Dana Cartwright Mission 3: Kal-King (22 page)

“No being has the right to forcibly enslave another. This treaty, while of worthy intentions, fails to protect and defend the values of civilization and the dignity of all sentient beings, hence, I urge all delegations to vote, Nay.”

Solon bowed his head.
 

No one applauded. No one spoke.

As the Galaxean moved away from the podium, and his retreating image filled all the view screens, Kieran Jai let out a sigh. “It is all for naught then. This whole pageant — all for nothing?”

Dana felt the need to defend the Galaxean position, though she had not read the entire treaty. Solon’s word on the matter was enough. She suspected many of the delegates would form the same conclusion.

The President of the Republic began the voting instructions. Kieran didn’t hear. His attention focused on the security screen. He tapped his voice-badge.

“
Thresher
?” He demanded, “What are you doing?”

Dana watched the multi-dimensional display as the starship maneuvered into a lower orbit.

“K! Watch
Katana
! Their drone system went active,” Dana pointed.

Kieran’s finger hovered over the ‘Red Alert’ button as he watched. “Do I dare evacuate all the ambassadors? Could it be a false alarm?”

“Janz says wait,” Dana offered, hearing Macao’s telepathic warning. “He’s on
Thresher
’s bridge with McHale.” She studied the display.

“Oh! Kieran, the shields…They’re going to test the shields.”

“Impenetrable,” Kieran growled in response.

“
Kalis
is emitting a disruption signal, just like the ones that caused
Stiletto
to crash!”

Without hesitation, Dana forced Kieran’s finger down onto the button.

The warning klaxons blared.

Most of the security details for the delegations mobilized immediately, escorting ambassadors to exits in an orderly fashion. The Republic President and his security detail were in the lead.

April, Novem, and Dec fought the tide, entering the amphitheater, seeking Ambassador Solon, who calmly remained in his designated chair, apparently unconcerned.

One other delegation remained: the Enturians.

Solon turned to face them, locking gazes with the Galactic Colonies of Enturize Ambassador, former Master Captain Terrin Hale.

“Salakarik, Solon,” Hale called to her friend and mentor.

He returned, lifting his hand to salute, “Trin,” using the Galaxean transliteration of her given name.

Franklin Shepherd was at the GCE Ambassador’s elbow, backed up by Major Captains Gage and Brandenberg.

“Just as you predicted,” Solon commented loudly enough to be heard over the alarms.

“Indeed,” Hale nodded, platinum hair barely fluttering from the movement. The two delegations rose and came together.

April, Novem and Dec finally reached the Ambassador. Solon calmly introduced them.

Shepherd offered a genuine, “So good to finally meet you all.” His mismatched eyes twinkled. His sons and daughter stared, wide-eyed. He shook hands with the two men and though April Talon hesitated, he gave her cheek a familial kiss.

“Should we evacuate too?” Solon asked.

Terrin Hale shook her head. “Not just yet —
LoStar
will tell us when. They can MAT us out.”

“Not with the shields in place,” Talon reminded.

“If they fail…”

“Which may be too late,” Novem worried.

“Captain Carver will not hesitate to transfer us should she detect danger. The status of the shields is not a factor considering our technological advances,” Hale reassured.

An instant later, however, a MAT pod engulfed them all.

The real
LoStar
Main Deck bustled with activity. When the delegations materialized, Captain Carver, Dana Cartwright, and Kieran Jai were waiting for them just outside the MAT station.

Shepherd took a step forward and spread his arms wide, welcoming Dana January into an embrace, hugging her fiercely, with great love and affection. “January! I’ve waited a long time to be able to thank you.”

She stayed in the embrace, savoring the feelings of love and safety.

“I’m sorry to have to interrupt your clan reunion, but we have a situation. I need to get back aboard
Thresher
,” Kieran interrupted.

“I’ll see you back to the MAT station, Commodore,” Carver offered.

Dana looked to him for guidance.

“Stay with the ambassadors,” Kieran urged, telepathically adding,
I love you.

“Be careful,” Dana cautioned aloud, “August is unpredictable.”

Kieran nodded, following Carver through the shimmering wall behind them.

