END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (33 page)

“Damn thing is a kitten.” Jarrieal commented.

“So, are you still up for this?” Jon asked Jarrieal.

“You've got me interested. You know how much I love an adventure.” Jarrieal answered all the while scratching Talga behind his ears.

Jon's plans took more than one day to complete. First he had to make the entire crew feel easy around his pet. So he kept the massive cat with him
everywhere he went. Soon it became as well known and accepted as Jon. The crew all petted the animal and in just a few short hours adjusted to having one
of the wild tigers onboard the ship. Talga was soon walking the corridors of the ship freely and the crew never flinched when he came up to them to be
petted.

Whenever Talga wandered into the mess hall, Jinkly always gave him fresh raw meat and milk. Talga liked the funny cook after his second visit to the mess
and always made it a point to rub against the male while purring loudly. The male was always good for a nice scratch behind the ears. Soon he found little
Phillmma and he could smell Jon's scent on her. This was not the female Jon had kept at their house, but as strong as Jon's scent was on her she must be
special to him, so Talga began staying near her to offer his protection to his human's other furry friend. As for Phillie, she was nervous around the big
cat at first, but soon was petting him and scratching his ears to make him purr. She found herself enjoying having the animal near her. It gave off a
feeling that whenever it was around, everything would be all right no matter how sad she was. It had found her crying one day and refused to leave her side
until she had finally smiled and petted him.

Jon contacted the BBITCo. corporate offices and worked out a deal. They would have complete control of all inter-system cargo and mining operations. He
would have total control of the Inter-planetary FTL fleet. The ships registrations where all transferred to him so that he had total ownership of all of
them. The Corporation would pay for their portion of the transaction by supplying the power crystals needed to fuel his ships. In return he would send one
of them on regular runs to bring the supplies needed at Haven from the Lexon Station and to bring pack a load of the power crystals to the Lexon station at no charge provided he never had to go back there himself. He was finished with Haven, he'd never go back. Corporate insisted that he retain ownership of the company as this was the way everything had been set up cycles ago by his father and all the other members of the Connell family before him. As far as they were concerned, BBITCo. would always belong to the Connell
family. The only stipulation Jon insisted on in the deal was that his name was never to be given to the press, nor was anyone at the Corporate office to
ever tell the press what he was doing or where he was. He suggested that after five cycles the company be turned over to the eldest male from the Lexonian branch of the family and corporate agreed. If Jon was so determined never to return to Haven, they would turn the business over to his closest relative in the other branch of the Connell family. Within an hour of the deal being signed, shuttles started delivering power crystals to the Defiance.

Once he had a full load of crystals and other supplies loaded along with his full crew onboard Defiance, Jon commed back to Haven control and was given clearence to leave the system. Within an hour of clearling the last orbit of the farthest planet's moons, he odered Defiance into the slip headed in a direction never before used by any of the ships leaving the system.

At the BBITCo. corporate office:

“What do you think he is going to do sir?” the comptroller asked

“I'm not sure son,” the BBITCo. Commander said, “But I know I don't want to get in his way. That male is looking for a fight. I think he has set himself a
blood quest and will kill anyone or anything that tries to stop him.”

“He sure has changed since he joined the Peacekeepers. He's hard as a stonewall now.” the young comptroller noticed. “I think he means it that he's never
coming back here.”

“You'd be hard too if your best friend got killed right in front of you. Whether or not he comes back is hard to say. If his aunt comes home, he might. Even if just to visit her.”

“Do you think he really killed those ten pirates single handed with some kind of flaming swords while his own back was broken?”

“Anything's possible son. The Connells have a long history of doing the impossible.”

Once the Defiance's hold was filled with the precious blue power crystals, Jon handed a data disk to the navigation operator. “This is where we are going.
Once we exit the slip, bring us to a full stop. We may have to adjust for the planetary drift. Those coords are over two hundred cycles old.”

“Aye sir.” Once the nav computers had plotted the course and found the right combination of slipways to get there the officer looked at Jon saying, “Sir,
that's out in the middle of nowhere. Its light cycles away from anything.”

