by Frank Carey
"That's the whole damn station," Lenora said.
"Along with anyone aboard her, including Marta, Sana, Teams One and Two, Station Security, and any stragglers, all dragged to an instantaneous death in the middle the nearest star. Either that, or the end of League civilization as we know it."
"Wait a minute, doesn't she have safeguards to prevent that scenario happening?"
"Yes, several, which is why I have to get to a terminal, tie into her control system, and defeat all of them. I need about five minutes to pull out the safety interlocks," Harm explained.
"We just need to get out of here," Linka said as she tried the door.
"Son, what are you doing?" Lenora asked. Linka turned to see Harm unbinding his ponytail. As they watched, a small pouch dropped into his hands. "What the hell is that?"
Smiling, he unrolled the object in his hand, revealing a set of Elven Industries lock picks, tiny robots designed to unlock any mechanical lock. "Some things even a hacker ball can't open," he said as he walked over to the door. "You two know that there may be some killing and maiming involved, mostly to those of a Tralaskan persuasion." He gave Linka a long look. "You are Tyen, and Tyens are considered gods by the Tralaskan people, which may be why we're still alive. Linka, you don't have to..."
She walked over, grabbed him by his shirt, and threw him into the wall. "How dare you doubt my loyalty to Tralaska and to the League? I am half-elf, but more importantly, those are traitors out there, traitors to both the League and Tralaska. They mean nothing to me."
"Put him down, Commander. He's just testing you. Aren't you, Harmon?"
He nodded. "Mother only calls me Harmon when she's disgusted with my actions. She's right, I have to be 110% sure you'll go along with this. Probably none of us will survive this operation. I want to make sure our lives will not be wasted. Now, put me down. This is my favorite shirt."
Linka put him down and straightened his shirt. "You are a scoundrel, Harmon Aymar. I could have killed you for your insolence."
"If I had a nickel for every time a woman told me that. Both of you are combat trained, so how do you want to work this?"
"There are three guards outside the door and three of us in here. One guard to the left, One to the right, and the third floating between the two," Lenora mused as she stared at the door. "Lucien, you wouldn't have a stun bomb hidden somewhere on your person, would you?"
Linka blushed.
"No, Mother, no bombs, blasters, knives, or weapons of any sort."
"Too bad, we could use one." Linka said.
"But, our friends have everything we need," Harm replied. "We just need to persuade them to let us have them."
###
The guards stood outside the makeshift cell, all three bored to tears. "I don't know why the boss just doesn't throw them out an airlock," the first guard commented.
"Well, the two elves should go. We can't get rid of Veraska," the second guard opined, "being she's a Tyen and all. It just wouldn't be right."
"Tyen, shmyen. She's half elf, for gods' sake. Airlock for the three of them," number three replied. "What was that?"
The three stopped and listened. A scratching noise came from the door. It was faint, but unmistakable."
Number three moved in for a closer listen. The door opened and three sets of hands grabbed the guards and dragged them inside, the door quietly closing behind them. Moments later, Lenora, Linka, and Harm emerged wearing field harnesses and carrying the guard's weapons. "Which way?" Lenora asked.
"This way," Linka said as she headed down a corridor.
"Wait a minute," Harm said, hesitating. "What about them? We are planning to send this place into a star, right?"
"Son, they were going to kill us, remember?" Lenora reminded him.
He reached over and pulled a fire alarm. "I'm not them," he reminded her. As the three ran away from the cell, strobes and alarms filled the interior of the pod.
Chapter 33 - Marta
I stood near the pressure seal leading to the tunnel as my troops waited for my order to proceed. I needed one final piece of information before proceeding, and for that, I needed the help of Linka’s second in command. "Lt. Traaler reporting as ordered, ma'am," a short, dark-haired Tralaskan male said as he walked up and stood at attention.
"At ease, LT. Have you been briefed?" I asked
"Yes, ma'am. What do you need ma'am? Name it, and I will get it for you personally."
"How do we blow the tunnel and fire the separation motors?"
