I zoomed in on the Green as he waved his arms. "The legends say they are only slightly slower than us, but of equal strength. I suppose it doesn't hurt to tell you now, but our women are the warriors of our species. My wife can do to me what I just did to you."
Garrett lowered his scope. "Are the Green women the same?"
"No. Their women are the much fairer gender. Their men treat them more like slaves than partners."
Garrett again observed. "So, how do we grab him?"
"How many workers are there?"
Garrett counted. "I've seen seven. I would have to guess that there is a pilot on there as well."
I lowered my scope. "Aside from killing him, which does us no good, there is one sure way to disable him."
"What's that?"
I shook my head. "Why do I feel like I'm giving away all of my secrets today?"
Garrett reached over and slapped me on the back. "Sometimes you just have to put trust and faith in those around you. Tell me what you've got."
I hesitated for several seconds. "It's not that I don't trust you, Garrett Rourke. It's that I don't trust those who would capture and torture you. You would reveal my secrets if sufficiently pressured."
Garrett pulled back. "Would you stop with all your lamenting and just get on with it! Tell me what we can do to disable that Green."
"It's Grunta physiology," I said. "We have a large bundle of nerves in the center of our armpits. Our shoulders can take a severe beating because of it. Up under the arm, it takes only moderate pressure to disable us with pain. Something as simple as jamming your thumb up in there would do it. You want to incapacitate a Grunta for five minutes or so, you target that nerve bundle."
Garrett nodded. "OK. Now, how do we get up under his arm when he's wearing a battle-suit?"
I raised my arm. "What do you see?"
Garrett poked. "I see an extra reinforced plate is what I see. That'll to be difficult to penetrate."
I moved back down the stairs. "Come with me."
I walked to the barracks building where we had first come across the two dead Greens. "There. We have the upper half of that battle-suit to practice on. Let's figure out how to get through that plate. We do that and we have subdued our Green."
After an hour of experimenting it was determined that an ion bolt from Garrett's pistol, set at the lowest power setting, would blow the reinforced plate off the suit. With luck, the concussion would also immobilize the Green. With none, I would have to apply pressure manually. Our new problem would be getting the Green separated from his workers.
We returned to our observation point on the stairwell. "It looks as though they have completed their unloading. I believe they are beginning to assemble whatever that structure is."
Garrett peered through his scope. "Interesting, it looks like some sort of inflatable building. If my guess is right, they would be able to fit that entire shuttle in there when they are done. I have to wonder if they are preparing to rebuild this outpost. It would give them a place to dock those big ships without having to mess around with the atmosphere."
I replied, "What would be the need? Why would you not just take those ships down to the surface. They would certainly be capable of doing that."
Garrett nodded. "I would agree. But trying to get one of those behemoths out of that gravitational pull and away from that atmosphere might be viewed as a vulnerability. Fighting in space is all about being able to maneuver. Down on that planet their size would work against them."
Garrett continued several seconds later. "Ah, here we go. They are setting up a platform with a table next to the shuttle. If the others are assembling that structure, that will give us about a hundred meters of separation. If we can knock him behind that platform, we can have at him. The others won't see a thing."
I shook my head. "If I come from around the other side of that shuttle, he will see me and react before I reach him. I can't come over the top. I would be too exposed to the workers."
Garrett smiled. "Sounds like you need a distraction. Could you take him down from around the other side if I had his attention?"
"I suppose I could. That distance would only require two to three seconds. Are you sure you would want to be a potential target for that length of time?"
Garrett smirked. "I don't have to draw fire, just his attention. I think I can handle that."
With our plan firmed up, we waited for an opportunity to present itself. Garrett moved to a location that would allow him to approach the Green from behind. I positioned myself for a sprint to the opposite side of the shuttle, followed by a dash around the end for a confrontation with our target.
Garrett signaled that he was ready to go. "When I step out from behind this wall, that's your cue to start your sprint. When you hear me yell, that's when I should have his attention."
I replied, "Just make sure he is turned in your direction. If he draws on me I will have to kill him."
In a nervous move, Garrett cleared his throat. "OK, I'm going out. The workers are all on the other side of the materials. Looks like they are engrossed in what they are doing."
I stopped beside the shuttle. "I'm in position. You say when."
Garrett set his blaster to minimum. "Got it. When you hear 'go,' come running. If he doesn't turn, I'll yell 'stop.'"
I walked to within twenty meters of the platform that held the Green and turned up the volume on my external speaker.
"Hey!" I yelled out, preparing for a reaction.
The Green didn't move.
I said, "What's happening?"
Garrett replied in a frantic voice. "He didn't turn!"
Garrett again yelled out. "Hey you!"
Again the Green did not react.
"What are you doing? We are exposed!" I said.
Garrett replied: "Get ready. Don't wait for me to say 'go.' Just come when you hear or feel the rumble."
"What are you doing?" I said with an angered voice.
Garrett laughed apprehensively. "Here goes!"
I felt the ground rumble. I sprinted around the tail end of the shuttle, pushing hard with every muscle I had. When I reached the back of the ramp, the platform came into view. It had collapsed.
