by Frank Carey
Before I could answer, a large hand reached over and grabbed Shenda by her wrist and lifted her off the floor. It was Sybol. He held her within inches of his face, her nose almost brushing his tusks. “I’m sorry, Capt. Quist, but you’re mistaken. You’re going to calm down and follow your ex-husbands orders to the letter. Either that or I’ll have to subdue you, and I don’t think you’ll like that. I’m not very gentle, as you can imagine. Will you comply?”
She looked at him and nodded her head. He gently set her down on the ground before stepping back and crossing his arms. She holstered her gun and simply said, “Sorry, lost my head there for a moment.”
I nodded. She’s been through hell, so I cut her some slack. “Thanks, Sybol. Shenda, can you take us to the room full of equipment?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good. Cassandra, are Shenda’s friends around?”
“No, scan is clear.”
“Good, then let’s get moving. Shenda, lead the way.” I said as I killed the lamp and motioned for Sybol to open the door.
The way was clear and we met no one. Illumination was provided by lights embedded in the ceiling, while the walls were covered with murals from a long-forgotten time.
“The paint on these murals dates from thirty thousand standard years ago or longer,” Cassandra said as she scanned the walls. “Note that each has a warrior or battle theme.”
“Except this one,” Morga said as she stood in front of one that depicted three humanoid forms posed as if in agony. Above them were at least several glowing orbs. Off to the side was another humanoid form, this one with a globe inside it and standing with a weapon, as if waiting for something.
“Maybe it's a depiction of death. The humanoids are dying while the orbs are their souls?” Cassandra said, sounding less than convinced.
“It’s a swarm,” I said.
“What?” Shenda asked, not understanding.
“A swarm,” I repeated. “The humanoids are victims and the globes are trying to enter the victim’s bodies. This guy, the one with the orb inside him, is already possessed, so he’s waiting for his next opponent. Shenda, aren’t these what you saw in the arena?”
“Yes,” she replied in a whisper.
“We need to get to the equipment room,” I said as I tried to hustle them along. I had a really bad feeling about all of this.
“It’s in here,” Shenda said, pointing to a doorway.”
“No humanoid life signs, but two unknowns.” Cassandra said as she scanned the room.
“Sybol, can you open the door?”
“Sure,” he said as he examined the lock pad. He pressed a button and the door quietly slid open. Not bad for a twenty thousand year old structure.
At the center of the room was a large transparent cylinder about four meters in diameter and three meters in height. Pipes led from the back of it to a set of cylindrical objects stacked four high and fifteen wide at the back of the room. In front of the central cylinder was an energized control panel. I gave Cassandra and Morga the task of figuring out the panel while Sybol, Shenda, and I surveyed the room.
“The writing is Centasi,” Cassandra observed as she pulled a dog-eared notebook from her pack.
“Of course it is, my dear. Who do you think built this place, elves?”
We spun around and saw a human female standing near the entry with three armed humanoids. All looked like they had taken a beating.
“Pamela,” Shenda said in shock.”
"Hello, Captain," Pamela said as her companions moved to flank the four members of the search party. "By the way, I go by Syke, now."
"Who the hell are you, and where is Pamela?" Shenda said.
“Spacer Jones, at least the essence of Spacer Jones, is dead,” Syke said with a sneer. In fact, all of your crew members are dead, but their bodies continue to serve Emperor Rytel and the Centasi Empire.
"How is that possible?" Cassandra asked. I don't know if she was being a scientist or trying to buy us time.
"Somewhere in the dim reaches of time, the Centasi race evolved into a non-corporeal form. To survive, though, we needed specific environmental requirements found only on a few planets, inside special storage containers, or inside living bodies," she said as she walked up to us. "Unfortunately, we never learned to share, so the body's original owner dies in the process we call possession."
"What is going on in the arena?" Shenda asked.
"The arena is where we prepare for battle. We look for bodies that are strong and resilient. We can maintain them, even if they are severely damaged. They will be like our armor in the upcoming battles.”
