by Frank Carey
"Name it."
"I'm sending you shipping specs. I need to know if anything remotely matching these specs has left Ventos Prime in the last three days. I need shipper ID, destination, and receiver ID."
"Hold on..."
Harm sat back and watched his sister fidget. "Most of my contacts wouldn't know Lucien Irithyl from a French mime named Marceau. I promise, I'm not having a dissociative episode."
"Harm?"
"I'm here, Clivus. What do you have for me?"
"One ship left approximately twenty-four hours ago from Ventos to Earth with cargo matching your specs and carrying twelve souls including a human women dressed in a cocktail dress. My informant tells me the human looked smashed. I'm sending you the footage from a security camera. It's grainy, and it was taken at night."
"Ship's name?"
"ETV Southern Cross."
"Registry Number?"
Clivus reeled off a string of numbers and letters as Lucien jotted them down.
"Destination?"
"Jack Simpson Space Port, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, Earth. They should have landed by now."
"Great. Clivus, one more thing. I'm no longer Harmon Aymar. I now go by Prince Lucien Irithyl."
Clivus laughed, but stopped when he saw something off-vid. He reached over, grabbed it, and brought it back, staring slack-jawed at today's newspaper. He slowly turned it to show a picture of Lucien walking out of a government building surrounded by the press. The caption was, "Prince Lucien Signs Treaty..." "By all that's holy. Is that... That..."
"My sister, Queen Losira, standing next to me? Yes, Clivus, this beautiful woman is Queen Losira. Buddy, all markers have been cleared. I would be more than grateful if you kept this conversation under your hat, OK?"
Clivus nodded as his mouth gaped even more."
"Bye, Clivus," Lucien said before hanging up. He typed the numbers into an e-mail to Security Chief Netalla and added a copy of the file Clivus sent him. After sending it, he opened the video and ran it frame by frame. "That's Marta's dress, he said as he pointed to the inebriated woman. For a single frame, he could see her face. "And that's Marta. Losi, you need to liaise with Neta and find out everything you can about the rest of these people."
"What are you going to do?" Losira asked.
"Go save your wife and retrieve the system," Jewel said while walking out of the closet.
"How long have you been in there?" Lucien asked.
"Since you walked in, Brother."
Lucien leaned back in his seat while rubbing the tips of his ears, a sign of deep thought. "I'm going upstairs, then I'm heading to Earth. I hear Australia is wonderful this time of year."
Lucien's two sisters had to run to keep up with him.
Chapter 3 - Reality bites
The battle of the two primes was in full swing when Lucien walked into the room with Losira and Jewel close behind.
"You threw him to the wolves, youngin’," Anne yelled.
"He drove my mother away," Shenda replied as the two women circled one another.
"Shenda, Anne, are you two through?" Lucien asked. The two women broke off hostilities and stepped away from each other as they gave Lucien their undivided attention.
"Good. A weapons system has been stolen..."
"Lucien!" Losira blurted, but stopped when Harm raised his hand.
"...and your mother is involved, possibly complicit, possibly kidnapped. I am going to find her and bring her and the system back here to where they belong. Now, I really don't know what the plark is going on with the five of you, and I have no time to deal with it right now, but when I get back, we are going to have words."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now, Losi is going to arrange a security detail to watch over the family while I'm gone. She will also program the cats to watch over anyone staying here. They will be set to kill, understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent. I hope you all enjoyed this conversation as much as I have."
"Yes, sir," they all replied in unison.
"Losi, Anne, Nels, Jewel, Randy, with me. The rest of you can get back to what you were doing." Lucien walked out with siblings in tow.
Once they were back in his office, Lucien sat down and looked at his siblings. "Losi, this is your op. What do you want me to do?"
She stared at him as if he were a stranger. "No gung-ho, fly by the seat of your pants, chew bubble gum and take names, op?"
Lucien raised an eyebrow. "No. This one has to be by the book. My smuggler days have long since passed?"
"Find your wife and retrieve the weapons system."
"It would help if I knew what the system did?"
