AMP Colossus

by Arseneault, Stephen

  Feldew again keyed the mic. “No, Jova, the light will remain. If you should ever speak of this event again, I will tell the Masters that it was all of your making, that you orchestrated a cover-up of an outage to protect yourself.”

  Saffi cried out, “Feldew!”

  The radio was silent.

  I spoke. “What was that about?”

  Feldew sighed and spun his chair around to face me. “We take pride in our honesty, Mr. Grange. It is something that we feel separates us from the other species of the Colossus. In some ways it is also our downfall, but it is something that we highly value. In remaining silent, I compromise the integrity of not only myself, but the two people I have known the longest in this world. I am not comfortable with my behavior, Mr. Grange. Not comfortable at all.”

  I replied, “Well, you’ve had a bit of an extraordinary day, Feldew. I am the one who got you in trouble. Let that lack of integrity fall on me.”

  Duane let out a short chuckle.

  I looked his way and spoke. “What?”

  Duane shook his head and replied, “You know how deeply you felt about the Milgari for what they did to our people; would you have sold out that belief to keep yourself out of trouble?”

  I replied, “No, I wouldn’t and I didn’t. And Feldew didn’t just sell out his people either. Feldew, if your people had to choose, which of these traits would your people select as most important: honesty or freedom?”

  Feldew replied, “That is not a fair question, Mr. Grange. Our honesty is but a small part of our freedom; it is a part that we cherish because it is one of the few freedoms that remain available to us.”

  I again sat down on the box as I crossed my arms and spoke. “So, it sounds to me like your freedom is more important. No one can take away your honesty, but they can take away your freedom. Just think of it this way, Feldew. That was your first step towards making your people free. By withholding that bit of information from the Colossuns, you have started a revolution. I’m not saying your freedom is at hand, but you have begun the journey. You help us to return to our station, and we will help you regain your freedom. We need your resources, Feldew; you need our protection. Other than Gunta ore, what other resources can be found on Ponik?”

  Feldew replied, “Our planet is rich in minerals. The centuries of pillage by the Colossus Empire have only depleted a small portion of what we have. Our people work, but not efficiently. And their mining technology is large in scale, but lacking in quality design. We could do much better, but choose to remain as we are.”

  I replied, “So, you have remained silent about your abilities. It sounds to me like you are all part of the resistance.”

  Feldew raised his hand and scratched the fur on the side of his cheek. “Hmmm. That is an interesting thought, Mr. Grange. I am not affiliated with the resistance, but I hear whispers on occasion. I will make it my purpose in life to find them when my shift ends.”

  Chapter 3

  With Feldew clearly on our side, our knowledge of the Grell grew quickly as he told of their history. According to his account, their ancestors had evolved from large warring tribes, who roamed the windswept surface of Ponik, into a civilized society that made increased use of the natural mineral resources. They had only just begun their industrial revolution when the Colossus Empire invaded and took control. Their primitive weapons were no match for the pulsers carried by the Colossuns.

  After three days of learning the history of the Grell, I turned the focus of my questions towards our escape. Duane let out a sigh of relief.

  I spoke. “How does the ore make its way to the surface? I would assume the Colossuns take it off planet.”

  Feldew replied, “It is highly refined at Embry Central and each of the other hub cities before being taken to the surface. Grell are not allowed to see where it goes beyond the immense elevator in Embry Central.”

  I nodded as I thought and then spoke. “So, they take it to the surface. Duane, I wonder why we didn’t see any semblance of a spaceport when we came in. Everything appeared to be a normal uninhabited planet.”

  Duane replied, “They must have a port up there, Mr. Grange. Maybe it’s constructed of the same material as these tunnels. Our sensors didn’t see those either.”

  Feldew spoke. “The tunnel walls are fabricated from Gunta ore with a mixture of a metal that only the Colossuns know the secret of. Our people have speculated that the hybrid material, which is very thin for such a large structure, absorbs the normal signals that our mineral planet would emit. It then reemits those signals as its own. It doesn’t seem to follow the laws of physics as we know them. What you saw on your sensors was likely a reflection of the surrounding material.”

  I replied, “Just about every new sentient species we have come across has some trick up their sleeve that we didn’t think was possible. If I showed you our home station—we call it the Grid—you would be in disbelief. Heck, there is technology that we have had for a thousand years that we don’t understand ourselves.”

  Feldew spoke. “Word is that the Colossun weapons are slow to recharge, but they are deadly when fired. Our primitive weapons cannot break through the armor that they wear. I have dared to daydream about how that armor might be overcome, but I have no means of testing such. If I had spoken of those dreams to others, it would have led to my immediate execution.”

  I shook my head as I replied, “You sure know an awful lot about the Colossuns and their technology for a people that have been enslaved for centuries. OK, that didn’t come out right. I meant, for a people who have had no access to their technology.”

  Feldew replied, “The Colossuns have attempted many times to educate our species. They believe that an educated species will be a more productive species, but only as long as that education is only allowed in the proper areas. Each Grell is taken from their family when they are five years old. For another five years, they are pushed through an extensive regimen of schooling. At the end, each is tested for intelligence.”

