Return of the Guardian King Read online

Phia knew the commander and she also knew deep down in her heart it was he that ordered the beating. A beating that now, turned into a crime.

  “I know this attack was your doing!” she shouted. “You give ALL the orders on this ship! I am going to discover it! So, admit it!”

  He turned and started to walk away. “Try it!”

  “I will question these guards! Sir!”

  With his back turned, he waved his hand in the air as a show of disgust. “So, what! I am done with you, Lieutenant!” he shouted.

  The MED team pushed their way through the crowd as everyone, including the commander, lined the walls of the hallway to make room. A hovering gurney was pushed passed them and toward Boone.

  Phia stood dumbfounded, desperately wanting to enforce the authority her uniform called for. She wasn’t an investigator by choice, it was his choice, though. Still, because of her integrity, she was compelled to exercise her authority as an investigator and follow her instincts.

  “Sir! Stop!” she ordered. He ignored her and slowly paced past the crowd toward the main corridor.

  “Stop!” she screamed.

  “Pfft!” he replied, just as he reached the corridor.

  In desperation, she cried out, “Stop! Father! Stop! I mean it!”

  The commander slowly turned around and glared at her with a repulsive glare. Her gun was pointed at him. He became awestruck that she held him at gunpoint. Boone, Pryce, Terra, and Mace were also awestruck by her comment. Boone thought, “Father?” Phia was in full-blown tears, her arm shaking, her lips quivering, and her mouth gaping with a steadfast determination on her face.

  The MED team quickly began pushing Boone down the hallway, floating in the air as they ushered him toward the corridor.

  It was then the captain appeared. He glared at the awesome sight – Phia holding a gun on the commander and Boone being led on a hover-bed with a knife in his belly - the MED team had effectively stopped the bleeding wound.

  “What’s happening!” he shouted.

  No one answered as this was all Phia’s moment. While still trembling, she uttered again, “Father. You are under arrest.”

  “What?” the captain asked. “Did she say, Father?” His eyes bulged, his mouth dropped, and he looked at Terra for an answer. She said nothing.

  Phia went to the COM again, “Security! Report! Emergency!”

  She had no need to give her position – the COM panels did that work. The captain stepped forward, wanting an explanation.

  “Sir,” she began. “I am,” she tried to speak but words would not come.

  “Captain,” Terra interrupted. “It appears these guardsmen stabbed and beat Boone and we all believe it was the commander that orchestrated it all. We will interrogate these guards and get to the truth.”

  The captain, still speechless, nodded his head while looking at the commander and very much believing the theory.

  “YOU CAN’T BELIEVE THEM!” the commander screamed. “I am the commander of the fleet!”

  Guardsmen appeared and assessed the situation. The captain addressed the guards and ordered, “He is to be confined to quarters pending an investigation! My orders! Now! Also, those men down there,” he pointed to four other guardsmen, “are to be placed in detention.”

  The commander replied, “I WILL NOT BE CONFINED. I AM TRYING TO DEFEND…”

  “Guards!” the captain ordered again. “Take him!” The captain led the guards and the commander to his quarters. His COM’s were confiscated, the COM panel in his quarters was deactivated, and guards were posted at his door.

  The other four guardsmen were carried away. Once the hallway was cleared of high guardsmen, Commander J'Dar, Captain Eisen, and the MED team, everyone looked at a distressed Investigator Sa’vo. She leaned against the wall, holstered her weapon, and wiped her bloodied hands on her thighs. She then slid down to the floor, covered her face with her hands, and wept.

  For the moment, everyone understood they would have to wait for an explanation about her comment – calling the commander her father.

  Terra and Pryce motioned for everyone to leave the hallway. They would console Phia. Mace, Kola, and his team headed for the Medical Unit.

  As Phia continued to cry, Terra asked, “Phia? He’s gone, confined to quarters. OK? Let’s go check on Boone? OK?” she asked, mostly because she had to find out how he was doing.

  She wiped her face again, blew out a stress-filled sigh, and nodded. They helped her to her feet then slowly headed for the Medical Unit. They walked sluggishly, mournfully, as if they had all just endured an exhausting physical altercation. Pryce and Terra understood she was just trying to process what had happened.

