Jamus replied, "We aren't planning any wars here yet. If we advance Hallik to emperor and he grants our freedom, there won't be any wars. A peaceful transition would be better for us all."
Dester pulled back. "Speak for yourself."
Daniel smirked. "Jamus, weren't you always the one saying you'd make the aliens pay?"
"I was. I was angry. Now I see things a little different. Now if Hallik goes back on his word in any way, I'll be the first in line behind Dester to bring an end to any notion of a peaceful transition."
Tamia pointed. "Daniel? Is that something new on your chair?"
"It is. And thanks for noticing. It's the same five button panel and little monitor that you see on almost every ship system."
"I recognize it from the environmental units. Why is one on your chair arm?"
"I'm restricted in my movement in this chair. With this I can now connect to any piece of equipment and perform whatever task that's needed while staying seated. If you want, I can show you what I did when you get back from Kalimus."
"I'd like that. Thank you."
The following morning came early. A shuttle was waiting and the two-person team was on their way. After being dropped at the star-port in the city of Grell on the colony of Kalimus, three separate hover-taxis took the duo and their handler to the job site. A Talion manager was waiting.
"You're five minutes late. A penalty will be deducted from your fee."
The handler replied, "You have my apologies. There was a mix-up at the star-port. Any penalty will be graciously accepted. These are your two workers."
"And you're certain they know their way around these repairs?"
"I'm certain. If they give you any trouble, just dispose of them and we'll send over a new pair."
Tamia coughed.
The Talion manager looked her up and down. "This one's not sick, is she?"
"Both have just been through thorough examinations. We don't send out defective slaves. Would be bad for business."
"Yes, yes it would. You'll find the credit transfer has cleared as soon as I return to my desk."
"Thank you for your business." The handler turned and walked away.
"You two idiots come with me. You'll be in bay six. There's a shuttle that has to be out by this afternoon as we have a VIP coming in later this evening. So you better be showing me your worth out there, or no Smudge for you. Get it?"
Two blank stares were returned.
The manager mumbled to himself as he pointed toward the bay. "Why do I even bother? Now get in there and get the job finished."
The shuttle was a standard twenty-passenger model. Tamia had replaced and repaired the units on a hundred just like it.
"Just follow my instructions and we have this out of here in about two hours. Work order says full replacement, which is easy. We'll just be pulling the units and slapping in new ones. Grab the tool bag off the cart. It should have everything we need."
Tamia had the first unit out and on the deck as Jamus completed his first bolt. Six bolts held each unit in place.
Tamia stopped and looked over the situation. "Change of plans. You carry in the new units and carry out the old units. If Master Snooka's shuttle is coming into this bay, we want this bucket out of here as soon as possible. They divert to another open bay and we'll never get near that ship."
Jamus began to turn back for the new stock on the cart.
"Wait, what are you doing? Carry out the old, bring in the new. I don't need you tripping over one of those and making a mess. And watch your back. These units can be heavy. As much as forty kilos on the bigger ships. The heaviest one on this barge comes in at about thirty."
Two hours were spent retrofitting the shuttle and clearing out the bay.
After pushing the cart back to the stock room, Tamia began to unload the old units. "I'm worried."
"What for?"
"We have just over two hours before Snooka's shuttle is due. That bay is empty. We get an emergency come in and they’ll stuff it in our bay. We lose that slot and we lose the opportunity to work on Snooka's shuttle."
"What can we do?"
Tamia moved the last of the old units from the cart. "Follow me. We're going to assist on another shuttle. Open up another bay."
"Is that something you would normally do?"
Tamia stopped and stared. "Normally we would now be standing around here scratching our bums. Unless told to make that effort, we wouldn't be doing anything."
Tamia scanned the work-order for the next bay. Three unit components were stacked on the cart and the cart shoved in the direction of the next bay. Two guards began to approach from a far door.
Jamus quietly asked, "What do we do?"
"We ignore them and just keep pushing the cart. They'll be confused and will leave us alone."
The next several minutes were filled with tension as the two Talion watchers moved in alongside the rolling cart. The two slaves kept looking forward as they walked. The guards looked at each other, shrugged, and headed back to their posts.
Within fifteen minutes, the environmental components on the work-order were fitted in place and the old units carried away. Ten minutes after, the shuttle lifted, leaving the extra bay open for any sudden arrivals.
Jamus stood beside Tamia and the cart, back at the stockroom. "Two hours, eight minutes if they come in on time."
"Never can tell with the higher-ups. Schedules change all the time."
Jamus glanced down. "Your hands aren't shaking anymore."
"No, but my guts are. I have a growing urge to just run away."
"You wouldn't get very far. And you have nowhere to run to."
Tamia returned a slight smile. "Which is why I'm still here."
"You ever have a mate?"
Tamia snickered. "You asking?"
"No. If you were looking, it would be for someone way younger than me. I'm not far behind Dester in age."
"He has a sharp sense of humor."
"That he likes to thrust into your back on occasion. He has a good heart, but his mind is quick to be annoyed if he doesn't get his way."
