Chase interrupted by saying, “Whoa...hold on and back up. You mentioned on the other side of Lumus? No one can go to that side of the planet. It's full of radiation.”
“Well, it seems that we've been lied to for, I dunno...our whole lives? And now they're going to kill us off soon. I mean, seriously?”
“Wait, we—” Chase sighed in frustration. “Again, back up. The ebb quarries contain something called gold and a clear mineral rock? Wouldn't the Mechies see it when they're mining the ebb?”
Devon nodded. “We've wondered about that, and don't know how we've missed it for 800 years. We think there’s more to the cover up and I think the view screens on the Mechs have been tinkered with, perhaps not displaying the gold and—”
A tall woman walked into the room, the sound of her footsteps interrupting Devon.
Chase lit up. Was it Nyx?
“Is that you?” he asked.
“If by you, you mean Captain Stripe, then yes, it's me.”
Although it wasn't Nyx, he felt relieved now that Captain Stripe was here and he knew he was in good hands. She was like a dependable sister and he smiled. “Louise. It's very nice to hear your voice. Where's Nyx?”
Louise thought for a moment. “Sorry, but I don't know a Nyx.”
“She's Zim's personal assistant.”
“No,” replied Louise, shaking her head. “Zim's personal assistant is Jeremy Cummings and he's been in that position for the last twenty years.”
Chase took a deep breath, making his rib cage feel like it was caving in. Through gritting teeth, he asked, “Was I dreaming it all up? Nyx let me into Zim's office. That's how I got the infovids and the files on the ebb quarries.”
“I don't know what to say, Chase.” Louise sat in a chair at the foot of his bed, leaning forward to gently rub his feet through the bed sheets. “There has only ever been one assistant for Zim and he's the only other person allowed into Zim's private office. You should know that, since you're in politics. Zim keeps his office quite secure and I'm impressed, even flabbergasted, that you were able to gain access. Plus, I'm a bit perplexed by how you were able to obtain the files, let alone get out in one piece, albeit a bit battered.”
Chase slighty nodded his head, trying to recall a Jeremy Cummings in his mind, but couldn't seem to place him. All he could see was Nyx and her beautiful smile.
“Then...” Chase drew a deep breath, baffled. “Well, the woman who was shot. The one laying near me with a scream horn in her hand. That was Nyx.”
“Again, Chase, you were the only one shot, and the only blood found on the scene was yours. There was no woman. I think you need more rest. Things might be a little loose in that head of yours.”
If that was true, it had to be some kind of a mistake, but not by him. He knew that Nyx had been there and that she existed. To him, it was obvious that Louise didn't have all of the facts yet, and probably hadn't even visited the scene of the shooting. Maybe his uncle would know something?
“Where's my uncle?” Chase asked.
“He's in the room directly above us, with Admiral Jenkyns. We got your uncle out in time and rushed him over here when the shooting started.”
“The what? Did the enemy return?” Chase imagined more enemy starfighters blasting holes in the starbase, wreaking more havoc and mayhem, death, and injuries.
“In one form, yes, the enemy is back, but now we're fighting them from within. The enemy starships and fighters have not returned. However, the Brigantia and Taranis Guard have taken over the biosphere, but it came at a cost. Guardsmen were lost on both sides, but the good news is that we have the biosphere locked down. No one comes in and no one gets out unless we allow it. We also have fresh water from the lakes and food from the agricultural sector of the biosphere, not to mention the prettiest view in all of Star Guild.”
Chase frowned. “I'm so confused. What's going on?”
“Just know that we have successfully rescued your uncle...” she paused and looked at Devon. “And, along the way, this little twerp got lucky by jumping into a cross fire during an attempt on his life. We rescued him, as well, and he had some pretty interesting papers on him that may save all of us.”
Chase waived a couple of fingers in front of his face. “Wait, wait. This is all too much.” A jolt of nausea hit him. “Ugh...I feel like I'm going to be sick.”
“I was rambling. Forgive me. There's a lot to cover, Chase, and you're not ready to hear it all just yet. Get better and I'll be back tomorrow to debrief you some more. We—”
An exterior blast rocked the building and Chase could tell that a wall near his room had been hit, probably blown apart. Then phaser fire commenced outside of the building.
