by C. G. Mosley
“I agree,” Hightower said. “I’ll do it.”
“No,” Roger said. “I don’t want you taking any unnecessary risks. I’ll take it to him.”
Captain Hightower pondered the statement before nodding. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Roger replied as he retrieved a new helmet to replace his damaged one. “I’ll get Drago suited up and we’ll be back here as fast as possible.”
Amus looked over at the captain and nodded, signaling that he agreed with the plan.
“Okay, but be quick,” Hightower replied.
Roger nodded and scooped up the duffel bag as he headed for the door. Once he was in the hallway, he paused and looked in both directions for any signs of Kaloian soldiers. He saw none but heard a multitude of footsteps echoing in the direction that went away from the hangar. Without wasting any more time, Roger began to walk briskly in the direction of the shuttle. Once in the hangar, he quickly noticed that many of the Kaloian diamond cutters were returning from their battle with the Comet fighters moments earlier. Roger wondered and hoped that all his pilots made it back safely, but he didn’t allow his mind to ponder on it for very long. He set his sights on the shuttle and, as discreetly as possible, made his way across the hangar and to the shuttle. Along the way he noticed many of the Kaloian fighters smoking with significant damage, and several of the pilots were receiving medical attention. The abundance of commotion was exactly what he needed to make his way to the shuttle unnoticed.
Once he arrived, the rear door slowly descended, and he quickly made his way on board.
“Took you long enough,” Drago said with annoyance.
Roger tossed him the bag. “Hurry up and get dressed or I’m leaving you here.”
The Bothian chuckled. “You will not,” he said as he removed his metallic tunic. “You need me a lot more than I need you.” He dropped the tunic and it clanged loudly on the floor. He then set about putting on the black Kaloian armor. It was a struggle for him to get his head through, but finally he prevailed.
As he dressed, Roger noticed a lot of scars across his muscular torso and wondered what the story was behind them.
A question for another day…he thought.
“My feet will not fit into these boots,” he grumbled tossing the Kaloian footwear aside.
“Your boots are black, they’ll have to do,” Roger said, anxiously. He looked out of the window and noticed things were beginning to calm down. This new development troubled him. “Hurry up,” he said, turning to observe Drago’s progress.
The reptilian humanoid was struggling to fasten his pants, but his waist was too big.
“Just leave them unsnapped and pull your shirt down over your waist,” Roger quipped. “Get your helmet on, we need to move.”
Drago snorted and snatched the helmet from the bag. Roger had to refrain from laughing as the Bothian struggled mightily to get his head inside. After a solid minute, he finally succeeded.
“I can barely move my mouth,” he said, clearly struggling to speak.
“That’s a good thing,” Roger said, and he motioned for Drago to follow him.
They quickly made their way out of the shuttle and began the trek back across the hangar. Along the way, they met two officers coming from the hallway. Roger noticed the older men eyeing them suspiciously.
“Stop,” one of them said, holding up a hand. “Where are you two going?”
Roger and Drago looked at each other and then back to the officers.
“We’re just—”
But Roger never got an opportunity to finish his sentence. Drago immediately reached out and grabbed both men by their heads. He then slammed their skulls together with enough force to knock each of the men out immediately. Blood began pouring from their nose and ears.
“What are you doing?” Roger asked, panicked. He was trying his best not to shout.
“Eliminating a threat,” Drago answered. “Isn’t that why you brought me along?”
Roger wanted to argue the matter further but knew there wasn’t any time.
“Help me,” he said, as he scooped the smaller officer under the arms and began to drag him away.
Drago in turn simply reached down with his right hand and grabbed the other officer by the front of his uniform. He picked him up off the ground like he was lifting a pail of water. Roger led him to the room where Captain Hightower and Amus were still waiting.
“What is this?” Hightower asked, shocked to see the unconscious officers.
Roger dragged the man to where the Kaloian soldier he’d knocked unconscious was lying and then dropped him. He noticed that the captain and Amus had tied up the soldier.
“They were a threat and I eliminated them,” Drago said proudly as he dropped his own Kaloian.
Captain Hightower whipped his head around to Roger. “What happened?”
Roger sighed and shook his head. “They confronted us on the way back and lizard-head here reacted before I could even speak to them.”
Hightower marched over to the large Bothian and pointed a finger in his chest. “You told us you’d engage the enemy when needed,” he growled. “Those were your words, correct?”
Drago’s face was hidden behind the dark visor of his helmet and Roger could only imagine the expression that must’ve appeared across his face. He figured the captain’s sudden anger and display of authority must’ve bewildered him, at least momentarily.
“Yes, I remember what I said,” he replied.
“Then think before you act!” Hightower scolded. “We will use your brute force when needed…as agreed.”
Drago nodded. “I understand,” he said in a low grumble. “I will be more cautious.”
Captain Hightower nodded. “Thank you,” he said before turning to Amus and Roger. “Now, as we planned, this is the point where we split up.”
Chapter 31
“Amus and I will make our way to the bridge,” Captain Hightower said. “Roger, you and Drago will go and retrieve Ralu.”
