Golden's Quest (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 6)

by J. Naomi Ay

  "I realize the Empress ordered this mission, however I still need to make my report to the Chain of Command. LCDR Korelesk has explained about the space slug but now I want to know what happened on Corganus. Sam, why don't you speak first?"

  "Me?" I squeaked and then squared my shoulders and stood tall. "We arrived on the planet a day after the SdK freightplanes which was only four days before the next presidential election. The election wasn't much of an election at all since the voting machines were rigged to re-elect the same guy. According to our Corganian friends, this had happened for several years and though the people protested, the corrupt government was firmly in control."

  "What about the SdK systems, Steven?" The Captain turned from me.

  "During the night, under the cover of darkness, we unloaded the Fpegs and set them up in our friends' father's old factory buildings," Steven reported. "After that, we loaded those same freighters with containers of fermium which then were delivered to Cyganus to run their new power generating plants. We've arranged the transfer of payments from Cyganus to Corganus in the form of Imperial gold coins because it's a convertible currency. Then we booted up the generators and got their electricity online and before the voting started, Randy and Yula worked on the worm."

  "Randy?" the Captain asked.

  "Just after midnight, sir," Randy continued. "We set the worm loose on the automated voting system. In the morning the government of Corganus was completely paralyzed. In every government office, on every single vid screen, all they saw was a dancing tomato wearing a tuxedo and singing a goofy song. The voting machines showed the president against the tomato. You'll all be glad to know that when the final tally was counted, the tomato won in a landslide."

  "Then what happened, Lenny?" the Captain demanded.

  "The president declared martial law and the election null and void. So, the Corganian guys set up their own balloting station and we, Imperial SpaceNavy officers, all lined up to observe. A whole bunch of people came, Captain. They all filled out a piece of paper and dropped it in the ballot box. They came from everywhere, in planes and cars and on their feet. They voted for another guy from a different political party. As far as we could tell, the people elected him and the guy that came in second was the dancing tuxedoed tomato."

  The Captain scratched his beard and asked what happened next.

  "The ex-president didn't like this," Lenny answered. "So he sent his army out. They were heading toward our building and shooting at the people in the streets."

  "So Yula and I let loose the tomato worm again," Randy interrupted. "We shut down the government's entire power grid and all communication. Then slowly we brought up our fermium power generating plant and restored power to the people. The hospitals and stores and factories were the first to come back online. We refused to power up the government channels so no one could hear the ex-president's voice. Instead, we broadcasted the newly elected president's calls for the people to take control of their lives, control of their homes and start to live free again."

  "I see," the Captain nodded. "You men enabled a revolution, citizens could have been killed."

  "But they weren't," Steven protested. "We assisted them to change the government peacefully and we didn't destroy anything. We helped the people to muster and rally and more importantly, to find their strength. We showed them it's okay to breathe air and it's okay to build things, to think of new products, to earn money and succeed. Isn't that what the Empire's all about, Captain?"

  "The people were acting like sheep," I added, "instead of smart and thinking people. Now they have a whole new government with a new president already in place. He set up a council of economic advisers and our friend, Geor became one of them. Bad judges were impeached and others were recalled or voted out and eventually Corganus will become what it had once been. Even the refugees are returning from Cyganus to help build their planet again."

  "It's all good, Captain," Randy nodded.

  "What about Ensign Kiman?" The Captain frowned. "How did he get hurt?"

  "Before the tomato worm activated, a tank took a shot at us," Lenny said. "The shell hit a corner of the roof of our building and sent a chunk of concrete to the ground. Steven was standing right under it and Kiman about five feet away."

  "Is that how you broke your arm, Steven?"

  "No, sir," Steven said. "I broke it when I hit the ground after Kiman pushed me aside. He saved my life, Captain, and he got hit by the concrete instead."

  "He's a fine young officer," the Captain declared. "He'll be awarded a purple star for this."

  "Is he going to be okay?" I asked.

  "He will. He'll be spending some more time in the sickbay getting his injuries tended to but in a few weeks, he should be back in your squad. In the meantime, Randy, what do I hear about your resignation?"

