by T. R. Harris
With movement down the corridor, I took the president by his arms and dragged him into an adjoining room. Placing his body against the door as a barricade.
“Where were you hit?” I asked. “I can’t see the wound.”
“It is under my back carapace.”
I felt the skin on the extended section of his lower torso. I didn’t know he had this back plate. It was harder than the rest of his skin, but blended perfectly with the rest.
“How do I stop the bleeding?”
“You cannot, Jason. Only through specialized removal of the plate can it be accessed. I regret to inform you, but I am beyond hope.”
“Don’t talk like that. All I need to do is get you to the Union forces. I’m sure they have doctors who can help you.”
Enic’s head bobbled. “There is no time, and I have much to tell you.”
The alien reached a thin arm back and placed a hand under the back plate. He grimaced in pain, but then withdrew a small metal cylinder, now covered in blood.
“Take this,” he said.
I reached out my hand. That was when Enic flipped the cylinder around and planted it forcefully into my palm. I felt a pinch.
“Ow! What was that?” I looked at my hand and saw a small puncture wound, as if made by a needle. “What did you do that for?”
“I have just coded the key to your particular chemistry. It will only function for you.”
“Key? What key?”
Enic turned the cylinder sideways and slowly placed it in my hand. I was cautious this time, but I let him do it.
“It is the key to the Container of Light, where the treasure is stored.”
I was afraid he was going to say that.
“Where you have Galactic Lights stored? The extremely dangerous things that can destroy worlds?”
“That is correct. Jason King, you must complete my mission. You must recover the Lights and bring them to Sylox.”
I pressed the cylinder back into Enic’s hand. “No way, I can’t do that.”
“Is not Earth in danger as well if the Lights fall into the wrong hands?”
“Supposedly,” I said. “Nothing’s been confirmed. Besides, why not turn the key over to the Union and let them go in and get the Lights with all the force they can muster?”
“No one can be trusted, Jason. Look around you. Already you’ve seen my own people rebel against me and my mission. There are too many opposing forces to allow a wholesale effort to recover the Lights. At any time, an enemy may abscond with them, or worse, cause them to detonate. I can trust only you.”
“Why me…we hardly know each other?”
“That is precisely the reason. You came into this affair unwillingly. Even your kin Mister Rodriquez cannot be trusted.”
“Lefty! Why not? The man’s been risking his life—and the lives of his team—just to keep you alive. That’s a lot to ask for the money you’re paying him.”
Enic’s yellow eyes blinked. “I do not understand. I am not paying Mister Rodriquez.”
“Well, then, whoever’s paying him—”
“He is not getting paid at all. He volunteered his team to the protection detail.”
“What…what do you mean?”
“He came to us and offered his services without charge. He said he sided with the Conn and would be honored to offer his services for the prospect of peace in the Swath.”
“For free?” I shook my head. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like Lefty, but I’m sure he had his reasons. Are you saying he’s part of the conspiracy?”
“I do not know for sure. But the central point is I can trust only one person, and that is you.”
Enic placed the cylinder back in my hand. I looked at it before responding. “I thought you said others would come and remove this from your body. Others from within your organization would take over from there.”
“There is no time, and now I realize even they cannot be trusted. If it were merely a matter of maintaining the status quo, there would be no danger. But with my plan to give the Lights to the Union, there are now members of my own organization out to stop me.”
“And you want me to step into this mess? I think you’ve misread me, Enic. I’m not the hero type.”
The corners of Enic’s beak curled up. “That I realize. So I will offer you an incentive—other than saving your homeworld.”
I winced at the alien’s words. I’d forgotten about the whole saving-Earth-from-destruction thing. That should’ve been my sole motivator.
“What incentive?” I asked nonetheless. It never hurt to at least listen to an offer.
“The Lights are stored in a chamber designed to prevent stray cosmic rays and other forms of radiation from entering. It has been a precaution used for hundreds of years. With the volatility of the Lights, we could not risk the chance that they could be affected by such bombardments.”
“So? You better get to the point, Enic. We’re either going to be located pretty soon, or you’re going to die. In fact, in the time you’ve been telling me all this, I probably could have gotten you to a doctor.”
“Forgive me as I indulge in my dying speech, Mister King,” said the testy alien. “The least you can do is offer me your patience.”
“So tell me about this incentive.”
“The chamber where the Lights are stored is lined with a metal you find very valuable…gold. Once the Lights are transported to Sylox, the chamber will be of no further use. You may harvest the gold for yourself.”
“How much gold is there?”
“Enough to rebuild your home…and a lot more. On this you must trust me.”
Okay, this had just gotten a little more interesting. I liked the idea of a chamber of gold as a reward for saving Earth and keeping the Lights out of the hands of the bad guys. There was just one problem.
“Where is the chamber?” I asked. “Where are the Lights hidden?”
“You must go to the planet Ackonnon and to the summit of Mount Hibress. There you will find the entrance leading to the chamber. Yet beware, there are challenges along the way.”
Of course there are. That’s the way it always was with treasure hunts and hidden vaults.
“Where’s Ackonnon?”
