Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2)

by Matthew Kadish

  Anna hesitated for a moment, her face looking strained before she forced herself to continue.

  “Paragon Shepherd, shall have a… a…” Jack could see tears beginning to form in Anna’s eyes as she struggled to get through her speech. “…a place of honor among those who shall be commemorated,” Anna said, her voice cracking as she spoke. She took a deep breath and tried her best to keep talking. “He sacrificed himself so that I… so that all of us… could survive. He was one of the best the Empire had to offer, and like so many others, he was taken from us too soon. But I still remember his final… his final words…”

  Anna’s chin quivered, and she looked as though she were about to break down before she steeled herself.

  “Be strong,” she said. “Words for all of us to live by. For though we have faltered, though we have suffered, though we have struggled… I stand before you tonight and say with pride – the Empire is strong!”

  More applause, and those in the Grand Hall once more stood and cheered. Jack watched Anna as she gazed out at the audience, her jaw clenched so tight he could see her cheeks pulsing. She stood as still as stone until the applause died down and the holographic display that had been projecting her image faded. The second it was gone, Anna covered her mouth with her hand and quickly rushed toward an exit behind the Royal Dais, tears finally escaping and running down her cheeks. It was obvious to everyone on the dais she was in bad shape, but no one made a move to pursue her, other than the Royal Vanguard, who followed her out of the hall.

  “Poor thing,” Nataylia said, sadly. “Losing Paragon Shepherd must be so hard on her.”

  Jack looked around at the others at the table. “Shouldn’t someone go after her?” he asked. “See if she’s okay?”

  “One does not ‘go after’ a Princess, sweetie,” Kimlee said, seemingly not the least bit bothered by Anna’s exit. “If she wants to see someone, she’ll summon them.”

  “Who is she gonna summon?” asked Jack. “Does she even have any friends she can talk to?”

  “I’m afraid Princesses don’t have friends, Jack,” said Amadeus. “People in as powerful a position as Her Highness have only subjects and enemies, neither of which I’d wager she cares to see right now.”

  Amadeus’s words made Jack angry. There were thousands of people in the room and none of them seemed to care about Anna. He wasn’t her enemy, and he certainly didn’t consider himself her subject. Jack tossed his napkin onto the table and stood up, much to the surprise of those sitting with him.

  “What are you doing?” asked Amadeus.

  “Going after her,” Jack said.

  “Your heart is in the right place, Earthman, but it’s bad form to leave your own ceremony,” cooed Kimlee. “People will talk…”

  “Let them,” said Jack, sick of sticking to protocol. “I’m the freakin’ Hero of the Empire. I do what I want.”

  With that, Jack walked away, moving quite publicly across the Royal Dais and toward the back exit. The Evenstars watched him go. “Mmmmm. He’s got spunk, doesn’t he?” mused Kimlee.

  “Indeed,” muttered Amadeus. “Perhaps too much. If he’s not careful, he’s going to upset a great many people.”

  Eudox smiled and took a sip of his wine, eyeing the Skyborns at the adjacent table. “One can hope,” he said quietly.

  Jack walked through the back exit of the Grand Hall into what seemed to be an observation deck of some kind, with windows stretching out along it for a panoramic view of the capitol. It looked to be closed, with the lights turned low so that those of the city were clearer, and the deck’s benches and pillars were draped in pools of shadow. Anna was not far away, gazing out at the city below, trying to collect herself. Rionknidis and Dahuud were stationed on her far side, and on the other were Lugard and Seqis. Jack began walking toward Anna, but the two Vanguard stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

  “That’s far enough,” said Lugard quietly.

  “I… I just want to talk to her,” said Jack.

  “Her Highness wishes to be alone, Earthman,” said Seqis.

  “C’mon, I’m the freakin’ Guest of Honor here,” said Jack. “She’s my friend, let me talk to her.”

  “It’s okay,” said Anna. “Let him pass.”

  At her words, Seqis and Lugard stepped aside. Jack approached Anna, coming up beside her, close enough to see her tear-stained cheeks. “Hey,” said Jack softly. “You okay?”

