Belinea

by Andrew Mack

  Willits asked Jones, “Did it hit?”

  Jones answered, “I don’t think so, no explosion.”

  Willits then said, “Keep them from escaping. Take out the Civilian ship.”

  By the time Taz had stabilized the Valkyrie, he saw the Cannon Drone turn its aim towards the Civilian Transport. Before his soldiers could get off any meaningful shot, the Cannon Drone fired two shots, back to back, three seconds apart, destroying the Civilian Transport engines.

  After the second shot, one of Taz’s soldiers connected a shot from his rifle with one of the Cannon Drone’s rotor blades. A second shot connected with another rotor blade, sending the Cannon Drone plummeting to the surface.

  Once the threat of the Cannon Drone was gone, Taz proceeded to fly away on the Valkyrie, further into the valley and away from the Kapoor Estate.

  Willits then looked at Vihaan and said, “How long till your security gets here?”

  Vihaan looked at his wrist device and said, “Two minutes.”

  Jones then said, “Not enough time, they will get away.”

  Willits said, “Fuck!”

  The three of them walked back up to the top of the hill, where they looked down at the sheer damage from the Mortar Missile. It had taken everything out in a one hundred meter radius. Things were still on fire, but mostly everything just smoldered in smoke at this point. After about ten seconds of looking, Jones broke the silence and said, “Damn.”

  Vihaan looked stunned. Even in the dark, the small little flames showed the destruction. He opened his hand and pointed it out. “Look at this shit, you two! You killed every fucking grapevine in this area, the DAG house, and that old transport ship down there! Who the fuck is going to pay for all this?”

  Willits just turned to Vihaan and said, “Send the bill to Kimakawa.”

  Belinea 5.13

  Molar

  Tunsall was back in the cockpit opposite Trujillo as they piloted the T-141 into the atmosphere of Molar. There was no Space Port. Molar was a grey planet of mostly blue and black oceans and mountainous rock. The clouds were perpetually dark as it seemed to rain all the time.

  As the ship burst through the clouds, it came upon one of the few inhabited areas, Populis Pointe. The Pointe, as people called it, was a small flat area between two mountains rising above the sea. It had become the main port for the planet.

  Tunsall pointed with his hand out the window. “There, Populis Pointe.”

  Alexis and Ambassador Bird were in the back chairs behind Trujillo and Tunsall. Bird immediately asked, “How safe is this planet?”

  Alexis countered with, “If you are expecting a large AuFa or Belinean presence, think again. It’s a trading stop.”

  Trujillo then added, “So just like Vandabri.”

  Tunsall answered, “No. Vandabri is casinos, bars, and brothels. The Pointe is nothing more than a port. Smugglers exchange merchandise and cargo, refuel their ships, buy narcotics. All away from the watchful eye of the AuFa.”

  Bird asked, “Is this planet not in the Council?”

  Alexis answered, “Technically, it’s a Torsallian territory littered with all their undesirables and cheap labor. They let local government, what little they have, run the show. So the Pointe has a fair share of drug lords and crime bosses.”

  Bird just whispered to himself, “Great….”

  As they came closer to the Pointe, there was an area off to the side, next to one of the Mountains, that had eight landing spots. Trujillo pointed to one of the landing spots, the last one on the row. He said, “Tunsall, there.”

  Tunsall slowed the engines down and turned the ship ninety degrees. As if he had landed a ship a thousand times, the T-141 turned and ever so gently touched the ground, coming to a perfect landing.

  Trujillo and Tunsall unbuckled out of their chairs. Trujillo looked directly at Alexis and said, “Stay here……., please?”

  Alexis gave him a slightly perturbed look. Ambassador Bird then added, “I am going with you.”

  Tunsall stopped and asked, “Sir?”

  Ambassador Bird continued, “I am an Ambassador on the Council, I should be able to provide some clout. Perhaps get a message to the BRG.”

  Tunsall just looked at him and said, “With all due respect, sir, you being an Ambassador does not improve our situation. It probably makes it worse.”

