Thumar
Chapter 20: The Nebula Tour

Everyone gathered at Remor’s palace for an intimate dinner party with the presidents and some senior officers. Admiral Morton, Tara, and Calvin were enthralled with the grounds. Jack and Shenar were inseparable. Temela, Derak’s mother, Virginia, and Tranoka organized the food and entertainment for the evening. Calvin was gifted with all the radio-controlled fighters he wanted, and Jack left Shenar’s side to give Calvin flying lessons on the front lawn.

Derak was spending some time alone on the second-floor balcony, watching Jack and Calvin fly dogfights on the front lawn, when Tara joined him.

“You’ve come a long way, Derak, and no one is prouder of you than I am. Who could have known what your future could bring?”

He turned to her wearing a thoughtful look. “Not me. But it feels right, somehow. Who knows what my future holds? Whatever it is, I’m ready for it.”

“I know you will be. Even in your dodgy days, you showed flashes of refinement where it was required. I almost didn’t approach you that fateful day, nine years ago. After hearing others talk about you, I almost walked away. I’m glad I didn’t, now. It was worth it all, and Calvin is such a gift.”

“I was the player back then. I think my ego was larger than my credit accounts. When I found out that you were an admiral’s daughter, from Austria, I almost ended it, but you had already worked your magic on me. Look at Calvin, now. He’s more like a little man than a kid.”

“He wants to take after you, much to Dad’s chagrin.”

“As long as he leaves playboy and black ops out of the equation.”

“That will be up to him and the example you set,” she replied. “I have to go. Shesain wants

to show me something. You did well with her, and she loves you very much. You’re a very lucky man.”

“I know. I’ve been lucky twice,” he said, the latter words spoken under his breath. After Tara left, Morton showed up.

“Admiral,” said Derak.

“Tom, if you don’t mind, Derak. I have to tell you something. I am now proud to call you the father of my grandson. I didn’t give you much of a chance the last fifteen years, and you’ve surprised me. Your tenacity has served you well and has outlasted my rancor toward you. I am glad to let it go. You are welcome on my estates anytime you wish to visit. Since I am going to retire, I’ll be spending a lot of time there, now, tending my orchards and vineyards. It’s always a very relaxing time for me. Rhemar and I are going to see about working together to get his labels distributed more widely on Earth. I told him about my pear brandy, and his ’06 is superb. So, hopefully, we can share a few secrets. He appears very interested.”

“As well he should be, Tom,” said Derak. “Your pear brandy is the best. By the way, what happened to lieutenant commander Tark?”

“Ah, now there’s a story,” began Morton. “I followed your lead and had the ASOs gather intelligence for me. Turns out it was Tark who pirated those loads and apparently a few more. He’ll finish his career out on the rim and be lucky to make commander. Speaking of the ASOs, your brother, Tony, escaped from jail, the rest of your family and Jack’s family disappeared into thin air. The incident was reported as a terrorist plot for ransom. In fact, it happened on your last visit to Earth.

“I’ve carefully followed your black ops career, and your fingerprints are all over this one. I’ve noticed a severe disparity between the Alliance reports and the presence of your entire family and Jack’s at the celebration.” At this, he smiled, wryly.

“As you know, there are more than a few well-organized and financed crime families out there,” said Derak, countering.

“That doesn’t explain the level of technology that was used to accomplish the deed. The fragments of disintegrating sleep darts that were recovered from our ASOs have our science teams still scratching their heads. How they penetrated our armor is the big question.

“We’ve been keeping track of those crime families, you mention, and have no indication of them possessing that level of technology. The crews that pulled this off had a knack of disappearing through walls, at will. Our boys are not amateurs, you know.”

“I know,” agreed Derak. “I trained many of them myself.”

“Let’s cut to the chase, Derak,” said Morton, serious. “I know about your family’s DNA. I’ve seen the lab results. I also know what the science division was going to do to them. I argued against it, but they wouldn’t listen to me. I didn’t like your family at the time, but what they were planning to do to them was wrong.”