  "What?" Stevie and I gasped.

  "Yes, Captain," Randy replied. "I'm sorry to say, I'm leaving the SpaceNavy at the end of this contract. I'm moving to Corganus to help with the redevelopment of the planet. Yula and I are getting married." He smiled proudly.

  "What about the Lair?" the Captain asked. "Do you have a recommendation as to who can manage it after you?"

  "Steven could," Randy said. "He needs a little bit more training. By the time, I'm done he ought to be a half way decent hacker."

  "I'm afraid that's out of the question," the Captain replied. "Steven is to resume his pilot training. LCDR Korelesk has indicated that on this mission, Golden demonstrated both leadership and responsibility. It is on his recommendation that Golden will transfer to Navigation on the bridge. His long term assignment will be a path to command."

  "It will?" Steven gasped. "I mean, yes sir, thank you, sir!"

  "Sam is also to resume his pilot training. You have demonstrated extensive knowledge our spaceplanes mechanics and flight systems. Your next assignment will be in the management of the shuttle bay fleet."

  "Fricking cool!" I cried. "Oops, thank you, sir!"

  "And Lenny," the Captain continued. "You have earned a spot on the security team."

  "Yes sir, thank you, sir!"

  "I have one more thing to give to you," the Captain said reaching into his desk. "You have all earned a special recognition in light of your efforts on Corganus and Cyganus. All demerits are erased and in addition, there will be a cash award. You'll also be given a medal to be awarded to you by the Empress at the Emperor's birthday party." He handed me and envelope with the Imperial Seal, addressed to Sam Psfa-a-a plus one guest. The Captain gave an envelope to Lenny and another one to Randy and then dismissed us from his office so we saluted and then we left.

  "Uncle Zem is going to be so happy," I declared once we were out in the hall. "I know he's going to be so thrilled to see that Empress lady again."

  "We're going to watch the Raven's game," Lenny roared. "How totally rad is that?"

  "Hey Stevie," Randy asked. "How come you didn't get an invitation?"

  "Uh," Stevie replied as we walked down the hall. "Actually, the reason is…" Right then his cellphone rang. "Hi Mom." He turned his back to us. "Yes, I'm alive. How did you know I broke my arm? Forget that, why did I ask? Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay, say hi to Dad too. Tell him I broke some things and killed a guy but I'll tell him all about that later. Yes, I'll see you soon. Of course, I'm coming and I'm bringing my vuvuzela horn. Alright, I won't bring it. Yes, we're already back on the ship. I'm home now. Love you too. Bye."

  "My mom." Stevie shrugged and pocketed his cell.

  "Stevie?" Randy's eyes grew wide.

  "Stevie?" I shook my head.

  "Gold-en!" Korelesk came marching around the corner and grabbed Stevie by the neck. "You and I are going to Cyganus to check on the FPEG installation. Go pack your bag and meet me in the shuttle bay in exactly six and one half minutes."

  "Yes sir," Stevie snapped and bolted down the hall.

  "What are you guys looking at?" Korelesk growled. "Do you want to start earning demerits again? Just because all the old one
s were erased doesn't mean you can't start acquiring fresh!"

  "No sir," we cried and ran off as well. By the time we got to our cabin, Stevie was gone.

  "What do you think" I asked Randy.

  "I don't know," Randy shrugged, "but I can't hack into the personnel records. They're held under the tightest security and it would violate my ethical hacker code."

  "He can't be," Lenny frowned. "It's just a coincidence." He crawled into his bunk and lay there looking at the invitation, making happy noises about watching a Raven's game.

  "You want to play Imperial Quest on the Rec Deck, Sam?" Randy asked.

  "Sure," I replied. "I think for this round, I'm going to be Prince Shika though. Maybe that dude isn't so lame after all."

  Chapter 25

  Steven

  "Why are we going back to Cyganus?" I asked while sitting down and buckling up my belt.

  "I told you, dogface," Marik replied turning on his tablet and scanning the headline news. "We need to check on the FPEGs installation."

  "Come on, Marik. Didn't SdK send a team of engineers there? What's the real reason?"

