CHAPTER THIRTY
The statue of UCST Battalion Major Bax Shockpaw truly is awe-inspiring, even cast completely in reddish-orange clay instead of the multi-colored paintings hanging in offices. It’s five times larger than he is, with an arm permanently raised and holding the crown of King Damnation. A flail with three spiky heads is in his right hand, and the ‘last goblin king’ is face-down on the ground below his left foot.
I look back at the regular-sized Admiral in front of me, and I can easily understand why this would be so embarrassing for him. But he’s also the warrior who brought a hundred years of peace to Stenchstone, and he has a world full of folk who recognize him for it. He deserves the statue, even if it is very large and a bit embarrassing.
Our path takes us straight to the base of the statue, where I can see the King standing alone. A number of Guard members surround the statue area, where multiple garden paths full of goblin folk branch out. I don’t know if they are the same ones who were in the passageways earlier or if these folk have been here the entire time. I generally don’t want to think too hard about how many local folk are here to watch us!
The Admiral stops us a few steps from the King, then takes his group another step forward, where they split to the sides – Kesn and LT Darkmuck on our right, the Overseer and the other goblin woman on the left. Admiral Shockpaw takes an additional step forward to the King’s feet, then kneels in front of him.
“Your Majesty,” the Admiral begins, the effects of an amplify spell filling the garden with his voice, “it is my honor to escort the crew members of the UCST starship, the Corsari, to this audience. Will you speak with them?”
The King bends slightly, extending both hands to place his fingertips against the sides of the Admiral’s head. “Indeed,” he says, also using an amplify spell, “I will speak with these honored guests. Thank you, Your Excellency, Admiral Shockpaw, for your assistance. Please stand with me as an honored advisor and accept these guests with me.”
The Admiral stands, bows slightly, then steps to the King’s right and turns to face us. At the sight of the two standing together, the crowd erupts in cheers and applause, which lasts for several minutes. No one attempts to stop them or request silence, instead waiting for the atmosphere to revert on its own. The folk of Stenchstone haven’t seen their previous King for forty years. They deserve the time as much as Admiral Shockpaw deserves the attention, even if he is embarrassed by it.
When the cheering subsides, the King looks out to the crowd. “Folk of Stenchstone. As depicted by the statue above me, this world of peaceful goblins began almost one hundred years ago with the fall of the ‘last goblin king’. His Excellency’s actions that day, and throughout his reign as King, were a notice to the gangs and warlords of old that this world was not theirs, and would never be theirs again. This world belongs to the peaceful goblin folk of Stenchstone, not to tyrants!” A few cheers rise, but he continues on.
“During my reign, I have worked to complete that which my predecessor began. With the capture fifteen years ago of the goblin we believed to be the last true leader of the infamous Black Tongue gang, our world has seen a peace like no other. We have been free of gang terror and warlord tyranny.
“Unfortunately, that was not to last. The arrival of His Excellency on the UCST starship Corsari led us to begin a new investigation. The investigation unearthed many things, which I will make public to you now.
“Many of you remember the Black Tongue Massacre. The forty-fifth anniversary of that painful day is tomorrow. Thirty-two of our folk lost their lives that day, and His Excellency vowed revenge on the tyrants for those lost folk.
“What no one knows is that a follow-up massacre was planned five years later. His Excellency was given the choice to save the folk of his world by relinquishing the crown and leaving Stenchstone permanently. There was no hesitation in his decision. He left his world and his folk that day to save them.” He turns to the Admiral and places a hand on each shoulder. “I’m glad to finally have the chance to let him know, directly, how much the folk of Stenchstone thank him for that painful decision.”
Releasing the Admiral’s shoulders, the King drops to one knee, takes his crown in his hands, and bows his head. “Your Excellency, on behalf of the peaceful goblin folk of Stenchstone, I personally thank you for the sacrifice you made to protect us that day.”
The Admiral, and indeed the entire crowd, is stunned into silence. After a second, Admiral Shockpaw lays a hand on the King’s shoulder. “Your Majesty, it has always been my place to do what is necessary for the folk of Stenchstone. This is why I chose you to lead them in my absence. I would change nothing, and would sacrifice again if it was required.”
The crowd roars in cheers and applause as the King stands, replaces the crown upon his head and shakes the Admiral’s hand. When the noise level drops again, the King turns to the crowd and continues his speech. “Forty years later, His Excellency, in his capacity as Admiral with the United Corps of Starfield Travelers, received a message requiring him to return to our world. The contents of the message were false – simply a lure to blame another massacre on his return to Stenchstone.”
At this, he turns and gestures to our group. “The crew of the UCST starship Corsari, upon learning the message was false, began an investigation on their own initiative, led by their Executive Officer, Commander Rylae Westiel. Commander Westiel’s crew was able to piece together all of the information necessary to lead an assault on the hidden remains of the Black Tongue gang, which was completed last night. Because of these folk in front of me today, the Black Tongue gang is finally and truly destroyed, and the folk of Stenchstone are safe once again!”
As the crowd again begins cheering, I try to process exactly what was just said. The King, in a speech to his entire world, just named me personally for leading the investigation and saving their world from the planned assassinations. I’m extremely proud of myself and my crew, extremely embarrassed for being publicly mentioned like that, and extremely aware of a thousand or more goblins looking at me right now. It’s a lot of feeling to process at once.
