END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (46 page)

The inter-ship coms came to life. “Destroyer class vessel, I'm assuming you are here to accept our passenger. She's a lot of trouble for a Lexie mourner.
I'll be glad to get rid of her.”

“Yes, we have been waiting for your arrival. Will you be sending the passenger via shuttle or shall we extend our connector tube?” Defiance's Captain
asked. Even with her reputation, it always amazed the Captain how pirates always took them as allies simply because Defiance had once belonged to their
pirate fleet. Even the Stars and Stripes banner displayed on her bow did nothing to stop them from mistaking her as one of their own. Perhaps it was
because she still had the weapon bolted to her hull that the pirates had mounted to her at Canari. Maybe it was because they had been told to expect a Destroyer and where too afraid of their leader to question Defiance.

“Extend your tube. We'll lock to that.”

“Tube coming out now.” Defiance commed as the top most tube extended out toward the new arrival. Jon commed for Phillie to escort their female passengers
to greet whoever it was that was coming onboard before returning his attention to space around them. If anyone were planning to attack them, now would be
the time to do it. Both ships were at their most vulnerable when docked like this. If the smaller ship had sent a shuttle or agreed to a hard dock, where
they landed their vessel directly on Defiance and locked their ship to his, he could have relaxed during the transfer. However this method, while faster,
was also more dangerous for everyone. Each ship had independent control of its movement and the slightest deviation in course could twist the tube and
rather than becoming a life saving ramp between two ships in space, it could become nothing more than a one way ticket to an early death for both crews.

It took a full five minutes for the tube to extend and lock to the newcomer before the passenger crossed Then another five minutes for the tube to retract
back into Defiance before the air lock could be cycled. During the entire period Jon watched the surrounding areas of space to make sure no attackers
appeared when suddenly the control lights on his command chair flashed green indicating that the transfer was complete and the tube stored away again.

“Destroyer class vessel, Boss King sends his regards. You know what to do with that piece of fluff. Once you have her drugged up though watch out because
she turns into a fierce fighter. No one on our ship could get near her. Maybe you'll have better luck. See you in the pleasure houses on Canari.” After
transmitting its message, the ship fired its engines and drove away to a safe distance before diving into the slipways leaving Jon to wonder at the strange
message.

Jon had heard that name used before. Boss King was a name he had heard the pirates refer to often enough during his attacks on their vessels. He had been
warned that this Boss King would one day blow him out of the skies. He decided that anywhere was safer than where he was currently floating in space.
Whoever was flying that yacht knew exactly where to find him. He needed to move Defiance quickly, so he gave nav orders to jump halfway back to Leviathan
and check to make sure they were not being followed. He had taken on the new cargo, which turned out to be yet another female in mourning.

Unknown to Jon, his new cargo was a novice dressed in the white covering of one who has just entered into her mourning period. It would be months before
she advanced enough to be given the black covering of a fully initiated mourner. It was during these first few months that many of the novice mourners were
turned to the pleasure houses across the known worlds. That must have been the pirates plans for the Lexie female they had dropped off with him thinking he
was one of their own Destroyer class ships. Well, Jon would make sure this female didn't end up in some pleasure house never to be seen again.

At the connector tube, Tiaz, Gala and Phillie waited alone for their new passenger to arrive. Jon had ordered that only the three females be present. Just to insure that no pirates snuck onboard along with their new passenger, Jon ordered a squad of troopers to be stationed outside the hatch to the entry. Gala, had not yet spoken to Phillie, even though she was sure that Tiaz had told Gala that she knew who the female was. Maybe that was some kind of requirement for the mourners. In any event, as long as the female did nothing to upset Jon, Phillie was fine with her staying silent.

The air lock cycled and as the air rushed in Phillie caught the same scent she had before only this time it was much stronger and had a slightly salty
taste. “BY THE GODDESS NO!” Phillie screamed. “This can not be happening!” turning on the tiny female in black she shouted, “You being here is bad enough,
now you bring her?!?!?! Have you no consideration for his feelings at all? You know where your quarters are, make room for her in there with you and don't
any of you dare show yourselves on my ship!!!!” With that out of her system, Phillie stormed away and headed back to the Engine Room.

