Omega Force 3: The Enemy Within

by Joshua Dalzelle

  “There’s no way this planet is self-sustaining,” he said as they were commanded into yet another holding orbit. The traffic handling around Aracoria was easily the most convoluted and confusing he had ever seen. Thankfully the computer was unfazed by the constant transfers and holds.

  “No part of this planet could sustain itself naturally,” Kellea confirmed. “Even the atmosphere would turn toxic and asphyxiate the population should more than three air handlers ever go offline at once. Food and other consumables are shipped in at a constant rate to the stations orbiting the equator and then sent down the elevators to be distributed.”

  “This seems like a colossal waste,” Jason mused. “I mean, why bother? There are so many sparsely-populated planets, why spend the money converting a dead planet into what amounts to the galaxy’s largest space station?”

  “Like space stations, there are some legal advantages to not being based on a naturally life-bearing planet,” Doc said. “While your average criminal or corporate tax-dodger may tolerate life aboard a station with processed food and recycled air, the truly vile and corrupt prefer open skies and endless beaches.”

  “That explains all the ConFed firepower clogging up the orbital lanes,” Twingo commented.

  After another six hours of circling the planet, re-transmitting their credentials no fewer than eleven times, and agreeing to any searches of their vessel that might happen upon landing, the Phoenix finally dipped her nose and began atmospheric entry.

  “Glad we’re not smuggling anything this trip,” Crusher remarked casually, drawing a look from Kellea.

  “Truly,” Lucky agreed.

  “Smuggling?” Kellea asked with scorn.

  “We’ve smuggled cargo onto planets more than once for you and your boss when you didn’t want to get your hands dirty,” Jason said with more venom in his voice than he meant, so he softened his tone before continuing. “Just because we carry cargo we’d rather the authorities not know about doesn’t mean we’re involved in the narcotics trade.” Kellea looked suitably chagrined as she turned away from him.

  “My apologies,” she said,

  “Don’t mention it,” Jason said. “Did we get a landing spot at the spaceport closest to our target?”

  “Not the closest one,” Kage answered. “But it’s not too far away. At least it’s on the same continent this time. Remember on Yara-6 we had to land so far away it was a six-hour shuttle flight to the drop-off?”

  “That sucked,” Jason agreed. “Nothing like trying to drag an unwilling prisoner onto a commercial sub-orbital flight and keep him quiet for six hours.”

  The crew fell silent for the remainder of the flight to the spaceport. Jason occasionally snuck glances at Kellea, and not just because she was easy on the eyes. If she were caught aboard the Phoenix during a random inspection, it would be game over for all of them.

  In contrast to the gyrations they’d gone through to get clearance to enter Aracoria’s atmosphere, from the time they entered the traffic patter to when the Phoenix’s main gear kissed the ramp was surprisingly short.

  “I need—” Jason trailed off as he looked the crew over. Who the hell am I taking? “OK. It’s Crusher, Doc, and myself. The rest of you keep your heads down. Kage, I want you constantly monitoring the area. At the first sign that someone is coming to check the ship out, get the hell out of here, we’ll meet up with you later.”

  “I wish I could go with you,” Kellea said.

  “I know. But you know the risk is far too great to take that chance,” Jason told her. “Don’t worry. We’ll be in and out before you know it.”

  “I seriously doubt that,” she said with a half-smile. “I’ve seen you guys in action too many times to believe this is going to go as planned.”

  *****

  “Why is he along?” Crusher asked, gesturing at Doc after the shuttle had dropped them off in a residential area. “No offense, Doc.”

  “None taken.”

  “He’s the only one among us who is cultured enough to talk his way out of any potential situations. You’re here in case it doesn’t work,” Jason said. “I could really learn to love this place,” he continued. “The buildings remind me of home.”

  “How so?” Crusher asked as he looked around.

  “The residences aren’t cubes in a mile-high tower crammed into a megacity,” Jason said as he breathed in the slightly sweet air. “They’re stand-alone dwellings with a lawn and some room.”

