One of the workers walked to the ramp and handed a data pad to the Ch’Tauk. The alien took the pad and probed the face with a finger. He seemed satisfied with the information and handed the pad back to the worker. Ch’Tauk communications equipment seemed to be built into the armor on their skin and the warrior signaled his colleagues with a tap of a finger. After a few moments, Lee could hear the sound of shuffling footsteps from the craft.
Lee had not been on planet Earth for nearly seven years. He had been attached to several ships before the invasion and had simply not gotten back home. The people he witnessed coming down the ramp had just left their home world to become possessions for aliens. They looked as if their lives had ended long before they stepped onto the transport.
Most were wearing rags that had once been fashionable clothing. Several still wore shoes but most moved bare footed across the landing field. Lee realized that the grasses scattered across the field were to soak up blood from blistered feet. There did not seem to be any organized method to the unloading. There were many races represented in the slowly moving line. Lee wondered for the first time in some time what the conditions were on Earth.
The auctioneer turned back to the crowd and began to rattle off starting bids and figures. The first of the slaves stepped up and was forced to walk across the stand. The third man to take the stand walked with a crutch held under one arm. He was missing his left leg below the knee and seemed to have a deep scar across his wide face. Lee thought the man looked familiar but could not place the face. He tried to look closer at the man but he was shoved past him by one of the Ch’Tauk guards.
“Bidders,” started the Auctioneer. “We will start with this partial lot of Terrans straight from the home world. Our Ch’Tauk patrons assure us that although these are just appetizers before the main course for you. They are selling this lot at a discounted rate due to their scratch and dent condition.”
Lee felt his stomach rise as he listened to a description of the slaves. He suspected that some of the damages had been incurred during the voyage to Rashano’s system. There were many humans in the lot who had deep cuts on their limbs that looked recent. Several were in need of artificial limbs and seemed to be held up by force of will alone. The auctioneer finished his description of damages and described the merchandise ‘as-is’ and no returns accepted.
“Captain,” Baron’s voice came in his ear. “I think I recognize one of those guys.”
The other Demons were also disguised and mixed into the crowd. Lee looked around carefully to see if he could spot the man. Baron’s Holkan make-up and uniform stood out against the duller colors of the bidders. The man was staring at the slave with the crutch with recognition.
Lee’s looked closer at the man Baron was looking to. The captured human turned his head away from Lee at the sound of a loud crack. One of the Ch’Tauk had struck a slave with the butt of his rifle. Lee was unable to make out the face of the man from his vantage point, but something about the shape of the head reminded him of someone. Another crack drew Lee’s attention away. He saw another woman fall to her knees under a Ch’Tauk rifle.
“What are we gonna do, boss?” Wellick said at Lee’s elbow. “We gonna try to break them out?”
“No, Brother Wellick,” Lee replied, reaching into his robes and pulling out a data pad of his own. “We’re going to buy them.”
17
The trail of damaged bodies shuffling up the ramp seemed to go on forever. Lee watched as the slaves were led by a disguised Jackal up the ramp and into the cargo hold of the Diamond Sole. Several of the humans tripped as they tried to make it up the steep incline and needed to be helped. Lee had needed to remind Aztec that they were meant to resemble Holkan slavers and could not offer compassion. The pilot understood the necessity of the deception, but still refused to abuse the Terran slaves. Instead, he would pick up the emaciated humans and push them into the arms of Baron at the top of the ramp.
As the last of the purchased humans stumbled into the ship, Lee took a moment to examine the receipt for the purchase. Over the last two years, the Alliance had acquired local currencies during rescue missions and Jakes’ business talents. The purchase of the slaves had cost Lee nearly half of the mission’s funds. The account set up by his former first officer on Vadne was legal and untraceable to humans. He would need to acquire more currency to pay for fuel and supplies if the mission stretched out too much longer.
“Captain,” said Wellick, approaching from his left. “I think we need to go now.”
