Читать книгу Adventures of Space Cadets 101: Weddings - Darryl Dean Wright - Страница 12

Captains Kester, SSSaa, Johnson and Turozski's ships came out of star-drive just past Saturn in the Sol System. They were coming up on Jupiter pretty quick, and Qworn on the Amor said at tactical, "Sir, there are a bunch of derelict Leonsian ships and various pirate ships floating all around the platform."

Kim said, "Oh my God, what has happened?"

Deana quickly said, "Let's find out. See if you can contact JR on the platform for us."

Kim said, "Yes Sir … I've got him," and everybody looked at the forward screen.

Deana asked, "JR, what's going on, and where are all the Trex ships?"

N-JR said, "I'm not exactly myself, if you know what I mean," and he winked at her on the big view screen. Then he said, "I've sent all of the pirates back home," and he winked again. He went on to say that he had cut lose all the Leo-ships so the prisoners could not escape in them, and then he had let all the prisoners loose too. Then he recounted what had just occurred.

Deana said, "I understand," meaning she knew the real JR and pirates had left for Kess, but she asked, "Why?"

N-JR said, "ED has a contract out on Austen, Derek and me. I believe they want the Turtle, and when I say 'they', I mean the ED President. I've got a hundred incoming ships that are in firing range right now, but I don't think that …" He was interrupted due to the fact that the entire defense platform just blew up!

Kim said, "Oh my God! They just killed all of those people! What are we going to do?"

Deana said, "Calm down, Kim. Battle-stations!" The four ships went on high alert!

Deana said, "All stop, Lee. Kim, get me ED - the closest ship, please."

Admiral Clamp came on the view screen, "How may I help you," he noticed her with captain bars so he finished, "Captain Kester?" He was devoting his full attention toward her.

She asked him what the hell he was doing, and he answered, "I'm following orders, and now I have some orders for you. Any ED personnel on any of your four ships are to be reactivated and handed over to my ship now." His manner was curt, almost sullen.

She felt like she was in the twilight zone. She knew Johnson's ship had ED veterans on it, but she was pretty sure he was loyal to Admiral Austen. She stood up and came closer to her view screen. She lied and said, "There aren't any veterans, ED or otherwise, on these ships. But you had what … sixty plus … military men including doctors on that platform you just blew up."

The admiral said, "I had my orders," but she could tell he had an unenviable duty.

Deana said, "Blind orders, Admiral. You just killed my boss's brother and probably received a death sentence yourself. We were sent here because we have learned from reliable sources that one - I repeat one - Leonsian ship is on its way to blow up our sun" The light in his eyes dimmed abruptly. He did not believe one word of this story.

The admiral laughed and said, "That's preposterous. You came to help JR, but you were too late. Is the Turtle on the planet Kess?"

She wasn't even going to give him a plausible lie. Deana said, "Sir, I'm not here to answer your questions. I'd have you arrested if I wasn't so busy trying to save Earth."

His lips thinned at the thought. He said, "We have your mother in a holding cell. We've shut down Houston Inc. and frozen their accounts. In addition, we have the rest of your peoples' families arrested too for being traitors. Those of you on the four ships who want your families released, you will have to give up the ships you are on and stand trial for …" he was interrupted by his own hands that were strangling himself.

Everybody on the Amor's bridge watched as he died while Deana killed him with her mind. Her eyes were dark red, and her hair was flying over her head. Kim cut the connection, but it was too late for the admiral. He was already dead. She said, "I don't have time for a Star Chamber."

As the ED ships were getting closer to a firing solution on the Turtle ships, Deana calmed down and told Kim to tell the other three ships to head down to Jupiter. She sat back down and said, "We're going to slingshot around the planet and leave these jokers. We have got to get to Mercury."

Tim Johnson came on the view screen to let Deana know that the ED veterans were with her all the way, and she said, "Thank you. I wasn't worried. As soon as we clear our Sun, we'll get to Kess and let the admirals know of the hell we left here. They will know what to do."

Tim said, "Yes Sir, lead the way," and shook his head with slow resolve.

Derek was onboard the Turtle's bridge just hours away from Kess. He was in the captain's chair about to say something to Noah, but instead he went silent. He was getting a feeling, a gut feeling, and it was turning his stomach sour. Commander Jackson sitting next to him turned and said, "I feel it too; something is wrong." Her stomach was drenched with dread too.

Derek said to her, "I have to talk with Austen. Take command and I'll be back as soon as possible."

She put her hand on his, tapping the top part of it saying, "Go, and don't worry about it."

He got up and ran all the way to Austen's quarters. When he got there he said, "Turtle, let my brother know that we need in to talk and that it is an emergency." You could say he was rankled.

Before the Turtle could say anything, Austen opened his hatch. He said, "Lights," and tied up his bathrobe and gestured for Derek to come in.

Amy was coming out of the bedroom with her bathrobe on and she asked Derek if he would like some coffee. It summoned the admiral out of his reverie.

Derek said, "Yes please, and I'm sorry I awoke the two of you."

Austen said, "We were up, this close to Kess and all. The Turtle said it was an emergency, which I guessed because you could've just called. What gives?"

"It's Deana. Something is wrong, and we have to check on her right away!"

