The Commander

THE COMMANDER

Part Eleven

By Arthur

Cameron lay back on the whickerwork chaise lounge up on the rooftop of the offices and accomodation that they now used and thought over the last three years. The enterprise had moved faster and grown bigger than even he had expected. Matteus lay down on the lounge beside him with his head in his lap and his feet hanging over the far end. Matteus's time in the stasis had meant that he still, three years later, looked no older than when he first became Cameron's lover.

Petros had been schooled and with the added implants from 'Jason' was now a very sharp and tallented Manager for Cameron, running the Australian operation to its fullest. He with his street background had become a negotiator to be feared by all who came in contact with him.

Cameron had brought down twenty more guards for Petros's protection as he had become to valuable to be put at risk as the collapse of the Melecasian power empire began to crumble with the exporting of the new technology to other countries.

Now after three years all but the American Federation was using the new technologies and the old guard of the Melecasians had closed ranks and tried to consolodate their power base in their last strong hold. The people had brought the downfall of the Australasian Federation in a matter of only three months. The top heavy beaurocracy was not able to move quickly enough to stay the inevitable as Camerons power packs and cars took the country by storm.

Next had come the Asean Federation, with the deceit and graft expected there it had taken six months before the fall of the power brokers and the freeing of the people from the yolks of supression by the upper classes.

By the end of the Asean Federation the African Federation was ready to accept the inevitable and willingly agreed to accept the conditions of the new system and although each Federation was still run by a ruling class it was only with the full consent of the mass population that they kept their positions.

The Asia Minor and European Federations soon followed and now there was only the American Federation left and this Cameron knew was going to be the showdown that would make or break the freeing of people to do and live their lives as they should be allowed to.

All the credits earned from the sales were turned back into each country in the form of salaries for those who worked the warfs and collection agencies or into rebuilding decent homes for those who in the past would never be able to afford them.

The crime rate had dropped dramatically with the influx of open wealth for all as well as the fact that due to the security systems on the new vehicles that stopped anyone but the wearer of the bracelet to access them left the communities to start to enjoy their new freedoms.

Cameron had discussed many times the coming battle with 'Jason' and what it could mean to the whole enterprise if he failed.

'Besat, the Melecasians will not go without a fight, as you know they nearly caused the end of your father and the ones left here will be stronger than when he faced them.'

'Yes Jason, I know that but it has to be done'

'They will be now well aware of who you are and what they have to do to stop you, I can not understand why they waited this long to face you.'

'Nor do I Jason, we know very little about them and the tactics they will use, I don't know how to prepare for them.'

'All I know Besat is that they are stronger than before, we are at your service and will do everything we can to protect you and see them to their end.'

'Thank you Jason, but you must do all you can to protect Matteus and Petros as well, without them then there is nothing for me to fight for.'

'There is much more for you to fight for Besat, but it shall be as you command.'

Cameron had long become aware of the scrutiny he had been under from the lesser of the mix blood Melecasians over the last three years and knew that it was all reported back to the last of the true invaders of his home world.

Cameron lay back as he gently brushed the dark hair of Matteus's forhead and occasionally ran his fingers down the dark boys jaw line and got the usual purring sound from his little lithe lover laying in his lap.

His eyes roamed over the azure sea watching the slight Pacific swell form long lines of wavelets in the stillness of the evening sunset as they then formed into sharper waves and with a muted rumble sent their flashing white crests onto the shallow reef buried just below the surface.

The spray looked like the scattering of small diamonds as they danced and raced over the reef and into the calmer waters of the lagoon below where he and his boy lay to watch the last of the day sink into the far off horizon.

Cameron was brought erect in such a haste that his Matteus nearly fell off his lap, a bright red haze filled his head.

'Besat, Manager Petros is under attack.'

"Matteus, get the flyer ready, quick,"

Matteus was up and running at the urgency in his lovers voice.

'What is it Jason?'

'Three Melcasians are trying to take him, the guards have lost five men but are holding out for the moment.'

'How much time have we got?'

'I would estimate no more than ten minutes Besat.'

'We're on our way Jason, boost all the weapons as much as you can, they can't be allowed to take or hurt Petros.'

'As you order Besat.'

Cameron was on the run as Matteus brought the flyer up to the level of the rooftop.

"Thanks lover, move over this is going to be a fast trip."

