Kaz wept.
A flashing cringe, like the jolt from a shaving nick, struck Bach’s heart at hearing Lynch profess his affection for Kaz. Eyes focused on nothing, he ambled on half-numb, remembering when the Specter appeared and taunted him with the threat that Kaz would fall in love with Lynch. He thought back to a half-hour earlier when he found Kaz at the gyroscope tournament. She’d shown no affection for him—only a plea for rescue. Bewildered, he snuck glimpses of Kaz and Lynch, trying to picture them together.
No one spoke the rest of the way to the dock. But as soon as they got there, G.R. whispered, “Act reluctant to board the boat. We’ll force you, so let’s make it believable—in case someone’s watching from afar.”
The detainees displayed admirable acting abilities, balking on the walkway and creating a generalized ruckus. Lynch and G.R.’s award-winning performances included tormenting their charges with bayonets and barking stern orders. For no reason, with a strange twist of violence, Lynch confined Bach in a headlock and pushed him aboard.
Somewhere in his psyche, Bach felt his rival’s perverse pleasure in the unnecessary force. He muttered an obscenity under his breath.
G.R. ferried the cabin cruiser from the lagoon. As the island faded from view, he and Lynch tossed off their headgear, Kaz flung herself crying into Lynch’s waiting arms, and Deni brushed tears of relief from her big dark eyes. Bach sat in stunned silence. Star looked on.
The more Bach thought about Lynch’s words to Kaz, the more he struggled to hold his emotions and his tongue. Suddenly, he blurted out, “Kaz, are you under mind control? Are you and Lynch a couple?”
Lynch reacted first. “It’s not mind control, Bach.” He brushed a lock of hair from Kaz’s face. “Our confinement on Ulwor led to trust, and trust led to love.”
Kaz dropped her left hand to her side. “I’m sorry, Bach. The Rooks took the ring you gave me.”
An uncomfortable silence followed and Bach’s clenched jaw seemed set in concrete.
But as the others rushed back into conversation and shared their latest experiences, the chatter escalated. G.R. rose from the captain’s chair with a shout. “Quiet!” Then he snorted a laugh and whispered, “This isn’t a party ship. You’re prisoners, ya know.”
Holding Kaz at his side, Lynch looked out the cabin window. “Cut the motor to half throttle as we near the isolation jail. We need time to come up with a plan.”
Bach hid his resentment and focused on the matter at hand. He looked at the others. “I have to apologize. You all haven’t met Star Rider, Altemus’s daughter.”
“Pleasure,” Lynch said with a gentlemanly nod.
“Star Rider?” G.R. gulped. “Star Rider? There’s a real old song on Earth called ‘Starrider.’ I loved it when I was a little kid. That song sparked my dreams of being an astronaut.”
“I was named for a song about a child who travels on a star,” she said.
G.R. flashed a toothy grin. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman with eyes like blue stars. Pleased to meet you, Star Rider—”
Bach interrupted, “How soon can we get out of here, G.R.? We’re short on time—fulfilling a divine calling.”
“Divine calling?” G.R. mused.
Star added, “The Creator conveyed a message to Bach to pick up two inhabitants and animals from every planet.”
Lynch mumbled, “Bach talked to the Creator?”
“Two people and animals from each of the planets? Where do you put all these people and animals?” Deni asked.
“In our ship, the uh, Ark,” Bach said.
Kaz looked at Bach with huge eyes. “Ark? Are you kidding?”
“Stop it,” snapped Deni, “I want to hear this.”
Kaz wrapped her arms around Lynch. “Like Noah’s ark in the Bible?”
“It’s starting to seem that way,” Bach replied. “Acting on the Creator’s instructions, Star’s father and I reconfigured and restored the space station and the two smaller ships. Now we call it the Ark. It’ll accommodate everyone. It’s a long story.”
“Where are you taking your passengers?” Kaz asked.
“Back to Jenesis, to Dura.”
“So we can go too, right?” Kaz asked.
Bach sighed. “Uh, there’s a problem.”
Lynch narrowed his eyes. “A problem?”