“Brother Wellick I am not the captain of this ship,” Lee replied, looking around at some passing businessmen. “I am mealy the humble servant of the Order.”
“Right… Whatever.” Wellick said. “Anyways, I saw your friend a few minutes ago. He seemed upset that you won that bid from him. I think he means to come after us.”
“Wellick,” Lee replied. “We didn’t win anything he really wanted. This is just business. I don’t think he’ll take losing this group personally.”
“I’m not sure it’s a he, Cap…uh, Brother. And I think it was highly offended.” The guard said.
Wellick was looking over his shoulder at a group of creatures approaching the ship. Each of the four-armed creatures looked identical. Lee thought the lead alien may have been the one that embraced him at the auction, but he could not be sure. The group stepped towards the Diamond Sole with purpose. Lee could just make out the pistols strapped to the waist of the lead alien’s companions.
“Finish getting the slaves on board. I’ll talk to them.” Lee said.
“Like hell,” Wellick replied. “I’m staying with you. Let your Demons finish loading up. I’ll watch your back.”
Lee signaled to Jackal to complete her task and ready the ship. The woman had foregone the Holkan disguise in favor of a simple set of head ridges and a dark costume. Holkan women rarely wore clothing. She began to yell at the humans to hurry and usher them into the cargo hold. Jackal would take care of the Earth survivor once they were loaded.
“Hold up, Brother Woolaf.” The lead alien yelled. “I would have words with you.”
Lee turned back to the creature. It had come to within a few paces of Lee when Wellick had stepped between them. The stout soldier pulled a small pistol out and stood his ground. Alien laughter echoed from the companions but Wellick kept his gaze steady. The lead alien held up his lower two arms to signal peace. Lee noticed his upper arms stayed in the pockets of the loose robes he wore.
“What do you want,” Lee said. “We are ready to return to the Order.”
“I am sure the Order can wait a few moments longer while we negotiate for the slaves you stole from me.” The alien said.
“A brother from the Order does not steal, my friend.” Lee replied. “I purchased the merchandise in front of witnesses and I have a bill of sale. Now I am sure that you will find better specimens for your business back on the auction block today. Leave us in peace.”
“I think you must be mistaken, Woolaf.” The alien said. “I remember you bidding on my slaves and taking them from me. We can negotiate now for whether you get to live or die before I’ll take my property back.”
“How dare you!” Lee said, drawing up his exo-skeletal armor to its full height. “You would defile the auction and bring the wrath of the Order down upon you? Brother Wellick, inform the auction house of this creature’s violation of contract.”
“The auction house will not respond to your call.” The alien said. “I run the security on this continent anyway so I would not bother even trying. As for the Order…I am not concerned that they will react when I tell them that one of their members is being impersonated.”
Lee tried not to react to the revelation. He wondered what had given him away during the exchange. The alien’s asymmetrical face did not give away anything to him when they were speaking. He tried to keep his eyes fixed on the pale creature’s face as they squared off. Deciding on a course of action, he lifted his chin in an imperious e
xpression.
“You are a fool.” He said. “I am Brother Woolaf of the Priory of Eventime. I will not have your accusations …”
“Stop it!” The creature demanded. “I know you cannot be Brother Woolaf. I killed the priest myself and left his body adrift in deep space. There was no way you could be that cheating bastard. The poison I used had no antidote. Now why don’t you hand over my slave and I will let you live long enough to say goodbye to your Holkan crew.”
Lee felt the ground begin to vibrate as the Diamond Sole’s grav-engines powered up. He had only one chance to make the situation go his way and needed to act. Before the aliens could react to the engine start, he threw himself to the ground at the foot of the ramp. Wellick fired a chemical projectile at the largest of the creatures. The pellet shattered on impact and sprayed an acid chemical into the creature’s face. A howl like an injured wolf escaped the alien as the pale flesh of its face began to peel from its misshapen skull.
