by Andrew Mack
Belinea 5.1
Burvilla, Serpia - 2137 (Twenty Years Prior…)
Dr. Fiona Faxon landed her personal TC Rover on the corner spot on top of the five-story medical complex. She got out and walked to the glass entranceway to scan her hand. As she glanced up, she noticed several Serpian Military aircraft flying overhead. This looked particularly odd, and her expression revealed it. After she walked through the doors, she got to the bottom of an escalator, noticing many people looking flustered. Fiona put her hand on another security glass door, this one having an additional eye-scanner. She said clearly, “Fiona Faxon.”
With the scan completed, the doors slid open. She walked down the hallway and noticed more people looking distraught and not working. A nurse walked by, and Fiona stopped her. “Melinda, what is going on?”
She looked at her and nervously said, “Serpian soldiers were here. They went through the whole facility. I think some of them are still downstairs. It is happening.”
The nurse walked off. Fiona resumed walking, albeit more briskly now and occasionally looking over her shoulder. She turned a corner into another secure area, and she put her hand on the scanner next to the door. It analyzed her eye as she said, “Fiona Faxon, 241858.”
Another glass door opened, and Fiona walked in. It was clearly a medical room, mostly white, with an area for scientific study, lab work, and computer analysis. As she turned a small corner, she saw a body lying on the ground with blood everywhere. There were four gunshot wounds to the chest, with one fatal shot to the head. Fiona put her hand over her mouth and walked over to the computer screen. She hit a few buttons, and it pulled up some of the security cameras in the building. On the monitor, she could see the Serpian soldiers going through the building, pointing guns at Doctors, and demanding information.
Fiona looked scared as she turned around and went towards the other computer screen. She pulled up a few files and sent copies of them out. She then hurried out of the laboratory and sprinted up the escalator to the landing pad area. The door to her personal TC opened, and she climbed in. “Home.”
The TC took off, all four rotor blades angling it to the sky. After gaining altitude, it flew in with the hundreds of other aircraft above. Fiona grabbed her wrist-watch and said, “Contact Tara.”
Glancing up, it seemed there were even more Serpian Military aircraft in the sky. The computer voice came on and said, “Tara is unavailable right now.”
Fiona talked into her wrist-watch again. “Tara, contact me now, its an emergency.”
The personal TC kept going for another five minutes before descending on a small house in a very wooded neighborhood. After gently landing, Fiona quickly darted out and sprinted through the front door. She walked into the common area and noticed a human-like robot watching a small toddler. The robot turned and said in a computer-like voice. “Dr. Faxon, I was not expecting you back so soon.”
Fiona grabbed some baby clothes and said, “Neither was I.”
She grabbed a few more items, putting them in a small bag. She then picked up the toddler and said, “Come with me.”
The robot followed and responded, “Dr. Faxon, can I ask where we are going?”
Fiona ignored the robot and gently whispered to the toddler, “Time to get out of here, my prince.”
Fiona, the toddler, and the robot got onto the TC. Once they were strapped in, Fiona, still holding the toddler, said, “Verasantos Base, best speed.”
This time, the personal TC climbed to 500 meters off the ground in almost no time. It quickly accelerated to go ten times faster than it was before. The computer voice came on and said, “It will take twenty-two minutes to get to Verasantos Base at the current best speed.”
Fiona took a deep breath. The toddler began to cry, and as a result, Fiona tried to rock the toddler to sleep. As she was, she started crying herself, finally allowing the emotions from the medical facility to consume her. The robot then asked, “Dr. Faxon, is there anything I can assist you in? Are you alright?”
Fiona stopped crying, and muttered out feebly, “I am fine, we just need to hurry.”
At Verasantos Base, the personal TC descended to a civilian landing area just outside the entrance gates. The base itself was elevated among the trees, with several landing areas fifty meters off the ground. All three got out and headed toward the security gate, Fiona still holding the toddler in her arms. They walked ten meters before they were greeted by Lieutenant Orbo, jogging towards them. He quickly asked, “You should not be here.”
