by Tim Marquitz
But now that the Furlorians had come back, there was nothing he could do as long as the ore remained concentrated under the outpost.
As the Furlorians had deduced, Toradium-42 was volatile under certain circumstances. In such a concentration, were Galforin to ignite it with weapons fire from the Stormfront, he would set off a chain reaction that would engulf the entire planet, destroying any chance he had of harvesting more ore.
There would simply be nothing left of KI1047-32.
“Our forces are making their way under the outpost as we speak, sir,” Volg went on, clearly trying to remain positive. “If nothing else, we can throw our troops at them on the surface; push through the broken walls and run them down.”
“That might be our only choice, XO,” Galforin admitted, although he hated to.
Throwing his forces at the Furlorians, especially now that they controlled the artillery, would result in him losing far too many of his people. And with no certainty that he could slip past the Furlorian armada and get his reinforcements on the ground safely, he would have no one to work the mines until he was able to collect more slaves.
That would take time he didn’t believe he had available.
But his options dwindled the longer he waited to make a decision.
He needed to do something.
Soon.
Chapter Fifteen
“Bloody Rowl!” Cabe cursed, staring at the mass of Toradium-42 stockpiled beneath the compound.
“It seems to me that the Wyyvan admiral knew full well the explosive capability of Toradium-42,” Dent said, motioning to the chamber.
“He’s afraid to blow it all up,” Taj added, realizing that was why Galforin had been so quick to offer terms and hadn’t come after them with everything he had when the opportunity was there. “How much damage do you think lighting all this up at once would do?”
“The resultant explosion would obliterate the planet,” Dent replied, assessing the amount of Toradium-42 in the chamber. “A detonation of that magnitude would likely ignite all of the mineral veins running through Krawlas, creating a massive chain reaction. There would be nothing left of the planet but debris.”
“Well, at least we now know he isn’t going to nuke us from orbit,” Torbon offered.
“Hardly a comfort,” Lina muttered. “He’ll figure out some other way to come at us because there’s no way in gack he’s gonna leave this much Toradium-42 behind.”
“But it gives us time to figure another way out, at least,” Taj said, looking at the brighter side of their revelation.
“Not sure that’s the case,” Jak said, coming over to join them. “My people on the walls report that the Wyyvan forces are advancing slowly, moving into position to attack.”
“He’s going to throw his people at us, looking to overwhelm our defenses and get inside the outpost,” Cabe reasoned. “If that happens, there’s no way we can hold them off.”
“What about the artillery?” Krawg questioned.
“It’ll earn its keep,” Taj said, “but there’s no way it will keep them from breaching the walls.”
“So, we made it this far just to die, huh?” Malcolm asked, growling. “There’s no way we can get new tunnels dug before the Wyyvans breach the walls.”
“What about your remaining shuttles?” Jak asked. “Can they ferry us back to your fleet?”
“It’d take a number of trips, but it’s viable,” Dent replied.
“They’re being used for something else,” Taj countered, shaking her head.
“What do you mean?” Malcolm snapped. “You trying to get us killed, cat? What could possibly be more important than flying us outta here?”
“I’ve told you before, this is our planet,” she explained again. “We won’t abandon it unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Seems to me being surrounded and outnumbered and outgunned is a damn good reason to take the last chance we have of escaping seriously, don’t you think?” Malcolm told her.
“There’s no certainty we’d make it back to the armada, let alone get out of the system and away from the Wyyvan fleet if we run now,” she argued.
“Sounds like a way better chance than waiting until the damn lizards raid the outpost,” he shot back.
“I have to agree,” Jak stated. “You’re holding onto hope, and I get it, but it doesn’t seem rational. We need to get out of here or we’re all going to die.”
“You don’t get to make these decisions for us,” Malcolm added.
Taj sighed, torn between her need to free the planet from Wyyvan control and rescue the rebels.
Were they to run now, they would lose their chance at redemption, but she had a chance to save Jak and Rat and the rest of the people who’d been trapped on the planet under the Wyyvans’ whip.
That’s something I can consider a victory, right?
It was, but there was no way she would ever be able to reconcile her feelings if she were to flee and leave the planet behind.
It had been her choice to abandon it the first time, but she’d be gacked if she did it again.
Taj shook her head.
“I can offer your people a way off the planet and out of the system, but not until I’ve made arrangements to retake our planet,” she stated, not leaving any room for argument. “I need all my shuttles and ships until then.”
“So we’re just supposed to wait around and try not to die until you’re done playing the hero?” Malcolm shouted.
He inched forward and was met by Cabe stepping up to keep him from getting any closer to Taj. She set a restraining hand on Cabe’s tense shoulder, keeping him from hurting the older rebel.
Malcolm got the hint and backed off, but his fury didn’t lessen.
“You’re going to get us all killed, cat,” he spat. “Your impossible quest to defeat the lizards is going to be a bloody footnote to the history of this planet, and ain’t nobody going to remember what you did here because there won’t be nobody alive to care.