  "You'll just have to wait and see." He slipped in his ear buds and ignored me the rest of the way.

  We arrived on Cyganus the next morning just after dawn. For a few hours on the plane, I was able to fly and consequently, got some of my qualifications signed off. The pilot even gave me the oral licensing exam.

  "What does the green blinking light above the shuttle bay doors mean?"

  "Cleared to depart, sir."

  "What's the altimeter setting if you're taking off from a planet where the landing site is 1,000 feet in elevation?"

  "Altimeter setting is 29.92, sir."

  "What's the maximum heat the plane's insulation can handle?"

  "2,000 Kelvins, sir."

  "Good job, Golden. I'm going to sign off this requirement. It seems all you have left is that written exam."

  "Yes sir. I'll do it as soon as we return to the ship."

  We landed outside of the new Cyganian powerplant. Containers of fermium were lined up in the buildings and the FPEGs were operating, feeding power to the grid. Next to one machine, leaning over a control panel, stood an SdK engineer in a jumpsuit and goggles.

  "Petya!" I screamed and ran over to my cousin who was also my best friend since we were practically in the womb.

  "Shika!" he cried and we did our happy dance. We high-fived and fist bumped and then mashed foreheads and butts.

  "Dude!" I yelled.

  "Dude!" he called back and then we did the dance again.

  "You guys make me throw up," Marik mumbled but then grabbed his brother's neck for once instead of mine. "Is everything working here, junior?"

  "Yes, Marik, it's working fine. Put me down. I've got some more configuration settings to program still. What time did you say I need to meet you tonight?"

  "Five PM sharp, baby bro. Don't you dare be late."

  "I won't. See ya, Shik." Petya waved his tablet at me. "Maybe after dinner we can go hang out for a while."

  "Absolutely, dude."

  "Oh hey, Shik," Petya called. "I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a new cell. "This is for you to test in space."

  "I don't need it," I replied. "My mom brought me a new rPhone 23g when I saw her."

  "You'll want this one," Petya insisted. "This is an even newer rPhone 24."

  The Cyganian palace was a small and old stone building near the sixty-eight story jail where I had gotten myself arrested. Marik and I arrived at four PM and were admitted into the palace which was as cold as outer space. Elana's father, the Prince, greeted us and ushered us into a sitting room where we all sat stiffly on worn uncomfortable chairs, each with a footstool covered in a strange embroidered pattern. I stared at the windows which were totally hidden by drapes.

  "Which of you is Viscount Korelesk?" The Prince peered at us over his glasses.

  "That would be me, sir," Marik replied and tried to smile though his mouth was unused to doing so.

  "And who are you, young man?"

  "Ensign Steven Golden, sir. Imperial SpaceNavy."

  "Well any friend of Elana's is welcome here," the Prince replied.

  Elana and her sister arrived just about then and suggested we all go for a walk in their gardens until the Queen declared it time for dinner. It was warmer outside than inside so we all took her up on that and bolted out the door to walk among their shrubs and topiaries.

  "You should see our palace gardens," Marik was saying to Elana while holding her arm and strolling upon the gravel.

  "I got a glance while we were there," Elana replied. "I would love to walk through them with you, Marik."

  "My brother and cousin and I used to chase each other there," Marik bragged, conveniently omitting the fact that Petya and I were always trying ditch him.

  "So how long have you been in the SpaceNavy?" Elana's sister Marie asked glancing at me appraisingly and then turning her face away. She was a beautiful girl. In fact, she and Elana didn't even look related. She also seemed cold and a little too perfect but maybe it was just me.

  "This is my first cruise," I replied. "I've been aboard just over four months."

  She tossed her head and patted her mouth, yawning as if I was boring her to death.

  "So what do you do?" I asked politely even though she was looking away. She turned back and glared at me, raising her chin and eyebrows haughtily.

  "I'm a princess," she sniffed. "What does it look like?"

  "You're a princess," I agreed. "It looks like exactly that."

  In the meantime, Marik and Elana had disappeared around a hedge and were probably taking advantage of being alone together. Marie and I kept walking until we came upon a little lake. Actually, it was hardly bigger than a pond with a few ducks swimming in circles around in it.

