E:A Vol 4 Ch 9—March 26, 2120

Chapter 9: March 26, 2120

After David prayed for Zy’nayth and Ny’van, the High Chancellor returned to Kiva summoning Kol’non to join him in his office. Kol’non reported that poison had been found both in the bowls and bag of dog food. After listening to Kol’non’s report, Zy’nayth informed him of the discussion David brought up regarding Ny’van. “I do not want to do this,” he said.

“It’s better if you personally confront him than to investigate him behind his back then have him find out you were doing so, especially if he’s innocent. And if he’s innocent, he’ll understand that you had to ask him. But, sir, why not anyone from the High Council?”

“The rebels would expect me to since my work with them has been rather rocky. The Vice Chancellor, on the other hand, is like a brother to me. I would not have even questioned his loyalty had David not suggested it. He was right. I do need to consider everyone in this place with access to my chambers. Especially now that we have confirmed that the children are targets.” Zy’nayth looked at the clock and sighed. “And I must head to the Council chambers.”

“Contact me if you need anything,” Kol’non said.

“Just make sure my office on the flagship is shielded. If Ny’van is part of this, I pray it is against his will and that there are monitoring devices on him. I need to be able to speak freely to him. I will signal you after my Council meeting.”

“Understood. And I will have First Science on the ship in case you require his work.”

“Thank you. Yes.”

When Zy’nayth walked into the High Council’s chambers, the members were already at their desks. He walked over to his own desk and sat down. “Gentlemen, do you have a decision for me?”

“We will allow the use of telepathy on the intruders and the men you captured on Di’vash’s ship but not on Di’vash himself.”

Zy’nayth looked at the member who spoke, “May I asked why you are excluding him?”

“You can, of course, overrule us,” the Lead Councilman said, “however, at this time, we haven’t reached a consensus on the matter. We also feel that it could be construed as if you have been systematically destroying your brother’s family line so that none of them would ever replace you as High Chancellor. We think this is a good compromise between your status as Supreme Commander and the image you wish to project as High Chancellor.”

“Very well.”

“Of course, the questioning needs to be recorded, and, if you would indulge us, we would like to be present,” the Lead Councilman said.

“That was expected,” Zy’nayth replied. “I will have the prisoners teleported down to the main Kivan prison after my First makes arrangements with the prison’s commander and guards. I do, however, want my own men to guard them.”

“We can agree to that.”

“Is there anything else?”

“No, sir. We hope that you do find anyone else involved in this. All of us are quite upset that this palace was invaded and that your children were the targets.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me, I must contact my First so that he can start making arrangements for the questioning.”

“Sir, one last question,” another member spoke up.

“Yes?”

“Will your First Commander do the questioning or will you do it personally?”

“Though I would like nothing more than to interrogate them myself, I think it would be best if my First Science Commander did the questioning.”

“First Science, not the First Commander?”

“I may have the First Commander question some of them, but those who I consider key, I prefer the First Science Commander. His telepathic skills are much more enhanced. He can pick up on nuances that perhaps the First Commander would not. Will this be a problem?”

“No. I was hoping that you wouldn’t be doing the questioning yourself since your family was the target.”

“Understandable. Thank you, gentleman.” He turned to Ny’van, “Vice Chancellor, would you join me in my office for a few minutes?”

“Of course.”

Once the men crossed the main floor to the High Chancellor’s office, Zy’nayth immediately contacted Kol’non and told him of the decision regarding the interrogation. “I need you to work with the prison commander and transfer the men down to the capital’s prison. Our men will guard them. The High Council agreed to this. We will also need seating for the High Council as they will oversee the questioning. And, of course, recording equipment. I will also need you to work out a questioning schedule so that the High Council knows when and how long they will be away from their normal duties.”

“Understood.”

“And First, I would like the First Science Commander to question those we consider key personnel. You may question the others.”

“I was going to suggest that, sir. I will contact him. Anything else?”

“Not yet. I am about to meet with Vice.”

“Understood. Out.”

“You have a good team,” Ny’van said.

“I do. I have been truly blessed with good friends.” He leaned against his desk, arms folded across his chest as he looked at Ny’van. “I must cover every angle; you understand?”

“Yes. You wouldn’t be the Zy’nayth I know if you didn’t.”

“Vice Chancellor,” he said, his silver eyes piercing into the blue of his friend’s, “are you…”

Ny’van’s quickly finished the sentence, “Ready to be questioned? Yes. Let’s go.”

