by I. Christie
***
*
"What is going on?" Alan paused in the middle of a one sided-argument with Captain Miller. The alarm on the captain's communicator was buzzing annoyingly.
"This conversation is over and out." Captain Miller ended the transmission with a satisfied thump on the table with his fist. His voice command deactivated the link, bringing up the Fermin Business logo and then the Spinner's Tale's registry ID, signifying the link was indeed broken. He turned the alarm on his communicator off and waited for the communication link between planet and ship to sync.
As he waited, he stretched his long legs and eased the tension out of his shoulders. The conversation with kid Fermin was not totally a waste of time. He was able to interpret from the kid's posturing that he was not aware of Lord Chaney's presence on the outpost. It meant his spies were not as informed as he would have the captain believe. The captain detested the immature pretentious youth who had no value in his world and therefore would never rise to any formality of address other than 'yeah' or 'what do you want.' His lips curled in a snarl that he had managed to refrain from when the kid had ordered him to make sure no Spartan was to participate in the search for Harriet Montran. Captain Miller did not waste his time pointing out to Alan that he had no authority in anything pertaining to the outpost and most of all over Captain Miller. He had no worry about Alan loosening his small army of metrasoldiers on the base because so far in every confrontation with his little army, the Black Rose won. Of course, it had a lot to do with the kid not wanting to give any control to his little minions so when a skirmish was fought with creative changes, his army kept to his original battle plan. If it were a battle to the death, he would have been loosing a lot of his expensive toys. He shook his head disgustedly. People with too much money should be given a babysitter with clout to keep them from interfering with those that have something in life to do. He had warned Lord Chaney many times that the kid was too unstable to associate with, but Lord Chaney liked to play with fire.
His communicator indicated it was ready. The captain had a grim smile on his face as he tapped in his code for a secured communication link, and the bubble surrounded him, blocking out any interference or unwanted listeners.
He sighed as he assessed what the kid's temper would do to his current plans. The kid was not getting what he wanted, which was the undisputed ownership of Captain Montran's remains. What the captain was hoping was that with both Lord Chaney and the kid distracted, it would give him a little more time to find what he was looking for. Once it was found…they would not be a problem.
Impatiently he watched the indicators on his communicator as it displayed the progress in passing the encryption coding on a secured line to his staff on the planet's surface. The soft tone announced the connection was completed.
"Lt. Ninian, report."
"Lt. Ninian here, Captain. That slimy cretin…"
Captain Miller cursed under his breath also.
"…opened a contaminated room into the main corridor. All rooms feeding into that corridor have been successfully locked down and secured. We were damn lucky. One causality, a crewmember from Spinner's Tale. Sgt. Major checked on Lord Chaney. His metradame reported he was sleeping and did not want to be disturbed with anything that was not important. The natives are getting restless as show time nears. Since Chaney is here, we could go about our business and let him worry about the transmission."
That was not surprising news. The smugglers being a suspicious and jealous lot did not want the Black Rose troop around when they did their business, as if they were rivals. However, Captain Miller's pulse jumped interpreting an underlying message that the winds had finally died down over their target site.
Intuition refined by years of Spartan survival had him convinced that the missing Captain Montran was not only alive and well, but had found the entrance to another city within the planet. His wistful thinking was that it was the city he was looking for. With all the luck she had, he would put his money on her.
"Understood. Have the team geared up and ready to move out when the shuttle lands. Out."
***
The Black Rose team assembled in their shuttle, Queen Bee, quietly waiting for the officers to join them. Captain Miller and Lt. Ninian, under the cover of checking out the situation a member of the Spinner's Tale had exacerbated, were locating the exact whereabouts of Lord Chaney. The Sgt. Major and her team had verified that regardless of what the metradame Sheila had said, Lord Chaney was not in his quarters. The captain was speaking with an informant while the lieutenant stood guard.
After a stan hour, both men entered the shuttle geared up in AEGs and with grim expressions. They determined Lord Chaney was up to mischief with Sheila left to deflect any suspicions. Lord Chaney never went anywhere without his bodyguard, which was why she had been left behind. According to his informant, Lord Chaney was negotiating a new deal with a rival smuggler's group to exclude and eliminate one of his partners. It was like Lord Chaney to have many pots over many fires but it added more intrigue to an already dangerous mix, which translated into mayhem if word leaked out. The atmosphere on Merker's Outpost had suddenly become dangerously volatile and the captain was sure all it would take was the kid's arrival and the outpost would be a war zone. It was a hell of a time to have a cockfight.
"Take'er up, Sarg," the lieutenant gave the order once both men secured themselves.
"We'll pick up where we left off. Sgt. Vanster and Cpl. Guilfo will monitor for winds. They are more frequent on this side of the planet, so keep sharp Sergeant."
