Return of the Guardian King

by John E Bujanowski Jr

  She tugged on her dark-blue investigation jacket then flipped her long blond hair off her shoulder in a display of disgust. She quickly took a seat next to Boone and everyone sat down.

  It was a surreal moment. The youngest of them all, a junior officer, now investigator, taking over the briefing. Everyone was glued to her words.

  “Captain! While we strafed the top deck of the Ambulas, we placed two trackers on her!” She then waited for a reaction from the captain and the commander. The captain jumped to his feet.

  He loudly asked, “What? You mean to tell me there are two trackers on the Ambulas? This very moment?”

  Phia pointed to Boone, indicating he would have to talk to her mission leader. “Sir, our ‘mission leader’ has tried to tell everyone but Commander J'Dar placed an order he was not to speak. We tried to call from the Night Star but,” she huffed, “no answer.” She gazed at the commander as he fumed.

  The captain gazed at the commander and ordered, “We are going to discuss this." He quickly stepped over to a COM panel. “Officer Somers! There are two tracking devices on the Ambulas!” He looked at Boone.

  Boone stood, walked over to him, and handed him a tiny chip. Instead of speaking, Boone pointed to the chip and motioned for him to get it to the bridge. A guardsman ran it to the bridge.

  The captain took his seat, stared at the commander and said, “I don’t know what is going on but we are awaiting the 5th prime and the Court of Primes. We will have a debriefing, Commander, and if you’d like to leave, be my guest. This is ‘my ship’ and from this moment on ‘I’ am giving the orders and ‘I’ will say who speaks and doesn’t. Is that understood? Everyone?”

  Everyone nodded except Commander J'Dar. Captain Eisen checked a handheld device. He was awaiting the Court of Primes to relay a signal to their position. A signal via data burst which would be a secure communiqué. They would have to wait seventeen minutes for certain relay stations to align with the Sim-Sa Gale as it slowly exited the orbit of Efferium and lay immovable in space. The captain took advantage of the seventeen minutes.

  He glanced at Commander J'Dar and began to question Boone in spite of the commanders’ concerns. The commander had to look away with disgust. Phia, as well as everyone else, gazed at the commander with wonder.

  “Boone?” the captain asked. “There is an accusation directed at you. Bum? Liar? Deceiver? I’d like to hear why.”

  “Sir, I can’t speak for those who hate me but the High Guard does not like it when I, Sir, I try to help these defenseless people out in these corridors. You know how bad it is out here and most of the small cargo ships are defenseless. I’m despised for that? Sir?

  “So, liar? Sir, I haven’t lied to anyone,” he calmly muttered. “I will not lie to you or anyone. I hate liars and I’m highly offended to be associated with them.

  “Deceiver? No, Sir. Show me the evidence. Who have I deceived? Speak to them? If I’ve deceived these investigators, you question them, Sir. Alone and individually.

  “Bum? Sir! Yes, I am a bum. I’m a space junk dealer, vagabond, whatever, Sir. I agree with that one. But, if I see a ship in trouble or a pirate chasing someone, I can’t just sit there and watch it. What am I supposed to do? That’s how this hatred all started. I think. I can’t just sit back and watch people get attacked.”

  Captain Eisen looked at the constellation’s Chief Investigator. “Officer DeKator, you worked with this man for almost a week. What do you say about these accusations?”

  Lincoln felt pressured but was steadfast in his resolve when it came to the truth. He looked at the commander and said, “Captain, Commander, I have worked with him the entire time of this mission, including investigating him and his friends in the Karkavon Medical Hospital. I can’t say I agree with the commander at this point. Boone, so far, has followed every order the court has given him.”

  Commander J'Dar huffed and mumbled, “Deceived.”

  Lincoln replied, “In fact, Sir, I tested him concerning this because Commander Dowey has his doubts about Boone and his friends.”

  The commander stirred and paid close attention to his remark. He was curious.

  “Tested?” the captain asked. Boone, as well as everyone else, became concerned by Lincoln’s revelation. “How? I’d like to hear this.”

