by RJ Johnson
Chapter Thirty
Meade and Emeline were quickly restrained by Rincon's guards with plastic cuffs, and their ArmBars removed.
"Ensure their restraints are comfortable." Lazarus ordered his guards. "They aren't going anywhere." He turned, his evil smile looking over Meade and Emeline. "Isn't that so Mr. Meade?"
"Not too many places to go from here I suppose." Meade replied ruefully. "Hope our deal is still intact."
Lazarus chuckled and shook his head. "With your actions over the last few hours, I'd say our deal has expired, wouldn't you?"
Meade shrugged, "Had to ask."
"Follow me, I'd say I'd give you the grand tour, but I imagine you've already seen the Garuda on your way here." Lazarus said as he moved towards the command deck. "My people have upgraded the computer system and ran the propulsion system through its paces. Efficiency is up ten percent!"
"Uhh... congrats?" Meade wasn't sure how this would play out, but he figured he may as well play along and see where it was going. Rincon laughed.
"There is nothing you can do to stop us. Rosetta has already entered the Homeworld's gravity well. The thrusters have already shut off and I've ordered them destroyed once we’ve gotten up to our maximum speed. The only thing left for you to do is watch the destruction of the Homeworld from the command deck with me."
Meade shook his head.
"What is it?" Lazarus asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Your plan is missing one thing."
"And that is?"
Meade smiled. "The fact you have already become what you claim to despise."
Lazarus moved back to Meade and cocked his head not understanding.
Meade laughed. "Don't you see? You're just as guilty as any of those ‘Elites' you decried so loudly to your people. You're no different than the leaders of the Consortium who pressed the button on the Last War fifty years ago. You're just engaging in destruction on the kind of scale they never could have hoped for. You'll destroy everyone's way of life. Your children will never know the pleasure of a natural forest, or seeing the moon rise over the mountains of North America. They'll never know what it's like to eat fresh fruit grown by the sun and in fresh topsoil farmed by generations of their ancestors. No, all your children will know is soft lighting, crowded slums deep within a mined out hulk of an asteroid and the inky blackness of infinity. Nothing will change. You've already set yourself up as the savior of these people, and soon, their worship of you won't be enough. You'll have to purify them in your own image. It's a tale as old as time. Absolute power will corrupt you Lazarus Rincon. Only you'll be forever known as the man who killed humanity for his own selfish ends."
CRACK. The blow cracked Meade's jaw and he tasted the rusty salt of his own blood as he watched Rincon's face screwed up in rage. The truth had gotten to him, Meade knew it.
"It is unfortunate that you will not be around to see your predictions fail Mr. Meade." Rincon said calming himself. "In fact, I see no reason to delay the inevitable. Guards..." His attendants snapped to attention. "Once we are launched and in orbit around the Homeworld, place these infidels in an airlock and release them into space. We shall let them view the destruction of corruption up close and personal."
The guards nodded their silent assent and Lazarus laughed as he exited the room. "You were a worthy foe Mr. Meade. I shall regret your passing."
Rincon exited the room and Meade spat blood on the ground. At least if he was going to die, he wished he could have gotten one good shot in on the maniacal idiot.
The guards approached Meade and Emeline who whimpered in fear. But to his surprise, he felt the guard release their restraints and stand them up. The smaller guard offered Meade a drink from his canteen and he accepted it gratefully.
Emeline was released as well and she stood rubbing her wrists.
"Thank you," She began but the guard waved her off and removed his helmet. His companion did the same.
It was Suresh and Amla. Emeline squeaked in joy and grabbed Amla in a tight embrace as Meade slapped Suresh on the back.
"Damn good to see you son!" Meade cried out. "I thought for sure we were done."
"Not yet." Suresh replied, his voice stronger than Meade had ever heard. "We still have a lot of work to do if we want to prevent Rincon from destroying the Homeworld."
"How?" Meade asked. "From what he said, it was too late. We're already in the gravity well of the planet."
A voice came out of the shadows and Atel Sinjakama emerged from a hidden doorway wearing his traditional robe. "I'm surprised Mr. Meade, I wasn't under the impression when I hired you that you were so easily defeated."
Meade jumped in surprise. "I'd given you up for dead. I figured if Rincon got to Koschei, he'd have gotten to you."
Atel Sinjakama strode into the room and clapped Suresh on his back. "Thanks to Suresh here, we got out and into the Garuda before the real fighting began. I hid within the interior while Rincon took over the station and we made our plans to take back the ship."
"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Emeline demanded. "We're not just outnumbered, it's five versus a thousand out there."
"Sometimes, the Consortium's paranoia pays off." Sinjakama said smiling. "Once we launch I'll show you just how powerful this ship can be."
The deck beneath their feet began to vibrate and Emeline looked at Sinjakama worried. "Good, cause it looks like the party's about to start without us if we don't get a move on."
