Araman's Aria

by Suzanne Embree

  Araman pushed Brea up beside Santari up against the closed bottom half.

  “She can’t see in, even with light.” He whispered. She nodded.

  The container moved with a jolt and slowly glided the short distance to the bay stopping briefly before continuing on an upward slant. Araman knit his brows before taking the slow rise up and the risk of peering out. He sank down again and looked over to Santari.

  “We’re in the bay.” His voice was barely audible.

  “Is it safe?” Santari whispered back.

  “What are you doing?” A woman’s voice demanded, echoing against the bay walls.

  “I’m labeling the containers Mistress.” Another female voice answered.

  “Does that answer your question?” Brea grinned at him as though she were enjoying herself.

  “Have they been inspected?”

  Araman, Brea and Santari all held their breath at the same time. “Yes Mistress, I’ve inspected them myself and they are all clear for the return to Oleander.” One set of footsteps marched away.

  “Bitch.” Was heard after a few moments of silence and then a slam against the exterior of the wall next to Santari causing him to flinch. Something grabbed onto the outer haul of the container and lifted it into the air.

  Brea looked nervously over to Araman. “We are being loaded into the ship.” He explained.

  “Gotta love it when the higher ranks piss off the underlings, otherwise we would’ve been caught.” Santari grinned to Araman.

  The container was set down with a loud bang, knocking the three of them around. Araman regained his footing and snuck a look topside. He watched as another container was lifted. A quick glance around told him, they were going to be locked in if they remained.

  “Out.” He looked back to Brea and Santari. With a bound Brea was over the door and was waiting for the men on the other side.

  “She’s quick.” Santari blinked then scrambled over as Araman jumped the metal gated door. The huge metal box was nearly there just as Santari made it.

  “This way.” Araman took Brea’s hand and led her to the right side. Santari dove as the second container was parked with a loud bang narrowly missing his feet.

  “That was fun.” Santari got up and brushed his hands against his thighs. “Next I think I’d like to tackle a troop with PMS.”

  “We need to find out where this ship is going on Oleander.” Araman looked around the cargo bay; “We need to avoid the digitals as well.”

  “I know they love to see my face on their monitors first thing in the morning.” Santari was flippant as he gave the area a glance over before settling his eyes on Araman.

  “This is a second class usually reserved for non-armored supplies, note the wall behind you.” Araman turned around to the silver smooth wall with a bluish sheen. “Only weapon carriers have the fortified barriers like this one. A clear sign that they are stashing weapons.” He paused thinking for a moment. “If it was our ship, knowing the enemy watches, we would land such a ship in an area that would be inconspicuous.”

  Araman nodded following his thought. “Landing as though it were a normal supply ship.”

  “And there is only one location for the ship to land, Valu.” Santari finished.

  “How do you know this?” Brea frowned confused.

  “Too many years studying Oleander and their methods. They have one trading port, Valu. Both sides monitor all the traffic coming in and out. If this ship landed outside its designated port, a red flag would be raised.” He looked around. “Nice disguise.”

  “But I thought Novena had blocked the trade routes?” Brea looked to Araman.

  “Only the outer regions. There is no way possible for them to block the inter lunar routes. There is too many. Even Oleander and Olean combined could not protect the routes from invaders.” He looked over to Santari. “Estimated time of arrival?”

  “Within the hour.” Santari glanced at his watch. “It should be night.”

  “Good.” Araman nodded.

  The sound of a steel door opening and banging closed reverberated loudly against the steel walls. A muttering voice of a disgruntled underling reached their ears. The three slipped quietly in between two containers as the steps came closer.

  Brea squeezed her eyes closed willing at the same time for her heart to stop pounding so loudly. A reassuring hand closed over hers as Araman feeling her adrenaline rush of her energy sought to calm her.

  There were two muted beeps and then the chirp of a communicator opening. “Yes?”

  “Keep your eyes and ears open. We’ve just received word that a crashed escape pod was found without survivors on Tetris. Possibly dangerous until identity of the pod and passengers are confirmed.”

  The figure stopped in front of the crack they were hiding in. “Approach with caution. Understood. Out.” She flicked her wrist and the communicator snapped shut. The underling pulled out her hand phaser and clicked off the safety. “She didn’t say anything about killing them from a distance.” A setting on the handle was engaged before the woman slowly moved on.

  “That was uncomfortable.” Santari stepped out of their hiding spot after the door slammed shut. “Are you all right?” He asked at Brea’s pale face.

  “She’s not good with being confined in small spaces.” Araman put an arm around her.

  “As a child I was playing in the tombs with the other children. I foolishly hid from them under an Ajon tree whose roots grow very quickly. I became caught under its roots. It was several hours before I was found and released. As a child I did not have command of my aura.”

  Santari nodded as if he understood. “Hey, I have a problem with slimy things.”

  Bells sounded overhead. “Prepare for docking!” More rings rattled their skulls. “Prepare for docking!” A voice boomed bouncing off the enhanced metal walls.

  “Frigg! Are they bloody deaf?” Santari yelled out covering his ears. The ship slammed into place, knocking them to the floor. Araman heard the door lock into place as he regained his stand. He helped Brea up as Santari checked out the opening door carefully avoiding to be seen.

