by Tripp Ellis
"Alright," the thing muttered. "She's near the Emperor's quarters on the top deck, port-side." His Federation-speak was pretty good.
"Thank you. You've been helpful." Zack stood up and took a step back. He aimed his weapon at the creature and put him out of his misery. The plasma bolt vaporized the slug’s head. Smoke wafted from the carcass, and a putrid stench filled the compartment.
Zack moved to the aft hatch. Through the viewport he could see the quantum field generator in the next compartment. It emitted a teal blue glow and had a mesmerizing quality to it. It was, after all, affecting the very fabric of the universe.
The compartment was shielded, and Zack knew better than to enter the site of an active quantum generator without adequate protection. He fixed the thermal grenades to the hatch and set the timer. He hoped the explosion would be enough to disrupt the generator beyond repair. It was a bit of a gamble. There was always the possibility of a secondary explosion. And abruptly dropping the ship out of quantum space was risky.
Zack armed the device and ran back to the main hatch. Several guards were approaching from either side of the corridor. Their weapons were in the firing position. No doubt they had been alerted to his escape. The loss of communication with the engineers had tipped them off to his location. It was clear they were coming for him.
It looked like Zack was going to be in for a firefight.
37
Zack
The timer on the thermal grenades ticked down.
Zack locked the hatch to the engineering compartment. He figured he was going to make the guards work for it. If they wanted him, they were going to have to come and get him the hard way.
Zack took cover behind one of the control terminals and aimed his weapon at the hatch.
The guards kicked and banged on the hatch to no avail. The stocks of their rifles clamored against the metal. They had to call in a technician to override the locking mechanism. All of this was eating up precious time. If this went on any longer, Zack was going to have to disarm the thermal grenades he planted.
Even the technicians couldn't override the locking mechanism. A few minutes after they gave up, sparks showered into the compartment as the guards cut through the hatch with a plasma torch.
Zack watched the beam slice a rectangular shape in the hatch. Amber sparks bounced off the deck then faded to black. When the rectangle was complete, the metal hatch dangled by a few threads. One of the guards kicked it to the deck. It slammed down, clamoring like thunder.
Zack opened fire, blasting at the guards as they tried to squeeze through the narrow passageway. One body flopped to the deck, then another. They were starting to pile up. It was almost like shooting fish in a barrel. Then the guards got a little smarter and stopped trying to storm their way in. They angled their weapons through the breach and fired back at Zack.
The control console exploded with sparks, showering debris. Zack ducked for cover. He angled his weapon around the base of the console and fired several shots through the hole in the hatch, taking out another one of the guards. Then Zack lobbed a grenade through the opening.
It was a precarious toss. If he missed the opening, the grenade would bounce back off the bulkhead and explode within the engineering compartment. Zack wasn't too keen on getting a face full of shrapnel.
Fortunately, he lobbed the grenade with perfect accuracy. It passed through the opening, bounced off the deck, and rattled around in the exterior corridor.
A moment later, the deafening blast shredded everything in the vicinity. The hallway was thick with haze. Smoke and debris rushed into the engineering compartment through the opening.
Zack leapt to his feet and rushed toward the hatch. He dove for the opening and rolled onto the deck and sprang back to his feet. He swept the hallway with the barrel of his weapon, but all the guards were dead.
Zack took off running down the hallway as more would soon be coming. He rounded the corner at the next junction when the thermal grenades exploded in the engineering compartment.
The blast rocked the ship. Zack almost lost his balance as the passageway quaked. He felt the bulkheads ripple and warble, and his stomach twisted in knots as the ship dropped out of slide-space. The quantum generator had definitely been damaged.
Klaxons blared as alarms sounded.
A slight grin curled up on Zack's lips. He could hear the clatter of boots against the deck as guards scurried toward the source of the explosion. Zack ducked into a nearby compartment, hiding as the guards raced through the corridors.
