10 Light-Years to Insanity

by C M Dancha

  “Sir, may I ask why we are posing as a decoy?”

  “Good question, Comrade JoJo. The answer is simple. There is a spy ship sitting in a nearby quadrant which we believe will follow and intercept you outside of Ziptowtheon airspace. We want to know who it is and why they are here. Any other questions?”

  Tookie raised his hand to ask a question, but the Crelon ignored him and rambled on with the rest of the mission plan. “At first, ignore the spy ship’s demand to stop. After he threatens three or four times to vaporize you, stop the transport and allow him to board. Once he’s on board, pull your ship away so he can’t escape using the bridging ramp. Then, overpower him and return to Ziptowtheon with both ships.”

  That’s all it took for Tookie to come unglued. “Sir, how are we going to overpower this being who is military trained? Look at us. Do we look threatening? I’m not sure the two of us could take on and subdue a cockroach.”

  Tookie was in a state of shock. He couldn’t believe he was so belligerent to a high-ranking council member. Next to him, JoJo was trying to control his temper and not throttle Tookie for being a self-centered wimp.

  “Comrade Tookie give us some credit. We’ve equipped your decoy transport with knockout gas. It will render the intruder unconscious until you get back to Ziptowtheon. All Comrade JoJo must do is toggle the blue switch on the bridge control panel and the intruder will go down like he’s been hit with a vap pistol. Just make sure you have ventilators in your nose.”

  “Sir, if he’s a Yandan, won’t his filter gills keep him safe from the knockout gas?”

  “Not this time, Tookie. The knockout gas is an ultra-high concentration which Yandan filter gills can’t process quick enough. Enough of the gas will bypass the filters and take the Yandan down. Plus, the gas is stationary which means it hangs in one place as it dissipates. Very little of it will move throughout the cabin and bridge. This is another reason why you have nothing to fear.”

  “He’s telling you the truth, comrades.” The Yandan co-conspirator decided to add the last bit of sales pitch to make the fabricated knockout gas story believable. “They tried the gas on me, and it worked exactly like my fellow comrade described. You have nothing to worry about if you wear your ventilators and activate the gas when the intruder reaches a designated location in the boarding hallway.”

  The Crelon could tell Tookie was still wary of the mission but JoJo was so excited he could barely control himself.

  “When do we leave?”

  “Comrades, they are waiting for you at the docking bay. Good luck and we’ll see you back here in short order.”

  15

  Commander Fritase almost fell out of his gyro chair when a Yandan transport appeared out of nowhere and streaked out of sight. He regained his composure and looked at the visualizer screen. To his surprise, the ship caricature depicted on the visualizer was the E647, the Yandan transport piloted by Officer Morg. The Commander shut off the recognition system alarm and put in an emergency communication to Yanda.

  An annoyed Lead Trifect answered his private comm number. “Commander Fritase, why are you contacting me?”

  “Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but Officer Morg’s ship just appeared out of nowhere and is on a course for Earth. Do you want me to pursue or intercept?” The Commander tried to contain his excitement. The appearance of the E647 was a genuine stroke of luck. Rather than sit in the dead of space for days or weeks waiting for something to happen, the game was afoot after a few short hours. If his ancestors from the hereafter looked upon him favorably, he would wrap up this assignment within a day. Then it was back to Yanda and retirement.

  “What do you mean it appeared out of nowhere?”

  “Sir, I don’t know how else to describe what happened. One moment there was nothing in the adjacent quadrant and then Morg’s ship appeared. I have no reason to think the recognition system failed. I'm sure it worked perfectly. Somehow, Morg’s ship was hidden and then materialized.”

  The Lead Trifect pondered this new information and considered all the possible explanations.

  “Commander, you know more about this than I do, but could the transport have been retrofitted with cloaking?”

  “I doubt it. Adding cloaking to an existing ship is very expensive and time-consuming plus it leaves a shadow trail. The ship that just appeared doesn’t have a trail which means it has been sitting idle for quite some time.”

