The Night Star gently lifted off the pad and slowly ascended straight up into the air, gaining height as it thrust upward. Boone glanced at her.
“Phia, I didn’t mean to yell at you, earlier. I’m sorry.” She looked at him and nodded. “I’m a little stressed right now. I do hate the thought of not finding any evidence but I admit, the thought of seeing my parents, seeing my planet again, well…”
“I wondered if I did the right thing by coming here. I admit, I…”
“What did you say? The right thing?”
“Yes, that’s important to me. Can’t you call me Lieutenant?”
Boone studied his position high above the hospital and receive telemetry for exiting the massive city. He banked to his port side and the Night Star jetted away.
“No, I can’t right now. Sorry.”
“Huh? Why?”
He ignored her. She ran her hand through her hair and smirked. “Well, then, where are we going?”
“You’re not going anywhere and you’re not leaving the ship when we get there.”
“Huh?” she replied.
…
“Captain!” Ms. Ellswood exclaimed. “They’re charging again.”
They all watched the five laser turrets of the Ambulas glow and blink.
“Another attempt, Sir. Assessing…” Ellswood said. “That’s seventeen attempts so far, Sir. Eleven attempts on the pods and six attempts on us. Another miss. Thank the Heavens.”
“Yes,” Captain Eisen replied.
“They are very persistent,” Commander J'Dar said. “Ms. Ellswood, we need to know the moment she turns to the pods. The moment she moves. OK? Especially toward us!”
“Yes, Sir. 188 pods retrieved so far and headed our way. The closest one is fifty-seven minutes away from us.”
Commander J'Dar looked at Captain Eisen. They both wanted to move closer and rescue the pods but the Ambulas sat waiting for them to do just that. They had to wait and dance within the corridor to avoid the laser strikes from the Ambulas.
“Sir!” Ms. Ellswood shouted. “The Ambulas! It just edged forward, into the debris!” She turned to face the captain and the commander. “She’s starting to move, Sir.”
…
Nightfall at the ranch house brought with it a dismal mood. As the workers ate they talked about their long day of searching and the handful of young kukupas they had killed. Groups of them harvested the overgrown crop field, built several campfires near the ranch house, and rested.
Rena sat with Aderian, Jak, Nell, and Janek and watched the sun set on the horizon.
“So, Janek,” Rena said. “What did Nova do with the device? You were going to ‘figure’ it out. Did you?”
He took another sip of his drink. “I did figure out some things. One, if this device is as important as you think it is, he’d be a fool to leave it here for anyone to find. Two, if this device is as important as you think it is, he wouldn’t let it out of his sight! I wouldn’t! So, without knowing what the stupid thing is, it’s hard to think beyond that! Three, he tried to hide it, I think.”
“You mean, the cavern?” she asked.
“Yes, the cavern! He tried to hide it. It seems. If I were him, I’d find a dense jungle! Or drop it in a deep lake. I’d say expand your search?” he suggested with sarcasm in his voice. He was acting haughty with her.
She said, “You have an idea. Don’t you?” He nodded his head, yes. Then she said, “Don’t forget, we still have a deal, Janek.” He nodded his head, yes.
Aderian spoke up, “We search the planet. We find a way to enhance the reception of gamma radiation. It has to give off gamma radiation, even on a minute scale. We do that. Right?”
“Yes,” Janek replied. “That is something you can do. I can do something else.”
“Like what?” Nell asked. “Finding that scientist and forcing him again will take a long time. We want it now.”
Rena said, “Not the scientist, Nell. He’s going after Boone Nova. But, I hate to tell you this, I’m sure he’s dead.”
Janek said, “We need to find out. Can you confirm this?”
Rena looked at Jak, “I’ll go,” Jak said. “Who am I contacting?”
“Contact Prevan and get an update.”
Jak took off in his space gunner, landed on a moon, and configured his NAV to project a data burst toward Prevan. Neither moon was rotating which made the data burst easy. What he discovered was horrifying to him. He quickly flew back to the ranch house.
