"Thanks for the heads up, Eliot, useful information." Grant was sure the next time Eliot provided information he would over share and then eventually provide the necessary amount of pertinent information.
"Sam, let's get suited up and check out the engine room. We need to make sure we can replace the fuel cell and get this thing out of sight, again. We don't need anyone accidentally bumping into it and killing an entire civilization of newly discovered life forms."
"I agree, let's make this happen. The Anotokians will be arriving early to mid afternoon and we have lots to do. Delack, keep an eye on things while we're gone. We won't be long."
"Got it, I'll just hang out here and wait."
Grant and Sam disappeared down the ramp to the hatchway into the Terra Aurai. "You ready for this?" asked Sam, looking intently at Grant.
Grant replied, "We don't have time to not be ready. We have to get this done, now, or we might as well take off and leave everyone behind to die."
Sam kept his mouth shut as they opened the hatch. A strong whoosh of stagnant air raced past them. It smelled of an old trunk full of clothing stored in a moldy basement for many years.
Grant caught a whiff too and made a grimace at the smell. "I hope the smell goes away before we get the villagers on here."
Sam nodded. The layout of the ship was very similar to the Ebony Belle. They made quick time finding the engine room.
"There it is! Now all we need to do is get the tools, remove the old fuel cell, and replace it with the new one."
"A step ahead of ya, Grant. I brought some tools and I should be able to get the housing around the fuel cell removed so we can pull the old cell out."
"You work on it and I'll get the new cell."
"Got it, I should be done by the time you get back." Grant headed back to the Varizone for the replacement cell. Sam began working on the housing and discovered he didn't need tools. All he had to do was press a button on the back of the housing and the fuel cell door opened, automatically exposing the fuel cell. It notified him the fuel cell was deactivated, the fuel cell door was open, and it was ready for removal. They tore the housing apart to remove the fuel cell on the GEMO 2, had they been more patient they may have saved valuable time. The Terra Aurai was a well appointed ship. As Sam pondered the consequences of their actions he discovered a hoist system to automatically remove the old cell. He activated the apparatus and it began doing its job with precision and efficiency. The apparatus plucked the old cell out and then placed it in another device, a recharging station. Sam's suspicions were correct. When the apparatus finished its move, the door on the new device closed, lots of lights came on, and a graduated bar showing the level of charge was visible, indicating the cell was being charged. Sam decided to go help Grant since his task had taken roughly five minutes. He made his way to the lab where Grant should already have the other cell detached from its restraints and ready to move. He was going to be surprised Sam was so efficient and was there to help. The door to the lab opened and the sound of metal on metal rang out across the bay. Sam saw Delack raise a large wrench and crash it down on something metallic. He ran over to see what was going on and found Grant bloody and trying his best to defend himself against the much larger and stronger Delack.
In his loudest voice Sam yelled, "What the hell is going on here?" Catching Delack off guard, it allowed Grant the opportunity to deliver a blow momentarily incapacitated Delack. Sam rushed over and grabbed some of binding cable they used to secure larger items. Delack qualified as a larger item. Once bound, Sam looked at Grant, and ran to grab a med kit. "You look like hell buddy, what happened?"
Through deep breaths and what sounded like wheezing, Grant informed him Delack was not their friend. He had attacked him when he caught him trying to destroy the fuel cell. "I'm pretty certain he broke several of my ribs and I may have a punctured lung. Son of a bitch is a lot faster than he looks and he isn't a scientist, he's military. He hadn't counted on us being back so soon. When I walked in on him, he spun on me and sent me flying before I could say anything. I knew something wasn't right about him. When I left during our break I went to my quarters to try and figure out what I was missing, I just had a feeling."
"Good thing you caught him before he could do much damage. Why didn't you call me on the com?"
Kind of hard to do when you're flying through the air and then trying to not be beat to death with a wrench."
"Good point. Eliot, why didn't you let me know Grant was in trouble?"
"I was unaware."
"How could you be unaware, you hear and see everything?"
"The cameras and microphones were disabled when Grant was making his way back to the lab to retrieve the fuel cell."
