END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (56 page)

“Tell him to have a supply of good Lexon beer ready for his next victim.” Jon suggested.

“Or wine for the females” Satrina offered. “Wine is good for both the body and the soul. Beer only makes the stomach fat!” As if to illustrate her point
she patted the Kings' ample belly. Then she turned to look Talga directly in the eyes and asked him, “May we take my brother now guardian? I welcome you if
you must follow, but we need to have him with us too. He needs to eat. We are going to the eating place. If you are a good tiger, there maybe some milk
there for you.”

Talga looked at the King and gave a low growl before walking over and pushing the Prince toward the door by butting him with his massive head.

“I think you said the magic word.” Jon told Satrina. They all left medical on their way to the mess room where they were joined by Tiaz, Phillie and
Jarrieal. Talga took off in a fast lope to go into the kitchen area where the cook had set out a bowl of fresh milk for him everyday. Today there was even
a thick hunk of his favorite meat to eat as well.

“Hey Prik, it's good to see you up again.” Jarrieal greeted the Prince with a hand shake.

“Thanks Jackal. Its good to be up, I wish you would stop calling me Prik though.”

“You want a different name on this ship, you have to earn it first.” Phillie said by way of introduction, “Isn't that right Skinny?”

“Yes, you don't want to know what I was called when I first arrived.” Tiaz told him as she gave her respect to the Prince.

“If Jackal named you, I'm sure it wasn't very nice.” Zeprik told her with a knowing smile. Orders were taken with Jon ordering for Zeprik, and their meals were
brought out. “This is delicious. Much better than what we had on any of the Peacekeeper transports.”

“We've got a real chief onboard who loves what he does and he only orders the best stock. Plus we've got a lot of the original food stocks brought from the
human home world.” Jon told him. “You are having chicken noodle soup. It was the one thing I could keep down for days when I came out of a tube. None of us
have figured out what a chicken noodle is yet, but it tastes good.” Jon waited for the Prince to have severals mouthfulls before he asked. "Zperik, there has been one thing about the Canari raid that has been bothering me. What happened to your sail that made you go so far away from your team?"

"I'm afraid that was all my fault. Instead of dropping with the others, I was going after you. I wasn't going to leave you behind even if I had to make Jackal help me drag you out of the shuttle. I was almost to you when I saw you preparing to jump, so I let the wind take me out too." Zeprik then told them a story that they all found hard to grasp.

“The strangest thing happened while I was asleep. It was almost like I was living in a different world. I think I was somewhere I've never seen, but I do
know it was near your house on Haven, Jon, because I could see your crystal lake. There was this giant, midnight black saber-tooth sitting outside of a
cave where I slept. It was always there, guarding the entrance. There were also a large flock of tiny dragons that returned to the cave each night. One of them brought me small bits of liquid to drink. I remember that the tiny dragon was the exact same color scarlet as the royal house colors.

I don't know how long I was there but I know it was a very long time. Something I never saw kept trying to attack me, but each time it came the tiger and the
dragons fought it off and kept it away. Whatever it was, I knew that if it ever got into the cave I was finished. I think the tiger was your Talga. He
stayed by my side the entire time, guarding me and keeping me safe.”

“Haven's dragons usually keep to themselves. I've never heard of them coming near any of the settlements or having any interactions with the people. Rik, Talga was back on Haven for a while, but he's been on the ship with us for nearly a cycle.” Jon told him. “There are stories of those cats having a special connection to the Goddess. The stories say that they are her guardians and follow her commands. If what you say is true, this isn't the first time such a thing has happened.

The
Jon Connell
who came from Earth had two of the beasts that he kept as pets. They were said to have been sent to
keep his mate safe from evil men who planned to use her. The story tells of Leadora being locked inside the house by the lake and of two huge
cats keeping attackers away from her. All of it was in her mind. Her body was in the hands of the evil men until her
Jon Connell
rescued her and
the tigers showed her the way back to him.”

