by Bob Cooper
"What are you finding?" he asked her.
"Nothing. I can't connect to the Academy databases down here.
“Then, let’s get back to the main cave and see what you can find.”
The IIA was the first to discover the artifacts. There were those in the IIA who were secretly part of the Earther movement, sworn to keep what they found a secret. Others in the IIA believed it was time for the general populous to know about the origin of the human species and were working on a way to communicate it. The Earthers had formed a carefully chosen subset of the organization to entrust this information. Tim was a part of that group. He already knew what the hex containers held. His job was to open one of them and bring the contents back to Earth. He believed Acey could help accomplish this.
***
Raina, Billy, and Aidan met at the launch site where the s-class star cruiser was parked. The ramp was down, waiting for them to get on board. No one had time to pack for the trip. They only brought essentials. Aidan was concerned about the lack of armament they had, but time was running short, and they had to work quickly. They hurried up the ramp and then down the long corridor to the deck. The ship’s computer was going through the preliminary flight checklist, which was almost completed. Expecting to see Captain James at the con, Aidan went to talk to him. As he got closer, Aidan could see the man sitting at the con was not Captain James. Stopping dead in his tracks, he pulled out his blaster.
“Whoa! Be careful with that thing,” a familiar voice cautioned.
“Dirk, what are you doing here?” Aidan asked in surprise.
“I couldn’t sit down here without doing something, so I paid Captain James, and here I am.”
“You remember how to fly these?” Raina asked, hesitantly when she saw him.
Dirk stood up straight as can be.
“It’s like riding a bike. You never forget. Now strap yourselves in; we’re ready to launch.”
Dirk’s words didn’t leave a warm and fuzzy feeling in Aidan’s stomach, but remembering how he piloted the cruiser on their escape from Antares, Aidan relaxed and settled into his seat.
The Hyperspace jump proved uneventful, except for the discomfort that comes with having your body warped through time and space. Billy suffered the most since this was his first trip. Raina watched him as he staggered to the head of the ship and closed the door.
“Hey! You okay in there?”
No answer, but she heard the sound of dry heaving. Five minutes later, he came out.
“Wow, that was wild,” Billy said.
***
Dirk put them in orbit quite a distance from Dysnomia and cautiously increased the speed from the impulse engines to bring them around to the dark side of the planet. He was out of sensor range and wanted to stay that way. He had only one drone on board that left no ion trail, and he planned to use it to locate Tim and Myra’s ship. Aidan was already in the bay preparing for the drone to launch. Returning to the bridge, he gave Dirk a thumbs-up.
“Okay, let’s see where their ship landed,” he muttered to himself as Dirk gave the commands to launch.
Raina and Billy watched the drone depart on the screen and disappear as raced to the other side of the planet. Aidan monitored the drone’s scanners as they activated. Sweep after sweep; it returned nothing but rugged mountains and dark valleys. Several hours passed with no sign of the ship. Twice they searched transversely over every part of Dysnomia but detected nothing.
“They must be tucked away in one of the canyons where the sensors are not strong enough to detect them,” Aidan said in frustration.
“I believe you’re right,” Dirk said as he verified the drone scanner settings were set to maximum.
“I’m going to have to bring the ship around and use it’s more sensitive scanners in order to find the ship,” Dirk said, looking at everyone.
“Won’t they detect us?” Billy asked, nervously.
“Possibly, but that’s the chance we need to take. Aidan, call the drone back and grab the armament stowed in the medical room on the deck below.”
Puzzled, Aidan looked at Dirk. As far as he knew, his blaster was the only weapon on board. Once in the medical room, Aidan opened the storage lockers. He found enough weapons to start a small revolution. He grabbed weaponry for everyone and headed back to the bridge. Passing out the weapons, he gave Dirk a puzzled look.
“Yeah, I know. These aren’t exactly legal weapons. Because of the short notice, I had to get them from some dubious characters on the street,” he said.
Aidan insisted on a quick primer on how to use the weapons as the main monitored buzzed.
“I found them! Aidan, plot a course to land far enough away so as not to be detected,” Dirk said.
Aidan raised his eyebrows, knowing they would be detected. As Dirk brought the ship down in the canyon about a half a mile away, he could see the anxiety in the faces of each team member. They touched down as soft as possible and prepared to leave the ship. They geared up in their EVA suits. After adjusting the oxygen mix and testing out their communicators, they were ready to go.
“Follow me and do as I say. This is about as dangerous as it gets,” Aidan said, walking down the gateway.
They followed Aidan down the ramp and off the ship. Dirk stayed close to Billy. He put his arm on Billy’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Billy turned and nodded, but that didn’t lessen his anxiety. Aidan switched on his long-range visor vision and scanned the set of caves at the base of the mountain ahead. He saw two rovers headed directly for them.
10
A cey stood in the airlock with Tim, removing her suit as Myra entered.
“We found the capsules,” Tim reported. “They’re like the other ones. I have her looking into how to open them.”
She pulled Tim to the far side of the room.
“Good! We need to act fast. A ship has landed and located us. I sent a team to intercept them, so keep her isolated and focused on the task at hand. I don’t want her to know they are here,” she whispered to Tim.
