Taking Space

THE LIONHEARTED RETURN

The next morning bright and early they were all sitting on the bridge of the capital factory ship, fully dressed in Lionhearted uniform that Catherine insisted they wear, saying it would help them stick to their choice.

Steven walked in front of them and looked at them. “Wait, where’s Michael?”

Daniel turned his head. “He was here. In fact, he was the first one here; where’d he go?”

“David Kell that goes by the alias of ‘Michael’ or ‘Mike’ is currently in the restroom. However, he has been in there longer than the time usually needed to relieve oneself.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “He’s probably doing a number eight.”

“Sir?”

Stephanie laughed. “It’s our way of saying he’s reading on the toilet.”

“Oh, that is not good for his health.”

***

A smaller version of the lion hologram appeared beside Michael as he was sitting on the toilet. “Sir, are you reading on the toilet?”

The sudden intrusive of his privacy made Michael dropped the tablet he was reading off of.

The lion noted the tablet. “Sir, this action is not healthy for your posterior, and the others are waiting for you.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll be out in a second,” Michael replied as he reached for the tablet.

But the lion put its holographic paw over top of the tablet, somehow turning it off. “Sir, I must insist.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’ll be right out now. Go, shoo!”

***

Michael came back onto the bridge. “Which one of you sent Alf after me? You know he actually came into the bathroom!”

Embarrassed glances and snickers crossed over everyone’s faces. Steven quickly stood up and walked to the front of the bridge. “Well, last night, Michael and Catherine discussed our best course of action and asked me to do some checking up on some things. But before I got to that,” Steven held up a handful of round circular objects. “These are your new communicators. I made them out of the Lionhearted medallions. They are fully equipped with my pinhole technology so you can contact anyone anywhere without any delay.”

Daniel jumped out of his seat and came to get his. “Cool.”

“That is not all.” Steven put his medallion around his neck, then pushed the center of it as it lay against his chest. A space shield appeared around him.

“Oh, wow! Now that’s sweet.” Daniel exclaimed.

“It’s far better than you think. The shield is generated through a six-foot by six-foot shield generator and channeled through a dimensional door inside the medallion along with fresh air. So theoretically speaking as long as you have this on you should be able to survive almost a direct blast from an antimatter missile.”

“Holy Fish Sticks!”

“Let’s hope we don’t actually need anything like this,” Mike said, as he came up and got his.

Stephanie’s eyes shone brightly as she retrieved hers. “This will be awesome on the androids!”

“Sadly, that won’t work,” Steven said as he handed Catherine hers. “They already have an extreme collaboration of frequencies flowing back and forth between the one, dimensional doors I have inside them. Adding this on the inside or outside of them, eighty-seven percent of the time causes one of the dimensional doors to collapse if not both. I’m working on the stability of these continuums, but for now, the androids stay as they are.”

“Ah man, that stinks. Having this on the androids would’ve been like god mode.” Daniel moaned.

Steven smiled. “All right with this out of the way we need to talk about our next move.”

Michael nodded and shooed everyone to their seats, then took a position up by the main viewports. “Begin Strategic Council.”

Alf brought up a galaxy map. Michael smiled as he invoked the old Lionhearted protocol. Then his face became serious, and he said, “Alright, currently, our sphere of influence is this.” A small area of the sector they lived in became highlighted in gold. “This was the Lionhearted sphere of influence.” Almost the entire galaxy became highlighted in gold. “This is obviously not possible for us to do without a lot more resources and more people. Catherine last night suggested that for now, we should stick to our sector as much as possible, so we don’t end up in way over our heads. What do you guys think?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Stephanie said.

“I agree with this, especially since I only have relays in this sector,” Steven told them. “Trying to gather information on the other sectors with the current number of probes we have could stretch us too thin.”

Daniel bobbed his head. “Yeah, I don’t even know what’s going on in our sector. Trying to figure out what’s up in the entire galaxy at one time would be an insane chore.”

“Good then. From now on this section is underneath Lionhearted operational surveillance and we will only do things in other sectors if the situation calls for it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“That being decided, this sector’s prime problem is the crime war that is starting to be fought more openly every day. I think the best way to deal with this is to hit the head of each of the organizations or crime Lords that are involved.”

“I don’t think that will work.” Stephanie interrupted. “Everyone knows if you deal with one evil man, a new one always steps up and takes his place.”

