Escorted by a shuttle from the space frigate, Will landed his ship at the spaceport near Hrudane, the capital city of Celentus. As they descended, they saw plenty of evidence of the recent fighting. Some of the buildings in the city were still smoldering and there were craters scattered around the landing field.
Will and Debra stepped out of the ship still wearing their spacesuits. As they descended on the gantry, Will looked over his ship. There were scorch marks and dents everywhere and a blackened area around the engine assembly. It made him wonder how he was ever able to land it in one piece.
However, having Debra there by his side made him feel better. There was far more to her than he’d ever expected. He just hoped that someday she’d trust him enough to share her background with him.
Lord Lestron and Princess Cintrel were there to greet them as they stepped off the gantry. Cintrel stepped forward and bowed to them.
“Captain Power and Debra, the people of Celentus will be forever grateful for your help. Whatever it is you need, you only have to ask.”
“There is one thing, Princess,” answered Will with a smile. “Please call me Will. I haven’t been Captain Power in a very long time.”
Cintrel seemed taken aback. “As you wish, Ca… er …Will.”
“Your ship seems to have taken some damage,” observed Lestron gesturing towards it.
Will looked over at the ship. “A bit. Shields, weapons, engines and a few other things could do with some repairs.”
“I’ll have the repairs started immediately,” said Cintrel. “In the meantime, you are to be our guests at the palace. My father, King Raphul, would like to personally thank the both of you.”
“We would be honored,” answered Debra trying to stifle a yawn. “However, I think we could both use a good night’s sleep first.”
“Of course. Please come with us.”
The group walked away from the ship and through a gate. Waiting for them was a small troop carrier which had treads instead of tires.
“Unfortunately, many of the roads were damaged during the invasion making them impassable for wheeled vehicles,” explained Lestron.
The four of them climbed aboard and the carrier made its way to the palace. The carrier had to climb over the rubble that covered many of the roads. No one spoke during the journey as everyone’s attention was focused on the damage the city had experienced during the invasion. Many buildings were in the process of being torn down because they were in danger of collapsing. Crews sought to shore up others that might be saved. Tanker jets, dropped fire retardant on the buildings that were still on fire as normal fire engines couldn’t reach them.
The sun was just starting to set when they reached the palace. It was located near the center of the city on a hill which was surrounded by a black wrought-iron fence which was nearly ten feet high. Large sections of it had been blasted away along with the main gate to the palace grounds.
As the carrier took them up the long winding road to the palace, Will and Debra saw that even it hadn’t been immune to damage. One of its towers had partially collapsed and there were scorch marks on its stone walls. Will couldn’t help but feel ashamed by what his fellow Earthmen had done.
Pulling up to the entrance to the palace, Cintrel looked over at Will and Debra, appearing a little embarrassed. “I must apologize,” she began, “due to all the damage, there is only one bedroom available. I’m afraid the two of you must share it. I hope that isn’t a problem.”
Debra smiled. “Not at all, Your Highness. Considering how much time we’ve spent together in Will’s ship, that’s no problem at all.” She nudged Will in the ribs. “Right, Will.”
Will’s face had turned bright red, but he was finally able to croak out, “right.”
Two military officers stood by the palace door and bowed as Princess Cintrel stepped out of the carrier. She led the way up the wide stone stairs and the officers opened the door to let them inside. They stepped into a long wide chamber with marble floors and dark wooden walls. There were a number of doors scattered around the chamber.
Along the walls were pedestals, many of which were empty. At places on the floor, the dust and pieces from broken statues could still be seen. At the far end of the chamber was a massive stone stairway which led upstairs.
One of the doors to the chamber opened and two young women rushed in. They wore simple white frocks and had aprons tied around their waists. They stopped in front of the group and bowed.
“Please show our guests to their room,” commanded Cintrel. “And see that they are provided whatever they may need.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” They looked over at Will and Debra. “Please follow us.”
The two maids led them up the stairs to a hallway which stretched the length of the palace. The faint scent of smoke was still present and what appeared to be scaffolding could be seen at the end of the hall near the tower which had been damaged.
However, they went the opposite way, almost to the very end of the hall. Finally, one of the maids opened the door to a bedroom and the other ushered them inside. The bedroom was large with separate sitting and dining areas. The dining table had plates of fruit and pastry along with an assortment of beverages sitting in ice. Oversized pillows and thick comforters covered the bed.
“The washroom is over here,” said one of the maids walking over to a door at one end of the room. The other opened the door to a closet that was filled with clothing. “I trust you will find something that pleases you. If not, we can bring more.”
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Debra just shook her head. “Oh, no I’m sure we can find something suitable. Thank you.”
The two of them walked back to the door and bowed. “If there is anything you need just pull this cord,” said one of the maids, gesturing at a rope hanging from the ceiling, “to summon us.”
“Thank you,” replied Will as the two maids left the room closing the door behind them.
Debra started taking off her spacesuit. “First thing I’m going to do is take a long hot bath.” She smiled at Will. “How about you?”
Will let out a yawn. “I’m going to get some sleep. I’ll take the couch.”
Debra gave a slight frown. “Suit yourself.”
She walked over to the closet and began rummaging through the clothes. After a few minutes, she emerged holding a long crimson robe and a beige nightgown. “What do you think?” she asked holding the gown against her.
Will looked over. “Very nice.”
Debra just shook her head as she walked over to the bathroom.
An hour later she emerged feeling clean and refreshed. Undressing had finally given her a chance to check her side which had been injured when the shuttle crashed. It hurt less than it did, but there was still a nasty looking bruise.