Without even a blink of surprise, Traaler launched into an explanation while walking over to a cover on the wall near the panic button. He opened it to reveal three buttons, numbered "1", "2", and "3", and a key switch. Traaler took a key from his pocket, inserted it, and turned it, arming the system. "Just push the buttons in numerical sequence. Fifteen seconds later, the charges go off, severing the tunnel, igniting the motors, and sending the pod away from the station at five standard gravities. There is a box identical to this one inside the pod on the starboard wall next to the door as you walk in.
"Burn duration?" I asked
"Twenty seconds."
"About six miles. Good. Now..." I was interrupted by alarms going off while red mars lights around the door rotated.
"Someone pulled a fire alarm in the pod," Traaler offered in the way of an explanation.
I bet I know who that someone was. "People, let's rock!" I yelled. Sana ran over to the door, her people following while Captain Masun and his group fanned out, taking up defensive positions around the foyer area. Seeing everyone ready, Sana opened the seal...
The tunnel was devoid of life.
"Move out! Sana yelled.
As if hit by a cattle prod, Frasier took point, scanning every nook and cranny for hostiles. Behind him, members of Team One and half the SFL contingent followed, each one looking for anything out of the ordinary. I activated my commlink. "McMurphy to Aymar, we are on the move, over."
"Copy that," Royce replied. We are in position, awaiting your orders. “Aymar standing by."
Good. Most of the Ventosian fleet was now pointing a vast array of weaponry at this pod, waiting for my command to fire. All I had to do was find three civvies and get them the plark out of there before pressing three buttons in sequence.
Easy peasy.
We made it to the far door where we found the second vacuum seal, this one identical to the one we just opened. I looked behind us and saw the other still closed. "Sana, can we open that door back there without your help?"
"Yes, ma'am. The HB removed the codes altogether."
"Traaler, this is McMurphy. Seal your door and wait for further instructions."
"Aye, general," he said as the massive door closed.
"Sana, work your magic, People, get ready. There's probably a horde of heavily armed and angry people on the other side of this seal."
Chapter 34 - Grandkids
"Ashley! Grayson! Bree and Adaira need help down in the forward hold!" Shenda yelled to her children.
"On it, Mom," Ashley said as she and her brother headed off the bridge and down the nearest gangway.
"They're so adorable," Connie said as she checked the Marta's position relative to one of the GCL liners. Through the forward windscreen, they could see the station sitting calmly, serenely, only a few miles away. "You are planning on having more, aren't you?"
"Why? You want to borrow them?" Shenda asked as she reached down and switched the ship's PA system to a feed from the station. They could hear status reports from those who stayed behind on the station. "God, I hope they're not doing something stupid."
"Dad do something dumb? Maybe, but not Mom," Torren pointed out. "Remember, she's the one with the level head. Anyway, Sana's there with two EMEF Teams. What can go wrong?"
Shenda looked up at her brother. "You do know our family, don't you? Computer, zoom in on Algonquin and put image up on monitor four."
An image of the sleek blockade runner/freighter sitting on
top of the massive fusion pod appeared on the screen. It sat there, silent, almost brooding. Shenda shuddered as she remembered the vids recorded on Venecia when her father initiated a protocol 4 with Conquistador. That explosion was a fraction of the one Algonquin would generate when her Mother pressed the button.
"Are you alright?" Christa asked as she put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "You're shaking."
"I was just thinking about Venecia. When will this nightmare end? Dad nearly died sealing out the Grange, now they may be back."
"The Grange, Muntz, things are definitely back to normal around here," Christa said. "I was getting bored."
"Right," Shenda said, cuffing her sister.
"Ow!" Christ said in response.
"Wuss," the rest of the Bridge crew chimed in.
###
"Aunt Adaira, Mom said you needed help." Ashley said as she and Grayson ran up.
"Aye, lass. We need ration packs. This group is getting hungry and thirsty!"
