Star Brigade: Odysseys - An Anthology (16 page)

“Rothorids almost
always
look serious,” Daddy whispered after seeing his son’s reaction, “even when they are happy about something.”

Once everyone was seated, the rattling music stopped and the ceremony began with some rail-thin Rothorid priest speaking first. He spoke in Wuiroth tongue, all hisses and rasps that grated at Jeremy’s ears. A few other Rothorids came up with their hissing and rasping. After the fifth speaker Jeremy had tuned them all out, not even bothering to look at the translator screens.

How long is this going to go on?
he wondered impatiently. The boy hated funerals, and looking at the holo bust of Mr. Honaa’s face was
beyond
creepy.

Finally, it was Daddy’s turn to speak. Auntie Sammie gave Daddy an encouraging rub on the back as he stood up. But the dread on his father’s face made Jeremy feel cold all over, despite the humidity.

Daddy took his place behind the podium, standing there alone. He stared down at the floor as if to gather his wits. After a long moment, he looked up at the crowd, still quiet, drawing in a deep breath.

Right then Jeremy remembered his father standing behind a similar podium, a year ago on Cercidale—the day of Mommy and baby Nwosu’s funeral. Daddy had spoken about how much Mommy meant to him and everyone in her life, how the heavens had gained two more stars. Jeremy didn’t like thinking about that day ever, but it just popped into his head. Then the boy recalled how tears had been running down his father’s face the whole time he had spoken about Mommy.

At one point his father, his strong-as-a-rock Daddy, had gotten so emotional during his eulogy that he almost couldn’t continue…

Jeremy jumped to his feet and ran.

He heard the chorus of surprised hissing from all the Rothorids and the gasps from the non-Rothorids.  Auntie Sammie called out his name as loud as she dared, but the boy didn’t stop.

His father’s jaw dropped in disbelief as Jeremy dashed up to his side.

The boy grabbed hold of his father’s massive hand. “Y’ollrigh’?” he asked, looking up at Daddy, searching for his sad eyes.

Daddy looked so staggered that Jeremy might have laughed if they weren’t at a funeral. His father’s hazel-gold eyes brightened for the first time in days. The crimsonborn straightened up and sighed. “I think I am, sprout.” He gave his son’s hand a gentle squeeze.

Jeremy felt good hearing that, and seeing Daddy genuinely happy. “Okay.”

Daddy smiled broadly at his son. “Let’s do this.”

Jeremy grinned back in agreement, and then looked out into the crowd. Many of the Rothorids looked befuddled by this change in events. Khrome and Dr. Cortés were beaming at him. Aunt Sammie had a hand over her heart and mouthed, “Love you, Jerm.” Her eyes were all wet like she was about to cry. Jeremy mouthed back “Love you, too.”

“Seems my speech translator finally arrived,” Daddy told the crowd, pointing to his son. “Better later than never, yea?” The whole crowd laughed, mostly Rothorid sissing, with a distinct jumble of human laughter and other alien sounds of mirth. And Jeremy couldn’t miss Auntie Sammie’s big, loud laugh.

“Who was Honaa Ishiliba to me?” Daddy continued, bold and brave as ever. “Well, before I answer that question, I’ll start with how we first met…” Then Daddy began his speech.

It was kind of long, but Jeremy still liked every moment of it.

When the skies of Terra Sollus turned blue again, the whole town of Big Victory erupted in joy.

The young and old hugged each other and danced together, jumping around in the makeshift dirt streets that weaved through the dilapidated spaceships serving as Big Victory’s business establishments or homes.

It mattered not if they were earthborn humans, stormborns with their bone-white hair and colorful roots, scaly Rothorids, ivory-skinned Korvenites with their purple hair or whatever the species.

Terra Sollus had been saved. Maelstrom and his ministry of brainwashed extremists had been stopped. The town in the most isolated part of Terra Sollus’s Oklorada Basin had united in a deafening celebration that went well into the early evening. It would have surprised no one if Brightwater, the closest town at about twenty-eight miles east, could hear them clearly.

No one, however, was happier or more ashamed than Antur.

The sharp winds were needling the Korvenite’s whitish skin through his casual dark slacks and shapeless blood-red tunic. Antur, while not very tall at five-foot-nine, kept his physique lean and hard for someone north of fifty years. He had his waves of violet hair with a thick streak of gold pulled back in a shoulder-length ponytail.

Currently, the Korvenite stood silhouetted against the sinking sun. A faint smile brightened his sharp features as he observed the whirlwind of joyous activity around him. He couldn’t help but psychically feed off the town’s impromptu celebration, letting the exuberance flood through him. By the time night had fallen, Antur lost count of how many hugs or exclamations of relief he had exchanged with his many longtime neighbors.

But then he looked at the other Korvenites in their gold and ebony eyes, everyone filled with tension and dread. That was when the shame and the memories seeped in to darken his joy.

This morning all his nearly forgotten fears had returned with nightmarish force after Terra Sollus’s planetary shields painted the skies gold, followed by that psychopath Maelstrom spewing out his xenocidal endgame for every news streams to broadcast.

