Center Moon - The Stone Of Cordova

by Stephen Gambuti

  "How many of the prisoners are still alive?" Jonas swiped a blaster from a dead Enforcer and readied himself near a branch fork in the trees. He aimed his weapon and fired upon the closest Enforcer.

  "Nice shot," Darden complemented Jonas's skill. "This is it. Us and a dozen more on the other side. We're all that's left. Thank the Gods you brought those troops."

  "Yeah, they sure helped." Jonas watched the troops close in on the remaining Enforcers. He knew that because he was by Darden, the troops would not shoot him. Between the surviving prisoners and the troops of the Alliance, the Parliamentary officers were easily outnumbered.

  Darden blasted two more Enforcers who thought they were sneaking up on his men. "See you later."

  A hover blew out five Enforcers taking cover behind a mass of downed tree trunks.

  Darden looked at Jonas. "Who are those people?"

  Three dracosaurs came up on a couple of officers who were preparing a multi-blaster ground cannon. A multi-blaster had enough power to create a small crater in the ground. Jonas hoped they would make it in time.

  One of the dracs dropped suddenly and rolled over, crushing the two troops who operated it. The remaining dracs retreated. Then another fell. The troops who were riding it escaped with minor bruises.

  "Jonas!" A scream rang through Jonas's ears. The teen turned to discover an Enforcer gripping Liotta's collar. The officer threw her onto the ground and into the dirt, then jumped on top of her.

  Jonas tapped Darden on the shoulder. "Cover me." He raced along the battlefield dodging blaster rounds and hopping over bodies that were at one time fighting for their cause. Liotta noticed he was coming and started to yell to him. She waved her arms in an attempt to stop him. He did not understand this.

  He was just about to jump the Enforcer when suddenly, Crack! A stick broke over his head from behind him. A portion of the weapon slashed his arm as it split. The teen's mouth shoveled up soil as he fell. Jonas spit the dirt off his tongue. He looked up at his attacker. He wiped his dirty chin and his eyes sharpened. The Sapien from his grandfather's dwelling, Quarp, was bearing down on him. "What the hell are you doing?"

  "Killing you. Then I will go back and finish your grandfather off. The Council will reign supreme." Quarp smiled.

  "You are--" Jonas cradled his bloody arm tightly.

  "--an Enforcer." Quarp looked at the other officer who was holding down Liotta . He chuckled a bit. "I have been on to your father for quite some time."

  Jonas's pupils lit up.

  "That's why I killed him." The spy's lips grew thin. He seemed proud of himself. "I had to kill your poor little mommy, too. You, though, I must admit. You have been the hardest to kill." Quarp gave Jonas a swift kick in the head.

  "No." Liotta struggled.

  Jonas turned, revealing a swollen cheekbone. His eyes were like fire.

  "See, it was all part of my plan. We expected you. We were not here to destroy your friend Darden. He just got in the way. We were actually coming to finish Jada and his useless Alliance off."

  Jonas dropped his head in the dirt. He had been beaten. He wondered who'd been feeding information to this person. Then the puzzle came together in seconds. He turned over to observe Leo firing off his guns on the ship. But that can't be. He is shooting Enforcers.

  Quarp dug his weapon into the back of Jonas' head. "When you get there, tell your father one thing for me. Gotcha." The Enforcer tightened his trigger finger.

  "Leo. Liotta it was Leo," Jonas muttered as he swallowed more dirt.

  "Who the hell is Leo?" Quarp asked. "Piece of advice for you. Next time you leave your cousin stranded in the middle of nowhere, kill him first. He will not talk as much."

  Every part of Jonas's inner being collapsed. Carlen. It made sense. He always played by the rules. He had to tell them.

  Liotta knew that if Carlen had talked, her father was in for it, too. "Jonas!"

  Without warning a large thing trounced Quarp from the trees. Wails of pain filled the air over the battle noises. The Enforcer holding Liotta down released her and ran.

  Jonas tilted his head slightly. A large man in a thick robe, wielding a thick staff, kept tearing Quarp into pieces. As the spy attempted to sit up, his head was spun around by another whack of the stick. The blows followed in rapid succession until Quarp was no longer able to rise. His body lay there, lifeless. The man turned toward Jonas.

  Jonas squinted his eyes to see who it was, but the man fled before the teen could make him out. Liotta walked over and lifted him by the arm. Jonas looked back at the group of Enforcers putting together the multi-blaster.

  The huge weapon came together quickly. The officers pulled along a wooden crate. They pried it open with the end of their blasters. Jonas grew nervous as he noticed the huge portable weapon take aim at a bunch of prisoners fighting from the woods.

  Jonas broke away from Liotta and lifted Quarp's blaster off the ground. He advanced on the Enforcers as best he could. The pain in his arm was getting unbearable. His mind fogged as he lost focus of the ground.