Zy’nayth gave him a nod and clicked his comlink. “We are both ready to teleport up. Directly to my office, please, then join us.”

Kol’non did as he was asked then walked into the office. “Shield is up; you cannot be heard outside of this room. Internal scanners detect a transmitter on the Vice Chancellor.”

Ny’van nodded, “I had no choice.”

“No choice? Did you know about the attack on me? About the attempt to kidnap my children? And about poisoning their dogs?” Zy’nayth fumed.

Ny’van raised his hand. “Sir, please. I will explain everything, and when I am done, you may use telepathy on me. I never meant for things to go this far. It was a seriously bad call on my part.”

“I should say so,” Zy’nayth said as he clenched his fists. “Kol’non, I want Vince or John here so they understand the threat to Victoria and the twins when they are on Terra 2. I also want Ja’val here for this. I need to go for a walk…to calm down first.”

“Understood,” Kol’non said and tapped his comlink. “First Science Commander, you are requested to join us in the High Chancellor’s office on the flagship.” Then he contacted Vince, who was in a meeting that he couldn’t get away from, so he sent John.

When the two men arrived, Zy’nayth still hadn’t returned.

“So what’s going on?” John asked.

“We’re about to find out,” Kol’non said as Zy’nayth walked in.

“Thank you for coming,” the imposing Rayth said as he leaned against his desk. “One of my closest friends is going to tell me why he has a transmitter on him, how he knew about the attack and kidnapping of my wife and I, the attempt to kidnap my children, and the attempt to poison my dogs.”

Ja’val pulled out his scanner and Ny’van pointed to his right shoulder.

“Please begin,” Zy’nayth said in his fiercest growling voice.

“I am on your side. Please, I have been trying to find a way to pull you aside, but I was told that the transmitter even picks up on telepathic thoughts. I had no way of confirming it since mentioning it to Ja’val would have alerted them. It’s also why I left every time you were about to mention Earth.”

Ja’val nodded, “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen…in this size, anyway. But there are two transmitters. One looks remarkably like the one we took out of Victoria. Simple location device. I will want my Second to confirm since he did most of the research on it. But this second transmitter, I need to examine it. It’s near the brainstem. Unbelievable. If this can pick up telepathic transmissions, I want to know who designed it. My team can’t fit it into anything even remotely this small.”

“Is it unknown tech?” Kol’non asked.

Ja’val shook his head, “Raythian design, just something I’ve not encountered outside of my own little bag of tricks. May I go to my lab and get some items so that I can take them out.”

“Not quite yet. I want to hear the story first. Are we certain that nothing he says or thinks can be heard outside of this room?” Zy’nayth asked.

“Yes, sir,” Ja’val said.

Ny’van looked at his friend. “Shortly before your kidnapping, Di’vash and a handful of his men came to my home wanting to know when you would be back on Kiva. I, of course, inquired as to why he needed to know. He said he wanted to talk with you regarding the serum trials. I knew he was lying, and saw no harm in telling him your arrival date. In that, I was wrong.

“I assumed you were near full strength with your abilities, and even if not, you’d still be more than a match for Di’vash and that handful of misfits he was with. I…” he sighed, “I didn’t think anything further about it. I know I should have set up security on the island, and I know I should have told you about it, especially after you told me you had a bad feeling about returning here. I don’t know why I didn’t say anything. That’s not like me. I have always brought everything to your attention, warranted or not. This was warranted and I kept silent.”

Ny’van let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders, “In any case, the next thing I know, I’m getting word from Kol’non that you and Victoria have been kidnapped. Right after Kol’non contacted me, Ca’vak showed up and threatened me. Obviously, I don’t take kindly to threats, but then…he said something that caused me to pause. He said he had a warship’s full armament directed at Nimsi, my hometown, and where my last living son and his family live; where all of my offspring have lived for centuries,” he sighed. “I asked him what he wanted. He said he wanted your children. They hadn’t been with you at the island when his brother sent his men to capture you. I was glad to hear that. I told him that you’d said you were hesitant about returning here and that you probably sent the children off to someplace safe until you were sure the island was secure. That’s when I got the transmitter injections.

“He continued to push me for information and even attempted telepathy, but his ability was weak. It wouldn’t have done him any good since I honestly didn’t know where the kids were. Then I thought about Earth and I pushed the information about it as far back as I could. But I didn’t need to. As he was trying to probe my mind, he told me that he had a ship already headed to the planet. That he knew where Victoria’s home was, and that if the children weren’t there, he would simply wait for you to show up. And now, thanks to the transmitters, if I said anything to you, or to Kol’non, or anyone on Terra 2…they’d know about it and destroy my hometown…my family.

