The Great Gate

by J R Dahl

  As he worked a probe dropped down out of the bottom side of the fighter. It landed on the floor of the hangar and began drilling its way through the metal floor. Once through the floor the probe opened to reveal small robotic arms that pushed and pulled it through the maze of wires and tubes. It searched until it found main cables to attach itself to. Now that it was connected Telgrin was able to have direct access and therefore able to hack the Nemaron system more quickly.

  Lonan jumped out of the pilot’s seat, gathered some weapons, and opened the main hatch of the fighter.

  “I’m in,” said Telgrin. “Wow, that was fast.”

  Just as Lonan prepared to step off the ship and into the hangar the Nemaron alarm system sounded.

  “Great!” Lonan yelled over the alarm. “That’ll make this easier.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Just man the guns and do whatever you need to do to keep them off me.”

  “You got it.”

  Lonan turned and ran off the fighter, through the hangar, and down the hallway. He looked down at his tracking device, which displayed the ship’s layout. On it he could also see a blinking green dot indicating his wife’s location.

  “Great, she is on the move,” said Lonan. He picked up the pace and ran down the hall.

  Elsewhere on the ship Averine and the other girls quietly peeked through the door of Maginon’s chamber and into the hallway. Averine motioned for the rest to follow as she turned to her left.

  Running down the hall with his eyes scanning in all directions for Nemaron soldiers, Lonan glanced down at his tracking device to see that Averine had turned in the opposite direction and was now moving away from him.

  “No, wrong way. Come back this way,” Lonan whispered to himself as he changed to an all-out sprint. In moments he ran past the main door to Maginon’s chamber where Averine and the girls had been seconds before. Lonan reached the end of the hall and turned left to follow Averine’s signal.

  Only seconds after Lonan turned the corner and continued running down the hall, Satan flew through the hull of the ship and into the hallway directly in front of the door to Maginon’s chamber. Satan walked through the door and into the main room. He looked around and found no one and turned to enter the bed chamber. There he found Maginon laying on the floor tied and gagged and just coming to.

  “What a surprise, you pitiful little fool,” grumbled Satan. He pulled a blade and cut the restraints from Maginon’s hands and feet.

  Maginon jumped up and pulled the gag from his mouth. “I’m glad you are—”

  Before he could finish Satan picked him up by his throat and threw him into the other room and against the wall. Satan slowly walked into the main chamber.

  “How did you fail me with all of the men, resources, and power that I gave you?”

  Maginon tried to collect himself as he stumbled to his feet. “I did exactly what you told me to do.”

  “Don’t try to blame me for your stupidity,” Satan yelled as he picked him up and threw him across the room again.

  Maginon’s body bounced off the wall and hit the floor. He spit blood from his mouth as he picked himself up again. Once to his feet he pleaded. “My lord, it’s not all lost. We can gather more men and slaves.”

  Meanwhile, not far from Maginon’s chamber, Averine and the girls continued to sneak down the hallway until five Nemaron soldiers appeared from around a corner.

  “Hey, you there. Stop!” the soldiers yelled as they ran toward the girls with their rifles lifted and ready to shoot.

  The girls turned to run the other way when suddenly a burst of rounds flew over their heads and hit the Nemaron soldiers. They all dropped to the floor, convulsing from the electrical shock.

  The girls looked up to see Lonan standing above them with is rifle aimed at the enemy soldiers. He turned to Averine and hugged and kissed her.

  “Come on, follow me. You’re going the wrong way,” said Lonan as he took Averine’s hand and raced down the hallway. “As usual,” he whispered under his breath.

  “What?” asked Averine.

  “Nothing. Let’s go,” answered Lonan as he led the girls back to the hangar and their waiting ship.

  Moments later they ran past Maginon’s chamber. As they did Lonan could sense a great deal of evil. The door was still open, and as Lonan ran past he caught a glimpse of Satan holding Maginon in the air by his throat. Lonan stopped immediately and peered into the room. He was amazed at what he could see.

