Solbidyum Wars Saga 9: At What Price by Dale Musser Read Free Book Online Page A

loved beignets, but I was certain this couldn’t be one.  It was twenty-some years since I’d last eaten one and they were unknown in the Federation.  I doubted that anyone of the survivors from Earth knew how to make one.  When I took a bite, the rich flavor flooded my mouth.  I closed my eyes and for a moment I thought I was back in old New Orleans surrounded by the sounds and smells of the bakeries and pastry vendors of the French Quarter.  When I opened my eyes, the images in the room were blurred and I realized that I was, like Kala, looking at the room through tear-filled eyes.
    “Did he do it to you too?” Kala asked.  “Is it something from Old Earth that you favored when you were young?”
    “Yes,” I stammered.  “But how?”  I blinked the tears from my eyes and looked around the room to see a smiling Celpar watching our reactions.  He nodded knowingly and then turned to attend to his other guests.  Later, as the evening came to a close and we thanked him and complimented him on his meal selections, we asked how he had acquired the knowledge of our favorite desserts and their recipes.  He replied with a mischievous chuckle, saying that some secrets must remain his and that he was delighted we had enjoyed the dinner.
    Thanks to the distinctive Cantolla Gate that was provided for the event, it was not necessary for Kala and me or any of the dinner guests to pass near the area where the protester had set himself on fire, but we could see a section that had been partitioned off and surrounded by guards.
    “Tib,” said Kala as we passed through the gate, “I feel sorry for that pained and desperate man.  I can’t imagine what he must be feeling.  Even when I lost my sister, I couldn’t imagine my grief and rage driving me to do anything like that and I can’t even remotely fathom what he hoped to accomplish by the act.”
    “Yes, but you had the satisfaction of destroying her killers, so in a way you were able to avenge her death.  But in the case of this poor soul, we don’t have the slightest idea what he lost and the depth of the anguish he feels about being powerless to do anything about it.  I only wish he’d found a constructive outlet instead of sinking into despair and taking a route that would bring him no positive outcome.
    Since Reidecor’s graduation from the JAC was taking place the next morning, Kala and I decided to spend the night at the estate.  We had just passed through the final gate and arrived at our estate when we saw Lunnie entering through another gate in the gate hub area.  I gasped, believing for a moment that I was looking at her Aunt Luniella dressed in a military uniform.  The image quickly changed when I saw her pale strawberry locks.  Lunnie quickly dropped the bag she was carrying, snapped to attention and saluted.
    “At ease, Private,” I said with a smile.  “You don’t need to salute me here at the estate.  If we’re here or on the NEW ORLEANS , I’m just your dad.  Okay?”
    Lunnie grinned and relaxed and then ran across the distance between us and gave me a big hug.
    “Have you heard, dad?  I’ve been assigned to the research facility here on Megelleon.  I’ll be able to come home almost every weekend.”
    “I heard something along those lines,” I said, grinning back at her.  “See, it hasn’t turned out so bad now, has it?”
    “I guess not.  But I’d rather be helping Cantolla and the Earth science team.”
    “No one is saying you can’t,” Kala interjected.  “You can always help out on your weekends and during your leave.”  Kala’s comment was met by a blank stare from Lunnie.  “Besides, I think working at the research facility will better serve the Federation than helping to terraform Earth right now.”
    Lunnie sighed.  “I suppose so. And I know my research will be useful when my tour of duty is finished and I can go back to helping Cantolla again.
    “Has anyone heard where Reide is going to be