END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (23 page)

“Yes, well thank you Captain. At least we got that straightened out, I think.” the Healer looked down still confused but unwilling to admit it to Jon. “I
asked you to see me because there appears to be an anomaly in your genetic make up. I'm sure they did the tests wrong back at basic, but I'll need to run
them again. You'll be getting a series of nanoid shots before we reach our destination and if I get the mix wrong, it could lead to unexpected results. We
wouldn't want your mind link with a shuttle going out at the wrong time and putting you to sleep, permanently. You are listed on the forms as being the
offspring of human parents. Is that correct? No other blood in your system that you're aware of?” He indicated a chair and Jon took a seat. “I'm going to
run the test the old fashioned way.” He told Jon, “Please roll up your sleeve so I can take some of your blood.”

“You'll leave enough so I can still function, right?” Jon kidded the large male. “Yes Healer. For as far back as the original
Jon Connell
, my side
of the family has all had human parents. The first to mate a Lexonian female was my uncle. Now I have also.”

“So you're mated now? I wonder why that isn't in your records.” the Healer asked.

“It just happened. We exchanged claims and united while I was home on this last leave.” Jon explained.

“I can update your records if you'll tell me her name.”

“Her name is still being held in private until the official public announcement.” Jon told him. “With luck, the public notice should come in a few days.”

“Do you still want Galaxiey Connell listed as your closest kin in the event of an emergency or death?”

“For now. I'll change it once the official announcement comes out of our matting.” Jon told him. “She'll know what to do if anything happens. That female
raised me from a youngling.”

The Healer took four vials of Jon's blood before releasing him back to his duties with his team.

The very next day Jon was started on a regimen of nanoid shots to enhance his mind link with the shuttle's controls and his stamina in battle. The first
change in his body that Jon noticed was that his muscles, which had always been bigger than other males, grew in size to be even more massive and his
strength in general increased ten fold. While civilian use of such enhancements had been banned cycles ago, the military was still free to use them on its
ground soldiers. Because of the nature of the work Jon and his team might be called upon to do, they all received them. Nothing was ever said again about
the strange difference in his genetic markers, so Jon figured that the Healer was just not used to seeing what a pure human's blood and genetic tests
looked like.

Healer Hukon called the Peace Keeper Envoy once he was sure of his test results. The Envoy was actually a top-ranking General in the service and had final
say as to who would handle what jobs on what would be a lengthy mission. When the man dressed simply in a civilian business suit entered the med lab he asked, “Why have you called me down here? I'm assuming you were told that I must remain an unknown.”

“Yes General, you're little secret is safe with me. Still, I think you should see this.” the Healer said as he handed the Envoy his tablet with Jon
Connell's blood test results.

“So? We already know he has some kind of anomaly in his genetic make up. It’s never caused a problem before.”

“You're not looking at our Jon Connell's blood tests. Those are the ones from his ancestor who lived over two hundred cycles ago. Our Jon Connell's tests
are on the next page. I remembered studying about the first Connell in medacial training. No one could ever figure out how he and some other humans could operate the ancient Umin devices. Then they found that same anomaly in every human that had the ability. Its mostly been bred out of the population of Haven now. Connell is the last one still living who has the pure human blood line. Suddenly another human has come to us with that same anomaly? We should watch him very closely for any uusal behavior.”

The Envoy switched to the next page of the report and almost dropped the tablet. “There must be an error!” The normally calm general exclaimed.

“I ran the test five times. There is no mistake.”

“Does he know?”

“That he's part Umin? No. That he is different, yes. I think he suspects. Did you happen to see that piece from Haven with him showing off those swords he
carries?” Healer Hukon asked.

“No, I don't pay attention to any of the news from that place. What's the importance of a ceremonial sword anyway?

"He's not carrying a ceremonial sword General. I saw him throw plasma bursts from the ones he carries. IN the entire history of civilization only one kind of sword could do that. You should really watch the news from wherever your troops are from. You might learn things about them that you'd miss otherwise." The Healer told him.