  Averine noticed that he had stopped. She turned back and whispered, “Lonan! What are you doing?”

  He stepped toward her, handing her the tracking device and pistol.

  “Here, take this. The hangar is just down that hall. Telgrin is waiting. Get everyone loaded; I’m right behind you.”

  “What? Why? Where are you going?” asked Averine. She looked in the chamber and saw nothing. Her eyes were not capable of seeing Satan, so she had no idea what Lonan was doing.

  “Just go. I’ll meet you there,” whispered Lonan as he pointed her down the hall.

  Averine turned and ran in the direction of the hangar as the girls followed.

  Lonan pulled his rifle from his back, turned and entered through the door, his eyes blazing white.

  Inside the room Satan held Maginon off the floor by the throat while he kicked and gasped for air.

  “Worthless human. You’ve outlived your usefulness to me.” Satan’s eyes burned with a red haze. His mind was filled with so much rage that he gripped Maginon with this powerful hands and tore the man’s body in half. He then threw his torso against one wall and his legs against the opposite. Maginon’s eyes rolled back in his head as he exhaled his last breath, lying on the floor bleeding to death.

  Lonan walked into the room with his rifle fixed on Satan. “Hey! I want to talk to you!”

  Satan slowly turned as Lonan took short, careful steps in his direction.

  “I’m here to warn you. Stay away from my family and my people.”

  Satan slowly drew his flaming sword. “How dare you threaten me, maggot.” He stepped toward Lonan as he slowly became invisible.

  Lonan followed him with his rifle. “I can still see you,” said Lonan as his eyes blazed white.

  Satan lunged in attack. In Lonan’s mind everything went into slow motion—he could see Satan flying through the air with blade lifted high. Lonan squeezed the trigger and sent three rounds toward the demon. Each of them passed through Satan’s armor and entered his chest. The heavenly rounds sent his body flying backward and writhing in pain.

  “How did you do that?” grunted Satan after his body hit the back wall of Maginon’s chambers.

  “Like I said. I can see you now. I’m warning you, stay away from my family,” threatened Lonan. He stepped forward with his rifle and white eyes still fixed on the demon.

  Satan looked down to see black blood pouring from the holes in his chest plate. His eyes blazed with red fury as he jumped into the air, let out a horrific roar, and charged at Lonan.

  Lonan fired three more rounds. They hit the demon in the chest and stopped him for a moment.

  Satan raised his sword and charged again when suddenly an arrow pierced his hand, which caused him to drop his sword. The arrow was attached to a rope that was suddenly pulled backward, which sent Satan to the floor with a violent jerk. He cried out in pain as he turned to see the angel Balim standing behind him.

  Balim stood holding his bow and the other end of the rope. “Get your people home safely,” said Balim as he dropped the rope and drew his sword.

  Lonan nodded to the angel, turned, and ran out the door and down the hall toward the hangar.

  Satan slowly stood. He broke the arrow and pulled it from his hand. “Don’t you get tired of protecting these little fools?”

  “If you would leave them alone I wouldn’t have to.”

  “Oh, but their fear, their bitterness, and their hatred tastes so good.”

  “Go back to your hole in the ground
before I bring other warriors to escort you there.”

  “Enjoy your small victory… servant. I’m weak now, but I’ll regain my strength and then you and the rest of the wretched faithful will die!”

  Balim lost his patience. He took a step forward. With eyes blazing white he lifted his head and spoke out loudly in an angel tongue.

  Satan winced in pain at the sound and pulled back three steps. Then he leapt into the air and took to flight. “Enough! I leave you. But remember that my forces are everywhere, and we will rise again.” He then turned and flew through the hull of the ship and out into the pitch black of space.

  Back in the hangar Telgrin sat at the co-pilot station working at a computer terminal. “Yes! Compulsion system. Let’s see what damage we can cause.”

  Just then his computer showed ten Nemaron soldiers running down the hall about to enter the hangar. As they entered an automated gun dropped down from the bottom side of the fighter. It turned, fired electric rounds, and took out all of the soldiers as they entered.