While Cameron had given access to Matteus to operate the flyer he did not have the clearance to use the inter galactic systems on the unit. Petros was in Brazil organizing the first of the factories for the American Federation take over and although Cameron had not wanted to send him, Petros was the only one with the street smarts to handle the corrupt poloticians that ran that part of the Federation.

It had been a calculated risk sending Petros so close to the home of the Melecasians but it had to be done so that Cameron was free to try to counter any moves made against the rest of his people. Cameron placed his hand on the control column and then with a small pressure from his ring finger sent the flyer straight up to the ionosphere and with a twist of the wrist they began to descend toward the South American Continent. The sights below were no more than a blur as the flyer came booming back into the atmosphere heading down to where Brazil lay beneath them.

'Besat, I can't hold them, there's only three guards left and they are trying to cover Manager Petros's escape.'

'Try harder Jason, we're nearly there.'

As Cameron came in low over the city he could see the dying glow from the last of the batons as the last guard gave his life for Petros. Cameron felt the flyer shudder as if hit by a brick wall, then it began to slowly descend to the ground as he saw a green flash of light where the battle for Petros had been taking place. He was to late, Cameron felt a tear slowly falling down his cheek as he thought of his tough little street boy laying on the ground. He sobbed aloud as he imagined that small body crumpled among the guards who had fought with everything they had to protect their Manager.

Matteus heard the wracking sob as the realisation hit Cameron and leaned over to brush his lovers cheek with his hand and try to give him some strength of his own.

'Besat.'

'Yes Jason?'

'There is no sign of the Manager, his intimate lies with the guards but there is no sign of him.'

'Can you get some contact with him?'

'Iv'e tried Besat, they must be blocking his bio's.'

'Well at least we now know that they haven't killed him, yet.'

'I will keep scanning Besat.'

'Thank you Jason.'

Cameron landed the flyer beside the carnage of the battle, the guards looked as though they had seen nothing but terror as they tried to repel the attack, the look on their faces told of unseen horrors and only the small burnt hole in their bodies told of the intensity of the lazer bursts that had downed them one by one.

Cameron lifted the lifeless body of the small intimate noting the number of burn marks on his back as he tried to cover his Petros with his body to save him, of Petros there was not a sign.

'Besat, I've just had a brief burst from Manager Petros, they are under the sea and moving toward the northern continent.'

'How far Jason?'

'About one hundred earth miles Besat, and moving fast, it is not a conventional earth transporter.'

'Can you track them Jason?'

'Sorry Besat, it was just a quick burst then nothing, they are blocking everything somehow.'

'Ok Jason at least we know where they are going, alert General Jopty that extra troops may be needed and to have them ready when I call.'

'It is done Besat.'

Cameron looked again at the mess left by the sudden attack and with a last soul felt and shuddering sigh he reached for Matteus and hugged him close as the realisation hit him that loosing Petros was hard enough but had it been his little Matteus then he was sure he would have ended his own life rather than try to go on without his lover.

Matteus seemed to know how Cameron felt and with a small squeeze of his body against Camerons he let his lover know that he was, as he had been from the begining, his and his alone.

'Jason?'

'Yes Besat?'

"Inform General Jopty that I want two hundred single and two hundred two seater fighters above and around the Northern Continent with in the hour, they are to stay out of sight but be ready to descend and fight if I call.'

'It is done Besat.'

'All fighters are to have maximum defense screens in place at all times.'

'It is done Besat.'

'Boost all guards weapons at all sites and set up a defense grid for the Island and its people.'

'It is done Besat.'

'What is your estimate of the position of the transporter with Manager Petros now?'

'At the estimated speed they would now be at the Southern tip of the Northern Continent, Besat.'

'I'm on my way there Jason, when everything else is in place tell me and then boost the flyers defenses.'

'It will be done, Besat.'

Cameron turned to Matteus.

"Come on lover, lets go find our friend."

"What if we don't find him?"

"We will Matteus, that's why they took him, they want me to come after him."

"But that means it's a trap for you?"

"Most likely, but he's our friend and I'm not going to abandon him, he needs us both, thats what this is all about Matteus. They know I wouldn't leave him so they took him so I would follow. The only thing they may not know is the number of troops and ships I have as a back up, they've only seen the people we have here on the planet so they may underestimate our numbers."

"But what about their weapons, they seemed to get through the sheilds of the guards?"

"Yes I know but by the look of it they concentrated all their fire power on one guard and when he went down they started on the next one, I dont know what shields they had to stop our guards blasts but they must be strong, I'll just have to play it by ear for the moment."

