“Guess Brent was keeping them too busy to bother with the likes of us.”
“I hear that edge of disappointment. Don’t tell me you wanted to be on the front lines, Jack.”
“Not really, although it was frustrating knowing I couldn’t help in any way.”
“Not everyone helps out by carrying a rifle,” a voice called out to the two men.
Nathan turned to face the voice and vigorously shook the hand of its owner. Jack saluted, only to have Nathan nudge him forcibly in the side. After a moment’s pause, Jack stiffly bowed like a tripod to the newcomer.
“That gesture doesn’t suit you at all, Weaver Davis.”
“Call me Jack.”
He extended his hand.
“Jack then,” Brent said with a smile as he took the hand and shook it with much less vigor than Nathan had just done.
“Sorry we missed the wedding,” Nathan said apologetically. “We got here as quickly as we were able.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Brent said, chuckling. “Cain had the whole thing put on 3P; plans to sell them like souvenirs.”
“Some people never change,” Angela said, patting him on the shoulder. “Although, he means well.”
“You look different, my dear,” Nathan said warmly.
“I hope you meant that as a compliment,” she said darkly.
“I do! I do!” he said reassuringly.
“She’s playing with you, Nathan,” Jack said with a smile. “Remember, she can feel your emotions.”
Angela grinned mischievously. Nathan’s eyes widened briefly before he started laughing.
“Sounds like you are all enjoying yourselves,” Cain said with a wide grin.
“Brent tells us you’ve got a 3P we might be interested in,” Nathan said with almost as large a grin. “I hope you’ll cut us a fair deal.”
“For the Administer who let me get away with so much? It’s on the house.”
“So you can be generous,” Angela nudged Cain.
“And spontaneous.”
Cain took her hand and kneeled.
“Since the universe isn’t going to end and all that,” Cain asked, slipping a ring over Angela’s finger, “would you mind marrying me?”
In the center of the ring was a single, overly expensive looking gem that obviously wasn’t an imitation. She stared at Cain and the ring, unable to speak. Jack leaned over and tapped his shoulder.
“That’s a yes,” he whispered into Cain’s ear.
“All right,” Doug shouted at a grating level, obviously intoxicated, “who’s hogging the groom?”
Brent shifted uneasily as Doug tripped and almost fell on top of him. A single, strong arm grabbed his collar before he ran into Brent and steadied him.
“Sorry about that,” Mr. Springate said with a smile as he held Doug still. “He wandered away from me.”
“Dougie, you causing problems?” Marie asked, joining them. “Hey Cain, why are you kneeling like that. Don’t tell me you’re drunk too. Wait a second. What’s that on Angela’s . . . would you look at that! That thing must be worth a year’s credits!”
Marie quickly closed the distance and started examining the ring on Angela’s finger.
“Where’s Liz?” Brent asked.
“Where she always is when she’s not clinging to me,” Marie said, not taking her eyes off the gem.
“Where’s that?” Nathan asked, not understanding.
“Clinging to my bride,” Brent said with a smile.
“Administer!” Tyra said, quickly saluting. “I had no idea you’d be here.”
“It’s not every day you get to celebrate the wedding of a dead man,” Jack said, chuckling.
“Dead man?” Kindra asked. “Who’s dead?’
“Brent. Officially he’s listed as killed in action,” Sanderson explained. “Last I heard there was a monument or something being constructed in his honor.”
“As long as he keeps a low profile,” Ronald said, nodding, “the Commonwealth should leave him alone.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard for you. Right, sir?” Dante asked with a smile.
“I don’t know about that,” Erin snickered. “Asking Brent to lay low is like asking Cain not to run scams . . . Would you look at the size of that rock!”
“I thought we already had a wedding,” Penny said.
“The more the merrier,” Owen said, limping over.
“How’s the leg?” Brent asked.
“Hurts a bit, but they say it’s good for a doctor to be operated on at least once – know what it feels like on the other side.” He smiled as he shifted his weight off his bad leg.
“I never would have believed the Shards took prisoners if I wasn’t looking at one with my own eyes,” Jack said in amazement.
“They didn’t at first!” Hiroko said, possessively perched on his shoulder. “My Owen had to fight off an endless horde of Slashers until they finally decided to keep us.”
“It wasn’t really as spectacular as she makes it out to be,” he said, blushing in embarrassment.
“No need to be humble, Owen!” Marie said, patting both Hiroko and Owen on the back. “You saved half the crew of the Harbinger. I hear you are up for a medal or two.”
“I didn’t really . . .”
“Owen, do you really think you’ll convince them otherwise?” Rhea asked with a smile.
“You’ve got a better chance of making Humphrey speak clearly,” Hiroko said, sticking out her tongue.
“Hey!” Humphrey mumbled, chuckling. “I resemble that remark.”
“Wait a minute,” Doug said in a slurred voice. “When did all of you get here?”
“We’ve been here for a while, Dougie,” Marie said with a sigh. “You’re the one who’s not all here.”
“Really? When does the rest of me show up? He’s missing a great party!”
