“We can jam them, but we can’t use the missiles unless they are clearly attacking us,” Starsgard added.
“Thank you all. Let’s reconvene in an hour and present any ideas we may have. In the interim, sensors, remain passive and watch everything. No surprises, please,” Daksha ordered.
“If you want no surprises, then I recommend that we go active, but not ping the station directly. We can radiate everywhere but the station so we aren’t so alarming,” Chirit offered.
“Make it so, Lieutenant.” Daksha floated upward, feeling more in control of himself.
***
Cain made eye contact with the others and tipped his chin in all directions, encouraging them to look around and record everything they saw through their neural implants.
The major looked at the guards, certain that he could take one or two out, but that wouldn’t be enough. Their stun clubs would penalize everyone else in the party. Cain dismissed the idea. Stinky looked to be in pain. The guards had too much fun beating Cain’s friend.
What goes around, comes around, Cain thought.
They continued down the ramp until a series of doors appeared on the left. The man in the lead opened one of them seemingly at random and pointed the way in. The guards weren’t talkative, considering their prisoners to be less than human.
“Why thank you!” Cain exclaimed, earning him a quick discharge from the stun club. Cain grunted, but didn’t cry out, and he didn’t fall down. “Is that all you got?”
The man shoved Cain through the door and Ellie swung, stepping into her punch and catching the man in the temple. She grunted with the effort, then stepped back in a ready position, expecting a counterpunch, but the man dropped, out cold.
The one behind him was surprised, but not for long. He jabbed his stick at Ellie. She dodged and caught it, then lashed out and kicked the man in the groin. He toppled and she ripped the club from his hand. The other guards sprang into action.
Cain brained the first guard who came within reach, but the rest of the prisoners were pummeled quickly. Men appeared in the doorway and overwhelmed Cain. Ellie had the club beat from her hands and she was stunned repeatedly as Cain, being manhandled by four strong men, watched.
“Run!” the major yelled as Stinky was wrestling with the man who had his lightning spear. The Wolfoid bit the man’s arm and leapt over him, trying to pull the spear as he escaped. The guard’s grip was too strong and Stinky crashed to the ground, caught in a game of tug-of-war with the lightning spear. The last man had finished zapping the two navigators and swung his club in a wide arc to catch Black Leaper on the side of his head.
The Wolfoid staggered a step, then fell over. The man Stinky had been fighting with swung his club again and again, but Leaper didn’t feel anything. He was unconscious and defenseless.
“STOP!” Cain screamed. “We’ll go with you.”
The man ceased his attack and strutted to Cain. He jabbed his club into Cain’s abdomen and activated it until the major doubled over in pain. Sparks and flashes appeared before the major’s closed eyes. The weapon stopped and rough hands dragged Cain to his feet.
A knot was starting to grow on the side of Ellie’s face where one of the security men had clubbed her. She had told him that he wasn’t her protector.
In his mind, he always would be, and he had just failed miserably.
The faces of Cygnus VII, contorted in pain, battered and bruised, dragged toward confinement.
Cain would have never imagined such an eventuality.
Plans regarding the replacement of the current earther leadership and payback to the security guards started to flood his mind.
***
“Oh my,” Daksha blurted as they watched, shocked at the brutality of the people on Earth Two.
“And they called me an animal,” Pickles offered emotionlessly.
“I never wanted to see anyone dead before, but the prime minister and those administrators are now on my list,” Daksha whispered.
“Ascenti? Are there any other people around? Would it be possible to fly a shuttle to the ramp and deposit the Marines there?” Rand asked.
“Very few people, but I see some going about their business,” Ascenti replied. Jolly appeared next to Rand.
“Can we talk with the ‘cats?” Jolly asked in his effort to expand the conversation.
“Only through one of our people. That’s a good idea, Jolly. Send a note to Cain, Ellie, and Leaper. What do you want to ask?”
“I would like the ‘cats’ assessment of the general attitude of the population. Are they oppressed like the people on Concordia?” Jolly suggested.
“I’d like to know the answer to that, too,” Daksha said. He blinked slowly as he thought about it. “Send the note, Jolly. Maybe they’ve recovered sufficiently to be able to ask the question for us.”
Jolly put his arms behind his back as he waited.
Cain’s voice came loud and clear over the sound system. “Hey, guys, you’re missing the party.” Jolly played what was traveling down Cain’s optic nerve. Their video as seen through the eyes of the crew.
They were being herded along a passageway. The prisoners were complying with the orders given. “I’ve asked Brutus if he could get any impressions. He’s working on it, but he needs to move out of the cargo area. Carnesto has found a dark spot to observe the landing zone and Penelope is inside something and very afraid.”
Rand’s lip curled of its own accord.
“How are you holding up, Cain?” Daksha asked.
“You saw that little tiff on the ramp?”
“Ascenti was in a good position to observe. We were not amused with what we saw,” Daksha told him.
“Ellie racked that gutter slug right up his man parts. I’m proud of her and all of them. I am worried about Leaper. They consider him as some kind of alien and not evolved as far as humans. By the way, do you have any plans to break us out of here?”
