Return Of The Fontalo
by Linda Rigsbee
Chapter 19
Cheska studied Dr. Oriana’s report. They had violated Donte’s trust by examining him and taking samples. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the report that would help the Mascots. In fact, the mutation of blood cells might be considered proof that he was an animal. He was fertile, and that probably wouldn’t be received well. Would they want to sterilize him?
According to Rianne, she and Donte had been married for at least ten years. Donte had hidden his wife. Was he hiding children as well? Did any of the others have children? Kenyon had been born before the serum, so he was likely sterile, but Celyn wasn’t. What about King Neirin? Celyn had been born since the administration of the serum. Donte said his mother didn’t take the serum. How many others had refused?
Cheska tossed the report on her desk and ran a hand over her face. She had hoped the report would remove any doubt about their animal genes. She returned to the one method they could use to make the courts of Oriel understand that these people were humans. If Donte didn’t want to come to their ship, he certainly wasn’t going to be willing to spend months in space traveling to and from Oriel.
Donte said not to judge others by his blood because he was a mix. What about his father and Kenyon? As doctors, surely, they would understand the need for conclusive research. What about Celyn – or even Beier? The more samples she could get, the better the chance that she would come up with some way to help them. Oriel had new laws protecting animals, but it didn’t stop humans from owning them and neutering them – or separating them from their families, either.
Donte wanted freedom for Purlieu. That would be difficult enough to achieve even if the courts considered him human. So far, everything he had done was with the purpose of protecting the colonists, but if he started fighting with Fontalo over the rights to the spaceships, he was going to get into real trouble. The spaceships legally belonged to Fontalo. If he killed someone in the process of trying to keep them, he might be charged with murder. If the courts decided he was an animal, they might decide to put him down – like a dangerous animal.
What they needed was a good negotiator. Donte was that, but he and Captain Pacilio got along like territorial cats. They hissed and snarled at each other, occasionally making an unexpected strike at each other. What about Quade or Kenyon – even King Neirin? Of course, the problem wasn’t Donte. It was Captain Pacilio. It was beyond her comprehension how the captain could sit and talk to Donte and not think of him as human.
Cheska had never been interested in law, but right now she wished she had some kind of training. There were cases on Oriel where people moved into homes and the owner had difficulty getting them out. Wouldn’t that apply to a spaceship that had been abandoned for over 40 years? Of course, the difference was that Donte would be going up against Fontalo, not some insignificant individual. But then, Donte wasn’t insignificant. He was the elected representative for the planet of Purlieu. She might know nothing about law, but she could say without the slightest doubt that if Donte set foot on Oriel, he would have the support of the public. They would adore him. Beier had said it. Everyone liked Donte…and Rianne. If they had children.… The people were always looking for a cause, and Donte’s family would be a good one. Fontalo would be exposed for what they really were – unless they relented. That would be their only way out.
She put the report in her drawer and stood. The first thing she needed to do was get permission for blood samples from more Mascots. Donte would be the place to start asking. She was certain he wouldn’t give her permission to take samples from anyone else, but if he sanctioned it, the others would probably follow. It was a start, and some kind of hope.
As it turned out, the best help Cheska got to convince the Mascots to give blood samples was Captain Pacilio. He was furious that she was attempting to take blood samples from Fontalo’s Mascots without asking his permission. Rianne immediately gave blood, as did Beier. It was Beier who escorted her to Libertad, and Dr. Oriana to Anialwch and Nyumbani. Even Lochfowk cooperated and invited Quade to collect blood there. As Beier pointed out, the people of Vlaktes were actually part of Bergen colony. Even so, Damian gave blood. A trip to Bosvrouwen completed Cheska’s samples.
Dr. Oriana said traveling with Beier was an experience in itself. Beier was welcomed in every colony. Once he explained the purpose of the tests, everyone had been happy to cooperate. Everyone wanted to know how Donte was doing and even in Lochfowk, Chait was criticized for his attempt to kill Donte. Beier was right, everyone liked Donte, but they also liked Beier. Cheska could see why. She liked him too. He was unassuming and efficient. He was full of information and when prompted, always had an interesting perspective.
In essence, Donte was giving Oriel information on Mascots that he would not give Captain Pacilio. There were far more Mascots than they anticipated.
Captain Pacilio complained to Oriel and inside of a week Cheska received orders not to take any more blood samples. She complied. She had all she needed anyway.
Cheska knew how powerful Fontalo was, so considering Fontalo’s power on Oriel, it was no surprise to her that she was ordered to stop taking blood samples from the Mascots. Donte was shocked. He said Oriel was essentially agreeing that Mascots were animals who had no choice because Fontalo owned them. Rianne and Beier agreed.
