Return Of The Fontalo
by Linda Rigsbee
Chapter 9
Donte read the message from Adriaan. It was the distance that their shuttles could travel on one tank of fuel. He consulted a map while he waited for Dalziel’s response.
He looked up when someone tapped on his door. It was Beier. Donte smiled. “Come in.”
Beier came through the door. “What can I do for you, Monomi?”
Donte put the map aside. “I have a personal request. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, and it could be dangerous.”
“It sounds intriguing.”
Donte explained what was happening in Lochfowk. “What I would like you to do is contact Donica. She hasn’t answered any of my messages since Rianne and I returned. I have a feeling that something is wrong.”
“When do you want me to leave?”
“As soon as possible. I…” The message machine beeped and Donte turned to remove the message. He read the message and glanced up at Beier. “You will officially be representing the Ruler of Bergen, and your mission is to assure the safety of the Princess of Bergen.”
Beier grinned. “Do I escort her back to Bergen if she wants to go?”
Donte nodded. “And her son.”
Beier sobered. “What do I do if her mate objects?”
“You are authorized to defend yourself and the Princess of Bergen by whatever means you feel is necessary. I might add that your laser should be on stun while inside the Lochfowk village, for the safety of everyone.”
Beier stood. “I’ll get ready for the tram.”
Donte shook his head. “Have Garrett take you to Lochfowk in the shuttle and wait for you.”
Beier lifted his brows. “I thought everything was grounded.”
Donte turned the map around so that Beier could see it. “Quade and Kenyon boarded the Fontalo shuttle today and found it abandoned, but a homing device was on. The tank wasn’t empty, but it was low. Adriaan gave me the distance our shuttles could travel on a tank of fuel.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “Rianne and I were camping right here when we saw the shuttle. It was traveling in this direction and this is where it landed.”
He pulled another map over the one they were examining. “Here is Purlieu and here is where our spaceships were located at that time. They didn’t pick up the shuttle, so it would have had to come in from this direction. Given the distance that our shuttles could travel, that would put the Fontalo spaceship somewhere in this area. The shuttle can travel faster than the spaceship, and its distance on a tank of fuel is farther than our airships. The reason we haven’t been able to locate that spaceship is because it isn’t within our range yet.”
Beier nodded. “So, it’s safe to use the shuttles for a while.”
“Probably. I want to make sure Donica is in a safe place before they arrive.”
Donte stared at the map. It was probably time to start thinking about getting all the Mascots in the underground shelter – before the Fontalo arrived. He glanced up and found Beier watching him.
Beier smiled. “Sometimes you look so much like Anica.” He nodded. “She would have been proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Donte looked up when someone tapped on the office door. “Come in.”
Rianne and Sima entered. Sima’s eyes were bloodshot and her face was blotchy. She had obviously been crying. Donte pushed back an urge to comfort her. She wouldn’t want to be treated like a fragile woman. It was better to pretend he didn’t notice.
Donte looked up at Beier. “Go ahead and make those arrangements, and you may have another passenger.”
Beier tipped his head forward in a gesture of respect. “Yes, Monomi.” He turned and left the room.
Donte stood and walked around his desk, offering a palm to Sima. “I have a possible solution to your request.”
She gripped his forearm, “What is it?”
He guided her to a chair and when Rianne turned to leave, he motioned for her to stay. He waited for Rianne to be seated before he returned to his chair. He folded the maps as he spoke.
“As Rianne pointed out to me, I am still the Ruler of Bergen. I can’t interfere in the government of other colonies unless it affects Bergen. As you know, Donica is the Princess of Bergen.”
Donte glanced up and met Rianne’s approving gaze. “As a neighboring colony, any unrest in Lochfowk could become a problem for Bergen. Therefore, I have appealed to Cadha for military help. She referred me to the commander of the Premier Infantry.” He handed the message to Sima. “They can’t remove Chait from power. Only Lochfowk can do that, but they can send an infantry troop into Lochfowk to discourage violence.”
Sima accepted the message from Donte while she listened to him. Her expression migrated from despair to hope and finally to joy. “Thank you!” She read the message and smiled. “This is exactly what we need. With this assistance, we can get things back in order.”
Donte smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry I put you through so much, Sima.” He stood. “Gerritt will be taking Beier to Lochfowk in a shuttle. You are welcome to ride with them.” He glanced at Rianne. “I have instructed Beier to make sure Donica is safe and to bring her back here if that is what she wants to do.”
Sima caught her breath. “Surely you don’t think…” She frowned. “She has acted a little reserved lately. I didn’t think…” She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Donte’s medallion beeped and he tapped it.
“Donte, this is Kafil. You were right about that island.”