"I was diagnosing the issue and had not come to a conclusion as to the cause of the outages until moments ago, when you returned to the lab. Informing you was my next task, but your inquiry did not allow me to proceed."
"Thank you Eliot, I knew you were on top of things. I just didn't want to see our captain nearly beaten to death and no one know why."
"Thanks for the concern, Sam. Let's get this piece of crap out of here and to the brig."
"We have a brig?"
"Yes, we have a brig. It’s the room next to the med room." Sam had a weird look on his face and Grant had to practically draw him a picture. "Sam, it's the room we never use until needed and the room never has its door open because we never use it. It is right next to the med room and has the word 'Brig' on the door."
"Oh, that room!" Sam had no idea they had a brig, but assisted in taking Delack there. Dragging three hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight was a chore. It took them much longer than anticipated. "Alright, so we have a brig, right next to the med room, who knew? Keep him bound and hopefully he isn't strong enough to break out."
"Not going to happen, Sam. These cells are escape proof, even if the power goes out."
"Good to know. I really don't want to have to worry about his big ass sneaking up on me with a wrench in his hands. I can't believe I was starting to like him, I was even beginning to trust him."
"Live and learn Sam. I wonder if he had the opportunity to divulge our plans to his people. I'm not going to wake him up to find out, but maybe we need to alter our plans some just in case he did."
"Good plan, we can set up two SHTF's on opposite ends of the mining camp and cover them with brush or whatever to hide them. They'll be looking for something in the middle of camp if he did communicate with them. As soon as we're back on the planet's surface I'll get the SHTF's set up and you can orchestrate the villager's departure."
"Sounds like a plan. Take the rover and I'll see to it the villagers are aboard the Varizone by the time you return. Right now we need to get the fuel cell installed so we can get this thing moving. It is priority one."
Sam smiled and raced back to the lab to retrieve the fuel cell, Grant trailed behind.
"I'll be there as quick as I can. This whole, not being able to breathe, is really cramping my style. Go on ahead." When Grant finally entered the lab, the events of a short time ago flashed through his mind. He stopped for a moment.
"You okay, Grant?"
"I'm fine, just a flashback of the look on Delack's face as he was about to do me in. He was happy about it. He was going to enjoy offing me. By the way, how did you get here so quickly?"
"You'll see when we get back to the Terra Aurai." There was minimal damage to the fuel cell, and Sam had the straps undone in record time. "Let's put it back on the bot, it will be a lot less work for us."
"Smart thinking Sam, here's a low bot." The two of them shuffled the fuel cell back onto the bot and Sam jogged beside it as he took it to the Terra Aurai. Once aboard Sam led the way to the engine room and hooked the fuel cell to the loading device. Grant arrived a few minutes later. He was impressed Sam had removed the old cell in such a short time. Without much effort, the new fuel cell was loaded into the receptacle. Suddenly there was a catch and the cell would go no furth
er.
"What now? Can this day go any more awry?"
Sam took a look to see what was catching and found Delack had managed to dislodge one of the small pieces of the cell. It was mangled and pressed into the groove where the cell was supposed to slide. "Gonna have to pull it out, Grant." Sam began the removal process, but the cell refused to let loose from the housing. The small piece was keeping the cell from moving either direction.
"Seriously? I'm struggling to breathe so I'm not of much help and this damn thing won't move. Sam, I have to go to the med room. I’ll do a quick heal so I'm at the least not dying and can function somewhat."
"Go, I've got this, Sorry, I should have suggested it."