“You’re making a mistake, and I won’t let my people suffer for it.” He spun on his heel and stomped down the tunnel.
Jak swallowed hard, looking like he planned to say something, then decided not to. He looked away and followed Malcolm. All of their people except Rat left too. The young female watched them leave, only turning to look back at Taj once they were gone.
“You sure about this?” she asked.
“She really hates that question,” Torbon advised the girl.
“I’m not sure of anything, Rat,” Taj answered. “All I know is that I didn’t come all this way to lose my home a second time. If there’s a chance we can take it back, I need to try.”
Rat stared at her for a moment before conceding with a nod. “I understand, and I’ll try to talk to Jak and Malcolm,” she said. “Don’t think it will do much good, but I believe we’re better off working out a solution together than we are apart.”
“I completely agree,” Taj told her.
Rat gave a quick wave and ran after her people. An uncomfortable silence settled over the crew for a few minutes before the engineer broke it.
“What do you think Malcolm meant by his comment?” Lina asked. “Was it a threat?”
“They’d be stupid to fight us,” Torbon stated. “We would wipe them out.”
“But we don’t want to, is the point,” Taj told him. “That’s not who we are. If we have to choose between rescuing them or killing them to keep Krawlas, that’s no decision at all. We can’t hurt these people to get our home back.”
“But they don’t have the right to stop us from trying,” Torbon argued.
“We involved them by coming here,” Taj said. “We didn’t give them a choice in the matter, dragging them into the fight and putting their lives at risk. We don’t have the right to expect anything of them, Torbon, especially not that they lay down their lives for a planet that’s not even their own.”
“The Wyyvans brought them here, not us,” he shot back. “This i
sn’t our fault. We need to do what we came here for.”
“You’re right, and we will, but not at the cost of their lives,” Taj told him flat out. She turned to Dent. “How many operational shuttles do we have left?”
“We have ten, plus the four that remain upon the Decimator,” he answered.
Taj nodded. “Recall those four with the supplies we need and get them down here as soon as possible,” she ordered.
“And the rest?” Dent asked.
“I have a plan,” she told him.
“That’s never a good thing,” Krawg muttered.
“The last couple have worked out okay, haven’t they?” Taj asked.
“Well, if you count almost searing everyone’s eyes out, sure,” Krawg replied, giving her a toothy grin. “I won’t mention them trapping us in here with a mountain of Toradium-42.”
Lina groaned. “Except that you just did.”
“Okay, so maybe the plans haven’t been spectacular up to this point,” Taj admitted, “but we’re still alive, right?”
“For now,” Torbon answered.
“Alive is alive,” she argued. “The goal is to make sure we stay that way.”
She turned back to the AI and Lina. “Here’s what I want you to do…”
Taj explained her idea to the pair, and the rest of the crew listened, eyes wide, taking it all in.
She didn’t know if her plan would work, especially after what she’d done the last time around, but they were running out of options. She needed to do something bold and brash or they would find themselves overrun by the Wyyvans with nothing to show for their efforts but death.
Taj wasn’t ready to quit. She was willing to die to reclaim Krawlas for her people, but she wouldn’t unduly risk the lives of the rebels to accomplish it.
“Find Jak and let him know what we’ve decided,” she told Cabe.
He nodded and started off.
Her idea was a compromise, giving the rebels a chance at freedom and a new life while offering Taj an opportunity to use them to the crew’s benefit.
She felt a little guilty about her decision, but she couldn’t see another way out of this without taking a chance. She’d do everything in her power to ensure the escaping rebels weren’t hurt by her choices.
At the end of the day, that was all she could do.
A tense hush had settled over the crew after Cabe had informed Jak and his people what they were going to do.
Jak had joined the crew, and they gathered in one of the tunnels as the drilling machine worked its way toward freedom outside the outpost. Taj had had Dent plot a course for the shuttles so they would meet up with the rebels once they broke through but not before.
They didn’t want to reveal the location of their tunnels until the very last moment.
Besides, she had other plans for them.
She glanced at Dent with questioning eyes and the AI nodded, letting her know everything was going as they’d arranged.
Taj looked at Jak then. He’d come around and joined them in the tunnel once his part of the plan had been explained. Malcolm hadn’t been as agreeable, but Taj hadn’t expected him to be.
“You’re truly going to give us one of your destroyers?” the rebel leader asked.
Taj nodded. “We understand that we put you in this situation, and you deserve a way out that doesn’t involve you dying for a planet that’s not your home.”
“And all we need to do is ride up in the shuttles to the other craft before joining the rest in the destroyer you’re giving us?”
“Yup,” she replied. “There’s a chance, however, that the Wyyvan admiral might not want you to leave and take steps to stop you.”
“We’ll take that risk,” he told her, drawing in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “For what it’s worth, I admire your conviction.”
She laughed. “Even if it gets everyone killed?”
