The Worker Prince (32 page)

Bordox stared at her, glanced over his shoulder at Obed being led down a pathway across the campus from them, and then shook his head. “I can’t do it, can I, Xander?”

Behind them, the Royal Shuttle’s engines whined. They all turned to see Xalivar peering out of the cockpit, the shuttle doors now closed and locked behind him. He smiled as the shuttle lifted into the air.

“I told you—” Davi kicked backwards with his right foot, shoving his elbow back hard at the same moment. The foot caught Bordox’s knee and the elbow dug into his ribs. Bordox cried out and stumbled backward and Davi dove to the ground. “—stop calling me that!”

Bordox hesitated a moment then aimed his blaster at Davi again. Tela and Yao fired. Bordox screamed and crumpled to the ground, grabbing his wounded leg. Davi dove and grabbed the blaster away from him, so near he could smell Bordox’s charred flesh.

“Nooooo!” Bordox yelled through gritted teeth.

Soldiers surrounded Bordox as Yao reach down and helped Davi to his feet. “You okay?”

Davi smiled, reaching out to grasp his friend’s shoulder. “Yes, and now I owe you my life!”

Yao shrugged. “Along with the answers for most of your tests at the Academy.”

They both laughed as Tela rushed over to embrace Davi. “Thank God you’re okay! I was scared for you,” she said.

“Me, too,” Davi admitted, enjoying her arms around him, the smell of her hair. It smelled like freedom.

Bordox struggled and two soldiers took him by the arms and led him away. “You’ll regret this, Rhii! You haven’t seen the last of me!”

Davi sighed and waved.

Lord Kray approached. “I’m sorry for the way you were treated.”

Davi shrugged. “Nothing that won’t heal, Councilor. Thank you for your help.”

She smiled. “Your mother would be very proud of you.”

Davi smiled, feeling sad. He wished Miri were here. “What about Xalivar?”

Kray shrugged. “Where can he go? The Council declared emergency powers hours ago. He’ll be detained soon enough. You’ll be negotiating with the Council now.”

Davi nodded as Tela leaned her head on his shoulder. “I have no doubt the Council will be fair.”

He could hardly believe it. With the Council’s help, the WFR had won. He’d never dared imagine how it would feel. His heart jumped for joy as he and Tela walked with Kray and Yao back up the slope and across the campus toward the Library again.

Epilogue

The starport on Vertullis bustled with activity as Davi, Tela, and Lura arrived. In the two weeks since the peace conference, things had returned to normal—transports, shuttles, and starfighters launching one after another. Workers and mech-bots hustled around loading, unloading and servicing the various craft. Passengers and ticket agents bustled around them. It was almost as if the war had never happened.

The Council of Lords had agreed to all of their demands. The workers would be free and treated as regular citizens of the Borali Alliance. Shipments had resumed from Vertullis bearing agricultural products out while other products were brought in. In the next month, Aron would join the Council as a full member to represent the planet. He would take the place of Lord Obed, who, along with the entire LSP, had come under suspicion.

Xalivar and Manaen had disappeared in the Royal Shuttle. They had not landed at any of the expected ports. Rumors had it they’d refueled at Alpha Base before word of the settlement and rearranged government had reached there, but no one was certain. High Lord Councilor Tarkanius had declared them wanted men. Though the Council had promised no sanctions at first if Xalivar relented and abided by their decisions, his flight left them outraged. It had been a sign of total disrespect and the Council would not stand for it. Xalivar’s reign had been terminated, and Tarkanius had taken his place.

Davi accepted their decision not to choose him to replace Xalivar. The Council had always chosen the ruling family by election, and given what had occurred, he could understand their feeling that a change had been appropriate. His heritage was in question now, an issue which couldn’t just be brushed aside despite the Council’s new attitude toward their former slaves. Besides, he was too young to be a High Lord Councilor, and, at this point, there wasn’t anything he thought he would miss about being Royal.

Davi, Lura, and Tela arrived at the designated platform, as the white shuttle from the Alliance Prison Centauri Two entered the landing bay. Lura seemed more nervous than he’d ever seen her.

“You okay, Mother?”

She nodded. “It’s been so long.”

“I’m sure he’ll be as happy to see you as you are to see him,” Tela said and Davi knew she was feeling much the same about seeing her father again.

Lura smiled. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

Davi turned away, feeling nervous. He couldn’t believe this moment had arrived.

Aron approached and patted him on the back as the shuttle lowered onto the platform before them. “He’ll be very proud of you.”

“And very proud of you, too, no doubt,” Davi said.

Aron shrugged. “A Lord on the Council! We never could have imagined it.”

“It’s well deserved,” Tela said, squeezing Davi’s hand.

Davi smiled, pulling her to him. “I’m proud of you both.”

The shuttle’s engines wound down and the door opened. The first person to step onto the platform was a young Lieutenant Davi recognized.

Farien kept his military posture, a stern expression on his face as he walked to where Davi and Tela were standing. He stopped there, examining Davi’s blue uniform. “You look like a worker to me!”

Davi broke into a broad grin, and they embraced like brothers. “It’s good to see you,” Davi said.

“Guess you should have kept me around to keep you out of trouble,” Farien said. They both laughed.

Miri stepped off the shuttle, spotting Davi and hurrying toward him. They embraced like two people who had been apart too long. “When I heard they were bringing us here, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I missed you so!”

“You, too, Mother. I was worried about you,” Davi said, silently thanking God she was safe. It felt good to be with her again.

“They told me you’re a war hero? My own son, the Worker Prince,” Miri said, looking him over in the way mothers inspect their children after a long absence.

“I’ve done what I could, Mother. Really. I’m fine.” And looking around him at all those he loved, he knew he would be.

Miri smiled, embracing him again. “It’s a mother’s prerogative to be sure.”

Over Miri’s shoulder, Davi saw Lura embrace a man on the platform a few yards away as Tela greeted someone at the foot of the ramp.

“There’re some people I want you to meet.” Davi and Miri said in unison. Davi laughed.

“You first,” Miri said.

Davi took her hand and led her toward Tela, who was embracing a man in his mid-fifties. His features were similar to Tela’s, except he was taller, with graying hair.

“Davi, I’d like you to meet my father, Telanus.”

Telanus smiled and clasped Davi’s hand, his grip firm. “So this is the young man I have to thank for taking care of my little girl.”

“She did a pretty good job of it herself, sir,” Davi said. “In fact, you might say it was more the other way around.”

Miri smiled, offering her hand to Tela. “Then it is I who must thank her, I suppose.”

Tela grasped Miri’s hand as Davi said: “Tela, this is my mother, Miri.”

“I am so honored, Princess Miri,” Tela said, reacting with surprise as Miri pulled her into an embrace.

“From what I hear, soon you may be calling me Mother as well,” Miri said with a wink at Davi, who blushed.

Tela laughed.

Davi turned as Lura approached with a tall and thin man who looked a lot like him. His face and hands appeared hardened from manual labor, and his hair had turned gray but he walked with confidence. A familiar necklace hung around his neck.

“I never thought this day would come,” Lura said, tears flowing down her cheeks. “This is your father, Sol.”

Sol and Davi stood a moment, taking each other in, and then Sol grabbed Davi and pulled him into an embrace. Sol’s eyes filled with tears as he spoke. “I have so dreamed of this day, my son.”

“I have, too, father,” Davi said, fighting back tears of his own.

“Your mother, Princess Miri, has told me so many stories in the past few days,” Sol said, smiling at Miri, who was wiping her own eyes. “We are so grateful for all she’s done for you.”

“Thank you for taking care of our baby,” Lura said, voice full of emotion as she grasper Miri’s hands.

As the two mothers hugged, Sol continued, “We’re also grateful for all you’ve done, and very proud.”

Davi couldn’t fight the tears any longer. They poured from his eyes as he embraced Sol again. “Thank you for saving my life!” It seemed to be the one thought out of several in his mind which he could manage to form into words right then.

They took another shuttle back to the WFR base where an elaborate banquet had been prepared for them in a large cavern. The WFR leadership, pilots, and other guests stood waiting for them. The banquet table contained a spread beyond imagination—every delectable delight they could have imagined and enough to feed an army. They all ate until their stomachs were ready to burst.

Everyone exchanged congratulations as they celebrated together. General Matheu even thanked Davi for his contributions and shook his hand.

Telanus, Miri, and Sol stared in amazement at what the workers had built, and it touched Davi to see the three of his parents—birth and adopted—getting along so well.

Later, he and Tela slipped off to one side and cuddled, watching them.

“I can’t even begin to describe this,” Tela said.

Davi nodded. “Me neither. It’s so hard to believe, but somehow more than anything else, this feels like victory.”

Tela smiled, pulling him close, and they kissed and then strode hand in hand back to rejoin the others.

(To be continued in
The Returning
coming 2016)

Glossary

Agora
—One of Vertullis’ two moons.

Auto-bot
—Prototype robot created to perform basic human tasks.

Barge
—A smaller transport used primarily to carry loads between neighboring planets.

Boralis
—The larger of two suns in the solar system.

Bots
—Robots designed to perform tasks formerly assigned to humans.

Cab-bot
—Bots designed to drive air taxis and interact as tour guides with passengers.

Charlis
—The smaller of the solar system’s two suns.

Chrono
—Watch.

Council of Lords
—The elected body that works with the High Lord Councilor to lead the Borali Alliance.

Courier Craft
—Round, silver craft designed to carry supplies and papers between planets in the solar system with light speed drives.

Daken
—Large, blue, predatory birds, coveted for their beautiful feathers.

E-post
—Messages sent over the computer, like e-mail. Usually sent via computer terminals or kiosks in public places.

Feruca
—A black fruit with a thin skin and soft pulp.

Floater
—A floating platform with two seats facing a control panel at the front; which moves by manipulating the air underneath to float above the ground. The largest floaters have benches to hold as many as twenty troops—more if ten stand in the middle. Smaller models are typically designed for four or five passengers.

Gixi
—A round, purple fruit grown in orchards on Vertullis and Italis with a delicious, tender pulp and sweet juice.

Gungors
—Six-legged brown animals with yellow manes raised for their tasty meat.

High Lord Councilor
—Leader of the Borali Alliance, elected by the Council of Lords. The post typically passes down through members of the same family until the Council decides new blood is required.

Iraja
—Capital city of Vertullis.

Italis
—Ninth planet in the solar system, home to the Lhamors.

Jax
—A blue and oblong fruit with crispy pulp and a bitter taste, which becomes tart and sweeter when boiled; often used as an ingredient in salads.

Legallis
—Seventh and largest planet in the solar system and capital of the Borali Alliance.

Legon
—Capital city of Legallis and headquarters of the Borali Imperial government.

Lhamor
—Native to the planet Italis. Lhamors have green-scaled skin and disproportionally large, orange eyes and four arms, the lower two extending from either side of their large, round stomachs, parallel to the arms which extend out of their shoulders above them.

Lords
—Elected members of the Council of Lords, usually of high bloodlines from the upper echelons of Legallian society.

Mech-bot
—Bots used as mechanics in starports.

Off-worlder
—Person not from the same planet as a person calls home.

Plutonis
—The 12th planet in the solar system, an icy world suitable only for natives and the Qiwi antelope. Also the location of the Borali Alliance’s outermost post, Alpha Base.

Presimion Academy
—The Borali Alliance’s leading school for future military leaders located on Eleni 1, one of Legallis’ largest moons.

Qiwi
—Antlered creatures native exclusively to Plutonis, with dark brown fur and white spots lining either side of their spines. Waist high on most humans, qiwi have four long legs ending in black hooves. Their antlers can grow up to forty centimeters out from their skulls.

Quats
—Striped creatures with long tails similar to Earth’s cats but larger, like Cocker Spaniels.

Regallis
—Thirteenth planet in the system, habitable only because of its development as a major indoor resort.

Royal Shuttle
—Smaller version of the shuttles (see description below) reserved for the Royal family and their guests.

Serve-bot
—Bots used for serving patrons in bars and restaurants.

Shuttle
—White personnel transport with light gray interior. The cockpit has two black chairs facing a transparent blast shield, surrounded by controls, and is separated by a bulkhead from a passenger compartment containing four rows of seats—two lining each exterior wall and two back-to-back down the center. Each has its own safety harness. Intraplanetary models operate without lightspeed capabilities, while interplanetary models are equipped with ultra-lightspeed drives.

Skitter
—One-man ground craft that operate on a system allowing it to fly above the planet’s surface, higher than a floater. Sleek and fast, skitters are easy to maneuver through trees and other obstacles and are known to handle much like Imperial VS28 starfighters.

Talis
—A warm beverage brewed from beans grown on Vertullis—somewhat like the old Earth beverage, coffee.

Tertullis
—Eighth planet in the solar system, home to tall humanoids similar to humans except for their orangish tinted skin and purple eyes.

Transport
—Larger craft used to transport supplies, food, and other loads across the solar system.

Vertullis
—Sixth planet in the system and home to the humans known as workers, the only slaves in the solar system.

VS28
—Sleek and black starfighters with snub noses and three wings—two longer wings out of each side, and a third shorter wing extending vertically above the fighter’s four engines. Each bears its squadron’s insignia, and a few bear names given them at a pilot’s indulgence. They have laser cannons on each wing as well as in the nose. The cockpit lay beneath a gray, transparent blast shield through which the pilot can see the stars in space around him.

WFR (Worker’s Freedom Resistance)—
An organized resistance formed by workers on Vertullis to seek freedom from the Borali Alliance’s rule.

Workers
—Residents of Vertullis, and age-old enemies of the Legallians; they live and work as slaves for the Borali Alliance.