“Ah… I was just, ah, seeing her safely back, as you instructed, Admiral,” Padaran stammered with a red face. “Ah, hi, Uncle, Sir; I wasn’t aware you were on the DUSTEN.”
Regeny tried to suppress a grin as a red-faced Jenira stepped quickly through the gate and tried to pass us, but with the contingent of both Regeny’s guards and my own standing there, the passage was completely blocked, and so she stepped to the side and just stood there with her head down.
“I just stopped by to discuss your events today on Goo’Waddle with Tibby,” Regeny replied. “That was some fantastic swordsmanship you displayed young lady. I was impressed. You may just be the greatest swordsperson ever to live.” Jenira kept her head down and turned and even brighter crimson, but she raised her hands and signed, “Thanks.”
“So you got the recording I sent you?” Padaran added quickly, trying to draw attention away from the clearly embarrassed Jenira.
“Yes I did, thank you. I just stopped by to see Tibby to clarify some of the details of the events and also to discuss the offers you’ve had from the Ruwallie Rasson, to join our fight against the Brotherhood as mercenaries.”
“Oh, ah, yes, ah, I’d not had a chance to tell Tibby about that yet,” Padaran stammered.
“So I’ve noted,” Regeny said with a grin as he glanced at Jenira, who still had her head down.
“Well I would love to stay and chat, but I really must be getting back to the Capitol. If you find the time, you can always step through the gate there to see me on Megelleon. I’m sure I can find time to chat with my favorite nephew,” Regeny said fondly.
“Sir,” Padaran said, “I’m your only nephew!”
“Well then there can be no doubt you are my favorite one, now can there?” Regeny stepped through the gate to Megelleon followed by his guards who cleared a place for Jenira to slip by them. On the other side of the gate that led to the NEW ORLEANS, I observed Padaran watching her as she departed; he started to walk away still looking back over his shoulder, and walked right into the wall. I heard my guards laugh and a few shook their head, but no one said anything.
Before going back to my suite, I took a few minutes to stop by the bridge to check if there were any new developments. Captain Wanoll had not returned to the bridge after the meal, and the officer in charge of the bridge notified me that Wanoll had retired for the evening. I returned to my quarters and entered to find a grinning Jenira sitting on the floor cross legged while Lunnie and Reidecor climbed all over her.
By now, Kala had viewed the recordings of Jenira’s exploits several times and her anger seemed to be abated, and she sat looking at Jenira fondly while gently scolding her for not being there earlier in the morning when she needed her. Jenira signed back saying she was sorry but with the excitement of all that was happening, she totally forgot. Kala forgave her far more quickly than she forgave me, I might add.
I noticed Lunnie staring at the thin red marks on Jenira’s arms where Nybidong’s swords had barely scraped her enough to cause them to bleed. Lunnie got a hard look on her face and touched Jenira’s cut and then took her small hand and hit her own chest in a stabbing motion repeatedly, then she closed her eyes and slumped down in a still position. From across the room, I heard Kala gasp as she jumped up and ran across the room and scooped Lunnie up in her arms. Instantly Lunnie opened her eyes and grinned and bopped Kala on the nose with her tiny fist and said, “Boo.” Kala turned to me with tears streaming down her face, “Tibby! It really is her! She remembers how she died.” I just sat there too stunned to speak.
I must admit that Lunnie’s actions certainly looked as though she was reenacting the way her Aunt Lunnie had died. However, it could just have easily been a coincidence and merely looked that way. Whatever the reason was, it was creepy. Kala held on to Lunnie a few more minutes hugging her as Lunnie struggled to get free. When Kala finally did release her grip and Lunnie saw the tears in Kala’s eyes, she got a sad look and leaned forward and kissed Kala, making her smile. Then, Lunnie climbed down off Kala’s lap and ran back to Jenira and threw her tiny arms around Jenira’s neck and kissed her also. Reidecor scrutinized the scene with a confused look and then, thinking there must be something he should do as well, he gave Jenira a kiss and laughed, which made us all laugh, but I could still see that Kala’s eyes were full of tears as her memories flooded back to years earlier when her sister Lunnie had died at the hands of Lexmal.