Roger nodded. However, though he knew this was part of the plan all along, something still troubled him. “Getting onto that bridge will be no easy task,” he said.
Hightower glanced over at him and he wished there was no visor hiding his expression. Roger desperately wanted to read his eyes. “Stellick, let Amus and I figure that out,” he said. “You and Drago focus on getting Ralu and getting back to the shuttle,” he paused and glanced at Drago. “Only fight when necessary.”
Drago nodded but growled softly.
“Make sure your comms are on, but keep them silent,” Hightower continued. “If you’re summoned, only communicate when it is safe to do so.”
Amus shifted his feet and looked nervous. Roger hoped he was up for the task.
“We’ll get your father,” he said, trying to ease the young Avaxian’s mind.
“Thank you Commander Stellick,” Amus replied softly.
Hightower glanced at his watch. “Both parties need to be back at the shuttle in no more than one hour whether we complete our respective tasks or not, is that clear?”
All of them nodded in agreement. “Very well,” the captain said. “Let’s get this done.”
Roger immediately summoned the navigational device strapped to his arm and pulled up the blueprints of the Polaris. Drago leaned in near him. “I think our best bet is to use the trash chute located at the end of this hallway,” he said. “It’ll be a straight shot down to the bottom deck and we will not have to worry about encountering any Kaloians.”
“You lead, and I’ll follow,” Drago said.
“Be careful, Stellick,” Hightower said as they all moved to the door.
“You too,” Roger said, snapping a quick salute to his captain.
***
As soon as Sabre landed back on board the Titan, he immediately began punching his console in frustration. Deck Chief Tim Reed noticed and quickly climbed a ladder to intervene.
“That’s enough,” he said, grabbing Sabre’s arm. �
�What happened?”
As he asked the question, three more Comets screamed into the hangar. Tim waited for the last one and when he realized it wasn’t coming, he suddenly understood.
“Who was it?” he asked softly.
Sabre removed his helmet and tossed it out of the cockpit. “Banshee,” he replied somberly. “She went down…crashed on Pana.”
Tim nodded and then climbed back down the ladder. He noticed Lauren West watching from a window of the lounge area. He motioned for her to come to him. Concerned something was wrong, Lauren ran into the hangar and Tim met her halfway.
“Go to him,” he whispered to her. “They lost one and he’s taking it hard.”
Lauren nodded as she took a deep breath. She then found herself glancing at the other pilots as they exited their own respective fighters. “What about everyone else?” she asked.
“I’ll handle them,” Tim answered. “You look after Sabre…do whatever you need to do to keep his head right. He could be called up again at any moment.”
Lauren nodded as she understood. She moved past Tim and approached Sabre’s Comet as he clambered out. When he saw her, he immediately collapsed into her arms.
Tim looked on as Lawyer, Cowboy, and Howler moved toward the lounge. All three of them looked as if they were in a trance, none of them speaking or even looking at one another. Colonel Madigan suddenly appeared from another entrance.
“They’re back,” he said, glancing at the recently landed Comets. “Did everyone come back?”
As he asked the question, he seemed to find the answer himself as he counted the fighters. His mouth dropped open. “Who didn’t make it back?” he asked in a voice just above a whisper.
“Merissa Voight,” Tim answered. “Banshee didn’t make it.”
Madigan sighed and closed his eyes tightly. He remained that way for several seconds before finally opening them again. The first thing he noticed was Sabre in an embrace with Lauren. He was clearly distraught. The other men were in the lounge and he could see them through the window. They were seated on chairs, their heads down, resting on the palms of their hands, elbows on their knees.
“I’ll call Dr. Holtz,” he said. “We’ll get her down here immediately.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Tim said. “We’ve lost too many pilots lately.”
“Any word on the shuttle?” Madigan asked, almost as an afterthought. “Did they make it?”
“I didn’t ask,” Tim said. “I guess you need to go find out, sir,” he added.
The colonel again glanced toward the pilots in the lounge and nodded slowly. “I’ll go talk to them,” he said.
Tim watched him walk away, obvious dread with every step he took.
***
When Roger and Drago stopped at the end of the hall in front of the garbage chute, they saw a soldier watching them from another adjoining hallway. Roger offered a slight wave to the Kaloian, and he stood there stupidly, wondering if they were about to be found out before they’d really even gotten started. The soldier returned a slight wave and then turned away from them.
“Okay, we go now,” Roger said, and without further hesitation, he tumbled backward through the plastic flaps that closed off the chute.
As he fell downward, he immediately pushed out his hands and feet against the walls on either side of him to slow his fall. The bottom deck was only two down from where they’d started. Within seconds he’d reached the end of the chute and he came to a smooth stop, barely making a sound on top of the vast pile of trash. He looked up and his eyes widened as he noticed the large Bothian tumbling toward him with little effort to slow his descent at all. Roger had to push his back against the wall behind him to avoid being crushed as Drago slammed into the trash with enough force to almost disappear completely.
“Are you alright?” Roger asked, as he fell to his knees to try and pull Drago from his buried state.
“Of course, I’m fine,” Drago answered, and he began thrashing and tearing his way up and out of the hold he now found himself in.
