BOONE NOVA AND THEPIRATE QUEEN

by John E Bujanowski Jr

  He glared at her, “Phia, I need your help! So, for right now, I need your silence. Please?”

  “Why?” she argued.

  “That’s why!” he pointed to her, accusing her. “Because you want to know stuff I can’t let anyone else know about. Not even my friends!”

  She blared, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so hostile?”

  “Ah!” he cried in frustration. He quickly dove the ship down toward the ground and landed forcefully amongst a handful of tall trees. He set the ship to idle.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  He turned his chair toward her. “Good point!” he blared. “Why don’t ‘you’ tell me what you are up to? Because I can tell, ‘INVESTIGATOR,’ that you’re no investigator!”

  “Boone!” she replied. “I…”

  “I want you to stop lying to me!” he yelled. She immediately cowered and sunk into her chair. “I know you’re lying! How long have you been an investigator? And these… these dumb questions you ask me… if Terra were here, she’d be the one to suggest I hide the device! She would realize that someone is spying on us. And who knows? They might be following us right now. Who knows? I might have led them all right back to Zay'Geis! Any investigator that’s worth their rank ought to know this stuff. You sit there and have no idea what’s going on! It’s like you’re… you’re… oblivious to what’s going on! You have no idea why we have to be covert, here? Terra would be the one to say, ‘hey, let’s sit back a while and see if we were tracked,’ or ‘Boone, we better not let anyone know THERE IS A SECOND DEVICE!’” he yelled even louder. He intentionally tried to upset her. “Phia! People are following us! We are at war right now with this… pirate network… this pirate queen!”

  Phia could only gape and gaze at the man as he derided her. A tear streamed down her cheek but it was more a tear of anger than anything else. She bowed her head and stared at the deck in shame.

  Boone’s face was red with anger then his visage changed to pain and fear. He wiped his face with his hands in great stress. He became very emotional.

  “Phia,” he said, more subdued, “Look at me.” She did and noticed his concern. “People are trying to kill me.” She thought she saw a tear. “They are trying to kill Terra. Do you get that? I told you. Remember? A week ago? I told you that I would not lie to you. Even though you had a gun pointed at me, I told you I wouldn’t lie to you. But, you’re lying to me.” She let out a long and dreadful sigh. “I know you’re not a real investigator, so, what are you? How long have you been a cadet?”

  She wiped her face, “I’m in my fifth year. I just started battlecruiser training. I’m near the top of my class in every field and I was chosen, selected, for this special mission. Boone, I am an investigator…”

  “But you’re appointed! Right?”

  She smirked, ran her hand through her long blond hair, and tried to evade the question. “I am appointed, Boone, because I am a Lieutenant, which you won’t seem to call me for some reason. I’d like to know why that is! But, the High Guard appointed me to look into your past. I’m sorry, but we both know what you did on Kova eight years ago!”

  “That’s not what this is about,” he said as he raised his arm and waved it in disgust.

  She raised her hand and replied, “Fine! We’ll talk about it later! But, I’m sorry if I’m not as good an investigator as your lady friend, Terra!”

  “Phia, LIEUTENANT SA’VO, I’m saying… you’re not ready to go on this mission. You are not cut out for it! So, go ahead and start crying!”

  “I’m not going to cry, Boone, and I will go on this mission. I am very qualified in every way. I can show you my skills. Just because I didn’t think about the stuff you said, doesn’t mean I can’t figure out how dangerous this is.”

  Boone sunk into his chair in disgust. He knew he wouldn’t convince her to stay behind, though she should.

  “Phia,” he said in disgust. He lowered his voice, “I will put you in danger. You could get killed. Terra could get killed, my friends… Pryce, Mace, Jona, one of them could get killed. You don’t realize the danger. No one can. Not even me.”

  “I understand,” she uttered softly. “I do. But, we need to get going. Boone, we don’t have time to waste. Right?”

  “Wrong, Phia. We don’t have lives to waste. And you going on this mission… is a bad idea. Mostly because of what we just talked about. Phia, I can’t trust you.”

  “You ‘can’ trust me, Boone. Why do you say that? I can be trusted! Trust me!”

