‘There is no one else here to scream, so you couldn’t have heard anyone. There is no one else here on this planet. In fact the nearest place is Ma...!’ He manages to stop himself before he blurts out our location. He leans forward and lands an extra hard slap on my facing cheek. There is nowhere for me to go. His hand connects with bone and my bone does not like the contact. I slip out of it for a while.
By the time I surface again I find that I am sitting in a chair. I am bound hand, foot and chest to it. I am going nowhere without assistance. I remember straight away where I was, up to last time I was conscious. If I could I would feel my cheeks. From the limited vision I have, I think he has put some kind of dressing on my wounds. I had expected them to feel extremely sore, but they are not. Whatever he has put on for me is cool and soothing. I think they are both a fraction swollen, but that is no surprise really.
I swing my eyes further afield and catch sight of my captor.
‘Oh, so you have decided to join me again.’ He opens when noticing my stare on him.
I decide to keep my own counsel and so say nothing.
‘You are right to say nothing, as I believe you have nothing to say.’
I am relieved to hear that he is talking to me in a calm manner. His voice is very relaxed and he appears to have lost his aggression towards me.
‘I have changed my plans somewhat in the light of what you have disclosed to me.’
He can obviously see the confusion on my face at his words.
‘I really mean your lack of disclosure. Now that I know that there is nothing substantial in the way of stopping me, I have decided to take you with me. I will show you off to people as the prime example of there being nothing in the Universe’s plan. Their words are hollow as are their deterrents. When people see I have control of The Keeper of The Balance, they will accept me as the true leader of the Universe. We will recruit others to make sure that our empire stretches all across the colonised world. This time there will be no empty threats. I will show people what will happen if they dare to oppose me or try to stop me from what is rightfully mine. I am The Grand Master of the whole Universe.’
I can see that he is starting to lose it again as he tells me all this. All I can do at this stage is to wait and see. Wait and see if I get a chance to prove him wrong. Wait and see if I get a chance to restore The Balance.
CHAPTER 26 SPIRIT / OVERSEERS
There is nothing by the console and GM7 that is going to provide him with a solution. There is no way GM7 would let him touch any of the buttons on the console anyway. However much they seem to have opened themselves to trust him, they will not go that far in this sensitive area. Spirit wanders over towards where GM6 is looking at the sole contents of the launch pad. Actually when he looks more closely, she is kind of guarding it really.
Spirit decides he will not go too close. There is no point getting her worked up when he is more than certain this is not the craft they are after. He works out the point where the launch pad doors open to let the craft in and out. It won’t be there or near there he thinks silently. The walls are slightly curved and there are no corners as such. Assuming the walls either side of the launch doors are close to the outer skin of whatever it is they are in; then there is little likelihood that the place he is after will be there. That leaves about half of the wall space left for him to search. He moves closer to the wall and looks for something that might give him a clue. He does a complete circuit without success. He returns to the middle of the launch pad. He looks up to find both the Guiding Masters are watching him. It is obvious they don’t have the solution. He looks upwards as he takes a tour of the bay inspecting the ceiling as he goes. It is smooth and domed. There is nothing there to be found.
He goes back to his starting place and inch by inch he searches the floor. There is nothing there either. There are no catches or buttons or anything in fact, other than a smooth flat surface. He stops at the end of this search and looks at the Guiding Masters. They are still watching him, but now they are standing together at the console.
Spirit joins them and they just stare at each other.
‘I knew there was only one craft here’ GM6 says after a minute or two of silence. ‘Surely O can’t mean for you to have that one. That would leave us here without any mode of transportation.’
‘It suggests there is another’ GM7 says quietly ‘but not how we can find it. It hasn’t told us how we locate the craft.’
Spirit smiles as something comes to him.
‘Something you are thinking that might help?’ GM7 queries him.
‘I don’t know for sure, but it is definitely worth checking out. When I arrived I was in a pod. When the pod was opened, I found myself in an empty room. What I mean is an empty room, except for me and the pod. I wondered how I was supposed to get out of there, always assuming I was supposed to get out. I went over to the pod and found that it slid very easily out of the way. Behind the pod was the doorway. I am just wondering if you have ever moved that craft.’
‘We have never had reason to. It has always been there.’ GM6 says ‘Well, I mean I have never seen it in a different place.’
‘Well we will have to try to move it to see, but surely it will be too heavy’ GM7 says.
Spirit gets the feeling they don’t want him to touch their craft, so he lets them move ahead of him. They don’t wait for him to arrive, but try to move the craft by themselves. They try from all four sides but nothing budges, not even an inch. They don’t comment at Spirit standing watching them, as they don’t believe it would have made any difference.
‘It is not that then’ GM6 announces standing back as does GM7.
‘Do you mind if I try?’ Spirit asks. He was right in his presumptions, as he sees both of them tense up. Grudgingly, as it appears to Spirit, they both nod.
