Earth To Nole: Return of the Prince (16 page)

The monitor on the roco primeship now showed the target as destroyed. One of the bots pressed a button and said, “Audit entry, captain, primeship, JB-412. EM missile successfully detonated. Target spacecraft is now falling under gravity and will be destroyed during reentry. This is not the final log entry for this incidence.”

It seemed, the EM missile did not destroy the spacecraft. It was never supposed to. It simply damaged the electronic parts of the ship making it unable to fly. Boriri realised that this was the end. He kept looking at the photograph, strapped to his seat and barely able to sit straight inside the falling spacecraft.

The blast from the EM missile did one good thing though. It grabbed Kevin’s attention completely out of the blue. Kevin had been struggling to pinpoint Boriri’s location for sometime now but now he knew where he was.

“Found him.”, Kevin shouted with excitement.

“What! Is he alive?”, Keele asked.

“Can’t say. His spacecraft appears to be in a free fall. It will definitely get destroyed on reentry.”, Kevin said.

“Can you save him?”, Keele asked.

“I will save him.”, Kevin said with determination. He continued, “I am going to to enter Nole’s atmosphere and to reach him, I will have to enter at a higher velocity. I don’t know if the neurojet would be able to fly at a high velocity in the atmosphere.”

Keele appeared to be concerned. He did not stop Kevin or caution him. He knew they had to try everything to save Boriri.

On the primeship, the screen in front of the bots now also tracked Kevin’s neurojet in addition to Boriri’s falling ship. One of the bots pressed a button to initiate communication with their commanding officer.

“Yes, tell me captain. Is the spaceship destroyed?”, Korara asked.

“Affirmative, sir. It is falling under gravity and will be destroyed soon.”, the bot replied.

“Good. Anything else?”, Korara asked casually.

“Sir, we are tracking a neurojet which is getting closer to the target.”, the bot said.

“Shoot it down as well.”, Korara said after some thinking.

“Negative sir. We are not equipped to engage a neurojet. If it attacks back then all our ships would be destroyed.”, the bot replied.

“Can you at least try? Use your most deadly weapon.”, Korara sounded desperate.

“Negative sir. The neurojet’s defense mechanisms are superior to ours, this would certainly be a wastage.”, the bot sounded confident.

Korara went silent. The bots waited for their orders. A few minutes later Korara spoke again, “Very well captain. Keep an eye on the target and report back.”

“I will sir.”, the bot replied.

Kevin now pushed into Nole’s atmosphere. In his mental image, the body of the neurojet had now changed color from blue to red. Kevin knew flying rapidly in atmosphere is dangerous for the neurojet but he kept pushing. The friction with the air outside made the flight of the neurojet a bit bumpy but he kept going. Saving Boriri was the only thing he now cared about. As the neurojet closed in on the falling spacecraft, he took the neurojet below it. Kevin knew what he was doing.

Keele was now able to see the falling spacecraft in front of him. He grew anxious as the parts of the spacecraft fell off in front of his eyes. The spacecraft was on its path to destruction, one bit at a time.

“How are you going to get Boriri out?”, Keele asked.

“I am not.”, Kevin replied.

“What do you mean? We have to save him!”, Keele looked shocked on Kevin’s reply.

“I am going to save the whole spacecraft. Boriri is not going to survive ejection at this speed.”, Kevin replied.

Keele sat quietly at his seat. He had no other choice than to wait and see what Kevin was up to.

Moments later Kevin launched three missiles from his neuroject which detonated strategically below the falling spacecraft. The thrust from the missiles’ explosions acted as brakes for the falling spacecraft thereby reducing the speed with which it was falling. This gave Kevin a window of opportunity to get hold of the falling spacecraft. He turned on the electromagnets on the neurojet and finally got hold of the spaceship. He said, “I have got it on a leash now.”

“How do you mean? Is it the magnets?”, Keele asked.

“Yes.”, Kevin replied.

“Very good, Kevin. Why didn't I think of it.”, Keele said. He looked happy. He knew that Boriri was safe now.

