Trial by Ordeal

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  Tyler and his three friends were greeted with mad cheers and much hugging aboard the Orion Defender, the children were now content, but then they had always known that their father would come back to them. Caroline was relieved to have her husband and brother and her two friends once more back inside the safety of the Orion Defender. Tears flowed down her face as she held Tyler close to her after she had kissed him; her family was once more complete, now they could return to Orion and celebrate Tyler`s birthday, to hell with the Helionians, and the Heliots too for that matter.

  Ray Connors edged the Orion Defender out of the dark nebula and using only his passive sensors found the area to be devoid of starships, this was just as Tyler came up onto the bridge.

  “Welcome back Tyler, there doesn`t appear to be a reception committee, but then we are far away from our point of entry into the nebula, I will contact our satellite above Helionia and see if we have any messages from Captain Lysenko, and after that we can return home.” Unfortunately, Ray found that they did indeed have mail.

  Captain Lysenko told them of his talks to Marot Pallas and his wife Patina, and that he required Tyler to confirm that Patina Pallas had not forced Caroline and the children through the portal, and if not why ever had they entered. He told of the conversation with Trajo Fortuna, which he had muffed badly and the one with her father where Ares Fortuna had explained everything away. He had first advised them to stay clear of Helionia, but after he had watched a television broadcast made by Ares Fortuna, he now implored Tyler to return, should he still be alive. He was needed to set the record straight, assuming what Ares Fortuna had said was not completely true, or Marot Pallas would most assuredly lose the election. Ares Fortuna was carrying the press, and the people, forward now to the destruction of all he, Captain Lysenko, personally held dear. Tyler could even agree to take a truth serum to prove that what he told the people of Helionia was the actual truth, and this should be enough to turn the voters back to Marot Pallas.

  “If you do decide to go back to Helionia then you could offer to take their version of the truth serum Tyler, without worrying about disclosing anything too sensitive. Back in our spying days, Jean and I always carried a supply of anti-truth serum with us, and we still have some of it left. A shot of this ensures that you only answer questions truthfully that are to your advantage. That way you won`t have to mention that the Heliot troopers were killed because of the assistance you gave to the Orion authorities. You will be able to put the blame squarely on the space pirates, and you won`t need to mention the space cruiser Freedom, because the Helionians will demand it back as being theirs if you tell them just how you got hold of it.”

  “Go back to Helionia, over my dead body Tyler.” Caroline screamed from just inside the door of the bridge, from where she had been listening to Ray and Tyler, the blood had completely drained from her face and she stood staring straight into his eyes. Tyler read the message contained within them, it told him that she wouldn`t allow him to leave her and the children again, and certainly not to risk his life for the Helionians. Jean who had followed Caroline along to the bridge also joined in the conversation.

  “Tyler, why on earth do you want to return to that awful planet, you owe them nothing?”

  Tyler and Ray then replayed the series of messages that they had just received from Captain Lysenko, and then awaited their responses before speaking further on the matter, but instead silence followed the recording. Therefore, he spoke to all of them, for the others had now gathered on the bridge to find out what had made Caroline so mad.

  “If I don`t go back to Helionia, Ares Fortuna will one day show up above Orion at the head of an armada, you know that I am right Caroline, what choice do I have in the matter.” Tyler stated, already resigned to the only possible decision.

  “Tyler it is so unfair, why must the gods persistently make you their cat’s paw, from the last part of Captain Lysenko`s message it is obvious that he feels that it will be very dangerous for you to return to Helionia. Well if you insist on helping them out of their fix, then I am going too.” Caroline said defiantly.

  “No you are not Caroline, our children need you to care for them, and anyway I have a plan to ensure that the danger to my life is minimal” Tyler insisted.

  “You have a plan Tyler?” Caroline said suddenly brightening up, for his plans always came through in the end, even if he had to modify them a little, as the situation changed.

  “Of course, you don`t think I would enter into the lion`s den without one do you?” Tyler replied, trying to sound more cheerful than he really was.

  “We normally do, you are always warning me against it darling.” Caroline replied as one tear slid down her cheek.

  “Well not this time, we will get the Freedom to join us here; it has had a Matter Transporter installed since the last time you saw her, and if I have a tag injected into me, it can pull me out whenever Dave Reynolds wants to. The beauty of the plan is that the Helionians will never know about the Freedom, because it will be cloaked for the entire time that it is in Helionian space. They will see the Defender leave for home with all of you aboard and think that I am there all by myself.” Tyler said, trying to sound light hearted about the whole thing.

  “You won`t be all alone my friend, for Tryon and I will be by your side at all times, and if it is not at all dangerous Tyler, you can hardly argue against our presence, can you?” Appolon said with a look of triumph on his face, for he had seen through the confident words of his friend.

  “Anyway Tyler, this is as much our battle as it is yours, we all wanted the Heliots dead after what they did and said, you merely acted out all of our wishes.” Tyron said moving up alongside Appolon.

  “If I am not allowed to be by your side Tyler, then I insist that you take these two along, for I don`t want them.” Caroline said trying to put a brave face on things. She understood that the children couldn`t lose both of their parents, and even for them to be parted from both of them under such circumstances was wrong. The children were playing in their room with Cimon and Argo, a good thing Tyler thought, or he would be arguing with his other two friends as well.

  Tyler turned to Jean Connors. “Jean will you call Dave Reynolds and request that he join us quickly, and to ensure that he is cloaked from the moment he leaves the wormhole, you had better send it in code to prevent anyone on this side of the wormhole from knowing about the impending arrival of the Freedom. However, you had better contact Marot Pallas first Jean, and inform him that I will be joining him soon, and that he is to publish the fact loudly and immediately, so as to draw any Helionian starships away from the area around the wormhole to ensure that the Freedom comes through without an audience.”