“Working on that last part, Major Cain. Briz and Jolly are brainstorming on some things that we’ll look at shortly. Keep your head up, Cain, and keep the morale of the others up. The only thing I can promise is that we’re not leaving here without you.”
Cain didn’t answer. His attention was pulled into an open door that they were shoving him through. Inside were med bots, human medical personnel, and way too many needles.
A ‘Cat’s View of the World
‘Time to move, Carnesto. Let’s go find us some stupid people,’ Brutus said, looking out from his hiding spot. He used his senses to find the people in the area. There weren’t many. Most of the systems were automated.
Brutus bolted into the open and ran low, dodging behind a crate, under a piece of slow-moving equipment, then to some decorative foliage.
It wasn’t even real. Brutus sniffed at it before climbing into the trough in which it was placed and relieving himself.
Fake trees. People are stupid, he thought.
‘Ascenti. Is the ramp the only way out of this cursed landing zone?’ Brutus asked over their mindlink.
‘It looks like it. There are doors and offices on the opposite end, but I can’t see that there are stairs or an elevator or anything suggesting an exit. Reminds me of the Traveler. The ramps were the main routes, but if we could find where they’re hiding the elevators, then you could make quick work of traveling up and down, except you’d be trapped inside a box,’ Ascenti responded, unsure of what Brutus intended. The Hawkoid watched the ramp and the door through which they’d taken the others, but he couldn’t get inside. He was relegated to being an observer.
Or a ‘cat helper. He’d heard the stories where Hawkoids in the past had carried Hillcats on their backs. He wasn’t sure he wanted to try it since he was still getting used to his new wing.
‘Have no fear. I’m not going for a ride, not while I’m still breathing anyway,’ Brutus said to allay the Hawkoid’s fears. ‘Maybe you can snag the kitten and take her some place safe, like the overhead struts. She can watc
h, but no one will be able to get to her.’
‘I’ll consider that. Do you know where she is?’
‘Yes,’ Brutus said in his annoying way of answering questions literally.
‘Can you guide me to her?’
‘Yes.’
Ascenti had had enough. He launched himself from the support beam and glided back toward the landing zone, beating his wings just enough to stay near the overhead. Brutus guided him toward the kitten’s hiding place, but she wouldn’t come out.
The Hawkoid was exposed flying so low. He ducked behind a box, landed, and hopped closer to Penelope. He chirped, but she remained inside. He switched to his vocalization device.
“Come out, Penelope, and hurry. We need to go,” Ascenti pleaded. He could hear Brutus encouraging her over the mindlink. The Hawkoid peeked out from behind the box, looking around and making sure that he still had time. He caught sight of Brutus running toward him.
The scruffy orange ‘cat stopped, crawled inside the hole in the box and after some kitten-size yowling, dragged his daughter into the open.
‘Grab her and take her out of here,’ Brutus demanded as he held her down with one paw.
Ascenti beat his wings to get off the deck, pounced on the kitten who was more than half Brutus’s size, and the Hawkoid flew upward. Brutus dashed in the direction of the next cover.
Penelope yowled as Ascenti tried to soothe her. He made it to a beam in the rafters and carefully deposited her, before adjusting and landing next to the kitten. She shivered with fear, but she was safe from the earthers.
Brutus angled sharply away from a group of people coming up the ramp. He stopped next to a low wall and crouched, listening to their thoughts. Workers ready for the start of their shift. Complaining about breakfast. It wasn’t hot enough, but they weren’t fomenting rebellion.
‘Is the ramp clear?’ Brutus asked.
‘As far as I can see, yes,’ Ascenti replied.
Brutus didn’t wait. He entered the ramp, running downward as fast as he could.
***
Carnesto waited in the cargo transshipment area. He was closer to the offices than Brutus had been. He stayed in the shadows to work his way next to the door. He could see through the windows, then realized that they were openings without glass. No need for windows in a place where the environment was completely controlled and someone was always on duty.
The ‘cat tucked his feet beneath him and tried to be a hole in a shadow as he listened to the exchange between the two groups of humans. The ones who had been on the pad were animated and into telling their story about the arrival of aliens.
“That’s their ship right there! It is trapped tighter than a box seal. Aliens got off--a wolf-man, a bird, a real bird, and then cats, too. It was a freak show!” the man shouted, trying to be the voice that everyone listened to.
Carnesto wanted to scratch the man’s eyes out.
“The prime minister himself fought them off when they attacked. Security hauled their heathen asses away.” Carnesto imagined the man gesturing wildly to emphasize the fantasy yarn he was spinning.
The others laughed. “There’s no way the prime minister fought anyone off. I saw him lose a fight with a tomato sandwich,” one man from the new shift offered. Many from the two groups snickered.
“Watch your tongue. You know they listen,” the first man cautioned.
“Aliens? Real aliens?” a woman asked. “Cats aren’t aliens. We have them here and dogs, too. They’re just controlled, that’s all. I wanted a cat, but didn’t get my request approved. That seems to be the way things are nowadays. No one gets anything except more work.”
