Boone muttered, “Yeah, among other things. I never saw your father, Phia. How does my mom know him? Did she go to Obipherion? I don’t remember any of that.”
Jok answered, “She did. I met her once, Boone.”
Lorin said, “I think I did, too. I was a child, though. The wars started a long time ago. They just ended with the Emancipation Declaration, the new Court of Primes, and the new High Guard. We were kids.”
Boone slowly nodded. He looked at Phia. “Is that ‘everything?’ You’re telling us ‘the whole truth?’”
She scowled. Her face turned red. “Boone, please? I’m sorry.”
Boone stood up and Phia immediately quieted. He walked down the narrow corridor to the front of the ship and made his way up the circular staircase to the cockpit. He didn’t want to hear any more from her. She cowered and looked at the others.
“I am deeply sorry to all of you for lying. I am going to tell all of you the truth but first, I have to tell him.”
Mace blared, “Tell him? I’m ready to hear it now! Because, because,” he stuttered.
Pryce answered, “Because we all trusted you and you lied to our faces and you had plenty of chances to tell us!” He stood up. “I’m with Boone on this one, Phia.”
He turned and headed for the cockpit to join Boone. Mace continued to glare at Phia. Moments later Boone and Pryce heard a commotion behind the cockpit. Pryce went to see what the noise was about and saw everyone sitting on the narrow steps of the circular staircase.
Jok motioned to Phia then she slowly edged her way into the cockpit. The others listened intently. They were not about to miss the argument of the century. Boone noticed her and turned his chair around to face her. She slowly and cautiously walked over to him and took a seat across from him.
Phia explained, “I am truly sorry but in my defense, you lied to me, also. You didn’t tell Pryce and Mace your whole plan on the mission. You held back the truth. What I did, concerning my father and you is no different. You also didn’t tell anyone you had a teleportation model. Again, you held back the truth! This is no different.”
“It is different. We were on a mission and I needed to do that because of safety reasons.”
She answered, “I was on a mission! I had to do it because of your safety.” She glared at him and he glared back. She felt ashamed because she glared. “Boone, I apologize. I don’t want to act like this.” He nodded. She continued, “I couldn’t give you the whole truth before and I still can’t right now.”
“You can’t? That doesn’t make sense. Why?”
“Can you tell us all the truth about Kova?”
He nodded and said, “Yeah. I’m gonna have to, now.”
She wiped her face. It was a defensive gesture. Boone was going to explain his deepest trial and hurt to them; she had to do the same. He waited. She wiped her face again and blew out a loud stressful sigh.
“OK. I’ll try.”
“Try? No. Why can’t you speak the truth? I don’t know who you are anymore, Lieutenant. And from now on, you are no longer, Phia. The Phia I knew, she’s not who I thought she was.”
A tear swelled; she fought it. “Boone,” she said softly. “Please don’t say that. I am still that person you met weeks ago. I have just had a very difficult time with my father and the High Guard.”
She sunk into her chair and wiped another tear. She was very frustrated with the conversation and Boone was becoming more distant to her as the moments passed.
“My what? Situation?”
She nodded. Then she sat up straight, flipped her hair off her shoulders and cleared her throat. She set her hands on her knees and began to plead her case.
“You’re right.” She wiped another tear then wiped the frustration from her face. “I was called by the commander to go to Kova.”
“Your father.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “He sent me to Kova. I think he also wanted me to leave Abdom Center because of Cumi-Bak Suna and her weapon.” Boone sat up and listened carefully. The others sitting in the stairwell were anxious as well. “My mission was to search for any illegal activity, wants, and warrants for you and your father. I read for two whole days! I started reading about you and at first, I was very intrigued? But then I thought I should start from the beginning – with your father.
“You were ‘intrigued?’ What does that mean? You found something?”
“No!” she laughed. “Boone, I was… I was impressed. OK? So, I read ‘everything’ the Kovan Defense Force had regarding your father. I found out about his missing file, his very extensive career, and well, a lot of things. Then I started reading about you and,” she paused and nervously rubbed the back of her head, tousled her hair, and readjusted her sitting position.