“I remember reading that story.” Satrina said, “I always thought it was only a legend meant to show the power of real love. Perhaps it is more than just a
legend, if Talga guarded my brother against the poisons that were attacking his body. The Healer did say that Zeprik should have died months ago from all
the poison in his system before we got him to the ship.”

“It would also explain Talga's strange behavior when you were about to emerge from the tube. He refused to let anyone get near you until your sister and I
showed up.” Jon added. “We where there when he first saw you and took your scent. Maybe he associates us with you.”

“Your cat needs to know that I will also be near him now.” Jelio announced as she came in and sat next to the Prince. “That is if he still values a wise
female.”

“A wise female is always something I will need. The question is, can she want someone so much weaker than she is?” the Prince asked.

“You have proven your bravery many times over.” Jelio told the Prince with honest admiration and affection in her eyes.

They sat longer than needed to finish their meals as Jon, Satrina, Tiaz and Gala all tried to explain the truths they had discovered and the plots to
takeover the Lexon throne. “That's all we know so far Sire.” Jon told the King. “I'm sure there is more that we don't know yet, we are still working on
uncovering things. The Regent has his hands in everything. He is like the roots of a tree with all his twisted schemes and hidden business holdings. Did
any of you know that he held a rather large interest in TransCo?” No one did. “That's not the only business he had his hands in.”

“My own brother had my mate killed?” the King asked in disbelief.

“Yes Sire. I know its not much comfort to you, but he also had my parents killed in the same crash. They were on the monorail at the time of the crash.”
Jon told him. “A lot of people died that day thanks to him and the elder King, Sire.

I'm sorry Warrior Connell.” King Le'puix said sadly.

Their conversation was interrupted when a COM came for Jon. “Data to the Admiral.”

“Connell here, go.”

“Sir, can you come to the Data Center? We may have a problem.”

“Be right there.” Jon told the caller. “I have to see what that is, Rina. If I leave you here will you still love me when I get back?” Jon joked as he bent
to kiss his mate.

“No, so I think I should come with you. Brother, you stay here and eat another bowl full of the soup. Jelio, you make him stay and eat it. He needs the
nourishment.” The tiny Satrina wasn't putting up with any guff from either her father the King, or her Brother the Prince. Jon soon realized that his mate
was not someone easily pushed around. He glanced at his aunt only to see her bright smile and look of complete approval in the small female who had claimed
her son. He would be in all manner of trouble with these two around, but he was lost. He loved them both far too much. Throw Phillie into the mix and his
carefree life was over! Jon decided that he wouldn't miss it, much. Reaching out for her hand, they left the mess and strolled along the corridors to the
Data section.

“They look so happy together.” the King said. “I remember when you wore that look of pure love on your own face for your human, my sister. I cried the day
our father had you taken from the Palace. Will you come home to it now? If not to stay, then to visit an old brother who is alone and grieving the losses
he has suffered.”

“I cannot come to stay brother” Gala told him. “I am the High One of the Sanctuary. I have many responsibilities to make it right again after the recent
attack. I do promise to visit as often as I can. With my son grown and mated, I too have loneliness as my companion, but now I have my brother back
and two more younglings in Zeprik and Satrina to look after. I'm thinking maybe even another if what I see in your son's eyes is any indication. If the
Goddess wills it, there may even be younglings to bounce on your knee soon.”

“I would like that very much. Do you suppose her Jon will live at the Palace?”

“If I know my son, he would rather live barefoot on a sun than spend any more time than he must in your Palace. I had to drag him on a tour of the Summer
Palace once. He could not wait to get out of the building, even after the guide told us that the entire palace had once been a part of the Royal
Survivors ship during the escape from Lexon’s sun when it went Nova. She even showed us the couplings to prove it.”

Jon led Satrina through Leviathan explaining things to her as they went. He told her of the legends and how the Earthlings had supposedly found the ship
floating in orbit around their planet, Earth. He explained that the banner, which was actually called a flag, on the front of Leviathan and now on the noses of each of his ships assigned as security vessels, was once the emblem for one country on Earth called the Unites States of America and the history behind the flag. They had found several
of the actual flags in one of the storage compartments in the hold of the ship. Each of the flags still folded in their original boxes.

