by Francis, Ron
“What is this?” Suzy asked, a look of bewilderment in her eyes. “And why would you want me to put it in your body?” He had boosted the signal in a tiny transmitter, and while it couldn’t communicate, it was a powerful enough signal for SAMMI to track him wherever he was.
“It’s a signal transmitter; you will be able to find me wherever I am. This way, if the others come back while I’m out looking for them, they can find me right away.” He reasoned. “It’s a good idea, Suzy.”
She understood that it was a good idea to have a device like this, but she asked again; “Yes, I agree, but why does it have to be inside your body?”
He smiled as he replied, “It goes inside my body in case I get captured and they search my clothes. It should be undetectable if they scan me because it will only transmit when you ask SAMMI to locate me. By the way,” He added. “Don’t ask SAMMI to locate me unless I’m gone for over twenty-four hours, or if the others come back and I’m not with them.” With that, Suzy made a small incision in his arm, inserted the device and quickly closed him up with medi-glue. He flexed his arm a couple times to make sure the glue would hold as he prepared to leave.
He put on the jacket of his sand-colored battle suit and he was just about ready to go. He loved the battle suit. It was probably the greatest invention of Sea Side Enterprises not invented by Serge or himself. The battle suit looked and felt like a smoother version of a regular space navy uniform. It was actually made of a particlized fabric, woven so tightly together that it would stop blaster fire. It also stopped pellets, slugs and even bladed weapons. The suit could take anything small arms could throw at it, and even withstand some moderately more powerful weapons. He had been told that a soldier wearing one of these could jump on a live grenade and survive, although he was in no hurry to test that claim. The greatest benefit of the battle suit is that it looks like regular clothes. This gives the wearer a distinct tactical advantage because potential threats wouldn’t know the wearer was armored. Jesse was wearing the prototype six years ago when Kimi tried to kill him, and it had saved his life. The fabric itself can only be found on Telos which was the third planet colonized by Earth. The process of particlizing the fabric and adding in the tech made it extremely expensive. Being cost prohibitive was the official reason Earth's military had passed on ordering them for their Special Forces. He had donated one hundred suits to his old command. Each member of Endeavor had six suits, and there were a few dozen extra suits in the ship's weapons locker.
He had just finished getting his gear together when Suzy appeared by the open landing bay. “I wish you wouldn’t go; you should really rest from your injuries one more day.” She knew that he wouldn’t rest until his crew was safely aboard Endeavor, but the doctor in her felt compelled to say something. Here he was, willing to risk himself for his crew once again. She knew he considered the crew his responsibility, as he should, and there would be no talking him out of going. As the ship's doctor, she could overrule him, but she knew she could not stop him.
“I feel great.” He smiled as he replied, “and I’m gonna be fine, so don’t worry. Don’t forget to take care of the wolves,” he added.
He strapped his blaster to his leg, clipped his favorite weapon; Helga, to his belt and picked up a backpack that didn’t look very full. He was traveling light, sacrificing possible necessities for speed. He sent Suzy a crisp salute and then he was off at a brisk jog. It would be a nice twelve klick run to start the morning. She could see his dot moving quickly away from the ship on the screen he had set up to monitor the transmitter. She was glad to see it was working. “Okay, SAMMI, turn it off,” she instructed.
“Colonel Marcos transmitter has been turned off, Dr. Baker,” SAMMI complied. “Is there anything else you would like for me to do?”
She thought about SAMMI’s question for a moment before she replied with a question of her own. “Do you know how to fix the sublight engine?”
“Of course I do, Dr. Baker.” She almost thought she could detect a hint of pride in the AI's voice.
“SAMMI, do you think you could talk me through it? I could be your hands and we could fix the engine together.” She asked, desperately needing something helpful to do to take her mind off of her friends.
“I believe you to be at least as intelligent as Colonel Marcos and Lieutenant Torrensede, Dr. Baker. As a surgeon, you would also possess the necessary hand-eye coordination and dexterity for the task. You would make an adequate assistant as I fix my engines.”
