by Saxon Andrew
• • •
The old War Leader had spent hours assigning his fleets to planets to defend and he was late arriving at the Ruling Planet. He knew this enemy had undetectable warships and moving in to the planet was tantamount to suicide. So he held a position far out from the Ruling Planet and watched what happened. His Second said, “You know if we can see the planet from here, those enemy ships can see us as well, War Leader?” The War Leader just stared at the monitor with the burning planet on it. “Shouldn’t we be moving?”
The Old War Leader shrugged, “We can’t match their speed. Shut down the scanners and hold our position.”
Taffy had noticed the single Planet Killer on her helmet holding position far out from the planet and pointed it out to Grady. Grady stared at the image of the old Planet Killer on his visor and asked, “Computer, do you have any record of that Planet Killer in your data banks?”
“The Rex Rabbit’s data banks have an image of it, Commander. It was the ship of the alien War Leader that attacked Britannia.”
Grady punched the side of his helmet, “The Garrions moving out to attack that Planet Killer will stop and leave that ship to me!” Grady turned and snarled, “GET ME TO THAT SHIP!!” Taffy flinched at Grady’s tone and saw his face filled with rage. She moved back in her chair and tried to avoid his attention. The Rex Hare went to maximum speed and was on the Planet Killer in less than two minutes.
• • •
RJ and Candy watched Grady’s ship fly out at the distant Planet Killer and Candy asked, “What’s going on?”
RJ shook his head, “I have no idea.”
• • •
Grady held up his hand the Rex Hare to a stop twenty-miles out from the giant alien warship. “Power up all weapons!” Grady ordered. He lifted his communicator and said over an alien frequency, “I hope you’re prepared to die!”
The old War Leader heard the voice and pressed his communicator, “I’ve been ready for that for a very long time.”
“Your fleet destroyed my home world and I’ve sworn to make your species pay for that sacrilege.”
The war Leader heard Grady’s voice and sighed, “You were the one that killed my admiral when she was going home. Are you here to carry out your promise?” Grady’s eyes blinked in surprise and the alien continued, “I intercepted your threat to my admiral before you killed her and her crew.”
“She destroyed my planet and then went back and killed the survivors. She deserved to die and so do you for what you did!”
“Actually, she wasn’t under my command when she attacked your planet the first time. I was sent out to reinforce her when the enemy from that single planet attacked her fleet.”
“But you ordered her to go back and kill the survivors.”
Grady saw the alien raise an appendage and wave it, “I actually told her that was a huge waste of time and energy, but she was infuriated by your constant attacks on our forces in that small white ship. She demanded to do it and I finally relented.” Grady sat down in his chair and the old alien said, “You are right to want to kill my species. Do you think you can do it?”
“I do!”
The alien shook his head from side-to-side, “That’s our destiny. I’m sorry for the loss of your planet. I think my species lost their way thousands of years ago and had no way to change.” The old alien looked at Grady and asked, “Are you going to destroy my ship now?”
Grady stared at the alien and took a deep breath, “I was planning to kill you and your crew slowly…but…I see you weren’t responsible for Britannia’s destruction.”
The old alien looked at Grady and smiled slightly, “Perhaps in another life, we could possibly be friends.” Grady nodded and pressed the button on his panel launching a heavy missile at the giant warship. It went up in a huge explosion and Grady said, “But not in this life.”
Grady stared at the explosion and Taffy asked softly, “Are you ok?”
Grady turned to her and said, “The ghosts on Britannia can rest in peace now.” Grady paused and added, “My demons are also gone, Taffy.” Taffy went to his chair and hugged him. The Rex Hare suddenly turned away from the explosion and Grady glared at Rachael. She lifted both hands and said, “The computer has assigned us a new target!” Grady nodded and held on to Taffy.
• • •
The destruction of the alien planets took two months to complete and at the end, Grady contacted Admiral Martov, “We’re going to start searching for any surviving warships and your Defense Platforms aren’t really designed to do that. You should start back home.”
