The Adventures of Tim Bodge Ch. 26: Pt. 04

This story has been amended with Adult content.

By T Hodge

Chapter 26 Part 4 of 4

Tim sat in the captain's seat and looked over all the ships. There was a corvette that was already destroyed on the far side. Signaled Pauline to fire one shot at the Undain's ship. Tim said, "To all Undain crewmembers: Please watch the dead ship."

As both crews from the ships watched, they saw a bright light, leaving the Star Gladiator 1. They witnessed the disintegration of their ship. In the beginning, just around the place, the shell hit. While they were watching, the hole started to grow larger. Soon, the ship was gone.

They realized that could have been them. The atmosphere was now calm, waiting to see what would be the next step.

"Can somebody tell me how to get to the mayor?" asked Tim.

"Yes, sir, I will accompany you to the docks." Said the chief captain of the sect.

"That's all right, we'll escort him." Said the second captain.

"Gentlemen, please, each captain shall escort my ship while your other ship remains here and does not fight."

Tim's corvette has made its way back to the bay for the journey to the planet. As they approached the planet, the Docking Bay Officer questioned the Captains of both vessels about the third ship.

They explained that he was a friend of a colleague of the Mayor and wished to see him. They really didn't want to tell the truth, but they both would vouch for him.

The Docking Bay Officer allowed for this and permitted the ship to dock. Tim had Chencai pilot the corvette to the docking bay.

The two Captains asked if they could return to their group.

"Yes, please return, and could we not do battle, as long as he was here?"

Both captains agreed and returned to their groups. Meanwhile, Tim asked Tabitha to check with their father if he wanted to join them to see this planet.

Tabitha called her father and asked if he and their mother would be interested in seeing their friend's homeworld.

Subsequently, the King and Queen joined Tim and their daughters on Star Gladiator 1.

The officer from Docking Bay called the Mayor and said someone was there to see him.

The Mayor questioned the officer because he did not expect anyone. But he said he was coming to the docks to check it out.

While the Mayor was standing at the end of the dock ramp looking at the ship, he noticed a couple of female guards at the top of the ramp.

The Mayor thought, 'I only know of one world that has female's guards, but they're no way he would travel all this way.'

Then the door opened, Tim walked out first to check the area. Tabitha and Tammy followed Tim down to the end of the ramp and stood looking around.

Once Tim gave the signal, the guards moved forward a few steps, and the King and Queen moved through the doorway.

Mayor Gusha, now recognized the King, started to advance.

Tim introduced himself and said, "Are you Gusha?"

"Yes, but I did not anticipate the visit of King Purrless and his queen."

The King and Queen came to the bottom of the ramp, shook hands, and talked with Gusha.

Gusha turned to the Docking Officer and told him to secure this docking bay, and no one was allowed near it.

The Docking Officer turned and ran to his office and started calling to get what the Mayor wanted to be done. He also called for three more vehicles to transport the King and Queen's people.

"I am so happy to see you, but you didn't have to travel this far to see me."

"I have not heard from you for over a year. I was afraid something bad had happened to you."

"Please, the vehicles have arrived, let us move to my office." Gusha pointed them toward the vehicles.

Tabitha and Tammy took the first vehicle, whereas the guards took the last.

The rest were placed in the middle vehicle. As they moved towards the Mayor's office, there was a loud explosion, and all vehicles came to a stop.

Tim, acting swiftly, had the Queen down on the floor with the King near her. He left the vehicle as quickly as he could. He was nervous, and his hands were already sweating. He dropped low to the ground to present a smaller target and was constantly looking around. He needed to find out where everybody was.

Tabitha and Tammy exited the vehicle, tensing up, and the adrenaline started pumping. They, like Tim, dropped to their knees. They waited until they could acquire a clear shot at their target. Tabitha turned to check on Tim.

Tim now looked back and found that the guards were also out. One guard on both sides of the King and Queen's vehicle. He turned to the guards and said, "Shields on. Tim had Tabitha and Tammy make sure that their shields were on.