Shepherd whispered in Dana’s ear, “Don’t worry, dear. He’ll be fine. Your love is showing.”

She smiled, embarrassed more by his affectionate squeeze. Dec held his stare. Dana sensed animosity.
 

“Perhaps we should have a family conference,” Terrin Hale suggested. “Shall we join the sokem down in the lounge.”

That caused Dec and Novem to stiffen.

“We have Dec to thank for their rescue,” Major Gage reminded.

“Mac and the cat creature did it,” Dec countered.

Hale shrugged. “Indeed, Captain Macao and Colonel Xalier played a major part. Come?” She invited them all onto a circular lift and the railing deployed. The section of the deck then descended three levels, stopping in a large lounge area where groups of officers were gathered.

The four Enturian officers, formerly the prisoners — the sokem — jumped up from their chairs, respectfully bowing to the former Master Captain and to the Majors.

One locked eyes with Dana. “Doctor Cartwright?”

“Schaffer?” Dana guessed, though he barely resembled the young lieutenant she’d met years ago aboard
Navitor
when he served as an exchange officer.

The former Master pointed them all to seats in an informal semi-circle.

Terrin Hale commanded respect still; Gage ushered her to the chair of honor.

“Since six of our children are missing, I won’t go into all the details. Suffice it to say when the assassination attempt was…”

Dana covered her lips to stifle a gasp. “Assassination? That’s… That’s August’s plan. He wants to kill you.” She turned to their father, Franklin Shepherd. “He blames you!”

“Me?” Shepherd scowled. “I had nothing to do with this.”

“On the VR-sim, August blamed you for his being crippled.”

“Virtual Reality deck?”
 

Dana explained how Mackenna and Carver had programmed the scenario, because March and August were not trusted. Dec and Novem had no idea what was being discussed, but April certainly understood. “Fascinating,” Talon commented.

Solon agreed. “Yet, August deduced it was a fiction?”

“He is brilliant,” Dana admitted.

“He is evil,” Dec said with a scowl. “He bought us and made us his slaves.”

“He bought you from someone. Who?” Dana asked. “He’s also a clone; someone bought him, too.”

“King! It was King!” Dec insisted.

Novem nodded.

“I thought August was the King,” Dana protested.

“The King —
 
that’s the Crazorian King.” Terrin Hale reminded. “It was Keller King who tried to poison us.”

“I read Doctor Tracy’s account; no one was ever found to be guilty,” Dana answered.

“It was the King — Keller King,” Dec cringed and hung his head.
 

Novem placed a steadying hand upon his brother’s arm, assuring, “We are free now. We are free men.”

Dana blinked, sending the name,
Keller King
, to both Kieran and Janz.

Fane!
Came back from Janz Macao.
Keller! That’s the man Shalee killed when he threatened the Shonedren Ambassador. His guardsmen returned fire. Shalee would have lived if I’d been there.

Shalee countered,
You would have died, too, my love.

“Why would Keller King want to kill a Shonedren Ambassador? Or, for that matter, an Enturian Master?” April Talon asked, looking to Ambassador Solon, her mentor.

The Galaxean folded his fingers together, “Keller King was…”

Solon didn’t finish. Throughout
LoStar
, alerts blared.

“Tractor beam!” Captain McHale ordered the helmsman, though he wasn’t certain it would actually work.

Thresher
shuddered as the energy beam engaged, tugging on
Trident
as the Alphan Blade Class Shuttle careened toward the conference wing of the station.

Coe rattled off the shrinking distance to a collision.

“Come on people!” McHale demanded.

“If we reverse…”

“Full reverse!” McHale ordered.

The little ship stopped, motionless for a split second, as
Thresher
groaned and shuddered and began to back away.

“Why are we not moving? Gentlemen?” McHale demanded.

“It’s that disruption field,” Coe offered.

“Disable it! Counter it! Disrupt it!” McHale edged forward in his command chair. “Weapons lock on and fire at will. Disable their power source!”

The shuttle disintegrated.

“They self-destructed!”

“Disengage! All stop!” McHale shouted.

Debris slammed both the conference wing of the station and
Thresher
.

“Shields holding here. Conference center shields have failed. They’re taking damage.”
 