“Thank you, Admiral. And thank you for allowing Earth to survive and join your civilization.”
“Admiral, make something special on Earth.”
“We will. Please come and visit when you have the time.”
Grady paused and said, “You made a huge difference in the outcome of this mission.”
Martov waved a hand, “I only did my part.”
The monitor went dark and Taffy smiled, “He’s really something, isn’t he?”
“Yes he is. I believe Earth will be quite different in the future.”
RJ suddenly appeared on Grady’s monitor and said, “Candy is complaining about stomach pains. I’m taking her back to New Britannia now!!”
“Go, go, go!!” Grady replied.
RJ quickly said, “I resign my position!” He disappeared from the monitor and the Troke disappeared moving at an amazing speed.
Grady turned to Taffy and asked, “Do you want to leave on a Garrion and go to New Britannia?”
Taffy sighed, “You have no idea how much I want to do that. But…my place is here with you.” Grady’s eyes softened and he kissed her tenderly.
• • •
Two weeks later, Grady walked on the bridge of the Rex Hare and saw Taffy fuming in her chair. “What’s wrong?”
Taffy’s lips were pursed as she said sarcastically, “I tried to contact Abby and guess what?”
“What?”
“She and Rory left when Candy and RJ left. Those bums are going to be at Sweets birth and I’m missing it!!”
“Sweets?”
Taffy chuckled, “I don’t care what they name the baby, I’m calling it Sweets.” She smiled at Grady, “It works for a boy or a girl, don’t you think?”
“Taffy, it’s up to the baby’s parents to determine the name.”
“And they can, Grady. I’ll just call it Sweets.”
Grady rolled his eyes, “Taffy…”
“Hey! No one calls me Adelle!”
“How did that happen?”
“My mother started calling me Taffy when I ate so much of it as a child.”
“But you’re not the baby’s mother, Taffy.”
“Even so, the baby will be Sweets to me.”
Grady put on his combat helmet and pressed the communicator button on the side. Admiral McArdle appeared on the visor, “Admiral I’m leaving you in command of the Hares. Taffy and I are going back to New Britannia to meet our new grandbaby.”
“Congratulations, Sir.”
“Maranda will be the senior officer but I’m depending on you to get the fleets back to New Britannia.”
“I’ll handle it, Sir.”
Grady pressed another frequency and Maranda appeared, “Maranda, Taffy and I are headed back to New Britannia.”
“Tell Candy and RJ congratulations for me.”
“We will. Do you have an update on the status of the aliens on the other side of the core?”
“They’re systematically destroying the Core Alien’s inhabited planets, but it looks like it’s going to take a while before they complete the effort.”
“Why is that?”
“They’re fighting each other for the right to do it. Connie says they’re going to be occupied for quite some time.”
“That’s a bit of good news,” Grady replied. “Thank you for all you’ve done making this mission successful.”
Maranda smiled, “We al
l know that it was you that was the unifying force that brought us together. And that silliness about protecting the computer was a stroke of genius.” Grady’s face showed his guilt and Maranda waved a hand, “It worked and that’s what counts. After this is wrapped up, Andrew and I will be coming to celebrate with you on New Britannia.”
“We’ll be expecting you, Maranda; thank you.”
Grady ended the message and Taffy raised her shoulders, “It appears Maranda is smarter than I thought.”
“She’s one of the smartest officers I ever had to serve under me, Taffy. I’m glad she went along with it.”
Taffy nodded and Grady ordered, “Take us home!” They looked out of the viewport as stars began flashing by and Grady hoped he would never have to see these stars again.
• • •
The Rex Hare flew into New Britannia’s star system and Taffy pressed a button on her console. Candy appeared and Taffy quickly asked, “Where are you?!”
“Relax, Mom. I’m at your house with RJ and the baby.” Candy reached out of the view and Taffy saw RJ hand her the baby. Candy turned her to the computer and said, “She’s so beautiful, Mom.” Taffy melted in her chair and Grady leaned over and said, “So it’s a girl!”
