by Unknown
“Then I can get our captain to bring you up. You can be safe there,” Hadaie pleaded.
Terma held up his hand. “Ulon, we can’t do that. Just like you have chosen to be with the people of Earth, we have chosen to be with the people of Thera. We couldn’t leave.”
Hadaie had a most forlorn look on his face. “Look, I’ve been looking for people like you for years. I just found you. Surely for the sake of our species, you can’t leave me now,” he begged.
Terma smiled at Hadaie. “It may not be so bad. We are going to the southern hemisphere to work down there. If the war comes, it will most likely remain up here,” he said.
Hadaie shook his head. “Unfortunately, we determined any war will deplete the oxygen supply of this planet and all will eventually die. So you see, no matter where you go the end will be the same.
Terma thought a moment and looked at his wife. She seemed to understand his thinking and nodded. “Then take our children and go. I firmly believe that there are more of us floating around in the universe. Do what you can to find them and keep our people alive,” he said sincerely. Terma turned to look at Olena. He held out his hand and she reached out to him. He placed her hand in Hadaie’s. His hair began to glow. “Please. Doneda and I have seen the reaction. We know that once that happens, you are mated for life. Doneda and I are happy to leave the fate of our civilization in your hands.” He placed his hands on both of theirs. Once again, the hair on the three began to glow a bright red. It lasted until he removed his hands. “Now, if you will, take my children to your ship.”
Chapter 17
Renewing Authority
It had been a busy three days for the King. Methodically, he had isolated his supporters from the men he now knew were controlled by Levid. Carefully, he had arrayed a considerable force of men, equipment and knowledge to carry out the plans he and his friend, the President of Orupe had made. Unfortunately, there was only just so much time in the day, and stealth and time were not two things that often went together well. The lack of sleep was getting to him now and the tea that normally would help him stay awake wasn’t helping much. It was a good thing that his plans would be implemented tonight.
The King looked at the men standing in front of his desk. All were dressed in black uniforms. Even their faces had been blackened to hide them in the dark of the night. Each man wore a belt, which held several instruments of death and destruction. Knives, communications equipment, pistols, spare ammunition, throwing weapons that the King had never even seen, all were there and in readiness. The King inwardly wished that he never meet any of these guys on a dark night. Yet there they were, loyal (he hoped) and ready to defend their King and country. The five of them had helped plan and prepare for tonight's operation in every detail. These men were professionals at their craft. He knew that they needed but his word and events would happen to change the world.
"You all know the predicament we are facing. It is my hope that we will not have to resort to bloodshed, but do what you must," the King said.
The man closest to the desk looked at his King and with a rigid, but reassuring stare said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. We have our people in place now and will move in 15 minutes. We won't let you down." Then the man stiffened and gave a salute. He turned to the others and said, "Gentlemen, let's go to work." Then all the men stiffened and saluted, before turning and going out the gilded door of the King's office.
"God be with you all," Raterc said as they left his office.
Three days of planning and hard work. Suddenly the King realized he had nothing else to do but wait. He sat down behind his desk and tried to imagine what those men would do this night to preserve their nation. He also tried to imagine what President Rapheli's men were doing at this exact same time. It was a frustrating effort.
Then he remembered all the events that had led up to this moment; his frustration at the coming war, and the sudden arrival of the people from the Alliance. They were so logical and understanding in their approach, especially this Dickson. He had presented their case with utmost clarity and skill. By the end of the first hour it was clear where the problems lie. Inwardly he admired Dickson for letting them handle the problem and aiding them where they needed it. If Dickson had used his technology to simply brush Levid away, the King would have always had suspicions of when the Alliance might do the same to him or his friends and allies. Instead, he had given him the tools to clean his own house. The King was sure that if things started going wrong, Dickson would still be there to help.
Then there was that great ship in orbit. He had taken a short tour with Dickson and was amazed at this city in space. There were all those people from all those places, spreading good will and offering protection throughout the galaxy of stars, not to mention making discoveries that left his head spinning. He could not contemplate what it would be like to do the things they did.
Then he remembered the sight of his own planet from space. It was such a thing of beauty; so peaceful, so inviting. That one view alone was worth the experiences he had gained in a lifetime. He had gazed upon the continent he called home, the oceans surrounding the land, the clouds in the sky. All of it begged for nurturing and caring for. He had also seen some of the smudges in the sky from the pollution of their factories, cars and cities. It really was like a smudge on a piece of fine porcelain. Oh well, if they survived Levid and his torture, then maybe they would have the time to clean that up too, he thought.
The King looked around his lonely office. He knew he wouldn't sleep while his men were out doing this important work. He reached for the special communications device Dickson had given him so that he could contact Rapheli. He was not surprised to find his friend also sitting alone and thinking about the same things.
