Hello again. This story is the next portion in a series of novels I'm writing in real life. Based on the great urge I have to share my work before it's ready to be sent to my publisher, I remembered you guys. My story was enjoyed before, so here I am again. Basic rules still apply...
1. If you don't enjoy my work, don't read it.
2. Constructive Criticism is welcomed, just be nice about it.
3. My apologies if I leave anyone hanging in suspense too long - real life often sucks.
After all that is said... here goes...
Niemand remembered back to the first time he had met Princess Deborah as Cindy listened intently. He started the story that had happened 17 years prior to this date...
"And who is this?" Niemand heard the sweet voice say as he bowed. He didn't want to screw this job up. He had worked long and hard for the recommendation to be a royal pilot and he had gone to training sessions for five long years. He was twenty-five now and had given his whole life to his career.
"This is Pilot Niemand, Princess Deborah." Niemand recognized the voice as Mycia's. Mycia was a good friend and had helped him get this job of a lifetime.
"Is he any good?" Princess Deborah said speculatively. "The last idiot that you hired couldn't fly a ship straight for all the gold in my father's kingdom!"
"Yes Princess. I do regret hiring Wishter. He is doing better at flying now that you demoted him to flying the garbage detail. This man will be better I'm sure. He has gone to flight school for five years and then he has worked various high-intensity flight jobs for nine years now." Mycia motioned for Niemand to stand up straight in the army-style way one does as they are being interviewed. Niemand kept his eyes straight ahead even though he wanted to study this arrogant girl.
"Define 'high-intensity'." Princess Deborah spat out as she looked her new pilot over.
"Racing for three years, bomb-placement for mining for four years, and spy detail for your father for two years."
"And why, Niemand, did you quit being a spy for my father after only two years?" Princess Deborah finally addressed him.
"I quit after only two years because I shot down an enemy satellite that ended up being a massive bomb. I was injured and put on inactive duty by my physician. I was told that I couldn't fly again as a spy for three years." Niemand formally replied.
"You don't look injured." The Princess' tone was as cold as ice.
"Politically injured Princess. If your father was to allow me to continue being a spy, he would have to admit to the enemy that he had blown their satellite up which would have caused a war. Instead, I merely got sent away."
"So you lost a job in exchange for not starting a war with the Nythians?"
"With honor ma'am." Niemand said proudly. "Do you want to take a ride and see for yourself how good of a pilot I am?"
"Sure, but I must warn you. I'm a pretty good pilot myself and I would be flying my own ship if my father hadn't taken that right away when I turned twelve. He says that it isn't proper for a young lady to fly her own ship. If you can't handle the ship, you will not be getting this job."
"I understand. Let's go!" Niemand said brightly. He had no intention of letting this pompous sixteen year old scare him - even if she was a Princess.
"And that, my dear Cindy, was how I got my job as your mother's pilot." Niemand finally said quietly still enjoying his memory of shocking Princess Deborah with his skill as a pilot.
A country gal with a heart of gold and a delight for blowing up spacecraft!
Callsign: Incoming
Life is like a sewer... what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. - Bob Newhart
Hell is being in a pure platinum asteroid field... with a diamond mining beam
From post: 181720, Topic: tid=12146, author=Marvin wrote:Much improved in your writing style. And all without a single four-letter word. Congratulations, Cindy. An enjoyable read.
Thank you Marvin. I guess an Associate's Degree did help me out and Mom taught me well regarding four-letter words.
From post: 181729, Topic: tid=12146, author=DaveK wrote:Great to see you back in the forum Cindy!
Thanks DaveK. It's good to be back among friends.
This piece of the story was hard to write as it left me crying. I hope that I successfully put enough emotion into this piece for you all to feel Niemand's pain and anger too.
A couple of days had passed and Cindy once again approached Niemand. "What was it like when I was taken to Earth for the first time?" She asked, curious.
