[The Lone Gunslinger, Chapter 23, When gods play] [Part III] "Keal, what's wrong, are you okay?" whispers Jaco. "I'm coming." "No...turn...Vid-screen...on...now..." I reply. The Vid-Screen is showing an image of a young Daraian, maybe sixteen or seventeen years old. He has a thick wild shock of hair with white streaks, not gray like a Jackdaw, but pure white. And he is huge for a Daraian, heck, he is big for a human, and wings... oh my gosh, his wings look real, I don't see any harness straps. His wings easily have a wing-span greater than the length of two Dart Ships, and... oh ancestors, they are beautiful, shiny black with white markings. "I am Lord Eagle, all Daraians come to me on Cyness Minor," the young Daraian orders, and the transmission repeats. The transmission dims and a middle-aged Grackle reporter appears on the screen. "This is Anchor Cerel, as the remaining senior Grackle, I have assumed the mantle of Lord Grackle. May our beloved Lord and Lady Grackle know peace in the Land of the Ancestors. I am ordering House Grackle to retrieve all Daraian technology and proceed to Cyness Minor." "Jaco...the...Daraians...are...leaving...the...humans," I whisper. "I doubt it will be forever, our species is an endangered species now, we need to regroup to survive, prepare to launch, we are leaving immediately," orders Jaco. "Okay...let...me...just...run...out...and...warm...up...the...ship," I whisper. "Smartass," whispers Jaco. Jaco will have to put me into slow sleep for the journey, but first I'll want to write a letter for Simon and Josh... wait? If Jaco's nest is gone, why would Josh's bed still be here. Josh must be twenty-five or twenty-six years old by now. Jaco returns from his foraging trip and puts me into my wheelchair. Now I can see the room better. Josh's bed is still there, but there are small childish drawings on the wall next to the bed. And my bed... should be Josh's bed, but there is no chest for clothes. The room looks different, there are curtains, and a table cloth. Oh my frozen ancestors! Why would there be three place settings at the table. "Jaco...wait..." "We should hurry," says Jaco, his face has a haunted guilty expression, and sadness. "My...father...hasn't...visited...in...very...long...time...why?" "Hero, you're getting yourself worked up," says Jaco. I notice he has reverted to using my Gunslinger name. "What...Josh...Gunslinger...name...say...truth." Jaco kneels and puts his arms around me. "I'm sorry, Josh thought it was for the best." "His...name?" "Josh's name is, Simon Jackdaw," says Jaco. "The year he ran The Long Run, he ran with a female Jackdaw from the Raven Base. Simon was the Commander then and gave Josh the name Jackdaw." "Who...bed...that...in...corner?" "That's Keal's bed, Josh and Taima's son," says Jaco. "That...Jackdaw...names?" "Yes, Josh mated with a Jackdaw, and they named their son after you." "Please...go...river...get...two...stones." "Of course, do you forgive me for never telling you?" "I...always...forgive...you...now...go...get...our...stones...we...give....respect...Simon...Longshot." I was holding my emotions back, I didn't want Jaco sedating me. Jaco leaves for the river to get our two stones so we can perform the Bones of the Ancestors ritual. And I weep for a man that suffered so much in life, the loss of his wife, his son, and then to get back his son only to lose him again. Simon Longshot was a great man, he gave his heart to Jaco, to Josh, to me. He was generous and fearless. I loved my father. I should never have doubted him all those years when he never returned to visit me. I think he knew how dangerous his job was, and that's why he signed custody of me to Jaco. Simon was making sure there would always be someone to care for me. And maybe to give Jaco purpose as well. Simon was taking care of all his sons. Jaco helps me write a letter to Josh and we leave it on his bed with our stones for Josh to carry out and place on the rock pile that symbolizes the Bones of my ancestors. Josh and his mate are probably with the Fleet right now. Little Keal is most likely up at the Raven Base deep underground with the other hatchlings, being cared for by the elderly Ravens that were left behind to protect the base. I am ready to leave, but first I need something. "Jaco...get...my...mother's...cup...it...is...all...I...want." Jaco finds the set lined up in the cupboard and leaves a note that I wanted to take one. Josh will understand. Before we leave, I had another thought and that one turned out a very bad idea. I offered to let Jaco leave me at the Base Hospital, someone would come along and take care of me. I wanted to offer Jaco his life back. Jaco became very angry and I spent an hour apologizing for insulting him like that. We can't do all the things most mates can do, but we sure can argue sometimes. Sometimes I pick fights with Jaco on purpose, because after the fight he always makes warm chocolate pudding to make up. I don't think I'm getting chocolate pudding today. I don't know how long I'm in slow sleep for, but when I wake up there is a strong bright sunlight coming through the canopy of the ship, and the ship is stacked with crates. There is barely any room to move around. "What's all