by Eden Ember
“Sir, we’re powering up the fuel cells,” Rufio replied.
“Not fast enough,” Kezon said as he marched toward the hatch where the escape pods awaited.
The crew worked quickly to ready the pod, the fuel cells humming to life partially. If the ship were in dire danger, the pods could float away with enough power to propel from the ship, but not enough power to fly to a nearby docking station. The fact that the emergency pods had been under poor maintenance was something that he would have to take up with some of the crew once he returned with his mate. The commander was soon on his way to the planet surface with Uza.
“There,” Kezon said as they skirted around Arthexei looking for the Tracker’s signature. It had landed in a field right next to the rebel facility. “I’m sure Blaire is there too.”
Kezon’s jaw tensed as he flew Escape Pod One around the horizon, just beyond the reach of the enemy’s sensors. The dense forest there provided the perfect hiding spot and blocked any tracking from the facility. Thankfully, the pod had a beacon that operated on a secrete signal. This would allow them to easily find their way back once Blaire was found. The two Hjotts rushed toward the enemy’s location.
“Commander, what’s the plan for rescuing Blaire?” Uza asked.
“We’ll see what we’re up against and figure it out as we go,” Kezon replied. He’d left orders for the crew to summon help from the Jatra military should they not hear from him by a certain time. The rescue attempt had to work. His uxormea glowed brightly and drove him to find Blaire. Should something have happen to his mate, the uxormea would burn hot and then cool. Blaire was nearby; he could feel it as the surface shuttle came closer to the rebel encampment.
They carefully made their way around the outer edge of the grounds surrounding the enemy facility, keeping far enough away that they didn’t raise an alarm for the guards posted along the perimeter. “We must take out the guards first and then work our way inside. They haven’t seen us yet. We should be able to stay along the line of bushes and get closer to the building.”
Uza, using a bispectacle, peered toward the facility. “The guards are heavily posted along the bush line, commander.”
“Smart coffs. I’m assuming that you brought along the map made from the drone?” Kezon asked.
“Yes, right here. Commander, there is an underground level,” Uza told him. “The drone’s sensors were able to pick it up during its flight.”
“Good. We’ll take out two of the guards and then change into their clothing. Then we’ll enter the facility dressed as them.”
“Here, we should double back to the north and follow the valley back to the camp,” Uza said as he pointed to the map. “That’s where the lower level workers are located. We could dress in the guard's uniform and walk up there. We would be less likely to be noticed by the underlings.”
“Good idea,” Kezon replied as they reached the bush line.
They crept along the bush line and found two guards talking, not paying much attention. Kezon and Uza drew their weapons and silenced them before pointing them toward the necks of the guards. With accurate aim, the guards soon fell silent. The two Hjotts rushed to them and pulled the two guards into the bush line and quickly removed their outfits. Each one they hid naked beneath the bushes before Kezon and Uza dressed in the Aulius guard uniforms.
The small valley on the other side of the bush line provided the perfect entry into the facility. Dressed as the Aulius guards, Kezon and Uza made it through the outer rebel encampment with no issues. They walked ahead with purpose, carrying the jagged-edged Aulius swords on their sides. When they came to the outer fence surrounding the facility, they found several Aulius and Teruds gathered at the gate, talking excitedly about what had happened earlier.
“The Terran is in a cell below. Apparently our cyborg overpowered her and commandeered a transport ship,” the Terud laughed. Kezon froze as they listened to the conversation.
The Aulius laughed along with him. “Jatra sent a frail Terran to do their dirty work?”
“It seems that she ran the laboratory on the ship. Olff said that she was about to experiment on him.” The Terud sneered. “Stupid Hjotts; they can’t outsmart us.”
“Olff,” Kezon whispered disdainfully.
Uza’s hand formed a fist as he lurched forward. Kezon held him back and chuckled as they walked by, trying to keep from drawing unwanted attention to themselves.“Calm yourself, Uza. We need to keep a low profile until we find Blaire.” Once within the gates, the two warriors paused as they surveyed the exterior of the facility.
Uza soon led the way to the underground water tunnel that would lead to the lower level of the facility. They ducked into the grate and quickly descended to the level before following the watery path to the interior of the facility. There were no guards at the grated entrance to the lower level. After climbing the ladder, they emerged into a dank and dim corridor that dripped with water before making their way toward the prisoner cells.
“This way,” Uza said as he looked at the printout of the map.
Kezon’s throat filled with gall at the thought of what the enemy might have done to Blaire by now. He had to find her soon and get her out of there. His thoughts were no longer on the original mission. If need be, he’d take her into the farthest reaches of the galaxy to safety where they could live their lives quietly, away from all danger. His uxormea burned within his tunic as they moved through the maze of tunnels in an attempt to find the right place to enter the facility.
Two Terud guards stood talking at the end of the long corridor. They were not looking in the direction where Kezon and Uza had emerged from the tunnels. The two warriors stayed hidden in the shadows, their hands on their weapons, ready to fight.