…
The dark green grass in the open field was fluttering back and forth as the warm breeze rushed over it. The Night Star landed nearly a hundred yards from the very old farm house. The cargo ramp descended and Boone and Phia stepped out into a bright sunny morning. Morning had just ended at their previous location but Boone had traveled toward the sunrise and spanned the great distance in minutes.
Behind the farmhouse lay an even larger field with an old leaning barn a great distance away. A distance too far to walk. Many cows dotted the grassy landscape. Boone noticed the child hiding behind the large tree to his right, though Phia hadn’t. Boone raised his hands; Phia wondered what he was doing.
“My hands are up. You got me. I give up… uh… Rexas?”
“My names not Rexas!”
“Oh, OK. You sound like a young brave man. Must be Dain?”
The ten-year-old boy stepped out from behind the tree holding a large phase rifle. The red light on the front of the rifle indicated it was fully charged.
“You handle that rifle like a guardsman!” Boone said. “Are you in the Guard?”
He lowered the rifle and shook his head back and forth, no. “Who are you? Or I’ll raise this gun and blast you to tomorrow! And the next day!”
“Easy, boy,” Phia exclaimed. “See my uniform? I’m…”
“People steal uniforms. That’s how they got my dad! So…”
“Dain, I’m Boone Nova.”
“What! You’re Boone Nova? Prove it!”
“Where’s your dad?”
“Boone?” Zay'Geis shouted from a distance. He was on a hover pad, holding tightly to the small frame that fenced him in. The hover pad zipped up to them and stopped. Zay'Geis stepped off the round pad, keeping a hand on the railing and shut it off. He gazed at the device.
“I love these things. Don’t you?” he looked at Boone and Phia. “Dain, put that away! Now, go!”
Dain strolled off carrying his rifle as if he were carrying a large bucket of water on his side.
“Zay'Geis, you know why I’m here.”
“No, Boone. Don’t ask me! No!” he turned and walked toward the small farm house. “No, no, no!” he shouted as he walked away.
Boone and Phia stood still. She asked, “Boone? What’s going on?”
“Please! Phia!” he glared at her. “Get back in the ship. I’ll be back. And don’t do anything!” he ordered while holding her attention. “I mean it. Please, now. Hear me?”
She frowned, nodded, and left. Boone followed Zay'Geis into the house. He was sitting at a table. The old man looked tired. His short hair was messy, his fingers were dirty as if he were doing some gardening, and his eyes revealed he was preoccupied with something.
“Look, Boone. I’m in hiding. Can’t you see that? Can’t you see that I’ve lost…? I’ve lost everything but my family? And I almost lost them! My son believes he needs to carry that thing around. Our lives will never be the same.”
“Zay'Geis! You don’t have to live like this! Why not live next to the royal estate? I thought you were moving there?”
“No, we voted. This is best. I know what you want. Now, leave. I can’t help you! I won’t help you!”
Boone sat there stumped. Stumped at how to get Zay'Geis to help him. Boone placed both hands over his face and began to wipe his face. He faked a few tears and faked a great deal of sorrow. He sighed heavily and turned away from him.
Zay'Geis became curious. He began picking at a sliver of wood on the edge o
f the table, trying to distract himself.
Zay'Geis finally sighed, “What’s happened?”
Boone sighed again, loud enough for him to hear it. “Nothing. I can handle it. Somehow.”
Zay'Geis moved his chair and faced him. “What happened? Tell me?”
“It’s bad, Zay'Geis. Heard of the Ganes Trek?”
“No.”
“It’s a cargo ship. 1000 feet long, 271 passengers. A pirate ship used a laser on it. It cut it right in half.”
“What!” he muttered in distress. He quickly stood and turned away, amazed by the news. “Lasers?”
Chapter 14
Zay'Geis gazed out a window – catching a glimpse of another structure in the distance.
Boone explained, “271 life pods are trying to reach the Sim-Sa Gale because she can’t even go after them. The laser, Zay'Geis.”
Zay'Geis slowly stepped back to his chair and plopped down in grief. I knew one day lasers would overtake the constellation. I thought it would be the Guard to use them first. Guess I was wrong.”
