[The Inheritance, Part IV] [Cyness Northern Mountain Range] Cody stood with Gani a short distance from the Command Tent. The Daraian Captains had thrown Cody out of the tent while they planned the fate of House Eagle and House Cyness. "What do we do?" Cody asked his cousin Gani. "I spoke to father from the Destroyer's Communication Center," said Gani. "He said to do nothing and just wait here." "I'm really sorry," said Cody. "It's not your fault, we got outnumbered and outmatched by that group of Daraian Captains," said Gani. Joth ran up to his brother and cousin. "Its done, brother," said Joth. "Everyone is safely in the woods." Gani had ordered Joth to lead all the children a short distance away and set them down in the woods to wait. The meadow was eerily quiet and even the birds had stopped making noise. "What's going to happen?" asked Cody. "That," Gani pointed at a Salt Hauler heading toward the meadow. The Salt Hauler was moving fast and circled the meadow quicker than Cody had thought the bulky ship would have been capable of. The Salt Hauler landed, it's ramp not even touching the ground when Lord Cyness, flanked by Toran'Sar and four other gunfighters jumped off the ramp to the ground. Lord Cyness and the five gunfighters walked past the three boys. "You three stay right there," Lord Cyness ordered. Several crewmembers from the various Daraian military ships were running toward the group of gunfighters. Lord Cyness put a hand to his mouth and a shrieking whistle penetrated the meadow. Cody was surprised to see hundreds of gunfighters emerge from the trees. The tent flap opened and Cody's new Admiral stepped out, and then stepped back into the tent with Toran'Sar's pistol pressed against his forehead. Lord Cyness and the other gunfighters followed inside the tent. The Daraian soldiers dropped their weapons and fell on their knees to surrender. The Cynessian Militia consisted of the finest gunfighters in the Alliance. They were not a match for the high technology of the Daraian fleet while it was in the air, but the Daraian refugee fleet wasn't in the air, it was on the ground and in the gunfighter’s backyard. The entire military engagement had taken twenty-five seconds. Cody heard Lord Cyness shouting from inside the command tent and then everything was quiet again. A moment later the Captains were marched out of the tent and made to kneel with their hands on their heads. A gunfighter, carrying coiled up ropes, approached and dropped one rope in front of each of the Captains and then returned to his unit. Cody turned and ran to his ship and returned a moment later. Toran'Sar was placing nooses around the Captains necks when Cody arrived back at the line of prisoners kneeling on the ground. "Uncle," Cody yelled at Lord Cyness. "Stop this, this isn't what I want. I get that I lost control of House Eagle, I'm not smart enough to run a House." Cody pulled the yellowed and creased deed of his inheritance from his pocket and shoved it into Lord Cyness' hand. "Take it, I don't want it," said Cody. "It can be a payment for what I owe you." Cody then unwrapped the red crystal he had just taken from Lyra's cradle box and shoved that into his Uncle's hand as well, "and take the Crystal, Lyra has enough power in her Soul Crystal to last until I get to the Academy. I'm leaving now." "Son, calm down," said Lord Cyness. "No," Cody was nearly shouting. "I'm done with this, I didn't feel anything when I watched the recording of Dara being destroyed. The Daraians have been too cruel to me for me to feel anything, but I still didn't want anyone to get hurt or starve." Cody looked at the Captains, tears were flowing down his face now. "I wanted to help you and just like always, you Daraians betray me," Cody shouted. "Uncle, let them go, let them go where they want, just let them leave and don't bother me again." Cody could barely see through the tears flowing down his face, fourteen years of abuse had finally caught up to him and he just didn't care anymore. He grabbed the nooses one by one and removed them from the Captain's necks. "Let them go," Cody shouted one more time and ran back to his ship. Cody crawled into the exploration rocket, sealed the ancient hatch, and grabbing the headset he yelled to Lyra. "Launch now," Cody screamed. "Get me out of here." Lyra had no idea what was going on, but she could hear the distress in her partners voice and she fired her engines and launched without question. "Where are we going?" asked Lyra as Cody tried to hang on. He hadn't taken into account this was a rocket and not a Dart ship. "The Academy," said Cody. Lyra could hear Cody crying and her heart was breaking that she couldn't comfort him. She couldn't even see him without any optic sensors installed in this strange new ship. "Come up here and keep me company, my love," said Lyra. The trip passed uneventfully while Cody wandered around his new ship and became familiar with everything. “Cody, we are almost there,” said Lyra. There is a transmission arriving.” Cody climbed up to the flight deck and slipped the headset on to hear the transmission. “Unidentified ship, this is Cepheus Station, you are approaching a defended world. Long range missiles are targeted on you, drop out of light speed or you will be fired on.” Cody pressed the transmission button and quickly responded. “Don’t shoot me, this is Cody.” There was a delay in the transmission and Cody waited nervously. “Whoever this is, that is not funny!” screamed a voice. “Cody died on Cyness as a hero.” Cody pressed the transmission button, he missed the instant communication ability of his old Dart ship. “Cassi, is that you?” said Cody. “Tell them not to shoot me.” “If this is Cody, prove it,” said Cassi, and again there was a time delay in the signal before the voice answered. Cody thought about it for a moment before replying. “Tator-tots and hotdogs,” said Cody. After another pause a different voice said, “You are clear to approach.”