by K R Sanford
“Yes, well no, it’s not going to be easy. We need to contact them without attracting attention,” said the Ambassador.
Stiller scratched his chin then looked to Clairy. “Can we appeal to Captain Miller?
“Captain Miller is back on Ameda with his daughter,” replied the Ambassador. “By the time a message gets to Ameda it will be too late. We will get stuck in the bunker with no way of escape.”
“The Ambassador is correct,” replied Clairy. “We can assume two things: one, Kiterage will take Island City, and two, he will come looking for us.”
“One thing's for certain, Tomas,” said Stiller. “If we don’t try to contact Hector and Commander Majors, we won’t get your people out of here. We can hold out in the bunker. But if someone in your crew is working with Kiterage Stiller shook his head. “We’re not safe whatever we do.”
“Alright,” replied Clairy. “The three of us will make contact with The View. Commander Rylie will prepare the crew to either evacuate the hanger or man the bunker. Our plan to make contact with The View needs to stay between us until we find that spy. Are we agreed?”
“Agreed,” replied the Ambassador.
“Let’s do this,” said Stiller.
Clairy gave a sharp nod then replied, “We leave now.” He turned and headed for the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob as a loud knock sounded on the other side. He pulled the door open and two army Captains stared at the side of his neck.
“Colonel,” said the taller of the two. “You better come and look at this.”
“What is it, Walters?” replied Stiller.
Captain Jim Walters threw back his thumb. “There are cargo ships, big cargo ships, surrounding the base. And, our sensors have at least one hundred ships converging on the planet.”
“Well, well, Captain, what do you what me to do about it?”
“I don’t know, Sir. Thought you might like to know is all,” rejoined Captain Walters.
“Very good,” said Stiller. “Let’s go take a look.” Stiller, with a smirk on his face stepped passed Clairy in a snappy gate thrusting his finger at the hanger door. “Activate the force field. Issue fusion missiles and tear up that tarmac underneath those cargo ships. That should give them some food for thought until I get my shuttle through, right Captain?”
“Let’s hope so, boss,” replied Captain Walters.
Stiller gave another snappy nod and said, "Let’s go!” Stiller raced for a sleek black utility vessel. The outline of a white five pointed star marked the sides. The Army shuttle sat in front of the hanger door. The Ambassador, Clairy and the two army captains followed on his heels.
Commander Rylie, a bigger older officer, stepped in front of Clairy. Clairy pointed at the front of the hanger. “Come with me,” he said while turning back on the run. “Mark, I’m going for help. I need you to get our people into the bunker before the force field fails. Switch your com-link to priority five and be ready to move out; give me two hours to return. And one other thing; when the scuttle gets around, a saboteur is in our crew, you will have to deal with it. You have to keep our people from panic.”
“Don’t worry about that,” replied the Commander. “My people are on it like flies on dog shit. Security informed me while you were in with Stiller.”
“Good, good,” replied Clairy. “Give us cover until we’re out of sight.” Clairy put his hand on the Commander’s shoulder. “Good luck,” he said turning after the Colonel’s shuttle on a flat out run.
Commander Rylie made a wave of his hand and a dozen crew, men and women, swarmed round to hear his orders.
Clairy reached the shuttle. As he stepped on the boarding ladder an explosion ripped into the hanger overhead. It knocked him back onto the tarmac. Stiller jumped out of the shuttle and began pulling Clairy up the ladder. Clairy looked over his shoulder at the line of soldiers and security shooting at the big cargo ships. The shooting lit up the far end of the base with thick balls of fire and smoke.
The cargo ships returned fire. They sent volley after volley of flames rolling over the hanger’s force field. The ladder swung up and both men tumbled head over heels onto the deck of the shuttle. In a flash the shuttle streaked across the tarmac and disappeared though the black billows of smoke.
Chapter 2
_______________________________________________________
THE VIEW
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artist’s Loving hand,
And now I understand what you tried to say to me.