Grant left for the med room and Sam began banging on the small piece with a hammer and chisel. After about five minutes the small piece broke free and the cell was loose. "About damn time!" Sam was frustrated and beginning to think they may not make it back in time to get the villagers to safety. He began sanding the rest of the piece off of the cell. It finally looked good enough to try again. He hit the button and the cell moved into place like it should. Sam released the clamps, closed the cover, and hit the green button on the side indicating the transfer was complete, and the cell was ready for business. When Sam hit the button the ship's lights came on and everything powered by the cell began to whir, buzz, and chirp. Sam looked around and then thought about Grant. "Oh my God, I hope it didn't have a negative effect on the healing device when I hit the button." Sam raced to the med room and found Grant lying on a table just as he should have, but the healing device was not moving. When he looked at the control panel it said the system was rebooting. "Oh buddy, I hope I didn't just lobotomize you or something." The device flashed a few times, dinged twice, and then initiated, Sam guessed, where it left off. The control panel indicated it would be another 45 minutes before Grant was healed. "Damn it! I have to get Varizone back to the surface. You're going to have to hold on tight, Grant."
Sam pushed a few buttons and straps appeared cinching Grant to the table top. He wheeled Grant, table and all to the Varizone's med room, and anchored it in place. "Excellent, gotta go buddy, see you in 45 minutes." Sam made his way to the bridge.
"Eliot, close the hatch to the Terra Aurai and detach. We need to get to the surface as quickly as we can and gather the villagers. Grant will be in stasis for another forty minutes or so. It's just you and me, let's get this thing moving."
Eliot did as instructed and they were on their way to the planet's surface.
"Eliot, can Delack get out of the brig?"
"No, he cannot bypass the security in the brig nor can he escape."
It was good news to Sam. "Is he awake?"
"Yes, he woke up ten minutes ago, he is not happy, and is not approachable at this time."
"Thanks for the information. I was going to go have a talk with him to see what other situations he may have created for us."
"It is not advisable at this time."
"Understood, make way for the surface and the village."
The trip to the surface would take nearly thirty-five minutes from their current location and Grant would need another five to get healed. He was going to be pretty useless for at least another hour, if not longer. By then Sam could have the SHTF's installed and be on his way back to the village. He was going to have to appoint someone to lead them onto the Varizone. He prayed Tayana would be there and willing to assist him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As the village came into view, Sam was surprised to see the villagers were all there, waiting with the necessary items they needed to survive, for what was hopefully, short term. "Well, get a load of that. They are lined up and waiting. They had to have seen us coming." At the head of the line was Tayana and several of her crew. "Eliot, set us down with the lab bay doors facing the villagers. It looks like they could run onboard and we could take off within minutes."
Eliot skillfully landed the Varizone and opened the lab bay doors.
Sam was standing in the door way. He greeted Tayana with a hug and directions. "They need to fill in from the back to the front. Grant and I moved all of the equipment to the front corner to make lots of room. Remember, they are not camping in here, this is just transportation to the Terra Aurai."
"Understood, we will direct them to the location you requested." Tayana told her crew to lead the villagers to the back of the lab and fill in to the front as Sam instructed. The crew was quick and efficient. Within minutes the lab bay was filling up with supplies and bodies. One overzealous villager tried to bring a Chotuk onto the shuttle. He was quickly persuaded to release the beast and board the shuttle with his other belongings. He mumbled as he entered the lab, "I'm sure going to miss good Chotuk flank." Most of the villagers seemed excited to journey off the planet, but some had deep reservations and preferred to stay on the ground.
"We could all die or worse, never see our pods again." All in all it took about twenty minutes to get the villagers and their belongings into the shuttle. As the last few made their way in, Sam and Tayana came back together for a quick chat.
"Where is Grant?"
"He was injured and is healing."
"What? What happened?"
"Delack is a traitor and tried to kill him while I was working in the Terra Aurai. You can visit him in the med room."
"Is he going to be all right?"
"Yes. Have you seen the girls?"
"Kyera and Dyanta will be here shortly. They had a special errand to run before boarding the shuttle."
"Special errand?"
"Something for you I would imagine." She said with a smirk. Sam blushed.
He wondered what his two crazy beauties were up to. "Please tell them to come to the bridge when they arrive."
"I shall let them know."
With the loading going so smoothly Sam didn't need to leave and come back, he would take the villagers with him and head to the Terra Aurai when he was finished planting the SHTF's. He went to the bridge to converse with Eliot. "Change of plans, Eliot. We are going to the mining camp to set the charges, then to the Terra Aurai. We will take the villagers with us, it will save us a lot of time."
