by Frank Carey
Harm couldn't believe what he was seeing as a ship, at least ten miles long, more like an asteroid city than a ship, materialized in front of the Mariposa. A beam of energy lanced out from its port side, spearing the corvette, destroying it instantly.
"Time to impact?"
"Ten seconds. Warning. Radiation alert. New ship is emitting plasma signature identical to ours but twenty times more intense. Daisy Mays have locked on new ship. Message incoming from new ship. They say, 'Veer off.' Message repeats."
Harm banked hard to port just as the missiles were about to hit. Moments later, a flash of light signaled the missiles' impact. Harm turned the Mariposa around to render aide to the giant ship, though he was sure there was nothing left of it—Daisy Mays were nasty that way. What he saw, and what the scanners showed, shocked him.
"Where the hell is it? Computer, scan for debris."
"Debris negative. Radiation negative. Space normal."
"That's impossible. Computer, could the city-ship's shields absorb the energy released by the Daisy Mays?"
"Affirmative."
"Damn! Computer, stand-down from defensive mode ultimate. Set return course to warships, but maintain scans."
"Working... Standing down," The computer announced as Harm’s seat and controls returned to normal. "ETA to rendezvous?"
"Ten minutes."
"All I have to do now is worry about how pissed Marta is," Harm said as he watched the warships grow in size as he approached.
###
Marta was on a tear and everyone on the shuttle deck was well aware of it.
Especially Harmon.
He stood there and listened, as Hurricane Marta unleashed her wrath upon him.
"What in the name of God were you thinking? No, don't tell me. Let me guess. You were saving our asses. Did you ever think of using your ship's high-falutin autopilot to do that? No! You decide to risk your life, why?"
"Can I speak now?"
Marta glared.
"I didn't have time to set the autopilot. I only had time to get the rest of you off the Mariposa and get her the hell out of there."
A round of hairy-eyeball followed. Finally, Marta sighed before grabbing her husband by the collar and pulling him into a kiss. "I'll let it go but only this time."
He smiled. "How about you introduce me to your new friends?"
After a good cuff, Marta walked Harm over to the where his group and another group of people were standing. Harm stopped and gaped. "Marta, Honey, are those humans and elves?"
"Yes, Dear. They are from the planet Ith, and the iridescent ones are dracos. Their ancestors were on the second ship that escaped Atlantis. They're our cousins and they're simply fascinated by Christa, Bobby, and Torren."
Harmon walked up and stared. In front of him, several uniformed beings—humans, elves, and dracos—spoke to his kids with a reverent tone to their voices. Occasionally, the kids would say something that caused the Ithians to bow. Harm just watched, fascinated. Here were members of his species, but from another world.
"Prince Lucien!" a tall human said as he hurried over to shake Harm's hand. "Welcome aboard the Atlantis Rising. I am Stavros Ketch, the Atlantis's Captain. I can't thank you enough for leading those missiles away from us. Nasty piece of work, those devices."
"Yes, yes they were. Please, call me Harmon,"
"Your brother-in-law mentioned your preference for that name. Come, join us. This is an auspicious day for both our peoples."
Harmon walked up and noticed Losira giving him the evil eye. He held out his hand, inviting her to link so he could explain what had happened. She took it, and a moment later, let go. "Fine, but next time you will be the first one aboard the pod, got it mister?"
"Yes, My Queen." He looked over at the kids who took it as a cue to run up and check on him.
"Dad, are you okay?" Christa asked.
"Yeah, sorry about the scare. I had to get those missiles away from you and these ships."
"Daisy Mays," Bobby said. "Nasty. Dad, Shenda wasn't aboard the ship that attacked us after you left."
"I figured as much but confirmation is welcome. Atmar is an impulsive sociopath, but he's not stupid. He needs both girls alive to complete his task."
They nodded. "But, she's nearby."
Ketch looked at them and nodded. "The legends are true. On Ith, halflings are rare."
"So what's the story with Ith?" Harmon asked, while trying to be civilized.
"The home world of elf, human, and draco since the time of what you call the diaspora. It was an outpost for the Atlanteans, just as I surmise Ventos Prime was," Ketch explained.
"I hate to be a bore," Harm said. “Do you know where this facility is? All we know is it's in the orbital path of the seventh planet."
"I understand. I have contacted Ith for instructions, but I can assure you, it is not on the seventh planet, which we call Carillon. Carillon is a gas giant. Nothing carbon-based can live there."
"Then we're talking about the total orbital path of Carillon, millions of miles which would have to be..."
"What about the L4 Lagrangian point?" Torren suggested. “You know Carillon's leading Trojan point? Nice, stable, out of the way, a perfect place to put a secret storage facility."
Bobby and Christa shrugged. "Okay, not so much a moron," Christa said as she patted Torren's head.
"Bridge, this is Ketch. I need a long-range scan of Carillon's leading Trojan point."
"Sir, we just received orders from Ith. We are to proceed there with our guests for debriefing."
"Copy that, Bridge. Set course and engage at full speed. Captain out." Ketch turned to his guests. "Sorry about that, but orders are orders..."
"Look, Captain, my daughters are being held in that facility by a madman who's planning on killing one of them, so how about me and my little ship get the plark out of here and save her. I'm not going to threaten you or Ith or anyone else, I'm just going to leave..."
Harm found himself looking down the barrel of a blast-rifle. He glanced around and saw Team One in a Mexican standoff with Ith security while Ketch was holding Losira gently by the arm. "First off, Captain, holding my sister like that is an act of war. Second, where the plark are my kids?"
His question was answered by the sound of the Mariposa raising shields while lifting off the deck and heading for the still open bay door. Once clear, the ship disappeared from sight.
"Captain, I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens to my children," Harm said quietly, "and you can take that as a threat."
###
Using the keys he lifted from Harm's belt, Torren opened the Mariposa's hatch, allowing the three elflings inside. While Torren sealed the door behind them, Bobby jumped into the pilot's seat while Christa took the copilot’s position. The control panel came alive as Harms keyring came near it. "Can you drive this thing?" Christa asked as her side of the cockpit came alive."
"Yep, I've been watching Dad. Computer, emergency launch checklist."
"Working. Checklist complete. Instructions."
"Shields up, anti-gravs up, thrusters to one quarter power. Bring real-space and FTL engines online. Engage!"
The Mariposa lifted off the deck as the shields shimmered to life. Bobby grabbed the control yoke and spun the tiny freighter around so they pointed bow to exit. Bobby reached down and pushed the throttles slightly forward, taking the ship out through the still open bay door. Once clear, he pushed the throttles to full military power. "Christa, activate stealth mode. Blue lever, in front of your left knee.
Christa pushed the lever forward, causing the view outside to shimmer once more.
"Computer," Torren said. "Have the probes found the location of the seventh planet, designated as Carillon?"
"Working... Planet found. Coordinates on the board."
"Set course for L4 Lagrangian point. Light-speed plus one."
"Setting course."
Bobby reached down and flipped a switch.
The
tiny ship dropped into other-space.
"Computer, ETA?" he asked.
"One hour, present speed."
"Activate autopilot. Have probes meet us there. When they arrive, I want a full scan of the area."
"Roger that, Captain Aymar."
"It thinks you're Dad," Christa said.
"It's the keys. They are emitting Dad's biometric signature," Torren informed her.
"Damn, you two are smart," she said, followed by, "don't let it go to your heads. We've got an hour to figure out how the hell we're going to save Shenda and Aerith."
"You guys think Dad and Mom are pissed at us?" Torren asked as he ran searches against the ship's inventory.
"No," Christa replied. "I think they're worried, but not mad. Dad knows what it's like to have a loved one in danger."
"The cupboard is bare," Torren announced. "No weapons."
"What about Team One's"
"They're not showing up."
"He must have it code locked. We need a key," Christa said as she looked around the cockpit.
"Hula girl," Torren said.
"He's right. There must be twenty of them on the dash alone."
"Computer," Christa said. "Hula Girl."
"Working..."
The cockpit displays changed. Meanwhile, the computer reran Torren’s inventory request.
"Shit!" Bobby said. "Fully charged forward and rear Gat-blaster. Port and starboard miniguns. Dorsal and ventral-mounted rocket launchers. Our shield strength reserves have tripled. Computer, why all the firepower?"
"Per your statement: Segue Six, never the plark again."
"The power of love," Torren said as he examined the inventory. "Computer, bring-up small arms storage pod two.
The couch and chairs in the lounge moved aside as an arms rack lifted out of a storage pit in the floor.
"OMG!" Christa exclaimed as she got out of her seat and walked over to the rack. "Pulse-blast rifles, blaster pistols, slug throwers...
"Rapiers, knives, combat boots, blaster/bullet proof vests..." Torren added.
"And a hula girl. What is it with these things anyway?" Bobby said. "Computer, what's the full story behind all this?"
"Sir, you built this ship, a second Mariposa, to be used strictly for hostage situations. You often prayed you would never have to use this version, but you realized that being a member of the Royal Family had disadvantages."
"Man, Dad takes being a dad seriously," Christa noted as she laced up a pair of boots.
"I like him," Torren said, "but Tannith is a looker."
"Lord, give it a rest, hound dog," Bobby admonished him. "She only has eyes for Penny. A guy can tell."
"Her loss."
"Yoh, Moron, you're only fifteen, remember?" Christa reminded him. "Gods, what I have to put up with."
Torren smiled as he handed her a pistol, harness, and five extra power packs, each of which would fit a pistol or a rifle. "Thanks," she said as she donned the gear. He then handed her a pulse-blast rifle. She checked the weapon's settings before clipping it to the vest. "Knife, please." He handed her a sheathed knife that she attached to her boot. "Nice." She looked up at her brothers and saw they had geared-up in a similar fashion.
"Now, we show them how we do it in Elf Town," Torren said.
"Roger that," Bobby and Christa replied.
Chapter Twelve
Led by Atmar and surrounded by mercs, Aerith and Shenda passed through the airlock into a large room that curved off to the left and right. Around them milled mercs, lots of mercs.
"Yoh, Atmar, are you growing these guys? By the way, where are the women?" Aerith asked.
"I had several, but I had to let them go. They kept killing the males. I couldn't keep up. As for their numbers, it has to do with size."
"Size matters?" Aerith asked with an innocent look. Shenda giggled.
"It does in this case. This asteroid has hundreds of miles of corridors and almost a thousand rooms according to sensor probes. The corridor you're standing in encircles the asteroid, attaching to the interior via fifty hatches. Each hatch is now manned by three heavily armed mercs. One hundred and fifty mercs, all waiting for you, Shenda."
"Waiting for me? Why me?"
"We found this place during a search of records we found in a lab on Earth's moon, a lab where a group of Atlanteans kept Nochmar for a time. That is where one Dr. Thia found the location of Nochmar's home in the alternate dimension. After Thia and his group were destroyed, my people and I searched the databanks for anything useful..."
"You scavenged the data," Aerith surmised.
"Yes, we scavenged, and we found the ancient records telling of the second ship's journey to Ith and the treasures it brought with it. We also found the genetic signature needed to unlock the door."
"Why not just synthesize the strand and be done with it?" Shenda asked.
"We did, but it didn't work. Further study of the records suggested the DNA had to be enclosed in a biometric field, like the one around a living, breathing body, something not even a highly sophisticated synth has."
"Then what?" Aerith wondered.
"I have the shopping list cross-correlated with room location. Once inside, we surgically remove the items on the list, then return to the League where we sell them to interested buyers. Think of it as a salvage operation."
"You're going to steal Atlantean artifacts that belong to Ith, Earth, and Ventos Prime. Don't you think they may be a little miffed?" Shenda asked.
"We have taken measures to prevent interference by interested parties. Now, why don't we go see if we can open the magic door?"
Atmar led them over to a crystalline plate next to a large double-door. The door had numerous scorch and blast marks on it, but other than discoloration, the material looked unharmed. "That's one tough door," Aerith noted."
"You have no idea." He took out his communicator and activated it. "This is Loki. One minute to egress test."
"You never said why you need all the firepower," Shenda noted.
"We have had spurious energy readings from the other sides of the doors."
"How many?"
"All of them, and we don't know what their source is. The merc teams are in place to deal with any problem we may encounter."
Shenda and Aerith looked at the blast-ravaged door with a whole new respect. "I wish dad was here," Aerith noted.
"I was your father, and I have the situation under control. Guards! Alert!"
The mercs in the room activated their weapons and aimed them at the door. "Ready, sir!" the Team Leader said.
"Shenda, place your hand on the center of the pad."
"That's all?"
Atmar nodded. "That's all. Your DNA and biofield will be read and analyzed the moment you touch the surface. It will either work or it will not."
"Fine," Shenda said as she placed her palm against the crystal. At first, nothing happened, then colored bands spread out from under Shenda's hand like ripples from a rock thrown into a pond. Then it stopped.
The door opened, causing the mercs in the room to tense up.
A small maintenance bot rolled out and began vacuuming the atrium floor.
"All teams report by the numbers," the team leader ordered over the radio.
It was the same at all the entrances. Doors opened followed by maintenance robots exiting and cleaning the area outside the entrances.
"Clear, sir," the team leader reported to Atmar.
"Good. Everyone, move to your assigned rooms and start the salvage operation..." The team leader interrupted him.
"Sir, I've got the corvette on the horn. It's urgent." The team leader handed Atmar a radio with a headset attached. Donning the headset, Atmar said, "Go for Loki... Copy that. Go to Plan B and proceed."
Atmar returned the unit to the team leader.
"Problems?" Aerith asked.
"Yes, but nothing my people can't handle."
"So, we can go now, right?" Shenda asked.
"Not quite. I
prefer you stick around just in case we need another door unlocked. Team Leader, escort these ladies back to the ship."
"You are really getting under my skin," Shenda noted as the guards led her and Aerith back to the ship.
"I try," he replied distractedly.
###
Back in the ship, Aerith and Shenda sat in their cabin, wondering what Atmar had in mind.
"I don't trust Atmar," Shenda stated for the record. "He's up to something."
"Neither do I. You heard the team leader say something about a corvette? That's not good. Corvettes are strictly offensive. The ones I've seen make lousy cargo haulers. If Dad shows up, it could cause him a little trouble. Hey, tell me about you and your sibs."
"Not much to tell. We've never met our biological parents. We've bounced around foster homes and orphanages since we can remember. We don't like being apart."
How about your sibs? What are they like?"
"Christa is the freakin genius of the group. Those glasses she wears? Fake! She thinks they make her look more studious."
"She's right, they do," Aerith commented; glad to talk about something other than their predicament.
"That girl can hack like nobody's business."
"How about the boys?"
"Torren's Mr. Smooth Operator. He loves the ladies, and it gets worse every year."
"He hits on them?"
"Yeah, but not in a sleazy way. You'll see."
"Wait a minute. You think he'll hit on me?"
Shenda nodded. "Yep. His skills, though, lie in mechanical systems. He picks locks and pockets. The guy is a phenom when it comes to larceny."
"What about Bobby?"
"Roberto is the rock of the family. He protects us. The guy knows more martial arts disciplines than a Kung Fu movie hero. He makes sure we're safe."
"And you?"
"I keep us together. I'm the prime, the coordinator. Gods, I hope they're okay."
"They're fine. Dad and Mom wouldn't let anything happen to them. So, what do you think of Atmar?"
"He's a plarkin’ psychopath. I don't know about you, but I think he's up to a lot more just pillaging and plundering. He's pulling a much bigger caper."
Aerith giggled. "You sound like Dad. He calls the things he did back in the day, capers."