Lord, this guy was long-winded, I thought. “So, what about us? Are you planning on boring us to death?” I asked.
“Funny. We seem to be missing one member of your team. Where’s the big one?” Syke asked
I was wondering the same thing. I hadn't seen Sybol since Syke and his motley crew had crashed our party.
“I sent him to find us some ice,” Shenda said.
“Another funny one. You two related?” Syke said, obviously irritated by our banter. "How about I show you, first hand, how a possession works?" She said as she grabbed Shenda's arm.
Before I could step-in, one of the guards piped up. "Second, may I remind you that the emperor left specific instructions that you were not to transfer?"
"Harrumph," she said as she threw down Shenda's arm. "Take their weapons and show them to the platform."
Two of the escorts took our weapons and held them on Cassandra and Morga while the other one escorted us to a small platform in front of the crystal cylinder.
"What is this? What are you going to do to us?" I asked as I looked around for a way out of this.
Those cylinders against the wall store the consciousness of the Centasi race," she explained. "All but two have been decanted from storage into host bodies."
Behind us, the cylinder was bathed in purple light which illuminated the two entities in side. They were transparent and quite horrible to look at.
"They’re both quite insane. It seems that long-term storage does not promote mental health in the Centasi," she said as she pressed a button on the crystal cylinder which closed the outer door, sealing us inside.
Syke walked over to the control panel and pressed a button. The barrier separating us from the horrors inside the cylinder lowered into the floor, exposing us to the Centasi. As those in the control room watched, the two Centasi engulfed us in glowing plasma energy as they tried to take our bodies from us.
"This is going to hurt, a lot," Syke said as she watched.
It did hurt, but neither Shenda nor I felt the pain. As we stood there, the two energy beings disconnected from us, screaming in obvious pain and suffering,
I looked over at the control console and saw Syke frantically punching controls. Just then, blaster fire from the far end of the room hit the guards multiple times, knocking them to the ground, where they remained unmoving. Seeing this, Morga reached behind a table and grabbed two guns she had hidden there when Syke had walked in. She threw one to Cassandra and, together they fired on the third guard, who, like the first two, immediately fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Sybol emerged from the far end of the lab to draw down on Syke.
Morga ran over and slapped the button on the chamber, causing the lock to cycle, freeing us. Shenda and I retrieved our guns, while Morga and Cassandra examined the guards.
"He's dead," Morga said, "and there is no sign of his Centasi parasite," she said.
"Same with these two," Cassandra reported.
"That’s impossible! Syke said. "The Centasi are immortal!"
"Why don't you just quiet down," I said. She was really getting on my nerves.
"No!" she screamed as she grabbed my wrist. Perhaps she forgot what happened to the two Centasi in the crystal cylinder. Perhaps she chose to not believe what she had seen. In any event, she tried to take over my body. She died just like the other two.
I pulled Pame
la's dead hand from my arm and gently lowered her to the ground.
"I'm so sorry, Pam," Shenda said as she closed her dead eyes. "What the hell is happening here?"
“I think the tracker crystals and your necklace prevent the Centasi from entering our bodies. Once they leave a host they have a very short time to find a new one or else they die. No one on the Lewis or the Tenjin has one of these crystals."
I looked around at everyone and saw they were all seeing what I was seeing. The Centasi, the self-proclaimed immortals of this sector, were having their plans foiled by a common tracker crystal. Then it hit all of us. We would have all been in the same boat as the crews of the Lewis and Tenjin if it hadn't been for Sil Morga’s need to keep things in order.
"Well that explains why those things died when they came in contact with you two," Cassandra said, "but why did the ones that didn't touch any of us die?"
"I think in those cases, the Centasi were forced out of their hosts because the damage was just too great for them to fix. I bet they had to leave or die with the host. Problem was they had nowhere to go. The crystals repelled them."
"So, we have a defense against them?" Sybol asked.
