by Larry Payne
“Prepare for battle,” said Kai as they closed in on Freedom Station. Alarms sounded and red lights flashed throughout the ship.
He smiled as he watched the battle taking place in front of him. He glanced around at the surrounding star field and realized Excalibur was slowing down. He punched up Engineering on the Comm station. “What’s going on down there? Why are we slowing down?”
* * * *
Lieutenant Roda Guin led his crew from the lift and down the corridor. This was supposed to be his first assignment as Chief Engineer, but Kai changed all that. He refused to be pressed into Kai’s service and was detained with the rest of those loyal to Medalo Corpus. Now Roda was going to get his engines back.
He palmed the door plate and they stormed through the hatch brandishing their weapons. “Everyone back away from your stations.”
One of them left his station at a run toward the exit at the rear of the room. Roda raised his blaster rifle to his shoulder and calmly shot the man, sending him sliding face down across the deck. The rest of them raised their arms in the air.
Two of Roda’s crew hustled the captives to a nearby storage room and locked the door. The remainder of the crew reacquainted themselves with their stations.
“Stop all engines,” said Roda after they had settled in their seats. The whine of the engines decreased until they finally stopped. Seconds later, the Comm speaker blared.
“I guess we got his attention.” Roda smiled.
* * * *
Sando Pandel exited the lift and led his band down the corridor toward the bridge. Medalo Corpus grabbed his arm. “The ship has stopped,” he said.
Sando looked up at one of the viewports along the top of the corridor to see a blinking star field. “Roda must have gotten the engine room back.”
They broke into a slow jog down the corridor and stopped short when two of Kai’s armed guards came around an intersecting corner. The guards drew their weapons and were cut down in a hailstorm of blaster fire.
Sando led the sprint down to the end of the corridor to the Bridge. He placed his hand over the palm plate. The door slid open in time for them to hear Kai yell, “FIRE!”
Chapter 23
Freedom Station shuddered from stem to stern as Excalibur’s laser cannons lit up her force shields with lethal energy. Dragit Dujon gripped the arms of his command chair and behind him, Admiral Morgan gripped the rail of the observation deck as each blast found its mark.
“All port batteries, fire at will,” said Dujon.
#
Sando Pandel and Medalo Corpus were first to enter the bridge and fought to keep their balance as the first salvo of return fire shook Excalibur. Shots streaked between the warring behemoths. Some collided in a brilliant fireball. Others sped by into endless space. Most hit their target and fought to get through the force shield. Sparks and a tongue of flame spewed from a control panel.
“Shields down to eighty- five percent.”
The initial salvo from Freedom Station sent Qwee reeling. He regained his balance in time to see Kai rise from his chair to bark another order. The Jebhari bolted across the chaotic control room and buried his shoulder in the small of Kai’s back, sending them both crashing to the deck.
“No one moves,” shouted Magnus, leveling his blaster rifle.
Qwee was up first and hit Kai with a roundhouse left fist to the jaw, sending him staggering backwards. Kai regained his footing and sent hard right to Qwee’s head. The big Jebhari blocked the blow with his left forearm and doubled Kai over with a right fist to the stomach. He followed it up with a left to Kai’s head, knocking him to one knee. Another blow to the head sat Kai down. A final, brutal kick to Kai’s face, broke his nose and sent him to his back.
Qwee stood over his conquest looking down at the bloodied face. “No more,” he said and stepped over the unconscious renegade toward his companions.
Medalo hurried to the command chair and keyed the Comm station. “Freedom Station, this is Captain Medalo Corpus, cease fire.”
Excalibur’s crew exchanged places with the hijackers who had taken over their positions. Magnus motioned with his blaster and he and Trace rounded up Kai’s crew and herded them toward a corner of the control room.
* * * *
A jubilant cheer broke out over the bridge of Freedom Station when they heard the voice of Medalo Corpus. William Morgan approached Dragit Dujon with a smile and an extended hand.