Tim acknowledged her instructions and hurried Acey down the hallway and back to her room. He accessed the AI, telling it to give Acey access to the communications port.
“Get to work. I need to know how to open those containers,” he said.
“I’m not doing anything until I know Hillary is alright!” Acey shouted.
“You will do as I say!” he yelled back at her, grabbing Acey by the neck and pinning her against the wall.
Acey kneed him in the groin, sending Tim to the floor, groaning in pain. Her face tightened as frustration set in. She shoved him over and straddled him.
“Where is she? I want to see her now! I’m not doing a damn thing until I see her!”
Tim easily threw Acey off and rolled on top of her. Grabbing her by the throat, he squeezed with both hands, watching her eyes bulge. Acey was about to pass out when the door opened.
“Let her up and get out. I’ll deal with you later,” Myra said, pulling Tim off her.
She led Hillary into the room, who immediately ran to a dazed Acey and hugged her.
“Here she is. Now continue your work. And if there are any more holdups, I will kill you both myself,” she threatened, waving her blaster at them.
Hillary helped Acey sit up as her breathing slowly returned to normal.
"I better show some progress, before they come back," she said, slowly getting up.
"What do you think they'll do with us?" Hillary asked.
Acey didn't answer. She knew that they were in great danger and needed to buy more time. While searching the database, she found more matches to the glyphs. Most of the exact matches came from the exploration of Antares. She recognized some as the symbols she saw in the temple on Antares Proper.
"Hillary, take a look at these? Do you remember seeing these on Antares?"
"Yes, from the Temple—the Guardians, right?"
"Exactly. What do these artifacts have to do with the Guardians?" Acey wo
ndered.
Hillary studied glyphs. Closing her eyes, she attempted contact with the Guardians.
***
The rovers were moving fast, and Aidan had to think quickly.
"We need to get inside with Acey and Hillary," he said to Dirk.
"That's if they don't kill us first," Raina said.
Billy flinched when she said that.
"Look, Dirk and I will show some resistance and then give up. You and Billy, hide behind those rocks and cover us. If they try to kill us, shoot them. But if they take us prisoner, let them take us. Then go back to the ship, and contact Captain Ryan," he said to Raina.
"I can't let you get captured. What's your plan once you get inside?"
The rovers were almost in sight.
"I have no plan, but this is the only way we can get to them. So please, take cover and watch our backs."
Raina was about to object when the first rover came into sight. She grabbed Billy and jumped behind the rocks. A blaster let loose from the rover and hit in front of Dirk. He dove for cover and returned fire. The second rover was right behind them. Aidan motioned Dirk to drop his weapons and surrender, hoping they wouldn't get shot. They stood up with their hands up.
Raina watched as two men got out of the first rover. She and Billy took aim and readied themselves.
The leader motioned them to get on their knees. One of the men tied their hands behind their backs and stood them up.
"Make sure they are clean," he said to the other.
After frisking them, Dirk and Aidan were shoved towards the second rover. The leader looked around and walked cautiously back towards the ship. Billy let out a stifled cry while Raina trained her blaster on the leader. He was about five feet away when his com link buzzed.
“Do you have them?” Tim asked.
“Yes, we’re on our way back,” he said, making one more visual sweep before turning back to the rover.
The rovers left for the cave with Dirk and Aidan aboard.
"Come on, let's get back to our ship," Raina said, helping Billy up.
Once onboard, Raina studied the communication computer, not exactly sure what to do next.
“We have an emergency, what do I do?” she spoke to the AI interface.
“Initiating emergency protocol. Please state the nature of the emergency and your location,” it responded.
Raina breathed a sigh of relief as she relayed the information. Billy recharged the oxygen tanks as they waited for help. But help couldn’t come fast enough. Staring at the main screen, Billy saw it. He jumped up and moved closer.
“Raina! They’re coming again! There’s a rover coming!”
Raina watched as the rover made a beeline towards their ship.
“So here’s the plan. We don’t put up any resistance; we surrender. I’m assuming they will take us as prisoners to the cave. We have to stall them as long as possible until help arrives,” Raina said.
“Remember, we have to do as they say and stall until help comes,” she said, holding him by the shoulders and looking into his facemask.
A blaster shot hit the front of the ship and got their attention. Raina lowered the gangway and walked slowly forward with her hands up. Billy followed.
“So far so good,” she thought.
Three men armed to the teeth came out and put them into the rear of the rover. With arms and legs shackled, they were immobile. Once in the cave, they were searched, unshackled, and thrown into the room with the others.
Billy ran up to Hillary and hugged her. Tears streamed down Hillary’s face as she kissed him. Acey trembled as she embraced Dirk and Raina. Aidan stood in the corner and watched. Hillary caught Acey’s eye and motioned towards Aidan.
“Thank you for doing this,” she said, giving Aidan a quick hug.
Aidan responded by nodding his head.
The reunion was short-lived as Myra and Tim entered the room.
“Listen carefully! Your lives hinge on Acey giving us the information we need. She fails; you all die. Interference from any of you and you will die! Be certain of that!” Myra said.