"We do, until they figure out a work around, that is. They're smart, but immensely arrogant. If they reach a point where the survival of their race becomes the issue, I’ll bet credits to confections they’ll lose the arrogance. That’s when we are going to be in real trouble."
"We need to get the surviving, unpossessed members of the Lewis and Tenjin crews off this planet. Once in orbit, we can call for help. Before we go, we can destroy the Tenjin's engines, effectively stranding the Centasi on this planet. We can let the Consortium decide the Centasi's fate.
"Good plan, except for the getting the survivors out-part. How do we do that?" Morga asked
"First, we need to make sure the Centasi can't possess their bodies," I said. "Morga, do you have any tracker crystals with you?"
"No, not the ones I implant, but I do have a few packets of powder. What are you thinking, John?"
"If someone were to ingest some of this powder, would they be protected like they would be if they had a crystal implanted?"
"Sure, that's why I carry the packets. Sprinkle it on, eat it, drink it, or just put it in their pocket. Ingestion works best because the crystals will stay in the body for about twelve to twenty-four standard hours."
"Great. What if we could get the people in the corral to ingest the powder? We could then pull a surprise attack on the Centasi, causing some of them to try to change bodies. When they failed, it would cause confusion and mayhem, which we could use as a diversion while we get everyone back to the ship."
"That's a great idea, except for the part about ingesting the powder. How do we do that?" Sybol asked.
"The Centasi want the bodies to be in good shape, right? That means food and water. Shenda, did you see any food or water in or near the corral?
"I… Yes, near a set of doors at the far end of the corral were barrels of water with dippers. I think I saw some people using them to drink. But, you can't get to them. They're too far inside."
"Let me worry about that. I'm pretty sure Syke is going to be missed, so we haven't got a lot of time. Cassandra, call the Sancus and fill them in. Tell them to move the ship to the entrance and signal us when they arrive. Shenda, take us to the arena, please."
We left the room and headed to the arena.
"This is it," Shenda said as we walked up to a non-descript doorway. "This leads to the balcony."
"This corridor encircles the arena as does the one below us," Cassandra said as she scanned the area. "There are four entrances off this corridor and eight off the one below. There are two stairways that connect the two corridors—one here," she said pointing to a dark opening across from us, "and one across from the next balcony doorway. At the bottom of the other stairway is the entrance to the corral."
"Morga, give me half of your stash of packets," I said. I stuffed them into my uniform while I took off my weapons harness, which I gave to Sybol along with my weapons."
"What are you doing?" Shenda asked, worried.
"You and Sybol are going to stay here while Morga, Cassandra, and I go to the other stairwell," I explained. "The three of us are going to go downstairs, where these two are going to hide themselves. I'm going to get myself captured and taken into the corral. This will be your signal to setup on the balcony. When I signal, the four of you are going to start firing at every Centasi you see. I'll take care of the rest."
"This is a really bad idea," Morga said with a more worried look than Shenda's.
"It’s the only plan we have, but if you have a better one, I’m all ears."
All I got were deep frowns.
"Let's move, then," I said. I really hope this works.
I found myself in an empty corridor with the sound of Centasi guards approaching.
"Hey, someone's in the corridor. You there! Halt or we'll fire on you!" one of the guards yelled. I froze and cringed.
"Don't hurt me." I said, cowering.
"Who are you?" the other guard said.
"I'm Perkins off the Tenjin. I worked down in the hold."
"From the Tenjin you say," the first guard said as he grabbed my arm and looked at my ship patch, the one I borrowed from Shenda.
"Yes, sir, my first tour."
"Got any weapons?" He growled as he searched me.
"No, sir, no weapons. Not even a knife."
"He's clean. Put him in with the rest."
"Get in there," the second guard said as he pushed me through the doors and into the corral.
I now know what cattle feel like right before they enter the slaughterhouse. There were only about twenty people left in the corral and all looked as if they had lost hope. I looked around and saw the water barrels to the right of the exit. Next to them was a bucket and dipper. Perfect.