Uza’s hand came out and stopped Kezon as the sound of someone talking filtered through the bottom of a lit doorway where the two Teruds were standing. Something was happening there and it piqued the interest of the Hjott men.
Chapter 22
Blaire
Blaire glared at the Aulius guards posted in the room with her. Their eyes narrowed at her as they stood perfectly still. Perched on the bench, she rocked back and forth as she counted the seconds, knowing that Kezon would be frantically looking for her. Gibberish came through the guards comms as they stared at her. Occasionally they paced the floor in front of her, causing her to become even more nervous as she wondered what would happen to her. The damn implant in her ear caught a few Aulius words here and there, but the language was too dissimilar to the Hjott language. The implant was programmed to communicate with the Hjotts more so than with other beings.
Several words spilled out of the guard’s mouth at her. Blaire shook her head and hoped that it was the universal sign for I don’t know. He tapped his ear hard and pointed at her head. She understood as she reached up and moved a tiny dial on her implant. The guard spoke as if reciting something and his words slowly became more understandable. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes, I understand,” she said. Her voice sounded to her.
“What were you doing with Olff?” the guard asked.
“Olff?” Blaire’s brow furrowed as she had no clue who this Olff was.
“Yes, Olff. The cyborg?” The guard’s brow lifted as he stopped pacing and peered down at her.
“Oh, it has a name,” Blaire said, surprised at hearing such a thing. Did they name all the cyborgs? I’m not sure what Olff overheard when we were in the lab, but did you know that they kidnapped me from Earth? I was a scientist there and the Hjotts kidnapped me right out of my laboratory on Earth and brought me here. I was only going along with whatever they wanted to survive. One of them even said he wanted to claim me for himself. Can you imagine? I did nothing to Olff, just ask him. I was trying to find a way off that ship. When I had a moment to go to the lab alone, well Olff must have assumed that I was one of them and kidnapped me. But he actually did me a huge favor. Please, let me stay here with you and don’t send me back to that ship,�
� Blaire pleaded as she tried to make her story ring true to her captors.
“Terran! Is this truth?” the guard asked with a scowl.
Blaire worked up some tears in her eyes to make it look more convincing as she nodded. “Yes, they kidnapped me from my home. I was taken against my will and held captive,” she claimed, hoping her words sounded sincere enough.
“They took you because you’re a scientist?”
“Yes, because they thought that I could somehow find a way to defeat the cyborgs. I couldn’t figure it out,though. They were in a meeting to discuss what to do with me when Olff grabbed me. I would very much like to thank him, if I may?” She smiled at the guard.
“Seems unbelievable.”
“Does it? I believe they have or had Terran slaves on Jatra, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, but this doesn’t seem right.” The Aulius guard didn’t seem to believe her.
“Several days ago I tried to escape while they had landed here on Arthexei. I got away for a while but the brute zapped me with something that knocked me out and I woke up on their ship again. I was running to find help. Please, you’ve got to believe me,” Blaire cried.
The Aulius guard nodded and Blaire smiled inwardly at her performance. If she could get them to believe her she’d have an inside track on the facility and could deliver the virus firsthand.
“Maybe you speak the truth. It sounds possible,” he replied gruffly.
“Please, I am telling you the truth. You and I aren’t enemies,” she said as she attempted to make tears appear in her eyes once again.
“Tell us why we shouldn’t dangle you to the dragon of Ozears?”
“I’m a biologist who specializes in artificial intelligence,” she blurted out. Kezon had told her about the dragon of Ozears. It was a terrible creature which resided in a distant part of the galaxy on a lonely planet.
The guard’s bushy brow lifted. “Why did you tell me before that you couldn’t work on the cyborg when you were in the ship?”
“I said that I didn’t want to do it for the ones I consider my enemy.”
“Interesting,” the guard answered. He disappeared from the cell while taking the other guard with him. Blaire rocked on the bench and hoped they wouldn’t harm Kezon if he came to rescue her.
The guard returned a few moments later and motioned for the Terran woman to stand. Gulping hard, Blaire stood up and walked over to him where he took hold of her arm. Hulking over her the guard escorted her out of the holding cell and through a myriad of corridors. They eventually arrived in a large room and he pushed her inside. The Terud lifted his thick chin, his beady eyes gazing at her.
Speaking in his Aulius dialect, his gravelly voice boomed. “You are a scientist? You work here with us in exchange for safety and a place to stay?”
“I, um, yes,” Blaire said, sounding as convincing as possible.
“I am General Gixlile. What may we call you?”
Blaire blinked at the Terud general who was undoubtedly the leader of the alien facility. “I am Blaire.”
“Go on, do what you do. This cyborg needs work. Please show us,” General Gixlile prodded.
Blaire turned toward a tank where a cyborg was submerged in some sort of gel. The giant computer beside the tank held strange alien characters. Rufio had shown her Aulius, and Terud computers, so thought that she might be able to fake her way through for a while. Most of the computers in the galaxy were somewhat universal in the way they operated, after all. Her fingers worked across the clunky keyboard as she brought up a three-dimensional image of the cyborg. Immediately, she noticed what appeared to be a missing cybernetic connection that would work between the brain and the mechanical arms and hands. After adjusting the circuits, the cyborg came to life, startling her.