Boone nodded and sulked. “The court ordered me to go get the device. They want to stop the Ambulas from… from cutting our battlecruisers in half one-by-one.”
Zay'Geis nodded, “Makes sense as no other means are available to us to stop a ship with a laser. How horrifying for them. Laser strikes and all.”
“Yeah. But, Zay'Geis, the device.”
“Boone, I know what you are going to say, it’s not here. Right? It’s elsewhere?”
“Yes.”
“How far?”
“One parsec away.”
“Oh,” he laughed. “Just one!”
They chuckled. “Zay'Geis, did I make a grave mistake by not returning it.”
“No, Boone. But now, I can see the good in what you did. If that device falls into the wrong hands, oh the devastation it could cause. I wish I never made it.”
“If you weren’t the first then someone else would be. A pirate, maybe.” Zay'Geis nodded. “Look, Doc. I still hate what I have to do. I’m sick of all this… danger! This evil! But, I also can’t sit back and do nothing about it when I know I can help. I also can’t even believe I’m alive, right now. You know? The Nano-bugs, the abduction, Isoter.”
“Yes, Boone. I know about the danger. I told you, you are still here because the Father of the Heavens, the Lord Creator was watching over you.” Boone smirked, believing somewhat but not completely. “Oh, you doubt me?”
“No, not completely. But look at me! What’s He doing with a… a… junk dealer like me? No, Zay'Geis, most of what happened was all…”
“Was the Father watching out for you, protecting you, and guiding you.”
Boone chuckled and smirked again. “Mom’s verse. He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.” He shook his head from side to side saying, no.
“Boone. With Him, there are no coincidences. Look at all you have done recently. Think about everything that happened. You’ve just gone through many trials, many dangers, and many painful things. You’ve suffered, Boone! How do you explain coming through these things alive? At least in one piece? Do you really think you’re that good… or capable?” Boone pondered and frowned. He shook his head, no. “No, Boone, you are not that good, or capable, or lucky. No one is. It was the Father. He saw you through it all.”
Boone looked at him and realized his heavenly Father had to have a hand in his safety and results.
“Tell me how many miracles you experienced.”
Boone sat back in his chair and cocked his head. “Not getting killed on that moon - Cede Pherion, finding you on Isoter,” Zay'Geis nodded and motioned with his hand to keep listing them. “When I looked up and saw Prevan, I thought about Terra and she was fighting for her life at the time. I thought that was a miracle. They found her just in time.”
“See! Boone! I was praying, my family was praying, very hard.”
“My mom,” he uttered.
“What? Your mom?”
“Yes. I spoke to her.” He got up out of his chair and looked at the old leaning barn in the distance. “She told me she was…” He paused.
“Boone, it was the Father.”
Boone smirked then turned toward him. “I don’t know. Look, Doc, time is wasting. You know why I’m here.”
What can I do, though?”
“Give me the one you still have.”
Zay'Geis glared at Boone. He was shocked by the thought of it. Zay'Geis ran his hand over his short black hair. The gifted old scientist sat back down and let out a great sigh.
“My, Boone. You are without a doubt the only man I know who has figured me out.” They chuckled. “And you are the only man that seems to understand me. You think I have another teleportation device?”
“If I was as smart as you are, yes! I’d have one! I’d have one for my very own personal use. Right?” Boone smiled.
Zay'Geis nodded. “Aw, Boone! I really hate you sometimes!” Zay'Geis leaned back into his chair and lightly tapped his fingers on the old wooden table, thinking. “Huh!” he blared. “I see what is happening here!” he exclaimed with joy in his voice. “This is the Lord’s doing! That’s the only explanation! Boone, I can see the Lord is using you. I can see how He has led you.” He studied Boone to see if he believed it. Boone smirked again, in disbelief. “Boone, God has given you something else. Something I am just now beginning to realize.”
“No,” Boone answered. “I’m just a guy who hates what these evil pirates are doing! I’m, well, I’m, what else has He given me?”
“Wisdom. You have some wisdom, Boone. It’s a shame you don’t have the conviction to serve Him. You can…”
“Huh? What?” Boone asked.
