END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 (61 page)

Three cycles later, the rim worlds were mostly cleaned out of the criminal elements that had held them down for so long. As the Representative of the King,
Jon had a great deal of authority, which he used with a heavy hand against the crime bosses. He and his troopers had battled with them and driven them
deeper and deeper out on the rim.

Beginning with Canari Jon's troops went in force to wage a ground war against the ones still at the Lustor Drug farm. After getting all the slave labor
safely away, he had Defiance and the other Destroyers pound the place into nothing but a moonscape of craters from space, using the city killing weapons the pirates themselves had
installed on the Destroyers.

The land was quickly returned to farming and given to the good people of Canari who planted food crops. They planted enough to
support their own needs and had plenty for export. Soon the wines produced at the farm were in great demand across the galaxy. The one time slaves who had
been brought to work the Lustor fields became the leading force behind turning the planet around from its former days of being a hidden den for criminals,
into a major force for good among the rim worlds. The illegal weapons factories were quickly shut down with the exception of the factory that produced the ammo for the city killer bombs. Jon had replaced the criminal element working there with honest, hard working craftsmen who not only kept his ships loaded with the kenetic poles used by the cannons, but also with sheets of super strong metals that were used to build submarine boats to explore the oceans of several planets. As for every one of the original criminal enterprises around
the planet; they were all closed down and the buildings leveled to make way for new, modern factories that produced some of the finest material to be had for ladies gowns.

Galaxiey, High One of the Order of the Mourners was treated like the Crown Princess she always had been by everyone in the Leviathan's crew and she spent
her time working with the data teams to find a new world where Sanctuary could be rebuilt. The Engineering crews had gone over Boss King's yacht and
completely refitted it with anything she had asked for, including converting its engines into jump drives that would allow it to simply move from place to
place in seconds rather than days or even weeks.

Jon had been forced to promote young Carney to the position of Data Master when his current Master announced that he would be leaving the ship and staying
with Tiaz on Sanctuary. Young Carney had shown Jon where the hidden archives were located on the ship that told the entire story of the vessel from the
first day its engines came to life. This secret treasure trove of information contained all the true facts about the ship and its Umin creators. Not to
mention the humans who later used it to escape the death of their home world and even the full account of the first
Jon Connell
and how his side
of the Connell family had come into existence as the result of the desires of a grieving father to have something of his dead daughter with him. Had it not
been for an accident on the seas of Haven that took the life of Jill Saunder’s father, over two hundred cycles ago, Jon may never have known of his true
heritage at all.

Tiaz had decided to remain as the public voice and truth seeker for the mourners and as her mate, the Data-Master was going with her. As it turned out,
Major Neloie was a pretty good pilot who adapted to the newly refitted yacht quickly. He would become Galaxiey's pilot. Never again would a novice mourner
need to rely on a private carrier to provide passage from wherever she might be to reach the safety of Sanctuary. Gala would simply send the yacht to pick
the female up. Instead of delays of weeks in which the woman had to fear someone using drugs to convert her into a sex starved pleasure female, mourners
now found themselves making the call, being picked up, often on the same day, and delivered safely by the next. The yacht had the ability to take off and
land at any location on any planet including the middle of a town or city.

This day Jon and his teams had just wiped out the last known stronghold of the pirates. His data teams had located the existence of a refuge far out away
from the other planets on another of the uncharted worlds that littered the rim. They had been receiving their orders from one of the wealthy business
owners on an inner world and as Jon was cleaning out the pirates, Zeprik and Jelio had led their own teams to capture the pirate leader in his factory. The
factory was claimed by the Crown and was promptly put back to work making the same farming machines it always had. This time the workers were put in charge
with all the profits going to them and their families except for a small tariff to be sent to the planet's shelters for the needy. Profits soared! The
factory expanded and soon many of the needy found jobs working at the plant making the best farming equipment in the quadrant! What had once been a poor planet where the people barely got by because one of the richest in the quadrant!