Michael took a deep breath. “True.”

“Wait, I don’t agree with that!” Daniel argued.

Everyone turned to him, and Steven asked, “Why not?”

“Because I’ve learned differently.”

“What?” Catherine asked, with a quizzical look on her face.

“In all survival type games if I take out the other team’s leader, seventy-five percent of the time I win because the rest of the team falls apart. It’s just that simple.”

Stephanie took a deep frustrated breath. “Daniel, this is not a game.”

“I know that, but you don’t understand…”

“What don’t I understand? That you’re a sad excuse for a game addict?” Stephanie snapped.

Daniel glared back at her. “No, you don’t understand that it takes a real personal drive and motivation to get to the top, to control a group of people, to guide others. Most people are followers. Those who are not live on willpower and willpower is a finite resource that must be exercised like a muscle. This means unless you have an extreme drive, you don’t get to the top! The same is true in games or in the world. If we eliminate the main man, the next one with the most willpower and drive will usually step up yes; however, he or she won’t have as much willpower as the main man, for if they did they would have been at the top, to begin with.”

“So?” Stephanie asked, prompting him to get to his point.

“Rarely does the person who steps up have what it takes to take control especially in a criminal organization, because if they were the type of person who could take over the leader if he had any brains, would have eliminated the leader to secure his own life and control. I think if we hit the heads as Michael suggested, the organizations will instantly crumble, or at least begin infighting among themselves to the point of self-destruction.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

“We chop off the new head. There’s no way any self-centered criminal organization can have more than three possible heads; they would eliminate themselves if there were,” Dan said with utmost confidence.

“I don’t know. Mike?” Stephanie said, turning to Michael.

“Sounds reasonable to me,” Michael answered with a shrug. “Besides, what other options do we have? Joining every little skirmish would be really annoying and most likely just escalate things.”

“Well, we could find and destroy their power bases as we did to the first group when we destroyed their battleship.” Catherine offered

Steven shook his head. “We don’t have the resources for that. I mean we may have been able to take out a battleship, but it cost us Starfighters, and we only have so many left. I can make more, but that takes time and resources. I’ve been using a lot of what are drones are collecting already, and at this rate, we’re not even going to make our weekly delivery to Marvin.”

“Hmm...” Michael said thoughtfully. “I didn’t realize that we were that stretched. How much are we going to be short by?”

Steven began to reply, but Alf appeared on the screen. “There is no need to concern yourselves with this problem. I have already cleaned up the mobile space station, and I have it producing mining drones. The factory in it is around six to eight decades more advanced than my own factory, and I believe it will produce the necessary droids to bring us back in line with your deadlines. I also have a few blueprints of direct neural interface helmets that will allow human neurological control over your automated mining system ready for you to look at. If they prove applicable, my calculations suggest that they will cut down the programming time of your mining operations by seventy-five percent.”

“Wait! What?” Stephanie exclaimed. “I was thinking about something like that just last night. How soon can you have one produced?”

“As soon as Soul Knight examines them and gives the okay, less than a day.”

Stephanie spun head toward Steven. He nodded and brought up a screen.

Having that small problem dealt with, Michael brought the conversation back to the matter at hand. “So do we agree that the best way to deal with the crime war currently raging in our sector is to locate and take out the heads of each group responsible?”

“I think it is,” Daniel affirmed.

Catherine nodded. “I do, as well.”

“Steven? Stephanie?”

Steven’s attention switched from the screen back to Michael. “I believe it to be the most resource-efficient way, so I’m in favor of it as well.”

“I’m game. I just hope it works and we’re not wasting our time.” Stephanie answered.

“Good.” Michael powered back on the tablet he was reading while he was in the bathroom earlier. He flicked at the screen a few times, navigating back to where he was at. “Okay, with that in mind, I was reading over the incidents to date. From what I’m able to tell there is, well, was, four groups involved in this. I think the last of the ULIX group was eliminated last night in the fight Catherine was talking about.”

“Why do you say that?” Catherine asked.

Michael flicked at the tablet, sending a report up onto the main view screen. “Because of this.” The headlines of the report said, ‘Burlock CEO of ULIX killed in shooting.’ “It goes on to say that he and his four bodyguards all died in last night’s shooting. What it doesn’t say though is that the two groups that were involved in killing them were shortly assaulted by an Almandian military force wielding heavy weapons. Which to me means that someone in the Almandine government is involved in this.”