The environment smelled terrible and with Drago now free, Roger wasted no time searching for the way out. The two of them had fallen into a vast pit of garbage, but as he peered across the pile, he noticed a large portion of the pit that wasn’t covered in trash at all. There were windows and a door on the wall opposite of where they currently were. Roger crawled and rolled his way across the pile until he finally made his way to solid ground again. Drago followed and soon joined Roger just as he reached the door.
Roger pulled up the blueprints of their current floor and was relieved to find that the brig was only two doors down from where they currently were.
“Makes sense,” Drago muttered. “They keep all of their garbage close together on the same deck.”
Roger glanced at the button next to the door and considered it a moment. There was no window so there would be no way to see if there were any Kaloian soldiers on the other side. When he pushed that button, they’d be committed to advancing no matter who or what was on the other side.
“I’m going to go first,” Roger said, turning to Drago. “Go ahead and pull your hand cannon in case there is trouble, but don’t come out of here until I signal it’s safe to do so.”
Drago nodded and immediately retrieved his weapon. “I’m ready,” he growled.
Without mulling the situation further, Roger pushed the button and the metal door slid away to reveal another hallway. Roger stepped out slowly and looked in both directions.
“We’re clear,” he said, motioning for Drago to follow.
The large Bothian returned his weapon to its holster and followed Roger further down the hallway. They finally reached the door to the bridge, and beside it there was a window with bars across it and a Kaloian soldier seated behind it. He was short and dumpy with no helmet to reveal his face. His hair appeared wet and was slicked back. There was a tiny mustache above his lips.
“Can I help you?” he asked, very non-chalantly from behind the bars.
“Yes,” Roger replied, doing his best to sound official. “Due to the recent attack, the captain has requested that we transport the prisoner Ralu for questioning.”
The Kaloian looked taken aback. “Transport him where?”
“Not sure,” Roger answered confidently. “We were ordered to transport him to the top deck where we will hand him over to the captain’s custody. There seems to be suspicion that the Avaxians were behind the attack and the captain wants to question Ralu immediately.”
Roger glanced slightly to the left and noticed another guard standing behind the door. He was armed, and he was listening intently to the conversation.
“Everything you just said goes completely against every protocol I’ve been given with regards to transporting prisoners,” the Kaloian said, and Roger looked on in horror as he reached for what appeared to be some sort of phone. “Let me call the bridge and confirm this with my superiors before I just hand him over,” he said.
“No!” Roger said, a little louder than he expected.
The man glared at him, narrowing his eyes. “Who are you?” he asked, suddenly sounding very skeptical.
“Drago, there is one behind the door!” Roger shouted as he quickly reached between the bars and jerked the Kaloian forward, slamming his bare forehead hard into the metal. He immediately went limp, and Roger released him. The unconscious man collapsed to the floor.
At exactly the same time, Drago raised his large foot and pushed through the metal door with a tremendous amount of force. The door projected inward and crushed the other guard against the wall, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. The armored Kaloian soldier pushed the door aside and raised his plasma rifle at Drago’s chest. The Bothian leaped at him, twisted the rifle free, and then grabbed the Kaloian by the back of the head. With a quick motion he thrust the man downward, face first onto the metal floor. The Kaloian’s helmet clanged loudly and bounced off the floor, but the blow was obviously hard enough to render him
unconscious.
“Nice work,” Roger said, placing a hand on Drago’s shoulder.
He moved past him toward another door and grabbed his hand cannon. “Alright, another door…there may be more guards on the other side,” he said, looking again at Drago. “You ready?”
Drago nodded, his large helmet bobbing slightly.
Roger pushed the button and as the door slid open, they encountered a corridor with four holding cells on either side. At the end of the corridor was yet another guard. As soon as he saw Roger and Drago, he raised his plasma rifle.
“Drop it!” Roger shouted.
“Who are you?” the guard shouted back, clearly confused to see individuals dressed in Kaloian armor invading the brig.
“Put down the weapon!” Roger ordered fiercely.
Drago moved past him and snatched the rifle away. He then grabbed the Kaloian by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
“Where is Ralu?” he hissed.
The guard clawed at Drago’s hand, desperately trying to pull his large fingers away. He tried to speak but was unable to formulate words.
“He can’t talk with you cutting off his airway,” Roger said as he stood next to him.
“Excuse me,” a voice called out from behind one of the nearby holding cells.
Each cell had a large door with a small opening where food trays could be given and received. The opening had a small flap over it that could be slid open. Roger noticed one of them open and a blue hand was protruding out.
“I am Ralu,” the voice said.
Roger hurried to the cell door and pushed the button that opened the door. An Avaxian man that looked eerily like Amus—yet older—stepped forward and smiled, revealing two rows of pointy teeth.
“Thank you,” he said. “Are you Kaloian rebels?”
Roger looked at Drago and then back to Ralu. “Who, us?” he asked. “Absolutely not…but we are here to help you escape.”
The guard that Drago was holding continued to struggle and gasp for air.
“Drago, put him in the cell,” Roger said, pointing at the open door.
