”Get back!”
The guards approached, and Maskyvir shooed them into an annex built up against the extension.
”We’ll stay here for a while.”
”We can easily overpower them. They are only four or five guards.”
”Yes, but they can sound the alarm, and if anything happens to them, reinforcements will come. Those are not the kind of extra problems we need right now.”
The other three Gluvarps looked around.
”Is this not some kind of a temple?”
Now Maskyvir also let his gaze sweep over the surroundings.
”I guess you’re right. Isn’t there something about spiritual houses being free havens?”
”I don’t think that applies to us.”
”What does our spiritual expert think?”
Paragon knew the allusion applied to him.
”It varies. These kinds of buildings only have the importance people attach to them.”
One of the Gluvarps had kept watch and interrupted Paragon.
”Darn it! Two of them are coming over here!”
”Get behind the altar!”
When the guards entered, the small group huddled behind an idol. The guards looked around, but were not suspicious. Did this special place really enjoy universal respect? One of them knelt down.
”Exalted Klumpyk. My companions and I are in great need. We have tried to do our jobs as we have thought best. Help us to restore order.”
”The fault is your own. You have brought upon you an impossible situation allowing selected prisoners to do your job. Give prisoners better conditions. Treat them as beings deserving of respect. Then they will also respect you.”
The guard was speechless. Then he stood with his head bowed.
”Thank you, Exalted Klumpyk.”
The guard turned and went outside.
”Klumpyk spoke to me. We need to treat prisoners properly in the future.”
”So Klumpyk spoke to you?”
”He did.”
”Oh, you numbskull.”
The second guard hurried back to the temple and looked behind the altar. There was no one.
”Why, there is no one here?”
”No, like I said, Klumpyk spoke to me.”
”Oh, very well. Come, we must continue searching.”
When the guards left, the fugitives dared to come out of the confessional boxes standing along the side of the room.
“Whew! We survived that by a hair.”
“Why would you act out like that, Paragon?”
“Oh, I didn’t think it could hurt. Perhaps it may even help some. Who knows, maybe they’ll take the message to their hearts?”
”You're pretty gullible, but perhaps you get to be like that when daily moving in the higher spiritual circles?”
Maskyvir was somewhat blunt and Paragon could perceive his ironic tone.
”It can never hurt to talk to people’s better self. And just that kind of spiritual activity has historically helped to promote decent behavior from powerful people.”
”Except in those cases where spiritual beliefs have been used to beat dissidents on the head.”
”Surely, you cannot blame the different faiths for that.”
”Maybe not, but I'm just saying this structure has been used like that for centuries, and that’s just as bad.”
”We will never agree.”
”No! Drop this discussion till we can enjoy ourselves with a drink,….. hopefully before too long.”
”You're right, Maskyvir. Let’s hope for that.”
After waiting a bit to see if the coast was clear the small group finally came out into the open. It had begun to drizzle and they shivered in the damp weather, but the air was better now.
”Where’s that hangar?”
Paragon wanted to reach their destination as soon as possible. If only they escaped from Taurus X, they could land somewhere and alert The Soul Center from there. hopefully, in due time, before the big transport ship would come and carry the large amount of abducted souls far away to Cassiopeia. Perhaps they would even do this in a risky manner, so they would destroy many of the souls along the way.
”The hangar is in a place not far from here. But with all the groups of escaped prisoners running around, it’s dangerous to move on the surface of Taurus X for the moment. I suggest we go through the mine. It has an outlet near the end of the hangar. It was from there that shipments of raw materials took place, when Taurus X was a mining planet.”
They went up towards the mine using the road Paragon and Anders had encountered earlier. Fewer sounds came from inside the prison now. Everyone was probably preparing for the confrontation that would soon come, leading to the balance of power on the planet being brought back to normal.
On the way, they saw that all the lights in the prison had disappeared. Management must have interrupted the power supply in an attempt to impede the continued occupation. It might have an effect. In many places, the windows were covered with blinds in an attempt to maintain the many circadian rhythms. They would now lie in the dark, easier for the guards to recapture.
The road up to the mine was short. When they came to the gate, they saw a mine train, which was kept ready to carry miners down to their work area.
”Does anyone know how to work this gear?”
Mine trains didn’t fall within Maskyvir’s experience.
Paragon stepped forward.
”I can try.”
Paragon examined the engine, which naturally enough was electric. There also appeared to be power on the accumulator. He went up in the driver's seat and turned on the ignition. The engine started.
”It works.”
That was a superfluous remark, because they could all hear it.
”Good, then we’ll just ride through the mountain.”
Maskyvir gave the sign, and the small traveling party entered the small cars, where there were benches for the miners. Before that, each of them put on a miners' helmet, which hung in the small guardroom at the entrance. They checked to see that the lamps worked.
