Patrik Jones and the Code of the Universe

by Robert S Kleinstone

  The young Solaryan had only to find the courage to declare himself and couldn’t have any help from her. Although they had crossed each other's eyes a thousand times, however, the princess remained one of his superiors.

  But now the problem was not that.

  Andal needed to enter the Council chamber and knew that the guards would never let him pass as usual.

  «I have information of the utmost urgency and I must confer with his Grace» he tried anyway, to one of the two guards placed near the entrance.

  «I'm sorry, but we have orders not to let anyone in. You’ll have to wait, soldier».

  If the intuition he had turned out to be correct, time was a luxury he couldn’t really afford.

  Nobody could.

  He pretended to continue in the direction of the garden and with one sudden snap he threw himself at the door, ending up on the ground in a heap inside the hall.

  «What's going on?» the king asked aloud, astonished like everyone inside.

  «Forgive me your majesty. The soldier suddenly launched himself» one of the guards answered as he stopped him on the floor.

  «Sir, I beg your pardon, but I have urgent and vital information for the Council» he replied half-heartedly, his head literally crushed down.

  «Get him up» Karmora ordered.

  «Soldier, I hope for you that your report is considered by all of us of a certain importance, and that justify this totally inappropriate gesture of yours» added Myah, speaking clearly, and very annoyed.

  Andal was special guarded by her; she scolded him for every little smear that he inflicted on the regulations, correcting and humiliating him publicly.

  As a girl in the early stages of adolescence, the princess who inherited the throne of the planet Solyar treated the object of her desire very badly.

  Always!

  He didn’t give up anyway.

  Never!

  At every public whipping he answered clearly and loudly, as befits a military man who turns to his superior, always finishing with a slight smile. And the more he smiled at her, even from a distance, the more she treated him with contempt.

  After all, solaryan women loved like that...

  And now she would have willingly slapped him and maybe even tortured him a little, because he was not hers, and because she could never have ended up with a guy who throws himself into rooms like a madman.

  Andal somehow understood what the princess meant and swallowed his spit with fear. He sighed and looked at her as if he were playing the last hand in poker.

  He approached the table, dodging one of the generals and opened his folder. A map of Solyar's solar system suddenly appeared above everyone's heads.

  «Thank you sire and thank you everybody. I apologize for the intrusion, but I firmly believe that we are under attack».

  A general laugh filled the hall.

  Myah rolled her eyes upward.

  «What makes you think that, young Andal?» asked King Karmora, somewhat amused.

  «Sir, I have long studied the Great War of the Elected of Falaia. About six hours ago I picked up signals below the third sub-spatial category; they came from behind our moon. When the Falaian fleet attacked, in the past, signals of the same kind anticipated its arrival».

  «Boy, don’t be ridiculous!» one of the people present burst out. «The galaxy is continually crossed by signals of all kinds. You talk about things that belong to history. We all know that Akelio and her followers are now extinct».

  «That's not what Patrik Jones said inside the Spindorf. We have all seen the behavior of the Kentauros» Andal replied promptly.

  «So you're asking us to believe in the ravings of a terrestrial boy?!» Hiylos asked sarcastically.

  «Yes, sir. After all, someone believes him, right?!» and so saying he looked into his sovereign's eyes.

  The reference to Alannah was all too clear.

  «Go on» ordered King Karmora very seriously.

  «I threw a rebound band across the galaxy. Other planets are affected by the thing: Arkass and Dikali of the arkassian system, us, Velado, Eta Carinae and the planet Earth».

  «Are you sure?».

  Andal looked at him more determined than ever.

  «Sire, if I should be wrong, I am ready to ask for dishonorable discharge, but I don’t feel like risking millions of lives out of selfishness. If they found us unprepared, it would be a disaster».

  Here it is. Even if he spoke nonsense, now Myah would kiss him willingly.

  King Karmora smiled and stood up.

  «Gentlemen, we are in a state of emergency! Warn all the armed forces».

  Hiylos didn’t believe his ears. «Sire, I dare to ...».

  «I understand your objection, but I've decided to believe the boy. On one thing he is right. We cannot risk it» interrupted the king, without him or anyone else adding anything.

  «Andal, immediately warn all the affected planets, including the Arkassians. If you are right, we will need them too. Commander Dormega, start immediately with your fleet to the Earth».

  «The Earth sire?»

  At this point the dismay was general.

  «Yes commander, the Earth. It’s the only one of the planets on the list that has no defense against a stellar attack. There are more than seven billion people over there. It would be a real massacre».

  Everyone left the room except Karmora and Myah.

  Andal went out last, satisfied and looking for the princess eyes. She glared at him.

  "Dad, I can’t believe you listened to him».

  «Better hope the guy is wrong, miss. Otherwise, I want you to know that I will cheer for him if he asks you to marry him».

  The princess's face lit up.

  «Daddy, what are you saying? He’s not even noble».

  «You are the first-born my dear, I don’t need you to marry a noble. I need you to marry a king».

  «Forget that I should choose him».