How you suffered for your sanity
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen
They did not know how
Perhaps they’ll listen now – Don Mclean 1971
Vincent “Starry Starry Night”
The shuttle sailed between the two volcanic masses on the Big Island. They dropped behind the leeward slope of the southern mass. Stiller guided the tiny ship through an opening of dense jungle. He slipped through the forest canopy and out of sight of enemy patrols.
“Life-forms are everywhere, Sir” said Captain Walters.
“That’s expected,” replied Stiller. “What’s not expected is who is in charge of the people in The View. Tomas, at any given time they can turn into a brood of vipers and act like a vicious pack of wolves.”
“You mixed your metaphors,” replied Clairy. “Did they teach you that at the Academy?”
Marty raised an eyebrow. “Never mind what they taught me at the Academy. I’m trying to tell you, these people are unpredictable.”
“Okay, I’ll watch my step, Marty,” replied Clairy. So, which is it? These people are as unpredictable as a brood of vipers or they’re as unpredictable like a pack of wolves?”
“All the above, if a fella wants to mix his metaphors, that’s his prerogative. If you want to get all legalistic and ruin my speech, well. That’s . . . petty.” Stiller screwed up his face like he sucked half a lemon.
“That was some impressive maneuvering,” replied Clairy.
“Well, I took a creative writing class once and learnt how to break the rules. Like a regular Leonardo De Vinci, you know?” said Marty.
“No, you mad man. I mean, between the two volcanoes. That was some damn good flying.
“The shuttles keep getting better and better. I trust we weren’t tracked. If we were, all that maneuvering will have been for naught,” replied Stiller.
“You’re entitled to your opinion, Leonardo.”
Walters saw the tit for tat between the senior officers could go on for hours. He decided to chime in and risk injury. “Want us to stay behind, boss?”
“No, they’ll want to talk to every life-form in our group. Not to worry, they already know our intentions,” replied Stiller. “Let’s get going. We’ll stop in front of the cave entrance and wait for their answer.”
“Their answer?” replied Clairy.
“I’ll take this one,” said Marty. “It won’t take a minute. We stay in front of the cave. We wait long enough for them to scan our features so they can confirm who we are. In other words, we’re not shape-shifters or enemies come in disguise.”
“Makes sense, like getting vaccinated. I can understand the security, can’t be too carful after what happened,” replied Clairy.
“Okay,” said Marty shaking his head. “I’d like to say they look for entanglements, like mixed metaphors. They can occupy the same spacetime. They’re here.”
A shadow moved in a dense outcrop of tall shrubs along the slope of the volcano, “Hey man.”
“Hector, long time, no see,” replied Colonel Stiller. “We need the Eagle.”
“She’s getting loaded with supplies as we speak,” said Hector the taller of the two. Hector, dressed in black, gave him the appearance of one who was cruel and sinister. “This way,” he motioned with a turn of his head. “We plan on being off this planet before the corporate ships enter the solar system, or we stay here and take it up th
e ass.” He gave Stiller a cold hard look then disappeared in the opening of a tunnel.
The officers and security wasted no time. They kept to Hector’s quick pace. Through the dim lava tube the minuets passed with only the wind brushing against their faces. The silhouette of man and weapon finally showed a light up ahead. The lava tube fanned out into a large room. Desks and personnel filled the contemporary office space. Men and women looked up from their desks as if expected. A tall man in a brown leather jacket and iridescent business slacks approached. Clairy stretched out his hand.
“Remember me sunny boy?”
“Aaah, Commander Ryan Falcon Majors,” Clairy replied with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. “My crew got pinned down in Saddle Base Bunker.”
“I know; we’re working on that. As soon as Marty’s shuttle gets moved onto the Eagle we’re going after your people, care for a drink?”
“Sure, we could all use refreshment,” said Clairy, looking at the men holding their weapons.
“Great, over here, gentlemen,” said Ryan. He walked to a counter set in an alcove along the wall.