Will was asleep on the couch, quietly snoring. Debra stood there watching him for a few minutes before walking over. Quietly she bend down and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, you overgrown boy scout,” she whispered.
The sun was already shining through the windows when Will awoke. Sitting up, he stretched and looked around. Seeing Debra still asleep, he got up from the couch and silently made his way to the closet to search for clothes suitably dignified for meeting King Raphul. Finding some grey slacks, a white shirt and a blazer, he headed to the bathroom to wash up and change.
Coming out, he found Debra in her nightgown going through the closet, clearly not happy. “Gowns, nothing but gowns,” she groused. Hearing Will, she turned around and smiled. “Well, well,” she said coming over and looking him over. “You definitely clean up nice.”
Whether it was due to the compliment or what she was wearing, Will suddenly felt himself tongue tied. He wanted to say thanks, but nothing came out. Debra broke into a wide smile and patted him on the cheek. “I’d better get dressed before you collapse.”
Resuming her search, she finally pulled a green dress from the closet and headed to the bathroom. About fifteen minutes later, she came out wearing the dress which hugged the top of her body and flared out at the waist to just below her knees. She gave it a twirl. “Not bad, eh?” Will could only nod. It was exactly the reaction Debra had hoped for.
As they finished the breakfast that’d been brought to their room, there was a knock at the door. Will went to answer it. A military officer stood there and gave a slight bow. “The king has requested that you join him on his trip to the Strelia mine.” He smiled slightly at the sight of Will’s and Debra’s clothing. “I’ll have more suitable clothing sent and will be back in half an hour to escort you to the king.”
“Thank you,” replied Will.
Within ten minutes, two sets of military fatigues were delivered to the room. Will and Debra were dressed and ready when the officer returned. He led them through the palace until they reached an elevator which took them to the roof. Not far away from the elevator stood a hoverjet where Cintral, Lestron, and King Raphul were waiting. They wore the same military outfits as Will and Debra.
The officer led the way over to the group and bowed as they reached them. Will and Debra also bowed. “I’ll have none of that,” scolded the king. He was a tall, well-muscled man with dark hair that was spotted which specs of grey. He was clean shaven which made the bruise on the side of his face stand out.
Debra and Will looked at one another, confused.
After what you two have done for my people,” continued the king, “I will not have you bowing to me.” He placed a hand on Will’s and Debra’s shoulders. “Captain Power and Debra, on behalf of the people of Celentus, I thank you. You have our eternal gratitude.”
“Thank you,” replied Will and Debra.
The group boarded the hoverjet and soon were in the air. Four other hoverjets soon joined them.
“There seems to be less damage out here,” observed Will as they left the city.
King Raphul nodded. “Yes, the attack concentrated on the capital and the jerlinium mines. We still haven’t been able to establish contact with many of the mines. Fortunately, the ones we’ve heard from weren’t severely damaged, but the processed jerlinium they had on hand is gone.”
“Have you been able to contact the Strelia mine?” asked Debra.
“No,” answered Lestron.
The mine wasn’t far from the capital, and soon the hoverjets had reached it. It was a large complex with its own landing field and dozens of large buildings. As they flew in, Will noticed that the landing field was empty.
“Same as the others,” noted the king. “The mining transport ships at the other mines were gone as well.”
The hoverjet flew low over the mine complex. Other that a few small fires, there didn’t seem to be much damage. There was an outer ring of buildings with large loading docks and with a numbers of larger factory-like buildings closer to the actual mines.
“Your Majesty,” asked Debra. “What are all these buildings used for?”
“Most of the buildings are used to store the jerlinium until it’s loaded onto the transport ships to be shipped off-planet,” he explained. Pointing at the buildings near the mines, he continued. “That’s where the jerlinium is extracted from the ore and converted to the form used in building shield mechanisms.”
They and the other hoverjets set down near a smaller building at the center of the complex. Everyone strapped on a blaster before leaving the hoverjet since they had no way of knowing if there still might be any Earth troops in the area. Soldiers holding blast rifles emerged from the other hoverjets. Most of them began fanning out through the complex, but two came over to join the king’s group.
With the soldiers in the lead, they headed for the building which housed the administrative offices for the mine. Will’s eyes scanned the surrounding buildings looking for any signs of trouble, but saw none. Reaching the door of the building, the soldiers stood on either side of it, rifles at the ready. Will, Debra, and Lestron pulled out their blasters and joined them.
One of the soldiers pushed a button and the door slid open. After peering around the edge of the door, they nodded and headed inside. Will and the others followed. A single wide hallway stretched the length of the building. There were doors and intersecting corridors along it.
The group slowly made their way down the corridor, stopping at every door and corridor to make sure the coast was clear. Their objective was the main office near the center of the building where inventory and surveillance data were stored. They finally reached the large door which led to it, but it’d been welded shut. Will immediately recognized that it had been by blaster fire.
One of the soldiers pounded on the door. “Anyone in there,” he shouted.
“Yes,” cried several voices.
“Stand away from the door,” he ordered.
The soldiers’ blast rifles easily cut the door away. Inside was about fifteen people who’d been locked inside when the Earth soldiers evacuated the mine. The mine supervisor informed them that the computers storing all the mine records had been wiped clean. However, based on what they’d overheard though, he was certain the invaders had removed every ounce of jerlinium the mine had on hand.
None of this make any sense to Will. Sure, jerlinium was valuable, but certainly not worth the cost of invading another planet. And other than being used in shields, what good was it.
That’s when it hit him, this was Pikner Seven all over again.