“The next thing I know, Kol’non’s telling me about a crash, an overdose of the serum, but that you seemed to be okay. I tried to think of a way to tell you what I knew. I couldn’t even write it down or type it because the transmitter would pick up the thought. I…when I heard you had gone into cardiac arrest,” Ny’van bowed his head, “I felt utterly helpless and beyond stupid. Everything we’ve been through together…the one time I didn’t say anything…Zy’nayth, I give you my word, I have no idea why I didn’t say anything. It’s unlike me, you know that, my friend. Please tell me you know that.”

Zy’nayth nodded. “I know that is not like you. But I really want to understand why this happened. Meanwhile, Kol’non, have the Second Ship look for this warship around Ny’van’s home. Neutralize it. Do not destroy it.”

Kol’non immediately gave the command over his comlink while Ny’van continued. “I don’t know if they were telling the truth regarding Earth,” he said, “and I have no information regarding their FTL capabilities.”

“Shall I have the Second Ship start heading to Earth after they neutralize the warship?” Kol’non asked, still talking with the Second Commander.

“No,” Zy’nayth replied.

“Uh, they’ve had a month or so head start,” John said, speaking for the first time during the meeting, “that has me a little nervous.”

Zy’nayth looked at Ja’val, “Did you get that big ship armed yet?”

“Fully loaded and ready,” the First Science Commander replied.

“You have something bigger, and I assume, faster than this?” John asked.

“I do not. You do. Slightly faster, in any case. Contact Vince, let him know we will need to use it. We will take off in three hours; that should give the Second Ship time to dispatch with the rebel ship and if we need to provide assistance we will have time to do so. If the rebels have standard FTL, we will catch up. We have satellites along your system, if they were close, we should have detected them. But we shall play it safe and take your ship there. The flagship will follow.”

John nodded and tapped his comlink.

“Now, what about what happened last night?” Zy’nayth asked Ny’van.

“The only thing I know about yesterday is that they had asked me when you were due back in the office. They didn’t ask if you’d be staying on the island or in the palace. Just the dates you’d be on Kiva.”

“How long ago did they ask?”

“Two days ago.”

“Do you know where Ca’vak is? Do you know how many are working with them?”

“No, in both cases.”

“Any idea on how they got in the information about Earth?”

“No.”

“What about Terra 2? Have they found its location?”

“I don’t know. If I had to make an educated guess, I would say yes since they know the location of Earth. I’d also guess that they think Terra 2 is too well protected to go after.”

“Ny’van, outside of those on my flagship and Second Ship, you are the only one who knows the location of Earth and Terra 2. I am not accusing you, I am asking, where do you think they got their information?”

“I wish I knew. I swear to you, it wasn’t me. And with your two Firsts as witnesses, I willingly offer myself for telepathic interrogation. Not only to prove my innocence, but in case there has been some way in which they were able to get into my head and pull the information out. I may not remember it, but you’d be able to see it through telepathy.”

“Sir,” Ja’val said, looking at his tablet, “my scans show he has residual amounts of various drugs in his system. He was probably drugged. If their telepathy didn’t work while he was awake and able to block them, they may have put him to sleep or put him into some sort of comatose state.”

“Zy’nayth, do it,” Ny’van said.

“I do not want to. You are my friend and I trust that what you are telling me.”

“But there might be info in there that you need. My friend, do this. It will help me come to terms with the harm I’ve brought to you and your family. Please.”

“Please know that I trust you,” Zy’nayth said. “Ja’val, this should be recorded. But I do not want to release it unless he is guilty, which I doubt he is.”

Ja’val nodded and set up the equipment. When he was ready, Zy’nayth walked over and put his hand on his friend’s head. As Zy’nayth questioned him, he also used his ability to search through his mind to find any answers he may need.

“Nothing about Di’vash and Ca’vak’s location or how many they may have with them,” he said as he continued. “Kol’non, make sure our crew gets the images of the Rayth who interrogated Ny’van.” After a few more minutes he smiled, “He was given some type of injection prior. Ja’val, I assume it is what your scanner is picking up. I also sense it in his system.”

“To make sure we’re above board on this, let me remove it,” Ja’val said. “In case there are any questions.”

“Per protocol, yes,” he stopped and looked at John, “It was a bluff. They do not have the location of Earth.”

Ja’val smiled, “Even when he was drugged, they couldn’t break through his mental defenses. Being a fullblood definitely has its advantages.”

