by T. R. Harris
“Where is it?” Bill demanded.
“It’s safe. And aren’t you glad it is? Now we’re still in the ballgame.”
“It’s still on the Enterprise.” Miranda asked.
“That I can’t tell you, but we need to get off this ship right now, and taking Mark Wilson with us will only add to our bargaining power. Now let’s move. Bill, can you help with Wilson?”
Miranda handed me the MK. “Here, take this. I think I can get Mark to the Enterprise better than Bill.” She looked up at the alien’s towering stature. “Nothing personal, Bill, but Humans are really strong brutes, even our women. And the gravity aboard your ship is a little lighter than I’m used to, so I got this.”
“Good plan, Miranda. Bill, take point – the lead – and let us know if you see anyone. Let’s roll.”
**********
It was actually pretty impressive to see Miranda hoist the limp Mark Wilson up over her shoulder and into a fireman’s carry and then plod off down the corridor toward the cargo bay.
We reached it without incident, and then all crowded into the Enterprise.
“Put Mark on the bed and leave the door open. After that, everyone strap in. I think I’m about to make an unceremonious departure.”
Miranda strapped in next to me, and was about to ask what I meant, when I initiated a micro-well directly ahead of us, near the exterior bay doors. The effect was immediate, as the huge double panels were literally sucked out of existence at a pinpoint directly in front of us. Of course, it happened so fast that none of us actually saw it. Just one moment there were doors, and the next there weren’t.
Now the Enterprise suddenly bolted out of Bill’s ship and flamed into the upper atmosphere of Sylox. A monitor on my console showed the transit vessel behind us begin to break into thousands of pieces of jagged metal, as the sudden loss of hull integrity literally blew the ship apart. Lost, too, were Mark Wilson’s two accomplices, along with the decoy safe they had been trying to open.
Chapter 30
The planet Sylox has highly-regulated airspace, and so it was only a matter of seconds before someone was screaming at me over the comm speakers, demanding my clearance and approach vectors.
I didn’t answer as I was too busy trying to pull the tiny craft out of its headlong rush toward the surface. When I broke us out of the cargo bay, I hadn’t realized we were so close to the planet. Now we were only about ten seconds away from becoming a new impact crater on the surface of Sylox.
“Holy crap, Jason, do something!” Miranda yelled.
“It might help if you could pull back on your stick, too. I know you’re strong enough.”
With the two of us straining with the controls, the Enterprise slowly began to nose-up. Whether it would be enough would be known in about two seconds flat.
We were coming in near the shores of Lake Ramfor, the largest freshwater lake on the planet, located in the southern hemisphere about two thousand miles from Sylox City. Most of the terrain surrounding the lake was marshland with very few settlements. This was fortunate, because we managed to hit the surface of the lake at an angle – yet flat-bottomed – at about four hundred knots. From there we managed to bounce a thousand feet back into the air and down range.
We dropped back to the surface again in a vast bed of tall reeds and mud, which splashed against the forward viewport, effectively canceling out my view ahead. We continued to skip over the shallow water of the marsh like an airboat in the Everglades for what seemed like minutes, before the ship finally moaned to a stop.
After catching my breath, I found that I couldn’t detect any wave motion in the ship, so I concluded we were on semi-solid ground and not back in the lake. The forward viewport was now a mass of black mud and green reeds, and the rest of the remote cameras were similarly coated in mud, so I had no idea what was outside.
What I did know was that our entry path would have been precisely tracked and that both rescue and Enforcer units would be only minutes away.
“Is the ship dead?”
I shook my head, still feeling some of the effects of the force field and groggily scanned my monitors. “I don’t know, let me see.”
I ran a check of the gravity generators and found they were still online, even though two of the four focusing rings were clogged and therefore couldn’t contribute to the well’s integrity. Even with that, the ship could still fly.
I adjusted the aim of the remaining focusing rings until they were pointed directly above and then created a gravity-well. The ship lifted off. Through a sliver of daylight now visible in the mud-covered viewport, I could see that the vast lake was located to port. I turned in that direction and took a jarring plunge into the blue water. I surfaced again moments later and climbed for the clouds.
The dip in the lake had its desired effect, as the front viewport was now clear, as were the other external monitors.
“We can still be tracked,” Bill said from back in the cabin. “I believe it is now time for me to exert my authority as a transit minister. I will need a comm link.”
Bill unstrapped and came forward. He leaned over the control console and spoke for several minutes with the units closing in on us, explaining how he had just made an emergency entry and was now safe and proceeding to a repair facility. No outside assistance was required.
When the creatures on the other side of the link questioned the fact that he was in a Noreen II – and possibly one that was an outlaw vessel – it took Bill even longer to explain how he was in the process of highly classified negotiations over that very issue. Finally, the rescue units relinquished, and let him proceed on his own.
“We need someplace to hide, where you can make your calls and open the dialogue for the return of the statue,” I said to the hulking alien still leaning over my shoulder.