Cheska explained the court system as best she could to them. Fontalo had not yet been found guilty and it was presumed they were innocent until that point. It was the way the legal system protected the innocent.
Beier shook his head and looked at Donte. “With that kind of logic, Chait would have been free to make as many attempts on your life as he could until he either succeeded or someone had the sense to figure out that he was dangerous.”
Donte leaned back in his chair and looked at Rianne. He had something on his mind. Rianne leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms while she watched him. Sometimes it seemed that they spoke to each other using only their eyes. Finally, his gaze came back to Cheska.
“I think we will not be represented in this legal system unless we are physically there. I would like to go and represent Purlieu.”
For a moment Cheska stared at him, her mouth hanging open. His response was so placid and composed that at first, she wasn’t sure he actually said what she heard. Rianne calmly shifted her attention from Donte to Cheska. She wasn’t surprised at his response, but Beier obviously was. He sat up straight and frowned, his startled gaze hopping from Donte to Rianne and on to Cheska.
If she had thought it possible that Donte would agree, she would have said something before now. She clamped her gaping jaw shut. She had no doubt that Donte would influence the people of Oriel. With Rianne, he would be twice as effective, but if they had children, Oriel wouldn’t know what hit them. They would fall in love with them as quickly as she did.
She finally found her voice. “I know they would be impressed with you, but if you brought your entire family, it would have more impact.”
Donte stared at her for a moment, his expression wary. He looked at Rianne, but she appeared as surprised as he was.
Cheska smiled at them. “No one told me. I simply guessed. How many children do you have?”
Donte looked at Rianne again. She shrugged.
“Two,” Donte said. “An eight-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son.”
Cheska’s heart felt like it skipped a beat. “I bet you miss them.”
Donte nodded. “I want them to be safe.”
“So do I,” Cheska said. “If we do this, we need to do it secretly. I don’t want Fontalo to know you are on our ship.”
Donte leaned back in his chair. “Let me think about it.”
He didn’t want to think about whether he went. He wanted to think about taking his children.
“I understand.” She hesitated and he lifted a brow in invitation. “The children could make the difference in winning your freedom. If Fontalo wins, you might never see your children again. They might have to live in hiding the rest of their lives.”
Rianne took his hand. “I think we should do this.”
He laced his fingers through hers and stared at the table with a reflective expression. Rianne sat patiently waiting for his decision.
Cheska sympathized with him. People shouldn’t have to make decisions like that. They shouldn’t have to hide their family from companies like Fontalo.
Donte’s gaze finally lifted to Cheska’s face. “When?”
“As soon as possible. Captain Pacilio knows we have been ordered to stop taking blood. If we leave soon, he will think we have been ordered back to Oriel.”
He considered that information. “If some of the captain’s men are watching us, they will know I’m gone.”
“True, but you could be hiding. Maybe someone could spread a rumor.”
Donte’s smile was wry. “Captain Pacilio would see through that immediately.”
He was probably right. Donte wasn’t the type to hide – or start a falsehood.
Rianne looked at Donte. “Couldn’t one of the ships provide an escort for a specified distance? You could send some messages from that ship and join us further out.”
“That’s a great idea,” Cheska said. “Once we’re out far enough, the Fontalo ship won’t be a danger. They’ll likely abandon their position here and follow us.”
Donte smiled. “Of course. The Azar was built for speed. It could easily outrun the Fontalo ship and it has the firepower for defense. Why hide the fact that I’m on it and headed for Oriel? If Fontalo follows us, so much the better, and your commander can’t order Vidal to turn us over to Fontalo. You could leave ahead of us and we could join you later.”
Cheska frowned. “You mean to take the Azar all the way to Oriel?”
Donte nodded. “Ask your commander for permission to return. You have completed your mission, haven’t you?”
She nodded. “But wouldn’t taking one of the ships leave the others vulnerable? What if Captain Pacilio decides your absence is the perfect opportunity to make a strike?”
Donte’s smile returned. “The Fontalo ship is no match for the Baigh. It can out maneuver the Fontalo ship and has more firepower. The captain knows he has no chance against them. That’s why he’s waiting for assistance. As for thinking he has a better chance to attack in my absence, I think he’s smart enough to realize that I prevented his men from being annihilated.”
Rianne nodded. “But I thought you said the Azar was understaffed.”
Donte lifted a brow. “The Premier Infantry has trained people.”
Cheska frowned. “The Premier Infantry? Who are they?”
Rianne smiled. “Donte’s Infantry – the best on the planet.”
Donte frowned. “They aren’t mine.”
Rianne shrugged. “You are their commander and they would all die for you. They are yours in heart and soul.”