When the passageway was clear, he dashed out of the compartment and climbed a ladder toward the next level. He poked his head through the upper hatch and scanned the hallway. All of the guards had rushed to engineering. Zack continued up to the next level.
Technicians were frantically trying to deal with the damaged quantum drive. The rest of the ship was like a ghost town.
Zack emerged on the top deck. Alarms were still blaring, and he could hear the chaos echo up from the bowels of the ship. He peered through the viewports of various compartments, looking for Honor. There were a plethora of decadent guest staterooms on this level, but he found no sign of Honor.
He continued down the hallway, pausing at the next junction. He peered around the corner and saw two guards standing outside one of the compartments. They were chatting back and forth, distracted by the commotion below.
Zack angled the barrel of his rifle around the corner and lined one of the creatures up in the reticle of his sights. His finger gripped the trigger, and he squeezed off two quick rounds. Brilliant bolts of plasma streaked down the passageway, incinerating the two guards. Their bodies crumbled, and their weapons clattered against the deck. Wisps of smoke wafted from the gaping holes in their chests.
Zack advanced down the passageway to the bodies. He stepped over them and peered into the viewport of the hatch. His heart pounded as he caught a glimpse of Honor. Her beauty took his breath away. It broke his heart to see her caged and sad. But he was about to change all that.
He glanced around the hallway to make sure no one was coming. Then he pressed the button on the access pad, and the hatch slid open.
Zack stepped into the compartment. Honor craned her neck worriedly to see who was invading her space. Her terrified gaze turned to relief when she saw Zack. She ran into his arms and squeezed him tight. She planted a fat kiss on his lips. They melted into one another. For a brief moment, the chaos of the galaxy faded away. Holding her in his arms was pure heaven. It was everything he wanted. But it wasn't going to last.
“Are you okay?"
Honor nodded.
"Have you heard anything about Mom, or Bob?" Zack asked.
Honor’s face grew solemn. She didn't have to say anything, her expression said it all. Zack knew by the grim look in her eyes that his foster parents were dead.
Zack’s eyes brimmed with tears. His lip quivered as he tried to hold his emotions back. But now was not the time to grieve. He stifled his feelings and put them in a dark place in the corner of his mind. He’d deal with them later.
"Come on. Let's get out of here." Zack grabbed her hand and pulled her to the hatch. He scanned the passageway.
"There's an escape shuttle on this level toward the front of the ship," Honor said.
Zack pulled the bodies of the guards into the compartment.
Honor cringed at the sight of the alien corpses.
Zack brought his weapon into the firing position and advanced into the hallway. Honor crouched behind him and followed. They moved forward, stopping at each junction, making sure the coast was clear. The alarms had stopped buzzing, but Zack could still hear the commotion on the lower decks. The ship wasn’t moving at all. It was just drifting through space.
Zack turned a corner and headed for the escape shuttle. There was no one guarding it, and the upper deck was still empty. But he could hear the sound of guards climbing the ladders. There was no doubt that they had sifted through the bodies in engineering
and discovered Zack was still alive. Now the guards were scouring the ship for him.
There was no time to waste. Zack ran for the escape shuttle. He pressed the access button on the bulkhead, and the hatch slid open.
Zack and Honor were met with angry barrels of plasma rifles staring them in the face.
Guards flooded into the hallway, flanking them on either side. They were completely surrounded.
38
Zack
Zack found himself back in a holding cell. This time, two guards were posted out front, and they had been given instructions not to open the hatch under any circumstances, unless under the direct command of Aarnok himself.
The ship was dead in space. It wasn't going anywhere. Zack waited in the cell for several hours. The hull clamored as a rescue ship docked. After the crew had migrated to the rescue ship, the hatch to Zack’s cell slid open. Plasma rifles stared him in the face. They weren't taking any chances this time. There were at least a half-dozen armed guards ready to escort him from one ship to the other. Zack was shackled with his hands behind his back. They shoved him into the hallway.