Jenira didn’t stay long, saying she needed to get some rest, but she promised Kala she would be there early the next morning to take care of the twins, so Kala could moderate the meeting between the leaders of Kendrop and Gochian. After she left Kala said, “Jenira was acting mighty strange when she got back here a while ago. She was all red-face and seemed upset about something.”
I quickly told her about Admiral Regeny and me seeing her and Padaran kissing and their not realizing we were there. Kala laughed and said, “Now it all makes sense. I could not figure out why she was acting both embarrassed and upset at the same time. It’s been obvious for some time those two are attracted to each other.”
Once we had the twins in bed, Kala and I settled into our own bed. I was expecting her to still be upset about Jenira’s combat on Goo’Waddle, but she didn’t bring it up; instead she laid her head on my bare chest and just lay there silently for a few moments. Finally, she sighed and said, “Tib, Lunnie really scared me tonight when she saw Jenira’s wounds, and she started making stabbing motions on her chest, and then acted like she was dead. She knows, Tibby. She remembers being who she was before and how she died.” Kala sat up looking at my face. “Tib, you saw her.”
“I certainly saw something and I won’t lie to you. It startled me. However, it could all be just a strange coincidence, and we interpreted her actions the way we did when they were nothing more than Lunnie playing.”
“Tibby, she knows. I tell you she knows. I can feel it.”
“So, let’s say she is your sister Lunnie reincarnated, now what? Does it make any difference?” I asked, not sure where the conversation was leading.
“Yes, well no… Oh I don’t know Tibby… I guess it’s just all so strange. I mean if it is Lunnie my sister, what does she remember? What does she think and feel?”
“Only time will answer that question Kala, and then maybe it never will. All I know is that she is our daughter, your sister reincarnated or not, and we love her, and she loves us. Nothing else really matters beyond that, now does it?”
“When you put it like that, I guess it really doesn’t make a difference,” she said as she laid her head against my chest again. She was silent a few minutes before adding, “It feels good to lie close to you like this. It seems like we are so busy of late we have no time to be close anymore.”
“I know, Kala. I feel that way too. Before the twins came along you were by my side most of the time, now you need to take care of them, and I need to make sure the universe is safe for them to live in. I never really thought about it much before, but when I think about it, I guess most couples and families go through transitions like this at some time.”
“Mine didn’t,” Kala said as she slowly began tracing her finger tips across my skin in leisurely circles. “Both my parents were scientists, and even though their profession was in different fields they both worked at home, and both raised us, and they both were near each other and could see each other at any time.”
“So are you suggesting we strap on the learning headbands and fill our heads with some scientific knowledge and become scientists? Or is it too late for that?” I said jokingly.
Kala slapped me lightly on the chest, “That’s not what I meant at all, Tib.”
“Tell me, even with your mother and dad living and working under the same roof, how much time did they actually spend together? I mean in the same room, talking to each other. You, yourself, told me once that you didn’t even dine together as a family, and that you took plates of food into your dad which he often neglected because he was
so absorbed in his work.” I asked.
“That’s true. They really didn’t spend much time in each other’s presence, but they were always there and available for each other if they wanted to talk or just see each other. Even though they often went for days without really saying much, they sincerely loved each other; you could see it in their eyes when they looked at each other. I don’t think one of them ever entered the room without walking over to the other and giving them a touch or kiss.” I was about to ask Kala another question when suddenly my com link began giving off a priority message alert tone. I picked it up quickly off the nightstand by the bed.
“Tibby here,” I answered.
“Admiral, this is Captain Wanoll, we just received word that Captain Sokaia and about a dozen troopers were killed in an explosion on the HAPRIN.”
“What?” I shouted as I felt Kala grip my arm, “How did it happen? I thought Sokaia was here on the DUSTEN.”