  Bird was baffled. Tunsall and Trujillo just walked out the back of the ship. Bird looked at Alexis and said, “These two cadets are telling us what to do?”

  Alexis said nothing. Trujillo and Tunsall continued to walk through the rain towards a small building off the side of all the landing pads. They walked through the door and saw a large, robust man behind a counter. Without looking up, he said, “Cargo declaration and manifest.”

  Trujillo and Tunsall walked up the counter, trying to wipe the rain from their faces. Tunsall looked at the large man and said, “We do not have a manifest.”

  The large man now looked up. He seemed annoyed. “I need a manifest, or I will just turn you over to The Pointe Port Police.”

  Trujillo now added, “Let’s not do that when we both can benefit from this transaction.”

  Trujillo held up the bag of Qusar coins. He took four out and placed them on the counter.

  The large man just looked at him and said, “That won’t even buy you a refuel.”

  Trujillo took out ten more coins and placed them on the counter. The man said, “What’s the cargo?”

  Tunsall answered. “No cargo. Just passengers….”

  Trujillo continued, “....and no more questions.”

  The large man held up his hand, which had four fingers. Trujillo put four more Qusar coins down. Trujillo added, “And we need a cleanout and refuel.”

  The large man said, “That will take a couple of hours, we are behind. How long are you staying?”

  Trujillo and Tunsall looked at each other, and Trujillo replied, “Not long.”

  The large man nodded. Trujillo and Tunsall walked back out in the rain, towards the T-141. Tunsall then said, “Not long?”

  Trujillo looked at him and said, “Remember what Willits said. If we don’t hear from him or Jones after we get to Molar, leave with the Ambassador straight to Belinea.”

  The two continued to walk back towards the ship. They got on and were eagerly greeted by Alexis and Bird. Bird said, “And?”

  Tunsall answered. “We are good. Refuel, engine cleanout. Re-supply for a few hours and wait on Willits and Jones.”

  Bird answered, “Wait on Willits and Jones? Why?”

  Trujillo looked right at Bird and said, “Because those are the orders, Ambassador.”

  It was Trujillo’s way of saying they were in charge now, and Bird did not like it one bit. The Ambassador turned around and walked back to his make-shift personal quarters. Alexis just looked at Trujillo and sarcastically said, “This is gonna be fun.”

  Belinean 5.14

  Torsalli

  Kapoor Estate

  The security team landed the small transport shuttle at Vihaan Kapoor’s personal transport base. What looked like a small hanger housed twelve space crafts. Directly next to where they landed outside, was a D-21 Sirallo. It was a slick, silver-colored spacecraft that looked like royalty was flying on. Someone had already fired up the engines and was walking out of it when Willits, Jones, and Vihaan all got off their transport.

  Willits and Jones, still bleeding from the explosion and crash, looked at Vihaan and said, “Vi, we owe you.”

  Vihaan, still a little pissed about what had happened to parts of his vineyard, replied, “You guys should really get looked at. That’s a nasty cut.”

  Jones just replied, “We are wanted men, Vi. Got to go now.”

  Vihaan asked, “Wanted for what?”

  Willits answered, “Two BRG officers called
me an Egglet, and I did not like it.”

  Jones added, “So we killed them.”

  Vihaan said “What is an Egglet?”

  Willits said, “It’s a derogatory word Belineans use for Earthlings. It means they are dumb, impure, and beneath them from a social class.”

  Jones, looking at Vihaan, added, “A third class citizen, like what you and I used to be on Earth.”

  Vihaan whispered, “Assholes…”

  Willits said, “Yep. So the BRG is looking for us. And you will tell them?”

  Vihaan just nodded “I know, I know. You guys were never here.”

  Willits added, “And when the BRG or AuFa shows up…”

  Vihaan just added, “Somebody stole my Sirallo.”

  They all just gave a small smile. Willits extended his hand, as did Jones. Willits said, “Thank you, Vi.”

