The Grand Master

by Bill Stenlake

  Posdon makes several circuits of the not too large planet. Not once does he spot anyone, nor does he see a single entrance. He waits to see if he is challenged. The daylight hours are extremely long with the heat levels hardly ever varying. Eventually, as if a switch has been flicked, it goes from light to dark where Posdon is on the planet. The other side will no doubt have light, but he is here in the dark.

  Lights come on below him and shine on his craft. The lights are extremely strong and he realises they are some kind of laser light. A couple of warning lights come on showing up on the control panel in front of him. There is no great danger intimated, but he feels he needs to be careful in his next action. He decides to take a chance and lowers his craft to the ground, after noticing that more lights are outlining a landing area. He is sure that had not been visible before. The moment his ship touches down, he hears clamps being fitted and then the ship descends into a huge cargo bay beneath the surface. The top comes back over, obscuring the night sky.

  Posdon sends one of the androids out, not taking the chance it might not be a friendly reception. All the signs are good and their responses are friendly. More importantly there are no weapons in view. Soon Posdon is persuaded to disembark with his crew to meet the inhabitants. What they are met with when they are showed around the underworld, is a glorious luscious land with fields, lakes and hills. Houses are scattered not too close together at first, second and third glance, it appears idyllic.

  They are invited in and treated as friends. The population is not huge, only numbering in the few thousands. The technology they have designed is based on their survival on an inhospitable planet surface, but with a rich life underneath. It is obvious straight away that these people are of a completely different make up, but they aren’t concerned about their visitors. It is this that makes up Posdon’s mind that he will have his base here. It may not be the best protected planet, but he can easily do something about that. It is more the fact that the place has such a good feel about it. He tells his hosts what he wants to do and they accept that with open arms. Over the next weeks he organises what he needs, before departing to seek out his next planets to conquest: Yalip 2, Yalip 3, Invard and Kukup.

  With a ruthlessness he hadn’t had before deciding on Zenfa 2 being his home, he attacks and conquers those planets. He secures his wealth and riches, before moving on to the next planet and the next one and.

  Valpar continues on his crusade, also getting tougher with his actions and demands. Every planet he reaches is persuaded one way or the other to hand over power and riches to him. The Cotons are equally successful with their conquests, before deciding to take their riches home then repeating the exercise. Grillech decides to keep a holding brief. He has this feeling deep inside him that the tide is capable of turning. He is going to remain in his quadrant, in his new home and out of the way of what he feels is sure to come at him.

  CHAPTER 98 RICARDO

  He finds a hotel just short of his destination of Washington. This time he chooses to use one of the national chains. He also makes sure his cash is out ready. They would have preferred him to have used a credit card, but he isn’t going to risk that. He sleeps for most of the day, before going out for a drive and surveying the area in the early evening.

  He knows that he wants to have a go at disruption here, but it is so well fortified. He is also not sure that the weapon he has will be effective against anything other than people. It damaged the vehicles outside the other motel, but that was all. What he really needs is some guidance from whomever or whatever is behind all this. He knows there is a certain amount of control in him, but not enough to give him instructions clearly in his head. Something has guided him to this place, the Pentagon, but how do they expect one person with a small weapon to be able to have a forcible effect on this. He is already starting to draw attention by the number of times he has passed. He notices a soldier talking on his radio, while keeping his eyes firmly on Ricardo’s vehicle.

  The time has come to ditch it, so he decides to drive around some of the other areas of the city several miles away. At the first opportune place and time, he stops in a parking lot leaving the engine running. He takes his bag with him as he walks away, as if he is going to one of the shops. His movements are eyed by several youngsters hanging around at the side of the lot. A nudge from one to the other as Ricardo walks away, is enough for them to drift towards it. The second Ricardo is out of sight, they are in and off with their prize. Sadly for them they decide, or maybe they are suggested to, to take a route which leads them straight back to where Ricardo has just been, Arlington. They aren’t to know that the vehicle has already been flagged up by Ricardo’s over enthusiasm earlier, so when the vehicle is spotted and reported in; they are already on a collision course with authority; more than for stealing the truck.

  Already on alert because of the unrest that has sprung up all over the country, the police and army are never going to take a softly-softly approach with four lads in a pick-up truck. Especially one which has had one person in it earlier scouting around.

  The lads never saw it all coming. One minute they are driving along the road, having fun and maybe going a fraction fast; the next minute they are boxed in and surrounded by five vehicles. Their first instinct is to stop and run. Their next thought is to defend themselves. They stop, fling the doors open and run for it in different directions. Police and army are springing out of their vehicles too, but not as sharply as the lads have done. They are already over the surrounding vehicles when the first shot rings out. Two of the lads are carrying. They stop, turn and fire back. That is the biggest nail in the direction this is going to end up. A hail of bullets rain onto the four lads. Somewhere in this the pick-up truck explodes, the reason for it never to be found. The effect of it is that several others die from the blast. The two armed lads are overpowered by the sheer number of bullets aimed at them. The two unarmed lads are shot as they run away, unarmed. There are plenty of onlookers to see, what looks like to many, as a total overreaction to four lads driving peacefully along in their truck.