  He gestured for the other two to join him by waving his arm in a forward motion once.

  “Weapons on stun.” Araman instructed as they moved out with the large metal doors with Santari in the lead. He jumped down to the cement floor then called to the other two to join him. A quick glance inward told him it was safe to move on.

  They passed unnoticed into the large docking bay. A Terrian seven-forty-seven could have flown and landed in the size of the steel structure. Santari made a sharp left and led the couple up a staircase that followed up the twenty story wall to the frame work of the ceiling. Across the catwalk and finally through a door.

  The wind blew hard when Santari stepped out almost pushing him back through the frame of the heavy metal door. Brea braced herself against the aggressive blast of air. Once Araman stepped out, Santari pointed out the lone building they had to infiltrate. It sat behind three square buildings, connected only by a framework of ladders.

  “Is there any other way?” Brea asked wondering how they were going to get into the well guarded fortress.

  “One door in and one door out.” Santari said before breaking into a smile. “But there are many vents a man can crawl through.”

  “Vents?” Brea knit her eyebrows at him.

  “Vents.” He made a small square with his hands. “For air.”

  Brea’s bottom jaw dropped at the thought of more confined spaces. Santari chuckled at her expression.

  “Call it my little way of getting back for a certain defense lesson.” He teased her. “This way.” He headed down the stairs with a wide grin across his face.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brea’s feet finally touched a firm solid floor and with it her relief. The crawl through the white metal tubing was slow moving at best while Santari navigated everyone through the complex system until they were above a deserted room somewhere in the mid
dle of the building.

  “All right,” Santari crouched down with his scanner displaying a plan of the plain brown building. “We are here.” He pointed to an upper middle floor. “We need to get here,” he moved his finger to the basement, “and to this section here.” Again his finger moved underground almost off the screen.

  “We think this is where the delegates are being held. Twelve stories downward.”

  “We don’t have confirmation?” Araman raised an eyebrow at his Commander.

  “Little hard to get considering our recent locations.” Santari raised his reddish-brown eyes to meet his Commandant’s glower.

  “Where are we now?” Brea asked with her head lifted, looking around the empty space.

  “A utility closet.” Santari answered. “Here.” He pointed to the fifth line down from the middle of the display. Brea gulped at the seven stories they had just crawled down through the vent and didn’t look forward to the rest of the trip.

  Santari gave her a wink. “Don’t worry, we walk upright from here.” He stood up shutting down the scanner and returned it to its place on his belt. His fingers grabbed his hand phaser in the scanner’s stead. He brought it up to eye level and hit the safety switch. The weapon let out a quiet high-pitched hum as it returned back down to his side.

  Santari moved so his back was against the wall beside the door. He reached over and gave the handle a turn opening the door a crack. Araman and Brea moved silently behind him as the door opened wider.

  Santari slipped out the door and along the hall wall stopping short of the junction. Voices were heard coming towards them and Araman opened the door nearest to him when Santari whirled around and motioned them back. A hand grabbed Brea and pulled her into the dark as Santari dove in behind.

  Araman listened at the door as the discussion walked by and paused at the corner. Santari flicked his dim flashlight on and checked out the room. The desk was the indication they were in an office. He looked around on the desk to see a note signed by Intelligence Mistress Coco. He stared up for a moment wondering who this was. She had to be a new addition but from where his mind could not figure out.

  Santari was on top of everything to do with Oleander. It was his obsession to know everything from their daily life to military order. His eyes glanced back down to the paper skimming the note. It was merely a formal letter acknowledging her acceptance of her post. He felt a little more relieved that he hadn’t overlooked somebody when he saw it was the present day’s date stamped at the top of the letterhead. He could not shake the feeling that something was amiss with her placement. He had never come across her name before.

  “Psst.” Araman tried to capture Santari’s attention. He finally looked up from his thoughts. “Clear.” The Commandant whispered.

  Santari moved from behind the desk and to the door. He gave the desk one last look before stepping into the bright hall. With the other two in tow he headed back for the small junction and took a right heading straight for a doorway at the end of the long hall.

  Two flat steel doors met in the middle of a square large opening. Santari removed a small cylindrical object from his belt and waved it at a keypad on the wall beside. The doors opened to reveal a black hole extending the length of the building.

  Araman dipped his head inside and then reached for Brea. “On the ladder.” He instructed and with a nod she reached for the grimy edge then pulled herself onto the metal frame. She stepped down a few rungs waiting for him to step over. Santari was last after ensuring the door was closed. Both men switched on their flashlights on their belts and secured their weapons.

  “Just head down.” Santari whispered. “This shaft will lead us right on top of the delegates.”

  “The lift?” Araman asked.

  “Not in use.” Santari answered in hushed tones. “Hasn’t been for years. It’s mainly for cargo.”

  The three slowly descended down the long ladder. Araman could feel the pressure of time as each minute passed. Brea slowly took each rung with sure footing. The idea of slipping and falling was not appealing to her. She ignored Araman’s impatience.

