Читать книгу The Rise of the Omarlo Clan - Rosylan McCallum - Страница 7

Chapter 1

Once again, the Nissarian system’s nineteen planets found themselves in the midst of turmoil. The cause being the weak leadership of the current Lord Astral, general pro temp of the Coalition of Planets. Various factions had begun to muscle in for control. Within a short period, one faction survived to ultimately gain that control. It was called the Group of 3. The house lords that ran this faction were the House of Omir who represented six planets, the House of Ismael who represented five planets in the upper star system, and then the last and strongest was the House of Marlis that controlled the remaining seven planets in COP. Each lord within the Group of 3 vigorously worked to gather the support of the other house lords for an action against the current general pro temp. They wanted a vote to abolish first the title of general pro temp as was written in COP’s mandates and then secondly to dissolve COP. The intent being to substitute the Group of 3 as the controlling force in the Nissarian system. That no action had yet been taken was because within the Group of 3 there existed internal plotting for ultimate control. Each lord envisioned himself as becoming the one solitary ruler of the Nissarian system.

Of the nineteen planets comprising the Nissarian system, all but two were pledged to support the house lords in the Group of 3. Again they were Lagros and Racine. Lagros of course stood behind their House Lord Astral as the head of COP. Racine, under its Lord Imir Omarlo, stood neutral and alone, stubbornly pledged to COP and the current general pro temp. Lord Omarlo was quite aware of the weakness of the current Lord Astral. His spies told of the atrocities and abuses. The problem was he did not like the alternative, the Group of 3 and the direction they were going. He recognized a dictatorship in the making.

Racine’s stubborn position was a thorn in the side of the Group of 3. Racine, though a small planet, had wealth and power and could not be bought. As they pondered over what action to take against Racine, word began to circulate from unknown sources that Racine had developed a new revolutionizing device. The rumor was that it would give the user an advantage in the struggle for ultimate power. Spies were sent to Racine, but none could obtain any more details or even confirm the existence of such a device.

This unfortunately resulted in Racine’s neutrality finally being threatened. This became a great concern to the present Lord Omarlo on Racine. He, as those before him, had taken extra care in maintaining an independent and neutral position. Lord Omarlo’s spies told him that one of the lords had decided to strike first and would imminently take action against Racine. Lord Marlis wanted to invade Racine and establish control over the planet, thereby adding it and any such device that it may have developed under its sphere of dominance.

Lord Imir Omarlo and his first chancellor, Moham, were, if nothing, very much aware of the long-range ambitions of Lord Marlis. Lord Marlis had been most vocal in demanding that the House of Omarlo align itself with one of the house lords controlling the Group of 3, preferably to himself. But Imir had managed to outwit Marlis and keep his planet in a neutral position within COP until recent events. Imir had anticipated that an invasion would be soon. He had been told that information on the existence of the new device had leaked even though all manner of precautions had been put into place.

Lord Imir was in his twenty-seventh year and stood six feet two inches, brown in complexion with an athletic frame topped with curly black hair. He was considered a handsome man. His wife, Lady Tess Omarlo, was the only daughter of Lord Marlis. She was an ideal mate as she matched him with exceptional good looks, intelligence, and ambition. He married her knowing that she was the daughter of his enemy. He had hoped that the alliance in marriage and the resultant births of their children would put a damper on Lord Marlis’s designs on Racine. Faced with the failure of that idea, he was now in the unenviable position that no one would want. He had to consider his options. The one thing he knew was that he could not risk his family’s continued safety.

Two days ago, word had reached him that the Group of 3 had gotten enough votes to have itself declared officially second in importance to the general pro temp. He was also informed that Racine was being closely watched. Any attempt to mass-produce the device for his personal use would be like waving a red flag. That just the creation of the prototypes had leaked out proved he had infiltrators among his people. There was no time to search them out. It was too bad because the device once installed and turned on, could then concealed any form of transport from detection.

Imir had just left a meeting with three emissaries who were sent to Racine to deliver a message from the member planets of the Group of 3. He was informed that they still considered Racine to be a neutral member planet within COP. This Imir translated as meaning that none of the three houses trusted the other. The addition of Racine into the Group of 3 would favorably tip the balance of power. Time had run out. Imir knew that it would be foolhardy to put trust in this declaration of his planet’s neutrality.

