by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Blakely heard over his communicator, “That’s all of them, Councilor.”
He sounded the tone and stood up. The arena was silent as everyone waited for Blakely to speak. Blakely lifted the microphone and said, “I know many of you are upset that you have not been allowed to leave to go about your normal business. I also know that most of you are questioning why a device has been installed on your ships without asking permission. I am going to tell you what’s going on and I am going to demand that what is discussed here stays here. Is that clear?” The room remained silent and the assembly all started looking around the room at each other.
Blakely waited a moment and then said, “Nearly every one of our vessels have been booby trapped along with most of the cities on Tortuga.” The room exploded in shouts and Blakely waited until they died down. He didn’t sound the tone but allowed the attendees to scream their disbelief. Finally, the huge building grew silent.
“I know that what I’m saying sounds impossible but allow me to explain how it was done. Romanov Industries, who manufactures most of the advanced electronics used in our galaxy, has developed a way to teleport items between a sending module and a receiving module. The room started stirring and Blakely quickly said, “I didn’t believe it either but I have seen one of these modules in operation. It does work!”
“THAT’S CRAZY TALK!!” a pirate in the front row yelled. “WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE!?”
Blakely turned around and motioned Leonidas forward. Leo walked up next to Blakely and was given the microphone. “I was hired by Serge Romanov to come here and capture Captain John Blakely.” The silence was deafening. “Romanov installed a box on one of my shuttles large enough to put a man in and was told that if I press the green button on it, Blakely would be sent to his headquarters building. I told Romanov he was insane and that teleportation was impossible. He sent fifteen million Unity Credits into that box to pay for a contract to capture Captain Blakely. All of you saw me deposit it in the bank. The thing works. We discovered a frequency emanating from the box that was outside the range of any communication frequency we’ve ever seen and it took a brilliant engineer to finally track it down. The module developed by Romanov sends out this frequency constantly and wherever it can be detected, a teleportation module exists. When we sent people out to inspect your vessels, we were looking for the presence of that frequency. If we installed a device on your ship, a Romanov teleport module was present. We found them in most of the ships we inspected along with more than a hundred locations on Tortuga. More than half of the Tortugan Commercial Ships also had that frequency in them.”
“There are no devices on my ship!”
Leo looked at the Pirate Fleet Commander that yelled from the front row and he asked, “Did we install a device on your ship?” a voice shouted loudly from the balcony.
“You did!”
“This is what all of you need to understand. The receiving module can be hidden inside a communication circuit, or a blaster coil, or the wire that is used to power any electronic circuits on your ships. Now I know that sounds incredibly small but how much Trillium would it take to blow up your ship?” The Fleet Commander’s eyes went wide. Leo nodded, “It would only take a milligram to cause a massive explosion and I happen to know that Romanov has purchased eight trillion Credits worth of Trillium and probably has much more than that at his disposal.”
“Why is he after Fellowship!?” Another Pirate shouted.
Leo handed the microphone back to Blakely, “Actually, we are just a secondary consideration. He put his modules here as an afterthought. His main targets are the Unity and the Insectoid Planets.” Blakely waited for that to sink in and then said, “We have taken a look at the Government Planet and every continent on Cruet is giving off that frequency. We estimate there are more than half a million of those modules there and there is no possible way to remove them before he could detonate them.”
Geoffrey stood up and shouted, “Why should we care if the Unity and Insectoids get blasted away. That’s no skin off our backs.”
Blakely saw hundreds around him nodding. “Normally, I would agree with your assessment. However, why did he put those modules on our ships and cities?” Blakely paused as the pirates all thought about the question. “I understand from someone that was once inside Romanov’s business that he has been building warships for more than twenty years. If he fails to destroy us with the devices he’s planted here, we will be the first target of his fleet. We might be able to scatter and flee where some of us will survive but Fellowship and Tortuga will be blasted into rubble. He will then send all his ships out to hunt us down and eliminate us as a possible adversary. He intends to take total control of this galaxy and with everyone that can oppose him removed, he will do it.” Blakely looked around the room and then said, “I am going to give you a few minutes to discuss among yourselves what you think about this situation and I ask that the Fleet Commanders and other Leaders put your heads together to offer suggestions to the Council on how we should respond to this threat.”
Blakely sat down and the room exploded as pirates began screaming.
Chapter Twenty-One
The arena was loud for more than two hours and then the noise started to abate. By the end of the third hour, it was silent. Blakely stood up and lifted the microphone, “Have you come up with suggestions?”
The Hiyten Fleet Commander stood up, “We cannot. There are too many wanting to do hundreds of different things. We have decided to listen to what the Council would suggest.”