  Anna wiped her eyes and sighed. “You’d think I’d have it under control by now,” she said. “But a stray memory or two when speaking his name in front of everyone who’s anyone in my kingdom, and I can barely keep it together.”

  Jack put his hand on her shoulder. “Shepherd meant a lot to you,” Jack said. “No one would blame you for getting emotional.”

  “I’d blame me,” said Anna, sniffling. “The last thing I need to be projecting now is some silly image of a weepy little girl.”

  Jack frowned. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “But it also doesn’t mean you can’t allow yourself to miss him. You don’t have to feel bad about being upset that he’s gone. That honors his memory. If I tried to push away what I felt every time I missed my mom… I’d feel like I was trying to forget her. And she deserves better than that. So does Shepherd.”

  Jack’s words only seemed to make Anna break down and cry harder. Jack embraced her, and she hugged him close, weeping into his neck. He rocked her back and forth gently, trying to calm her. “I miss him… so much…” Anna whispered.

  “So do I,” whispered Jack. “But you’re not alone, Anna. I’m here. I’ll always be here for you… just like he was.” Anna pulled back and looked at Jack. Her eyes, glassy with tears, searched his, as though she desperately wanted to believe his words. Jack could feel his chest tighten when he returned her gaze, and he felt his body shiver with an electricity that made him think he should kiss her. And from the look on her face, he didn’t think she’d reject him. That feeling lasted for only a moment before Anna shook her head and pulled away from him.

  “I… I have to go…” she said.

  “Anna, wait—” Jack said as she turned and began walking away from him. “Please, can we talk?”

  “Not now,” said Anna as she made her way down the hall, her head hung low as though she were ashamed of the moment they’d just shared. The Royal Vanguard followed her, Seqis looking at Jack sadly before pursuing his charge.

  Jack watched her go as she disappeared out of sight. He suddenly felt very angry, not just with himself, but with her. What is her deal? he wondered. Why won’t she let me be there for her? She wants what I want! She wants to be with me! I can feel it! I can’t be imagining all this. Why won’t she just let it happen???

  Jack turned and punched the observation window of the hallway with frustration. He sighed and rested his arms on the windowsill, laying his head down on them as he cursed his crappy love life. Who am I kidding? thought Jack. She doesn’t care about me. She just wants to be friends and I’m making an idiot of myself.

  “You’re wrong, you know,” came a voice.

  Jack turned, startled. There, in the shadow of a pillar stood a man with jet black skin, so deep he almost blended with the darkness in which he was standing. He wore a simple blue robe, so faded it was almost grey, and his large hands wrapped around an elderwood walking staff that was taller than he was. One solitary eye at the center of his forehead, pure white and pupilless, was gazing at Jack. It closed, just as his other two eyes opened, meeting Jack’s gaze with a friendly stare.

  “Wrong about what?” asked Jack, suspiciously. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t have to,” said the man, simply. He moved out of the shadows and toward Jack, his staff softly clicking against the ground with each step. Jack noticed he was barefoot, and his simple robes seemed to glide around him as though they were unable to touch his skin. “Anyone with eyes to see could read your thoughts from your face. And as you have no doubt noticed, I have three.”
>
  The man smiled a bright, toothy grin, as he waved his hand up toward his closed third eye. Jack’s initial instinct was to be creeped out, but there was something about the alien that made Jack feel at ease.

  “You can read my mind?” asked Jack.

  The alien smirked at Jack, as though he wanted to say “yes,” but didn’t feel the need to. He moved over to a nearby bench and sat down.

  Jack crossed his arms and glared at the man. “Who are you?” Jack asked.

  “My name is Shank’asogla’phli.”

  Jack blinked. “Shank… Shanka…”

  “Shank’asogla’phli.”

  “Um…”

  “You may call me Shanks.”

  Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “Cool,” he said. “So, Shanks… what are you doing lurking about in the shadows?”

  “Listening,” he said. “Watching. Such is my duty.”