Sinjakama nodded and indicated they should follow him, but before Emeline exited the room, Meade grabbed her and kissed her deeply as he held her close and tight against his body. His only thought was that he regretted that he hadn't done this a lot sooner. She was a good kisser.
"What was that for?" She asked him once he released her from his embrace.
"Just thought I should do that in case we run out of chances." Meade knew he was grinning like an idiot. He just didn’t care.
She bopped lightly him on the nose and smiled at him. Meade shook his head and grinned back at the beautiful woman who had always been in front of him for the last few years but had never noticed before today. He kissed her again, more gently this time.
"Let's go save the world, shall we?"
Chapter Thirty-One
Atel Sinjakama strode confidently down the hall as Meade, Amla, Emeline and Suresh followed behind. Many of the Lightbringers on board ignored them as they didn't know who they were. Besides, if they were on board, they must have belonged there.
"Keep your head down and don't say anything." Sinjakama had told them. "These people are used to seeing those in authority walking around without questioning them. So long as you look like you know what you're doing and where you're going, they won't question us. If they do, let me handle it."
And so they had. Meade had to admit it was working beautifully. Every one of the workers who had come aboard as a subject of Lazarus Rincon ignored their party of misfits and continued with what they were doing. Most were unpacking their belongings and finding space to bunk for what they imagined was the beginning of a new life. Meade pitied them for a moment. They had no idea what they were up against.
"Where are we going?" Meade asked Sinjakama as they rounded another corner.
"My private office contains a fail safe system that can be activated in case of mutiny or insurrection." Sinjakama replied without looking at him. "I can control the entire ship from there."
"Won't Rincon have taken control of that by now?" Emeline asked.
Sinjakama shook his head. "Impossible. Even if he were able to find it, it is only accessible using my DNA and an eye scan. There is no way to gain access. The door is pure ORI titanium. Nothing short of a nuclear weapon is getting through, and I feel confident the man won't detonate one of those in such small quarters."
"Well, let's hope not." Meade muttered.
They went down a flight of stairs, and turned another corner into a dead end hallway.
"Great, now what?" Meade asked.
"Patience Mr. Meade." Sinjakama responded, he stepped up to a small marking on the floor and waited.
Suddenly at the end of the hallway a bright red laser began scanning Sinjakama's body. Once completed, a door was heard to unlock and the end of the hallway began to shimmer and disappear. Sinjakama walked to the door and placed his eye next to a retinal scanner. He placed his palm directly beneath it.
"Authorize Sinjakama, Atel. Three, five, Alpha."
The computer beeped its assent and the door slide open revealing a small office inside. There a chair was surrounded by a bank of monitors and controls that lit up once Sinjakama entered. He sat and began to type quickly.
"I've regained control of the ship." Sinjakama announced. He turned to Emeline, "My dear, if you wouldn't mind, you did such a stellar job piloting the last time we found ourselves in a spot of trouble, I would consider it an act of kindness if you took over for me."
Emeline smiled and nodded. She sat at the controls and placed a set of heads up display goggles over her eyes and began to take control of the Garuda."
"Now." Sinjakama said to Meade, Amla and Suresh. "We get the hard job."
"Which one?" Meade asked sarcastically. "The taking back of a ship from the thousand or so Lightbringers who want us dead? Or diverting a couple quintillion kilogram mass from destroying life on the Homeworld?"
"The Lightbringers on board will take care of themselves once I activate the anti-insurrection device." Sinjakama leaned over Emeline and brought up a display. "Scattered through the ship is a series of Tesla coils that will deliver 100,000 volts of electricity to any biological life form contained within."
"Ouch." Meade winced.
"To say the least." Sinjakama replied. "If you would stand inside for a moment while I trigger the system, this office is one of the few places on board that is free from the Tesla coil."
"By all means."
Meade, Amla and Suresh crowded their way into the office as the door slide shut behind them. It was a tight fit, but Meade preferred having to hold his breath in to 100,000 volts flowing through his body.
"Jim..." Emeline said, her voice sounding a warning. "I think you'd better see this."
Meade glanced at her monitor and gasped. He was afraid of this. Hundreds of Consortium warships filled the viewscreen in front of them, all of them training their weapons on Rosetta. To his even bigger surprise, Coalition ships were mixed within the massive fleet as well.
"This is about to get ugly." Meade said.
"To say the least." Sinjakama agreed.
Suddenly, thousands of missile launches erupted from the fleet and they flew on a direct intercept course with Rosetta.
"They're trying to take down the asteroid before it crashes." Meade cried out.
Indeed they were. However, before the missiles could make it to their target, thousands of life pods erupted from Rosetta's surface and began to intercept the missiles before they exploded on target. A few got through, but Rosetta shook them off as if they were nothing more than small firecrackers. Meade watched in horror as thousands of the Lightbringers sacrificed themselves to detonate the warheads launched by the Consortium and Coalition ships before they hit Rosetta.
"They're insane!" Emeline's face was white with shock. "They're suicidal."
