The Col Sec Chronicles Box Set

by Jan Domagala

  Flailing his arms, reaching out for the seat he wondered if he would make it. Stalling in mid air he knew he was going to fall short of his target. Stretching his right arm out to its limit, he reached for the seat. Thinking his arm would pop out of the shoulder socket, he pushed it to the limit, then beyond.

  His hand came down and Kurt thought he might just make it after all. A few more millimetres more and he would reach the armrest.

  Feeling his fingertips brush past the armrest, missing it made him feel sick to his stomach and he knew he had missed.

  As his hand dropped, it landed on the footplate of the seat. Clawing at it to gain purchase his fingertips finally gripped on the edge and held. Kurt felt his shoulder jar from the sudden stop as he gained a grip.

  Dangling toward the gaping hole of the forward viewport, he began to pull himself up.

  Natasha held her breath during his efforts and when she saw him pull himself up onto the seat, she sighed with relief.

  “We need to move and quickly,” Kurt said as he pulled himself into the seat. “There’s no telling how long this thing will stay up in this thing,” he added. Scrambling over the back of the seat he leaned against it and said, “Are you okay?”

  “So far, yes,” replied Natasha rather shakily. Fear was evident in her voice and her eyes but Kurt could tell she had it under control.

  “Good, I’m going to come over to you and release you, so be ready, okay?” he said as calmly as he could. Keeping aware that the lifeboat could fall from its position at any second he was also aware that any sudden movements could precipitate that action.

  Nodding her head Natasha said, “Okay.”

  Slowly, with smooth, fluid movements, Kurt stood up against the back of the pilots chair and holding onto the floor of the lifeboat, climbed over to the back of Natasha’s seat.

  Leaning his stomach against the back of her seat he leant forward over it to grab her collar with his left hand and with his right he reached for her seats harness release button. His toes were underneath the seat to anchor him and he hoped what he was about to do would not send them all crashing to the forest floor.

  “Are you ready?” Kurt asked softly, not wanting to add to her fear. Not daring to speak she simply nodded her head, once. She looked around for something to grab when her harness was released and there was only the armrests. Holding onto them until her knuckles went white, she waited for the signal.

  “Okay, on three,” Kurt said then began the countdown.

  “One.”

  “Two.”

  “Three.”

  Kurt hit the release button and the harness immediately retracted into the body of the seat leaving Natasha to the mercy of gravity.

  Feeling herself fall she tightened her grip on the armrests but her weight, plus the angle her arms were at couldn’t prevent her from falling.

  She felt her grip go, first on her left hand then on her right and panic welled up inside her as fear took hold.

  The forward shattered viewport loomed ahead filling her vision as she knew she would smash through what was left before colliding into the branches of the trees they were imprisoned in before falling to her inevitable death.

  “I’ve got you,” Kurt said as his grip on her collar held preventing what she’d imagined from happening, just before a terrified scream burst through her lips.

  Kurt spun her around slowly so that she faced her seat and she quickly grabbed hold and scrambled up it and over the back to stand next to him.

  “Thanks,” she said once she got her breathing under some sort of control.

  Kurt simply smiled and said, “C’mon w haven’t much time.”

  They both climbed up the floor like mountaineers ascending a vertical face searching for and using whatever hand and foot holds were available until both of them reached Aswan.

  Carefully Kurt checked the man’s carotid artery for signs of life. The blood was pumping through it steadily with a strong rhythm. “He’s okay, just out cold, probably took a knock on his head during the crash,” Kurt told Natasha as she looked on with a worried frown.

  Kurt’s touch must have triggered something for his eyelids fluttered open as his senses slowly returned.

  Seeing what was in front of him and there being no sign of Kurt or Natasha he immediately panicked. Thrashing around in his harness, he looked around screaming for help.

  A firm hand clamped on his shoulder startled him and he twisted around the best he could to see who it was.

  “Stop moving now!” Kurt ordered, having to raise his voice to be heard above the terrified screams.