One of the guards jabbed the barrel of his plasma rifle into Zack's back. It dug into his skin between his shoulder blades and hit one of the bony protrusions on the back of the vertebrae. It sent a jolt down his spine.
Zack clinched his jaw, and his nostrils flared. He was growing weary of these aliens.
They marched him aboard a Corvette Class warship and placed him in another holding cell. This one wasn't nearly as nice. It had an awful stench of sweaty socks and rotten eggs. Zack couldn't imagine what had created the smell, but it was nauseating. He hoped that his olfactory glands would adjust, and the smell wouldn't seem as pungent.
It wasn't long before he felt the quantum distortion wash through the ship. The Tarvaax warships had smoother transitions in their jumps to slide-space. It didn't seem to be as jarring. As barbaric as the Tarvaax were, some of their technology was clearly more advanced.
The only thing Zack could do now was sit back and wait. Time spent in the cell was mind numbing. There must have been a short in one of the lighting fixtures because it emitted an incessant buzz that grated on his nerves.
Zack lost all sense of time in the cell. There was no variation in lighting, and no way to turn the lights off. He hadn't been fed since he'd been captured, and he wasn't sure he was ever going to get any food again. His stomach began to growl and grumble.
Zack guessed it had been about 12 hours when the ship finally emerged from slide-space. They must have reached the Tarvaax home world. The ship rumbled and shook as it descended through the upper atmosphere.
Zack grew anxious as the ship drew closer to its final destination. The future was highly uncertain. The best that he could hope for was to spend the rest of his life in a cell somewhere. But it was more than likely he'd be killed the minute the Emperor set eyes on him.
The lumbering behemoth finally touched down on the palace tarmac. Sometime later, guards opened the hatch. More plasma rifles menaced him. This time, Aarnok accompanied the guards. His beady eyes glared at Zack. "I really want to kill you myself, but we've come this far. I will let my father do the honors. You've destroyed my beloved Ardent. Do you know how much that ship cost? It will take months to repair the damage you’ve caused."
Zack realized that Aarnok couldn't hurt him without incurring the wrath of his father. "Are you kidding me? That thing was a hunk of junk. You ought to thank me for blowing it up. I'd be embarrassed to fly around in the galaxy in a clunker like that."
Aarnok clenched his jaw.
"It is the finest ship in the entire Tarvaax navy."
"Was. It's not anymore."
Aarnok was furious. "Take him to my father!"
Two of the guards grabbed Zack by his arms and yanked him out of the cell.
"Take it easy. I'm cooperating."
One of the guards jammed the stock of his rifle into Zack's thigh. His leg collapsed beneath him, and he crashed to the deck. Zack pushed himself up and hobbled along. His quadricep was going to be sore for a while, and be bruised to hell by tomorrow.
Zack scowled at the alien.
The ugly slug shoved him forward. "Keep moving," the thing muttered. "And keep your mouth shut."
The guards marched Zack through a maze of passageways, then down the loading ramp. He caught his first glimpse of the Tarvaax home world, Lusova. Their blue sun was setting on the horizon and cascaded an array of colors against the clouds. Hues of purple, violet, cyan, and magenta. It was nothing like he had anticipated. It wasn’t the dark, dreary place that he had envisioned. It was quite beautiful.
39
Zack
Emperor Vuul's eyes blazed into Zack as the guards ushered him into the throne room. Vuul stood up from the throne and marched down the steps. The fearsome ruler surveyed his new prize. His massive frame towered over Zack. "Hard to believe a creature so puny could defeat a warrior as great as Xorgon."
Zack said nothing.
Vuul's eyes gazed to Aarnok. "You have done excellent work, my son."
"Thank you, Father. It has been my great honor to serve you."
Vuul unsheathed his sword and activated the plasma beam that lined the blade. It crackled and buzzed. He thrust the blade inches from Zack's neck.
Zack sucked his throat in, and his eyes went wide, staring at the deadly blue beam.