She laughed as she replied; “Thank you for your confidence in my abilities, SAMMI. Let’s get started.” Shadow and Commando followed as she closed the landing bay hatch and made her way into engineering.
______
As Josiah surveyed his surroundings, he noticed quite a few people carrying weapons on their person. He was a bit relieved knowing that he would not have to explain why he and his team were carrying blasters if he was found by a member of the local law enforcement. The morning hustle and bustle of Kaldor City seemed to be exactly the same as any of a hundred other cities. It appeared to him as if the morning rush-hour was a universal constant. Sort of like death and taxes. After wandering through the streets of the city for about ten minutes, he finally spotted what he was looking for. He saw a young man that looked to be in law enforcement. Gangly and a bit awkward in his baby blue uniform, this young man looked to be right out of secondary school. He was certain that this man could not help him. He was, however, reasonably certain that the young officer could put them in communication with someone that could.
“Excuse me, Officer.” He called out as he approached the young man. “Can you put me in contact with someone in a position of authority?”
The young officer eyed him while looking at his clothes. He gave a long look at his blaster and then looked across the street at Collin and Kimi before responding. His voice had little bass to it as he asked, “Can I be of service, Sir?”
“In fact, you can,” Josiah asserted. “My friends and I were at Outpost Twenty-Three last night when it was attacked and occupied by a large number of very angry pirates. We barely escaped and we tried to call for help, but the pirates were jamming all communications. We had no choice but to drive all night to get here so we could bring back some help.”
The young officer looked distressed as he pulled out a communicator. “Captain, this is Jenkler. You are not going to believe this, Sir. I have a man here claiming that Outpost Twenty-Three has been attacked, and is currently being occupied by pirates. He would like for us to send help.”
“Pirates,” an irritated voice shouted through the other end of the communicator. “Send him to me immediately.”
Jenkler looked at Josiah, pointed down the street and said, “Two blocks that way, make a left, and it will be the third building on the left. Ask for Captain Topanar.” Josiah nodded his thanks, and as he was about to leave, the officer added, “Do not thank me yet; you have not met Captain Topanar.”
As they walked the city streets, he noticed that Kaldor City was a very advanced city. Speeders on the ground, aircars in the sky lanes, giant vid billboards advertising a variety of what Josiah believed were popular products. Kaldor City’s buildings were taller than any he had seen on Earth. There was also some of the most beautiful architecture he had ever seen. Most of the buildings topped two hundred stories. Some stood out in his mind as he surveyed them. An inverted pyramid that stood almost one hundred fifty stories high, with no visible supports bracing it, four identical towers with suspension walkways connecting them halfway up the buildings. One building that He couldn't even begin to guess it's height with a spire that rose into the clouds. Large detailed monuments outlined a pristine park where many of Kaldor City's citizens would take their lunch. Kaldor City was a marvel, which was a stark contrast to the dingy outpost they had been in yesterday.
As they entered what Josiah presumed was the police station, they were greeted by a sour-faced man whose first words were: “You can’t carry t
hose in here; you should know that.” He was pointing angrily at their blasters.
Josiah ignored his comment and replied; “We were told to ask for Captain Topanar, we have an urgent matter to discuss.”
The officer looked at him incredulously; slightly annoyed at his rebuke being so completely ignored, and then said, “Right, the pirates.” He pointed to their blasters again and gruffly continued, “You can leave those at the front desk and pick them up on your way out. After that, follow me.” Endeavor's crew did as instructed. Josiah hated leaving his blaster behind, but with his and Collin’s Special Forces training and Kimi’s skills as an assassin, they were never truly unarmed.
They were brought into what looked like an interrogation room and greeted by a man with dark hair and predatory features. His smile was forced and his mannerisms suggested he would rather be elsewhere. There were three chairs lined up on one side of a metal table and one chair on the other. Behind the man stood two armed guards, meant to be intimidating to people on their side of the table. The walls were plain white and what looked like a camera was fixed on the wall above the door, also pointing to their side of the table, and Josiah knew his first impression had been correct. Now, he was left wondering if they were to merely be questioned about the pirates or if this Captain had it in mind to interrogate them.