It was an especially dark night. The moon was new and not even the trace of a shadow was seen as the commandos moved silently and intently around various complexes throughout two countries. Avoiding the light of street lamps or from around buildings when possible, they quickly crept up on their prey. Quietly, unsuspecting guards were removed and replaced by others more loyal as the commandos made their way from building to building and place to place, regaining control of all the vital areas of government. Centers of communication were seized first of all and radio and television programming continued as before. Even messages to be sent to Levid's ship continued to be sent so that no suspicions were aroused. In most cases, television and radio personnel had no idea what was happening or what had been happening. When informed, they were more than just angry. Almost to a person they wanted to help.
At the office of the Prime Minister, the commandos were particularly careful to ensure that no one was seriously hurt, or made a sound. The men traversed the great halls singly; each supporting the others that passed. They took up a position and waited for the others to do the same. There was a single guard at one door that had light coming from under it. The hapless guard was leaning against the stone column just outside the door. Obviously he was very lax in his security due to months of standing in that same spot with few or no challenges. After a few minutes of observation, the commandos realized he was dozing at his post. It took them all of 30 seconds to wake him up, muzzled him and dragged him away.
The leader of the commando group stood before the doors that he knew led to the Prime Minister's office. When his men were ready, he opened the doors with a flare of bravado and walked into the office with his men.
The Prime Minister looked up from his work and with a furious tone demanded, "What is the meaning of this? You are not my guards! How dare you come in here!" he screamed standing behind his desk in a threatening manner.
"I dare," said one of the men calmly. Removing his dark cap and mask, Minister Fredo walked past the commando leader and placed his hands on the desk. "By the authority of His Majesty, the King, you are hereby relieved of all your duties and responsibilities and ordered to vacate these premises immediately. I suggest you come quietly."
The Prime Minister was
taken totally aback. For the first time he was facing the consequences of making the deal with that man Levid. Yet it still dumbfounded him that he had been caught. "I don't understand. How did you get past my guards? What about the army personnel outside? Just who are you men?"
The commando leader stepped forward and stiffened. "Why we're just a nightmare sir," he said. Then an evil grin spread brightly through the blackened face. The missing tooth in his smile actually made the Prime Minister shiver. "Colonel Leftin, Royal Marines," he said.
Throughout the country similar events were happening. Slowly but inevitably, control of their planet and its destiny was being returned to the Therans.
The stateroom was warm and inviting. Captain Dickson had welcomed the young family members aboard and Hadaie took them to their new home. They all stared in awe at their surroundings. One of the boys glanced into one of the side rooms where two beds were waiting. “This is all for us?” Venti asked.
Hadaie smiled and nodded. “You two boys go in that room and the two women in the other,” he said. He then handed out the communications badges and had them put it on their clothing. “Wear these at all times. It will allow us to talk to you and for you to talk to us. There is also a translation device inside that will help you talk to the other crewmen.” He pointed to the small kitchenette in one corner. “If you get hungry, you can have the machine prepare something for you,” he said as he touched some buttons on the machine. “It’s now programmed for our language. In the morning, I will come by and take you for a tour.”
“What about our parents?” Novana asked. “Will they ever join us?”
Hadaie placed a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know. I hope your stay with us will be temporary, but if not, it would be best to understand that your father and mother wanted this to happen. I hope things will turn out fine,” he said reassuringly. “But no matter what, you need to rest. Go ahead and try to sleep. I will see you in the morning.”
The children turned and went to their bedroom except for Olena. “Can we talk a moment?” she asked. She led him to one of the couches and they sat down beside each other. “I am a little afraid,” she said. “Not for my parents, but because of what happened between us. When you touched my fingertips, I nearly passed out. I’ve never felt like that before,” she confided. “Then when my father held our hands together, I felt something very strange envelope me. It was like someone had covered me with a warm coat.”
Hadaie smiled. “Same for me,” he said. Hadaie reached down and took her hand in his. Almost immediately, their hair began to glow again and both appeared to inflate, as if their bodies were perfectly aligned. “You see this?” he asked. “When this happens, it is our bodies telling us we are to be mated. It has been this way from when time began on Angela. Somehow, our bodies know that we will love each other, even though we have never met. It never happens any time else.”
“But I really don’t know you. What if I don’t like you?” she asked.
“That’s the strange part. In the thousand centuries on Angela, it has never been wrong,” said Hadaie. “But we don’t have to jump right into things. Let’s take our time. I believe it will happen soon enough,” he said.
Olena nodded and looked up at him. The feelings through his hands were making her feel so warm and comfortable. He really was a handsome man, and he was very considerate. “Do you understand what happened with father?”
Hadaie chuckled. “You noticed he glowed like we did?”
She nodded.
“It means he has given his blessing. If everything goes wrong, he has the peace of mind that you will always be taken care of.”
Chapter 18
Final Moves
"Sir, we have received signals indicating there are some commando actions taking place in the capitols of both countries and in other small cities," a crewman said to Levid on the bridge of the Amad Por. Then the man got excited at the further news. "I also just received word that rockets are being made ready to launch."