  “It would be considered horrifically decadent on some planets, but I do agree with you,” Doc said. “This wouldn’t be a bad place to retire.” They walked along the street, painfully aware of how badly they stuck out, and followed the directions Kage had given them to a two-story dwelling that looked like it was made from some sort of natural stone cut into blocks.

  “Around the back,” Jason said as he looked around. They dipped off the street and hoped they weren’t being observed by either a sharp-eyed neighbor or electronic surveillance. They crept along the right side of the house and easily jumped the low wall into the backyard. While Crusher scanned the perimeter and Doc looked lost, Jason moved quickly to begin testing methods of entry. When the latch for the first door he came to depressed and allowed the door to swing inward, he simply stared at it dumbly for a moment before turning to Crusher. “They leave the backdoor unlocked? This really is like home,” he whispered. “OK, quietly now.”

  The trio slipped into the home and closed the door silently behind them. They moved into the home until voices could be heard drifting from one of the front rooms. Jason drew his snub-nosed blaster and moved back a step to confer with his compatriots. “It sounds like the wife and two small children. How should we proceed?”

  “I want to go on record as saying I’m completely revolted by this approach,” Doc said.

  “I want to go on record as saying if Doc isn’t offering any solutions he should shut up,” Crusher said.

  “I want you both to shut up and be serious,” Jason said through clenched teeth. “We don’t know if they have some sort of automated alarm that will go off if she screams, or any other nasty surprises.”

  “I don’t think you going in and waving your weapon in their faces will necessarily shock them into inaction,” Doc said as he watched Jason flip the weapon’s selector to stun. “While I can’t believe I’m saying this, I think Crusher should go first and frighten them while you and I grab the children, as they’re almost certain to bolt.”

  “Oh, great,” Crusher said, “so I get to go scare the small children again?”

  “I don’t like it,” Jason disagreed. “You’d likely give the mother a heart attack, or whatever her equivalent is. I’ll go in first and then Crusher comes in when I signal.” To head off any further argument, Jason turned and moved decisively into the room that presumably held their target’s family.

  “Who are you?!” the woman screamed in Jenovian Standard.

  “Quiet!” Jason snapped and brought the blaster up level to her face. “Just do as you’re told and nothing happens to you or your children.”

  “Oh Gods! Please! Take whatever you want!” Shit, this is going to spiral out of control fast.

  “I said QUIET!” The woman ignored Jason completely as her panic attack kicked into high gear. The children were no better as they began to wail and cling to her. “Mother fu— Crusher! Now!”

  A deafening roar shook the house as Crusher stomped into the room, all fangs and claws. Jason hadn’t expected quite such an energetic display, and almost dropped the blaster. But it did have the desired effect. All three beings were completely cowed and whimpered quietly while staring at Crusher with wide, terrified eyes.

  “Are you fucking kidding me with that?” Jason said to him out the side of his mouth before addressing his hostages again. “Now, that’s better. As I said, I’m not here to harm you.” Even as he said it he knew it sounded absurd with a growling Galvetic warrior standing beside him. “We’re all just going to sit here and w
ait for your husband to come home.”

  “What did he do?” she whispered.

  “Nothing yet, it’s what I hope he’ll do that will determine what we do next,” Jason said. She looked like she wanted to say more, but just bowed her head deeply once and kept her mouth shut. “So ... when do you expect him?”

  “He will normally be home within the next three turns,” she said with a little more strength in her voice.

  “Three hours? This is going to be awkward for a bit,” Jason muttered to Doc before turning back to the woman.

  Chapter 13

  “Here comes somebody,” Crusher rumbled at his place by the door. Jason rose from his seat and went to look at what his friend had seen. They’d been sitting there for a little over two hours before a boxy aircar came to a stop in front of the dwelling, hugging the road rather than descending from the sky. He didn’t bother to continue covering the family since they’d shown no inclination to do anything but cower. Thankfully, their fear had abated as the time dragged on. He didn’t like involving innocents and he detested needing to resort to scaring small children, but he was at a loss as to how to proceed without trying to get some information from Crisstof himself.

