Freedom

by Maureen Toonkel

  Josh got dressed and went down to the Conveyor Port to see if Dennis Pearson had the James K ready to go. He found Pearson fiddling with dials and levers on the control panel.

  “I see you’re up early also,” said Josh.

  “Yes, sir,” answered Dennis. “I wanted to make sure everything was in working order.”

  “I appreciate that. I would like to depart at 0900 with a landing party of five. We will need to be equipped with zip guns. Also prepare backpacks for each member of the landing party outfitted with survival gear including ropes, flashlights, lighters, knives, water, bandages, sunglasses, tape, matches, bolt cutters, lock picks, and some high-energy snack bars.”

  “Yes, sir. I will get those ready.”

  Josh turned to leave and then did an about-face. “Oh, Denny,” he said with a smile. “I have decided to drag along both Dave and Dr. Berg just so you can have the command.”

  “Thank you, sir,” laughed Pearson.

  Marlana Berg was up early. She was putting the finishing touches on the psychological test reports she had completed on the crew members who had been in captivity on Brisula. The results had surprised her, especially Josh Stoner’s. She had expected him to be a narcissistic, overbearing, controlling commander who was driven to perfection. Instead he was a very compassionate and concerned leader who genuinely cared about his crew. She had interviewed several of the staff and they all seemed devoted to him. She conducted a final spell-check and hit the transmit button on her computer. Then Dr. Berg called the Captain and asked him to come to her office. In less than fifteen minutes Josh was standing in her office doorway.

  “Have a seat,” she directed. “Would you like some coffee?”

  Josh nodded. He watched her closely as she went about filling a glass carafe and measuring out some ground coffee. On this day she had her hair braided in a thick braid held together with a green velvet ribbon.

  “I would like to go over the psychological reports with you,” Dr. Berg said. She handed Josh a ceramic mug of black steaming coffee. “I will start with yours.”

  “Should I be worried?” said Josh with a grin.

  Dr. Berg smiled. “I am happy to report, Captain, that as far as you yourself are concerned, you have nothing to worry about. Your mental health status is excellent. Your recent captivity has not had any negative effects on your ability to command. You appear to have all the qualities of an exceptional leader and you are well respected by your crew. You are hereby returned to full command.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your comments. However, I take it from your remarks that things may not have went that well for Hampton or Glenna.”

  “I have some concerns about both of those officers.”

  “What are those concerns?”

  “They are rather personal matters.”

  “As their commanding officer I have the right to know if there are concerns that will effect their ability to do their jobs.”

  “If they remain on their present assignments they will be able to function. That is why I am recommending that they not be returned yet to their normal duties.”

  “I still need to know what the concerns are.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Dr. Berg, in order for me to help my crew, I need to know what is going on. Whatever it is I will keep it confidential. You have my word.”

  “All right. Neither of them is suffering any ill effects from being slaves. But they are having difficulties with some issues that have resulted from the ordeal they went through. In Ensign Glenna’s case she is feeling guilty over telling Keith Hampton that she no longer wants to date him.”

  “Is that it? People break up all the time. That shouldn’t stop her from doing her job.”

  “Mr. Hampton has a lot more going on. He is still quite in love with Ms. Glenna and was caught by surprise when she broke up with him. He has a charge of treason hanging over his head. And the friend he usually would talk to about his problems is no longer available.”

  “I am already aware of all of those issues. I told Keith not to worry about the treason charge. I am going to take care of that. Keith is a very strong person. Even when we were on Brisula, and Keith was convinced that he had committed treason and insubordination, he was still able to follow my orders and act responsibly.”

  “Maybe, but I think he needs time to heal. I do not think he should return to his normal duties.”

  “But, I need him to be on the landing party today when we go to Brisula.”

  “That is out of the question.”

  “Doctor, I must have Keith with me. Besides me, he is the only other person who knows his way around the tunnels. He is Wayne Shasta’s best friend and knows him better than anyone else. Keith is also very resourceful. If I am going to be lost or stranded in a strange place there is no one else in the world I would want to be with.”