They all gave mental sighs. After two years, they knew the weather on the planet's surface. Their captain was anxious about something.
"Any hint, start the pick up. This is it! No going back! Do you have the sensor deflector in place?" Captain Miller asked the Sgt. Major.
"Yes, Sir." So, that's why he's nervous. This is his window of opportunity and he will most likely not get another by my reckoning. "Windstorm readings in this area with an occasional window of clearing…life readings are being sent out regularly for us on the Southern Rim." That bugaboo Alan must be in the mix for him to have escalated the operation. It's about time anyway…two damn long years here with nothing happening is a real drag!
"Good. Any of you find your seals or equipment failing, don't hesitate to call in! I don't want any accidents that can be prevented. Got that?"
"Yes, sir!" the group responded.
"Sgt. Vanster and her crew, as usual, will monitor the equipment and fill the tanks as they come in." He checked himself, realizing he was nervously repeating himself.
***
*
The team fanned out and worked until the twin suns dropped below the horizon leaving them in total darkness. They had replaced their tanks too many times to remember and even with breaks for rest and food, they were still exhausted.
"Call 'em back in, Lieutenant," the captain ordered disappointed.
"Right."
"Rose Bud to Queen Bee, come in."
"Yeah!" both officers answered in unison.
"Marksen here, sirs. Sgt. Major tripped over something. She's out of range from your position."
"We're starting to pick up everyone. We'll be right there with the rest of the squad. Tell her to stay put," the captain ordered excitedly.
"Sergeant, giddy-up!" Lt. Ninian ordered.
"Right, Sir!" Expertly handled, the shuttle rose and skimmed the surface picking up the scattered members who were all showing signs of exhaustion.
"Sgt. Major, come in," the lieutenant called as they approached her position.
"Here, to the left of you, Sir."
"Helgas Moon. She made good progress in this atmosphere," the lieutenant muttered. The captain nodded.
The Sgt. Major directed the shuttle with a light.
Fatigued, JG shifted to reposition the heavy air canister as she watched the shuttle land. Normally the air canisters weight was negligible, however, in this atmosphere, everyth
ing's weight more than tripled.
"The rest of you, just stay here and rest," the captain ordered to his all too agreeable troop.
The lieutenant and captain were out of the shuttle the moment Queen Bee stabilized, and followed the shuttle's outdoor light to JG and the lump by her feet.
"Will you look at that?" Lt. Ninian whistled in his helmet, kneeling heavily near the pipe.
"What do you think the arrows mean?"
"Have you identified it?" the captain asked JG.
"Yes, sir. It's one of the old Bessmache maintenance all-atmosphere cables discontinued from ten standard years back. But it's in good shape and holding up to the elements, sirs."
"Just like they used to advertise," the lieutenant agreed taking his own readings.
Captain Miller snorted, "They should have elected a CEO with the same philosophy as the one they forced into retirement. They've been making junk since. Divide and conquer. That's what their main competitor did to them. So, what's your reading?"
"She's right on. No signs of wear. Amazing for the winds that blow through here."
JG merely listened knowing that NCOs were not expected to participate in COs conversations, merely anticipate their desires and or needs.
"Good. Let's mark this place and get back to the shuttle. We all need some rest." The captain turned and headed back to the shuttle already planning the next days activities.
JG assisted the Lieutenant to his feet.
Helgas Bloody Moon, but I'm going to sleep like a bear during winter. Gratefully, JG headed back to the shuttle, following her COs. Mentally she thanked her snitch for the coordinates, otherwise the team would still be searching. After two years, she still did not know who her snitch was…but so far, whoever it was had not misled her and he or she had the right pass codes, and was able to pass her own tests.
Back in the shuttle, the captain outlined the next day's assignment.
"In about five stan...."
"Eight would be better, captain," the lieutenant interrupted softly. He knew the team would still be too tired.
"Right, right. In eight stan hours then, we'll split up in two teams, each following the cable in opposite directions. Now get some rest."
The captain did not sleep for long. While the others slept, he went over his plan repeatedly looking for flaws and trying to find alternatives if this or that did not work while keeping a wary eye on the weather indicators. Captain Miller rubbed his face tiredly.
So, when is Lord Chaney dealing out Master Alha Bahna? Helgas Bloody Moon, but he better make sure he kills that guy or there is going to be hell to pay. Master Alha Bahna does not like to be outsmarted…which means he probably has something planned to get rid of Lord Chaney. It's gotta be big because winner takes all…and chances will be they'll only have a small empire left when the smoke clears. Damn these complications. Why the hell is Chaney keeping the operation here for so long? It gives me more time to find the city but…why is he still here? Does he know what I'm looking for? He probably thinks we're looking for entrances to the other cities to loot them. We've got to find the damn portal before the kid gets here. I can feel it in my bones that that idiot is heading here and then this place won't be safe for tourists and it will be too hot for even a soldier.
