by Don Viecelli
“Prepare to enter Holtu space,” Admiral Weston said from his command chair to his current XO, Captain Susan Potter who previously served as CAG or Commander of Space Wing on the USS Illinois. They had served together before when the Yoyka Imperial Dreadnaught destroyed their space shuttle on its way to Mars at the beginning of the war.
“Sending ID authorization codes to Holtu command, Admiral,” Captain Potter announced. “Codes accepted. We have docking coordinates.”
Doug and Jan watched as the warship turned toward the planet and quickly approached the space station terminal that orbited Holtu. It seemed ages ago that Doug had been here, but in fact it was only a few short months after the Battle For Holtu.
“I’m kind of anxious about being here for the awards,” Jan finally said watching the ship approach the docking station.
“So am I, but both of us are being honored for what we did, so we might as well try to enjoy it.”
Neither Jan nor Doug felt they deserved to be honored by the Holtu and Qumru people for what they did in the war, but it was out of their hands. The awards ceremony was part of their local traditions and it would have been impolite not to accept the honor. In fact, the UN Council on Earth planned to hold their own awards ceremony as soon as they could get around to it.
“I just wish Tumil could be here with us,” Jan said finally. No one knew if Tumil was alive or dead; just that he was on the Solruku starship when the Yoyka captured it and was taken to the Yoykan solar system. Nothing had been heard from the starship or people on board since the last Yoyka attack on Qum. Jan feared the worse.
“We have surveillance probes searching near Yoykan now, Jan. Hopefully, we will know what happened to the Solruku soon,” Doug replied. “We’ll find him.”
As soon as the USS Illinois pulled into the docking station that orbited Holtu, shuttles were made available for the visitors who planned to stay in the capital city of Iconda where the awards ceremony was being held the next day in the Capitol Building. Doug and Jan got on the second shuttle with Carlo Russo, General Bradstone and a few other people. Carlo seemed a little anxious since this was only the second time he had been on a space shuttle let alone travel to another planet through hyperspace on a warship.
“I’m still not used to space travel,” Carlo mentioned to Doug as they rapidly descended to the Iconda Spaceport on Holtu. He hung on to his shoulder straps tightly with both hands.
“Believe me, it took Jan and I a while to get used to it too,” Doug said trying to ease his mind. “I’ve never heard of any shuttle having an accident transporting people to the ground or spaceship. They’re one of the safest modes of space travel.”
Within minutes the shuttle was on the ground. The doors opened and everyone departed. Carlo and General Bradstone were ushered to a separate ground vehicle for the ride to the hotel. Doug and Jan followed in a second vehicle. They all ended up in the same hotel Doug and Jan had stayed in the last time they visited Holtu.
Jan looked up at the majestic looking hotel building that reached one hundred stories tall. “I remember this place when we were here last time. I was four months pregnant with Jules.”
Doug remembered also. He had arrived to negotiate a new Galactic Military Alliance with the Holtu and Qumru people to fight the Yoyka. Jan had met with Tumil and other scientists to develop an antidote to the nanomachine weapon. Both were successful on that trip.
“We’ll be here for a few days before we have to leave. I made sure we’ll have time to visit the Holtu canyon you wanted,” Doug said.
Jan smiled. “We can visit the canyon anytime, Doug. It’s not that important.”
“A bet is a bet. You won, so we will do it as promised. Besides, I don’t know when we may get another chance with this war on.”
The threat of war always seemed to get in the way of any plans for the future Jan thought to herself. Doug was right. There was no better time to visit the canyon than the present once the awards ceremony was over.
It was getting late in the day. Doug and Jan checked into their room on the seventy-fifth floor with spectacular views of the snowcapped mountains in the distance and the seaside harbor and beach that stretched for miles below them.
They unpacked a few belongings and headed downstairs for dinner before returning to their room for the evening. They had a very early wakeup call in the morning and decided to break in their bed with some romantic music playing on the speaker system. Doug realized it was the first night alone with Jan since Jules was born. It felt a little like when they first met and settled on Mars. They both felt a little guilty for leaving Jules at home with a babysitter, but it quickly vanished as they turned off the lights and made love before falling asleep for the night.
