by C M Dancha
“Officer Morg. You look better. How do you feel?”
“Like shit, but I’ll survive. Where are we?”
“About one light year from Earth. We would have been there already but hit a Locomite storm.”
Morg began to open the waste closet door but stopped. He looked up to where a transceiver might be located. “Is there any chance I can get you to delay docking on Earth?”
“Why?”
Morg was too tired and feverish to make up fictitious reason. “To be honest, I’d like to check in with the Lead Trifect before landing on Earth.”
“Well, I’m getting pressured by my old man to get to Earth. Plus, I have some personal business to take care of there. So, I don't want to stop the ship.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
“Morg, let’s do this. Get a couple more hours of sleep and then come to the bridge and place a communication to the Lead Trifect. You or both of us can talk to him and find out if he has any last-minute instructions. Fair enough?”
Morg thought about the kid’s offer. He wasn’t in a position to argue or negotiate. “Yeah, that sounds fair. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Wake me if you I don’t come up there in three hours.”
The kid turned off the eavesdropping system and sat back in the captain’s gyro chair. He stretched and took in a deep breath which he let out very slow. The seven hours of sleep had done wonders. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was the drone of the shadow drive system kicking-in at launch. It was a hard sleep which left him refreshed and feeling close to normal. If he took care of himself, he should be close to epidemic-free by the time the transport landed on Earth.
The Verasiun and Earthling chained to the support pole were starting to regain consciousness. They moaned and groaned and opened their eyes occasionally to look around. In a couple hours they would be awake and complaining about their accommodations. Of course, they would be hungry, so the kid would have to serve something. He had a lot to do before his uninvited guests started making demands.
He got up from the gyro chair and headed to sickbay. It was time for Morg and him to take their epidemic medicine. By the time he got there, Morg was sound asleep again. He opened a packet containing the medicine and rubbed the pad across his arm. He did the same thing for Morg. Like the deep wound cleansing pad, the epidemic medicine entered through body pores and openings. It then went to work attacking the virus, bacteria or whatever was causing the illness.
The kid took a quick peek at Morg’s wounds before leaving sickbay. They seemed to be healing correctly and there was no evidence of infection. He pulled down the optic enhancer from over the operating cot to get a magnified image of the wounds. He was surprised to see new scales sprouting on the circumference of each wound. At this rate, new scales would cover the wound holes within a couple weeks.
The Verasiun was awake by the time the kid got back to the bridge area. He was examining the gash on his head using the reflective back on the deep wound cleansing packet.
“How do you feel?”
“I’ve had better days. How about taking off the ankle bracelets? You’ve got my vap pistol, so there’s not much I can do.”
“You’re fine exactly where you are. You might have noticed the other jerk-off lying on the other side of the post. You and he have a lot in common. Neither of you were invited on this ship. Both of you thought it’d be fun to point a vap pistol at me and he claims to be working for my old man too.”
“What’s that got to do with me and getting these bracelets off?”
“I can’t trust either of you and I don’t have the time or desire to babysit you. So, lay back and enjoy the ride to Earth. By the way, I recommend you use the cleansing pad and wound putty as soon as possible. I’m not going to doctor you if that gash gets infected.”
The kid turned and headed for the captain’s gyro chair. Halfway there, the Verasiun started throwing a fit. “Thanks, buddy. I’ll remember this, turd. Your old man won’t like the way you’re treating me. Hey, I’m hungry; when do we eat? How am I supposed to take a leak and …?”
The kid gave the Verasiun the universal sign for “don’t care what you have to say” and kept walking. He had just learned something important; the Verasiun had a short temper. It wouldn’t take long for him and his post-mate to go at each other’s throats. That might reveal what their real missions were and who they worked for.
“Communicator on. Private comm channel 45-879032.”
The kid sat back and waited for the communication to be answered on Ziptowtheon. He needed to get an update from his co-conspirators. It had been several days since he spoke to his war-council. He expected unanticipated news which would change his invasion plan. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that life revolved around the unexpected, not the expected.
“First Comrade Joseph. Good to see you again.”
The four members of the war-council appeared on the halo-screen. They were sitting around the executive chamber table. It was a lucky coincidence he called when they were all together.
“Gentlemen. I’m surprised I caught you together. What’s the occasion?”
The Crelon spoke for the group. “We were discussing a minor problem. Trying to decide what to do about it.”
“I’m listening. What’s the problem?”
The Crelon hesitated. The Earthling could tell he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, a couple of our cloaked planets and weapon platforms were hit by objects.”
“What kind of objects?”
“Yandan Interceptors, First Comrade.”
The kid wanted to explode and start yelling. He grabbed the small finger on his left hand and yanked it out of joint. The pain was searing and gave him something else to think about. Inflicting pain on himself was the easiest and quickest way he knew to calm down and not make stupid comments and decisions.
“How many and what was the damage?”
“Five Interceptors hit five different planets and weapon platforms. Our damages were minimal. Our frontal shields absorbed almost all of the explosions. All five Interceptors were destroyed.”