  Liotta ran up to him and grabbed the blaster. She started pumping shots at the men setting up the multi-blaster. Two officers moved faster to load it as the third protected his group.

  Leo noticed Liotta and Jonas on the ground. He swung the cannon around and sent a blast into the crate creating a massive explosion.

  Troops swarmed in on the remaining Enforcers, cutting them down methodically. Another explosion rocked the valley. It was the last of the Parliamentary cruisers. The battle was over. Everyone cheered victoriously.

  Darden saw it was safe to rise from his spot. He watched the troops roar with delight. The Crow hurried over to Jonas in order to help him with his wounds.

  Jonas's pupils kept rolling toward the back of his head. His mind replayed all the important events in his life. He saw his friends at school, his father in uniform and his mother dying. The surrounding area started fading.

  Darden leaned over Jonas and reached into his pouch. He took out the stone, gently placing it in Jonas's palm. He closed the teen's hand. "Please, my friend. Take back your stone."

  Jonas's eyes flickered as the ends of his lips curled. His head rolled to one side.

  Fourteen

  Days had passed since the battle had been won by the Alliance. Darden and his group joined the ranks of the troops. The village was well into the process of relocating.

  Jonas lay in his grandfather's bed resting for the journey ahead. He was rolling the stone in between his fingers. Liotta had made a necklace out of it for him.

  Jonas was unable to stop thinking about his cousin. He knew in his heart that Carlen did what he always expected him to do. However, Jonas still missed him deeply. One day he would catch up to him and apologize for leaving him stranded.

  A soft knock tapped at the door.

  "Come in."

  Liotta poked her head inside the doorway and smiled at Jonas. "I got in touch with my father." She stepped completely into the room. "After he screamed, he decided it would be best to take off." Then she sat on the edge of the bed.

  "How did you contact your dad?" Jonas sat up against the headboard.

  "Jada let me use his voice box. He said now that the Council knew where they were, it didn't matter if they captured the signal." She lowered her head and began to cry.

  "Liotta?"

  She ignored him as she buried her hands into her face.

  "Liotta? We will get your father. I promise. As soon as we can." Jonas gently placed his hand on her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze.

  Liotta stood up. "I know we will. You know what surprised me the most?"

  "What?"

  "He actually believed what I did was right." She brushed the matted strands of hair from her moist face. "He said he'd been looking to leave the Academy anyway."

  Liotta sniffled and walked out of the room as Jada came into it.

  The old man looked down at his grandson. A warm glow came over Jada. "Thank
you, Jonas."

  "For what?" Jonas sat up with an interest in his grandfather's gratitude.

  Jada switched his cane into his other hand. He positioned himself alongside his grandson. "You saved the Alliance. I would've only found out about Quarp once it was too late."

  Jonas understood what Jada meant. He tilted his head, observing his grandfather's face. He could see each wrinkle in his face. Jonas was sure every line could tell a story.

  "We have spent so many generations in hiding. Hiding from how the world should be. Then my son's son comes and blows the lid off of our way of life." The old man chuckled quietly to himself.

  "You will lead us to a safe place. In no time we will bounce back." Jonas straightened up his back. He rested his hand on Jada's knee.

  "Actually, Jonas, you will lead this Alliance. I will be there only to mentor you." Jada lifted himself off the bed and twitched his cane to the other hand. "I do not have either the energy or the years to keep up the war that is coming." Jada strolled over to his closet and pulled out his robe. He threw it on and tied the sash. "We have to move now. The Parliamentary Council will be on our heels." The old man left the closet door ajar. He hobbled out of the room.

  Jonas remained in bed. He knew he had to get up. What he did not know was how to lead the Alliance into a war. He hoped his grandfather would be able to teach him.

  The teen looked at the closet door and recognized something familiar that rested on the wall. The same wooden staff that had beaten Quarp. Jonas hopped out of bed and clutched the staff. He figured out that Jada had been the one to save him and Liotta. Jonas rolled the staff between his palms, hoping he could learn to use one of these things one day. However, until that day came, Jonas would keep it in a safe place.

  Meet Stephen Gambuti

  As a Liberal Arts and Communications major in college, I fell in love with Science Fiction and Fantasy. The stories I read provided me with many escapes into magical worlds when I needed some magic in mine.

  Born in Paterson, New Jersey, I grew up moving around from place to place as my father's job dictated. During my younger years, I taught myself the art of magic. As I grew older, I built a career performing across the country as a comic magician. For the past ten years I penned low budget screenplays and comic sketches for the local cable channels.

  Now married and a father of four, my children brought me back on the magical journeys of space travel, fantasy and the supernatural.

  I teach middle school while I write fantasy and science fiction adventures for young adults and teens. I hope that as a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, I can continue to grow in story telling.