"Most of the stuff from Haven is made up and approved by the lesser Royal houses designed to twist the truth to fit their own warped view of things.” the general spit out disgustedly. “If it wasn't for our need of the blue crystals, I'd vote to have the place cut off completely.”

“You may get your wish if the news keeps messing with Captain Connell. He owns the shipping company that brings the crystals out and he also owns most
of the mining operations around the system. All of his mines are on the outer planets He really doesn't need anything on Haven. He's already one of the
wealthiest people in all the known systems. He could easily avoid ever setting foot on the planet again.” the Healer informed the Envoy. “Plus, he has
already shut down most of the other shippers that flew there with these Carriers of his. No one else can make the slip to Haven, or anywhere else really, as fast as his ships can. That little Engineer of his makes sure of that. If he ever buys one of the really big cargo vessels, people are going to swarm to BBITCo. to carry their cargos.”

Don't forget Healer, the Peacekeepers own him for the next two cycles. He won't be buying any more ships until he filfulls his contract."

They left the slipway just outside their first port of calls' system and began making their way toward the inner planets on their manifest. There were
three planets that made up the small colony of single family farmers who barely produced enough to feed themselves. Their one exportable product was an
intensely sweet fruit used in packaged food by the big canneries as a preservative. Mercury was bringing them much needed medical supplies and fertilizers.
As they moved into orbit around the central hub of the three worlds, shuttles from the surface came up to meet them. Pallets of supplies were transferred
to the shuttles and marketable crops brought onboard. Soon they were back in the slipway headed for their next delivery.

Their second and third deliveries went off much the same as their first. They would slide into a system, identify, cruise to the colony worlds, exchange
the goods in Mercury's bays for the goods brought up from the colony and be gone in a matter of hours. Then came the mind numbing dullness of slip-space
were there was nothing to hear, see, or feel from outside the ship and they had only themselves to occupy their time. It all happened with quick clocklike
efficiency and the military crews had started to relax at their posts thinking that they had drawn an easy ride on this trip.

They had just come out of the slip at their fourth destination when the alarms went off throughout the ship. “Colony under attack sir.” The military COM
officer informed the military commander on the bridge.

“Prepare to launch all fighters!” the Commander shouted. “Have the shuttles lift out to assist.”

“GRUBS! Load up!” Lt. Rik commanded and twenty troops dressed in pressure suits and full battle armor jogged up the rear ramp of Jon's attack shuttle to
latch themselves into their drop rigs along each side of the shuttle. Jon and his team were already suited up and strapped in place, as was their habit
when exiting slipspace. Jon began the start sequence to get his shuttle ready to leave the launch bay as soon as the outside doors opened. He and his team
would be responsible for getting to any ship they found in an attack orbit above the planet. His first priority was to disable its engines with his
missiles before dropping the Grubs onto its hull.

