Maya drank the rest of her water ration. A slimy residue had formed at the bag’s bottom, making her dry heave. Disgusted, she tossed the bag into the dunes.
»We have to find Sati and McCord first. I think we were separated on purpose. Knockmerg and his cohorts want to keep us in suspense. They know we won’t try to escape without them.«
The desert breeze had picked up, carrying fine sand through the air. Fosset wiped his face to remove the sand from his nose and eyes.
»What do you suggest, Commander?«
Maya smiled grimly and gave her collected crystals to Paafnas. He hesitated taking it from her. His bag was only half full.
»Here, my friend,« she said to him, »take mine. No need for you to be punished. Fosset and I won’t be staying much longer.«
Paafnas trembled excitedly.
»There will be no escape once we’re back inside the fortress. If you’re really thinking about getting away, you have to make your break away just after you pass the gate. You’ll have a slight chance if you can reach the portal, but it’s heavily guarded – nobody has been able to get through so far.«
Maya nodded slowly and motioned Paafnas to add her crystals to his. She took her bag back and filled it with sand. She told Fosset to do the same. Paafnas seemed depressed.
»You won’t get away with this. As soon as they see that you cheated, they’ll kill you on the spot.«
Maya smiled and said sternly, »Listen up, Fosset! At least one of us has to reach the portal. If Paafnas is correct then it will active itself and we can return. We’ll try to make the guards at the gate think we’re moving with the stream of prisoners. We follow the path until we turn toward the fortress, then we’ll run for the portal. Each of us will tackle one of the gnomes, take their shockers and approach the portal from different directions. There might be enough confusion to give us the extra time. We need to get to the portal, no matter what! The risk is workably low. Do you understand?«
»I get you. Whoever gets there first leaves the other one behind, no matter what.«
»Exactly, we don’t care about the Treugolans or this prison camp, as terrible and inhumane as it is. The Lord of this world is behind all this. He can leave this world as he wishes. We need to warn our people on Earth – that’s the highest priority!«
»What’s going to happen to all these poor beings?« Fosset asked worriedly.
Maya looked at Paafnas, closed her eyes briefly.
»We can’t do anything for them. There’s only a slim chance that our plan will work as it is.«
»There must be another way!« Fosset grated. »McCord has always been at my side. Even on this crazy trip. I can’t just run away and leave him!«
Maya’s eyes flashed.
»Fosset, you still don’t understand. We’re talking about the lives of billions of people. The Globusters and the Soulwalker were only the beginning. This portal can pose a much greater threat than what we’ve seen so far.«
Suddenly a signal sounded from far off, making all three of them wince.
»They’re calling us back,« Paafnas announced. »We have to hurry. If we’re late they’ll close the gate. We won’t survive the night in the desert.«
Maya straightened.
»You do what you think is right, Fosset. You know the plan!«
Silently they began walking toward the gate. They were joined by other tired, exhausted beings in an almost endless stream of prisoners. They progressed slowly, a good chance for Maya to take a closer look at them. There were prisoners remotely resembling insects and reptiles and others who looked utterly strange, lifeforms she couldn’t compare to anything she’d ever known. A being with a skin like tree bark offered Maya his water bag. It was full! The water quality seemed good. She tried to thank the being with gestures, but the extraterrestrial just kept walking.
»That’s a Morphoner,« Paafnas whispered. »As far as I know, he drinks the bad, algae laden water and filters it. He has no use for the purified and mineral-enriched water and more or less sweats it back out. You can drink it, it’ll be good for you, trust me.«
Maya had already put the bag to her lips but then hesitated. She closed her eyes and took a big sip. The water tasted fresh. She looked thankfully after the Morphoner, who hadn’t even looked back. It seemed that there was some sort of mutual support among the prisoners.
She took another big gulp and then handed the bag to Paafnas and Fosset. Maya felt how the water ran down her throat, replenishing her energy. She clenched her fists and walked firmly toward the gate. She knew what she had to do.
