Want to Go For a Ride In My Spaceship?: The Nathan Daniels Saga: Act 1 (Parts 1, 2 &3)

by Sam Lippert

  That was how Nathan ended up leaving his precious cargo at the spaceport and setting off to The Collector's estate with twenty-seven Revolutionaries aboard.

  * * *

  Although the Nola was a spaceship, not an atmo vessel, she was designed with limited atmospheric flight capability, mostly for the purposes of take-off and landing. It was not strictly possible for them to travel the distance to The Collector's estate entirely within the atmosphere, the way a Security Forces personnel transport would. Nathan had to take his ship, after being assured multiple times by Prescilla that Nola would not be shot down, on a semi-ballistic trajectory which left them approaching the estate entirely too fast and from entirely the wrong direction. He hoped like hell no one at the estate was actually watching their approach.

  The physics involved with the ship's trajectory meant that the Nola and all aboard had to leave the spaceport before there was even a call made to the Security Forces office nearest the Collector's estate, so not only Nathan's timing, but the timing of the crowd around the estate had to be perfect. Of course, what really mattered was the timing of the people inside the estate, but Nathan had no control over that.

  As luck would have it, this particular trajectory required re-entry, which meant the holoprojectors were useless until the ship was about fifty klicks above the surface of Rand. It took every bit of Nathan's skill to slow the ship to sub-sonic, have Nola engage the projectors, and be flying like an atmo vehicle by the time they were two klicks out from the estate.

  As they approached the estate, Nathan could see the impressive crowd that Prescilla had assembled. If the mob he saw below had not caused The Collector to call in Security Forces, he didn't know what would. Nathan guided the Nola in a circular flight path around the estate, not more than three meters above the heads of the crowd. Using external speakers, Nola ordered the crowd to disperse in the most commanding voice she could generate. Then, as if on cue, Nathan saw the shimmering of the shield dome vanish. He guided the Nola safely to a perfect landing on the Collector's courtyard. The Trojan Horse was in.

  Nathan's small para-militarized force was to neutralize any internal resistance and automated defense systems and locate and secure Omany and the other Verstaten priests before disabling the shield, opening the gates and letting the mostly unarmed mob into the estate. The team would split into groups of six. The three groups headed by Nathan and his crew, it was funny how quickly he had come to think of Winnette as part of his crew, would scour the Estate in search of Omany and his brothers. The other three groups were tasked with neutralizing the estate's defenses. All six teams would also be searching for the Collector. All of the teams would use scrambled EM radio to keep in contact with each other.

  Due to the layout of the Nola, Nathan was the last to disembark down the cargo ramp, where he was presented with a body.

  “The Collector's head of security,” Charlie, the leader of team four told him. “He had come out to meet the Security Forces. He realized the deception almost immediately and started to run for the house.”

  “Dead?” Nathan asked.

  “Only stunned,” the revolutionary replied. “He should be out for close to twelve hours. We don't kill unless it is absolutely necessary.”

  Nathan had to admit he was impressed by the tactical gear the Revolution had at its disposal. In addition to the Remington three-thousand pulse rifles (with variable lethality from stun to extremely dead), each of the assault force were also equipped with tactical displays in the form of contact lenses. The lenses showed the team members and their allies on a map overlay. The lenses also functioned as a camera, feeding the views of each member of the team to the only person who could process thirty video feeds at once: Nola. The tactical lenses also highlighted other team members in one's field of view green, while anyone unknown to the team was highlighted in red.

  “Nathan,” Nola said though the radio in his ear. “Video and audio links with all team members are near perfect! I could get used to having this many eyes and ears! They don't make me look weird, do they?” The display on Nathan's lenses was briefly replaced by an image of Nola's little girl self with too many eyes and ears, as if painted by an impressionist. The AI giggled, and Nathan's display returned to it's tactical format.

  “Not at all kiddo!” Nathan replied. “Picasso could not have done better! Maybe you should keep that look once the mission is over.” Nathan could no longer see, but he could imagine the AI was sticking her tongue out at him.

  “Nola, sweetheart,” Nathan could hear Remi in his earpiece, even though he was standing right next to her. “We have already incapacitated the Collector's head of security, so our cover is blown. Can you please take out those 'shoot-to-kill' placements that are in our immediate vicinity?" The disappearance of the ship's holographic camouflage was followed immediately by five perfectly aimed shots from Nola's guns, leaving nothing but charred wreckage where the one third of the Estate's known weaponry had been previously.

  With the defenses down, it was safe for the team to move out of the shadow of the Nola. Teams five and six began to work their way in opposite directions around the perimeter wall to disable the remaining 'shoot-to-kill' installations. Nathan and the remaining teams headed for the manor house.

  With the estate's defenses being designed to take out an intruder before he even made it much past the wall, let alone to the manor house, Daniels could think of no reason not to use the front door. Well, at least no reason after sending a couple of stun grenades in through the side windows.

  Just as he was about to kick the door in, he noticed the pinpoints in his display that represented team six wink out.

  “Nola,” the captain called into his comm. “What is the status of team six? They aren't registering on my display any longer.”