The troopers chuckled as Mr. Springate let Doug fall to the ground. A sudden hush fell over the group. Cain let out a wolf whistle as the last few joined them. Liz gestured for him to be quiet as she pulled Cassandra along. She blushed a deep apple red at all the attention.
“I told you I should have gotten out of this dress first,” Cassandra complained. “I’m about to die from embarrassment.”
“There is no need to be embarrassed my dear,” Nathan said, bowing politely to Cassandra, “you look absolutely stunning.”
“I know you mean well, Administer,” Cain said with the blissful smile of an idiot, “but I think you just made her worse. I think she’s about to explode!”
“Be quiet, Cain,” Liz said, berating him. “I think she’s lovely, too!”
“I agree,” a small girl said, running up and clinging to Brent’s left leg. “She is the perfect companion for father. I’m glad she wasn’t harmed by the Slashers.”
“Father?” Jack asked, rising an eyebrow.
“Think of her as an adopted daughter.” Brent shrugged to Jack.
Brent smiled as he patted Eighth’s head. Jack cast a scrutinizing gaze over the young girl.
“So where are you two off to now?” Nathan asked quickly.
“A tour of the Commonwealth,” she said excitedly.
“Cassandra has always wanted to travel and see the sights,” he said with a smile.
“And what better wedding present than an all expenses paid trip?” Alden said, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder.
“What a romantic honeymoon!” Liz said, sounding giddy.
“A honeymoon with a kid tagging along?” Tyra asked. “I’ve got first hand experience with romantic settings, and that’s not part of the package.”
Ronald tried to conceal his blushing. Brent realized he’d never gotten the exact details out of the pair about their experience with the “romance” 3P. Cain smiled and ruffled the little girl’s hair.
“I don’t think she’ll get in the way,” Cain said to the little girl a wink. “You know better, don’t you?”
“I’ll be preparing their home
while they are away,” Eighth said, blushing slightly under Cain’s attention.
“So, you’ve figured out where you are going to stay?” Nathan asked.
“There is this charming little university on Cassandra’s homeworld,” Brent said, smiling to himself. “Thought I’d settle down and teach some history.”
The other troopers tilted their heads and raised eyebrows, not understanding.
“Sounds . . .” Dante was lost for words.
“Boring,” Liz said, pushing Cassandra next to Brent. “Then again, after saving the Commonwealth, maybe some time off will do you two some good.”
“Well, enough of this seriousness,” Rhea said, snatching the half-consumed bottle out of Doug’s hand. “Let’s celebrate!”
The troopers and guests all cheered in agreement. After several hours of dancing, drinking, and other entertainment, the evening came to an end. With a mixture of tears, hugs, and promises to meet again, the troopers said their goodbyes. Cain had been the one to suggest the Commonwealth tour to Alden, and it had sounded like everything Cassandra had ever dreamed of. Cain often made fun of her, but he obviously knew more about her than he let on. As Brent entered the drop pod, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was his way of apologizing for giving her a hard time back in the academy. Gentle warmth rested on his hand. A sensation he had once thought he’d never feel again.
“You look lost in thought,” Cassandra said, sitting down next to him.
“You must be used to that,” he said, smiling.
“For a while I didn’t think I’d ever see that expression again. Or anything else for the matter.”
“No regrets?” he asked holding her hand.
“None,” she said, blushing at the tenderness in his voice. “I had no idea what I was in for when I first saw you.”
“No one can know what the future holds, but I have a pretty good idea,” Brent said, kissing her neck.
“Do tell,” Cassandra said giggling.
“Wherever we might be headed, I’m sure the destination is a glorious place.”
###
Other Works
Available now:
A Lighter Touch
The Ninth
Coming soon:
The Ninth - Reavers
About the Author
Benjamin Schramm grew up in a mountain community in the dark times before the internet. There wasn’t a great deal to do on the hill and weekly trips down the mountain to procure supplies were just a fact of life. To expose him and his sister to the outside world, his mother made a point to treat them to a movie when time and money allowed. Films led to novels and before long the works of the great masters of science fiction changed his perspective on life.
While not the original path he imagined for himself, Benjamin Schramm now spends his hours translating the worlds and people his imagination dreams up to the written page. His one hope in life is that others find the same enjoyment in his works as he found the first time he was introduced to the universes of those that first paved the path of science fiction.
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I hope you enjoyed reading my book as much as I had creating it. If you want to find me online, or hear about future works, you can:
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Storm
Chapter 2: Deriso
Chapter 3: Escalation
Chapter 4: The Subira
Chapter 5: Psych Projection Play
Chapter 6: The Cargo Bay
Chapter 7: Sickbay
Chapter 8: Journey’s End
Chapter 9: Eos
Chapter 10: Dinner Guests
Chapter 11: The Harbinger
Chapter 12: Reloas
Chapter 13: The Real Battle
Chapter 14: The Bluff
Chapter 15: The Gamble
Chapter 16: The Future
Other Works
About the Author
Connect with the Author
The Ninth: Invasion Page 47