"No," Meade said grimly, "They're committed to their cause."
That wasn't the only surprise from the Lightbringers.
"Look!" Meade cried out and pointed to the Mass Driver’s portal on Rosetta.
One of the twenty ton cargo containers launched itself and headed straight for the nearest Consortium ship. The container flew at the ship after being launched at an incredible speed and reached the hull in seconds. The container exploded and a red bloom of flame blew open a vast hole in the Consortium's flagship. The inside belched fire and split the ship in half as thousands of Consortium men and women tumbled out of the exploding and dying ship into the vacuum of space.
"Good God." Meade whispered.
"I don't think God has anything to do with it." Atel Sinjakama replied.
Emeline pointed at the monitor. "They're launching again!"
And another cargo container launched from the mass driver. What was once the delivery system the Consortium relied on for the ORI to build their massive warships, was now being used as a devastating weapon. Meade could appreciate the irony.
The second cargo container landed another overwhelming blow, this time against the Coalition flagship. Meade watched in horror as it attempted to turn and retreat from the battle, but the damage to it was too great. The top deck of the ship looked as though someone had taken a razor and sliced the ship clean in half.
"We've got to stop them." Meade said determined. "Do we have any control over the mass driver from here?"
Emeline shook her head. "The Garuda lost her comm link when the first nuke exploded." She tapped the display and brought up the damage report. "There's nothing we can do from here."
"Then I've got to get back on board." Meade decided. "Sinjakama, disable those bastards on board and get me to a life pod. I'll land in the Pit and take out the Mass Driver from there."
"Heroic to be sure Mr. Meade, but utterly useless. Look."
Sinjakama pointed to the viewscreen. The warships piloted by the Consortium and Coalition forces were beginning to turn back towards the Homeworld.
Sinjakama picked up a headset and listened in on the comm chatter. "They've been ordered to fallback and assist with the evacuation." He set the headset down and sat glumly on the counter. "Perhaps it might be time to accept the total loss of the Homeworld Mr. Meade. Rosetta is already within the gravity well of the planet. We're a mere 25 million kilometers away. At our current rate of speed, we will be there within fifteen minutes."
Meade clutched his head in frustration. There had to be a way. There just had to be. Gravity was their enemy though, and it was hard to fight gravity, a fact his arm and ribs knew all too well. It was then, he had a Eureka! moment.
"What if we broke the Higgs field again?" Meade asked the idea forming in his head.
"What?" Emeline looked up at him confused. "What are you talking about?"
"The Higgs field generator on the lower level." Meade's brain was moving faster than his mouth, so he forced himself to slow down. "On our way here, the problem was, the Higgs field it was generating was extending out beyond the deck plates on the lower level, right?"
Emeline cocked her head in confusion, "Right, but what would..." Meade watched the light go off in her head. "That's... genius."
"Maybe." Meade responded. "Is it possible?"
"I don't see why not." Emeline replied, for the first time her face was hopeful.
"Would someone mind catching me up to what you two are blabbing about?" Sinjakama asked irritated. "We had the Higgs Field generator fixed when we arrived to Rosetta."
"Yes, but if we can unfix it, we can save the world." Meade said excitedly. "All we have to do is crank up its gravity and create a gravity well in front of Rosetta to nudge it slightly off course. It shouldn't take much, but if we divert it enough, we should be able to put it into a slingshot orbit instead of watching it crash into the Homeworld."
Sinjakama shook his head. "It wouldn't be enough. At best the field will extend a few thousand meters outside the hull, and it will become significantly less potent the further out it is from the Higgs generator."
Emeline's face fell and shook her head. "He's right. Inverse square law is a bitch."
"What about the Higgs Field generator on Rosetta?" Meade asked desperately. "If we combine the two, it should attract itself to to artificial gravity well in between the ship and the Asteroid."
Emeline's eyes widened and clapped. "Like riding a wave."
"Something like that. We create the crest on Rosetta, and the valley with the Garuda's field." Meade said hoping what he said made even a little bit of sense. "By itself, the Garuda might not be enough, but combined, just maybe, it could work."
> Sinjakama turned to Emeline. "Will it work?"
Emeline turned to her console and quickly typed on the screen running the simulation. "It'll be tight, but if we put enough power into it…” she paused and shook her head. “I can’t be sure, but it might be."
Sinjakama nodded. "Then we shall give it a try." Turning to Meade, "I knew there was a good reason I hired you."
"Taze these fuckers back to the stone age. I'll get on board Rosetta and keep them from launching anything more from that damned mass driver and help you nudge Rosetta out of the way."
"As you order." Sinjakama said. He tapped the switch on the Tesla coils and the lights dimmed in the cockpit. Emeline brought up the interior cameras and they watched the crew of the hijacked Garuda fall, writhing in pain. Meade winced at the thought of 100,000 volts flowing through his body. He was nothing if not sympathetic to that sort of pain.