“I’m not leaving this spot until Ms. Ta’mian comes.”
The guardsmen laughed. Jeody continued to smile at them. He folded his arms across his chest and waited. The guardsmen holstered their pistols and did the same.
Idal was facing away from the guards, intentionally, to act conspicuously. Then Idal made a series of odd sounding tones, chimes, and communication noises. Jeody knew what Idal was doing and rolled his eyes and smirked.
Idal had the capability of sending communications silently. Often, she would send communiqués and never would she make a sound in doing so. She had no need of noises but Idal made the noises intentionally so the guards would react. Idal quickly glanced at the guards then glanced away. Idal made more communication noises, some quite loud for a moment or two. Idal glanced again at the guards.
“What is it doing?” a guard demanded.
Jeody chuckled, “She’s contacting Ms. Ta’mian.”
“She? That’s a ‘she?’” he asked. “She can try.”
Jeody replied, “Well, you, Sir, wait until she gets here because…”
Idal interrupted, “You’re in big trouble, Kieky! I’m going to see to it that ‘you’ are…”
“It’s Triek! Not… OK. OK. I’ll go along with this,” the guard said.
He spoke into a COM and moments later Lorin Ta’mian appeared. She vouched for them.
“Ma’am! I am so sorry! I thought they were… Ma’am, we get these people all the time! They come here and…”
“It’s all fine,” Lorin chuckled. “I understand.”
Lorin looked at the short man and his robot and said, “You are… Bo’nady? And this is Idal?”
“Yes, Ms. Ta’mian,” Jeody answered.
“Ma’am?” the guardsman asked. “Have they been investigated? I’ve not received any confirmation.”
“Officer Triek, I have investigated them. Thank you, though.”
The guardsmen stepped aside as Lorin led Jeody, posing now as Bo’nady, and Idal through the opened doors and into the elegant entrance of the royal estate.
While passing by, Idal rotated her frame toward Officer Triek and said, “Drudging machines! Taramora! Proto Plaxis!”
The guard smirked as the obnoxious machine passed by. Triek wanted to blast it. He watched it slowly hover into the estate.
“Axeon!” Idal muttered to him from a short distance.
Once inside the estate, the doors closed, a few guards stood in the distance, and Jeody immediately stopped. He motioned to Lorin not to speak. He took a device out of his pocket and had Idal scan for listening devices, monitoring devices or anything that might have ears or eyes.
“Hmm,” he softly and quietly muttered. “I see four monitors on us. I’m checking their source to see if they are High Guard indeed…”
“You’re able to do that?”
“Easily,” he answered. “Nowadays, I can monitor anyone, anywhere, anytime from home. Technology is that capable… and deceitful these days.” He glanced at her with a guilty smirk, “Sorry. But, trust me, I’m not the one you have to worry about.”
She whispered, “Boone said I can trust you. Can I?”
He nodded, yes, and studied his scanner. He said, “You know my name is Jeody. Right? Boone said to never lie to you… so…”
“Thank you, uh, Bo’nady. Now, do you fully understand what you are about to do?”
He sighed, “Yes. Find more traitors. These monitors are all High Guard. No one has altered them or tapped into them that I can tell. Idal has already done some very extensive scans while we waited outside the estate. You are under a lot of surveillance, some of it is High Guard; some needs investigating, immediately.”
Lorin glared at him as he glanced at her and smirked. She let out a loud sigh.
“Now, I’ve got a lot more to do. Lead on and show me where I’ll be serving for the next week.”
…
The bridge of the Sim-Sa Gale was near the top of the battlecruisers pyramid-like structure. A disgusted Commander J’Dar followed Captain Eisen to one of a dozen slim glass elevators – each able to hold two or three individuals and they launched downward several decks. J’Dar checked his COM again.
J’Dar muttered, “We are arresting Nov… that space bum.”
The captain looked at him. “For?” he asked.
“For many things. I don’t know where to start!”