"Hey, guard, these people need water. May I?" I asked one of the Centasi standing outside the corral. He nodded an affirmative.
I filled the bucket with water while dropping-in a couple of packets of crystals. I gave it a good stir while I walked around and gave drinks to everyone. I got a few quizzical looks, but everyone was thankful for the small kindness.
I had just finished the last prisoner when one of the guards walked up to the fence.
"You, bucket boy, give me a drink," she said. She was missing an eye, but that didn't seem to bother her in the least bit.
I was now facing a dilemma. Either I refuse, raise suspicion, and get shot, or I give her a drink without knowing what would happen.
I gave her a drink. Nothing happened.
She walked away having quenched her thirst. She got maybe ten feet before stopping dead in her tracks and screaming, her Centasi form ejecting from the body before disintegrating in mid-air, while her lifeless host slowly crumpled to the ground.
Seeing what happened, the remaining captives moved away from me to group right in front of the exit, cowering in fear. Perfect. I tried to join them.
"Stop him!" someone ordered.
Two guards came into the corral, grabbed me and my bucket, and dragged me out into the open, where we were joined by one of the Centasi watching the festivities.
"Emperor, by your command," the guards said as they handed me over. The nametag on his uniform said "Patoor." A woman joined him. Her nametag said Nock. I was in deep trouble.
"What happened here," the emperor asked me.
"Sir, I just gave the guard some water, and it didn't agree with her."
"Give me that bucket," he ordered. The guard complied. The emperor sniffed the contents. He drew a dipper of it and smelled that. He handed it to me. "Drink," he ordered, so I drank.
"Not bad, a little flat. Perhaps a slice of lemon would help," I said. The guard hit me in the ribs with the butt of his gun.
Rytel turned to one of the guards. "Drink," he barked. The guard hesitated. The other guards aimed their guns at him. He drank. Not
hing happened.
"Hmmmm," Rytel said just as the guard screamed and died.
The remaining guards leveled their guns at me.
"Who are you?" Rytel asked.
"I'm Perkins, sir, from the Tenjin."
"No, you’re not Perkins. I have Dr. Patoor's memories and you’re not part of them. Who are you, really?"
The guards stepped back, but kept their guns on me. My cover was definitely blown.
"My name is Capt. John Quist of the Space Freighter Sancus," I said, snapping a crisp salute. All hell broke loose as blaster fire rained down on the Centasi, taking out several guards. One bolt meant for Rytel, missed and took out Dr. Nock. Cassandra and Morga ran in firing while yelling to the survivors to get out. I took this as my cue to leave. The last thing I saw was Rytel and the remaining Centasi heading out one of the rear exits.
When I got out in the corridor, I was met my Morga and Cassandra. Morga threw me my weapon and harness while Cassandra kept watch.
"Shenda and Sybol are taking the survivors out to the ship," Morga said. "There is no sign of Centasi pursuit."
"That's odd. Can you pick them up on scan?" I asked as we sprinted down the corridor to the surface.
"No," she replied. "In fact, I can't pick up anything beyond the arena. They must have it shielded."
"Not good," I replied. "Sancus, this is Quist. Do you copy?"
"Sancus here sir, we copy."
"Something is amiss down here. The Centasi have disappeared. Pop log buoy one and prepare for immediate take off. Do you copy Sancus?"
"Sir, we have an issue here. Wait one…"
Things were going from bad to worse. We made it out of the building only to find ourselves in a class three dust storm while nearby, Natalia, was holding a survivor at gunpoint. I looked at the top of the ship and saw one of the buoy covers was missing. At least they got it off.
"Everyone, get on board, NOW!" I yelled through the dirt-laden wind to the few survivors remaining outside the ship.
"Report," I yelled to Natalia.
"Bruce was about to remotely defuse the FTL Drive on the Tenjin, when this idiot grabbed the remote and activated the detonation sequence. I grabbed him on his way out of the ship.”