Special Notes: As you know, I stalled on the Princes story. I have given that story much much thought trying to figure out why I stalled. I don't ever run out of words. But there just are not any more words for that story. Well, I figured it out. It's because the story ended when Ryota lifted off the island in the last cargo ship and they saw Fox standing with Jon Black on the tower; right before the barrier went down and Fox and Jon Black were trapped inside for the next ten years. - That's it, the story ended there. What happens over the next ten years belongs to the Book that will be called Jon Black. And the remainder of the time between when Jon Black emerges and the First Gunslinger book belongs to the book that will be called The Princes, Book II. [The Gunslingers, Book II, Chapter 25] [Diplomacy] Fox sat in his quarters watching, for the twelfth time, the Vid of the encounter with Colt against the Carrier he had destroyed. Fox froze the screen again and stared at the boy standing just behind Lord Cyness. He hadn't noticed the boy the first few times he reviewed the Vid, he had only been looking for some clues that could show him deeper into whom Colton Cyness was. Fox didn't dare open hostilities again, not with the entire might of the Daraian Fleets combing the galaxy for their Eagle, and it wasn't just the Daraian military out, every ship capable of flight on Darai was searching every world. The Ravens, that was the oddest thing of all, every Raven on every world had come out of the shadows and stood silently on street corners, in front of military bases and government buildings, inside Malls, Universities, anywhere people congregated. The message was clear—no crime, no murder, no war, or military action would be permitted on any world until the Daraians had completed their search. Fox was fairly certain this was the first time in the history of the universe that all war and murder had come to a complete halt. The intelligence reports suggested that nearly the entire population of Darai was off-world searching, the planet was defenseless. Though it didn't matter, he had learned the hard way that the Daraians technology and resolve were more advanced than the Empire. No, it was best to sit tight and not anger the Daraians. Fox pressed the Com-link and sent an order to the Com-Officer to find Marshal and bring him here immediately; that boy behind Lord Cyness - Fox needed answers, and he was getting a bad feeling that something was amiss. Fox hadn't been able to make contact with Seph in… Fox couldn’t remember how long. The boy in the Vid was the spitting image of Seph—and why hadn't Fox heard from Seph yet? *** "Are you sure you know what to do?" asked Wes. "I know what to do, Boss," said Thor. "I'm not comfortable with this," Wes looked at the Judge for support. "I want to bring the egg with me." "Mother Raven?" asked the Judge. "I think that it would be best to bring the egg, Wes would only fret and be useless the entire time," said Mother Raven, "but Thor needs to come as the egg's Tarlock." "What's a Tarlock?" asked Thor. "Hey, no fair, I want to come too," protested Nick. "If Nick's coming so am I," declared Tani. "I am not letting Nick and Tani go without supervision," said Urai. "I'm coming too." "Now wait a minute, we can't take everyone, who will take care of the city?" said Judge Cietan "Gunslinger teams stick together," said Tani. "Tell him Wes." "It is true, and even a diplomatic team needs security," said Wes. "The recruits are ready for some responsibility; they can handle the daily operations here until we return." "I need to arrange for a larger ship," said Judge Cietan. "I already have an appropriate ship ready," said Mother Raven. "Very well, everyone comes," sighed the Judge. "I still don't know what a Turlock is?" said Nick. "It's a care-taker for an egg or child when the father is away on business," said the Judge. "It's a bit more complicated than that," said Mother Raven. "I'll explain it to you later, dear." The next six days was a flurry of activity as everyone packed and prepared the recruits to assume the duties of the Justice Office. Wes had to order Thor to pack only one suitcase full of comic books and Tani wanted to take her tool box and ended up winning that negotiation. Urai was a complete mess and had no less than six crates of stamps, forms, and general office supplies. Mother Raven tried to put her foot down there and told Urai he could only pack one large briefcase with documents necessary to draft a peace treaty. Wes stood back and watched Urai frantically trying to fit six crates of supplies into one briefcase; Wes held three fingers up to Mother Raven but she shook her head—Wes decided to back out of it and let Urai and Mother Raven argue it out. "Pens, we need special pens," cried Urai desperately rummaging through every drawer in the office searching for pens. The Judge came through the next day with the special pens that would be used to sign the treaty. He brought six long ornate wooden boxes in and laid them on the counter for Urai. The boxes contained twenty-seven gold-plated pens in each one of the long boxes with the symbol of the Justice Office on them. Urai nearly went into a stroke at the sight of the pens and spent the next several hours