Prisoners of Paradise

by Brandon Lars Erikson

  The pilot switched his com back on so he could communicate with the controller. “Sorry!” He yelled. “That was my fault! Uh…the code is seven, three, five…uh…oh shit! I dropped it. Let me get back to ya!”

  “Sir! Your code is not working. Please repeat the code!”

  “Uh yeah, the code…let me give you the code! Just one second!”

  Marco rolled his eyes. He was officially sick of this situation. “Digs, can you read me?” Marco said into his com.

  “What’s wrong?” Digs said, “Why are we not in the air yet?”

  “Dipshit boy here…only got us half an expedite code. So I was just wondering, could you possibly get our ion cannon working?”

  Marco winced as he realized how the voice from the ship’s com had become angry.

  “Spacecraft Envoy! Prepare to be boarded and searched for illegal cargo!”

  “That does it!” Marco screamed at his pilot, “Start those repulsors and get ready to fly this thing!”

  “We can’t!” The pilot panicked as he shouted, “We’re locked onto the launch pad!”

  “I said do it!” Marco screamed as he shoved a laser pistol to the pilot’s temple.

  “Shit!” The pilot gasped as he rapidly flipped switches on the control console in front of him. The whining of the engines suddenly increased, within seconds, they sounded like a hurricane that was capable of ripping trees from the ground.

  Location: AkawalaSpacePort….AiserCity….Akua Kai Sector…Ailana

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1615 Hours.

  Robert’s computer screen began flashing red as he screamed, “Moke! We have someone on launch pad seven bringing up their engines to launch level energy! They have not been authorized to do so!”

  “Get the Alpha Team over to that ship!” Moke yelled into his com, “Shoot if you have to!”

  Robert barked into his com, “Team two take cover positions! Alpha team! Lock and load! You’re going in!”

  “Pilot! Fly us over launch pad seven!” Moke shouted, “Gunner! Get tone on that ship’s rear section! Do not let them escape! Shoot out their engines if they get off the ground!”

  Robert’s computer screen flashed, he glanced at it and screamed, “Moke! We just got verification from Squad Three…someone on the ship is arming its turret gun!”

  Moke saw the turret on top of the yacht quickly swivel toward the north wing of the spaceport. The gun fired a red bolt of laser fire, which instantly blew up a cube-shaped section of the control tower.

  “Watch yourselves down there!” Moke shouted as he heard alarms sounding. His eyes became wide with horror as he witnessed the Envoy shooting its ion cannon randomly throughout the spaceport. Moke glanced to his right, and felt a bit of relief as he saw how the Alpha Team took cover behind some iron barricades and aimed their weapons.

  Jack suddenly screamed into his left ear, “SIR! The other ships have been authorized to launch!

  Audrey screamed into his right ear, “SIR! We can hear the pilots telling their crews to report to their emergency take off positions!”

  “What the hell is going on down there?!” Moke exclaimed as ion blasts exploded all over the complex.

  “All ground units! Return fire!” Robert barked. Moments later, small blue beams of blaster fire began to streak from the Alpha Team’s positions. Within seconds, every police officer in the area began to fire upon the ship. Launch pad seven had become a battleground.

  Moke clenched his teeth and yelled, “Gunner! Return fire!” He prayed for a happy ending to all of this chaos as he heard the sharp pitched blast of the airship’s low caliber cannon.

  Location: Akawala Space Port…Aiser City…Akua Kai Sector…Ailana

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1617 Hours.

  Van Dien’s com rang.

  It was a call he had been patiently waiting for. His voice was almost happy as he said, “Oh yes…I was hoping you would call. I do apologize for any inconvenience. The money is in your account. Did you complete what I asked you to do?”

  The voice on the other end of the com was deep, and raspy. “I installed them on the ship for you. But if you want them to actually work, you’ll need to cough up another one million dollars.”

  “What?”

  “That detonator I gave you is a remote control device. It needs a code before it will activate the timers on each charge. Can you see the ship from where you’re standing?”

