Tobath (Heroes of the League Book 3)

by Frank Carey

  "I haven't a clue."

  She turned and saw an older Royce standing next to her. He was in battle armor, his blaster smoking from recent use while blood dripped from numerous wounds. He looked weary and aged beyond his years.

  "Royce, is that really you?" she asked.

  "Maybe. I think I just got shot.”

  "How is this possible?"

  "Probably that damn twin-link we have."

  "Right. I forgot about that. How did you get shot?"

  "You know, the usual. Pinned down, caught a round. Near death experience while Parker tries to restart my hearts. How about you?”

  "I'm being strangled by a terrorist on an ice planet."

  "You never do anything small, do you sis?"

  "I guess not. I miss you bro."

  "And I miss you. You're starting to fade, so I guess your terrorist failed. Find me when you get the chance."

  "Royce..." she said as the universe winked out.

  ###

  "Royce!" Gloria yelled as she bolted upright. She looked down and saw she was sitting on the Sun Tzu's deck wearing her normal clothes. Wires snaked out from under her shirt and a BP cuff was wrapped around her left arm. "What happened?"

  "You flat lined for a few seconds," Kaylon said as she used a stethoscope to listen to Gloria's hearts. "You seem to be fine now."

  "How did you stop Genna and not kill us?"

  "We shot you down," Tobath said as he emerged from the aft compartment. He quickly explained.

  "Damn, I'm glad you're on our side." Gloria looked around and saw Erik next to her, taking her blood pressure. "Where's everyone else?"

  "Outside, giving us room to work," he said as he removed the blood pressure cuff, the sound of releasing Velcro filling the cabin. "Kaylon kicked them out."

  "Oh. What about Genna?"

  "She came-to just as we walked in. She took one look at Kay and fainted."

  "Seeing a deity up close can do that to you," Kaylon said as she helped Gloria up. "Anything not working?"

  "No, all seems to be in order. How's my neck look?"

  "Like an enraged Tralaskan female tried to pinch your head off," Erik said as he put the instruments back in the medical kit. "When you woke-up you yelled out a name--it sounded like...Royce. Remember anything?"

  "Just bits and pieces. Royce is my twin brother. Haven't seen him in years," she said while making a mental note to find her bro.

  "You should make an appearance," Kaylon said. "There are some very worried people out there."

  With Tobath's help they got Gloria up and to the hatch. She walked out the open hatch into the cold air and was mobbed by everyone except for Muusta who stood guard over their prisoner. The sounds of hugs and back pats filled the cold arctic air as relief washed over the group.

  Gloria walked over to Genna and looked at her. "You missed," she said to the woman. There was no reply as vehicles appeared from the direction of the city.

  "We've got company," Nersa said. "Take no provocative action against these people. Regardless of what we think we know, this is their planet, their home, and we are the invaders.”

  Minutes later, several well-armed tracked vehicles drove up and surround the two ships and their crews. None of the Melete's crew went for their weapons as the vehicles disgorged armed Halcyons who took up positions around the League and Martok personnel. A tall Halcyon, obviously the leader, strode up to Nersa and stopped.

  "Capt. Musae? I am Torren, leader of the Halcyon Defense Force. We received your message and log. We seem to owe you our lives. Any idea why this person wants to do harm to my people?"

  Arriska walked up and stood next to Nersa and smiled at Torren. He smiled back.

  "Hello, I'm Arriska of Martok." Arriska said while continuing to smile.

  "Hello, ma'am," Torren said as he tipped his hat.

  Confused, Nersa said, "May I speak to my friend for a moment?"

  "Of course," Torren replied while still smiling as Arriska took Nersa aside.

  "He doesn't know who you are?" Nersa said to the Princess.

  "During the meeting aboard the Protector," Arriska explained, "we watched Skaarn's interrogation. She said her people knew nothing about Troon's plans. I think they may have forgotten completely about the Erdexi, the Martok, hell I think they've forgotten most of their history."

  "I think you might be right. I need to make some calls. Could you entertain Torren until I return?"