Chapter 4
Awards Ceremony
Walking into the Iconda Capitol Building the next morning was like visiting the US Capitol Building on Earth, but much more majestic. The circular dome was over a thousand feet in the air and several hundred feet in diameter. The meeting chamber where the awards ceremony will be held was big enough to seat a thousand people in plush leather chairs, each equipped with their own monitor and speaker system for members of the House and visitors. The speaker podium stood on a large stage area in front with two rows of seats and a very large viewing screen behind it with long purple colored, floor length curtains on each side.
Doug walked forward to the stage area with Jan beside him. The room was filling up fast and the noise level was rising.
“Where are we supposed to sit?” Jan asked looking around at the immense hall and all the people, mostly Holtu and Qumru.
“I see General Blackstone, Admiral Weston and Carlo Russo up on the stage. I guess we could ask them,” Doug answered.
As they approached the stage, Doug felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw First Chair Cleota smiling at him.
“First Chair Cleota! It’s nice to see you again,” Doug said. He turned to Jan. “You know my wife, Doctor Janice Martin.”
“Certainly, Captain Martin and Doctor Martin. It’s a pleasure to see you both again. We are happy you could attend the ceremony in person.”
Doug was surprised Cleota knew his new rank, but then First Chair Cleota always seemed to know what was going on around her.
“Jan and I were just about to sit down, but we’re not sure where to go.”
Cleota smiled again and pointed to the row of chairs on the stage. “All our award recipients will sit together behind the podium to receive their medals. That would include you two as well.”
“Thank you, First Chair. We’re happy to be here.” Doug wasn’t just referring to the present. He was thankful they were still alive to attend any event. He could see in Cleota’s expression she knew what he meant.
Cleota left them standing by the stage as she made her way to the top of the stairs. The ceremony would start in thirty minutes and she was one of the main speakers. First Chair Brendu would actually host the ceremony and present the first award medals.
Doug and Jan finally made it to the stage and looked for General Bradstone and Carlo Russo. He noticed a familiar figure standing next to them. It was High Leader Altek in full military uniform. He looked completely normal and in good health.
Doug whispered to Jan, “Altek is here! I heard they regenerated his body with Onutu after the Battle For Holtu, but I didn’t know if he would be coming to the ceremony.”
Jan pulled Doug’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go over and say hello.”
They quickly walked up to the group and waited for General Bradstone to finish talking. He turned to Doug. “I was just telling High Leader Altek about our military buildup plans on Earth and Mars. He plans to visit soon.”
Doug looked at Altek and said, “It’s good to see you again High Leader. You look well.”
“Thank you, Captain Martin and it’s good to see you Doctor Martin. I know it may seem a bit strange to you, but I am completely back to normal, all due to Onutu technology.”
> Jan shook his hand. “It’s hard to understand from a human perspective, but we plan to study it ourselves soon. Can you tell me about the Qumru people we lost on Qum?”
“It was a great loss, but I know what you did to help save the ones you could on Qum. That is why you both are here, after all. To answer your question, we have started to regenerate the bodies. It will take many years to complete the process. The Qumru lost nearly nine billion people from the Yoyka mass genocide attempt. Vice Leader Di told me how he was able to save and transfer the Qumru minds to Holtu after Rahta initiated his nanomachine kill code. We plan to regenerate them all and return them to Qum if they wish.”
“What about the Holtu lost in the space battle?” Doug asked.
“We have all been regenerated, Captain. We are ready to fight the Yoyka as soon as possible. I am sorry we could not do the same for Humans lost in battle. The Yoyka will pay for what they have done to us.”
The lights dimmed indicating it was time for everyone to take their seats. The awards ceremony was about to begin. Someone came up to Doug and Jan, handed them translator devices to put in their ears and showed them where to sit. General Bradstone, Carlo Russo and a few others left the stage to sit in the first row in front of the podium with other dignitaries from Earth, Mars and Qum.