They exited and scurried down a long wide well-lit corridor. Scattered throughout the corridors were COM panels and several vertical oblong panels with various colored lights. They were called status placards. Green lights indicated – normal operations, brown – civilians aboard, orange – drills were taking place, purple – dignitaries were aboard, yellow – high alert, red – battle stations. Two of the lights on every status placard throughout the ship was lit – brown for civilians on board and red for battle stations. Captain Eisen noticed the brown light. He glanced at the commander as they briskly walked down the corridor.
“Really?” he asked, disgusted with his attitude regarding Boone Nova. “You’ve issued a warning for his crew? Do you think that’s needful?”
J’Dar sneered and thought to himself, “Oh! I have some people that need to know! How else can I deal with him? Once and for all? I only know he is a deceiver. And a nuisance! He’s going to be locked up when this briefing is over.”
Debrief was a spacious room with a large oval conference table sitting in its center. On the center of the table, a holo-emitter awaited the Court of Primes. The room was nearly full – Boone and his friends, the three investigators, Lincoln DeKator, Phia Sa’vo, and Terra Je’en, as well as O'bipherion’s royal guardsman – Kola and his team.
They reached Debrief, the door slid open, and they saw a room filled with officers, investigators, and civilians sitting and chatting amongst themselves. Everyone looked at the two high-ranking officers chatting. Captain Eisen stopped and turned to the commander.
“Commander,” he whispered. “This is ‘my ship’ and I am the one who will give the orders concerning ‘my ship.’ You are the ‘fleet commander.’ You command that.”
The captain entered and headed toward Boone while the commander quickly followed then stepped in front of the captain. Boone jumped to his feet the moment Captain Eisen entered. Everyone stood.
Boone stepped toward the captain and quickly reported, “Sir! We have to immediately…”
“SIT DOWN!” Commander J'Dar screamed as he cut in front of the captain. Boone raised his arms in disgust and sat down. “You will not speak a word aboard this ship!” Four guardsmen stood against the wall and the commander pointed to one in particular. “If he speaks… I want you to shoot him! Do you understand?” he shouted at the guard.
The guard reluctantly nodded. J’Dar looked at Boone. J’Dar’s face was red with anger, his hands were balled into fists, and he slowly approached Boone.
He pointed to his three investigators, “You have manipulated my officers! You are…”
“Commander?” the captain asked. “What are you doing? Please take a seat!”
J’Dar turned and looked at him. He pointed to Boone in disgust and said, “This man cannot be trusted. He is a liar! A deceiver! A bum of bums and he is not going to trick our people anymore with his… his…”
“Sir!” Phia blared.
She stepped around Boone’s seat and confronted the commander. She could no longer bear his animosity. The commander glared at her.
“He has INTEL! INTEL we need to act upon IMMEDIATELY! If you don’t mind, Sir!” she exclaimed in disgust. “Your anger is now jeopardizing this mission.”
He stepped closer and replied, “You will not talk to me like that! And it’s very clear to me, now, that this bum has manipulated you and…”
She softly muttered, “The INTEL, Sir.”
The captain, as well as everyone else in the room, was angered and confused by the commanders’ rage. The commander continued while Boone somberly and patiently sat. The
commander continued to deride Boone.
“You are going to detention. No more missions, no more influencing and lying to the Court, no more…”
Phia muttered, “Sir, the INTEL.”
Captain Eisen stepped between the commander and Boone. “Commander!” he ordered. “Please? Be seated!” Captain Eisen stared down the commander until he took a seat. “Lieutenant Sa’vo? What INTEL?”
She tugged on her dark-blue investigation jacket then flipped her long blond hair off her shoulder in a display of disgust. She quickly took a seat next to Boone and everyone sat down.
It was a surreal moment. The youngest of them all, a junior officer, now investigator taking over the briefing. Everyone was glued to her words.
“Captain! While we strafed the top deck of the Ambulas, we placed two trackers on her!” She then waited for a reaction from the captain and the commander. The captain jumped to his feet.
He yelled, “What! You mean to tell me there are two trackers on the Ambulas? This very moment?”
