The one to the left had only one single but very large golden medal on his chest while the other featured a jingling array of at least two dozen smaller ones.
The one with the large single medal spoke first. “I do not see the Ninety or the Galvanizer, instead I am seeing off-world business people. Why are you harassing them? Have you not promised me the heads of these instigators tonight? Where are they?”
The Thauran lost some of his arrogance at this harangue address of what must have been high-ranking members of the government or military. He made a sweeping gesture toward us. “We followed the rebellion leaders to that tavern and found a regular ‘who’s who’ of the worst space scum. These are the most wanted pirates in the known Galaxy, Your Excellency. Sending them in chains to Union authorities would not only immensely improve relations but fill your state coffers with lots of Union credits, enough to pay our fees and keep a tidy profit.”
The Drak lowered his voice and said, “We have retained your services as you claimed you and your mercenary outfit could solve the rebel and terrorist problem for us. What you present us with are not terrorists and, unlike the rebels, we do not care for Union relations. We are independent friends of the Karthanian Conglomerate. Release these business people at once and show us the captured or dead rebel leaders you claimed you followed. This is why I personally came out here tonight.”
The mercenaries slowly lowered their weapons and the Red Dragon said, “This is not enough, Your Excellency. You can be certain the Hull Maker Guild will hear of this.”
The Drak leader said, “Is it not enough that I myself come out here in the middle of the night. I might just act on the mercenaries’ recommendation and the Hull Builders Guild will never hear—”
Something very fast was streaking through the cold night air and a thing that looked like a gray jellyfish with bat wings smacked into the face of the Thauran, making a wet sound.
Someone yelled, “Megdohrs! They are using Megdohrs, run!”
More of these flying creatures attacked the same way, hissing fast through the air and attaching themselves to the heads of their victims. Two more mercenaries and the pirate woman went down.
Har-Hi saved my life as he, with incredible speed and skill, drew his swords and cut one of these creatures in half just before it reached me.
One of the things collided with the second metal-jingling Drak, the one who had not spoken so far, and the stalk-eyed alien dropped to the ground; the flying animal covered much of his head, making sucking noises. Only now I drew my blaster, cursing my own slowness, and burned several of the flying creatures to atomic ashes.
Before I could really find my bearings and make a decision not based on pure reflexes, I saw black plum-sized bugs crawling all over the ground and now I noticed least a dozen of them were already crawling up my legs. The Seth gloves I wore proved to be the best defense against those crawling pests because as soon as I touched the insects, they crumbled to dust. Everyone was stomping and trying to brush off the bugs. One of the mercenaries managed to activate his force field. It was too late as several bugs were already inside his field and one of them drew blood as it sunk its finger-long pincers into the flesh of the mercenary’s face.
I started to brush off the bugs that crawled on Har-Hi, but there were so many.
Har-Hi yelped in pain as he pulled one of the insects from his face, ripping a sizable piece of skin with it.
I could feel their thin legs all over my back. I could not risk using the Seth gloves on Har-Hi higher up or on myself. I still didn’t know exactly how the gloves killed and the black mist they emitted was not controllable and would certainly kill him or me if it made contact with our skin. My mind was racing while I kept brushing more bugs off me.
A voice in the distance yelled with magnified volume, “Freedom for Ithe and death to the oppressors and lackeys of the Karthanians!”
The voice came from somewhere outside this mad circle hidden in the tall grass.
As I looked around, I saw someone’s head just above the tall grass against the darker background and I was almost certain this being was the source of the attack. I took a whole second to aim, disregarding the crawling sensation of dozens of bugs all over me and fired.
The black bugs lost their determined aggressive behavior. Whoever I’d shot had somehow controlled these insects. My blaster shot had also started a fast-spreading fire, thankfully moving away from us. I heard and saw beings screaming and consumed by the roaring fire.
Only Har-Hi and I, one mercenary, the Red Dragon, and one of the Drak remained alive.
Har-Hi was bleeding from dozens of small wounds in his face as he pulled the last bug from his neck. I noticed the thin leather of my suit was shredded in many places, revealing the fine Ultronit mesh underneath. The bugs were no longer crawling with determination to attack; they had quite clearly lost whatever controlled them before, and now it was easy to use the blasters to burn a wide section around us. It all had only lasted perhaps two or three minutes at the most but I had to admit the sudden attack had been overwhelming and confusing. I took a deep breath.
The remaining Drak, the one with the big medal, said, “That was the work of the Instigators. They use all kinds of modified and genetically altered alien horrors, like the Megdohrs, or that new black crawling bug horror, most likely also found in the holds of ancient wrecks and scrap ships. You have saved my life and perhaps burned the leaders of this terror group themselves. I am the High Magistrate. Defender of Order and Giver of Law.” He turned without waiting for any response from me and said to the remaining mercenary, “You and your outfit proved more of a nuisance than a help.” He raised his weapon and shot the man point blank in the head!
I said to Har-Hi, “Let us go back to the shuttle so we can get you to sickbay.”
Har-Hi did not have to be told twice; he started walking immediately.