"I should slice your head off and eat your corpse for dinner. Then have your brain for dessert."
Zack laughed.
Vuul’s face twisted up perplexed. "You find that amusing?"
"What I find amusing is how pathetic your species is."
Vuul snarled at him. "Pathetic?"
"You're going to kill me while I'm in handcuffs, held by your guards? That shows no courage. At least your son had the guts to fight fair." Zack figured that would get a rise out of him.
Vuul clenched his jaw and the veins in his neck bulged. He was on the spot now. He couldn't just back down in front of his courtiers. "So, it's a fair fight you want? Then a fair fight you will get." Vuul raised his voice for his courtiers to hear. "Let no one say that I am not a fair and merciful ruler."
There were nods of agreement among the courtiers. They all feared him, and would agree with anything he said. A bunch of timid ass-kissers.
Vuul turned his gaze back to Zack. "What skill have you with a blade?"
Zack shrugged.
Vuul chuckled. "Well, tomorrow we shall find out." The Emperor addressed his guards. "Take him to the dungeon. Give him a last meal. Whatever he requests. Tomorrow I shall kill him in this room for all to see."
The guards dragged Zack away. At least he bought himself a little time, he thought.
Aarnok approached his father and muttered in his ear, "Kill him now and be done with it."
"He will be dead in good time. I am not opposed to prolonging his suffering."
"Every moment that he lives is a risk to your empire. Have you forgotten the oracle’s prophecy? "
Vuul grew irritated with Aarnok's badgering. "I have forgotten nothing."
"He is a menace. He destroyed my ship in a matter of moments. He is not to be underestimated."
"When I want your counsel, I will ask for it." Vuul glared at Aarnok. It was the end of the discussion, and Aarnok knew not to push it any further.
40
Zack
The guards threw Zack in a holding cell in the bowels of the Imperial Palace. The heavy metal door clanked shut behind him.
It was like an old-school dungeon. Dark and dank. It didn't have fancy force-shields or electronic restriction devices. If the power grid went down, the prisoners would stay safe and sound in their containers. It was low-maintenance. Vuul believed in good old-fashioned lock and key.
Zack wasn't alone in his cell. In the corner was a hulking Tarvaax. The alien’s wary eyes surveyed the new addition to his domain. By the look in his eyes, he didn’t seem pleased.
The alien s
tood up and marched towards Zack, grabbing him by the throat. The creature slammed Zack against the wall. It knocked the wind from Zack’s lungs, and he gasped for breath as the alien’s hand squeezed tight around his throat.
The creature's eyes narrowed and surveyed Zack. "You are a spy, sent by the Emperor."
The creature’s rancid breath smacked Zack in the face. He shook his head and choked out, “No. I'm not a spy."
"Of course a spy would deny being a spy."
"Why would I want to spy on you?" Zack had a slightly condescending tone.
The alien clenched his jaw. "You tell the Emperor I will divulge no information whatsoever."
"What information?"
"Does he think me a fool that I would confide in a cellmate?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. If you haven't noticed, I'm not from around here."
The alien’s intense eyes stared at Zack a moment. He gripped Zack's throat even tighter.
"Newsflash. The Federation is at war with the Tarvaax. I'm not a spy for the Emperor." Zack's scratchy voice was barely audible. His face was beginning to turn blue.
After a moment, the alien released his grip.
Zack sucked in several huge breaths. He clutched his throat, rubbing it gently. It was sore and felt like his trachea had almost been crushed.
“Why are you here? Why aren’t you working in the slave camps, or being harvested?"
"Harvested?"
The alien had a devious glint in his eyes. "Human brains are a delicacy. They are said to give life extending properties to our species.” The gruesome creature licked its lips.
Zack swallowed hard, and his eyes bulged with fear. The statement didn't make him feel any better about being cooped up in a cell with this beast. "I'm here because I killed the Emperor's son.”
The alien scoffed. "Doubtful."