  “Yeah? You the official Royal Watchman or something?”

  Shanks raised his brow inquisitively. “Royal Watchman?”

  “I dunno,” replied Jack. “Everyone’s a Royal something around here. Royal Vanguard. Royal Herald. Royal pain in the butt…”

  Shanks chuckled. It was a deep and hearty sound, which made Jack smile for some reason. “No,” he said. “I am but a simple monk.”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed. Something told him that this Shanks guy was anything but simple. “A monk, huh?” said Jack. “Are all monks supposed to hide out and spy on the Princess? Is that a type of space religion I haven’t learned about yet?”

  “I was not hiding,” replied Shanks. “Simply observing. And not necessarily the Princess.”

  “You saying you were spying on me?”

  “Observing.”

  “Uh-huh,” said Jack, this time feeling a bit creeped out for certain. “You gonna tell me what you’ve ‘observed’ or are you gonna make me guess?”

  Shanks sighed. He had a look on his face which reminded Jack of when his teachers in school would get frustrated with him during class. “Do not be afraid to ask the question you really want the answer to,” said the monk pointedly.

  Jack pursed his lips and gazed at Shanks hard. “Okay,” he said. “What am I wrong about?”

  “Oh, a great many things,” replied Shanks.

  Jack grimaced. “You know what I mean.”

  Shanks smiled and nodded. “And yet, my answer remains the same,” he said. “To start with, you feel as though the Princess owes you something, do you not?”

  Jack bristled at Shanks’ words. “No I don’t,” he said defensively. Shanks simply looked at him, causing Jack to squirm uncomfortably. The silence was worse than any reply the monk could have given. “Okay, fine,” relented Jack. “I saved her life! I defeated an entire fleet of bad guys! You’d think that would have scored me some points, at least.”

  “Points?” asked Shanks. “As in the type one accumulates in a game? To determine a winner at the expense of another?”

  “What? No!” replied Jack. “Just… you know… a little gratitude woulda been nice. A make-out session… something. I mean, I think I’ve earned that much!” Jack didn’t know why he was telling a stranger all this. He was just too frustrated, too upset, and far too confused with his situation. He felt like he needed to get it off his chest or he’d explode. He sighed deeply.

  “Did you not have company when you did these things?” Shanks asked.

  “Huh?”

  “You did not do these things by yourself if I am correct. Were there not others?”

  “Yeah, there were, I guess…”

  “So the Princess should be obligated to ‘make out’ with them as well, no?”

  “No,” said Jack. “Why would – no! That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “Are your companions not deserving of the same gratitude you are demanding?” asked Shanks. “Did they not risk their lives as you did? Struggle and fight as you did?”

  “They don’t feel the same way about Anna that I do,” said Jack. “What do you know about girls anyway? Aren’t monks supposed to be celibate or something? Why am I even talking to you about this?”

  Shanks gazed at Jack patiently, a knowing smile on his lips. “How old are you, Earthman?” he asked.

  “Fifteen,” replied Jack.

  “And in your fifteen cycles, you’ve come to know women intimately enough to consider yourself an expert on their hearts?”

  Jack gazed at Shanks dumbly for a moment. “I didn’t say that,” Jack replied.

  “Yet it is what you meant, no?”

  “No…”

  Shanks chuckled again. “I am close to one hundred and fifty cycles of age,” he said softly. “I have loved three times in my life. Love that burned with the intensity of a thousand stars – hot and bright and beautiful – so much so that it would sear my flesh and consume the very essence of my being. Love so powerful, it hurt. But the pain was nothing compared to the feeling when that love was extinguished. And not a moment passes when I do not yearn to be set afire once again.”

  Jack suddenly realized he was holding his breath. The monk’s words, spoken with such gentle cadence, had hit him like a ton of bricks. He suddenly felt very stupid. “I’m sorry…” Jack began to say.

  “Do not apologize,” said Shanks with a smile. “Simply listen. You know of the Paragons, and their ability to free their minds, do you not?”

  “Yes.”

