Lincoln, the enthusiastic investigator he was, was glued to the confrontation, waiting expectantly to be a part of the discussion and investigate whatever he could for the court even if Boone needed to be apprehended. He did not know Lieutenant Sa’vo had already apprehended him.
Boone swallowed the lump in his throat and answered, “Sirs, I am very afraid right now. I don’t know if I should be…” He gasped. “Be locked up forever and the device stays hidden, or if I should actually believe what you say. You say one thing and do another. You think none of this danger and violence is connected but everything that has happened in the past… months maybe, are all connected. They are at war with us! I wish you could see that!”
“We understand,” Jaku replied. “But…”
Boone interrupted, “Prime, please! Listen. There is something going on bigger than just Cumi. The royal palace was being watched, Zay'Geis and his scientists were abducted, the compound on Ta’Jeon needs investigating, on Arkitrosis – in the Blue Spire, Axeons were watching the communications, Axeons were on the Sim-Sa Gale! Then there is the compound on Isoter, and they are involved…”
Jaku held up his hand and quieted Boone. Jaku folded his hands together and rested them gently on his waist. He bowed his head toward the young drifter and sighed.
“Boone, I am not a fool. I know what you are saying. We truly did believe you were the cause of much trouble. That has not proven to be true and we will investigate all of that. Right now, we have our hands full with the Ambulas. But, Boone, we also believe you were treated unfairly, by us, earlier. You were exonerated of all charges and you were right about us.”
Jaku turned to Manias Rosen.
Rosen said, “Boone, the court apologizes to you and your friends. We apologize for the way we treated you all.”
Prime Dorn from Xeraxes stood. “Boone, we heard your requests and yes, indictments against us. We are going to look into these compounds you described on Ta’Jeon and Isoter and this network of evil. What you told us now has merit. We are sorry, Boone. We are sorry for doubting you and sorry for treating you as one of them.”
Boone’s head bowed, he drew in a deep breath, his eyes moistened, and his hand trembled as he wiped his face in disbelief. He let out a long sigh. He started to believe the sincere apologies of the court and for the first time in weeks, he felt completely exonerated. It overwhelmed him. Terra smiled.
Prime Manias added, “Boone. Boone Nova, from the Court of Primes, we truthfully and humbly say, thank you. Thank you for helping and stopping Cumi Bak-Suna and the gamma weapon.”
As Boone’s tear slowly trickled down his face, a whimper was heard. Everyone heard it and looked. Phia and Lorin stood in the doorway. Lorin quickly strolled over to Boone and embraced him. Phia quickly followed and stood next to her.
Lorin was dressed in royal attire and fit for a discussion with the court. Her hair was adorned with tiny rows of blue flowers that weaved in and around a few braids. The same tiny blue flowers flowed down the front and sides of her beautiful yellow dress. The outfit was completed by a multi-colored sash that gently circled her waist. Lorin looked at the court's hologram, glowing brightly and taking up the entire room.
“Sirs, please excuse my rudeness. I overheard and was captivated by your honesty and humility.” She nodded to the court in respect. “I am overjoyed by your remarks and concern for Boone. Please forgive my boldness to invite myself into your discussion.”
Prime Jaku gave a wave of his hand in acknowledgment and invited her into the discussion.
“Sirs, something very important has just come to light. Investigator DeKator hasn’t had time to inform you but I see you now and I will inform you myself.” She quickly glanced at Boone, Lincoln, and Terra then the court, “Sirs, Jurias Kwelling told us there truly is someone overseeing all of these attacks and destruction. There is a lone insurrectionist in charge of a larger network of spies and treachery.”
“Boone mentioned this pirate lord,” Jaku said.
“Prime, yes,” Lorin replied. “But, it is not a pirate lord, it is a pirate queen.”
Everyone studied each other’s expression as they all acknowledged disbelief.
“A pirate queen? Ms. Ta’mian, that sounds absurd.”
“Yes, I know, Prime.”
Prime Dorn added, “I’m ready to believe anything these days. How do we find this queen? Can we confirm it?”