  “Sorry, Nathan,” the AI replied dejectedly. “I have lost all contact with team six, including the video feed. I am rerunning their feed to see if there is anything to indicate what happened. I can confirm no evidence of energy discharges, so it was not the 'shoot-to-kill' system, or any other energy based weapons for that matter.” There was a brief pause from the AI. “I have reviewed the video feeds, Nathan. There was no visual indication of any trouble. The video just cuts out, as if every member of the team were attacked simultaneously from behind.”

  “That's impossible!” Nathan could not believe what he was hearing. “Nothing in the intel we got from Prescilla indicated anything in the Collector's defenses that could accomplish that!”

  “The Priests,” he heard the Princess whisper. Then in a voice that was a near shout. “Oh my god! Nathan, he's weaponized the Priests!” The dots that represented team five were suddenly gone. Nathan was down ten men and he was still outside the manor house itself.

  “Nathan,” the captain heard Winnette's voice. “We have to abort the mission! I know you have seen Omany in action. Our force would be no match against even one Verstaten Priest, and we could be facing as many as thirteen!”

  “Twelve,” Remi corrected. “Whatever the Collector used to break the Priests, I can assure you he has not had enough time to turn Omany.”

  “Still,” Nathan said while signaling the retreat. “I would rather face a Granlax Beta assault force, weaponless and naked, than twelve Verstaten Priests. RUN!”

  The remaining twenty members of the assault force made for the Nola at breakneck speed. Even though he was running his fastest, to Nathan everything seemed to have switched to slow motion. It took an eternity to cover the ground between the Manor House and the Nola. By the time they were back aboard, they had lost another ten Revolutionaries.

  “Nola,” Captain Daniels was barking orders as the cargo ramp closed. “Get the shields up and get a bead on the estate's shield generator. We are going to have to take it out to be able to lift, but I need to talk to Prescilla first, so patch me through to her.” The wait was only a few seconds, but it seemed much longer.

  “Nathan dear, what's wrong?” Prescilla's voice came over
Nathan's comm and he could hear the chants of the crowd behind her.

  “We are aborting, Prescilla. The collector has managed to weaponize the Verstaten Priests he is holding. We lost twenty members of the team. I need to take out the shield in order to leave, but you have to make sure the crowd does not use it as an opportunity to go over the wall! They would be no match for the Priests.” Nathan had made it to the control room and was ready to give the order to take out the shield, as soon as he had confirmation from Prescilla.

  “Nathan, sweetie, I have nearly two thousand people out here. Surely we don't need to worry.” Prescilla's voice was laced with the confidence of every person who ever fought knowing right was on their side.

  “Trust me on this, Prescilla. If you had two thousand trained soldiers, you might, I repeat might be able to survive twelve Verstaten Priests. Your throng of ordinary citizens doesn't stand a chance. I suggest you tell everyone to go home for now. I doubt he will let his treasures off of the grounds of the Estate.

  “All right Nola, let her rip! Let's get the hell out of here!” With that there was a shower of sparks as the shield generator was destroyed, and the Nola and all aboard were on their way back to the spaceport.

  * * *

  “I have to agree with Nathan, my Princess and sister.” Winnette said. The crew were once again in the galley, where almost all ship board discussion happened. The Revolutionaries had gone home, the cargo was back aboard, and they had even had enough space for the Courier ship that had brought Winnette to Rand. “I don't want to leave Omany behind any more than you do, but it is imperative that we leave before Jeremy arrives.”

  “Nathan can handle this guy,” Nola interjected. “Isn't that right Captain?”

  “There is a difference between having the ability to do something and actually being able to do it.” Nathan said sadly.

  “What is going on with you two?” Remini asked. “First, he goes out of his way to tip you off that he is after you, as well as giving us the name of the Rathshelliam Admiral that is pulling his strings, and now you are willing to leave Omany behind just so you don't have to face this guy. Who is this Jeremy James to you?” The Princess' voice was bordering on shrill at the very end.

  “He's my brother.” The looks that Nathan received from the women in the room ranged from mild surprise to total shock. “Not biologically, mind you, but we apprenticed under the same Master Trader. He set out on his own about six months after I began my apprenticeship, but in the confines of the ship we became close, well sort of. It's complicated. I could no more harm him than you could harm Winnette. At least not if there is any other option. Thankfully there is.

  “The way this Sokolov has him wired up, if Jeremy doesn't put his best effort into finding and capturing us, he is a dead man. However, if we can stay one step ahead of him until KII manages to produce an antidote for the hyperion ringworm, we have a shot at getting everyone out of this.” Nathan was not as fond of the plan as he sounded. There were far too many things that could go wrong.

  “Everyone except Omany!” The Princess was in tears. “What about him?”

  “There is nothing more we can do for him.” Winnette attempted to calm her sister. “We have informed the Elite on Verstat of the situation. You know in your heart that they are the only ones who will be able to attempt a successful rescue now that the other priests have been weaponized.”