  “Yes!” Van Dien sounded a bit angry as he said, “I can see Kalapana’s troops closing in! If they get on board that ship and take Marco alive, this entire plan will go to hell!”

  “Then you’d better hope your bank is still open. Get me my money.”

  “All right! Damn it!” Van Dien shouted angrily as he pressed a few buttons on his com in order to complete a money transfer. “Look! It’s in your account now!”

  “The code is 5,4,3,2,1…and don’t worry, your balance is all caught up now…and I’ll even take care of your other loose ends for free.”

  Van Dien punched the numbers into the device and pointed it at the ship, which was being pelted with laser blasts shot by police officers with small guns. He felt his heart racing with anticipation as he saw the ship’s gun turret shoot another destructive round before it exploded.

  “Come on you son-of-a-bitch!” He thought as he saw the police officers moving in.

  The screen on the remote control device turned red and flashed the word, “ARMED.”

  Van Dien smiled and said, “It has been a pleasure doing business with you. Now please, make sure that you get me the Jonez boys…and take care of that other loose end that has been causing me so much trouble.”

  Van Dien hung up, dialed another number and smiled as he waited for the person he was calling to pick up.

  The voice that answered seemed irate, “What?! I’m busy here!”

  “Rex…we’ve decided not to take you to court after all. Walk over to the alley behind maintenance hangar five…my limo will be there to pick you up. We’ll talk about a new arrangement that will suit both of us better.”

  “I’ll be there,” Rex said and hung up.

  Van Dien narrowed his eyes. His face began to fix itself into a scowl as he heard the engines on Marco’s ship whine louder and louder.

  “All in a day’s work,” He thought as he smoked, “for a job that is never done.”

  Location: Akawala Space Port…Aiser City…Akua Kai Sector…Ailana

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1619 Hours.

  “That was a direct hit!” Robert yelled, “They just blew up the control panels for the launch pad locks!”

  “NO!” Moke screamed as the Envoy and the huge ships all leapt into the air at the exact same time.

  “Holy shit!” The pilot screamed as he slammed a foot pedal to the floor and darted out of the way just in time for a large cargo vessel to miss them by a just few meters. Moke’s face froze in a look of complete terror as he saw the gray hull passing so close to him that he could see rivets, bolts, and even places where the paint was scratched. The G-forces made his stomach jump into his throat.

  He got a hold of himself and shouted, “Go around! Go around! Get to that yacht!”

  The shaken pilot swerved under the rising cargo ship, but it was too late. By the time they got in sight of the launch pad again, the small ship was screaming into the upper atmosphere with poorly aimed laser bolts hopelessly chasing it. Within seconds, it was out of the range of their ship’s small blaster.

  “I can get on The Military channel and call for back-up!” Robert yelled.

  “They won’t get here in time,” Moke said, shaking his head. He clenched his fist and began nervously tapping his chin.

  Location: Akawala Space Port…Aiser City…Akua Kai Sector…Ailana

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1620 Hours.

  The man in black
started up the truck and began rolling down one of the driveways of an enormous parking garage. His telescopic eyes zeroed in on a fat man in a business suit. The monitor on the inside of his eyes flashed the words, TARGET CONFIRMED.

  The man in black saw Rex turning his back to him. A grin crossed his scarred lips as he stomped on the accelerator. The truck’s massive engine roared louder and louder as the armored vehicle picked up speed. Rex turned around as his face melted into a horrified look. He glared at the oncoming vehicle and began frantically waving his arms.

  Blood splattered on the passenger side window when Rex’s face was cracked up against the door panel. The man in black kept driving faster and faster. Rex was dead before he hit the pavement.

  “Now it’s time take care of some more loose ends,” The man in black thought. He didn’t even look back to confirm his kill. He had another appointment to make.

  Location: Akawala Space Port…Aiser City…Akua Kai Sector…Ailana

  Ailanian Standard Time: 1630 Hours.