Together the Crown Prince and Jon's ex-teammate had banded together as much more than mates. They had forged a force of highly trained specialists who were
working to end corruption on the inner planets. Their Data Masters were only rivaled by those still serving the 'Stars and Stripes Security Company' out on
the rim. The assault troops were hired directly after their contracts expired with the Peacekeepers and only the best received offers. With the choice of
either a position with the Prince, or with Jon waiting at the end of their contracts, many new troopers worked extra hard to make the grade. As a result,
the Peacekeeper Corps became the most highly respected military to ever exist in the universe.

Once Defiance was secured inside Leviathan after the last raid against a nest of pirates still hiding on one of the farthest of the mining worlds, and the
bay pressurized to match the two ships, Jon opened the main hatch and was suddenly attacked by four small younglings. “We got you! You aren't so tuff you
big bad Dragon!” Laughing voices told him as the children grabbed his legs and hugged him tightly.

Jon squatted down to look the little ones in the eye and said, “Have you never heard of The Butcher?”

“Yep, mommy says she gave you that name uncle Jon” a pretty female covered in light blonde fur told him, “but she said you used to be her sweet cheeks
before that. Are your cheeks really sweet?” she asked.

“I don't know little one. Why don't you give your uncle a kiss and see?” Jon asked, turning his head for her to kiss his check.

She brushed her lips across his cheek in an innocent child's kiss. “You taste like Auntie Trina!” the young female exclaimed.

“That's because mommy is always rubbing herself on him, just like Talga does.” a much smaller version of Satrina knowingly stated. “Poppa, when can we
visit the great one?”

“Do you mean your grandmother Gala?” Jon asked.

“Yes. Grandmother Gala. I thought she was the great one now.”

“No love, she is the High One of the Sanctuary. We'll have to talk to mommy first to see if you can take time from your studies.” Jon explained. “I would
like to visit her myself.”

“Then we'll have to make the time.” Satrina proclaimed with one of her huge smiles as she gazed loving at her mate gently talking with the younglings while
still wearing his battle armor.

“THERE YOU ALL ARE!” came Phillie's angry cry as she came up to the group. “I swear, I turn my back for one instant and you four are gone! It’s getting so
a person can't even use the relief chamber on this ship!” Phillie never really got angry at the younglings, but she liked to pretend she did just to keep
them in line and under control. The truth was she loved each of them equally even though only two of them were hers and Jarrieals'.

“Tell him Burton.” the furry male said, giving the taller male a light punch in his arm. “You promised to tell him this time.”

“Yes, you promised to tell if we captured him.” Clara told her brother. “Well, we did our part. He's been captured!”

“Tell me what son?” Jon asked.

“Well sir, we went exploring in the back of the ship and we found a hidden room.” Jon's young son told him. Immediately Jon's thoughts turned to the planet
killing weapon's control room located at the back of the ship.

“Did you get inside this hidden room?” Jon asked.

“No poppa. Burton was too little to reach the panel that opens the door.” his daughter told him. “But you're not.”

“We want to see what's in there uncle Jon.” Phillie's male child told him “Clara said maybe you'd help us.” Satrina had named their daughter for Jon's
deceased mother whom he had never really gotten to know and his son was named for his father just as Jon had requested during the first days of their
mating. She thought it was a fitting way to honor the two people most responsible for her mate being a part of her life.

“There are some things there that are not for small ones. Did this door you found have two dragons on it?” Jon asked.

“Yes father,” Burton admitted, “and two dragons are guarding it. It’s OK though because they are made from stone. They are not real dragons. Talga was
there with us.”

This was a different door and not the one leading to the Umin planet killer. “Yes uncle Jon,” Phillie added. “We are all curious about what is hidden back
there and why Talga would come to keep the younglings away from it even though none of us can get it open anyway.” She had already visited the doors before Jon and her mate arrived and was indeed curious about what was behind them.

