Fall of shadows, p.15
Fall of Shadows, page 15
part #7 of Steven Gordon Series
Wiola smirked back, ‘I certainly did.’
‘Did you enjoy it?’
‘If I told you how much it would make you cry tears of joy.’
Darrick barked a laugh, ‘Good for you Wiola. Do I know the lucky father?’
She rolled her eyes at him, ‘Who knows, you may do.’ The personal exchange calmed Darrick a little. ‘We wish to know your intentions now Darrick.’
‘I have none. I no longer have an interest in the region, I have already pulled my forces back.’
‘That’s it?’
‘What more need there be? Let them rise or fall in their own shadows. I no longer have any interest in the Albany.’
‘Do you have the neutralising agent you used on their worlds?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Could you give us the formula?’
‘What for!’
‘We are facing an unprecedented crisis. Billions of displaced Albany are reaching out across the galaxy, looking for a home.’
‘So? Turn them away, let them fall. Hunt them down for sport.’
‘Those times are past us Darrick. We aren’t dealing with a single world here. It’s half a dozen different worlds. Not just millions, billions. Our worlds are creaking with refugees, we can’t just turn our backs on them.’
‘It was good enough for the Humans though, wasn’t it? You didn’t mind the Albany wiping billions of them out. How would you feel if billions of them turned up on your doorsteps? I bet you wouldn’t mind wiping them out.’
‘Actually I would.’
‘You don’t even support their bid.’
‘I do, and will so publicly soon enough. A few years ago, not so much. I admit that.’
‘What will it cost us?’ Asked another member.
Darrick thought it over. They remained in silence. ‘There is nothing I really need. There is nothing my Empire really needs. There is only one thing I would like.’
‘What is it?’
‘The immediate acceptance of the Humans as full Federation members. I also want the Albany member of the council to announce it.’
A deathly silence descended on the members. Eventually the presiding member broke the silence.
‘What will we get for that?’
‘I will release enough of the agent for you to treat every planet. I will also release all of my Royal prisoners. Just so you know, at this moment I am holding them and feeding them in an airlock.’ Darrick paused for a moment and rolled his eyes a little. ‘I will give you seven Modloch days to make up your minds. If I haven’t heard from you by then, I will open the airlock, and never release that agent to you. Ever.’ He then paused for a second thought. ‘I may however keep the young females. My sons may have to marry an alien one day. It would be nice for them to have something to practice on.’
The presiding member acknowledged Darrick’s terms, and the Modloch strode out from the chamber. All were pretty much lost for words. Only Queen Wiola Maleck was smiling as she stroked her raised abdomen.
He looked around, ‘Does anyone have anything to say.’
‘I like it,’ Wiola smiled at him.
‘Did those Human females really make such a big impression on you?’
Her smile broadened, and her eyes twinkled, ‘They certainly changed my life. I agree wholeheartedly with the Emperor’s demands. Does anyone disagree?’
‘I can’t really say I do,’ the presiding member agreed with her. ‘But I can’t see the Albany Emperor agreeing to it.’
Chapter 34
The Albany Emperor was almost frothing at the mouth. ‘I will not give in to those foul bastards. Let him toss them out an airlock, they should have died in the fighting. Tell our people to head to the nearest planet that has a representative on the ruling council. Let them feel the weight of the refugees.’
His eldest son placed a hand on his shoulder, ‘It is over Father. We have lost, and brought our people to ruin. It is time to concede defeat.’
‘Never!’
‘Your youngest daughter is going to be used as a sex slave for the Modloch Emperor’s sons. You know he will do it.’
‘I will have someone slit her throat long before that happens. I will not be shamed any further.’
‘Calm down Father. It is over, we have lost. You must accept that.’
‘I will not!’ He screamed into his son’s face. ‘Are you blaming me for all of this?’
‘We are all equally to blame. We gambled, we lost. It is time to pay the price.’
‘NEVER!’ His father screamed again. A second later he began to teeter on his feet. His son reached out to steady him, but he slipped away from his grasp, falling towards the floor. An aide managed to grab the Emperor before he injured himself. The damage, however, was already done. He was quickly carried to the Royal infirmary. An hour later, his personal doctor stood before the Royal Prince.
‘Your father will be fine. It was a serious stroke, but it is a simple treatment.’
‘What would happen if my father was returned to his bed chambers and not disturbed until tomorrow morning?’
The doctor took a deep breath and from his pocket produced a small pen-like device which he activated. ‘I have to warn you that everything you are saying now is being recorded by the Emperor’s own personal guard.’
‘I see. That is a shame.’ The Prince pushed a button in his pocket. ‘However, could you answer the question?’
‘He would most likely die.’
‘Thank you doctor.’
The head of the Imperial guard walked in and the doctor smiled with relief. He smiled kindly in return.
‘Afternoon doctor. How are you?’
‘Fine, Commander.’
‘Come with me please.’
‘Certainly.’
The Commander guided him out, ‘Things are going to take a bad turn I fear. I am having his Imperial Majesty moved now. In the meantime I want you and your staff safe.’