  It doesn’t take long for the word to get out on the social media and internet; 1 White, 1 Hispanic and 2 African American lads getting gunned down without apparent reason.

  Ricardo has made it back to his hotel before he finds out what his truck has achieved. He smiles as he realises that once again he was used as the facilitator in something getting done. If unrest has been growing over the past couple of days, it is this action that propels the movement into a virtual civil war. By the time it is approaching dawn, mobs of people are out in every major town and city. Trying to defend themselves only results in the authorities being attacked with weaponry as superior as their own. The weight of numbers, along with the fact that every demonstrator is armed, means that the people cannot be stopped. Where they want to go, they can go. They enter government buildings. At first the police and National Guard try firing on them to try to stop them, but when the return fire is so emphatic and it enrages the crowds further; they retreat and let the crowds do what they want. In some places soldiers are stripping off their uniforms to try to save their skins. Public buildings, bases and airfields are all attacked and looting is out of control. In-fighting begins between the protestors, as some eventually realise that this has gone far beyond a protest over four lads being killed. By then it is too late for them, they are already part of the action and gang behaviour takes over, with many taking actions they would never have contemplated or considered doing on their own.

  Ricardo walks out from the now deserted hotel and borrows a vehicle from the lot. He needs to move on from here while he still can. If possible he just has to get out of the city and then wait for his next destination to come to him. He knows it will, when it is ready to be revealed to him. He is quite enjoying the role that has been given to him, even though he would quite like to have been more involved in the violence.

  CHAPTER 99 THE WATCHER

  Baram thinks about enforcing what h
e wants, but realises he isn’t going to win this one. He calls up extra guards before they leave the quarters and make their way to the launch pad. The Watcher does not know what to expect to find when he gets there. There are a lot of technicians standing around with their hand held devices, trying to figure why they are not being allowed to get close.

  Melde and Sinca are there too. They are a little surprised to see that all eight of their captives have been brought along. Baram just shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders when their questioning looks are aimed at him. The guards stop The Watcher and the others, as soon as they are into the launch area. The Watcher reckons that this is going to be their one and only chance to make an escape. It will be doubtful if they will be allowed back to the launch area again. All he has to do is to work out a way that they can all safely make it out of here, preferably with no one getting hurt on either side. The guards appear to be extremely jumpy.

  The Watcher suggests to Draton and Elkante that they should be the first ones to go over, with permission, to look at the craft. Before that can happen, they are shown one of the technicians trying to get close. It just isn’t happening for him. Every time he approaches it is like he is walking into an invisible brick wall. There is a force field around the craft preventing his approach.

  ‘It isn’t electrical and it isn’t magnetic. It cannot be happening but it is.’ Baram says as the technician once again fails to reach his target. ‘There is nothing there, but there is.’

  ‘Can I try please?’ Draton chooses his moment to ask.

  ‘I’ll try from another place at the same time if you like’ Elkante enthusiastically chips in.

  Baram nods that it is ok. The others stay well back and the guards watch them more closely.

  Draton and Elkante approach cautiously as they are unsure at what point they are going to meet the resistance. They both are walking with a hand stretched out in front of them. They come into contact with the shield and they stop. They touch and prod the shield.

  ‘It feels as if it is a little soft in places.’ Draton says after a few seconds prodding.

  ‘That isn’t how it felt to me’ the technician says indignantly.

  Draton demonstrates as best he can what he means, while Elkante is doing a similar thing where he is standing.

  The technician walks over. Draton and Elkante step back while he feels for the shield. When he finds it, he does not experience what they have.

  ‘Maybe you need to have another of your technicians doing it at the same time?’ Draton suggests. Two more technicians step forward to join their colleague, but they do not get the same sensation.

  The Watcher still does not step forward himself. Instead he speaks to George and Cassie in their heads and asks them to try the shield. They ask Baram if they can try and he allows them to, but only after Draton and Elkante have moved back from the shield some. George and Cassie touch the shield, getting the same sensation that Draton and Elkante had. The technician joins them, but as soon as he touches the shield the softness stops. He steps back while Draton and Elkante approach to join George and Cassie. Baram looks nervous, but allows it to happen. All four of them touch the shield and it is soft and slightly yielding to their touch. Baram joins them, but as soon as he touches the shield it goes all hard.

  The Watcher is busy talking to his crew in their heads. Draton, Elkante, George and Cassie have backed off, so they are now three feet or so away from the shield. Bluechen, Marlitta, The Wise Soul, along with The Watcher have closed together and edged ever so slightly nearer their companions while everyone has been watching Baram.