Spirit steps forward and touches the craft. The natural way for it to go would be forward, but then if he is right and there is a bay underneath, then it will be in the way. He goes to the front of the craft and lays one hand on the front point. The craft slides effortlessly backwards a short distance and stops. It has moved enough to show there is a small metal plate on the floor under where the craft has been. Spirit kneels down and touches the plate with his hand. The place he is standing on lifts fractionally and then slides sideways across the floor. Then up through the hole comes another craft. It is small, smaller even than the craft that is there. When the new craft is on the same level, Spirit goes over to it and pushes it forward off its plate. It slides over to a new spot several feet over to the side and stops. Spirit then goes back over to push their craft back to its original position now that the floor has shut itself up again.
GM6 & GM7 are lost for words.
‘I will have to get going now Spirit says. You had better get back to the protection of the console area. I will return one day, no doubt.’
‘No doubt’ says GM7 quietly to GM6 as they move back to the protection of the console area. Once there, the screens go up sealing them from space and the launch pad.
Spirit climbs into the small craft and in what seems only a matter of a few seconds, exits the launch pad and flies off into space.
CHAPTER 27 THE GRAND MASTER & MALIS 2
I can see that The Grand Master is struggling to think of a way he can take me with him and keep me totally under control all of the time. He has tied me to the chair and to myself. My feet are tied in such a way as it is not possible for me to get to my feet. One foot is tied to the front leg of the chair, while the other foot is tucked under the front bar of the chair and pulled tight towards the opposite back leg. It isn’t a comfortable position to be kept in and I will probably have to massage my leg when he decides to untie it. My hands are tied behind my back and to the chair. It is rather an exaggerated amount of rope he has used to do this too. He has disappeared somewhere to rustle up something that he can use to effectively do the job while we are on the move.
He is away for an inordinate length of time
; so much so in fact that I have an urgent call of nature to take care of. I inform him of this fact on his return. Grudgingly he unties my bonds and after a few minutes of massage I am able to walk, but still under his strict supervision.
I don’t know where he has found his new restraints from, but the top half consists of a ‘hug-me suit’ with the arm pieces tied behind my back. For leg restraints he has a pair of shackles. The length of chain between my feet is only a foot long. Even shuffling is a challenge in them, which I guess is the idea, but is definitely unhelpful to my thoughts of escape. I am not sure how the catch works, as there is no key hole to unlock them. They clicked together when he put them on me. He hasn’t undone them yet, so I don’t know how they work. As I said, my arms are in the hug-me suit. I have my arms down the sleeves. Then my arms cross over and the ends of the sleeve are tied behind my back. There is very little freedom of movement in it. He has also from the same place, I presume, found a prodding stick. It carries an electric current in it. He has already used it on me a couple of times to make sure it is working. He has a dial he can adjust the strength of the shock it gives. I know that only because he told me so.
He puts me back on board his craft straight into a pod. He tells me he does not want me to know where he is taking me. I think it is more because he does not want me to be aware of distances.
The Grand Master closes the travel pod and checks it is properly on. He goes back into his base to pick up the last few items he needs with him, when he embarks on his ‘Universal Championing Expedition’ as he is calling it, even if only to himself.
He boards his craft and sets course for the planet Malis 2. Malis 2 is in fact the nearest colony to Boristal 7, which his base Luvus is attached to. The journey is a relatively short one and again he has no intention of using a travel pod.
On his arrival he leaves The Keeper in his travel pod while he goes to meet the leaders of this colony. He has been here before a few times. Malis 2 is the most volatile planet colony in this region of the Universe. It is also one of the most backward, in terms of technology. It is only because of that fact that nothing has been done about the situation that has occurred on Malis 2.
Actually The Grand Master is now thinking that maybe nothing was done because they could have done nothing. Malis 2 is testament to the empty threat theory at its best.
With only five thousand inhabitants it is certainly a very small colony. There was many times that number at one time in its history. In fact the population was well over 100,000, but their civil war took that number down to well below even today’s numbers. Malis 2 went from being a stable colony to being one of lawlessness and thuggery. At its height there were several factions fighting for control. Most of those factions were also trying to defend against infighting and uprisings from within their own ranks. If they had advanced sufficiently to be able to blast their enemies, there would probably have been a zero survival.
The war was bloody but relatively short lived. There was little discrimination over who was killed. Women and children were treated as the same threat as the men, and killed. Valpar is the leader of the colony now. He had managed to keep the people in his area out of the fighting. He encouraged them to stand on the sidelines and wait for their time to come. He could see, even from a very early stage that the various factions were going to deplete their own numbers and weaken their positions. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to join in for the power struggle; it was more down to the fact that the longer he kept out of it, the stronger he would be in terms of numbers.
It was noted that he wasn’t taking part, but as his base is in an easily defendable position, those who tried to attack him were easily repelled. It wasn’t the easiest thing to sit on the side and let thousands of innocent people die, but it was the best form of defence for him to survive.
When most of the factions had drained their opponents’ numbers to dregs, Valpar took his followers and mopped up any resistance. The problem they were left with was that they lost whole segments of society. Basically they lost the brains and are left with the brawn.