  “Have you seen anything else suspicious out there?”

  “Not a thing, sir.”

  The Lead Trifect contemplated the situation for a couple moments. His biggest fear was that the instantaneous and mysterious appearance of the E647 was part of some type of elaborate hoax. The situation didn’t feel right, but his curiosity about what was happening on the transport got the better of him.

  “Commander, intercept Morg’s transport and board it. I want to know if everything is okay on that ship. If Morg questions why they were stopped, tell him Prefect Conway wants to communicate with his son. This might be the perfect opportunity to get that jerk off my back.” The Lead Trifect’s comment about Prefect Conway was unusual. It was rare when he verbalized an opinion about a planetary leader, especially one who might hold the fate of Yanda in his hands. The Trifect thought for a few more seconds and then added, “Commander, be extremely cautious.” The Lead Trifect broke the communication but couldn’t shake the thought that something wasn’t right.

  Fifteen minutes later, Commander Fritase overtook the decoy transport. He requested it to stop and submit to boarding by a representative of the Yandan Empire. When the transport refused, he brought it to a standstill by locking on with a harness beam. He didn’t consider the transport’s refusal as unusual. He would have taken the same evasive maneuvers if ordered to stop by an unknown interceptor appearing out of nowhere. He put on body armor, loaded up on vap guns and shock grenades and strutted off to the bridging ramp.

  * * *

  He was surprised that neither Officer Morg or the Earthling greeted him when he entered the E647. He had identified himself when hailing the decoy transport so there was no reason for them to hide as though they were being boarded by an enemy. He wanted to call out to his fellow invasion trooper but something in his gut said, “Be quiet”.

  He squinted to see down the cabin corridor toward the bridge. The luminescent lighting was turned down, so his normal weak eyesight was close to worthless. He mentally berated himself for not bringing sight goggles. They were the most important piece of military hardware for a Yandan invasion trooper. Without goggles, he was at a distinct disadvantage if walking into a trap or ambush.

  The Commander made a snap decision. There was enough physical and sensory evidence to believe there was something wrong on the transport. Whoever was behind this ruse wanted him to enter their web. He needed to get back to his ship, retrieve the goggles and scan the transport for evidence of life forms. He turned to leave the cabin but froze when he felt the transport start to move. The straining shadow drive motors sent a weak vibration throughout the ship’s hull and his body. The momentum was slow at first but then snapped forward to a faster speed. Somehow the transport broke free of the harness beam and started moving swiftly away from the Shooting Star 38.

  He squatted to make himself less of a target and held on to a support pole for stability. The situation was precarious, at best. The best he could hope for was that this was an elaborate joke Morg was playing on him. That thought lasted for less than five seconds. In all the years as a superior-ranking officer, he could not remember one instance of Morg instigating or participating in shenanigans. Morg was the ideal, straightlaced, by-the-book invasion trooper.

  His acute hearing was the only defensive weapon he could rely on to detect danger. He turned his head slightly so the best of his three parabolic dish-like ears pointed down the corridor toward the bridge. He turned on his transceiver and entered the Lead Trifect’s private comm number. The communication wasn’t answered on the first, second, third,
or fourth pulse.

  Fritase began to worry that the transceiver’s signal was being blocked. It was possible the transport's hull or communication deflection system was preventing a comm hook-up. He was ready to disconnect when he heard, “Are you on the transport, Commander?”

  “Yes, sir. But, there’s something wrong.”

  Fritase pointed the transceiver down the corridor so the Lead Trifect could see the ominous situation.

  “What did you say? You have to speak up, Commander.”

  Fritase brought the transceiver closer to his voice hole and whispered, “I can’t, sir. I’ve walked into a trap. Someone disconnected the harness beam and is piloting the transport to an unknown destination.”

  “Have you seen Morg or the Earthling?”

  “No, sir. They didn’t meet me upon boarding, and I have yet to see any life forms.”

  The Lead Trifect’s worst nightmare was coming true. Unless his Commander was misreading the situation, the transport was under the control of someone other than Morg. This raised two simple questions. Where was Morg and who was in control of the transport?

