Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price (52 page)

“Unfortunately, A’Lappe’s plan failed.

“In the last moments of their lives, as we know them, my mother was in communication with me using the Deep Space Communicator.  She related to me that after my father disconnected from the communicator on his last call with me, A’Lappe announced that they had reached the inside edge of the solbidnite field and that Ming and his cohorts had not yet figured out that they’d arrived.  He had to act swiftly, so my mother had only seconds to say goodbye.  These moments were, as you can imagine, immensely emotional, but my mother assured me that the three of them had no fear and that they were full of hope at the prospect of eliminating Ming and the central core of Brotherhood leadership.

“Suddenly, there was a great sense of distress in my mother’s thoughts.  The
TRITYTE
’s systems were too old and the GW drive and power source were simply too small to generate an explosion.  A’Lappe could think of nothing to remedy the situation, except to find a way to trick Ming into firing a weapon and triggering the reaction himself.

“As always, my father knew exactly how to accomplish this goal.  My mother told me that my father used Ming’s own delusional, imperious arrogance against him by taunting him into firing a laser or PLABE to destroy the
TRITYTE
.  What my father’s last words were to bring Ming into such a rage, we will never know, as my mother didn’t have time to relate them to me.  Whatever he said, it worked and today all evidence of those ships and the evil tyrants on them are gone forever, vaporized in the explosion that created what we call the Hoye’ Aah Nebula, which in Federation language means
Forever Peace
.  It is so named to honor my father, my mother and A’Lappe, who willingly gave their lives to end the tyranny of the Brotherhood and to restore peace to the Federation and to all worlds that seek a future built on hope and freedom.

“We cannot mourn their deaths, because they have not died, if the words of the entity known as Thumumba are true.  Even now, as we assemble here, three new stars are materializing out there in the vastness of the Hoye’ Aah Nebula – three stars which, if Thumumba is to be believed, are forming around the still living souls of my father and mother and A’Lappe.  It will be thousands of years and, in some cases, millions of years before all the worlds of the Federation will be able to see this nebula in their skies, because it will take that long for its first light to get here.  But our ships have flown there and have seen it and taken images of it to share with you here today.  We know it’s there and that my father, mother and A’Lappe succeeded in their mission to save us, our children and the generations to follow.  It is real.  This is not a story that will eventually become a myth or a legend.  It is the truth and it shall remain the truth for all time.

Two years ago, my Father traveled to Eh-Netta, where he met with the Gom Pasha, the religious leader of the Neovian Universalists.  While there, he was told of prophecies made by a monk of their religious order many centuries earlier – prophecies in which my father, mother and A’Lappe played central roles in a war of unprecedented proportions.  These divinations are displayed in giant murals and stone carvings in a cave within the monastery complex.  My father never gave much credence to these predictions, though he was amazed at their accuracy with regards to his life as it had unfolded up to the moment that he viewed them.  The last scene in the series of murals showed what appeared to be a giant nebula bearing three prominent stars.  My father asked the Gom Pasha what the mural meant and was told that no one knew, for the monk who foretold my father’s life and painted the image so many centuries earlier would only weep when asked.  Before his death, the only thing he would say of the image was that it was the
birthplace for immortality and the deathplace for tyranny. 
Today we know that his prophecy was true and we understand the meaning of his explanation.  The monk also said that
the greatest sacrifices hold the greatest rewards,
and without a doubt the price paid and sacrifices made by my parents and by A’Lappe meet those criteria.

When my father departed from Eh-Netta, the Gom Pasha sent with him one of the neophytes of the Order to document the events that would follow until the time of the fulfillment of the prophecy.  He is here today.  His name is Asalott.  He will be returning to Eh Netta shortly to present to the Order the details of the realized prophecy.  Asalott tells me that the Neovian Universalists will not mourn my parents or A’Lappe; rather they shall celebrate their victory and the reward of immortality they have received.  While I shall miss them terribly, I too shall rejoice in their reward.  Hoye’ Aah!”

*****

Across the galaxy, both inside and outside the Federation coalition, hundreds of billions of people stared at their vid screens, their hearts drenched with grief, as Lunnie stepped back on the platform of dignitaries and sat down beside her brother.  The ceremony had been going on for hours.  Earlier, Rebadat Tonclin and Leader Pheosa had spoken of the extraordinary courage, dedication and honor that defined the lives of Tibby, Kalana and A’Lappe.  A proclamation was read posthumously, elevating A’Lappe to the rank of First Citizen, a gesture which would have no doubt amused him, as A’Lappe was never a citizen of the Federation to begin with.  Reidecor had elected not to speak and allowed Lunnie to speak for the both of them.  Days earlier he had been honored by the Senate as a hero of the Federation, which was an event that seemed to sadden him more than please him.

Admiral Marranalis, who had been officially promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, also days earlier, made a moving speech outlining in a very candid manner his association with Tibby from the time of his arrival in the Federation to the last conversation they had before his death, noting how, out of Tibby’s first contacts, he, Rebadat Tonclin and Piesew were the only ones still alive.  He related the story not of a hero, but of a friend and a man who stuck by his principals, someone who cared nothing for fame, wealth or glory.

The Ruwallie Rasson performed an elaborate demonstration of their own, honoring not only Tibby, Kalana and A’Lappe, but Padaran as well, all as fallen heroes and as members of their own people.  At the end they all turned and bowed to Jenira, who sat silently on the opposite side of Lunnie from Reidecor.  Very few people outside of the Ruwallie Rasson and the crew of the
NEW ORLEANS
understood the rarely seen gesture and many of those watching commented and wondered about it.

