Chapter One

The worst day in Surtees' history was also the best. Explosions had rocked the Capital City. Citizens who had previously rioted against Ananaya and his scientists’ rule were now running into panic and chaos.  Smoke and rubble occupied the space where Tawtanya had recently shouted, “No more Science! No more Scientists!” to the crowd listening to her very passionate speech.  Myana, who had left the area shortly after Tawtanya disappeared from the crowd, had stopped searching for her best friend when the ground beneath her shook so violently that it knocked her off her feet.  Several more explosions were heard from the area Myana had just vacated. Looking up from the ground, she saw people running for their lives. Momentarily confused, the former Parkour Champion of Surtees sat in shock from her position on the ground.

     Realizing she would be trampled if she did not get up, Myana sprang to her feet and joined the crowd fleeing for their lives.  What seemed like a lifetime was only moments before the explosions ceased and the dust began to settle. Myana leaped upon a stairway leading to apartments and stared back in horror at the sight of crumbled buildings now lying in unrecognizable piles. The City Center was completely obliterated. A crater now existed where once the large Science Center building had stood.

     Cries could be heard from citizens injured or trapped beneath the rubble.  Myana's eyes filled with tears as despair caused her knees to buckle and her shoulders to slump, with only the wall of the building keeping her in a standing position. Myana found herself sobbing, and her shoulders shook uncontrollably. Her thoughts were narrowed to one thing. Was Tawtanya buried beneath the tons of brick and plaster she had just run from?

     Citizens slowly began to return to find their lost loved ones. Mayana, with her shoulders now braced for hard labor, joined the people brave enough to return to the site. No one seemed to be in control of their emotions, as sobs and wails were heard along with the clatter of debris being tossed around. Individuals searching seemed to be pathetically picking up a brick here or there, with no logic in their search. They were just people in shock, seemingly lost and confused by the disaster, but desperate to find the ones they loved who were missing.

     Myana knew a search team needed to be organized, but how was Myana going to manage getting a search and rescue team in place?  The answer appeared as Noryan and Josyah came upon Myana standing and looking at the disaster with a hollow, haunted look in her eyes.

     “Myana, are you okay?” Noryan asked as he gently took her shoulders and turned her to face him and his son.

     Myana’s puffy eyes filled once again with tears as she crumpled into the man’s embrace, crying hysterically.  “I don’t know what happened! Tawtanya disappeared, and I was frantically searching for her when the explosions knocked me to the ground. I don’t know where Tawtanya is!  You must help me find her!” cried Myana, her voice raising to a frenzied pitch.

     “Calm down. We will help you search,” Noryan said as he gently pried Myana from his shoulder. “Josyah, go back to the compound and bring all the men here with whatever tools they can find. We need to get the injured people to medical facilities and find anyone who may still be alive under the rubble. Go Now!”

     Josyah was reluctant to leave his father amid chaos, but the wisdom of his father’s words could not be argued with. They needed as much help as possible.  He didn’t look back as he took off running as fast as his young legs allowed him to run.

     Noryan looked at what remained of the Science Center, once the heart of the Capital City.  Noryan could not be saddened by its destruction. The Science Center and the Chief Scientist, Ananaya, were the disease that was destroying Surtees. Noryan knew that he should not be secretly celebrating the destruction of Ananaya’s throne of power with what it had cost in the lives of the citizens of Surtees, but if Ananaya and his scientists were buried at the bottom of the pile of rubble, it might be worth it.

     Few had as much right to hate Ananaya as Noryan, having had his life all but destroyed in the prison camp he had been flung into earlier in his life. Since being freed from the hellhole by the Freedom Fighters, Noryan and his son joined the movement to rid Surtees of the plague that Ananaya and his scientists had perpetrated on the planet. If Ananaya is dead, so be it; healing can begin, was Noryan’s burning thought.

     As Myana’s body stiffened, Noryan forced his thoughts back to the moment.  “We need to do something right now!” Myana said in a determined voice.

     “Josyah and the men will be here soon, and we can start an organized and thorough search then,” Noryan calmly retorted.

    “But Tawtanya could be trapped. She needs me now, not in a few minutes,” Myana yelled over her shoulder as she scrambled back toward the site. Myana frantically tossed debris from one spot and then ran to another.

    
     “Myana, stop. You aren’t doing any good. You are just making yourself crazy.” Noryan grabbed Myana and held her tight until she calmed down.  “Look, the men are coming now, and they have tools. Let them work. You need to stay out of the way, or you might get hurt.”

     “I am already hurt. I won’t be whole until we find Tawtanya alive and well.” Myana continued to pick up bricks one piece at a time.

     Six months later, the rubble had been cleared away, and the injured found and the dead buried.  Myana continued to search for Tawtanya as no one had found her body. Myana knew Tawtanya was alive, but where?  More than once, Myana remembered people saying they had seen two men grab Tawtanya and drag her away after her rousing speech against Ananaya. Was it possible that Ananaya had kidnapped Tawtanya and taken her away on his Starcruiser? If so, why?  Why had the Chief Scientist been obsessed with Tawtanya? She kept picturing the Enforcers leaving Tawtanya alone, even when she did things others were jailed for.

     Her fellow rebels no longer needed to be rebels.  The reason for the revolt was now gone, and life had become simpler. Heritage crops were being reintroduced on farms, and the UberBugs had all been destroyed. The very last Enforcers had succumbed to their failing bodies and died. It seemed Surtees, indeed, was having a needed resurgence.

