Total Betrayal (Deep Space Endeavor) (37 page)

             
"Jesse, is everything alright?" Kimi looked a little concerned.

             
"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

             
"About what?" She prodded as she intertwined her arm with his.

             
"About something I should have been smart enough to do a long time ago." He turned to face his clearly confused girlfriend and said. "Kimi, so much has happened over the last year and a half. We've lost so much, so many people we love, so much we worked so hard for, and some of us may never again be whole." She looked at his prosthetic leg and wondered if that was what he meant or if he was still beating himself up for taking out Bliney's son right in front of him. She sadly reflected that it may be a while before any of them felt whole again.

             
"It's alright, Jesse. We've still got each other, we've got Lana and Sun, and we've got the rest of our family and friends. We're about to go back to the Kalephi Galaxy and live in a beautiful city provided by a grateful King. I think things are finally beginning to look up."

             
Jesse smiled as he continued, "If the last eighteen months have taught me anything, it's that I shouldn't take anything for granted and that I shouldn't waste time because you just never know."

             
"What are you saying, Jesse?"

             
"I'm saying," he awkwardly knelt on one knee and produced a small black velvet box from his pocket. "I'm saying that I love you, Kimi. I'm saying that there's nothing else I'd rather do in life than make you happy. Would you do me the honor and make me the luckiest man in the universe? Kimi, will you marry me?"

             
She looked down at him, painfully kneeling before her, smile on his face, and she didn't know what to say. She looked at the incredibly beautiful diamond ring set in gold with seven smaller identical pieces of jade mounted around the diamond, one piece for each year he had known her. She had dreamed about this day for seven years, and while there were many bumps along the way, and they had both changed as people, they had both changed together. Everything she had ever dreamed about was kneeling before her waiting for her reply. She smiled the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and pulled him to his feet as she replied, "Yes, yes of course I'll marry you, Jesse." She jumped into his arms and continued. "Do you have any idea how happy you have just made me?"

             
He put her down and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. "Hopefully at least as happy as you have just made me." He replied as she leaned into his arms and kissed him. After sharing a long kiss, Jesse took his fiancé by the hand and they began to walk back toward Lana and Sun. They could tell by the girl's excited reaction that they had figured out what was going on as they rushed over and crowded around Kimi's ring.

             
After fawning over the ring for several minutes, Sun looked up and happily exclaimed, "Now we really are going to be a family." She hugged Lana who looked up at her father and smiled.

             
"Yes, we are, Sunshine," Jesse replied as he picked up the girl in an embrace and swung her around. He kissed her forehead and put her down only to be practically tackled by his daughter. He picked her up in a similar embrace and after a kiss on the cheek, put her down as well. He put his arm around Kimi and she reciprocated, then Lana intertwined her arm in his free arm. Sun grabbed Kimi's free hand and the four of them walked towards the trail to begin their hike. Jesse looked at his three girls and silently agreed with Sun. He smiled as he thought,
we are a real family
.

______

              "Attention, Kaldor Fleet Command, this is Captain Zaxann of the Valagan Planetary Security Agency. We have received word that the warlord Tovanoras is heading to your planet with a fleet of substantial size, three hundred fifty ships at least. We have confirmed this and are calling to warn you."

             
The
Catamaran II
was in orbit around Kaldor when they intercepted a message meant for Fleet Command. They already knew about the impending attack, they just had no idea it was happening so quickly. "Thank you, Captain Zaxann," Wennagal replied. We are sending this information to our superiors now." Wennagal couldn't believe the luck. One hundred ninety-two Hyperian ships had recently been replaced by ninety-six ships. Kaldor could really use those extra ships right about now. They did have one hundred forty-three ships in their fleet, plus planetary defenses. He only hoped that with the Hyperians there, it would be enough to give Tovanoras pause.

             
"Are you sure they said three hundred fifty ships, Wen?" Cassie asked in surprise. "Because that seems like an invasion force more than a keep-us-from-helping-Ginderbar-while-they-bankrupt-us force.

             
"That sounds like a pretty specific type of force, Captain," Agent Desmond joked as he prepared to send the information to the surface.

             
"Maybe," she started, not getting the humor. "But that means that unless he has significantly more than seven hundred fifty ships, he only has four hundred left to attack Ginderbar. With their planetary defenses and three hundred fifty
Battle Hammers
, they won't need much help at all from our allies to stop the pirate advance."

             
"What if he is sending more to Kaldor from a secondary location and he intends to use his other ships to keep Ginderbar and our allies at bay while he invades Kaldor?" Goslar asked as he paced the bridge. "I mean, like you said, Captain Reed, he wouldn't have enough ships to take Ginderbar. Why would Tovanoras split his ships in such a way that he would be almost certain to lose both engagements?"

             
"He wouldn't, Goslar. You may be right; Kaldor may be the main target while Ginderbar is the diversion. We need to contact Chairman Valinor and Chief of State Enosal and have them get their military brains on this. Intel suggests they are a few days away from getting to our system; let's see if we can figure out what they're up to before they get here."

             
After speaking with Chairman Valinor, Cassie felt like the world was coming to an end. As it turned out, they had badly misjudged the size of Tovanoras fleet. He didn't have seven hundred fifty ships, he had closer to a thousand. It now looked as though he would be sending four hundred ships to take Kaldor and five hundred fifty ships to invade Ginderbar. He would also have two raiding fleets of twenty-five ships each roving through the Alliance systems to try and keep as much of the Alliance Fleet as possible occupied and not sending reinforcements to their two most powerful members. It looked as though he was trying to remove the two most powerful members from the Alliance so he could pick his way through the rest of the Alliance at his leisure.