“She was, sir, but a call came in from some of the troops she’d left behind on the HAPRIN saying they had found something strange on the bridge, and she decided to go over and check it out for herself. She was there about an hour when there was a huge explosion, killing her and all the troopers and workers in that area. It appears it was some sort of booby trap left behind by the Brotherhood.”
“Does Marranalis know about this?” I asked.
“Yes sir, he’s taken a patrol ship and several troopers and is flying to the HAPRIN now.”
“Why isn’t he using the Cantolla gate to travel to the HAPRIN?”
“Sir, I believe the gate was knocked out when the explosion took place.”
“I’m on my way to the bridge. I'll be there shortly, in the meantime, if you haven’t already done so, contact Admiral Regeny’s office and let them know. Oh, and notify Slater and tell him I would like to see him on the bridge also.” I broke contact with Wanoll and turned to look at Kala.
“I can’t believe it Tib, Sokaia’s gone. Why, it was just two days ago that she was here playing with the twins. Tibby, this is horrible!”
“War is always horrible, Kala. This sounds like some of Ming’s doing; back on Earth it was quite common for enemies to leave booby traps behind when they had to surrender territory to the other side; what they didn’t take with them or destroy they usually booby trapped.” I said as I swung my legs out of the bed and stood up. “Sokaia was a great trooper and a good friend. The Brotherhood is going to have a lot to pay for on their day of reckoning.”
“Tib, you don’t think Marranalis will do something rash, do you? I mean he and Sokaia did have a long relationship going on.” Kala said.
“I’ve never known Marranalis to do anything rash. However, there is always a first time. I just hope his emotions aren’t ruling his actions now. I know all too well it can happen to anyone,” I said as I unconsciously touched my cloned eye.
When I arrived on the bridge, Captain Slater was already there talking to Captain Wanoll. “Admiral,” Captain Wanoll said as he saw me enter.
“Captains,” I said addressing them both in unison, “Who is next in command of the troopers with Captain Sokaia no longer with us?”
Captain Wanoll looked at Slater indicating he clearly didn’t know. “I believe it’s Commander Mazone. It’s unlikely Sokaia would have taken him along; usually they are not in the same location at the same time,” Captain Slater responded.
I looked at Wanoll and said, “See if you can find him and get him here. Have we heard anything back from Marranalis since he left for the HAPRIN?”
“No sir,” Wanoll answered. “However, we did hear back from one of the engineers that survived the explosion, and he said he believes he can have the Cantolla gate on that end operational again very soon.”
“Good, get someone to go to the NEW ORLEANS and find Padaran, have him report here to me in 30 minutes with a full squad of his best security people. Tell him they are to be ready for the worst possible situation. Captain, I’ll also expect a full squad of troopers from here as well.”
“Admiral, surely you’re not planning on going over to the HAPRIN yourself? It’s not safe.”
“Captain, we’re running out of time, and that’s precisely what Ming and the Brotherhood desire. They want us tied up here as long as possible. We need to be on our way to Sector 3 as soon as we can, with as much fire power as we can muster. I need to be sure that the HAPRIN is safe for work crews from Kendrop and Gochian, and then we must be on our way. A’Lappe and Cantolla have all the components for a ship-sized gate at this end, and parts and a team have been sent to Sector 3 to prepare a gate there as soon as Admiral Kophious and his forces get in the vicinity of the next offensive action.”
“But Admiral,” Wanoll stammered, “you don’t think that the Brotherhood can get there before we do? It’s weeks from here and it’s only been a few days since they left here. They don’t have these gate things that Cantolla and A’Lappe have invented, so how can they get there so quickly?”
“The forces they used here were only a small fraction of what they have,” I began. “You didn’t see the Tottalax ship here, did you? If they were serious about taking these two planets, they would have had the Tottalax here. We only saw one star ship, the HAPRIN, and a few frigates and corvettes with a few squads of fighters. This was no major offensive; I agree with Captain Slater this was a trap set up to divert us from their real objective. The forces they will use in Sector 3 will be many times what we saw here.”