“I appreciate your support of what is right,” said Derak.

“If the safety of your loved ones allows, you can forward the crime family’s identity to the ASOs. If not, we’ll understand, but I will have to take this matter up with Remor, for their continued safety, you know.” He smiled. “Right now, I have to get back to Rhemar. I’m testing his brandy while we work out some more details. Please visit us on Earth more often. It’s good for Calvin. And bring Shesain. Calvin is quite taken with her.”

They shook hands, and he left.

Derak watched him depart, thinking, Was there ever a time he would ever have believed that Morton would welcome him into his family?

Just then, the high priest and Master Li showed up. They were acting like they already knew each other.

“Demar, that was a beautiful ceremony you conducted,” said Derak.

“Thank you, Derak.”

“Master Li.” Derak, respectfully, bowed.

The high priest spoke. “You have found your faith, Derak. Now the journey begins.” He broke into an enigmatic smile, and the two of them walked on.

Shesain sidled up to him next.

“You’re missing your party,” she said. They embraced and kissed.

“Mmmm… now where is that D-gen?” He scanned the area.

“No, you don’t!” she shot back, smiling. “This isn’t one of your ops. Besides, that’s behind you now, Mr. Ambassador. We’ll be taking a lot of trips together, beginning with the Katkurn’s next week. Maybe we should bring Robert with us. He could figure out a way to open up their markets.”

Derak stopped her with another kiss.

“Really, we should be getting back to our guests,” she said, insistent.

“Wait, just one minute,” said Derak. He hugged her tightly. The sun was setting over the tree-lined foothills in the distance, turning the sky a golden orange. Thumar’s two moons, brilliantly, reflected the color. Just then, a single contrail split the moons in half, leaving a white streak, contrasting against the orange sunset. He remembered a morning not long ago, when he woke to similar sunrise. I have come a long way.

“You know,” he began, “today is the beginning of a new age.”

He looked into Shesain’s deep brown eyes, smiled, pulled her even closer, and kissed her one more time. Then, they walked arm-in-arm back to the party.

When the party ended, the guests remaining included Jack, Shenar, Catherine, Rhemar, Temela, Tom, Tara, Calvin, and Derak’s parents. A few of them were still engaged in appreciative conversations about the ceremony and the events of the last few days. Calvin had fallen asleep, on the couch, leaning against Uncle Jack.

Shesain, Tara, and Derak were deep in discussion, and Tom and Rhemar were working out the final details of a business deal, when Remor and Tranoka approached Derak. Tranoka eyed him and smiled.

He smiled back, asking, “To what honor, do I owe this to?”

“Derak, Remor has promised me a real vacation, one without any, and I mean any, state business.” She gave Remor a firm look.

He smiled and saluted her. She playfully punched his arm.

“How does this involve me?”

“Seeing that the galaxy was your home for many years, we figured you might know where some fabulous nebulas can be viewed. There will be other things going on, too.”

“What other things? Derak asked. ”Is Jack getting ready to join the family?”

“How did you know?”

“It was just a matter of time, Jack was holding off, getting my parents to safety. Shenar does not waste time getting what she wants.”

Tranoka wore a mischievous smile. “Tony, too, Teren is crazy about him.

They’re never apart, outside of work and training.”

“Does he know?” Derak asked.

“I don’t know. His thrashur training is keeping him occupied. I have a feeling it is going to be a surprise for him.”

“Is it the right time, with the R&R efforts in full swing?”

“Thumar is in capable hands and well on its way to recovery. Both your and Jack’s families are here and settled in. The ceremony is over. Shenmar is back to business-as-usual. So, I’d like to set a date for a tour departure.”

“You might try to pick Tom Morton’s brain. He has more time out on the rim than I do.”

“We will. Are you in?” asked Tranoka, sealing the deal.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” said Derak. “Do you have anyone else, in mind, to join us?”