Up on the bridge, coms suddenly called out, “Sir! We have a distress call coming in! It’s the cargo vessel Fildom. They are under attack by a pirate
vessel. Their drives have been taken out.”

“Nav, have you got a location yet?” Jon asked.

“Yes sir, location noted and dialed in.”

“Jump the ship!” Jon ordered. “Weapons hot. Tell combat to be ready. I'm heading down to my ship.”

“NO YOU ARE NOT!” Phillie screamed as she came onto the bridge. Apparently it was a good thing that she had changed her mind and come to the bridge instead
of going straight down to Engineering like she had started to do. “You are going to sit your butt in that command chair and let your men handle this. I
swear by the Goddess Jon Connell, I'll shoot you myself if you don't! When are you going to start acting like an Admiral?!?”

In his weakened state, the shift of Defiance making the jump caused Jon to fall into the command chair. In truth he had nearly fallen on the floor and only
the luck of the foolish had landed him in the chair.

“See? You're in no shape to be trying to lead an attack!” Phillie admonished him.

Defiance appeared close to a pair of ships. The smaller of the two was firing a steady stream of lasers into the engines of the larger boat. “I'm really
getting tired of these pirates.” Jon commented. “Weapons, blast that ship out of the sky!”

“Yes Sir!” came the almost joyful reply. “Firing now!”

Defiance's first shot took out the pirate's engines, her second ripped a huge hole in the side of the attacker and the third shattered what remained into
thousands of smaller pieces.

“Did anyone get the pirate's data before we just blew the thing to dust?” Phillie asked.

“No ma'am. There wasn't time. One more hit on that cargo boat and it would have been destroyed,” the data officer informed her.

“Coms, can we talk to the cargo vessel?” Jon asked.

“The channels are opened sir.”

“Cargo vessel. This is Admiral Jon Connell on the Defiance. May we be of assistance?”

“Only if you're not planning to just come over here and finish what the other pirates started.”

“I assure you Captain, this is not a pirate vessel. We came in response to your distress call. Can your ship still fly?”`

“I'm sorry Admiral. We thought we were all dead. The ship is too far gone. We're bleeding air and the drives are finished. If you could get my crew off and
take them to safety I'd be very thankful.”

“How many souls are we looking at?” Jon asked.

“Five crew, two officers.”

“I'll send a shuttle over. Have your people standing by.” Jon switched his coms over to speak directly to Jarrieal, “Jar, go get them off that thing before
it blows. Take a backup squad and be careful.”

“On our way boss.” Jarrieal told him. “You could have at least let us have some fun with the pirates before you blew their ship up like that. Just because
my mate won't let you play isn't any reason why the rest of us can't.”

Jon could almost hear his friend laughing at him as he sat quietly in the command chair on the bridge of Defiance, glaring up at his Chief Engineer. “Can I
at least go meet them when Jar brings them aboard?” he asked Phillie.

“I'll take you to the conference room and have Jar bring their Captain to you.” Phillie offered. “I will not have you over doing it.”

“Fine. I give up.” Jon told her as he threw his hands in the air and let her help him into his wheelchair.

“Have Leviathan meet us here in case we have to take their ship somewhere for repairs.” Jon ordered. “I'm starting to feel homesick for that big bruiser
already.”

“Right away sir.” the Coms officer acknowledged the orders. Suddenly the Defiance was dwarfed as it floated next to Leviathan's hanger bay to be pulled
inside and locked to a docking port. The cargo vessel was also drawn into Leviathan's gaping bay along with her.

“Here we are gang. Home sweet home!” Jon exclaimed. Then he commed, I want all department heads in the conference room over on the Lev in thirty minutes.
We have some things to decide.”

Jar arrived with the Captain of the cargo vessel as the rest of the crew filed in. Phillie had already helped him to leave the bridge of Defiance and make
it to Leviathan's conference room ahead of everyone else. “Here's the Captain of that cargo ship Admiral.” he announced.

“Welcome to Leviathan sir. Please take a seat.” Jon greeted the man.