  “There is more to that than you know,” continued Shanks. “To achieve true freedom, one must take into account one’s heart and one’s soul. Mind, body, spirit… they are all just different aspects of the same thing. To neglect one is to neglect them all. Right now, your body yearns for the Princess. That is obvious to anyone, I’m afraid.”

  Jack could feel himself blush. “C’mon,” he said. “It can’t be that obvious.”

  Shanks tilted his head slightly. “If you say,” he said. “Regardless, your mind feels as though you deserve the Princess. But now, I must ask you… what about your soul?”

  “What about it?”

  “What is it telling you in regards to Princess Glorianna?”

  Jack shrugged. “I dunno,” he said. He had no idea how to listen to his soul, or whatever jibber-jabber the monk was getting at.

  “A mystery then,” said Shanks. “So your mind, body, and soul… all telling you different things, none of which are in harmony with the others. Have you ever wondered if the Princess is experiencing something similar?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Could it be that the Princess’s body has the same yearnings as yours?” asked Shanks. “What of her mind? Could it be her desire is overwhelmed by her sense of duty to her people? Or her ancestors’ legacy? Does she feel as though that is more important than her own happiness? What of her soul? Is it as silent with her as yours is with you? Is there enough uncertainty there that could lead her to believe that whatever feelings she has may not be as pure as she would like them to be?”

  Jack’s mind raced with the speed of a hamster on a squeaky wheel, trying to process Shanks’ words. He’d never thought about what Anna might be feeling before. He’d just focused on himself and what he was experiencing. He did feel as though he deserved her affection, like he’d earned it. But was that really fair to her? Could it be she was just as confused about the whole thing as he was? Was there a chance she really cared for him, but she was just pretending not to? Or worse, that she felt she owed Jack something, but didn’t truly care for him at all? “Do you know the answers to those questions?” asked Jack.

  “I do not pretend to know the Princess any better than I know you,” he said. “All I do know is that the two of you walk alone in the dark, desperate for a light to lead you to where you wish to go. Yet everyone you ask for help is just as lost.”

  “I’m sensing there’s a metaphor there,” said Jack. “Or a simile. Whichever one makes the least amount of sense.”

  A large grin grew on Shanks’ face. He got back to his feet, and loo
ked down at Jack with a knowing gaze. “Do not seek help, Earthman. Seek harmony. Mind, body, spirit – when in tune with one another, give you all the answers you need.” Shanks moved to walk away but stopped suddenly, turning back to Jack and resting a hand on his shoulder. “And before, when I said you were wrong,” he said softly. “I was referring to what you think she feels about you.”

  Jack looked up at Shanks. “So I’m not crazy?” he asked. “You think she has feelings for me?”

  Shanks shrugged slightly. “I am merely an observer,” the monk said with a sly wink. “But I would not give up, Earthman. Your spark has yet to catch aflame.”

  With that, Shanks took his exit. Jack watched him as he walked away, his staff softly clicking with each step, like the beating of a heart.

  Chapter 12

  Professor Green sat patiently in the lobby of the Maguffyn Corporation headquarters, humming to himself and keeping a beat with his tapping foot. He smiled and looked around, still unable to believe he was actually going to get to meet Armonto Virtuoso in person.

  The lobby was tall and grand, made of all glass and shiny metal. Holographic projections littered the high, transparent walls, proudly displaying the corporation’s logo and promotional videos. From where he was sitting, Green could see all manner of employees bustling about, going to-and-fro from their offices.

  He’d always wanted to see the inside of the Maguffyn Corporation. Reportedly, it took up almost half the levels of supertower 15, including the sub-levels. Green was so giddy with excitement, he could barely contain himself. Though he would have loved to have gotten some peeks at the technology the company was working on, he was far more interested in finally getting access to their research on the Great Seals of the Ancients.

  Green checked his watch. His appointment had been for three o’clock. It was now close to five. He sighed and continued to hum cheerily. I suppose I can’t blame him for keeping me waiting, he thought. Mr. Virtuoso is probably a very busy man.