On that terrorist’s order, those shields were set to unleash radiation that would wipe out every sentient being on Terra Sollus, except the Korvenites of course.

Antur had been certain he would be witnessing another Earth Holocaust. The longer the planetary shields remained active, the more his brain conjured up the worst-case scenarios of watching Maelstrom’s hijacked battle station burn all his non-Korvenite friends and neighbors to death.

None of the 406 Korvenites in Big Victory were in danger had the Korvenite Independence Front’s ‘purge’ succeeded. But that mattered little and less.

Since its founding in the year 2370 from a cluster of rundown spaceships, Big Victory had known no racial barriers. Every sentient in Big Victory was family.

Today, despite the town’s modest yet slowly expanding sprawl, that tenet of family still held true.

Antur and the other Korvenites had lived here in secret for over twenty-five years, building new lives in a time when their species was being enslaved or hunted like game. So as a member of this town and its council, The Korvenite had buried his own worries in favor of offering reassuring words and calming embraces when needed. Any of his Korvenite brethren able look past their own fears followed his lead, keeping Big Victory tranquil.

Losing a homeworld, triggering so much chaos
, Antur had considered,
all due to the stupidity of a dozen
. What a well-deserved dose of cosmic karma for his past crimes.

And even if the Union and Imperium warships breached Terra Sollus’s compromised defenses, what would stop the Kedri from declaring war on the Union? Maelstrom’s attack had not only ruined the Union-Imperium Trade Merger but had embarrassed both hyperpowers involved on an intergalactic scale.

…All due to the stupidity of a dozen…

Thank Korvan that the heavens had turned blue again, and the Kedri departed from Terra Sollus without a single shot fired at UComm forces.

Only then did the weight of the galaxy leave Antur’s shoulders. Only then had that sweet sigh of relief left his lips.

Four days after what the news streams had called ‘the Battle of Terra Sollus,’ fear still hung heavy amongst many of Big Victory’s 6,800-plus citizens. Not just for their safety, but for that of their Korvenite neighbors.

Everyone knew what Maelstrom’s attacks meant for any Korvenites discovered on Terra Sollus’s surface. The afterglow of celebration and relief had long faded, replaced by palpable dread of UComm warships casting eclipsing shadows over Big Victory to seize friends and neighbors.

That was why, under a moonlit sky, Mayor Sunshine ‘Sunny’ Nakamura addressed her town tonight. Well-placed streetlamps cast pale yet ample lighting over a town square teeming with hundreds of Big Victory’s residents. Ringing the massive town square’s borders were nine metallic tall, angular and twisty sculptures lacquered in silver, all constructed from the innards of nonfunctioning ships.

In front of a rusted military command cruiser now serving as the town hall, the earthborn woman stood on an elevated podium shaped like an enlarged half-tablet. Even dressed in a casual chunky ash grey turtleneck and dark blue denims along with a brown Kurthahide jacket, she carried an unmistakable presence. Sunny cast a sweeping gaze over her constituents and shrugged. “Wish I could say I was up here tonight just because I’m a sucker for your applause.”

The nine sculptures around the town square sonor-amped her quip across the settlement, and a collective chuckle rippled through the audience. Antur allowed himself a brief laugh. He was just one of many in the crowd watching Sunny’s speech. A quick, psychic scan of the gathering revealed the taut worry and at times animosity over the events in Conuropolis. Most blamed Maelstrom and his brainwashed cronies, while small pockets of some humans blamed
all
Korvenites. For Antur, those reactions weren’t unexpected or worrisome…yet.

“Unfortunately,” Sunny’s voice sobered and she straightened up in posture, “we all saw what happened four days ago. Let’s pray for those living in Conuropolis, Sheffield, and every city-state that suffered from Maelstrom’s attacks, those who lost their homes and loved ones. We may be worlds away from them big megapolises, but we’re all of the same planet and the same Union.”

Steady applause followed Sunny’s declaration. Age had etched fine lines around her almond-shaped eyes and pouty lips. Yet for a fifty-one-year-old, Antur still found her handsome by any humanoid’s criteria. Her thick, flowing hair was a bright shade of powder blue, which she had perma-dyed several years ago when the white hairs began outnumbering the black. Tonight she draped her customary long braid loosely over the right shoulder, her blunt and heavy bangs skimming just over the eyebrows. “However, as much as we support our fellow Unionists in other parts of Terra Sollus, we must look to our own community.

“There will be a lot of blame and hatred being lobbed at the Korvenite species over the next few weeks or months or years. The Korvenites in this town will need us more than ever.”

“What if UComm comesss?” someone shouted out in the crowd, the hissing cadence indicative of a Rothorid. “What are we ssssupposed to do?”

“Well, Rojuic,” Sunny cast a melodramatic eye toward the speaker, addressing her by name, “here’s hoping we never have to answer that question. But if we do, the answer is plain and simple.” Her dark, almond eyes filled with fire as she continued. “Just like over a quarter of a century ago, we protect all Korvenites in this town, hide them in the underground bunkers where the UComm’s scans and probes can’t reach. If that doesn’t work, then we will make a case of it with the courts, and let everyone see how much the Korvenites in this town mean to the community. Big Victory protects its own, no matter what.”

