Resolution (13 page)

For now, those 'Ranger' units matched the race of the people they were serving. However, over time, John fully intended to slowly swap out the rangers so the people got used to seeing Tammerain Guardians in the position of a Ranger. So far, the Rangers were well received after a short amount of initial tension. As for trouble, there hadn't been anything on the scale of the renegades, however, the Rangers did have to deal with the occasional local crime, or dispute.

The dissidents involved in the renegade attacks had been found guilty of terrorism and murder. The humans were released on the surface of the planet Earth with a minimal amount of tools and a limited amount of food. They could survive, but it would require them to work for it every day. The Tammerain criminals had been taken to the planet in the Alpha Centauri system and released in the same manner as the humans on Earth. However, the monitoring station had to evacuate the Tammerain criminals when a deadly plague infected them. The Promethean station cured the infection and returned the exiles to their new home.

A second group of humans were delivered to Earth once the investigations into the activities of Ares Arms Corporation was complete. Two hundred more humans were delivered to the surface; this time the group included two former senators, three corporate executives, and hundreds of minor executives and workers that had diverted the weapons used by the dissidents.

"Six attempts were made by various groups to rescue the exiles, but ended with them joining their friends on the surface of the planet as unwilling colonists.

Three full Battle fleets where assigned to patrol the border Tammerain shared with the Grays. The ships were painted in the new colors of the Guardians, and all carried mixed crews. The Grays tried to force the issue, but were quickly returned to their own systems. John himself delivered the message to them that they would no longer be allowed to influence any of the other nations to fight for them. Nor would they be allowed to make war on the Tammerain, and by request of the Promethean elders, the Guardians were to deny the Grays access to any Promethean technology they did not already have.

The Grays were not happy with the situation and told John that the situation was far from resolved. The Grays would seek new ways to carry out what they believed to be their destiny and end the human cancer on their Galaxy. John calmly replied that they had that freedom to believe whatever they wanted, but reminded them that not all the races of the galaxy would agree with them and departed, leaving the diminutive race to ponder their actions.

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J
ohn looked up when a shadow fell over him where he relaxed on the deck chair. He and his family had taken the Remembrance to Party Cove with the rest of the village of Johnstown.

Bailey Saint smiled down at him as he handed John a fresh beer. "I brought you a cold beer, mind if I join you?"

"Thanks Bailey! Not at all, please," John replied indicating the empty deck chair beside him.

Bailey sighed as he sat down. "You know, sometimes all of this seems so strange."

"How so?" John asked.

"After everything that’s happened, we're back here having a party on Frisen. Almost like nothing at all has happened," Bailey replied.

John chuckled. "Bailey, when you lived as long as I have, you can actually see just how resilient a species we are. No matter how much bad happens, we will always find a way to party afterward. Of course, I think we need it in order to balance all the bad that we have to deal with."

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that. Do you ever regret becoming enhanced and living so long?" Bailey asked.

"I haven't yet, not really. I will admit there have been times that I've thought it's been too long, but those times never lasted very long." He glanced over to where Mary, Chloe and Gloria were playing with the new babies in the water. "But then something always comes along that makes me very glad I'm still here."

Bailey saw where John was looking and smiled. "Yeah, that part I can easily understand. I never thought I would have a Princess for a daughter and a Prince for a grandson. I mean, I always tried to treat Gloria as a Princess, but I never thought she would ever actually become one. Then there is Jacob; he's such a wonderful little bundle! I'm not even slightly ashamed to admit I have a bad case of proud grandpa syndrome!"

Their discussion was interrupted by the comm systems of all the watercraft equipped with them spontaneously activating. King Marcus' image filled the screen or looked from a hologram.

"Citizens, may I have your attention for a moment. I apologize for interrupting your day, but there is something of which I believe we all would like to be aware of. A long time ago, on a planet we are only now beginning to rediscover, a human male was born. Seventeen years later, to the day, he made a decision that is still having an effect on the lives of his people.

"Prime Guardian John Jacob Aster was born five thousand, six hundred and ninety-four years ago in a small farming community on a bright blue-white planet. The place where his hometown once stood is currently under a sheet of ice, but mankind has finally returned to that world thanks to the generosity of the Tammerain.

"I asked the Empress to conduct a survey of her people and although it took a very long time, the results are as official as we can get them. I even went so far as to speak to the leader of the Promethean. Because of the reality of their existence, they do not count the years since being placed in stasis as part of their age. So, it is my honor to announce that Johnathan Jacob Aster is officially the oldest known living being." He smiled. "I know my friend will probably be upset with me for reminding him of this, but I would like us all to take a moment to ponder on his life; for five thousand, six hundred and seventy-seven years, he has served as a protector of the human race. In that time he has known little more than constant warfare. Now, he has come to a place in his long life where there is the hope for a lasting peace. It is fitting that it was by his hand that this peace has come about. I say that because more than anyone else, his efforts have resulted in our current period of cooperation and non-hostility.

"I sincerely hope, as does the Tammerain Empress, that Prime Guardian Aster choses to remain with us for a long time yet to come. Now, I know that as a Kingdom, we have a lot of official Days of Remembrance for our fallen. However, under an agreement with the Empress of the Tammerain we would like to announce a National Holiday for both nations. A day to remember all that we have went through to get to this point in our life. Today, the birthday of John Jacob Aster will forever be known as the Day of the Guardian.

"On this day and from this day forward, no government office will be open for normal business and only emergency services will function in an official capacity. Now, my fellow citizens, if you will excuse me, I have a celebration to get to. John? Please tell Geoffry 'medium rare'." He winked. "And Happy Birthday my friend."

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The End.

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B
en Winston (1965 - ?) was born in Iowa and grew up in Minnesota on the family dairy farm. Upon reaching adulthood, he joined the United States Army as a communications technician. Before getting out of the military, he decided to go to school for computer electronics.

Shortly after getting out of the military, and after getting a new job with an over-seas company, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. A month after beginning the new job, he was laid off due to budget over-runs on the project he was hired for. Upon returning to the United States, he had difficulty maintaining employment because of the chronic illness.

He began writing as a form of stress release, from being home bound and not being able to work, and found he liked writing erotica. Ben wrote a trilogy called the Talosian Chronicles (Currently in rewrite to remove the graphic sex and finalized his vision of the story). The first book, Star Dancer, won awards and was nominated for many others by the online communities where it was posted.

Ben Winston returned to school for literature, after completion, he began writing professionally. Being an avid fan of science fiction he focused on this genre. He was, and still is, influenced and inspired by Gene Roddenberry, Anne McCaffery, David Weber, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury. Some of his favorite movies and TV shows are; Battlestar Galactica (both versions), Andromeda, Star Trek, Firefly, Star Wars, and many of the B-rated movies that were actually box-office bombs.

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Ben Winston

Facebook:
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