  “Sir, we set out to retrieve the teleportation device. Investigators Je’en, Sa’vo, Boone, Jona, and myself in the Night Star. The Ambulas had already decimated the Ganes Trek and was headed toward the Xeraxes system. We talked about the queen pirate. We talked about what the Ambulas might do next. Look what it did! It attacked Nepa’pa! Well, we also talked about getting even with her and even considered using the device to go after her by ourselves.”

  He paused and looked at Boone. Boone had his head down, staring at the table as if pouting and not happy about the reminder - him complying with orders during the mission. But, he did comply.

  “And?” the commander anxiously asked.

  Lincoln looked at the commander and said, “Sir, Boone said ‘yes, I’d love to go after her myself but I have orders to bring the device to Commander J’Dar and that’s what we’re going to do.’”

  Lincoln sat back and watched everyone’s reaction. The commander huffed and looked away while smirking. “They are deceived. He’s clever. He’s gonna pay.” Moments later a tone chimed and the 5th prime and Lorin appeared from the holo-emitter on the table. Seconds later, they were joined by Giban and five other primes.

  The Court of Primes hovered slightly above the holo-emitter on the center of the table and everyone in the conference room saw all the primes, minus Prime Dorn of Xeraxes who was on his way to monitor the carnage taking place in Nepa’pa. The court carefully observed the crowded conference room.

  Giban exclaimed, “Captain Eisen? Commander J'Dar? Please report. Where is the Ambulas?”

  …

  Aboard the Ambulas, the queen sat in her private quarters. She was furious because of the damage to her battlecruiser – two forward laser turrets destroyed, several key operations sections damaged along the top deck of the ship, one engine destroyed and one engine damaged which could slow her down a bit, and two very important shadow arrays were destroyed. Boone got off a few lucky shots.

  She fumed and tried to understand where she had gone wrong. Her destination was her hidden lair within the tunnels and caverns found in the deep crevices of the planet Kurros in the Adjelon star system. She would make repairs, plot against the High Guard and the Court of Primes, and find a way to lure the Sim-Sa Gale into another trap. This time, it had to be a trap it could not resist. A knock came on her door. She scurried over and pressed a button - the door slid open.

  “Adere? I thought you might never speak to me again. After,” she paused.

  He entered and the door closed. He carefully muttered, “Rena, I can’t believe the lives you just took. This is a whole new war, now. Do you realize what you’ve done?”

  “Yes! Aderian! Do you?” she exclaimed. She pranced over to her seat and sat down, angered. “I am going to bring them down! They are going to pay! Again! Soon!”

  Aderian grimaced at the remark and took a seat near the large window. He could not look at her at the moment.

  He sighed. “What now? Besides repairs? And I have a question for you?”

  “A question? You just asked me three questions. But, I think I know it. As far as my plans, I’m going to create a devastating trap for the Sim-Sa Gale. That’s my next move. Our next move. Right? Adere? Are you still with me?”

  Aderian could only gaze out of a nearby window and watch the starlit panorama. His mind and emotions were still reeling from the devastation she caused on Efferium.

  “Ask your question, Adere.”

  He finally looked at her and asked, “Did you think about the people we had in Nepa’pa? Did you think that some of us might have family there before you killed all those people? Weren’t some of those people ours? I can’t believe what you did.” She looked away in d
isgust. “If we killed any of our people down there what will everyone think? They will say ‘you say one thing and do another.’ I just want to know how far ahead you were thinking this.”

  “I’m sorry but it’s true. We probably did have people down there. They know we are at war, Adere.”

  “Yes, but didn’t you make promises to some of them? You want loyalty? Then you have to be loyal. To them!”

  Rena gently nodded her head up and down as she contemplated what she had done. She didn’t think about her people, only the High Guard and the Court of Primes.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  “Huh,” he muttered with disgust. “That makes it all better.”

  “From now on, I will inform you about all of my plans and you will approve them. I realize now I’ve got so much hatred stored up, it’s clouding my judgment. OK?”