Louise unclipped her phaser, stood, and then ran out of the room yelling over her shoulder, “I'll be back!”
Another explosion shook the building, this time a little too close for comfort. Chase wanted to sit up, but couldn't.
“Relax,” said Devon. “This happens a lot.”
Then with a jolt, Devon remembered something rather important. Oh, no! Naveya! How could I forget? She'd been fending for herself for the last couple of days. Naveya, I'm so sorry, he thought.
For years, Devon had been letting a homeless woman, Naveya, and her dog, Me Me, inside of the biosphere to gather herbs, food, water, and whatever else they might need. For people living in Starbase Matrona, opening the doors to the biosphere consisted of a simple swipe of a card, but if you hadn't maintained a job, paid your taxes, or were simply deemed an undesirable, your card was deactivated. That meant you were erased from the system, which automatically denied access to the biosphere and all life sustaining utilities. It was accomplished quietly and neatly with the press of a button, without a word ever being spoken, or a notification ever being sent. Consequently, most homeless people didn't live long in Star Guild.
But, somehow, Naveya had made it living in the streets years longer than the sum total of Devon's own age. And he didn't really know Naveya's true age, it was difficult to tell. He didn't know how, but she could be thirty-five, even though she’d never been inside of a Suficell Pod.
“I've got to go,” uttered Devon, knowing that Naveya would probably be needing food and water as soon as possible.
“Yes, I agree. We've both got to get out of here,” responded Chase.
“No, I mean...I have to let Naveya into the biosphere, or she and her dog may die of thirst.”
“Who?”
Then a man bolted into the room, one whom Chase didn't recognize, and the moment that he didn't recognize the man was the moment that he knew his sight was returning. The man was tall, bulky, and looked very fit with his biceps bulging out of his Brigantia Guard uniform. He held a phaser in his hand and sweat was dripping down his face.
“Uh, oh. This doesn't look good,” said Devon. “Manning, what's going on?”
Sergeant Manning looked at Chase and then at Devon. “I've got to get the two of you out of here. We've been breached.” The sergeant looked at a sweaty Guardsman in the doorway, ordering, “Lieutenant Lance! Help—now!”
“Aye, Sarge.”
“Grab a bed—we'll wheel them to the basement.”
“What's happening?” demanded Chase.
Sergeant Manning answered, “Sorry, Overseer. The Matrona Guard is inside of the facility, causing a shit load of problems. I don't know how they got in, but they're here.”
Screaming and yelling suddenly broke out in the hallway further down. Then phaser fire was exchanged just outside of their room.
“Go, go!” yelled Manning, gesturing for Lance to grab Devon's bed.
Manning hurried over to Chase, gripped the head railing and pushed him toward the door, following Lance, who was pushing Devon the same way.
“Stop!” yelled Manning, just as Lance was about to wheel Devon through the doorway.
A phaser blast zipped past their door, followed by an explosion of ebb shards further down the hall. More phaser fire ensued, then more a
nd more.
Chase's body tensed, adrenaline surging and making him feel no pain. He lifted his head to watch the phaser fire bursting in all directions, and knew if they went into the hallway they'd be torn to shreds.
Another Guard dove into the room, ducking just inside of the doorway. He wheeled around and stuck his phaser out the door and fired down the hallway. He was wearing a Taranis Guard uniform, and glanced at Manning and Lance who were wearing Brigantia Guard uniforms. Then he spoke over his shoulder as he kept shooting. “Hey, fellas. Looks like we're having a little issue.”
“What's the status out there?” responded Manning.
The Taranis Guardsman pulled back from the doorway and looked at Lieutenant Lance and Sergeant Manning. He was about to reply, but then his expression dropped when he saw Chase and Devon in the room. With them being practically immobile, they were nothing more than a death sentence for all of them.
Sergeant Manning nodded to Lance. “Wheel them back where they were.” His face was stern. He knew what was coming.