Candy smiled, “Yes and her name is Adelle Victory Dunhan. We’re going to call her Victoria. She was given that name to honor our victory over the Britannia Aliens.”
Taffy’s excitement was contagious, and she quickly replied, “Hold that thought; we’ll be there in less than an hour!” Candy smiled and the display went dark.
TAFFY!”
“Will you take a chill pill, Grady. I can call her what I want!” Grady rolled his eyes as Taffy stared at the image of Candy and her baby on her monitor. A few moments later, Grady contacted Clarissa and asked her to bring Brit to their home. Taffy looked up from her monitor, “Thanks for remembering that, Grady.”
“I know you’re excited about the new baby, but Brit is deserving of your attention, Taffy.”
“I know! I’ve missed him terribly.”
“Keep that in mind!”
• • •
The Rex Hare broke the old speed record from the outer edge of the star system to New Britannia. It came to a stop and the landing bay door immediately opened. Grady flew the shuttle out as Taffy bounced up and down in her chair. Grady flew the shuttle down to the planet and cautioned Taffy as they landed, “Don’t touch the shuttle’s hull, it’s extremely hot from passage through the atmosphere.”
“WILL YOU OPEN THE DOOR!!”
Grady pressed the green button and the shuttle’s exit port opened. Taffy ran out with Grady trying to keep up with her and finally gave up. Those years teaching aerobics still made her faster than him. She arrived at the elevator and entered it and hopped up and down, “WILL YOU COME ON!!”
Grady ran into the elevator and Taffy released the hold button. The elevator dropped two floors and Taffy kept saying, “WILL YOU COME ON!!”
Grady grabbed her by the shoulders, “Will you calm down! You’re going to scare the baby!”
Taffy forced herself to stop hopping and took a deep breath. That ended the moment she exited the elevator. She screamed as she entered the kitchen and Candy joined her. She suddenly heard, “MAMA, MAMA, MAMA!”
Taffy looked and saw Brit standing in his play pen jumping up and down. Taffy rushed over to him, snatched him up into her arms and, hugged him tightly. Grady walked in and looked at RJ, “Why is it always Mama?”
Brit looked at Grady and held out his arms, “Dada.” Grady took him from Taffy and Taffy turned and wrapped Candy up in her arms. They hugged each other and their tears fell freely. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you, Candy!”
“I understand, Mom. Abby helped out a lot.”
Taffy’s expression clouded but then her smile returned as RJ brought Victoria over and handed her to Taffy. Taffy took the baby and held her out in front of her; the baby stared at her before smiling. Taffy’s smile split her face and she said, “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Sweets.”
Candy’s head tilted and she said, “Sweets? Her name is Victoria.”
“I know but she’ll always be Sweets to me.”
“MOM!”
Taffy looked at her, “So call her Victoria.” Taffy turned back to the baby as she put her up against her breasts, “You are the sweetest vision I’ve ever seen, other than your mother. Sweets, you and I are going to be very close.”
Grady looked at Candy, “We’ll handle this later.” Candy nodded with a frown and suddenly they heard the elevator open as Abby and Rory stepped out holding Linda Kay. Brit started squirming in Grady’s arms and Grady put him down. Linda Kay was also struggling to get down and Abby put her down. The two toddlers rushed across the floor on shaky legs and ran into each other. They fell back and Taffy expected them to start crying but they both started laughing hysterically.
Abby looked at Taffy and shrugged, “Clarissa says that Linda Kay and Brit are quite close. Both of them scream when she separates them.” Everyone turned to the toddlers as they stood up and started chasing each other around the room. Taffy looked at Abby and she shrugged, “I don’t know where this is going but I’m not going to fight it. Whatever happens, I believe they will be good for each other.”
Taffy nodded, “Until they reach puberty and then they’ll be more controlled.”
“Absolutely,” Abby responded.