  They shook hands. Then Willits and Jones practically sprinted into the D-21 Sirallo. They got into the cockpit chairs, hit a few spots on the control screen, and soon the ship was taking off into the night.

  Willits and Jones gained some altitude, finally reaching the clouds and heading to space. Willits asked, “You know how to fly this thing, correct?”

  Not convincingly, Jones answered, “I think so. You think this ship is as fast as Vi said?”

  Willits just smiled and said, “We are about to find out.”

  On the way from Torsalli to Molar, Captain Kimmel and Commander Nick Devanoe were in their frigate’s cockpit pilot’s chairs. They had been traveling for a few hours. Breaking the silence, Devanoe’s wristwatch tracker suddenly started beeping and flashing. Both the men looked at it, with Nick giving a small smile. He took it off and placed it to the control panel. After a few seconds, the control panel gave a readout. Devanoe looked at it. He looked at Captain Kimmel and said, “Molar.”

  Both turned back to looking out through the windows into space. They were heading the right way.

  Belinea 5.15

  Molar

  Populis Pointe

  Tunsall was sitting in the pilot’s chair of the ship. He was reading something on a tablet before proceeding from the cockpit back to the cabin area. Once he got back there, he noticed Trujillo working on an electrical box, with wires hanging out. Bird was sitting across from him, reading from his tablet, and drinking a cup of coffee. Tunsall asked Trujillo, “What’s up?”

  Trujillo, working diligently with a pair of pliers in his hand, responded, “Trying to get all the power to the rear cabin back on. Must have shorted somewhere. You?”

  Tunsall just said, “There is something here about AuFa and Belinean procedure that I was confused about and wanted to see if Alexis understood it.”

  Trujillo just looked at him and said, “I thought she was up there with you?”

  Tunsall looked at him and said, “No, I thought she was back here?”

  Bird now looked up at both of them. He yelled at the top of his lungs, “Alexis!”

  But all three of them just stared at each other. No response was heard. Trujillo and Tunsall began looking all over the rest of the ship. Bird stood up and repeated his shout. “Alexis!”

  They kept looking and yelling for over a minute, But no response came. They all finally met back at the spot they started, confused and frustrated. Trujillo looked at Tunsall and just said, “You think she left the ship?”

  Tunsall, putting on a coat, responded, “Would not be the first time. I am going outside to look for her. Stay here with the Ambassador.”

  Trujillo quickly responded, “I will go.”

  Tunsall turned to him and softly, but in an aggravated tone, said, “Stay here…”

  Tunsall walked off the ship and into the rain. Trujillo stood there looking at Bird. They continued to look at each other. Trujillo briskly walked to the cockpit area to the control panel on the side. He flipped a few switches and ran a scan of the Pointe. The heat registers and population concluded about a thousand people scattered about. There was no chance he could pinpoint Alexis with that. He then tried to pull up some security footage, but it was murky because of all the rain. He walked back to the cabin area where Bird was still standing, looking out the window. Bird said to him, “You think something happened to her?”

  Trujillo just responded, “No. I think she was just stupid and decided to go for a walk or something.”

  Bird instantly replied, “In the rain?”

  Trujillo then said, “Maybe some serious cabin fever, or …...shit!”

  Bird replied, “What?”

  Trujillo put on his jacket. “Ambassador, wait here. Do not let anyone in.”

  Trujillo ran outside, back over to the small building with the large man. Trujillo walked up to the counter and said to the large man, “I need to send a communication.”

  The large man again never looked up. He just replied, “To where?”

  Trujillo was hesitant to reveal too much. “Somewhere far. Braccus, perhaps Earth.”

  The large man shook his head and said, “Just like I told your friend, you need a C-Bar transmission for that. Only one of those on the Pointe. It’s up at Rhett’s, further up the mountain. And it will cost you.”

  Trujillo stormed out.

