Jon, because I could see your crystal lake. There was this giant, midnight black saber-tooth sitting outside of a cave where I slept. It was always there, guarding the entrance. There were also a large flock of tiny dragons that returned to the cave each night. One of them brought me small bits of liquid to drink. I remember that the tiny dragon was the exact same color scarlet as the royal house colors.
I don't know how long I was there but I know it was a very long time. Something I never saw kept trying to attack me, but each time it came the tiger and the dragons fought it off and kept it away. Whatever it was, I knew that if it ever got into the cave I was finished. I think the tiger was your Talga. He stayed by my side the entire time, guarding me and keeping me safe.”
“Haven's dragons usually keep to themselves. I've never heard of them coming near any of the settlements or having any interactions with the people. Rik, Talga was back on Haven for a while, but he's been on the ship with us for nearly a cycle.” Jon told him. “There are stories of those cats having a special connection to the Goddess. The stories say that they are her guardians and follow her commands. If what you say is true, this isn't the first time such a thing has happened.
The Jon Connell who came from Earth had two of the beasts that he kept as pets. They were said to have been sent to keep his mate safe from evil men who planned to use her. The story tells of Leadora being locked inside the house by the lake and of two huge cats keeping attackers away from her. All of it was in her mind. Her body was in the hands of the evil men until her Jon Connell rescued her and the tigers showed her the way back to him.”
“I remember reading that story.” Satrina said, “I always thought it was only a legend meant to show the power of real love. Perhaps it is more than just a legend, if Talga guarded my brother against the poisons that were attacking his body. The Healer did say that Zeprik should have died months ago from all the poison in his system before we got him to the ship.”
“It would also explain Talga's strange behavior when you were about to emerge from the tube. He refused to let anyone get near you until your sister and I showed up.” Jon added. “We where there when he first saw you and took your scent. Maybe he associates us with you.”
“Your cat needs to know that I will also be near him now.” Jelio announced as she came in and sat next to the Prince. “That is if he still values a wise female.”
“A wise female is always something I will need. The question is, can she want someone so much weaker than she is?” the Prince asked.
“You have proven your bravery many times over.” Jelio told the Prince with honest admiration and affection in her eyes.
They sat longer than needed to finish their meals as Jon, Satrina, Tiaz and Gala all tried to explain the truths they had discovered and the plots to takeover the Lexon throne. “That's all we know so far Sire.” Jon told the King. “I'm sure there is more that we don't know yet, we are still working on uncovering things. The Regent has his hands in everything. He is like the roots of a tree with all his twisted schemes and hidden business holdings. Did any of you know that he held a rather large interest in TransCo?” No one did. “That's not the only business he had his hands in.”
“My own brother had my mate killed?” the King asked in disbelief.
“Yes Sire. I know its not much comfort to you, but he also had my parents killed in the same crash. They were on the monorail at the time of the crash.” Jon told him. “A lot of people died that day thanks to him and the elder King, Sire.
I'm sorry Warrior Connell.” King Le'puix said sadly.
Their conversation was interrupted when a COM came for Jon. “Data to the Admiral.”
“Connell here, go.”
“Sir, can you come to the Data Center? We may have a problem.”
“Be right there.” Jon told the caller. “I have to see what that is, Rina. If I leave you here will you still love me when I get back?” Jon joked as he bent to kiss his mate.
&nb
sp; “No, so I think I should come with you. Brother, you stay here and eat another bowl full of the soup. Jelio, you make him stay and eat it. He needs the nourishment.” The tiny Satrina wasn't putting up with any guff from either her father the King, or her Brother the Prince. Jon soon realized that his mate was not someone easily pushed around. He glanced at his aunt only to see her bright smile and look of complete approval in the small female who had claimed her son. He would be in all manner of trouble with these two around, but he was lost. He loved them both far too much. Throw Phillie into the mix and his carefree life was over! Jon decided that he wouldn't miss it, much. Reaching out for her hand, they left the mess and strolled along the corridors to the Data section.
“They look so happy together.” the King said. “I remember when you wore that look of pure love on your own face for your human, my sister. I cried the day our father had you taken from the Palace. Will you come home to it now? If not to stay, then to visit an old brother who is alone and grieving the losses he has suffered.”
“I cannot come to stay brother” Gala told him. “I am the High One of the Sanctuary. I have many responsibilities to make it right again after the recent attack. I do promise to visit as often as I can. With my son grown and mated, I too have loneliness as my companion, but now I have my brother back and two more younglings in Zeprik and Satrina to look after. I'm thinking maybe even another if what I see in your son's eyes is any indication. If the Goddess wills it, there may even be younglings to bounce on your knee soon.”
“I would like that very much. Do you suppose her Jon will live at the Palace?”
“If I know my son, he would rather live barefoot on a sun than spend any more time than he must in your Palace. I had to drag him on a tour of the Summer Palace once. He could not wait to get out of the building, even after the guide told us that the entire palace had once been a part of the Royal Survivors ship during the escape from Lexon’s sun when it went Nova. She even showed us the couplings to prove it.”