“We can only take one man and one woman, and we’ll recognize them by a certain symbol. All four of you have that symbol.”
“What symbol?” asked G.R.
“The one you’re wearing. To you, it’s planet Earth’s identifier, but here in space the Creator called it a symbol of hope.”
G.R. and Lynch grasped their pendants. Kaz studied hers. “Well,” she said. “You said the Creator sent you, so I want you to know I’ve gotten reverent big time since seeing the Specter’s evil works.” She clung to Lynch, eyes flitting back and forth between Deni and G.R. “Who else are you going to take?”
Deni calmly said, “You aren’t any more reverent than I.” She looked at Bach. “Both Kaz and I communed with the Creator.”
“Now wait just a minute.” Lynch jumped from Kaz’s grasp. “Me ‘n’ G.R. got religion too. G.R. found a grotto where the light beamed down through a crack in the rocks. We’d sit there in a canoe, in the light—it shone right on us. That’s where we got strength to get through this.”
“We all have the symbol.” G.R. flashed his pendant. “Why can’t you take all of us?”
After thinking about G.R.’s comment, Star whispered to Bach. “We still have extra spaces on the roster.”
Bach almost shouted, but caught himself in time. “It’s another challenge! Another time for spiritual discernment.” The crewmates all stared at him. He shifted in his seat and looked Star squarely in the eyes, as if seeking confirmation. “I can’t see where we’d find any other man and woman to bring in this situation—the way the planet is divided. And we didn’t see any other symbols. We have to take them.”
She nodded.
“Plus that,” Kaz said slyly, “I can get you all the sea life. You said you need animals. I can get them for you.”
“Where you gonna get ’em?” asked Lynch. “We can’t go fishin’ now. Then how would we get ’em to the Ark?”
“Deni and I discovered a test lab one day,” Kaz replied. “We were on the supply boat and took a wrong turn, sorta on purpose, my idea, and found dozens of aquariums with babies set aside for experimentation. The mermaid you saw on the way over is a result of the Specter’s pleasure in scientific tampering. She’s the only one he’s raised to adulthood.”
Bach said, “The only one?”
“Yeah, it’s sad. She longingly looks to the shore, but swims away when we try to communicate with her.”
“Then we can’t take her,” he said.
“Why not?” asked Kaz.
“We’re taking two of all species.” He looked around. “Back to business. So the animals we’ll be taking aboard are hatchlings and baby sea life in aquariums?”
“Yeah,” Kaz said. “All marine species are there, categorized by stages of experimentation.”
“How do you know which stage is which?” asked G.R. “In my opinion, we shouldn’t be taking mutants.”
Kaz sighed hard. “It’s obvious, G.R. The newly captured sea life are held in aquariums outside the lab in a screened area with wooden walkways between them. We won’t even have to enter the water or the lab.” Her tone softened when she spoke to Lynch, “Do you know who’ll have guard duty tonight at the labs—male or female?”
“It’s male tonight.”
“Good,” she said. “In your uniforms, you and G.R. can detain them, then stand guard while we smuggle the sea life to the boat. Then we can lower the spillway and get right to the co-op landing site. There are carts there used to load and unload co-op ships and local vessels. It won’t be too hard. So as soon as it gets dark….”
“How long?” Bach asked.
“Should be any time now. The light so
urce here is a man-made satellite that switches on and off automatically. You’ll love it; it just slams to darkness.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that! No dusk, no dawn—just slam, pitch-black night. In the morning, bam!” she clapped her hands. “Daylight!”
“That might be a problem … pitch black,” said Bach.
“No problem,” Deni said. “The satellite switches off at night and the planet’s rotation and dissipating heat create an east wind. We’ll know which way is east. And the main pathways are dimly lit, so we’ll eventually see them.”
#
The isolation jail lay dead ahead—a lone building on a platform on stilts, with iron bars on the windows.
G.R. ferried the cabin cruiser toward the platform’s docking area. He and Lynch put on their uniform helmets before they reached the wooden ladder attached to the pilings.
“We have to time this perfectly,” Lynch said, “unload you as prisoners, then sneak you right back on the boat as soon as night hits.”