First Chair Brendu approached the podium. He was the top government leader of Holtu and the Holtu military. He wore the traditional dark grey and black Holtu military uniform with medals pinned to his uniform and a purple and gold sash around his shoulder and chest. His dark green skin along with other subtle facial differences identified him as an android person.
Brendu looked out into the audience and began to speak. “Greetings to all Holtu citizens, Qumru citizens, visiting Humans and other dignitaries and visitors. Thank you for attending this awards ceremony to honor our medal recipients who are on this stage with me.
“As all of you know, the recent events have been trying for all of us. The Yoyka attacks on our planets, their attempts to destroy our peoples, to end our freedoms and make us do their bidding have caused much pain and suffering. Do to the gallant efforts of many people and our Galactic Military Alliance; we have prevented the Yoyka from achieving their goals. The war has not ended, but we are no longer at their mercy. We are ready to take the fight to them!”
The great chamber hall filled with shouts and cheers, stomping feet and clapping hands. When it finally quieted down, Brendu continued. “We have lost many in battle, but with Qumru Onutu regeneration and mind transfer technology, we can bring most lives back to fight again. This the enemy Yoyka cannot do. We will avenge those we lost; this I promise to all of you.”
Again, cheers filled the chamber. Brendu continued speaking. “Today, I wish to honor the heroes who helped us drive the Yoyka away from our worlds. Those who could make it are here with us today. I will now present our government’s highest military award, the Holtu Cross of Valor. This medal is for courageous action and bravery in times of battle. I am privileged to award this medal to High Leader Altek, Vice Leader Di and Admiral Jason Weston. Without their actions and leadership we could not have defeated the Yoyka space fleet here at home and saved our planets.”
Brendu turned around and indicated for Altek, Di and Jason to approach the podium. He pinned the Holtu Cross of Valor gold medal and ribbon on each of their uniforms and handed each a signed document that described their actions during the Battle For Holtu and the name of the award.
Brendu returned to the Podium. “There are many more Holtu, Qumru and Humans who have already been recognized for their actions and bravery during the battle. It is especially important to note that if it were not for the Humans and Qumru crewmembers on board our Holtu warships and Zoltu fighters during the battle, we would have lost most of our fleet from the Yoyka Nuclear ElectroMagnetic Pulse attack. I wish to thank them publicly for their duty and know they will continue to defend our peoples and worlds from the Yoyka. At this point I will turn the podium over to First Chair Cleota of Qum for the next awards presentation.”
Cleota approached the podium as the audience clapped their hands in appreciation for Brendu and the award recipients. Once the noise quieted down, Cleota began speaking. “I also wish to thank High Leader Altek, Vice Leader Di and Admiral Jason Weston for their leadership and sacrifices in this war with the Yoyka. We are very fortunate to have such great leaders in our military at this time in our history.
“I would also like to thank our Human Alliance partners in this war for helping us develop the weapons, build the ships and provide us with the people we need to crew our warships and pilot our Zoltu fighters. The Yoyka want to subjugate and enslave all our worlds with their nanomachine weapons and cruel intentions. This must be prevented at all costs.
“There are several people I wish to present awards to today for their heroic actions and tremendous accomplishments to save our peoples from harm. First, I want to express my sincere appreciation to Vice Leader Di and Captain Douglas Martin for their actions to save the Solruku from being captured by the Yoyka when it first arrived at the Earth solar system with one billion Qumru citizen minds, including mine, stored in quantum computers on board the starship. We barely escaped after the Yoyka invaded Qum.”
Cleota went on to describe what happened on Mars and Earth over the last few months prior to the Battle For Holtu; the ten million humans that died as a result and the billions more saved by the Qumru preventative nano-agent. The Holtus in the room already knew what happened in the space battle at Mars between Altek’s warships that destroyed the Yoykan Malee and knew the Yoyka Emperor Rahta had barely escaped death. Most were not aware of what Vice Leader Di and Captain Martin had done to save the Solruku spaceship and the billion Qumru passengers that were now being regenerated on Holtu. Cleota explained what both had accomplished.
