Return of the Guardian King

by John E Bujanowski Jr

  He arrived at an unused flight deck and saw several old airships and a handful of flyers. He ripped a battery pack off an old flyer. He connected it to the location device and it activated. Then a sound was heard. An ASOP was approaching. He grabbed a long iron rod used for moving heavy crates and waited for the ASOP to enter the flight deck. He hid. The ASOP hovered and scanned as Sable hid behind a large cargo container. The ASOP approached. Sable peeked and saw its facial display panel communicating with the other ASOP’s and perhaps the COM Center. It slowly and cautiously hovered about as its arms and legs were slowly moving, using its sensitive sensors on the ends of its appendages to scan. It circled around the container, Sable swung hard, and the ASOP shot bolts of electrical charges toward Sable. Sable fell, stunned, as the ASOP fell, disabled. It slowly tried to hover again but fell after each attempt. It continued to shoot electrical pulses but they launched haphazardly in many different directions. From behind, Sable smashed it with one big swing.

  He ran back to the device and checked it. It was still working. Now, he only needed a way to launch it from the Exoteric and get it into space so it could escape the containment field generated by the Exoteric.

  He spied another star flyer. It was across the wide expanse of the docking bay and lay at the very edge of the flight deck, next to the exit doors. He ran and opened the docking bay doors. They slowly opened and a static barrier immediately activated.

  He ran to the flyer. If it was workable, he only had to attach the location device to it and launch it. He thought about jumping in the flyer and escaping but that would be futile. The flyer would take months to reach safety. He assumed he could hide from the crew and the investigator for days on end by hiding in the many unused decks of the ship.

  He ran to the flyer, jumped onto its forward wing, and opened the canopy. While standing on the wing, he leaned inside and did a quick-systems check. Another sound was heard then two ASOP’s entered the flight deck. They separated and began searching for Sable. Sable slid into the star flyer, ducked, and started programming the ship. He plotted a course for the flyer.

  It was an elliptical path 3000 miles away from the Exoteric which would circle it, repeatedly. An elliptical path would be best as targeting the moving ship would be difficult. He also adjusted the thrust control to fire its engine periodically so missiles would have difficulty acquiring its heat signature. The ASOP’s approached, detecting his presence. Then Investigator Lincoln and other High Guardsmen entered the flight deck.

  “Sable!” Lincoln shouted from across the wide flight deck. “If that’s your name, get out! From here on, we’re going to shoot first, ask questions later. Understood?”

  Sable raised his hands and smiled. His job was completed. He only needed a handful of seconds to program a delayed start to launch the ship but with his hands raised, that was now out of the question. At this point, all he needed to do was hit the engine start and hope he could jump from the ship before it quickly burst out into space.

  “I’m complying!” he shouted from a distance as he climbed out of the canopy, opposite from them and stood on the wing.

  He grabbed hold of the device and put it on the seat of the flyer.

  “Don’t move!” Captain Dillard ordered. They were running to him.

  The device was already sending a signal but the signal was not emitting beyond the electrical field of the Exoteric. He crunched down and hid and reached inside to start the engines. He glanced back at the small rear wing of the flyer and knew the moment he hit start, the flyer would disappear into space in the blink of an eye. He didn’t have time to climb down before its departure. He then wondered if the wing would literally slice him in half once it darted from the deck. He decided to jump high into the air and hope the canopy would not cut his arm in half. He hoped for the best.

  Lincoln raised his gun and fired a warning shot. Sable smiled and pressed the button. “My last mission! It was a great success! I found the Exoteric! Come and get her! Merrick, I did not fail you! She will come!”

  The flyer immediately ignited and jetted out of the flight deck in the blink of an eye. Sable was hit by the opened canopy. It hit him in his shoulder and propelled him high into the air, twirling toward the static barrier as he rose nearly a dozen yards into the air. He screamed as his arm took the full force of the exiting ship. Blood spewed as he twirled in the air. He landed on the very edge of the flight deck, his left leg lay stuck, inside the static barrier. He screamed as he studied his arm, his forearm missing. He rolled in pain and the vacuum of space pulled him deeper into the static barrier. He tried to cling to the flight deck with his good arm then in a flash, he disappeared from their view. He was sucked into space.