Ashley looked around and saw the fifty-plus people milling around the hold while awaiting pickup by rescue shuttles. "Yes, Aunt Adaira, but from which storeroom?" she asked, knowing they were trying to deplete stores on a room-by-room basis.
"Good question," Adaira asked as her tail formed the telltale question mark. "Bree?"
"Eleven-port," the cargo master replied.
"On it," Grayson said as he and Ashley dove into the crowd.
On the far side of the hold, they found the room and went inside. Voices from the station played over the speakers as the two gathered supplies.
"Brother, we're going to need a cart," Ashley said as she used a repulsor drag to pull a pallet of bottled water into the open. Hearing no reply, she turned and saw her brother staring at something on his chest, hidden behind his hand.
"What's wrong?"
He moved his hand to reveal a glowing blue jewel embedded in his sternum, its light gently pulsing as if in sync with his heart. He looked up and pointed directly at her. She looked down and saw the same jewel embedded in her own sternum.
They screamed as their last growth spurt hit.
###
"Where have those two gotten off to?" Adaira asked as the crowd went silent. The young elfling turned around and watched as Ashley walked in, carrying over a half-ton of rations which she gently sat down on the deck. Behind her was Grayson with a pallet of bottled water that he sat down next to the rations. The two of them handed out food and water to the people around them.
"Sorry we took so long," Ashley said. "We couldn't find a cart."
Neither Bree nor Adaira moved. Finally, Adaira walked over and hit the intercom button. "Emergency in the forward hold."
Grayson stopped what he was doing to look at his Aunt. "Is there a problem?"
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Me? I'm Grayson, your nephew, and this is Ashley, your niece." He returned to handing out water to the passengers. A family, members of a little known race, the k'Yah, thinking of joining the League said something to him that the universal translator couldn't deal with. He replied in the same language while giving an intricate bow."
"What did they say, lad?" Adaira asked.
"They thanked us for the kindness, then I gave the appropriate response. They are an old people, one with a history that stretches back millions of years... How do I know that?"
"Where are my children?"
The twins stood up and faced their parents and Ruby who had come down from the bridge in response to Adaira's call. All five crewmembers were holding blasters.
"Mom, is this some kind of joke?" Ashley asked.
Shenda shook her head while reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small mirror--always handy around a ship-- and threw it to Ash. Ashley took it and looked at herself. She, like her brother was, tall, too tall for an elfling, with stretched arms, legs, and torso. In the center of her chest was a glowing blue jewel the same color as her glowing eyes. Her complexion was perfect grey while her hair was jet black, framing a pair of pointed ears at least three times normal length. Each of them had a fringe of beard that would make a Lyseckan proud.
"So?" she said as she handed it to her brother. He used it to straighten his hair'
"Handsome as usual," he said as she threw the mirror back to his mother.
"You don't see anything different?" Chasm asked while disarming and holstering his weapon.
"Noooo, should we?" Grayson asked.
"Grayson, sweety," Breanne said as she, too, disarmed, "How heavy is a pallet of bottled water?"
Grayson looked to the ceiling and ran a calculation in his head. "About a ton?"
"Correct. Now, how did you bring this pallet out of storage?"
He looked at it for moment. "I carried it."
"Yes, you picked up and carried a ton of water bottles with only your bare hands while your petite little sister..."
Ashley curtsied.
"Carried a half-ton of MRES out here from the same locker. Now, don't you find that a little peculiar?"
The crowd murmured. "This is so cool," a teenager said.
The twins looked at each other, shoving their hands in their pockets. "Yeah, a little," Grayson replied while Ashley just nodded.
Shenda gave her blaster to Chasm before running over and hugging her kids. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have reacted like that, but all hell is breaking loose out there and..."
Both kids froze as they listened to the PA chatter. "Mom, something bad is happening aboard the station. Grandpa is hurt and..."
"And what? Tell me?"
"Computer, activate viewer and display feed with pod," Ashley said, the glow of her eyes growing brighter.
"Working."
"The viewer came on with an image of the pod. On top, was the Algonquin, read beacons flashing along its dorsal surface."