Taffy saw that Linda Kay had black hair like her mother along with her beauty. She was a heartbreaker in the making. She looked at Sweets and saw her hair was cinnamon colored like Candy’s hair…and hers. She had Candy’s facial features but had RJ’s blue eyes instead of green. She was beautiful. They stayed together for the rest of the day until Candy forced Taffy to put Victoria down to sleep. Abby, Rory, and Linda Kay left, and Brit wasn’t happy, but he finally brightened up before Taffy put him down. They talked for several hours before they went to bed.
• • •
RJ looked at Candy getting ready for bed and he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Candy walked over to the bed and snuggled in next to RJ, “Our daughter’s name is Victoria, not Sweets.”
RJ sighed, “I’ll tell Taffy in the morning that we don’t want her calling Victoria, Sweets.”
“That’s just it, RJ.” RJ’s brow furrowed. “It’s a perfect name for her.”
“What?”
“Taffy, Candy, Sweets. I should have thought of it.” Candy was quiet for a moment and said, “Sweets Dunhan, it has a nice ring to it.”
RJ pulled her close, “Yes it does.
• • •
The next morning, RJ looked at Taffy preparing breakfast and said, “Candy wants you to go and take Sweets from her crib.” Grady and Taffy froze. RJ smiled, “We both agree that it’s a perfect name for her.”
Taffy put both hands at her throat, then rushed over to hug RJ before disappearing into Sweets’ room. Grady looked at RJ, “Life is never dull with them in it.”
“Amen to that,” RJ replied.
Epilogue
The celebration party started on the beach early in the morning and was still going strong that evening. All of the senior officers and their staffs were present from the Colonies and New Britannia along with hundreds of other special guests. Clarissa was keeping the babies, this was going to be too much for them to handle and it kept their parents from worrying about them all day.
Mallory and a handsome Senior Captain showed up with Angel and Matt. Candy looked at Mallory and shook a hand when he wasn’t looking. Mallory mouthed, “I know!” Matt asked RJ if he would honor them by being the Best Man at their wedding; RJ hugged him, “It will be my honor.”
Angel asked Candy to be the Maid-of-Honor and Candy was surprised by the offer, “Why would you want me?”
“You didn’t give up on RJ which gave me the chance to get to know Matthew. You played a large role in our coming together.”
Candy hugged her, “I will b
e honored to be your Maid-of-Honor.”
• • •
Admiral Donald Riale looked around and said to Grant, “I don’t know why we were invited.”
Grant shrugged, “It probably has to do with you being the first recipient of the Combined Planets’ Medal of Honor.”
“I didn’t deserve it.”
“Speak for yourself, I deserved mine.”
“How can you say that?”
“Don, we destroyed more Planet Killers than any other Garrion. Plus, we destroyed the Alien Leaders ship.”
I don’t remember doing that.”
“You ordered me to fire on it!” Don shook his head and Grant put a hand on his shoulder, “You were the only one to take the initiative to order it.” Grant looked around and smiled, “Let’s see if we can find a few single women to tell our war stories to.”
Don smiled, “Lead the way, Senior Captain.”
• • •
Amy Sherridon and Martov showed up and Grady greeted them. Martov shook Grady’s hand and said, “I’m genuinely surprised you allowed us to come to your planet.”
“The years of distrust are over, Sergie. Humanity is now united and it’s time we moved past old hostilities.”
Amy smiled, “I’m hoping you’ll agree to allow the people of Earth to come and tour here. It would teach them more about freedom than anything we can do.”
Grady smiled, “Count on it.” He turned to Martov and said, “We’re hoping you will allow us to update your Defense Platforms with gravity drives.”
Martov smiled, “I welcome it.”
“We’ll start on that once everything settles down.”
Amy smiled, “Many of the people on Earth are now visiting the colonies with the relaxed travel restrictions. The Colonies have fallen in line are making even faster progress than Earth is learning now to be free.”
Grady nodded, “That is wonderful news.”
• • •
That evening, Grady, Taffy, and Joshua were sitting on beach chairs with their feet in the water. They were silent for a while and Joshua said, “We’ve come up with some new developments, Grady.”