  Boone wanted to ask many more questions, but they would have to wait for the missions’ sake. He reached over and adjusted the power control and the Night Star lifted off the ground. He glared at her and wondered.

  “I will put you to the test, Phia. Understand?”

  “Yes,” she nodded. “I understand, now. I’m sorry, Boone.”

  “I’m sorry to yell at you but I’m trying to make you understand, this is not a game.” The Night Star launched upward. “This is life and death. And what we do or don’t do could kill people. People like Zay'Geis and his son, Dain. Can you understand that?”

  She gaped and her eyes widened. She gripped the arms of the cockpit chair as the Night Star increased to a vertical climb. Boone readjusted the inertial dampeners and the G-force decreased greatly.

  “I’m asking, Phia. Please? Can you keep quiet for a while? About the device we have? And follow my orders?”

  She nodded and reached for the NAV control. “Yes, and I’m checking to see what ships are in the area, in case we were followed.” She glanced at him and let out a small smile.

  He nodded and smiled back. “That’s more like it.” He looked at his NAV panel and spied a high mountain in the distance. He headed toward it. Phia noticed the course correction.

  Boone glanced at her, “Phia, we’re setting down on that mountain. We’re going to see if someone does show up. I want to protect Zay'Geis if I can. We’re going to be late but this is important. Contact Terra and have them meet us at Pryce’s ranch. OK? And tell her to tell Mace, ‘Lady Loop.’ OK? No questions, just do.”

  She momentarily glared at him and thought about questioning his comment but she managed to control her curiosity. Then she quickly did as Boone ordered. He found a place to set down on top of the high mountain. They were going to see if anyone showed up.

  “Phia, that panel… labeled ‘Orb.’ Turn the dial to three and flip that toggle switch up. Do it now.”

  She turned the knob to three, flipped the toggle switch, and an orb shot out of the top of the Night Star.

  “Got it,” she said.

  “Now, turn on that monitor and see if there are any ships in the area. The orb will read anything way beyond my local monitor.”

  She did and started watching for ships to appear. She looked at him. “I think this is great, Boone. How high is our orb? Three… what?”

  “Three miles.”

  “Look,” she said. “I’m sorry about my attitude. I do have a lot of questions but I know, no questions for now. And I do realize we will be in danger. I’m not afraid of that, though, I am afraid you won’t trust me. So, just so you will know, I’m going to find a way for you to trust me.”

  She looked at him and he said, “Keep your eyes on the monitor.” He smirked. “Phia, I want you to listen to me, and listen carefully. From this moment on, you are to assume every person you meet is a… as Lorin would say, ‘insurrectionist, or a traitor.’ OK? Your gun should always be set at four, ready to do damage and burns, got that?” She glared at him. He pointed to the monitor. She kept glancing back and forth at him in amazement and also at the monitor. “Assume every place you go has someone just around the corner, ready to shoot you. Assume every message or communiqué is false and a trap. Assume anyone in a High Guard uniform to be untrustworthy. You got all of that?”

  “Boone, I know what you’re saying but I don’t think all of that could be true! Do you?”

  “Phia, I’m trying to
save your life here! You’re not listening. Can’t you start doing that? I have seen every single one of those things! False guards, false messages, false everything! Please?”

  “OK! I will. I’ll… I’ll suspect everything and everyone. OK? I will.”

  “Good. Thanks. Anything yet?”

  “No.”

  “OK. Good. Five more minutes. Now, my whole point, Phia, was this… we need to keep this device a secret. For now. OK?”

  She finally understood all his anger. Should the knowledge of a second device come to light, the danger could be greatly increased. She nodded, yes.

  Chapter 15

  Lorin sat in a detention room waiting for Luweena to enter. Office Tanner, O'bipherion’s newly appointed chief investigator sat with her. He didn’t question the prime’s daughter but he greatly wondered how she was able to push Kwelling’s buttons. According to High Guard law, Luweena wasn’t supposed to be asked another question until her required fifty days were up. Luweena was surprised by the impromptu questioning. The short thin woman entered. Her hands and arms were in a magnetic brace. She sat down across from Lorin. Her shiny silky black hair barely touched her thin frame.