  "Of course," Arriska said. She walked back to Torren. "Sorry about that. Capt. Nersa must attend to a matter which includes the answer to your question. She will return shortly."

  "I understand. I need to call in a report, so if you'll excuse me," he said as he returned to his vehicle, leaving Arriska to return to where the others were standing.

  "Gloria, are you okay?" Arriska asked as her brow furrowed with concern.

  "I'm fine. It'll take more than Genna the Brute to take me down. By the way, thank you all for not destroying the Sun Tzu with me in it," she said as Muusta joined them. "Nice shooting, Tex."

  Muusta blushed. "Nothing it is, really. I hope shook you up not I did."

  "Naw. It was fun. Tobath, did you get a chance to check what's left of the old girl?"

  "Yeah. Sorry to say she's scrap. The impact broke her keel, but she protected you which is all that really matters. I was talking to one of the other Halcyons, and they know nothing about the Martok or the League. I refrained from saying anything about Vreen or his people. The people here live peaceful lives in vast underground caverns without want or need. They melt snow and ice for water and grow food in vast greenhouses."

  "I was talking to a woman who flies a shuttle between this planet and two colonies within the system. She said they abandoned interstellar travel millennium ago during a period of retraction," Kaylon said.

  Erik chimed in, "The soldiers are friendly and very forthcoming. One mentioned that their numbers are small, but that thousands of years ago there was a plague which decimated the population and drove them to the brink of extinction."

  They were interrupted by a loud thrumming noise. They turned and watched as first Protector, then another ship materialized and landed nearby just as Nersa was exiting the Melete

  "Muusta, would you be a dear and retrieve our guest?" Nersa asked as she joined her brood.

  "Yes, Mother," he said as he turned and jogged over to the Melete. He returned shortly with Genna.

  "I will not tell you anything," she said as Nersa unlocked her cuffs.

  "Just stand still and try not to kill anyone," Nersa said as ramps lowered from both the protector and the Martok Queen's ship. As Genna watched, a lone Tralaskan flanked by two Protector Guards walked toward them.

  "Lyro? Lyro! Genna yelled as her brother broke away from his escort and ran toward her as she ran to him, meeting him half-way. "You're alive! They told me, but I didn't believe them!" she said while hugging him. Behind them more Tralaskans walked out of the Protector to join them. Finally, Vreen walked down the ramp joined by Skaarn and her people.

  "Vreen! What have you done?" Torren said as he walked over and grabbed the Halcyon by the upper arms. "We allowed you and the others to leave, never to return. Now you are here escorted by these people. Why?"

  "Damn, I hate the cold!" Everyone turned. Standing at the foot of the Martok ship's ramp was the Martok Queen in all her four-armed glory. She stood there with fists on hips, wearing a pure white, full-length fur coat.

  "Mother!" Arriska said as she ran up and hugged the larger than life Queen.

  "I missed you, Arriska. I see Ms. Nersa is a woman of her word. You are safe. May I suggest we find someplace warm in which to continue our discussions?"

  "Of course," Torren said having returned after making his report. He waved to his men and soon several transports appeared to take them to the Halcyon city.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The Musae family, sans Nersa and Glit, sat in the arboretum waiting for word about the outcome of the me
eting between representatives of the Halcyons, Erdexi, Martok, and League. The arboretum was in one of many underground city complexes dotting the planet, all interconnected by a web of transport tunnels.

  Each city complex was powered by fusion geothermal generators which produced an almost unlimited supply of energy. A backup power grid allowed any city to feed off the power generated by all the other cities, thus no city would go without power in the event of a local system failure.

  Within each city lived millions of Halcyons, each pursuing a life not much different from their League, Erdexi, or Martok counterparts. The Halcyons spent their time working, raising families, and participating in arts, science, sports and other pursuits.

  Each complex contained vast arboretums and self-contained farms where crops and livestock were raised to feed the population. The arboretums cleaned the air and restored the oxygen while supplying much needed sites for rest, exercise and relaxation. The Halcyons had found paradise underneath a frozen wasteland.