Paragon switched on the electricity supply, lighting up the small lamps that regularly hung on the tunnel’s ceiling. Paragon could hear a generator running in the background. The mine had its own electrical supply, which was not interrupted, as had happened in the prison.
The trip went down into the mountain. After running some distance, they came to a place with tracks leading into three directions. They hadn’t anticipated that.
”We have to try things out. If the track we choose is not the right one, we have to back up and try another. They probably don’t go very far.”
They tried the middle track, but it was a disaster. Since the lighting there was so poor, Paragon didn’t get the train stopped in time. They had driven over a small bridge in an underground cave, which connected the track on one side with the track on the other side of the cave. The bridge, however, was rotten, and collapsed sending the train down into a small stream running along the bottom of the cave.
”Is everybody okay?”
After everyone answered in the affirmative, one by one, the passengers managed to climb back up to the track.
”It was obvious that the track was not being used anymore.”
”Maybe we should have walked around on the outside of the mountain?”
Paragon was not surprised.
”It's not so bad. A few of the rear tippers are still on the rails, and if we use them and punt us ahead with the poles in the wagons, we can go back and try the other tracks.”
There was no better solution at hand, so they decided to follow Paragon’s plan. After some time, they had come back to the point where the track divided.
“Should we try the track on the left or the right?”
“The track to the left seems less rusty than the other.”
“I wouldn’t put much stock in that. The trail leading straight ahead was the less rusty one, and was apparently unused recently.”
&n
bsp; ”Whatever. We’ll just try the left track, and if it doesn’t work either, we’ll check out the last one.”
”But there are no lights in the ceiling there. There’s no chance that it’s still being used.”
”We’d better examine it, before we write it off.”
After punting the wagons onwards for a while, the front passengers sent them an abrupt message.
”Stop!”
They did just that. The others came up front, and immediately got the explanation. It looked like a large board formed a partition, blocking off the whole tunnel.
“Clearly, no trains have come this way lately. We’ve got to turn back.”
Paragon suspected something.
”Wait...”
”What now?”
”Turn down the lights in your headlamps. As much as you can.”
They did so.
”Look at the board. It’s really several board segments.”
Paragon pointed to the gaps between the boards. There was light coming through from the other side. In the dim light, they could all see it.
”Come on, let’s remove some of the boards.”
With a few pickaxes from the wagons, they made a hole in the wall, and there was indeed light on the other side. They removed so much that they could creep through, and gently slipped onwards.
“I don’t understand all this.”
“We’ll probably get an explanation soon.”
Chris was apprehensive once again.
“Or else we’ll be overpowered. I don’t think we should dare go further ahead.”
They didn’t need to come up with any new ideas, because suddenly, after a curve of the tracks, the tunnel opened up into a larger room, where there were four odd looking creatures. It was obvious that they were having a meal. An electrical appliance, of some sort, heated the food and the space.
“What do you want?”
The four creatures could at least see that the newcomers were not guards. Paragon checked the calibration of his transmutator. At that point, it had still not deciphered their language.
”Go away!”
One of the others protested.
”No, that won’t do.”
”Are you on the run, too?”
Finally, the transmutator had gotten enough information. Paragon responded to their outbursts, as it was apparent that it was a language they could all understand. Presumably, it was the one the security personnel used.
”Yes, we are escaped prisoners, and not the only ones. There is a major uprising of prisoners going on in the prison right now, and we’ve managed to get away.”
”Will you betray us?”
“What makes you think we would?”
“A reward’s been offered for our arrests.”
“So, you have been out of jail for a long time, then?”
“Yes, but we have not been able to escape. We were placed on Taurus X because we led revolts against dictatorships on our home planets.”
Maskyvir interrupted.
”Do you know about Flygamor?”
”Flygamor? Yes, he is the leader of the freedom struggle on the planet Gluvarp.”
Maskyvir stepped forward and raised his forepaw in greeting.
”My name is Maskyvir and I’m the leader of the group of Gluvarps here. We are also freedom fighters, and celebrate our leader, Flygamor. Greetings, freedom-loving rebels!”
The others raised their paws, too.
”Peace.”
”Peace.”
”Who are the others?”
”There’s a group of souls from the planet Earth and a drunken space captain named Lorkamel XXX.”
”Peace.”
They raised their hands and forepaws.
”How have you been able to survive here, outside the prison?”
”It may sound weird, but not all of the planet has been destroyed. We’ve managed to find enough food for the four of us. We are stealing electricity from the mine installation.”
Maskyvir was impressed with the urge for freedom from the four escaped prisoners.
”I can understand that you’d like to get out of here.”
”Yes, certainly. Do you know a way?”