She told Paafnas to go ahead and surrender his bag before her, then she whispered to Fosset, »If our sand trick doesn’t work then you have to make a decision about what you want to do. I’m going to jump one of these gnomes and try to escape.«
Fosset looked fearfully toward the gate where the first inspections were being conducted.
»It won’t work, Maya. You won’t make it with a cheap trick like that.«
They hadn’t passed the gate yet when they saw Knockmerg and his charges checking the prisoners. Each being before proceeding had to place his bag onto an archaic looking scale with a rock as counter balance.
»I can’t believe it!« Fosset mocked in an effort to control his rising panic. »Tachyon portals, flying disks, energy shockers, but no calibrated electronic scales!«
Maya was relieved when Paafnas passed the checkpoint. Then she suddenly paled!
»Look, Fosset, they’re using a scanner!«
Fosset swallowed hard.
»They’re checking the bags’ contents. We won’t even make it through the first checkpoint!«
As Maya and Fosset arrived at the checkpoint, they looked into Knockmerg’s grim face, watching them closely.
The translation device suddenly activated and they heard Knockmerg’s barking voice.
»There they are … our two newcomers, hee, hee!« he mocked.
Maya wanted to say something but Fosset quickly grabbed her by the arm. He must have had his share of bad experience with the gnome.
»You know, there’re always some prisoners, usually new ones, who think they are especially clever. They fill their bags with sand and think they can pass the checkpoint to go back to their cozy cells for a nap.«
The Treugolan bent backward, laughing. Other gnomes joined his strange sounding laughter, seemingly very amused, slapping themselves on their behinds. Knockmerg suddenly stopped laughing and glared at Maya with glittering cold eyes.
»But those prisoners usually don’t live long. Are you clever, Species 274?«
Maya saw from the corner of her eye that one of the prisoners, with a long giraffe-like neck and slim body, was being led away. A dozen Treugolans dragged the pitiful being down to the ground and aimed their weapons at it.
Maya weighed her sand filled bag in her hand and slowly tensed up.
»I’m a species with a free will, you damn bastard!«
Suddenly, she threw the bag into Knockmerg’s surprised face, knocking him to the ground. Fosset followed Maya’s lead and attacked a different nearby gnome.
»RUN!« he yelled at her.
Maya quickly looked around to find herself suddenly confronted by a handful of gnomes with their shockers drawn. Knockmerg uttered loud croaks and tried to get back to his feet. Maya jumped at him and twisted the weapon from his grip. In answer she heard a loud grumbling roar. Instinctively, she pressed the thumb-trigger button and aimed at the next Treugolan. A bluish energy beam left the weapon and hit the gnome, who fell as if lightning-struck to the ground. A second weapon flashed – Fosset must have gotten his hands onto one of the gnomes’ weapons too. Most of the prisoners near them flung themselves to the ground in panic. The Treugolans were paralyzed. It was unbelievable that someone had dared attack their leader.
Knockmerg was still on the ground. Maya made sure he would stay there with a swift kick in the ass, then ran as fast as she could toward the portal. She glanced back and saw that two Treug
olans were attacking Knockmerg. She almost laughed. Other gnomes pulled weapons and fired at defenseless prisoners. Suddenly, all Hell broke loose. Fosset had already disappeared into the darkness. He had opted for escaping too and turned in a different direction.
A few Treugolans followed Maya in hot pursuit. Their shocker discharges crackled and made the air stink of ozone, but none hit her.
Brutally, Maya attacked another guard who was jolted out of her path by a couple of meters. She dodged to the left and right to make it more difficult for her pursuers. The portal was still two hundred meters ahead. The two suns quickly set, and darkness fell relatively fast over the dwarves’ world. Quickly re-orienting herself, Maya kept running as fast as she could toward the portal. Light conditions were becoming worse, and the shocker blasts illuminated the scene with flashes of light.
A double row of guards had formed before the portal while others took position behind fortified walls.
I have to make it! I have no choice!
