BORN OF HEROES

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 26
 

Elias sat at the large den window looking out at the sere grass and bare trees. Winter had set in since he and Cerise had set off with the crew of the Guiding Angel, and the garden outside was leached of color, though the sky was a crisp blue with pure sunlight streaming through the denuded mimosas. A fire burned merrily in the huge stone fireplace, the cedar wood giving off a rich scent while it crackled and blazed merrily with tongues of yellow-orange flame.

  Rovi moved from the side board and handed the white fox a glass half filled with an amber liquid. He handed the other tumbler in his hand to Randal, then returned to the decanter to fill drinks for Lemuel Anders and Stram.

  “It’s not often that I have the company of males lately. I’m rather happy that the ladies took Sharan out with them. I know I could use the break.” Rovi smiled as he passed out the last two glasses and then poured one for himself. He carried it back to his favorite leather chair, still just as worn as it had been so many months earlier when Rovi and Elias had sat together having a last drink before the Guiding Angel launched.

  Randal nodded to the older fox after taking a sip. “Most excellent, Mister Tambor. Thank you.”

  “Think nothing of it. I just wish your visit were under better circumstances. And I would prefer it if you addressed me and Sharan by our names,” the ebony fox said as he leaned back and took a swallow of his own drink.

  “No offense and all, but if you’d be so inclined as to make the next one a beer, I’d be more than appreciative,” Stram said as his breath caught in his throat from the fiery liquid and his eyes watered.

  “And here I thought that with all of the solvents and fumes you breathe in the engine room you’d be immune to spirits,” Elias said as he turned from the window.

  “Not me, Cap’n,” the badger said shaking his head. “Never really acquired the taste for the hard stuff.”

  Randal smiled. “Your loss, my gain.”

  Rovi looked at the way the amber liquid in his tumbler caught the light from the fire. “So, Doctor, is my daughter recovered from the poisoning?”

  “It would seem,” the tiger said. “All of the tests that I’ve run haven’t shown any traces with the treatments that she’s been under. We’ve been monitoring her blood once a week. She’s completely recovered.”

  “What about…having children?” the fox asked, concern furrowing his brows.

  Lemuel chuckled. “Elias asked the same thing about a week ago. She is fully capable of carrying children to term, Rovi.”

  “Thank the Maker,” Rovi said, some of the tension vanishing from his shoulders. All were silent for a while, lost in their own thoughts. It was the elder fox that broke the silence. “I never cared for Marin. Granted it’s been a few years since I’d last seen him, even with Keena going out with the bastard, but even as a youth there was something that just didn’t seem right. We caught him hiding in the shrubbery and staring at Cerise a couple of times when she and her friends would use the pool or tennis court.

  “Sharan didn’t really pursue the matter, saying it was simply teenage hormones and sexual angst, but it was more than that. If he’d been my child I would have sent him for psychological evaluation long ago.” Rovi seemed to mentally shake himself, and sat up a little straighter. “At least he’s a threat that we really don’t have to worry about anymore.”

  “There’s no doubt about his intelligence, even if his perceptions of things are warped. He was able to poison Cerise for a number of weeks without anyone being the wiser. He has skill, no matter how much we want to deny it,” Elias mused darkly. “He could have made a decent operative.”

  “Sure he would have!” exclaimed Stram. “If he weren’t stark raving, fornicating-with-almonds bonkers!”

  “Fornicating with almonds?” Lemuel asked with a perplexed expression.

  The badger nodded. “Yep. Bleepin’ nuts.”

  The room burst into laughter, which helped to finally break the spell of tension from the events earlier in the day. Before Elias could fully recover from his amusement at Stram’s description, the front door of the house slammed loudly. The patter of small feet beat a rhythmic tattoo all the way to the door of the den, then was replaced by the squeals of Celia and Gey.

  They burst into the room and launched themselves first at their father who gave them their usual round of hugs and kisses. That only slowed the pair of copper furred kits for a moment as they launched themselves from their father’s lap and flew at Elias. They impacted with him so forcefully that they almost dumped him over, chair and all.