“I didn’t say I thought your idea was a good one, but I admire your willingness to do everything you can to take your home back from these lizard bastards.” He paused a moment before continuing, “I’m sorry we can’t do more to help you.”
“No need to apologize,” she replied. “You’ve done enough. This isn’t your fight. You shouldn’t have to stick around and get yourselves killed for this place. Your people deserve their freedom.”
“We’re almost there,” Rat called from her post at the tunneling machine. “Won’t be long now.”
Jak acknowledged her with a smile and looked at Taj again. “I’ll go let my people know.”
He started down the tunnel, and Taj turned back to watch Rat plowing her way through the planet. It amazed her how easy the devices made it look, displacing millions of metric tons of dirt and rock and disintegrating it to keep the way behind the machine clear.
If they managed to free Krawlas, Taj could see a host of uses for these devices.
Her gaze trailed the wall as she contemplated, and a flutter of movement in the shadows of the tunnel caught her eye. She glanced back and saw one of the rebels race up to Jak before he’d cleared the tunnel. The male was clearly out of breath.
He got close to Jak and said something into the man’s ear. The rebel leader stiffened, and the two raced off without another word.
“That was…odd,” Dent mused, apparently have seen the same thing Taj had.
Taj agreed. She tapped Lina on the shoulder to get her attention. “You guys stay here and monitor the tunneling,” she told the engineer. “We’re gonna get check on something real quick.”
Lina, having not seen the strange exchange between Jak and his partner, shrugged and did as she was asked.
But after Malcolm’s threat, Taj wasn’t sure she was entirely ready to trust all the rebels. Something was clearly going on, and she decided she needed to know what it was in case it impacted her plan.
There was barely any chance of success as it was, and she sure as gack wasn’t going to allow some petty scheme by Malcolm or the other rebels to compromise it.
She triggered her camo program, Dent doing the same, and the two crept down the tunnel after Jak.
Fortunately, with everyone working in the various tunnels, they didn’t have many people to avoid until they caught up with Jak.
The two stopped in the middle of a tunnel that had been excavated well before the current location, but it only took a second for her to realize something was wrong.
The rebel pointed, and Jak put his hand against the wall. His eyes widened, and Taj caught a glimpse of dust swirling above his head.
Jak cursed and shot toward the far end of the tunnel, his guy following him. Taj and Dent waited until they were gone before going over to where they stood, examining the wall as Jak had.
They knew immediately what was going on.
“Gack!” Taj muttered under her breath.
“It seems the Wyyvans are making their way toward us,” Dent said, tapping the wall with a finger. “They appear to be digging parallel to this tunnel, but reverberations in the wall tell me there are other tunnels being dug that are not the ones our people are creating.”
“How can you tell?” Taj asked, not that she doubted the AI. She just didn’t understand how he could know all that.
“My systems can mimic the effect of the seismic devices, although at a much-reduced range,” he explained. “I’m monitoring the direction of the tunnels that are being dug nearby, and this one on the other side of the wall, and one other that I can detect are moving in the opposite direction of the tunnels our people are drilling.”
“And since we aren’t drilling in circles, it’s not us.” Taj caught on, sighing. “How long do we have?”
“Not long,” Dent told her. “Given the trajectory of the tunnels they’re digging, if they remain constant, the Wyyvans will spill into the middle of our network of tunnels, trapping many of our people on the wrong end of them.”
“Gacking Rowl!” she spat. “We need to warn everyone.”
“There mig
ht not be time to get them out of the tunnels,” he advised. “Besides, if they do make it, that would place us back in the outpost, caught between the Wyyvans tunneling to us and those ready to press from the outside.”
Taj pictured the scenario and realized there would be no way out for any of them if that happened. The lizards would crush them and there would be nothing they could do about it.
“Gack it!” she exclaimed. “Open that channel to Galforin. Hail him.”
Dent did as he was asked, raising his screen so the admiral could see Taj when and if, he decided to accept the hail.
Several moments crept by with no response before Galforin’s wide face appeared on the screen.
“Chosen to surrender, have you?” he asked, a smirk peeling his green lips back. “Excellent decision.”
Taj got straight to the point.
“Pull your forces back and stop tunneling under the outpost or I’ll blow your cache of Toradium-42, Galforin.”
The admiral barely managed to keep from gasping. “What—”
“Don’t play stupid, Galforin,” she pressed. “We know about your stockpile of the mineral under the outpost. If you don’t pull your people back and stop trying to come after us, we will blow it up, and all your reason for being here with it.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he exclaimed. “You would destroy your planet, and you right along with it.”
“You’re gonna kill us anyway, right?” she fired back. “At least this way I know you get nothing out of the deal, not even the satisfaction of knowing we’re dead, seeing as how we’d be taking everything with us.”
Galforin stiffened, his upper lip quivering. “I took you for foolish, Furlorian, but not suicidal.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, Admiral,” she said. “You’re pushing us into a corner, so don’t be surprised when we lash out because we don’t have any other options.”
