by J. D. Tew
‘Just curious.’ I wasn’t about to tip my hand to ED—not yet. I knew I would have to deactivate him long enough to allow my mission to unfold. ‘ED, I want you to board the shuttle right away and enter into standby.’
‘Yes, Theodore.’
ED used his propulsion pack to fly quickly to the terminal.
The Rheinhoister was a half mile long. The population mainly consisted of droids and bots. I strolled down the hallway thinking about mission details, and then I neared my crew; they were sitting outside of the cabins.
‘Good job being ready on time! Wait! Where is Liam?’ I asked.
‘He always has to catch that extra bit of sleep,’ Nilo said. ‘He’s up. Only running a few morgets behind.’
‘Everyone stand by your rooms for inspection.’ Everyone ran to the front of their rooms, spread out along the long hallway and adjacent to their red automatic doors. ‘Alright, Nilo you’re first. Let me see your uniform. Okay, uniform intact. I see you’re going with your trusty blaster.’
‘It’s only malfunctioned a couple of times, but it’s nothing a little maintenance can’t handle. There are no desert sands in space, so it’s easier to maintain here.’
His blaster was rusty and had initials etched into it. ‘What is ‘G.T.’?’ I asked, curious.
Nilo placed his hand upon my shoulder. ‘It stands for Gillard Tannon, my father. You remind me of him in many ways.’
‘Gillard Tannon is your father! What? Dude, he’s a legend. I was certain you both looked similar. I saw a huge statue of him in Booyang.’
‘I know, and he is widely admired in many quarters.’
‘Well, you are a perfect fit in this team, Nilo, and your father would be proud of what you’ve done. Okay, do you have enough rounds for our upcoming mission?’
‘I have the basic load for this weapon system: one hundred three-bursts cartridges.’
‘So three-round bursts per cartridge, and you have a hundred of these cartridges?’
Nilo nods his head.
‘Not too shabby. Okay, what about armor?’ I asked, as I rattled his magazines against my knee to seat the plasma rounds into perfect position.
‘Just the stuff you see here, the usual.’
‘One sec. I have to make an announcement.’ I stepped out into the hallway, as the others were in standby like statues at the entries of their rooms. ‘Listen up, if you think you need something for this mission, something you don’t have, don’t be afraid to put in a request. Let me know right away, and I will put a rush on it.’
At our meeting earlier, Trazuline’s commander told me they would provide materials to the Armizards to prepare our weapons, if necessary. If my crew needed rounds, cartridges, specific armor items, or anything else, all they had to do was to let me know during inspection.
‘This is your image projector orb. You only have one left?’ I asked.
‘Yup.’
‘I will order four more for you now. You shouldn’t need any more than five for a mission of this type, right?’
‘Yeah! That’d be great!’
‘Is your projection band operational, Nilo?’
‘You mean my occipitore?’
‘Yeah, sure.’
Conjuring illusions was a specialty of Rangiers, for each possessed a unique occipital lobe deep inside the brain. With the enhancements from an amazing imaging projection device called the occipitore, in conjunction with holographic orbs, the Rangiers could project illusions that could thwart potential threats.
An occipitore was a portable electroencephalogram that operated on ten thousand channels. This wearable device, which would be latched to the back of Rangier skulls—just at the height of their necks—could collect images created by their imagination and deliver these image to remote projection orbs.
Because Rangier occipital lobes were larger and more effective than those of most beings, they could manifest the most vivid images in their brains, to create hologram illusions for the outside world to view. Even the most astute individuals could be fooled. The only downside was carrying around the clunky devices.
‘Here, I’ll put it on.’ Nilo’s projection band started glowing, and I stood back. ‘Well Theodore, since I know nova fruit is your favorite, here, have this one.’ He tossed a yellow nova fruit into the air, toward me, and as it arced downward, I reached my hands to grab it, and it landed on my hand. But when I felt nothing in my hand, I knew I had been fooled by the astounding image. ‘Ha-ha, you thought it was real!’ Nilo said, laughing. ‘My goofy Earth captain.’
‘Yeah. I like it.’ I leaned over conspiratorially and whispered to Nilo. ‘Come here.’
