Chapter 10: Quard

At the Quard system, the hyper drive went offline and the passenger transport vessel decelerated to sub-light speed.

Quard system control directed the vessel into a stationary orbit above Quard Prime.

I sat on a sofa in our suite with Laine, watching the view out the window.

“We made it to your home planet,” I said.

“We nearly didn’t. I thought you gave the Lagaid a sound beating, but they are just as annoying as before,” said Laine.

“I agree they’re annoying. They got their friends the Varech to ruin our vacation too,” I said.

“I got a copy of the security feeds. I’ll pass them on to my father. They might have Lagaid hiding in plain sight on Quard Prime,” said Laine.

“Excellent idea. We’ll disembark soon. Can you contact your father from here?” I asked.

“I will ask the captain to send a message,” she replied. “Be right back.”

Laine jumped up and left the suite.

“Jem, I wonder where you are?” I mused.

From the window I saw passenger shuttles approaching. I got a coffee from the food dispenser. I didn’t know when I’d find more.

A few minutes later, Laine returned with a spring in her step. She sat next to me and took the last of my coffee.

“I sent a message. He will meet us at the spaceport,” she said.

“Thank you. We should be careful for more Lagaid. They might be at the spaceport, watching the incoming arrivals,” I said.

“We can carry our stun guns at the ready,” said Laine.

“I packed the Lagaid blaster in my bag. We can give it to your father to examine,” I said.

A chime interrupted our talk. I opened the door to find the female Quard server.

“Hello, Saria,” I said.

She smiled.

“It is time for you to depart. I can escort you to the airlock, Sir!” she said.

I picked up my bag, Laine collected her gear.

“Lead on,” I said.

We followed Saria to the port airlock.

“You won’t need a space suit this time,” she said with a grin.

“Thank you for all your help,” I replied.

“It was the least I could do. Thank you for saving our lives,” she countered.

Laine nudged me and smiled.

“Saria, if you tire of serving on this vessel, we could use you aboard our Baglogi vessel,” I said.

“When we find it again,” added Laine. “We got separated and are trying to find it.”

Saria’s eyes widened.

“Oh wow! That would be an honour, Sir! I will think about it and let you know,” replied Saria.

I nodded. Laine and I stepped into the airlock. It cycled, and we stepped out into a passenger shuttle.

The armoured ground transport returned Jem and Mina directly to the landing pad. Rhan had their ID scanned and escorted them to the airlock.

“Safe travels,” said Rhan.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander. Hopefully our next visit will be longer,” replied Jem.

“And with all your crew accounted for,” said Rhan.

Jem smiled. They stepped inside the shuttle.

Jem took the pilot seat and Mina sat beside her in the copilot seat. Jem completed their pre-flight checks, and they took off from the spaceport. The shuttle slowly gained altitude as it rose into orbit.

“I still find it hard to believe that Brian and Laine survived that explosion,” said Mina.

“We were there, watching the event. I can’t see how they escaped,” replied Jem.

“It’s a miracle,” said Mina.

“I should have expected it from Brian. I was angry, then upset. Now I’m angry again,” said Jem.

“Should I remove the plaque from the bench in the garden?” asked Mina.

“I don’t know yet. The evidence we saw on Ori Major was convincing. If we can catch up with them in Quard, we can confirm,” said Jem.

By now, the shuttle was entering the shuttle bay and the outer door was closing. As soon as the shuttle bay pressurized, they exited via the airlock.

“Ship, take us to Quard. Best speed,” ordered Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

They left the shuttle bay for decontamination while Ship negotiated with Ori system control. When they got to the main bridge, their vessel was breaking orbit.

“Ship, how long until we reach Quard?” asked Jem.

“Roughly four days, Commodore,” replied Ship.

“Pull up the video and scan logs from the orbital station. I want to know how they escaped the explosion,” said Jem.

“Confirmed,” replied Ship.

“This may take a while,” said Mina.

“We have four days,” replied Jem.

“Coffee?” asked Mina.

“Sure. I think we will need it,” replied Jem.

Mina got up and fetched two coffees.

Our passenger shuttle arrived at the spaceport on Quard Prime without incident. We picked up our gear and followed the other passengers out the airlock. It was late afternoon, and their sun was getting low on the horizon.

Several passengers wanted to thank us again for saving their lives, including several invites to visit them on Quard. I handed them over to Laine, who talked to them in Quard and made notes on her device. I didn’t know or care what they discussed.

“We have to wear a disguise next time we travel like this!” I said to Laine.

Laine grinned at me.

“We rarely travel like this,” she replied.

Because we came via a passenger shuttle, we lined up with the other passengers for immigration. That didn’t last long. Several security forces found us and escorted us away.

We arrived in a private area, where the ambassador waited to greet us.

Laine bounced over to her father and hugged him. I stood patiently while they spoke back and forth in Quard.

Soon, Laine let go, and the ambassador turned to me.

“Welcome back to Quard, Commander. I am overjoyed that you have both returned safe,” said the ambassador in fluent Ori.

A security forces officer approached us with a portable scanner. Laine and I held out our right arms, and they scanned our ID.

“With the formalities over, I invite you to my home,” he said.

We both nodded.

Laine and I followed the ambassador out to a private ground transport. We took a seat and left the spaceport for their home. Laine was talking to her father rapidly in Quard. No doubt they were catching up on what had happened since they last met. There was a lot.

The rest of the journey I sat quietly, looking at the view through the window as we travelled through the city.

The ambassador’s private transport stopped outside his residence on the outskirts of the city. We all got out, and he guided us inside his home.

“Welcome back to our home,” said the ambassador.

“Thank you, Ambassador,” I replied.

“Let’s find somewhere comfortable to sit and talk. Laine, could you please fetch three coffees,” he said.

Laine visited the food dispenser. I remember last visit she’d programmed it to dispense coffee.

We sat in a lounge area. Laine handed out coffee before she sat down beside me.

“My daughter has told me how you came to arrive here. She also told me how you saved her life several times since we last met,” he said.

“We saved each other. The galaxy is a dangerous place. If you don’t take care of your crewmates, you don’t last long,” I replied.

He smiled while I sipped my coffee.

“It comforts me to know she joined a crew that takes care of each other. It saddens me to hear you got separated from your vessel,” he said.

I looked at Laine. After all her talking in the transport vehicle, she was suspiciously quiet now.

“The separation is a temporary condition I intend to resolve soon,” I replied.

“And I intend to help you. But I wonder if it would be better to wait here until they find you. I expect they are already searching,” he said.

I looked at Laine. She smiled and looked back at me.

“I’d planned to visit for a few days, so you and your daughter can spend time together. After that, we can decide,” I said.

He smiled.

“You are welcome to stay here as long as you choose,” he offered.

“Thank you for your hospitality. I appreciate it,” I replied.

“You’re most welcome. Laine also told me you had trouble on the passenger transport,” he said.

“Lagaid operatives, with cosmetic alterations, came after us. They had energy weapons and explosive vests,” I replied.

“Yes, Laine shared the video feeds from the vessel. I have passed it on to our security forces. Since the end of our alliance with the Lagaid, we closed their embassy and deported all Lagaid,” he said.

“I believe the Lagaid on Ori Major had someone on the inside who tipped them off about our departure. It was the only way they could know we were on Ori Major,” I said.

“I’ve already ordered increased security,” he said.

“I do not want to bring unwanted danger to your home. The Lagaid do not fight fair,” I said.

He grinned.

“Understand that I consider you family, much the same way the Ori do. You are under my protection here,” he replied.

Laine had an enormous grin. I was now part of their family.