Boriri realised that his spacecraft was not falling rapidly anymore. He turned and looked outside the window and saw a royal neurojet flying above. He knew there was only one who could have brought it so far from its garage on Mone. He smiled and put the photograph back into his pocket.

The two bots sitting on the primeship were still monitoring everything that happened. One of them pressed a button and started speaking, “Audit entry, captain, primeship, JB-412. The spaceship’s free fall is now broken. It appears to be descending at a stable velocity into Nole. The hum within it appears to be alive. This is the final entry for this incidence.”

Kevin stood just outside his neurojet at a distance and watched as Keele tended to Boriri. They were all on Nole now, safe and sound. Boriri sat on a stone near his torn spacecraft while Keele scanned his body for any internal injuries. Kevin waited patiently, he was glad it ended well for everyone. Once Keele made sure that Boriri did not have internal injuries he stepped aside and let Boriri walk up to Kevin. Kevin was not sure how to greet Boriri. Afterall, he had not been talking to him for almost 5 months now.

Boriri smiled at Kevin with gratitude and a hint of regret. He said “Look at the irony, my friend. All this time you wanted to come to Nole but I kept stopping you. And, now I made you fly all the way”.

Kevin wore a faint smile on his face. He was no longer mad at Boriri. He probably stopped being mad at him many days ago but could not overcome the inertia of initiating a conversation. Maybe he was waiting for Boriri to make the first move, much as a sulking lover. As with all relationships based on love, that inertia was now mostly gone as they came face to face with each other. But Kevin still stood silently waiting for Boriri to finish. He knew he had more to say. Boriri went around Kevin and put his hands on his shoulders. He said, “Thank you for saving my life, dear friend. Eventually, the whole hum society would be grateful to you but I am already burdened with everything you and your family has done for me”.

Kevin said, “You don’t have to thank me Boriri. If anything, I need to apologise for my recent behavior. You have spent hundreds of years selflessly toiling for this cause and I know that hums are not the only ones who are to benefit from it.”

Boriri said, “You being upset was completely justified, Kevin. I should have told you sooner about your parents but in this race against time, I somehow kept prioritizing other things over it. Now that I look back, it was my weakness and guilt which stopped me from bringing it up with you. I somehow feel responsible for everything that has happened to you parents.”

Kevin stopped Boriri and said, “We all know with whom the responsibility lies for all of this. Don’t blame yourself for what would have happened anyways and probably worse in your absence. We need to teach Igogo a lesson by…”

This time Boriri stopped Kevin. He said, “We have spent a long time in the shadow of fear. Life would not wait for you to win all your battles before you start living it. I was wrong in stopping you from coming to Nole. And I was wrong my whole life. Love is the only weapon against fear and hatred. Let us all take a break, today. I believe we have earned it.”. Boriri was probably thinking about Moriti now.

“A break from what?”, Kevin asked.

“From everything. Go, talk to your friends. We have a few hours before we leave for Mone. The result of the elections are due tomorrow.”, Boriri said.

Kevin turned around and saw Joti and Gollow standing at a distance. Holum and Ibu were walking towards him. The smile on his face faded away. He was probably in shock. He never realised that he could be meeting them today.

Kevin greeted Holum and Ibu. He looked at Holum and said, “Why didn’t you tell me that you were friends with my father?”.

“I had my reasons, Kevin.”, Holum said with a familiar smile.

“But…”, Kevin wanted to counter but Holum stopped him. He said, “We will talk later. You don’t have much time, go they are waiting for you.”

Kevin had a thousand questions in his mind about his parents but he knew he needed more time to get into that. He walked away towards Joti and Gollow as Holum joined Ibu and Boriri.

Kevin walked towards Joti and Gollow reluctantly. He never imagined that he would be seeing them today. He was very happy but at the same time a little reluctant to face them. As he walked closer to them, he fixed his gaze below, towards the ground. He feared seeing hatred in their eyes if he looked up. He finally stopped a few steps away from them.

To his surprise, Joti ran towards him and hugged him. Gollow followed her too. He said, “All this time I thought you were more mad at him than I was. And now look, you are the first to hug him.”