  “What do you plan?”

  “I’m not sure, Lead Trifect. I think I’ll take up a defensive position and wait.”

  “Do what you think is best, Commander.”

  There was dead silence for several minutes. Both Yandans were thinking about the circumstances and searching for a plausible solution. Was it possible they overlooked the obvious?

  “Commander, do you think this is a ploy to steal the 38?”

  “What do you mean, Lead Trifect?”

  “Someone lures you onto the transport, breaks the harness beam and then kidnaps you. As you move further and further away, an unknown accomplice steals our 38.”

  “It’s possible, Lead Trifect, but seems far-fetched. How would these pirates know I arrived in a 38 and, for that matter, how would they know about the 38? The 38 is an experimental ship. The only way your theory works is if there is a leak at Command Headquarters.”

  Fritase was instantly embarrassed. If he could have intercepted the remark about a Command Headquarters’ leak before it traveled to Yanda, he would have done so immediately.

  “Sir, I apologize. I don’t mean to suggest you have a leak at…”

  “No apologies needed, son. You might be right. In fact, I’ve often wondered if there is a leak here.”

  As the Commander and Lead Trifect discussed and analyzed the situation, JoJo and Tookie sat on the bridge watching the stars pass by. They were guiding the transport in a giant loop toward Ziptowtheon. From their gyro chairs they could see and listen to everything said between the two Yandans. All they had to do was wait until the Commander got up enough courage to move toward the bridge. When he entered the kill zone, JoJo would toggle the blue switch on the control panel and watch the Yandan go down.

  JoJo looked over at the nervous Tookie and said, “This is great. We’ve got the Yandan confused and pinned down. It’s only a matter of time before he moves on the bridge. All we have to do is remain calm and wait.”

  Tookie looked at JoJo and forced a grin his way. He was beginning to realize how psychotic JoJo was. Did the little fur-ball have a death wish or love and crave the adrenaline rush from dangerous situations? Either way, he wasn’t someone to develop into a friend. If he got out of this situation alive, he promised himself to stay as far away from this loon as possible.

  “Oh, shit!” The halo-screen monitoring the cabin to bridge corridor was flashing a deep red warning. The Yandan trooper moved rapidly into the kill zone. He moved with stealth and unusual speed for a large being. JoJo almost fell out of his gyro chair diving for the blue toggle switch.

  Tookie was scared but didn’t know why until he spotted the Yandan on the halo-screen. Minutes before, the Yandan was telling his superior about establishing a defensive position in the corridor. Now, he was charging the control bridge. The SOB had used misinformation and trickery to catch them by surprise.

  The picture quality on the halo-screen was poor but good enough to see the trooper’s battle armament. Tookie could see an assault rife slung over his shoulder and a vap gun in each hand. He wore body armor from the top of his head to mid-thigh on each leg. There was something shiny in his mouth. Tookie leaned closer to the screen to see a Katanian close-combat, fighting sword clenched between his fangs. This trooper meant business. Things would get very ugly if he got to the bridge.

  Tookie slid down in his chair attempting to hide. He couldn’t contain himself and screamed, “Holy shit, JoJo. He’s attacking. Do something.”

  “Shut up, Tookie. I did.”

  JoJo expected the knockout gas to discharge and engulf the Yandan trooper in a deadly cocoon. When it didn’t, he knew he was betrayed. He and Tookie were sacrificial lambs. And, he had just enough time to guess why.

  “Turn around, you two.” When neither chair turned his way, the Commander regretted his decision to rush the bridge. Something was wrong, and it was unlikely the situation would end without violence.

  Tookie started to swivel his gyro chair, but JoJo continued to stare out the viewing port window. He decided to enjoy the sights for as long as he could.

  “I said turn around. Do it now, or I’ll fire.”