“Ca’vak is also a fullblood.”

“A generation removed from you and Ny’van,” Ja’val said.

“Is there anything else I need to ask about while I am in here?” Zy’nayth questioned.

“I’m not sure how this all works,” John said, “but what about just asking him what he overheard Ca’vak say. I mean, this all seems more visual than audio. If he was asleep, he could have still overheard something, right? Something you might not pick up from the visual cues.”

“He is still picking up audio,” Ja’val said, “those are the black spots on the video feed. But that was a good idea. Most telepaths don’t even figure that out.”

Zy’nayth removed his hand from Ny’van’s head, “I see nothing to implicate you as guilty. Do the witnesses concur?”

“I do,” Ja’val said. Kol’non agreed.

“For what it’s worth, I agree,” John nodded.

“Very well. End recording.”

“Should I let Vince know to stand down?” John asked.

“Yes, please. And send my apologies for reacting too quickly.” Then Zy’nayth turned bacl to Ny’van. “Thank you, I am very thankful to have you as my friend.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. To John’s surprise, the usually unflappable High Chancellor had tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I am so sorry I caused this. I will step down as Vice Chancellor.”

“Not while I am alive and High Chancellor,” Zy’nayth said and put his hands on Ny’van’s shoulders. “I need you in that role. You protected me, my family, Terra 2, and Earth.”

“I gave you and your family up.”

“Not willingly. I know that.”

“It was only my fullbloodedness that protected…”

“I will hear no more of this,” Zy’nayth said with a wave of his hand. “You are loyal. You are my friend. What happened was out of your control. The end.”

Ny’van nodded, “Thank you, Zy’nayth.”

“Terra 2 and Earth are safe,” Zy’nayth said. “However, Kol’non, I would like to schedule the flagship to head to Earth within the next month. We do need to begin work on the addition to the house. We can also look for any suspicious ships on the way there. Meanwhile, we will begin our telepathic interrogations when you have things ready.”

“Waiting to hear back from the prison commander,” Kol’non said. “He’s working on arrangements.”

“Good. Ja’val, can you remove those transmitters but find a way for them to be turned off and on as needed?”

“I can; may I ask why?”

“We need them to think he is still under their influence. He will need to carry those around with him, but if I need to talk to him, I need him to be able to turn off the transmission. I may also find a way to use him to bait these guys. No offense, but I would rather use you to lure them out than my children.”

“I completely understand,” Ny’van smiled. “Whatever you need me to do.”

“Right now, just sit here. Ja’val get what you need. John, if you do not mind waiting a few minutes, you can bridge back with Ja’val when he is finished. It should only take a few moments.”

“No problem. What do you want me to tell Vince and the others?”

“Just tell them that I will explain everything tomorrow.”

“And my cover story as to why the transmission stopped?” Ny’van asked.

“Inferior technology.”

“Or simply shrug your shoulders. How would you know the transmission stopped?” Kol’non grinned.

Zy’nayth agreed. “That may be the easiest thing to do. We know you can stop them from probing your mind, so we should use that to our advantage. And, Ny’van, forgive me for being a bit hostile towards you.”

“Zy’nayth, I’ve seen you hostile. That was not anything close. Upset, worried, yes. Hostile, definitely not. But if you need me to say that I forgive you, I do.”

“Thank you.”

Ja’val returned, removed the two transmitters, and told them that he’d need ten minutes to put them in a device that would allow Ny’van to carry in his pocket and turn on and off at will.

“So while we wait,” John said, “should I be planning on some time off to help out with the house addition? And is there anything I need to do?”

“Regarding this, nothing at the moment. But I will need you to acquire Earth materials. I wish to match the materials used to build the house. I think we will start with a master suite over the garage first. I have most of the schematic finished. Victoria seems to like the layout, so it should not take me much longer to complete it.”

“Just send me a list and I’ll make it happen.”

“I will supply the money as well,” Zy’nayth said.

John chuckled, “I fully expected you to. I don’t make that kind of money. We need to plan a family weekend. And this guy,” he pointed to Ny’van, “should really join us.”

“I haven’t taken the serum, I can’t eat your food yet.”

“Neither can Ja’val or Kol’non,” John said, “they just bridge back to your homeworld or teleport up to the flagship if it’s in orbit.”

“If you still want to take the flagship to Earth within the month,” Kol’non said, “we could arrange to coincide that with a family weekend.”

“Let me check with Vince,” John said.