“Well Done, Captain.”
Dujon smiled at William. “Thank you, Admiral, but you should save your thanks for whoever’s responsible for getting Excalibur back. I don’t know how Medalo got control of the ship, but I’m sure glad he did.”
“We definitely got a show of her power,” said William.
“Sir, Excalibur is hailing us,” said the Communications Officer.
“Put ‘em through,” said Dujon.
Medalo appeared on the big viewscreen. “Freedom Station, there’s someone here that wants to speak with Admiral Morgan.”
“I’m here, Medalo.”
William smiled when Magnus popped into view in a corner of the screen. “Hello, Admiral. You weren’t worried about us, were you?” Qwee and Trace squeezed in around Magnus. “We’re all okay, we’ll see you soon.”
The screen went blank and William turned his attention to the battle scene outside. The space between the two combatants was now riddled with the debris of destroyed spacecraft. Defender Squadron chased the last remnants of Kai’s fighters into open space. Assured Freedom Station was no longer in danger, the bulk of the Squadron returned to the hangar bay.
* * * *
William stepped from the lift as the pilots were being greeted with backslaps, hugs and handshakes. He extended a few of his own as he passed and spotted Kalar Dumark coming down the ramp of Lady’s Choice.
“Glad to see you back in one piece,” said William, meeting her at the bottom of the ramp. “You were as good a pilot as we had out there today.”
Kalar shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve had a lot of experience dodging Bartoks during the Big War, Sir.”
William turned when Armond Juncker and Basko Zarr joined them. “Well done, gentlemen. Welcome back.”
“Too bad Quentin couldn’t see it,” said Kalar.
“On the contrary,” replied William. “He’s on the Excalibur and probably had a front row seat. And more than likely one of the reasons the battle didn’t last longer.”
The faces of the three companions lit up at the news and they exchanged glances with big smiles.
“I’m sure we’ll hear all about it when he gets back,” said William.
Chapter 24
Qwee, with a blaster rifle across his lap, sat in a chair near the door of the Captain’s Day Room. He locked stares with a shackled Mondo Kai, his face battered and bloodied, sitting in a nearby corner. Qwee silently questioned whether this was truly the end of Kai’s reign of terror.
“You think it’s over, don’t you, Jebhari?” said Kai. His nose was disfigured, obviously broken, and his right eye was swollen nearly shut.
“It’s over for you,” replied Qwee.
Kai smiled. His new battle wounds blending with his already scarred face made it appear more sinister. “It’s not over until they put me in my grave.”
The door slid open, interrupting them and Magnus stepped into the room. “They’re sending a shuttle for Kai,” he said. “We’re supposed to take him to the hanger deck to meet it. He’s going to be held over at Freedom Station for trial.”
Magnus and Qwee stepped over to where Kai sat and they each hooked an armpit and helped the big man to his feet.
“Your chariot awaits,” said Magnus and they escorted him out the door.
All eyes were on Kai as he shuffled across the room. He stopped in front of Sando Pandel standing at the bridge entrance. “You’ll pay painfully for betraying me,” said Kai and he spit in Sando’s face.
“Let’s go,” said Qwee and pushed Kai through the hatch.<
br />
Sando slowly wiped his face with his shirt sleeve.
* * * *
William Morgan stepped from the shuttle and waited at the bottom of the shuttle ramp as Kai approached with his escort.
“Finally, I get to meet the infamous, Mondo Kai,” he said. “A bit battered, I must say.”
Kai locked eyes with William, but remained silent. The Admiral turned to the two armed guards standing beside him. “Take Kai back to Freedom Station and show him to his plush accommodations. I’ll return later.”
Magnus and Qwee turned over custody of their prisoner and watched Kai shuffle up the ramp.
“Doesn’t look so ominous now, does he?’ said William as Kai ducked into the shuttle.
The ramp raised and they backed up to allow the shuttle to depart. “Now I’d like to meet the mastermind of Excalibur’s recovery,” said William.