“I still am mad.”, Joti said, still holding Kevin ever so tightly with her arms around him.

Kevin was relieved. He said, “Thank you guys for understanding. I feared you would not understand.”

Gollow confessed, “Well, we were mad when you left, I wouldn’t lie to you Kevin. But we soon realised the situation. We are proud of you and what you are doing for us.”

“Who told you?”, Kevin asked surprised.

“Holum and Boriri for the most of it. Boriri keeps bringing your news from Mone every week.”, Gollow replied.

Kevin realised how lucky he was to have friends and mentors like these in his life. He then turned to Joti and said, “I thought I lost you, that you will never forgive me for abandoning you here alone.”. Joti smiled, as if it could never be true.

Gollow interrupted, he said, “She wasn’t alone.”

“Yes, you are right Golli. Thanks for looking after her.”, Kevin said thankfully.

Gollow felt a bit guilty. He said, “Don’t thank me yet, Kevin. Everyone else on the spaceship would advise you against that.”. Gollow was trying to explain the situation where everyone thinks that him and Joti are a couple now. He said, “But don’t trust them, I can explain everything.”

Kevin looked confused, though he knew it was something funny because Joti’s smile bursted into laughter hearing what Gollow had to say. She hugged Kevin again as Gollow went ahead and explained their elaborate act of deceiving Francis.

Keele looked at them from a distance and could not control his laughter either. He was eavesdropping on everything being said. Holum and Ibu paused and turned around to see the three friends laugh wholeheartedly. Boriri said, “All is not lost yet.”

A few hours passed by quickly. Kevin and Joti sat together on a stone while Gollow talked to Keele at a distance. Boriri, Holum and Ibu stood separately and appeared to be talking serious stuff.

Kevin held Joti’s hands in his and said, “I don’t know when I will hold them again.”

“After elections, maybe?”, Joti said hopefully. She looked more hopeful than Kevin who was sulking into guilt for leaving again.

“It’s time, I am afraid.”, Holum said, turning towards the couple.

Kevin stood up and hugged Joti one last time before leaving. He promised to return within a week. Kevin, Boriri and Keele then boarded the neurojet. The others started walking towards their spacecraft which stood at a distance.

Both the vehicles left the spot within minutes. The third one which was completely destroyed was left behind. The secret meeting was now over. While Joti’s spacecraft would take only an hour to reach its destination, Kevin’s neurojet had hours of fly time ahead. He was not going to fly it in neuro mode.

On the neurojet Boriri said apologising, “I am sorry for this mess, Kevin. You should have been on Mone right now celebrating your win.”

Kevin took Boriri’s hands in his and reassured him that it was all fine. He said, “I am thankful Boriri. I was dying to see my friends. Moreover we would be there by the time results are out. What difference does it make if we wait here for the results or on Mone, in your apartment. We are all together, that is what matters.”.

Boriri smiled. He added, “At least I am sorry for not letting you fly in neuro mode on your way back.”

“Not at all, Boriri. Keele is right. You are not fit for that kind of flying right now.”, Kevin replied.

“Let’s be careful though, roco bots might try stopping us once this jet leaves Nole’s orbit.”, Boriri cautioned Kevin.

Keele, who was keeping an eye on the monitors and sensors on the dashboard said, “I doubt they are going to do it. We are already in the orbit and they have us in their sight for at least 15 minutes now. They would have done it if they were up to it.”

“Apparently, the royals made the most powerful jet that there is and kept it for themselves. It would be futile for them to do anything but watch us leave.”, Kevin told Boriri implying that the neurojet was invincible.

“I don’t blame the royals for keeping the technology private. Hums have not been into war for hundreds of thousands of years. We had no reasons to invest into the advancement of war technology. Anything that the royals invented was completely hobbyist and was never produced at an industrial scale.”, Keele added.

Kevin turned to Keele and said, “Don’t you think it's a bit risky, letting your warrior bots become obsolete. What would you do if someone attacks you?”

