To Be A King • 6
The Return • The conclusion.
If you are new to the story, you can begin here:
In the previous chapter, Cliff encountered Habar and heard his version of the story.
They were either telling the truth, or they were all excellent liars. It all fit—the cafe meeting, the ride in the trunk, the General’s own admission that he planned to stay on Earth. I just couldn’t believe the General would kill his own men.
Habar spoke in a loud voice. “Come on out, Father.”
A priest in robes came out of the backroom.
“Tell him about the church silver, Father,” Habar said.
“It’s all gone, I’m afraid. Stolen in the night. Who would dare steal from God? And not just this parish. I have heard from four other parishes who had also had their silver stolen.”
They were all very convincing. If I believed them, what would I do next? Follow orders and kill Habar? That would be murder. Let Rattar get away with killing his men and turn a madman loose on an unsuspecting Earth?
The problem was, I did believe them. I also believed the General was correct about the portal. It needed to be destroyed. I had to decide what to do. Blindly following the orders of a madman was not a good option. Crossing Rattar was also not a good option.
Habar looked at me and calmly spoke. “If you believe me, I have an idea.”
I was open to any suggestions at that point. “Go ahead,” I said.
Habar reached inside his robe and pulled out his dog tags. “Give these to the General and tell him you completed your mission. As soon as Rattar goes through the portal, destroy it. I will take care of Rattar.”
“Then you will be trapped. I’ll wait for you to come out.”
“You can’t risk it. And I’m staying,” Habar replied.
Great. Another crazy person who wants to stay on Earth in the past.
“Why would you want to do that?” I asked.
“Eventually, the General is going to be found missing. I am in the General’s bodyguard. If I go back, they will interrogate me, and you know there is no way to resist interrogation. They will find out about the portal and you. I am guessing the General kept your mission off the books, right?”
“Yes. Only the General knows I’m here.”
“Then you can go back. Get as far away from this as you can. It’s our only chance of survival.”
I had to agree. There was no better option.
Habar continued. “I don’t have any family back there. Rattar killed the only people I really cared about. This village took me in and cared for me.” He glanced at the young woman, and she held his gaze. “I want to stay.”
I thought it through a couple more times.
“All right. Let’s do it,” I said.
I walked through the portal, and Rattar stood right where I left him. Fortunately, I had learned how to stay emotionless while speaking to General Rattar.
“It’s done,” I said and handed Rattar the dog tags.
He looked at the tags and said, “Good work. Did he give you any trouble?”
“No, Sir. I bribed the innkeeper. He told me he was hiding in the church. I went in at night and killed him while he slept. I burned the body in the morning.”
“Well done. Let’s set the explosives.”
Once the explosives were set, the General grabbed his bag. Full of silver, I assumed.
“Here is my ID code to get back to Tokanda. I can’t state strongly enough that this portal must be destroyed. Here is the remote detonator. Take off before you blow the portal, just to be safe.”
“Yes, Sir,” I replied.
“It has been an honor and pleasure serving with you, Cliff.”
I choked back my disgust and replied, “It has been my honor also, Sir.”
He walked through the stones and disappeared.
I ran back to the ship and opened the rear cargo hold. I began searching through the supply crates. The third one I opened was filled with explosives and had a detonator attached. I thought as much. The General wasn’t going to leave any loose ends—like me. I pulled the crate out and left it on the ground.
I boarded the ship and took off. Once I was high enough, I held my breath and pushed the detonator button. I saw two explosions on the surface. I hovered for a while until the smoke cleared. Then I saw a huge crater where the stones once stood and a smaller one where I left the crate.
I flew back to base, landing in the middle of the night. I drove out of the gate and parked the car at the Coast Cafe, then walked back to the hotel.
When I got back to the room, Liz woke up for a moment and said, “Welcome back,” and then slipped back to sleep.
We stayed four more days so it wouldn’t look suspicious and finally made our way back to Earth.
During the first month back in Wyoming, I expected the military to show up and take me away for interrogation. They never came. I guess the General did a good job of keeping the whole thing secret. I finally relaxed and finished the final four months of my hitch. During which, I learned that the military had focused its search for General Rattar and his men in Toreon. It turned up nothing except a mysterious General McClosky, who didn’t appear to exist.
Liz and I took over my Grandfather’s ranch in Wyoming and taught visitors from other planets how to ride Earth horses.
I often think about Habar.
General Rattar entered an inn and sat at a table.
The innkeeper said, “Well met. What can I get you, friend?”
“Ale and some food,” Rattar said.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up.
“Hello, General,” Habar said.
A single shot ripped through Rattar’s forehead.
Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
Well, the priest left no doubt about the veracity of Habar's story. I liked the way the solution was, in part, the General's plan. Destroy the portal! What a surprise for the General when Habar tapped him on the shoulder. And the church got their silver back, I guess. Nicely done, Mark. Teaching those from other planets how to ride a horse on Earth--cool!
Holy Cow! What an ending! And a beautiful first sentence, too. Now... was that ending a surprise to YOU, too? Or had you planned it all along?