Niemand frowned as he started to remember the rough times... but he once again humored his daughter.
Niemand groaned as he helped Deborah out of the wrecked spaceship. His leg hurt, but he knew that it wasn't anything compared to Deborah's injuries. She had a gaping cut on her forehead that was bleeding badly. He hoped that their baby was alright as he gently set his wife down on the ground.
War had come to Terbia. The Nythian's had finally decided to attack and Princess Deborah's father, King Zonien, had entrusted his ex-son-in-law to make sure his daughter and her baby were safe. The escape from Terbia had gone well until a couple of small Nythian fighter ships had attacked them just as they jumped into hyperspace. They had managed to critically damage the ship and despite the best efforts of the ship's Artificial Intelligence working with him, they had had to jump out of hyperspace too early and make a rough emergency landing on this uncharted planet.
Niemand glared through the smoke at his favorite ship. It would take several days to get The Canary Dido space-worthy again and Deborah didn't have several days. She had been in labor most of the time they had managed to stay in hyperspace and he had no idea how to deliver a baby. He heard Deborah faintly call his name. "I'm here Your Highness." He replied as he had been told to after the King had forced him to sign the divorce papers.
"No formalities, Niemand, please." Deborah said so softly that Niemand could barely hear her. He nodded as he tried his best to bandage her head. Try as he might though, he could not stop the bleeding. He didn't have to be a Doctor to know that that was very bad. "How bad is it?" Deborah finally asked.
"Not too bad." Niemand said with the best smile he could muster. "Your head will feel better in no time and the ship will only take a couple of days to fix. Let's worry about getting the baby born first, shall we?"
Deborah nodded as she went back to focusing on her breathing like she had been taught. Niemand was left praying that this would not turn out as bad as he could see it becoming. The next hour was spent just holding Deborah's hand and wishing that he could do more to ease her pain. The simple first-aid kit that they had wasn't good enough for this kind of situation. He knew that Deborah should be in a hospital and he felt so worthless because he couldn't get her to one.
"Take good care of our baby." Deborah said faintly, looking deep into Niemand's eyes. "I love you!"
"I love you too!" And then Niemand was busy cleaning off not one, but two healthy baby girls. "Deborah! We had twins!" Niemand placed them on the sheet he had had ready and turned back to Deborah. "Deborah, we have two fine baby girls..." His voice trailed off as he saw the relaxed smile on her face. Her eyes were staring straight past him.
Niemand's eyes filled with tears as he gathered his dear Deborah into his arms. "No! You aren't allowed to leave me! Deborah, wake up! Please, just wake up!" Sobs wracked his body until there were no more tears left to cry. "Please, God, no. Not my sweet Deborah. No."
After crying all the tears he had, Niemand realized that the baby girls were both crying. "Probably hungry." He muttered to himself as he wrapped Deborah in the last sheet they had with them.
Going to the ship, Niemand rummaged through the contents of what had been the ship's food locker as he searched frantically for something to feed the infants. Dried food packets littered the ground around the wreckage. But there was no milk. No formula. Nothing of use. He bellowed in frustration and the startled babes replied with increased cries of hunger.
Niemand jumped when a roar from overhead droned out his children's cries. He clambered out of The Canary Dido just in time to see a small craft slow its approach, hover above the wreckage, then continue on over the wrecked ship to land nearby. He hoped that it was a friendly vessel as the only weapons he had had onboard were now destroyed. Apparently getting smashed against the wall as the ship had careened down to the planet had not been good for his blaster or his wife's smaller one.
Three uniformed men came out carrying weapons but, to Niemand's great relief, their attitude appeared more cautious than threatening. "Hello," one of them called as they approached. "Do you need help? What's your name?" They stopped a short distance away.
"Hello." Niemand called back, addressing the man who had spoken. "My name is Niemand and I do need help. I have two baby girls here, their mother died in childbirth, and my ship is damaged. Can you give me a lift to another planet if I show you its location?" He hoped that they were trustworthy, but something needed done as his two baby girls were still howling for food.
