Chapter Eighteen
The Observer barely returned from the Valewind Fruit District Cooperative in time to get off Verdara before the terrible windstorm hit. Being stuck on the planet and unable to follow the Paladin Courier would have been very problematic.
Calamitous, in fact.
Madelaine and Jack lifted off the planet just as the Observer quietly left the planet from a secret location near Hearthvale.
No one on the planet knew the Observer had left or even arrived, for that matter, and the side project had not involved speaking to any person, simply observation, once more.
The Observer quietly vowed not to do any more side tasks for the duration of the Paladin Courier’s journey, no matter how convenient they might be.
It was clearly too dangerous to chance getting left behind and unable to record Madelaine’s important task in full.
The Observer, while racing to the hidden ship sequestered nearby, had seen someone quite unexpected on Verdara.
A rare curse had slipped from the Observer’s lips while climbing into the craft, closing the door and silently leaving the planet with no one the wiser.
No one from Verdara. Not Madelaine or Jack.
And, thankfully, not Dirk Zandis, who should not have inserted himself into this journey Madelaine was on.
On a good note, at least Dirk was stranded on Verdara until the storm blew over. However, the Observer knew well Dirk’s reach extended far beyond what was good for the overall mission. Dirk Zandis and anyone working with him was going to be an added difficulty for Madelaine and Jack.
The Observer might well have to break the cardinal rule of only being a witness in this process if Dirk Zandis further inserted himself into Madelaine’s important task.
The Observer would be prepared for such an eventuality, with plenty of trusted friends and associates who would be willing and able to help.
Dirk’s machinations had more to do with a long-sought power grab and the shifting of how the Paladin Cabal operated. He was foolish in the extreme, not giving any consideration to the dilemma their galaxies faced.
Madelaine and Jack needed to succeed in their task in order to save both the Tri-Spiral Galaxy and Alpha-Prime’s Caldera Forte Galaxy.
And time was running out.
Beryl Ashcraft was meeting with her cousin, Diesel Grey, in the basement of the Big Bang Truck Stop to discuss the next leadership council meeting and an important issue she wanted to raise.
She was worried about how one member in particular would react to her news and wanted to ensure the Fearless Leader would be on her side.
“Do you think Mr. Gris will give me grief?”
Diesel grinned. “Don’t worry about Mr. Gris. We’ll just tell him the truth and move on.”
Beryl didn’t think it could be that easy. “Will he believe it?”
Diesel shrugged. “He will as long as we don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Define ‘big deal.’”
Diesel said, “Well, if we give him a big explanation, it will only invite more questions and a much longer discussion. That always gets his motor revving. In this case, it’s best to just give the bare minimum of details and move on to the next topic on the agenda before he can sink his teeth in.”
“You think that will work?”
Diesel nodded. “Absolutely.”
Beryl didn’t mean to question his opinion, but when she continued to stare at him, he winked and said, “Not my first rodeo.”
Beryl grinned. “Awesome. Thanks, Diesel.”
“Sure thing.”
Her phone dinged and she pulled it out of her pocket to see what was up. It was the Tri-City Monthly Newsletter with the latest news from Alienn, Old Coot and Skeeter Bite. Instead of a paper copy, like they used to have, the powers in charge had opted to go digital to save money.
As was her usual practice, Beryl scanned the headlines for mentions of Alienn, Arkansas. Later, she’d read the whole newsletter, but she liked to know what was going on in her hometown as soon as possible.
“What is it?” Diesel asked. “Anything crazy that I need to know about?”
She shook her head as she read. “Just the Tri-City Monthly Newsletter and public notification page. I always read the Alienn section first, now that I live here and all.”
“Good for you.”
Beryl was about to close the app when she saw a name she recognized.
“Hey, Jack is in here.”
“Jack? Really?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
“What’s he in there for?” Then Diesel chuckled. “Is it a write-up about the bachelor auction? That will likely not make him very happy.”
Beryl grinned. She’d arrived at the bachelor auction just as Jack was headed to the parking lot with his date.
Diesel and Jack’s other siblings had caught her up on the crazy bidding chaos and how Jack went home with a mysterious woman who was a proxy for a secret client.
She thought eight thousand dollars was a pile of money for a date, and she liked her cousin.
She hoped whoever bought him still thought he was worth the exorbitant price.
“Maybe they will finally identify his date.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Diesel said. “Aunt Dixie has been trying to find out for days with no luck. If she can’t find out, trust me, no one will be able to.”
Beryl studied the screen of her phone to find Jack’s name again. She saw where it was and did a double-take. What?!
“Holy space potato farm, Diesel! Look! Did you know about this?” Beryl turned her phone so her cousin could see the screen.
Diesel looked at her communication device, read the public notice and his mouth dropped open.
“No. I did not.” He promptly retrieved his own communication device and began to scroll, muttering, “I had my sound turned off for the meeting I was just in.”
Diesel brought his screen up and shook his head. Under “marriage licenses recently acquired” was his youngest brother’s name along with the name of his intended.
“Who is Madelaine Archer?” Beryl asked.
Diesel closed his eyes and said in a sad tone, “Jack’s first love. They used to be inseparable. But Madelaine abandoned him years ago. He’s never been the same since she left him.”
“But now they’re married or are about to be married?”
Diesel shrugged. “I would not have believed it, but something is going on. That is a certainty.”
Diesel looked up and saw Axel walking toward them, a coffee cup from Bean Me Up in his hand.
His brother stopped in front of them with a carefree smile in place. “Hey, you two. What’s up? You look troubled.”
Diesel turned his phone toward Axel. “Do you know anything about this?”
Axel, who had been about to take a sip of coffee, squinted and read the screen.
His eyes abruptly widened and his face turned as pale as ash.
He lowered the coffee cup and backed away slowly.
“No. I know nothing. Absolutely nothing.” With that, he turned on his heel and raced back the way he’d come.
Beryl watched him go, one eyebrow raised. “Clearly, he knows something, right?”
“Oh, yes. But I’ve seen that rabid, tight-lipped look before. He won’t talk no matter what we do to him. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
Beryl thought Diesel looked stricken over the news of Jack’s nuptials, impending or otherwise. She could understand. If one of her siblings might be involved in a difficult love-life issue, she’d worry, too.
“Let me know if I can do anything to help,” she said.
“I will. Thank you, Beryl. If Jack did marry Madelaine, I hope he won’t end up with a broken heart like last time.”
“I hope that, too.”