"Tell me about yourself. All of you came from the same farm?"
"Except Jim. He came over from Haraku. I've been aware the longest, twelve growing seasons, that's about seven standard years. Daniel is next with just about two years now. The Bachrans... or I should say Kerena, about a year, her and Martin. It happened to Dester just before Hallik took us all. And I think Jim is right along there with Dester. How'd it happen for you?"
"I was purchased and taken to some facility that's who knows where. A Talion doctor gave me an injection and about two days later I was violently ill."
"It's not pleasant, that's for sure."
"Anyway, there was another person sick in a bed next to me. They didn't make it, which is probably why you were given this assignment. I pulled through and here I am. It's weird though. It's like this life and my prior one are two separate lives. I'm still trying to process all that's been happening."
Jamus chuckled. "You and me both."
An alarm sounded, signifying that a ship was coming in.
Tamia stared up at the sky. "It's a shuttle. Smaller though. Perfect. Looks like we freed that bay up just in time."
As they watched, the small transport shuttle slowed as it reached the tarmac. To the dismay of Jamus and Tamia, it taxied into their slot, settled on the concrete, and its ramp lowered. A new work order came in on the display.
"Crap. Crap, crap, crap. A full retrofit. That's a two-hour job."
"What do we do?"
"We get our asses in gear and get it done."
Chapter 13
* * *
The replacement units were hurriedly loaded and the maintenance cart shoved toward the shuttle at a faster pace than normal, but not fast enough to draw attention. Once aboard the shuttle and away from observance, Tamia hustled to the first unit.
"Start the bolts on that side," said Jamus. "When you have the firs
t out, go bring in the first unit. And don't move so fast as to be noticed. We have to get this turned around and out of here before Snooka shows."
Wrenches tinked and clanged as the six standard bolts that held the unit in place were removed. Jamus hurried out, taking care to move slowly once outside, returning with the new unit.
Tamia pointed. "Drop it in place and get the next one. I'll lock it down."
As the second unit was brought in, the veteran maintenance tech had the first unit bolted down.
Jamus asked, "How'd you do that so quick?"
"I have two hands. Now go, go, go! Keep those coming!"
All eight units were in place after only forty-two minutes.
Tamia took a deep breath as she moved over to the power circuits for the first of a dozen tests. "Come on, power up and show green. We need this bay."
The first unit tested out as functional. Five more units did the same before a red indicator showed a failure.
"Crap! Take the cart back and grab another aspirator. And hurry!"
As Jamus pushed the cart toward the stockroom, the inevitable happened. An alarm sounded, signifying a ship was coming in. The veteran spy looked up with concern. It was the Snooka shuttle, and it would be heading toward the other bay. He collected the aspirator and hurried back to the ship under repair.
Tamia was standing in the door. "We failed. We lost our slot. And it's probably my fault."
Jamus carried the thirty-kilo unit up the ramp. "How so?"
"Had we left that other shuttle alone, this one would have been put in a hold pattern until Snooka's ship had been taken in. This isn't an emergency. It's just a scheduled retrofit, and I opened up our bay for it."
"You did what you thought best. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"This maintenance only happens one time a year. This was our shot at getting those cameras on it. I blew it."
Jamus dropped the new unit it place. "Maybe not."
Bolts were tightened. "It's not in our bay."
"So? We just do what we did a few minutes ago. We load up our cart with the camera equipped units, roll it over there and just start working. We weren't questioned before. Same guards are on duty. Why would they bother us now?"
"One problem with that scenario: the other maintenance team is not installing the camera units."
"OK. So we lose a few. We can still make this work if we hustle up and get over there."
Tamia snugged the final bolt, before looking up. "Are you an optimist, Mr. Turnbull?"
"Right now I have to be, Ms. Brown. Let's get this done."
The installation was tested and the shuttle given a release. The cart was pushed back to the stockroom at a moderate pace. As they reached the room and began to unload the old units, a guard came through the doorway.
"Hold where you are!"
The unloading stopped.
"The super wants to see the two of you, immediately."
Tamia turned and moved quietly toward the door with Jamus behind her. The super was seated at a desk in his office when the two came in.
The guard said, "These are the two."
The super sat back in his chair staring up at them with an inquiring eye for several seconds. "Yes. You may go, Klon. I will be fine."
The guard bowed and moved back to his post.
The super stood. "I don't normally question Humans when good behavior is involved, but please tell me how it is you completed that job in under an hour? I've never had a crew that performed like that. What did you do to make this happen?"
Tamia gave her best smudged reaction. "He carried. I replaced."
The super was silent for several seconds. "Interesting. And this sped the work-time?"
"I can better focus on turning the wrench. He has muscles for carrying the units."
"Hmm, male and female teams, I see. Slave females are more nimble. And your males are the strong ones. Perhaps we have found the optimum combination for a maintenance team. What do you think?"
The room was quiet for several seconds before the super began to laugh. "What do you think? Good one, Dentok. You will have to tell that one at shift change. You two, get back out there and keep doing what you're doing."
The two-person team walked back to the stockroom under the distant, watchful eyes of the guards.