  “I am afraid I already transmitted my report to UGC in which I said I did not recommend that Hampton or Glenna should return to their normal duties.”

  “Well, doctor, I suggest you send in amendments to your reports.”

  Finally, it was time to leave. Keith Hampton helped Dennis Pearson load the green camouflage backpacks onto the James K. Commander Andrews checked over the zip guns making sure they were fully loaded and that the safety mechanisms on each one were working properly. The elevator doors opened and a very tall gentleman with bushy brown hair accompanied by a woman with a mane of jet black curls stepped into the Conveyor Port.

  “Captain,” said Joban approaching Josh. “Fabiana and I have come to wish you all good luck as you respond to Wayne’s distress call.” He held out his hand.

  Josh shook his hand. “Thank you kindly. We certainly can never have enough good luck.”

  “Oh, and if you see Salton, will you please give him my regards?” added Joban.

  “Of course.”

  “We’re all ready, sir,” announced Dennis Pearson.

  And with that, the landing party took their places inside the James K, buckled their seat belts, and prepared to be launched into space.

  “Where is Commodore Naper?” Josh asked the tall handsome Lieutenant standing at the entrance to the pathway leading to where the pulley elevator had been placed over two weeks ago. From the looks of things it appeared that the electric one had not yet been installed. They must have run into some type of complication, thought Josh.

  “He is on the other side of the Lake,” answered the young officer. “Perhaps I can be of assistance. I am Lieutenant Colin Evans, one of his senior officers.”

  “Yes, of course. I am Captain Joshua Stoner of the U.S.S. Gladiator. This is my crew: First Officer Commander David Andrews, Dr. Marlana Berg, Lieutenant Keith Hampton, and Ensign—”

  Colin Evans interrupted the Captain and finished his sentence, “Beverly Glenna.”

  “You know Ensign Glenna?” questioned Josh.

  “I certainly do,” beamed Evans. “She’s my fiancée.”

  “Your fiancée?” gulped Josh. He turned to look at Hampton whose eyes were wide open in utter disbelief.

  “Yes, sir. May I ask permission to give her a hug? We haven’t seen each other in several months.”

  Josh raised an eyebrow at Keith and turned back to face Lieutenant Evans. “Of course,” he said. The officer stepped over to Beverly, reached out, and wrapped his arms tightly around her. He bent down and kissed her intensely. Josh could almost feel the anguish that was showing on Hampton’s face.

  “Um, Lieutenant, Ensign,” broke in the Captain. “We are in a hurry.”

  “Sorry, sir,” responded Evans. “What can I do for you?”

  “Please notify Captain Torgenson that we are on our way down and have him meet us at the Boulder Entrance.”

  “I will try, sir. Communications have been rather hit and miss the past few days.” Evans took out his satellite phone and made several attempts to contact Torgenson.

  Josh Stoner walked over to the edge of the massive hole in the
ground where Beverly Glenna and the rest of the landing party were assembled.

  “Ensign, may I have a word with you?” Josh asked.

  Marlana overheard the Captain’s request and cut in as Beverly and Josh were headed over to an isolated area.

  “I think I should be present,” she announced.

  “I don’t see why that is necessary,” said Josh clearly annoyed. “I have the right to talk to my officer.”

  “Under the circumstances, I feel that she should have some support present.”

  “Doctor, I merely want to ask her a question.” Josh shook his head. “But fine, you can be present, if the Ensign wants you to be.” Beverly nodded her approval.

  “Ensign Glenna, why didn’t you tell Keith that you were engaged?”

  “Sir, when we were enslaved I didn’t think we would ever be freed. I don’t think I would have made it without Keith.”

  “But you never told him you had a fiancé?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Not even when you broke up with him?”

  “No, sir.”

  “What did you say when you broke up?”