this, Jaco?" "Supplies, mostly gold, but don't tell anyone." "Huh, this is all gold, how did you have the time to mine all this?" "I didn't, you remember Andy." "Yea." "I figured before he died he would have kept himself busy picking up nuggets and panning, but I knew he wouldn't hurt Josh by trying to take the gold off the mountain. I just had to find where he hid it all." "But...why?...We...are...rich." "Not anymore. The Empire knows the Daraians are leaving and the Imperial Banks have frozen all Daraian assets. I couldn't even withdraw enough to buy a cup of coffee. So, I went back to the Gunslinger Base and loaded up as much gold and silver as I could." "This...must...be...heavy." "It is, I stole two external fuel tanks and a cargo pod from the Gunslingers, and then refueled at a space station near Cyness. We have enough fuel for two more launches and landings before I have to start throwing gold out." "I...guess...we...are...rich...again." "This was the second load of gold, I spent the first load buying enough medical supplies to last the rest of your life." It takes awhile to get me out of the Dart. The ship has the cargo pod attached under it, so the ship is sitting twenty feet above the ground with the pod below us. Jaco hooks up the elevator lift to the side hatch and eventually I ride down in style sitting in my wheel chair. The several weeks we spend on Cyness are wonderful. There are hatchlings everywhere, pouring out of refugee ships and running around the mountain forests playing. I always have a group of hatchlings around me listening to stories I tell them of when I was a boy. They don't even seem to mind that it takes forever for me to tell a story. I am so happy to feel useful and I am assigned to watch an older group of hatchlings, they are so well behaved. I think they see it as they are watching me, which may be true. At first everyone is getting along. Jaco spends his time with the other wealthy merchants arguing about what to do next, but then Lord Cyness shows up and tensions start to rise. We don't like being ordered around by humans. Lord Cyness is arrogant and makes matters worse by insisting he is the ruling Lord of Cyness and the Daraians have to obey him. Then everything falls apart and Lord Cyness attacks with an army of the Cyness militia and former Gunslingers. One company of Gunslingers, led by Lord Cyness himself, approaches the hatchlings I am watching. Colton Cyness and his henchmen have their guns drawn. I order the oldest hatchling to push my wheelchair out to the front to face them. Lord Cyness seems uncomfortable to be facing a cripple and some hatchlings. "I...am...Lone...Gunslinger...Hero...you...dare...raise...arms...against...hatchlings?" "I've heard of you, Hero," says Lord Cyness. "I am only maintaining order." "You...offend...me...murderer...give...me...gun...I...call...you...out." "I'm not drawing against you, Hero," says Lord Cyness. "Coward," I reply. "I see, I am still not forgiven, not even by the Human-Jackdaw," says Lord Cyness. "I have paid dearly for that mistake all those years ago." And then the Eagle is there, and he lays his hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, Keal, you once again defend our hatchlings. You are truly the greatest of Jackdaws." The Eagle knows of me? How? "Uncle Colt, this is wrong and you know it, what would my father, Jack, have said about all this?" asks the Eagle. "You dare to lecture me, boy," says Lord Cyness dangerously. "I will take the Daraians and leave," replies the Eagle turning and walking away. "Cody, wait," shouts Lord Cyness. "You are right, this has gotten out of control. My arrogance has always gotten me into trouble. Jack was my brother and would not want this. I do care about you, and the Daraians." Lord Cyness holsters his gun and walks up to the Eagle, and then pulls a rolled up parchment from inside his duster. "This is the Colonization Charter to Cepheus Major. The planet is the third of the known super planets, even larger than Darai and Raunu. I give it to the Daraians for their new home," says Lord Cyness. "Thank you, Uncle Colt," says the Eagle taking the parchment. "This planet is dying, we would welcome House Cyness as an equal House among us." "I will discuss it with my people," says Lord Cyness. "Good luck, Cody." We spend the next several days getting ready to leave. Jaco keeps giving me sideways glances until I can't stand it anymore. "What?" I ask. "You senseless Jackdaw," says Jaco grinning. "The story of the crippled Jackdaw in a wheelchair facing down the mighty Colton Cyness in a gunfight is spreading like wildfire through all the Houses." "It...was...hardly...a...gunfight." "I have good news," says Jaco. "What?" "The Crystal Rain wasn't at Darai during the attack, it's on the way here." "That...is...good...we...will...need...that...ship...and...what...of...your...father...and...mother?" "Alive and well, the Crystal Rain has been collecting up all the Jackdaws that were on other planets. They will be arriving with a large fleet. The new survivor numbers estimates six million Daraians still alive." The numbers are still appalling, six million out of twelve billion. I think the humans will be on their own for a very long time. Jaco puts me back