Tamia let out a breath as they came into the room. "What a disaster. I'm so sorry."
Jamus looked around at the stock. "Wait, where are our units?"
Tamia stood, shaking her head. "Someone took them?"
Jamus hurried to the door, looking off at the maintenance cart in the distance. "All may not be lost. That team took our stock. I guess since they were designated for that shuttle, it was the units they took."
Tamia looked over his shoulder and out the door. "So all we really had to do was get the stock into the room and marked for that job. Wish we'd known that earlier. Would have saved me a couple heart attacks."
When the shift was complete the team was pulled from their housing units and transported to another waiting shuttle. Forty minutes later they were settling in the docking bay of Beta Station.
Hallik was waiting for them. "Superb job. We are already receiving video from all cameras. The secrets of the House of Snooka will soon be ours."
"We got lucky," said Jamus. "There was no good reason for that crew to grab those particular units."
Tamia nodded. "Been at that for nine years and never saw a crew draw the exact serial numbers for a job. They are always taken, installed, and the numbers recorded at that time. Only way the managers could be certain the records were correct. This crew was trained right. Most aren't."
"Regardless…" Hallik smiled. "It all worked out. And I'd like to thank our newest member for a job well done. You have all earned the remainder of the afternoon off. I'll be working with Bersa on our next set of missions."
Dester came up with a slap on Jamus' back. "Pulled off another one? I was certain you were done for when those guards started walking your way."
"You can thank Tamia for that. She was the one who suggested we just keep walking."
Tamia shook her head. "I was the one who nearly blew the whole mission by getting the other shuttle out early."
Jamus nodded. "But you didn't. Funny, when all this began, Hallik was saying how a team of Human spies would never be suspected. I'm starting to believe him. We could probably just walk into any scenario, and as long we look as though we were ordered to do something, no one would question us."
Dester scowled. "Good way to get us all killed. We need to stick to the plans as much as possible. While that back there may have looked as though you were doing what you were ordered to, that would have changed if you had been seen by that super."
"But we weren't."
"I'm just saying, we stick to the plans and there's no possibility. No risk. We just start doing what we want and we're gonna get caught."
As the group moved over to sit in the lounge chairs, the monitors on the walls surrounding them came to life. A blue light beneath a display signified the unit that was the source of the audio.
"Friends! Put on your galoshes and grab your straws! The competition is about to begin! And remember, kids, the winner is the one who keeps the most sleggs alive. Let's get started!"
A group of four Brekan children scurried to a bench, where the mentioned galoshes were pulled over their shoes. A second sprint saw them heading toward a box containing hundreds of straws. A buzzer sounded.
"The race is on! Make every straw count!"
The young Brekan participants laughed as they ran, bumping each other as they hurried toward their task at hand. Four separate halls led out from a central location, ending at pools that had been drained of water, and now held down hundreds of sleggs, Human slaves. A crowd of alien kids were seated just above each pool, hundreds clinging to the rails as they cheered on the competitors.
Jim frowned. "This is horrifying."
As the kids reached the ends of the halls,
water began to gush into the pools.
Tamia asked, "What's happening? What are they doing?"
Jamus closed his eyes. "Drowning them."
"What?"
As the water began to fill the pools, the mini-competitors jumped in, racing to their Humans and jamming straws into their mouths one by one. A Brekan female fell, dumping half her straws, drawing both laughter and jeers from her onlookers. The water began to rise. The strapped-down sleggs began to struggle as the water level rose toward their open mouths and noses. Cries of terror rang out, throwing the youthful crowd into a frenzy.
Jim and Kerena averted their eyes. The others watched in horror. Both Martin and Dester held enraged expressions.
As the kids raced from one slegg to the next, the water continued to rise. Screams of joy by the audience were matched with screams of terror by the slaves who were on the verge of drowning.
"Three minutes left! Look out! Water is topping some of your sleggs!"
Tamia asked, "Sleggs?"
Hallik walked in behind the group as they watched. "It's the slang term given to Human participants in any game. This... these images, they’re why I wanted to spare you the tragic scenes and the abhorrent behavior we will see on the video feeds. This is the empire as it exists today. This is the norm. This sick and twisted behavior is part of everyday life. Brekan children can be particularly cruel."
Dester pointed. "That one is sticking straws in their noses. That won't work."
Hallik sighed. "And they know it won't work. They’re doing it for the reaction. Look at the crowd. That competitor will drown his entire pool. But the audience will laugh and laugh."
The water rose to a level where some of the sleggs began to spit and spew, coughing just before the madness ended for the few who had no straws. A buzzer sounded.
"I think we have an obvious winner! But let's count! Soros, as we can all see, has zero sleggs surviving." The audience cheered and laughed.
Soros held up a fist for his fans. "I hate sleggs!" The crowd went wild, calming only after most of a minute had passed. The announcer giggled uncontrollably at the scene before finally regaining his composure.
"My, my, some players just know how to have fun, don't they? Now, Rometh has eighteen survivors out of her hundred." A mild applause followed.
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