  Muusta stood next to a tall plant, cupping one of its huge red flowers so that he could inhale its subtle fragrance. Nearby, Kaylon admired a moth as it fluttered around a blossom-covered bush. Meanwhile, Erik and Alby skipped stones across a pond while a pair of large amphibians watched from the shore, transfixed by the strangers. Sitting by himself, Tobath stared off into the distance, deep in troubled thought.

  "Brothers and sisters!" Glit yelled as she ran out of the foliage and embraced the first sibling she could reach, in this case Muusta who dropped his flower so he could pick her up and spin her around. The others ran up and joined in. Close behind her, unable to keep up, came Silk, Miriam, and Tolk who joined in.

  "Well you seem, sister. Not hurt?" Muusta asked as he gently set her on the ground.

  "Nope, fit as a fiddle. The doctors on the Protector said I would be fine, something about Torsans being partly blaster-proof. They kept me there overnight just to be sure." She then whispered in Muusta’s ear--loud enough for everyone to hear--"Silk stayed with me the whole night! Xe even held my hand."

  They all looked at the Torsan midlin who was starting to blush.

  "Awe, come on. It wasn't that big a deal," xe said as Glit ran over and hugged aim. The rest laughed as xe got redder.

  "What did I miss?" Glit asked, abruptly switching subjects in the process. The others took turns retelling the events of the past several hours.

  "Wow! Mom and Kaylon flew the bus and didn't crash it?" Glit said first with a look of astonishment followed by a grin.

  "Funny," Kaylon said with a look of exasperation. "I have one hard landing!"

  Glit hugged her and said, "Just kidding!"

  Tobath walked up to her and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're okay," he said as he returned to his chair and his staring.

  "What's up with him," Glit asked with a worried note to her voice.

  "It's the whole Martok thing. He thinks the Queen is going to have him executed after the meeting," Kaylon said.

  "Well that ain't going to happen," Glit said.

  "Damn skippy," the others said in unison. Just then the Queen emerged from the foliage, flanked by Arriska. Before anyone could stop her, Glit stormed over to the Queen and blocked her path.

  "You're going to have to go through me to get to Tobath. We're not going to let you hurt him, comprende?"

  "Glit, you've got it all wrong..." Arriska started to say before her mother put one of her left hands on her shoulder.

  "Let me," she said as she knelt so she could look Glit in the Eye. "You're Glit, right?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Tobath's my brother."

  "I can see the resemblance, especially the fire in your eyes. You have my word that no harm will come to Tobath. He saved my daughter, and that carries a great deal of weight with me."

  "Oh, well I guess I should let you talk to him, shouldn't I?"

  "I would be grateful," the Queen said as she got up and stood over the petite Torsan.

  Glit moved aside, allowing the Queen to join Tobath who was so deep in thought he didn't hear the exchange. She pulled up a chair and sat with her elbows--all four of them--on her knees and her head resting on her hands. She sat there and waited.

  "Tobath? You in there?" she finally asked.

  Startled, Tobath shook himself out of his reverie and looked at her before immediately getting out of his chair and kneeling on one knee in a sign of deep respect. "My Queen! Forgive me; I didn't see you sitting there."

  "Get up and have a seat. We need to talk."

  "Yes, my Queen."

  "I need to get a few things straight with you. First, I didn't have your parents killed. No one did. You father helped me bring a high-born criminal to justice which meant your family had to go into hiding. Somehow, we missed you in the process. The high-born is in prison and your parents and sister are safe aboard my flagship. I'm sorry about all this but I couldn't tell you for your own safety."

  "What..."

  "Parents. Safe. Flagship. Got it?"

  "Yes, yes, my Queen," he said, dumbfounded. His world suddenly turned upside down. His mind couldn't process what he had just been told. He realized that Arriska had sat down next to him and was holding his arm.

  "Is that all, my Queen?"

  "Gods no. Where would the fun be in that?" she said. He noticed Arriska's grip tightening.