     Hoygazor, the Senior Astro-Scientist, had turned all the salvaged starcrafts over to the people when Ananaya had commanded him to take all the starcrafts to his secret compound in the mountains. Hoygazor, never in real alliance with the Chief Scientist, had not taken the flight equipment to the compound, but had instead found space in the hangers around the planet.

     Feeling shamed for the part he had played in Ananaya’s plans, Hoygazor turned himself in to the new local authorities and repented.  However, the people asked Hoygazor to remain Head of the Air Force and Space Program, realizing that Ananaya could return someday and pose a threat. Eyutho also pledged allegiance to Surtees and was asked to remain Head of Marine Welfare. Both men were genuinely glad that Ananaya was no longer in charge of Surtees and were making great bounds to undo the damage that the Chief Scientist had inflicted on the planet. It would take longer for Hoygazor to undo the damage, as skyplanes caused a lot of air pollution. Fortunately, the large lakes and seas had remained free from most pollution, so Eyutho could concentrate on his naval forces.

     Citizens were now looking for a new leader.  Myana’s name was on most people’s lips. Everyone knew her from when she competed in the parkour Zrymyr games, but she had become even more popular as Tawtanya’s constant assistant. People loved Tawtanya and Myana by association. What better choice was there for the next leader of Surtees than Myana, since Tawtanya was no longer a viable option.

     Myana was wrestling with this new responsibility.  She had never thought of herself as a natural leader. A mentor, yes; a leader, no.  When asked to accept responsibility, she declined, saying she was not suitable.  When a vote came, Myana was the popular write-in and was named the Leader of the People of Surtees.

     Sitting with the previously known rebels, Myana voiced her concerns.  “I can’t do this alone.  I am not a politician.  Tawtanya was the politician.  I was just there to help her as best as I could.  I can’t do this by myself.”

     “Who says you must do this by yourself?  Select some people to be in a cabinet to advise you.  There are several of us here who would be willing to help you any way we can.” This was Jasyper, a burly fisherman, who had helped to rescue many prisoners from rehabilitation camps.  He stroked his graying full beard and sat back to let Myana think about what he had just said.

     Looking around the room, Myana let her gaze fall on men who had backed Tawtanya through her brief career as a rabble-rouser.  They were all good men, and she knew they wanted the best for Surtees.  Noryan and his son, Josyah, had been farmers, and they understood the farmers' plight. Jasyper and Toybyn were crusty seamen, full of sage advice from sea merchants they had met over the years.

     Sitting back in her chair, Myana folded her hands behind her head in a somewhat relaxed pose. She looked from one man to the next, letting her eyes linger on each momentarily. She was taking in their characterizations. Noryan, completely somber; Josyah with a huge grin on his face; and the crusty old seamen both seemed to have a twinkle in their eyes.

     “Okay, you are my new Cabinet Members.  I will expect you to be brutally honest with me. I will hold you responsible for any bad decisions I make. Are you willing to take on this responsibility with me?” Myana let a smirk spread across her lips at this suggestion, seeing some doubt form in each man’s eyes.

     Toybyn choked out a quick response, “I’ve got a fishing boat to deal with. I don’t have the time to be on any old board.”

     “We will meet once a week. That will give you plenty of time to go fishing. Are you in?” Myana gave a stern look as a warning not to let her down.

     “Okay, I am in…if Jasyper is willing to be on this board as well,” Toybyn choked out.

     “Jasyper, are you willing?” Myana questioned.

     “I ain’t got anything else more pressing. This is for Surtees. I am in,” Jasyper said with his eyes still twinkling.

     “Noryan, Josyah, can I count on you to help me?” Myana said, letting her gaze go back and forth between the father and son.

      Noryan, a ruggedly handsome man in his early fifties, jabbed his son in the ribs. “Kid, are you in?”

     Josyah, a young, spirited youth who looked more like his pilot brother, Khrelyn, than his father, happily agreed to be the youngest member of the cabinet and the best-looking one, he added in jest.

     Myana sat forward. “I don’t know if I am supposed to swear you in or make you pledge an oath. This is all new to me. What do my new cabinet members think I should do?  Wait, I know. Everyone stands and faces the window. Put your hand over your heart and look out at Surtees and repeat after me.”

     All four men stood and walked to the window overlooking what used to be the Science Center, now a leveled space turned into a park.  Benches were placed conveniently for mothers to sit and watch as their children played on the newly planted grass, with small shade trees that would someday be large enough to provide not only shade but protection for small animals. Masses of flowers had been planted to honor the ones who died.  The park was a memorial that represented the new Surtees, and a statue was being planned to guard this community space.

     All four men looked upon the scene and were reminded of what had happened just six months earlier. It truly was a new beginning. With appropriate solemnity, the four men placed their hands over their hearts and waited to repeat what Mayana would compel them to say as a pledge.

     Clearing her throat, Myana said, “Repeat after me. As newly appointed Cabinet Members of Surtees, I promise to always put the citizens of Surtees before deciding or giving advice to the newly appointed Leader of Surtees. This I will do faithfully and honestly to the best of my ability.”

   All four men, in unison, repeated the pledge, then gave each other hugs or high-fives, as the relationship allowed. Myana smiled as she watched her new cabinet become a team. Suddenly, her new role did not seem so overwhelming. If only Tawtanya were here, it would be perfect.