Solbidyum Wars Saga 4: Too Late for Earth (4 page)

Piesew greeted me at the door when we arrived at the suite.  “Honored First Citizen, I am very pleased to see that you are mending.  Your meal will be ready in a moment.  Please, if there is anything I can do for you or any service I may provide, let me know.”

Piesew was my majordomo and, as such, he was responsible for the maintenance of my suite and for my personal care.  He also served as the director of all the
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hospitality personnel
.
  It was his habit to always conduct himself formally; and only once in all the time I had known him had he let down his guard to show the tremendous depth of his feelings and genuine, caring nature.  I had tried several times to get Piesew to drop the honorifics and simply call me Tibby; but he refused, saying “it would not be proper for one in his position.”  I finally gave up trying and simply accepted his services as he presented them.

Jenira moved me to the table in the dining area.  On this day Piesew had the room adjusted to a moderate size.  The walls around the room could be moved in and out to increase or shrink the size of the dining area to accommodate the size of the party.  One side of the room looked out through a glass panel into an atrium within the ship where exotic tropical plants and flowers surrounded a small pool and waterfall.  Though it had only been a matter of weeks since the under-cover team deployed to Goo’Waddle, it suddenly seemed like I had been gone for years.  I was truly glad to be back in this place and in my suite once more.

“Commander Wabussie and the other will be ready to meet with you in about an hour,” Kala said as she entered the room.  “We’ll have plenty of time to eat before the meeting.”

I glanced around to see where Jenira was, wondering if she would be eating with us.  I saw her slipping quietly out of our suite, as she paused and looked back over her shoulder with a smile before she disappeared around the closing door.

As I tried to raise myself from the conveyance, Piesew was there instantly to help me into my chair, while Kala seated herself on the opposite side.  “I have prepared a unique meal for you, First Citizens.  It’s an exceptional dish from my home world that is eaten as part of a celebration of special events.”

“What special event are we celebrating?” I asked.

“
Events
, First Citizen Tibby – your physical recovery, the success in retrieving the stolen solbidyum and the defeat of the Brotherhood here at Goo’Waddle, all of which are celebration worthy!” answered Piesew as he began transferring dishes of food from a cart to the table.

I had always looked forward to new dishes introduced to me by Piesew.  I examined the plate before me, which held a bed of green, leafy vegetables and some small, round medallions of something that looked considerably like Meguro (tuna) sushi that I had frequently enjoyed back on Earth.  I sampled a piece and was surprised to find that what I thought was a meat was actually some kind of fruit or vegetable that had a flavor much like a sweet plum and the texture of something more like a melon.  Equally surprising were the green leafy vegetables, which had a unique and refreshing sweet citrus-like flavor.

“This is quite good, Piesew.  What is this dish called?” I asked between bites.

“We call it Unitain Cergay.”

“Mm, I really like this, Piesew,” Kala added.  “How is it you never shared this with us before?”

“To be honest, First Citizen, it wasn’t until I found out that First Citizen Tibby was going to survive that I felt the impulse to share it.”

I smiled in recognition of Piesew’s very special way of conveying affection.  “Well, Piesew, it was almost worth the experience, just to get introduced to this dish.  I thank you.”  Piesew returned the smile and bent into the formal bow that signaled he was ready to retreat from the room and leave us to dine privately.

“Tibby I have really missed being able to talk with you the past few weeks.  Even though I was there in the room with you, I felt
so
alone.”

Kala’s words made me recall my own feelings a year earlier when she lay in stasis to prevent her death from poison while I searched for the Ruguain eggs needed to cure her.  I remembered all too well the feelings of hopelessness and loneliness that I experienced during that period and I knew what Kala felt when she saw me after the crash.  It only made me feel even more regret over my actions and I began to weep.

“Tibby, are you all right?” Kala asked when she saw me crying.

“Kala, I am so sorry for what I put you through.  You should never have had to experience anything like this and it was my stupidity that caused you this pain.”

“Well, it’s over and done. We need to move on from here and put this in the past.  Just don’t do anything like this again.”

“Agreed.  Once is one time too many!”

When we finished eating, we remained seated at the table to chat and drink foccee; a popular burgundy-colored beverage enjoyed much like coffee on Earth, though foccee was generally served cold.  It never ceased to amaze me how similar some Federation customs were to those I had experienced back on Earth.  I don’t know if it was the meal, the foccee, being up and out of bed, or all the above that made me feel stronger; but I felt better than I had at any time since the crash.  Before I realized how much time had elapsed, it was time for us to go to the meeting.

It had been a few months since I had met with the entire crew on my space yacht, the
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; nevertheless, everything seemed new and strange when Kala assisted me into the conference room.  I could see that everyone was glad to see me, but I also noted sadness and concern on their faces; and I realized once again how my impulsive and foolish actions had impacted so many.

Commodore Stonbersa was the first to speak up.  “Honorable First Citizen, welcome back.  We’re all glad to see you’re recovering so quickly after your terrible crash.”

“Thank you, Commodore.  I apologize to all of you for my foolish actions; I know I caused all of you a great deal of difficulty.  I’ll try to do better in the future,” I replied with deep sincerity.  I noted a slight relaxation in the composure of those in the room.  I glanced about to see Captain Kerabac; Marranalis, head of Security; A’Lappe and Cantolla, who led my science teams; Captain Felenna, who captained my ship, the
MIZBAGONA,
and who also commanded my defensive fleet at the planet Alle Bamma.  Also present were Padaran, who was the nephew of Admiral Regeny and part of the team that went to Goo’Waddle; Commander Wabussie, head of the FSO; and Commander Sokaia, who commanded the Special Operations unit for the Federation.  Wabussie and Sokaia were not part of my crew, as they were Federation officers; but the work of my officers and me had been instrumental in implementing the organizations they directed, as well as in their training and the training of their teams.  Both were present on my yacht when it was diverted to Goo'Waddle; and Sokaia participated as part of the team that deployed on the surface mission to find the stolen solbidyum.