"One of our contractors tried to impress us by building a weapon of mass destruction. It's called the Can Crusher and it consists of an orbital laser drill, a delivery system, and a package. The drill bores a hole through a planet's crust and mantle, but stops at the outer core. The delivery system uses a biocrystal powered force field to deliver the package to the center of the planet where an Erdexi portal generator forms, sending a large piece of the inner core out of the system. This causes the planet to disintegrate. When we saw the potential for destruction this device had, we bought it and all files associated with it. Marta and her team were preparing the system for delivery to the Cube for disposal."
Lucien sat back in shock. "How could have this happened? Elves don't have anything to do with WMDs."
"Elves cannot build weapons of mass destruction?" Nels asked.
"Not since Atlantis almost destroyed Earth," Lucien explained. "Since then, we swear an oath to never build a device which could destroy a planet, or even a city. Yes, we participate in war, but only on a limited basis." Lucien placed his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers so he could rest the bridge of his nose on their tips. "I could have so pulled this caper off alone back in the day, but times change, so I'll need help in the form of a geek familiar with hacker ball operation, a pilot familiar with a Morasaki-118-class freighter, and a thief skilled in picking mechanical locks."
His five sibs exchanged glances.
"I can drive the bus," Jewel announced, "but I don't have a license."
"I can issue you one on an emergency basis," Losi said. "I suggest Aerith as your cyberspecialist."
"Do we need to involve the kids? They seem angry at me, especially Shenda."
"Too bad. Aerith is perfect and she can do double duty as copilot. Torren is the perfect thief, and he has extensive experience as navigator. If they're mad at you, then they will just have to get over it." Losi commented.
The four neos disappeared in a blue flash. They returned minutes later. "Torren and Aerith are in."
"You did inform them that I was coming along, didn't you?"
"Stop worrying. It's not them, it's Shenda. Your daughter is on a tear," Anne explained. "Christa, Bobby, and Trent want to get to the bottom of this. It's Shenda who's having a moment."
"Poor Trent, not even married to Christa for a year, and he's having to experience an eruption of Mount Shenda," Losira noted.
"We explained the op in detail. Aerith wants to pick her hacker balls from the secret stash you keep in the den while Torren insists on using your lock pick set."
"Works for me."
###
Lucien and Jewel exited the residence through the back door while Losira and her siblings went upstairs to explain the plan to the others.
The two of them walked over to where his old workshop once stood. Now only a faint outline remained to mark where some of the greatest inventions of the modern League were conceived.
"The groundskeepers have done a remarkable job of restoring the lawn back to its original state," Jewel noted.
"Yes. Remarkable doesn't even begin to describe what has been done here," Lucien said as he knelt down and removed a cover from a green, rectangular irrigation valve box buried just outside the outline. He reached inside and twisted something.
Jewel quickly steppe
d back as the area inside the outline dropped a foot, then split in half. Slowly, the two halves separated as the two giant doors slid under the lawn to reveal a freighter sitting inside a hidden, underground hangar below where the workshop once stood.
"I thought the Conquistador was destroyed on Venecia," Jewel said. As she watched, an elevator platform rose from the base hangar. It stopped next to Lucien.
"It was, spectacularly. This is her sister frame, LTV HA-002. Come on. We don't have a lot of time to pull this caper off." He walked onto the platform while holding out his hand to help her on. She disappeared in a flash of blue light only to appear on the hangar floor next to the ship. "Funny!" he yelled as he proceeded using a more conventional method of transportation.
"Sister ship? Very impressive. Is she as fast as the Conquistador?" Jewel asked as Lucien walked up to her.
"Faster. Improvements have been made to the drive systems, computer systems, and shielding grid. She has twice the range, and half-again the speed and cargo capacity of the Conquistador."
"Why no name?"
"I thought I'd let you name it since it is your graduation gift."
She looked at him, speechless as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. Anne, Randy, Nels, and Losira thought I should put the old girl to good use, but she can't fly without a name."