“Follow me,” said Magnus and led William and Qwee to the lift.
When the doors reopened William followed the two Freelancers down the corridor to the bridge. He stepped through the hatch and was immediately whisked back to his days as a Star Cruiser Captain. Every visit to the fleet started the adrenaline flowing, reminding him of the days of new discoveries and fierce battles.
“Admiral on Deck!”
“As you were,” said William, waving the crew back down into their seats. Medalo Corpus was the first of the crew he met.
“I don’t know how you did it, Medalo,” said William, returning the Captain’s salute and then extending his hand. “But, welcome back.”
Medalo smiled and nodded toward the rear of the room where Sando Pandel, Rena Clayton and Trace Brodine stood. “There’s who you should be thanking. Sando sent the messages you were getting and he and Rena broke us out of the lock-up.”
William stepped over to the trio, looked at each of them in turn, and then smiled. “I think with a good word from the Commander-In-Chief of the Federation Navy, we can convince the court that what you did here will overshadow anything you were forced to do under duress. You were under duress, weren’t you?”
They all looked at each other with big smiles and Trace put his arm around Rena. They all shook hands with William. “I occasionally flaunt my power to prove to myself that I still have it,” added William.
“What will happen now?” asked Qwee.
William turned to the Jebhari. “Kai will get a trial by jury. It will be held here at Freedom Station. Then, Kai will be dealt with according to the findings of the court.”
“Hopefully, the galaxy can, then, return to normal,” said Magnus.
“Yeah, until another Mondo Kai decides to try his luck,” said Trace, putting a fresh cigar in the corner of his mouth.
Chapter 25
The news of Kai’s capture and impending trial spread through the galaxy like a comet. The day of the trial, the small courtroom overflowed. In all the establishments on the concourse, patrons huddled around vidscreens.
Because of the circumstances, Dragit Dujon declined the offer to be judge and a replacement was chosen, by lottery, from a pool of Galactic Judges. The jury was also chosen by lottery, one from each of the twelve worlds of the Federation. They all arrived two days before the trial and were assigned rooms on the military level of the hotel.
William arrived in the courtroom accompanied by Brick Stanton and they both took seats at the prosecution table.
A door opened to the right of the courtroom and Mondo Kai shuffled in with an armed escort, chains dragging the floor from his hands and feet.
The time between capture and trial had all but healed Kai’s battered face. The swelling in his right eye was gone and the bruises and scrapes had disappeared. All that remained of the beating Qwee gave him was the grossly disfigured nose.
“All rise,” said the guard at the door to the left of the judge’s bench.
Everyone in the courtroom stood as the judge entered the courtroom. All, that is, except for Kai, who remained seated with an arrogant stare on his face.
Ooma Moksa, Kai’s counselor, looked down at the big man. “Kai, stand up,” he pleaded. Kai looked up at Moksa, then resumed his position. The judge threw a long, hard stare Kai’s way before seating himself on the bench.
“What’re you doing,” said Moksa, sitting down next to his client. “Don’t make this any tougher than it already is.”
The guard opened the door marked JURY ROOM and the twelve jurors entered the room in single file, never looking toward Kai.
“Members of the jury,” the judge began, when the last member of the jury was seated. “We are here to establish whether or not Mondo Kai has committed crimes against the Galactic Federation and its member worlds. Listen carefully to each witness, for it is you who will determine whether he’s guilty or innocent.”
The judge turned to the courtroom. “Are you ready to proceed, Admiral?”
“I am, Your Honor.”
“Call your first witness.”
William rose from his seat. “The Federation calls Sando Pandel to the stand.”
A guard in the back of the room poked his head into a nearby room and Sando soon strode down the aisle to the witness stand. He raised his right hand, was sworn in and sat down in the padded chair.
“State your name for the record, please,” said the judge and when Sando answered, he nodded toward William.