  “I think that they’re happy to see you,” Randal commented with a smile.

  With the kits latched firmly around his neck and chuckling, Elias tried to nod. “I think you may be right!”

  “Elias! You’re back! Is sissy with you? Did you bring us presents? How long are you going to be here”
  “Can we fly in your ship? Can you go to the park with us? We told all our friends that you’re our new brother! Can we have our presents now?”

  “Girls!” Rovi barked sharply, but the seeming harshness of his tone was nullified by the smile that split his muzzle. “Elias is going to be with us for a few weeks. Now behave. You know that this isn’t how you’re supposed to behave around guests.”

  The twins clambered down with muted apologies and their heads lowered. “Sorry, ‘Lias,” Celia said with a small curtsey. Elias wasn’t fooled for a moment as both had mischievous twinkles in their eyes.

  “Sorry,” Gey also said, emulating her sister’s gesture.

  They turned to the rest of the room and made apologies before going back to stand in front of their father. “Now that’s better. So, how were your lessons today?”

  “Fine, Daddy,” the girls said together and launched into recital of the events of their day.

  “Good. Why don’t you go put some play clothes on and get outside for a while. I think Dona was looking for a little help in the hangar. She said something about paying whoever helped her with some cookies that she made last night.”

  The girls’ eyes lit up, and they made their good-byes to everyone before leaving the room in almost the same fashion that they’d entered.

  “Absolutely adorable!” Lemuel commented with a grin after the girls left.

  “If you think so you are more than welcome to take them with you when you lift again,” Rovi said. “They never do anything in half measures. Especially when they are excited about something.” He turned and looked at his son-in-law. “You and Cerise are going to be strung out by the time you leave. I’m doubting you’ll be getting much in the way of relaxation while you’re here.”

  “Compared to some of the situations we’ve already run into, Celia and Gey will be a welcome distraction,” the fox said smiling.

  Rovi nodded. “Look, I know that it’s all classified, but how are things going out there? And why, may I ask, do you have a Kastan following you and Cerise around?”

  Elias was thoughtful for a moment, then realized that Rovi still had a clearance with the SPF, and that his job with Binfurr also required a high security rating, shrugged and began to relate everything that had happened since they left. Fortunately the others were able to fill in parts as well. It all must have sounded better to Rovi than it had to Elias because the other fox was truly impressed when they finished their stories.

  “You’ve seen and done more in your few months out than I did my entire first year! And the Kastan, Pala? She swore her life to you?” the older fox asked with shock.

  Elias nodded and told his father-in-law what had prompted his decision.

  “Then you chose rightly,” the black furred male said. “There are a lot of sour feelings over the Siilv War, and outright bigotry and hatred from a lot of individuals when it comes to the Kastans. Things have changed since I retired, and I think your assessment that she wouldn’t receive a fair trial is accurate. I can’t say that I would have done what you did, but then I was just a fighter jock and not a ship’s captain.”

  “If Pala can help keep my people safe, you’ll hear no arguments from me,” a deep voice said from the doorway to the den.

  “Huh. This is turning out to be quite the reunion, now,” Elias said as he got up from the chair to greet the unexpected visit by Sander Brees.

  The two shook hands warmly. When they parted the fox reclaimed his chair while the lion went to the sideboard and poured himself a drink, opting for a simple club soda and vermouth. “I was already here for the trial. Other duties prevented me from acting as the prosecuting officer, which is why I sent Talia, instead.” Sander dropped a couple of pieces of ice into the glass and drank it down in a single gulp before refilling it. “And you won’t have to worry about Pizer. He spared us the cost of transport and incarceration.”

  “What happened?” Elias asked, noticing that Rovi also sat forward in interest.

  “As he was being led back to his cell, ranting and slavering worse than he had during the hearing, he attacked one of the guards and was able to do some damage. The other guard had no other option but to use deadly force. Took a full eight rounds to finally stop him,” the lion said shaking his head. “According to the guards he was totally insane at that point.”

  “I feel safer now, but I can’t say that I’m thrilled with the outcome,” Elias said. “Insanity really isn’t a choice one makes to be.”