No one answered as they all thought about the notion for several moments. They were still trying to comprehend it all.
Boone, still in disbelief, uttered, “The network of evil was not run by a man named, Sabin… nor a man named, Jurias Kwelling, like I thought. Now it could be someone else. Perhaps someone worse.”
Jaku replied, “Boone, please? The device. Don’t you see how needful it is to us right now? We can’t do anything about this pirate queen right now, but we can stop the Ambulas!”
“Sir, just one question. Doesn’t it belong to O'bipherion? Has Prime Ta’mian agreed with your request?”
Lorin answered, “Yes, Boone. My father understands the need for this device but he as well as you are afraid to trust just anyone.”
Prime Jaku asked again, “Are you willing to trust us?” Prime Jaku quickly rephrased the question, “No, Boone? Instead, who among us would you trust to retrieve the device?”
Boone’s mind immediately went back to the short conversation he just had with his mom. Particularly, he recalled her favorite verse. Though Boone had been separated from his mom for years, he still remembered her verse, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” His mom had tried to make her favorite verse Boone’s personal verse.
Boone glanced at everyone in his room – Lincoln, Kola, Phia, Lorin, and Terra, wondering what to do. They smiled at him. Then he studied Prime Jaku and the others. Every prime seemed to be sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for an answer. “How ironic,” Boone thought. They were the rulers of the seven solar systems and kept the constellation running smoothly – he knew he was a space drifter, a junk dealer, and the lowest of the lowly. He felt moved by their humility.
“Primes, I will help you. I will hand over the device if we can agree on some things.”
The court breathed a great sigh of relief and smiles broke out among them. They began to murmur amongst themselves and discuss the device. Jaku clasped his hands together and gleamed at Boone.
“Very well,” Jaku said. “Now, what are the things we need to agree on?”
“Sir, Primes, please? I ask this as humbly as I can… I… I… I trust my friends. And I trust this investigator, right here next to me. Investigator Je’en.”
Phia immediately made a rude noise with her throat, covering her mouth with her hand and getting Boone’s attention. Everyone looked at her and chuckled.
Phia uttered, “He also trusts me!” She nervously ran her hand through her long blond hair.
Boone glared at her, “I don’t trust you! You wanted to take me…” then Boone quieted, realizing he was surrounded by the court.
“Boone,” Jaku stated. “That would be wise. But we must include other High Guard members in the retrieval of the device. In case something happens to you.”
“Yes, Prime. I’m trying to think.”
“Officer DeKator,” Terra said as she got Boone’s attention. “I trust him completely.”
Boone's eyes fell onto the man to his left – Lincoln. He was the constellation’s chief investigator. Though Boone feared his prowess, he trusted Terra completely. If Terra vouched for him then it was enough for him. Boone also looked at Kola. He was quiet and listening to every word and quite capable of defending anyone he was assigned to. He was the 5th prime’s personal guard officer.
“Kola?” Boone asked. “I trust your team. Are you interested?” Kola gleamed and nodded.
Boone looked at Lincoln. “Investigator DeKator, you’ve read the reports?”
“Not all of them but most. Boone,
I’d like to hear more, from you personally. The reports don’t tell all. Know what I mean?”
Boone nodded, “Do you think you could ‘work’ with someone like me?”
Lincoln smiled and nodded, “If we can ‘agree on some things.’” He chuckled.
“Oh!” Boone replied as he chuckled.
Boone asked while also addressing the court. “Primes, would this please you? My team, working with Officer Kola’s team, and your two investigators, Terra Je’en and Lincoln DeKator?”
“Uh, um!” a raspy voice exclaimed from his bedside. She gently and softly whispered, “Remember, I’ve apprehended you.”
“And this investigator, as well,” Boone added.
The entire court, fully understanding what Phia was doing, burst out laughing. Jaku was gleaming with satisfaction.
Jaku boldly declared, “Primes, I motion we allow this team Boone has recommended to retrieve the device.” The court quickly replied unanimously to allow it. Prime Jaku added, “Boone, please requisition whatever you need. You can use any ship in our fleet.”