He was right when he told his soldiers this had to be it. Once the transmission for the auction was finished, the hunt for the missing Captain Montran would go on and the maps of the planet they had been working on for the last two years would have to be turned over to Lord Chaney. It would only be a matter of time that the smugglers, if not Lord Chaney, find the other cities his father had told him existed. So far none of their equipment could penetrate the surface to find the cities. The electromagnetic storms and heavy atmosphere prevented their equipment to work properly. It had been two years of slow, methodical searching hampered by the unpredictable weather topside, the unbreachable computer that kept them limited to a small part of the city. It also took some doing to keep a low profile from Lord Chaney's naturally suspicious mind. And by the chance visit and disappearance of a celebrity, everything has ended. He grunted softly. What made him so sure she was alive? Was it instincts? No. It was something real simple. Logic. He did not believe that someone who had survived Lord Chaney's relentless pursuit for nine years would die so easily. It was not just luck. Captain Miller believed Captain Montran had telepathic abilities that had helped her and her troop to remain alive for as long as they did. It did not lessen his appreciation of her military abilities, because she would need military know-how to have brought her platoon of misfits and losers out of so many drops. It was a sound conclusion, considering Lord Chaney made sure they did not have the proper gear or working weapons in. So, his other worry was…what was he going to do when he came up against her? First off, he was not going to threaten her outright …her ability to survive such attacks told him that would not work.
A smile curled his lips. So…he was going to finally meet Lord Chaney's demon. He tried to conjure up what this demon would look like. He had met her brother once. He was of average height for his clan and had no special physical attributes aside from his orange hair that made him stand out from a crowd, until you were in his sphere of influence. He had a leader's magnetism.
Until it was time to waken his troop, he thought how to seduce or sidetrack the orange haired captain until he took ownership of the portal. For a moment his blood turned cold at the thought that she would find it before him. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that according to the research he had done on portals, it took a minimum of five or four people to take possession of it, though after that only one person could be Guardian. There was only one of her. Once he was in command of the portal, he would send Captain Montran to another galaxy through the portal, somewhere where they did not have space flight. As a Guardian he could not take a life, for the energy that sustained the portal would turn him into a pile of cinders. In addition, as Guardian of Merker's Outpost, he could prevent her return.
At the appointed time, Captain Miller woke his troop to continue the search. Those following the larger arrows found an elevator plate eight cubits after the mark. The group reassembled in the shuttle replacing seals, and loaded up on extra tanks. They left Sgt. Vanster and with two crew members to monitor the weather and the activity of the five ships hovering above the planet.
They all crowded together on the elevator plate, with the captain activating the lever for decent. The only light in the elevator was from their lamps until the elevator stopped and a light above the doorway lit up green. As the door to the elevator opened wide, the two front soldiers quickly moved out with the others fanning in front of them raider style, advancing three cubits at a time as they scanned the entire surface of the corridor. Eventually, they came to another elevator. There on the door was a homing device just like the sgt. major left on the elevator they arrived on.
"Hold up, everyone!" the captain's aggravated voice crackled through their helmet communicators. He checked his sensor again, just as everyone else did. It showed they were moving forward and yet here they were, back at the elevator. It was another annoying trick of the guardian of the outpost. In their two years of trying to secure the outpost for a short-term smuggler's den, they found they were not able to outwit or counter the measures the computer guardian took against their equipment. Since they were maintaining a low profile to passing ships, they were limited in what type of weapons to use to secure the area. Using high explosives or sonics that might disrupt the city's life support system was suicide.
"Captain?" a voice inquired after a considerable lapse in time.
"My father told me something about a corridor with no doorways, it just went around. This is it! That means just above here are the laboratories and the portal! Let's go back over this corridor for a tiny crack that looks like it goes to a maintenance tunnel. They have them all over the city so I'm sure they have them here. You know the drill, find one!"
He was well aware of the t
ime frame with the air. Having spent more time topside their seals were weak. A tank of four hours was lasting less than three hours and steadily less than that with each refurbishment.
"Sir! I found it!"
The others quickly gathered around Cpl. Robert's kneeling form.
It was a faint line. As Cpl. Robert's leaned against the wall to change position, a faint click was heard and the crack opened into a crawl space for maintenance personnel.
"Damn!" The lieutenant and captain expressed together. The lieutenant shinned his light through the opening. It appeared to be like any other maintenance crawl space on a ship except that it was high enough for the shorter members to walk upright. It was just like in the City and therefore, may have unpleasant surprises waiting for unauthorized personnel.