“What do you plan to do about this?”
“We haven’t got that far, First Comrade. Any suggestions?”
For the first time in years, he didn’t have an immediate answer. He was almost ecstatic that he pulled his finger out of joint to keep quiet.
“Let’s think about this. The Yandans know they lost five Interceptors; all within a brief period of time. They also know mechanical failure and enemy attack wasn’t involved. By now, they realize their ships exploded like hitting a brick wall. So, what are they going to do?”
The Earthling co-conspirator spoke for the first time. “They’ll send out other Interceptors to investigate and look for physical evidence. I’m sure they have a sizable number of military technicians and physicists looking for explanations.”
“You’re absolutely right. So, what do we do? How can we turn this to our advantage?”
There was dead silence. First Comrade Joseph and his four henchmen sat quietly in deep thought. They needed a solution which didn't turn their invasion plans upside-down.
The kid spoke after five minutes. “Gentlemen, I think we have only two choices. We can either….”
The kid stopped talking when he saw someone burst into the executive chamber on Ziptowtheon. This unknown being was dressed in lab technician coveralls. Two guards ran into the room and tried to restrain the technician. Each of them grabbed an arm and started to drag him from the room. The technician kicked and squirmed, trying to break free of their grasp. When he realized he was losing the tug-of-war, he started yelling at the four co-conspirators. The tone of his voice wasn’t hate-filled or angry. It sounded like someone trying to warn others about a dangerous situation. The guards stopped pulling the technician when the Crelon said something to them.
After a minute of back-and-forth with the technician, the Crelon turned back to
the halo-screen. “First Comrade Joseph, this technician claims there is a hidden explosive on the experimental Interceptor we hi-jacked. It’s the Interceptor the Yandans call the Shooting Star.”
“So, what’s the big deal?”
“Our techs can’t figure out how to disarm it and think it’s set to go off at ….”
That was the last thing the Crelon and his co-conspirators said to First Comrade Joseph Conway. Ziptowtheon collapsed upon itself and then burst outward in a shower of sub-atomic particles. The remains of Ziptowtheon flew in every direction. They didn’t stop until they hit something light years later.
The kid’s halo-screen turned from yellow to red and then black. Something told him the unexpected just happened and his life would never be the same.
36
“Lead Trifect, we received an invitation to attend a demonstration of Earth’s toxic gas condensator. And, there’s going to be a homecoming celebration for his son.”
The Lead Trifect was still in deep thought pondering the mysterious appearances, disappearances, and unexplained Interceptor explosions. He hadn’t reached a theory to explain all these events. Yet, he couldn’t shake the idea they were all tied together by cloaking, but what else was involved? There had to be a common denominator. It was this wild card which could mean the difference between a secure and safe Yandan empire and disaster.
“What did you say?”
The underling looked at his boss quizzically. It had been fifteen minutes since anything was said in the room. It took him a while to remember the invitation.
“Oh, I said we're invited to attend Earth’s demonstration of its toxic gas condensator.”
“Yeah, but wasn’t there something else?”
“Ah, yes. Prefect Conway is also having a homecoming party for his son.”
“When?”
“Three days from now.”
The Lead Trifect smiled even though he was disgusted. He had been bested by Prefect Conway. The Earthling was either on Earth or arriving there soon. If only Morg had stopped the transport before it arrived on Earth. The kid could have been a bargaining chip to push through the CASETA Agreement. At least he was valuable enough to trade for a piece of Earth’s toxic gas reserves. Now it was clear that wasn’t going to happen. Yanda would have to search the universe for another source of toxic gases of the correct mixture. It was either that or invade Earth and take by force what it needed.
“Well, we certainly aren’t going to the demonstration or festivities.”
“A special halo-screen vision is being made available for anyone who can’t attend. To get the feed, you have to sign up for it. Should we ignore Prefect Conway and his invitation?”
The Lead Trifect wanted to say “yes” but knew that was a mistake. He had to swallow his pride and ignore Prefect Conway’s ridicule. He needed to know what the enemy was doing. It might point to a weakness in the Prefect’s plans which could be taken advantage of.
The underling was surprised when his boss said, “Sign up for the halo-screen feed.”
“Has anyone heard from Officer Morg and do we know where the transport is?”
“Nothing from Officer Morg. The last we heard was when he left Alpha 30. If the transport is moving at normal shadow drive speed, it’s within six hours of docking on Earth.”
The Lead Trifect began to ask another question. He stopped when a courier entered the room and handed a recorder chip to one of the underling Trifect. The chip went into his transceiver and scrolled a coded message across the screen.
“Well?”
The Trifect looked up with a puzzled look on his face. “Lead Trifect, the Shooting Star 38 has vaporized. The destiny explosive went off approximately twenty-four minutes ago.”
“How do we know it was the destiny explosive from the Shooting Star?”
“The destiny explosive has a very unique formula of chemicals and metals. When it goes off, this formula is evident in the explosion signature. There is no question this was the destiny explosive from the Shooting Star.”