  I replied, “You don’t seem like a dumb species, Feldew. What happens with the ones who are considered gifted?”

  Feldew continued, “We are trained, before we are taken, to learn as much as we can. We must then fail badly on the final testing. Only a few are allowed to show promise. Those few inevitably fail at whatever tasks they are given. The education they offer is quite good, but we do not wish to contribute to their empire. So, for centuries we have remained an unteachable species.”

  I replied, “Sounds to me like you Grell are not so honest after all. I mean, sure, you aren’t outright lying to them, but you aren’t telling the truth either. But don’t worry about Humans; we have our own problems, so we certainly wouldn’t judge you given the circumstances.”

  Feldew responded, “You mentioned Humans; that is the name of your species?”

  I replied, “Yes. I can’t believe we have been talking for three days and that is the first time I have said ‘Human.’”

  Duane stepped in with a reply. “Maybe that’s because you have been grilling poor Feldew here for those three days about his people. If I was him, I would be looking for a few answers to my own questions.”

  I replied, “There will be time for that. Anyway, let’s get back to the Colossuns and getting to the surface. Is there any other way up there?”

  Feldew thought for a moment. “There are several smaller maintenance and personnel elevators alongside the ore lift. But Grell are never allowed on or near them. We have always speculated that there are other species who do the maintenance of whatever is above, but we have never seen them.”

  I continued with a new question. “When your shift is over, how do you get back to Embry Central?”

  Feldew replied, “That would be on a rail-rider. It is a small vehicle that clings to a single rail. It has a cargo area that is approximately ten cubic meters in size. It has seating for four, although I have never seen anyone else on board.”

  Duane spoke. “Maybe we can hop a ride on th
is rail-rider to Embry Central. If there aren’t any other passengers, we might be able to hop off before it comes to a stop.”

  Feldew responded, “That would not be possible. The rider leaves the main rail at full speed and enters a tight tunnel until it reaches its destination. Center Station will have guards waiting to verify that only I was aboard.”

  I spoke. “Do you ever carry any cargo? Does any actual maintenance get done out here for which the rail-rider would bring something out or take something back?”

  Feldew thought and then spoke. “I have summoned the rail-rider several times during my career. Why do you ask?”

  I replied, “If you can bring a box of something out or take a box of something back, maybe we could stow away. Where would a box go after a ride, and would the guards have any interest in its contents?”

  Again Feldew paused to think before he replied, “The guards have not shown interest in the cargo before. And the container is off-loaded and taken to the maintenance bay before a decision is made as to its final destination. It may sit on the maintenance dock for weeks before it reaches its final destination.”

  I replied, “Is there anything you would need to call a rail-rider for? Not necessarily a need, but is there anything that could be changed out that would not arouse suspicion?”

  Feldew replied, “Only Jova would demand to know why it was required. But Jova will send whatever I request. I would otherwise again threaten to turn him in to the Colossuns.”

  I chuckled. “You play for keeps, Feldew; I like that. What do we have around here that ‘requires’ maintenance?”

  Feldew turned to his console and began typing. “There are three panels on the air lock that had minor pressure leaks during the lock closure. Ordinarily the levels shown would not be candidates for maintenance, but that closure has offered us a valid reason to order at least one of those panels. QAD-3M had the highest bleed through. I can place an order for a new panel if needed.”

  I spoke. “How long would it take to arrive, and how long again after that before the rider returns to Embry Central?”

  Again Feldew typed away at his console. “The rail-rider with a new QAD-3M could be delivered within half a day. Changing out the panel requires approximately twenty minutes. The rider would return immediately after the exchange was complete.”

  I turned to Duane. “Looks like we will be paying a visit to the city.”

  I continued to quiz Feldew about what we might do once we arrived at Embry Central. The maintenance bay was on the edge of a newly decommissioned district. A flimsy two-meter wall would be all that stood between us and the newly abandoned part of the city. So long as we stayed out of sight of the occupied areas, we would have free run of more than twenty square kilometers of empty buildings.

  Later that day, a new panel was ordered. The rail-rider delivered the parts as scheduled, and Feldew soon had the replacement fitted and bolted down. The container for shipping the panel was three cubic meters in size. It was a tight fit, but Duane and I managed to squeeze in along with the old panel.

  As Feldew lowered the container cover onto our new hiding place, I had a moment of panic that he was setting us up to be turned over to the Colossuns at Embry Central. When the rail-rider rolled into the station, a nervous Jova was there to meet it. A hand lift was used to pull the container from the flatbed of the rail-rider. It was placed on the station dock for delivery to the maintenance bay.

  My comm lit up with the voice of a Colossun as he approached Jova. “You there! What is in that crate? Why was I not notified of a delivery?”

  Jova replied in a choked-up voice, “It is a QAD-3M panel for the air lock. Check the maintenance records; it has been in need of replacement for quite some time.”

  The guard poked at the box with his pulser. “Packages do not move through here without my approval!”

  Jova replied, “I beg your forgiveness, Master. A printout of the delivery was placed on the guard desk last shift. Perhaps it was misplaced?”

  The guard turned towards Jova. As he stood in front of the Grell, he towered over him. Jova dropped to one knee.