Stalling in anticipation of darkness, the four detainees resisted and acted hostile as they climbed from the boat to the dock, but their tactics wasted only a few minutes. Lynch and G.R. dallied as they led them to the solitary prison, then Lynch stood guard outside while G.R. took them just inside the door and waited.
Like a dying flash of lightning, the satellite switched off and the light of day snapped to total blackness. The all-surrounding pit of night erased the last images in the six fugitives’ eyes, and the east wind blew in.
“Whoa! Shocking!” Bach stated.
“See? Slam, instant night, told you.” The chiding voice had to be Kaz’s.
“Let’s go,” Lynch said.
Unable to see even a few inches ahead, the renegades listened to the lapping water and the creaking from the boat rubbing against the pilings, then used their feet to feel along the plank to the ladder. Rung by rung they climbed down to the boat. Then Lynch turned the craft around and set out into the wind at slow speed with no running lights. He spoke in a whisper. “We have to think up an excuse why me and G.R. are at the hatcheries at night—somethin’ good enough to divert the duty guards. Put your brains in gear.”
“Why don’t you just strong-arm them? Tie them up and leave ’em. Someone will find them later.” The voice was Star’s, but the words seemed generated by someone else.
“Huh?” Bach’s voice was higher than usual. “Star … I never thought I’d hear you talk like that.”
“It’s the path of least resistance. We’re in a hurry,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Let me tie them up,” Kaz whispered, rubbing her hands together with an evil grin that no one saw.
They’d covered a short distance when the boat softly ran aground. But the black night made it impossible to tell how near they were to the test lab. The six renegades eased overboard and waded ashore, then linked hands and slipped through the tenebrous wall of night counting every step and turn. They soon sighted a lighted pathway.
A few yards from the laboratory, Lynch and G.R. proceeded with a plan. The two snuck to the front of the facility and positioned themselves on opposite sides of a big, steel entryway door. Lynch unsheathed his bayonet and struck the metal door dead-center. A gong-like reverberation quivered his body. The door swung open and the guards raced out with weapons drawn. The element of surprise worked to the renegades’ favor, and they instantly overpowered and tied up the two watchmen. Lynch stood guard while the others moved in for the heist. G.R. took a light from a guard and went back for the boat. He ferried the craft along the shore to the lab where the outlaws safely boarded the aquariums and young marine life.
The six and their cargo then made their way to the Ark without incident.
#
Bach and Star prepped for liftoff while Deni and G.R. excitedly checked out the astounding renovations to the three ships. Lynch and Kaz stayed outside, caught up in a personal reunion.
Over rumbling pre-flight generators, G.R. yelled from aft cabin, “What incredible technology. I can’t believe what you’ve done to these ships.”
Deni chimed in from a distance, “Awesome. I like the animals’ habitat. I met two very intelligent and friendly apes. And the water-filled chamber running the perimeter is spectacular.”
Bach smiled and waved an imaginary magic wand, “Built to the Creator’s specifications. Still don’t understand why.” He reared back and yelled to Deni and G.R., “Star’s readying for takeoff. Want to watch how we operate?”
“I want to fly it!” Deni rushed to the flight deck and leaned over Star’s shoulder. She couldn’t help but notice the enchanting fragrance surrounding the beautiful Duran.
Bach offered Deni and G.R. headsets, but both declined. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’ll get louder when we fire up the engines. The floor vibrates from the power.” He looked back through the cabin. “Lynch and Kaz come in yet?”
Deni shook her head. “Not yet. They wanted a few minutes alone, but it’s longer than a few minutes.”
G.R. groaned. “In the middle of everything they make time for that?”
“You’d do the same thing,” Deni said.
“Well, go get ’em. It’s time to go,” Bach said.
“I’ll go.” Deni headed to the ramp.
“I’ll go with ya,” G.R. said, following behind and teasingly pinching at her sides. “It’s pitch dark out there and I wouldn’t want the bogeyman man to get ya.”
*****
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
With the generators idling, and minutes from liftoff, Star turned to Bach. “I’m glad we rescued your crewmates. How do you feel about Kaz and Lynch together?”
