Tiva Boon: Heir of Abennelp (Tiva Boon Series Book 2) (37 page)

“Thank you, Harai.”

“Thank me when this is all over.” She smiled sweetly. “I’m only an escort, a crew of ten, but we have weapons, phonics units, and medical supplies, I figured we’ll need them.”

Pressing her fist to her chest, Tiva bowed her head.

“Good.” Harai grinned. “We’re actually breaking orbit right now, so we’ll meet you half way. After all we want the queen to arrive in style, don’t we?”

Adam laughed. “I like her.”

Tiva pushed him playfully and nodded to Harai. “Very well, my friend. I will relay the coordinates once you enter range and when I get in touch with Neola I’ll let you know the landing site.”

“You got it. See you soon!”

The displayer went blank and she sat back and sighed. She wouldn’t win an argument with Harai this time. How had she made such friendships? It was a blessing of the spirits.

The ride to meet Harai was quiet. Adam and Tiva worked silently, sweeping the area for activity, checking communications, and maintaining the fighter in general. Ten hours had passed since leaving Ovvella, and yet, there was no sign of the Syndicate or any other enemy heading to or near either Uucor or Abennelp.

When in range, Tiva sent out instructions to Neola so they could link the personal communications device or whatever device she was using to the fighter. The message would take some time to reach the planet. Tiva hoped Neola had someone operating the communications planet side. When the Uucorian escort ship appeared on the scans, they adjusted their path and the journey to Abennelp entered its final stage.

Having heard nothing from home for a few hours, Tiva rose from her seat and moved to the small cargo section of the fighter to stretch her legs. Crates and containers full of supplies filled the room floor to ceiling. Were these weapons the means to peace? Could she teach Neola and the others all she had learned over the years? Though death was unavoidable during war, she had come to see how other societies resolved their conflicts. Would she be successful in her attempts at peace?

Pacing the small space, she pulled the dagger from her belt and touched the crystal hanging on the cross guard.
I am doing this for you, my heart, and all who have sacrificed their lives for peace. The people of Abennelp will know the truth behind all of our suffering, even if it means my own death.

“Tiva?” Adam said, entering the room.

“Yes?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I am feeling anxious.”

“Well, yeah, me too…”

“Really?”

“Of course, we’re going home,” he replied. “I’m going to be living among a whole new culture, it’s a little nerve racking. I mean, I’m excited to see your home. I’ve spent my life exploring and now I get to learn about your people. Not to mention I’m the queen’s Knight.”

“I hope I am strong enough to see this through, Adam.”

He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. “You are, and you’ve got a bunch of good guys behind you. They’re going to be with you every step of the way. You’re not alone, Tiva. You’ll never be alone again.”

“I could not do this without you, my love.”

“It’s what I do.” He smiled jokingly. “Seriously, you’re one of the few people I’ve managed to find that I can connect with. We’re outsiders; I’ve watched you go through it, just as I have hundreds of times. You’ve help me realize that no one has to be alone. You fill that missing piece of my heart that few others have ever been able to reach. And no matter where we go, we’ll be together. I’ll always be there to protect and love you.”

“You are everything to me, Adam.” She leaned in and kissed him.
Thank you.

For what?

For loving me, being here.

I wouldn’t be anywhere else. This is where I belong, with you. And I just realized, we’re here, together, with no distractions, finally.

She broke the kiss and looked up at him sensing something different. “We will be there soon.”

“But not yet.” He smiled and caressed her cheek. “When we were on Earth, I did some thinking and I believe my goddess was trying to tell me something I should’ve realized long before now.”

“What is that?”

“There’s no real peace for me and there won’t be as long as I’m in this profession. But I can’t keep waiting for everything to settle, or I’ll miss my chance,” he said softly, stuck his hand in his belt and smiled down at her. “We never know what the future holds, but what we have right now is more than any man can ask for, and I can’t afford to not take advantage of it.” He gently took her hand and his wings flared back. “You are my peace, every moment with you fills me with love, and I know what my goddess is trying to tell me.” Dropping to his knee, he glanced up at her. With a single finger, he opened a small box in the palm of his hand. “Tiva, will you marry me?”

Her markings grew white as she stared down at him. Though he chose the Earth tradition, she was overjoyed and the grin on her face was proof enough. She rushed into his arms and peppered his cheek with small pecks.
Yes, Adam. I will marry you!

His arms and wings drew her tight against him and he kissed her passionately. Adam carefully pulled the box up and chuckled nervously as their lips parted. Taking her hand, he placed the beautiful single diamond ring and silver band on her finger. “I know it’s not your tradition, but it holds the same meaning in any culture…”

“I care not about tradition, Adam. I have you, that is all I will ever need.”

The beeping of the console in the cockpit cut their celebration short. Adam grunted and picked her shirt up from the floor. She dressed, slightly disappointed that they had been interrupted, yet again. Frowning, she exited the hold and made her way to the console.

He followed closely behind and stood behind her as she activated the computer. Static and hissing sputtered though the air, then it cleared and Tiva glanced back looking at Adam, her markings showing her anxiety.

“Adjust the communications for audio only, the displayer is probably interfering with the signal,” he offered with a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder. She did as he suggested and waited a few long arduous minutes before something came though.