“Phia? Don’t stop now. You are finally being truthful. After all this time.”
She nodded and wiped her nose. “When I started reading about you, I became, I don’t have the right words. Oh, boy! I can’t do this. He is gonna hate this.” She huffed as she realized she told another lie. Then she boldly admitted it. “I was amazed by you. No,” she countered, sighed loudly as she glanced down at the decking, hesitating to admit it. Then she looked at him, he was gaping. She said, “I was impressed with you. Uh! OK, I was infatuated with you. Just from reading about you!”
“Really?” he smiled. “Ha!” he laughed. “I’ll bet that’s all changed, now. Huh?” he asked mockingly.
Phia’s expression didn’t change as she stared at him. Boone also noticed she didn’t correct him or admit her feelings had changed.
“Phia?” he asked.
“Boone,” she softly whimpered. Tears flowed. “You thick-headed imbecile. You don’t get it. I couldn’t tell you about the commander, my father, because,” she paused, bowed her head and fiddled with a piece of cloth she had in her pocket. Boone slowly started to realize what she was trying to say. The others, sitting on the staircase were amazed by Phia’s confession.
Mace was smirking and shaking his head from side-to-side whispering, “No, no, no. Please, no? Boone, don’t listen!”
The others quietly laughed at him. Lorin was sad to hear Phia had feelings for him but she discovered that a long time ago. Everyone also noticed Lorin’s dismay. Lorin smirked as they all stared at her. Jok was rubbing her back for comfort and smiling. He was always warning her about getting too affectionate over Boone. He loved Boone but a relationship between them would never work.
“I’m not that perceptive,” Boone said. “Finish. Please?”
“I didn’t know you knew the commander and I didn’t know he hated you! I only found out about all of this the day you were in that holo-lab getting Nano’s extracted from your body.” She wiped another tear. “That’s when it all started for me. The lying. I mean, I disagree with you about calling it lying, I was just not telling you the whole truth. Boone,” she raised her hand in disgust. She exclaimed, “If I had told you he was my father,” she blew out a very stressful sigh, looked down again, and shed another tear, “you would have never thought of me as anything but a High Guard Investigator.”
“Phia,” he uttered. She looked at him with blurry eyes. “True, I may have thought you were just like him but something tells me you would have fought me about that and even convinced me what the truth really was, had you been honest back then! Instead, you and I have been fighting and trying to convince each other we should trust each other and also be truthful with each other! You see? I think all of this, these confusing arguments we’ve had could all have been prevented if we’d been honest.”
“I know,” she interrupted. “I see it, now. Uh! I’m such a fool.” She shook her head back and forth, disgusted with herself. “I am apologizing.” Tears flowed freely and her head was bowed again. She was overwhelmed with shame and regret. “I lied to you because I didn’t want you to think less of me if you knew he was my father. I was thinking if you knew about it, you would never,” she gasped.
“What? I would never what? I know what you’re gonna
say. I just want to know if I’m right about it. Huh?” he asked. “I’m not sure I want to know, either.”
She studied him and pondered doling out the truth. After their awkward and very telling discussion, she was compelled to tell him. She thought they were, after all, being truthful.
“Boone, don’t get mad and don’t say a word. I don’t want to talk about it right now. Agreed?”
“Huh?”
“He is gonna hate me for this. Probably won’t speak to me again on this mission.”
She chuckled and seemed to feel at ease, having decided to tell him. She also wanted him to like her.
“You already know this, I think. But, I was thinking if you knew the commander was my father, you wouldn’t like me or care about me. That is why I couldn’t let you find out the commander was my father.” Boone sat motionless and quiet. His face was difficult to read. She bowed her head and smirked, having told the difficult truth. “I read those reports about you. I was very impressed with your antics! You were a little difficult back then!” She laughed and found the confidence to look at him again. “I read about you and I saw a picture of you.”
“Really? What picture?”
“You were standing next to some ship and you were reaching up with your hand on it, signifying it was yours. Or, something like that.”