With the help of trusted staff, he secretly had the concealing device installed in one of his star cruisers along with the only copy of the development specifications. He personally inspected the installation, and once satisfied that all was, as he wanted, he returned to the Keep. He had just seated himself in his living quarters when Chancellor Moham entered. Moham noted how tired the usually vigorous lord looked. He saw that within a short period of time, Imir had lost considerable weight, and his face now had a gaunt look to it. Moham did not envy his lord’s current position. But he felt it his duty to inform Imir that he should no longer avoid sharing with Lady Tess the plans that they had made for the family.

“Imir, she must be told now. You both will need to be strong in order to carry out this bold move.” Having said this, Moham moved to take a seat.

“I know. I know.”

Imir very upset rang for Nigel, his manservant, and asked him to have someone seek out the whereabouts of Lady Tess and inform her that he required her presence. Quite often, he and Lady Tess would discuss his ideas and concerns about the political boiling pot, which their planet had become. He found comfort in her quiet way of truly listening and understanding the issues. He knew she would think that this was going to be one of those times. The door opened, and Lady Tess entered the room.

“Good evening, Moham, you are looking well. It has been two days since I have had the pleasure of your presence. Have I become such a bore to you that you avoid my company? Or is it the political intrigues that you are involved in, which keep you away from your adoptive family?” Smiling warmly, she went over and embraced the frail old man.

Gruffly answering and looking embarrassed, he said, “Lady Tess, it is my greatest pleasure as always at being in your presence. Lord Imir is lucky that I am seventy-two, or he would most definitely have to watch out for me as a competitor for your attentions. But as duty calls, you will have to forgive my abrupt leave-taking. Good evening, sires. Um . . . Imir remember my earlier words do not further delay.” Moham was gone quicker than would be expected for someone of his age. Lady Tess was frowning as she had noted his hasty departure.

“Hummm, he called us sires. Why so formal, and why was he in such a hurry to leave?” She walked to where her husband was seated, and she bent over and kissed his forehead and thoughtfully added, “Moham is still the gallant even for his age, but what did he mean by telling you not to delay . . . delay what?”

Lady Tess possessed wisdom as well as beauty and often joined Imir and Moham in discussions of state. This was not a normal practice for ladies in her position whose domain usually concerned only the running of the castle Keep. Lady Tess not only ran her Keep but also kept herself abreast of the political environment. She knew her father was the greatest threat her husband faced. She was very concerned about what moves Lord Imir would take to ensure the continued sovereignty of their planet. She knew her father was attempting to box her husband into a corner, leaving no room for escape. Both were strong and very powerful men. Though she loved her husband, her vested interest was the survival of her three sons.

He looked up at her and smiled and then told her that as he saw it, there was nothing that could be done to save COP as a governing entity. The Group of 3 had the necessary votes to dissolve it and set itself up in COP’s place. He told her that the Group of 3 would draw Racine into the resulting conflict as a means to establish central control. He told her that sooner rather than later, one or all of the house lords controlling the Group of 3 would turn on Racine. He told her that they would be seeking the truth to the rumor of a new device. It was a rumor he said that was made up by his enemies as a convenient excuse to invade Racine.

He had purposely decided not to share with his ambitious wife the truth about the existence of the device that had been developed. He had not forgotten her parentage and the possibility of familial allegiance. He continued on to say that there was a window of opportunity to make a strategic move as a means to ensure Racine’s sovereignty. This act alone would aid the family in its quest to ensure the continuance of the name Omarlo as a ruling family. Imir also knew it would lend credence to the existence of a secret device as being just a wild rumor when nothing was found.

Lady Tess began to frown. She was still puzzled as to where Imir was going with this discussion. Lady Tess had learned long ago to trust her husband. It had been one of the first and hardest lessons that she had learned when she had joined Lord Imir’s household as his bride. Her experience as a female member of the Marlis family had taught her to trust no one. She nodded in agreement with the logic. He then added that the harshest part of his plan included the involvement of their twin sons.

Lord Imir stood and looked lovingly at his wife and said, “Tess, there will be war. It’s unavoidable. We have three sons. The family must survive above all. Do you agree?”

Tess noted the serious tone and the odd question. “Yes. You have no argument from me over that. But what exactly are you proposing?”

“Tess, I know that this will be hard for you to accept as it has been for me who thought of it. I have had more time to come to terms with the rational involved. I hate that you, my dear, are just having it sprung upon you. I am sorry, but the twins are to be sent away to an unknown destination. If the worst happens, they at least will survive.”

Tess, horrified, looked at her husband, and it was as if she had never truly seen him before. She saw a ruler of a planet, a mighty force to be reckoned with. She could also see that he had taken an immovable position on this. But he loved her and their family. This she was sure of, so he could not mean to do this, not to her, not to their family.