  Aswan’s thrashing about sent a shudder through the lifeboat which brought them all up fast. Kurt looked at Natasha who’s eyes were wide with fear then at Aswan who was terrified but at least motionless. They all knew what it meant.

  “I need you to keep calm. I’m going to release your harness and I want you to be ready. Is that clear?” Kurt said keeping his voice calm, the last thing he wanted to do was panic him further.

  “I don’t want to die, please don’t let me die,” Aswan pleaded, his voice sounding like that of a frightened small child.

  “No one’s going to die today sir,” Natasha told him.

  Bracing themselves against the back of the princes’s seat Kurt grabbed Aswan’s collar whilst Natasha grabbed his hand and arm. With his free hand, Kurt hit the release button on the harness. No countdown this time, it would just worsen the situation.

  Aswan fell forward screaming as the harness retracted, his thrashing increasing as his terror-fuelled panic sharply increased.

  “Stop thrashing about you idiot or you’ll kill us all,” Kurt shouted at him as he pulled him back to the seat. Helped by Natasha he was able to lift him up to the back of the seat where he clung on like his life depended upon it, which of course, it did.

  “We have to get out of here, now,” Kurt said urgently.

  “Where to?” Aswan asked incredulously.

  “Anywhere but here would be good,” Kurt replied and as if to illustrate his point the lifeboat dropped a few centimetres, a sudden jarring motion that sent a wave of fear through all three of them.

  “Good point,” Aswan agreed regaining a little composure. Knowing he had not been abandoned helped quell some of his fear.

  Natasha looked up the craft to where the exit hatch was and said, “Come on, this way. I’ll lead sir, you follow and Kurt you bring up the rear.”

  Kurt admired how she took charge of the situation thinking she would make a good Recon Delta marine.

  She set off at a good steady pace, picking her holds carefully and moving with a fluid grace. Kurt saw the prince watching her movements then copying them, he would not need telling what to do. It was obvious by his actions he’d had instruction and was an accomplished climber.

  The two of them were half way up toward the exit when the lifeboat gave another sickening lurch toward the ground.

  “Hurry!” Kurt said urgently.

  Kurt soon caught up with the prince climbing rapidly up the craft.

  Natasha reached the exit and immediately after opening it disappeared through it.

  Aswan increased his efforts but with the speed his movements became more jerky and the lifeboat became more and more unstable in the branches.

  Falling back in the foliage the lifeboats movements shook Aswan free from his hold just on the edge of the exit. Letting out a scream he tried desperately to regain some purchase on the floor of the craft as he fell.

  Kurt was almost shaken loose as well and as he saw the prince fall toward him he braced for the inevitable impact.

  Only holding on with one hand and with one foot in a secure position Kurt tensed for the impact. Aswan fell toward him and collided against Kurt’s shoulders and the blow almost knocked him from his position. Kurt hugged the floor as he was hit riding the blow then as the prince rolled off him heading toward the shattered viewport he reached out with his free hand and grabbed hold of whatever he could, i
n this instance Aswan’s left wrist.

  The sudden jerk from him catching the falling prince sent the lifeboat down a bit more.

  “Hold on,” Kurt said as he looked down into the terrified eyes looking up at him.

  With an effort born of desperation and that would cripple most men Kurt pulled Aswan up to him.

  “I need you to climb up me to the exit, and hurry, we haven’t much time,” Kurt said and Aswan grabbed hold of him in desperation.

  “Hurry man, move it,” Kurt added to spur him on.

  Aswan began to climb, carefully at first then more rapidly scrambling over Kurt’s body until he was over him and heading once more for the open hatchway.

  “Hurry you two,” Natasha said from the hatchway, her head appearing through the opening.

  Securing his position Kurt set off after the prince and then with the two of them rushing toward the exit the lifeboat began to fall.