  The action startled Telgrin; he looked up from his hacking work to see the ten soldiers convulsing on the floor. “Nice work, computer. It’s a good thing one of us is paying attention.”

  Then the computer showed Averine’s I.D. signature running down the hallway with the rest of the girls behind her. Seconds later they ran into the hangar. Slowing down only to step over the pile of Nemaron soldiers, they ran to the ship to find Telgrin at the bottom of the ramp waiting for them.

  “Good to see you alive. Where’s Lonan?”

  “He stopped for some reason.”

  Lonan ran into the hangar and jumped over the soldiers as he yelled, “Load up! Let’s get out of here.”

  The girls shuffled into the small storage compartment in the back of the fighter. Lonan jumped into the pilot’s seat as ten more Nemaron soldiers entered the hangar. They immediately opened fire and hit the hull of the ship only to quickly be gunned down by the automated weapon on the bottom of the Helion fighter.

  “I have our exit strategy figured out,” said Telgrin as Lonan lifted the fighter off the landing platform.

  “Mind telling me about it?”

  “Get us out of here and I’ll show you,” said Telgrin.

  The ship turned and blasted out of the hangar.

  Chapter 16

  Lonan piloted the fighter away from the command ship. As he did more Nemaron soldiers entered the hangar and fired hundreds of rounds at the escaping Helienders. Within seconds the command ship’s cannons turned and took aim.

  Averine turned on the targeting system and fired a group of rounds at the canons. She quickly took out one, but the other fired multiple shoots at the fighter as it gained speed and pulled away from the enemy ship.

  Telgrin continued to work at his computer station as Lonan piloted the spacecraft.

  “Get ready for a show!” grinned Telgrin as he finished punching some keys.

  Deep inside the Nemaron command ship, the main engines began to overheat. Soldiers scurried as the nearby computer monitors signaled a warning of the temperature levels.

  On the command deck the pilots also saw the engine warnings. “Sir, we have a problem,” reported one of the soldiers.

  The captain turned. “What’s going on? Stabilized those engines.”

  “I can’t sir! There not responding! I’m locked out of the system!”

  In the Helion fighter Telgrin watched the engines with a wide grin on his face as they flew away from the command ship.

  The engines of the Nemaron ship exploded in four enormous balls of fire. This caused them to lose all power inside the command ship. All the lights went out and low lever emergency lighting came on. The main body of the ship was still intact, but all propulsion had ceased and the ship floated helplessly through space.

  Telgrin jumped and cheered. “Yes! They won’t be getting away.”

  “Nice work,” said Lonan. “I knew there was a reason I brought you.”

  Back at planet Helion the shuttles had returned from the rescue missions. They had landed outside of the base and hundreds of freed slaves were helped off the shuttles by Helion soldiers and medics. Some had to be carried off in stretchers. They were all very weak and malnourished, but they all were very relieved to have been freed.

  Off in the distance the Helienders continued to collect and restrain the enemy soldiers. They loaded the weakened Leviathan into prison transports and hauled them away to shuttles that were waiting on the far side of the battlefield. They would be taken to a nearby planet where they would be housed in a Helion restoration facility. There they would be helped with their physical and psychological problems as the evil Leviathan poisons were cleansed from their bodies.

  Sevran, Armon, Cloin, and Eluine stood outside the base watching as an attractive young woman medic tended to Sevran’s wounded arm.

  Kilgron walked out of the main hangar and joined the group.

  “We just received word from your brother. They are all safe and will be arriving soon,” reported Kilgron.

  “I knew he’d pull it off.”

  “I trust you’ll survive your wounds,” said Kilgron as he examined Sevran’s arm.

  “Yes, sir. I’m getting great medical attention here,” said Sevran as he winked at the young medic.

  She looked up at him and smiled.

  Cloin rolled her eyes.

  “Don’t milk it. We have work to do. Many repairs to be made to the base,” said Kilgron. He looked down over the battlefield that was filled with destroyed AUVs, Stingers, and Nemaron tanks. He could also see the enormous smoking hole that had been blown in the side of the base.