“For their heroic actions, Vice Leader Di and Captain Douglas Martin will receive the Qumru Medal of Honor, the highest medal and commendation from our government.”
Applause filled the room until Cleota signaled with her hands to quiet the room. She continued her speech.
“Today, I will also present the Qumru Medal of Honor to two other people who helped turn the tide against the Yoyka nanomachine contagion, here on Holtu, Qum, Mars and Earth. If not for these individuals, we all may have become infected by the nanomachines before we found the counter nano-agent and administered it to all our peoples. They are Chief Scientist Tumil and Doctor Janice Martin from Mars.”
The room exploded in applause and cheers. Cleota had to wait several minutes before she could continue. “Unfortunately, Tumil is not here. He was captured by the Yoyka on the Solruku during the Battle For Holtu and we are trying our best to find him and bring him back home.
“Also with us today are two Qumru scientists, Killian and Jopar from Qum. These two people were instrumental in saving billions of Qumru lives before the Yoyka recently tried to kill everyone on Qum. Regretfully, almost nine billion lives were lost on Qum before we could prevent them. Through the efforts of these scientists and help from Vice Leader Di, we were able to save most of the minds lost on Qum and transfer them to Holtu for Onutu regeneration. This will take many years, but it will be done.”
As the crowd in the hall rose to their feet cheering, Cleota called up the five people sitting behind her to the podium. “Now I would like to present the Qumru Medal of Honor to Vice Leader Di, Captain Douglas Martin, Doctor Janice Martin, Killian, Jopar and Tumil in absenteeism.”
She hung the medals around their necks and waited for the cheering to die down. She raised the final gold medal high above her head and shouted, “This is for you Tumil when we find you.”
The awards ceremony finally concluded.
Chapter 5
Visit To Teotu Sempu Canyon
The next day Doug and Jan left the hotel early and headed for the Iconda Spaceport. Doug had paid for a guided tour of the Teotu Sempu Canyon, which was located in the western region of Holtu. It would
take an hour to reach the canyon on a private air vehicle. Their guide would be a local Qumru who knew the region well and would guide them down into the canyon once they landed.
“I’m so excited!” Jan said as they walked onto the taxi area where the midsized flying vehicle called a Sketu was warming up.
“It looks like a nice day for flying,” Doug responded looking at the blue sky above them with no rain clouds in sight.
A tall, thin Qumru male with pale green skin dressed in brown hiking clothes was waiting for them at the vehicle. He bowed when Doug and Jan approached, which was the normal custom for Qumru. He had on a translator device. “Hello, I am Neonu, your guide for the day.”
Jan bowed in return and said, “Nice to meet you, Neonu. I’m Jan and this is my husband, Doug.”
“I know who you are. I am honored to meet you and be your guide to Teotu Sempu today. Please, step up into my Sketu. We leave in a few minutes.”
Doug followed Jan up the steps into the vehicle, which was large enough to hold several passengers inside. Jan had a small carry on bag she planned to use to collect dirt samples and plant life once they were in the canyon. She was an astrobiologist after all and studied the origins and evolution of biospheres on planets other than Earth or Mars. Today, Jan planned to be a scientist and explore all the life she could on Holtu.
The Sketu took off in the early morning hours just as the sun was starting its climb into the sky. Neonu notified the tower where they were headed and quickly made a right turn heading in a westernly direction. When they reached the authorized flying altitude, he turned and said through the translator device, “At this speed we will reach our destination in one hour. We will land at a small private airport near the center of the canyon where there will be few tourists to bother us. I hope this is agreeable to you.”
“That is much appreciated, Neonu. My wife and I like to explore canyons without a lot of distractions. Jan collects specimens to study back home on Mars.”