  “Ma’am,” Luweena said. “Sorry about all of this but now you see my true purpose. I didn’t mean you any harm, though. Honestly.”

  “You didn’t think they would try to kill us? Luweena, do you have any idea what they were going to do?”

  Luweena sat back in the chair and refused to answer or talk. She puckered her lips and stared at Lorin.

  “Do you know what their plans were for my father and me? Do you want to know what they were going to do with us?”

  Luweena started, blankly.

  Lorin stood up, as if to leave, disgusted and hurt by the traitor.

  “Wait, Ma’am. I don’t know. You’re going to tell me? What about the law? What about my fifty days? What about ‘this is all I am going to ask you’ and that other stuff? This is a trick.”

  “No,” Lorin answered. A tear fell. “We loved you, Luweena. That means nothing to you?”

  She bowed her head in shame. “Yes.”

  Lorin sat back down, reached over, and held her hands that were embraced within two large magnetic cuffs. Luweena just looked at her.

  “Luweena, they ‘were’ going to kill us! If we didn’t give them the information about the device they were going to kill my father first then I was next!”

  Luweena looked at Lorin and wondered, “Device? What device?”

  Lorin gasped within herself as she read Luweena’s face. She was telling the truth. She had no knowledge of the device.

  Lorin let go of her hands and covered her face in bewilderment. “You have no idea what you’ve done? Have you?”

  She stared blankly.

  Lorin took out the sound recorder and played the device.

  The message said:

  “I cannot establish a data burst now! And you should not contact me, I don’t care what she says! You also need to end this communication before you’re discovered! We can’t afford that right now. Reply to her and tell her I will contact her when I have the time. The device works. It’s been tested and Nova and the investigator are next! Now get off the COM! And don’t call my COM again!”

  “Luweena, do you know who ‘she’ is?”

  Luweena just smirked and nodded, no.

  Lorin asked, “Did you see what they did to Copiannis? Did you know they just destroyed a large cargo freighter? We have people in life pods right now fleeing from a pirate battlecruiser!”

  “Ms. Ta’mian,” Tanner added. “They just blew up one of those life pods. They are killing people. Innocent people!”

  Luweena gaped and was shocked by the news. “Ma’am, I didn’t know they would do things like that. They wanted to know about your comings and goings. I told them Boone Nova was here. I was supposed to give him something… uh… to keep him here but she couldn’t get anyone inside the palace. Look, I’m sorry about Copiannis and what happened to you but I’m just here for information. That’s all I give him… Kwelling.”

  “Kwelling is gone, Luweena. He’s not here anymore. We broke our protocol for questioning when it comes to insurrectionists. So, he’s gone and no one will ever see him again.”

  “Not true. I don’t believe you. And I can’t tell you anything. She’ll kill me.”

  “Who? No one is coming here. Sabin is dead, Kwelling is gone, and you are leaving next. You will be taken away from here and you will never see another person for the rest of your life. You won’t even see a guardsman!”

  Tanner added, “You’ll be fed by machines, just like Kwelling.”

  “You can’t do that by law. Even the High Guard won’t...”

  “We changed things!” Tanner yelled. “So, talk! Or, I’ll call for the stasis pod.”

  “Stasis pod? What?” she gasped.

  Tanner got up and walked over to a COM panel. He put his finger near a button. Luweena glared. Lorin nodded, indicating the gesture was true.

  …

  Aboard the Ambulas, Braxton followed the queen’s orders. He needed to draw the Sim-Sa Gale closer. The large make-shift battlecruiser with five forward mounted laser turrets came about. It pushed its way through a large spatial debris field, edging pieces of a decimated cargo ship aside effortlessly. It cleared the debris field and slowly headed directly for the last life pod fleeing. It was being towed by a High Guard intergalactic runner.

  “Sir!” Ms. Ellswood shouted. “The Ambulas!”

  Captain Eisen and Commander J'Dar watched the live holographic image of the Ambulas push through the wreckage of the Ganes Trek.

  Captain Eisen jumped to his feet, “Heading?”

  Ms. Ellswood turned and glared at the helmsman, Mr. Grainer “Move us!” she yelled. “I’m sorry, Sir!” she shouted. “The last ship carrying the last pod was lined up perfectly with us and the Ambulas!”

