THE VROL TRILOGY (31 page)

Draagh smiled with a gleam in his eye,
quite proud of his two pupils, and also quite pleased with his
apparent matchmaking skills, as it seemed that they had come to
some sort of mutual understanding - an agreement that he hoped
would eventually lead to something of a more permanent
nature.

The two stopped in front of the high
table, with Max taking a step forward, bowing slightly.

"King Krynos, Commander Maximilianus
Gunnarsson and Lieutenant Jennifer Escalante hereby make a formal
request to attend this great celebration - with your permission, of
course."

Krynos looked at them with feigned
apprehension at first, and then broke out into an incredible smile.
Standing up, he spread out his arms and said loudly, "Donus, would
you have these two fine military officers visiting us from a
far-away world attend your birthday celebration?"

Donus, wearing an equally giant smile,
looked out at the massive crowd and yelled, "What say my brothers
and sisters?" to which the entire crowd roared with approval,
prompting Donus to run up and embrace the two, taking great care
not to stain their white, almost angelic-looking
uniforms.

"My friends," he exclaimed loudly,
"when you first arrived I was unsure of your ability to fit in, and
even complete a single run on the obstacle course. Not only did you
surprise me, you have made me incredibly proud. So proud that I
shall call you my brother and sister from this day on
out."

The crowd applauded and howled, with
many of the attendees going to pat the two on their backs. Then, as
Max and Jennie turned to take seats somewhere in the expansive
crowd, Krynos called out to them, "My friends, young pups. Please
be seated with us at the high table. Your efforts and successes
have more than earned you the privilege," to which Max and Jennie
looked at other with grins, and then bounded up the stairs to take
their places with the lycan king and their teacher.

Enjoying the raucous festivities, with
various soldiers bashing each other with the closest thing they
could get their hands on - sometimes other lycans - Max and Jennie
sat and chatted with Krynos and Draagh, telling them about their
training earlier in the day, especially where Max was slipping
throughout the training field, with Jennie trying in vain to blast
him with her wand. Max even admitted that she had managed to singe
his posterior on more than one occasion. Further, he recounted how
he had slipped into that poor youth's room at the precise moment of
the lad's self-discovery, which brought tear-laden laughter, and
almost caused Krynos to choke on his fortified mead.

There was music, quite similar to what
one would expect to hear in the middle ages of Earth's past, but
Max had an idea. He whispered into Jennie's ear, asking her a
question to which, at first, she timidly shook her head no. After a
bit more apparent pleading, she nodded approvingly. It was then
that he bounded down into the main area and raised his arms,
calling for everyone's attention. The crowd quieted down after a
minute, as it was difficult (almost impossible) to keep lycans
soundless during a party.

"My friends, King Krynos, Draagh my
grandfather, and especially Donus, whose incredible hospitality has
touched me deep in my heart - as you all know, our common ancestors
are from Earth, but Earth of the distant past. That being said, I
am proud to say that all of you - even though we are here on the
home-world of mankind, and not on Azul - are our
future."

The crowd roared with great fervor, as
Max continued, "However, we were not born of this planet, and
although we are lycan, we do have differences, and it is one these
differences we would like to demonstrate for you here tonight - as
a birthday gift for our brother Donus."

This caused numerous faces to show a
bit of confusion, but Max's great smile kept this to a minimum.
Then suddenly, the young mage looked as if he were concentrating,
and with his hands out in front, brought up an infoscreen similar
to what Draagh typically used. Gasps emanated from the crowd, with
small bits of clapping, followed by numerous hushes. Then, Max
looked up to the high table with a soft smile.

"Lt. Escalante, would you please honor
me with your presence?"

Smiling, the stunning young lycan
walked down the stairs from her place at the high table to
accompany him, while he appeared to touch his infoscreen, causing
accordion music to play. As she approached Max, Draagh waved a
finger around, and the woman's military uniform gracefully and
magically transformed into a white, tight fitting, mid-length dress
with a sunken neckline, open at the sides, and revealing her
gorgeous legs, while her shoes simultaneously converted to high
heels.

The crowd was used to seeing occasional
magic from minor-mages and even Draagh, but Jennie's transformation
was on a completely different level. She seethed with beauty and
sensuality, and everyone felt it from their heads to their toes. No
less than 10 men dropped their goblets, which caused more than a
few to get backhanded and/or punched by their female
companions.

Tango music, indigenous to their
Argentinean ancestors, played throughout the hall at perfect
volume, as Max and Jennie expertly performed one of the most
difficult, yet powerfully sexy dances ever devised by man. Men
stared (at Jennie's legs), and women were on the verge of tears of
joy at seeing this incredible display of sensuality translated into
a dance between two amazingly attractive people - two people who
shared a chemistry that was apparent to everyone in attendance -
except for the two Azul military officers themselves. Max would
step back, with the alluring Jennie matching his steps precisely in
a forward motion, eyes locked and both wearing mischievous grins,
as their bodies seemed to navigate as one over the dance
floor.

If one didn't know any better they
would have believed the two were going to drop to the floor and
begin to make love in front of everyone, but the beauty of the
dance was that it left everyone on the edge of their
seats.

At the triumphant end of the
performance, Max held his dance partner close, bent forward and
low, holding her back mere centimeters from the floor, with their
lips nearly touching. The crowd burst to their feet, applauding and
cheering. Then they started throwing things (heavy objects, not
roses), because that was what lycans would do when they showed
appreciation.

Max waved his hand and conjured a
protective shield as he held Jennie close, keeping their white
clothing from becoming stained with the various airborne meats and
goblets.

After bowing in all
directions, they headed back up to the high table, where Krynos
exclaimed that every lycan should learn this
tango
dance, as it reflected the
true beauty and grace of their people. Max and Jennie looked
around, watching as various goblets, chairs, shields and food (as
well as a most unfortunate servant) sailed across the
room.

Looking at each other, they snickered
as Max quietly said to the girl, "I think we need to help them work
on the grace part first."

After having taken their seats, Max
happened to see his lycan skills trainer, Alea, walking through the
party, dodging various airborne objects with great ease. Not having
noticed her before, he wondered how Draagh was faring from her
nightly visits to his quarters, but decided not to ask. According
to rumor, he had a very particular set of skills when it came to
pleasing women, despite his advanced age, and to ask him might have
welcomed some unwanted, descriptive details.

Alea had not approached Max since he
had turned her down in his room, and for that he was glad. He had
much to accomplish, and his relationship with Jennie was, well - it
was complex.

As the festivities continued for some
time, Max later noticed Alea at a table, seated with some support
staff, when the rarely seen resident mage of the castle, Siegfried,
approached her and whispered something into her ear. She gave him a
look of surprise, but Max paid it no further attention, and turned
to his friends, now that Donus had returned to the high table and
was telling tales of epic battles.

Alea looked around nervously, and then
left the dining hall. She went down a dark, barely-lit hallway in
the castle, and again encountered Siegfried, who motioned for her
to enter into a room. He closed the door behind them and flipped
back the hood of his cloak, which he always wore over his head.
Upon doing this, Alea suddenly detected the scent of vampires, and
backed away, completely alarmed.

"Do not be afraid, Alea. I bring you
good news." Alea studied him with a precautionary glare.

"Nothing good comes from those who
smell of death, o minor-mage."

Siegfried made a
tsk, tsk, tsk
sound as
he slowly paced around the room.

"Ye of little faith, have I not
assisted you in the past?" he hissed.

Alea gave him a sullen glare and agreed
that he had. Siegfried then looked at her and said, "Your husband
yet lives, and I can help you to secure his release, but you must
also help me."

Shocked, her jaw dropped, and she
stammered, "Morgus lives? B-b-but, what must I do?"

"Listen to me carefully, woman. If you
follow my instructions, Morgus shall be returned to you unharmed,"
said the devious minor-mage.

The party was soon coming
to an end, but Max was enjoying his discussions with Donus and
Krynos, explaining the various technicalities of hook drive
mechanics. Having become tired and bored, Jennie bid them good
night, and Max stood, asking if he could escort her to her room, to
which she declined - not because she didn't want him to, but
because she felt he was having an excellent time, doing his
male-bonding
thing with
the guys.

The four men continued their animated
discussion as Jennie left. She rounded a corner and was going
through a corridor when Alea approached her, coming out of
nowhere.

"Jennie, I know we have not had the
chance to visit, but could I speak with you for a
moment?"

Jennie graciously declined. She just
wanted to go to bed, being a little tipsy from the ample quantities
of mead she had consumed.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I'm super tired
and want to sleep."

Not even saying anything else, Jennie
passed by Alea and continued down the hall toward her room, failing
to notice a black-robed figure lurking in the darkness.

Back in the main hall the party soon
finished, and all went to retire for the night. Max thanked Donus
and Krynos for the most incredible celebration ever, before making
his way back to his quarters. As he neared his room, he noticed
something was wrong. Running to Jennie's quarters, he kicked her
door open and found her room to be empty, which he knew to be true
before even entering, as he couldn't detect her scent
anywhere.

Panicking, but wanting to make sure he
was correct, he started 3D slipping around the castle, sniffing the
air for any sign of her proximity. When absolutely sure she was
nowhere to be found, he ran to the main hall and sounded the alarm
by rotating the handle of a claxon horn.

Dozens of men filled the hall in an
instant, with Krynos and Draagh showing up in their sleeping gowns,
the old mage already having a look of extreme concern on his
face.

Max stood in the middle of everyone and
nervously shouted, "Jennie's been taken."

Chapter 20 - Bagatelle Betrayed

Rear Admiral Luigi Bagatelle stood
before a large, black wall, eight meters high, with six men and two
women seated at desks up above, and all wearing dark-blue robes.
The room was designed for inquiries, and Bagatelle was there to
answer some questions, as well as ask a few of his own. There was
no audience seating in the chamber. Just a small area for the
accused and his/her legal representation. Bagatelle looked up to an
ugly sight.

Councilman Len Johnson leered down at
the admiral, a sneer lining his lips, with his pale complexion
making his face the most visible of the eight permanent members of
the Security Council.

"So, Rear Admiral, you willingly admit
that you failed to apprehend the traitor, Commander Maximilianus
Gunnarsson, and further, that you didn't find his ship? How do we
not know that Gunnarsson, at this moment, is not developing SSCC
technology for Earth humans?"

"Respected Council," started Bagatelle,
"first of all, there are no more Earth human settlements, save for
a few isolated areas, and these poor souls have been knocked back
to the Stone Age. As you have all seen the vids I provided, Earth
was wiped out by an alien race called the Vrol, and -"

Bagatelle was immediately interrupted
by the ghoulish, bacho councilman.

"Yes, yes, we all saw your falsified
vids. Quite poor quality, if you ask me. Answer my question, Rear
Admiral. How are we to be assured that Gunnarsson will not return
with a fleet of invading earthlings?"

Bagatelle knew this procedure. It was a
form of entrapment, and was a typical ploy of politicians during
hearings in Earth's past. Deny evidence, and then demand an
explanation, not having to take the supplied evidence into account.
Then, if an alternate, yet reasonable explanation is provided,
deny, change the subject, and again attack. Johnson was a student
of history, and was many steps ahead; he had been planning this for
quite some time.