  “Go ahead and get back in the other room,” Jason said as a single male of a species Jason had seen before, but had no previous interaction with, exited the vehicle and waved the driver on. “I’ll come up behind him when he enters the room.” Without a word Crusher slipped from the entryway and went back to stand watch over the family. Jason sank back into an alcove off the main hallway and waited.

  “Hello, dear. I’ve returned,” the alien announced loudly as he entered his house and tossed his belongings on a low table near the door. “Dear?”

  “In here,” a quiet voice called from the main living area. The male turned his head at the strain he could hear in his wife’s voice, but walked towards her unconcerned. Jason slipped silently out of the alcove and followed him. He had a good look at his face as it contorted in shock and fear at seeing Crusher standing over his family with his massive arms crossed over his chest, glaring at him.

  “What is the meaning of this?!”

  “You’ll find out shortly,” Jason said as he pressed the blaster into his head behind his ear. At least I think that’s his ear. “How you choose to proceed after we explain will determine what happens next.”

  “Please,” the alien said with shocking calm, having fully recovered from his initial shock. “There’s no need for the threats and theatrics. I believe I’ve been expecting you, or at least my client has. I presume you’re here because of Crisstof Dalton?” Jason pulled the weapon away and circled around to face the lawyer.

  “He told you to expect us?” he asked, clearly surprised.

  “Not you specifically, but he told me to expect ... something.”

  “Explain,” Jason prodded. The lawyer coughed before continuing.

  “He said that I may get a visit from a group of mercenaries that, while well intentioned, will likely do something rash and stupid.”

  “That does sound like us, Captain,” Crusher said. One look from Jason silenced the big warrior.

  “OK, so you were expecting someone,” he said. “That doesn’t change the situation.”

  “Again,” the lawyer said in a pained voice. “We will get a lot more done if we could move past all this absurdity. Other than something as ridiculous as breaking my client out of detention, I’m prepared to help you in any way I can if it will help him. Let’s sit and talk about this as civilized beings.” Jason suddenly felt more than a little foolish standing in the lawyer’s home and waving a weapon about when he could have likely just knocked on the door and introduced himself.

  “Very well,” he said. “What is your name?”

  “Tellumn-Allute, but I go by Tellumn,” the lawyer answered with no hesitation and confirming one of the few pieces of information Jason had about the players involved in Crisstof’s case.

  “Well then, Tellumn, lead the way,” Jason gestured with his free hand. They followed him through what must have been the kitchen/dining area and into a sitting room.

  “So, Captain, was it?” Tellumn said. “What do you know of the case so far, and what help do you think you can be?”

  “All we know is what has been in the press releases,” Jason said as he sat down. “Crisstof is accused of inciting violent riots on a handful of planets that resulted in a lot of deaths.”

  “That’s essentially it, yes,” Tellumn said as he walked over to a large, framed picture. When he touched the frame the artwork dissolved and the frame revealed itself to actually be a huge touch panel interface for a computer. He began manipulating the display and bringing up images of various planets along with associated files that were stacked underneath.

  “But,” he continued, “do you understand the severity of punishment due to these incidents occurring on Tier-2 and Teir-3 worlds?” Only Doc nodded his head in the affirmative. “Do you understand the tier rating system for planets?”

  “We’re not complete rubes,” Jason said, bristling slightly. “Tier-1 worlds have advanced to the point where they have developed interstellar travel on their own and have begun to colonize other planets. Tier-2 planets, while having advanced civilizations, normally are sponsored by a Tier-1 world. Third tier worlds are only interacted with on a case-by-case basis due to the impact contact with more advanced civilizations have on the indigenous population. This usually means the Tier-3 world has an exploitable resource. Is that about right?”

