“You have to do it,” Terri’s voice said behind Jon.
Jon spun around and stared at Terri. He didn’t know when she had arrived, but he was glad to see her.
“Their rules are very specific,” Terri said. Every Drovasian suddenly knelt in unison as Terri stepped around the guards behind Jon.
“The Drovasian society takes its laws very seriously. This is not something you can just ignore. The coming of the prophecy has been something they have been waiting a long time for. If Nefeit fails in this, she will be removed and destroyed.” Jon’s eyes widened as his sister said the last.
Terri continued. “Yes, as in killed, not that it matters in the greater scheme of things. Another will replace her and come to you again and request the same thing. This will continue until you accept one or every member of their race is dead. You have two choices if you want to avoid this. You either accept the title and all duties connected to it or you marry her and share the ruling of the Drovasian people.”
“Is this true?” Jon said as he turned to look at Nefeit.
Nefeit just nodded her head.
“So, I’m trapped again,” Jon said.
“You have a choice,” Nefeit said. “My people and I will accept whatever you say.”
“No, he has no choice in this,” Terri said. “Jon, did you know the Ga’sahde have a prophecy too?”
“Oh boy,” Jon said.
“It’s long winded and a lot of it applies to only the Ga’sahde. But, there is a part or two about you in it,” Terri said as she grinned. “I know how much you hate the prophecy and all it means.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jon said. “Spill it already.”
“It’s rather simple,” Terri said. “The Lord of All shall arrive with light on his left arm and dark on his right. Fire shall precede him as cold shall cool his steps as he passes before all.”
“That makes no sense to me,” Jon said.
Terri pointed at Deatra as she spoke, “Light.” She pointed to Nefeit. “Dark.”
“Yeah, well if you think that’s what it means,” Jon said. “Then what are the fire and cold?”
“That has yet to be revealed,” Terri said. “I know you will not let someone die to save you a bit of discomfort. Deatra has already given her permission, and you need to stop acting like you’re not going to do it. We need to move on and quit wasting time here.”
“You’re seriously telling me to take another wife?” Jon said.
“Like you’re not going to do it just to save her,” Terri said. “Everyone knows you well enough to know you won’t stand by while someone dies for no reason. It’s one of the reasons people follow you and even rely on you. You stand for something that this universe has lacked for a long time; truth, justice and peace for all.”
Jon sighed and looked at Deatra; she nodded as she smiled. Two wives; Jon wasn’t sure he liked the idea. He knew about the nobles of Euthara having other wives from other races to seal agreements and such. It wasn’t something he entertained himself.
“It will only tie you closer to the Drovasian people,” Sa’oliq said. “It’s commonplace even among my people.”
Jon eyed Sa’oliq and gave her a look like you’re not serious.
Sa’oliq chuckled as she read his face and said, “My race will only allow outside marriages if the two parties are not compatible. We’re not, and that is why the agreement you made with me was acceptable. If we had been compatible, it would have been different.”
“Is this going to end with my having forty wives,” Jon said.
“Certainly not,” Deatra said. “Once we start having children they will have arranged marriages as has been our way.”
Jon had never thought about children. Now if he has any they will be paired to people they probably don’t even know. He didn’t like the idea one bit; it was bad enough that he had to do this, but his children?
Jon looked up at Nefeit. She stood there stock still waiting for his judgment to find out if her life was forfeit or if Jon would save her the only way he could. Terri was right; he couldn’t let the innocent die because he was uncomfortable. He would marry her and then find a way out of it at a later date. He really only wanted to be with one person, and that one person was standing next to him.
He reached over and took Deatra’s hand and said, “Are you sure?”
Deatra reached her hand up and laid it in the center of his chest as she spoke, “You have a kind heart, and you care about those around you. Sometimes, your caring drives you mad and it makes you act crazy. While that isn’t the best thing sometimes, it isn’t the worst reaction to have. In the short time I have known you, I have seen your love for those around you, even the Invaru. You don’t like what they do, but you don’t hate them either. You have taken the time to listen to them and even invited them to your ship when you could have easily had them marked as outlaws.”
That is a sign of a great ruler, and while I had my reservations at first, even though I bonded with you, you have removed all those reservations from me, and I would gladly follow you to my death.” Deatra looked at Nefeit and smiled as she continued. “I would gladly call Nefeit my sister. I have seen into her soul and know she has nothing but good intentions. It’s as she says; she has reformed the Drovasian people. So, I have no problem agreeing to this addition to our family. I have prepared for this ever since I bonded with you and knew it was a very real possibility. The choice, however, is yours to make and yours alone. I’ll accept your decision whatever it might be.”
Jon looked up at Nefeit again as he spoke, “I agree to marry Nefeit. I’m not happy about it, but I agree.”
Terri looked at Nefeit as she spoke, “Do you agree to this?”
Nefeit looked at Deatra and then Jon. Then she settled her gaze back on Deatra, who nodded in her direction. “Yes, I agree,” Nefeit said.
“Then I hereby announce your engagement to Jonathan Hunter-C’loth and his appointment as High Priest of the Drovasian people,” Terri said. “Congratulations.”