Garrett yelled over the comm. "The Green is down! Grab the pilot!"
As I brought myself to a stop, Garrett was standing over the Green Grunta. A pole from the collapsed platform was jammed up under his arm, sticking out through his shoulder. The Green was out cold.
Garrett pointed at the shuttle ramp. "Go! Grab the pilot. I got this!"
I turned and raced up the ramp just in time to catch the pilot as he was coming out to see what had happened.
I raised my blaster. "Turn off your comm or I'll kill you right here!"
The Grumar pilot nodded, flipping a switch on the side of his helmet.
"Come with me," I said.
The pilot followed.
The workers, at the distance they were, had not taken notice of the raid. I hustled the pilot back to a stairwell as Garrett dragged the Green behind him. We were soon out of sight, and within minutes, the two captives were aboard the Jess.
I gestured with my blaster. "Take that suit off and give it to me."
The pilot complied.
I took the pilot's gear and tossed it down the ramp. "That's all we can do for now. I need to get us out of here before any alarms go up."
I removed the Green's helmet and set it to the side.
I turned to Garrett and nodded. "I've got these two. I don't see much blood with the Green, which is a good sign. How did you manage to get that pole up under his arm?"
Garrett laughed. "I yelled at him twice! He wouldn't turn around, so I figured I could get his attention by shooting that platform! What are the odds that a support pole would go exactly where we wanted it to? I mean, the odds of that are incalculable."
I replied, "I'll take all the luck we can get and not complain. Now, just get us out of here!"
I looked at the naked pilot
. "You have a name?"
The pilot nodded. "Gasua Mont."
The Jess lifted off the Doomlight moon and was quickly away before any alarm sounded.
Garrett turned around after setting several waypoints on the nav computer. "I've got nothing following us and we are pulling away fast. I can't believe that worked!"
Garrett looked at the Grumar pilot. "Can I guess that those are your private parts you are covering with your hands?"
The pilot slowly nodded.
Garrett snarked. "Well, good, if you want to keep them, you'll cooperate fully. Understand?"
Again, a slow nod came in response.
I rolled the Green up on his side. "Give me a hand with restraining his arms. We'll move him into your bunk once that's done. We can remove his suit, except for the shoulder piece. That's pinned on him right now. You, Gasua, give us a hand at moving this guy. I'll give you some clothes when we're done. I'd rather not have to look at you and I'm sure you don't want to be looked at either."
Several minutes passed before we emerged from Garrett's cabin. The Green had been sufficiently restrained, with the majority of his armor removed. Garrett forfeited a set of clothes to the pilot.
I had Gasua sit on the floor just behind the cockpit, his hands restrained behind him.
Garrett grinned as he looked down at the pilot. "Gasua, have you ever been tortured?"
I gave him a disturbed look.
Garrett smirked. "What? It's just a simple question."
Gasua volunteered an answer. "No. I have not ... been tortured."
Garrett smiled. "Good. So, we are going to ask questions, you are going to answer those questions. And I want you to keep in mind: that rampway behind you, I can lower it at any time. Have you ever been spaced, Gasua?"
The nervous pilot shook his head. "I don't know what I can tell you that is of value. I'm just a shuttle pilot. I keep to my own business."
Garrett nodded. "OK, well, we all try to do that. You can't help but know some things; you need that to perform your job. Plus everyone is a little curious—you hear things, you talk to your friends, you see bits of charts or plans that you then piece together in your mind. But that's OK, we all do it. You, Gasua, are now going to tell us what you know. And that Green in there, he will be talking next."
Gasua shook his head. "The Grotus will not answer your questions, but I will."
Garrett looked over at me. "Interesting. So, you, a Grumar, answer to the Grotus?"
Gasua nodded as he gazed intently at me. "Why would we not? The Grotus are our gods."
Garrett rolled his eyes. "Great. Looks like we have a species that will do anything for their overlords."
Garrett turned back to the pilot. "If the Grotus are your gods, why is one of them lying back there under our compete control? And why are you answering our questions?"
Gasua gestured towards me. "Because another is here in front of me. I will do as commanded."
Garrett let out a modest laugh.
I turned to face Garrett. "What? You thought that was funny?"
Garrett shook his head. "No. Just ironic. I think what Mr. Mont is saying is that he will truthfully answer whatever question we ask. Why don't I begin. Mr. Mont. How many planets are in the Grotus empire?"
Gasua replied: "The Grand Duration, if we count the two Moddle worlds that have recently been captured, numbers seventy-nine."
I continued, "The soldiers that have been coming to this planet, where are they now?"
Gasua took a breath. "The Moddle soldiers have been taken to the Bilotha worlds to fight. There are seven worlds there. I do not have knowledge of how the war goes, other than that we are making progress. The Alliance soldiers are fighting on the Moddle worlds. Their origins have yet to be located, however. When they are, they too will become subjects of the Grotus."
"And the Grumar, how do they fit in the Grand Duration?" I asked.
Gasua replied, "We are the keepers of the worlds. We are the chosen race. The Grotus selected us to rebuild the captured worlds to their vision. All who oppose are sent off to fight for the Duration."