  “I told him that we couldn’t see each other anymore.”

  “Why?”

  “Just because.”

  “Because why?”

  “Um. Just, um,” stammered Beverly.

  “Captain, I don’t think she needs to tell you that,” inserted Dr. Berg.

  “Because why, Ensign?” insisted Josh, ignoring Dr. Berg.

  “I told him that I didn’t love him. I said I never loved him.”

  “Is that true?”

  “No sir, it is not. When we were on Brisula I did fall in love with Keith.” She looked up at the Captain and her eyes began filling up with tears. As they spilled over her eyelids and started rolling down her cheeks, she softly added, “And I still love him.”

  Josh zipped open his belt pack and fished out his satellite phone. “Ensign, I think it is best if you return to the ship.” He tried dialing the Gladiator but all he got was static. “Do either of your phones work?”

  As neither Marlana nor Beverly could reach the Gladiator, he ordered the Ensign to continue trying to reach Diane Pearson. Returning to the others he told Hampton to try reaching the Gladiator through the communications system on the James K. It was futile. Likewise Colin Evans was unable to reach Captain Torgenson. Lieutenant Evans told Josh that at one point Torgenson told everyone that he had shut down communications on the planet’s surface because it was interfering with the work he was doing down below. Josh also learned that upon Torgenson’s orders the electric elevator had not yet been installed and that the pulley elevator had been removed. Both elevators were lying unassembled somewhere underground in the Brisula tunnels. The Architectural Engineering Team had spent the last two weeks surveying the planet’s surface and drafting designs for an above ground Brisula City.

  Josh walked over to the huge hole in the ground where the pulley elevator had been placed two weeks ago. Looking down he could just barely see the reflections radiating from the planet’s surface light as it bounced off the silver walls and floors of the tunnels below. What would possess Torgenson to take down the elevator? Why would he purposely cut himself off from the outside world? We need to find a way to get down below, thought Josh. I wonder if the Lake is still electrified? I bet it is.

  “Lieutenant Evans,” said Captain Stoner, “could your team rig up some ropes that we could use to shimmy down the elevator shaft?”

  “Put the Admiral on hold and transfer the call to my quarters, Lieutenant,” commanded Dennis Pearson. He jumped out of the captain’s chair and headed for the stairs. Rushing down the corridor, he reached his cabin, pushed open the door, and caught his breath before activating the video phone on his computer. Admiral Wilcox’s image appeared on the screen.

  “Lieutenant Commander Pearson here, sir.”

  “Where are Captain Stoner and Commander Andrews?” inquired the Admiral.

  “They are on the planet’s surface, sir.”

  “Good. It is imperative that the telescope be repaired as quickly as possible.”

  “Well, we have run into a matter that has caused a delay in the repairs. We are taking care of it at the moment.”

  “Please advise Captain Stoner that a small vessel with a crew of two that was dispatched to Brisula almost a month ago carrying a classified shipment has gone missing. It is hoped that the telescope on Lexter has still been taking pictures, and it is only the transmittance mechanism that needs repairs.”

  “Will do, sir.”

  Dennis flipped off the phone. Now I probably really will get demoted. I just lied to the Admiral. He pulled out his satellite phone and dialed Josh. All he got was static. He tried twice more. Racing back down the corridor and down the stairs, he kept hitting redial without any luck.

  “Diane, can you reach Josh or any of the others in the landing party?” exclaimed Dennis as he ran onto the Bridge.

  After several attempts to establish contact, Diane informed her husband that all the phone transmitting signals between the ship and the planet below appeared to be non-functioning including the communication system aboard the James K.

  Dennis and Jackson Greene checked the ship’s sensors only to find that there was some kind of shield blocking the sensors from working properly. The sensors had been temporarily fixed after Paul Loring had altered them. They were scheduled for major repairs when the Gladiator reached Space Station 17. The shield appeared to be emanating from the planet below.