“Uh, Sir, I just need my ship,” Boone answered.
“Your ship? You don’t mean that old Zenith Class gunship. Do you? Why that’s…”
“Sir, I need the Night Star! I now she’s old but she is more than capable. Trust me.”
The court stared at one another considering the foolish request. They all murmured.
“Boone,” Giban said. “Do you know how fast and powerful our intergalactic runners are?”
Boone answered, “Sirs, you make the same mistake many others have when confronting my Night Star.”
“Oh?” he asked.
Boone nodded and said, “They all underestimate her.”
Prime Jaku nodded as did the rest of the court. “Well, we hope you know what you’re doing. We will trust you on this but we will all be watching very closely to monitor your success.”
Boone added, “Sirs, there is more. I must be allowed to make the decisions and run the mission my way. You can trust that I will serve you faithfully.”
They all nodded and allowed Boone to retrieve the device with the help of their investigators, deliver it to the Sim-Sa Gale, and stop the Ambulas from doing more destruction. The hologram ended and Boone received looks of wonder and speculation as to what just happened.
Kola asked, “Boone? When is this going to happen? What’s next?”
Boone looked at him and answered, “I’m still trying to think about it. I can’t believe we just met with the court! I’ve got a lot to do.”
Lincoln said, “I’ve never met with them. You’ve met with them twice? I’m impressed, Boone.”
Boone replied, “Well, the first meeting did not go too well! If you know what I mean.”
Phia added, “Weren’t you ‘wanted’ after that meeting.”
Terra answered, ‘Yes, but it was for strafing Copiannis!”
“That’s over,” Boone said. He looked at Terra and asked, “When are you scheduled to be released? We’d have to be ready to leave, uh… now! If we can!”
Lincoln said, “Well, Boone, I’ve not been briefed about this device. I was told by the court a week ago it was very special, it was top secret, it could possibly move a ship, and you have it? Really? What is it?”
Phia also wanted to know. Boone scratched his head. He answered, “I guess you’ll find out later but,” he glanced at the crowd of doctors and nurses outside his room.
Just then the doctors and nurses entered the room. They saw the hologram end and they all began chatting with Lincoln, Phia, Terra, Kola, and Boone. They especially wondered about the reason for the private visit.
Terra’s doctor, having been updated, said, “Well, Terra, you’ve just begun your physical therapy on your leg. You can hardly walk on it right now. I wouldn’t suggest leaving for weeks!”
Terra, upset by the report, quickly stood. She walked from one side of the room to the other, not missing a step, not stumbling in the least, and not faltering in any way. Her shoulder-length hair, in a short stubby ponytail, bobbed back and forth as she strutted. She stood before the doctor and seemed completely whole in every way.
“Hmm,” he replied. “You’re hiding the pain very well. Aren’t you?”
She nodded repeatedly, biting her lower lip, holding in the pain as best she could. “Yeah,” she blurted. “I’m holding it in pretty well. I’d say.”
“Then… I suppose you will want those pain meds – to-go?”
“Please, doctor. I need to go.”
He huffed, “Well, lay down and we’ll have a better look at that leg and see how it’s doing.”
He pointed to her bed and she promptly laid down. He motioned for a nurse to gather some things she would need before leaving. They checked all of her burns, permanently removed what bandages they could, and gave her explicit instructions about her wounds.
As the room was still filled with doctors, nurses, Kola, Lincoln, Boone, Phia, Lorin, and Terra - in her bed being treated, his friends arrived and became startled when they glared through the window and into the room. Boone saw the wide-eyed expressions of Pryce, Mace, and Jona. He also noticed the concern on Pryce’s face. Boone waved at them and smiled, indicating to them that everything was OK. They squeezed through the small crowd of people and gathered around his bed. Boone’s bed was now surrounded by a host of friends and investigators.
“What’s wrong with Terra,” Pryce quickly asked.
“Nothing. She just… uh… Pryce, she’s getting ready to go.”