“Look it up. It is not hard to find.”
Smartass alien!
“And challenges? You mean like booby-traps?”
“Booby-traps? That is a strange word.”
“It means hidden obstacles that could cause me to die.”
“Then definitely, there are booby-traps within the mountain. Several.”
I thought for a moment. If I didn’t take on this mission, then a lot of bad things could happen. And if I did take it on, then a lot of bad things could happen…but I could also come out rich beyond the dreams of avarice. I liked the sound of that.
“All right, I’ll do it,” I said. “But what about this key? How does it work?”
“The key is your final challenge. You will see how to use it at the chamber. Once inside, you will find the container for the Lights. They are held in a bath of water to maintain a stable temperature. Do not remove them from the water or else they could overheat.”
I shook my head. There had always been something bothering me about the whole exploding Galactic Lights thing.
“Explain this to me, Enic. The Lights supposedly hold in the explosive force of a supernova, yet somehow they can be broken? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“That is a very good question,” Enic said with a cough. He was on his last leg. He’d better finish his briefing soon, otherwise I’d be screwed. “The Lights are a delicate balance between the forces without and those within. The outer shell wishes to collapse, yet the opposing force inside does not allow it. Yet by applying strong enough pressure to the exterior, that balance can be disrupted. By compressing an area, the opposite side of the Light will reach an imbalance and the shell can be ruptured. That is all it will take.”
“But you’ve never actually seen thi
s happen?”
“Of course not! There are only five Lights in existence. They are much too valuable to experiment with…and far too dangerous.”
“So this is all theory?”
“It is expert opinion, Mister King. You must trust what I say.”
“It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice. Okay, President Jor, you’ve got yourself a surrogate. What kind of opposition can I expect between here and this planet Ackonnon?”
“That depends on if others find out you have the key. And one final word of warning. When using the key—”
And then Enic died.
It happened so suddenly and without warning that I thought he was just pausing before the final reveal. But his yellow eyes snapped shut and the stalks fell to each side of his narrow head. I shook him a few times, even going so far as to place an ear against his chest, but not knowing where his heart was, I couldn’t rely on that.
I stood and looked down at the dead purple bug on the floor. I shrugged.
Now all I had to do was decide if I was really going to do all those things I said I would? That was still open for debate.
Chapter 11
I pushed Enic’s limp body aside and cautiously opened the door. No one was in the corridor directly outside, but there was still plenty of activity off in both directions. The flash weapon was on the floor, resting in a pool of blood from the three Annoc-Conn I killed earlier. I went for it…and promptly fell on my ass, slipping in the slick liquid on the tile floor.
The fall saved my life, as a scorching-hot bolt of energy flew past my head. I pressed my body into the sea of red, soaking my clothing to the skin in alien blood. But I now had the flash weapon. I looked in the direction where the flash bolt had come from and was sickened to see it had been fired by a Zorphin. He had a couple of his buddies with him. Our eyes met and a glimmer of recognition reflected in the alien’s dark eyes.
It was Inspector Krice, one of the natives still hounding me regarding the Unity Stone Affair. I could see in his eyes that he saw this opportunity as a way to settle some old scores. He lifted his weapon, and with a shitty grin, took aim.
I winced as another flash bolt streaked over my head, but this one came from the opposite direction. It struck the Zorphin Enforcer in the chest, sending him reeling backwards with a smoking hole in his uniform. His buddies ducked for cover as more bolts streaked over me.
Someone slid into the pool of blood beside me.
“Where the hell have you been?” It was a very agitated Lefty Rodriquez. “We’ve been waiting for you. Where’s Enic?”
“He’s dead.” I was already on my feet when Lefty grabbed me by the shirt and slammed me against a side wall.
“Where’s his body?” my friend growled. “We can’t leave him here.”
“It’s okay. He gave me the key.”
“The what?”
“The key to the vault where the Lights are kept.”
“Give it to me!”
I still hadn’t bought into the whole idea of Lefty being part of the conspiracy to prevent the Lights from getting to Sylox, so without hesitation, I handed over the blood-covered cylinder to him.
“He poked me with the needle tip. He said it’s now coded to my DNA.”
“Did he tell you where the Lights are hidden?”
“Yep…but this isn’t the time or the place to have this conversation. What’s your escape plan?”
The question shook Lefty out of his insane trance. “The way to the parking garage is blocked, but we have a hovercraft on the roof. Follow me.”
We ran down corridors at break-neck Human speed, firing our weapons at a variety of aliens we encountered along the way before scaling a short series of stairs.
“You killed a Zorphin back there,” I panted as we ran.
“Tough shit. He was getting ready to kill you. I had to do something.”
“Thanks. You saved my life.”
“That almost makes us even.” He was referring to the three times I’d been credited with saving his life during our Army days. Two were legit. The third time he was so messed up that anyone could have taken credit. I took it anyway, since it meant the huge Hispanic wrecking-ball-of-a-man would be even more in my debt.
We reached the roof of the building a minute later. The sun was setting over Sylox City and an orange glow painted the scene. The hovercraft was an octocopter, exposed blades set above a surprisingly small passenger globe. Lefty’s two men were inside and the props were spinning. I was shoved into the back and then Lefty piled in on top of me.