  Jamisen added, “Star 9.3.K… adjust course! Copy?”

  “I copy, Sim-Sa Gale.”

  The five turrets of the Ambulas started to glow. Everyone watched in horror.

  “Mr. Grainer?” Captain Eisen asked.

  “We are adjusting lateral position, Sir. She can’t hit us if we’re moving.”

  “Unless she moves simultaneously with us,” Ms. Ellswood added. Mr. Grainer continued to elude the Ambulas’ laser strike. “Sir! She’s firing!” The five turrets glowed a fiery red, blinked repeatedly then ceased. “No hit, Sir,” she replied. She leaned back in her chair, exhaled deeply, and rested.

  Captain Eisen noticed her fatigue. “Ms. Ellswood, you’re relieved. Go take a break. You’ve only been at this for nineteen hours.”

  Another officer who had been present took her place. Office Boyd was well informed about the tactics of the Ambulas. Ellswood refused to leave the bridge, though. She was glued to the encounter.

  “Sir,” Mr. Boyd said. “The Ambulas is picking up speed! It’s on a trajectory directly for us. Time to the last pod… twenty-nine minutes!”

  “Is the COM still open, Jamisen?”

  Star 9.3.K answered, “Star 9.3.K standing by, Sir. I copy that. I’m adjusting position periodically. Sir, this last pod… it’s so far behind the others because it’s the captain’s pod. I have Captain MiKea.”

  Captain Eisen glared at Commander J'Dar then at Mr. Grainer, “Mr. Grainer! Go get that pod! Now. Use evasive. Star 9.3.K, we will be there in…”

  Mr. Boyd checked the speed Mr. Grainer set and answered, “Ninety-four seconds, Sir.”

  Captain Eisen continued, “We will stop momentarily at your port side then we will turn and leave. You will have to follow us and land in our aft bay. If we are moving, the Ambulas shouldn’t be able to target us. Copy?”

  “Star 9.3.K, copy. Thank you, Sir.”

  “Got that, Mr. Grainer? Mr. Boyd?”

  “Aye, Sir,” they replied.

  “After that, Mr. Grainer, you can be relieved.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”


  “Sir,” Boyd explained. “Seventy-one seconds. Sir! The Ambulas seems to know what we’re doing. It is heading toward a fixed position in the direction we are going to retrieve the pod.”

  Commander J'Dar said, “It can’t possibly hit us. What is our distance from the Ambulas?”

  Boyd replied, “Nearly two hours at their present speed. Sir, the closer it gets, the easier it is to target us. I believe it’s just trying to improve its chances at targeting us.”

  “Yes,” Captain Eisen replied. “Time?”

  “Fifty-two seconds.”

  Captain Eisen nodded to Jamisen. Jamisen said, “Star 9.3.K, turn to port now. Start your run and we will fly over you.”

  “Star 9.3.K, copy. Turning to port now. She won’t hit us, Sir.”

  “No,” Boyd replied. “But she could get off a lucky shot.”

  …

  It was midnight. Rena sat around a large campfire with many others waiting for Jak to return. She fumed over the horrid thought that Boone might still be alive. A few of the men that came to search had means to enhance gamma radiation but they had to leave and retrieve the needed equipment. They left and would be back by daybreak.

  Rena was chatting with Aderian, Nell, and Janek when she saw a tiny light in the dark sky descend. Jak was returning. She jumped to her feet and waited in the open courtyard. He landed not far from the ranch house – which had several campfires going, people sleeping on the ground, many sleeping in the barn, and a few were still cooking food at the late hour. Jak scurried to Rena.

  “Bad news,” he blared in disgust. Rena immediately scowled. He looked at Janek and hesitated to give out any more information.

  Rena momentarily glanced at Janek as well. “Talk, Jak. He’s willing to work for me.”

  Jak explained, “Nova is alive. I’m sorry. Some investigator, I don’t know who, helped him. Investigator Je’en survived, too. She was badly burned, though. Someone else, some investigator, brought Nova to Karkavon Medical immediately after he touched the ‘you-know-what.’”

  “My Nano-device? I can’t believe it! That’s nearly impossible!”