             
"What are we going to do? Even with Hyperia's ninety-six ships, we're not going to be able to defeat four hundred. For all intents and purposes, it's a two to one ratio." Wennagal cried out in frustration.

             
"I still think if we can get enough ships to Ginderbar, we can force them to break off." Cassie replied. "What if we had Qualoosh and Valagan keep their fleets home and ready to send them to any of our allies in that sector while the rest of our allies sent their fleets to Kaldor and Ginderbar. That would give Ginderbar close to five hundred and us just over three, while keeping the rest of our worlds as protected as they can be."

             
"That sounds like our best tactical play, well done, Captain, not even Colonel Marcos could have thought up a better defense with our current resources." Wennagal replied as he sent Cassie's assessment to Chairman Valinor. "If all of our allies go for it, we should be able to see this through."

             
"I see no logical reason they would not," Goslar began, "If Ginderbar and Kaldor go down, it's only a matter of time before the rest of them fall as well. It is in their best interests."

______

              When Jesse, Kimi, Lana and Sun arrived back at Jesse's house to check on the pups after their long hike, they were greeted by a crowd of nearly a hundred people. Balloons and streamers decorated the yard, festive music played through large speakers and caterers deftly set out refreshments while happy people mingled. Apparently, someone had figured out his plan because everyone he and Kimi were close to were in his yard enjoying a party. When they entered the yard, they were greeted by nearly a hundred people yelling "SURPRISE!"

             
Suzy, Nina and nearly half of the guests gathered around Kimi to get a look at her ring and she was rewarded by the obligatory ooh's and ahh's while Ariel, Josiah and the rest of the guests lined up to congratulate Jesse. The music played and Jesse's friends and family ate, danced, talked and laughed while he took it all in from his seat at one of the tables. His recovery was going really well, but after the hike, his leg was sore and tired and he needed to be off his feet. He watched everything going on around him with an air of contentment he hadn't known since he was engaged to Rebecca. As he sat and watched, speaking with friend after friend, Sun sidled up next to him and wearily put her head on his shoulder. It had been a long day for her, too, and she looked worn out. Apparently, her lack of energy was only temporary as she spotted Lana and Raina with a small group of young people and ran over to join them.

             
"Did you do this?" Kimi asked as she sat down next to him and put her hand in his.

             
"No, I was as surprised as you were, but I have my suspicions. He looked over to his daughter teaching a new dance to Sun.

             
"You think Lana did this?"

             
"I'm sure she had a little help, but I'm pretty sure she found the ring and deduced that I was going to ask you at the lake. I was a little suspicious when Nina kept asking me questions about our lunch, but I didn't think it was going to be anything like this. This is great."

             
"Yes, it is. There are a lot of people that care about you, Jesse."

             
"About us, Kimi," He corrected. "These are your friends, too."

             
"I know, and seven years later, I still cannot believe that I have people in my life that care about me. I only wish my mother was alive to see this. She would be so happy for me."

             
"And proud of you, Kimi. Your mom was fiercely proud of you, and she had every reason to be." He leaned over and kissed his fiancé, and the moment was perfect.

             
"Jesse," she began with a gleam in her eye so bright it captivated him. "I know this might be a little quick, and maybe not how you planned it, but we may never have all of these people together again and I was thinking why not get married right here, right now, in the yard."

             
"Kimi, are you sure? You don't want the flowing dress and the nice hall and all that goes with it?"

             
"Not really, all I really want is you."

             
"Hey, you two, what's going on?" Ariel called as she sat down at the table.

             
"We're getting married." Jesse replied.

             
"I know, and I'm so happy for you guys."

             
"No, I mean right now, tonight while all our close friends and loved ones are here."  He smiled and Kimi's smile was all but lighting up the night.

             
"Really?" Ariel's excitement was palpable. "That's so spontaneous; wow, this is great!"

             
Jesse called everyone together and twenty minutes later Josiah and Suzy were handing them some borrowed rings as Councilor Dana was pronouncing them man and wife. The rest of the night became a wedding reception as Nina had hastily called out for some large cakes to be delivered and the excitement level of the guests had gone into overdrive.

             
As it all was winding down, he was tired but beaming and he could never remember a time when he was this happy.

             
"So, Ariel, were you one of the people that put this incredible celebration together in our honor?" Kimi asked as she continued to hold her husband's hand.

             
"I'll never tell." She winked. "But I will tell you this; it was all Lana's idea so she came to her aunts for help." She smiled and pulled Jesse to his feet. "Come on, cousin, dance with me."

             
Jesse gave her a hug and smiled as he sat back down. "I promise I'm not trying to be a party pooper, but the hike really took it out of my leg, and I'm not sure it's dance ready even if it didn't already hurt. Sorry, Cousin, but I see someone who would love to dance with you coming up on my right."

             
Just then, Lana leaned in and gave both Jesse and Kimi a big hug. "I'm so happy for you guys, and I'm so happy for me; I have a mom again." She laughed for a moment and then added a little more seriously, "When my mom got sick, I never thought I'd have a family again, and now I have this great family. I hope we're always this happy." Lana kissed Jesse on the cheek, kissed Kimi on her cheek and then took off to dance with her aunt. Jesse could hear her saying "We should get Reece to come over and dance with you." and he smiled. He knew that Lana wouldn't stop until everyone she loved was happy.