  Further up the path, Tunsall was still walking in the rain. He was going through the covered portion of the town, which was nothing more than a series of large tin roofs and solar sails over the paths to help with the rain. The town was littered with all sorts of interesting types of scoundrels of different races. Tunsall was jogging until he got to the entrance of Rhett’s. It was a trading post of sorts, with lots of exciting merchandise inside. He walked up to the lady at the counter and said, “I need to send a communication.”

  The lady pointed to a hallway off to the side. Tunsall walked down it. As he got to the end, he turned and entered a small, darkroom. There was a robot behind the counter. Tunsall saw Alexis typing on a tablet off to the side. Tunsall looked at her and said, “Stop!”

  Alexis stopped typing and looked at Tunsall. “What are you doing?”

  Tunsall looked at her and said, “What are you doing? We told you about no communication!”

  Alexis went back to typing and said, “It’s not what you think, Tunsall.”

  Tunsall reached for his side-arm, pointed his pistol at Alexis. He firmly replied, “I said, stop.”

  Alexis just glanced at him and said, “What are you going to do, shoot me?”

  Tunsall fired a shot right next to Alexis, intentionally just missing her. She turned to him and said, “Are you crazy?”

  The robot added, “Please stand by while we assess the damage you have caused.”

  Tunsall kept the pistol pointed right at her. “I am warning you, Alexis. Willits said to look out for this very thing.”

  Alexis tilted her head and said, “Did he? Exactly what did he say?”

  Tunsall replied, “He said not to let either of you send any communications, especially you. He does not trust you, and after this, rightfully so.”

  Alexis replied, “Really! Did it ever occur to you that it might be Willits and Jones we should not be trusting?”

  Just then, Trujillo caught up and turned into the room. He saw Tunsall had drawn his pistol. Trujillo practically yelled, “What the hell is going on?”

  Tunsall quickly responded, “I caught her sending a message, just like Willits said she would.”

  Trujillo turned to her and said, “Is this true?”

  Alexis responded, “It’s not what you think, Trujillo.”

  Tunsall asked, “How do people keep finding out our location?”

  Alexis answered, “I don’t know!”

  Tunsall quickly responded, “But you think it’s Willits and Jones?”

  Alexis answered, “I used to…..”

  It left Tunsall and Trujillo looking at each oth
er. They were confused by the response. Alexis went back to typing a few more lines. Trujillo yelled at her, “Alexis!”

  She then finished typing in a few seconds. She looked over at the robot and said, “Send it.”

  Tunsall, still pointing the pistol at Alexis, said, “No!”

  Alexis took three steps towards Tunsall and held out her hand. She gently pushed the pistol down, causing Tunsall to point it towards the floor. She reached into her pocket, pulled out two Qusar coins, and put them on the counter. She said, “One for the message, one for the trouble.”

  Alexis turned back to look at Tunsall and Trujillo and said, “I know, now, that it is not Willits and Jones. That’s what the message says.”

  Tunsall then asked, “Then who are you sending it to?”

  Alexis said, “I can’t tell you that. You are going to have to trust me.”

  Trujillo responded, “You told me not to trust you.”

  Alexis looked at both of them. “And you shouldn’t. But right now, I do trust both of you. And I am asking you to do the same for me, even though you have no reason to do so.”

  Tunsall and Trujillo glanced at each other, then looked back at Alexis. After about a six-second pause, Tunsall, with a bit of apprehension, said, “Alright.”

  A few more seconds went by before Alexis asked, “Where is the Ambassador?”

  Trujillo said, “I left him on the ship.”

  Tunsall and Alexis said in unison, “Shit!”

  They ran out of Rhett’s back onto the covered path. Eventually, they ran back through the pouring rain to the air landing pads. When they got to the ship, they opened the door, which they noticed had been blasted. All three rushed in, and Alexis yelled out, “Ambassador!”

  Tunsall saw the Ambassador’s steak knife planted into the wall. Underneath it was a note.

  If you want your cargo back alive, you will need five times more than what you had in the bag. You have one hour.

  Tunsall ripped the note and handed it to Trujillo. Trujillo read it, and gave it to Alexis. Alexis said, “Damn it. Now, what do we do?”