“Hang on a minute, Kafil.”
Donte stepped around his desk and offered a hand to Sima. “I hope this works out to everyone’s benefit.”
Sima shook his hand. “Thank you. I’ll accept that ride…”
Donte walked to the door with her. “Wait for them in the lobby downstairs.”
Rianne started to leave with Sima and Donte grabbed her hand. “You might want to hear this.”
When Donte closed the door behind Sima, he guided Rianne to a chair and took his place behind the desk. Grabbing the maps, he spoke to Kafil.
“Go ahead, Kafil. What did you find?”
“The island is small and mountainous. There is a cave on the west side and we were being observed as we fished with nets. I could see them with my eyeglass but it didn’t look like they were using any equipment to watch us. I only saw two people. We fished until we were out of sight. We’re near the dock at Nyumbani as we speak.”
“Thank you, Kafil. That helps to clear the picture for me. I think I know what’s going on. I’ll send each of you a message explaining my thoughts.”
“I’ll watch for it.”
Donte tapped his medallion twice to shut it off and picked up the maps. Rianne lifted her brows. He smiled. “I’m interested to learn what you think of this.”
She leaned forward as he opened the first map on the desktop. He explained on each map, as he had with Beier. He looked at her. “Here’s what I think. “They sent the shuttle ahead to establish a camp in a predetermined place. It’s away from all the colonies and they can come and go without causing suspicion. If I’m right, they are monitoring our communications. They may or may not know the languages. I thought, based on the fact that Nyumbani didn’t participate in regular conferences, that Nyumbani was the least likely language that they would know. If I’m right, that’s good. If not, they probably don’t have any more information than they did to begin with.”
“What language do you think they speak?”
“The original language – the language of Oriel.”
Rianne frowned. “No one speaks that language.” When Donte smiled, she rolled her eyes. “Except you.”
“Except the original commanders, Dad, Dalziel and me. It’s a difficult language to learn because they have so many words that have the same meaning – more or less. Sometimes the same word means something else when it is used in a different way.”
Rianne put an elbow on the table and rested her chin in it, watching Donte’s face. “How do you keep up with all that?” Her gaze dropped to the map. “And this too?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a superpower.”
“So, why are you going to send everyone a message?”
“With the exception of the spaceships, the messages are wired, so they aren’t going to pick them up – I hope.”
“When do you think the spaceship is going to be close enough to detect?”
He sighed. “It’s only a guess, but maybe in a week. I think they will send more shuttles before then, though. They didn’t leave the homing device on for the spaceship.”
“What are you going to do?”
Donte indicated the map of Purlieu. “I’m going to move the Moeder here and the Azar here. I want to move the Baigh back where it won’t immediately be detected.”
“Why?”
“It has the most firepower. I’ll leave the unfinished one here. Hopefully The Fontalo will think it is the third spacecraft and has been damaged – disabled – and is being repaired.” He met Rianne’s gaze. “What do you think?”
“It all sounds logical to me. How are you going to get this information to the spaceship commanders?”
Donte smiled. “I’ll have to physically deliver it.”
“When?”
“Today is as good a day as any.” He tapped his medallion.
“Yes Monomi?” a voice answered.
“Can you patch me through to Adriaan?”
“Yes, Monomi.”
After a few minutes a voice spoke on the medallion. “This is Adriaan, Donte. What can I do for you?”
Donte explained that he wanted to conference with all of the spaceship commanders on the Moeder that afternoon.
“Yes, Monomi. I’ll make arrangements for your arrival.”
Donte tapped the medallion to disconnect. He carefully folded the maps and placed them on his desk. “There is one other thing that I want to discuss with you before I leave.” When Rianne lifted a brow, he grimaced. “I want to send you and the children to the underground shelter before The Fontalo arrives.”
Rianne frowned. “You can’t send everyone there.”
“Only the Mascots have reason to be concerned.”
“How can you be sure?”
He shrugged. “According to The Prophesy.”
“But you’re not going.”
He shook his head. “Nor is Celyn.”
Rianne sat up straight. “If she’s not going, why should I?”
Donte gave her a level look. “Because I’m telling you to.”
She smiled. “Oh, so you’re pulling rank on me.”
“Exactly.”
“Yes, Monomi. I’ll pack our things, Monomi. Is there anything else, Monomi?”
He laughed. “I’ve got to catch that tram. I’ll be home late tonight.” He stood and walked around his desk. When Rianne stood, he took her into his arms and kissed her. “I’m going to miss you and the children. I don’t know how long it’s going to be, but I can work better if I know you’re safe.”
She gazed up at him. “Please be careful.”