  “Yes,” Tellumn answered. “In addition to the top three classifications there are also Tier-4 planets that have intelligent life, but are off-limits for any reason. The ConFed is quite serious about making sure no outside influences are at play on the lesser developed worlds, and the punishments are incremented as such.”

  “Whatever,” Crusher snorted. “You mean that the ConFed only wants one source of outside influence, the Council of Confederated Planets.”

  “Again, yes,” Tellumn said with a shrug. “But I’d be careful about saying that out loud in public here on Aracoria. Anyway, it’s for these reasons that I’ve been unable to secure Crisstof’s release prior to his actual trial despite his standing. So what is it, exactly, you think I can do for you?”

  “I’d like the chance to talk to him directly,” Jason said. He then sat back and let the lawyer mull his way through the problem and present them with options. As expected, the legal expert was fast-thinking and took off on his own without further prompting.

  “There are obvious problems with just marching you in there for a visit,” Tellumn began, talking more to himself than to his audience. “There’s no way we could simply tell them you’re a business associate. They’d tie you up in interrogations for turns and then still not let you in.” The lawyer stood up and clasped his long-fingered hands behind his back and began a back-and-forth pacing. “Clearly I’d only be able to take one of you. Most likely you?” he asked, gesturing to Jason.

  “Yes,” Jason answered.

  “Not happening,” Crusher said flatly. “You are not walking into a ConFed stronghold in the custody of a stranger by yourself, Captain.”

  “No choice, Crusher,” Jason said with finality. “If we can’t get some sort of direction from Crisstof we may as well hang it up now, we’ve run out of ideas.”

  “I’ve got it!” Tellumn exclaimed, having completely ignored the side conversation while he’d been pacing. “You’re going to be my new assistant. The simple stories are the best because they don’t require too much creative thinking on the fly. You’re a species I’ve never encountered, and I’ve seen most of the prime species within the ConFed’s sphere of influence. This will help immensely as we can pass you off as some simpleton that’s merely along to carry my things and hand me data pads.”

  “A role he’s more than qualified to play,” Crusher assured Tellumn.

  “Excellent!”

  “You know what you can go do—” J
ason started to tell Crusher before Tellumn pressed on.

  “We’ll need to dress you appropriately and then first thing in the morning we’ll be on our way. Fortune is with us since the visit has been scheduled for days so we’ll not likely arouse suspicion. Tell me ... do you think you can help him?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know,” Jason admitted. “This seems to be a bit out of our league, but it also seems that we’re all he has.”

  “Too true,” Tellumn agreed. “While Steader has been helpful in his own way, I sense that he’s wanting to distance himself from his First Father’s legal troubles now that he’s in charge of Crisstof’s empire. One more question and then we can take our evening meal and retire for the night: were you able to find Captain Colleren? I know Commander Bostco was killed on Camderan-2.”

  “No,” Jason said. “Honestly, we didn’t even attempt to look. Camderan-2 was locked down and we had no way to contact her so we felt it wasn’t worth the risk.”

  “Pity. Crisstof has been more worried about her than he has his own fate I believe,” Tellumn said. “Well then, shall we?”

  They all got up and followed their host to the dining area as the computer automatically reverted back to displaying works of art, this time different than when they had walked in.

  Dinner was an exceedingly uncomfortable affair. The children looked at Crusher with varying degrees of terror any time he would move to eat, and the others fell into an awkward silence now that the rush and excitement of the initial confrontation was past. Jason would look up at catch Tellumn’s wife openly glaring at him, her fear now gone and replaced with a cold rage. That could be a problem.

  They all rushed to finish their meals so they could escape the table and go to their sleeping quarters. As Tellumn led the members of Omega Force up to the second level of the dwelling to show them the guest rooms—of which there were only two—Jason reached out to stop him.

  “I’d like to thank you for your understanding of this situation,” he told the lawyer.