Wellick rolled away as small bolts of energy peppered the ground where he had been standing. Lee pulled the concealed pistol from his own robes and took aim at the lead alien. The creature bobbed out of view as one of the others leapt in front of him. Lee fired a round at the guard but missed. The creatures were too fast to get a bead on and Lee needed to roll to avoid being hit. Wellick fired again and one of the creatures screamed. An arm began to melt under the acid bath.
“Wellick, get inside!” Lee yelled. “We’re getting out of here!”
“You first,” the guard replied, rolling away from more energy bolts. “I’ll hold them off.”
“Get up the ramp,” Lee ordered. “That’s an order!”
Wellick fired a few more rounds toward the creatures. Acid sprayed the dark ground around the ramp as the aliens dodged the projectile spray. He leapt towards the landing ramp as Lee fired off cover rounds. More energy bolts landed around Lee as Wellick charged up the ramp. Lee pushed himself off the ground and ran towards a landing strut. The creatures ignored Wellick as he ran up the ramp in favor of following Lee. He continued to fire, forcing the aliens to seek cover behind the ramp.
Lee felt the ship begin to rise as the grav-engines lightened the mass. The aliens lost their cover as the ramp retracted into the bow. Lee was also losing his cover as the ship rose into the sky. He fired more rounds at the aliens to keep them from shooting him. An energy bolt ripped through the shoulder of the exo-skeleton. Lee lost his grip on the gun as the mechanical system failed. The pistol dropped to his feet as he ran to the nearest ship, trying to regain cover.
Lee dropped the upper armor as he ran. He needed to find something to hide behind on the immense landing field. More energy bolts blasted the ground at his feet. The robes he was wearing began to tangle around his body. Without the armor to fill out the costume, the sleeves were too long for his body. He peeled the robes away, revealing his human frame encased in the lower body armor. He heard surprised shouts behind him from the pursuing aliens.
Lee stumbled as his foot made contact with an embedded landing light. He flailed his arms as he fell towards the ground. The jarring impact made Lee’s head spin. He turned his body to see the approaching aliens. The lead creature pulled a pistol from his robe and aimed it at Lee. The group stopped running a few meters from where Lee had fallen. Something like a sneer crossed the creature’s lopsided face.
“Well it seems that the slave has become the slaver.” The creature said. “I never would have thought humans would do this to each other.”
“We don’t” Lee said. “We always come back for our own.”
There was an explosion of light and sound as the ground under the alien’s feet exploded. Lee saw the Diamond Sole floating above the landing field with its forward gun ports open. The bodies of the alien guards had been ripped open by plasma fire. The lead alien had been thrown several meters by the blast and now lay on its back, struggling to breathe. Lee stood, detaching the mechanical legs from his own. He walked to where the dying alien lay.
“Thanks for telling me about security here, whatever your name is.” Lee said. “Now I know you can’t call any pursuit when you die.”
The alien looked into Lee’s eyes with fear. It knew it was dying and realized its death would be meaningless and anonymous. Lee pulled the creature’s energy pistol from its paralyzed hand. He aimed it at the creature’s head and smiled.
“You know,” Lee said. “I don’t think you’re worth it. I still can’t have you calling for help, though.”
The ship lowered its forward ramp as it settled down to the planet. There was a loud pop before Lee stepped up onto the metal plate. Wellick was standing on the ramp with his pistol drawn. Lee stepped past the small man and into the ship’s cool interior. Wellick looked down at the body of the alien.
“Captain,” Wellick said, turning to Lee. “What happened?”
“The plasma blast killed them.” Lee answered, not looking at his guard. “All of them.”
The ramp finished retracting and the ship locked its hatch. Lee brushed the dirt from his dark blue and black vacuum suit. He had been wearing the outfit under his costume because it did not restrict his movement. He turned back to the Demons who were standing at the doorway.
“Did you secure the prisoners?” He asked. “Is everyone safe?”
“Aye, sir.” Replied Baron, peeling away the Holkan suit he was wearing. “Jackal is locked on to the Ch’Tauk ship’s engine signature. She thinks she can track it if we stay close enough.”