  Aderian turned his head and gazed into the blackness of space. The cold dark blackness was now creeping into his soul. Rena got up and came to his seat. She brushed her long ash-brown hair aside, sat down on the armrest of his chair then slid onto his lap. She leaned down to give him a kiss of thanks. He slowly lowered his head to avoid it, still feeling sick to his stomach concerning the panic and shock taking place in Nepa’pa.

  She whispered, “I wish I had consulted you earlier. I’m sorry.”

  She gently raised his rugged chin with her small thin finger, an example of how she could overpower anyone with little manipulation. He gazed at her kind face and soft lips. What were once alluring lips for him were now, not so inviting. The lips, at one time he wished belonged to him, became indifferent due to the devastation of Copiannis and Nepa’pa. She softly kissed him and for the first time in years, he wanted to push her away.

  She belonged to Kwelling and she could do as she pleased and in the past, he would suffer the pain and heartache afterward. Things were different for him, now. Something had changed.

  Chapter 4

  Captain Eisen answered, “Sir, we are tracking the Ambulas this very moment.”

  With that comment, Giban joyfully asked, “What?” Every member of the court stood, stunned. “Did you say ‘tracking’? What’s happened as the last report said it disappeared from your scans?”

  Captain Eisen smiled and said, “That was true but much has happened since then.”

  The captain glanced at the commander and disregarded his disdain for speaking Boone’s name. “Mr. Nova and his team, uh, what did you do, Mr. Nova?”

  Boone glanced at Phia and motioned for her to answer. He did not want to anger the commander any further.

  Phia answered, “Sir, we discussed, uh, Boone and the rest of our crew, how we could somehow fend off the Ambulas. We had no chance of surviving a direct skirmish, so we all decided to attempt a five-second all-out attack and see what we could do to deter it. Sir.” The court listened intently and began to take their seats. “Everyone aboard the Night Star, including the Kori Dane, took some kind of action against the Ambulas. Boone directed me to drop two trackers on top of her while he and Jona strafed her. Officer DeKator fired rockets while Officer Je’en dropped a bomb near her bow.”

  Phia ended her report and the court smiled, enjoying what they heard very much.

  “Captain? I assume you’re going to pursue?” Giban asked while also glancing around to see if the primes agreed. They all nodded.

  “Yes, though, I’ve just heard about all of this as you have. I have questions first but would very much like to pursue, provided the rest of the report goes well.”

  “We’d like to hear this report, more about your laser, and the status of the teleportation device. Let’s begin with the report.”

  Captain Eisen replied, “Very well. The laser is working well against the queen’s space gunners, the teleportation device worked flawlessly, though we’ve yet to determine its full usefulness and the Ambulas, well, Lieutenant Sa’vo, would you like to continue?”

  “No,” Giban interrupted. “We’d like to hear from Mr. Nova.”

  With that comment, the commander rolled his eyes and grimaced. He immediately thought, “He has them wrapped around his little finger! How? Uh!” He blew out an exhale of disgust. Boone saw it and became concerned. He was about to make matters worse by simply answering their questions.

  “Yes, Sir. When we left O'bipherion we retrieved the device. I initially hid it in a cave on Isoter.”

  The commander became glued to his words. “Should have returned it! Why? Why? Who do you think you are? I should have been the one to find it! Not you! AH!” As the commander fumed, his curiosity piqued. He listened and studied Boone’s every word – to catch him in a lie or accuse him further.

  “But, as I considered all of the gunners Officer Je’en and Pryce encounter, fourteen I think, along with the two High Guard imposters that landed at the ranch house and all of those Axeons that held Zay'Geis, I had a bad feeling about leaving it there. It was hidden in a cave. I went back and thought about the debris field we came across weeks ago. It wasn’t safe with me, Sir, and no one would ever think of looking for it there.”

  Everyone smiled and nodded at the wise decision. The commander thought otherwise.

  Giban asked, “You didn’t think you should return it to O'bipherion?”

  “No!” Boone exclaimed. “I was very worried even when I was on Isoter. Infiltration, Sir! I don’t know who to trust! Anyone could have shown up and taken it from me back then! It’s a miracle no one followed me there.”