  “Son, if you have a dangerous animal that can’t be rehabbed, it’s more of a mercy to put it down,” Brees said as he made a third glass and added a generous splash of gin. “I can’t say I’m thrilled either, but in the end it might just be the best thing for all involved. At least Corporal Lanis is going to recover. He’ll have to have some cosmetic work done once he’s healed up enough, but he’ll be fine.”

  “Which one was Lanis?” Randal asked.

  “The wolverine. Pizer actually chewed on him. Damnably disturbing if you ask me. He’ll have a few scars, but he’ll be back on duty within a few weeks.” Sander sipped at his drink, and looked at Elias and the crew that was with him. “On a happier note, I would like to discuss your evaluation.” Then noticing a particular absence, the lion waved at Elias with his glass. “Where’s Saul? I thought he’d be here with you?”

  “He and Treena are moving the Guiding Angel to the Okami yards for a good check-up,” the fox said.

  “Huh. Not a bad idea seeing you’re all going to be here for a bit,” Sander said.

  Fox and crew were surprised that they had been so scrutinized, but it should have been expected that their actions were being monitored and weighed.

  “Evaluation gives me hope,” Elias commented, leaning back in his chair. “It sounds a lot better than reassignment!”

  The lion smiled. “Indeed, it should. Initial projections for the Sweeper program had you pulling a pirate crew out of action every month and a half, standard. To say that you’ve exceeded that is an understatement. Your plan for funding your ship with the salvage from the captured ships is actually netting the SPF extra credits, even after deducting the cost for your ship’s operation, and sizeable bonuses and bounties for all of the crew, to the point where after initial start-up costs, you are in the black for continued operation for the next two years.”

  Stram whistled in surprise. “Two years? That’s almost half a million credits! What with food, miscellaneous consumables, fuel…” He trailed of as he did some fast calculating. “Plus crew bonuses? Just how much have we netted in salvage?”

  Sander chuckled. “With the addition of the Dagger of the Patriarch, your total captured tonnage value is roughly five and a half million credits. As it is, the fourth ship will be launching in the next three weeks. The Crown and Thistle lifted this week from Mars. She’s an old Silloni Terehdan class personnel transport that we had totally rebuilt from the frame out. Her Captain is a human named Alistair Gordon. A fair pilot and he jumped at the offer quicker than you did, son,” the lion told Elias.

  The fox laughed. “You got Alistair into this? I’m surprised that he didn’t find out about this on his own and approach you!”

  “He was a bit miffed that you got the first ship,” Sander admitted with a grin. “He did want me to give you this, though,” the lion said taking a data stick out of the breast pocket of his tunic. “Said it was just a personal message, but he’s looking forward to meeting up with you eventually.”

  “I bet he’s already chasing his first target down even as we speak,” Elias quipped as he took the recording device. “Alistair’s a great pilot. And cunning. Fortunately we have a head start on him.”

  Sander cocked a sideways glance at the fox with one eyebrow raised. “You turning this into some kind of competition, son?”

  Elias laughed. “No, that’ll happen all on its own! Alistair likes to be the best at everything he does, and this will be no different.”

  The gathering lapsed into small talk, when Lemuel aimed a question at the Colonel. “Sander, if you don’t mind my asking, how is Jenna doing? I’ve been wondering about her since she left our company.”

  “Yes,” Elias said, as if suddenly remembering the ferret that helped save innocent civilians from their first encounter. “I’ve been wondering that myself.”

  The lion let a contented smile settle on his face. “She’s doing very well. Meri and I are overjoyed to have a youngster in the house again. Not only is she soaking up her studies like a dry sponge to water, she is helpful and courteous and an absolute joy to be around.”

  “We’re glad to hear that she’s doing well,” Randal said nodding his head.

  “It was a little tricky at first. Her language was atrocious in the beginning. Meri, bless her, was very patient but tenacious. She should be starting classes at the university soon and has even made it clear that she plans on joining the SPF as soon as she can.”

  “No surprise there,” Elias said.  

  The rest of the afternoon was filled with light conversation as they all waited until it was time to meet the ladies for supper.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.