“This is Joshua Manson. He is why I was late coming in last night,” Cassa replied in a soft, calm voice that belied her nervousness. “Joshua, this is my father, Jemar de Rola, and my younger brother, Jesup.”
“Sir,” Joshua said, bowing his head in greeting. “Cassa suggested it would be best if I came to the house this morning. I hope you don’t mind.”
Cassa waited for her father to make up his mind. She knew he could see that Joshua wasn’t like the other strangers that sometimes came to the spaceport on the other side of the mountains. Nor was he like the traders that often came to bargain for their wine.
“Sit,” Jemar ordered, slowly sinking back down into his seat. “Cassa, the tea.”
“Yes, father,” Cassa murmured, stepping back around the table to the stove where she had the tea for the morning meal ready. “I found Joshua last night in the forest on the edge of the mountains. He needs help. I told him you would know what to do.”
“The forest is no place to be at night,” Jemar said, looking at Josh with a raised eyebrow. “What were you doing there?”
*.*.*
Josh stared at the man sitting across from him. “My ship broke apart and the emergency pod I was in landed in the forest,” he explained, deciding it was best to stick as close to the truth as he could. “It is possible the rest of my crew also survived. I need to find them.”
Jemar leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and looking intently at Josh. For a moment, it reminded him of Cassa’s scrutiny last night. He could see a slight similarity between Cassa and her father. They had the same dark hair and eyes.
And the same intense stare,
he thought to himself.
“How did your ship break apart?” Jemar asked with a puzzled frown. “Where were you coming from?”
Josh’s lips tightened for a moment before he shrugged. There was no way he could tell Jemar de Rola that he was from Earth. He didn’t know what happened to the gateway. The last thing he wanted to do was put the planet in danger by revealing where he had come from.
“The hull was breached and my crew and I were forced to use the emergency pods. I’m not really sure where I am to tell you the truth. I know that the pods were designed to locate a habitable planet and send out an emergency signal. The life support will technically function for approximately thirty days. I don’t know how long I was in space before it landed in the forest,” Josh admitted, skipping the last question.
Jemar nodded and frowned. “There are several planets in the solar system that are habitable. Some are more remote than others. I can ask at the spaceport if anyone has seen anything.” He paused and picked up his tea, taking a sip and sitting back in his chair. “In the meantime, we are shorthanded. If you need work, we could use the help.”
Josh felt Cassa start in surprise. She was staring at her father with a combination of confusion and shock. It was obvious that was not what she was expecting.
“Thank you. I appreciate your offer and I accept,” Josh said.
“Please eat, we have a long day ahead of us,” Jemar replied, nodding to the food that Cassa had placed on the table. “I will show you around the vineyard after breakfast.”
Josh nodded, reaching for the plate of food in front of him. He handed the plate to the young boy sitting to the left of him after he had taken several pieces of fruit and some bread. A smile tugged at his lips at the boy’s curious, wide-eyed stare.
“So, how big was your ship?” Jesup asked.
*.*.*
Josh walked beside Jemar as he quietly explained the harvesting process. In the distance, he could see what appeared to be small robots moving down the rows. His eyes widened when he saw a larger robot step over the long line of vines and lift the full bins of fruit. It poured the picked fruit into itself before setting the container back down and moving to the next one.
“We only have seven helpers left. The others have either left the planet or joined the Gallant Order,” Jemar stated.
Josh could feel Jemar’s intense stare at his comment. He still didn’t know who or what the Legion or Gallant Order was. From the few pieces of information he had been able to gather, he was pretty sure they were two opposing governing forces. Cassa’s harsh question asking him if he was a member of the Legion told him that she wasn’t a huge supporter of that particular group.
“Why would they leave the planet? Where would they go?” Josh asked, pausing to study the large, thick orange fruit that was almost as big as his hand.
Jemar stopped beside him and turned to look at him. “What do you know about the Legion and the Gallant Order?” Jemar asked in a quiet tone.