  “She’s about to fall so move it faster,” Kurt said but he needn’t have said anything for the moment Aswan felt the vehicle move he fairly ran up the floor and pulled himself through the opening.

  Kurt found himself remaining stationary yet seeming to climb, an optical illusion as the lifeboat sank lower and lower in the foliage. The exit was actually coming to him but if the craft sank too low before the exit reached him although he would be able to get out of the craft there would be nowhere to go as he would have sunk below any branches he could grab hold of.

  Kurt hurled himself at the exit hoping he was not too late and pulled himself up just as the foliage gave way and the lifeboat fell.

  Suddenly a hand appeared in front of him and letting go of the doorway he reached for it.

  As the lifeboat fell away Kurt was left dangling out in the open holding on to Natasha’s hand.

  The strain on her face as she held onto him was evident. She was hanging onto the trunk of a massive tree, one arm wrapped it as she held on to his hand with the other as she stood on a sturdy branch.

  “Help me Prince, please. I can’t hold him for much longer,” she said through gritted teeth.

  Aswan was wrapped around the trunk also, terrified for his life.

  “Swing me toward the tree,” Kurt said when he saw the prince was not moving.

  “I can’t,” Natasha replied adding, “I can’t hold you much longer.”

  Just as her grip was beginning to slacken she felt the branch begin to wobble.

  Anguish filled her eyes as she realised her grip was failing and he was slipping from her fingers.

  “No!” she screamed as Kurt’s hand slipped lower and lower in her grip then just at the final instant, when her grip failed completely, another hand appeared and grabbed hold of him.

  “I have you,” Aswan said as he held Kurt. Natasha grabbed hold once more and between them they hauled Kurt up to the branch where he would be safe, for the moment at least.

  The sound of the lifeboat crashing through the branches made them all turn and look.

  As it slammed into the ground there was no explosion, no fireball, it just crumpled into itself. It’s velocity had been impeded by the branches which clawed at it as it passed through their domain.

  Natasha turned to Kurt and asked, “What now?”

  “Firstly, thanks for saving my life, both of you. Secondly, to be honest, I’m not sure. We should have a day or two before the radiation begins to affect us but,”

  “But what?” Aswan asked.

  “Well look around you, this forest shouldn’t be here, not if the levels of radiation are as high as we’ve been led to believe. This entire planet should be a wasteland.”

  “Are we on the right world, perhaps this is another in the system,” offered Natasha.

  “No, this is definitely the planet the war was fought over,” Kurt said emphatically.

  “What does all this mean?”

  “I don’t know, I really don’t know. Come on let’s get down there and see what we can salvage, I’ve a feeling any answers we need we’ll find down there.”

  20

  Tula Rhan, the homeworld of Prince Aswan was a non-aligned world that had trade agreements with both the Confederation and Elysium Alliance.

  Emperor Arat was waiting for his son to return from his cruise. Aswan was headstrong, always had been and all his efforts to instil in him the humility and sense of duty a good ruler requires had, so far come to naught. His son was his own man and Arat would just have to hope that he would grow into the role when the time came.

  Standing at almost two metres tall, Arat had been a warrior in his youth. Before the mantle of Emperor had been passed onto him by his dying father, Arat had served in the military. His dark skin was a testament to the genes of his ancestors from Earth being of South American descent. His hair was still inky black and pulled tightly back from a high forehead to be tied at the back of his head in a ponytail, a feature copied by his son.

  His hawk like features were set in a stern expression as he listened to the report an aide was delivering.

  “Our last report had the Colonial Queen approaching the Tartaran Battlefield my lord. Since then we have been unable to contact Prince Aswan or anyone on board the liner.”

  “How long?” asked Arat.

  “It’s been fifteen hours my lord.”

  “And you thought to leave bringing this report to me this long because?” Arat said calmly yet with a mounting anger in is voice.

  Thinking quickly the aide said, “They were supposed to report in every fourteen hours my lord, by the time I learned of this I brought it to your attention immediately. I was unaware of the diversion from the flight plan until just now.”