Garrett raised his hand. "What about the Doomlighters?"
Gasua nodded. "The Doomlighters resisted, but many would not fight. They were terminated."
Garrett leaned back. "That is not going to be good news for the one we captured. Gasua, the moon, what were the work crews constructing?"
Gasua replied, "The building was to be the first of many. The moon base was to be reconstructed so that the planet below could be repopulated by citizens of the Duration."
I cut in. "Let's go back to the Doomlighters. So, they were eliminated? Are you saying that all of them were eliminated?"
Gasua nodded. "Yes. Those who would fight, fought and died, those who would not were exterminated."
"I have a question for you," Garrett said. "How many Grotus are there?"
Gasua replied, "There are over fourteen million now. When they first came to us more than three hundred years ago, their number was just under fifty thousand."
Garrett continued, "So, these fifty thousand, you just accepted them as gods?"
Gasua shook his head. "No. There was a great battle. The fifty thousand defeated an army of nearly two billion. The Illumination, as the war has come to be called, lasted for nearly fifteen years. The Grotus are fierce warriors, we could not match their strength or skill on the battlefield. Their weapons were superior, their tactics and strategies superior, they were superior, and now we serve them and we prosper."
Garrett crossed his arms. "Before the Grotus came, was the Grumar empire prosperous, were you an aggressive species?"
Gasua replied, "We were prosperous, yes. We had an empire of twenty-six worlds. It was not formed through aggression, but through trade. Our military did well against the pirates who would prey on our trade routes, but no hostile empires threatened us. The Grotus have since shown us the way. The Duration is strong and growing. Other empires fear, because they do not understand the enlightenment that the Grotus bring to us. Though it does not matter. Eventually they all understand."
Garrett half laughed. "Except the Doomlighters, they apparently just didn't get it."
Gasua nodded. "That was an unfortunate outcome for them. All they had to do was accept that which is ordained by the Grotus and they would have lived and prospered."
I leaned in. "What are the star coordinates of the Duration worlds? Do you have them memorized? What region of space do they occupy?"
Gasua answered the question in fine detail. The capital world was Mayanis. Only Grotus were allowed. The Grumar took orders for goods which were delivered to an orbiting station before the Grotus transported them to the surface.
Our questioning of the Grumar pilot continued for hours. He was completely open with his answers, offering whatever assistance he could to the god who sat before him. It was his duty, he was bound to do so.
The Grotus remained unconscious. We began to fear that his injury was more severe than it appeared. There was little sign of blood and no other sign of injury.
With the hours of the standard day coming to an end, I gave Garrett the first shot at taking the rest he had attempted several days before. As he slept, I watched over our prisoners.
Chapter 22
Upon arrival back at the portal gate area, Gasua was transferred to a holding cell while the Green was taken to a medical lab. I stood watch as the ship's surgeon removed the Green's remaining body armor, followed by the platform pole. The Green's arm was permanently damaged, but he would live. As our captive began to come to, I left the room.
Garrett was standing outside. "You got out of there in a hurry. What gives?"
"I do not want the Green to know that the Grays live. They would turn all of their energies towards our elimination. I need to return to warn our people of their existence. We must prepare."
Garrett glanced around the corner into the room. "He's groggy but awake. You are really taking this Green thing seriously, aren't yo
u?"
I nodded. "Our knowledge is limited to an oral history of our beginnings. One that was passed down from each generation to the next. All of the accounts of the Greens speak of the atrocities they committed against our people. We could have lived peacefully with them but they had nothing but raw hatred for us. It's better that they not know of our existence."
Garrett winced as a commotion erupted in the medical recovery room. "Whoa. I'd say he is fully awake now, and he is not happy. I thought those restraints you insisted on were a little overkill. Now I'm not so sure they are adequate."
"They will hold."
Once the Green settled down, Garrett pulled his head back. "Are we ready to start with our questions?"
I shook my head. "You may try, but I have to believe the Green will answer no questions."
Garrett half laughed. "That coming from the creator of Reactionary Psychology or whatever it was."
I thought for a moment. "Are you suggesting we might derive the answers to our questions by having the green react to our suggestions?"
Garrett smiled. "Sure, if that works. You feed me your suggestions over the comm and I will try for a good reaction. Should we get started now?"
I nodded. "It would be best. The longer he sits there, the better mentally prepared he will be for your questions."
Garrett glanced back around the corner. "Are there any truth drugs we can administer? Anything that will make him groggy and talkative?"
I shook my head. "No. My people do not get loose tongues when under the influence of those types of substances. If we feel out of sorts, we no longer talk. The same goes for torture."
Garrett half smiled as he continued to watch the Green. "Remind me to never be your enemy. I don't think I would like it. If you're ready, we can get started."
I nodded. "I'll be in the adjacent room watching on a holo-display. I'll feed you questions or statements that should elicit reactions. Feel free to add any of your own if you believe it will help. Our goal is getting information. We want to know all we can about the Greens and their interactions with the Alliance. What relationship do they have with us? Why are our people being sent off to fight the Moddles?"
OMEGA Allegiance Page 21