"What the hell?" Adaira said. "Those beacons are to warn off anyone from approaching."
"Computer, recognize Capt. McMurphy."
"Recognized."
"Query Algonquin. Status of Protocol 4."
"Protocol 4 cancelled."
"Status of FTL drive."
"FTL drive? Without her mega-router?" Adaira asked.
"FTL drive energizing."
"Shit," Shenda said as she slapped the intercom. "Connie, prepare for..."
"Look!" Bree yelled.
On the viewer, the interconnecting tunnel exploded as four, oversized rockets encircling the pod-end of the tube, ignited. The pod tore away from the station at high-gee.
"Warning. FTL activation in nineteen seconds, mark!" the computer said.
"Distance from station at activation?" Adaira asked.
"Six miles."
"Then we're safe," Shenda said. "The FTL bubble is only three miles wide."
"We're safe, but the General is still aboard the pod." Ashley said. "At least according to the chatter from the station."
"Computer, time to FTL activation?" Grayson asked.
"Ten seconds, mark"
He looked at his sister and she nodded. "We'll be right back," he said as he and Ashley disappeared in a flash of blue light, leaving everyone else in shock. Ten seconds later, there was a second flash of light just as the Algonquin and the fusion pod disappeared from the screen.
"Oh my God," Adaira said as doc slid next to her.
Chapter 35 - The Big Play
The seal opened onto chaos filled with flashing strobes, sirens, rain, and mist as every fire alarm and suppression system in the pod was running at full in an attempt to put out hell's own blaze. "Major, report!" I yelled over the commlink.
"There's no fire. Someone has convinced the computer otherwise. Our people are this way," she said while making a chopping motion away from the seal we had just entered through.
"Someone my ass," I said with a smile. Harmon had to be behind this. We headed into the insanity with guns drawn and scanner sights at full sensitivity.
"General, on your left, ten o'clock," Frasier y
elled, I pivoted and fired, taking out two hostiles, my weapon set to kill. There was no way I was going to leave a live combatant crawling up my six. We continued to advance, taking out many more hostiles that were taking out members of my team. The comms were filled with chatter, chatter that would drive most people to distraction, but we weren't most people. The EMEF trained their people to glean information from the noisiest of environments, and this was no exception.
I came around a corner and took out a rather large individual who was trying to strangle someone with a tail. "Thanks," Linka said as she kicked the body over a railing and down into the bowels of the pod.
A body flew past her and followed the other downward. Behind it strode Lenora with a bloody short blade in each hand. She looked like one of the valkyries of legend. "This way," she said as she wiped blood off her face with a sleeve.
We hurried over to where Harmon was feverishly typing into a terminal. "Hey, elf, what gives?" I said while taking out two more hostiles with my pistols while Linka and Lenora tallied more body count.
He explained what was happening and how he was reprogramming the Algonquin. "I'm slaving her to the rocket motors so she'll engage the FTL drive twenty seconds after the escape sequence begins. That should put a safe distance between the pod and the station."
"Can't you stop the gate from opening?" I asked as I took out more unfriendly types.
"No. That fool, Muntz, energized the system and locked the controls. If we shoot it, we could set off a tear in space-time. No, only dropping it in a star will stop the robobeetles from getting out." He finished typing and leapt back from the console. "Shoot it!"
I took aim and fired at the equipment, turning it into a pile of slag. "Let's get out of..." Harm reached over and threw me into the railing as an energy bolt tore into his side. Lenora, Linka, and I turned and fired at the source of the shot, converting the shooter into a ball of plasma.
"Harmon!" I yelled as I knelt down beside him and pressed my hand into the hole in his side, vainly trying to staunch the flow of blood. "MEDIC!" I screamed into the commlink.
Linka knelt down next to me, reached over, and tore the first aid kit off my harness. Ripping it open, she took out a large bandage and applied it the wound as I moved my hand away. Lenora, meanwhile, pulled out an autoinjector and stabbed her son in the leg with it while running a scanner over him. "He'll live, but we have to get him out of here.