Josh shrugged. “Not much,” he admitted. “I know that Cassa isn’t too happy with the Legion.”
“My daughter can be very difficult when she isn’t happy, Joshua Manson,” Jemar chuckled and reached out to cut the fruit from the vine with a sharp, curved blade that looked very similar to the one that Josh had taken last night. “I do not know where you are from, but I can tell that it is not from any of the known galaxies.”
Josh stiffened and he cleared his face of any expression. “Why do you say that?” He asked in a cautious tone.
Jemar looked at him with amusement. “You do not deny it,” he murmured in approval. “I would have had doubts about you if you had lied. Anyone who lives here, even in the remotest sections of the galaxy, is aware of the power of the Legion, and the struggles of the Gallant Order to stop Lord Andronikos from taking over any more worlds.”
“Lord Andronikos?” Josh replied with a raised eyebrow.
Jemar nodded. “He is the director of the Legion and not a man you want as an enemy. Those that have disagreed with him do not live long,” he warned.
“What is the Gallant Order?” Josh asked after several long seconds.
“The Gallant Order was once very powerful,” Jemar explained. “The Gallant was made up of representatives from each world, knights that swore on their lives to help guide and protect the worlds. As the members grew older, the younger generation thought them old fashion and weak. Andri Andronikos took advantage when one of the planets under the Gallant Order suffered a devastating loss.”
“What kind of loss?” Josh asked with a frown.
Jemar’s lips tightened in anger. “It was said to be a natural disaster, but I seriously doubt it. The central core of the planet froze. Millions of people died before support could be sent to them,” he explained with a sad look in his eyes. “Lord Andronikos accused the Gallant Order of ignoring the pleas of the planet. He drew in large followings and continued to build up his army.”
“Why didn’t the Gallant try to stop him?” Josh asked in surprise.
Jemar looked out over the fields. “There are few of the original knights left in the Order. We saw what was happening and tried to stop Andronikos. The cost of trying to stop the director came with huge consequences. Unfortunately, we were too few and too old for the wave of support following him,” he replied with a hint of resignation in his voice.
“We… You were part of the Gallant; one of the original knights?” Josh asked in surprise.
Jemar released a deep sigh and nodded. “Yes, until the death of my wife,” he murmured. “I returned to the valley and the vineyards that belonged to my family. I am too old and the Gallant needs younger men to fight against the Legion’s forces.”
*.*.*
Later that evening, Josh stood outside of the house in a small garden. He stared up at the moons. It felt strange, yet natural to see three of them. One was nearly full, while the other two were in different stages based on their distance from the planet. In the back of his mind, he was curious about the geological makeup of Tesla Terra. Something told him it was larger than the Earth.
He turned when he heard soft footsteps behind him. His eyes widened when he saw not only Jemar, but Cassa and Jesup walking toward him. Jemar carried a long box in his left hand.
“If you are going to be in our world, Joshua Manson, then it is important that you know how to defend yourself,” Jemar stated, placing the long box on the stone planter and opening it. “I have trained all of my children. Now, I will train you.”
Josh frowned when he saw four long staffs in the box. Each had an intricate design etched into it. His hand automatically reached out when Jemar held one out to him. He was surprised by how light the staff was considering it looked like it was solid metal.
“The staffs have been in our family for centuries. They were carried by the Knights of the Gallant Order. Each staff was made for a specific family and entrusted to them to be used to serve and protect those less fortunate. There were originally five brothers in the de Rola family that carried them. I have kept the others safe, teaching my own children how to use them,” Jemar explained, gently lifting one of the staffs up out of the case and turning toward him.
Josh took a step back when the staff in Jemar’s hand suddenly expanded. On each end were two bright, round red orbs that looked as if they contained a fire storm of electricity inside them. He watched intently as Jemar moved with a grace that belied his advanced years. The old man reminded him of the Masters in the old Chinese films he used to watch as a kid.
