OMEGA Allegiance

by Stephen Arseneault

  Joni replied, "If they were trying to capture it, why would they then destroy it?"

  Dovit looked down through a meter wide hole in the walkway. "If it was the locals who were under siege, it may have been them who destroyed it. That would be a normal tactic, rather than allowing it to fall to one's enemy."

  An alert came up on my nav display. "I have four ships coming up from the surface. I think you should all get back here immediately!"

  I watched as three jerky video feeds turned and began to run. The ships from the surface were fast approaching as Joni, Dovit, and Tobik sprinted across the deck of the landing port we had elected to set down on. Once safely aboard, I sealed the hatch and prepared to leave. The three ships turned away, moving back in the direction from which they had come.

  Joni removed her helmet. "Why did they do that?"

  I replied, "It would appear they are trying to prompt us to move on from here."

  Dovit set his helmet in his lap as he sat in his chair. "Do we return to the surface or try that other moon?"

  I shook my head. "No. I think we sit right here for a few minutes. If they continue away, the three of you can go back in there. I want to see evidence of who was running this place."

  We watched the nav screen as the three Doomlight ships slipped back through the atmosphere and disappeared around the planet's horizon. Three helmets were soon snapped back into place and three explorers once again set out to investigate the ruins of the battle-scarred complex. Raptor stayed by my side.

  Chapter 17

  As the trio entered a warehouse, Joni exclaimed over the video, "Hey! Those look a lot like our helocycles!"

  Five of the hover-bikes were parked behind a heavily damaged, much larger vehicle. After Joni poked and prodded the controls of the bike, it came to life.

  Joni's video spun around towards the others. "If this works like I think it will, I think we can cover a lot more ground."

  The bike whirred as Joni spun it around again. As she depressed a foot pedal, the bike moved forward. After a quick fifty meter run, Joni turned back, pulling to a stop beside Dovit.

  "This blue button activates it. After that you have your throttle and brake here. Then you just steer."

  The three were soon zipping along the elevated skyway, dodging enormous holes that had resulted from a prior fierce battle. The next building on their agenda was the one we had identified as a possible military barracks. After a dismount, the three walked into the remains of the building. The six floors above them were in shambles, while the six below appeared largely unscathed.

  I pressed a button on my console. "It looks like those three ships are coming back. You are too far out to make it back. Just keep doing what you are doing. I think it's nothing more than a bluff."

  Joni replied, "Roger that. Can you see this wall poster I'm looking at?"

  I nodded. "Yes, it would appear our assumption about the farmer being a native was correct."

  Dovit stood staring at the poster image. "Hmm. It looks like the Doomlighters are not the Doomlighters. They are just some species working for the Grumar. I have to wonder if the other cities on this planet are full of the natives or if they were wiped out, as evidenced by the battle that occurred here. I also have to wonder if by some strange twist, the Grumars were successfully able to pit our two armies against one another while they watched on gleefully."

  Joni replied, "It's like some giant Congoli onion. Every time we pull back a layer, a new more toxic layer resides just underneath."

  I nodded. "I believe we're beginning to get a better picture of exactly what's been going on here. As Dovit says, it may be that our two sides were needlessly fighting each other as the Grumar watched."

  I looked over the ship's displays. "If I'm reading the sensors on this ship correctly, there are still power generators running deep below those structures. If there's power, there might be systems connected to it that are still functioning."

  The Grumar ships closed and performed a flyover of our location. As I had suspected, they continued on without any further interaction. As time progressed, I expected to get more of the same."

  Joni entered a room full of bunks. Body parts covered the floors and walls. "Man, it looks like they got caught in here sleeping. No combat suits or weapons. Just dead bodies and what used to be bodies. This assault must have been a nightmare for these poor slobs."

  Dovit swung his laser pistol towards the hall. "Let's continue. There is nothing to be gained from gawking at this carnage."

  Joni snapped back. "Hey, I wasn't gawking! I was just making a statement!"

  Dovit held up his hand. "I am sorry. As a career military man, I don't like scenes such as this. Give a soldier a chance to fight and die with honor. This was nothing more than senseless murder."

  Joni nodded. "We're in agreement on that."

  I switched Dovit's and Tobik's audio channels to mute. "If you can hear me, raise your hand and tap it on the front of your helmet, and don't speak."

  Joni complied, while Dovit and Tobik walked.

  I continued, "Good. I figured out how to mute their channels should we find a need. I'm switching them back on. Tap the front your helmet again if you understand.

  Joni tapped.

  I spoke to all three. "If you find a stairwell going downward, take it. Sensors are showing one of the active power sources directly below your building."

  Dovit replied, "I just wanted to remind everyone, I have to imagine the Grumar are watching and listening to everything we do. That is their shuttle. These are their comm channels."

  "If you happen across anything that you think is worth keeping from them, don't hesitate to withhold it until such time as we believe our communications are secure."