Chase’s stomach churned when he saw Brigantia and Taranis Guardsmen running past the doorway, assuming they were being shot at by the Matrona Guard that he couldn't yet see. A moment later, he was wheeled back to his original spot in the room, making it nearly impossible for him to view the fighting and he was almost glad of it.
“Here,” said Lance, who shoved a phaser pistol in front of Chase's face. “You'll need this. Pull the trigger on any Guards wearing Matrona's red insignia. Remember that! They'll be upon us in minutes, if not seconds. Good luck, Overseer.”
Chase moved to grab the pistol, still appreciating the adrenaline that seemed to make it possible for him to function without experiencing excruciating pain. He looked at Devon who had also been pushed back and given a gun, but it was obvious that he'd never used one before.
Lance moved away and crouched into position, his gun aimed at the doorway.
“Shut the door. It will buy us some time while the Matrona Guard tries to break in,” said Manning, gesturing to the Taranis Guardsman who quickly pressed some buttons on the wall panel, vertically shutting the ebb slab door.
“It's not the Matrona Guard attacking us, Sergeant,” said the Taranis Guardsman.
“What?” responded Manning. “Then, who is it?”
“Admiral Jenkyns' personal guard, sir—traitors!”
∞
Admiral Byrd held several papers in his hand, astonished by what he was reading. He was sitting in an administrative room on the second floor of the Political Infirmary, with the biosphere's greenery just outside and growing from below. Large tree branches sheltered the window, more or less preventing anyone from seeing inside of the room. It was perfect for his quarters.
Admiral Stan Jenkyns sat in front of him on a couch, smoking a cigar, his phaser gun holstered to his hip. His round cheeks hollowed as he sucked a puff, then smoke dribbled out of his mouth when he spoke. “I don't know how accurate those papers are, Admiral.”
Brigger stood next to the window, eying the branches. He was holding some other documents, waiting to hand them to Admiral Byrd when he finished. These documents were labeled “Ebb Quarries”.
Admiral Byrd placed his papers on a table next to his chair and rested his feet on a foot stool. “They’re from Prime Director Zim's office. They are legitimate, Stan.”
Jenkyns pulled another puff. “I hope your escape went without difficulty?”
Admiral Byrd folded his hands in his lap. “It was without difficulty, thank you.”
Stan nodded. “So, you really think Zim wants to destroy this entire starbase, with all of us inside of it? How would that help his efforts?”
“I don't know Zim’s motivations, but I do know that he was intimidated by what I did. He mentioned that my calling the Knights Templar was the biggest mistake I could've made and I could see that it scared him. He also commented about his higher ups. Now, I don't know who they are, but I do know they aren’t here for our benefit, nor have any of us ever seen them. They want us all dead, and if we don't find a way out of this, and according to Devon Gray's translated papers, we'll all be dead in a week or so.”
“What do you think we'll do, Admiral?” asked Jenkyns.
“We're coming up with a plan, rest assured. I don't yet know how we'll stop the batrachotoxin, but my guess is that someone may have some insights.”
“Who do you have in mind?” questioned Jenkyns.
Admiral Byrd paused as he looked Jenkyns up and down. Then he tilted his head, eying his old friend. Something was amiss. “I don't have anyone yet. Is anyone on your staff experienced with anything poison related?”
Jenkyns thought for a moment, tapping his cigar in an ash tray. “I have someone, yes. Her name is Sally Gray. She's the sister of the kid who translated 'The Kill Off' documents.”
“And, she's part of your staff?”
“Not exactly. I plan on grabbing her from Chem Lab in Sphere 9 when there's a chance.”
Admiral Byrd raised a brow. “How are you planning to do that?”
Jenkyns blinked a couple of times. “I have people on the inside searching for her now.” He looked off to his right.
Admiral Byrd paused again, noting that Jenkyns had just told a lie—he had blinked and looked to the right, and each time he did Admiral Byrd could tell that someone was talking in his ear, obviously through some sort of a hidden device.
Admiral Byrd leaned forward, pressing his fingers against his boots, making a movement to distract Jenkyns. “I like these boots,” he said. “But they seem a little too big.”
“I can get you some new ones, sir!” responded Brigger, drawing the eyes of both admirals to him.