“Well, let me get out of this armor and take a shower first.” Jon agreed. “But I'm very hungry, maybe I can eat something before I join in this long
journey to the back of my ship. Would that be OK young ones?” Each of the children nodded but Jilykie, Phillie's daughter waggled her tiny finger at him in
a perfect imitation of her mother, right down to having one tiny fist on her hip, and exclaimed,

“Just don't be all day about it!” Jon looked up at his wife and his friend to see both females with their hands over their mouths, trying to conceal their
own laughter at his predicament. Here he was, leader of the most feared armed force on the rim, at the mercy of four tiny younglings who had long ago
captured his heart.

Jon had washed, changed and eaten when he allowed the younglings to lead the way to the hidden room that they had found. Jarrieal walked quietly beside
him, while Phillie and Satrina brought up the rear as they talked about the children and all the mischief they managed to get into on the ship. Their
giggles and laughter filled the corridors. Jarriel also knew about the hidden rooms at the back of the ship and was just as worried as Jon about bringing
the younglings to this area.

“Its just up ahead father” Burton told them all over his shoulder as he pointed ahead of them. “You go around that corner and its right there.” he said as
he and the other children fell back to walk with their mothers.

Jon followed the directions given to him by his young male child and found not only the hidden room with a pair of large doors with twin Dragons carved on
them, each with riders on their backs holding flaming swords over their heads, but also a pair of huge Dragons carved from brilliant stone the likes of
which had not been found on any of the planets. These Dragons could only have been made using the ancient tools of the Umins. No known planet had this
stone, or a means to shape it. One Dragon was a sparkling silver and the other a deep midnight black. The colors came from within the stone itself and were
not some kind of finish that had been applied after the carver had completely his or her work.

“Everyone except Jarrieal stay back behind those statues until we figure out what is in there.” Jon instructed their wives and children. Then looking over
at his second in command Jon asked him, “Ready to see what we have behind these doors?”

Checking his plasma pistol, Jarrieal told Jon to go ahead and open the doors. Jon walked over to a panel set into the wall and placed his palm on it. Three
green lights came on and started flashing as the pad somehow registered Jon's genetic markers. After what seemed to him to be a long time, but was only a
few seconds, the blinking lights turned into a solid green bar and the doors began to rotate apart. They made a squealing noise caused more by disuse than
malfunction, as they slowly revealed what looked like a darkened med lab beyond.

Jon took one step into the room and lights began coming on. As the room became brighter and his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that all along two walls
were the same tubes that were located in the med lab back in the forward part of the ship. The only real difference as far as Jon could tell was that there
were more of them in this room and each one had a series of yellow lights flashing on their control panels.

“Clara!” Phillie's female child squealed, “you did it! You found it!”

“You can't tell them! You promised!” Clara told her friend.

“Found what loved one?” Satrina asked her daughter.

“I can't tell you momma.” Clara told her mother as she trembled, nearly in tears. “The Goddess will be angry with me if I tell.”

“There now my daughter.” Satrina told her as she knelt to hug her little one closely and tried to comfort her. “I'm sure whatever it is, your poppa will
figure it out. He's really good at figuring out what things are and what they do. Right my love?” Satrina asked, silently begging Jon to comfort their
daughter with his words.

“Yes little one.” Jon said as he looked down at his daughter and his mate. “Uncle Jarjar and I will figure it out. You stay there and keep momma safe for
me.” Walking over to inspect the tubes, they found two of them beginning to count down before opening. Jon called back to the females, “Phillie! Com the
Med Labs and have the Healer get down here fast. Tell him to bring a revival team and some chicken noodle soup! He shows up with any of that nasty stuff he
creates and I'll personally shoot his ass!”

“What's wrong Jon?” Jarrieal asked.

“These two are starting to open. The Goddess only knows how long these people have been in the tubes!” Jon told his friend. “By all you hold scared, don't
shoot them. Unless they attack.”