Boone became a little concerned by the reminder and kept his complexion as calm as he could. He let her continue without a single interruption.
“When I saw you on the holo-reader,” she laughed as a smitten love-struck girl would. “I enlarged your image and,” she chuckled again.
“Phia? Are you telling me you had feelings for me?”
“Well, haven’t you ever been smitten by a simple smile or a kind face or a look from an attractive woman?”
Boone grinned and nodded as his thoughts immediately went back to a special someone. He had to agree with her.
“Oh. You’re smiling. So, you have. Well, I read all about you as a cadet and junior officer, for one day, and I discovered you had ambitions and values. Then, I met you! I learned firsthand whether you were who I thought you were.”
“Huh,” he muttered. “And who am I? Am I who you thought I was?”
Phia nodded. “You are indeed the man I hoped you were. Loving, caring for others, wanting to help people, kind, gentle, well wait, on those last two you really blew it!” Boone and everyone on the staircase laughed. Boone and Phia knew they were there and didn’t mind it. “But, I must tell you, though I was very afraid you would find out the commander was my father, I was more afraid you would not like me. I’m really messed up right now because here I am hoping for some… some affection? I guess? But, I have to take you in! I have to do my duty. What am I supposed to do?” She cried again. “I care about you! But, I have to take you to Kova, also! So, I am praying you are innocent.” She wiped a tear as did Lorin, Terra, and Mace. “Innocent, like you say you are, and I’m praying you can forgive me. Please? I am very sorry.” She wiped her face and nose with the cloth. “I can promise you. I won’t lie to you again.”
“You should be careful about making promises. Once you make one, you have to keep it.”
She nodded in agreement. “Like you did for Jolie?”
“Huh?”
“You promised her before we retrieved the teleportation device you would take her to the moon and the beach.” Boone gazed at her as his mind drifted to Jolie and her precious family. “I know you saved them. From Isoter. You brought them to Obipherion, so, Geo must be the one who also knew where the device was – in that debris field and you protected him by never mentioning his name. Not once! That was amazing. You are amazing.”
By then, the others had left the staircase and were standing in the cockpit. They also agreed with Phia. Boone did love people and tried to put their needs ahead of his own. Boone wiped his nose and a developing tear.
Phia pushed forward in her chair and grabbed his hand. “I’m asking you to forgive me.” A tear streamed down her face. She looked at Lorin, Terra, Pryce, and Mace.
“Please? Everyone?”
Jok, Lorin, and Terra were the first to approach her and hug her. Pryce and Mace followed and hugged her as well. Then they all looked at Boone. He slowly stood up and nodded. She quickly stepped over to him and hugged him lovingly. He sighed and watched the small crowd as he hugged her. She finally let go. He motioned for everyone to sit down. They did.
“I also want to do something.” Pryce and Mace smiled as they knew what he would say. “I won’t hold back anymore when I plan what we’re doing. I realize holding back on stuff is just like lying. I didn’t always give you guys the whole plan, well, because,” he wiped his nose again and a small tear.
Pryce answered, “We know, buddy.”
Mace added, “You didn’t want us in danger. We understand but listen, we are more than just a team.”
“Yeah! Well said, Mace,” Pryce blared. “We are family! Got that?”
He nodded. “Yes, we are. But remember this, the hardest part about being a family on this ship is not putting yourself in danger, it’s watching your friends put themselves in danger.” They all nodded at the wisdom of Boone. “That’s why it’s so hard to tell you all everything.”
Jok added, “I know, first-hand, how difficult it is to send others into battle – you may never see them again. That is why we need to trust in the Father of the Heavens. Especially, when you are in danger as oft as you all are!”
Everyone laughed. Then Pryce added, “From now on, things will be different. We all function as a team.” He glared at Boone. “No more ‘alone’ stuff. OK?” Boone gazed back at him and answered with a nod of his head. “Now,” he added, “during this trip, Terra and I are going to teach you how to fight!”