“Tiva? Can you hear me?” Neola’s voice resonated through the cockpit, in her native tongue.

“Yes, Neola I can. Are you receiving me?”

“Thank the spirits!” she rejoiced. “How are you able to communicate from such distances?”

“It is a long tale.” Tiva paused. “My friend, I am returning home.”

Neola gasped and shouted incoherently. A cheer rose up through the channel and Tiva glanced to Adam.

“Seems like they’re happy to hear you’re coming home?” he guessed.

“Yes, it seems…” she replied and the Vicar promptly cut her off.

“How soon until you bless us with your presence, Tiva?”

“We should arrive by nightfall, Neola. I must tell you though…”

“We? You have brought others to aid us?”

“I have made many friends among the stars, they have offered us assistance. Though I know not the numbers coming to support us, we have weapons and supplies with us.”

“Spirited blessings! I cannot wait to see you, my friend.” Neola sniffled. “You have lifted our hearts, Tiva. To know you have traversed the unknown universe alone to find a way to help and have come back to us with allies, is proof enough that you are truly our queen.”

Tiva closed her eyes. “I have done what I could, Neola…the struggle is far from over. We need a safe location to land two crafts, and shelter for twelve individuals. Others will come, in time.”

“We have several strong holds among the provinces…Captain Wirto and I…” she paused. “Lead the eastern sector, our camp is between your home and the Finto’s land. I assume you know the way?”

“Yes, my computer will find the coordinates.” Tiva glanced back at Adam. She squeezed his hand and smiled confidently. “Neola, the friends I bring are from different worlds as well. I know you and the Loyalists will make them feel comfortable, but be assured, they can be trusted. You have my word.”

“I have never once doubted you, Tiva. You have fulfilled your promise to return, and I know together, we will prevail.”

“We will arrive shortly, if there is any cause for concern, I will contact you.”

“Keep safe, my friend.”

“And you.” Tiva cut the comm and sat back in her chair. She turned to Adam who was fiddling with a phonics unit. Smiling, she rose from her seat. “Could not wait for me to tell you?”

“Figured I better get used to this thing again and make sure they worked for your language.” He grinned.

“The Major used the information from my escape module long ago to translate the more complicated aspects of my language, so those particular devices should work well now.”

“Indeed they do,” he nodded. “She sounded happy.”

“Yes, she did.” Tiva turned back to the console. “I must inform Harai of our plans…we are landing near my old home…”

“You okay?”

“I am nervous, Adam. What if the aliens are orbiting the planet? What if they see us arrive and use their vessels to attack? Am I doing the right thing, returning now?”

“Hey, listen…we can scan the planet to see how many of these buggers we’re dealing with. And if they wanted to attack they probably would have done so already…”

“Perhaps they are waiting for me.”

“I don’t know; anything is possible. But you are doing what you must do, Tiva. That is all anyone can ask of you.”

“I suppose.”

“Let’s scan the region and see what we’re dealing with, just relax and calm your mind. If you start thinking too much, you’ll drive yourself crazy.”

She nodded. “I will contact Harai while you begin the sweeps.”

The fighter entered the planet’s upper atmosphere. Adam found two Bujeni ships in the western part of Abennelp near Hentor province. Luckily, there were no ships in orbit, and no sign of the Syndicate. The flight path Adam had coordinated with Harai hid their approach to the landing point from the alien vessels on the ground. Tiva used the time to scan other parts of the planet. She found no pockets of mass energy, so they had not advanced their technology much since she’d left. The population was smaller, slightly more than two million people were still alive. Somewhere between two and three hundred thousand spirits had passed on to the Eternal Lands, and though the majority of them were a combination of rebels and protectors lost during the war, many others had died in the interim.

She wanted to send a message to Captain Maar and her friends, but could not risk the communication now that she was here. If the aliens had others en route, the message would be easily traceable and could cause more harm than good. All she could do now was to meet with Neola and the others, assess the situation, and wait for the rest of her allies to arrive.

As Adam guided the fighter through the clouds, Tiva caught her first glimpse of the land below. The two suns were dipping below the horizon casting a deep crimson hue upon the sky. Her heart stopped seeing the Finto family home in shambles as the craft began to slow. Next to the home, however, was a large building, newly constructed. Surrounding it was hovercrafts, carts, various pieces of equipment and perhaps weapons as well as five hundred or so people.

Adam landed the craft and started shutting it down, before Tiva got up from her seat to gather her belongings a loud banging echoed through the hull. Moving to the door, she opened it and Harai tackled her to the ground.

“Greetings, my friend,” Tiva chuckled and hugged her. “It is good to see you.”

The young girl squeezed tight, then sat back smiling. “I probably shouldn’t have done that, being that you’re the queen and all.”

“I am the still the same person I was before, Harai.”

“Well, no, you’re not…but yes, you have the same spirit.” She smiled and tucked a lock of her glowing orange hair behind her ears. No longer did she look like a child, she too had changed and grown. “I just wanted to see you before you met your subjects…”

“Harai!” Tiva snorted. Adam walked over and glanced down at them. She looked up and took his extended hand, Harai doing the same. “This is Sir Adam Cooper, my…betrothed.”