The guards turned on their shields. One moved to the opposite side of the vehicle with her gun drawn.

"Sarha, I need every guard down here now, using the MTS shuttles, and land one hundred yards north and south of this location. We are under attack."

Tabitha and Tammy came back so they could be with Tim. "What would you have us do?" Tabitha inquired while she was constantly looking around.

"Tammy, under the vehicle, you know what to do from there."

Tammy dropped to the ground and scooted under the vehicle, and she was now watching for any movement. From this position, she was firing at and killing anyone whose head she could see.

"Tabitha keeping low, began to move to the other side of the vehicle. She checked inside and saw that her mother and father, and the Mayor were on the floor.

While Tabitha kneeled near the back door, she heard the shot as the shell bounced off the guard's shield. She turned around and saw a person with a weapon and fired and struck an Undan being, piercing a hole through his flesh. He dropped backward and died. Tabitha turned to the guard and saw that she was in good health. A little stunned.

Others were shooting at them, and the guard, now realized that the bullets were bouncing off her shield, just laughed. She and Tabitha retaliated. Since their shields held, they both walked towards the bad guys. They didn't move too far away from the vehicle.

The shooters knew they were hitting their targets but weren't doing any damage.

Tim and Tammy had a similar thing going for them, and shots rang out everywhere.

The shooters were firing from their concealed places. They were not anticipating anyone to be outside firing back at them. They were informed it was just a friend of the Mayor, and it would be easy-going to kill the Mayor.

Tim was reluctant to leave the side of the vehicle to pursue the shooters. He wanted the soldiers from the ship to handle it.

There was a humming sound, and everyone looked up. The shuttles approached and landed behind the shooters. When the doors opened, out came fifty soldiers, weapons at the ready. They were told not to fire; their rounds might hit the Mayor's vehicles.

While both groups of soldiers stood in a straight line, the commanders instructed the troops to take steps one at a time, closing the space between themselves and the shooters. This way, the remaining soldiers at the end of the line could close and encircle the shooters.

One of the shooters fired on the troops. His bullet just bounded off her shield. The shooters fought back in vain. One of them arose from his position and began to run towards the vehicles.

Tim stepped forward, stopping the man by grabbing him by the neck and holding him a few centimeters from the ground, and asked, "Where are you going?"

The shooters stopped firing and raised their hands. The soldiers gathered all of them up and asked, "Tim, what do you want to be done with them?"

Both the Mayor and the King were outside of the vehicle. Tim went over to the Mayor.

"Sir, what do you do with those men who attempted to kill my King and Queen?"

"We are in a civil war, and these are war crimes. We could have them shot." Mayor Gusha said.

"Well, if you don't mind, we now have a place for them. It's a place where they will find their kind."

"Well, since they did try to kill your King and Queen. I will let you take care of them."

Tim turned to the Commander and said, "Send them to the planet, now."

"I will have DarkIce process them and send them straight there." Commander Yodson-Hatett said. She turned to her soldiers and pointed to the shuttle.

"Tim, what are you going to do with them?" asked Mayor Gusha.

"We have a planet for criminals now."

Tabitha opened the vehicle door to allow her mother out. "Mother, are you all, right?"

"Yes, dear. Tim laid me down on the floor so quickly that I didn't know what was going on."

Tabitha turned to look at Tim. "Tim has a habit of doing things fast." Then turned back to her mother and smiled.

"Sorry, I didn't want your beautiful mother to get hurt."

The Queen looked at Tabitha and said, "He's just a flirt, but a handsome one. You and your sister are so lucky to have him."

Tammy walked around the vehicle and asked. "we're lucky to have who?"

"Mother was talking about Tim laying her on the floor."

"Tim, could you lay me on the floor also. I'll enjoy it."

"Alright, Tammy, that's enough." Tabitha looked at her sister.

With a smile, Tammy looked at Tim and said, "But he laid mother on the floor. Why not me?"

"Maybe later, but for right now, is everyone OK?" asked Tim.

