“There is no sense arguing about it,” Sand said. “I have decided. I listened to you once, and it proved successful. I do not care to take a second gamble, especially as there is no pressing reason why I should do so.”
“Okay,” I said through a tight throat. “So what’s your dilemma?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“I guess so,” I said. “You want me to tell you what happened here before you off me?”
“On no account,” Sand said, “as I would not believe a word of your story. Your sense of self-survival would surely cause you to lie in some fashion. No. I must control you first to ensure that you speak the truth.”
“Oh, yeah, right,” I said. “That makes perfect sense.”
“It is astounding how you often come to the correct conclusion even with your own future on the line. What causes these moments of clarity and rationality?”
I couldn’t reply. The letdown from defeating the Master’s other-dimensional attack, the unfairness of Sand wishing to murder Jenna, Rax and me—
“Hey,” I said. “Have you already killed Jenna?”
“Not yet,” Sand said. “I decided to let the two of you die together.”
“So, ah, your robots are going to escort me to your…ship?”
“That is correct.”
“And your ship is going to take me to your underworld?”
“Of course,” Sand said. “I have already told you my desire to know what transpired here. You hold the memory. Once I control your mind, I will have you describe everything in exacting detail. Only after that will I eliminate you.”
“So…” I said, forcing my sluggish mind to churn out ideas, “what about Beran’s confederates at the Saturn Station?”
Sand did not speak right away. The bronze robot holding the comm TV did point it at the dead clones.
“I bet those confederates are going to figure out that Beran failed down here,” I said, my mind beginning to work again. “If I were those confederates, I’d leave our Solar System pronto. Then, I’d gather the resources for another try. If I was too frightened to try what Beran did, I would sell the information to somebody with the balls to go for it.”
“Your logic is impeccable,” Sand admitted. “I dare not send a spacecraft after them, as the Earthlings might discover that. The CAU is gone, so I have no easy way to doctor various governmental records. I suppose once you’re done telling me the events as they transpired down here—”
“You don’t have time for that, Sand. You have to stop the confederates from escaping now. I’m the best man for the task, and you know it.”
“How so?”
“I’ll use one of their floaters to backtrack the route to the Saturn Station. Jenna can help me, and Kazz if you have him.”
“I do not hold the Neanderthal,” Sand said. “Besides, your plan is out of the question. You are too valuable as a data provider—”
“Hey, Sand,” I jeered. “What’s more important to you? That you learn a few things or that you succeed at your holy mission?”
“Success is primary,” Sand said.
I thumped my chest. “That means you have to let me stop the confederates now.”
Sand did not reply right away. After twenty seconds had passed, he said, “You might simply use their spaceship to flee the Solar System. Thus—”
“As for that,” I said. “First, you have my word I’ll come back to you. As you suggested, I have uncommon logic and see the necessity of my death. Second, you could send a team of robots along, and they could ensure I return to you after I do my job.”
“Why shouldn’t I simply use my robots to complete the task?” Sand asked. “In other words, why do I need you?”
I thumped my chest again, wondering if the ancient construct would buy this. “I know things you don’t. I’ve been to the moon base many times. Beran showed me how everything worked.”
The last was a lie, about how everything worked. The rest was true. But would Sand know that?
“Very well,” Sand said reluctantly. “I will allow this in the interest of the greater mission. But you must not perish during your final task, Logan. I want to know what happened down here.”
“Don’t worry about it, Sand. I’m coming back. You can bet on it.”
I wondered if the giant metal-head knew I was lying. My mission to the Saturn Station was going to change… I was about to say everything. The next mission—well, let me tell you what happened.
-55-
Most of the cleanup, thankfully, proved anticlimactic. Jenna was okay, although she had a headache for the majority of the space mission. The bronze robots Sand lent me as enforcers and as my guards proved a great help, as they overpowered the few surviving Tosks on the backside moon base.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you what happened in sequential action: We chose two floaters parked at the bottom of the Antarctic tunnel. Rax and I needed about three hours figuring out how to use the transfer mechanism that would get us to the moon. Actually, Rax did all the figuring while I was the hands.
Soon, we transferred to the moon. Then we floated around to the backside, took over the under-staffed base and gained control of the giant satellite in orbit around the Earth. The satellite had made the hole in the ice. We now used the beam weapon, this time to cause the giant hole to collapse, hiding the underground Polarion Portal, hopefully, forever.
With the Director of the CAU’s help, we figured out the rest of the base’s controls. Sad to say, the Director could only help us while heavily sedated. The rest of the time—well, he was in a bad way. I’ll leave it at that.
Using the moon-base controls, we caused the Earth orbital satellite to self-destruct. Afterward, we set the moon base to detonate. It would do that an hour after we left.
Once we were ready, we made the great transfer to the Martian moon. Just like before, the robots proved instrumental in taking over. This time, though, there were a few more Tosks. With their beam carbines, the Tosks melted several robots before I managed to get the werewolf-like aliens to surrender.
We would take the Tosks with us, as I’d promised to give them passage back to their homeworld. I was lying when I made the promise, as I didn’t have a spaceship to do that, but I hoped the Galactic Guard dreadnought would show up and do the chore for me.
The next transfer to the dwarf planet Ceres in the Asteroid Belt went like clockwork, as an old saying goes. One, two, three, we had this down.
The only drawback to the mission, at this point, was that I had no idea what had happened to the original Kazz. The Neanderthal had done so much. Now, I had the feeling we were leaving him behind to deal with an upset Sand.
We learned soon enough that most of Beran’s confederates had come down to the Polarion Portal. We learned that at the Ceres transfer node. We also figured out how to get the rest of the Tosks to surrender before having to go through a preliminary shootout with them.