carefully wrapping and packing the boxes. Preparations continued with the recruits adding their flare of chaos to the mix until departure morning arrived. Even the neighbors were involved, bringing food, extra clothing, ammunition, and every manner of item that could possibly be, or not be, useful on a long trip. The whole city got involved next and more crates of supplies arrived, apparently the idea that Pyra had been chosen to over-see the signing of an Imperial Peace Treaty with an alien world outside the Empire appealed to the citizens; this would be a proud and historic moment for the Pyrans. As the supplies began to pile up on the porch of the Justice Building and began to over-flow onto the sidewalk, Mother Raven decided that it had been impractical to think they could have gone in one ship and called for more ships. The entourage began growing as well, more pilots meant more navigators, which meant more engineers. Eventually, the conclusion was reached that they would need not only the special envoy ship, a prototype sent from House Sparrow for the occasion, but twenty-four ships total—the diplomatic convoy grew to four cargo ships, one Battleship, sixteen Battle Darts, one Tanker, one Com-Ship, and two food preparation ships. Departure day arrived, the cargo was sent ahead to the airfield in a convoy of trucks and Wes's team was standing on the porch waiting for the Judge and Mother Raven to arrive. Wes became suspicious of his unusually quiet team and insisted on inspecting the contents of the field packs they would hand carry with them on the trip. "Open it, Thor," said Wes. "I need them to read to the egg," insisted Thor. "Let me see," said Wes. Thor opened his pack and over half his pack was comic books. "Go back upstairs and pack whatever you left out, if you have extra room you can use it for comic books. "Nick, what about yours, open up," ordered Wes. "He made me pack them," Nick blurted out. "Traitor," Thor glared at Nick. "Tani?" asked Wes. "Oh fine," said Tani opening her pack and dumping out a pile of comic books on the ground. "Sorry, Thor, you are on your own." Tani picked up her tool box and field pack and started to walk to the other end of the porch. "The toolbox," said Wes. Tani stopped just long enough to set her toolbox down and then went to the end of the porch to sulk. Wes kicked the toolbox open and pushed it over with his foot—a cascade of The Adventures of Thor Comic Books spilled out onto the sidewalk—there wasn't a single tool in the toolbox. Wes looked at Urai next. "Oh no, he tried, I don't have room for that nonsense," said Urai. Wes stared at Urai until he broke down and confessed, "Okay, okay, I have six of them, but that's it." The Judge pulled up in his black sedan and Wes walked out to greet the Judge. Wes noticed Thor didn't go back upstairs and the entire team was shoving the comic books back into their packs. Wes decided to pretend he was distracted and didn't notice. Let them have the victory, at least they are working together as a team and that was good. "Is everyone ready?" asked the Judge. "Where's Mother Raven?" "There's her car," shouted Tania running out to the car—carrying her pack and the toolbox. Mother Raven's vehicle pulled up and her henchmen jumped out to open the door for her—Tani jumped in the car after Mother Raven got out and ducked down out of Wes' sight. Mother Raven waved Thor over and led him around the car to the trunk. "You can't keep carrying the egg around like that," said Mother Raven opening the trunk. "Why not?" asked Thor. "I like taking care of the egg." "You will use this," said Mother Raven removing a large device with handles that looked like a basket, but made of slick shiny metal. "This is a Daraian cocoon." "What's it do?" asked Thor. Mother Raven took the egg from Thor and gently laid it inside the cocoon. "A Daraian egg can't be broken, but it can freeze or suffocate. This device is used for eggs when they travel in space, if our ship is destroyed, this cocoon will seal, transmit an emergency beacon, and keep the egg alive for months." "The egg can't break?" asked Thor. "How will she get out?" "We are not birds, dear," explained Mother Raven. "Our eggs are much more complex, the egg and what is occurring inside the egg is a miracle of evolution. The shell from the outside is impenetrable, it is a miracle of nature's engineering; Demonian steel is based on the cellular structure of the Daraian and Demonian eggs, but from the inside, the infant is able to break it." "I'm glad it can't break, I've been scared I would drop her," said Thor. "Dropping her can hurt her," said Mother Raven. "If I enclose you inside a steel box and throw you from the roof, what will happen?" "I would be killed?" said Thor. "I get it." Mother Raven opened an access panel and pressed a button on the cocoon to test the device. The cocoon deployed a sleek armor canopy around the egg and sealed it safely inside; the cocoon looked like a giant steel egg. "Lets go, load up," said the Judge. "We have a long way to travel." Everyone piled in either the Judges car or Mother Ravens car, Nick went with one of the last cargo trucks. Wes was the last to load up, he stood in front of the recruits and gave them the Gunslinger oath and made them full