This time, instead of waiting for quiet, the King raises his arm as a signal, and the loud cheering immediately drops into silence. With a somber demeanor, he begins speaking again. “Freeing the folk of Stenchstone was not without cost. Eleven members of the UCST Corsari’s crew lost their lives during the investigation and the assault. We cannot reverse that cost, but we can honor their sacrifice for our world by forever maintaining their names in this garden!”
Stepping to the side, he turns away from us to face a red cape with embroidery similar to the Admiral’s. Removing the cape, he reveals a large red stone directly at the feet of the statue of Battalion Major Shockpaw. Engraved on the stone, I can easily read the names of our fallen crew, including Ambassador Calgonnel Telathyr.
I see Cap turn to look at me, and turn to meet his eyes. I nod, and we snap to attention and salute the stone. As one, I can hear the rest of my crew behind me salute, while Admiral Shockpaw and LC Darkmuck salute as well. We hold the salute for about a minute, until the Admiral lowers his hand.
The King turns back to us and smiles. “I have one last gift to bestow upon you all, as we honor your crew today. I would like to present each of you with a royal chestpiece, as a token of thanks from the folk of Stenchstone, and from myself personally. Each of these has been crafted by hand by the royal seamstress for Stenchstone royalty, which now includes the crew of the Corsari. I now ask the royal seamstress, Bmundn Gloomfire, to present them to our new family.”
The goblin woman I didn’t recognize earlier picks up a basket filled with small tube-shaped packages and steps forward to us. She solemnly hands a package to Cap, who accepts it with a smile, then steps behind him to work her way down the line of crew members before coming back up on my side. When she reaches Zaxn, fourth behind me, she stops to give him a big hug before continuing.
She st
ops in front of me with the last package and smiles. “Thank you for taking care of my son, Commander Westiel.”
As she hands me the package, I take her hand for a second. “Mrs. Gloomfire, it’s been my honor to have him as a friend and member of my staff.” I release her hand, and can see tears start to form in her eyes as she steps away. Dragons be damned, that makes my eyes start to tear up!
Admiral Shockpaw steps forward and turns to face the King. “Your Majesty. On behalf of the crew of the Corsari, I thank you for your gifts, and especially for your recognition. It is our duty to assist in the betterment and safety of all worlds, and we were happy to perform admirably for the folk of Stenchstone during this visit. There is still work to be completed, but I can say with certainty that this will be the end of the Black Tongue influence on this world.”
A cheer is raised, and the crowd applauds for a minute before the King raises his hand for silence. “Thank you, Your Excellency. Additionally, I would like to make one final announcement before calling this gathering to a close. For over two thousand years, Stenchstone has kept itself away from other worlds, with only light trade between us. This was first to allow the gangs of previous kings to retain power, while the last hundred years of isolation has been to help us rebuild and maintain our safety.
“With His Excellency’s return and the visit by the crew of the UCST Corsari, we have realized we need to again be active with other worlds. As such, we will begin to increase trade with other worlds and races, increase the local presence of the UCST, and continue to welcome His Excellency, Admiral Bax Shockpaw, to regularly return to Stenchstone. It’s time to show other folk that peaceful goblin civilizations can exist!”
The cheering and applause grows loud again for multiple minutes as the King and the Admiral stand shoulder-to-shoulder and look out over the crowd. When the crowd starts to calm again, the King raises both arms.
“I wish you all a peaceful day as you return to your jobs and families. Thank you for coming to the Palace today. It has been an honor to see so many of you!” Dropping his arms, the crowd appears to begin to retreat down the paths they have been standing on while the Guard guides them to other exits from the garden.
Once the crowd has thinned a bit, Admiral Shockpaw returns to his group while the King comes to ours. Smiling, he reaches out a hand to Cap. “Captain, if you don’t mind, we’re going to take you and your crew for lunch in the large dining room. I considered using the small dining room, but your Commander has seen that it’s not really in a condition for guests.”
Cap shakes the King’s hand. “Works for me, Yer Majesticness. And thank ya for remindin’ me that I never apologized for the elf sneakin’ into yer fancy home here.”
Chuckling, the King winks at me. “I think I can forgive her, considering the circumstances. I have a feeling she makes a habit of things like this.”
I roll my eyes. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for not having me locked up. Your kindness is the reason your folk adore you.”
He laughs and turns to lead us out. As we reach them, the Admiral’s group merges with ours. Kesn steps up next to me and grins. “Congratulations, Commander Westiel. With all that direct mentioning of your name, by tonight you’ll be in all the gossip stories as His Majesty’s newest concubine. And his first elf! You should be proud!”
Laughing, I put an arm around her shoulders. “I don’t think proud is the right word, but who am I to ruin the fantasies of the common folk? Mostly, I’m just wondering why I’d be interested in being a concubine for any of them. You said one and a half out of three, and I’m still trying to figure out which parts of these three stuffy old men you had to add up to find that much attractiveness among them. If we include the Overseer, I can almost see it, I guess.”
She pokes me in the ribs. “If we add Nex, then my count changes, because he’s one-and-a-half by himself!”
That makes me laugh again as she steps away. “Speaking of Nex, I need to go find Rosa so she can join us for lunch. Save us seats so we can chat more.” She turns away, then turns back quickly while grinning. “I’m glad you’re awesome. Having a friend will make the whole transition easier.”
I walk about five more steps before her words really hit me. What transition?