“Our dogs don’t carry spears or walk upright, stand bigger than a man. That one from the alien ship did,” the first speaker intoned as if setting the stage for a theatric performance.
“What did you really see, doofus?” someone demanded.
The man harrumphed and someone else stepped up. “I was watching from the loader since they shut down the pad for their arrival. They seemed nice enough, shook hands with the prime minister and the four administrators. Then the security guards took over. That’s what I saw. If they are aliens, then we just showed them who’s in charge. What if they sent for reinforcements? The aliens will kill us all and blaming the prime minister won’t get our lives back,” a woman enunciated clearly, as if trying to be clear for whoever might be listening in.
She didn’t condemn anyone. She only told her version.
“Okay, I may have exaggerated, but not the wolf-man. He was something! I ain’t never seen nothing like that before, not even in the movies. The bird and cats got away. They are running around here somewhere. Security told us to go about our business and they’d be bringing a crew as soon as possible to find them. That’s enough excitement for me for the day. I don’t want to be here when security shows up. Those clubs of theirs sting like a mother!” he said knowingly.
The others nodded and with final mumbles good-bye, the outgoing shift departed. The newcomers, five men and three women, grabbed their duty assignments and headed away from the building. Carnesto watched where the cat-loving woman went and followed her.
She had a computer pad and looked to be scanning crates, conducting inventory. Carnesto walked up to her and rubbed his large body against her leg. She jumped back, looked around, and then started petting his gleaming black fur. Carnesto looked at her and gave an obligatory sad meow with his eyes wide.
Her heart melted, and he knew that he had her. He let her pet him for a while longer before opening a mindlink with her.
‘Hi, pretty lady! I need your help.’
She jumped back and made like she was looking at documentation. “Who said that, and where are you?” she whispered harshly.
‘I’m down here. You were petting me. I’m a Hillcat,’ Carnesto explained. ‘Telepathy is the word that you use.’
She stared at him with her mouth open. He sat down and wrapped his tail around his back legs. ‘My friends and I really need your help. The duplicity and subterfuge of your prime minister caught us completely unaware,’ Carnesto said, enunciating to make sure that she understood every word. ‘I could kill him, but prefer to simply gather my people and leave. You can save lives by helping me to free them from wherever security has taken them. If I’m not mistaken, it’s some sort of medical lab.’
“What do you want me to do, kitty?” she asked in a breathy whisper, smiling as she continued to pet him behind his ears.
‘Carnesto. My name is Carnesto,’ he replied, continuing to look into her eyes. ‘As for what you can do. It would help if you took me to the lab where they are, down the ramp and to the left.’
“What kind of name is Carnesto?” she asked, warming up to the idea of a talking cat.
‘It is my name. Is that not good enough? What is your name, pretty lady?’ Carnesto kept trying to build his relationship with her, wanting her to do as he asked, but she was holding herself back.
“My name is Jane, Jane Merriweather.” She held out her hand automatically as if to shake. The ‘cat looked at her hand blankly. “Oh, sorry about that. Can I pick you up and hold you? You look really soft.”
Carnesto fought his natural inclination to roll his eyes. He struggled in an epic internal battle and finally gave in. ‘Yes, you may pick me up, Jane Jane, but don’t let anyone else see. They’ll get jealous.’
Jane took a knee in front of him and looked both ways before scooping up the large ‘cat and hugging him fiercely and kissing his head. He could hear Brutus laughing in the back of his mind, but the rough orange ‘cat was a long ways away.
***
Brutus reached the bottom of the ramp and turned sharply into a more congested urban area. The area was clean, almost antiseptic.
He had passed into the inner world where the cylinder disappeared away from him, curving into the sky. The brightness of the structure above acted as the sun, lighting the inner world in a way that left few shadows. Brutus was given lit
tle in which to hide.
Sharp corners and no foliage. Slick walls and smooth decks. Lackluster people, going about their business. Even their clothes lacked color. Cain and his camouflage would have stood out like a lighthouse beacon in the darkness. The orange of Brutus’s hair seemed to glow against the white and gray of that town in the inner world.
Brutus crouched as far out of sight as he could get, using his senses to make sure no people were close. He tentatively reached out and touched the minds of the populace, alarmed at the lack of energy and drive that most of the people had. They existed, but not much more.
‘Is this what happens when people stop reaching for the stars?’ Brutus asked his life-link.
‘Where are you, Brutus?’ Cain asked in a pain-fogged thought voice.
‘The inner world, my friend. The people here don’t seem to care about anything. There’s no spark of life,’ Brutus replied sadly.
‘There’s plenty of sparks up here, Brutus,’ Cain replied before screaming in agony until he felt his vocal cords would shred. ‘If they have that attitude, then they won’t resist anything we do. Keep pressing. Find someone to help you to come back and free us. They are punishing us for their own fears. I am afraid that they won’t stop until we’re all dead.’
Cygnus Arrives: Humanity Returns Home (Cygnus Space Opera Book 3) Page 25
