by Alex Guerra
“Everything alright?” asked Seya beside me. “You seem more worked up than you were before meditation.”
“I exchanged a few words with the prisoner. I can see why you left the empire,” I said with a sigh.
“It’s a brainwashed society, maybe even more so now—if our suspicions of my brother’s indoctrination are true,” she said.
“If your parents are not involved with all of this, do you think we would be able to reach them through the Vael Empire?” I asked.
“Not sure. Lena and I have been speaking over encrypted messages about their progress. The conglomerate is still attempting to reach the Vael, but there has been no word back yet,” she said, clearing the blaster on the table before her.
“You told her about what was going on?” I asked.
“Not entirely. I told her that we were successful in our mission, but I also let her know we were concentrating on our wounded for now and working some things out. She didn’t press me for any more information beyond that. She’s rather busy right now as you can imagine,” said Seya.
“Production is still in full swing?”
“Yes, she reported several ships already fabricated on the factory-heavy planets. A steady stream of skip drones are taking Vira’s modified wormhole manipulators to the worlds to meet the demand,” explained Seya.
“And recruitment?” I asked. “It takes a while to train soldiers.”
“The recruitment numbers are much higher than even she expected. It turns out that the destruction of Vallus has struck a chord with many. They are promoting officers with plenty of experience to captains for new ships. Of course, the demand for the fleet personnel is high. I believe we will be seeing a fair amount of inexperience working its way onto their decks,” she said.
“That can’t be good,” I said. “It’s unfortunate that there is no substitute for time in the role that makes a good crewman.”
“Unless that person has an advanced A.I. in their head and an equally advanced ship?” she said mockingly.
“It’s too bad I can’t just hook everyone up to that injector and literally give everyone experience,” I said, clicking my tongue.
“The recruits will be new, but they will have good leadership to depend on, and we wouldn’t be putting them in a position they couldn’t handle. There are still requirements for joining—based on aptitude tests and physical fitness. The same thing goes for the troopers, unfortunately. Commanders and even squad leaders are getting promotions across the board to become High Commanders and so on. We don’t have a choice, the empire is volatile and unpredictable right now, and it has been a month since the destruction of Vallus.” She looked me dead in the eye. “I have a feeling that they are not going to wait much longer. Any day now, we may hear about a new attack, although I hope destiny proves me wrong.”
I shared the sentiment and hoped that we had enough to build up our forces. Even with several more months of prep time ahead of the next imperial attack, I still had my doubts. Choosing to keep the notion to myself for the sake of the morale of the others who were present, I simply agreed with the Darkkon woman.
“The serum is now complete,” said Dotty over the room’s speakers.
“Looks like it’s time then,” said Seya.
“Let’s get these things out of us,” I said, leading the group to the labs.
*****
“This is it?” asked Kayton, looking over the clear liquid. “Does it work?”
“Yes, tests on the latest blood samples has resulted in the complete nullification of the trackers. Your bodies will absorb these transmitters while your urine will extract them over the next day or two,” explained Dotty.
“Gross,” said Tal, making a sour face.
“You will not experience any discomfort in the process due to their size, although I recommend checking via another blood sample in one week’s time,” said the A.I.
“Sounds fine by me,” said Ellar with a shrug.
“To rid the ship of any trackers, I also made a variation of serum as a cleansing spray. With the new evidence found, I have updated the scanner, and it can now find the presence of trackers quicker. You may now administer the serum to everyone, Ellar,” said Dotty.
The medic nodded and placed the vial of serum into the back of an auto-injector. Preferring to lead by example, I decided to go first. I rolled up my sleeve and paused for a moment.
“Dotty, will this interfere with the nodes or the nanobots you’d previously injected me with?” I asked
“No, the nodes will remain undisturbed, and the nanobots have since left your system after having made the appropriate connections in your brain,” it replied.
“Well, if that’s the case,” I said, looking at the others, “I’ve already done this process once before and never even knew it.”
Obvious relief appeared on the faces of some of the troopers who were previously a little more apprehensive with the process. Ellar pushed the end of the injector into my arm and pressed the trigger. The injector sent the serum steadily into me over three seconds with a hiss, and then the medic pulled the device away. The autoinjector whirred and discarded the used needle into a clear slot along its side, ready for the next inoculation.
“Easy enough,” I said, rolling down my sleeve. I peered towards Coss, who watched the process with an annoyed look on his face. He knew that by doing this, there was no way to track where he was, although all our trackers would have registered as being in Fengar territory—the last place I would expect an attack. Our forces had built up significantly already, and they were set on high alert for several weeks. It would be a stupid move to attack head-on. No, Coss knew the Darkkon wouldn’t risk rescuing him once we successfully jumped to the capital world.
The entire team finished as Ellar prepared two I.V. bags of serum that he would administer to the wounded troopers still in the tanks.
“Are you going to cooperate, or do we need to use the chair again?” I asked our prisoner.
He had his hands and forehead pressed against the glass in contemplation—and defeat. Coss didn’t fight it, presenting his arm without a struggle as Ellar administered the injection. The Darkkon man rubbed his arm around the inoculation site and frowned to himself before walking off into the corner and leaning on the counter away from view.