“Good,” Lee said. “How about the slaves? What’s their condition?”
“The doctor is in there now, Captain. They are pretty beat up but he thinks they will all make it.” Aztec replied.
“Fine. I want to find that guy’s ship and get back our people. I’d be willing to bet he’s left his ship lightly defended. He was too confident out there. “Lee said. “He claimed that he ran security on this plain. I’d bet he left his own ship open to attack.”
“You got it, Captain.” Wellick said, walking to the nearest communications port to call the bridge. “I’ll have Jackal sneak up on’em.”
“Captain,” said Merlin. “I think you need to see these people. There’s someone you need to meet.”
Lee looked over his squadron. The three men wore serious expressions as they stripped off the disguises. Lee had never known the pilots to be so mysterious about information. He finished cleaning his face with a chemical solvent, stripping away the make-up and revealing his own skin. His hair had been shaved for the part but he knew it would grow back quickly.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go see who we have.”
The pilots stepped through the airlock door and into the ship’s central corridor. Holkan ships were designed with wide halls to accommodate their hedonistic lifestyle. It also facilitated the movement of cargo and slaves into the large cargo holds. The Alliance had retrofitted some of the cargo security pens into medical and recovery bays. Lee expected to find most of the freed slaves there.
The pilots turned a corner into what had been a high security holding cell. Lee had heard Jakes tell the story of how they had taken the ship and killed the guards on board. He shuddered at the thought of how good men had died here for the Alliance. The prison cells had been converted into an intensive care unit for the recovery of human slaves. Lee walked past the sliding doors and into the medical facility.
To the left, he saw a former slave who had deep gashes torn in her flesh. She had been sedated by the medical team but was still struggling to keep from screaming as the medics treated the wounds. Aztec motioned for Lee to continue to the end of the ward and turn left. At the cross corridor, Lee heard the voice of Doctor Fintobar. He followed the high pitched squeak down to a room near the end.
“Doctor?” Lee said.
The doctor was a short, long furred alien that had previously served on board the Ceres. He most resembled a one-meter tall mouse with long whiskers that twitched as he talked. The doctor turned to look in Lee’s
direction with small, black eyes. He twitched his head as he walked to where Lee had entered. The man’s native species had excellent near vision but had difficulty with middle range sight.
“Captain,” Fintobar said. “I am glad the pigment did not damage your skin. I wanted to have you talk to one of our new passengers. I think you will want to examine him closer.”
Lee stepped to the patient. The man was covered in a long white sheet. Where his leg was supposed to be was a void. Lee looked closely at the patient’s face. He was an Asian man with dark hair and a wide mouth. A long, dark scar ran from his hairline to his neck across the face. Lee looked at the familiar features in wonder.
“It’s Commodore Chang.”
18
Kettering Prime
Banu Rao watched the transport ship thread through the remains of the scavenger fleet. The projection wall showed him debris scattered across the facility area. He shook his head at the waste. He would never understand why the military seemed unable to solve a problem without blowing things up. When he had received word that the carrier Zeus had been engaged in battle at the asset management facility he had assumed that the ship could handle it. Looking at the remains of Falcon class fighters, his old doubts returned.
He had once held a position with a technology company on Earth. Bureaucratic red tape had convinced him of the inefficiency of government. Once he had attained a management position, he began to suspect that the military had been instigating experiments on civilians with the software his company created. He had been relieved of his position when he brought the information to the attention of his superiors and sent on an extended leave. The company’s medical experts decided that he needed time away from Earth and the Confederacy and sent him on a cruise.
“Commodore,” Rao said, turning away from the debris. “How much longer until we dock with Zeus?”
Commodore Ronald Chang sipped his tea. He did not look up to answer the politician. He studied the reports of the scavenger battle closely, looking for any sign that there might still be attackers waiting. After a long pause, he stretched his neck and looked away. He was satisfied that the area was safe and that the First Minister could board the carrier.
Resolute Uprising (The War for Terra) Page 14