“I believe we could talk everyone into coming,” Zy’nayth smiled. “However, Kol’non, have you and Be’atta set a wedding date yet? I do not wish to interrupt anything you have planned.”

“It will be in roughly six weeks.”

“Will it be too close to the wedding?” John asked. “Be’atta may have a lot of last minute things to do.”

“I believe everything is done. As she mentioned, she wanted a very simple ceremony. All she has to do is send out invitations. She is handwriting all of them even though I told her I could easily send them through our communications system for her.”

“I thought she did not want many people there,” Zy’nayth said, assuming Kol’non’s remark was due to the number of invitations she had to write.

“There are only a few, but she is writing letters, not just invitations. I understand it to be a tradition of her people that when they invite someone to the ceremony, they express their appreciation of that person, among other things. It is a very personal invitation. She is enjoying it. I, not so much. It’s not something I’m good at. She has to help me form the sentences so that they don’t sound so…stiff.”

John laughed, “I can imagine.”

Ja’val returned with the tiny device for Ny’van and showed him how easy it was to use. “That’s it. I still want to tear that one apart and see how it works. I did run a scan on it, but I’d like to get it under our microscope.”

“You can have it back when this is over,” Zy’nayth smiled. “I would like to have that technology in our hands.”

“We have it, just not that small,” Ja’val replied.

“Then I believe we are done here. Kol’non, please teleport the Vice Chancellor to his office. Have our scanners keep an eye on him, just in case we need to pull him out. John, Ja’val, you may return to Terra 2. Tell Victoria that I will be there at my normal time.” He looked at his watch, “It is almost my normal time. Tell them an hour. I must finish a few things first.”

***

Chris and David were still with Victoria. They didn’t even know that John had been called to the flagship.

“But he’s innocent, right?” Victoria asked when John told her about the confrontation.

“Completely. Your husband seemed pretty relieved. That guy nearly burst into tears when it was over. To even think that a friend of ten thousand years might just be involved in something like that…he must have really been hurting inside.”

“He was,” she said fanning her face, an odd attempt to keep from crying. “I’ve been praying for him since he left…that this would turn out like it has. I’m so happy. That poor guy has had everyone close to him ripped away. You guys have no idea what he’s dealt with. I just…I don’t think he’d handle this well if it had turned out any other way.”

“Well, things turned out for the best. And, we’re planning a long weekend in about a month for our little family.”

“Probably not a good time,” Victoria said, “with the wedding and such.”

Mik’kenna and Ky’nayth had been down for naps but when they saw they had another visitor, the sleepiness in their eyes disappeared. They ran up to John and gave him hugs and kisses, then asked where Scout was.

“In my chambers,” John said. “Sorry, I came here straight from a meeting. And I need to head out. I have to finish up some planning before my little trip tomorrow. See you guys later.”

“If you don’t have dinner plans,” Victoria said, “it’s burger night.”

“Then I’ll be back in an hour.”

Victoria went down to the mess hall and picked up a few more ingredients since her guest list had expanded, then headed back to her chambers. In just the few minutes she’d been gone, Chris had fallen asleep on the floor. Mik’kenna and Ky’nayth were up on the sofa, studying their vocabulary words. And David was in a recliner just relaxing. When Victoria entered, he hurried over and took the two grocery bags from her and went into the kitchen. Victoria went over and gave the twins each a kiss. “You’re doing a good job watching over Uncle Chris,” she whispered. “Thank you for letting him sleep.”

Just as she turned to go to the kitchen, the door opened. Zy’nayth saw Chris on the floor and looked at his wife. She put her finger to her lips then motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen.

“He must not be getting much sleep either,” he said as he helped his wife and David unpack the groceries.

“Looks that way. He’s only been out about fifteen minutes. I invited him and Alessa to dinner. And John. David’s staying, too,” she smiled, “So I just ran down to get more food. I think I’ll go ahead and start the pie.”

“Pie?”

“Yeah. I thought our guests would like it. You’re back earlier than expected.”

“The children will enjoy the pie. Yes, I was able to finish things up more quickly than anticipated. What can I do to help?”

“You, sir, haven’t gotten much sleep. Go in and take a nap.”

“I will just watch over the children.”

“They’re doing their studies. Go get some sleep. This will take about an hour with making the pie. Sleep, honey.”

“All right. I am not going to argue. I am quite tired.”

She gave him a kiss then sent him on his way. Both Zy’nayth and Chris slept for the next hour and only woke up when Victoria told them that dinner was about ready. Chris was stiff from napping on the floor but managed to get up. He stretched then went down to his own chambers to get his wife who had slept all afternoon.