“Now, let’s get downstairs to discuss our next move,” I said, clapping my hands together, signaling the group to move. I didn’t want Coss to hear any more of our discussion if I could help it.
*****
“Here’s what I propose,” I said getting everyone’s attention. “We’ll stay on the ship until sunrise, clearing it of any possible remaining trackers. In the morning we will head down to drop off the prisoner at the southern fort. We’ll leave him in the hands of the intelligence officers to begin their interrogation. Seya and I need to discuss a few things with the command. In the meantime, Kayton has a special assignment and will be running a separate group while in the city. Be wary of who you speak to, and don’t eat or drink anything that’s not from this ship, so take some rations with you in your packs. If something doesn’t feel right, or you see someone looking suspicious, you let the rest of the team know, okay?”
“Yes, sir,” said the troopers.
“Tal and Ornay, come with me,” ordered Kayton, heading in the direction of the armory.
The team quickly dispersed while I went to see Ellar for Garvo’s extraction.
NINETEEN
Ellar greeted me as I walked into the medical bay. “Hey, Captain. Right on time,” he said with a bright smile. “He going to be coming out of the pod now.” The medic gestured to the giant-sized trooper in the tank.
“He’s completely healed then?” I asked.
“Sure is. What amazing technology. You don’t even really need surgeons anymore, just someone to pop the wounded into one of these tanks and it does the rest. Take a look at the before and after scans,” he said, handing me a dataslate.
The first imag
e showed a hole in the Okkar’s abdomen the size of a half-dollar. The bullet lodged well within the man’s intestines, tearing them to shreds. It would be a fatal blow and a slow, agonizing death, had he not entered the medical tank. I swiped to the second image, amazed at how the rope of intestines was able to pull themselves back together and heal up completely. The big man no longer had a bullet lodged inside him either.
“How was the bullet extracted?” I asked.
“It dissolved with its remains discarded into the healing liquid,” answered Dotty.
“He should be able to eat regular food right away, but I would urge him to try some of the softer varieties for now until we are sure,” said Ellar.
“Okay, let’s bring him out,” I said.
Mechanical sounds came from the pod as the bluish fluid began to drain, bringing the man down from his floating position until his feet touched the tank’s floor. The front of the tank retracted away, allowing chilly air to hit the slop covered trooper.
“Garvo. Hey, Garvo, you hear me, buddy?” asked Ellar as he tapped the man and wiped the goop off his face.
Garvo’s eyes winced a few times before they opened, checking their surroundings until they rested on the two of us. Although he tried to speak, the apparatus hugging his face prevented it.
“I’m going to take this thing out of you alright, bear with me,” said Ellar as he undid the mask, and gently pulled the two-foot-long tube out of his throat.
Garvo coughed and spat up the dark liquid onto the side of the tank. After the coughing fit passed, he cleared his throat and spat one last time. “Oh gods, that’s awful,” he said with a sour look on his face.
“I hear you, big guy,” I said, helping Ellar move the giant out of the tank, each of us positioned under one of his arms. “Easy now.”
“How long was I out?” asked the trooper in his familiar hoarse voice.
“Just over a day,” replied Ellar.
“And Del? Is he okay?” he asked.
“He’s right here,” said the medic, gesturing to the tank next to us. “He’ll be out in a couple days at most. Unfortunately, his injuries were more extensive, but he’s okay.”
“Okay, good. And the Yau woman?” he strained, rubbing his neck with his gigantic hand.
“She’s safe, thanks to you. Everyone else is doing fine. Let’s get you to the shower so you can clean that stuff off. There’s a uniform right over there when you’re done.
“Damn, I’m sore,” said the goliath.
“It’ll go away soon enough, and I can give you something in the meantime if you want,” said Ellar.
After Garvo finished his shower, I handed him a towel to cover up with. He knew the drill and went over to the blast dryer. When he came out, he checked the spot where his injury had once been.
“Wow, that’s some good stuff,” he said with a surprised look, giving the lightly shaded skin a gentle prod “I can’t even tell anything happened.”
“The images say the same thing,” I said.
“So, what’s next?”
I told him the plan and what we were doing between transferring our prisoner and talk of spies. He was itching to get back to work and showed an eagerness to move forward, same as the rest of us.
Time was not on our side, and I feared every second that a report would come in from the conglomerate about another attack.
*****
The team gathered aboard Dagger. We restrained Coss and placed him in a seat between Bon and Nadu. Entosh and Piki would stay aboard The Pillar for the duration of our time in the capital city. Should they have any questions, Dotty could remotely help from the planet.
Ellar took a few samples of Del’s DNA to bring to the grow labs in the city. He would also need to get a prosthetic leg for the man in the interim and brought scans of the affected limb for the perfect fit.
Kayton, Ornay, and Tal opted for a weapon loadout that was much lighter than their typical kit. They dressed in only their bodygloves but would be stopping by some shops to help blend into the crowd. They would be running autonomously and close by while we were on the planet.