  Prime Jaku stood, “Boone? They? Who is that?”

  “Sir!” he answered. “The one who is in charge of this… this network of evil! They have also worked their way into the High Guard, now. I was afraid I wouldn’t make it to the debris field.”

  Jaku nodded and sat down. Boone continued, “Lincoln, Jona, and I retrieved the device while Phia and Terra monitored from the Night Star. That’s when we all decided to let Pryce and Kola bring the device to you and the Night Star would try to stop the Ambulas.”

  Terra raised her arm. She wanted to speak and waited to be recognized. She was very nervous addressing the Court of Primes for the first time ever. Boone was worried what she might say.

  “Investigator Je’en,” Giban said. “Go on.”

  “Sir,” she said as she looked at the commander while trying her best not to glare. “I have something to say about Boone. I know many people have their doubts about his character and his intentions. I certainly did when I first met him. I have seen a lot of accusations against him.” Boone was wishing she would stop talking. He didn’t want to be defended. The commander once again became resentful and angered. “You all remember that he returned the two murdered scientists to O'bipherion? Yes?” she asked. Everyone nodded. She continued, “Sir, the debris field where the device was hidden, contained a lot of destroyed ships.” Most everyone nodded again, listening intently to Terra’s report and wondering where it was going. “Sirs, once again Boone has done something, in my opinion, reveals his true character as I have seen it – he and Jona retrieved a dead Kovan Defense Force pilot from the debris field.”

  Prime Pierce, prime of Kova jumped to his feet. Everyone could clearly see a number of emotions on his face. Concern turned into remorse then into gratitude.

  Terra continued, “The pilot is inside a container on the Night Star and we are returning him to Kova and his family.”

  Everyone was deeply moved and speechless for several moments. Concern and admiration overcame their complexions, including the commander’s.”

  Prime Pierce asked, “Where is this debris field? How long was he there?”

  She answered, “In dead space, between O'bipherion and Gorledeon. The Kawe’im Tines was destroyed over three years ago.”

  Everyone watched Prime Pierce as he slowly took a seat, anxious, concerning his dead officer.

  Captain Eisen asked, “Do you have a name?”

  Boone answered, “Gann. A captain.”

  Prime Pierce somberly replied, “Mr.
Nova, we thank you for thinking of him. That means a lot to us.”

  Boone nodded and said, “You’re welcome, Sir, and I suppose that Kova will be my next stop.”

  Boone glanced at Terra, Phia, and the commander. Prime Pierce studied Boone’s face and noticed apprehension. He wondered why. Commander J'Dar smiled yet with disdain and a certain amount of satisfaction. “He’s going to pay, if he leaves this ship in one piece.” The commander checked his personal COM device again.

  Boone continued to brief the court, “After the device was headed to the Sim-Sa Gale, we decided to see what we could do to stop the Ambulas. We strafed her top deck, fired a few rockets at her, dropped two trackers onto her, and dropped a small bomb in front of her bow. My friend Mace fired his laser at her stern and destroyed one of seven engines. Sir?” he asked. “Will he get in trouble for that?”

  “Absolutely not!” Prime Ta’mian declared.

  The court all nodded. J'Dar fumed, “What! I can’t believe this! They are giving these bums privileges? Why all these allowances? Ah!”

  Lorin was sitting next to her father, listening intently and studying Boone as he addressed the court. Her heart pounded anxiously, longing to speak and encourage and comfort him. She very much wanted to be next to him at that moment in time. She had a very difficult and stressful time trying to remain quiet. She had hopes she would be asked a question.

  Boone continued, “Captain, Commander, Primes,” he said gravely, attempting to convey something very important. “The Ambulas has a series of large panels mounted on her top deck. They are about eight feet by twelve feet and dark-colored. I believe them to be deflector panels. At least, that’s what I’m calling them. They have the ability to ‘deflect’ our scans. That’s how she’s been able to, well, disappear? I’d say. We were able to destroy two of them. She also has seven engines.”

  “Pfft!” Mace muttered.