  Tim Gallagher rubbed his bald head as he tried to calm down from all the excitement he had been witnessing. He nervously glanced at his watch and noticed the time. It was nearly time to leave.

  “Come on, Franco,” He thought as he gazed out the canopy of the small shuttle craft he had been prepping for launch. His partner was outside prepping the last contents of the cargo hold and for some strange reason, was taking a bit longer than he normally did.

  A familiar hiss from the hydraulics on the cabin door provided Tim with a bit of relief from the suspense and stress he had been dealing with. It wasn’t everyday a plan went so smoothly. Just as soon as they were off this planet and headed for a safe rendezvous point, Tim would be feeling a whole lot better.

  A familiar face greeted him as Tim looked over his shoulder and saw his partner standing in the doorway.

  Tim turned his attention back to the control console and began pushing a few more buttons as he got ready for takeoff. “Have a seat, Franco. Get yourself strapped in man, we gotta go.”

  Tim’s eyes became wide with horror as he heard the sound of one hundred kilograms of dead meat hitting the floor with an audible thump.

  “What the hell?”

  Tim looked down and gasped as he realized Franco had just hit the deck. His heart nearly stopped when he saw how the rapidly growing pool of blood had just reached his shoes.

  “SHIT!” Tim jumped in his seat as he saw the man in black raise his blade.

  Time froze for a moment as the man in black realized that this was the bald man Marco had been talking to at the night club right before he had been shot at by the gangsters in the car. Not that the man’s identity mattered, what mattered was the extra money he was about to receive for this easy assignment.

  The blade moved with lightning speed.

  Tim couldn’t even scream as the man in black sliced his voice box and proceeded to open up some vital arteries and veins. The man in black sheathed his knife as he saw the bald man fall back into the pilot’s seat, quivering in pain and agony. The man in black then set a small, plastic card on the ship’s control panel in front of the man he had just carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

  Tim Gallagher was making a soft, squeaky sound as he stared at the card the man in black had placed in front of him. It appeared to be turning itself on like a tiny monitor. The man in black realized he had a schedule to keep and turned to exit the spacecraft as a familiar voice began to pour out of the card.

  “Tim, you handsome devil, if you’re receiving this message, you’ll be dead in just a matter of seconds…so I better make this quick.”

  Tim gasped and squinted at the small monitor. He saw a handsome face and a familiar voice saying, “Tim, I just wanted to extend my thanks. Because of your efforts to get revenge against Marco…my people now have everything we need to carry out our plan, which we had previously discussed with you…and you so stupidly believed you were helping us with. I guess this goes to show that your good looks and charm, can only take you so far in this life…sometimes…you truly need to be a person with substance and integrity.”

  “What the fuck?” Tim’s vision became blurry as he thought to himself, “Who in the hell is this guy?”

  The voice from the monitor was confident as it said, “I’m sorry we used you, Tim. But we had to because it is so important that no one find out about our plan, especially since I am personally involved with it…I needed to make sure that we tied up some loose ends.”

  “Who the fuck is this guy? Is he one of those geeks in The Evil?”

  The familiar voice said, “Thanks to your redheaded friend…we know that Marco and his people have been taken care of. Thanks to those bumbling spies you hired, we know that idiot who used to own Mele Entertainment will never be able to go to the authorities with what he knows about us…or tell the world who I really am.”

  “Who the fuck is this? An Ailanian High Senator? One of those fucking drug producing gang-bangers? Is he one of Marco’s men? Who the fuck is this guy?”

  “And most importantly, because of your mistakes, we now know this white haired man in the black suit, is for real. As you have now recently experienced, he has some real effective ways of getting things done on that planet.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Tim’s mind raced with an epiphany as he remembered what the white haired man’s voice had sounded like on that day when he first spoke with him on the com many days ago. Tim remembered how Van Dien’s voice had been deep and menacing. “Is it him? Who is this fucking guy?”

  “What can I say, Tim…it was better you than me. However, thanks to you…we also found out this cyborg is a man of reason…money talks, Tim…and I guess you, and those idiots you hired to help you take down Marco, just didn’t have enough of it. But thanks to your efforts…I now have a way to make myself rich and famous beyond my wildest dreams.”