into slow sleep for the journey. He says Cepheus is very far away. When I wake again, we are there. Jaco lowers the ramp and rolls me down to our new home. The cargo pod is sitting next to the ship, Jaco must have detached it before waking me up. The air is rich with the scent of pine and the much easier to breath than Cyness was. I will be okay here. Trees tower several hundred feet above us and there is a lake next to where Jaco chose to settle. This looks much like pictures I saw of Darai. "We will build our house here," says Jaco. [Forty years later] "Tell me another story Grandpa Keal," shouts the hatchling. I smile at the hatchling. This hatchling is my grandson. There weren't enough Jackdaws left to waste even one male's seed. I ordered Jaco to add his genetic seed to the House, he didn't like it, but he obeyed. Jaco and I, with much help, raised twelve hatchlings, and now there are twenty-nine grandhatchlings running around somewhere. We built our home here next to the lake, and the rest of House Jackdaw joined us. This is now Jackdaw Provence. House Eagle is much higher in the mountains, and House Raven is somewhere on the other side of the planet. And good riddens to them, House Jackdaw is a free and independent House again. Jaco's parents passed away years ago, and Jaco was offered the title, but he passed it to a younger brother and it has turned out to be a wise choice. The new Lord and Lady Jackdaw have led us well, and we prosper. We trade mainly with House Sparrow. They have been turning out warships like there is no tomorrow. A space pebble couldn't get within fifty light-years of Cepheus without getting shot down, our planetary defense borders on the obsessive. "Are you falling asleep, grandpa," asks the Hatchling. "Grandpa is tired." "Okay Grandpa, you take a nap, I'll go swimming." Jaco taught all the hatchlings to swim, the fear of water doesn't exist among the young generations anymore. But now Jaco is too frail to swim, he does manage to go fishing at least once or twice a week. He sleeps almost as much as I do now, and his hair is completely gray, and mine has turned white. I still think he is the most handsome of Jackdaws. I slowly push the wheels on my wheelchair, I regained some limited ability to use my arms, and speech. The very defective gene that almost killed me is still trying to heal me. It is slow going but I manage to make it out to the porch. "There you are, old bird." "Who you calling an old bird, you one legged bird." I chuckle and we sit together and watch the hatchlings down at the lake playing. We don't talk as much anymore, we don't need to. I take Jaco's hand and we sit contently watching, and occasionally commenting on this hatchling, or that hatchling. The months slip by and everyone throws me a nice birthday party. I am seventy-eight years old. Jaco is eighty. The summer is nearing the end, soon enough the snows will come again. I don't look forward to that. The cold hurts our old bones. Jaco moves very slowly now, and a few times he mixed up my medication, but I caught him and corrected it. Jaco gets forgetful sometimes, his mind isn't as sharp as it once was. One morning as the air is starting to cool off, Jaco brings my medication and I look at it and slip it into a pocket. The next morning is the same, but I hold it out to Jaco. "My love, these are sugar pills, I can only go two or three days without my medication." "I know," says Jaco. His eyes are sharp today, but he is moving very slowly and naps most of the day. He gives me my correct medication, but doesn't watch if I take it. I slip the pills into a pocket. The third day Jaco doesn't bother bringing my medication at all. He leaves it out where I can see it, and take it if I want to. I have a slight headache, but I've had worse, I'll ignore it. I watch Jaco moving around the house, putting this away, or that away, straightening, and even stops to wipe a smudge off a door jam left by a hatchling. Jaco sets a kettle to boil, and then prepares a cup of tea in my mothers cup. He brings it over to me and I gently hold the cup, warming my hands while Jaco slowly pushes me out to the porch and turns his rocking chair to face me and pushes it beside me. I watch Jaco sit very slowly. Jaco is doing the last act of kindness for me he can. Daraians are very sensitive to this kind of thing. I understand and agree with him. There is no reason for us to discuss it, we know. Jaco takes my hand and looks me in the eyes. "I love you with all my heart," says Jaco. "And I love you, you senseless Jackdaw, I have loved you since that day we first met on the roof." "I need to close my eyes, just for a moment," says Jaco. Jaco closes his eyes and sleeps. I watch his chest rise and fall, he makes that little hiccup he makes when he sleeps. Perhaps an hour passes. My headache is getting worse. Then Jaco's chest stops moving. He has taken his last breath. I sip at the tea in my mother's cup. The tea has grown cold, that seems oddly appropriate to me, and I drink the cold tea before setting the cup aside. Jaco is still holding my hand, I can still feel his warmth and strength. "It has been a good life, Jaco." I close my eyes. There is a sharp pain in my head, and darkness comes. [The End]