People were surprised to see an android present on the dais.  Andy was not only present as a representative of the android community, but he also made a small speech referring to Tibby as “Friend Tibby,” saying how he was and would remain
the most respected of all humans
among the androids and how he hoped that one day
all humans and androids would come to know such friendship
.

Jenira spoke briefly, her vow of silence now ended with the demise of the Brotherhood.  She spoke of how the greater part of the remaining Brotherhood members surrendered after the destruction of Ming and his fleet of ships at what had become the Hoye’ Aah Nebula.  Without Ming wielding the slave collars and drug addiction that controlled them, most rebelled quickly against the few true loyalists of the organization and in less than a week the Brotherhood tyranny was ended.

She also spoke of Tibby’s and Kala’s overarching love and compassion and how Tibby was always willing to help someone and give them opportunities to prove themselves.  Her speech was brief and heartfelt and everyone could see that she grieved deeply, but few fully understood the depth or reasons for it.

Lunnie was the last to speak there on Megelleon, watched from the hillsides by the tens of thousands of people who encircled the valley and from afar by the billions who gathered before their vid screens to bid farewell to their defenders and guardians.

Then, from the dark outer rim of the valley came the slow, deep rhythm of drums as ten thousand drummers began their funeral dirge.  At the onset of the drumming, everyone stood, including thousands of Federation troopers, who stood at attention before the podium in inside the valley.  Lunnie and Reidecor stepped forward and stood at attention as well, honoring their parents in the manner of their soldiers in arms.

Gradually, the drummers began their approach from the hillsides through the ranks of troops and headed toward the central platform, where a large area was designated for them.  The unyielding rhythm was mesmerizing as it boomed across the valley and reverberated deep within the chest of each person like a mighty heartbeat.  There was no sentiment of sadness or defeat or loss in the cadence; only the pulse of strength, honor and victory.  The swell of ten thousand drums culminated in the sound of glory and remembrance at the platform, as the drummers began to gather and registered deeper and deeper strikes into their drums, finally breaking down many of those in attendance into unbridled sobs.  Never before in history had there been so many drummers or so many troops and dignitaries at a funeral service.  Never had the hills been so full of mourners and never had so many watched in awe on their vid screens across the galaxy as fallen heroes were honored.

Eventually the drummers filled the area and many believed the ceremony was about to end in the usual crescendo that such ceremonies did.  Instead, the drummers quieted their beat until it could barely be heard.  Then people abruptly began looking about, as they heard the sounds of distant drums.  Those who stood within the valley couldn’t see what was happening, but those on the hilltop looked behind them and to the opposite hillside, where thousands of drummers from across the galaxy had come together as a second squad to participate in the ceremony.  First, they repeated the percussive refrain played earlier and the sound rolled into the valley like a pulsing thunder.  Then the refrain was answered by the drummers at the central platform and this dialog went back and forth, growing in intensity, as the people began to realize that what they were hearing was the representation of war and conflict.  Then suddenly, both sides stopped and there was a period of absolute silence.  Finally, a lone drummer at the central platform began to hit his drum hard.  Slowly, more joined in, but not in a unified rhythm or beat; rather in a growing roar of chaos that grew to an unbearable tumult that had people covering their ears.  Then they stopped abruptly and froze in an awesome, heart-rending silence.

Finally, every drummer broke their drumsticks and threw them to the ground, raising their arms to the sky and shouting in unison, “Hoye’ Aah!” (Forever peace).

*****

The silence was broken only by the sound of an occasional sob or sniff as the lights slowly brightened in the large auditorium.  A beautiful woman dressed completely in black with long silver-white hair worn in a single braid that hung down her back rose slowly from a seat in the front row and walked onto the stage.  Her grace and beauty belied her age, as it was known she was many years older than she appeared.  When she reached the center of the stage, she turned to face the audience and cast her gaze admiringly across the thousands of young faces before she began to speak.

“For the past nine days you have come to this hall to hear Tibby’s story in his own words as he related it to his children many years ago.  Originally, he left this history at the request of Reidecor and Luinella, but later they realized the story needed to be told to all of you, because you are as much his children as they are.  This vast estate here on Earth is modeled after the one he owned on Megelleon.  In his will, which he’d left with the people of Weccies, he dedicated much of his wealth to helping orphans like you across the universe.  Tibby wanted this estate to be your home, a place for you to live and grow in safety, a place where you could not only be educated in the subjects that would provide you with the necessary skills to acquire jobs and support yourselves and your families later on, but also where you could learn to embrace the values and principles that instill in you a strong sense of worth and the understanding that every one of you has a right to survive and thrive and that no individual or group has the right to take these things from you.

“None of you children here today ever met or knew First Citizens Tibby, Kalana or A’Lappe, but among the Sisters here, also known as the Women with Swords, there are many who did.  They will all tell you that the three of them were even greater than what you have learned from the stories of the past nine days.  A’Lappe shunned fame and power and money.  He found wealth in his companions and in the work he did to help Tibby protect the innocent and the weak.  Likewise, Tibby and Kalana could have left everything behind that came with the reward for recovering the solbidyum.  In fact, Tibby said more than once that he was happiest when he and Kalana were subsisting with the twins on Desolation, living a difficult but loving and peaceful life.

“Tibby and Kalana could have given their immense wealth only to their children, Reidecor and Lunnie, but they didn’t.  Instead, their embrace of family extended much farther, including you as their children for all time, and they arranged for half of their assets to be set aside for orphans like you with the instructions that we, the Women with Swords, should become your caretakers, to see to your safety and your futures and instill in you that
you are loved
.  So, once each year, we set aside nine days to retell Tibby’s stories and to revere his memory and the memory of Kalana, A’Lappe, Padaran, and all the heroes who gave of themselves to preserve our liberty, safety and hope for a bright future.