“Of course, and I will require the statue, Jason. Where is it?”
“You’ll get it. But first here’s my datapad with all of Miranda’s information on it.” I pulled the tiny device from my pocket and handed it to Bill. “It clearly shows how all this has been a conspiracy involving both Mark Wilson’s people, as well as an alien – sorry – another organization called the Linorean Foundation. Wilson is a rogue, and he doesn’t represent the Earth government. This seems to be about building contracts, along with a dash of revenge thrown in. But mainly I think this has all been about money and influence. Miranda was manipulated into participating, and I was just an unsuspecting dupe. It’s all in there.”
“All this means nothing without the Unity Stone.” Bill casually slipped the datapad into the pocket of his tunic.
“You’ll get it,” I repeated. “Just get us someplace safe and then make your calls—”
“Mon Quint has it!”
“How would I have gotten the statue to him? He bolted past us faster than a beam of light.”
“Then it is on your ship.”
“That I cannot say is true.”
I narrowed my eyes at my alien friend. “What’s your obsession with the statue? You’ll get it, just trust me.”
Bill straightened up, bumping his head against the lowered ceiling above the control console. “Forgive my obsession, Jason, but you promised that I would be the one to return it, and thereby gain considerable notoriety for the act. You know how ambitious I am. I just wish to know that I will be able to deliver on any negotiations I begin.”
“You will, my friend. And after this is all over, I can see a place for you on the Council itself. Council Being Billork Kly Gon-Mok; it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” It didn’t.
Bill returned to the cabin.
“I know a sanctuary in the Polimor Mountains where we can base our operations.” he said as he fell back into the too-small chair. “It is an old family retreat, quite comfortable, yet remote.” He gave me the coordinates.
I now caught Miranda looking at me with narrow eyes of her own. She glanced back at Bill, and when he turned to look into the bedroom at the still unconscious
Mark Wilson, she quickly leaned in closer to me. “It’s here, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“It’s safe,” I whispered back. “It’ll show up when it’s needed. Until then, I think you’re better off not knowing all the details.”
“You don’t trust me?”
I moved to within an inch of her nose. “Not a lick – my love – or anyone else.”
“You stinking rat-bastard!” This time her statement was at full volume.
I scanned the angry faces of both Miranda and Bill. “Everything will be revealed in due time. Until then, why don’t the two of you just back off?”
Chapter 31
The Polimor Mountains were located on the complete opposite side of the planet from Lake Ramfor; however it only took thirty-three very tense and silent minutes to reach Bill’s family retreat traveling through the Sylox atmosphere.
As Jonk Limbor had explained at one time, the native Zorphins had always been traditional burrow-dwelling creatures, at least until the Human builders came along. Since Bill’s retreat predated Human arrival on Sylox, it turned out to be a massive complex of underground tunnels, with the occasional surface mound for light and air, as well as ingress and egress.
There was an old landing pad near the largest of the access mounds and that’s where I set the Enterprise. Mark Wilson was beginning to stir in the bedroom by then and once the generators were cut off I went back to check on him.
He looked up at me from the bed, his eyes displaying rapid and wavy movements. He was still out of it, probably suffering from a severe concussion. At that moment I made a mental note: If we ever get out of this alive, I could sure use Miranda’s arm in left field. By then, of course, we may be playing on a prison softball team somewhere….
“I’ll have a cart brought for him.”
I looked up, startled to find Bill hovering at the doorway.
“That’ll be good. How many staff do you have here, and can they be trusted?”
“There are eight full-time, and two part-time. They have been with my family for generations, so they can be trusted.”
“Generations?”
“Yes. Many Zorphins take employment with wealthy families and are, in a sense, adopted by them. It is all quite symbiotic.”
“So you have some bucks; why didn’t I ever know that about you?”
“I understand bucks is Human slang for credits, but to answer your question, I have always wanted to present a more humble status, as my ambitions are for higher office. Although I am not aware of how it is on Earth, but on Sylox is takes considerable financing to reach superior positions. Even so, most of the population gravitates to those who can portray themselves as at a level equal to the masses. As a result, I found it not wise to display my wealth, so I survive on my Minister’s salary.”
“It’s the same on Earth, Bill. As a matter of fact, the more time I spend out here, the more I find that most intelligent beings seem to go about reaching their wants, needs and desires just like everyone else. It’s really quite amazing how similar we all are.”
Bill’s face seemed to cloud over suddenly. “You have only been a member of the Union for a short time, Jason. You will eventually learn that there are great differences, often irreconcilable differences between the races. Case-in-point is the current conflict. The only thing keeping the Velosians and the Simoreans from annihilating each other is the Unity Stone.”
“I didn’t say these similarities made us more compatible. In fact it may be the quest for these common elements that cause all the problems. If we all didn’t place similar value on similar things, then there would be no conflict.”
“Ah, a discussion of universal import; however one that must await another day. I believe I now have a job to do.”