“Please have a seat,” the man gestured. “I am Captain Topanar, and I’m told you have a matter of some urgency.”
As they were seated, Josiah began to answer; “Yes, we were visiting Outpost Twenty-Three yesterday and they were attacked by pirates.”
“Are you sure?” the captain interrupted.
“Quite sure, actually, and it wasn’t a normal attack either. Entries in the settlement’s library indicate the attacks happen almost on a schedule. Usually they don’t result in more than some minor property damage, a couple injuries, and some stolen property and resources.”
The captain interrupted again, “And you learned all of this in the outpost library, you say?"
The captain had an accusatory tone he did not care for. Pretending not to notice the accusation, he calmly answered; “I find it helpful to learn about a place before I can fully enjoy myself, it enhances the experience.”
“I don’t see how it would be possible to enjoy a place like Twenty-Three at all,” the captain sneered. This wasn’t how Josiah had imagined the meeting going. It didn’t seem likely much help would be coming from here. He realized he had wasted precious time. He now only wanted to gracefully end this conversation and make the long trek back to the ship.
“I misspoke, Captain Topanar; we technically didn’t go to enjoy the place.” He began hoping the lie he was about to tell would satisfy the captain’s curiosity so they could get back to talking about the pirates and get out of there. “We went to try and catch a glimpse of the Borragg that live in the boulders a few kilometers outside of town. We went to the library to see if they had better information than we did concerning the Borragg, and that’s when we came across the information on the pirates.” The captain nodded as if contemplating the accuracy of his story, so he continued. “Anyway, yesterday was different. They sent in an occupying force, they were sending search parties into the wilderness, and there was a lot of damage to the settlement. This wasn’t what was described as the norm, so we figured we should let someone in authority know.”
The captain did seem a little surprised at how the man before him described the latest attack, and he turned to Kimi and Collin and asked in a snide manner, “Do either of you have anything to add, or does this man do all of your speaking for you?”
As the man leaned back, Kimiko suppressed an urge to punch him in the throat and collapse his wind pipe. Instead she chose to add, “I know you are probably wondering how we got away, Sir. We were lucky. We were out by the boulders when the raid came, and when one of the pirate patrols found us, the Borragg made a meal of him. We escaped in the confusion.”
The captain seemed a little concerned by what she had said, and suddenly was standing to end the interview. “Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention,” he began. “If the pirates are getting more destructive, then they have broken our agreement and will have to be dealt with accordingly. You are free to go.” He gestured to the door, Josiah and Kimi stood to leave but Collin was slower in standing.
“You know about the pirates.” Collin said, accusation in his eyes.
Captain Topanar didn’t seem to notice. “Yes, of course we do. It is an unfortunate part of life. As long as they do not disturb life on the main continent, they are free to harass the lowers at the outposts, but now they have gone a bit too far. I am going to alert the mayor’s office and seek direction. Until this matter is settled, please do not leave the city.”
Josiah nodded an affirmation with no intention of compliance. With that, the captain turned and left, followed by his two guards. Moments later, their original guide appeared at the door with the same cheerful demeanor. “Let me show you out.” He said as he turned and began to saunter down the hall, not waiting for any kind of reply.
Collin was livid. “How could they know about it and do nothing to help those people?” He was yelling as they were moving quickly back to their speeder. “What kind of government is this?” He spat in frustration. Josiah had known Collin since the Space Marine Academy, and the first thing he noticed about Collin Torrensede was his desire to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. He knew the interview with Captain Topanar would not sit well with his friend, and found it best to let him vent his frustration without responding. Kimi followed his lead and the entire run back to the speeder was Collin angrily railing against the government corruption that would allow pirate attacks on defenseless settlements.