“Of course,” said Remor, joining the dialogue. “Your family, Jack’s, and Master Li. Also, the high priest and priestess should be present. Paulos and Betrawn can accompany us, along with Tom, Tara, and Calvin. As for Tom Morton, when I told him about the trip, he jumped at the chance to come. Why Morton’s turn around toward you? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything, Remor,” he said. “He came to me and said my tenacity outlasted his rancor. Believe me; I was more surprised than you are. Not only that, he knows about our ops, my family’s DNA, and the timing of our visit. He is assured of my involvement. I don’t know if he suspects yours. He said he would discuss it with you later.”

“I’m not surprised. He is a brilliant man. I look forward to getting to know him better, in an informal atmosphere, on the tour. Tom will be good for us all, just what the doctor ordered, you might say.”

“In that case, I’ll contact Jack, and his navigation officer, to set up the coordinates tomorrow. You set the date,” said Derak, committing himself to the plan.

Remor and Tranoka left to talk with Temela, Therese, and Derak’s mother.

“Derak.” Morton approached him.

“Tom, how do you like Thumar?”

“It’s a beautiful planet,” he said. “Rhemar’s going to take Tara, myself, and Calvin on a tour in the next couple of days. He’s a hell of a character. I like him. I’ll be staying on for a few more weeks to help him replant his vineyard. I can’t wait to get my hands into some real soil again. I also heard from Remor. They’re planning a nebula tour, and I accepted his invitation to participate. Where will you take them? I know a few spectacular examples that are out on the rim.”

“About the nebula tour,” said Derak, “I’m meeting with Jack and his navigation officer tomorrow. We should have a date soon. Please join us on board The Morwen tomorrow, if you would like to help us plot the course.”

“Thanks, I’d love to. With that out of the way, I’d like to get back to our families, Derak,” he paused, thinking, and then added, “I thought you might like to know that the Morton and Jamar families have settled their land dispute. There is a verdant valley that borders each of our land claims that we’ve been fighting over for centuries. The families came to an agreement that both would retain joint ownership and share in its beauty.”

“That’s wonderful news, Tom,” said Derak. “You’ll have to show me this valley the next time I’m on Earth. Mom and Dad want to re-establish ties to our European family. My ancestors settled on American soil centuries ago, before the second American civil war. They lost all contact with the European contingent during the conflict.”

Tom continued, “And finally, your family will not be bothered by the Alliance government or the ASO’s any longer. So, they can now visit Earth safely. ”

“Thanks, Tom. My parents will be happy to hear the news,” said Derak.

The next morning, Tom and Derak met Jack on The Morwen to map out the nebula tour destinations and time lines. Afterward, Jack gave Tom a tour of The Morwen.

Derak flew to Shenmar, to meet Shesain and Remor, in order to plan the diplomatic mission for the following week. They had to squeeze this trip in before setting off on Remor’s nebula tour. Shesain and Derak left the following Monday and didn’t return until the end of the week. The results were good, but the process of achieving them was frustrating. Both of them were ready for a star cruise.

Finally, the day arrived. They started the tour. The trip was a leisurely excursion through planetary wonders. Tom took over as tour guide as space was his specialty. He proved to be knowledgeable about most of the systems on the rim.

They traveled to some minor nebulas before arriving at the Eagle Nebula. Excitement was building the day they reached the nebula’s coordinates, and all three families were present in an elegantly decorated large observation deck for the event. Tom, Tara, and Calvin joined them, with Paulos, Betrawn, the high priest and priestess, and Master Li. As they approached the Eagle Nebula, Tom impressed them with his astronomical knowledge.

“The Eagle Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation of Serpens,” he explained. “That’s where the green color comes from. The columns you’re looking at are referred to as the Pillars of Creation. Young stars are born here, continually. It is also called the Star Queen Nebula, and it is considered one of the most beautiful and dynamic nebulas in the night sky.”

As he vividly described the nebula, food and drink was served. It was a lavish display of the finest Thumarian cuisine. They all turned from the lecture to feast on the offerings.