The Fleet Commander sat down and Blakely looked around the arena from the upper floors to the lower level directly in front of him before saying, “We believe that we are stronger together than we are alone. I do not choose to run and wait to be attacked by Romanov ships that outnumber me. I am also beyond rage at what he has tried to do to Fellowship. This is my home and if anyone comes to my home and threatens me, I will do everything in my power to make them pay for it. I will go and attack Romania, even if I have to go alone with my ships.”
Leonidas stood up and shouted, “I will be going with you, Captain!”
The Argyan Commander stood and yelled, “And we will follow our Captain!”
It started slow but more and more Commanders stood up and yelled they would fight as well. Soon, it was a tsunami as every pirate stood and yelled their support. The cheering started and Blakely stood at the front table and raised his arms. The roar was incredible. It did not slow down and only grew louder.
Then…a Tortugan walked up on the stage and looked at Blakely. Blakely turned to him and he said, “Captain, may I address the gathering?” Blakely’s eyes widened and he handed the microphone to the Tortugan. The Tortugan looked out at the screaming assembly and they quickly grew silent. He lifted the microphone and said, “We are touched that you are willing to go out and fight to save our world. I know that we’ve taken everything we can get from you in payments for the materials you need to operate your ships. However, we have decided that we will provide all the stores you need to carry out this venture and will not be charging you anything. My citizens and I thank you and so deeply appreciate your willingness to place yourselves between us and the Romanov menace.”
The assembly exploded and it was more than four hours later that Blakely was able to issue the attack plans. For the first time in Fellowship’s history, the pirates were truly united into one force.
• • •
Three weeks had passed since Embree had contacted Romanov and he sat in front of a communication screen and pressed buttons on the console in front of him. After a few minutes, the smiling middle aged man appeared on the screen, “Do you have her!?”
“NO! CAPTAIN LEONIDAS AND THE REST OF MY CREW HAVE BEEN EXECUTED! SOMEONE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION CONTACTED BLAKELY AND TOLD HIM WHAT WE WERE PLANNING!”
The Chief’s eyes narrowed, “How are you still alive?”
“I’ve remained in the shuttle and the pirate ships are ou
t looking for me. I’m far off the filament and I know they are intercepting this transmission. I need to speak to Serge Romanov.”
“Talk to me!”
“NO! LEONIDAS TOLD ME IF THINGS WENT BAD TO ONLY TALK TO HIM. HURRY!”
The Chief contacted Serge and told him what was going on. Serge appeared on Embree’s display and asked, “What do you want?”
“Leonidas told me to tell you that when the Starliner was originally attacked, the target was not what was in the safe but Ana, her sister and baby, along with that woman named Lyla. The pirate was ordered not to harm you. They didn’t know it was a twin. Who would want them killed and not want to harm you?”
Serge stared at the display as Embree asked, “Will you allow me to go in the box and transfer me to your location?”
“Do you have any more information?”
“No, that’s all Leonidas told me.” Serge continued to stare at Embree as he pleaded, “Please! They’re coming off the filament towards me!”
Serge lowered his eyes, “Go to the box and press the button to receive.”
“But…”
“I need to reset the box on this end before I can transport you here.”
Embree disappeared from the display and then reappeared a few moments later, “I’ve pressed it!”
Serge smiled, “You shouldn’t have failed me.” Serge pressed a button on his panel and the shuttle went up in a massive blast.”
The Security Chief looked at Serge on his monitor, “Sir, was that necessary? I might have been able to extract more information from him.”
“He gave all I need!” Serge disappeared from the Chief’s display as he shook his head at what he had witnessed.
• • •
Leonidas looked at Embree, “I’m glad you were able to build that remote control arm to press the receive button.”
“Setting up the remote controls on the shuttle’s communicator was more problematic.”
Leo activated his communicator, “Did everyone see it?”
Blakely was standing on the podium in the Arena and every pirate watched the video of the shuttle being destroyed on the monitors scattered around the room. “We did. You need to go and take care of your end.”
“I’ll be leaving momentarily. I’ll let you know what happens.” Leo looked at Barney, “Take us to the coordinates I’ve given you.”
“Boosting now, Captain.”
• • •
The Spider listened to the message sent to Serge and leaned back. That damn Leonidas had figured it out and Serge would do the same thing very quickly. It pressed a button on the console and it disappeared behind an armored wall. A moment later, four armed security guards blew in the front door, rushed in, and surrounded the Spider. They grabbed it by the arms and hauled it out of the room.
The Security Chief sat in his office shaking his head at the needless death of that crewman. Suddenly, the door to his office slammed in and two armed security guards rushed in and pointed their blasters at him. He quickly raised his hands above his head, “WHAT’S GOING ON!?”