The Red Dragon’s outer garments were as shredded as mine. It was apparent that the bugs were able to penetrate his suit where Shea had cut it. The tape he had used to make repairs was torn and he was bleeding from many small wounds where the bugs had shredded his mask, exposing his blue skin as well.
He was catching up to us as we stepped back on the street before the tavern and he said, “I am going back inside the tavern to check on the others. I’ll call you tomorrow and give you an update.”
As I watched him go inside while we walked toward our shuttle parked nearby, I had to admit I was too uninformed and ignorant about the local conditions. I scolded myself for not doing more research before coming here. I came here thinking Itheamh was a solid and stable society, albeit oppressed and basically an outpost of the Karthanian.
From what Har-Hi and I experienced, it was anything but stable and there was much going on. I promised myself never to set foot on a planet again before preparing myself with the necessary knowledge.
Before we could reach our shuttle, we were intercepted by two Ithe soldiers or policemen, who stepped in our way and one of them said, “The High Magistrate wishes that you remain for a few moments longer to witness what happens to those who aide and support terrorists.” They were very polite, but their stance and the way they held their weapons made it clear that this was more than a request.
I was more than just annoyed, and on the verge of wrapping those blasters around the short necks of these potato-faced natives and telling them just how much I appreciated the local conditions, but I tempered myself and my own impulsive behavior, knowing full well that this was the real reason we were still here and in this situation in the first place.
Har-Hi and I watched as heavy-armored troop transporters rolled in on the road coming from the nearby city, unloading several platoons of armed soldiers. Hovering flyers bathed the area with glaring floodlights. The local troops broke into nearby houses and dragged civilians out into the street at gunpoint.
The Drak leader with the big medal appeared, now standing on a hover platform, and addressed the gaggle of frightene
d and dazed-looking civilians, most of them in their sleep wear, with a stern and accusatory tone through a volume amplifier. “Citizens of Itheamh, you all know about the terrible crimes committed by Instigators and you know how many innocent workers died in their cowardly attacks!”
He made an artful pause and then leaned forward. “Harboring, aiding, and hiding terrorists is as much a crime as joining them.” He made a gesture toward a small group of Ithe locals. I noticed the tavern owner among them. “Thanks to the quick calls of outstanding citizens and the help of our brave security soldiers, we were almost successful in capturing some of the most wanted terrorists. I, your chosen leader, am out here in the middle of the night to fight for your safety and it was during my tireless pursuit of peace and security that an attempt on my life was made.”
He raised his arms. “Thanks to my heroic struggle and the interference of off-world visitors, the foul attempt was thwarted. Several terrorists could be neutralized.” Now he pointed his finger toward the small crowd of locals that had been driven out of their homes. “I was chosen to lead our civilization and to guard it against all external and internal threats. Therefore, I must make hard decisions to defend our way of life and make sure our Karthanian friends, who are so close, know they can depend on us.”
He raised his arms in a theatrical fashion and his voice became thundering loud as he looked directly into the cam-bots. “These criminals you see before me have been found guilty of collaborating with the terrorists. What will transpire next must serve as a warning to all those who think about collaborating with the terrorists.”
I knew something bad would happen, and I prepared myself. My stomach cramped to a tight knot as I saw the soldiers lining up women and children and, after receiving a hand sign from the Magistrate, opened fire, shooting the helpless with their blasters. I saw women trying to shelter their children from the crackling energy blasts; heard the pleas for mercy, and could smell the burned flesh as the smoke wafted into our direction moments later.
I had prepared myself for something bad to happen, but I never thought they would actually execute helpless mothers and children.
I felt dirty and as guilty as that murdering coward on that hover platform. I was there, and I did nothing to prevent the slaughter. I expected them to be arrested or punished in some form, but not this. Evil had taken on an entire new meaning for me and it had a face.
Numb with a new feeling of anger, I watched on. The Drak soldiers had spared the lives of the men and despite their inhuman faces, their faces were not alien to me. I felt and saw incomprehensible agony as they had to witness their wives and children executed in such open brutality. No, it was not a new feeling. I recognized that pain and helpless rage. I had felt it the night my father killed my mother.
The men were shackled and herded to a waiting transport. There were two Karthanians by the transport and with them was the Red Dragon. I was certain I knew where these men would go, to the Smelter Moons.
The Magistrate was still spewing propaganda from his hover platform and into the optics of the hover cams.
The old Eric Olafson would not have let this happen; he would have pulled that magistrate off his platform and tried to prevent the slaughter or avenged the deed by making them all pay. It was very likely that the old Eric would have eventually been shot, maybe herded along with the other men to the Smelter Moons and most certainly compromised his mission. Now I stood there doing nothing. I wondered if my old ways weren’t preferable. They certainly would not make me feel as guilty as I felt now.
Har-Hi had no telepathic abilities but he was very intuitive as he said, “You haven’t changed all that much; we are here because a certain friend of mine had to run after some shadowy figures.”
“How could you know what I was thinking? I wear a mask and you can’t read minds,” I said to him.
“I can read your body language and I think I know you pretty well, captain.”
“You most certainly do.”
The soldiers who blocked our way to our shuttle stepped aside and one of them said, “It is nice to see Ithe justice done, is it not? That will teach those criminals a lesson!”