‘What, Ted?’ Nilo asked.
‘Meet me in fifteen minutes in the common area down the hall. Don’t tell anyone.’
‘Sure thing, Ted.’
‘Thanks, Nilo.’
I yelled down the hallway to the other rooms. ‘Okay people! One down! Four to go! Lincoln! Hey bro. Thanks again for posing as the cleric. I’m sorry for tossing you into such a high profile mission, so soon.’
‘That’s okay. And thank you for getting me out of Sephera. And I’m sorry about what happened with the beasts on Foita. I’m just starting to learn about this body. You know how I like to test the boundaries of technology and science.’
‘Of course. No worries. Are you ready?’
‘Yup.’
‘If it comes to it. Okay then.’ I turned to the rest of my crew and cupped my mouth. ‘Listen up everyone! Lincoln is my second in command. This was the position he held before we lost him. Are there any objections?’
‘Just that we have two dorks in charge now!’ Dan shouted. We all laughed. I thought I saw Nilo scowl slightly, but I dismissed it in my mind. I had to. Leaders have to move on with their decisions.
I turned to Lincoln, and moved closer to him. Within earshot I said, ‘Lincoln, meet me in the common area down the hall, in fifteen minutes. Don’t say anything to anyone else.’
For about fifteen minutes, I continued through everyone’s gear, looking at each item with scrutiny. In a mission, we must strive to prevent an equipment malfunction, or arriving and finding that an imperative piece of equipment was missing. I looked at everything, right down to the socks they would wear.
I remember feeling proud of my crew, like a father and his kids.
After the equipment check, I went to the common area. Arriving there, I waited. People were passing by me. I found a quiet spot next to a deflicontis tree. I saw Nilo and Lincoln approaching.
‘Hey, Theodore. What is this all about?’
‘Quiet, you two! Come close. Listen to me. The crew cannot know anything about what I am about to tell you. The fewer who know, the better.’
Lincoln and Nilo were hanging on my every word. I was looking around to ensure no one was listening.
‘Nilo, can you project an image of a person? But at the same time, hide the projections of your images?’
‘Of course. No one can see my orbs. I project images of people all of the time. The sensory output is so powerful that people overlook the orbs. It’s easy. I can even manage their voices, but my voiceric was destroyed back in a bar on Karshiz.’ A voiceric was a clever device used for mimicking the sound of someone’s voice.
‘Here is the plan...’
For fifteen minutes, I quietly and cautiously revealed all of the necessary steps to ensure our success. There were many objections and suggestions, but in the end, the brain-storming session was the best I’ve ever had.
‘This is going to be dangerous,’ Nilo said, leaning in closer, out of interest.
‘Yes, which is why we must make sure we execute it perfectly. Nilo, before we leave, I want you to go meet with the Armizards. Do not give them any reasons for the following. Tell them that you want your newfangled occipitore to emit no light. Have them remove the light source from your projection band. Do not take no for an answer. Do you see where I am going with this?’
‘Yes, of course.
You don’t want anyone to know that I am creating an illusion. You’re taking away any inkling of doubt.’
‘One last thing. Tell them I want a replacement voiceric. And again, do not take no for an answer. After you get the voiceric, run to the ship, grab the temporalysis from the emergency kit and tell Dan and Liam about their part. Meet me in the flight terminal.’
I told them both the rest of the mission details for about five minutes. They both agreed to the terms and we walked back toward my crew, with Nilo departing to locate the Armizards.
In the meantime, the ship’s intercom announced that our departure was thirty minutes away. ‘Alda team!’ it said, ‘Report to dock one-three-seven for takeoff.’ That was us—Alda team. We were to board the shuttle ship that would take us close to the Zone of Termination. Where we would gain access and board the Uriel.
‘That’s our cue, people! Let’s go.’ I knew right there and then, as everyone hustled to wrangle their gear, that we were ready. We had all the equipment necessary. Everyone was practically sprinting down the hall of the ship to arrive at the inboard hangar.
We were to rescue Tezmarine, and everyone was eager to bring her back to safety.