"What about the rover?"
"No room, we will retrieve it after the battle, if we're able."
Kyera and Dyanta came rushing into the bridge and jumped into Sam's arms covering him with kisses, letting him know he was theirs, and they were his. Sam was delighted to see them and swore they looked more beautiful than he remembered. He had not seen them in over a week.
"Take a seat over there and buckle up. We are going to take off in about three minutes." The girls quickly buckled in, excited about what was about to happen. "I'll be right back," Sam said and kissed them before he left.
Outside the shuttle Tayana and her crew were mounting their C-Rexes. "Tayana, where are you going? You need to be in the shuttle. We cannot make a return trip for you before the Anotokians arrive."
"We are staying, we will be fine. We have our cloaks and other means of staying safe."
"I'm not sure you understand the plan. We are going to ignite the entire planet at helium fall and wipe them off the face of the planet, along with everything else. That includes you!"
"We will be safe. We have been herding animals of all kinds into the caves over the night and most of the morning. We do not need everything sustaining us destroyed. We have taken some of the healer's herbs into the caves and many other items to keep us alive and healthy. You have your plan, I have mine." With what appeared to be a blush, she told Sam, "Tell Grant if we survive this, I am his."
The look on Sam's face said it all, but he added words anyway, with a broad smile and a wink, "Well, it's about time. He was going to tell you the same thing. A match made in the heavens."
"Stop, you're making me feel like a girl."
"Go on, do what you have to do, but remember, if there are lots of Anotokians on the planet when helium fall comes, this whole place is going to be engulfed in fl
ames."
"I know Sam, and thank you for worrying about me, but I have a plan and it only works if you set the place ablaze."
Sam was perplexed, but he had to get moving. He gave Tayana another hug and wished her luck. She replied in kind. Tayana and her crew took off in a rush. "Eliot, close the lab bay doors and get this thing in the air."
Sam entered the bridge and let the girls know they were making a short stop before going into space. They seemed disappointed, but still excited. Sam strapped into the captain's chair and they were on their way.
"Five minutes to the camp."
"Thanks, Eliot. We need to set down in the middle of the camp, close to the bunker."
The girls looked amazed at the speed of the shuttle and how everything was growing smaller as it zoomed by the view screen. "Enjoying the ride girls?"
Dyanta shook her head. Kyera seemed excited and a little afraid at the same time. "This is amazing. What is it going to be like farther up?"
"You'll see. It is one of the most beautiful things you will ever see." Both girls giggled and glued their eyes to the view screen.
"Arriving in thirty seconds."
"Thanks, Eliot. I have the SHTF's and a couple other surprises for our guests carted and ready to go. I will only be a few minutes."
Eliot landed the shuttle with ease, as always. Sam gathered the cart and went to deploy his weapons. The plan was a central SHTF and a remote detonation. Thinking Delack may have tipped off his captain, Sam made for the corner of the bunker. It was not directly in the center, but about twenty yards to the west. He planted a common military mortar behind some vegetation next to the entrance, then placed another one near the back edge of the bunker, just in case they decided to be sneaky and not come in the direct route. He then went to the center of the mining camp and placed a wreath of flowers there. He knew if they knew there was a bomb in the middle of the camp they would safely blow it up from a distance, sustaining no casualties. The SHTF's were then placed, one inside the bunker, and the other two on opposite sides of the camp. They would easily destroy anything within the boundaries of the camp, and then some. Those would be detonated by remote once a substantial number of Anotokians were in the camp. It took him longer than expected, but he still had plenty of time to get to the Terra Aurai and off load the villagers. He would have to wake Grant if the healer was not finished by the time they needed to get him to the Ebony Belle. Sam rushed into the shuttle and Eliot closed the doors without having been asked. Sam was beginning to believe Eliot really was learning, and if they made it out alive he was going to work with him on a regular basis. "To the Terra Aurai, Eliot. Everything is in place, receivers are set on the SHTF's, and once we get into space, I'm going to check on Grant.”
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