“Where is Moham? Does he know of this plan? Has he agreed to it? Is this why he told you not to delay?”

“Yes.”

“no! No! It cannot and will not happen, not this!” She pounded her fists on Imir’s chest until he held them still. “How did you let it come to this? Let me go. I will speak to my father. We both know he is the real threat. I can get him to stop. I know I can. And what of our oldest, Rarg, he is just six and your heir. You mentioned only the twins. What is to become of him?”

Lord Imir was finding it hard to control his own emotional state and, seeing the anguish in his wife, found some relief in telling her, “Rarg will remain on Racine with us.” This she accepted with some consolation, but she still voiced concern sending the twins away.

“Imir, have you considered their age. They are young, only four years old. What real chance will they have for survival on their own?”

Imir told her it was just an emergency step. He was assigning someone who he trusted that would give them the best of care. Once the crisis was over, they would return. Watching his wife’s tears, Imir continued to explain that he had a ship at the ready, and the onboard computer had been programmed to arbitrarily set the starship’s destination after takeoff. This way, if the worst happened, no one could say where it was going.

Lady Tess, still very upset asked, “Who do you know to be so trusted that you will place the safety of the twins into that person’s hands?”

Imir told her it was Drakar. Lady Tess was well acquainted with Drakar who was her husband’s cousin and first in command of Racine’s military and second in importance on Racine. She couldn’t disagree that he was a good choice.

In a last effort to dissuade her husband, she raised the point that he was military. “What can he know about the care of small children?”

Lord Imir, with his patience waning explained, “Drakar will be targeted for death should there be a successful invasion of Racine. I do not fear for you, our son, Rarg or myself. I fear for my cousin. I want to save Drakar. He has been like the brother I never had and the decision is final. Drakar will accompany the twins.” Lady Tess saw that her husband was adamant about this. That he in fact was not asking her opinion but telling her what would be. She left their chambers in an upset state and headed toward the nursery.

That night, Lord Imir was up long after his wife had finally returned and gone to bed. He and Moham had secreted themselves in his council chamber. Together they finalized the instructions that Drakar would find in the ship after it left the planet. To ensure the small group’s survival on an alien planet, they had already been enhanced with a quick-healing gene. They each had the secret mind-link implant given to all Omarlos at birth. This implant gave them the ability of silent communication and limited control of another’s thoughts. Should their exile be of long duration, Drakar was to instruct the twins on the family’s secret hand language, history of their home planet, and martial art skills. As they grew older, he would add training for all military weapons and spacecraft.

Finally, Imir and Moham looked at each other with the satisfaction that they had done all that was humanly possible to ensure that Drakar and the twins had a good chance, short of the unexpected, for survival on the distant planet.

It had been a long dreary cold day ending with what seemed an even longer approach to night. Supreme General Drakar Omarlo had been experiencing a sense of unease all day and could not say what the basis for this feeling was. Drakar, well liked and respected, emanated a commanding presence. He stood six feet three and possessed the handsome male Omarlo looks, brown complexion with curly dark hair. When growing up together, most who did not know assumed Imir and he were brothers. Standing in the Keep’s courtyard, Drakar pulled his coat close and was about to leave with a corps of ten men to scout the perimeter of the Keep.

A young man approached him with a message from the Keep. Opening it, he saw it was from Lord Imir and that he wanted to see him. With haste he entered the Keep and was directed to the battlement walkway where he found Lord Imir solemnly looking out over the walls at the surrounding landscape. Imir was wrapped in his favorite blue cloak yet was shivering from the blow of the north winds. This attested to the length of time that he had been standing in such an exposed area.

“My lord,” said Drakar, “you sent for me. Has there been more news that I need to be aware of? Has the situation worsened? Come, let us go inside, you are shivering.”

“Ah,” said Imir, “it’s you, my cousin and most loyal supporter, come closer. The weather is cold, but what I have to say makes me so cold inside that I doubt if any amount of warmth will remove it. The time has come for a task that I desire you to perform. The successful completions of which rival even the importance that you place on being in the forefront of battle.”

At first, Drakar looked puzzled, and then comprehension dawned upon his face. He had hoped that the plan to move the device away from Racine would not be a necessity, but evidently, this was not the case. But he held his council for he knew his cousin had more to say.

“You know,” said Imir, “I planned to hide the device, and in doing so, I also planned to send the twins away with it. It is to be their legacy. You know, during these times, there are not many that I would trust with the care of my sons. You and I have a special bond. I love you like a brother who all of my life has been there for me. I will truly miss you, but I must entrust the care of my twins to you. All of the preparations have been made. A starship is ready, and you are to leave immediately.”

