Chapter 40
Confession
Before they returned to Tarizon, Peter wanted his mother to meet Lucinda and the baby. Captain Shilling was also anxious to meet Rebekah, so before they returned to space, they landed ES 26 one last time at Cactus Island. Jodie had driven Reggie, Mark, Marcia, and Rebekah to a secluded spot in the state park at Possum Kingdom Lake to meet them. They were in Peter’s enhanced Mercury Grand Marquis, which Jodie had fallen in love with. In fact, she had already gotten two speeding tickets while driving it—one for $895 for going 95 mph. A small transport craft had landed beside the lake. Peter and Captain Shilling were standing beside it.
When Rebekah got out of the car, Peter rushed over to her and hugged her tightly.
“Oh, Peter, my baby!” Rebekah sobbed. “I can’t believe it’s you.”
Peter laughed. “It’s me, all right, Mom. And this is Lucinda.”
“Hi, Lucinda,” Rebekah said, giving her a hug. I’m so glad to meet you.”
“Yes, me too. Your son talks about you constantly.” Lucinda smiled and added, “You’ve been tough competition.”
“Really,” Rebekah laughed, but now her eyes were focused on the baby. “And this must be Tokin.”
“Yes, he looks like his father, doesn’t he?”
Rebekah gave Tokin a searching look. “Yes, but I see some of his mother, too. It’s a good combination.”
“I’m so sorry we can’t stay,” Lucinda said, “but our Chancellor has ordered everyone from Tarizon to leave Earth immediately. Apparently the new President was ready to have the FBI start arresting anyone discovered to be from Tarizon immediately, but Stan and Mo convinced him to give us forty-eight hours to leave.”
“I know. I so wish you could stay for a while; but at least I’ve been able to see my son again, and to meet you and Tokin. Can I hold him for a moment?”
Lucinda smiled and handed Tokin to Rebekah. Rebekah held him up close, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Take good care of Peter and my grandson, Lucinda.”
“We’ll take care of each other,” Peter said. “And Mom, somehow we’ll make it back here to see you again. I promise.”
“I hope so,” Rebekah said.
“Can I hold him?” Marcia asked.
Rebekah smiled and handed Tokin to Marcia. Mark and Reggie immediately crowded around to get a good look at him. They visited for another half hour, and then Captain Shilling advised them it was time to go. Peter hugged Marcia and his mother and shook Reggie’s and Mark’s hands.
“I’ve missed all of you,” Peter said. “Take care of Mom and Dad until I see you again.”
“We will,” Marcia said, starting to cry. Peter hugged her again.
“Don’t try to watch the ship leaving Cactus Island or the blue light will cause you to lose your memory of meeting Tokin and Lucinda.”
“We won’t,” Jodie assured him. “We’ll leave when you do.”
Peter nodded and waved goodbye, and then he and Captain Shilling boarded the transport to go back to the ship. Once they were aboard, they set a course for rendezvous with ES 52, which waited in orbit just outside Earth’s atmosphere.
When they arrived, a victory party was in progress. Captain Shilling and the other shuttle captains had agreed a party was in order before they embarked on the long journey home.
As Peter stepped aboard ES 52 he heard a familiar voice call his name.
“Leek!” Red shouted and sprinted up to him.
“I thought you were dead, you little skutz,” Leek teased.
“We had to make everyone think that I was dead for the plan to work,” Red apologized.
“Hey. It worked, so how can anyone complain? I just wish Tam and his crew had survived. If they’d known that you were alive it might have changed their strategy. They may not have taken the risk of going one-on-one with Videl’s Revenge.”
“Perhaps not, but then they wouldn’t have gone after New Age and Relentless either, and Kulchz might still have a stranglehold on Washington.”
Leek nodded. “You’re right. It’s impossible to know what would have happened had Threebeard not intervened with his brilliant maneuver.”
“Speaking of Threebeard. I’m supposed to gather everyone in the officers’ conference room for a video meeting with Lorin and the command staff.”
“Oh, right. Well, let’s get it over with so we can join the party.”
Red led Leek to the conference room, where Aerial Muri, Captain Shilling, Captain Sparten, Lt. Lakee, Captain Reeling, Lt. Lei, and Lt. Marz were waiting. The big monitor was just blinking to life as they walked in. Lorin Boskie looked out at them, smiling.
“Can you hear me?” the Chancellor asked.
“Yes, loud and clear,” Captain Shilling said. “I’m so glad we have a link today so we can give you our final report from Earth.”
“Yes,” Lorin said. “I’ve got Defense Minister Threebeard, Colonel Tomel, General Zitor, Ruffe Marcuzzi, General Lugman, General Quirken, Commander Sillmar, and too many others to mention standing by for the report.”
“All right, then,” Captain Shilling said. “First, we would like to report that the threat to Earth has been eliminated. Both Senator Rubio and Commander Kulchz are dead, and a new President has assumed office in Washington. He is currently in the process of rounding up the insurgents and segregating them from the population, where they will not be a threat.”