“I know that, but trust me. Something is out there.” Jon assured the officer. “This whole operation might get me killed, but I have no desire to take
everyone here with me.” Jon left the bridge and went straight to his stateroom. He had been trying to walk without the eckto-frames and his back was in a
lot of pain after just the short walk from his stateroom to the bridge and back. He collapsed on his bed and was asleep in seconds of his head hitting the
pillow. He slept soundly for two full days before waking with a gnawing hunger nagging at him. He called to the mess hall and asked to have a meal brought
to him and then made his way into the cleansing chamber for a shower. He fought to keep from using the bench that Phillie had made for him, but after
several unsuccessful tries he finally dropped it into place and sat himself down to wash his legs and feet. After showering and dressing in his black
leggings and silver and black tunic, Jon sat at his desk to read over some of the old records left by his ancestors back at the house. He needed to learn
as much as he could about this ship they called Leviathan. So far the records spoke of how it had carried the survivors of the human race to the stars. The
data disk he was studying now spoke of the ships drive systems. They were far more advanced than even Phillie's modifications to their own slip drives. He
commed for Phillie and when she answered he asked her to join him.

When she came through the hatch she asked him, “What's wrong Boss?”

“Nothing is wrong Phillie. I've found something I think you might be interested in.” Jon handed her the data disk with the Leviathan's technical specs and
watched as she lit up like a child with a new toy as she scanned the data.

“Is this really out there?” she asked in amazement.

“I believe it’s sitting somewhere close to the coords I gave to nav. We have to account for space drift, but yes it should be there.” Jon told her. “If we
can find her, how would you like to be in charge of Flight Engineering on her?” Jon asked.

“According to these specs she's huge! I'd need a full team of specialists just to get her flying again.”

“According to some of the other data, she can be run by one person provided that person has the right genetic markers.” Jon told her. “I'll get you
whatever you need Phillie. Just tell me what you want. If you think she's too much, I'll find someone else, but I really want you handling my ship's
systems. I don't trust anyone else. Please say you'll do it Phillie. I really need to know your still on my side. That you haven't turned against me too.”

“Jon, you still don't understand do you?” Phillie said softly. “I'll always be with you. I love you like a brother. I'm mad as anything at you right now,
but that will pass. I may not always approve of what you do and I will always argue with you when I think you are wrong, but isn't that what a sister
does?”

“I don't know Phillie. I've never had a sister before and I'm so worried that I'm leading you into getting hurt.” Jon said. “I think it would kill me if
anything happened to you. Part of me wants to move you to one of the ships that will never go into the fight I'm getting ready to start, but another part
can't bear to think of you not being close to me. Everybody I've ever loved has left me or died.”

“I know you will never put me in the way of anything that can do any serious damage.” she told him, then she went to him and gave him a hug and a quick
kiss on the cheek. “Humm' still sweet.” she kidded him as she smiled and said, “I'll do it Jon. I'll figure out this ship and if she is still able to fly
I'll help you fly her.” Looking at the data again she added, “We'll make her the most feared vessel ever to fly against these pirate turds. You just watch.
Together we can do anything!”

“Thank you my friend. I love you too little sister.” Jon told her affectionately.

Jon's meal arrived right as Phillie was leaving and he offered her some, but she told him she had work to get back to and that she needed to go over the
data disks he'd just given her. She had a lot to learn in the few short days before they reached the Leviathan's last known coords. Jon ate in silence
thinking of the reason Phillie could sense the sweetness on his cheek. Maybe that sweetness would fade away over time. He understood why the Lexonian Queen
had to stay with her own kind. He just wished he'd never met her that day at the Lodge. Then none of this would have happened and he'd still be happily
flying cargo shuttles in Haven system. His already damaged heart would not have been shattered by the words of the Regent and he could one day earn enough
to buy a regular FTL cargo hauler, not a small Navy of Warships. He might still have met Phillie and her tall blue friend; he just would not have been
marked and claimed by another female when he did. What had made him think that the future Queen would want a freak of nature like him as her mate?