Mace laughed. “Yeah! You let those four guardsmen beat you up! What’s with that?”
Boone glared at them until he saw their smirks then he chuckled. He answered Mace, “I’d like to see how you would do against them! They’d squash you!”
Terra asked, “How did they lure you away from your room when they led you from the corridor into that hallway?”
Boone looked at Lorin and smirked. “They said Lorin needed to talk to me immediately and a COM unit was in that hallway.” He sighed and Lorin sulked with concern in her eyes. “When we turned into the hallway, I didn’t see a COM unit! Then they tried to crack my head open!”
Mace chuckled and everyone glared at him. He said, “That’s good!”
“Mace!” Terra exclaimed.
Mace laughed, “Terra! We’d rather they hit him in his head than anywhere else! It’s impossible to crack his head open! You know his head is the hardest element in the galaxy! Right?”
“Mace,” Pryce muttered.
“OK, OK. Sorry, Boone,” he said with a grin.
Chapter 11
Aboard the Exoteric, Lincoln and the commander of the ship, Captain Dillard, strolled the main corridor. The tour consisted of every section of the Exoteric being used. One-half of the ship was unused and wasted space. The captain explained there were over 40,000 people confined. Twenty-seven of them were in isolated confinement and Luweena, Ander, and Kwelling were among them. Lincoln explained his plan – Officer Brock and two others were arriving in less than a day and he suspected infiltration in some form, either someone was coming with them or they were already on board, and he would be shadowing the crew to avoid the plot. One other item of great concern was discussed – the Ambulas had the capability of sneaking up on them and destroying the ship altogether. The captain issued orders for his High Guard attack ships, twenty-five in all, to fly patrols and monitor the dead space surrounding the Exoteric. As they chatted and planned, they came to ASOP-1243.
ASOP-1243 looked at Lincoln and quickly ascertained his status as the constellations highest investigator. It spoke to him. Captain Dillard and Lincoln looked at the display monitor mounted atop ASOP’s four-foot mechanical frame.
The screen displayed w
hat ASOP spoke, “I am ASOP-1243. I am serving you.”
Lincoln nodded. He said, “Thank you, ASOP-1243. Do you have an assessment for Jurias Kwelling?”
The screen displayed a host of lines, columns, and terms. “Jurias Kwelling… cell 1792-J… defiant… non-conforming… determined to manipulate… inquisitive… angered… unstable… unable to endure…”
The captain asked, “Unstable? Unable to endure?”
Lincoln asked, “Are you responding about Jurias Kwelling?”
“Yes, he is very unstable. He will not function properly if he remains in isolation for the remainder of his thirty-eight days. He has served twelve days, he states he has served six days. He objects to the pleasant color schemes given.”
“Has Dr. Mackeny given an assessment?”
“Yes,” ASOP replied. “Watch.”
ASOP-1243 hovered down the corridor and stopped at Kwelling’s cell. ASOP made a chime sound in his cell. It simply made its presence known to him. Kwelling immediately responded.
“Hey! Robot! What’s your name? Will you tell me how many days I’ve been here? Please?” he screamed. He banged on the door to his cell repeatedly. “I didn’t get enough food yesterday! Can we talk about this? Please? Answer me!”
They watched as ASOP-1243 answered through the display unit. It responded, “No.”
Kwelling appealed to ASOP by showing cooperation. “Wait, I just want to discuss some things. Can we? Can we talk?”
ASOP answered, “No. Against regulations. No conversations. Are you prepared to admit to your many crimes and confess to the Court of Primes all you have done?”
“Ah!” Kwelling screamed. He continued to punch the door to his cell. He screamed, “Change my color scheme! How many days? It still says, one! That’s inhumane! Inhumane! Ah!” he continued to scream and prance the cell, punching the walls. His hands became bloodied. Kwelling used his shirt to wipe the blood. He laid down on the floor and fumed.
As the captain and Lincoln watched, Kwelling began to break. The captain nodded and said, “He’ll break, and he will discover it’s better to answer us than be in solitary confinement. ASOP, what is his schedule?”
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