  She cleared her throat and sighed again, seeming to be out of breath. “I am in so much trouble?” she sniffled.

  Pryce nodded. He said, “I suppose the Court of Primes will want to talk to you about all of this.”

  Terra muttered, “The captain, too.”

  “I know that but I mean,” she blew out a final gasp. “Boone! I will have to explain all of this to Boone. I wish now, I had told everyone.”

  Terra added as they neared a restroom, “Phia, that was quite a revelation! A real shocker. I don’t think Boone will want to hear it.”

  Pryce said, “You should have told us a long time ago. It would have explained a lot of things. I’m still trying to believe what I just heard. He’s your father? Really?”

  She nodded. “I am in so much trouble, with Boone. We just talked about the commander, too. The other day. He’s going to hate me, now.” She started crying again.

  Terra chuckled, “I wouldn’t worry too much about that, Phia.”

  Phia glanced at her with a reddened tear-stained face and a few tears still flowing.

  “Huh? Why?”

  Pryce answered, “Well, I think he hated you before all of this stuff happened.” Then he chuckled.

  Everyone chuckled. She and Terra entered the restroom where Phia could clean up. Pryce went on ahead, gingerly and cautiously. He wanted the hatred and animosity to end and he worried about strolling the corridors alone.

  Terra watched Phia try to clean the blood off her hands and her gun. The conversation drifted to the stabbing and hatred aboard the ship. They decided to do some investigating after checking on Boone. Inwardly, Phia was nearly distraught concerning Boone. She couldn’t wait to get to the Medical Unit.

  Chapter 5

  Janek and Rowe realized their plan to capture Boone was ruined. The moment they saw his ship enter the Gale they schemed. They paid close attention to the position of the Sim-Sa Gale as it drifted away from the orbit of Efferium and surmised it was establishing a secure data burst. They maneuvered their ship and attempted to position themselves directly between the Gale and the planet, Obipherion. Their attempt to tap into the data burst failed. They tried to anticipate the Gale’s next move and wondered about Boone.

  They assumed the queen wanted them to continue their mission to retrieve Boone and bring him to her. They knew Boone was on the Gale and predicted he would not be leaving it, either. While pondering their next move they received an unexpected data burst – a secured message from Obipherion. It advised them the Gale would soon be leaving for O'bipherion. They immediately set a course for the Obipherion star system in hoping Boone was also headed there.

  …

  Kwelling touched a small panel near the door of his cell. He summoned ASOP-1243 because when he awoke, he highly objected to the color scheme of the day. That was not his only objection. Besides the use of various color schemes to elicit certain behaviors, ASOP-1243 displayed the number of days Kwelling had spent in solitary confinement. The indicator read ‘one day.’ Kwelling fumed as he studied the readout. He knew he had been there for at least four days but ASOP would not update the indicator. A chime sounded and Kwelling knew ASOP hovered just outside his cell. Kwelling spoke into a small COM panel.

  “Look! Robot! You stupid machine! Will you change my color scheme? And how many d
ays have I been here? It still says one!”

  ASOP answered using the display mounted on the wall in Kwelling’s room. It read, “A new color scheme will be activated the next day. You have been here one day of your required first fifty days.”

  “I have been here four days!” he blared. “Maybe five or six days! I know you are doing this intentionally. Why? Robot?”

  The display answered, “Are you prepared to admit to your many crimes and confess to the Court of Primes all you have done?”

  “What’s your name? Robot, what’s your name?”

  The display answered, “Are you prepared to admit to your many crimes and confess to the Court of Primes all you have done?”

  Kwelling thought, “Maybe I’ll say yes then they will escort me somewhere else besides this room. I need a break! I can’t take much more of this, this torture. Yes. Tell them I am ready!”

  ASOP responded through the display in his cell. “Begin your confession, we will review the information and verify the facts.” ASOP heard Kwelling moan and punch the display panel, repeatedly. ASOP quickly responded, “No other display will be given. If you destroy your display, I will not replace it.”