Antur’s pride threatened to burst from his chest. The human had a gift for this, owning the crowd yet making each and every citizen feel like she addressed them directly. His pride notwithstanding, that declaration received a more mixed reaction. The Korvenite exchanged glances with some of the many Korvenites scattered throughout the crowd, unmistakable by their ivory skin, purple-colored hair and their physical similitude to humans. The forty-plus Korvenites in the crowd were connected with each other through a telepathic Unilink, and all shared varying degrees of unease.

Crowd’s a bit agitated in my area,
a Korvenite named Isydryas commented,
especially the Kent and Gutiérrez clans.

A female named Kumett chimed in
. Got a few Rothorids not buying what Sunny’s selling, dead-set on ratting us out if UComm comes around.

Relive their tension a little
, Antur replied to the Unilink.
Remind them to feel safe around us.

Isydryas and other Korvenites stretched themselves with their Mindspeak gifts.
Almost instantly Antur sensed the doubts and resentment of several in the crowd simmer down. Soon, only flickers of unease and doubt lingered amongst the citizens tonight, but nothing warranting any further concern.

Antur sighed, forgiving himself as always for the manipulation, and returned his gaze to Sunny.

“I understand everyone is scared. So am I,” the earthborn woman admitted in high and ringing tones. “But we cannot let our fears and worries drive us apart. The Korvenites in this town had nothing to do with the tragedy that took place in Conuropolis. They are family. And in Big Victory, we protect our family,” she then gestured down to a Korvenite standing in the front of the crowd, “even Tharace.”

The crowd howled with laughter over that, and Antur sensed the Korvenite she spoke of seethe with embarrassment.

“For now, go home, spend time with your loved ones and your friends. Let us enjoy the very things we’ve labored for and fought hardest to protect—our family.” The crowd burst in applause, then the cheering from days ago returning in full force. Sunny nodded and voiced her thanks to the crowd. She then angled a look in Antur’s direction with a subtle askance that only he saw.

Antur nodded his approval.
You did great, Sunshine
, he telepathically reassured her,
as usual.

And then Sunny let her shoulders sag in relief. A big smile played across her lips as she waved and soaked in the appreciation from Big Victory’s citizens.

Antur watched her in amusement. Yes, she really was a sucker for all the applause.

A few orvs later, Antur and Sunny had returned back to the warmth of their home, a modified mini-luxury space yacht. The walls were blood-red and gold, stylish enough but maintaining a rustic quality. Antur’s longtime partner sat before a holomirror, her face pinched and serious. The silky, lavender robe she had on was untied and hanging loosely on her slender frame. Sunny’s powder blue hair was unbraided and spilling down to the waist, with Antur combing out any tangles with an oval-shaped brush. Several holo-motion portraits of the couple adorned their walls, displaying them throughout the years. The soothing sound bath of a celestial symphonic melody filled every room in their home.

“What’s the temperature out there tonight?” she asked quietly. Even this late in the day, her work as mayor was never done.

“Concerned and scared,” Antur answered. “Some of our more remote citizens were ready to give us up if UComm ever visited.”

Sunny gave him her look through the mirror, collected but pointed. “I assume the weather’s cooled?”

Antur set the comb down atop a drawer next to the holomirror. “Do you even have to ask?” To keep the peace in Big Victory, Sunny had tasked Antur and the other Korvenites over the years with training the townsfolk in ‘psychic defensive.’ But in truth this allowed the Korvenite familiarity and access to occasionally sway public opinion to benefit their standing in Big Victory, like ensuring that Sunny’s two-decade rule as mayor remained unopposed.

“Smooth winds for now,” he placed both hands on Sunny’s slim shoulders to start rubbing away the knots. Antur was one of Sunny’s chief advisors on Big Victory’s town council, and her partner in everything else.

He sensed Sunny’s lack of regret for any actions taken to protect this town, as well as her already ebbing relief. “Let me know if anything else comes up.”

The Korvenite couldn’t help but smile. “You worry too much.”

Sunny closed her eyes and let her head loll forward, surrendering to the massage. “You never worry enough,” she sighed.

I worry more than you could ever know,
Antur said to himself, feeling a sharp pang deep in his chest. “You carry enough worry for us both.”

Sunny opened her beady eyes and shrugged. “Have to. I’m the mayor.”

“Not in this house,” the Korvenite declared in his sexiest voice and continued kneading away his partner’s worries. They had made a rule to try and not let town politics affect their personal relationship. For the most part, the rule had worked for them.

“Maybe…” Sunny cooed once the Korvenite pulled his hands away. She rose to her feet, standing about three inches shorter than him. “…maybe I need a reminder.” The impish grin on her face made Sunny look twenty years younger.

Lust jolted like lightning through Antur. A soft caress on the cheek from her, a lingering kiss on the mouth from him and soon they were tearing each other’s clothes off. He took Sunny’s hand, pulling her eagerly toward their bed.