The small group came closer to investigate the situation and saw the two precious babies that Niemand had bundled up. Each of them were wrapped in half of a sheet to help keep them warm. The leader stepped over to Princess Deborah's body and pulled the sheet back to see her lifeless face. He sadly replaced the sheet. "Are you the father?" He suspiciously asked.
Niemand thought quickly, I don't know these people. They might cause more problems for me if they knew I was the babies' father. I should also tell them who the kids are so that they will be less likely to hold us for ransom if they know it will cause a war. He replied quietly, "No, I was only their mother's pilot. We were attacked and she was seriously injured when we crash landed. I need to get her babies back to their grandfather, King Zonien. He's the King of the Terbiates."
The leader of the group then pulled a fist-sized communicator from his belt and, cueing the communicator, called "We have a damaged ship, two baby girls, a dead woman, and a man who is requesting a lift back to an unknown planet controlled by an alien race called the 'Terbiates.' Permission requested to give them a lift."
The communicator came to life with a staticy hiss. "Permission granted."
Niemand wasn't sure yet if he should be worried about accepting this help or if he should breathe a sigh of relief. He decided to continue keeping a watchful gaze on these strangers, but to thank them for their time. His thoughts were interrupted when the leader briefly touched his arm and said, "Please come with us." He smiled a grim smile before adding, "We'll send another team out here to collect your ship and the lady's remains."
"Thank you very much." Niemand replied as he followed them to their ship, all the while keeping a watchful eye on his two precious charges who were still screaming loudly.
------------
Once on board the stranger's ship, Niemand was quickly assigned a room where he and the babies would stay. He was also supplied with two bottles of a nutritious formula to feed the babies. He settled in quickly and proceeded to feed his children, knowing that these were the last moments he would be allowed to spend with them. As the babes greedily consumed the warm milk that Niemand held for them, he allowed himself to fall in love with these last reminders of Deborah. Once they were fed, he watched them sleep.
Niemand knew that when he returned home, the babies would be taken away from him to be raised by the King. He knew that he held no right to them - the King had made him sign that right away when he had been forced to divorce Deborah. Deborah had always said that she'd make sure her children knew their rightful father, but now she was dead. He was sure that King Zonien would be very unwilling to keep that promise, so he relished this alone time with his daughters.
"You both will never remember this, but I love you so much! I'd give anything for either of you!" Niemand whispered as he kissed their foreheads. He then laid down on his cot until a knock sounded at the door.
Niemand answered the door and was surprised to find the Captain in charge of the ship. "Hello Niemand. I'm truly sorry about your losses. We have both your employer's body and your ship onboard. Please come with me to show me where you want to go. I have brought Commander Sarah to watch the twins while we are gone."
"Thank you, but I'm going to have to tell you here. I can't leave my charges. They are my responsibility." Niemand replied as he glared at this Sarah character who was cuddling with his children. He had a sneaky suspicion that these strangers were trying to separate him from his children.
"Fine. Commander Sarah, please bring us a map." The Captain ordered. As Sarah left, he turned back to Niemand. "Tell me more about who you are, who the babies are, who their mother was, and about the history of the royal family."
"I was just Princess Deborah's pilot and confidante. Princess Deborah was King Zonien's only child. She was next in line to rule Terbia." Niemand kept his answers brief, glad that he didn't have to explain any of his heritage. There was no reason to bring up the special genes that the two girls possessed. He was very grateful to the Captain for the ride, but he would not trust the twin's biggest secret with anyone.
Just then Commander Sarah returned and Niemand quickly pointed out Terbia. The Captain said that they would arrive there the next day and the only thing left to do was get a good night's rest. They all said their farewells and Niemand was left to crash onto his bunk.