As soon as Jon had his shuttle sailing across open space between Mercury and the pirate vessel, the pirates changed course and headed out hoping to reach a
slipway. Jon let his computers calculate a firing solution before firing two missiles at the retreating ship. Then he shoved his power up to full boost and
took off after the criminal's ship. As he neared the rear section he fired off two more missiles at the remaining two engines so that they would hit the
bigger ship's propulsion systems together with the first pair. They had practiced this move extensively during their training and it had always worked
flawlessly. Now, when aiming for a real ship with real missiles, it worked exactly as planned. Four gigantic explosions ripped through the pirate ship's
engines and it slowly drifted to a rolling stop in space. Jon made doubly sure that his shuttle's cameras picked up the registration numbers along the
ships flanks before moving in to use the magnograple and secured the shuttle to the back of the larger vessel. Two other shuttles also photographed the
ship's numbers before finally fixing themselves to its hull as well. Then three teams of grubs clambered out of the shuttles and worked their way inside. Each team
entered through a different air lock and once inside they met with very little resistance before reporting that they had captured the ship's crew and were
in command of the pirate vessel. Jon's team 1, lead by Prince Zeprik went straight for the command center once they had gained access to the inside of the
pirate ship. The other two teams each took a section. Team 2 went to the crew's quarters and placed everyone under arrest while team 3 concentrated on the
cargo holds. The last area to be cleared was the engineering sections. Jon had already disabled the engines, so the teams felt it was safe to wait to
secure those areas. Once the teams reported that they were in control, shuttles were dispatched from Mercury to remove the crew for trial on the colony.
Interrogators from Mercury interviewed each of the pirates and spent some considerable time asking them where their base of operations was. The pirates refused to
divulge its location even when offered a chance to avoid the death penalty. Their ship's computer data was recorded for analysis, even the complete
engineering logs which went all the way back to when the ship was first built for its original owner. A rich female from Lexon II had bought this one as a
plaything and later sold it to a lover. From there it had been used to pay off a gambling debt and now it had ended up in the hands of the pirates. Somehow
the trip logs had been erased before they could be captured, which left the Peacekeepers still searching for the pirate’s base. More shuttles came to
remove the pirated cargo and return it either to the surface or out to the Mercury to be taken to the markets on Lexon II in the hope of locating the
original buyers. Then the pirate vessel, basically an armed ship the size of a Cutter with an eight member crew, was towed a safe distance away before
thrusters were attached and the ship was directed toward the inner system to be disposed of in the nuclear fires of the sun. The Colonists found the entire
crew guilty of multiple counts of theft, murder, and general larceny. The pirate captain was also found guilty of slavery and rape of an underage female.
Life on the inner planets was much more gentile, the only crime worthy of death was a direct attack on the Royal Family, Out here where everyday survival
came at a high price, these pirates paid the ultimate price for their crimes. Each of them were killed before the sun set on the same day as their capture
and subsequent trials. Justice on the outer rim worlds was often quick and always brutal. Business concluded, the Mercury headed out for her next delivery.

During their slipway periods there was not much to do except practice hand to hand combat or sword play. Due to their closeness in size, Jon and Jarrieal
often worked out together. Sometimes Mopie' would join them and they always attracted a crowd of the troops who took bets on which of the three would
remain on their feet at the end of each sparing round. Those who bet on Jon won when the contest was between just two, but when it was two well muscled
Libirian males against one human male, the contest was far more even with Jon losing as often as he won. It was during a rest period in the workout room
that Zeprik came over to talk with Jon. “Have you heard anything from Satrina?” he asked.

“Not a word. I message her everyday, but she never returns them.” Jon sadly told his friend and the brother of his mate. “I've been watching the official
news from the Palace hoping to hear your father announce our matting, but so far not even a hint that there might be an announcement coming. There hasn't
even been a recent video of Rina. Only that stuff from when she came home from Sanctuary. Did you manage to speak with your father?”

“No, I didn't. The Regent always kept me from seeing the King. I've been getting some messages, but they seem strange. I don't think she is replying
herself. Its like someone else is sending them for her.” Zeprik told his friend and the chosen mate of his sister. “Perhaps father is waiting until we are
both on our way home and safe before he tells the Unified Worlds that his daughter is mated to a dead hero.” he jokingly punched his much larger friend's
arm “You did fly us a little close to that last pirate's guns. I saw the blistered paint on the shuttle's hull.”

“So? Whoever heard of being in combat when you come home without even some blistered paint to show for it? These pirates aren't very good fighters. Not
when I have to fly slow enough to give them a shot.” Jon joked.

The blistered paint had come from one very close shot indeed. Their usual tactic of using the shuttle to take the engines off line before sending in the
grubs had failed miserably when the last pirate ship surprised them with cannons pointed to the rear. As Jon came in for a shot, the aft plasma guns made
several direct hits on his shuttle and forced him to try for a run at her side. The ship they had attacked had put up a fierce fight and had cost them four
fighters and an attack shuttle before the teams had managed to board her. Even the flight crew, usually the least likely to fight, had fought like deranged
maniacs, costing the lives of five troopers. In the end they had been forced to retreat from inside the ship and let the Mercury blow it apart with her
cannons. Even still, the pirates got in a few good hits on the Mercury and Wrenches was busy making repairs for a week.