  “Yes, sir.”

  One of the freed slaves walked over to Sevran. She was a frail older woman who could barely walk. She reached out and hugged him around his waist. “Thank you so much for saving us,” she said with a tear in her eye.

  “We’re glad to help,” said Sevran. He smiled and kissed her on the top of her white head.

  Cloin tried to hide a smile as a medic came and escorted the woman into the base.

  “This way, ma’am. You need to be seen by one of our doctors.”

  Just then Lonan’s fighter came into view and landed on the outer edge of the landing pad. As the ramp of the fighter opened, Averine and Telgrin led the girls out.

  Averine turned to Telgrin. “Can you show them to the medical bay?”

  “Sure. This way ladies,” answered Telgrin.

  Averine turned and walked to her father and the others.

  “I’m so glad you’re safe,” said Kilgron as he hugged his daughter. He felt the deepest sense of relief as he held her.

  Averine turned to Sevran and patted him directly on the bandage of his arm. He winced in pain. “Ouch! Bandage.”

  “Oh, you’re fine,” said Averine as she watched Lonan walk toward the group. “I’m going to help in the medical unit.”

  As he approached the group Averine reached out and hugged her husband. “I’ll see you inside later. I’m going to help with the wounded.”

  “Okay,” answered Lonan before he turned to Sevran and lightly hit his brother’s bandaged arm.

  “Good to see you in one piece.”

  Sevran winced again in pain and said, “Same to you,” as he punched Lonan in the shoulder. “I’m going inside to find people with a little more compassion.”

  “Good luck,” answered Lonan with a grin.

  Sevran stood and began to walk toward the hangar door. As he did four young women came out to greet him. As soon as he saw them he began to fake a slight limp. The girls gathered around him and helped him into the base.

  “Are you ok?” one of them asked.

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll be fine.”

  “Let us help you,” another said.

  The four girls came along beside him and helped him limp into the base.

  Lonan shook his head in disgust. “Faker.”

  Telgrin guided the girls who had been held captive by Magi
non through the main hangar.

  “This way, ladies,” he said as he looked up just in time to see that they were walking past Sarah, who was attending to a wounded soldier. She was the young medic that Telgrin secretly loved but could never seemed to muster the strength to talk to for more than five seconds.

  Sarah turned just as she was finishing with the soldier and saw Telgrin walking in with the group of women.

  “Did you rescue these people?” Sarah asked with a brilliant smile.

  “Sort of…I mean… yes,” stumbled Telgrin. “We rescued them from Maginon himself. Well, I didn’t. I was just a part of the mission.” Telgrin fumbled around as he tried not to make too much eye contact.

  “You were on their main command ship?”

  “Yes, I was,” answered Telgrin with some renewed boldness as he saw that she seemed to be impressed. “In fact, I hacked their system and destroyed their engines. They’re just floundering up there in space waiting for us to go haul them to the dungeons.”

  “Wow. I’m impressed,” Sarah answered with a shy glint in her eye.

  A group of rescued slaves from the planet Crule compound shuffled by on their way to the medial bay. One of them was a man who had been separated from his wife on the planet Tarnus. She was a beautiful young woman and had been taken to Maginon’s chambers. She was now walking in the same hangar with the group of women and Telgrin. The man was shuffling along still trying to recover from the drugs of the slave compound. He looked up for a second and happened to see his wife in the other group.

  “Clarine!” he yelled as he shoved his way through the crowd. “Clarine!”

  She looked up immediately as she recognized his voice. They ran to one another and meet in the middle of the hangar. Tears began to flow down their faces as they shared a much-needed embraced.

  “Are you ok?” asked the man as he looked her over.

  “Yes, yes,” she answered through tears. “But I never thought I would see you again.”

  Sarah turned to Telgrin and whispered, “Nice work.”

  “Yeah. I guess so,” answered Telgrin as he turned away a little in a futile attempt to hide the fact that his eyes were tearing up.