Niemand sighed as he thought about everything that had happened in the last few hours. He was having a really hard time accepting that his wife was dead and that his children would soon be ripped from him as well. He knew he should stop thinking about it before he started crying again. At least, he wouldn't have to worry about the future for too much longer. It would only be a short amount of time before they were back home.
Niemand got up to check on his kids one last time before collapsing again on his cot. He was exhausted from the day's events. He slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
-------------------
Niemand awoke in the middle of the night to his two girls screaming. He tried to get up, but someone shoved him back down to the bed. He struggled to get free and heard a grunt as he made contact with his attacker. He fought harder, but then there was a piercing pain on his neck. He felt the drug seeping into his system, slowly putting him to sleep. He kept fighting to get to his babies, but it was no use. Within minutes he was out and his last thought was, I'm going to get whoever did this!
--------
Niemand's mind jerked awake as he felt the Captain shaking him. "Get up, Niemand. This is where you get off." came the cool voice.
Niemand quickly shoved the hand off of his shoulder and jumped up, his mind replaying the scene last night. His babies had been crying and upset, he had been drugged, were his children ok? He glanced over at the bed where they had been laying and felt his heart stop. One of the twins were missing!
"Where's the other baby?!" Niemand growled demandingly.
"There is only the one child. You must be mistaken." the Captain's voice grew colder.
"I'm not mistaken. I want the other Princess to be returned to me immediately." Niemand growled as he took a threatening step towards the Captain. If he doesn't return my child, I'm going to at least leave him hurting with the pain I feel. Niemand thought as he advanced again.
It was then that Niemand noticed the bodyguard the Captain had with him. The two men were raising their weapons and pointing them at Niemand. He sighed despondently and then retreated back away from the Captain.
"I suggest you take your Princess and get off of my ship. You are no longer welcome here." The cold voice of the Captain once again ordered.
Niemand grasped for any other way to get his charge back. "You will not get away with kidnapping a royal Princess of the Terbiate people!" He warned.
The Captain then presented him with the cold, hard facts. "It's your word against everyone else's word on this ship, Niemand. I wouldn't try to fight us if I were you." The Captain gave Niemand an icy smile. "Now, for the last time..." he growled, "get off my ship!"
Niemand quickly assessed the situation. Even though he desperately wanted to fight these people, he knew that there was no chance for him to win. He would get hurt or even killed and his remaining charge could be injured in the fight. Picking up the Princess, he hurried off the ship before they changed their minds about letting them go.
A country gal with a heart of gold and a delight for blowing up spacecraft!
From post: 181755, Topic: tid=12146, author=SeeJay wrote:Welcome back Cin.
Great read as always. Don't leave us hanging too long now will ya!
Thanks SeeJay. I'll try not to leave you guys hanging for too long. I need to average writing 2,000 words/per week for my deadline not including blogging, so I should have something to share with you all once or twice a week... hopefully... unless the accursed writer's block sets in. lol This week I only did 1,000 words, so today I'm playing catch-up... and I'm sick. Oh well, the doctor said rest and I can stay in bed and write at the same time! hehe
From post: 181802, Topic: tid=12146, author=AcePalarum wrote:Very good read. Enough that I dug back in the forums and found the earlier parts of the story as well.
Hope to see more soon!
Thanks AcePalarum. I am proud to say that I have improved my writing style since the last time I wrote.
Continuing on from last post... I hope that this part stirs your guy's hearts as it made me cry when I wrote it... but that's what makes a good book, right?
A few, short hours later, Niemand stood before King Zonien dreading what he had to say. "It's good to see you again my friend!" King Zonien said warmly. "I trust that my daughter is safely hidden away?"
Niemand looked down to compose himself before meeting the King's gaze. "I'm afraid that my ship was damaged and crashed on a planet not far from here." He paused as everybody in the room gasped and then fell silent. "Princess Deborah, your daughter, gave birth to twin girls before she died."