“Go?” Jona asked. “Boone! What happened? Why is everyone in here and where is she going?”
Boone, Lincoln, Lorin, Phia, and Kola chuckled. Boone smiled at them.
“Boys, up for a little mission? Sanctioned by the Court of Primes?”
Chapter 10
Captain Eisen sat in his command chair aboard the Sim-Sa Gale. Commander J'Dar sat in the XO’s chair because he had no choice. The fleet commander did just that, command the fleet. The captain ran the ship. Commander J'Dar wanted to do both and he very much wanted the command chair. They were watching the imminent rescue of 271 life pods. The 471 High Guard runners, having passed by them and proceeding toward the pods would be able to rescue them much more safely than the massive battlecruiser. Commander J'Dar also assumed the Ambulas would allow the rescue. The runners were forty-seven minutes away from the pods. The Sim-Sa Gale would have to wait for nearly half-a-day for the pods to be brought on board. The care and concern for those within the small pods caused great stress for everyone.
Captain Eisen asked his NAV, “Time to pods?”
“Forty-seven minutes, Sir,” Ms. Ellswood answered. “The Ambulas has not moved from the Ganes Trek. It’s still gathering the cargo.”
As the runners were making their approach, Braxton, temporary captain of the Ambulas, received a communiqué from one of the moons orbiting Isoter. It was in the form of an infrared pulsed data burst. The Ambulas had to remain in a fixed position in order for the communiqué, via a laser beam, to work.
“Queen?” Braxton exclaimed, perplexed about his present situation. “Where have you been? The Sim-Sa Gale is not coming! They’ve launched hundreds of High Guard runners!”
“Ju’is, calm down. Where are you?” she softly and patiently uttered. “Tell me what’s happening.”
“I have followed your every order. The Sim-Sa Gale is not coming. We’ve not been able to target her but once. 471 High Guard runners are about to rescue 271 life pods from the Ganes Trek. We have her cargo. Most of it, I’d say. I’m sorry… but…”
“Ju’is, it’s alright. It was our hope you could target her but they are clever as well. This is what I want you to do…”
After collecting most of the cargo the Ganes Trek expelled into space, Braxton received new orders. Rena ignited the engines of her small space gunner and launched from the small moon orbiting Isoter and headed back to the ranch house to see how her search was going.
Braxton
turned toward his WEAPS officer. With trepidation in his voice, he uttered, “Target one of the life pods.”
…
Meanwhile, at the ranch house on Isoter, seventeen teams, three pirates in each team, began a systematic search for the teleportation device. They launched out in every direction. Their progress would be slow as they would search every square foot of the property.
From the courtyard, Jak and Nell decided to follow what appeared to be a trail winding toward the mountain where Rena and Aderian had their previous kukupa encounters. They set out for the small mountain and started following it upward. While keeping a close watch out for the kukupas, they discovered the trail went all the way to the top. After reaching the top and looking over they saw the trail weave down the other side of the mountain and into a valley. They summoned another team to follow them. The trail on the other side of the mountain ended. Boulders, large stones, and slippery slopes were all that remained of the trail. But, they also saw caves and caverns throughout the length of the valley below. Jak and Nell then summoned everyone to the caves.
Due to the rocky landscape, and to avoid scaling the mountain, the teams decide to travel east from the courtyard then north into the valley. The teams split up at a small river so they could search both sides. One team bravely descended down the mountain from Jak and Nell’s position, navigating over and around large sharp stones, big boulders, and narrow paths. An hour passed.
“Stop!” one of the pirates ordered. He grabbed his COM. “Aderian! Copy?”
Aderian coordinated the search from the courtyard. He sat in a chair next to a table with a large hand-drawn map, carefully monitoring everyone’s progress.
“What is it!” anticipating someone had found the device.
“I found a footprint! It was in a muddy place. All dried up right now.”
“Keep following it,” Aderian said.
Jak asked, “Where are you?”
“One-hundred yards below the spot you showed us and north from you.
BOONE NOVA AND THEPIRATE QUEEN Page 9