“That’s excellent news,” Lorin said.
“Of course, the pivotal battle occurred just a few days ago between Earth’s Destiny and Videl’s Revenge. Regretfully, neither Earth’s Destiny nor any of its crew survived that battle. We lost a lot of good patriots that day, including Commander General Tamurus Lavendar.”
“Yes, we saw the video feed of the battle,” Lorin said sadly.
“Say, how did that video feed make it down to Earth?” Leek asked.
“Ah, well, that was my doing,” Threebeard replied. “I thought it only fitting that the people of Earth should see perhaps the most important battle in the history of their world. I knew they wouldn’t understand it now, but in time their historians would figure out its significance.”
“So, you had a spy in Videl Lai’s bed all this time and didn’t tell us about it.”
“No, for her safety I thought it best that I keep it to myself.”
“A wise decision. Without her timely appearance I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Well, I actually told her to stay on Clarion after she left Earth’s Destiny’s computers powered up and hatches unlocked for Rossi Sincini and his men.”
Leek smiled at Aerial. “Fortunately, she didn’t listen and stay at her post.”
“So, what other secrets have you not told us?” Captain Shilling asked. “It’s time to confess them all now, Minister.”
“Are you sure you want to know the truth?” Threebeard asked. “You may not like it.”
Everyone on ES 52 looked at each other around the table, contemplating whether they should leave well enough alone or find out what secrets Threebeard still had buried deep down in his remarkable mind.
Leek himself felt conflicted. He was satisfied with how things had turned out but still longed to know the entire truth.
“Well, as for me, I’d like to know all your secrets,” Leek said.
Captain Shilling nodded. “Me too. Good or bad. Let’s hear it.”
Threebeard nodded. “All right. This is my last confession. Listen to it at your own peril. Several cycles after the great eruptions, when Tarizon was in chaos, Rupra Bruda formed the Purist Party to gather support for his belief that extermination of the mutant population was the only way Tarizon could survive. Videl Lai joined him early on, and together they plotted the overthrow of the government and the repudiation of the Supreme Mandate at all costs.
“I soon came to the realization that such an unscrupulous and unprincipled group like the Purists would be nearly impossible to stop, as they would employ all measure of trick
ery, subterfuge, and murder to get what they wanted. I feared that once in power they’d rule Tarizon with an iron fist and it would be nearly impossible to depose them.”
“So, at that point I did two things. I helped start a secret alliance among the mutants, the nanomites, and the seafolken. Later on we joined forces with Chancellor Garcia and General Zitor to form the Loyalists. But I knew we needed more, something that would give the people hope and let them know God was on their side. This was about the time the Tarizon Repopulation Project was just starting, and that gave me an idea.
“So . . . I wrote a Prophecy about an Earthchild coming to Tarizon to lead a revolt against a tyrant who had enslaved the population. Then I planted copies of it in various locations around Tarizon so it would be discovered and widely reported.”
There were gasps of astonishment from everyone. Threebeard smiled. “Yes, it’s true. I did it. I did it because I knew that prophecies are often self-fulfilling and I hoped that this one would also come true because the people believed it so strongly. Then, when the day came for the moons to align, as predicted in the Prophecy, I had to find a candidate to be the Prophecy’s Liberator. Earth Shuttle 21 was coming in that day, so I searched the passenger manifest for a likely candidate. Peter Turner, I discovered, was the obvious choice, so I alerted my fellow mutants, the nanomites, the seafolken, and also the rhutz, an intelligent and telepathic species whom I hoped would play an important role in the Prophecy’s fulfillment, that the Liberator had indeed arrived on Tarizon. You all know the rest of the story.”
Captain Shilling and Red smiled knowingly. Leek sat, dazed by the revelation. Lorin just shook her head in disbelief.
“Well, I can’t say I’m shocked,” she finally said. “I don’t think I ever really believed in the Prophecy, but I did come to believe in Peter Turner.”
Everyone looked at Leek. He shrugged. “Hey, I tried to tell you I wasn’t the Liberator.”
Everyone laughed and then Red stood up. “Okay, okay. Where’s this party I was promised?”
Lorin smiled. “Yes, go celebrate, for this is a great day for both Earth and Tarizon. We’ll all be anxiously awaiting your return. Until then, may God and Sandee be with you all!”
Also By William Manchee
The Stan Turner Mysteries
Undaunted
Disillusioned
Brash Endeavor
Second Chair
Cash Call
Black Monday
Deadly Distractions
Cactus Island
Act Normal
Deadly Defiance
Deadly Dining
The Rich Coleman Novels
Death Pact
Plastic God
Unconscionable
Suspense Novels
Uncommon Thief
The Prime Minister’s Daughter
The Tarizon Trilogy
Tarizon: The Liberator
Tarizon: Civil War
Tarizon: Conquest Earth
Tarizon: Shroud of Doom
Tarizon: Desert Swarm
Non-Fiction
Go Broke, Die Rich
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