Jewel thought for a moment. "I'll name it after Shenda. I christen thee 'Grumpy Elfling.'"
Lucien choked. After the spasms passed, he said, "Remind me never to make you angry."
"I'm not angry, just vengeful."
"Let's get going."
###
"Torren, you're not going, and I don't think you should go either, Aerith," Shenda decreed. "It's too plarking dangerous."
"Look, Sis, you're the one having the problem. Mom and Dad need our help, so I'm going," Torren informed her.
"So am I. Why don't you just stop it with the distrust bullshit," Aerith said. "What is it with you and Dad anyway? I thought you had worked things out with him when he almost died from the nanobot infection."
"I can't believe you two. You saw the vid. He left her for a younger woman, an elf for gods' sake!"
"You mean it would have been OK if it were a human? Maybe a Goranthi? Bobby asked, his disgust in his sister's behavior pushing its way past his zen calm.
"Oh, Blow it out your primary vent, Shenda," Aerith said. "She's my mother and he's my dad, and I'm going to help fix this bullshit."
"What the hell are you saying?" Shenda said as her anger grew.
"Silence!" Lucien yelled as he walked into the room. "As God is my witness, I don't know what the hell is going on, but I don't have time to deal with it right now. There are two crates marked 'Toys' in a closet in the den. Grab them and load them aboard Jewel's ship, then make your goodbyes. Daylight's burning! Chop, chop!"
"Ship? What ship?" Shenda demanded.
"The 'Grumpy Elfling.' It's parked on the front lawn," Lucien said as he ran into the kitchen.
Shenda glared at Jewel. "You! You named that ship, didn't you?"
"Of course I did, sweety. I was only thinking of you."
"Enough, you two. Jewel, say your goodbyes, then take this aboard and begin preflight," he said as he handed her a large canvas sack.
"What's this?"
"Snacks for the trip."
"Oh. On it." She headed back to the Elfling, poking around in the sack on the way.
"Aerith, is Dean here?" Lucien asked, referring to Aerith’s husband.
"No. He's away on assignment."
"Then you can record him a message on our way to Earth. Meanwhile, go downstairs and download everything on my den computer onto the Elfling's mainframe."
"Yes, sir."
"Torren, follow Aerith and press the center of your picture that's up on the wall. A cubby will open. Inside are all my old thief tools. Grab what you need, then get aboard, but first, call Adaira and tell her you will return safely."
"Dad..."
"Go! We'll talk on the way to Earth." Lucien walked over to where his sisters and brothers were standing. "We'll be back before you know it."
"Anything you need done while you're gone?" Randy asked.
"Maybe knock some sense into Shenda. Better yet, find out what Marta told her that got her so damned riled."
Nels picked-up an old club from a display case and raised an eyebrow.
"Brother, I'm talking in metaphor." Nels put the club back while looking disappointed.
Lucien kissed his sisters' cheeks, shook his brothers' hands, and hugged his children, even Shenda, before running out the door to the waiting ship.
Anne looked at Losira and saw her knitted brow. "Stop worrying; he'll be fine. Now, how about we do some head knocking?"
"Ooooh, let's," Randy replied.
Chapter 4 - The Flight to Earth
The Grumpy Elfling left orbit and headed towards Earth, eventually moving into FTL once clear of Ventos Prime's gravimetric field. "Computer. ETA Earth orbit?" Jewel asked.
"Six hours, thirty-six minutes, mark."
"Shit!" she, Aerith, and Torren exclaimed.
They looked at Lucien. "Hey, I told you she was fast. Jewel, did Earth get your flight-plan?"
"Yes, brother. Priority pickup of parts from Elven Industries warehouse thirteen. How did you arrange for pickup so quickly?"
"Gloria has pallets of parts prepared ahead of time with pre-filled bills of lading just in case her cousin had a brain poot."
"Handy," Jewel noted.
Lucien grabbed an iced tea from the fridge and headed to the rear cargo hold. "I'm going out back to work on something. Aerith, Torren, your tools are in the cases. Make sure you have everything you need for a caper."
"What are you planning?" Torren asked.