“Thank you Admiral.” the Captain replied as he sat down. “What ship is this again? Did you say it was the Leviathan?”

“That's correct. We've brought your ship onboard and are ready to take you wherever you need to go.”

“My ship is a ruin. Those pirates destroyed her engines and almost blasted a hole in her side. If you hadn't come when you did, we'd have all been lost.”
the Captain thanked him. “The only place that can make her fly again are the yards on Lexon II.”

“Can your destination world arrange for repairs to your ship?” Jon asked.

“We were on our way to pick up a shipment at a farming world, sir.” the ship's Captain informed Jon. “They need us to transport their crops to market. None
of the regular haulers will go near the place since Boss King claimed it.”

Jon would have to think long and hard about taking Leviathan to Lexon II. His plans did not include exposing his ship to that many people just yet. “Jar,
ask Phillie to inspect their ship. See if we can have Defiance tow it out to pick up its cargo and then tow it to Lexon space.”

Looking out of the small view port in the transfer station, Tiaz saw the massive ship that had suddenly come to rest beside them and where they were now
being slowly brought into. “He surely has a big ship High One. It is easily the largest vessel I have ever seen.”

“Can you see the bow?” Gala asked. “Does it carry the 'Stars and Stripes' banner?”

“It’s hard to see from here High One, but it has some kind of stripped banner on it.”

“Oh Goddess. He has awakened the beast. My mate once told me the story of their Leviathan ship. It is the ship that saved the humans and brought them to
Haven. The
Jon Connell
of legend used it to destroy an entire planet of machines bent on destroying all living beings, then he sent it into
hiding. Its location and how to bring it back to life has been the family secret for all the cycles of their lives on Haven.” Gala hung her head because it
had been told to her that only as a last desperate act was anyone to awaken the ship they now approached. “If Jon has brought the beast to life again he
surely must have felt as if it was his only hope. Also, it confirms what my mate and I always suspected but never told our son. Jon is the King of the
Umin, reborn. Only one who carries the genetic marker could awaken the beast from where it slept.”

“I have spoken to his heart-sister, the one called Wrenches, and she believes that he is lost in his sadness. She asked for our prayers and our patience.
She agrees that only in truth and love will we be able to save him. She does not think he can accept anyone's love until he first finds the truth. He
forces himself beyond his own limits in his quest for truth and the freedom of the rim worlds. He always pushes himself to the brink of death each time he
faces the pirates. We both saw him do it ourselves when he attacked the one who grabbed your arm even though his men were all around us. His Phillie is
afraid he will push himself too far and never come back. She is also very upset that you are here High One. She feels you seek to bring him harm. Why she
would be so angered by the novice I can not say. She loves him like a brother and will defend him against any who would dare harm him.”

“I could no more harm my heart-son than I could harm you Tiaz. I came because I knew only I would be able to do what must be done now. Ever since our
Sister returned from Lexon Station after speaking with him as he passed to enter his ship, I've known it was time to bring out the full truth.” Motioning
the new female closer, Gala lifted her veil and then raised her own. “Behold Tiaz, two of the three females who love him the most. His heart-mother and his
mate. The other one just ran out from here. When Satrina contacted Sanctuary, I questioned her decision based on what I knew of her as the Lexon Princess
and what I knew of my son Jon. He would never reject her! When she told me of his refusal to message her during his time away or to come home to Haven and
be with her, I knew then she had been lied to. So we have the first truth. We have much more to discover before their love can bloom and our Jon can be
healed. Let us set ourselves to the task ahead of us and find the rest of the truth.” Covering both of their faces again, Gala led the way back to their
quarters where they set to work with their tablets and the secret code words known only to the females of Sanctuary that gave them access to the most
secure computers on several planets. It was her access to those very same computers that had allowed Gala to find the coords where the pirates would be
expecting to meet a Destroyer class ship to take Satrina from them. Getting Jon to meet with her and agree to carry her and Tiaz as cargo onboard Defiance
had been the hardest part of her plan. Even though she had raised him, she had never been able to “see” into his thoughts or predict his actions.