“How close was the explosion to the quadrant where the Shooting Star disappeared?”
The underlings didn’t know the answer. They hurriedly pulled up coordinates and stellar charts to get the answer.
“The Shooting Star vaporized approximately one light year from where it disappeared.”
“Which was closer to Yanda? The quadrant where it disappeared or the quadrant where it vaporized?”
“Where it vaporized, Lead Trifect.”
“Brothers let me take a wild guess at something. The magnitude of the explosion was far greater than the maximum output for a destiny explosive?”
The underlings checked the statistics provided by the physicists who analyzed the explosion.
“You’re right, Lead Trifect. The explosion was three times greater than what a destiny explosive can produce.”
“This is too easy, brothers. Let me take another wild guess. There are no planets or satellites where the explosion took place?”
Again, the underling Trifect did a quick search of the stellar charts. “Yes, that’s correct. How do you know these things, Lead Trifect?”
The Lead Trifect shook his head from side to side. He got up from the meeting table and went to the Cannis dispenser for a snort of the intoxicating drug.
“Brothers, I apologize. I’ve been negligent in my duties as a Lead Trifect. I should have seen what is going on days or weeks ago. But, I didn’t. Brothers, Yanda and our allies are under attack. Let’s hope it’s not too late.”
* * *
For the next two hours, the Lead Trifect gave his brother Trifect a detailed explanation of the invisible threat approaching Yanda. Much of his explanation was guesswork but it all made sense. Cloaked planets and weapon platforms moving toward the Yandan empire explained every strange occurrence in the last couple weeks. The mysterious appearance of the transport out of nowhere and the disappearance of the Shooting Star were explained. Five Interceptors crashing for no apparent reason made sense now.
“Brothers, we have to find out three things and do it fast. First, how big is this enemy armada? Second, where are they? And last, who is the enemy? We may have bought some time when the Shooting Star blew up. It’s reasonable to believe our Shooting Star was hijacked to one of the larger and more important cloaked planets to be reverse engineered. I’m sure losing that planet hurt the enemy quite a bit. Thank the heavens one of our physicists had enough forethought to load the Shooting Star with the destiny explosive. He may have saved the empire.”
The Trifect was ready to end their meeting and begin working on a plan to defend the empire when a communication was passed through to the meeting room.
“Sir, it’s Officer Morg.”
“It’s about time. Put it on visual.”
A roughed-up, bruised, and sickly Morg appeared on the halo-screen. His shoulder was bound in bandages. He was sitting slightly tilted to the right favoring his left shoulder. To his side was the Earthling looking a little under the weather but a lot better than Morg.
“Officer Morg, what the hell happened to you?”
“I took a vap round in the shoulder, Lead Trifect. It’s healing well. The Earthling… I mean, Joseph Conway patched my wounds and is taking care of me.”
“Who shot you?”
The kid jumped into the conversation to answer the Lead Trifect’s question. “One of those losers cuffed to the support post behind us. Can you see them?”
Morg’s head swung around as quick as his shoulder allowed. The Trifect strained to see the would-be assassin in the murky background. It was the first time Morg heard that his assailant was on board the transport and bound by restrictor cuffs. He meant to ask the kid about the two beings locked to the support post but thought the communication to Yanda was more important.
“Good, I’m glad you captured him. Where are you two?”
“We are on our final approach to Earth. Roboland is in control of the ship.”
&nbs
p; “So, you got to Earth ahead of schedule. Too bad.”
“Why is that, Lead Trifect?”
The Lead Trifect paused and debated with himself. As much as he wanted to say something about the break-down of the CASETA negotiations and using the kid as a bargaining chip, it was too late. Nothing would be accomplished by bringing up this information in front of the Earthling.
“Forget I said that, Officer Morg. It doesn’t matter now. I want to congratulate you on completing your mission. I know you two have been subjected to several harrowing events. I commend you for working together to overcome every obstacle.”
“Thank you, sir.” The kid and Morg sat at attention and stifled their real thoughts. The kid wanted to laugh at the Lead Trifect’s naiveté. And, Morg wanted to strangle the Lead Trifect for sending him on such an insane and dangerous mission.
“Son, I understand your father is planning a homecoming celebration for you. It should be enjoyable seeing your friends and family again.”
“It will be, sir.” The kid couldn’t wait to get off the transport and start making his old man’s life miserable. He wouldn’t do it in the open. Rather, every manipulative and destructive act would be done in secret, behind the Prefect’s back. The only thing more important than toppling the old man was taking back Beth. The sooner she joined him, and they deposed the Prefect, the better.
“Sir, how long should I stay on Earth before coming home?”
“Officer Morg, stay on Earth for a few days. Get better and enjoy yourself. By the way, there’s a demonstration of Earth’s toxic gas condensator system. I want you to attend that demonstration as the official Yandan representative. Contact my brother Trifect tomorrow for instructions. Gentlemen have a safe docking.”