"But why did they kill Charlie, he couldn't have hurt them?"

"I think it was just because he was an intimate, from what Jason has told me from past records they don't like, in fact they hate us for loving other boys, so I think it is their way of telling me that this is what's going to happen to all of us."

"My Besat, I'm scared."

"You've got a right to be my little lover, do you want to stay here until I come back for you."

"No, if anything happens to you then I want to be with you, I don't want to stay here and never know when you'll return."

"Ok baby, lets go find Petros and get him back with us."

Cameron gave Matteus a last tight hug and led him back to the flyer and then into the air to follow the transporter to the Northern Continent where their special friend was now on his way to be held until Cameron came to get him. Cameron knew that this was a showdown and the winner would take all that there was to take.

Cameron thought he would have at least another year or two before this showdown came but then it was always going to be dictated by the actions of the last surviving Melecasians and that they would choose the battle ground to their own advantage.

Cameron looked below them as they tried to find the transporter carrying Petros. So much had changed from the world of the 20th century with the introduction of the Federations many countries had become nonexistent or had been amalgamated into other stronger countries.

This had been true of the American Federation as the beaurocracy and bankers had set out to lend huge amounts of money to the elite ruling classes of poorer countries and when they were unable to repay those massive loans they were declared bankrupt and taken into the fold of the wealthier and more powerful banking nations. This had finally resulted in the formation of the American Federation which was now divided into three conferences.

The Northern Conference ran from the old state of Alaska across the width of what was once Canada and southward as far as the old border of the once powerful U.S.A.. The Central Conference ran from the northern border of the old U.S.A. southward to the top of what was once South America and finished at the southern borders of the old countries of Colombia and Venezuela.

The Southern Conference covered the balance of the old South America. All of this huge land mass and the surrounding waters were controlled from the central administration wich covered the total land mass of what was known before as the state of Kentucky. There were no individual towns or cities anymore, the whole state was now just one huge centre of beaurocracy, stretching mile upon mile of office blocks and small box like accomodations for the employees.

Here was the heart of the American Federation, with all its minions scurrying about in their belief of their own self importance, producing nothing for the ordinary people but mountains of useless paper work to satisfy the need of the millstone of beaurocracy.

Two thirds of the Federations population lived in abject poverty, bowed down by the demands of taxation and the need to survive from day to day. Cameron looked down at what was once the hub of modern living and realised that this was the future if he allowed the last of the Melecasians to defeat him and his people.

'Besat?'

'Yes Jason?'

'All fighters are in position above the Federation and waiting at the edge of the ionosphere for your orders.'

'Thank you Jason.'

'Also your flyer has been picked up on the defense screens of the Federation, I'm boosting your shields now besat.'

'Thanks again Jason, I'm not going down yet, if they know I'm here then they will try to either get to me now or they will want to bargain for Petros, either way I'm going to wait here until they make the first move.'

'Very good Besat, I shall continue to monitor for you.'

Cameron paused the flyer above the area once known as the Mexican northern border and relaxed back to wait for any contact. Matteus clasped tighter to camerons hand and then leaned over and rested his head on his lovers shoulder as Cameron laid his hand on his cheek and stroked him softly, this was going to be the final day, it was now winner take all and Cameron could not afford to loose.

An hour passed before there was a humming from the vidscreen mounted on the front panel of the flyer. A shimmering began to make itself seen and then a clear picture of a Melecasian filled the screen and with a sneering smile looked into the eyes of Cameron.

"So boy, you're the son of Kahmrune, well boy your father may have slowed us down but now it's our turn to rule."

Cameron looked at the dark visage before him, while the man looked human he was by definition Melecasian. The taller than normal frame was heavy set and the face broader with dark brooding eyebrows over piercing black eyes, the nose was long and aquiline with a wider tip and the mouth was narrow and almost lipless in its severity.

"Well boy, you have nothing to say?"

"Where is my Manager?"

"Oh him, he's here, you can see him shortly but first we have business to discuss."

"I'm listening Melecasian."

"Please Ahm...Besat (chuckle) call me Septre Braun, it is after all my title as the leader of the Melecasian empire."

"Your empire seems to be shrinking....Septre."

"Only a temporary set back young Besat."

"So what is it you want.....Septre."

Cameron spat the word out as though he had a bad taste in his mouth, which was of course true as using a Melecasian title stuck in his throat but he knew that for now it was time to play politics to try to save Petros.