  Everyone stood in awe. Lincoln uttered, “I didn’t know you could lay inside a static barrier.”

  A guardsman answered, “You can’t! That was unbelievable! I think the ship interrupted the static field just enough for him to fall into it.”

  Captain Dillard grabbed his COM. “Control! Destroy that ship! Now! Have Patrol pursue! Copy?”

  “Control copy, Sir.”

  They all quickly headed to the bridge to assess what Sable had done.

  Chapter 22

  Night had fully set in. Boone, completely exhausted from pushing dirt, was just a few feet from their exit and he was firing his phase pistol at the puda’s that peeked at them through the small opening. There were dozens of them and their screeches, shrieks, and yelps terrified them. Boone would shoot at the metal roofing and the blast would ricochet out through the opening and the puda’s would screech and run. Moments later, they would all return.

  “Boone,” Phia said. “Want me to take over? We can switch positions and I could take over for a while.”

  “Naw. I’m spent but I’m still thinking about all of our options. Maybe I can call the Night Star. Maybe Lila just can’t send messages or communicate back to me. I think the hangar fell on her but if it did, maybe she could still fly. I just don’t know what to do with her. How can she help us?”

  “Have it shoot those things out there and land. We’ll make a run for it after it lands. Right?”

  Boone grabbed his wristband again. “I’ll run a test.” He rubbed the COM device and it lit up. “Lila, start engines, activate.”

  They listened but only the sounds of the puda’s were heard. Boone rested his head on the ground. Phia heard the sound of a puda as it peeked into the small opening.

  “Boone!”

  Boone fired and blasted it. The others quickly attacked it and started to rip it apart and devour it. It created horrifying sounds as dozens of puda’s fought for a piece of charred meat. While peeking out, Boone could see the vicious brawl due to the faint moonlight. An idea came to mind.

  “Phia, we’re getting out of here. All I have to do is shoot a few more of them and they will all attack themselves! That is, they’ll attack the ones I kill. OK?”

  “Yes! I have to get out of here! I can’t take it anymore. We’ll make a run for the ship?”

  “Yes. I moved enough dirt. Crawl up here, next to me.”

  Boone shot at the opening and blasted away pieces of tin to make a larger opening for them to crawl through.

  “Boone? What if the Night Star is covered and we can’t get to it? What then? Run to the café?”

  “Uh!” he moaned. “C’mon. We’re going. Now!”

  Boone fired at every puda he saw. Some ran for cover and some disregarded the explosions as their hunger trumped their fears. Boone crawled out and protected Phia as she crawled out. They were not ready to do any running, though. They were weak and their legs were somewhat feeble.

  In the faint light of the moon, they looked at the Night Star. It was covered with a large piece of tin. They were unable to see whether a beam had fallen on it or not. That was their main concern. They gawked at the puda’s who were engrossed with eating their dead. They quickly gazed in every direction and discovered they were surrounded by hungry puda’s who were perche
d and ready to attack.

  A tiny light just above the horizon caught Boone’s eye. They had their guns drawn.

  “Phia, a ship is coming. See it?” She looked and saw the distant light. “It’s not a ship, Boone. It’s three ships.”

  They glanced at each other and grimaced. Boone said, “We’re going to stand back-to-back. OK? And we’re going to shoot some of them before they decide to attack us. Ready?”

  Phia nodded and they stood back-to-back and fired at every puda they saw. Some attacked those that were blasted, some ran off, afraid, and some ran toward them. Phia screamed.

  “Boone! Four are coming! Help!”

  Boone fired at two that were running toward him. “Phia! Keep your cool! Shoot at them!”

  Boone turned and helped Phia shoot the four that were attacking then he turned and fired at some that were trying to flank them. He grabbed her hand.

  “C’mon! Walk toward the ship!”

  They continued to fire at a handful of puda’s that were slowly stalking them. Suddenly, a high-pitched screech echoed from above and the hangar roof exploded with a tremendous boom. The blast knocked Boone, Phia, and all the puda’s off their feet. They all fell to the ground. Another tremendous screech zipped through the air just above their heads and landed many yards behind them. The ground quaked and the blast shook the buildings, the hangar, and everything around it.

  Boone looked and discovered the Night Star was covered with a large piece of tin. He didn’t see a beam lying on it. The three ships flew just above the ground as they strafed the entire area, firing short bursts of phaser fire. They passed over them and Boone grabbed Phia.

  “We need to take cover! I know they are targeting the ship! C’mon!”

  They ran to a large open area next to a pile of broken ship parts and waited for the three ships to make another pass. They also watched out for puda’s which had left the area for the time being.

  As they looked toward the horizon they saw the three ships, high in the night sky. Boone knew what they were doing as it was a tactic he had done so many times before - they were in attack formation, high in the sky so they could get an accurate infrared reading on the life forms below. Once the infrared signatures were identified, the ships could easily adjust their course for maximum attack results. There was nowhere they could hide.

  Boone raised his gun and aimed at the three ships. Phia gaped as it was a futile attempt. Then something caught her eye. She put her hand on his arm and slowly made him lower his weapon. He gazed at her, wondering what she was doing.

  “Boone! Look!” she said as she pointed to a position just off to their right and just above the horizon. The two lights were below the three ships and they were heading in their direction at an incredible speed. Their night sky was lit up with lights coming down from above and lights approaching from the horizon.

  “Wonder who that is?” Boone asked.

  Phia stepped closer to Boone and Boone immediately grabbed her and pulled her closer. They only had to wait moments. The three ships from above fired upon their location. Boone and Phia huddled on the ground. Then the two ships launched upward and open fired upon the three ships descending from above.

  “Clay! I’ve got the two wingmen! You take the leader!”

  “Copy, Commander, uh, Commander Finn!”

  Clay chuckled at his own humor but Finn was preoccupied. He was determined to destroy the two wingmen that lagged just behind their leader. Tears were flooding his eyes as a horrific feeling washed over him. “That’s my, my, my son down there!” Finn cried out into the open COM, hoping to distract or reason with them. He thought a few more precious moments could delay them.

  “Sky King to attack ships. Do you copy?”

  “They can hear you, Finn.”

  No ships broke off to engage them. No one answered his COM. Finn pushed his ship harder and fired, wiping tears away as he pursued. The distant range didn’t hinder their attempt to distract the three ships. Clay hit one of the ships and it fell to the ground, out of control. Clay and Finn fired upon the two remaining ships continuously. They were forced to break off. Boone and Phia jumped to their feet and raised their fists for joy. They quickly hugged each other. They ran to the Night Star and assessed the damage to the ship. The large piece of tin seemed to have separated from the hangar and fell onto it.

  Boone opened the cargo bay and said, “Lila, engine start, initiate!”

  Immediately, the engines started. They ran to the cockpit and lifted off the ground. The large piece of sheet metal that draped the Night Star squealed and squeaked and scratched the ship as it slowly slipped off and fell to the ground. Boone initiated a 180⁰ turn and watched the battle in the sky. One lone ship tried to elude two faster and more experienced ships. Boone and Phia saw a final distant explosion. Pieces of a ship slowly fell toward the ground, burning and glowing then it disappeared.

  “Boone?” Phia asked. “Was that Jess? And her friends?”

  “No, Phia,” he answered as he brushed a tear. “They’re not jet flyers, they are star flyers. I recognized those engines. They are some kinda souped-up engines.”

  “Souped-up? What?”

  “Modified, Phia.” He smiled. “That’s my dad. That’s my dad, Phia.”

  She gasped and gazed at Boone. Boone glanced at her and brushed another tear. He landed and turned on the ships exterior lighting and ran out of the ship with Phia right behind him. They stood in front of the Night Star in the open courtyard. No puda’s were in sight and none dare approach the area due to the commotion they experienced earlier. The two star flyers slowly descended and landed in front of them. Clay and Finn popped their canopies, climbed out and jumped down to the ground. Both Finn and Boone were wiping tears as they hugged each other.

  “Dad,” Boone said.

  “Son,” Finn replied. “I’ve got a lot to say to you.” They let go of each other and Boone and Phia shook hands with Clay. “Boone? Who is this beautiful girl with you? You have something to tell me?” he joked.

  “Dad, this is Phia.”

  Boone looked at her. She stood, wondering what he would say. She anticipated a confusing dysfunctional greeting because her relationship with Boone had been very confusing and dysfunctional.

  Boone said, “Dad, she’s my friend and she’s the reason I’m even here trying to, well, dad, we’re trying to clear my name.”

  Finn nodded and smiled. He hugged him again and said, “I can help, Boone. And Boone,” he said as he whispered in his ear. “I’ve got a lot to make up for. I’ve been a stubborn fool.”

  “Yeah!” Clay added. Everyone looked at him and chuckled but Finn glared at him. “What?” Clay asked. “It’s true!”

  Just then Clay, Finn, and Boone noticed Phia was gazing at the night sky. She was watching something. They all looked and saw a handful of tiny lights heading their way.

  “Get to your ships!” Finn yelled. “Another attack!”

  Finn and Clay headed for their flyers but Boone stood still. “Dad, wait! Listen!” They listened and Boone identified them. “Dad, that’s Mace, Jess, Leake, and Ulius.”

  “Mace!” Finn gasped as he loved Mace as much as he loved his own son. Finn then realized Mace was a victim of his foolish past just as much as Boone was. “Mace,” he softly uttered.

  The three ships landed and everyone hugged Finn. Upon hearing what Boone and Phia went through, Jess ran to him and hugged him and kissed him on his face. Phia immediately became very jealous and Phia was not good at hiding her emotions. Everyone saw her displeasure, though she tried to disguise it.

  Everyone chatted about what took place since Boone’ and Mace’ escaped. Ulius’ trap was ineffective, as he described it. Ulius messaged Liana that evening who told him Boone had not reported back and Finn was also looking for Boone. She had him contact Silo. The small group talked for a short while and even called Liana who was delighted to hear everyone was safe.

  Finn finally said, “Boone, you know what I brought wit
h me? Don’t you?”

  “Dad, you’ve got the designation device. Right? You’ve had it all these years?”

  Finn nodded and smiled. Jess said, “We’ve got to install it and find the wreckage! And we’ve got to go right now!”

  “Wait, Jess, we can’t install it! The moment it’s installed, every SAT-COM, hub station, and COM Center will know the Guardian King is here. We’ll be identified, immediately.” Boone looked at his dad who was smiling.

  Finn admired listening to his son scheme. “Son, what do you want to do?”

  “We need to access it and get the coordinates.”

  Mace added, “The coordinates for the Amity. That will clear us for sure. We won’t need anything else.”

  Jess added, “If we hand over the data chips and the device for the Amity, we’ll prove to everyone what really happened.”

  Leake and Ulius left to join their father, Commander Bridges - Starlight Leader. They would update him. Jess jumped in her flyer and would follow the Night Star. Clay jumped in Finn’s flyer and hovered over to the Night Star and parked inside the cargo bay. Phia, Mace, Finn, and Boone walked up the cargo ramp of the Night Star. Finn stopped and took in his surroundings. He studied everything he saw as Clay slowly brought his ship inside the cargo bay. It barely fit.

  “Dad? You OK? Is everything just like you left it?”

  He patted Boone on the shoulder and replied, “Boone, I miss this ship so much. She’s beautiful.”

  A tear surfaced in Finn’s eye. Boone saw it and it caused him to shed a tear. Phia stepped closer, wanting to comfort him. They recalled some memories they shared in the ship.

  Finn continued, “She’s just beautiful. The new paint job is nice.” He smirked. “Don’t know if ‘I’ would have chosen a light-brown.” They all chuckled.

  Once in the cockpit, Finn insisted on taking a back seat. He wanted his son to continue what he started. Phia started to take a back seat also but Boone stopped her.