Phia pointed to Boone, indicating he would have to talk to her mission leader. “Sir, our ‘mission leader’ has tried to tell everyone but Commander J'Dar placed an order he was not to speak. We tried to call from the Night Star but…” she huffed, “… no answer.” She gazed at the commander as he fumed.
The captain gazed at the commander and ordered, “We are going to discuss this." He quickly stepped over to a COM panel. “Officer Somers! There are two tracking devices on the Ambulas!” He looked at Boone.
Boone stood, walked over to him, and handed him a tiny chip. Instead of speaking, Boone pointed to the chip and motioned for him to get it to the bridge. A guardsman ran it to the bridge.
The captain took his seat, stared at the commander and said, “I don’t know what is going on but we are awaiting the 5th prime and the Court of Primes. We will have a debriefing, Commander, and if you’d like to leave, be my guest. This is ‘my ship’ and from this moment on, ‘I’ am giving the orders and ‘I’ will say who speaks and doesn’t. Is that understood? Everyone?”
Everyone nodded except Commander J'Dar. Captain Eisen checked a handheld device. He was awaiting the Court of Primes to relay a signal to their position. A signal via data burst which would be a secure communiqué. They would have to wait seventeen minutes for certain relay stations to align with the Sim-Sa Gale as it slowly exited the orbit of Efferium and lay immovable in space. The captain took advantage of the seventeen minutes.
He glanced at Commander J'Dar and began to question Boone in spite of the commanders’ concerns. The commander had to look away with disgust. Phia, as well as everyone else, gazed at him with wonder.
“Boone?” the captain asked. “There is an accusation directed at you. Bum? Liar? Deceiver? I’d like to hear why.”
“Sir, I can’t speak for those who hate me… but the High Guard does not like it when I, Sir, I try to help these defenseless people out in these corridors. You know how bad it is out here and most of the small cargo ships are defenseless. I’m despised for that? Sir?
“So… hmm, liar? Sir, I haven’t lied to anyone,” he calmly muttered. “I will not lie to you or anyone. I hate liars and I’m highly offended to be associated with them.
“Deceiver? No, Sir. Show me the evidence. Who have I deceived? Speak to them? If I’ve deceived these investigators, you question them, Sir. Alone and individually.
“Bum? Sir! Yes, I am a bum. I’m a space junk dealer, vagabond, whatever, Sir. I agree with that one. But, if I see a ship in trouble or a pirate chasing someone, I can’t just sit there and watch it. What am I supposed to do? That’s how this hatred all started… I think. I don’t sit and watch people get attacked.”
Captain Eisen looked at the constellation’s Chief Investigator. “Officer DeKator, you worked with this man for almost a week. What do you say about these accusations?”
Lincoln felt pressured but was steadfast in his resolve when it came to the truth. He looked at the commander and said, “Captain, Commander, I have worked with him the entire time of this mission, including investigating him and his friends in the hospital. I can’t say I agree with the commander at this point. Boone, so far, has followed every order the court has given him.”
Commander J'Dar huffed and mumbled, “Deceived.”
Lincoln replied, “In fact, Sir, I tested him concerning this because Commander Dowey has his doubts about Boone and his friends.”
The commander stirred and paid close attention to his remark. He was curious.
“Tested?” the captain asked.
Boone, as well as everyone else, became concerned by Lincoln’s revelation.
“How? I’d like to hear this.”
“Sir, we set out to retrieve the teleportation device. Investigators Je’en, Sa’vo, Boone, Jona, and myself in the Night Star. The Ambulas had already decimated the Ganes Trek and was headed toward the Xeraxes System. We talked about the queen pirate. We talked about what the Ambulas might do next. Look what it did! It attacked Nepa’pa! Well, we also talked about getting even with her and even considered using the device to go after her by ourselves.”
He paused and looked at Boone. Boone had his head down, staring at the table as if pouting and not happy about the reminder - him complying with orders during the mission. But, he did comply.
“And?” the commander anxiously asked.
Lincoln looked at the commander and said, “Sir, Boone said ‘yes, I’d love to go after her myself but I have orders to bring the device to Commander J’Dar and that’s what we’re going to do.’”