“I agree with the Admiral on this,” Slater said, “This is precisely how Ming thinks and works. I suspect Ming was hoping to draw a large portion of the Federation fleet here, with us calling ships from Sector 3 to move up to the adjoining borders as support if necessary. That would leave the far side of Sector 3 practically defenseless.”
“You think they deliberately lost the HAPRIN to draw us here?” Wanoll asked with reservation in his voice.
“No,” I said, “I think things went wrong on their end when they took the ships aboard that we surrendered and set to explode; they didn’t foresee that. I think they fully intended to depart from this region with all their ships and probably head to help the attacks going on in Sector 3, or maybe to Sector 2 to assist in a future attack there.”
“Oh, that’s good, Admiral,” Slater interjected, “I didn’t think of that, but it would totally be something that Ming would plan.”
“As soon as we finish up here I’m going to get A’Lappe and Cantolla working on preparing things together for a large ship-sized gate for Sector 2,” I said.
“Do you ever let those two get any sleep?” Captain Wanoll asked, “It seems you have them going day and night working on stuff.”
“A’Lappe never sleeps, he says he doesn’t require it. They do have a rather large team of other scientists working with them. I assume they have most of them doing the work,” I said, and then muttered to myself, “at least I hope they do.”
A trooper in full battle gear entered the bridge. “Commander Mazone reporting as requested,” he stated. I looked at him and could see the tension on his face and the hard determination of one whose comrades-in-arms had just died, and he was ready to take whatever actions were necessary.
“Commander, I’m sorry we are meeting under these circumstances,” I began. I need two squads of your finest troopers ready to transport through Cantolla gates to the HAPRIN in 20 minutes. Can you do that?”
“Sir,” Commander Mazone answered stiffly, “they are assembled and ready to go.”
I responded, “In a few minutes, you will be joined in the assembly area by a number of security forces from the NEW ORLEANS. I’ll personally be leading the expedition to the HAPRIN.
“Admiral,” the communications officer interrupted, “we have word from the NEW ORLEANS saying the team you asked for is assembled and heading to the Cantolla gates. They wish to know what they are to do when they arrive there.”
“Have them come to the DUSTEN and assemble in the troop assembly area with t
he troopers here. I need to get into my tactical gear, and I’ll meet them there shortly. Slater, are you coming along or staying?” I asked.
“I’ll be there, Admiral, it will only take me a minute to suit up.”
Moments later, after donning combat gear myself, I joined everyone in the mission briefing area that was set up like a small theater with seating for several hundred. As I went to the podium at the front of the room, everyone drew quiet.
“By now I’m sure all of you have heard that Captain Sokaia, along with a number of your fellow troopers, were killed by an explosion on the HAPRIN. We believe this was caused by a bomb left behind by the Brotherhood. At the moment, other than for the troopers who are aboard the ship and the fighters and patrol ships flying around outside to defend her, the HAPRIN is defenseless. The bridge was destroyed, there is no longer a working RMFF or cloaking device. Should the Brotherhood return with their ships, they would be able to destroy the HAPRIN easily, even with our present forces here trying to protect her.
“We do not anticipate that they will return, but we must still prepare as though they will. Most of the Brotherhood troops and supporters on the HAPRIN have been removed. Your jobs will be to search the ship thoroughly, every compartment, every space big enough for you to see in for both anyone still in hiding and anything that looks like it might be a bomb or other devices intended to do the ship or its crew harm. You will be expected to carry this mission out as though at any moment, you might be attacked, and that around every corner the enemy lurks. I do not want to see another casualty for any reason, let alone carelessness.
“Captain Sokaia was one of the finest troopers I have ever known. She served with me on several secret missions and put her life on the line for the Federation and gave her life in trying to protect it. I expect all of you to honor her memory by performing to your very best in a way that would make her proud.
Solbidyum Wars Saga 5: Desolation Page 31