As they approached their speeder, Josiah turned to him and said, “I know you’re angry, and no help will be arriving from the capital. Don’t worry; we’re going to help them. We are going to go back to the ship, get Jesse, get the warriorbots, and make those pirates wish they had never set foot on this planet." He looked his friend right in the eye and added, "We will help those people Collin.”
Collin nodded, the thought of killing pirates settling his mood, if only a bit, and they jumped in the speeder, unaware that they were being followed.
______
Jesse had made good time on the run. He lay on his stomach in the sand, a half a kilometer from the outpost and looked through his visor to gather information. After nearly fifteen minutes, he had identified almost forty-five pirates. He had also seen them moving a large group of children and a few battered adults. They were being marched from one large building to a barn almost a hundred meters away. He noticed that his friends were not among them. He remembered the giant snake with the severed head he ran past and thought they had gotten out before the pirates arrived. That scenario troubled him because he was sure the snake was Kimi’s handiwork, but where else could they have gone, then? It was not likely they were lost, and they had plenty of time under the cover of night to make it back to the ship. Even if they couldn’t get to their speeder, they should have been able to jog the distance.
The settlement itself wasn't very large at all, it probably housed less than two thousand people. The buildings were squat and sand whipped. He could see vestiges of the once festive original colors of the buildings, but it looked as though the outside appearance of the buildings had not been maintained in some time. The result was that every building in the settlement had a dull light maroon hue to it. The set up of the settlement spoke to its purpose. Several streets of two story row houses lined the north and west of the settlement. The entire eastern half of the settlement held a dozen large storage facilities. The Town center consisted of the tallest building in the settlement, a five story government building which was the only building with a polished outward appearance. Flanking the government building was a small school to the left and an emergency services center to the right. To the south of the settlement were three small restaurants and four
stores advertising various merchandise outlining what looked like a children's park. There was a wide street that began next to the park and went to the government building at center of the settlement. Opposite the park, across the street was a heavy equipment storage facility. Large two story barns outlined the settlement having been built approximately three hundred meters apart. On the outskirts of the settlement, he could see the unfortunately familiar sight of two of the snail like pirate ships. He knew it was bad news that two ships had landed and were both still here.
As the number of pirates he counted kept getting higher, Jesse had begun to wish he brought the warriorbots with him. They were not yet tested in situations involving civilians, and although he was fairly certain that they would not fire on unarmed civilians, he hadn’t wanted to take that chance unless there was no alternative. He arose from his perch and ran two hundred meters to take cover behind a boulder. He would have to commando crawl the rest of the way across the open field to reach the storage building the prisoners had just been moved from. He guessed that the pirate captain was using that building as a makeshift command center.
Upon reaching the building, he looked in the window and saw what he believed to be the two ship’s captains. They were presenting themselves via live feed to their commander. The commander was visible on vid display, and he was glad he saw it. He had heard one of the captains address him as “Mighty Garrinoras.” Now he had a face for the name.
Garrinoras was a large man of a species not quite human, but not too far off. He looked human in every respect, except that his skin was pale green, and instead of hair he had a thick fin of some sort on his head. The fin stood about an inch and a half high and almost gave Garrinoras the look of having a Mohawk. Jesse made a mental note find out the name of his species. After nearly a minute, he had learned that their arrival had nothing to do with him, although they were on the lookout for him. It had something to do with clues and artifacts that led to a vast treasure. Apparently, two important clues were found here on Kaldor. There were clues aboard the ship that had been dug up near the outpost as well as a couple others that they were getting ready to bring to Captain Janus. This, Janus, as it turned out already had some of the clues and felt they were closing in on this treasure of the ages. As Jesse continued listening to them talk about the treasure of Ameteo, he wondered about how vast a treasure it must be that they would take over an entire town just to find a clue. They were also capturing slaves they could sell to finance their treasure hunt and were waiting for a transport to take them off world. There was, however, also a reward available for any pirate that captured him. The ship must have gotten out a vid transmission before we destroyed it, he thought as he pulled out a rations bar and started off towards another building.