Our luck turned south at the Saturn Station, however. The confederates that had remained behind there had detached the station from its moon moorings. Afterward, the Antaran folk had boarded the sole spaceship and fled the Solar System.
In other words, we’d been too late, at least from Sand’s way of looking at it.
We appeared in the floaters at the station transfer point. No one greeted us, and it was dark.
“What’s going on?” I asked Rax. “Why isn’t there a reception committee?”
“That is unknown,” the crystal said.
The control area was deserted, as the confederates had high-tailed it with their Tosks. The same couldn’t be said for the holding cells. In a little less than two hours, we found that they were full of starving CAU personnel. A few of the people had already died. Whether that was from malnutrition or the harsh interrogations, I’m not sure. Either way, it reminded me that Beran and his people could be bastards.
I grew frantic as I went from cell to cell, opening each hatch and staring at the sickly people sta
ring back at me. Where was Debby? Was she alive? Had the creeps taken her in the spaceship? I was going out of my mind not knowing.
Jenna opened another cell door. I looked in, almost bereft of hope.
“Debby!” I cried.
My woman lay on a pallet with a thin blanket covering her. She was nothing but skin and bones with horribly sunken cheeks and nearly lifeless eyes.
I rushed in and tried to hug her.
“No,” Debby whispered in a dry voice. “Don’t look at me like this.”
“Don’t be crazy,” I told her, gently moving her blocking arms and hugging her. “I’ve been hunting for you, darling. Now, I’ve found you. I won’t let anyone take you away from me ever again.”
I did not see Jenna watching us from the entrance. I didn’t see her turn and leave. Rax did. He told me about it later.
Debby was alive, if far too skinny for health’s sake. I’ll let you know right now, she made a full recovery, and I decided in a few days that it was time for me to marry her.
Contrary to what I’d told Sand, I wasn’t going back to Earth. That meant I had to trick the remaining bronze robots with us. That proved easy enough, as I locked them in a vault unit. No need to go into the messy details of how I tricked them, just that I did it.
Later, I had to figure out what to do with the CAU people. Food and oxygen was only going to last us a few more days. If I let the CAU personnel leave, they could easily get to the Martian moon transfer point. To get from the Martian moon to Earth’s moon—without the moon base there—was questionable. Long distance teleportation needed two stations for a smooth transfer. Without the moon base, their chance of reaching Luna was only thirty-five percent.
The answer to the dilemma came a day later as I studied the Saturn Station’s main controls.
“Logan,” Rax said. “It has finally happened.”
“What’s that, good buddy?” I asked. I was testing a procedure on a control board.
“If you would look at Screen Seven,” Rax said.
“That’s the one aimed outward, right?”
“Yes,” Rax said.
I jerked upright because suddenly I realized what Rax was driving at. In a daze, even though I’d been expecting this, I went to Screen 7. In awe, I saw a tiny point of light amid the stars.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked.
“I have already been in communications with GGS Dreadnought Ocelot.”
“GGS,” I said. “Does that mean Galactic Guard Service?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before you contacted them?”
“I did not want to make you nervous.” Rax said.
“Ah…do I have a reason to be nervous?”
“You did.”
“Why?” I asked, with a suddenly dry mouth.
“I was not certain the captain would accept my account of why I promoted you to Galactic Guard affiliate status.”
“They’re not going to wipe my memories, are they?”
“No, Logan, as the captain has accepted your field promotion. Now, he is going to make you an official member of the Galactic Guard. I have to inform you, though…”
“What is it now, Rax?”
“You do not desire to ever go back to Earth, do you?”
“With Sand waiting for me? Not hardly.”
“Do Jenna and Debby feel the same way?”
My stomach tightened. “Get to the point, Rax.”
“The captain of the Ocelot has agreed to allow them both a temporary affiliate status. If they pass the tests, they can also join the Guard.”
I studied that distant point of light. I witnessed the mighty thrusters slowing the warship from light-speed.
“You’ve already figured it out,” I said. “If Debby, Jenna and I return to Earth, Sand will assassinate us in time.”
“Yes,” Rax said.
“What about the Tosks? What about the CAU personnel? What about—?”
The hatch opened and Jenna stepped in. She seemed to know something was up. She moved toward me, staring at the growing point of light on Screen 7.
“Is that the Guard ship?” she asked.
“GGS Dreadnought Ocelot,” I said. “Do you want to join the Galactic Guard?”
Jenna stared at me until finally a shy smile broke out. “You’d allow that?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Then yes,” she said.
We watched the Guard ship. As we did, Rax told us the dreadnought would take the Tosks home. It would make sure the CAU personnel returned to Earth. They would have certain memories wiped away, though. The Ocelot’s medical team would even cure the Director.
I smiled. I was going to marry Debby and join the Galactic Guard as a space cadet. Rax informed me that I was going to do my training on Dreadnought Ocelot, as each Guard ship did its own recruiting and training. I would—
Naw, that’s a story for another day. The point, as I watched Screen 7, was that my ship had finally come in. I’d had wild adventures on Earth, stopping various alien invaders. Now, I was graduating to a tougher outfit. Only time would tell how that would work out for me.
I have to say, I was looking forward to it. I patted Jenna on the shoulder and headed for the hatch.
“Where are you going?” she said.
“I have to tell Debby the good news,” I said.
The hatch opened, and I walked out. In a second, I started to run. I wanted to tell Debby the news as fast as I could.
THE END
To the Reader: Thanks! I hope you’ve enjoyed Invaders: The Antaran. If you liked the book and would like to see the series continue, please put up some stars and a review. Let new readers know what’s in store for them.
—Vaughn Heppner
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