A startled Drakar began shaking his head and said, “No! Imir, how can I leave your side and that of my men at this time? The enemies of Racine are circling for the kill. Everyone will be needed to repel this traitorous attack on our planet. Please, you must reconsider placing your sons under my care. I am a military man. I know nothing about the care of children or their special needs.

“Up to this time, I have kept to myself my opinion concerning not using the device in the self-defense of Racine. You should know that I think we should use it. When it comes to battle tactics there are few who can outthink me, and I am your man. It is what I was trained for, the defense of Racine and the House of Omarlo. If you care for your sons as well as me, do not give me this burden. Let me do what I am best trained to do. Arm a ship with the device. I will be at the helm. With me as the pilot I know I can make the difference.”

Lord Imir did not want to tell Drakar that because of treachery within the walls of the Keep, this was a conflict that the House of Omarlo could not win. He did not want to tell Drakar that he could not stand by and witness his lifeblood spilled. To get back at Imir that would be one of the first things that Lord Marlis would do. Lord Marlis relished causing pain to his enemies. Lord Imir turned away and looked out over the walls of the Keep. He felt a deep sense of great loss, much more than he had expected. He had no words of response at the moment, and then he heard the approach of Lady Tess and the laughing voices of his twins.

He turned back to Drakar and said, “Here they come. I need you to be strong for Racine and the family but in a different way than you are accustomed to. My wife and I are aware of your position of loyalty to our house and your considerable abilities as a supreme warrior general. You were chosen to carry out this most desperate of assignments because of those very qualities and the respect and love that we have for you.” Imir put his hand on Drakar’s shoulder.

“You and I share a history of growing up as close as any brothers could be. I trust only you to protect the lives of the twins. My oldest and heir, Rarg, will remain here on Racine. I am gambling that because of his age and his mother, he will survive. Your duty, just in case, is to ensure the survival of our family’s name. I do not fear for my wife or myself, but the twins will be a threat to Marlis even though they are kin. This was not an easy decision to make. I have given this plan considerable thought. I have played out all of the alternatives and decided that this is the wisest option that I can take under these dire circumstances. I have waited as long as I dare.”

Lord Imir rubbed his eyes. “Those of my people involved in the decision process agreed that you, more than anyone, can be relied upon to get my sons to a safe haven.”

“Sire!” cried an anguished Drakar, “what are you saying? Do you believe . . . are you saying that the battle is lost even before it has been fought?”

“No,” said Imir, “there is still hope for a peaceful resolution. Word has been sent to Captain Nor to return to Racine. As you know, he is in the fifth quadrant. Victory can still be had if he is able to arrive within the next turning. However . . .”

Lady Tess slowed her approach. She saw the strained look pass between Imir and Drakar. “Minna gave me your message to prepare the twins, has the time finally come when we must send our sons away?”

Lady Tess bent down and gathered her sons to her. She thought of how small they were, and would they truly survive? They were so young. If worst came to be, would they remember the family that they left behind? She looked into the eyes of Drakar and then those of her husband. She saw the grave but regal look in Imir’s eyes and the mutinous eyes of Drakar. She reached deep within herself to the truth that she too had to put on a brave united front; or for the first time, Drakar would resist an order from his lord.

“Drakar, take care of my sons. May the blessings of the Maker be with you and them during your journey. I have no fear that you will carry out this new and very important responsibility with the same aplomb that is so characteristic of you. We will miss you.” With that said, Lady Tess quickly bent down and hugged her four-year-old sons for a last time and stood up and pushed them toward Drakar.

She turned away and glanced at Imir and continued forcing herself to smile. “Surely this will last for only a month or two, and then we will be reunited. Let us go quickly while we all still have the courage to do what is right.”

Tess stepped into Imir’s arms, and then the trio of adults and two children left the Keep wall and took the stairs to the fifth-floor elevator. They continued down to the below-ground level hangar where the starship Blazer waited, fueled and ready.

The heightened emotional levels of the adults were dampened only by the excitement generated by the twins’ natural curiosity toward the ship, which they found before them. It stood out like a beacon, offering adventures to be had in the exploration of the interior. They stared, mouths open, identical in looks—nut-brown complexion, curly dark brown hair, and inquisitive brown eyes. They were tall for their age. All who knew the family agreed that these two would reach six feet or more in stature, a trait common in the males of the Omarlo family. From their mother, they had inherited the infectious smile that lit up their faces and went straight to the heart of whichever adult that they turned it on.

At four, they already knew quite well the effect that their smile had, and each used it often to get out of punishment when caught in the wrong. They looked up and turned it on Drakar. He took each by hand and walked over to the lift platform. For a moment, the boys hesitated before stepping onto the lift. They sensed that their parents had not followed. They knew and trusted Drakar, and then there was the lure of the ship. They each then waved and stepped onto the platform, which began to slowly rise up to the passenger-boarding doorway. Imir and his wife stood watching long after the ship had left, neither able nor willing to move on after the finality of having said good-bye to Drakar and their twin sons.

It was expected that the ship would reach its destination within two years. The activated concealing device would shield the ship from exposure during the takeoff and future landing. Drakar was to open his sealed orders after safely leaving the quadrant. What Lady Tess and Drakar did not know was that his orders included that they were not to return for fifteen years. It did not matter what the outcome of the current crisis became. The device needed to be forgotten until such time as it could be used to serve their house, their planet. Lord Imir Omarlo too was ambitious and not ignorant as to how the device would one day affect the destiny of his house. Part of his plan was for his sons to be brought up in an isolated environment, receiving extensive supreme-warrior combat education and training. This would enable them to be prepared in any future situation.

After two days the automatic programming awakened the three travelers. Drakar helped the twins, Johan and Collin, out of their sleeping pods and into their clothing.

“Hungry, hungry!” they yelled.

Drakar looked at the boys. He knew that the first order of business was to find the ship’s galley. Next was to determine how to operate it to get food, and the question arose, what did these boys normally eat? It turned out that this was no problem and very simple, they ate whatever he ate. He initially fixed something that he thought they had agreed to have—a grain cereal, and then he fixed eggs and sausage for himself. To his extreme dismay, they refused to eat the cereal but pointed to what he had made for himself.

This is how he learned that their way was to eat what he ate and that they could be very vocal on the subject. Then Drakar was faced with the aftermath of the mess of eating. By the time the morning meal was over, Drakar was horrified to think that there were still two more meals to go in this day. He began to wonder if his cousin truly understood the enormity of this assignment, or maybe he did not love him as much as he had said.

To tell them apart, Lady Tess had instituted the use of a color code. Drakar knew through house gossip that early on, the twins found it a game to switch clothes. As a supreme warrior, certain mastered abilities were marked by the use of one or more earrings in the right ear. Drakar decided to use the earring system to distinguish between the two. Collin would wear one, and Johan would wear two. It took him over an hour to locate Collin after Johan’s ear was done. By the end of the first day out of cyber sleep, all three were exhausted. Drakar had learned another valuable lesson. As soon as possible, he would add a signal-locating device into the earrings. Finally, the twins fell asleep.

Drakar turned on his computer and opened the file containing his instructions from Imir. He had to read it twice before he could accept the request that Lord Imir asked of him. Spend the next fifteen years in exile, not as the warrior that he was but in an unassuming identity as the widower Drak Lunt, raising two sons Collin and Johan Lunt.

Drakar looked at the sleeping boys. He was filled with inner conflicts. There was his sworn obligation to support the House of Omarlo and whether forced exile could truly be expected of him. He loved Imir, and this love extended to his cousin’s family. He and Imir, as he remembered, fought often and were highly competitive with each other as boys growing up. Sometimes it seemed to Drakar that Imir had two personalities. Imir went about mostly as any normal boy but depending on the circumstances would immediately take the lead. There was never any doubt Imir had the mind-set of a leader.

Drakar accepted that Imir would rule with him, Drakar, as his right hand. Therefore, there had never been a bone of contention about power between them. When they were young men, only Drakar knew they loved the same woman. Drakar had known from the start that Tess had eyes only for Imir. He honored that and kept his love to himself. He had instead dedicated his life to being a member of the warrior caste whose goal was the protection of the house lord.

He now realized and accepted that life had its odd quirks. His duty now was to raise the children of his secret love as his own. He disliked that it would be in exile, but it would be done. It was more than he had ever expected. Yes, he would take one day at a time. He knew, after all, these two were used to being cared for by adults other than their parents. He knew that given time, it would be understood that Drakar was the new caretaker responsible for their safety. He in turn would do his best for them. It was not in his heart to fail his liege lord or his one love in this.

One evening, approximately two years into their travels, the ship signaled their approach to the last preset hyperspace jump. The boys were somewhere in the ship. They were playing their favorite game with Drakar. With so many vacant rooms in the ship, Drakar had, on the second day, sealed off all areas that would present a danger to the boys. Hide-and-seek became the favorite pastime in the form of a game called “I am sending, can you find me?” Drakar had made up the rules of this game with careful consideration. This became their first conscious use of the mind-link implant. Breaking the rules, which happened often in the beginning, had painful consequences. There was also another favorite “quiet time, and talk only with your hands.”

Drakar responded to the ship’s signal. He keyed in the acknowledgement codes and then used the mind link to tell the boys that the game was over and to meet him in the corridor leading to the control room. They arrived at the same time from different directions. Both boys, now six, stood before Drakar, laughing and happy, completely unaware of this momentous end to their journey. “Where is Mother, and when will we see her and Father? Where are we going? Are we there yet?” These questions had stopped in frequency, ten months into the trip, after constant explaining of the situation on Drakar’s part. Only one question was still asked as an afterthought, are we there yet? It had a life of its own as far as Drakar was concerned.

Drakar entered the control room followed by the boys. He strapped them into a pod and told them that they were getting ready for the last jump. The boys looked at each other and smiled. As a rule, Drakar kept the boys informed as if they were adult crewmembers. It began that way because Drakar had no other adults to talk to, and it continued for their safety should anything happen to him. The daily schedule became time spent with the computer educator as well as with Drakar drilling them on the operation of the ship.

From the pilot seat, he opened the control panel to engage the concealing mode, glanced at the boys, and then pressed the keys that started the countdown to initiate the jump. He then climbed into his pod. Drakar opened his eyes and exited his pod. He helped each child out of their pods as one by one they opened their eyes. Then he took them to the ship’s view panel and saw for the first time the planet that was their destination.

He checked the control panel to confirm that the ship was still in concealing mode. He then placed and secured each child into a seat in preparation for landing. The coordinates for the landing site were displayed. Silently the ship entered the planet’s atmosphere, quietly dropping lower and lower, gliding down to the remote mountainous countryside. Gently the ship could be felt to hover at ground zero. Drakar used his mind link as he had been instructed to make contact with the T42 computer link. Visuals on the ship monitors indicated no movement within the target area. Drakar sent the code <arrival now>. The hangar doors, which were camouflaged at the base of the mountain, slid open. Drakar guided the ship into the hangar and brought it to a stop, turned off the concealing mode and sent <arrival completed>, and the hangar doors closed. He shut down the operating system and opened the ship’s exit door.

“Well, boys,” he said, “thanks to the Maker, we have arrived safely at our destination and new home.”

Collin, in his excitement, could not unbuckle himself and looked woefully at Drakar and sent <help>; Johan, on the other hand, the one who got things right more often than not, was out of his seat and triumphantly looking out the exit door. Drakar helped Collin and watched as the two brothers stood together at the door, looking and pointing. Drakar had, as forethought before the last jump, packed and placed near the door the things that they were to take with them.

“Give me a hand with these things. Put them on the lift. There should be a motorized vehicle, according to my instructions stored here for our use. Do you see it?”

“Yes, yes. It’s there!” said the boys in unison as they moved over to Drak to help put their things on the lift.

Obedience was not a problem. Racine’s ruling class’s offspring had amahs that provided early childhood nurturing, and obedience was a strong part of the nurturing. The children themselves became a point of focal interest to parents when they reached the age of ten and older. The females were then sent to the Isle of Lilt for training, and the males were fostered to other Keeps for educational follow-up and combat training. However, under the changed conditions that the twins were in, they had learned and respected over the last two years that Drak was in charge. They had some leeway under certain circumstances but not much, and at this time, they knew to follow Drak’s every word.

Drak looked across the hangar and saw the vehicle, an open flyer built to carry four. Drak, with the boys helping as much as they could since they were about to burst with excitement, finally had moved their things from the ship to the lift. Drak lowered the lift. It then took several trips to load everything into the flyer.

“Well,” said Drak, “finally, I guess that’s it. We are ready to go.” The boys let out a loud whoop and then began the pushing and shoving for the seat next to the driver. “Get into the seats behind me, both of you,” said Drak, resolving the problem without anyone’s feelings getting hurt.

He checked first to ensure no one was about. Using his mind link, Drak told the T42 computer to open and then close the hangar as they flew out. He then followed the directions to their new home. Drak in fact was as excited as the boys. This looked to be a fine M-class planet, he thought, and he was glad to be out of the confining space of the ship. As he flew, he could see that this area was definitely farming country. It was good to see the sky and breathe fresh air. He looked in the mirror at the boys, and they were wide-eyed, just staring. He guessed that he looked like them and laughed. It just felt good to be alive and here at last.

Their destination had been a planet located in the free space zone on the edge of the Nissarian system, Base II. It was classified as a farming settlement. It was one of the oldest human settlements established when man reached out into space. The farm was in the county of Haskin, known for its mountains and flowing river streams. Drak stopped the flyer at the sign that read Hawk’s Homestead. This was their destination. He could see a ranch-style house in the distance. Their farm consisted of fifty acres that had a river stream and a mountain range running through it.

Two months after settling in, Drak called to the twins to get ready. They were going into town. For this trip, they used the old pickup truck. They spent the better part of the day there. Drak had to get food supplies and more clothes for the boys. Then he treated them to dinner. Even he was not quite happy with his home-cooking skills, so this was a treat that they all enjoyed. Driving home that night, with the boys sound asleep, he suddenly had to swerve sharply to miss running over a woman stumbling down the road. As he passed, he saw the woman bring her fist to her mouth and stop. He stopped the truck, checked on the twins, and got out. It was obvious to him that the woman needed help. She was out in the night, stumbling down the road, and looking the worst for wear as if she had unsuccessfully fought off an attacker.

He walked over to her and asked what had happened. She was distraught and incoherent. She then screamed and cowered as he reached for her arm to keep her from falling. She must think he was her attacker. Drak used the mind link to calm her down, and then she was able to tell him her story. Tank Hanling, a guy she had been introduced to several weeks ago as a friend of her cousin’s family, saw her in town and offered her a lift home. Her cousin had told her to call when she needed to be picked up, but against her better judgment, she accepted the lift. She figured this would save her cousin a trip.

They had just passed the town limits when Tank pulled over onto the side of the road and attempted to rape her. She fought back and managed to get out of the truck and run down the road back toward town. He swore at her and started up the truck to come after her, but hearing another vehicle coming, he did another U-turn and took off down the road to make his getaway. Drak removed the hysteria and changed the memory to a less-aggressive assault. He looked around and knew that he could not leave her on the road, so he put her into his truck and drove off.

The boys were still asleep when they reached the farm. Drak carried both boys, one at a time from the truck and put them to bed. The woman had fallen asleep and also had to be carried into the house. She looked so peaceful. He did not have the heart to wake her up to find out where she lived. He put her on the couch and covered her with a blanket. He then carried his purchases into the house and gratefully found his bed.

The next morning, the woman awoke to find that she was in a strange but pleasant room. She vaguely remembered that some unpleasantness had happened to her the night before. Hearing the sound of children’s voices, she got up to see who the people of the house were and to thank them for assisting her. The boys had seen the woman on the couch and had questioned Drak about her presence in their house. Drak’s response had been as little information as possible. He told them it was late at night, the woman was in the road and needed a ride. She fell asleep before telling him where she lived. As she entered the kitchen, three smiling faces looked up at her from the breakfast table, and Anya Hogane was hooked.

Anya had always been straightforward in her dealings with people, “Hello, I am Anya Hogane. So are you then the new family that I have heard about who moved into the area two months ago? I seem to be a little fuzzy on what happened last night.” She looked at Drak. “I must have you to thank.”

“It needs no thanking. It was late at night and I could see that you needed help. I couldn’t just leave you out there alone at night. Anything could happen.”

“Well, yes what you say is true but thanks anyway. Do you mind if I can contact my cousin? I live with her and need to let her know I am okay.”

“Sure. No problem the vidcom is in the great room where you slept.”

The twins immediately zeroed in on the word “help.” Something had happened while they were asleep the night before.

They asked, “Drak can we be excused from the table.” They got an okay and went to linger around Anya while she made the call. Their intention was to listen in on the conversation. They knew asking Drak for more details would be a lost cause. He had already informed them that it was grown-up business, which meant no more questions. They were rewarded with hearing some of the details of what had happened. Someone had attempted to hurt her, and Drak had saved the day.

Anya, not one to stand on pretensions, saw an opportunity that she could use to her advantage and so returned to the kitchen with the twins trailing her. “Look, I know that this may seem strange coming from a complete stranger, but I can see that you can use my help. I am not saying that things aren’t neat or clean because I can see that they are, but I can also see what you are eating . . .”

Drak was caught off guard and was without, for the first time that the twins knew, anything to say. He just sat there.

“The way I see it, we can help each other. It’s really a unique opportunity,” pressed Anya as she looked at Drak and the boys.

She proposed becoming their full-time live-in housekeeper. She explained that she recently moved in with her cousin, but their place was small. She had been in town all day without success looking for a job. He had two small sons and a farm; surely he could use the help. Drak had looked her over and could see that she was well-spoken, which meant educated as well as a fine figure of a woman. So he agreed to let her work on a trail basis. The one stipulation was that each night he would see that she was returned to her cousin’s place.

By the end of the month, Drak knew in more ways than one that he could no longer do without her help. The decision was made, and she moved in and became a part of their household. Drak felt himself fortunate to have Anya appear in their lives so soon after their arrival. He couldn’t believe how well she fit in with their routine. The twins soon learned she brooked no foolishness from them but had a soft spot for flattery and chocolates. It was Anya who registered the boys in the local school. As the years passed, everyone around knew who ran their household, and all wondered when Drak would pop the question.

With the memory of the attack reduced to an annoying thought, Anya never filed a report with the authorities. Drak, however, made it his business, unknown to Anya or the boys, to cross paths with Tank Hanling. Whenever Tank’s name came up, it was remembered that he had very suddenly left town; some said even the planet. The only other residual effect Anya had was the pleasant feeling of gratefulness that she had for Drak. She somehow knew it came from more than his having made a place for her in his household. She gave up trying to determine why she felt as she did because the reason was always just beyond her recall. Drak always knew when she was trying to recapture the memory because she would look intently at him. He in turn simply sent <forget>.

Anya turned out to be of great assistance in enabling Drak to settle in. She explained the meaning of the forms he had, which proved him to be the owner of the farm. She registered the twins into the local youth organizations. As the years passed and they grew older, they began to tease Drak about his relationship with Anya. The twins knew that he had strong feelings for her, and she for him. However, Drak never gave Anya any sign of wanting or needing marriage. Anya had no problem with it and accepted the fact that marriage between them was not possible. Both gave the twins the same lecture when they became too demanding in wanting to know why their household was the way it was.

It bothered them that Drak and Anya were the only parents they could remember; yet they did not call them by anything other than their actual names. They were told that theirs was a unique household, therefore the use of first names. Drak and Anya also reinforced that it was better to have an ongoing liaison rather than a binding union, especially when neither desired to produce children. Raising two were enough.

Eventually the boys let it go and accepted Drak as Drak and Anya as Anya in their lives. Johan and Collin never called them “Mom” or “Pop,” but the affection that they developed for the two was on the same par as any that would be felt for biological parents. Anya ruled over all issues concerning deportment, cleanliness, assignment of household chores, and learning the rudiments of cooking and taking personal care of the house. Drak controlled the twins’ education as well as development of their combat skills.

These drills began when the twins turned seven. At first, Anya questioned this aspect of their learning. She periodically asked, “Aren’t they the sons of a farmer? Why such intense needs to develop combat skills? Why start this at such a young age?” Anya’s questions went unanswered, and she saw that Drak remained firm on his sense of duty. Anya, wanting the last word, always shouted at Drak, “Okay, so don’t answer me. Who knows, maybe you are right, and times could change when they reach their maturity. Perhaps all of this training will be put to good use!” Then she would leave the room in a huff.

Usually during these times of Anya’s one-sided tirade, the twins left the house. They loved Anya, but they secretly enjoyed the training Drak put them through. The love they had for Drak went without question, and if he thought that they needed it, there was no more to be said on the subject. Their training as children was the reinforcement of specific skills through games played by the three. Important tactics were always inferred in the games’ outcome. By the age of ten, Johan and Collin had advanced to serious hand-to-hand knife combat. They gradually added to this the use of different lengths of swords, and finally by fifteen, they had mastered firearms to the point of being expert marksmen. It was strange, but during all of this time, Anya never thought to ask Drak where he obtained his skills as the instructor.

Their farm prospered and it became known for its cheese production. Anya had hired the farm manager, Jona Huros. Jona had a problem. He could not control his need to gamble and because of excessive debts had lost him his cheese farm holdings. Anya heard about it and convinced Drak to offer him a managing position. Jona found himself in need of an income and, without a better offer, accepted. The surrounding townsfolk thought Drak foolish to hire him. Bets had been made as to how long it would take Jona and his gambling to cause trouble for Drak. Miraculously, as everyone soon found out, Jona did a complete about-face and became engrossed in managing the farm. His goal was to make it bigger than his own had been, and gambling had suddenly become repulsive to him.

This very unusual household settled into a pattern. Anya ran the house. Jona managed the farm. This freed Drak to take the twins after school to the secret hangar in the mountain where, away from prying eyes, they received supplemental, educational, and combat training.