"Alright," Hartwell addressed the other ships there. "I need to take more of you with me to Jitaku. It appears that a very hostile force has landed there. I need some of you here to guard the Imperial Planet, the rest are with me. Thomas, I need you here in command. Zimmel, you and Ace are coming along with; Lucy, Lars, Jake, Tendra, Rodrick, Craig and Realla."
"Are we expecting trouble?" Thomas asked.
"You know me and the Commander, we ALWAYS expect trouble. That way, when it arrives, we aren't as surprised," Hartwell said.
Less than ten minutes later, a huge trans-warp conduit opened with nine ships vanishing into it.
Several alarms were going off on the planet Jitaku when a portal almost as large as the planet opened. The thing that made even more go off was the nine ships that exited the portal.
"This is Admiral Hartwell of the Imperial space force, here to render aid to Jitaku and the Emperor," Hartwell said.
"It's good to see that you have returned, admiral," Derrick said.
"Yes sir, I have brought another nine ships. There are still another nine around the Imperial Planet. My sister found another ten of the boxes, they are with the ships in orbit there," Hartwell said.
"Good, though for the moment we have a missing crew member. I want all ships to scan for General Dempsy," Derrick said.
Onai had searched all over the area, finding no sign of Kimon. This was not like she intended, thinking back, she could only assume that he'd been caught in the blast.
Not long after, she found a very well-hidden trail leading back toward the capital city. She and several thousand members of the clans that had joined to free her, followed.
Kimon's mother had also been with her as they left. She, too, was worried that Kimon was hurt badly, he would surely have let her know.
Onai, Akira and all those with her were traveling as fast as possible. Strangely, enough they didn't seem to be gaining any on them.
Kimon Dempsy, lay as still as he could as soon as he was conscious. Damn he thought I have drank, to excess a great many times. He had never had as pounding of a head as he did right now.
Staying still, he felt what was binding his hands. Hmmm he thought so whoever had him? Was definitely damn good at tying knots. Then again, he himself was one of the greatest escape artists on the planet. Hmmm he thought they had used a great number of pressure knots to secure him.
"So," a voice that he'd not heard but once in over twenty years spoke. "How is it that you do not know that you have a brother? Even this clan does not hide what they consider to be great failures. I consider you to be a failure though, according to the clan I am," the male said.
Kimon freed his hands then sat up, removing the mask. "For you to have been removed completely from the clan means you committed great dishonor. As I remember that day, it was you that cheated, using a banned move," Kimon said.
"It was never banned, I know I have seen many use it, especially father," the man said as he sneered at Kimon.
"I am afraid you are wrong, only high masters are allowed to know it. Even so, it is banned, even for them. If you are my brother as you claim, then you should know father was a high master," Kimon said.
"If!? I am your brother, the only other family that you have. That whore that calls itself our mother, will never be family. A disgraceful, used woman of disreputable character. It's a wonder that you are not as dishonorable as she is considering she raised you," the man said.
Kimon could only shake his head as he started to laugh, causing the other male to grow furious,
"How dare you laugh at Higon, ChΕnan of Migotha Dempsy," Higon said.
"From all that I have seen and heard; I can only call you Uragirimono (traitor).
Again, as before, Kimon saw the man Higon's face, grow blood-red.
"I am not the one who is Uragirimono to the clan, the art or the planet," Higon snarled at Kimon.
Kimon smirked as he replied, "strange, it wasn't you that restored the clan's nor the art form honor. It wasn't you that risked their life for this. So, I have to wonder, just why you think that you have the honor to claim this I don't know," Kimon said.
"Because you cheated, you," Higon started to yell.
Kimon sighed, "again with this. As was said that day, what you did was not allowed," Kimon said.
"It was allowed! If the masters can do this, then all should be allowed. You can, so all should," a now red-faced Higon said.
"Of course, I am now a master, I earned," Kimon started.