  “The thing is, we need to stay ahead of Jeremy but not lose him completely, otherwise we will miss the opportunity to administer the antidote once it is available. When he gets here, probably in about twelve hours, he will realize that we only got away by cutting a deal with the Revolution. We just have to make sure that Prescilla doesn't stonewall him, well not completely, anyway.” Nathan turned to Nola's avatar. “Nola dear, can you please get Prescilla on the quantum?”

  * * *

  Taste dims, place a brick, wait an eternity.

  Sight dims, place a brick, wait an eternity.

  Sound dims, place a brick, wait an eternity.

  Touch dims, place a brick, wait an eternity.

  Smell dims, place a brick, wait an eternity.

  Taste dims...

  The realization that Omany had completed his mental building project came quicker than he had expected. There was now peace at the center of his consciousness.

  He prepared to step out of his body, although the preparations were different than any that he had ever done. From his earliest training he had been taught to leave his body at peace, with only the minimal autonomic functions necessary to ensure its survival. Leaving the body requires leaving a small bit of consciousness behind, leaving too much behind severely impacts one's abilities in the spirit world, but if not enough is left behind to handle the workings of the body, one will not have a living body to return to. As with everything in life, it requires balance.

  Omany was going to have to leave his body in what was essentially a hyper-awake state. It was only logical that his captor would be monitoring his vital signs, and any deviation would arouse suspicion. Given his body's current state, he would have to leave roughly fifty percent of his consciousness behind. He had not had to do that since he was an Initiate.

  His limited abilities required that he step out of his body in the same manner as he had taught Remini, the same as if he was actually using his body. He sat up.

  The sensory overload chamber that held him was arranged in a large room with twelve others. From his current vantage point he could tell nothing about the chambers except that they were there. The first thing he noticed was the room had no windows. When the body is left behind the natural is amplified above the man made, therefore Omany was quick to notice the lack of brightness that would have accompanied natural sunlight had there been windows.

  He swung his legs over the side of the chamber, just as if he were using his actual body, and dropped his feet to the floor. He had to concentrate to keep from going through. He walked around and looked, feeling like an Initiate having his first out of body experience.

  First, the priest investigated the other sensory overload chambers. As his captor had referred to him as 'Thirteen,' Omany was quite surprised to find the containers empty and powered down, instead of holding other captive priests. This anomaly warranted further investigation.

  Although his current state allowed him to move through walls, Omany chose to leave the room through its one door. Given the lack of windows the probability was high he was below ground, which meant any number, perhaps even all of the walls could have nothing but earth and rock behind them. Using the door meant less time wasted.

  On the other side of the door, Omany found a state of the art exercise and training facility. More important than that, he found his missing brethren actively conditioning their physical selves in various fashions. No one holding twelve Verstaten priests against their will would survive them being free to train.

  As Omany watched the room in disbelief, a well dressed man entered and called for the attention of those present.

  “I commend you on your performance this afternoon, my Twelve.” Even though not mechanically disguised, Omany could tell the voice was the same one that had tormented him in the chamber. “Although we did not eliminate all of those that had come to take me from you, I do believe they will think twice before returning. The shield generator has been repaired, and the Estate is once again secure.

  “The revolution continues to tear this planet apart. The government is too weak to exert any kind of control of the situation. The Revolution believes it is winning, but every millimeter they take comes at a huge cost. Soon circumstances will be such that this planet will be looking for a Savior, and with you doing my bidding, that savior will be me!

  “As you know, thanks to One, Two and Three, we have the thirteenth and final member of your group in the chamber next door. The completion of his conditioning will happen in time for him to be a part of our victory here.” The cheer that went up among the man's twelve audience members
was so uncharacteristic and so unexpected it almost caused Omany to lose his tenuous grip on the spirit world and snap back to his body.

  Omany had to find his Princess. If she were still in the hands of the Revolution, even if she weren't in danger now, she would be when this man seized control from them. Alternatively, if she and Nathan were free, and they could ascertain his location, they would attempt a rescue, with disastrous consequences.

  Omany shifted his concentration away from the current room and expanded it to take in the planet. Perspectives were easily altered in the spirit plane, but with half of his 'self' left behind, he ran the risk of becoming lost if he spent too long in an expanded state without finding a new anchor.

  From this vantage he could see the souls of all on Rand, lit up like bright pinpoints of light. Finding the light that was Remini's was like second nature to the priest. Once located, he willed himself to its location.

  * * *

  Remini left the preparations for departure to Nathan and Winnette, and retired to the passenger suite for some calming meditation. She could only assume that to them it had the appearance of pouting because she did not get her way.

  Logically she understood the danger in continuing to stay on Rand, but emotionally she could not come to terms with leaving Omany in the hands of The Collector. She hoped that a short period of meditation would change that.

  She had Nola pipe in some transcendental music at a very low volume, and then lit some incense before assuming lotus on the floor.

  It was a struggle to put aside what was tugging at her consciousness, so much so that she had to revert to the very first meditation exercise Omany had ever taught her. In time with the rhythm of her breathing she counted, picturing each of the numbers filling her perception, gently nudging all of her other thoughts away. Inhale one, exhale two, inhale three... All the way to twelve, then back to one again. It took longer than it had in recent memory for her to achieve proper serenity. When finally she had, his presence was unmistakable.