The craft was only built to carry three people; a pilot and two passengers in the back. The carrying load was relative, however, depending on how big the alien passengers were. Humans were a little below average, so the motors shouldn’t have any trouble lifting the additional load. It was the close quarters inside globe that turned out to be an issue.
The Human mercenary Klein was in the pilot’s seat, leaving Lefty, Bennett and me all stuffed in the back. I was sitting cherry, with an armrest invading my ass crack. The aircraft lifted suddenly, gaining speed and altitude at a reckless clip.
“Where to, Sarge?” Klein called out over the hum of the propeller blades.
“Any suggestions, LT? You’re holding all the cards.” Lefty asked me.
“We have to get off planet before others find out what happened to Enic. I have a starship at the Zanzibar Executive Airport.”
“Where’s that?” Klein queried.
“Head northwest, over the downtown area and toward the Enclaves. Don’t get too high or they’ll spot us.”
“Roger that, sir.”
Klein ended up being a top-notch pilot, aided by the fact that hovercraft were easier to fly than conventional aircraft. They operated much like a ground vehicle. Give it more gas and the props tilted forward and the blades spun faster. There no torque to fight, like in a helicopter, or rudders and ailerons to contend with like on fixed-winged aircraft. Klein followed directions and kept the hovercraft low, zipping between towering buildings and skirting along the rooftops of traffic barely fifty feet below. After a few moments of hypnotizing maneuvers, I completely forgot about the pain in my ass, more concerned now with the obstacles whizzing by only a few feet away.
Eventually, we cleared the downtown area and emerged into open air over rolling hills covered in brilliant green grass on the way to the Enclaves. The huge housing complex covered most of the landscape before us, the planned community painting the hills with winding streets, red-roofed shopping malls, along with schools and playgrounds. The perfect place to settle down and raise a fam—
“Where’s the airport?”
I took off my imaginary Realtor hat and donned a Ranger beret. “Head south. It’s just beyond the boundary of the subdivision. There,” I pointed to a wide thoroughfare. “Follow that road. It’s Executive Airport Drive.”
Moments later, Klein pulled back on the controls and the hovercraft came to a startling stop, hovering in air above a wide expanse of tarmac.
“My hangar is along the front row, toward the end.”
We moved slower now, until I directed the pilot to land next to a huge metal hangar with a wide rollaway door. The opening to the passenger globe popped open and the four of us literally poured out. I climbed to my feet and ran to the small side door of the hangar.
“Why the rush?” Bennett asked. He hadn’t said anything on the way here, but seeing the urgency in Lefty and me, he realized something was up.
“The lieutenant’s learned the location of the Galactic Lights,” Lefty told him. “Now we have to get off the planet before anyone can stop us.” I found it odd that neither of his men asked any questions about the Lights. They must have already been briefed.
Upon entering the hangar, I slammed a white panel on the wall and the doors began to roll away, bathing the interior in the warm orange glow from outside. The skin of the Enterprise glistened in the radiance of the setting sun. I always felt a sense of pride gazing
up my own personal starship.
“That’s your ship?” Bennett asked. “Kinda small, isn’t it?”
I was taken aback and slightly hurt. “It’s a civilian starship. It’s not made to carry assault troops. I’m sure you’ll find the accommodations much nicer than you’re used to.”
The man grunted.
I triggered the entry door and the hatch slid open. “There’s seating for four in the pilothouse forward, room for a pilot, co-pilot and two passengers. Mr. Klein, care to join me in the co-pilot seat?”
He looked at Lefty, who nodded.
Moments later we were strapped in and I was lighting off the generators. Mechanical wheels engaged and I steered the sleek, hundred foot-long spacecraft out of the hangar.
The Enterprise didn’t look anything like the spacecraft from Star Trek. On the contrary, it looked more like a long airplane with stubby wings and a truncated tail rudder. Two bulbous gravity generators were located to each side of the center fuselage and the forward section tapered down to a sharp point just below the single viewport.
The interior was another thing all together. It was more box-shaped, resembling an oversized Class-A motorhome than the interior of a traditional aircraft. The only concession was a bulkhead separating the pilothouse from the main salon, along with an air-tight hatch.
This was my second Noreen II-model starship, actually the new XL version. The first one had been stolen by the mysterious Miranda Moore at the conclusion of the Unity Stone Affair. Insurance bought this one for me.
Having moved the craft outside, I quickly ran through the take-off checklist. Klein paid attention, barely. “Basic stuff,” he eventually said. “Generators charged to lift-off markers. We can take off anytime.”
“Roger that,” I said, slightly irritated by the soldier’s nonchalant attitude about lift-off protocol. “All right, here we go.”
I shifted the focus of the gravity generators directly above us while at the same time activating the chemical lift-off jets. The view through the forward window was obscured by a roiling cloud of gray-white smoke. A roar vibrated through the hull, and my majestic starship began to climb into the evening sky. The gas cloud fell off below us and I initiated a shallow gravity-well once we were clear of the landing field.