  Kwelling stopped, looked at his knuckles and screamed. He leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. “What’s your name? At least tell me how many days!” He studied the display. “Why are you doing this? Tell me! How many days have I been here?” Kwelling studied the display. He feared to look away, thinking ASOP might be playing games with him by momentarily flashing the correct number of days. He watched and hoped. He wiped his face and eyes quickly, studying the display. “Robot? Please? How many days?”

  The panel lit up and displayed the number of days he had spent. It read, one. Kwelling laid on the floor and cried. His mind, desperate.

  …

  The moment Boone arrived, he was ushered into a surgical room. A small device was placed on Boone’s forehead and he drifted from a semi-conscious state to a deep sleep. The last thing he saw was Mace ordering one of the doctors to get away from him. He was going to protect this man. Boone smiled at the thought and drifted off to sleep. Mace refused to leave his side. He was allowed to stand nearby.

  While blood was being administered, a long apparatus was lowered from the ceiling a few feet from Boone’s body. Through large glass windows, Kola and his team witnessed a remarkable sight.

  The apparatus that hung from the ceiling was as long as the gurney and each side of the apparatus had five robotic arms hanging from the ceiling for a total of ten arms. They spanned the entire length of the gurney and slowly began to come to life. The robotic arms originated from a metal rail system and were stretching downward from a lofty position. Pryce, Terra, and Phia arrived to see a doctor at each end of the gurney giving instructions.

  It only took four to five seconds for the five pairs of robotic arms to cut his clothing off. Pieces of cloth, strings, and such were flying from the place where Boone lay, landing on the floor. A nurse quickly retrieved them. Then the room darkened and above the apparatus, a hologram of Boone’s injuries was displayed. Everyone saw the bleeding wounds. The doctors immediately began reaching inside the hologram of Boone’s body, touching important organs, muscle, and tissue. The robotic arms mimicked and obeyed the instructions from the doctors. One robotic arm sliced him open while another arm clamped something while another arm absorbed blood while yet another arm began repairing vital organs, internal parts, muscle, and tissue. As the doctors touched and glided their fingers inside the hologram, the task transferred to the robotic system. The robotic system completed the surgery in less than four minutes.

  Once stitches were put in place, followed by a long piece of flexible skin-like covering over his wound, Mace turned and looked out of the room and saw Pryce, Terra, and Phia standing next to Kola and his team. They were watching intently. Phia’s presence angered him. He immediately stomped out of the room.

  Mace approached Phia, ready to scream and tear her head off. “This is ALL HER FAULT! And she wants to turn us in to Kova on top of everything! I’m gonna tell her!” But, Phia understood his urgent need to approach her as a gesture of compassion. She quickly hugged the black man. Mace was shocked.

  Phia started crying. “Mace,” she said as she wept. “Did he… is he…”

  “Hmm!” he muttered in disgust. Then he returned her embrace. She was crying. “He will not be able to move for a little while. Again!” he stressed. “I know he hates that, too.”

  Phia pushed away from him as they all slowly approached her to console her and ask questions.

  She muttered, “I am to blame for all of this. This is all my fault.” They all watched tears flow down her face, unashamedly.

  Mace asked, “It’s your fault because, uh, why?”

  She swallowed hard and glanced at everyone, “If I had told you all that the commander,” she swallowed hard again and couldn’t answer. She turned away, placed her hands on her face again, and continued to cry.

  No one understood what she was trying to say nor could they understand why she tried to take the blame for the stabbing. They agreed, though, she should have told them the commander was her father.

  …

  Rena took the long stroll to the elevators that would bring her to the top part of the ship. She then had to climb a tall metal ladder in order to reach the corridor that led to the Star Lab. Qwi’mae noticed her the moment she walked into the dark massive lab. The darker the lab was, the more visible the small images within the holograms were. With a gentle wave of her hand, Qwi’mae motioned Rena over to her position as she stood in front of a massive hologram, monitoring over a hundred ships.

  Rena gazed at the awesome sight. She saw the Gorledeon system and the Xeraxes system with the planet Efferium centered – the Sim-Sa Gale sitting idle just outside Efferium’s orbit.