Maya clenched her teeth and ran toward the line of defense, disregarding her own safety. Her actions seemed to have surprised the guards as they only shot at her sporadically. She had almost passed the guards when she suddenly and unexpectedly took a hit in the back.
Struck with pain she screamed and jerked while falling. She saw Knockmerg. Covered with blue blood, he looked at her with hate-filled eyes from his flying disk. Like an avenging angel, he hovered above her and aimed his weapon.
Maya’s body was already paralyzed from the first hit – she couldn’t run any more. She closed her eyes and waited for the deadly blast.
Suddenly the tachyon portal flared up and illuminated the evening sky.
»Fosset!« Maya whispered. »He’s made it!«
In the next moment she realized that she was wrong. A black, lens-like craft appeared from the energy field between the crystal pillars. Maya held her breath; even Knockmerg froze. Fosset hadn’t escaped – the Lord of this world had returned!
This is the end!
Maya Ivanova lost consciousness.
The interrogation
»We’ll tell you everything we know if it’ll help you get Mr. Fosset back,« Belinda Morgan declared.
Igor Petrow had force-docked the Princess to the Blue Moon with magnetic anchors and arrested the crew.
»We’ll file a complaint with the fleet over this act of piracy!« she threatened.
Igor Petrow knew he was walking a fine line, but didn’t budge.
»What are you looking for in this sector? What’s the connection between you and the unknown object in Neptune’s atmosphere?«
Belinda, spokesperson for the crew, didn’t say a word, just stared Petrow down.
Frustrated with her, he hit the tabletop with his fist.
»You have two choices. Either we talk in a civilized way about it or I have your ship taken apart and I find my own answers!«
The pulsing veins on Petrow’s forehead were vivid proof of his anger.
»You’re unbecoming of an officer of the fleet, Petrow! You wouldn’t get away with it and you know it. So don’t threaten us with crap. The Solar Union is still a democracy,« Belinda replied calmly.
The acting commander leaned back in his seat and sighed heavily.
»While we’re eyeballing and shouting at each other, we’re wasting valuable time.«
»You know as well as I do that if there’s been an accident, it’s too late for a rescue mission, Petrow,« countered Morgan.
Petrow calmed down slowly.
»Okay then, according to your record, you were an exemplary member and officer of the Solar Fleet. This incident may have cost the lives of our commander and a crew member. We only want to know what led to it, that’s all.«
Morgan briefly looked at her well-manicured, but trembling hands on the table.
We both know what led to it, Mister. Your commander and her co-pilot would still be alive if they hadn’t been stupid enough to follow Fosset! she thought angrily, but bit her tongue. Don’t you make us responsible for their death!
»All right, Fosset obtained confidential information that led him to believe that Vasina’s flagship might still exist within Neptune’s atmosphere. Follow me so far?«
Petrow nodded and Belinda continued.
»We know a strange object has been detected in Neptune’s atmosphere and you can’t deny it. Whether it’s the Progonaut flagship is not clear. Still, something is down there and Fosset wanted to salvage its treasure for Humanity. His Eagle was specially adapted, redesigned and fortified for this mission to withstand the conditions in the object’s vicinity. Even the propulsion system was modified to allow a safe return … at least in theory.«
»In theory?« Petrow asked sceptically.
»Well, yes,« Belinda acknowledged, throwing up her arms. »Nobody’s ever tried this before, right? Everything was based on the assumption that something must exist down there on which they could land. Fosset and McCord went in knowing that if they overshot their target or if the object was an atmospheric anomaly, then their Eagle was doomed.«
Petrow just looked at the astrophysicist.
»Based on a hunch and some unproven calculations and what have you, Fosset just went ahead? His suicide mission has probably cost the lives of two of our people. We know from the radio communications that our commander tried to convince Fosset to give up his mission and return before it was too late.«
»No way she’d be able to do that. Fosset was convinced his theory was correct and foolproof. If there was an accident then we lost four people: Fosset, McCord his assistant, your commander and her co-pilot. I’m not giving up on the Eagle, but I think that your commander overestimated her Hawk’s capabilities.«
Belinda had spoken the last words with honest regret. It was obvious that she was concerned for Ivanova and her co-pilot.