Deputy Merits with Thomas, the oldest boy at seventeen, in charge. The shopkeepers and friends Wes had made stood along the side of the road and waved and cheered. Wes waved back, he was fairly certain the new Deputy Merits could keep things under control. Wes watched the Justice Building with mixed feelings as they rounded the corner and headed for the airfield. He wanted to see Colt and the other members of the team again, to let them know he was still alive, but... he felt torn, this was home—when had it stopped being a prison? The airfield was the most active he had ever seen, their ships were all lined up and fuel trucks, maintenance crews, and flight inspectors were running around performing last minute tasks. Wes held Mother Raven's arm and they walked to the lead ship. "What is that?" asked Wes. "That is the prototype 'Comet'," replied Mother Raven. "The very first one of it's kind, courtesy of House Sparrow, of course." "It's not as big as a cargo ship, but much bigger than a Dart," Wes observed. "I'm told it is very fast and has sleeping berths for twelve passengers," said Mother Raven. "The Sparrows broke the speed record with this model." Thor carried the cocoon with the egg into the Comet ship, followed by Tani, Nick, Urai, and the Judge. Mother Raven waited with Wes until the others were aboard and turned back to gaze at the city. "I will miss this world very much," said Mother Raven. "Mother, we will be back in two months, three at the most," said Wes. "I am not coming back," said Mother Raven. Wes didn't know what to say, the thought of Mother Raven not being here to help him, to train him—how could he control the Bosses and gangs without Mother Raven's influence. "Mother..." "You are ready, and you won't be alone." "But why? "I'm very old, my dearest son," said Mother Raven. "I am fortunate enough to have seen the Eagle come into the universe, when we are done on Cyness, I am going home to Darai to make final arrangements." "The immortality virus?" asked Wes. "It won't work on me, I was already too old," said Mother Raven. "The virus doesn't reverse the effects of aging after a certain point." "I can't do this job without you," insisted Wes. "You will have help," said Mother Raven. "I am assigning my youngest grand-daughter to this posting, she will meet us at Cyness Minor and come back with you to assume her post, and she will have her mate with her." Mother Raven turned away from the city and leaned on Wes' arm as they walked to board the Comet ship. *** The Marshal General was led into the Fox's private quarters aboard the Battle Carrier. He wasn't sure if he was here of his own free will or not, the Kitsune Commander that had retrieved him hadn't come right out and said it was an order to come, but Marshal got the feeling if he refused that he might be dragged by his feet. "I have received a message that the Diplomatic Envoy will be here shortly," said Marshal trying to make it look like he had only come to pass a message. "Are you ready to discuss terms of a treaty?" Fox pointed at the Vid-screen with the frozen image of the boy standing behind Colton Cyness on the Battleship. "Where is Prince Sephin?" Marshal glanced at the door and wondered how far he could run before Fox's men would gun him down. Fox caught the glance and knew Marshal was considering the option to try and escape. "You won't make it," said Fox. Marshal's face changed to anger, "You left me alone with the Imperial Princes, and me just a Lord, I was woefully out-ranked, what did you expect would happen?" "I was only a child at the time," said Fox. "As was I," said Marshal. "Tell me the truth and I will allow you to leave here alive," said Fox. "Threats?" "Promises," said Fox. "How dare you," Marshal's voice raised in anger. "Two-hundred years you remained hidden, and in all that time I have been your most loyal servant, from the day you rescued me from that slave pod." "I won't ask again," said Fox. "I am prepared to have the information extracted from you." "It has come to this," said Marshal. "You can no longer see who your friends are." Marshal walked over to the bar of beverages against the wall and poured himself a glass of water and returned to sit in a chair across from Fox's desk. He stared at his Emperor for a long moment and then sat the glass down on the edge of Fox's desk and tipped it over, the water ran across the desk and dripped onto the floor. Fox understood the futile gesture—Water once spilled from the glass could never be put back—it was an old Kitsune proverb and often was used to mean a friendship that was forever gone. "It happened twenty-five years after you disappeared; even the youngest of us were grown and had found our own places within the Order. The Gunslinger Council was formed by the Imperial Princes and moved to Corvus Major." Marshal picked the empty water glass up and turned it upside down on the desk. "Seph had run the Stables until he was twenty and then took a Gunslinger team of his own, then several years later he fell in love with one of his Deputies, a woman from Cormon." "Seph would never do that," said Fox. "What would you know of what Seph would do?" said Marshal. "He grew up without you, he became his own man." "Prince Sephin is second in line for the Imperial