Donte arrived on the Moeder as the shuttles came in from the Baigh and the Azar. Commanders Cadha and Vidal walked with him to the conference room on the Moeder, where Commander Adriaan met them. After an exchange in greetings, Donte unfolded the maps and laid them out on the table. He explained what he wanted to do and waited for their response.
Adriaan looked at Donte. “You intend to fight them?”
Donte nodded. “I intend to prevent an invasion and loss of life on Purlieu. That’s what the spaceships are here for, isn’t it?”
Adriaan looked doubtful. “They weren’t put here to fight The Fontalo.”
Donte glanced at Cadha and Vidal. Both were staring at Adriaan, confused by his response. Donte spoke softly. “I need to know where your loyalties lay, Adriaan.”
Adriaan’s rubbed the back of his neck, his face staining with color. “With the colonies, of course. I guess I never thought of us actually firing on The Fontalo.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I think it likely will. If they had returned merely to see how we were doing, they wouldn’t have hidden themselves from us.”
Adriaan shrugged. “Maybe. Then again, maybe they are merely trying to determine if we are friendly.”
Donte nodded. “In that case, radio contact would have sufficed, don’t you think? There was no need to sneak in at night and leave a homing beacon on while they set up camp on a remote island.”
Cadha finally spoke. “Donte sensed malevolence. I’m comfortable about that.”
Vidal agreed and Adriaan sighed. “We all agreed to make Donte the high commander.”
Cadha looked at Donte. “When do you want us to get into position?”
“As soon as possible. We don’t know how close that spaceship is. I think they will send more shuttles before they give away their position.”
Vidal nodded; his expression reflective. “That’s what I would do. Get more troops on the ground first.”
Adriaan frowned. “I wish we knew what kind of firepower we were coming up against.”
Cadha glanced at Donte, her expression concerned. Her gaze hopped to Adriaan; her tone sarcastic. “We can be pretty sure they won’t be using muskets.”
Donte gave Cadha a wry smile. “I think it’s safe to assume we will be facing superior technology. We may even be outnumbered, but I doubt it. I think they will be surprised by any resistance.”
Cadha agreed. “I think they will be surprised by the amount of organization and skill involved.”
Donte nodded, “And the determination.”
Adriaan sighed. “If our militias don’t turn and run.” He gave Donte a level look. “Or turn on the Mascots to save the colonists.”
It wasn’t simply logic that made Adriaan bring up that possibility. It was part of The Prophesy. They had no idea how the colonists would react.
Donte nodded again. “All the more reason to make sure there are Mascots in the militias.”
They could talk the thing to death. There were too many possibilities and no guarantees. They simply didn’t have enough information to make an accurate prediction – and they wouldn’t until it happened. The only thing they could do was prepare as best they could.
That evening when he came home, he took Rianne into his office and told her what had transpired. She listened to all he had to say before commenting.
“It seems to me that Adriaan would bear watching – not because he would turn on you, but because he might hesitate too long in following a directive.”
“Second-guessing me?”
She shrugged. “He’s been a commander a long time.”
“Which makes his input all the more valuable.”
Rianne smiled at him. “Donte, you have so little confidence in yourself. You have seen more action than Adriaan has.”
He hadn’t thought of it, but it was true. In fact, Adriaan had seen no action that he hadn’t created.
Rianne put her hand over Donte’s. “When Akira needed your help in Nyumbani, you didn’t hesitate – even though it put your life at risk. When you rescued Celyn, you were right out there in front, leading. People follow you because they know you will be there for them and they want to be there for you. They trust you. I trust you.”
Donte leaned back in his chair and stretched. Hopefully he wouldn’t let them down. “The waiting is the hardest part.”
Rianne nodded. “Yes, it is, but you are making good use of that time.”
Sending Rianne and the children away was going to be one of the most difficult parts of the task. If it weren’t for the children, he might agree to let her stay, but they needed at least one of their parents with them. It was going to be difficult enough for them adjusting to a new environment without Daddy being there.
Donte stood. “I don’t have much time. “I need to teach as many people the old language as I can. I want to teach you…”
Rianne smiled. “You said Dalziel knew how to speak it?”
He nodded as he walked around his desk.
She sighed. “Then that’s where I will learn it. Let Quade teach Kenyon, Celyn and Neirin. You teach Beier and the cabinet.”
He smiled; his gaze lingering on her beautiful face. “Did I mention that I love you?”
She smiled as she leaned toward him in a seductive way. “Then why are you sending me away?”
He groaned as he took her shoulders into his hands and pulled her close. “I want you to stay – probably as much as you want to stay.”
“I know,” She whispered. “We have to be strong. Hopefully this won’t last long.”
Soft Science Fiction