"Don't know for sure, but it will probably involve larceny, pilfering, and illegal accessing of computer systems. Jewel, please forward my calls," he said as he disappeared through the rear hatch.
Seeing the hatch close and latch from the other side, Jewel swung her seat around and leaned back. "So, what the plark is going on? Why is Shenda so pissed at your father?"
"Since when do you sound like my wife?" Torren asked.
"I like the accent, so I borrowed it. The boys like it too."
"She stopped by the ship and told us he left her. She was surprisingly calm. She showed us the note he had left along with evidence."
"She actually told you this crock of shite? He didn't leave her; she left him. He came home and found a 'Dear John' letter lying on their bed."
"She said he's having an affair with some bitch and wanted his freedom."
"You mother is addled. I know this because my sibs and I link with him on a regular basis."
"He could be hiding his bedmate from your link," Torren noted. "My three sibs and I did it all the time."
"You four are rank amateurs compared to us. We read his and Losira's thoughts so deeply, they have to scratch their toes. Remember children, my sibs and I, and your niece and nephew, are neoLogash. Don't believe me? Hold out your hand."
"You can link with people outside your birth-group? That's impossible," Aerith insisted.
"Niece, I've linked with humans, dracos, even a Sokuhl. Your mother hurt Lucien to his very core, and I want to know why. You kids are just acting stupid. What she did was deliberate."
Aerith walked over to a terminal and inserted a thumb drive. Hesitantly, she keyed a command. A video appeared on the screen.
"What is this crap? Look you two, that isn't your father on the screen. Something like that can't be hidden from a link. Hell, even Losira would see it no matter what your mom said. This stinks like yesterday's diapers." The intercom bleeped, interrupting her. "What?!"
"Hey, is everything OK out there? I thought I heard an airlock opening."
Jewel thumbed a switch. "We're watching a movie which I think you need to see..." She turned back to her niece and nephew and found she was alone. Looking up, s
he saw the hatch slowly closing. "Never mind. I think your children are going to show you. Try not to torture them too much. Bridge out."
###
Aerith ran in just as Jewel signed off. "Hey, you two, Jewel said something about a video?"
Aerith gently took the keyboard from Harm and typed a command. "Mom gave this to us. This is why Shenda is so upset."
Harm looked up at the screen and watched as he appeared on the screen. "What the plark is this? Who is that?"
"You mean the girl?" Torren asked.
"No, the guy who looks like me. Shit! Computer. Stop playback. Rewind two seconds. Stop. Enhance section 238 by 447. Zoom five times. Kids, what do you see?"
"Um, dad," Torren said as he averted his eyes.
"Dammit." He tore off his shirt and showed them the large scar on his chest where he took a blaster hit during the incident at Tryton station. "Look at the time stamp on the film. It was shot just before your mom left and well after I got this wound. Computer, enhance section 238 by 632 and zoom. "What's missing?"
"Oh shit!" Aerith exclaimed.
"What? What's missing?" Torren demanded as he studied the frame.
"Two bullet holes from when I helped save Aerith, Tannith, and her class from an invasion force from the grange universe," he said while pointing them out to his son and daughter. "I died from those wounds, yet that person on the screen is scar free! Your mom hates these scars and keeps reminding me to have them removed. Dammit, I've been set up!"
"Lucien, Losira is on the private channel, and she's fit to be tied," Jewel announced over the intercom.
"Put her through."
The intercom crackled, then a familiar voice came on. "Lucien, the kids just showed me a vid..."
"... of me doing the horizontal mambo with someone a third my age?"
"Yes, Lucien, but it isn't you. Mr. Stud doesn't have a single scar on his alabaster body. You're being set up."
"Great minds think alike. You explained this to the kids?"
"Yep, and Shenda is inconsolable."
"Put her on."
"Dad?" Shenda asked between tears as she moved into view of the vid pickup.
"Baby girl, You've been stubborn since the day we first met. Don't worry; we're still good. I promise, we'll all talk this out when I get back. Put Losi back on."
