As Terri turned to see where the girls were running to when she felt pain flare in her back and spread to her legs. She looked up into the face of Opellissa and watched a red substance cover the front of the woman. After a second, it dawned on her what had happened as she looked down at the hole in her belly. Just before she passed out, she felt Opellissa grab her and lower her to the ground.
"MEDIC!" Opellissa yelled as she tried to stop the bleeding with her hands.
Opellissa looked up in the direction that the shot had to have come from. Another figure was lying on the ground and the two young girls were leaning over it crying. Opellissa's small detail came flooding in from different directions.
"Kandris," Opellissa said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, my lady?" Kandris replied.
Opellissa stood up as the medics took over and faced her second in command, "You find the son of a bitch who did this and you bring them to me. I want them unharmed, they have a lot of explaining to do."
Kandris bowed, "As you wish."
Kandris and half the small detail ran off in the direction that Opellissa pointed. The rest of the women formed a guard detail around their leader, trying to render some type of protection.
Opellissa looked down at the unconscious Terri and then turned her attention on the young girls.
"You two stay here and protect the princess. The rest of you with me, those girls are to be protected at all costs. You, medic, come with me we have another person down," Opellissa said as she started in Sam's direction.
"You're insane," Jon said as the Duke stepped over the bodies of the King and Queen.
Nadeo grinned, "You might see it that way. What I see is the killer of the Royal Family."
Jon's eyes narrowed, "No one will believe you."
Nadeo laughed, "Why's that? You have been at odds with the King ever since you got here. You killed the King in a fit of rage and then the Queen as she tried to run. I caught you in the act and ordered your ship destroyed and your marines arrested. You fought me and in the fight you and your men died."
"Won't work," Jon said.
Nadeo stopped his approach, "Why's that?"
Jon grinned, "Because, Duke, I'm the King now and by your laws you can't touch me. Doing so only gets you hung." Jon was trying to stall, he was sure the bluff wouldn't last. Nadeo had already killed the King and Queen, killing Jon would make no difference to Nadeo. Nadeo had put all his chips on the table and it was all or nothing time.
"What's that saying I read in your data banks?" Nadeo said. "Oh, yes, in for a penny in for a pound. I think that fits this situation well. I'm going to kill you and by doing so the princess will die. Or maybe she will beg me to bond with her and allow me to force a bonding. Either way the Empire and Ghost Station will be mine."
Since arriving here Jon had an idea that the King wasn't behind the attacks on Ghost Station, now Nadeo had just confirmed that. A deep hated of the man talk welled up inside of him as he thought about Deatra and all the possible outcomes. "So it was you who had been ordering the attempts of me and my people," Jon said as he tried to control his anger be fore it got the better of him.
The guards around Jon powered up their suits as they sensed the coming battle. The fact was that once the armor powered up, nothing Nadeo's men had could harm them. Guards shifted, cutting Jon off from Nadeo and shielding him as best they could from the other marines in the room. Weapons hummed to life and both side cycled their guns.
Nadeo raised his hand in a swift motion and the air in front of him shimmered as a personal shield went up. Nadeo grinned as he thought about what was about to happen and the power he would control.
"Come my Prince, see to your fate," Nadeo gloated.
That's when Nadeo felt a hand grab his chin and a knee in the back put him off balance as he was bent over backwards. Nadeo's eyes widened as his dreams slipped from his grasp as he realized he had been tricked.
Jon's voice whispered into his ear, "A trick a very important friend taught me. You see Duke I expected something like this. I have this strange ability to sense when things aren't right. I want you to think quickly, which came first the chicken or the egg?"
"No," Nadeo started. "Huh, chicken or the egg?"
"Wrong answer," Jon twisted as hard as he could and was rewarded with a loud popping sound as Nadeo's neck snapped. Jon held the now twitching body in place so the shield covered him, offering him some protection.
"Put down your weapons and you will be spared, your duke is dead. I'm now the your King and I'll not tolerate any more fighting," Jon's voice boomed.
Nadeo's men looked at each other and one of them shot at Nadeo's body. Seconds later the man fell to the floor dead from multiple gunshots.
Jon sighed, "This is the last warning, put down your weapons NOW!"
After a few seconds, Nadeo's men started complying with the order and laided down their weapons. That is when Deatra broke through the outer doors and running into the room calling for Jon.
Jon turned the cloak off as his men gathered the weapons. Deatra ran into his arms crying, "Jon, there's been a terrible accident."
Jon's blood ran cold.
Rick sat watching as the Marudas entered one of the docks on the shipyard. The technicians were still working to bring the station online and estimated at least 3 hours until it was operational enough to do minor repairs. He had brought Angel back from the surface to help speed things along.