He closed his eyes. “I got an adrenalin rush when we found her, then a shock at seeing her with Lynch, and it hurts. But so much has happened since we left Earth. We’ve all changed.”
Star nodded. “She doesn’t seem right for Lynch, but I don’t really know either of them yet.”
“She used to detest him.” Bach looked back through the empty cabin. “Where is everybody?”
“They’re all still outside.”
He jumped up. “They won’t hear a yell. I’ll get ’em.”
When Bach stepped onto the ramp and into the darkness, a huge gloved hand slapped hard over his mouth and a powerful, bear-like arm encircled his rib cage with a pressure so strong most of the air rushed from his lungs. He reactively reached back, clasped his hands around the assailant’s neck and bent forward at the same time, flipping the enemy over his head. The struggle moved from the ramp to the ground where a second adversary stepped in to help. Uttering muffled obscenities against a bitter-tasting chain mail glove grinding against his teeth, Bach struggled to free himself from a headlock. But the first assailant regained control and shoved him toward the Ark. Still scuffling, he saw an enemy ship parked nearby. But it wasn’t a red boomerang like the Rooks’ ships. This one looked like a three-dimensional kite resting upside down on its big end.
He tried harder to break free, and in the midst of the conflict noticed the assailants’ white, skin-tight, head-to-toe bodysuits, and bulging, iridescent, fly-eye goggles that made them look like aliens depicted in old science fiction movies.
The captor shook Bach and spoke in an unnatural voice that seemed almost mechanized. “Don’t try to fight. We know you’re unarmed.”
Jaw clenched, Bach asked, “Who are you?”
“Rooks—the new generation.” The Rook pushed Bach onto the ramp. “Lead me to the solid fuel.”
Bach continued to resist. “This ship doesn’t use solid fuel. We burn liquid—changed it to accommodate Earth’s old tech—”
The Rook jerked him, cutting him off. “Liquid fuel! Ha! Are you so void of brain cells that you don’t even know that we hacked into your restoration specs?”
“Those specs were dummied up just for you. I’m tellin’ you it’s liquid fuel.”
The Rook gripped Bach in an elbow lock around his throat and shoved him up the ramp. “Do
n’t make me mad,” he said. “We know this isn’t a regular mission. And keep your mouth shut.” The accomplice silently followed along toting boxes and silvery sacks.
When the invaders entered the Ark with Bach, Star jumped to her feet. The second Rook rushed to the cockpit and shoved her onto the bench. At the same time, Bach’s captor shouted at her, “Cut the generators, you’re not going anywhere.”
Star looked the invaders up and down, and somehow knew they were Rooks. “How did you get here? We didn’t detect anything incoming.”
“We’re smarter than you. Now kill the generators,” the second one said.
She stared at him, but didn’t react.
His fly-eye goggles focused on her face as he grasped an oval-shaped, light-emitting device hanging from a chain around his neck, then turned and aimed it at Bach. “Okay, have it your way.”
“Don’t,” she yelled, “I’ll deactivate.”
As Star shut down the generators, Bach grappled with his captor. But the Rook prevailed and slammed Bach’s face against the wall. His eyes closed involuntarily as he struggled to breathe through a contorted nose and mouth. The Rook yelled at Star, “Don’t do anything heroic and don’t make any signals. Pack up all the solid fuel—and I mean all. If you don’t comply, if I find one piece after you’re through, it will be very unpleasant for your crewmates.”
“What’ll you do?” Bach grunted. The Rook pushed Bach’s face harder against the wall, bloodying his nose.
“I told you to shut up,” said the Rook. “But let’s just say your crewmates will be ‘dispatched’ into deep space. You and Star, however, could be of use, so you can spend time here on Ashkelon until we’re ready to put you to work.” He threw his head back with an evil laugh. “All those animal species you boarded. Picture it. You and all of them on a planet with no land.” He laughed again. “We’ll hold your country hostage while we analyze the fuel and duplicate the formula. After we take over Dura and put everyone out of their misery, it’s onward to conquer other galactic zones.”
Alpha Rising Page 28