“You can figure out things. You know I have a device because I think He told you.”
“Doc, I don’t talk to… to… Him! I did a couple of times but…”
“Keep doing that, Boone, and you will do greater things.”
“I just want to help that cargo ship and the Sim-Sa Gale. I just want to stop the pirate queen.”
“Pirate queen? Really?” Boone nodded. “Well, now I’ve heard everything. So, my device. I have hidden it where no one would ever think to look and I’ve had it for a few years now. I just recently tried to adapt it to something larger than just a shuttle.”
“Then the Axeons showed up?”
Zay'Geis bowed his head in disgust. He wiped his face. “Yes, then those Axeons showed up. They were tipped off. By someone!”
“Luweena,” he uttered. “A palace servant. She may have been monitoring Lorin’s travels.”
“Oh, my! Well, it is much smaller than the prototype. You know?”
Boone gleamed and gazed at him. “Well, of course.”
“And, it can only jump a very short distance.”
“As expected,” Boone replied. “How far is that?”
Zay'Geis laughed. “1/5th of a parsec. If the device is on Isoter that will likely be five jumps. Maybe.”
“That’s… that’s great, Zay'Geis!”
“Yes. And this one, you can use spatial coordinates. It can jump from a specific coordinate to another with amazing accuracy. The one they stole was intended to be used for large ships. This one here, Boone, is much smaller than the prototype and the short distances give you much greater control. I suppose I will have to ‘write this down,’ Boone?”
“Yes? Please?”
Zay'Geis laughed. “I want this one back! Understand?”
Boone, Zay'Geis, and Phia made a short flight from the farm house to the old leaning barn several hundred yards away. Dain accompanied them, insisting on protecting them with his phase rifle. They walked behind the large leaning barn, through a small group of shrubs and bushes, over broken tree limbs which Zay'Geis used to disguise the trail, and in between two very large shrubs. He removed an old dead tree bough and uncovered a hatch in the ground and climbed down a narrow ladder. They entered a very old storm cellar. Zay'Geis had enlarged it underground a
nd had done many modifications to it and used it for his personal experiments. The cows that dotted the grassy landscape made for a great disguise for the clandestine lab. Zay'Geis led them over to a small metal table. Zay'Geis set the device on the table and Boone and Phia gazed at it. It was a metal box twelve inches square and very heavy. It had a fiberglass-like cone attached to the front of it. Zay'Geis gave him instructions for using it and reset the passwords.
“Boone? Please bring this back when you are done with it.”
“I promise, Doc. I’ll bring it back.”
“Boone, you need to remember something. This fight, it is not your fight.”
“What! Of course, it is!”
“No, now, listen. The Father has brought you into this. He will do it. You follow Him. Understand?”
“Uh, what?”
Zay'Geis chuckled, “You think about it. Just remember, this is ‘more His fight’ than yours!”
“Then why doesn’t He come and fight?” Boone blared.
Zay'Geis laughed and shook his head from side to side. He put his arm on Boone’s back. “Boone, He is. That’s why He’s called you. That’s why you’re here!”
Zay'Geis chuckled some more as he led them out of the lab and up to the surface. “You’ll see.”
Boone hid the device in one of his cargo crates, he and Phia dropped off Zay'Geis and Dain at the farm house, and they launched toward the sky and headed for the royal tarmac.
Boone glanced at Phia. “Phia, I need something else from you. Are you going to listen to me? I need to know!”
Boone adjusted his NAV control and flew upward. He was going to rocket across the sky and make up for lost time. She perked her lips and frowned. Her gaze indicated she was unwilling.
“I don’t like being handled! Like you did to me back there! What do want?”
Boone, now angered, intentionally decreased his inertial dampeners and as he pushed the Night Star faster, the G-forces increased. Phia was thrust into her cockpit chair by the speedy path of the ship. She gripped the arms of the cockpit chair as she felt the forward pressure against her body. Boone, very accustomed to the G-forces was leaning forward, flying the ship, not at all affected by the force.
BOONE NOVA AND THEPIRATE QUEEN Page 13