Austen said, "You mean as soon as we empty the Turtle, because it's a little heavy right now." He knew Derek and Deana had a connection that no distance could block.

Derek said as he took the cup of coffee from Amy, "Thank you, Sis." His hand was shaking a bit.

She said, "You poor Darling. It'll be alright, right Austen?" and she looked his way wanting him to do more. But as admirals, they could not permit themselves the luxury of pity.

Derek said, "No, he's right. We're almost at Kess, and we might need all of the Turtle ships empty."

Austen asked, "Tell me exactly what you felt." His round, dark, delicately boned face was composed in a benign expression of goodwill.

Derek swallowed hard and said, "Shock, anger and death. I don't know if we lost anybody, a ship, or if Sol blew up. I just do not know." He was wearing a slightly defiant and composed expression.

Austen tried to make him feel better. "If she needs help, JR will be close by, and it'll take less than a day for the Turtle to pop out at Mars once we get going."

Derek said, "Thank you. I hope the Tauri will hold out till we get back there."

Derek finished his coffee and Austen said to him as he stood up, "Don't worry about them; we can only do so much."

As Amy and Austen hugged Derek goodbye, Amy asked Austen if he could feel what she felt. Austen said, "Yep. You're tired, so let's go back to bed, Honey." They did just that as Derek headed back to the main bridge. It was torturous hours before they would head toward Earth and his Deana.

JR said to his Nano-droid brothers, "Here they come now," and he hit N-Derek in the back of the head. The Turtle landed in no time at all and thousands of people started pouring out of the Turtle's little ramp. It was going to take some time. JR saw no Turtle personnel, so he got on his smart phone and called his brothers to tell them that he was in exile.

"This is King JR. Is this Austen? Good, I have news why I'm here if you'd shut the hell up." He reached over and smacked the back of N-Austen's head and continued. "ED sent assassins to take me out, so me and mine headed here for help. According to your clones here, ED in a Trex ship came all the way out here to kill you two."

He listened a moment and then said, "The Caprices shot them out of the sky, but some of them might have made it. We have their black box and their orders are on it. By the way, they've shut down Houston Inc. and arrested all of our families, and I mean all." He listened some more and then he said, "Yeah, Momma and probably Mary by now too. As soon as you unload, we need to head to Earth ASAP, and I swear if you give me any lip or feedback, I'll…"

He was cut short by Austen on the line, but he was giving his Nano-brothers a dirty look with a disgruntled attitude and they both gulped in anticipation.

JR said, "Well alright then," and both Nano-droids sighed with relief. JR told the two standing with him, "I thought I was going to have to hurt you two, but your clone masters just saved your lives."

Austen asked the Turtle, "Did our passengers mess with any of your children or crystals?"

The Turtle responded, "No Sir, they were amazingly proper guests. They only looked forward to getting here, and they are very thankful for feeling safe on me during our journey."

Nano-droids from both cities came to the landing site to welcome all the new citizens to the planet. The new women to this world were afraid of the two kinds of sentient lizards that were there, but the Nano-droids insisted that they were friendly, and that they were going to help build their city of Tauri for them.

The Houstons would be paying for the new city towards the mountain, and they were very welcomed faces amongst the Tauri women. Right then the Houstons were on the main bridge of the Turtle holding their collective breaths until all the Tauri were off the ship and into their clones' hands. They would pick up JR once they entered space. It was going to be weird having him onboard again. The Turtle loaned JR Nano-droids for his fleet, and most of his pirates were busy with the Tauri, so they forgot all about JR. But he left a JR-Nano-bot there in case they needed him for something.

In space, the Turtle beamed in crystals to JR's fleet and then sucked them all into the Q-bay, except for JR's ship. When the King was the only ship left in space other than the Turtle, JR asked, "What the hell is going on?"

The Turtle told him to dock on its portside air-lock.

JR did what he was told but he was not happy about it. He opened his port hatch and saw his brothers staring back at him. He asked, "What gives dumb-asses?"

Austen said, "As long as you are on our ship you will treat us with respect and dignity, is that understood?" He could tell it was like talking to a wall though.

Derek added, "No visits to the hospital and most important, you have to get that damn JR-bot off our ship." He was rubbing the back of his head when he said that.

JR just smiled like Satan would have and slowly closed his hatch instead of giving in to his brothers. He would rather rule on his ship than take any orders from his brothers.

Derek said, "Turtle, lock our hatch please."

The Turtle said it was done. The two brothers walked to the main bridge and Austen said, "It figures."

Derek said, "Yeah, but maybe it's best he doesn't come onboard; he's trouble."

They entered the bridge and Austen said, "Turtle, fold space and get us as close to Earth as you can."

The Turtle said, "On our way, Sirs," and with that, space began to fold in on the Turtle.

Derek hoped that Deana was giving as well as she was getting.

Back on Kess, Captain Marcus, now the only ED Officer alive due to the fact his men gave up their lives fighting the Trex captain so Marcus could make it to the city where all the people seemed to be, was running his ass off with the Trex right on it. His men bought him a lot of time to get away, but he could not move that fast and the Trex could. Just before the Trex grabbed him, two Casaurs with their weapons took down the large Trex and took the ED officer into custody.