Jon’s head was spinning. He felt trapped and there was no way out. Everyone was pulling his strings or wanting something from him. Now his sister was even on their side and doing the same thing.
The lights on the bridge flared back to life as the various stations came back to life. Jon watched as the room started to spin, and he stumbled a bit as he tried to stay on his feet.
“Jon?” Deatra said. Her voice carried worry as she tried to steady him.
“The Invaru ships,” Jon said as he regained his footing.
“They were warned off by me and the Drovasian ship. They have resumed their orbit of the gas giant,” Terri said. “Are you sure you’re Ok? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” Jon said. He took Deatra’s hand and kissed it. “Thanks for the support.”
“Are you sure?” Deatra said.
“Yeah, I think the power returning, and the flash of lights just made me dizzy,” Jon said. “I’m tired and haven’t eaten in about twelve hours.”
Jon sat down in his chair as the guard on the bridge spread out. Nefeit walked over and stood opposite of Deatra on his right hand side. Her guard spread out and mixed with the other guards. The irony didn’t pass him as he remembered the prophecy his sister quoted.
“Jon to Carla,” Jon said.
“Carla here sir,” Carla’s voice said.
“Power is restored,” Jon said. His vision swam a bit as the room seemed to take one last spin. “You have control until I get the bridge crew back.”
“Aye, Sir,” Carla’s voice said. “Engineering here reports that the cause of the power failure was two small explosives timed to go off at the same time. It cut both the primary and secondary power conduits and caused a cascade failure. They have the primary conduit repaired and are currently working to restore secondary power conduits.”
“I thought there were secondary systems in case of something like this happening,” Jon said.
“There are,” Carla’s v
oice said. “Those systems were disabled and Engineering is still working to get them back on line”
“Thanks Carla,” Jon said. “Could you contact the bridge crew and have them return to the bridge?”
“Yes Sir,” Carla’s voice said. “Will that be all?”
“Yes,” Jon said. “Contact me if you get any new news, thanks.”
“Carla out,” Carla’s voice said.
“So, it seems we have a saboteur,” Jon said. “Mark, I want you to increase patrols in all vital areas.”
“Will do,” Mark said.
As the first of the Bridge crew began to arrive, Jon stood up. His head pounded and caused him to grunt in pain, almost doubling him over. People around him reacted as Jon collapsed into a heap on the floor.
Jon opened his eyes to the beeping of machines. He heard Andie speaking, “Stress, lack of rest and food. That appears to be the only thing I can see affecting him.”
“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here,” Jon said.
Sam was the first to react and ran to him as she spoke, “Are you ok, Daddy?”
Daddy? When did she start calling him daddy? “I’m fine,” Jon said as he started to sit up.
Oojoung sat watching him carefully across the room. Jon almost chuckled as he realized that Oojoung was very close to where Terri was standing. A hand shoved him back down.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Andie said. “You need to eat something before I let you go. You can’t go missing meals and sleep, or you’ll kill yourself. Then where will we be?” She turned and walked away. “I’ll be right back.”
Jon relaxed as someone pushed some pillows under him to help him sit partially up. He glanced over to find Nefeit adjusting the pillows. Her skin shimmered in a golden hue almost as if her dark skin had trapped stars. He didn’t remember seeing that before.
The worry on her face eased as he smiled at her. “I’m happy you’re ok,” Nefeit said. He sensed her relaxing and her worry fading.
Jon scrunched his forehead as he tried to figure it out. Deatra took one of his hands as she spoke, “You had us all worried there.” She watched him staring at Nefeit and realized what the problem was. “Yes, Nefeit is bonded to us. Sometimes it happens when these agreements are reached. We don’t know why, just that it happens.”
Nefeit gave him a half smile, and Jon returned it, then turned his attention to Deatra. Her eyes were red as if she had been crying. “Are you ok?” Jon said as he reached up and pushed a strand of hair back.
“You scared me to death,” Deatra said. “I thought I had lost you.”
“I’m just exhausted,” Jon said. “I haven’t had much of a break in the past few weeks.”
“I know,” Deatra said. “That’s why I have ordered the Atlantis back into orbit of Euthara. We’re going to my home in the northern province so you can relax for a while.”
“Our people will be providing the security force and escorts along with your normal guards,” Nefeit said.
“We’ll be coming along too,” Terri said. “We’ve been officially invited by the Princess to visit her for an undisclosed amount of time.”
Jon laughed and then said, “You know this will rile you father, right?”
Deatra shrugged as she spoke, “I own the land and I can invite whom I want. Plus it was kind of my point. You know he’s still trying to contact you. Carla has been telling him you’re indisposed. She’s taken command in your absence and appointed someone named Janus to command the secondary bridge.”
“Yeah, I think I know him,” Jon said. “He’s a Eutharan, right?”
Deatra nodded.