The announcement almost made Levid jump for joy. Sixty years of planning, working, scheming and threats were paying off in a matter of minutes! The look on Levid's face made the crew relax slightly. When he was in this good a mood, they may get extra rations or maybe a day of relaxation.
Levid started almost dancing around the bridge of the ship. "It is starting! Good! GOOD! Make sure all our recording devices are online," he ordered between twirls. "Get all our people back aboard."
One of his crewmen turned to face him. "Sir, we have not been able to regain contact with some of our people."
Levid cared less. "Then get the ones you can back," he nearly sang back. "The others have served their purpose. More than likely they are busy with the war now. Just get our crew up here," he said. Then he stopped his twirling and focused on one of the officers. He slapped the man on the back and offered, "Oh, and contact that Brana and tell him to get rid of all our hostages. We wouldn't want to spoil things with witnesses, would we," he said as he began his dance again. It was obvious that Levid saw this as his greatest achievement, and nothing was going to dampen it.
The crew began their communications calls to get their crew back aboard as they watched their ruthless leader continue his manic celebration.
The sun was only just beginning to come through the trees next to the lake when Jo woke up from her sleep. The night before had been a whirlwind of emotions for both of them. Jo had been told that she was loved before, by guys she knew were not really in love, but more in lust. Tonight had been different. This time, Mike had said those magic words, and for the first time she really knew how good it made someone really feel.
Their kisses had lasted until the early hours of the morning and she had fallen asleep in his strong arms. She had felt the warmth of his body next to her and had felt so secure. Even though she had only slept for a few hours, she felt refreshed and totally invigorated. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she looked around the loft. The two large doors were still open at the far end and she could see that a set of ramps had been lowered from the doors supposedly to the ground outside.
She heard a noise from the area of the plane they had built. She turned to see Mike with a small can of black paint, working on something near the nose of the plane. Inwardly, she wondered what had gotten him up earlier than she had. Both had been exhausted by the time they fell asleep together, but if he felt as refreshed as she did, maybe he just wanted to do some last minute things.
Jo stood up from the bed of cloth and canvas they had used as a mattress and walked toward the plane on the other side of the loft. Then she noticed there were numbers and letters painted on some of the surfaces. By the time she reached his side, she could see him making the final touches to the letter "T" in the word "Spirit," on the cloth covering a portion of the nose. It was then that it dawned on her what all the letters and numbers were. She looked over the tops of the wings and on the tail. It was all there.
"Just like Lindy's," she said placing her arms around his shoulders and kissing his neck.
Mike made one last brush stroke and turned his head to look at her. "Yea, sort of," he said, putting the brush down and standing back to admire his work. The shape of the lettering was as close as he could remember to the same "Spirit" on the original "Spirit of St. Louis" still residing in the Smithsonian Institution. He would have finished the whole name, but on this plane, there simply was not the room.
"Even has the Spirit's number," Jo said looking over the wing.
Mike smiled and faced her. "To bring us luck." Then he kissed Jo on the lips in a quick motion. She gave him a reassuring hug in return.
"I can't wait," she said after squeezing him.
Mike looked into the eyes of the woman who had changed his life. "Neither can I." They were admiring their work some more when the sound of footsteps running up the stairs got their attention.
Rokka burst into the loft like a runaway train. He was panting heavily and the look of horror on his face bode i
ll for the day. "Michael, Jo. Brana and his men are on their way. We can see them getting their boat ready for coming to the island," he said excitedly. "If he sees this, he will destroy it and punish all of us," he said pointing toward the craft.
Mike suddenly got a look of determination on his face. He let go of Jo and began moving toward the plane. He turned sharply to Jo and Rokka. "Help me get this thing down the ramp. Jo, get that gas and oil mixture I made up and start filling the gas tank when we get it down there," he barked. Then all three began the frantic job of getting the little plane ready.
"How much time?" Mike asked as he began pushing the craft toward the doors.
Rokka had already taken the other wing and was pushing as well. "They were just starting to put the boat into the water. Another few minutes and they will be on their way," he said grunting. “Another fifteen and they will be here,” he said.
"That's not much time," Jo shouted from the other end of the loft. She had found the heavy can and was carrying it to the door.
Mike and Rokka had reached the ramp. There were only about six inches of clearance through the doors and Mike was very careful to make sure the wings weren't damaged passing through. Then he and Rokka gently lowered the craft down the ramp to the ground nose first, using some ropes and pulleys hooked to the support struts. Rokka began taking off the shackles as Mike turned to Jo and took the gasoline.
"I'll finish that," he said already opening the gas cap on the wing and inserting the funnel. The gasoline and oil mixture began flowing into the plane's empty tank. As he poured he turned to Jo again. "Run get our goggles and the canvas bag I put next to the work bench."
Jo ran immediately back into the barn and Mike carefully finished emptying the can into the fuel tank. He grabbed a bulb on the gas line and began priming the line, forcing fuel through it to the engine's carburetor. Rokka stood watching by this time.