Throne," said Fox. "He would never embarrass House Kitsune in such a fashion." "You left, we thought you were dead, it was all over, there was no House Kitsune," said Marshal. "What happened next?" asked Fox. "The Gunslinger Council arrested Seph and put him on trial for mating outside the Kitsune species," said Marshal. "I and Prince Delphin testified on Seph's behalf, but the Council arrested us in the middle of our testimony and locked us up for three months. We were never told where they took Seph and his team. We searched for one-hundred sixty years and finally found the prison located on remote island on the planet Pyra Major." Marshal pushed the glass on the desk, it slid across the wet surface and Fox grabbed it and threw it against the wall where it shattered. "Enough with the proverbs!" shouted Fox. "I get it; you are the glass and are no more at fault for being tipped over by a greater force than the glass." Fox stood and slammed his fists on the table. "Where is Seph now?" "And you smashed the glass for having done nothing more than being in front of your anger," said Marshal. "Seph died, as did his entire team. We found the island and went there. We saw the graves and assumed the last grave had been dug by the prison guards, there was no way to have known that Seph had a son on that island and the boy is the one that dug the last grave. When I heard Colt had a new boy with him, that's when I knew what had happened." "That boy is now second in succession to the Imperial Throne of the Kitsune Empire," Fox pointed at the Vid-screen. "The Gunslinger Council must have known he was there." "I have no doubt they did know," said Marshal. "The Council believed you dead, which meant that boy would have been the rightful Emperor, and if they would have gone and got him, the war would continue, the lives the Council had built shattered, everything would start all over again." "And so to remain hidden and safe, my cousins left my dearest brother's son to die alone on a prison island," Fox was shaking in his fury. "Colt didn't," said Marshal remaining calm under the anger of a man that could have his skin peeled slowly away. "Colt only knew the boy was alone and helpless. He took the boy and has been protecting him and even included the boy in his team." Fox's eyes calmed slightly and he sat back down. "I will sit with your mediators and negotiate a treaty that will be acceptable to Lord Cyness," said Fox. "He will require an Imperial pardon for himself and his team," said Marshal. "Done," said Fox, "but under one condition, Seph's son comes with me, I will not negotiate on that point." "I know Colt, if you add that condition, he will refuse," said Marshal. "Colt has proved he is worthy of the nobility that was bestowed upon him. He befriended and protected Prince Sephin's son not because he knew who he was, but because it was the right thing to do." Marshal guessed he had given Fox just enough pause to think that he decided to press the advantage and didn't give Fox a chance to reply, he stood and walked out of the room and headed for the Carrier flight bay where his Dart ship was, though he wasn't sure if he would get there or not. Marshal just wasn't sure who Si had become; he seemed so violent and irrational now. Si was not the little boy Marshal remembered. *** Multiple sonic booms of ships entering the atmosphere woke Colt from his sleep, not that it was the best sleep, the ground was cold and the air was even colder. Winter was here, they should be starting their third year now, but instead they hadn’t even started their second year. Colt got up and walked up the hill to where Cora was listening to a Com-radio, she was sitting on a rock laughing over some humor with whomever she was talking with. "You need a bath," said Colt sitting down and wrinkling his nose. "Oh course, My Lord, and you smell like roses," said Cora. Colt shouldn't be tired, the cease fire had been in effect for weeks now and everyone had slept most of that time at the bottom of hole, or behind a tree, or just anywhere they could find. "Cora," said Colt. "Yes, Colt?" "Will you marry me?" asked Colt. "Ask me again the day we graduate the academy," said Cora. "I'm a good catch," said Colt. "I have a beat up Battleship we can live in." "I'm starting to think the Fourthies are right," said Cora. "You are a brainless nub." "I'm going to walk down the hill and see if they still have some of that stew, you want me to bring you some?" asked Colt. Cora held up a finger and fiddled with the Com-radio, "Wait... I'm getting a transmission... the Diplomatic Envoy from Pyra just landed." "That must have been the ships I heard, I don't have much luck with Diplomatic Envoys, this whole thing started because I shot the last one," said Colt dryly. Colt started walking down the hill to the chow tents, he was hungry, the Diplomats could find their own stew. "Oh ancestors!" shouted Cora. "Colt, wait." Colt turned around, Cora was on her feet talking with someone on the Com-link. "What is it? I'm hungry." "Duke met the Diplomat ship when it landed," said Cora. "Wes just stepped off the Diplomat ship." "Huh? Why would Wesley be on the Diplomat ship?" asked Colt confused. "Not that Wes, the other Wes, your Wes..." said Cora.”Weston Cain is alive."