“It does me good to see all of you,” I said with a humble smile before initiating the first order of business.

“I thought it best that I meet with you all at one time to get up to speed on the events of the past several weeks.  Commodore, let’s start with you.”

“Our ships all are in excellent operating condition.  Once we realized what was happening on the planet, I contacted Captain Felenna and we immediately launched Mirage Fighters and patrol ships – fully cloaked, of course – and started destroying every Brotherhood ship we encountered.  When we got word that you were starting out after Shydak in one of their fighters, A’Lappe quickly determined which ship you were pursuing in and sent a team assist you.  In the meantime, I issued an order for several squads from your security forces to deploy to the surface, where First Citizen Kalana, Captain Kerabac and your team had already begun to mop things up with the Brotherhood there.  Marranalis got in touch with us to advise that some of the Ruwallie Rasson were taking over several of the Brotherhood ships; and for a moment we were afraid that we might shoot one of them down by accident during the ongoing conflict.  Padaran quickly came up with a solution and contacted the Ruwallie Rasson to set their ID beacons to broadcast on a coded frequency that we could use to identify them as friendly ships.  It all fell into place quite smoothly.  You would’ve thought we’d planned it that way!”

Stonbersa paused a moment before continuing in a more sober tone.  “Things nearly fell apart, though, when you were shot down and we started getting status reports from the rescue team as to how badly you were injured.  I have to tell you, Tibby, you gave us all a
huge
shock; and if it hadn’t been for all the training and discipline you instilled in your teams, I don’t think we would have been able to continue on.  “What A’Lappe did with the medical unit to piece you back together is beyond anything I have ever seen.”

I shamefully lowered my head before looking back at the Commodore to continue the briefing.  “How do things stand for a departure?  How many ships are still deployed?”

“Between the
MIZBAGONIA
and the
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I would say we have about half our fighters and patrol ships out.  If needed, we could have them all back and docked in less than an hour.”

“Are there any problems with the ships that we should be concerned about?”

“None whatsoever.  We are fully stocked and everything is ship shape.”

“Thank you, Commodore.

“Captain Kerabac, before you deliver your report, let me thank your outstanding performance while portraying the part of a Ruwallie Rasson trader and slaveholder during our surface mission.  We would not have succeeded without your efforts – and I know it was supremely difficult.  Every one of us owes you a great deal of gratitude.  Now, what can you tell me about events that unfolded after I took off after Shydak and the status on the surface at this time?”

“I didn’t do anything great down there; in fact, I would say I was pretty much a failure.  Padaran is the one that saved the day.  I’m greatly impressed with his knowledge of the Ruwallie Rasson history and customs.  You’ll be amazed at the way he structured and implemented the new rules and practices within the Ruwallie Rasson culture in such a short period of time.  To affect a virtual paradigm shift in the old ways of my people is no small feat.

“Beyond Padaran’s work, credit for establishing law and order and maintaining the government has to go to the androids.  When you took off after Shydak, we were in the process of rounding up all the Brotherhood goons at the warehouse.  It was only a matter of minutes before patrol ships from the
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landed and prisoners were transported here to be secured in an empty cargo hold.  Marranalis took charge of that operation, while Kala and Sokaia saw to the care of Jenira and Padaran until the medics arrived.  Until they were able to overcome the remaining Brotherhood thugs and get to the upper landing of the warehouse it was that android friend of yours, Andy, who took care of Jenira and staunched the bleeding from her neck enough to keep her alive.  If he hadn’t acted, she most likely would have died.  I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all were surprised to see the androids arrive and take action on our behalf, since they are known to have a very non-partisan approach to human issues.  They have proven themselves to be most helpful as they provide interim governmental leadership for the people of Goo’Waddle.”

“Thank you, Kerabac; and before we move on, let me make it clear once more that we could never have succeeded without you.

“Padaran, what can you tell me about your role in these events and the latest developments with the Ruwallie Rasson – oh, and how’s your leg?”  The last time I had seen Padaran he had just been shot in the leg when the skirmish between the undercover team and the Brotherhood first erupted in the warehouse.

“The leg is fine.  Once they got me to the
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and into the med unit, I was quickly healed and was almost as good as new.  I returned to the surface in just a few hours and found Tondor at his estate, or rather my estate, depending on how you look at it.  He was very upset at what had happened and felt responsible, as it was one of his own bodyguards that had turned traitor.  Kerabac and I have been able to convince him to lead the Ruwallie Rasson in a new direction – one more in line with Federation policies – though, for the time being, we are allowing them to take and keep slaves, so long as they are Brotherhood men.  Making slaves of the Brotherhood as they made and make slaves of others seems a fitting punishment for them – certainly one far worse than they would receive at the hands of the Federation – but at some point, after this war is over, slavery will have to end entirely.  As things stand, I think Tondor will be able to lead the Ruwallie Rasson without my input or guidance from Kerabac and me.”

“Kerabac, do you concur with Padaran’s assessment?” I asked.  Kerabac paused a moment and then replied.  “I do.  Tondor seems very genuine in his acceptance of all that Padaran has tried to impart; and the Ruwallie Rasson people feel a tangible victory with the defeat of the Brotherhood and their successful seizure of several Brotherhood ships.  I don’t think all the wealth they’ve been able to garner from raiding Brotherhood estates and businesses here on Goo'Waddle has hurt either.  All in all, they see the changes we are implementing as a positive move for their people and their future.”