Good move, Brigger, whether you know it or not, thought Admiral Byrd. “That's not necessary, but thank you, son.”
While Jenkyns was being distracted by Brigger, Admiral Byrd leaned back, moving his fingers up his hip farthest from Stan, feeling the tip of his concealed phaser pistol. Then he feigned a movement as though uncomfortable, causing his chair to squeak, and he silently unclipped his pistol and slid his finger onto the trigger.
“Admiral?” asked Jenkyns, placing the cigar back in his mouth for another puff. “What’s your plan to expose Zim? I would like to participate, so I'll need to know details, moves, which personnel...everything.”
“I don't plan on exposing him, Stan. I plan on killing him,” replied Admiral Byrd.
Jenkyns pulled the cigar out of his mouth and looked over his shoulder. He was about to yell for his personal guard when he felt the tip of a phaser gun press against his temple.
“That wouldn't be wise, Admiral Stan Jenkyns of Starship Taranis, sworn to protect the people of Star Guild,” Admiral Byrd calmly stated. “Stand up, sir.”
Jenkyns smashed the cigar into the ash tray, sighed, and raised his arms into the air. He stood up slowly, avoiding eye contact.
“What are you doing, Admiral?” asked Jenkyns, as he stared at his feet while trying to think of another way to beckon his guards.
“You're a traitor, Stan.” Admiral Byrd lifted his hand toward the back of Jenkyns' ear. Jenkyns stiffened.
“Don't move,” said Admiral Byrd as he snatched something small and metallic out of Jenkyns' ear. The admiral examined it in his hand, determining that it was, indeed, an audio device. He let it drop to the floor and crushed it with his boot. “Who’s been listening to our conversation, Stan?”
Jenkyns remained still.
“Brigger, close the door,” ordered Admiral Byrd.
“Yes, sir.” Brigger moved over to a panel on the wall, typed in a code, shutting the ebb door.
“Voice lock it.”
Brigger nodded. “Door open and close on my voice command only.”
A confirming beep responded from the panel.
“Please, Admiral,” said Jenkyns. “This was not my idea.”
“Yes, I know. It was Zim's, but you went through with it.”
Jenkyns shook his hea
d. “James, you don't know what you're doing. Put down the gun.”
Admiral Byrd looked at Brigger. “Get Captain Stripe on the com link.”
Brigger acknowledged the order with another nod and tapped on his silver wristband. “Captain Stripe, Brigger here.”
Admiral Byrd pressed his gun a little harder against Jenkyns' temple, prompting him to move forward. Jenkyns complied and the admiral positioned Jenkyns directly in front of the door. If anything was going to happen, Jenkyns would be his hostage, and in plain view if someone was able to bypass the voice lock. On the other hand, if the door was blasted, Jenkyns would take the hit. It wasn’t something the admiral preferred, but nonetheless, it was a strategy to help both he and Brigger to better stay alive.
“What have they told you, Stan?”
Jenkyns raised his head to look at Admiral Byrd while being careful not to move the rest of his body, just in case Admiral Byrd got a little trigger happy. “By now, James, they’re on their way. They’ve heard the entire conversation and most assuredly realize that the ear device was destroyed by you.”
“Who are they?” asked Admiral Byrd.
“Zim's personal Matrona Guard. I've smuggled them in here as my personal Taranis Guardsmen and they’re highly skilled warriors, experienced, and better trained than any of us, by far.”
Admiral Byrd wanted to slam the blunt end of his phaser into Jenkyns’ face, but grit his teeth and refrained from committing such a sweet pleasure. “You’re a traitor of the worst sort, Stan.”
Jenkyns didn’t reply, choosing instead to blink and swallow hard.
Brigger spoke, frustrated and repeatedly tapping his wristband. “Captain Stripe isn't responding to my call, Admiral.”
A bang against the door startled them all, and then they heard gun fire in the hallway. A fight had broken out, and then an explosion from a room almost directly below them shook their wing of the building. Admiral Byrd, maintaining his balance, backed up to a desk to support himself.
Jenkyns turned, arms still raised, to face Admiral Byrd. “Let them in, James, and there will be no more bloodshed.”
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