»Your commander has probably fallen victim to Neptune’s atmosphere. We couldn’t stop her from following Fosset. The radio communication records clearly prove that Fosset even told her, almost ordered her, to turn back. Needless to say, your commander wasn’t about to take orders from a civilian.«
Petrow’s face was petrified. He seemed to be slowly accepting that he couldn’t blame Belinda and her crew for what had happened.
»I’m truly sorry,« Belinda added seriously.
Petrow struggled out of his seat and stared into the distance, then clearing his throat.
»Please accept my apologies, Commander. I will understand if you complain to Fleet HQ. It’s your right. Your crew and the ship are free to leave as you please.« Belinda Morgan relaxed a little.
»I’d like to assume our previous orbit, if you don’t mind. Fosset instructed us to remain there for at least 24 hours in the event of comm-loss.
Petrow nodded briefly.
»Whatever you decide then, don’t think there’s much hope left, though.«
»There’s always hope, Petrow; hope is the last thing that dies,« she replied with a serious expression.
The Lord of the Desert World
Maya Ivanova was back in her cell when she awoke. Arms and legs were tied with wide steel bands, restricting her movements considerably. It was night. As she tried to rise from the ground she felt a sharp pain between her shoulders. Moaning, she struggled to a sitting position. It seemed she had received a full load from Knockmerg’s shocker.
»Paafnas!« she croaked in a hoarse voice. When had she last had water?
»I’m here,« he answered.
Paafnas appeared beside her out of the dark.
»I’m happy to see you alive; I was worried. When Knockmerg followed you with his disk, I thought it was all over.«
»What happened to Fosset?« she asked as she inspected her shackles.
»I am sorry, I can’t tell you. It looks like he got away after you knocked down Knockmerg and his own gnomes started fighting for leadership. Then everybody was after you. When Knockmerg had killed his opponents, he followed you. I thought he’d kill you, but
something unexpected happened.«
»Yeah, I remember,« Maya replied, coughing. »The portal was activated. Something or somebody had arrived.«
»Not something, Maya Ivanova. It was the Lord of this desert world. I believe that this saved your life.«
»What happened?«
»Knockmerg wasn’t expecting the Lord’s return. He and his charges retreated from the portal’s vicinity. All the prisoners were hastily chased back into the fortress. I could still see an energy field surrounding your body. I must assume that they neutralized your tachyon aura! If that’s true then another escape attempt is useless.«
»What does that mean?« Ivanova asked, irritated.
»The Lord prevented the Treugolans from killing you, but he also made sure you can’t escape anymore.«
She slowly grasped the consequences of what she just heard. Since she didn’t know how to activate the portal, she was now doomed to remain here on this godforsaken planet.
»Doesn’t look like there’s any "happily ever after" to my story,« she commented in a depressed voice. »What else did you see? Did you see McCord or Sati?«
»No, I haven’t seen them,« Paafnas answered sadly.
»What’s with you, my friend? If you were human I’d say you’re depressed.«
»A strange assessment,« Paafnas considered. »I have more information for you. I don’t know if you will like it though.«
»Tell me anyway,« Maya moaned and shifted her position laboriously. »It can’t get any worse.«
»Just before I arrived at the fortress gate I looked back to the portal and saw somebody stepping from the craft that had just arrived. My eyes allow me to adapt from near to far vision. I have excellent sight over long ranges. I saw a being approaching you. I think I saw the Lord of this world for the first time!«
Maya was surprised.
»I must have been unconscious by then. What did he look like; what did he do?«
Paafnas felt embarrassed as he answered, »He was standing beside you and looked at you. He was surrounded by a non-transparent energy shield; I could, however, clearly make out his silhouette.«
NEBULAR Collection 2 - The Expedition: NEBULAR Episodes 6 - 11 Page 19