“So, the Eagle is close by, Commander?” asked Clairy.
“How’s your coffee, Tomas?” asked Ryan.
“There’s something familiar about this−” Tomas stopped speaking. He listened to the pitch of the rumbling coming up through the floor of the cave. “That sounds like an ion shield starting up.”
“It is, and we better get settled. When the gravity generators finish cycling down, we lift off. Then we can extract your crew from Saddle Base Hanger.”
“You know, the base got surrounded by galactic cargo ships.”
“Yes, I know,” replied Ryan “That’s dealt with. Now, if you will all follow me we will wait in the observation theater.”
“You anticipated this attack, right down to the escape of my crew.” said Clairy.
“An orchestrated retreat, Thomas; that’s if we play this out right,” replied Ryan. “You can always trust a dishonest man to do something dishonest. Make your selves comfortable. You are in the Eagle’s new observation wing. Liftoff will start in five, four, three, two and one.”
Green foliage, shrubs and trees dropped below the observation window. The skies were clear and blue as they passed between the two volcanoes. On the horizon, a plume of black smoke rose high above the dark green coastal mountains. The observation theater placed the plume of black smoke in the center of the window. They were on a heading straight for Saddle Base Hanger at blinding speed.
As quick as they started the Eagle began its deceleration. They stopped less than a hundred feet from the side loading doors of the hanger. The doors flew open. A stream of personnel; male, female, army, ship and civilian filed out as if there were a fire sale at shoe factory. The metal doors closed vibrating the floors and bulkheads.
Liftoff commenced again. They held an altitude of twenty thousand feet long enough to see the coastline. Kiterage’s cargo ships surrounded the commercial starbase with the hotels. The hotels looked like a wall strung along the coastline of the Big Island. The final stage of their ascent culminated through the chard haze of atmosphere. A new order is now set to haggle over the crystals of industry and the future production of the Island Planet. The chard haze of the planet was behind them and the starry-starry night lie straight ahead.
“Ameda, and the Corsi Star System will be our new destination,” said Ryan with a smile. “Well, so much for your diplomatic mission, Ambassador.”
“Good to see you too, Ryan,” replied the Ambassador. “It was all window dressing, you understand that? We were a show to legitimize the meeting, nothing more. There was no sense in saying a word. These people twist the intentions of your words for their own design. Corporations don’t want diplomats negotiating for them.”
“Expensive,” said Ryan.
“Not if it were your fingers wrapped around the big guns. It could have been much worse,” replied the Ambassador.
Ryan balked at the Ambassador’s dark side. “Was that emotion I heard, Dear brother?”
“All living things experience fear, my dear, including Amedan Ambassadors.” A white bolt cut a jagged around his shell. A smoky haze settled over his sphere. He looked like a dingy orb in a seedy part of town with a purple halo.
Hector signaled Ryan’s link. Ryan slipped his finger around the medallion hanging from his neck and spoke. “Go ahead.”
“A poker game got out of control in the lounge on deck four. One of Clairy’s staff got knocked out.”
“I expected this. You better see that Vito gets the house. And, let Vito’s people handle security while on our ship so this sort of thing doesn’t get out of control. Work it out, Hector.”
“I got it,” said Hector, “I thought you might be amused.”
“I am, but I’m with Gaff, gotta go.”
The activities over the next few days were finding regular routines. For the able-bodied, they found new ways of meeting the basic needs of all on board.
* * * *
Ship’s Log:
Earth-time: 7. 16. 3424
Ryan Falcon Majors, Captain, Eagle, a private
Vessel.
First: list read of medical care for the injured.
Second: assist the investigation into the cause
and whereabouts of the missing.
Captain, Tomas Clairy, Senior Officer,
Unite Interstellar Forces.
Action: Inquiry called to hear: Facts to Date.
This order is open to:
1.) Determine responsibility.
2.) Determine aid to the Captain and crew (survivors) under Maritime Law.