"I think I will have another vehicle brought up to finish this trip." Said Mayor Gusha.

It only took a few minutes to bring another vehicle to the group and then off to the Mayor's office.

After everybody was inside the Mayor's office and sat down to talk, they wanted to know the nature of the civil war.

Mayor Gusha explained why and how it came about. Their civilization was active for the last two thousand years and was governed by a theocracy adhering to the Khehail religion. Khehail believers were organized into different sects with varying influence in the political landscape, comparable to parties in democratic governments. However, not all of these sects were accepted. Each sect had their own codex or dogma, which were based around different interpretations of holy texts. Most of them coexisted peacefully, some sects, however, were different, more radical. [ per the creator Irolan ].

The Undain's that attacked us was from one of those sects. We have had trouble with them for the last year and a half. They've never come to Khundstown before and to attack us out in the open.

"Do you know who their leader is?" asked Tabitha.

"Yes, but he will not show his face or talk to anyone."

"Why is that?"

"He thinks if we know who he is, we'll put a contract out for him."

"Do you know what they want?"

"What any sect wants is to control the government."

"Tabitha, stop being a diplomat for right now," said the King.

***

"Tim, what do you want us to do?" Commander Yodson-Hatett asked.

"I want ten soldiers with the King and Queen at all times. Move ten over to the shuttle and keep them inside, using the MTS. The rest are on standby."

"Commander's, I need a report about the action today." Said Tim.

Commander Yodson-Hatett stated, "Tim, my group had no one hurt in the fight, but one did break a leg from falling over a tree stump."

Commander Aimee Pearcee said, "Again, no one hurt. We will do the first guard duty, and Commander Yodson-Hatett group can be on standby if that's OK?" She looked towards the Commander.

Commander Aimee Pearcee nodded and started towards the shuttle. Commander Yodson-Hatett headed to her soldiers for their reassignment.

***

Tim, King Purrless, and Mayor Gusha sat down in the Mayor's living room and discussed his issues. A sect seems to have problems in itself. One party wants to sell their surplus food, and the other wants to trade. But they have no ships to load and no idea where or with whom to trade.

Tim's given some thought to the problem. "Mayor Gusha, would you be willing to surrender one square mile of land to solve this problem?"

"And where might that place be?"

"It will be determined later," Tim said.

"Yes, if you could stop the fighting and solve the problem of the others. I would contemplate that."

"I'll call my chief diplomat and tell her to get to work." Replied King Purrless. The King turned to summon a runner. "Asked Princess Tabitha if she could come to visit me?"

Tabitha walked into the Mayor's living room to see what her father wanted. "Father, how may I help you?"

"Please have a seat. Tim will explain what he has in mind." King Purrless pointed to a chair.

Tabitha sat down and looked at Tim. "OK, boss, what am I going to be doing now?"

"Tabitha, The Mayor here is willing to get up a square mile of land. Which will now be the property of the Star Gladiator 1."

Tabitha turned to look at the Mayor. He just shrugged his shoulders. She turned back to Tim.

"You will go to each sect and come up with an agreement. They can bring their products to that market and trade with the world, the ones we have now and others down the road."

"If they ask the cost?"

"There will be no cost. The land will be neutral to all parties. We will control it." Tim now looked towards the King and Mayor. "Would you both agree to these agreements?"

"Tim, you want the same deal we have sat up with father and King Elbert?" Tabitha asked. Both nodded their heads. "OK, I'll start tomorrow morning talking to each."

"Mayor, do you have any land that touches one or more sect's areas?" Tim wanted to know.

"Yes, there is a small portion that touches two other sects. It is in the northeast part of this kingdom. We could have a road from here to there for the purpose you wish. Will that be, OK?" The Mayor asked.

"May we travel there tomorrow. Tabitha, I would like each of the two sects joining us to give us a mile of their land to be reunited with this section of our land. Also, travel to and from the marketplace will be open to all."

The following day Tabitha started on her Diplomat assignment. At the same time, Tim and the others headed to the sight of the soon-to-be new marketplace.