Fiona said, “I need to see Tara.”
Orbo analyzed the situation and responded, “She is planning. This is turning bleak quickly.”
Fiona said, “You have no idea, Orbo. Please, I need to talk to Tara.”
Orbo replied, “Fiona, she can not. She saw that you were coming, that is why I am here.”
Fiona practically broke down and handed the toddler to Orbo. “Please, you must take him.”
Orbo grabbed the toddler, only because he almost suspected she would drop him. He responded in surprise. “Fiona, this base is no place for him.”
Fiona, still crying, responded, “The child is no longer safe with me. They are coming.”
Orbo was utterly confused and replied, “Then leave the child with his father.”
Fiona burst into tears and screamed, “His father is dead!”
Orbo did not know what to say or do. He was still holding the toddler when the robot turned toward him. The robot reached out its arms to Orbo and said, “Lieutenant Orbo, may I?”
Orbo handed the toddler to the robot. He then grabbed Fiona’s hand, still not knowing what to say or do. After a few seconds of crying, Fiona looked at Orbo and said, “The child cannot come back with me, do you understand?”
Orbo nodded. Fiona then looked at the robot and said, “Stay with him. Protect him at all costs.”
The robot responded, “Yes, Dr. Faxon.”
Fiona then proceeded to kiss the toddler on the back of his head. She turned around and walked back to the landing pads. Once inside her personal TC, she quickly took off.
Orbo and the robot, still holding the toddler, walked back inside the base. He turned to look at the robot and said, “Come on, I need a place to hide you.”
Fiona, still crying, received a message on her wrist communication device. She said, “Play message.”
The message then played “Dr. Faxon. You are needed back at the Medical Laboratory immediately.”
Belinea 5.2
Twenty Years Later…
Space Port at Torsalli
AuFa Military Side
Malovex was flying his ship around the explosion. The area seemed to still be chaotic, with much of the Port security and the AuFa not knowing what to do. Malovex flew his ship into an open slip and was immediately hailed by a voice on his intercom. “Unidentified ship near slip 38, please identify, you are in a restricted area!”
There was panic in the voice as well as in the background. While docking the ship, Malovex quickly replied, “This is Lord Malovex, I need to see the Base Commander at the explosion site, immediately.”
Maolvex did not wait for a response. Once the ship was docked, the dock slip sealed around the side door. Malovex got out of his cockpit chair, through the back, and out the docking slip entrance. At the top of the tunnel, he was met by three armed AuFa soldiers rushing at him, with rifles drawn.
Malovex was as perturbed as ever. He just kept walking and said, “Good job, you caught me.”
The soldiers put down their rifles and followed Malovex back up the tunnel. He briskly walked another twenty meters to what was left of slip 34. The door to the tunnel was sealed shut. Black marks from the explosions lined the wall. Debris was scattered all over the room as three of the windows had been compromised and were replaced by the emergency windows that rolled down. A few AuFa medics wer
e working on a wounded BRG officer on the ground. He looked up, noticed Maolvex, and said, “Lord Malovex, forgive me for not standing.”
Malovex glanced down and muttered, “Nothing to apologize for Medic. That soldier needs attention, keep doing your job.”
Malovex then looked at the face of the BRG officer on the ground. “What happened, son?”
Grimacing in pain, he said, “An explosion, sir, not sure. My back was to the gate. We were guarding an Ambassador from Earth.”
Malovex surveyed the room again, attempting to figure out who was in charge. A bellowing voice came in from behind him. “You two, I want that entire area sealed off, barricade those windows. No press anywhere on the base. Lord Malovex, no one told me you were here?”
Lord Malovex, “Nobody knows I am here, Commander…?”
The AuFa Commander immediately saluted and declared, “Commander Abbott, Control Tower Officer on Duty, sir.”
Lord Malovex began looking around, as he was simultaneously talking. “What happened?”
Commander Abbott responded, “An explosion happened at or near the gate, possibly a malfunction of some kind. We should have the area cleaned and stabilized in no time.”