Nilo ran up to me after about ten minutes. We were still waiting on King Trazuline’s arrival. ‘Here, Ted,’ Nilo said, handing me the most vital equipment for the mission—the temporalysis and the voiceric. ‘The Armizards asked me a hundred questions and I prevaricated every single one of them.’
‘Thank you. Rush ahead. Get Liam and Dan, and go get the king. He’ll be waiting for you to escort him. Understood?’
‘Yessir!’
‘Lincoln, head to the hallway entry point. Wait for Trazuline and the rest of the crew, and then give me a signal when they are coming.’
‘Then what?’
‘Lead the team back to the shuttle as fast as your feet can carry you.’
As we were walking down the hallway, I saw a few bots clambering into a storage closet to recharge. Perfect spot for an ambush, I thought. Dan and Liam ran ahead, war mongering in a way. They were so excited to get Trazuline and then board the shuttle.
As I walked side by side with Mariah, Lincoln was far behind us in the hallway—deliberately. Mariah, unaware of the star role she was about to portray, was startled as I grabbed her. In one swift move, we both swiveled into the closet with offline robots arrayed at the back.
I closed the door, and there was nothing but darkness. ‘Shhh! Mariah, I need you to do something. You have to trust me.’
‘What is it Theodore? I’ll do anything. Just ask.’
I needed to make a distracting and emotional scene, and what better than the amateur thespian ability of a teenage girl acting out a dramatic moment?
‘We have to stop Trazuline from going to Zane’s ship.’
‘What! Why?’
‘I need you to follow my lead. There is no time.’ I opened the door a crack to peek down the hall at Lincoln; he saw me and shook his head, indicating that Trazuline and the rest of my crew wasn’t heading this way just yet.
‘Trazuline will be rounding that corner any minute. Listen. We’ll go back out there. On my word, start shouting at me. I don’t know... act like I wronged you in some way. Say, you saw me looking at another girl or something, make it up and I’ll play along. Then raise your hand to slap me. The timing is everything. Do not slap me until Trazuline is right there to break up the fight. I’ll take care of the rest. You have to be convincing.’
‘I can do it,’ she said, smiling.
Lincoln gave me a thumbs-up, signaling that Trazuline was on his way.
‘Here he comes. Are you ready?’ I asked Mariah.
‘Yes.’
‘Now!’
‘I’ve had it with you, Theodore,’ she sputtered at me, frantically trying to think of some clever lines. ‘First you destroy Eppa, and now, this suicide mission? You’re playing with us like... like... pawns on a chessboard!’
The king emerged from around the corner with Liam, Dan, and Nilo at his side, showing an expression of concern. ‘What’s going on here?’ he demanded.
I reached for Mariah, placing my hand upon her shoulder, playing the role of apologetic leader. As Mariah’s hand slashed through the air to slap me, Trazuline’s furry hand intercepted Mariah’s arm at the wrist. Dan and Liam simultaneously grabbed Trazuline’s arms. After seeing Trazuline wrestled into submission by my crew, I gleefully applied the horseshoe-shaped temporalysis to the back of Trazuline’s head, dropping him to the floor instantly. He was gazing at me, and he sure wasn’t happy.
‘Quickly. Into the closet! Before someone spots us!’
Mariah and I dragged the king into the closet, propping him up against the corner of the inner walls. ‘I’m sorry, sire. I can’t have you surrendering for anyone. Even your daughter. There is a reason why you have placed all of your trust in me, and that reason will be clear today.’
By deactivating the button labeled speech intercept, I restored Trazuline’s ability to speak. I instantly activated the recording mechanism on the voiceric to capture Trazuline’s voice. His eyes flashing, Trazuline growled, ‘If you don’t succeed in getting my daughter back, I’m definitely going to have you arrested for treason!’
‘Thanks. That will do.’ I stowed the voiceric, containing Trazuline’s voice identity, in my pocket and then activated the nerve block of the temporalysis, once again closing off the King’s ability to speak. After closing the closet door onto Trazuline’s whereabouts, Nilo initiated his illusory ruse.
‘Dan, Liam, ensure ED is stowed safely on the shuttle, quickly. We will need an alternate pilot. Go now!’