“Well, Tomas, what say ye?” said Commander Majors smiling.
“Two escape pods reported missing, Sir,” replied Captain Clairy. “This must have been by Kiterage and his assistant. One or two of the techs have the other pod; a tech can disable the tracker.”
“Yes they can,” replied the Commander. “That’s what they learn on their first day of training; how to steal an escape pod and how give a proper salute.”
“About the injured, Sir: only minor scrapes and bruises. It seems our shielding kept us from any real injuries.”
“All right, well, that’s good to hear. Captain Clairy, you and your people are with us till we reach Ameda. In the meantime, Ambassador Gaff here will be your go-to-guy to help you get things sorted out. So, feel free to make yourselves at home. And now, this is where I say on behalf of myself and the crew of the Eagle, welcome aboard.”
“Oh, thank you, Commander. I will pass that along to the new arrivals.”
“Good, and if there is no other business, let’s adjourn this meeting. Now that our housekeeping has concluded, come join me on the bridge if you like.”
The door of the magnavator hissed shut.
The bridge of the Eagle would not fail to impress the visitor. The sixty foot half circle viewer dominated the room. The main deck and surrounding bulkheads combined a science lab, security stations, classified storage router, opposing 3D game simulators with red velvet theater-in-the-round seats, orchestration pit with analyzers and the list goes on ad infinitum. The first timer would often fall quiet and wonder.
Ryan anticipated the late arrivals. They would need a moment to decide what they were looking at.
“Whether the Eagle would respond or not would be a matter of our First Prime Directive,” he said.
“What’s a First Prime Directive for a private star ship, Commander?” asked Captain Walters.
“I’m glad you asked that, Captain,” replied Ryan with a wide grin and a quizzical eye.
Walters looked back with an expression that said, okay you got me; I’ll play along.
“The First Prime Directive is the survival of this ship and the individuals onboard.”
“Wow, it’s changed a lot since I’ve been up here.” said Captain Clairy, “I mean, since I’ve been on the bridge. Up here on the bridge, I mean to say, my goodness.”
“Yes and well said, Tomas,” replied Ryan still smiling. “Now, when the door slides open, take a seat in the bleachers so you can all follow along while our system updates.”
Ambassador Gaff hovered to the end of the theater, the others trailed in behind.
“Right,” said Ryan with an air of distinction. “As in the Biological War a century ago, the final solution played out using a virtual station like this one. But, as you can see, this station has a few upgrades from its predecessor. The upgrades are like that of the table in the Mountain of the Shrine on Planet Ameda, the Ambassador’s home planet.”
Ryan extended a hand in the direction of the Ambassador. The Ambassador acknowledged with a rainbow of neon colors. They fell in a gentle arch around his crystalline sphere. The rainbow dissipated in what appeared as a cool veil of sunlight draped over his orb.
Ryan found his smile once again and continued. “Yes, Ambassador, it is very much a matter of one’s own personal style. In point of fact, the fashion industry allows a person to upload a video membership. The program calibrates the client’s measurements and sends it off to their local printer. So, in one hour your new style will be ready for the latest issue of Vogue. Are there any questions?”
“Yes Sir, Commander,” replied Captain Walters with a tinge of sarcasm. “Why is it, your crew calls you Commander and yet you are the Captain of this starship?”
Rumblings erupted around the table, “No, no,” the Commander held up his hand. “Fair question, after all, we do have more than four hundred fifty new faces onboard. Here it is, Captain Walters: Commander, is a nick name that has stuck for two reasons. Although I have my Captains papers, I served onboard the Eagle as its Commander and First Mate. The real Captain of the Eagle is someone who knows every nut and bolt. And, every part and every fold on this ship, he is one of three partners of our limited corporation. Captain Marco William Miller is our President. Hector Blackstone is the other partner and Vice President. He also holds Captains papers. As some of you know he is a former Ranger Captain in the Intersteller Army.” The rumblings around the table fell to a quiet hush.