  The three moved down a stairwell. Six floors down they came to the lowest level. The hallways on the lower floors were pitch black. Helmet lights were turned on. Watching the three video feeds as the lights spun in one direction or the other was chaotic, making my assessments from above difficult.

  Joni stopped as the others continued. She began to tap on the front of her helmet. I muted the others.

  Joni spoke quietly. "Knog? You see the two dead soldiers in front of me?"

  "Yes."

  Joni continued with a soft voice: "Well, they look a lot like you. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot! One is missing the top of his head and the other his lower half. But you put those two together and you have someone that is your size and shape. I'm looking at this guy's face. You seeing this?"

  I pressed the comm button. "I need you to listen carefully. We suspected before that the green Gruntas, a species nearly identical to mine, might be out here. I had to wonder if the legends of the Greens were true. After looking over that captured ship on the Garmon, I believe it to have been piloted by one of the Greens. Walk away from those bodies and draw no more attention them. And that face is a Grunta female, not a male."

  I enabled the audio.

  Joni nodded as she stood. "Hey, Dovit, wait up!"

  After a short jog, Joni's video feed joined the others.

  "I'm reading a power source about seventy-five meters in front of you. It's small but active. Focus your search for that source."

  Dovit turned his head from side to side. "The fighting down here was fierce as well. I have passed by several power distribution points that look as though they were deliberately targeted."

  Dovit turned a corner. "There is a locked door here. I believe the power source may be behind it."

  I replied, "The sensors show it as being right in front of you. Can you get the door open?"

  Dovit nodded as he stood back and pulled the trigger on his pistol. A single sharp green beam continuously emanated from the tip of his pistol. A padlock keeping the door closed fell to the floor. A twist of the knob and a push sent the door flying open. Inside, our prize awaited.

  Joni shook her head. "Bleh. It's powering a small refrigeration unit. Nothing more than a microgenerator. It has methane li
nes that go into the wall behind it. It must still have a supply."

  Dovit looked around the room. "It appears to be some kind of medical lab. Given the equipment, I would guess it was for testing purposes. Probably for the everyday medical care of the troops up above."

  Joni opened the unit. "Yep. I would have to say he is right. Looks like tissue samples. And a few tubes of blood. If we were a science vessel out here looking for information on this species, this would be a gold mine. I don't see it as very useful for us."

  I scanned the three videos. "Tobik, you are closest. Can the power from that generator unit be used to power anything else in there? Are the computer systems on that counter to your left operational, if they had power?"

  Tobik looked over the generator. "The generator output is hard-wired into the refrigeration unit. I have no way of knowing if they use standard power levels. Let me inspect the systems on the counter."

  Tobik pulled one of the computer systems from its retainer. "No, these look like different power levels. We would need the main power system running to power one of these."

  I replied, "Let's move on to the next building then. I'm seeing another, larger power source, about three hundred meters from your location."

  A door lock was again lased and the door kicked in. The room beyond was a full-size power generator which had at one time powered the entire building. Why it had not been destroyed in the fighting was a mystery. The big generator hummed as the three walked around it.

  Joni moved over to a console. "I've got a computer here! Of course I can't understand a thing it's displaying. Having that arm pad right about now sure would be nice."

  As Joni sat in a chair by the console, Dovit looked over her shoulder. "This display is power output, and this one is methane use. That appears to be some type of temperature monitor. Here, let me sit. I am familiar with power generation. Utilities administration was my assignment for most of my career."

  Joni stood and stepped back as Dovit sat. Tobik moved in over his shoulder to watch. Several minutes later an overhead light came on and the room pressurized.

  Dovit removed his helmet and took a deep breath. "A bit musty, but not bad."

  Joni tapped on the front of her helmet as she moved over behind the humming generator.

  "They are muted," I said.

  Joni replied, "Is there anything you want me to look at or do while they are busy? I think they might be there for a while."

  I backed Joni's video feed up until the image of the dead Greens was in play. "Tell them you are coming back to the ship to get supplies. They will be wanting food before long, and with that room pressurized, you will be able to eat in there. On your way, I want you to stop in the barracks building and recover something from those bodies you found. I want the battle-suits they are wearing. One has the body, the other an intact helmet. If they fit, it will allow me to join you as well."

  Joni nodded. "I can do that."

  I enabled the comms.

  "Hey, Dovit. Since you are probably going to be at that for a while, I thought I would go back to the ship for supplies. We are going to be needing chow before long, and with this pressurized room we can eat here as you work over that computer system."

  Dovit nodded. "I believe that is an excellent idea. Tobik, give her a hand."

  Joni shook her head. "Not necessary. The two of you should keep at that console to see what you can learn. Put your helmet on, depressurize this room, and I'll be back shortly."

  Once the air had been evacuated, Joni left the generator room. Several minutes later she was standing over the dead Greens.

  "This is going to be grizzly." Joni said.

  The Green with the half helmet was the first to be unlocked. "Ugh, it's like dust. When you move it, it starts floating everywhere. I thought their skin would be frozen, but this is complete dehydration, it's just falling away."