The Admiral left the table and stepped toward Sando. “Mister Pandel, were you ever in the employ of Mondo Kai?”
“I was.”
“In what capacity?”
“I guess I was what you would call his right hand man.”
“Were you with him at Bendia on the day in question?”
“I was.”
“Tell the court what happened that day.”
Sando described the trip to Balta and all the events leading up to the attack.
“And where was Mondo Kai during the assault on Bendia?” asked William.
“He was sitting in the command chair on the bridge of Excalibur coordinating the attack.”
Kai’s eyes never left Sando as he listened to his former partner’s testimony.
“No more questions, Your Honor,” said William and he stepped back to the Prosecution’s table.
The judge looked in the direction of the defense table. “Mister Moksa.”
Ooma Moksa stood up and stepped slowly toward Sando, his hands clasped behind his back. “You know what a duster is, Mister Pandel?”
“I do.”
“Would you mind telling the court?”
“It’s someone who’s hooked on Stardust.”
“And what is Stardust?”
“Objection,” said William. “Relevance.”
Ooma turned toward the judge. “I’m trying to show state of mind, Your Honor.”
“I’ll allow it,” said the judge. “Answer the question, Mister Pandel.”
“Stardust is an addictive powdered spice.”
“Did you know Mondo Kai was a duster, Mister Pandel?”
“No, Sir, I didn’t.”
“But, you were, as you called it, his right hand man. Isn’t that something you would notice?”
“I noticed a change in his attitude, but I thought it was just this power quest he was on.”
“His mad quest for power,” said Moksa. He turned his back on Sando. “No more questions, Your Honor.”
And it continued this way for three more days. Admiral Morgan would call witnesses and Ooma Moksa would try to make them say Kai was unstable. All the time, Mondo Kai sat at the defense table, never moving, never talking.
Finally, after four days, the judge put Kai’s fate in the hands of the jury. They retired to the jury room to ponder the evidence.
William left word with the court that he would be in his quarters. He gave Brick Stanton’s court communicator to Magnus to let them know when a verdict was reached and he led his Freelancers toward a nearby cafeteria.
Four hours later, William’s communicator chimed. He sh
ook Brick who lay snoring on the sofa.
“It’s time.”
* * * *
Within an hour the courtroom was filled again. Everyone rose when the judge entered and took his customary position. “Bring in the jury,” he said and the guard opened the jury room door.
They entered in single file like they’d always done and sat in the chairs they’d become accustomed to. The judge looked at the pad handed to him by the guard and set it aside. “Have you reached a verdict?” he said to the standing jury captain.
“We have, Your Honor.”
“What say you?’
The jury captain took a quick look over at Kai, who was sitting as he always did, before he answered.
“We, the jury, find the defendant, Mondo Kai, guilty of all crimes against the worlds of the Galactic Federation.”
A few men jumped up and raced toward the door as a loud buzz filled the room that nearly drowned out the banging of the judge’s gavel.
“No!” bellowed Kai, as he slowly rose from his seat. “NO!”
“Silence!” shouted the judge, banging his gavel as hard as he could. “Silence or I’ll clear this courtroom!”
The guards around the room braced for the worst until the buzz finally quieted down. The judge turned to the jury. “The jury is excused and the Federation thanks you for your service.”
Ooma Moksa stood up beside his client when the judge turned to the defense table. “Mondo Kai, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers…”
“Peers?” shouted Kai. “I have no peers!”
The judge pounded his gavel again, sending the head of it flying. He pointed the broken end at the defense table. “Mister Moksa, if you don’t control your client, I’m going to hold you in contempt.”
Moksa whispered to Kai, who stood staring at the judge.
“You have been found guilty of crimes against the worlds of the Galactic Federation,” continued the judge. “You are hereby sentenced to the Zendara Penal Planet where you will be, first mind wiped, and then confined until such time that the Federation thinks you are no longer a danger to the civilized worlds of this Galaxy.”