  “Why was the schedule set for only two reports per day?” Arat asked.

  “After the Prince filed the proposed flight plan we decided two reports per day would be sufficient. My lord, you know the Prince as well as anyone, the detour to the Tartaran Battlefield could well have been a whim and if that’s the case no one would’ve seen it coming.”

  “Okay we’ll deal with that later, what we need to do now is get my son back safely.”

  “I agree my lord, what would you suggest?”

  Arat turned to his aide and shouted, “What do you think I’m suggesting?” I want my son brought home.”

  “My lord, if you send in our troops you will undoubtedly cause an interstellar incident. It would jeopardise the trade agreements we have with both the Confederation and the Alliance to say the least and at the worst they could charge us with violation of Interstellar Law with the breach of the treaty.”

  “So what am I supposed to do, leave my son to his fate out there? That is something I’m not prepared to do.”

  “I agree my lord and if he was my son I would feel the same. What we need is plausible deniability.”

  “Are you suggesting I entrust the safety of my son to mercenaries?”

  “I have taken the liberty of locating Jared Saladar. I think he would be the man to send. He commands an elite troop of ex military, special forces soldiers who are respected throughout the galaxy as being the best at what they do.”

  “Yes, Saladar’s record is well known to me,” Arat said as he began to calm a little at what was being told to him, he could possibly see a way to solve this problem that would please all involved.

  “He is awaiting confirmation of mission details my lord, and of course, payment. Time is of the essence here as he is due to begin a job for another client in less than a week. He has agreed in principle to take this commission because of who the client is but at this point in the negotiations he has no idea what we require of him.”

  “Okay brief him with what is required and pay him his fee, money is not an issue, my son’s life is more important to me than any fee he could imagine.”

  “I understand my lord. I will pass on your wishes immediately.”

  “One more thing,” Arat said halting his ageing aide in mid turn.

  “Yes my lord?”

  “Tell Salada
r that failure is not an option. If he fails I will devote what is left of my life and my considerable wealth to searching for, and killing him,” Arat said with a coldness that chilled his aide to his core.

  Bravely his aide said, “My lord, I don’t think Saladar is a man who reacts well to threats, whomever they’re from.”

  Leaning in to his aide so that his breath could be felt on his face Arat said, “Tell him anyway.”

  Without another word his aide simply bowed his head, turned and left the large cold chamber leaving his emperor to stare out of the large window that overlooked the city below.

  The wheels had been set in motion. Although it was frustrating for the former warrior, there was nothing he could do now, but wait.

  *****

  Riley and the rest of the team arrived in orbit around Earth and were soon in approach to dock with the main body of the Pulsar, which had briefly de-cloaked. Sensor jamming was maintained so that they were not picked up by the myriad of sensors operating on the surface of the planet or from orbiting stations or ships that were within range, the docking manoeuvres were completed and the entire was cloaked once more.

  Accessing a com channel via his NI, Riley said, “General Sinclair sir, we are on board the Pulsar awaiting any final instructions before commencing our mission.”

  “No final instructions Captain, the passenger list has been uploaded to the Pulsar as we agreed. Keep me informed and good luck,” Sinclair replied.

  “Copy that sir, Wildfire Team out,” Riley acknowledged then severed the call. “Okay people, we have a job to do. I want you to acquaint yourselves with this new ship, pick your quarters and get settled. Mission briefing in the ready room in fifteen minutes. Artie upload the Pulsar’s schematics and blueprints to every team members NI’s then plot a course for the jump to the Tartaran Battlefield. I want you to take us within sensor range of that Zone. Is that understood?” he added.

  “Perfectly sir,” replied Artie then before anyone could do anything he added, “Upload complete sir, I also added the passenger list and schematics of the Colonial Queen. Also there will be no need to pick your quarters, they have already been pre-selected and some of your personal items have been relocated there along with your clothes.”