Phillie walked out of Jon's quarters and ran directly into Jarrieal. “Watch where you're going little furball.” he said with a smile.

Phillie looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“Did Jon hurt you again?” he asked.

“No you silly. He just gave me a present.”

“Admiral, your flight team is asking if you would like to join them today in the exercise room.” the Com officer interrupted his thoughts when his badge
called out.

Jon looked across the room at the eckto-frames and frowned. “Tell them I'll be there in a little while. I need to change and strap myself into the frames
first.” He had all but given up hope that he'd ever be able to walk again without the painful devices. Sparring with his team while wearing them had become a daily routine. He had to teach himself to accept the pain and still fight as fiercely as possible. The pirates he would be facing would not give him any breaks in battle because he was a cripple.

“He really told you that he was not sending me messages?” Satrina asked her uncle, the King's Regent. The sorrow in her voice plainly shown on her face as
well.

“He went to Haven to make some arrangements with that company he owns and when I asked to speak to him he refused me and told me to tell you that he wished
you happiness, but not to expect him to message you.” the Regent lied to her.

“I just don't understand. I thought he loved me.” Satrina cried. “I gave him of my essence and he accepted it gladly”

“I'm sorry your Highness. Perhaps it doesn't bind a human as surely as it does a Lexonian.”

“Why would he bestow his house colors on me and grant me full access to his historical family home if he did not mean to honor the claim we made to each other?” she asked,
still searching for a reason why her giant had rejected her.

“Perhaps as some kind of honor payment for taking you there. No one knows what is going on in his mind Princess. The Healers say that sometimes the strain
of combat does strange things to warrior's minds. They come home changed and never go back to who they were before they went into battle. They never know
what effect putting males and females into battle has on their minds or how it will manifest itself. Some of them come home and are fine; others suffer
from something called survivor's guilt and are never fully well again. I think this is what happened to this Jon Connell. He lost your brother in the
Battle of Canari and when they turned him into a hero, the male lost his mind. No one can learn the details of his meeting with his company commanders
either. What we do know is that he swore to them that he was never returning to Haven and only coming to Lexon Station when he could not find what he
needed wherever he was going.” The Regent was now telling her the truth. None of his spies could find out where Jon Connell was going or what he planned to
do once he got there. However, the company had made his departure from Haven space and his decision never to return, public knowledge when they were asked
why Jon had parked another Warship in the skies over Haven. Of course it had been the Regent's spies at the news networks who had asked because no one else
seemed to care what kind of ships he used to deliver the goods everyone needed or wanted. Just so long as the supplies flowed, no one cared who or what
brought them. The Regent wondered how the people would react when he took over the throne and imposed heavy taxes on all shipments going to or coming from
Lexon II.

“Did you go to his home in the forest?” she asked.

“Yes child. I found the door open, the security system shutdown, and everything was gone except the furniture.” the Regent told her. “The rooms you spoke
of on the lower level had been cleared of everything including all the paintings and family pictures. I did find a stock of the wines you enjoy. There was also one room that was locked and not even the Palace locksmith could open it.”

“Did you find Talga? Can you bring him here?”

“The tiger you told me about? No. It was nowhere in sight. We did find tiger tracks in front of the house that disappeared at what looked like a shuttle
landing area, but the animal was gone. Connell may have taken the beast with him.” The Regent had taken a Locksmith and a game hunter to visit Jon's house with the intentions of breaking in to steal the valuable Umin treasures in the lower level and kill the tiger for its valuable fur. Satrina had all but summonded the Royal Yacht to make the trip to Haven and Connell's mountain home herself until the Regent had said that he would go while she stayed here in case her father needed her. Neither the tiger nor the Umin treasures could be
found. The lower levels had been cleaned out even what appeared to have been a hidden vault. If there had ever been anything there, it was gone now.
The hunter had tracked the animal for two days, but all except those tracks in front were old sign.