It was only because Har-Hi held me by the shoulder and used his Dai strength to pull me back that I didn’t kill that soldier right there and then. The soldier took several steps back.
Even though I was wearing a mask, the solider must have seen my feelings in my eyes and he backed up even further. “We don’t like off-worlders making trouble or collaborating with the terrorists; this was meant as a warning!”
Har-Hi said with intense urgency, “Captain, we need to go! This has nothing to do with us and is a local affair. You are needed on the ship right now.”
“Yes, you are right of course. I have seen all I want to see of this miserable place.”
While I followed Har-Hi to our shuttle, I wondered if there was a nice, normal planet outside of the Union at all. So far, every place I visited outside Union Space seemed a variation of Hell and severely flawed.
Har-Hi pulled me back to reality as he opened the airlock to the shuttle and whispered to me, “There is someone or something hiding underneath the shuttle. It moved as we approached.”
All I could think of was that someone was attaching something nasty to the shuttle hull. I dropped to my knees, drawing my weapon at the same time, ready to make this the last moment in that someone’s life.
There, between the landing gear of the shuttle, huddled an Ithe female with two children. Even though they had non-Human faces, I could clearly sense their fear.
At the same time, I heard the crunching sound of soldiers’ boots coming closer. There was no way I would let them be captured and shot, even if it meant to risk the mission, my career, or my life. I got up and turned toward the soldiers approaching with their weapons ready. I was ready to kill them when Har-Hi said, “Did you find that polo coin you dropped?”
I relaxed my stance and acted as if I had something in my hand and said, “Yes, and it was a full weight, too.”
This again showed just how well Har-Hi knew me.
The soldiers, however, lowered their guns and one of them said, “A full weight is a full weight and worth picking up.” His partner nodded and they went on walking past us.
I said to Har-Hi quietly, “There is a mother and her kids hiding.”
Har-Hi pushed the contact to lower the short access ramp. “How do we get them in the shuttle without anyone seeing them? There are still lots of soldiers around.”
Looking around, I said, “We need some sort of diversion.”
He smiled. “I think I can manage that.” My Dai friend raised his arm and a short barrel popped up from his wrist gauntlets. A sharp plopping sound was heard and a heartbeat later the ArtiGrav of a security skimmer about 200 meters away exploded, sending the skimmer crashing to the ground. The soldiers and pretty much everyone else were looking or running toward the burning wreck.
I dropped to my knees. “Woman, take your kids and enter the shuttle as fast as you can. Don’t hesitate and don’t ask questions if you want your kids to live.”
I don’t know if she understood what I said, so I yelled again and pointed my gun at her. This time, she reacted and crawled from underneath the shuttle. After a second of hesitation, she rushed inside, dragging her kids along.
Har-Hi and I were right behind her. I yelled, “Get us out of here as fast as you can, Har-Hi.”
My friend started the engines and flooded the ArtiGrav cushion before he was even completely seated.
One of the soldiers had turned and I was certain he had seen the woman getting in as he raised his weapon. I fired and my blast nailed him right between the eyes.
Seconds later, Har-Hi pulled the shuttle into a steep climb into the sky. I was holding onto the frame of the still-open airlock, having my blaster in the other hand ready to fire at anyone else trying to prevent us from leaving.
The climb was sudden and steep; the woman must have lost hold of o
ne of her kids as it tumbled past me. I already saw it falling to its death. I was unable to prevent the fall, or reach it fast enough. The kid slipped across the edge of the ramp, less than a centimeter from my outstretched hand. I could not let this happen, not another child, then suddenly I could feel the small body of the child as if I was holding it, yet I was not touching the child. Whatever it was, the child stopped moving right past the very edge of the boarding ramp.
I dropped the gun and activated the closing mechanism. The ramp came up, and I lurched forward to grab the child. Holding the little being with one hand, I held on to the edge of the ramp with all the strength I could muster. Both the acceleration and the gale force wind tried to brush me off.
Only after the ramp finally sealed with the hull of the shuttle did I let go. I leaned against the ramp and took a deep breath. The woman was on her knees, holding her second child with one arm. Her alien eyes were wide open, her other arm still stretched out for the other child.
I got up and handed her the sobbing infant. She embraced it and buried her face in the bundle, crying and sobbing hysterically. All I could think of doing was putting my hand on her shoulders.
Cateria, with a totally uncharacteristic warm smile on her face, handed the older kid a sparkle bright candy.
Only after the big-eyed mother nodded did it take the offered candy and unwrap it.
My CMO had a reputation of being unable to show positive emotions and many considered her arrogant and cold. I knew she could have that effect, especially since she considered almost everyone primitive and far below Seenian development. Once I got to know her better, I knew much of her Seenian arrogance was gone, but she kept a small remnant of it to remind her of her own long-lost civilization and perhaps as a shield to not let anyone get too close to the vulnerable woman she was underneath it all.
She was an excellent physician, trained and educated by the Seenian civilization, and everyone aboard respected her deeply but she rarely smiled. To see her stern features transformed like that was a little side note in the current events but I found it noteworthy nevertheless.
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7 Page 135