Bill left the Enterprise and returned a few minutes later with another Zorphin. The three of us then carried Mark Wilson out of the spacecraft and placed him in a four-wheel electric cart. The other native took him away toward the nearest mound.
Miranda and I then followed Bill into his underground sanctuary.
**********
After stepping down a wide stairway and into a voluminous circular chamber furnished with oversize statues, tables and ornate seating, Bill led us down one of the three winding corridors radiating out from the room.
I’m sure that if it wasn’t for the fact that Bill’s species were all well over six feet tall and had a tendency to hop as they walked, then their burrows would not have been so spacious. As it was, they were huge, with ceilings over twenty feet high and hallways just as wide. And even though we had just entered a maze of underground passageways and chambers, I never felt claustrophobic. And the brilliant lighting and polished stone walls only added to my sense of ease.
“This is a pretty nice place,” Miranda said to Bill, as if reading my mind.
“It is one of the largest cells on this continent. I know you Humans place a lot of significance on square footage measurements, so I had that computed a few years ago. The entire complex is just over fifty thousand.”
“That’s massive,” I said. “And you can’t really tell it from the surface.
“The average cell on Sylox is around seven thousand square feet, and entire communities can be built with hardly a disturbance of the surface. Some even have master entrances, so even multiple access mounds are not necessary.”
“And yet you seem to really like your Sunrise Model at Zanzibar. It’s only a little over three thousand square feet, and all above ground. That must have taken some getting used to?”
“We adapt to the times, Jason. And since the Union made Sylox its capital, there have been many changes with which we have had to adapt to. Housing was only one of them.”
Bill stopped at a pair of doors set opposite each other in the stone walls of the corridor. “You may feel at home here. These chambers have private grooming stations and should be most spacious for Humans. You may take both of these, or elect to share, as is your custom.”
Miranda slipped past him and opened one of the doors. “We’ll need them both.” She turned back to the tall alien. “What about food? I’m famished.”
“There is a standard food processing unit inside, yet approximately two hundred feet down this corridor is the main consumption area for the complex. My family and I have a section to the north reserved for us and guests. You are welcome to use those facilities. The staff will provide whatever you seek. I will now proceed to the communications center to initiate my links. Wish me good luck, Jason King.”
“Without a doubt, my friend. Our lives are in your hands now.”
“That comment does not bring me contentment, but rather anxiety.”
“Sorry. I’m sure you will do your best.”
“That is all I can promise.”
Once Bill hopped off down the corridor, Miranda disappeared behind the closed door of her room, leaving me alone in the corridor.
**********
I entered my room, feeling slightly unsettled and nervous. Although I trusted that Bill would do his best, I wasn’t sure if it would be enough. I knew that a simple call to Council Member Morgus Orn would get the cogs in motion for the return of the Unity Stone, but this whole affair had blossomed into a full-scale conspiracy that went far beyond the theft of a valuable artifact. The mysterious Linorean Foundation was also involved. Cryus Blake of the CIA had mentioned them, too, calling them evil Freemasons-on-steroids. Now that was a scary thought.
There just seemed to be too many parties involved at the time to keep them all straight. Were they all connected, all working together toward the same goal? I then wondered if the Linoreans had made a foothold on Earth, and if that was how Mark Wilson became involved? He had only arrived on Sylox a short fifty-two days ago, so he could not have personally made all the arrangements necessary for Miranda to carry out her theft.
And yet stealing the Unity Stone was the simple part; it was what happened afterward that would determine the fate of planets and entire races of be
ings.
As I fell back on the extremely large bed, I realized I didn’t really care a lick about the warring factions of the galaxy. All I wanted was to be exonerated for the crime. And then if my business suffered because of all the negative press, I would return to Earth and pick up where I left off – if the planet was still there, of course.
I took a second small datapad out of my pocket and flicked it open. After selecting the proper channel, I could see the interior of the Enterprise, the image being relayed from a hidden camera tucked into the leather overhead above the control console. As I suspected, it hadn’t taken long for Bill to send a search crew aboard, looking for the statue.
I watched as the three Zorphins nearly tore the ship apart, searching. They pulled back the sofa, checked all the overhead compartments – they even opened the refrigerator and freezer.
After a half hour of fruitless searching, the three of them now stood in the center of the cabin looking uncertain, frustration painted on their narrow faces. And then one of them made a call, which I assumed was to Bill.
I knew that eventually I’d have to turn the statue over to him, just to complete the transaction. But in the meantime, I would hold onto it. There were still a lot of negotiations to carry out, and as long as I knew where the statue was – and no one else did – then I was in the catbird seat.
A strange, residual electrical spasm passed through my body, causing me a little concern. But then I realized just how tired I was. Sleep certainly couldn’t hurt, especially as the rogue electrical charges continued to dissipate. I shut off the datapad and closed my eyes.
I had no idea how much time I would have to rest before Bill came to me with a report. He had always had an annoying habit of letting me know every little detail of what was happening in his life. However, now I would actually welcome his next report. It could literally mean the difference between my life or death.
