Chapter Thirteen

In spite of his reservations, Simba allowed Zira to move in with the rest of the family. Kovu and Kiara willingly and selflessly gave up a room for Zira to live in, and Zira happily accepted. Simba was hesitant to trust Zira, and Nala, while more forgiving, was the same. Both, however, accepted that a near-death experience can change even the most hardened. Zira would be treated no differently. Still, Zira was rather weak from her near-death experience, so much so that Doctor Vandi mandated that she remain at-rest for at least a week. Zira didn't complain, and neither did Kovu or Kiara, willingly sticking by Zira to help her out. But Zira's attention was, understandably, on Vitani and her new lover, as Vitani would find out one particular morning when she woke. Tyber had left early, to deal with a matter that had arisen aboard the Iron Dragon, and Vitani didn't mind. She was glad he had such a great career. The Black Prince. Lord-Admiral. Vitani even heard whispers from the lionesses that he was being called the Prince of the People. So, Vitani rose from bed, dressed, and walked out to the foyer, where Zira was waiting with Kovu. Kiara, Simba and Nala were not present. "Just the woman I was hoping to see," Zira said with a beaming smile. "Finally managed to pry yourself from your pillow?"

"Says the woman who sleeps like a rock and snores like sawing logs," Vitani retorted. Zira just laughed.

"Apparently, she's also picked up on Tyber's smart-ass remarks," Kovu chuckled.

"And how is dear Tyber? Still sleeping in there?" Zira asked.

"No, Tyber had to take care of a matter that had arisen aboard the Iron Dragon, so he left early this morning," Vitani replied as she strode over to the coffee pot and began pouring herself a glass.

"What is that stuff?" Zira inquired with a slight frown.

"Coffee. Would you like a cup?" Vitani offered.

"I don't know – stuff smells weird," Zira responded.

"It's one of the things we all picked up from Tyber; I've tried it myself. Despite the odd smell, if you put the right ingredients in, it's actually not bad," Kovu assured his mother. "Which reminds me, Vitani – if you see Tyber before me, let him know the master blend is out?"

"Will do," Vitani replied as she began putting her usual reagents in to her coffee.

"Master blend? Hnh... sounds fancy," Zira remarked.

"Well, the brand is a popular one – Gevalia Master Blend-" Kovu began.

"-Is Tyber's favorite; he orders them all the time," Vitani finished.

"So, tell me something," Zira requested, "How did you meet Tyber?"

Vitani chuckled. "It's a long story," she told her mother.

"I'm not going anywhere, so humor me," Zira responded. Vitani heaved a nostalgic sigh.

"Tyber came to us by way of what we now are calling a Temporal Transporter. Simba's... alternate-timeline counterpart sent Tyber to us in the wake of an explosion that killed his family, destroyed his home, and nearly killed him," she said. "Kovu, Kiara and I happened to be out that night trying to figure out why we heard a scream. As we understand it now, it was sent through the Force, strong enough for all of us to hear it. We tracked Tyber to the heart of a park we named after you, and found Tyber, half-dead and bleeding out."

"What caused the explosion? Do you know?" Zira asked.

"It was a bomb planted by Tyber's ex-stepfather, Jeff," Kovu responded. "He was contracted by a Sith from the same timeline as Simba's alternate-timeline counterpart to take Tyber out."

"It took us a while to piece together the whole story, and some of what we did to do so we aren't proud of, but eventually, we got Tyber to open up," Vitani continued, sitting at the table with her coffee. "And over time, I developed what became my relationship with him."

"Whatever happened to Jeff?" Zira inquired. "Did he ever get caught?"

"Indeed he did," came Tyber's voice from the foyer doorway. All heads turned to see him standing there, as though he had just walked in. "It was a stroke of tactical genius, if I may be so modest. We tricked him into believing I wasn't getting along well in the Pridelands, and that I was soon to be exiled, the idea being to get him thinking he'd be doing the Royal Family a favor by taking me out."

"And he fell for it?" Zira queried. Tyber nodded.

"Fell for it like a sack of potatoes; he tried to ambush me, but what I did not realize was that he'd been trained in lightsaber dueling," Tyber stated. "But his mistake there was that he used the wrong lightsaber form for the fight. As I explained to Vitani, Soresu form is a very good defensive form, useful if you wished not to be hit; against blasters, it provides excellent protection. In other situations, it merely delays the inevitable. Jeff made a shrewd choice starting with that, but he did not count on being fired on from behind, nor did he use a more offensive form."

"So what happened after you defeated him? Did you strike him down?" Zira asked.

"I was tempted to... but I didn't," Tyber answered. "I turned him over to the human authorities, and to my knowledge, he was tried and convicted of several counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, among other charges, and he was executed some time ago."

"Now, his family has justice, and over time with me, Tyber has overcome his nightmares," Vitani concluded. Her next comment was directed at Tyber: "Thought you were aboard the Iron Dragon?"

"Just minor matters that required my attention – shipyard updates I asked for, personnel reports, and prospects for a moon base are looking very promising," Tyber responded with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Moon base?" Zira repeated. "You're building a moon base?"

"Considering it, technically," Tyber corrected her. "We're still trying to decide a zone to start construction, and have a few candidates already picked out. I sent survey teams to those sites to determine viability."