He explained how he'd been out voted when his crew suggested that they use the flag as their own and had several of them mounted in every ship's conference room throughout the entire security fleet. "The crews decided that the fifty stars stood for the colonies we've defended along the rim and the thirteen stripes stand for the different races that make up our crews."

He told the story of how the first humans had used the healing tubes as transfer tubes to keep people alive for cycles at a time, as they stopped to study each planet they discovered in their search for a home. A journey that should have lasted less than a cycle stretched to over ten in part due to their unquenchable thirst for knowledge and their extreme caution throughout the trip.

Apparently Jon's people had not yet discovered all of what the Leviathan had hidden away. According to inventory lists found in the data banks,
there was a hanger section that still held ground vehicles of all kinds that had been left onboard when they decided to use Lexonian ground vehicles
instead of the ones they had brought from their home world. The reason was, their vehicles used something called internal combustion engines that polluted
the environment. Lexonian vehicles were “clean” and did not cause pollution.

He told her of the connection between humans and the ancient race called the Umins and that a genetic marker in their blood made using many Umin devices possible. The swords and his Dragon Ship were just the beginnings of what the marker allowed someone to do that had it. He did not tell her about finding the control room for the planet killing weapons or his inability to activate them. He also did not tell her that he had discovered that he could fly the ship alone without a crew. He did not want her to worry about him one day
taking off in this massive ship without her by his side. He would never be parted from her as long as he lived now that he finally had her safely with him
again.

When they arrived at the hatch leading to the data room and Jon rang a buzzer mounted beside it.

“Who is there?” a voice from inside asked.

“Admiral Connell and guest.” Jon replied. “You called me, may I enter?” Looking to Satrina he shrugged his shoulders and said. “Apparently there are some
places even an admiral cannot go without permission. Even on his own ship.”

“I think that's strange, seeing how weak this hatch appears and how strong you are, I would think a good hit...” Satrina said with a grin.

“Shhh... Don’t tell them that. They think they are safely hidden behind their pretend door.”

The door swung open and the face of the head data collector greeted them, “I heard that, and I dare you to try to knock down our pretend door. Sir! Come
in, you and the Princess are always welcome in the data lab.”

“Data Master,” Satrina smiled and offered her hand to the tall thin male, “On this ship I am Princess only to my giant and he is a giant only to me.
Please, call me Satrina. Maybe make me one of those names you say are call signs.”

“Yes ma'am. call Signs are only given out by the Warriors but I can remember to just use Satrina. It’s a very pretty name for a very beautiful female. Not
to mention the Bosses mate. Follow me please, my office is over here.” Leading them both across the center's floor where his team of computer experts were
busy searching for the latest information on the pirates and those special projects that Jon had them working on, he opened a door and motioned for them to
take seats as he went to sit behind his desk.

“As you are aware Admiral, we were working to find out who U'Lanto was and our findings verify what the King and your mate have told you. He is the Regent.

We also retrieved the data from each of the pirate ships we've captured and currently have in our hangers. Their codes were hard to break, but once we had
one the others were easy. What we learned has us worried. There were not four ships to have the city killing weapons mounted to their bottoms. There were
six ships. We have four of them, that leaves two more out there somewhere. The good news is, the two remaining ships are cargo boats and not Warships. So
they should be easy to capture or destroy depending on how you want to proceed.

When you captured the yacht Boss King arrived in, we went to work on its data. It was the hardest one to crack, but we finally got it and we found the two
missing ships. One is in orbit at Canari Prime, the other is sitting at Lexon Station. The one at Canari Prime is either loading or unloading cargo.
Probably both as that is the largest producer for the Lustor Drug and these people were deep into the distribution and sale of the drug to the pleasure
houses and the street pimps who use addicted females for profit after the houses finish with them.