Alpha and I flattened ourselves as Queen Anza leapt over our protective rock cover. Rather than clotheslining us, she flew over our heads, tucked into a somersault, stood and spun on her heel, ready to meet us with a snarl.
Behind us I could hear Omega's stunner firing multiple shots, followed by a single scream that faded into the depths of the canyon. Oh no. What I had hoped to avoid.
The scream ended suddenly. Anza's expression anger changed to a mixed one of grief and fury. She let out a primal scream and charged us again.
Before she got three steps, however, Beta dropped the fallen Amazon in front of the charging queen. He had flown back to help us and caught the Amazon as she fell off the bridge.
Anza stared at the woman at her feet, stood up straight and said, "For this, I will spare your lives today. Though next time we meet, you will have the Forest Orb, or I will have your heads."
She helped the warrior to her feet, and they collected the other two Amazons and ran off along the canyon.
Beta landed next to us and retracted his wings. "Not enough fuel, came back."
"I'm glad you did, Beta," I said. "You didn't have to save that Amazon."
"She had done nothing to us. We stole from them." He opened his cargo hatch and removed the Forest Orb.
"Keep that put away until we get back. Alpha, radio for transport to pick us up. We'll finish packing and see what we can find out about that orb back in Arcadia Station."
* * *
Back at Arcadia Station, I had Beta put the Forest Orb in the lab's vault. We kept all kind of dangerous and valuable substance inside, from radioactive isotopes to prototypes of more Wolfdroids.
"We stole this," Beta reiterated. "This belongs to the Amazons."
"I am not denying that, Beta," I said. He placed the Orb on a cushioned shelf on the vault's left side. "But with the old queen dead, this new queen seems to want to use it for the wrong reasons."
Beta's raised eyebrow look was the closest to a "How do you mean?" that I would get.
"The chamber where it was discovered had been closed up awhile, yes?" Beta nodded his head once. "And yet, not long after the peaceful, former queen dies, the new, arrogant, bullying queen shows up to take it to use it to... I don't know what yet."
"So?"
"So, I think this can be used as a weapon of some kind, or in some way that we need to determine."
"Ensure the children do not harm the adults?"
I gave Beta a stern look. "It's not like that. It's more like... making sure that people with the wrong intent can't use it to harm innocent people."
Beta gave me a blank look like neither of the other Wolfdroids could, and stalked out of the vault.
"Alpha," I said, following Beta. "Can you get started on measurements and analysis?"
"Certainly," he said. "Where are you off to?"
"I'm going to talk to my father and see what the records say about the Forest Orb."
"Good luck," he said.
"Can I come?" Omega asked. "I'll only get in Alpha's way, I like your dad, and more importantly he likes me."
I sighed. "Fine, come on, Omega."
"Yay!" he said and did a backflip.
We had a bit of a wait while my dad was in chambers for the High Council. It seemed a special session had been called, which did happen on occasion as small crises popped up every now and then, what with the station still being somewhat new. While waiting, Omega and I brought out our data pads and connected to the central database at Prometheus Base to see what we could find about the Forest Orb. Arcadia Station's database would query the one from Prometheus anyway if it couldn't find our requested information, so we just cut out the middle man.
"How do you spell 'forest'?" Omega asked.
"F-O-R-E-S-T," I said. "And don't you dare ask how to spell 'orb'," I said. Omega's grin disappeared and he closed his mouth.
"Spoilsport," he said under his breath.
We sat in my dad's office. His staff knew us, of course, so we were allowed to wait in here for him instead of being forced to sit in the waiting room. And since his office was connected to the main High Council chamber, he could go from one to the other directly.
Omega and I sat in silence for awhile as we searched the records for any mention of the Forest Orb, or anything matching its description. He searched Arcadia Station's info while I took the other Stations and Prometheus Base.
Thirty minutes into our search, I found my first reference, and it was brief. "The Amazons helped clear the area to be used for Arcadia Station using an amazing artifact they call the 'Forest Orb,' which appears to be a glowing green ball of glass." And that was it. Nothing about what it did, or how it worked, or how it was used to assist in "clearing the area." Omega found a similar entry that added no information.
"What the heck?" I said. "It's like the Forest Orb has been erased from the records."
"I know. I looked for anything about a green ball, or the Amazons and artifacts, and I found zilch."
The door to the High Council chamber opened and my dad stepped through. He was taller than I me, about six foot two, slightly on the heavy side, with gray hair and a black beard that had gray sideburns. His green eyes missed nothing as he stepped into the room, usually. Today he was agitated, and stumbled on the hem of his red council robe.
"Ugh!" he yelled, pulled the robe over his head and threw it at a chair. The one Omega happened to be sitting on.
"Hey!" Omega said.
My dad looked up sharply at this. "Omega," he said. "That you? And Alice." He saw me sitting next to the Wolfdroid. "What are you two doing here?"
"We came to ask you some questions about something we found," I said.
Dad walked to Omega and took his robe. He folded it across his left arm and patted Omega on the head with affection. He looked at me. "What is it?"
"While on the dig, we found a cave."
"I found it," Omega said. "With the digger."
"Yes, Omega uncovered a cave on the south canyon wall. Inside the cave, we found..."
Dad interrupted me. "It wasn't a cave, it was a chamber."
Omega and I looked at each other. "How did you know?" I asked.
"In the center of the chamber was a pedestal, upon which rested a glass ball that glowed green when you touched it."
"Okay, Dady, you're scaring me now."
"It's called the Forest Orb, and the Amazons use it to control the growth of the forest, among other things."
"Why can't we find any mention of it in the records?" I said.
"Except one," Omega said.
Dad put his robe back on. "Come with me," he said. He moved to the High Council chamber door. "You need to talk to the High Council." He opened the door then paused. "Where is the Orb?"
"In the vault," I said. "Alpha is examining it."
Dad's face paled. "Contact him. Tell him to stop, right now."
"What? Why?" I said, but took out my communicator.
"Because..." I never heard why I needed to tell him as Arcadia Station was rocked by what felt like an earthquake, but it was more than that.
Omega was the only one of us to keep his feet as the room tilted back and forth a couple times. After the shaking stopped, I helped Dad to his feet. "What was that?" I said.
"That, I'm afraid," he said, "was the Orb."
"How..." I started. I turned to Omega. "Contact Alpha and Beta, make sure they're okay."
"Done," he said.
Dad sat in one of the chairs. "Tell me everything that happened since you found the Orb."
I sat across from him and told him everything. My dad was a good listener, which is how he made it onto the High Council. He listened with his entire being, to whomever he was talking to, and I was no exception. He held any and all questions until I finished, and his only statement was, "You'll need to talk to your mother as well."
He stood and beckoned for me to follow him to the High Council. "Omega, go back and check on Alpha and Beta, please."
"On it," he said and he left. I followed my dad.