  That was the last thing Commander Fritase said before the decoy transport disintegrated. Twenty-seven military-grade, thermal grenades placed throughout the fake E647 went off simultaneously. The blue toggle switch on the control panel was the trigger. The result was a massive implosion which reduced the ship and everyone aboard to atomic sub-particles.

  16

  On Yanda, the Lead Trifect’s transceiver screen turned a red-violet and then went blank. He doubted it was a malfunction. He hoped he was wrong but guessed the Commander was dead.

  “Yes, Lead Trifect.”

  “Trifects, I'm sure Commander Fritase is dead. Have our interplanetary techs look for new, unexplained explosions within a light year of his last known coordinates. I need an answer by the time I get to headquarters. I’m on my way.”

  He signed off and started the twenty-minute walk. He could have taken a glider but needed the time to think about what happened. He took his transceiver and replayed the last forty-five recorded seconds over and over. One thing that stood out was the Commander not firing any of his weapons. Conversely, there was no evidence that he took fire from enemy combatants. This reaffirmed the Lead Trifect's guess that the transport no longer existed. Something or someone on board the transport caused its destruction, or it took a direct hit from another ship. How it met its end would take a lot more time to investigate. Time which was at a premium and the Trifect couldn’t afford to waste.

  He could also see the two gyro chairs on the transport’s bridge were occupied by beings other than Morg and the Earthling. Whoever occupied the gyros had to be short because their heads weren’t above the chair backs. It was obvious that Fritase knew the bridge occupants were not Morg and the Earthling. He referred to them as “you two”.

  The Lead Trifect was still looking at the playback recording when he stepped into the palace. The daylight glare disappeared immediately from the transceiver screen. When his eyes adjusted, images appeared on the screen which he hadn’t noticed before. There was something beyond the gyro chairs. He fiddled with the contrast and imaging software to get a better view. Slowly, ghost images came into focus. Reflecting off the transport’s viewing port window were the front sides of the gyro chairs. And, in the chairs were two beings he never saw before.

  One appeared to be a furry little thing which could not have been over three feet tall. The other was slightly taller with a frail body. Neither fit the image of a pirate or kidnapper. The little one looked like a manual laborer, whereas, the other one looked like a nerd scientist, chemist, or quantum physics professor. The furball looked at ease and content. The nerd oozed fear and anxiety.

  The Lead Trifect didn't stop staring at these two beings until he entered the headquarters office
s in the palace.

  “Lead Trifect, we have the information you asked for.”

  Without taking his eyes off the transceiver screen, he said, “Yes. What have you got?”

  “There was a single explosion about forty-five minutes ago. It occurred at coordinates 2323565-507-003 which is very close to Commander Fritase’s last known coordinates.”

  “What else do we know about this explosion?”

  “It registered thirty-four dicrons which is a very large blast. It’s much larger than any explosion which happens during an Interceptor dogfight.”

  “What would cause such a large blast?”

  “We don’t know, Lead Trifect. Possibly our munitions or military people can give us an answer.”

  “Make sure you get that. Is there anything else we know about this explosion?”

  “That’s all the information we have.”

  There was no sense continuing the conversation until the two Trifect were brought up to speed on what the Lead Trifect knew. He put the transceiver on the conference table and played the last communication from Commander Fritase.

  When the recording stopped, one of the Trifect looked at the Lead Trifect who was at the Cannis dispenser. “I think you’re right, Lead Trifect. Commander Fritase is dead. Most likely killed in the explosion we picked up.”

  He knew it was a mistake as soon as he asked, “What do you think we should do now?”

  A deafening silence fell over the room. The two Trifect looked at each other and then lowered their eyes to watch an imaginary insect under the conference table.

  Once again, the two Trifect subordinates were doing a lousy job of investigating. The Lead Trifect couldn’t understand how they reached their present positions without inquisitive minds. They didn’t think outside the box and rarely asked what-if questions. This was precisely what they needed to do to uncover possible clues and explanations. His two direct reports didn’t have an inquisitive bone in their scaly bodies. He wondered what would happen to Yanda if he retired or met the wrong end of a vap weapon?