"It's very simple young Besat, take your pultry force from this planet and disappear into the galaxy and you can have the human street boy back, he's no use to us except to get you to obey our wants."

"What makes you think he means anything to us?"

"Ha, he's one of your little bed friends, I know that you all get attached to them for your dirty habits."

The distaste in the voice of Braun could be heard clearly.

"So all you want is for us to retreat into the galaxy and let you continue to rule here and destroy the humans will and planet?"

"Come on Besat, these humans don't have the stomach for a real fight, they deserve to be ruled by us, now whats you decisison?"

"Let me talk to Petros my Manager?"

"Fine but I want your answer as soon as your finished with the bed boy."

The vid screen shimmered again and Cameron saw Petros standing in a bare room surrounded by the green glow of shafts of lazer light looking like the bars of a prison cell as they stretched from floor to ceiling and about two feet out from Petros's body, making it dangerous for Petros to move more than a step in either direction.

Petros stood alone with his head high, his small frame standing strong and confident as he waited his fate.

"Petros are you hurt?"

"No Besat, they hit me with something that stunned me when they killed my dearest Charlie."

"You heard what they wanted from me Petros?"

"Yes Besat, you can't do it."

"To save you Petros I will do it if I have to."

"No Cameron, you can't let these low lifes win."

"Petros I can't abandon you, you've done to much for all of us and held our dream together like no one else could have done."

Petros looked directly into the vidscreen before him a small smile on his lips, his eyes clear and challenging to the Melecasian guards standing outside the lazer grid.

"Cameron?"

"Yes Petros?"

"I've always loved you, think of me sometimes."

With the last word from his lips Petros threw himself at the wall of lazer's and with a high pitched and piercing shreek his small frame was disected by the beams before the guards could react.

A gut wrenching and soul destroying cry came from Camerons slack jawed mouth as he saw his little friend destroyed by the beams of light that had surrounded him. Deep inside cameron there came a bright flare of light and a voice that seemed familiar but was not his own.

'He knew the Melecasian's would not release him my son, make his sacrifice the strength you need to finally rid the galaxy of this murderous clan.'

Inside his head Cameron called out for the familiar but never heard voice.

'Father, how, what do I do, I'm lost here.'

'The boys sacrifice was for you my son, now, it's time to clean the world of those scum.'

"Septre...you have two hours to let your humans leave the city before I destroy it and everything that reminds humans of your existance.

"Ha my young Besat, you think you can find us, boy we'll destroy you long before the two hours is up, that pitiful little bed boy was nothing, just like that thing beside you."

As the words were spoken Matteus straightened up in the seat and with a scream clasped the side of his head, his face turning pale. Without thinking Cameron hit the control collumn and shot the flyer straight up into the the far off haven of space where Matteus sighed deeply as he passed into unconsciousness.

'Jason, what the hell was that?'

'I have not seen it before Besat, but it seems to be a phsycic accelerated beam, it magnifies the higher frequencies to the brain and causes extreme pain, this is what they are going to use against you I think.'

'It must be why all the guards looked as though they had been terrorised by something.'

'Yes Besat it would seem so.'

'Have we got anything to fight it with Jason?'

'No Besat not at this stage.'

'Get some people on to it Jason, I can't go against them with that in my head.'

'As you command Besat.'

'I'm taking Matteus back to the Island, this is my fight and I don't want him hurt.'

'Yes Besat, I can see in his Bio that he will be coming around shortly, there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage at this stage.'

'Thank you Jason, get back to me as soon as you've found something to counteract that accelerator.'

'As you command Besat.'

Cameron turned the flyer toward the Island that was now their home and once there he landed and quickly went to lift Matteus from the seat and carry him into his rooms. A soft moan escaped from his lovers lips as he lifted him in his arms.

"It's ok Baby, you're home now, you'll be safe here."

"Cameron.....love....you."

"Love you too my little song bird."

Cameron laid Matteus down on the bed and then with a gentle kiss to his forehead he straightened and with a look of almost evil proportions turned on his heel and left the room, stopping only to give orders to his guards.

"Matteus is not to be left alone, that means to the last man if needed."

The senior officer saluted and replied.

"To the last man, Besat, it will be done."

Cameron nodded to the officer and then turned on his heel again and made his way back to his flyer.

'If it's a fight they want then thats what they're going to get.'

To Be Continued: