by Mark Tufo
“Just how many people are on this call, Mike?” Tracy tearfully asked.
“Well, let’s see, I’m sure the bridge of this Battle Cruiser. What, Dee? He says definitely, the Guardian bridge is also here and then I’ve got Dee so I’d say we’ve pretty much fleshed out a decent sized party line.”
Tracy was silent as she collected her thoughts.
“Tracy, I’ve never loved anyone like I’ve loved you. Everything seemed to fall into place that first time we met.”
“I wanted to shoot you the first time we met, Mike.”
“Well, see? We got past that! And then when I found out you were pregnant, I can’t even begin to tell you how great I felt inside.”
“Is that why almost the very next day you once again went on a mission to save the planet?”
“It’s what I do. You knew what you were getting into the day you said ‘I do’.”
“I did, oh God I did. I sometimes feel like our love burned so brightly because it was going to be a short-lived flame. I’ve cherished every moment we’ve shared together, Mike.”
“Tracy, I can’t afford to cry right now. There are way too many people listening. My man-card would be revoked.”
“Your human trait of letting salt water flow through your tear ducts is a perfectly acceptable form of communication right now, Michael. With the heightened levels of stress in you, it would be a beneficial release.”
“Don’t you have a remote village somewhere you can terrorize?” Mike asked.
“I do not know how you have lived with him these three long years, Tracy,” Dee stated. “It must have been as close to your Hell as was possible on Earth.” He walked over to the console next to Mike and sat down heavily in a chair.
“Is Travis there?”
“He’s with your father. They went out for ice cream and he spent the evening at his home.”
Now it was Mike’s turn to sob when he realized he would not get some final words with his son. “Will...will you tell him that his daddy loves him very much and that I will keep a watch out for him, for both of you?”
“Tracy, we are under the gun here. I’m sorry, that was a poor choice of words,” Paul apologized. “I have no intention of letting Mike die today or any day in the foreseeable future. I’m going to end this call so we can see about bringing him home.”
“Please don’t let me down, Paul,” she pleaded.
“Wait, so you have a plan and yet you let me get all soft in front of a full audience?”
“Shut up, Mike. I am going to get you out of there. Tracy, do not tell Travis anything that you will have to recant.”
“Well, fantastic. Dee says he wants anchovies on his pizza.”
“You know I do not like those little fish—they are entirely too salty. Pepperoni, however, would be nice.”
“Well, my love, according to the General we should be home for dinner. In the off chance that I am late, will you wait for me?”
“You know the answer to that. Mike, please don’t leave me. I don’t want to do this alone.”
“I’ll be with you always in one form or another.”
There were loud crashes over the line.
“What’s happening, Mike?” Paul asked with alarm.
“General, perhaps it would be wise to continue this call at a later time,” Dee said.
“Mike...” Tracy was cut off.
“It seems our hosts are adamant about rooting out their pest problem. They’re cutting through the door, Paul. We’re seeing the sparks on our side.”
“Iserwan, what is the ETA on the shuttles?”
Iserwan looked at his screens. “The shuttles have just finished loading up and should be here in a matter of hours.”
“I don’t know what you were planning, buddy, but I can guarantee you we don’t have hours. Dee thinks they’ll be through the door in under one.”
“Fuck. Iserwan, give me an open channel with the wing commander of the fighters.”
“It is yours,” Iserwan spoke after a few moments. “His name is Captain Taggert.”
“Captain Taggert, this is General Ginson aboard the Guardian. Can you hear me?”
“Four by four, General,” the Captain responded.
“I want to thank you for your fine work today, although we’re not quite done.”
“Lost a lot of good men and Genogerians today, sir.”
“I realize that Captain and they will be mourned and celebrated in due time. Right now I’m trying to save a few more from having to be celebrated and mourned.”
“The ones aboard the Breacher, sir?”
“Yes, they were able to disable the ship but now they’re trapped in it and I’m going to need some help convincing the Cruiser to let them go.”
“Just let me know what I need to do, sir.”
“I want you to get about ten fighters arranged around the bridge of their ship and then just keep your channel open. We’ll see what happens from there.”
“Aye aye, sir.”
Chapter Nine - Mike Journal Entry 05
“Hey, Mike? You still there, buddy?” Paul asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got nothing else going on right now.”
“Any way you can give comm back to the bridge?”
I’m sure Paul could hear some murmured talking in the background as I asked Dee if this was possible.
“Dee thinks that may be a bad idea. They might be able to get off a distress signal or something, or possibly a warning to those coming behind them.”
“Shit, okay can you relay messages then?”
“Dee shrugged.”
“Could you maybe get a clearer response from him?”
“Okay, he thinks so.”
“Mike, my plan hinges on being able to talk to the bridge.”
“Alright Paul, Dee believes he has tapped...(there was a loud squelching sound that made everyone within earshot cover their ears)...yup he’s definitely in the intercom system. Nice one, big guy. I will never get over how funny it looks when a Geno flips me the bird.”
“Mike,” Paul said with no small measure of exasperation.
“Sorry.”
“Okay, have Dee translate for me. Battle Cruiser, this is the UE Guardian.”
There was a moment as Drababan spoke the words, then the loud surprised grunting of the Cruiser’s commanding officers, followed by what sounded like a litany of swears. Again for ease of relating this story I will forego having to mention that everything said here needed to go through a clearinghouse to be translated.
“This is Battle Cruiser Gount. Who is this? We demand that you give control of our ship back to us immediately!”
“Damn, they sound pissed.” Even before I got the actual meaning of the words it was not difficult to tell what was going on by the tone.
“Shut up! I am in charge here!” Paul bellowed. “My name is General Ginson and I am in command of the United Earth Guardian.”
I did a small fist pump. “Go get ’em, man,” I said softly.
One thing the Progerians can understand is authority; they were not quite so gruff the next time they responded even if it still sounded like a bunch of expletives coming over the speakers.
“We require the knowledge of what has happened to the Supreme Commander of the Julipion, Vallezt.”
“He was delicious,” Paul retorted.
I had to move away from the microphone so that the sounds of my laughing would not be heard, although in reality they really wouldn’t even know what that sound meant.
The shock and outrage on the bridge of the Gount was evident as the officers talked animatedly.
“Now you will listen to me. Your kind came to my planet with the intent of taking it over by hostile force. We have since taken over your Scout Ship Julipion and decided to make it ours. We have destroyed your mutated Genogerian Devastators and imprisoned your Genogerians. The Progerians that survived our hostile takeover have been allowed sanctuary upon our planet.”
‘Good one, budd
y,’ I thought. He was giving them an out. Without one they would have no reason to capitulate to his demands. “Paul, our hosts are making some serious headway. If you’ve got an idea you might want to play that card soon,” I said as an aside.
“We have now rendered your ship useless while also implanting an explosive device that will destroy you.”
“You did not contact us just to let us know. What do you want?”
“I would rather have your ship and the men I still have onboard it intact.”
Dee turned to me after making the translation. Softly, he said, “I would have believed that at least you would have been at the forefront of his request.”
“It’s a display of power. He doesn’t want to look weak in the eyes of the Progerians. He needs to make us look almost like an afterthought. Getting this ship would be a boon.” And that got me thinking—maybe, just maybe, there was a part of Paul that was thinking just that. I decided not to dwell on it.
“We will soon have your men and they will be dead or in captivity. Our ship will be online and then we will destroy you while we await for our Destroyers to come!”
“Captain Taggert, open fire.”
I could feel the Cruiser rocking back and forth from the blows. It was a full minute or so before Paul gave the order to cease fire.
“Do you believe you can do all of the things you presented to me before I destroy your ship?”
It was difficult to hear the Progerians response over the blaring sound of klaxons. A bolt of red blew past me. As close as it was to me it was nothing compared to Dee, whose tunic got singed.
“Defensive positions!” I shouted. We returned fire to the Devastators that were trying to gain entry. It was a small hole that opened up but enough to send rifle blasts in.
“What’s going on?” Paul demanded.
“Taking fire, Paul.”
“Battle Cruiser Gount, you will remove your personnel that are attempting to enter the nerve center of your ship or the next time I tell my Captain to open fire on your bridge, I will not have him stop until molten pieces of you are drifting away into space. You have until the count of three.”
I nailed the rifle barrel of the one shooting at us. Hopefully I was able to take off a couple of his fingers as well. When he pulled back, two more fought their way to the access point and still whoever was attempting to torch their way in was still at work.
“ONE!” Paul shouted.
Two Genogerians off to my side fell over as they took mortal wounds.
“TWO!”
The firefight was intensifying. I could only hope that it was because they only had one more second to do so.
There was shouting beyond the door. The Devastators shooting at us turned. It sounded like there were a few shots being fired out there as well. I decided to add as much chaos into the maelstrom as was possible.
“Michael, what are you doing?” Dee asked as he rose up from behind his place of concealment. I was heading for the rift in the door. I was nearly touching the backsides of the soldiers as I placed the barrel of my rifle through the hole. I began pulling that trigger as fast as my finger would go. Even the Devastators started running away from the destruction I was causing. From this close of range I could not miss as the bolts sliced into and through the soldiers whose armored plating was only protecting their fronts. Their backs were exposed and suffering my full wrath. Flesh and organs alike shone on the floor as I nearly covered it in alien viscera.
“Mike, what’s going on?” Paul asked before he got to the decisive three.
“Michael, stop,” Dee said as he gently placed his large hand on my shoulder.
“Nobody, Dee. Nobody is going to stop me from seeing my family again,” I said, looking up to him. I must have had a pretty intense or insane glaze to my features because even he backed up a step.
“General, they have evacuated the corridor,” Dee replied for me as I regained some semblance of control. “We will still require assistance in exiting this room.”
“Got that part under control, Drababan. Is Mike alright?”
“General, he is unharmed physically.”
I took note that he avoided my mental state. Paul did not pick up on it.
“You two hold tight. I have the Calvary on the way.”
“I do not know where he thinks we could go,” Dee said to me.
“Still here and I think that you’ve been around Mike too much. I have shuttles with troops coming. I’ll have you out of there in a few hours. Out for now, call me if you need anything.”
“I’m better now,” I told him. “Could you tell a couple of the Genogerians to keep an eye on that hole to make sure none of our hostile friends come back?”
The Genogerians that got guard duty looked back at me with concern when they got to the hole and saw the damage I had wrought.
“Ahh, Michael, look at you. Winning friends and influencing people wherever you go,” Dee said when he noticed the same nervousness. “If they were not completely convinced of my words earlier they will be now.”
One by one the Genos in the room would go up to the hole, take a good long look, and then look over to me. Some would put their hand to their head and bow; others would put as much distance as they could find in the confines we found ourselves in.
“Do you think the commander will capitulate?”
“Are you asking if they will allow the shuttles to land and rescue us?”
I nodded.
“I do not see what their options are. Progerians are not very much into personal sacrifice of their well-being. We put them in a powerless position and they are as angry as rabid dogs, yet I do not see a way in which they can prosper by not letting us off this ship. It is possible they believe they can fix this damage quickly and still destroy the Guardian or hide until help arrives in the form of the heavier Destroyers.”
“You know we can’t just leave this ship, right? The Guardian isn’t a match for this thing and they have bigger ones coming.”
“Letting us out of here so that they can repair and continue their mission is one thing. Handing over this ship is another. They will have a self-destruct installed in case they are afraid that it could fall into enemy hands. It is generally reserved for an abandon ship order so that the technology cannot fall into the hands of others, but I do believe if they were pushed to the brink they would execute the order to destroy themselves and all aboard it.”
“We are going to have to take that chance, Dee.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“So you’re with me?”
“I have answered this question before, Michael. I may not always agree with your particular plans but I will always be by your side while I can be.”
“Is there any way to disable the self-destruct from here?”
“If we had the codes perhaps, but without them I fear we would only succeed in initiating the countdown prematurely.”
“Not much good comes from the word ‘premature’.”
“I know that you have a second meaning associated with that response, but I as of yet have not discerned it.”
“Maybe we should just leave that one alone. We’re walking a fine line now. I am torn between wanting to destroy everything in here beyond repair and wanting to temporarily disable it so it’s still usable when we take it to use against the Destroyers.”
“Mike, you there?” Paul asked.
“Not sure where else I’d be,” I answered a little peevishly. “Sorry man, I just get real apprehensive when I get trapped on alien spaceships.”
Paul completely blew me off. “Mike, we need that ship.”
I didn’t say anything for a bit. “Yeah I know. What’s your plan? And before you answer that are you sure we have a closed connection?”
“That I don’t know but I don’t think it matters much. They can’t understand what we’re saying.”
“Dee, do you agree with that?”
“I would. The Julipion studied your Earth languages for weeks before d
eciphering them.”
“Just so you know, you need to factor in a self-destruct into anything you have planned.”
“Well, that makes it much more interesting.”
I wanted to rage at him. “Interesting” was how he put placing our lives in danger. “I guess that’s one way to put it.”
“Paul, you can’t seriously be suggesting this. You need to get him out of there.” It was Beth’s voice. She was putting a lot of strain on Paul’s and my relationship. Shit, she was probably half the reason why he wanted to try this. No, that’s not fair. We did need this ship. I was one life against the weight of the world.
“Beth, this is a military operation, and the last time I checked you did not wear a uniform.” Paul told her curtly.
“No sex for him tonight,” I whispered to Dee.
“That is a very juvenile response to a very serious matter, Michael,” Dee admonished me.
“What’s that, Drababan?” Paul asked.
“Nothing, General. We were discussing tactics,” Dee told him.
“Nice save.”
“I will not do it again.”
“Party crasher.”
“Mike, I have two hundred plus rescuers coming your way.”
“We’ll still be outmanned and that fucking bomb is a game changer.”
“Can you get any local help?”
“The Genos are a minority here. The ship is dominated by Devastators and Progerians, neither of which is going to change sides any time soon.”
“Mike.”
“I know, I know, we still need to try. I should have eaten that second piece of french toast Tracy made for me. Dee, can you set up the intercom to broadcast throughout the ship?”
“What do you mean to do?”
“I want you to convince the Genos on board that they should side with us.”
“It is a risky maneuver, Michael. The Progerians will have the Devastators descend on the Genogerians in a moment’s notice if they believe there is some form of mutiny.”
“Dee, I would not put your people in harm’s way unnecessarily. The price of freedom, however, is a rather steep one. You yourself have told me that you would rather die than live one more moment under Progerian rule. Do you not think we should give the rest of your brothers and sisters the same choice?”