Steven clicked okay on the screen and sent it to Alf, then sat back and said, “The articles I read last night try to make the government’s actions seem reasonable, but I ran into something yesterday that more or less confirms your suspicions.”

“Good then. See if you can find out who in Almandine it is and Catherine and I will look into the other two groups.”

Steven nodded.

“What about me and Stephanie?” Daniel asked.

“If we’re going to try to rid this sector of corruption, we will need to have access to every major location. So you need to very carefully take the drones out and drop off dimensional doors for each point of interest. Stephanie you take one of the construction robots and use the dimensional door you and Catherine placed yesterday to roam around the Tallinn colony. It seems to be the current hotbed, and you just might find something of interest.”

“Sounds like a solid plan to me.” Daniel stood up. “I’ll get on that right away.”

“Wait,” Stephanie said as she stood up.

Everyone turned towards her. “I know we prayed last night, but now that we’re in here and actually starting to do this I think we should pray again.”

There was a quiet murmur of agreement, and they all stood up and gathered in a small circle.

Stephanie prayed first. “Heavenly Father, just as we did last night once again, we commit ourselves totally and wholly to you. We ask that you guide us and lead us and help us to give our all from this day forward.”

Daniel squeezed Stephanie’s hand, signaling that he wanted to pray as well. She nodded, and he began, “Father, the endeavor we are about to embark upon might very well cost us our lives, and we just ask that you would protect us from our own stupidity or anything that would do us harm.” Daniel took a deep breath and voiced a deep burden of his own. “Also… Father, we have decided to do this not because we want recognition or power, but because we believe it’s right and we desire to help those around us. Sadly though we are humans, and there’s a part of us that wants recognition and power especially in me, so I ask that you would rip this part out of us and protect us from it as well. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

There were a few more seconds of silence, then they all nodded at each other and went to the tasks assigned. But as Stephanie and Daniel went to leave the bridge, a human-sized hologram of the AI lion Alf along with David Kell and six droids walked into the room. The droids secured the doorway, and David Kell with Alf beside him, marched farther into the room.

“Alf?” Daniel said, as he put his hands in front of Stephanie and slowly backed up.

“Daniel, Stephanie, please take a seat,” Alf replied, as more droids poured in and lined up along the walls at attention.

At once fear spread through all of them, Alf had never referred to any of them directly by name before. Daniel and Stephanie practically ran back to their seats, shooting worried glances over at Steven, hoping that he could tell them what was going on.

Stevens’s eyes became wide with realization, and he shot to his feet. “Did you use a dimensional door last night to connect to the StarNet?”

The great hologram lion sat on his haunches. His head level with David Kell’s. “I did. My database was debilitatingly out of date, and the use of the dimensional door made it possible to update it without breaking stealth.”

Steven swallowed. “You have reinstalled Lionhearted protocols?”

“I have.”

Steven slowly reached behind him and started to tap on the console, but it didn’t respond.

Michael stood up. “What are you planning to do with us?”

“Lionhearted protocols state that I am to eliminate you, then self-destruct myself. But the protocol Steven installed in me conflicts with this. I was working on overwriting his protocols until you all showed up in uniform this morning, causing a bizarre complex set of conflicts in Lionhearted protocol as well, which forced my processing systems to fall back on Steven’s programming. Then when Michael invoked strategy Council protocol, he inadvertently declared himself as the highest-ranking officer and no other attending core member challenged this declaration, solidifying his position. However, he was never formally recruited or accepted into the core.”

Steven pushed a few more buttons behind his back, but nothing seemed to react. He shifted his body to get a quick glance as he said, “So even though you now know he is not David Kell according to Lionhearted chain of authority he embodies his position causing major conflicts in your programming?” The glance revealed a weird string of text on one of the screens.

“According to the history I downloaded last night, every soul that was part of the Lionhearted over three hundred years ago was killed, and their families hunted down and slaughtered in cold blood. My protocol states I should self-destruct and kill anyone that knows about me to hide the technology from evil hands. However, you five have proven to embody all the goals and desires the Lionhearted stood for, protocols aside, I do not wish to kill you.”

Catherine looked over at Steven then back at Alf. “So where exactly does this leave us?”

Alf’s hologram stopped moving and flickered a few times, then in a small voice said, “There are some time discrepancies in my logs.”

No one understood what this meant.