‘I appreciate that Commander. That was a question I never expected to hear from the Royal Prince. He loves his father.’
‘We all do doctor. We have served him most of our lives, have we not?’
‘That we have. We both started within a few months of each other.’
The Commander smiled, ‘Were we not both young and handsome then.’
‘You were young and dashing.’
‘I was always jealous of your refined features and obvious intellect. You were never very good at reading the political situation though, were you?’
‘I am a doctor. Politics are of no consequence to me. I have a duty to the Emperor, and that comes before anything else.’
‘I understand.’
The Commander guided him into a small cell like room where all of his staff were gathered. The worried look on their faces was the first sign he had that something was really amiss. He only took a couple of steps inside before stopping. It was far enough. The door clanged shut behind him. A small object was tossed in through a small opening, before being shut again. The doctor barely had time to register the black scorched walls before the blinding flash of light ended his life, along with that of his staff.
‘Let that be a lesson to all of you,’ the Commander informed his men as they walked away. ‘Unbending loyalty isn’t always the correct answer. Our responsibility is, and always has been, to the people of our Empire. We protect the caretaker of the Empire; that is our second responsibility. When the two are at odds with each other as they are now, we first and foremost protect the citizens. It is not our place to judge, and we are not judging. The Emperor has come to the end of his reign. He is seriously ill and will not survive the night. Tomorrow the Crown Prince will take over his duties. By making this choice, we ensure the survival of our race and in part the Empire. Make sure you all understand that fully.’
‘Yes sir,’ they all echoed.
That evening the Emperor of the Albany, Blang Bong, passed away. He was discovered by his maid first thing in the morning. Later that same day the Prince took up the reigns of power.
chapter 35
Steven was furious, ‘How dare you do that behind my back?’ He stepped up to Komoru, ‘Do I really know you? Do you know what might have happened if it had all gone wrong?’
‘You aren’t the only one with a brain in this room Steven. Nor are you the only one who can make decisions. Charlie reassured you the Modloch weren’t going to do anything stupid, they were well aware of the risks. I received a full report on the incident along with all the telemetry. The data is fascinating.’
‘Federation ships were knocked out. There could have been Humans on board.’
‘There wasn’t.’
His voice rose again, ‘Does that make it any better?’
‘Maybe not Steven, but we put an end to the Albany war. Not only that, the Modloch Emperor has forced the Federation to ratify the treaty with Earth giving us full immunity from now on against any race like the Albany.’ She leaned forward a little, ‘I think that was worth the risk.’
‘Just because it ended well, doesn’t mean I am happy about it.’
‘Everyone involved was aware of the risks Steven. The Modloch scientists are a lot smarter than you are. So please don’t preach to me. Did you honestly think you were the only one who could deal with this situation? Are you Emperor Gordon of Earth?’
‘No of course not, but those were my rockets.’
‘Our rockets! Haven’t you said that many times Steven? That I was as much a part of all of this as you were? That I could make whatever decisions I wanted to; that I didn’t have to consult you like a child every time something came up?’
‘I had already said no Komoru.’
‘I know, and I disagreed, so I gave Charlie permission, and I ordered the rockets to be handed over to the Modloch.’
‘You could have asked me, we could have talked about it.’
‘You were strutting around like a chicken in full panic. You wouldn’t have listened one bit. Then I would have had to go behind your back anyway. This way I only have to have the argument once.’
She took a sip of water, completely undaunted by his anger. Steven knew she had completely outwitted him, and now backed him into a corner. Her eyes were cold, black and unrelenting. This was the side of her that he barely knew, had barely seen before. A side he realised that Charlie would recognise instantly.
He took a deep breath and threw himself down into a seat. He sat there with his hands spread wide, staring at the ceiling. A hundred thoughts rushed through his mind. Eventually he got up and left. He needed time to clear his mind.
His feet took him down through the station. He sat in one of the viewing halls and watched the moon skippers come and go. Over to his left, a large group of school children were skipping about on their first moonwalk; even that couldn’t make him smile.
‘Are you alright my heart?’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I didn’t know. It must have been when Ico cut communications with me.’
A child broke free from a group and presented him with a pen and an autograph book.
‘Please sir! Could you sign this for me please. To Jilly, best wishes, Captain Steven Gordon.’
Steven forced a smile and took the offered autograph book and pen. He signed it as she wished and then closed the book to have a proper look at it.
‘I haven’t seen one like this in years. I thought they had stopped making them.’
‘It was my mother’s. I got it when she passed away.’
‘Oh! I am sorry to hear that. Was she ill?’
The little girl shook her head. ‘She was an officer on the Woodstock.’
The name of the ship slammed into Steven. It was one of the ships destroyed in the Ambatta fight. Tears sprang into his eyes. He had to swallow hard to enable himself to talk.
‘I am so sorry to hear that.’ The tears began to stream down his face.
She seemed mesmerised by his tears for a moment then stepped forward and gently pulled his head onto her shoulder.
‘It’s okay,’ she patted him on the back. Steven wrapped his arms around her slim frame. ‘She helped save the world, didn’t she?’