CHAPTER 28 RICARDO
Once outside, Ricardo follows the general direction the ones in front of him are taking. He quickly realises that they are all making for their own vehicles. The direction he is walking will lead him towards the front of the hospital. He veers further away from the building and walks amongst the cars. There are about fifteen rows of vehicles between him and the boundary. He already has half a dozen rows between him and the building he has just left.
Sirens fill the air coming from round the front of the building. Ricardo knows the last thing he needs to be is spotted. But then he doesn’t want to draw attention to him, by ducking down or something like that. He decides to keep his pace the same, however much the urge inside him encourages him to run for it.
Behind him cars screech to a halt by the door he has just exited. He risks a quick turn to see, but doesn’t want to tempt fate by stopping to watch. More vehicles come round the side of the building. Several people jump out and start searching in all directions through the rows of cars.
Ricardo by now has reached the last row of cars. He turns round and stands by the driver’s door of a vehicle. He is being watched but that is it. He makes the movement as if he is opening the door and doing the bending action to get in. He then drops to the floor. He then rolls to the path that runs alongside the car park. The other side of the path, the land drops down about eight feet onto a grassy section, which a few feet further on has a six foot fence. Luckily the fence is old and someone has used this as a short cut. Part of the fence has been cut and bent back, bent back sufficiently enough for Ricardo to squeeze through the gap.
He doesn’t hear any shouts coming from the direction of the car park, but it is only a matter of time until they get to the edge of the car park and realise that he hasn’t got into a vehicle. That means that he has to make his escape from the area with the utmost haste. He is pleased with the way his legs are holding up, but he already is feeling tired, exhausted even.
The path away from the fence is only a few inches wide and leads through some small tress and then through a more established wooded section. He looks over his shoulder and the fence he came through is long out of sight. That doesn’t mean he can rest yet, as it won’t take them long to catch him if they run. He has already found he can manage no more than a steady walk.
His path brings him out into a housing estate. There are a few people walking around, but no one takes any particular interest in him. What he needs to find out is where he is now, in relation to the place he stayed in. Then he needs to find a way of getting there to retrieve his stuff. Mainly he needs to get to his money, because he has brought very little with him. His wallet, passport, money and spare clothes are all in his room. Retrieving them will make everything else so much easier.
He is not sure what he is looking for, but he does know he cannot take much more of this walking around. He is almost spent. About fifty yards ahead of him he sees a car stop and let a passenger out. The driver then gets out and takes some shopping bags out of the boot. He walks them up to the door of a house. Ricardo has closed the distance to half this now. He sees and hears that the engine is still running, but knows he can’t run to take advantage of that fact. By the time he is 10 yards away the driver is back at the car. He is going to lift some more bags out of the car but stops. There is obviously something going through his head about Ricardo.
Ricardo notices for the first time a metal plate on the back bumper of the car. It is a license plate showing the car is licensed to carry customers. It dawns on him that this is a cab.
He stops on the pavement about five paces from the man. The man is looking a bit warily at him.
‘Are you for hire?’ Ricardo asks trying to keep the accent out of his voice.
‘I am not allowed to pick passengers up off the street. I am not a hackney carriage.’
Ricardo has no idea what the man is going on about. He is ei
ther a cab or he isn’t in his eyes. He doesn’t want to cause a stir which might lead him to get caught.
‘You’ll have to ring for a cab, sorry.’
The passenger comes out of the house to see where the rest of her shopping is.
‘Are you alright Don?’ she asks.
‘Yes. I am just trying to explain to this American gentleman, that I can’t pick him up from here off the street.’
The woman looks across at Ricardo. She sees a man who is looking confused. She sees a man who is looking exhausted. She sees that he needs help.
‘Can’t you say you are picking him up from my house?’
‘I’ll have to ring in and see if it is ok for me to take the job.’
The driver goes round and gets in the car. He then radios in.
‘Thank you’ Ricardo says realising the woman is really helping his cause.
‘That’s alright. Are you ok?’
‘Yes I’m fine’ Ricardo replies quickly thinking ‘I am still tired from the flight over.’
‘Jet lag is a terrible disabler’ she responds.
‘Office says that’s ok’ the driver says getting out of the car again ‘where are you going?’
‘Exmouth’ Ricardo says.
‘Hop in the back while I take these last few bags in.’
CHAPTER 29 THE WATCHER
When The Watcher is coming into the final approach to Velchitta, he wakens his passengers from the travel pods. The six others are surprised to find that The Wise Soul is still with them. They spend a little time telling them what happened and why that is the case.
They all find a place to sit while The Watcher safely lands the craft. As soon as the engines are switched off, The Watcher notices that the craft is being surrounded by soldiers. The others gather round the screens to have a look at the monitors. They can see further away from the craft there a couple of heavier pieces of armoury. There is also a small group of soldiers standing looking at their craft.
The Grand Master Page 8