Lincoln sat back and watched everyone’s reaction. The commander huffed and looked away while smirking. “They are deceived. He’s clever. He’s gonna pay.” Moments later a tone chimed and the 5th prime and Lorin appeared from the holo-emitter on the table. Seconds later, they were joined by Giban and five other primes.
The Court of Primes hovered slightly above the holo-emitter on the center of the table and everyone in the conference room saw all of the primes, minus Prime Dorn of Xeraxes who was on his way to monitor the carnage taking place in Nepa’pa. The court carefully observed the crowded conference room.
Giban exclaimed, “Captain Eisen? Commander J'Dar? Please report? Where is the Ambulas?”
…
Aboard the Ambulas, the queen sat in her private quarters. She was furious because of the damage to her battlecruiser – two forward laser turrets destroyed, several key operations sections damaged along the top deck of the ship, one engine destroyed which could slow her down a bit, and two very important deflector panels destroyed. Boone got off a few lucky shots.
She fumed and tried to understand where she had gone wrong. Her destination was her hidden lair within the tunnels and caverns found in the deep crevices of the planet Kurros in the Adjelon Star System. She would make repairs, plot against the High Guard and the Court of Primes, and find a way to lure the Sim-Sa Gale into another trap. This time, it had to be a trap it could not resist. A knock came on her door. She scurried over and answered it.
“Adere? I thought you might never speak to me again. After…” She paused.
He entered and the door closed. He carefully muttered, “Rena, I can’t believe the lives you just took. This is a whole new war, now. Do you realize what you’ve done?”
“Yes! Aderian! Do you?” she exclaimed. “I am going to bring them down! They are going to pay! Again! Soon!”
Aderian grimaced at the remark and took a seat near her. He could not look at her at the moment.
He sighed. “What now? Besides repairs? And I have a question for you?”
“A question? You just asked me three questions. But, I think I know it. As far as my plans, I’m going to create a devastating trap for the Sim-Sa Gale. That’s my next move. Our next move. Right? Aderian? Are you still with me?”
Aderian could only gaze out of a nearby window and watch the starlit panorama. His mind and emotions were still reeling from the devastation she caused on Ef
ferium.
“Ask your question. Aderian.”
He finally looked at her, “Did you think about the people we had in Nepa’pa? Did you think that some of us might have family there… before you killed all those people? Weren’t some of those people ours? I can’t believe what you did.” She looked away in disgust. “If we killed any of our people down there what will everyone think? They will say ‘you say one thing and do another.’ I just want to know how far ahead you were thinking this.”
“I’m sorry but it’s true. We probably did have people down there. They know we are at war, Adere.”
“Yes, but didn’t you make promises to some of them? You want loyalty? Then you have to be loyal… to them.”
Rena gently nodded her head up and down as she contemplated what she had done. She didn’t think about her people, only the High Guard and the Court of Primes.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Huh,” he muttered with disgust. “That makes it all better.” Then he glared at her.
“From now on, I will inform you about all of my plans and you will approve them. I realize now I’ve got so much hatred stored up, it’s clouding my judgment. OK?”
Aderian nodded but she immediately felt shunned and rejected by his demeanor.
Rena got up and came to his seat. She brushed her long ash-brown hair aside, sat down on the armrest of his chair then slid onto his lap. She leaned down to give him a kiss of thanks. He slowly lowered his head to avoid it, still feeling sick to his stomach concerning the panic and shock taking place in Nepa’pa.
She whispered, “I wish I had consulted you earlier. I’m sorry.”
She gently raised his rugged chin with her small thin finger, an example of how she could overpower anyone with little manipulation. He gazed at her kind face and soft lips. Once, alluring lips but after the attack they were not so inviting. The devastation of Copiannis and Nepa’pa filled his mind. She softly kissed him and he did not push her away, though he very much wanted to.
She belonged to Kwelling, she could do as she pleased, and he had to suffer the pain and heartache afterward. His emotional wounds continued to fester and grow with each kiss and caress.
BOONE NOVA AND THEPIRATE QUEEN Page 29