A man broke into their apartment just as the portal transported them. He pulled out a gun, and then…. They were in a blank white space.
"Tier 6 attacker, more on the way." He heard his sister saying as another man stepped into a second portal array to their left.
"Aye."
He saluted as he disappeared.
As they stepped off of the array into the lobby area, Leiva hit Luke's chest. "Fool! Haven't you heard the phrase, 'Birds die for food, and men die for treasures?!' Anyways, say hi to your new pet and sword."
Luke picked lifted the cane. No, sword. It was no longer blue. A golden sheath housed a crimson katana. The handle was immaculately gilded, and a pheonix rose from the blade.
At that moment, he felt a nudge against his shoulder. He turned. 'Space Whale?'
The enigmatic creature nuzzled his chest.
He felt a psychic link with it as it seemed to send a word. 'Mother?'
'No, I'm your daddy.' He replied.
The baby whale nuzzled against his arms.
'Mother!'
'No, Daddy!'
'Mootheer!'
'…..'
Luke wisely decided to give up momentarily until the newborn calf was clearer-headed. With a smile, he petted its head and turned to Leiva.
With a grin, he knelt. "A sword fit for a queen." He held it up towards her with both hands.
As she picked it up, he turned around to face the incoming delegation. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear. "The military can't take it from their first and finest, right?"
She blushed as she added the sheath to her belt.
As the military personnel approached, she told her family, "Follow my lead." Luke and Mia agreed.
She took her position and saluted the oncoming officer.
The delegation of five stopped in front of them. "At ease. Admiral Cadet Leiva, this is the 13th assassination attempt. What caused it this time?"
Their mother gasped. As a result, Leiva quickly spoke.
"My brother went shopping and brought me this slumbering Pheonix artifact. It chose me as its master and rewakened a Space Whale calf."
"The calf awoke to my brother and imprinted on him."
The commander walked closer to Leiva and put his fingers on the sword. "This artifact chose you?"
Leiva took two steps back and brandished the sword. A fierce Pheonix cry erupted in a crimson display of light.
"Yes."
The commander grunted. "Leiva, with me. The general wishes to speak with you. As for your family, Private Midas will take them to a room. They'll be brought their items from the hotel and given a safe shuttle back home."
"Midas!"
"Yes, Commander Garvan!"
"Take these citizens to the private lobby. Leiva, on me. The rest of you, join the shadow envoy."
"Yes sir!"
The private gestured towards Luke and his mother with a short bow. "If you'll follow me."
Luke watched from the corner of his eye as Leiva and Commander Garvan used their personal transporters to arrive on the bridge. Shortly after, they turned the hallway.
They were taken to a small room in the ship's hull.
Looking out into the stars above, Luke confirmed that they were still in the vicinity of planet Xilec. The Moss Moons were still in the sky.
As they waited, his mother pulled him and the whale in close. "So, that was exciting, wasn't it?"
Luke said nothing. He was exhausted.
"A good pet needs a name. What are you going to name him?" Mia asked, clutching the baby space whale.
"Ooroooowoooo!!" The space whale exclaimed.
"I need to know its gender first, mom."
"I know, I know, it's just exciting to have another friend in the house."
She clutched his arm. "Did you know that Leiva has already had twelve assassination attempts?"
"No. If I had, I would have said something."
Mia Jaywalker looked at her son and judged his eyes. He appeared to be telling the truth.
A short while later, the "Shadow Envoy" appeared.
"Luke and Mia Jaywalker? My pleasure." Out of the ring on his finger came their missing items. "It should all be here. Three men attacked the room you were staying in. They avoided touching most of your items, but some of them were inevitably picked up. We confiscated their items back just in case."
Turning to Luke, he added, "Kid, are you a Card Creator?"
"Yes, though I'm still working through the initial phases."
"I see." The man thought for a moment. "Here, have this."
He added a spirit pen to his hand. This one was much more well-crafted and ornate. It used top of the line materials. "The man that attacked you was carrying this. Since he attacked military personnel, all of his personal possessions on his person were forfeit at the moment of seizure."
At this point, Mia and her son shared the same thought.
'Note to Self: Don't attack the Military.'