  «Why? Haven’t you already done it ?!» Karmora replied, with a mischievous smile that Myah didn’t take well. Her cat pupils narrowed and he decided to leave the room before he heard his daughter explode.

  *

  «Good! I see David Jones is unexpectedly still alive».

  David was speechless before General Greymar, who was waiting for them outside his ship.

  The enemy of a lifetime to welcome him back!

  He turned to Tadiero questioningly.

  «Not now David» he told him without giving him a chance to understand.

  Now they had to leave that planet and his brother weighed a lot on his shoulder.

  Princess Alannah ran to him and hugged him tightly.

  «David, you're alive! I knew you could do it».

  He looked at her as if she had come out of a dream.

  «Baby. What are you doing here? Does your father know ?!»

  «Of course he knows. He sent me, and anyway I would have escaped to free you. You would have done it for me, right?!»

  David smiled and hugged her again.

  «Karmora this time will listen to me! He knows that he must not endanger my baby's life».

  Patrik looked at that scene wondering how he would react if someone kissed his baby.

  «General, a couple of injured people need to go to the infirmary» he said, turning to Greymar.

  «I'm sorry, but we're not equipped to treat Portiryans and Solaryans on this ship» he replied with the utmost contempt.

  Patrik understood the affront, but he certainly didn’t intend to give in.

  «You don’t have to operate on them in the heart. They are simple dressings».

  «I'm afraid it's not possible» he insisted, facing him openly.

  «I can dispose of the ship and the crew, as I believe. You have only the task of bringing me back to Arkass. These are the words of your lord. So open the infirmary immediately».

  The general gripped the siel and it came to life.

  «Sir, please don’t be foolish» Lokkar said to them
to avoid the worst.

  «Lokkar, get out of the way or I will not have mercy on you either» said Greymar, determined to attack.

  «And what will you say to the gohtarma? You know very well, you must deliver him alive!»

  Lokkar didn’t get up and he tried to regain his calm. After all, he was right, he could not touch a prey of the black lord.

  «When we come back to Arkass you will be alone, little Terrestrial. As soon as my lord has finished with you, I hope there will be a bit left for me too».

  Patrik strongly held the gaze of the Arkassian, but a cold chill ran through him from side to side. The same cold shiver that all his friends present there felt.

  «What’s he talking about» asked David rather upset.

  «Come on board, now we'll explain everything, but as you clearly understood, the passage was not free!» Kalberham answered entering the ship.

  *

  Alannah and Tadiero took the wounded to the infirmary. Obviously the Arkassians didn’t give any help, but the good Jaco was doing well with the few medical notions he had learned in anticipation of similar events.

  Patrik and his father found themselves in his room and he told him about the fantastic adventure that had brought him there. David had a million questions of course, but he preferred to hear his son's voice to satisfy a need he had felt all those years away from him.

  «You shouldn’t have accepted the deal. It's crazy» he confined himself to saying, after at least twenty minutes of intense story.

  «It was the only way to free you, and then I don’t think the gohtarma wants to kill me. If he wanted to, he would have just done it on Arkass».

  «He will get what he wants or you will die».

  David was desperate.

  He had rediscovered his son, and now he had to abandon him to some kind of despicable destiny.

  «I don’t know» Patrik replied almost resignedly. «I learned not to do calculations in space. I've been doing so many things since I left Earth, that even predicting what will happen in an hour seems impossible to me».

  The answer didn’t please David, who turned around. He put a hand to the wall with a sense of impotence in his soul, thinking of a solution that was very difficult to find.

  As long as he was only putting his life at risk and knew that his family was safe on Earth, it was not a problem. But now his son was in that situation because of him and he had done it to protect him. And how could he blame him? Would not he have done the same?

  «Dad, don’t do that. You protected me as long as you could and I thank you, but the Code chose me. I have to take this responsibility. I'm a wag warrior and I can’t pull back. I see things differently since I joined the Flower and I feel that I have to follow my path, even if it’s not very clear to me at the moment. And I do it for mom too. Look, if I don’t make it, I want you there with her».

  David smiled a little bitterly, thinking of her.

  «Nadine ...» he said in a low voice, that name he had not said for years, but that he had always thought of.

  «Has she remarried?» he asked, almost fearing the answer.

  «A couple of guys dated her for a while, but it didn’t go well. That woman has a temper» replied Patrik, laughing.

  Even his father laughed out loud. «You're right. I couldn’t do anything inside the house».

  «In my opinion she did it on purpose to get rid of them. Look, even if I had that limiter in the neck, she tended to protect her little son who occasionally did strange things» added Patrik, who could see in his mind hundreds of images of her.

  «Yes, this is typical of her» David said.

  «Dad, I want you to promise me something. As soon as I'm on Arkass, head to Earth and find her. It’s useless if you stay there, as you surely thought you would do. I'll be fine. Find her, because it will be easier for me to face everything if I know you're going to her».

  «I promise you Patrik» he replied, almost not believing that he would have the courage to get away.

  But he had to do it.