  "As to the matter of you infiltrating the Royal Compound. My Head of Security would like details about how you accomplished that not-so-small feat."

  "Of course, your highness," he said.

  "The matter is forgotten. Now, I have a confession to make."

  "A confession my Queen?"

  "The stuff about the wedding night head removal. Well, I made it all up. I had to make sure you were marrying my daughter for the right reasons. I want her to find love and happiness, not just take a lover to supply her with babies, so I made up the story and told it to all her suitors. You are the only one who didn't seem to care."

  "But, my Queen, your transformation..."

  "Tobath, I am the last of my kind. For generations my bloodline has carried the gene that transformed our females from this form," she said, putting a hand on Arriska's shoulder, "to this form shortly after the birth of our first child. I am the last to carry this gene. Arriska was checked long ago for this trait, and she does not carry it. She'll always be as she is now.”

  "Wait, you mean..."

  "Yes, you and Arriska can get married, have adventures, have children, and gods willing, spend the rest of your lives happily together. “

  The Queen stood up and got out of the way as Tobath's adoptive family mobbed him and Arriska. She smiled, then headed out of the clearing to return to her meeting. On her way out, she passed Nersa. They stopped for a moment.

  "Did you tell him, Your Highness?"

  "Yes, I told the two of them everything."

  "How did they take it?"

  "I think he's in shock, she'll help him through it. Thank you, by the way, for taking over the meeting for me. I miss anything?"

  "No. I think they're all in shock. So many mistakes, so many lives lost. The Halcyon insurgents have been returned to their people as have the Tralaskan hijackers. It looks like the Halcyons are going to follow your lead and make a formal request to join the League. You do know that you’ll probably go down in history as the peacemaker Queen?"

  "Yes, it has a nice ring to it, don't you think? Nersa, may I ask you a question?"

  "Of course, Your Highness."

  "Who the hell are you people?"

  "A family of musicians first and foremost, but a team of troubleshooters when we need to be. Can I ask you a question?"

  "Of course."

  "Are you planning on retiring soon? If not, I'd like those two to stay with us for a while. I think it would be good for them and for us."

  "No, no retirement plans, so I have no objections. My daughter can be a handful, though."

  "Just like we were."

  "Yes, just like we were. I must get
back to the meeting."

  "Of course. Good luck in there."

  "Thank you," the Queen said as she disappeared into the thick foliage.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Gloria walked into the Melete’s comm center and sat down in front of the control console. She sat there for a few moments, composing herself, before activating the system. “Computer, Recognize Gloria Aymar, ident tumbleweed-782.”

  “Working… Access granted.”

  She found herself already missing Silvestri. “Connect with Protector database, please.”

  “Working. Connection established.”

  “Space Command directory. Locate Royce Aymar. I think he’s a sergeant.”

  “Working. Master Sergeant Royce Aymar, elf, location determined.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Cube Research Center.”

  “What is his status?”

  “Just released from infirmary. Currently assigned to Princess Losira Irithyl’s personal guard.

  “Damn, bro, you’re moving up in the world.”

  “Please repeat last request,” the computer asked.

  “Establish commlink between this station and Master Sergeant Aymar.”

  “Working…”

  “Go for Aymar… Gloria? Is that really you?”

  She gasped as his image appeared on the viewer. He looked just like he did in her vision. “Hey, Royce. Miss me?”

  He laughed. “More than you can possibly imagine. I hear you saved a planet. Nice.” He peered at her. She realized he was staring at the marks on her neck. “You’ve been busy. I take it the bit about the terrorist was real. I thought you went into science, not security. Are you really OK?”

  “I’m fine, and its engineering. I build robots. How are you doing?”

  “My AI pulled my tail from the fire as she always does.”

  “Her name is Parker, right?”

  “Yeah, Parker. Hey, you work here, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I work at the Cube. Have people been talking about me again?”

  “Just that they miss you. When are you coming back?”

  “Soon. I just need to finish up some things here.”

  “Cool. Maybe we can get together. You know, talk?”