Seya and I wore our more formal garbs to help draw the attention of enemy eyes while on the planet. This would allow Kayton’s group to single out individuals in question and maintain our security during our stay. I reached beneath the red shoulder cape and felt the butt of my blaster’s grip on my side. Also armed, Seya had her blaster tucked neatly in a shoulder harness in plain sight.
Dagger eased out of the hangar and into space, reorienting itself towards the entry vector to the planet. Dotty informed the orbiting Fengar guard of our departure this morning, and two fighters fell into formation with our dropship, escorting us down.
Arriving at the fort’s landing pad, along the southern cape from the city, we touched down, and the rear ramp dropped down.
“Stay here a moment,” I said to the team, as I grabbed Coss and brought him up to his feet. Seya followed me out, and towards the fort, Fengar troopers greeted us in their signature red armor. The menacing tanks and anti-aircraft vehicles continuously scanned the skies, always prepared for the worst, should it arrive.
Our prisoner took in his surroundings, no doubt gathering intelligence should he escape. The conglomerate clearly had experience in this field, so the odds of the man fleeing were impossible with the amount of surveillance and troopers about.
We were given directions to a building, designated for our prisoner’s transfer. Once inside, a tall man with light, green skin waited patiently with his four-digit hands clasped in front of him before turning to greet us.
“Good morning Ms. Aranis, Captain Holland. I am Skarsa Litari, Sanctioned Inquisitor of the Two Circles. I will be the one in leading the interrogation,” he said in a low voice.
Forget what Kayton and Seya would have done to Coss if they led the interrogation, Skarsa presented himself in a way that said Coss would be lucky to even be alive when he was through, although his mind might be fragmented a hundred times over.
“Good morning, Inquisitor. Thank you for meeting us so early,” said Seya.
“Not at all Ms. Aranis, I live to serve the conglomerate’s best interest.” Litari briefly smiled at Seya before turning his sharp, orange eyes and long, segmented nose to Coss with extreme prejudice and curiosity. “This man doesn’t look like he would give me much trouble, although, looks can be deceiving at times. I will be sure to provide you with a copy of my findings as soon as they are available,” said Skarsa, extending his arm towards Coss, awaiting the transfer.
I almost felt bad when I handed Coss over to him. He would see that I was much nicer than the Inquisitor would ever be. The prisoner attempted to look at me with a blank face, but the worry in his eyes gave him away. It was out of my hands now—the conglomerate was not messing about and brought out the big guns from the get go.
“Thank you, Inquisitor,” said Seya, as we left for the other part of the fort where Ellia was staying. We knocked on her quarters, and the door opened.
“You’re back,” said Ellia, getting up from the table where she had been reading the dataslate. “Did you find anything of use at the coordinates you spoke of previously?”
“We did find a few beneficial things,” I said. “Although, it may not help us with returning your husband to normal. We need to still analyze and figure out a plan to move forward.”
“I see…” she said, slightly disappointment.
“How have they treated you during your time here?” asked Seya.
“It’s not a palace, and most likely the smallest—and least furnished—place I have stayed in recent years. But considering the situation, no one has treated me unfairly yet. The food is acceptable, and I have my own quarters, although I am sure that I am under constant surveillance. Tell me, has there been any progress contacting either the Darkkon or Vael Empires? At this point, I only wish to check on my children’s safety.”
“No one outside the conglomerate has yet to respond to my know
ledge,” said Seya.
“Oh…that’s unfortunate to hear,” she said with a frown.
“The conglomerate has not stopped trying though,” added Seya, as she saw the woman’s hope slowly diminishing before her.
Enemy or not, Ellia was still a mother with her own family. After the revelation of her husband’s strange behavior and the memory block he placed on her, it was reasonable to see why she was acting a bit friendlier, even towards Seya. War affected both sides beyond the realm of the military. I could only imagine what the Darkkon people and its subjugated civilizations thought about the war in the privacy of their own homes. People were still people, even if we wore different uniforms.
Ellia wanted her husband back to normal as much as we wanted to find out how to break the influence over him, returning the galaxy to a hint of normality once again. It was wishful thinking, as I doubted we would see a peaceful resolution to this war, not unless we found the root of the problem—the people who introduced that crystal cube into the Darkkon palace. The problem was how we would get there, especially with the limited access we had to the Darkkon territories. The Vael on the other hand would be able to do so more easily, enacting their superior right. But could we trust them?
“We are working on a plan, but in the meantime, you will have to remain here,” I said.
“It’s not like I have a choice,” she scoffed.
“No, I suppose not, but I want you to know that we are doing our best to fix everything. The Galactic Conglomerate will address the Darkkon threat soon enough,” I said.
“It doesn’t feel right speaking to the enemy about this, but I fear for the countless people who will have to die before we reach any sort of resolution. I know it must be so. For all our sakes, I hope you succeed in your task and bring my husband back to his normal self,” she pleaded with a hint of despair.
“You have our word that we will do whatever we can,” said Seya.
I figured the woman wouldn’t necessarily want to hear the words coming from someone she hated, but to our surprise she thanked us. She was truly desperate and desired resolution. My opinion of her had changed slightly at that moment.
