by Saxon Andrew
The arena exploded into cheers again and Blakely jumped off the platform and walked over to Leonidas, “You stole the show!”
“Thanks, John.”
“Where are all of these new pirates coming from?”
“One of the owners of a large company says that the captain of one of his ships that was pirated says that the leader of the attackers said they came from Earth.”
“EARTH?”
“I don’t know if that’s true but he insists that the pirate claimed to be former military and was forced into pirating when the organization he was working for was wiped out.”
“That’s interesting. Why didn’t the Insectoids decide to do the escorting?”
Leo shrugged, “In simple terms, they see it as beneath them. They aren’t driven by greed as much as humans are and just see escorting ships as unnecessary work.”
“Are you going to be doing any escorting?”
“No, my wife and I are wealthy and really don’t need to work another day in our lives. However, I am assigning my bridge crew to handle the scheduling of escorts and they will be paid out of the fund being set up here on Tortuga.”
“That’s wise. Will they be living here?”
“Yes.”
“Did I hear you correctly, wife?”
Leo smiled, “Yes, Desiree Daniels and I were married on Romania after Ana took possession of the planet.”
“Were there any problems with that?”
“The courts wanted proof she was actually Ana Romanov, so she had to provide a blood sample to prove it. Her outer body was different DNA but her blood matched the records as being Ana’s. The Troop Commander also testified that Serge Romanov called her his daughter just before he was killed.”
Blakely nodded and said, “Just how long do you think this escort gig is going to last?”
“Long enough for everyone here to become independently wealthy. Eventually, the government will call for Romania to start building teleportation modules.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Why send a huge freighter across hundreds of thousands of light years when you can just put your cargo in a box and have it instantly appear at its destination? It is going to take a long time before the planets eventually decide they can trust each other but it will happen in the future.”
“That means Romania will become incredibly wealthy.”
“It already is. Romania won’t overprice teleportation technology.”
“So travel by starships will eventually come to an end.”
“Not really.”
“Why not?” Blakely asked.
“Because this is just one galaxy among a hundred billion others. If you desire to go to another galaxy, a starship is required to make it happen.” Blakely shrugged and Leonidas looked up at the night sky as they walked out of the arena, “One must also understand that there are other dangers out there that a teleporting system cannot handle. If conquering warships from another galaxy arrive, they will have to be faced by our best ships.”
Blakely nodded, “I didn’t see that. Do you think that’s a possibility?”
“All it takes is one in a hundred billion. I think statistics pretty much say it will happen eventually. We will need to be ready in the event it does. The inhabited planets will see it, too, and have to possess a defense fleet to fend off any would be invaders. I suspect that is where the Insectoids will make a huge difference.”
Blakely stopped walking and looked at Leo, “From the sound of your voice, I think you’re hoping it does.”
Leo smiled, “I’ve never been as alive as I am in the middle of a fight to the death. I’m a warrior at heart and if it doesn’t happen here in this galaxy, I may just have to head out to another galaxy and find it.”
Blakely stared at him for a long moment and smiled, “Give me some time to make some credits and don’t leave without me.”
Leonidas laughed out loud and slapped him on the back, “I won’t go without you, Brother.”
Blakely nodded, “Make sure you don’t!”
Epilogue
Several years later, Gold contacted Gem, “I’m sorry about your mother.”
“I’m sorry that I never had the opportunity to speak with her again.”
“If you tried, you would have been brought back.”
Gem sighed, “I know.”
“By the way, congratulations on your son and daughter.”
Gem smiled, “The twins are really something else.” Gem paused and said, “Why have you contacted me?”
“I’ve had the metal in your sword in my thoughts lately.”
“I can understand why.”
“I want you to go out and see if you can find out how we can procure it.”
“Why don’t you send some of your ships to investigate it?”
“Because it does appear that the planet where it’s located is populated by humans. I think you would be accepted much quicker than any of us.”
Gem nodded, “You make a good point. I’ve been doing some research and the planet that metal is supposed to be located on is a very dangerous place to go.”
“I’ve built you and Leonidas new ships.”
“What?”
“The ones you currently possess are now far behind our newest ships technologically. I planned all along to build them as soon as I assumed the throne. They’ve been completed and ready for you to come and pick them up.”
“Why are you doing this? Something must have happened?”
“I learned a huge lesson while I was with the humans. I learned that the universe is bigger than just this galaxy and something nasty could arise that could be threatening.”
“You’ve been sending disguised ships to other galaxies.”
“I have.”
And what did you discover?”
“Someone has developed a force field.”
“WHAT?”
“Don’t be surprised, if teleportation is possible, why wouldn’t a force field be a possibility? Anyway, we’ve not found a ship with one yet but the rumors are persistent. I need some agents to go out that aren’t bound by single-species thought processes. Will you do it?”
“I need a third ship.”
“Why?”
Leonidas has said several times over the last two years that if he goes out looking around for trouble, he’s taking John Blakely with him.”
Gold stared at Gem for a long moment and then clacked, “The third ship will be ready in two months. Where are you going to start?”
“Where it all began, on Jester. I’ll let Leonidas know that I need him to take a trip with me in a couple of months and I’m pretty sure he’s jump at the opportunity. He’s pretty bored at the moment.”
“Will your wife allow you to go?”
“She’ll come with me. Her sister and that former Romanov Head of Security were recently married and they’re running the planet unassisted. Ana is about bored to tears as well. It’ll be good to get out.”
“What about your children?”
“Where we go, they go. How could I raise them properly if I don’t take them with me?”
“You will stay in touch!”
Gem smiled, “I’m going to bring a teleport module with me when I pick up the ships and you can keep it under wraps. I’ll send you reports through the module and if it becomes a necessity, you can teleport out and join me.”
“Oh that would be heaven to get away from here. I’ve not told you that putting me in your place was not a favor!”
“I know, but you’re the best one for the job.”
“Other than you.”
Gem smiled, “I wasn’t available; you were.”
“Point taken. I’ll see you in three months.”
“I look forward to it, my friend.”
Gold clacked, “I’ve missed you. I look forward to it as well.
THE END
Copyright © 2016 by Saxon Andrew. All rights reserved. Screen Writers Guild no. VQEA3E380432.
First Electronic Edition: August 2016