Dan and Liam were sprinting toward the shuttle docks and Lincoln was waiting at the end of the hall, near the terminal entry. We needed ED in the case our shuttle pilot caught wind of our treachery.
Delighted to show off his talent, Nilo created a three dimensional image of King Trazuline, using his orbs and occipitore. If we didn’t already know, we would have been fooled, as Nilo was replicating this image of Trazuline to absolute perfection.
Mariah, Nilo and I, and an identical representation of Trazuline, had a twenty-meter stretch of hallway to the shuttle, and we started speed-walking down the hall, closing the gap. Lincoln was there, waiting for her. He placed his hand around her waist, and she accepted it graciously while they walked. They were picking up right where they left off.
‘Is stage one complete?’ Lincoln asked.
‘Seems that way.’
Mariah looked spiteful. ‘And you guys are just telling me now, about all this? Thanks,’ she said, sarcastically.
‘Hey, the less people we have knowing about our plan, the better,’ Lincoln said.
‘Let’s load up.’
I reached the end of the hallway to the hangar, and then entered the cabin of the shuttle that was supposed to transport Trazuline. Upon entry, I sat down, turned my head back toward my team. Dan was raring to go, rocking in his seat. Nilo barreled in with his fake Trazuline illusion and gave me a thumbs-up as he sat down, having his illusory replica of Trazuline sit in a vacant seat next to him. Liam placed ED in standby, harnessing him to the wall with zero-point magnetic fasteners.
‘Here, Nilo.’ I handed him the voiceric. ‘This should help.’
‘They won’t even know the difference. You’ll see,’ Nilo said, grabbing the voiceric and attaching it to his neck by latching the clasps. He turned down his collars to hide it and buttoned them tight.
The pilot of the shuttle radioed to us from the cockpit, after defogging the window. ‘Ready, Your Majesty?’ the pilot asked.
Nilo smirked, loving every minute of his opportunities to speak as the king. Like a ventriloquist, Nilo started throwing his voice. The voiceric device made his voice a flawless representation of Trazuline’s. ‘Aye, aye,’ the illusory Trazuline said loudly enough for the pilot to hear.
I turned the two-way mike off for privacy. ‘Listen to me, everyone! This mission will be danger
ous. We’re going back to Zane’s ship. Remember how awesome it was?’
Liam licked his lips. ‘I remember the all-you-can-eat food there!’
Mariah weighed in. ‘I remember the holodeck where we did our battle simulation exercises, sometimes six hours a day!’ She leaned back. ‘God, that was so exhausting, but we sure learned a lot.’
Dan had a sudden thought. ‘If Zane is there, what about his Bromels? They’re are so frigg’en huge!’
‘If all goes as planned, the Bromels will not even know what hit them’’ Lincoln said.
Bromels were massive bird-like beasts, some fifteen-feet tall. Their bills curved downward with a red upper beak and a mustard-yellow lower beak. Some, like Migalt, Zane’s royal guard, had royal blue feathers with a splash of platinum riding up from their arms and legs. They defended themselves easily with sophisticated sentient armor that could fire blasts and expand or retract over the body upon command.
During our flight on the shuttle, in the pilot’s capable hands, I spent five minutes running over the rest of the details with my crew. When I was finished, I looked back, gave everyone a grin and a thumbs up.
Nilo was brilliant, I’d give him that. He not only imitated the voice and mannerisms of Trazuline perfectly, but he also had a unique understanding of the political situation at hand. It was something he earned in spades from working under Trazuline for years, plus being an integral part of my crew.
I would even venture that, right now, Nilo’s Trazuline persona was more Trazuline than the king himself. It was King Trazuline at his best, freed of his sorrow over his missing daughter.
The pilot suddenly made the announcement. ‘We are now at the Zone of Termination. Awaiting confirmation from the Uriel.’
I quickly swung over to the two-way intercom and turned its function back on. ‘Roger that,’ I said.
‘Commander Zane wishes to open communication lines with our vessel.’
I seized the moment. ‘Allow me access to the cockpit, please.’
The small doorway to the cockpit opened. ‘How may I be of service?’ the pilot asked.