“Come with us!” The guards pointed toward the door, took him to a vehicle, and then walked him up to Serge’s Office. He was escorted into a room where he saw Serge sitting in a chair next to a large one way mirror. He looked through the mirror and saw his wife strapped into a chair with an electrical helmet over her head, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!”
Serge looked at him and pointed to a chair twenty feet from him, “Keep him covered.”
The guards marched the Chief across the room and threw him into the chair. One kept a blaster pointed at him while the other strapped his arms to the chair’s metal arms. Serge nodded toward the woman being interrogated in the other room and they heard her scream in pain, “Your wife is the one that has been working against me.” The Security Chief started shaking his head as Serge said, “She’s confirmed that you knew nothing about what she was doing.”
The Chief looked at Serge with tears in his eyes shaking his head in disbelief, “But why…why would she do it?”
“You were never told that she is my daughter.”
“WHAT?”
“I originally introduced the two of you and told her that she should convince you to marry her so I could make sure she was safe from any possible kidnappers. She got greedy and began plotting to take the business from me before I died. But first, she had to eliminate Ana and her family before she could get rid of me. If I died before them, they would be given most of my holdings in any court, since I do not have a will. She’s waited in hopes I would find Ana and remove her. She already had plans in the works to kill the sister and baby.” The Chief stared at his wife in the other room screaming in pain. “I’ve wondered how the one working inside my organization seemed to know everything that was going on. We changed our frequencies multiple times and it didn’t stop her. Now I understand why. Every time you went home she would examine your communicator and take the new frequency from it.”
The Chief immediately remembered how whenever he went home his wife would take his dirty clothes to wash them and offer to put his communicator on the table while he showered. He stared at the mirror and said, “Tell them to ask her if she loved me.”
“Do you really want to know?”
“ASK HER!”
Serge sighed and lifted his communicator. He spoke into it and turned the volume up. One of the technicians inside the room asked, “Did you love your husband?”
She screamed and yelled, “That pig came from my father! I wasn’t given a choice!” She screamed again and sneered, “Everything my father touches turns to…”
Serge turned the volume down and looked at the Chief, “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
The chief lowered his head into his chest and wept. Serge looked at the guards, “Take him back to his office and wait there.” The guards nodded and released him from the chair. He stumbled out of the room and went back to his office where he broke down. The guards moved outside the door and waited.
Serge shook his head and his communicator beeped, “Sir, the President has left the planet for a meeting.”
“When will he be back?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Thank you for letting me know. Inform me when he comes back.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You will find a reward in your account.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
• • •
The Thermopylae arrived at the specified coordinates and Leonidas ordered, “Wait here.”
An hour later, a giant Unity Battleship came in off the filament and moved toward the Thermopylae. A shuttle left the battleship and headed toward the landing bay. Leo stood up, “Desiree, you have the ship, Embree, come with me.”
They arrived in the landing bay and saw Victoria waiting as the shuttle settled to the deck and the port opened. A tall distinguished man walked out and headed toward Leonidas, “What’s so important that you told my assistant this meeting is critical?”
“It’s good to see you again Mr. President. If you will follow me to my conference room, I’ll explain.”
Ninety minutes later, the President stared at Leonidas and started shaking his head, “We have to remove those devices.”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because Romanov will immediately know and detonate them.”
“But…”
Leonidas interrupted him and said, “Embree!”
Embree lifted his communicator and the President heard, “Sir, the President has left the planet for a meeting.”
“When will he be back?”
“He didn’t say.”
“Thank you for letting me know. Inform me when he comes back.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You will find a reward in your account.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
• • •
The President was silent and Embree said, “That conversation was one of fifty sent to Romano
v informing him of your absence from the government.”
“WHAT?!”
Leonidas looked at him, “If you order a search for those modules, Romanov will immediately know. Your government is saturated with his spies and there is no possible way for you do anything about those modules without him knowing it.”
“How many devices are on the planet?”
“More than half a million and I’m pretty certain all of them are operated by one button.”
“What if we destroy Romania before he could push the button?”
“That’s not possible, Mr. President. He would know the moment one of your fleets moved on the Romanian filament. You should also be aware that most all of your warships have those devices on board. They’ll never get close to Romania before they’re destroyed.”
“What can I do?”
Leo sighed heavily, “I don’t know anything you can do. I don’t think he will activate the devices until you show back up at the Government Building. But he won’t wait forever for that to happen.”
“He’s planning to kill billions of beings if he goes through with this.”
Leo shrugged, “His craving for ultimate power outweighs any conscience he might have. He’s probably planning to feign shock and demand that the one who did it be found and killed.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“How will anyone know it was him? He blew up one of my shuttles to prevent anyone outside of his organization knowing about the devices. He was told that everyone on my crew was executed on Tortuga so he believes he’s in the clear now. He can destroy the Unity and no one will be the wiser that it was him that did it.”