"Commander," the Coms officer said.
"Yes?" Rick asked as he looked over in her direction.
"I have a priority communication from Admiral Hunter," the officer replied.
Rick nodded, "Put it through."
"Rick, I need you and Atlantis back at Eutharan now. Have Carla and the William Hawkins take over command there," Jon said.
Rick's brow furrowed, "Is everything ok Admiral?"
"Terri and Oojoung have been badly hurt. I need Dr. Wilson here ASAP," Jon said.
Rick jumped from the command chair, "Con reverse course and fold to Eutharan. Com, relay that message to the William Hawkins. Jon we're on our way, Dr. Wilson is on board, I'll have her standing by in the landing bay."
"Hurry, please," Jon begged.
Atlantis backed away from the shipyard as the last of the orders were relayed to the William Hawkins. As she reached her fold point, she spun around and disappeared in a brief flash of light.
A flash of light announced the arrival of the Atlantis into low orbit of Eutharan. Waiting on them was a raptor, which dock immediately.
Kayla was the first to reach the ramp of the raptor with her medical bags in tow. What she saw made her gasp. Lying on a bed was Oojoung and Terri. The packing covering Terri's wound was dark red and Oojoung's packing was a bright red. His packing was higher up on the chest, but his breathing seemed fine.
"Move Terri to surgery right away," Kayla said as two of the med techs entered behind her.
As they moved her to a anti grav bed Terri let out a small sigh and her bio signs flat lined. Kayla grabbed two cables from one of her packs and plugged them into the chest plate Terri was wearing. She hooked the other ends to a small device and waited a second before pressing the red button.
Terri's body jumped as a pale Jon and Deatra watched. Again, Terri's body jumped as another shock ran through her body. On the third shock, she gasped for breath as her body came back to life. Kayla laid the small device on her chest as one of the med techs put an oxygen mask on Terri's face.
"MOVE HER NOW!" Kayla yelled.
Royal guards ran a head of the techs as they pushed Terri towards the medical ward. Kayla quickly looked over Oojoung and had another two techs move him to the medical ward. For the most part he was stable. Kayla took off at a dead run trying to catch up to the small group of people around Terri.
Sam and the younger Kayla, with the dogs, stood by Oojoung as he was loaded up and moved. Both of the girls were crying, unable to understand how their protector could get hurt.
Two hours later Jon stepped on to the bridge of the Atlantis. Everyone stood up and saluted him, Eutharans bowed with respect. Atlantis and Rick walked over to him as he moved towards the center of the bridge.
"Con, plot course and get us back to Ghost Station," Jon said as Rick and Atlantis stopped beside him.
"Aye Sir, course plotted," the con officer said.
"Execute, do not stop for anything, that is an order," Jon said.
"Aye Sir," the officer said.
"How is she?" Rick asked.
Jon looked up into the face of a very worried Rick, a tear falling from his eye, "Dieing."
Atlantis gasped, "That can't be possible, the nanites in her system should help repair her body."
Jon sighed as more tears fell, "Our nanites, all of our nanites have gone inert."
Atlantis frowned, "That's impossible."
Jon looked up, "Why?"
"The nanites should never go inert, they're there to protect the host and help heal them. If they have went inert, then there is something more going on. I'll get Ghost and we can run some tests," Atlantis said as she slowly faded from view.
"Jon, I'm so sorry," Rick said. He lead Jon in to the ready room as he spoke.
"It's ok, I knew this could have happened. But, it doesn't make the hurt any less," Jon said as he sat down in a chair.
Rick grabbed a couple glasses and a bottle of some type of whiskey from Eutharan and sat down next to Jon. He poured them each a glass as he spoke, "How's Deatra?"
Jon took a big swig, "I don't think she knows what to do, between the girls, Terri and Oojoung. She's like me, I don't know who I'm supposed to be sad for. Ellie is with Young Kayla and I wanted to thank you for staying on station."
"Hey man, I knew my little girl was ok. My wives, your wife, Sam and you; I had no doubt she is being well cared for," Rick smiled as he poured Jon another drink and took a small sip from his.
Jon once again drank it down, "All the same I'll take command for a while and you go tend to your child." Jon was slurring his words already.
Rick smiled as he poured Jon another drink, "You're the boss."
Jon nodded as he gulped the drink down. Jon's eyes slowly closed as a light snore came from him. Rick was surprised it had taken so long. All the stress and emotions, not to mention what he had went through on the surface of Eutharan, he had thought one maybe two and Jon would be out.
Rick set his drink down, stepped out on to the bridge, and told the two guards at the door that Jon wasn't to be disturbed. He then turned and handed off command of the ship to the third in command before departing to check on his family.
Thanks to my editor BoB_McC