  Santari counted each floor as they passed the doors on the way down. The eighth doorway, everything came to a halt. He couldn’t see what the problem was but knew by the panicked expression on Brea’s face that something was wrong.

  Brea had put her foot down expecting another rung of the ladder but found nothing. The metal had run out. She reached up and tugged on Araman’s leg as she hugged the vertical staircase.

  Araman knew what the problem was immediately. He grabbed for his flashlight and shone it around the shaft. The rest of the ladder was four feet away and to the left.

  “You come up.” He instructed Brea. She gave a nod and climbed up. Araman stepped partially off the ladder holding on with one hand and one foot until Brea was beside him. He caught her between himself and the ladder regaining his position.

  Stepping downward, Araman rechecked the distance with the flashlight. It hadn’t changed in the last few seconds of the shuffle. He knew he could reach with his legs but with nothing above to grip, he was not able to step over to the other side.

  Strong hands gripped the rung as his blue eyes looked up to a horrified Brea. She knew what he was about to do. With her energy she connected her aura to his, giving him more strength to achieve his intent. She watched Araman lower himself using only the power of his arms to hold him from falling below.

  Santari aimed the light on the target for Araman to reach as his arm reached out for the other ladder. His foot caught the inside corner of the frame and with a grunt, he pulled himself over. Araman put his hand out for Brea who was already in position to grab on and let him swing her over. Santari managed on his own, following Araman’s method.

  Without any more surprises the three found the top of the lift in the basement. Araman set to work to open the ceiling escape hatch to exit out the elevator as Santari figured out the next route to the delegates. He stepped behind Araman opening the way into the lift.

  Brea was the first to drop through and then Santari jumped down landing with a soft thud. Araman waited until the Commander moved aside before dropping into the lift. He reached for his weapon as he straightened.

  “We’ve got movement.” Santari said quietly as he watched his scanner. He showed Araman the display of the section. In the upper left corner three dots moved as though pacing. Two more dots stood still and another was traveling along a corridor.

  “We are sitting here.” He pointed to a square at the bottom in the middle of the screen. “This spot,” he dragged his finger to a square in the upper right, “is where the extractor sits. Note the guards’ line of sight.” He indicated to the dots only a couple of pixels away but within direct sight of the extractor’s location.

  “Able to guard both in one location.” Araman nodded. “We have to split up. One of us has to draw the attention of the guards.…”

  “While the other two get to the delegates.” Brea spoke up cutting Araman off.

  He looked over to her, knowing what was in her head. “No.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “I think you misunderstand me.”

  Araman shook his head. “I saw what you had in mind and there is no friggin’ way you are going to distract the guards.” He growled at her.

  “I thought we were equal?” Brea glared at him thinking he was trying to keep her safe.

  “This has nothing to do with equality Brea.” He stiffened. “It has to do with the fact that I need you with the delegates; you and your translator.”

  “She has a translator?” Santari looked up from his scanner.

  “Her jeweled nose.” Araman answered him. “I realized it on Shinwa.” The memory of her hands flying up to her face when he understood her flashed. He focused his eyes on hers.

  With his mind he said, “I did not misunderstand you. I saw your thoughts of leading the guards into another room while Santari and I sneak in after they have cleared.” She didn
’t respond. “Right idea, wrong order.” Then he spoke out loud. “I need you to be able to speak with the Novenians. I also need you with them for protection. I’ll distract the guards.”

  Brea gave him a rigid nod. “I apologize, Commandant,” her voice was soft, “I had not realized your intent.” She gave him a small smile. His hand caught her chin and raised her gaze to his, “Have a little faith in me Lyra.” His lips brushed hers before stepping away.

  He and Santari managed to slide the door part way open manually enough for all three to slip through. Santari held out his scanner and with the other hand reached for his weapon. Simultaneously Araman pulled his out and double-checked the settings. They quietly moved down the wide corridor for the corner leading to the delegates.

  “Yes Mistress.” Floated ahead.

  “Frigg!” Santari uttered under his breath. He glanced down to the scanner. A dot was moving towards them. He looked up and spotted an indentation in the white wall. “There.” He pointed out.

  The three hurried towards the door. Santari disappeared behind it as the Oleander rounded the corner.

  “Yes Mistress Coco, I am checking the disturbance now.”

  Santari recognized the voice. As the figure reached the door his hand shot out, pulled her in and his lips landed on very soft ones, squelching her scream. The curvy figure beneath him stiffened then melted against him as if recognizing her lover by his kiss. A cough from behind interrupted the passionate greeting.

  Santari looked down to Paige’s gold eyes. “Guess who?” He let her go with a smile and a wink. “This is my esteemed leader, Commandant Araman Diago and his wife, Brea. This is Sub-Mistress Paige Doyle.” He made the introductions.

  “So you’re the disturbance.…”

  “Sub-Mistress have you located the site.” A voice from her communicator on her belt demanded.

  Paige chirped it open, “Not yet, still inspecting, it looks as though one of the rooms was entered. It’s clear. Stand by Mistress Coco.” She flipped it closed. “Frigg that woman is a pain in the ass?”