  Now Dennis had a decision to make. Should he assume things were going well on Brisula and wait to hear from Captain Stoner? Or should he send down another landing party?

  Two long ropes had been secured to the bough of a thick oak tree and lowered into the chasm. With their backpacks on, the landing party got ready to make their way down into Brisula City.

  As Josh headed for the opening in the ground something grazed his leg. He looked down and saw Penelope.

  “How did you get here?” he asked picking her up. He gently stroked her ears as he trotted over to Dr. Berg. “Did you bring her along?”

  “I certainly did not,” said the doctor. “Why would you even think I would do something so silly?”

  “Well, I suppose she sneaked onto the James K.” Josh walked over to Beverly. “Ensign Glenna, you are to remain on the surface. Please continue to try and establish contact with the Gladiator and with me. Be of any assistance necessary to the Architectural Engineering Team. And—” He placed Penelope in her arms. “Take care of the cat.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  June 23, 1200 Hours

  He thought about it and decided against sending down a landing party. There was no reason to think that the Captain was in any danger. Not yet anyway. Dennis was mystified, however, about the sudden emergence of a shield from Brisula. There hadn’t been one the whole time they had been orbiting the planet previously. From everything they knew about Brisula, the inhabitants didn’t have the technological know-how to have such a sophisticated system. But if they did, why wouldn’t they have used it before now? Could Captain Torgenson or the Architectural Engineering Team have put the system into place? He supposed they could have. But why? That wouldn’t have made sense. And besides, they wouldn’t have had the time or the means to build such an advanced system in the short time they’d been on Brisula. No something isn’t right, thought Dennis. And I need to figure out what it is. I don’t trust Torgenson one bit.

  Dennis pressed the intercom switch on the control panel alongside his chair. “Officer Jackson Greene, please report to the Bridge at once.”

  Josh sent Keith Hampton down first. Hampton grabbed onto the rough cord with both hands and used his feet to push himself off the side of the wall. He easily made it to the bottom. He tugged firmly on the rope to let the Captain know he had landed safely.

  Josh and Dr. Berg went next going down side by side. They were quickly followed by Commander Andrews. Lieutenan
t Evans had told them that Captain Torgenson had mentioned that he was basing his headquarters out of the Dispatch Office. Keith had prepared maps of Brisula for everyone, and Josh told Dave and Dr. Berg to remove them from their backpacks.

  “We should be able to take the 7 Passageway straight to Dispatch,” directed Josh leading the way. It felt eerily strange being back in the silver tunnels. At least this time he didn’t have to watch his back or duck into doorways. He slowed his pace so that Keith Hampton was by his side.

  “Are you feeling like I am?” he whispered.

  “I had hoped I would never have to see these tunnels again,” Keith whispered back.

  “Me too,” said Josh.

  “I feel like I am wearing chains again.”

  “I know exactly how you feel.”

  “Captain,” said Dr. Berg who was walking behind Josh and Keith. “This is quite a beautiful city. These silver tunnels are exquisite. I wish there was time to explore the Stores and Hospital. It looks like a fascinating place to live.”

  Keith and Josh stopped short and both turned around to look at the doctor with astonishment. She stared back at them.

  “Believe me, Dr. Berg. This is anything but a beautiful city. You would not find this a very nice place to live,” Josh told her. He turned away and continued walking. They were approaching the School on their left. Josh thought about the night he and Keith spent sleeping on mats in the gymnasium supply closet. The mats had actually been very comfortable compared to the hay they had been lying on in their cage.

  The group continued on in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally they came to the E Lane and took a left turn. Dispatch was on the corner. It caught his eye and he looked over at Keith. It had caught his attention also. Josh had to chuckle. Amazingly it was still there, still tied to the loudspeaker mounted on the wall slightly to the left of the doorway to the Dispatch office. It was the rope that Keith had tied there and then followed up by tying the other end to the door in order to trap the police and guards inside, so they could steal the dinghies.