***
Captain Ryan started the briefing on a somber note. The entire Guard precinct sat in the auditorium, waiting patiently for the latest news.
“Good morning, everyone. Let’s get started. As you know, recent events include an assassination, the destruction of a secret lab facility, kidnapping, and murder. At last count, seven people have been killed including General Blair Coburn, fourteen people injured, and seven taken hostage from the lab. A group known as the “Righteous Way” has claimed responsibility for all of this mayhem. They are the ultra-right-wing radical sect of the Earther movement. This sect’s members come from all walks of life, including the IIA.”
There was shuffling and whispers as Captain Ryan flashed up a hologram of Colonel Jack Stryker.
“Colonel Stryker is believed to be a rogue agent of the IIA who was allegedly responsible for the hit on General Coburn and is a member of the “Righteous Way”. His whereabouts are unknown. Also, these two are wanted for questioning,” he said, showing the holos of Tim Arden and Myra Blackstone.
“Isn’t Mr. Arden the person we saw in the surveillance video with that young woman yesterday?” one of the officers asked.
“Yes, we believe he abducted Acey Saunders and her girlfriend at gunpoint.”
“What do they have to do with everything that has happened?” the officer continued.
“That is unclear. We know the young woman, Acey Saunders, found artifacts on a mining expedition which are somehow related to the work done in the lab,” Captain Ryan responded.
Captain Ryan could see confusion setting in, and the officers were becoming more agitated.
“This is what needs to be done. Three teams will be formed: the first will work with the IIA to get more intel on this “Righteous Way” sect of the Earthers, the second will provide forensic help with the lab investigation, and the third will work non-stop to locate the hostages. The names of the members of the teams have already been decided, and you have been notified by secured mail. So review your assignments and get to work.”
Captain Ryan watched the officers shuffle out of the room. This could be the highest achievement in his career at the Citizen Guard. He spent little time on the streets and his reputation among the other officers was that of an administrator, who didn’t belong in a command position. He saw this as his opportunity to show them they were wrong.
“Captain Ryan, Sir. We received a distress signal from Dysnomia. We believe it is connected with the disappearance of Acey Saunders,” he said out of breath from running.
“Have them relay the message to me and meet me in my office,” he said.
“Yes Sir,” the officer responded with a crisp salute.
***
When Myra and Tim left, the group huddled around Acey as she worked with the AI to obtain more information about the glyphs they had found.
“I was able to send a distress call out before they came for us,” Raina said.
“We have to stall as long as possible then. We’re surely worth more to them alive right now. Not so much, if we give them what they want,” Dirk said.
“You mean Acey is who they really need to be kept alive. Our lives are not worth…” Aidan stopped short of finishing the sentence.
“They have developed some fascination with Hillary and the fact that she is…” Acey said, almost slipping.
“Hillary’s what?” Billy asked.
Hillary turned to Billy. He was way out of his element. The look on his face clearly demonstrated his feelings—he was petrified. She remembered how he helped to rescue Raina from those that framed Dirk so that she could testify in court against them. But this was different, and now she was about to complicate the situation even more.
“Uh, Billy, what Acey is trying to say is that we’re pregnant,” Hillary said.
Everyone in the room looked at Billy.
“Why didn’t you tel
l me?” he asked.
“I found out before we were abducted.”
Billy put his arms around her and kissed her hard.
“I don’t know why they are interested in her or the pregnancy, or how they even know about it. There is a lot more involved in this situation than we know,” Acey said.
“Congratulations,” Dirk said to the couple, “but now we have to focus on progress,” trying to put them back on track.
“They want me to decipher the code to unlock the artifact containers. I found some hits on the glyphs I scanned, and they referred back to some of those we saw on Antares Proper in the Temple of the Guardians,” Acey said.
“On Antares? How can that be?” Aidan asked.
Acey shook her head and asked the AI to project the results in holo form.
They appeared as a rotating sphere with various symbols, enlarging as they passed to the front. Hillary stood up and walked over to the 3D display as if to touch it. Starting to hum, she swayed, completely mesmerized by the screen. Billy ran over to steady her, but Acey stopped him.
“Wait, the Guardians are talking to her,” Acey said.
***
Captain Ryan listened to the distress call from the privacy of his room. Usually, the Guard’s Strategic Defense Department handled off-world emergency calls, but because this case involved Acey and Hillary’s abduction, it was funneled directly to his organization. He played the distress call again and slowed down Raina’s frantic voice.
“Please help us. This is Raina Welch. Acey Saunders and her friend Hillary were taken to Dysnomia by abductors. They will kill them and us if you don’t come immediately. They were taken to a cave directly south of their star cruiser. They’re coming so I will end this transmission with our coordinates. Please come quickly.”
Captain Ryan’s rank gave him access to an escort level star cruiser armed with rail guns, high-energy laser disrupters, and tactical nuclear devices. He could have it ready at a moment’s notice. That wasn’t his problem. All his men were tied up with the situation on Earth. Scanning through his roster, he came up with three qualified personnel slated to come off the injured list and report to duty. All were capable pilots, but none had leadership experience. He knew he would be questioned by his superiors if he sent them on a rescue mission without qualified leadership.