“Very well done,” General Gixlile said. The Terud seemed unable to smile as he looked over her work. Blaire was able to take a breath as he turned and nodded. “You’ll do.”
For two days she worked on the cyborg. Recreating the virus was easy enough as she had the small box with the nanobots and the program on her person. The nanobots held the virus code and they would be able to find a way to transmit the code into the logic matrix of the cyborg once she injected them into their host. The program would then link to all the cyborgs through the command center and and infect the entire population of cyborgs all at once. By the time they would realize what had happened, Blaire hoped that she would have escaped.
The room she stayed in wasn’t any better than the room she had been in while on the Revolution. There was a crude cot and a scratchy blanket with no pillow. These aliens apparently didn’t use pillows. Sleeping on her arms gave her backaches, but Blaire made do with what she had. She’d earned their trust and could finish the mission. Kezon had to be going crazy while trying to find her, there was no doubt. She only hoped that he’d hold off long enough for her to finish the nanobot injection.
The next morning after eating a meal of something mushy in a bowl, Blaire made her way to the lab where they left her alone, giving her freedom to do what she needed to do. Her captors gave her a list of design changes to make on the cyborgs, some of which horrified her. One modification they wanted was that if cyborg was taken by the enemy, it would detonate with an implanted bomb, taking out anyone nearby. Blaire shuddered as she worked to effect the change, but she felt compelled to do it to keep their trust in her. Creating enough bombs for each cyborg would take time, and that was definitely in her favor.
Blaire soon finished the nanobots injection and pushed the small AI vectors into a cyborg in the lab. Since the rebels had given her plenty of space, she was able to work quickly on the process. Seeing that there was no one watching her closely, she snuck out of the lab and made her way to a corridor that led to the water tunnels under the facility. Blaire had heard enough from a few conversations to know these were unguarded areas of the facility. Some guards and soldiers would sneak out without their superiors’ knowledge to find women to bed in a nearby community. Unfortunately, she did not hear about how slippery the stairs could be while descending into the lower corridor. She suddenly slipped, making a little noise before going into a dark room to hide for a moment.
“Come on, Blaire, you can do this,” she said to herself as she sucked in a deep breath and made her way out of the room and into the tunnels. Once outside, she’d somehow hail Kezon. As she stepped through the myriad of darkened tunnels, a hand suddenly grabbed her. Another hand covered her mouth as she was pulled into the dark. Blaire didn’t fight because she knew that she’d not win this battle. Whoever it was held a tight grip on her and would likely not let go.
Chapter 23
Kezon
Kezon’s face burned red as he and Uza crawled back through the tunnel. “Blaire has to be in there,” he said as they emerged. The sun set and Arthexei’s night began with small animals scurrying along the ground as they looked for food.
“I’m sure she is. That was too close,” Uza said as he shook his head.
The cell they saw didn’t hold Blaire but some stray Terud being interrogated by the guards. Kezon and Uza nearly walked into a situation that would have caused their discovery. Teruds and Aulius kept the place under tight security, with automatic blasters near cameras set to fire if unknown individuals were seen in the corridors. Kezon had spotted the devices just as they approached the cell and at the same moment realized that Blaire wasn’t inside. They had narrowly escaped a terrible fate.
“We’ll go back to the pod and dress in the peri-suits. That way the cameras will not be able to detect our heat signatures,” Kezon told Uza.
Kezon and Uza looked around the facility for two days as they tried to figure out where Blaire was being kept. They learned the changing of the guards, their habits, and even eavesdropped on the conversations.
“She’s inside the lab,” Kezon said as he shook his head and smiled. “I have to give her more credit for her ability to think her way through a difficult situation.”
“Absolutely not. We’ll strike when we can,” Kezon replied.
Uza cracked the knuckles on his hands. “I’m ready to pound some Terud heads.”
“No, we will sneak back in and rescue Blaire without them knowing it.” Kezon planned to hide within the walls somehow and strike when the opportunity arose to save his mate. “We need the mission to succeed. I have no doubt that she’s in there doing what she needs to do.”
Ducking into the tunnel, they soon rounded a corner where two Aulius guards were talking with each other.
“Do you not agree that we should have the rescued Terran slave to have her work for us?” one asked the other.
“Rescued slave?” Uza whispered. Kezon put his finger to his lips.
“I think we’re giving the female too much freedom,” the other replied.
Kezon’s brow shot up as he listened to the fading conversation. “There you have it. I’m sure Blaire is the only Terran female on Arthexei.” He motioned for Uza to follow so that they could continue listening to the guards.
Hunkering down in the shadows, Kezon and Uza waited for the perfect opportunity to sneak through the facility undetected and look for Blaire. He motioned for Uza to follow as they made their way through the corridors of the lower level of the facility. It had many rooms, and there was great potential for hiding spots. They kept their eyes open for any sign of Blaire.
Uza pulled out the drone map of the facility. Pointing to a larger room, he nodded. “I think this could be the lab where they would have Blaire.”