  The Colossun spoke. “You do well to grovel, Grell. Next time, see that the order is placed in my hand. I do not like mistakes or sloppy work on my shift.”

  Jova spoke with his head turned downward. “I thank you for your gracious forgiveness of my transgression. It will not happen again.”

  The guard jabbed Jova with his pulser, knocking him to the floor. “I will quiz the guard of the prior shift when he returns. If what you are saying is false, there will be no forgiveness, only pain!”

  The Colossun turned and walked away. A quivering Jova rose to his feet and brushed the dust of the floor from his sleeve. As his nerve returned, he boarded a container lift, and the box was soon sitting on the maintenance bay dock.

  I let out a sigh of relief as the bolts to the lid were loosened and the lid removed.

  Once the heavy container lid had been moved away and stowed, Jova turned back to the box. “What the…”

  I stood up from my crouched position with my blaster in my hand. “Hello, Jova.”

  Jova replied, “What? I… I don’t understand. Who are you and what are you doing in there?”

  Duane replied as he stood, “We are your new best friends, Jova.”

  I spoke. “I would suggest you show us to the walled-off portion of the city. The sooner we are out of your ha… fur, the less chance that you will be executed for aiding the enemy.”

  Jova stepped backwards. “You… you are the enemy of the Colossus? Oh, Feldew, what have you done to us!”

  I replied as I stepped out onto the maintenance bay floor, “Relax, Jova, no one knows we are here, and with a little luck we will be gone before anyone finds out. The fact that you are helping us will stay with us.”

  I smiled.

  Jova held up his hand and spoke. “No, the Colossuns will know. They will torture you until you speak Jova’s name.”

  I replied, “Well, then I would suggest you send us on our way, Jova. If we can make it to the surface, you will have nothing to worry about. Just point us towards the sector wall.”

  A still-shaking Jova slowly raised his short, stubby arm and pointed towards a door. “Through there. The wall is on the other side.”

  I gestured to Duane and we were on our way. The wall was an easy hop, with the slightly lower gravity of Ponik. Feldew had given us the names of several streets to follow to a building he thought might offer us a comfortable place to stay. It was a medical building with supplies of water and hospital beds.

  Once the medical building had been scouted, we set our sights on another section of the wall that was five blocks from our new hideaway. A food storage facility was in operation just on the other side. Our rations were running low due to our troubles and the unexpected length of our stay. I wondered if Grell food consisted of the same mush I had seen Feldew eat. It had a foul smell and a bitter taste.

  Embry Central was dark and dismal. With such a large part of the city shut down, only the lights in the active sector had power. The city had a domed ceiling, constructed of the same material as the tunnel. With its gray color, and with the pale glow of the lit sections, what would be the sky took on a dark, overcast appearance.

  I kept my helmet on with the filters working to clean the acrid smell of stale air. I was sure the Colossuns had spent the minimum necessary to build and power each of the hub cities. I imagined the mines themselves would only be worse.

  After strolling into the unlocked medical building, Duane and I settled on accommodations on the third floor. I lay back on a recovery bed in the room that I had selected. My feet jutted off the end of the mattress.

  Duane walked in the room and spoke. “Ah, short beds! I love it.”

  I replied, “How can you like that? Your feet dangle off the end.”

  Duane smiled. “I sleep on my belly, Sir. Always have. Feet hanging off the end is comfortable to me.”

  I sli
d over and sat up on the bed. “You are an odd one, Duane. But I guess it’s better than what we’ve had for the past three weeks. How about we go get us some food, if we can call it that.”

  Duane concurred, and we soon found ourselves hopping over the wall into the occupied sector of Embry Central.

  I spoke. “Stay in the shadows. If we get spotted, we are going to have a big fight on our hands, and I’m not sure I want to know how these hybrid suits will do against their pulsers.”

  Duane replied, “If they work as Feldew described, we should be in good shape.”

  The streets were largely empty. Only the occasional Grell could be seen crossing from one building to another. The door on the storage warehouse was unlocked.

  As we slid inside, Duane commented, “Sir, we haven’t seen a locked door yet. I’m guessing crime here is nonexistent.”

  I replied, “These people are dead if they only make one mistake. I would imagine that keeps any type of criminal activity to a minimum. I wouldn’t doubt that if you were caught committing a crime, they would take out your whole family. They wouldn’t be the first species to do that.”

  The warehouse was open, with stacks of pallets that held a variety of foodstuffs. I turned my glove sensor to max and began to scan the packages for foods that could be eaten by Humans.

  Duane was the first with a find. “I have some legumes over here, Sir. We have solid protein and fiber numbers, but they appear to be loaded with caffeine.”

  I replied with a grin, “That sounds like coffee, Duane. We need to find us a grinder!”

  After identifying four items that would provide us with adequate nutrition, we began to look for a cart to load our goods onto. As I rounded a corner with a cart, the front bay door to the warehouse slid upwards. Voices were immediately heard.

  I ducked behind the closest pallet and pulled my blaster.

  A voice spoke. “Stay near the door, please. I will only be a minute. The commander has requested an extra serving with his dinner tonight, and I did not want to be caught short.”