Cheska stared at them. They tossed the information around as if it were no big deal. Captain Pacilio had no idea how wise it was for him to give up – or did he? For the first time it occurred to her that Purlieu might be able to defend itself against Fontalo. Of course, if the courts decided in Fontalo’s favor, Oriel would defend Fontalo. The sooner they got Donte and his family to Oriel, the better.
Beier didn’t say a word. He looked like he couldn’t decide whether the idea was good or bad.
Donte stood. “I need to talk to Beier and the cabinet about this. You can leave anytime you wish. We’ll catch up.”
Cheska returned to the Centaurus and sent a message to the GEF, asking to return to Oriel for restocking purposes since they were no longer needed on Purlieu.
They got a message two days later giving them permission to return to Oriel. They left Purlieu the same day. Cheska set a direct course for Oriel at top speed. They wouldn’t maintain that speed, but she wanted to get as far away from the Fontalo ship as possible before the Azar left Purlieu. The captain wouldn’t fire on the Azar while the other two ships were facing it, but if he followed the Azar, he would likely fire as soon as he was close enough to destroy it. Donte must have had a lot of faith in the Azar if he was willing to put his family on it. She was beginning to have a lot of faith in Donte and Rianne. What one of them didn’t think of, the other did. Some of the colonists had referred to Donte and Celyn as an unstoppable team. They might be, but from what Cheska had observed, Celyn had nothing on Rianne when it came to strategy.
There might be more Fontalo ships on the way to Purlieu. Captain Pacilio said he was waiting for reinforcements from Oriel. No doubt Donte had thought of that. He probably thought that if they were a threat to the Azar, they wouldn’t be a threat to Purlieu. That would only be true if the Fontalo ships didn’t destroy the Azar and continue on their way to Purlieu. It seemed to her that Donte was taking a big chance. That was probably why he wanted to discuss it with Beier and the council.
Cheska pushed the problem from her mind and focused on the new report Dr. Oriana had given her. She shuffled through the information on Beier, Neirin, Celyn, Rianne, Kenyon, Quade and Donte. Beier’s workup was similar to Celyn’s. That was strange. Celyn, Neirin and Donte’s blood was similar. Quade and Kenyon’s reports looked most promising. There was nothing in them to indicate they might be contaminated with any animal genes. She went back to Celyn and Beier’s reports. That was when she noticed the error. Someone had mixed up the reports and indicated that Beier was Celyn’s father.
She laid the reports on her desk and buzzed Dr. Oriana. One error in a report like that cast doubt on all of them. It needed to be corrected as soon as possible. It was unusual for Dr. Oriana to make a mistake, but it could happen.
Dr. Oriana answered her page. “So, you found it?”
Cheska frowned. If she knew there was an error, why didn’t she correct it before she submitted the report? “I found the error, if that’s what you are referring to.”
“It isn’t an error.”
Cheska groaned. “What I’m looking at is. It says that Beier is Celyn’s father instead of King Neirin.”
“That’s correct.”
Cheska wasn’t sure whether Dr. Oriana was saying the paperwork was correct or that she was correct in saying there was an error. “I think King Neirin should know if she was his daughter.
“It isn’t an error,” Dr. Oriana said. “King Neirin isn’t her father. Look at his blood work. He couldn’t be her father. Beier is.”
“Why would they lie?”
“Maybe he doesn’t know.”
It was possible. It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. And yet, Beier had been captive for thirty years. How could it happen?
“Did you see the other one?”
“What other one?” Cheska asked as she shuffled through the papers.
“Kenyon is Donte’s father.”
Cheska gasped. “No way. What are the odds that two of them would be wrong? Are you sure you didn’t mix up some samples?”
“Absolutely. I labeled them as I filled them. I even did those tests again to be sure.”
Cheska found the report for Kenyon and studied it. “How is that possible? Both Beier and Kenyon were captives for over thirty years.”
“I don’t know, but…well, Donte is forty, so that’s possible. Celyn was born while Beier was a captive, though.” Dr. Oriana was silent a moment. “I wonder if it’s something about the fact that they are Mascots. I can do some more testing.”
Cheska shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s worth the bother. I can’t see how the courts would be concerned with it.”
“Why don’t you ask Donte about Beier and Celyn? He might know. I’d like to know if there is something wrong with my testing procedure – if I should be doing something different.”
Cheska sighed. “Alright. In the interest of accuracy…but I’m not going to say anything about Kenyon.
“Oh, and in the samples Quade collected; there is one for a Donica. That test indicates that Quade is her father. I don’t know who she is or how old she is. He has other children, so I suppose that’s possible.
Soft Science Fiction