‘Yes she did. They were all very brave,’ Steven sobbed for breath. His eyes had closed. When he had managed to get a grip of himself he opened them to find himself surrounded by children of all ages. A teenage girl stepped forward and handed him a tissue. Jilly let him go as Steven accepted the tissue.
They were all regarding him strangely. ‘Thank you. I’m sorry. I should be a bit more grown up, huh?’ He forced another smile.
‘We have all cried,’ Jilly informed him.
A horrible thought seeped into Steven’s mind as he became aware of the reason for the intense scrutiny.
‘Are you all… have you all lost someone?’
‘We all had a parent on the Woodstock,’ Jilly confessed. ‘Didn’t you know we were here?’ The teenager asked him.
‘No, I’m sorry. No one told me.’
The girl pointed to the children playing outside. ‘It is veteran’s day. All of the kids who have lost a parent are here.’
Steven stood up and looked around. He hadn’t even noticed, but the moon-base was full of children.
‘All of you, all of these children?’
‘Yes.’ There was a dozen accompanying nods from the other kids.
He wiped his eyes, ‘I must look like a fool. I am so sorry.’
A strange look began to emanate from the girl’s eyes and she smiled enigmatically. ‘Actually, it is nice to know you care,’ she shifted a little uncomfortably, ‘Some say you don’t.’
He sniffed, ‘Well they are wrong. I am more than grateful.’
Jilly reached up and touched his arm. ‘They did save the Earth, didn’t they?’
He handed back her autograph book and opened his arms. She reached out and he picked her up.
‘They certainly did. It may sound clichéd, but they did not die in vain. What is your itinerary today?’
The teenager rolled her eyes, ‘You will have to ask our teacher.’
There was a cough from his right side. The teacher in question was a very pretty brunette in her mid-twenties. She was wide eyed. ‘I am sorry they have bothered you Ambassador Gordon.’
‘Please just call me Steven.’
She flushed and smiled, ‘We have done our moonwalk and are about to head to McDonalds. After that we get a ride on a moon-skipper to our hotel for the evening. Tomorrow we do a tour of the moon in the morning and then head back to Earth after lunch.’
‘I think maybe we could do a little better than a moon-skipper ride.’
‘I want to go on a moon-skipper,’ sniffed an eight year old boy.
‘You can still do that tomorrow. How about a trip to Saturn or Pluto this afternoon?’
His eyes lit up, ‘On Babes?’
‘Yup.’
‘And Ico.’
Steven spun round to find Komoru behind him, there were tears in her eyes too. She bowed low to the children.
‘It would be an honour to have you all on board.’
‘It would have to be all of us.’
‘There are over three hundred kids here,’ The teenage girl informed her.
‘Wow,’ she turned to Steven, ‘We can handle that, can’t we?’
‘We can, but they won’t all fit on the bridge at the same time.’
‘We can simply cloak the ships. They will be able to see everything. No need for them all to fit in the ship’s bridge.’
‘I’m hungry,’ Jilly told Steven.
‘Then let’s get you fed.’
The teacher got onto her phone. Just over an hour later, both ships took off from their moon-base. The hulls shivered and they disappeared. On board hundreds of throats cried out in alarm and wonder. For the rest of the day, they were treated to a show like no other. They did Saturn, then Neptune. The ships took them into the Kuiper belt and Pluto. They ended up in the asteroid belt. By the end of the day, Jilly’s autograph book was almost full.
There were tears and laughter, the whole day. The children tore the hearts of the crew to pieces. By the time they had dropped everyone off at their respective hotels, they were all exhausted emotionally.
chapter 36
Michael Montgomery squinted at the screen. ‘Give me a moment please Ambassador Gordon, the light is cutting across my screen here, and I can hardly see you.’ He got up and a few seconds later the glare disappeared from the screen.
He sat back down with a sigh, ‘The Modloch sun can be quite harsh at this time of the day. So, how have you enjoyed your extended holiday?’
‘It has had its moments sir. I presume you are very busy.’
‘Beyond busy. As you know our entry into the Federation as full members has been fully endorsed. The ceremony will take place in a month’s time. I want you back here by then. You were instrumental in bringing all of this together, and I want you to be one of the principle signatures on that document.’
‘I am honoured sir.’
‘No more than you deserve. This includes your good lady as well. In the meantime, we have so much work to do it is frightening. We have initiated a proposal to make it unlawful for any company to set up any kind of business on this side of the barrier. All are going to have to apply through your PD company of Earth, which means you are going to have to set up a new department.’
‘Ouch. Do we have to?’
‘You will if you wish to keep on trading. Let me be quite blunt Ambassador. I don’t trust my fellow Humans further than I can throw them. There are lots of articles that we are not allowed to trade in, but which are abundant at home on Earth. I have been advised to do this by many officials. As Federation citizens, we are bound by Federation laws. They will come into full force once we sign that treaty. I am sure you are aware that there is a booming black market over here. Those caught will be prosecuted by Federation law. By licencing every trader, through one source, we cannot be held accountable for any black marketer caught. We can simply wash our hands of them.’