  I replied, "No need to be gentle. If it speeds things up, just rip its head off."

  Joni stopped and laughed. "OK, I guess it doesn't really matter, does it."

  With one hard pull the partial helmet came away, along with the remainder of the Green's head. A sealed, zippered seam was opened just under the shoulders, separating the battle-suit into two removable pieces. The shoulders and arms were pulled from the upper section with little effort. The torso and legs however, would not release.

  "Check to see if there are boots that can be removed," I said.

  Joni sighed. "They look seamless. Hang on. Let me pick this upside down and shake it. Maybe it will all just fall out."

  Joni struggled with the large torso. The end result was a suit that still clung to the lower half of the dead Green.

  I laughed. "Just drag it up to your bike and bring it to me. I can remove it here on the shuttle while you return. And don't forget the helmet."

  Fifteen minutes later, the airlock to the shuttle opened. as Joni dropped the torso of the second Green, the smell of decay wafted through the cabin.

  I spoke. "Don't remove your helmet. You will want to keep those filters running. The smell is quite horrid. They must have been dead for a while before that dome was smashed."

  Joni nodded. "I'll just get the supplies and head back. Much longer and they will probably come looking for me. Oh. And not that I need to know, but why are we doing this in secret?"

  I replied, "I don't believe they should know about the Greens. It might make them think we are agents of the Grumar. Trust is not something we can afford to lose right now. They could easily persuade themselves that it would be wise to jettison us and take the ship off on their own."

  Joni frowned. "They would have to know they wouldn't get very far. And even if they did, the Grumar would be following."

  I dragged the large part of the suit back into the storage area. "Just get the supplies and go. If I can make use of this suit, I will join the three of you."

  Joni departed with enough food and drink to last a full day. I turned my attentions to the battle-suit. I placed the helmet over my head. While comfortable, the smell was overwhelming. I next tried on the shoulder skirt. The fit was good and the helmet easily locked into place. The task of emptying the lower suit was gruesome.

  I picked up the torso section by the feet and shook it wildly. My reward was a cabin full of decayed Green dust. Thankfully the environmental system quickly cleared and purified the air. I laid the suit down, reached in with my hand, and pulled hard on the bones. The spine came free. I reached further. The right hip broke loose and the pelvis of the Green yanked free. It was then that I saw the two seams on the upper legs. Each unzipped with ease, allowing the legs to fall free. The remainder of the skeleton, and dehydrated body tissues, dropped away. The suit was mine.

  As I left the shuttle, Raptor was looking on with a sad face.

  "You just hang on. I'll be back," I said.

  Several minutes later I banged hard on the door to the utility room. I heard a commotion over the radio as the three inside scrambled for cover.

  "Hey, it's just me. Let me in," I said.

  Dovit replied, "But how? How were you able to leave the ship?"

  I replied, "I requisitioned a suit that would fit me. And I have to say, other than the smell, it has an excellent feel."

  Several minutes later, after depressurization, the door opened.

  As I stepped in, Dovit remarked. "Impressive! Those thin metallic lines on the outside help to dissipate the ion bolts from your Alliance weapons. We have the same technology, but our implementation is crude and not near 100 percent effective. This appears to be a part of the fabric. It is not a standard Grumar suit, but it has all the markings. Where did you find it?"

  I gestured towards the console. "Let's get the pressure back up in here and see if we can get anything out of that console. The suit was taken from two dead soldiers."

  Dovit turned. "I don't recall seeing any Grumar of that size. Perhaps they were mercenaries."

  "You've seen the Grumar?" I said.

  Do
vit nodded. "When I was first captured. They come from a heavy gravity world, so they are short and stocky. They have ridges going down their backs like you, only their head is wider and their face flatter, with beady eyes and a small mouth. While your appearance is intimidating, theirs is sinister. Their skin tone is slightly darker than the Human's."

  Joni replied, "Humans come in a variety of skin tones. It's one of the things that makes us unique when compared to most other species. I've heard some say it shows our adaptability, while others say it points to an obvious weakness in our genetics. There's probably a bit of truth in both theories."

  Dovit stood silent for a moment. "Yes, well, I could talk for hours about the variety of skull protrusions on my own people, but let's get back to the console."

  Joni returned a slight scowl. Hours were spent looking over the console screens, and then attempting to move further beyond into the networked system that controlled them. Every attempt to move past the basic screens led us to a login screen.

  As I looked over Dovit's shoulder I took note of the dual cameras looking back at us. "Tobik, depressurize the room. I'm going out for a minute. I'll see if I can find something to help us get access."

  I stepped out into the hallway and began to walk. I was looking for a dead local that I could hold up in front of the cameras. Each body I came across was far too decayed to be recognized by the computer system. Most of the bottom floor of the building we occupied had power from the generator. I caught a lucky break after walking into a food storage area and opening a large freezer. Two locals that had been badly injured had made their way inside, only to later die of their wounds. I grabbed a body by its suit collar and made my way back to the generator room.

  I banged on the door. "Hey, it's me."