Maskyvir turned to Lorkamel
”Can the Centennial Eagle manage to carry four more passengers?”
Lorkamel grunted affirmatively. He was not so drunk anymore.
”I guess so.”
”We plan to escape using Lorkamel’s spacecraft, which is stored over in the hangar at the other side of the mountain.”
”Then it's an uncertain path you have chosen.”
”I guess we must turn back and go along the track to the right until we get out of the mountain?”
One of the new freedom fighters shook his head. This negative sign was apparently used in more places in The Universe.
“Not possible! No train track going all the way through the mountain exists anymore.”
“Wasn’t ore previously brought over to be picked up at the hangar?”
“It’s possible. But that was a long time ago. The mining company terminated the concession as they had emptied the mine of all they deemed profitable. What the prisoners are extracting today is, for all intents and purposes, only work therapy, with the ore transported to a place near the current entrance. Having to carry the small load all the way through the mountain would be too cumbersome.”
“Then, what should we do?”
“We can accompany you through the mountain, so the trip will be shorter. But we must use a network of old mine tunnels only a few know about these days. It’s also because of them that we have been able to keep hidden for so long, since the current security personnel don’t know about the old pits. People who don’t know them thoroughly risk losing their way. But we know them well.”
The new additions to the group packed their few belongings having no difficulty leaving the old mine. Spirits were high with the prospect of perhaps resuming the fight for freedom on their respective planets. Lorkamel went around scowling. Maskyvir approached him.
”What's with you, Lorkamel? You should be delighted. You’ll support the liberation movements of up to several planets, not to mention soul management on Earth. You’ve most certainly never had a greater and more important mission.”
“That may well be. But it doesn’t change the fact that there will be thirteen beings on board. Unfortunately, there are dark prospects of it all going to pieces, and where some of those roughnecks come from it might even be Friday 13th. No, honestly speaking, I’m not happy about this whole arrangement, I'm most certainly not!”
”Now, don’t let this get to you, Old Bean. There may be even more of us before we take off. Otherwise, we’ll take one of the guards hostage, if that will make you happy.”
”Do you really think so?”
It seemed that Lorkamel XXX took that remark very seriously.
Chapter 26
CENTENNIAL EAGLE
”Where are we now?”
The growing traveling company, which now included the unlucky number of thirteen beings had passed through the underground for a long time, and Paragon needed an answer.
Their new companions had led the way, on a trip which had gone up and down, in and out, through the narrow and wide hallways of the underground. Some of these were dug by miners, while others had been left to them by nature.
They came to a place where they found remains of miners who died long ago.
”These are the oldest parts of the pits. Here, we often encounter this kind of debris.”
They stood still for a moment and took their helmets off. Some of them bowed their heads in respect. When one has been underground a while, and doesn’t know if he would ever come up to the surface again, he certainly would have heartfelt compassion for other creatures that had not made it out.
”The mining company Archelon Alchymist didn’t worry about the miners' safety nor the planet's condition. The only thing that mattered to them was a
s big a profit as possible, procured as fast as they could. That company has destroyed the living conditions on several planets.”
The next question was inevitable.
”Do we have far to go?”
”No, we’ll soon be there. But if you’d gone over the mountain you’d only be half way by now.”
”Maybe we should have chosen that way after all...”
Paragon glanced at a rickety support to the intricate tunnel where dust and sand sprinkled down while they passed.
”We probably shouldn’t walk so close together. On our way we induce vibrations and add additional load. It probably wouldn’t take much to trigger more collapses.”
”It doesn’t make much difference. What will happen, will happen.”
One of the fighters groaned as he scooped some sand to the side that had fallen down and only left a narrow passage. Before long, he had acquired so much new space that they all could get past.
Paragon noticed the remark. Also on other planets they apparently had the belief that there was a higher meaning to what happened. He was always sure to tell the same to the ones he came into contact with. It was just unfortunate that no one was able to see through the wisdom of that statement. For the most part these things were uttered, when there was much doubt about the meaningfulness of what had happened.
Paragon had learned to think like that. Still, was it actually true? Was it merely something you told frightened souls in desperation looking for a beacon of higher and more certain learning?
The only thing Paragon had been able to come up with was that forces of good were working for harmony and balance in life, perhaps on a universal scale. Still, it was hard to realize, if you, as an individual, had experienced a great personal accident, and were having difficulty seeing the point where there was a larger perspective to it all.
The same might be true about this strange mission imposed on him. What was the reason for preventing the transfer of soul material from somewhere in the universe to another place? They were all very likely part of a larger cosmic consciousness. And perhaps that energy and those resources could be used more effectively elsewhere in the universe, where there was a greater need for it. That was even a practice earlier accepted by the Soul Service itself.
Paragon- Ghost Hunters Page 21