Rhemar shared some of his best vintages. The prices on his bottles went through the stratosphere since the MSS. The shortage of his offerings drove up the demand as well. He still mourned the loss of some of his finest vines, but he was already replanting. Tom Morton had spent the last three weeks helping him.

Jack and Tony could not replace Shenar and Teren. Jack was becoming suspicious. Tony just wondered, not being as familiar with Thumarian marriage protocols.

“Where are Shenar and Teren?” Jack asked Tranoka.

Barely able to contain a smile, she informed him that they were “powdering their noses and freshening up their make-up.”

“They’ve been gone awhile.” Jack and Tony both eyed her, skeptical.

“You should know the Andehar women by now, Jack,” said Temela.

“I do, all too well. You are all up to something.”

“What gives you that idea?” she answered, trying to hide a secretive smile. The two women walked away.

The men looked at each other, questioningly.

A few minutes passed, and Temela walked to another door, waiting for a cue. Rhemar and Derak walked up to Tony and Jack, leading them to the center of the room, as a circle formed around them. The door opened, and Temela joined the entering procession, consisting of Shenar and Teren, who proceeded to join the men in the center of the circle.

The alluring scent of the two marriageable women wafted throughout the room. There was no question, now, what was happening. Both women were wearing short skirts, above the knees, with form-fitting, low-cut blouses adorned in purple flowers, which accentuated their bosoms. Both of them had pink scarves tied around their necks, and they had let their hair down. Their silky locks cascaded over their shoulders.

They approached Jack and Tony in a sensual manner. Only during a tea cup ceremony was such an overt display allowed in public. The sweet aroma of the women filled the air. Each woman locked eyes with her choice for a life partner.

Temela held a tea cup filled with hot Kava tea. She was joined by Teren’s mother, Yorthara, who held an identical cup. A flower floated in each cup, a purple rose for Shenar and a yellow rose for Teren. The women handed their daughters the cups.

Shenar gave her tea cup to Jack. Teren presented hers to Tony. Everyone in the room watched, breathless. Jack and Tony accepted their tea cups and sipped, not once taking their eyes off of their chimera. They handed them back, and Shenar and Teren drank, their eyes infused with the light of everlasting love.

The cups were returned to the mothers, Temela and Yorthara. Their daughters sealed the ceremony by pinning engagement broaches onto their men. Rhemar, along with Teren’s father, Vectour, handed the now-engaged men the necklaces. The men, lovingly, clasped the chains around the necks of Shenar and Teren. The pendants swayed, with promise, above exposed cleavage.

Both couples embraced and kissed, passionately. Then, the shadows stepped up and introduced themselves. Tony and Teren, and Jack and Shenar faced the crowded room, holding hands and smiling, from ear to ear. Their Shadows took their place beside their charges. The room exploded with applause. Joyful tears were shed.

Remor stepped forward, and silenced the room with his satisfied smile. He looked at Jack and Shenar, at Tony and Teren. His voice had a serious timbre. “Tony, Jack, you now represent ‘the ruling family’ of all of Thumar. From this day forward, your thoughts and actions will directly affect the Andehar Family. Both of you are now charged with maintaining the family honor for life. Do you accept?”

“We do, sir.” They both answered.

“Then, welcome to the Andehar family. Tony, this is one field you will never tire of playing in.”

The room burst out in laughter. Tony blushed, remembering his gaff, after he learned of his life span, and Remor’s response.

Everyone embraced and congratulated the newly engaged couples. Remor stepped forward, holding a glass of champagne and proclaimed, “To Jack and Shenar and Tony and Teren… May Kumar and Shemar bless your unions for eternity. May they bless all of our lives and perpetuate the glorious future of Thumar.”

Glasses clinked. Toasts were made. Then, they returned to the windows as the Eagle Nebula came into full view. The two newly engaged couples stood in front, marveling at the sight. Shesain and Derak embraced, sharing the moment. The nebula’s magnificent brilliance shone upon them with a promise of long and prosperous lives, blessing the happy couples and blessing the glorious rebirth of Thumar.