  Baram steps away again and goes into a huddle with Melde and Sinca. The Watcher gives the signal in their heads to his crew. He starts walking and talking out loud as he moves closer.

  ‘It appears that when we touch the shield it goes soft but when you touch it, then it goes hard.’

  Baram breaks off his talks and turns to see The Watcher, The Wise Soul, Bluechen and Marlitta walking towards the shield and the craft. The others are standing still which allays his initial fears, whatever they were.

  I wonder if it would break the shield if we all touched it, is what I was thinking of trying’ he says nonchalantly as he walks closer.

  ‘I don’t think that is a good idea. I don’t want all of you that close to the shield at the same time.’

  They continue to walk towards their colleagues. They are only a few feet ahead of them now.

  ‘It just seems that the shield responds to our touch.’ The Watcher continues still calmly, while in his head telling his crew not to slow up as they approach the shield. He asks that they trust him in this. He returns his words to talking to Baram.

  ‘I was thinking that it went soft when we tried two, not one and then it went softer still when four of them touched it together. It makes sense it will go softer and maybe even break up and allow you to get through, if we all touch at the same time.’

  Now they are level with the other four and they start walking too. One step and then another and then another. They should have met the shield by now, but they are through it.

  ‘On board quickly now’ The Watcher urges his crew. ‘The shield is back up. They can’t touch us or stop us.’

  Baram and the guards are at the shield, but cannot break through. One guard lets off a shot which ricochets around the launch pad.

  ‘Stand back away from the craft’ The Watcher broadcasts to them. Reluctantly they retreat, while The Watcher extricates the craft from their force field and they leave Parlantte.

  CHAPTER 100 VEE & BAR

  ‘It is going to be really hard to do anything effective to escape without them noticing. It is also going to be virtually impossible to escape without any of them getting hurt.’

  ‘That is something I would like to avoid if at all possible.’ Vee says ‘but I think it is more imperative that we do what we can as soon as we can. That may mean there is going to be some collateral damage. They keep telling us we are not going anywhere. Maybe we need to be telling them that we will decide what is going to be.’

  ‘That is going to be a little tricky with me being in here and you being in there’ Bar responds.

  ‘Is there any way that you can get out of there on your own? We need to be in here if we are going to be able to pull anything off.’

  ‘If only I had a few of those parts you were carrying, I might have a chance. As it stands I think I am going to need you to come out and help me get out. I can’t see them just standing watching you while you do it. We could do with a little diversion really.’

  ‘Have you noticed the dogs are all on edge while we have been talking?’

  ‘They must be able to hear some of the noise at the pitch we are using. Now let’s try adjusting and changing that. Let’s see what affect it has on them.’

  They change pitch several times before finding one which clearly the dogs can hear, but are uncomfortable in that fact. Vee takes a note of the pitch to use again. She resumes talking to Bar in a different pitch.

  ‘Taking that information and then applying it to the humans here, shall we try to find a pitch which they don’t like? I believe it will be substantially lower than the one for the dogs.’

  ‘Should we decide what we are going to do should we create an opportunity?’

  They agree that is a good idea, so first they spent some time going through the options they have with the limited equipment that is available to them on the craft. Vee then goes and tries to make sure they have what they need ready for them to use. She has to do this, all the while trying not to let her captors see what she is doing. Thankfully the cargo nets and the cages manage to hide sufficient for them not to have a clear view of what she is doing. Aiding her also is the fact that she is so small and what she is doing and working with is also very small. A borrowed cell from the Air Micro Compounder engine unit will hopefully be sufficient to give her the edge in what they are planning to do.

  They start by working on the dogs f
irst. The pitch sends them running this way and that in the outer cage. They howl and howl, much to the annoyance of the soldiers who try to cover their ears. That noise is nothing compared to what hits them next when Vee starts the vibrational hum. With hands over their ears, the whole contingent can’t last more than five minutes, before they are forced to abandon their positions. Vee knows they will not have long before their captors will find a way to block their signals. She is out of the craft in a second. She is holding her new piece of machinery in her hand. So far it has not been tested. There was nothing in the craft she was prepared to ruin, should it not work properly. Once out, or nearly out she uses the tool on the cargo net. The compounder tool slices through it as if it isn’t there. She clears the path so she can get down. She starts on the first cage. It takes next to no time to make a hole large enough for her to get easily through. Progress is equally as quick through each cage to get to Bar. Once free, they quickly make their way back to the craft. Bar takes over the use of the compounder while Vee gets in to her seat. Bar removes the rest of the cargo nets, cutting in places so it eventually just falls off. So far they have been fortunate to do this without interruption.

  Rumbling noises are coming quickly followed by the walls of the warehouse being broken through like paper, by four tanks. Their guns are aimed on the craft.

  ‘Stop or we will fire’ is broadcast to them from outside the warehouse.

  There is no way they are going to stop now.

  ‘Get on top Bar. We have to find a way to get out of here. I’m going to need you on the outside. Use your magnets.’