  “That goddamn voice…who’s voice is this?” Tim gasped and gritted his teeth in pain as he eyes narrowed in anger, “Wait a minute…I know who this is! I know who’s behind all this!”

  The small monitor exploded in a flash of white light so that no evidence would be left.

  Tim Gallagher could feel his heart stopping as his vision faded into rays of white light. His final thoughts centered on betrayal and defeat. He died knowing that there was no justice in the universe but let out a sigh of relief as he realized that there would be no rest for the wicked. Tim’s final thoughts reflected about how the stakes of this game had just gotten higher for those who were still around to play.

  “You back-stabbing son-of-a-bitch…and all you traitors who did this…I’ll see you all in hell…”

  Before his lights went out for good, Tim realized that his ship was exploding.

  CHAPTER 22

  Location: MountKiluo…Sacred House Reservation.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 2300 Hours.

  Makana sighed as he sat on the side of the jagged mountain and played with the traditional Kupano beads on his necklace. He tried to concentrate on the long hike that he and his fellow tribesmen had to complete, but his mind kept dwelling on painful memories. He remembered being a young boy, and seeing his father smiling at him as he said, “Son…it’s a great day and age to be alive. We Ailanians now have the chance to unite…and someday, you’ll be able to live the Ailanian dream, just like I’m living it now. What’s the Ailanian dream? It’s all about working hard and making yourself a place in this great universe with the sweat from your brow as your down payment. I worked hard, son. I bought us some land…and we’re gonna work it as a family. We’re gonna sell fruits and vegetables to the hungry soldiers who are fighting for our freedom, and after we make the leaders of The Alliance happy with our work, our reward will be the Ailanian dream. Freedom. Self-reliance. A place to call your own and a chance to be your own person without handouts or charity from anyone…that’s the Ailanian drea
m.”

  Makana felt his heart ache as he remembered the loving years with his family. He remembered the beauty of the vegetable fields and flowers and how his mother and father would smile at each other and hug him every morning before school.

  He suddenly felt nauseous as he remembered the day it all seemed to come to an end. He remembered how his mother had tears in her eyes. He remembered his father looking beaten and broken as he said, “the bank repossessed the land, son…we’ve got nothing left. But I’ve still got the Ailanian dream in my heart. I’m going to the city…I’m gonna work hard and earn back what I lost. You and your mother are gonna go live with our family on the reservation in the jungle. I’ll come back for you…we’ll be happy again someday, we’re gonna get that Ailanian dream together….”

  He remembered the years of misery that followed. He closed his eyes and sighed as he then remembered what the young human, who people had called ‘the poet’, had told him.

  “Are you kidding me? Do you actually believe that lie, which your father bought into? Do you know what happened? The Ailanian government sold your family out. They repossessed your father’s farm because they thought that The Hydroplantations were a better investment. They never wanted you to have the Ailanian dream. They wanted you to become slaves. The Hydroplantations needed your family land, your sacred land, so that rich people from Earth could cheat the Ailanian people and keep all the profits to themselves. The Ailanian government is simply here to lie to you folks, to convince you that what is happening here is for a righteous cause. Believe me, it isn’t! Help us, we are breaking away from The Evil and forming a true resistance group.”

  Makana recalled how he had been perplexed as he asked, “The Evil? They aren’t rebels like us?”

  “No, The Evil does not believe in the use of force…most of its members believe that The Evil is all about using digital media and computerized social networks to inform people of how corrupt the government is. The Evil is hoping to simply get the Ailanian people to vote new politicians into the government so they can bring about progressive change and eventually create some kind of organic farm based utopia. However, the members of The Evil, who I am working with, are all about destroying this current government and its plans to bring about dystopia…some call us insane…some call us anarchists…but I like to think of us as realists. If people are being oppressed they have the right to do whatever it takes to stop that oppression, even if it means that some people have to die because of it!”