Malovex kept looking around, assessing everything before taking a deep breath. He then looked back down at the BRG officer on the ground. “Son, is your commanding officer here?”
The soldier looked up at Malovex. Still grimacing in pain, he said, “Lieutenant Commander Waterford, sir, was not present when the explosion happened.”
Malovex pointed to the officer next to Commander Abbott. “Lieutenant, go find me Lieutenant Commander Waterford of the BRG.”
Malovex then stared at Abbott. “Seen the security footage yet, Commander?”
Abbott responded, “No, sir.”
Malovex then asked, “Have you shut down transportation on both the military side of the Port and the Civilian side?”
Abbott shook his head and responded, “No, sir.”
Malovex finally asked, “Is there a full Medical transport ship waiting to take these soldiers to the surface so the medical facilities up here can be on proper stand-by, in case there is another attack?”
Abbott looked confused. “I was not aware there was an attack, my Lord?”
Malovex just stared at him. They were interrupted by Lieutenant Commander Waterford, who said, “Lord Malovex, my apologies. We were securing a transmission with a frigate coming in to take the Ambassador to Belinea when we heard the explosion.”
Malovex then looked at Waterford before he said, “What did the detail consist of?”
Waterford rattled off quickly. “Four soldiers, guarding the gate. Two scanners on the outside of the slip, no movement recorded, but I will pull up the footage. Two dead on the ship, the Ambassador, and possibly his assistant.”
Malovex asked, “No DAG officers in his detail?”
Waterford added, “He had two, they are somewhere on the base, I thought they would have returned by now.”
Malovex looked down on the ground and added, “Your soldier here said the explosion got him in the back.”
Waterford added, “I will send in a forensic team to outline the area, collect samples. But we are likely looking at an explosion inside the ship.”
Malovex nodded. “Agreed.”
Abbott was confused. “Lieutenant Commander, it is clear the explosion was a malfunction on the gate.”
Waterford looked at Abbott first, then back at Malovex before asking, “Who is he?”
Malovex, without missing a beat, said, “Useless.”
Abbott was taken aback. Malovex continued talking to Waterford. “Set up a secure perimeter on the entire section of the Port, and shut it down to civilian transports as well. Evac the wounded on a medical cruiser to the surface. And get me the results of the forensic team before they do.”
Waterford said, “Yes, my Lord. I will pull up sensor footage as well as base security data.”
Malovex also added, “And find me those DAG officers. Meet me in the Control Tower in fifteen minutes. You are in charge now.”
Abbott responded, “My Lord, this is an AuFa base. I will have to check with my Commander…”
Malovex interjected, “...You are in charge of nothing you incompetent fool. Clear your men out of this area, and let Commander Waterford do his job.”
Malovex walked back up the tunnel. The three AuFa soldiers with rifles that initially greeted Malovex were standing there perplexed. Malovex glanced at them and said, “Unless you use them on each other, put those away before you shoot someone important.”
Belinea 5.3
Ascarla, Torsalli
Willits and Jones got off the transport, making their way through the Port Terminal of Ascarla. It was an eclectic mix of food markets, spices, clothes, and copious amounts of wine. There were thousands of bottles all over. Torsalli had a Mediterranean climate across the entire planet. It was beautiful, with oceans, beaches, and greenery everywhere. Ascarla, in particular, was closer to the hills with a slightly cooler climate, lots of rivers, and near the sea. It was ideal for growing grapes.
They made their way to the other side of the terminal, where many flying transports were for hire. Several advertisements declared: see the hills, go to the wineries, the beaches, and resorts, etc. Willits found one that had a real driver, not an automated one. He was begging for a fare. “Come gentlemen, you want to see the wine country? I take you there. Or the ocean, yes, yes, wherever you like.”
Willits asked him, “You take a couple of Qusar coins for payment instead of Belinean IDP currency scan?”