John arrived just as Chris was leaving to get his wife. The kids were thrilled that he brought Scout with him this time. Scout was just as happy, her tail wagging furiously as she gave them kisses then went and pounced on Storm, Celeste, and Baxter.

Once everyone was gathered, Alessa looking refreshed, Zy’nayth prayed over the meal then Victoria began passing around the dishes. Zy’nayth took to filling his children’s plates. They were in their high chairs since they needed the regular chairs for their guests. When he put a spoonful of something gooey and cheesy on Mik’kenna’s plate, she looked at her mother. “What dis? You give us all new stuff today. What dis?”

“You’ll like it.”

“Mommy,” she said in her little frustrated voice, “I need to know what dis is first.”

“It’s called gratin.”

“I no know what dat is,” she said as she poked at it with her finger. “It look like taytoe.”

Victoria smiled, “Cheesy sliced potatoes.”

“Really taytoes?!”

“Yes. I told you that you’d like them. They’re hot, so be careful. And make sure to eat your salad too, or you can’t have any extra potatoes.”

“Victoria,” Alessa said, “thank you so much for inviting us for dinner. You two have so much going on the last thing you need to do is feed everyone. Though I thought you said burgers, not stuffed peppers.”

“When I went to get more beef, I saw those beautiful peppers. It’s really easy to make. Anyway, couple of close friends isn’t everyone. And you know I’m happy to feed you guys. I love to cook. I made tons of extras so you guys can take some home to warm up tomorrow. You too, John.”

“I’d love to, but I’m off-world. Though I will be back for dinner, so…yeah, I might just take a one home with me. They are mighty tasty.”

“I made extra potatoes and salad so you can have a full meal,” Victoria said. “And dressing, if you want. And some dessert.”

“Dessert?” Ky’nayth lit up.

“Yes, which is after you eat your dinner.”

“What for dessert?” he asked.

“Well, I’m not sure you’ll like it. It’s avocado, spinach, and beet cake.”

“Dat’s not dessert,” he wrinkled up his nose.

Chris grinned, “Sure it is.”

“No it not. You silly, Uncle Chris.”

“So, Zy,” John said, “I told Vince you were going to fill him in on everything tomorrow. Did you want to meet with the entire team?”

“Yes. I actually saw him when I bridged in. If something comes up during our meeting tomorrow, I will tell you about it when you return from your excursion, but there should not be anything new.”

“You find puppy poisoners?” Mik’kenna asked.

“We will be questioning the men we caught in our chambers. I am sure we will find them.”

“Mommy,” Ky’nayth said, “you still no tell me what dessert is. Da real dessert, not silly cake.”

Victoria grinned at her son. “Okay, I made two pies. One apple and one cherry.”

“Can I has both?”

“You can have a little bit of each, yes.”

“I lub pie!”

“Me too,” Mik’kenna said then took another bite of her pepper, followed by the shoving of a tomato from her salad into her mouth with it.

“Honey, don’t do that. You’re eating too fast,” Victoria said. “You will get some pie, don’t worry, I made plenty. Uncle John and Uncle Chris won’t eat it all.”

Zy’nayth chuckled. “If they try, I will stop them. I promise. Though I may eat all of the pie myself.”

“Daddy! No!” Ky’nayth said.

Mik’kenna giggled. “Daddy save some. He no eat all pie.”

“Daddy might east all of the pie,” Zy’nayth winked at her.

“So, after the pie,” John said, “will you be staying here until the puppy poisoners are found, or will you be going to Earth?”

“I do not want to send Victoria and the children to Earth unless the flagship or Second Ship can be there.”

“But you said they didn’t know the location,” John said.

“The men who tried to get that information from the Vice Chancellor did not know the location. Others may. In any case, I wish to make sure that I have the best security measures in place. Right now, this is the only place where I know they can be watched over and defended when I am not here. Not only do I have your team to watch over them, the Rayth from my flagship who are on leave here, can also protect them if need be.”

When everyone had finished their meal, Victoria served the pie, and to the kids’ further delight, whipped cream.

“Are you sure you don’t want any?” Victoria asked her husband when he declined the pie.

“Yes. I will have some later. Would you toss me one of those oranges, though?”

Victoria reached over on the counter and gave him the fruit. “You don’t really like sweets that much, do you?”

“I find that I prefer the natural sweetness of fruit. But do not take offense, I do love your pies.”

“I like brownies,” Mik’kenna said with a nod, “but pie good too.”