"Does Simba know this?" Zira asked.

"He was the one who suggested building it in the first place," Tyber chuckled. He looked to Kovu. "Did Simba ever get back from his... whatever it was?"

Kovu shook his head. "He left out around the same time you did – no idea when he'll be back," he said.

"Oh, and before I forget, baby, the Gevalia Master Blend is out," Vitani told Tyber. Tyber looked confused for a moment, then his expression changed as he remembered something.

"I figured someone would use the last of it, so I ordered a fresh batch this morning on the way to the Iron Dragon," he stated. "But I appreciate you telling me." He looked to Zira. "I don't suppose you'd like a cup?"

Zira smiled and chuckled. "You're the second person this morning to offer such to me."

"Yeah, well, I'm nothing if not hospitable, these days," Tyber said. He paused, then added, "Which reminds me, my XO personally had a list of recommendations for officer training among the Coalition – persons from the Pridelands that had volunteered to be a part of the Pridelander Coalition Joint Task Force... and I recall your name having a shining recommendation."

Zira raised an eyebrow. "Did it, now?" She asked. "A recommendation from whom, may I ask?"

"Believe it or not, from Simba himself," Tyber responded. Kiara, Kovu and Vitani all looked to Zira.

"Mom?" Kovu spoke first. "Did... did you volunteer for the Coalition?"

Zira smiled. "I wanted to earn my redemption, and it seemed the best way to do so," she stated.

"Well, what got me was it was Simba who recommended you; in his comment, he said you have considerable command experience, and openly admitted that you had lead forces into combat before. You understand, that's not something any military leader would commonly come across," Tyber told her.

"Did he also tell you that I had led my forces against him?" Zira asked.

"No, not to me directly – but I was there when he commented on the last time you and he saw each other, that day in the hospital. But whether you led forces against him is irrelevant – fact is, you have command experience... much more than most of the recruits I have," Tyber replied.

"Which means what for my volunteering in the Task Force?" Zira queried.

"It means you would be an excellent candidate for Officer Training," Tyber said. "Again, I don't often get recruits that have the kind of command experience you have."

"What does that mean? That I could possibly get my own ship?" Zira chuckled.

"Quite possibly, yes. You clearly are no stranger to leadership – my XO thinks it wouldn't be a stretch for you to command a starship," Tyber responded. "But first, you need to heal up. No rush." Tyber looked up, at something behind Zira, and Vitani looked and noticed the towering, bulky figure of the holographic Sangheili she'd come to know as Grand Admiral Voro 'Mantakar. Vitani had to admit, the Sangheili stature could be quite intimidating – it took her some time to adjust to Voro's figure. "I trust you justify coming in here uninvited with news of profound value, Admiral," Tyber growled.

"Profound, indeed, Lord-Admiral," the massive Sangheili responded, "Simba bid me hand this to you," and handed Tyber a datapad. Tyber looked over it, and frowned in concern.

"That's... that can't be," he said.

"What is it?" Kovu asked. Tyber didn't directly answer.

"You're certain of this?" he asked Voro.

"We checked it six times, old friend," Voro responded. "Simba has mandated excavation, and the crews are waiting on your word." Tyber remained silent, processing this.

"Darling, what is it?" Vitani asked, placing a hand on her lover's shoulder. Tyber looked to Vitani, with such a longing, worried expression. Whatever it was, Vitani imagined he was afraid of it.

"Vitani," he finally said, "You and yours are the only family I have left. I am on your side; I did not want to put you in this situation again."

"What situation?" Kovu queried. "Tyber, what's happened?"

"Your people have found something, haven't they?" Zira surmised. Tyber looked to Zira.

"Possibly what Darth Phospho is after here in the Pridelands," he affirmed.

"What? What is it?" Kovu asked.

Tyber closed his eyes, and sighed heavily, then inhaled, as though he was going to regret what he was about to say. "It..." He started. He trailed off momentarily, then returned: "It's a Forerunner Slipspace Portal device."

"And what does that mean for Phospho or us?" Zira asked.

"This device is believed to be the only one currently known in existence to have a direct link to Installation Zero... The Ark," Tyber said.

"I... thought the Ark had been destroyed," Kovu stated.

"Not in this 'verse, apparently," Tyber said. "And if the Ark exists in this 'verse, then it stands to reason the Halo Array exists here, too."

"So if Phospho got control of the Ark..." Vitani began.

"... He could hold the entire galaxy hostage," Tyber finished.

"That's suicide," Kovu disagreed. "He'd kill himself along with everyone else if he tried to activate the array."

"All things being equal, Kovu, I would agree – however, things are not equal," Tyber said. "Either Phospho doesn't know, or he knows and has some way to protect himself and his followers. In either case, we cannot allow him to gain control of the Ark." He looked to Zira. "And I sense – and foresaw – you would have a pivotal role in that campaign."

"I will not fail you, Lord-Admiral," Zira assured him. Silence followed this. Vitani still wondered – who was Phospho? Was he somehow connected to Nuka, who she'd seen in the canyon the day Tyber saved her life? It seemed too coincidental. But Tyber, as one trained in the Force, knew a true coincidence was rare, indeed. Vitani had to admit, this was scary; if the signs were accurate, she would soon partake in the Pridelands' first interstellar conflict...