He didn’t take his eyes off of Jemar as he swung the staff. Instead of expressing a loud shout like they did in the movies, Jemar breathed out in long breaths as he thrust. Josh had watched so many martial arts movies as a kid that his father had actually enrolled him in a class down at the local youth center. He had managed to make it to a first degree black belt before girls and cars replaced his interest. He had continued to practice, more out of the enjoyment of the movements than for any other reason. Still, it was years since he had been in any of the competitions and none of them had ever held the moves that Jemar was doing.
A few minutes later, Jemar turned to Josh and retracted the staff. Josh stared into the old man’s eyes, seeing a quiet question in them, as if he was asking Josh if he would accept not only the staff, but the responsibility that came with it. Josh glanced down at the beautifully crafted weapon in his hand.
He carefully ran his fingers over the staff, memorizing the feel of it. He felt the small indention where the release was and pressed it. Each end of the staff slid out. He began to slowly twirl the staff, relying on instinct and years of practice to guide him. Instead of mimicking Jemar, Josh moved in graceful sync with the katas from his youth. He discovered as he moved that the position of his hand on the staff controlled the orbs at the ends of it.
After several minutes, he straightened and bowed to Jemar, holding out the now retracted staff. His gaze remained locked with Jemar’s inquisitive one. He was surprised when instead of taking the weapon from him, Jemar closed his fingers around Josh’s and pressed them to the staff.
“On your world, you were a warrior,” Jemar murmured with curiously satisfied insight. Josh hesitated for a moment before he gave a brief nod. The satisfied smile on Jemar’s lips confused Josh for a moment. His gaze slipped back to where Cassa and Jesup stood in silence. He stepped back when Jemar turned and reached for the other staffs. “Now, my daughter will show you how to use it correctly.”
Josh’s gaze flashed to Cassa. A sense of unease swept through him when she moved and lengthened the staff. He noticed that the ends of her staff were glowing green. Stepping to the side, he gave her a brief bow just before their staffs clashed together with a surprising force that told him that Cassa knew what she was doing.
Chapter 11
“Sir, the last of the debris has been retrieved,” one of the lower officers aboard the Legion Battle Cruiser stated.
General Roan Landais glanced up from the report he was studying. An intense frown creased his brow at the interruption. He rose from his desk and stepped around it, walking over to the large window so he could stare out at the service ships.
“You are sure it is from the same spaceship?” He asked in a harsh tone.
“Yes, sir. We’ve received information that five signals were intercepted moving away from the debris,” the man stated.
“Have any of the signals been traced yet?” Roan asked, continuing to stare out the window.
“One was reported in the region of Tesla Terra,” the man replied.
Roan was silent for several seconds before he raised his hand in dismissal. Once the door shut behind him, he continued staring out the window. He folded his hands behind him, deep in thought.
Turning, he walked back to his desk and sat down. With a flick of his hand, he accessed the secure communication channel to the Director. His gaze flickered to the report next to him.
“What have you found?” Lord Andronikos demanded.
“The last of the pieces have been found,” Roan responded calmly. “I have our engineers recreating the ship, but it looks foreign. There is additional debris mixed with it that appears to match the information you gave me. Unfortunately, there is very little of it that survived whatever happened.”
“And the signals that were intercepted?” Andronikos asked, sitting back in his seat and making a temple of his fingers as he stared back at Roan.
Roan kept his expression blank. It was one of the many skills he had learned early in his career; keep all thoughts and feelings under control at all times. He should have known that the Director would have been informed of the unusual signals that had been detected moving away from the area.
“One was intercepted in the region of Tesla Terra,” Roan responded, repeating the information he had just learned from the other officer. It was obvious that there was a spy on board his Battle Cruiser, something that he would not tolerate. While there was little he could do about it, he would discover who it was and make sure he limited what the person had access to. “Do you wish an investigation?”
Andronikos was silent for a moment before he shook his head. “No, continue to search for the rest of the signals. I want to know where that ship came from and who was on it. Keep me informed.”