  "I like to feed our ducks," Marie said. "However, Mother, as of late, is toasting all of the old bread."

  "Feed ducks?" I inquired again, I thought politely, even though this conversation or lack of it was starting to irritate me. "Why would you want to do that?"

  "It's calming," Marie snapped. "It's the kind of thing a princess does. I'm sure you wouldn't understand."

  "Nope. I definitely don't know a thing about that."

  "I'm going in now," she declared. "It was lovely meeting you, Steven."

  She dismissed me with a toss of her head and started to walk away. Spinning around in her high-heeled shoes, she caught the heel in the hem of her dress. The next thing I heard was a splash of water and the ducks all flew away. Marie was sitting in the pond instead, her dress covered in mud, her perfect blond hair hanging in wet clumps in front of her face.

  "You tripped me!" she shouted.

  "I did not," I replied and offered her my hand.

  "No thank you!"

  She pulled herself to her feet and tried to scramble out of the pond but only managed to catch her hem and fall on her face this time.

  "Yeow!" she screamed, looking and sounding like a wet cat. Elana and Marik came running from the gardens.

  "What did you do, Gold-en?" Marik demanded pulling Marie from the pond himself.

  "Absolutely nothing, Marik." I was getting a little bit sick of this charade. "She tripped by herself and wouldn't let me help her."

  "Come on, Marie," Elana said clutching her sister. "Let's go and get you a clean dress. We'll see you at dinner, boys."

  Marik and I followed, returning to the parlor where Petya was now sitting and speaking with the Prince.

  "I'm trying to convince the Prince it's okay to turn on the heat now," Petya informed us. "You've got plenty of electricity for everything you need."

  "We'll see what the Queen says," the Prince replied and led us into the small dining room for dinner. We stood by our chairs and waited for the women, who entered as if they were making a state visit when really it was only the three of us plus the Prince.

  "Good evening, gentlemen," the Quee
n held out her hand. Marik took it and kissed it and Petya did the same. She didn’t offer it to me, after all I was just a lowly ensign. "Viscount Korelesk, come sit next to me," she commanded and then sizing up Petya, ordered him to sit on her other side as well.

  I sat at the end of the table between the Prince and Elana while Marie was positioned next to Petya who took one look at her and sighed. By the end of the dinner, Petya and Marie had their heads together and were giggling like children. Elana was practically sitting on Marik's lap and I was forced to listen to a lecture about economics from the Prince. When the Prince stopped talking for a moment to take a sip of green tea, I heard Marie's voice whispering across the table.

  "I was going to try to snare Prince Shika," she giggled tickling Petya's chin. "But everyone says he's lame. Tell me, Lord Korelesk, do I have a chance with you?"

  Petya's face turned bright red, which looked very strange with his near-white hair. He cleared his throat and coughed into his napkin. Then, he glanced quickly at me.

  "Go for it, bro," I said in Mishnese, in case there was any doubt.

  "Princess Marie," Petya said, "the Imperial Prince Shika is my best friend, but I'm sure you wouldn't like him at all. If the Queen wouldn’t mind, why don't we go for a stroll and get to know each other a little better."

  The Queen nodded enthusiastically and so Petya and Marie took off. Marik and Elana bolted out of there, as well, leaving only me sitting with their parents.

  "Actually," I said. "If Your Majesty wouldn’t mind, I should probably check in with my mom. I haven’t called her in a while." I took out my rPhone and showed it to them.

  "Go right ahead, young man," the Queen dismissed me and so I headed outside to the deck. I rang my mom who was busy in meetings but surprisingly, my call routed through to my dad.

  "Dad," I gasped. "How did I get you? I'm not bothering you, am I?"

  "You are never a bother, Shika-ala," he said. "Tell me, how are you doing, my son?"

  As if he didn't know, I told him about everything that happened from the first day aboard the ship until five minutes ago. He listened and made all the appropriate noises and I felt better just getting it off my chest. "I still feel like something's missing though," I said, "and I just don't know what it is. I can get my pilot's license, I can work my way up command but I'm still not sure who I am or where exactly I'm supposed to go."