  He had to let his son go, as all the parents in the galaxy do. At this point it was right to think of his partner, who had made no less sacrifices than him.

  At least she had to be informed about what she had helped to do.

  He took a deep breath and put his hand on Patrik's shoulder.

  «I was not in your life and yet you are exactly the person I wanted you to become. Nadine did a good job. I also think we owe something to her, to the stubborn German Frau».

  The two laughed and hugged each other.

  *

  Magellan entered the room.

  Dianek provided Poligon Dhaal with a spacecraft to reach Arkass with a crew of about twenty Carineans.

  The old Guardian stood staring at space, almost hypnotized by the view, while his siel danced around his forearm.

  «Lord, a call for you».

  «From where?» he asked, aroused from that state of partial absence.

  «Velado. I believe it is Prince Selidar» Magellan replied, not realizing how important that call was to him.

  Poligon's face lit up. Finally good news in that ruckus he was experiencing.

  «On the monitor, now!»

  The blue face of his Veladian friend took shape on the screen and he smiled.

  «Poligon Dhaal, my friend» said the prince.

  «Selidar, it's nice to see you're fine. Damn you, you made me wait an interminable time. I was about to lose hope».

  «It was hard, but I’ve done it as you see. The first two days I didn’t even understand where I was, then everything became clearer and now I can say I feel good. You’ll have to wait a little longer to take me out».

  Poligon Dhaal smiled, at least his blue friend had the same character as always.

  Suddenly Selidar grew darker in his face, almost worried.

  «No more talk, Poligon. Tell me how the boy is and why you're headed to Arkass».

  He sat on the bed.

  The same worried expression also came to him. Contrary to the Veladian, he knew well what Patrik was going to face. He informed him of all that had happened up to then and of the unfortunate promise the boy had had to make to free David.

  Curiously, Selidar listened, but was distracted from time to time by what some of his men came to tell him.

  «Is there something wrong?» Poligon Dhaal asked.

  «We will think about the promise later. Now there is something more serious to think about» said the prince of Velado.

  «I’m listening to you».

  Now his concern became panic. What could be more serious than Patrik alone with the gohtarma?

  «I received a message from Solyar. They have detected a sub-spatial anomaly and are convinced of a possible Falaian attack. But does it seem possible to you?!»

  «Send me the data» Poligon Dhaal said without even answering his friend.

  His heart was beating madly.

  His hands and old eyes peered at the monitor for at least twenty seconds without being able to breathe. It could not be possible that those who were sent to certain death had not only been able to return, but had also rebuilt their fleet.

  And under their noses.

  Yet the data matched. Akelio, or someone working for her, was preparing to attack forcefully, he had no doubts.

  «What else do you know?» he asked.

  «In addition to Velado there are Eta Carinae, Solyar, Arkass, Dikali and the Earth interested in the thing. They have all been been warned, apart from the Terrans obviously. Poligon, but do you think it's one thing ...»

  «Prepare the defenses immediately, you don’t have much time» the Guardian interrupted him so as not to lose precious moments. «They are attacking the heart of our forces and the Arkassian’s. I don’t have an explanation for the Earth, and unfortunately I think it will be a massacre».

  «King Karmora sent reinforcements for the Terrans, fearing this possibility» Selidar assured him.

  Poligon Dhaal thanked the Code f
or creating men like the ruler of Solyar.

  «Now go and think of your people. Call the governor of Liliah and tell him that you spoke to me. Prepare for the worst too. Now I need to go, I have to call the gohtarma! Good luck, my friend, and take care of yourself».

  The communication closed and, slamming the door, he ran immediately to the bridge.

  *

  Although reluctantly, Patrik left his father for a while. After all that time in a vortian prison, he needed to clean himself and put himself back on track.

  He walked along the corridor of the arkassian ship with the intention of reaching the infirmary. He wanted to make sure of his friends' conditions and, above all, he wanted to see Alannah again.

  Passing right by the door of her cabin he noticed someone inside.

  He put his ear close and after a moment he had no more doubts, the princess was crying inside. Patrik stood firm but was doubtful about what to do. He wanted to go in, but he didn’t know what kind of excuse to use.

  Billo thought to break the delay.

  Suddenly he started barking from behind the door feeling his presence and Patrik realized he had no other choice.

  He knocked for permission and after a few seconds the door opened.

  «Patrik, it's you. Did something happen?» she asked with the lines of tears that she couldn’t dry.

  «No, but I heard you were crying and I wanted to know how you are».

  «You're wrong, I was not crying, and then it's not nice to eavesdrop behind the doors» she said very resolutely.

  Patrik was annoyed. As usual, it was not worth trying to be nice to her. Not considering then that he had caught her eavesdropping at his door practically ten minutes after they met.

  «All right, then excuse me» he said, turning around and going out.

  «Wait, don’t go» she immediately stopped him.

  He turned with the conviction that another battle was about to be born, but he understood immediately that it was not so. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen was in tears in front of him and for the first time he saw her as vulnerable as ever.