Another gasp was followed by a different type of silence. This time the silence was deathly. King Zonien finally broke the silence with a sob. "My little girl, my precious baby is dead?" he wailed tearfully.
"I'm sorry." Niemand quietly said as he felt tears starting to run down his own cheeks. He heard the whole courtroom errupt in sobs as it registered that the dear Princess Deborah would never be seen again.
A few minutes later, King Zonien spoke again, silencing the courtroom. "What about her babies? Where are they?"
Niemand motioned for a nurse to bring out the babe that he had carried into the city from the out-skirting landing pad where he had been dropped off. "The ship was damaged beyond repair. I had to hitch a ride home with people from Earth. While we were aboard, the Captain kidnapped the other baby."
The court gasped again which was quickly hushed by the King's roar. "He did what?! They will not get away with this! Guards, get the Captain of the Earth vessel on the communicator and get my other grand-daughter back here!"
As a couple of palace guards scurried away as King Zonien stopped yelling due to the infant's cries. "Give her to me." He quietly said.
King Zonien started crying softly again as he held his precious grand-daughter close. "Make sure arrangements are made for her care and make sure that she gets the best care ever!" He ordered as he finally gave her back to the nurse.
"As you wish, King Zonien." The nurse replied and hurried away.
"As for you, Niemand..." King Zonien glowered at the Princess's pilot who had returned only to tell him that his only child was dead.
Niemand gulped. He really didn't like the way the King was glaring at him. The hope he had that King Zonien would be rational was fast disappearing and he didn't want to make the King more angry. He lowered his eyes and quietly spoke, "Yes, my King?"
"You come back with only one of my grand-daughters after unsatisfactorily piloting the ship that my daughter was on. You killed my daughter by letting that ship crash!" King Zonien raged.
Niemand felt his whole body flinch as the King spoke. So much for him being rational. He finally was able to give a sigh of relief when the guards hurried back into the room and consulted quietly with the King. Maybe now the King's rage would fall on those who deserved it instead of on his son-in-law.
"They found what?!" The King's voice rose an octave higher and made Niemand jump. Niemand heard the guard start to repeat himself, but King Zonien interrupted him with a icy voice. "I heard you. You are dismissed."
Niemand dared to glance up at the King only to see angry eyes glaring at him. "Niemand. According to the captain of the vessel from Earth, you had killed one of the babies and hidden it in the sand. His team found it when they came back for my daughter's body."
"I did no such thing!" Niemand yelled, shocked and disbelieving this outrageous lie. Surely his father-in-law didn't think that he had killed his own child! "I would never hurt anyone of the royal blood!"
"Yet you did. Since my daughter cared so much for you, I won't execute you like you deserve for killing her and murdering one of my grand-daughters. You are to be locked up until further notice."
"But I didn't do anything of the sort!" Niemand pleaded trying to get the words out past the lump in his throat. He broke down and started sobbing.
"Take him away!" King Zonien growled.
Niemand was dragged away as he continued to blubber about how he was innocent. One of the guards hit him in the stomach and then growled, "Silence." Only then did Niemand stop blubbering and allowed himself to hang limply in the guard's grasp.
Niemand stayed silent for the rest of the way to the cell that he knew was to be his for a very long time since the King didn't want to execute him. His face was wet with tears as he thought about how King Zonien think that he would deliberately murder his wife and one of her babies or even spilled the royal blood - even if he hadn't been the father!
He laid down on the simple cot in the cell as the guards slammed the door. He tried to just cry himself to sleep, but sleep was far from restful as many nightmares kept waking him up. Many times he cried himself to sleep that night, but never stayed asleep as screams of terror kept waking him up. He finally realized that the screams came from himself as the nightmares kept getting worse. He almost wished that the King had decided to execute him.
A country gal with a heart of gold and a delight for blowing up spacecraft!
Oh well, the doctor said rest and I can stay in bed and write at the same time! hehe 