The driver looked at them again and could see they looked like soldiers. He didn’t know what to say. Jones broke the tension with “Just trying to enjoy our three-day pass without our Commanders knowing where we are going.”
The driver just nodded and said, “Where?”
Willits handed him two Qusar coins and said, “Take us to the Kapoor Estate in Ishannia Valley.”
The small doors of the TC opened, and Willits and Jones climbed in. They immediately took off, never getting higher than 30 meters off the ground, but somehow the driver was a master at navigating the airway regulations for air-paths. They seemed to be following other TC’s until they made their way out of the city of Ascarla. They climbed to eighty meters and flew over the gorgeous countryside. It was filled with thousands of rows of grape-vines in between the hills, valleys, and streams. Jones turned to Willits and said, “You sure he will see us?”
Willits answered, “I’m not even sure he is here.”
Jones replied, “And if he isn’t?”
Willits smiled, responding, “Hitchhike back to Earth?”
The flight continued until they were far from the city. As the TC touched down, they came upon a giant 30-meter high fence. The gate had three landing areas outside. Willits and Jones climbed out and went to the front gate. Before they knew it, a full laser body scan was done on them while standing outside. A hologram of an attractive Torsallian lady appeared in front of them and asked, “Gentlemen, how can I help you?”
Willits responded, “Nolan Willits and Avery Jones here to see Vihaan Kapoor.”
The hologram responded, “Gentlemen, I am afraid Mr. Kapoor is not here.”
Willits responded, “Well, either way, we are here from the Delegate Ambassador Guard on Earth. Mr. Kapoor has some of our property that needs to be updated and inspected.”
There was a long pause from the hologram, in which Willits and Jones could tell the image had become frozen. A few more seconds went by. Jones looked at Willits with a curious ‘is this going to work’ expression. Willits raised his eyebrows, genuinely not knowing what was going to happen. Suddenly the colossal gate doors opened, and the hologram disappeared. However, the hologram voice said, “Please enter.”
There was a larger
, more luxurious TC waiting on the other side of the gate. There was no driver as the doors opened automatically. Willits and Jones climbed in, taking a seat in the plush caramel-colored velvet chairs. The TC took off just as the doors closed. It’s flour rotor blades seemingly making no noise as it flew. It hovered ten meters above the ground, across the Kapoor Estate of grapevines, guest houses, and streams. After five minutes of flying about 120 miles per hour, they came upon the main house, which was similar to a French Chateau. The facility had over fifty bedrooms and a grape processing center next to the caves of the hills. There was an obnoxiously large swimming pool with rocks, caves, and waterfalls as well. The TC landed on a spot in between the Chateau and the pool. Willits and Jones climbed out, standing back up in the perfect sunny weather of Torsalli.
As they walked up to the Chateau, four men with rifles approached them from the main house, cocked and loaded. Willits and Jones stopped, and each grabbed their pistol, but not taking it out of its holster. Jones looked behind them as if to find a way to escape, but four more security guards were coming up behind them now as well.
Willits and Jones looked at each other, putting their hands up. From the building behind them, a short man of Indian descent rapidly approached them in casual clothing with a glass of wine in his hand. His assistant, the one in the hologram, was walking directly behind him. Vihaan Kapoor, clearly in anger, began shouting at Willits and Jones, still with their hands up. “Thought it was funny when you left me on Vandabri to take a transvestite into one of the parlor rooms, did you?”
Willits and Jones were speechless. Vihaan continued, “Did you really think the richest man on Earth would forget such a cruel joke.”
Seeing Vihaan was still pissed, Jones said in desperation, “It was Madam Rouselle’s idea.”
Vihaan quickly countered, “I have given that bitch so much money over the years she would never do such a thing. It was you two. I didn’t realize it until I slid my hand up her skirt!”
Vihaan just stared at them angrily. He was looking up, not taking his eyes off them. Willits and Jones just kept their hands up, not knowing what to say. After about five seconds, Vihaan finally started laughing, “Never make decisions after four bottles of wine, you mother-fuckers….”