"NO! You have not earned it, I am the better, I have always been. Soon I will prove to you, to the clan, to everyone that I am and have always been the better," Higon said.
Kimon just smirked as he knew things that Higon thought he didn't. He had, after all, studied far beyond the normal ways of the art. A situation he'd had to do after his student went rogue.
He thought back to the fight he'd had with her. Her refusal to accept responsibility for all that she killed. Her absolute refusal to see that she was defeated, that led to her death.
That had weighed heavily upon him all this time. Then there was the extreme hatred of her son. How one could live with that much hate was far beyond him.
Just a look at his brother was a shock to him, the sheer amount of hatred was stifling. Perhaps his brother was lost to him. The amount of it, what he felt, had to have been building for a long time.
Kimon could only sigh, as he saw and felt, there was obviously only one way that this could end. Kimon was not a fan of death matches, the few that had died at his hands left him with a bad taste. Yes, he had learned more than he should, though only for self-preservation.
"So, this is the only way that you can see that this will end, Higon? With a death in the family, in the clan? This does not seem to be the way of honor," Kimon said, shaking his head.
"This is the only way for this to be resolved in the family, in the clan. Once all know of your treachery, your betrayal of the art, then all will recognize me as a true master," Higon shouted.
"So tell me," Kimon said as soon as he heard a beep from his implant. The Emperor would be able to hear now, as Kimon thought the link open. Kimon had never used it, so no time like the present.
Derrick was shocked when Dempsy's cerebral link went active. This must be extremely important as Dempsy had never used it.
The scene before him showed an older man who appeared to look quite a lot like Kimon.
"So tell me," Kimon said. "Just how are you going to achieve all this? Especially after all that I did and has been documented? I restored the honor of the art and the clan after all."
"After this all will be revealed, of your treachery, everything that you did when you cheated," Higon said.
"I really don't think that the clan masters, let alone the council, nor the council leader Isamu Sakuta will believe them," Kimon said.
"Oh, they will believe it after I present the evidence. Then I will declare a Meiyo notatakai (fight of honor), then we will see who is the true master," Higon sneered at Kimon.
Kimon could only shake his head at Higon. All this was dependent upon the fact that Higon thought that Kimon's skills hadn't improved. Then again, Kimon had seen that Higon's skills were far better than the first time they fought.
Derrick had been recording the entire conversation, that was the only reason that Kimon had activated his link. Derrick had also contacted the council and Isamu Sakuta, this didn't bode well.
Onai and Akira were flying far faster than was safe. Onai was seething that she hadn't captured the leader. Akira had tried to calm the female though, hadn't as yet. She herself was mad though she was holding it in better, though not much.
They had almost spilled everyone out of the large speeder a few times. Onai was driving like a mad woman, the whole time mumbling she'd just got him back, she wasn't going to lose.
Neither female had noticed that almost all the clans that had come to aid them weren't far behind.
Onai was starting to grow angrier the closer to the capital city they got. She was no closer to catching the leader of the invader that had her beloved.
She was also having a bad feeling about what the invader leader had planned. There was a plan behind all this though she wasn't seeing it. Plus, Akira, had been tight-lipped the whole time, there was more going on than anyone was letting on.
As mad as she was, Onai was feeling like grabbing Akira by her shirt and demanding to know what was going on. No, Onai thought, killing her intended mother wouldn't go over well at all.
Akira could see the war of emotions that were playing over Onai's face. No, this was her dishonor that she had to live with. It was bad enough that Kimon had learned the way that he had.
His ominous, we will talk later, was also weighing upon her. She had seen both her sons fight, Higon using many banned moves. She also knew that Kimon was a master within his own right, earning a clan master.
Akira could see that they were starting to enter the city. Strange, they almost seemed to be heading to the council building. Then a few minutes later they stopped at it.
Less than ten minutes later, they, along with the other clans, were crowded into the council arena.
All stopped as they stared at the two males before the council.