The forward view screen showed it all. They watched in horror as flames and explosions came from the conference wing.

McHale gritted his teeth. “I hope to hell they got everyone out of there.”

Kieran Jai stepped out of the lift. “
LoStar
did.”

McHale sighed. “Damage report?”

“Our shields now at eighty percent. No reports of damage, sir.”

McHale swiveled to watch as Commodore Jai stepped down to the lower bridge level.

“Permission to apprehend King?”

The SSID Commodore deliberated less than a nanosecond before responding, “Granted.”

“Mister Coe, do you have a track?”

“Aye, sir.
Kalis
is heading straight back to Arkares at Level 6.”

“Beat them!”

“Aye, sir. Course plotted and waiting.”

McHale raised a fist. “Go to Level 7. Engage!”

Captain Carver joined the officers and guests. “
Thresher
prevented a full collision, but the base is reporting many explosions and extensive damage to the conference wing.”

“Casualties?” Solon queried.

“None reported,” the Enturian Captain calmly responded.
 

“Thanks to your prognostication, Captain Hale.” The Galaxean Ambassador didn’t smile, but he seemed pleased.

“What now?” Shepherd asked.

“
Thresher
is in pursuit of the Dagger Class ship with August King aboard.”

Dana closed her eyes, silently communing with Janz Macao, warning,
It’s a trap.
 

Macao and Shalee calmed her down.

Not to worry, Dana. The rat has taken the cheese and the cat is on the way,
alluding to the age old scenario Janz had taught her.

She shivered.

Franklin Shepherd rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Are you a gambler, January?”

She shook off his touch. “No, sir, I’m not. And I go by Dana.”

Her father offered a gentle smile. “You’ll have to forgive me, dear,” he said, then looked to each of the four. “April, November, December, January… I would like to get to know each of you better, as I have June and July. Please, consider spending a year with us at the Port Hale Marina and at the Terrines.”

“On Enturize?” Dec shuddered. “We are not perfect. Enturians terminate the imperfect.”

“Not so,” Master Captain Terrin Hale countered. “You have been told many, many lies.”

Dana felt surprise when April spoke up. “I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to visit Enturize. However, my work repairing the DNA mutations, from which Novem and Dec suffer, may take several more years.”

Solon offered, “I think it would be better if you all came to Galaxea, where the stigma of crossbreeding is…”

“Crossbreeding!” Dana scowled. “The truth is: it was cloning. And the Republic has always banned cloning.” She stared at her mother, Terrin Hale. “You knew. Shelby knew.”

A strong feeling of distrust welled up. Maybe August was right to blame them.

Shepherd defended himself. “I was in a coma. Please remember that.”

Terrin Hale’s beautiful, blue eyes narrowed. “The decision to clone was made without our permission. There was only one to be born; you. By the time Shelby and I learned there were twelve embryos, it was too late.”

“Who in the Star Service authorized it?” Dana demanded.

Neither Hale nor Shepherd responded.

Dana looked to Ambassador Solon. “Grandfather?” He gave no indication of offering an answer either.
 

The Galaxean merely stared.

“I feel betrayed,” Dana announced. “I don’t know about my siblings, but I feel betrayed.” She got up from the chair and faced Captain Carver. “Is there any word on Ambassador Kord and Princess Micah?”

“They left the conference during my speech,” Solon reminded.

“Before, actually — during the reptilian’s,” Dana countered. “Captain Carver, would you send me over to
Katana
, please?”

Carver nodded, leading out of the lounge.

Dana didn’t glance back; she didn’t want anyone to see the anger in her eyes.

Carver was silent during the walk to the MAT station, but after sending away the tech, she turned to Dana.

“I’m not sure betrayal is the correct emotion, but I understand. Sister?”

Dana scowled. “Had they lied to you for the last thirty-plus years, would you not feel betrayed?”

“It is common for Enturians to have birth records sealed and to never meet siblings at all.”

“A cultural thing,” Dana responded. “On Earth, however, it is the opposite. Family is important. It’s very difficult being adopted, growing up alone, knowing you are different, and not knowing why. No one would tell me the truth. Father was there, just a few miles away, all those years, but they lied to me. No one told me!”