  “Here!” Qwi'mae exclaimed. “She appeared a short time ago.”

  Qwi'mae smirked, knowing she would not be happy about the news. But, there was nothing Qwi'mae could do about it. Qwi'mae continued as she noticed an enraged and frustrated queen.

  “Ma’am, I can’t even tell you where she came from.” Rena quickly glanced at her. “I believe she was in the O'bipherion system the last time I mapped everything.” Qwi'mae sighed. “Regardless, she appeared out of nowhere.” Qwi'mae pointed, “Here is the Night Star and the Kori Dane.” Qwi'mae frowned and hoped she would not take her anger out on her. “Ma’am, I’m sorry. I found the teleportation device. It’s on the Sim-Sa Gale.”

  Rena turned slightly and huffed. She slowly paced in front of the wall-to-wall holograms that stretched upward to the top of the dome, wondering about her next move.

  Qwi'mae added, “Ma’am, here are Jak and Nell, heading toward Adjelon. Also, Janek is right… here,” she pointed again. “He is heading toward Obipherion and I’m sure he’s up to something.”

  Fretting about what to do, Rena ran her hand through her long hair and blew out a stressful sigh. Rena gazed at the battle fray and the many ships throughout both star systems – the ship battles above Efferium engaging the mighty Sim-Sa Gale and the 312 High Guard runners searching the Gorledeon system. She knew the High Guard runners in the Gorledeon system were searching for her and many of them started heading back toward Efferium.

  “Show me what’s happening.”

  Qwi'mae answered as she pointed to specific places within the hologram. “These ships here, over a hundred of them, are returning from Gorledeon. They were searching for us.” Rena snickered as she gazed at the High Guard runners returning from the Gorledeon system. “These here, Ma’am, are the remaining 200 High Guard runners from Efferium – still orbiting the planet and searching, and here are our two gunners with the two tracking devices Nova tried to plant on us. Above the planet, Ma’am, well, they have us on the run right now.” Qwi'mae stepped a few paces to her left and pointed again. “Here we are, heading toward Adjelon and no one is following.” Rena blew out another loud sigh, pl
aced her hands on her hips, and frowned. “Ma’am?” Qwi'mae asked. “Have a plan?”

  “I’m coming up with one and it includes getting that teleportation device. Janek needs to follow the Night Star. We need to keep tracking the Gale. Can you do that?”

  Qwi'mae replied, “Day and night, Ma’am. Day and night.”

  Rena glanced at Jak and Nell’s position, wondering if it was safe to retrieve them. She noticed Jona’s ship.

  “Where are Jak and Nell going? What’s that other ship?”

  “I have no idea, Ma’am. That gunner they are following is heading, hmm?” She muttered, “I have no idea. It’s headed for dead space.”

  …

  Jak muttered, “Huh? Nell, did you see that?”

  Nell replied, “Yeah! I can’t believe those maneuvers worked! That is one tricky pilot!”

  Jona executed an evasive maneuver that would rank high among all spatial maneuvers ever. The two runners would pursue, Jona would identify which runner was edging out in front of the other. Jona then responded with a very sharp turn in the direction of the runner lagging. In response to his quick turn, the lead runner could not turn as quickly as Jona did because he might end up turning directly into his wingman. Once the lead runner slowed in his attempt to copy the turn, Jona turned sharply in the other direction. He gained a few seconds on them each time with this maneuver. The two runners did not have a solution for Jona’s maneuver but responded in the only way they could.

  One of the two runners would have to slow while the other would speed up. Jona continued to make sharp turns in front of the slower runner and he successfully put more and more distance between himself and the two runners.

  Jak muttered, “Nell, he’s headed toward dead space. Hmm.”

  “He’s just trying to find a safe zone, Jak. What are you saying?”

  “I’d like to find out who that is! I’m sure he’s fighting for us if he tried to fight the Gale.”

  “Yeah,” she replied. “Well, we’re not that far from him. We can follow him. Right?”

  “Yeah. Let’s do it. I think I’m going to scan him.”