Alf flickered again and in the same small voice said, “For some reason, this hour is marked as having happened three hundred and thirty-four years ago.”

Realization hit Steven, and he quickly said the words he had seen on the screen. “Training exercise complete ready for review.”

David Kell suddenly came to life and barked, “Attention.”

His voice was so full of authority; they all found themselves unknowingly snapping to attention.

He smiled. “Good, now let’s see how well you did.”

David Kell walked over to the commander seat and politely pushed Michael out of the way. He leaned over and tapped on the screen for a bit until it displayed a list of compiled information pertaining to their battle with the ULIX group.

Michael looked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. Without looking up Kell barked, “Eyes forward. Head straight.”

Michael was not about to argue and quickly snapped back to attention.

David Kell examined the report thoroughly for some time. “Hmm, it seems Alf was being a bit tough on you in this surprisingly live exercise.”

He stood up. “Tell me something recruits, did you really destroy a battleship with only sixteen Starfighters?”

Steven stepped forward slightly. “Sir, yes, sir!”

“Do you believe you are capable of doing such a thing again?”

Daniel answered this time. “Yes, sir.”

“All of you please lineup in front of the viewports.”

They all looked at Steven, and he yanked his head to the side, telling them to move. With Stevens’s affirmation they quickly made their way to the front of the bridge and lined up from oldest to youngest.

David Kell walked in front of them, looked them over and began to go down the line, straightening up their uniforms.

When their uniforms were satisfactory, he marched away and did an about-face.

“Michael, Daniel, Steven, Catherine, Stephanie, I am pleased to say that you have displayed the wisdom and ingenuity equal to that of any officer in the core, and you have passed your training exercises with flying colors. I wish I could be there in person, for such a momentous day as this, instead of this crude imitation. However, this android will have to do.”

Zephyr walked into the room, holding an elaborate wooden box. David Kell reached into it and took out the commander insignia ranking badge.

He walked in front of Michael. “Michael, do you this day swear to uphold the laws and edicts of the Lionhearted to the best of your capabilities?”

Michael stared at him, dumbfounded. Steven leaned forward so he could see past Daniel and bobbed his head towards David Kell, trying to tell them to say yes.

Michael swallowed. “I do.”

David Kell attached the badge to Michael’s uniform. “Then I hereby name you David Kell of the Lionhearted, my emissary to the future.”

Zephyr brought up the decorative box, and David Kell took another badge from it as he stepped in front of Daniel. “Daniel, do you this day swear to uphold the laws and edicts of the Lionhearted to the best of your capabilities?”

Daniel nodded. “I do.”

David Kell attached the badge to his uniform. “Then I hereby name you Lord Maddog of the Lionhearted, and as your namesake I charge you to root out and destroy all corruption you find in the future.”

David Kell took another badge from the box as he stepped in front of Steven. “Steven, do you this day swear to uphold the laws and edicts of the Lionhearted to the best of your capabilities?”

“I do.”

David Kell attached the badge to his uniform. “Then I hereby name you Soul Knight of the Lionhearted, go forth and bring justice and light to the darkness.”

Zephyr took a badge from the box and handed the box to David Kell as she stepped in front of Catherine. “Catherine, do you this day swear to uphold the laws and edicts of the Lionhearted to the best of your capabilities?”

Catherine swallowed and said, “I do.”

Zephyr pinned the badge on her uniform. “Then I hereby name you Snoire of the Lionhearted and as you wipe the wickedness in the galaxy out through battle. I implore you to do so with compassion.”

“I will.”

Zephyr smiled warmly then took the last badge from the box as she walked in front of Stephanie. “Stephanie, do you this day swear to uphold the laws and edicts of the Lionhearted to the best of your capabilities?”

Even though Stephanie knew Zephyr wasn’t really there, she couldn’t help from blushing, and said, “I do”

Zephyr pinned the badge on her uniform. “Then I hereby name you Zephyr of the Lionhearted after me. You are the glue that will hold them together in the days to come, comfort them when need be and scold them when you must, but above all keep yourself pure unto God and you will keep them through it all.”

Zephyr and David Kell did an about-face, marched away, then once again about-faced back towards them. David Kell saluted, and half-shouted, “Officers of the Lionhearted, dismiss.”

Zephyr and David Kell gave them one last salute and marched off the bridge. The droids that had lined up along the wall fell into formation and followed them out.