“Yeah, I know him,” Jon said. “He’s been training with us for the past couple months. Gilas suggested him as an officer candidate, and I can’t say that I’m disappointed. Speaking of Gilas…”
“Safely returned to Ghost Station,” Terri said. “I’ve stationed the Odarius and her escorts at the station for defense under the command of Carex. The Earth’s Revenge and Titan are on their way here with Admiral Gabriel. You'll need to deal with him, as I need him, or I need to dismiss him from his current post and replace him.”
“I can do that as soon as they arrive,” Jon said.
“The shares have been transferred, and we can begin whenever,” Deatra said.
“No, we can’t,” Jon said. “I still need to iron out the few last hurdles. I don’t want to do anything that is outside the law. That’s not what we’re about. We need to get the King and his court to want to allow import and export. They have to want to get the stations and factories running again.”
“You kind of ignored that when you had Brad and Mike start working on the shipyard,” Deatra said.
“No, I didn’t. Technically it’s not a shipyard. It’s more of a space station that specializes in building ships,” Jon said.
“Really,” Deatra said. “I never knew that.”
“It has a whole city in its belly,” Jon said. “Everything from parks to markets and many other things the city needs to survive.”
“I read the laws pertaining to that piece of hardware floating in space. The Ga’sahde own forty percent of it and the rest are split up between other races. The Ga’sahde commissioned it to be built as a mid-point for passing ships and travelers. The Eutharan Government gave them the space to build it, and it was created as an international station. The Eutharan people had primary use of it and primarily ran it through the years. But, it was a hub for everyone and peoples from all over helped keep it in repair. According to Eutharan law, anyone can come to the station and work as its open for everyone.”
“Pretty smooth,” Deatra said.
“Yeah, it even had an international police force that at one time was over two thousand people from various races,” Jon said. “They worked together to keep the peace on the station and to make sure everyone was punished according to their races’ laws.”
“So, anyone can go to the station and bring it back online,” Deatra said.
“That is correct,” Jon said. “I plan on restoring it to its former glory in time. For now, I’m going to use it to repair the ships in the graveyard and construct new ships. That is once I get permission to touch the ships in the graveyard. I’m also going to turn it into a training ground for Navy personnel and Marines; something it could have done if the Combined Training Treaty had been signed. They even had the section that was going to be used for that completed before the station was shut down.”
“Why was it shut down?” Nefeit said.
“A question I was about to ask,” Deatra said.
“As far as I can see, the Eutharan Government decided to close its borders to all outsiders. So they shut it down, unlawfully I might add,” Jon said.
“Ok, enough shop talk, he needs to eat and then rest,” Andie said. She put a tray with different food on it in front of Jon and shooed everyone away after they said they would see him later.
Just as Jon had finished the last of his food and was dropping into sleep his com went off as Carla called him.
“Jon here, go ahead,” Jon said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Andie look up from her office, a frown on her face. “Better make it quick.”
“Sir, a Eutharan vessel is refusing us orbiting status,” Carla said. “They say if we settle into orbit they have been ordered to open fire.”
“Carla, handle it,” Andie said as she stepped from her office door. “I’ve given orders that Jon isn’t to be disturbed. If you have to, contact Deatra and have her deal with it.”
“Hold on a second,” Jon said as he sat up. “Carla…”
“Computer, disengage all coms except for my office. Reroute all incoming calls through there,” Andie said. Andie pushed Jon back down and slapped a patch on his arm.
“Now wait just a minute,” Jon said.
“I’m sorry Jon, but you need your rest,” Andie said.
It was the last thing he heard as he faded into sleep.
Chapter 4
Beau
ty
Jon’s eyes fluttered open as the shuttle shook from turbulence. Deatra was sitting next to him, and Nefeit was in the seat in front of them talking quietly with Sam. Jon looked out the small window next to his seat and gasped.
Rolling hills covered by trees with copper colored leaves shimmered in the sunlight as they swayed in the wind. Strange multi-hued birds took flight as the shuttle passed close over the forest. A light blue-grey mist covered the air above the trees, enhancing the effect even more as the light reflected off it.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Deatra said as she squeezed his hand.
Jon nodded as he spoke, “Its breath taking. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I told you Euthara was a very beautiful planet. We have a rich culture and try to live in harmony with the planet only taking what we need. For every tree cut down another is planted in its place.
“Hunting is limited to an amount based on the growth of that animal,” Deatra said. “At one time cities covered the planet and the forests were little more than reserves.
“We almost destroyed our ecosystem, and the planet started dying as a result of our actions. When we moved on to become a space faring race and started mining the uninhabitable planets in this solar system, laws were passed to protect the wildlife.
“All industries were moved off planet, as well as any operation deemed harmful to the planet and its inhabitants. Much of the population that worked in the operations that were moved off planet were also housed off planet.
“When the military started building space vessels, crewing them took away more population. The heavy draw on our population, combined with our decreasing numbers, literally emptied some cities and nearly emptied others. So many were torn down, and the local wildlife was allowed to take the land back.
“Now, there are only four main cities on the planet. The cities were rebuilt in coastal regions to help limit damage to the planet. Growth is regulated to allow only so much per year. In the last few years, there has been no growth as the birth rate has been below the death rate and the population is actually shrinking,” she finished.
Euthara Page 5