Boriri interrupted, he said, “Roco and their weapons are not useless, Kevin. They are better than most of the developing civilizations around us. It is only when you compare it with advanced hum technology that it appears obsolete. Moreover, royals have always been on the forefront in defending us. Nobody else could even dream of attacking us as long as the royals are on our side.”

“I can agree to that being true for Jaks or Humans but is it true even for Forengs? They are as advanced as hums, right?”, Kevin argued.

“Yes, but compared to the royals they are not. With royals on our side, they don’t have a chance.”, Boriri replied.

“But royals are no more. What if they attack today? Would roco be able to defend us?”, Kevin asked.

“Yes, the roco bots and other technologies they own are comparable to the Foreng army. If you add to that even one neurojet then the odds would be in our favor dramatically. And don’t forget that the royals kept this technology private only because it was not needed by roco. If needed, a royal could still chose to publish all this technology to the roco and have them build their own neurojets.”, Keele replied.

Kevin was satisfied with that answer. He went back to flying the neuro jet.

Boriri said turning to Keele, “Okay then, we have a lot of time on our hands. Let’s talk about your newly found memory.”

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The next morning, Tomiri rushed to Kevin’s bedroom shouting repeatedly “return of the prince, return of the prince”. Kevin was awake but too tired to get off his bed. He looked at Tomiri through the corner of his eyes and asked, “are the results out?”

“Yes, my prince. You have won by a huge margin.”, Tomiri replied.

Kevin opened his eyes completely and started staring at the roof with a faint smile on his face. He said, “Not many months ago, when I first arrived among the hums, I spent a whole night staring at a similar roof, wondering what would become of me here. Who knew I would win.”

“I knew.”, Tomiri said with excitement.

Kevin replied bluntly pulling himself up, “No, you didn’t.”. He was too tired to try and put it gently.

“I had my doubts, master. But, I have complete faith in you now. I voted for you.”, Tomiri said.

Kevin looked at him with a smirk. He knew he could trust him now.

“Shall we celebrate tonight?”, Tomiri asked. It was more of a suggestion.

“Why not? Invite everyone. It should be like the night I moved here.”, Kevin said, as he went back to lying down on the bed.

“Excellent!”, Tomiri said as he rushed out.

Tomiri went straight to the kitchen which was filled with housebots today. He lined them up and gave them instructions for the evening. He asked one of his assistants to start making calls, inviting guests and making other arrangements. Tomiri looked really happy. He liked being busy.

Back in Kevin’s bedroom, he was again awaken. This time by an incoming call. He dragged himself out of the bed and went to the screen which showed incoming call from Korara. He knew who he was, he said “Hello”.

“Good morning sir.”, Korara said from the other end. It was a video call thus both the parties could see each other.

“I am pleasantly surprised. Why is the head of roco calling me?”, Kevin asked with a pretend smile.

“To congratulate you, sir. You are our new king.”, Korara said.

“Thank you, Korara. I look forward to your support.”, Kevin tried being diplomatic.

“I am afraid that I cannot promise you that, sir. The panel no longer exists, all the appointments done by Igogo and his panel are now suspended. I am calling in to remind you, sir, that you need to appoint a roco head soon. It is obligatory to appoint one as soon as possible after the elections.”, Korara explained.

“Thank you, Korara. My prime minister would take care of that.”, Kevin replied casually.

“Oh, I didn’t know that you have decided on a candidate for that. Who is it, may I know?”, Korara asked curiously.

“Yes, it's Boriri. I hope he would have your full cooperation.”, Kevin said with a smile.

“Certainly sir.”, Korara said. Kevin knew it was going to be awkward for Korara but he enjoyed seeing the reaction on his face.

“Very well then. Please do join us in the evening, My proctor is arranging a party tonight.”, Kevin said before hanging up. He then went back to bed saying to himself, “I am going to enjoy being the king”.

Kevin spent the day in his room answering to calls congratulating him on the win. Soon it was evening and people started showing up. Tomiri came and reminded him that he should be dressed and ready to welcome his guests. Kevin took his time to get ready and finally arrived in the big hall where everyone waited for him.