Red nodded stoically. “Understood. What do you want me to do?”
“You’re leading the mission to the volcano. Take Eddie with you, and Lori Westin as well.”
“Anyone else?”
“There will be five others going with you from the geology lab. They'll be handling the ore mining. I want you to pick two more security officers as well to take along. Take as much weaponry as you think you’ll need, just in case.”
“These geo guys know what we’re looking for?”
“Yes they do. They’re the ones who pinpointed what we needed inside that volcano.”
“Is that thing live?”
“It’s bubbling, but it appears like it’s been that way for a very long time.”
“Great. I just gotta make sure I’m not setting it off.”
Mark smirked. “That would be a start, Red. Get in, get out, get back here. Get it done.”
Chapter 9
The shuttle bay of the Cagliostro opened slowly, and an instant later a small shuttlecraft flew out of it, turned in mid-air and zipped away. Almost immediately the skin of the ship seemed to shimmer and the small shuttle’s lines became blurred. An instant later the shuttle disappeared.
It was a small craft holding all eight of its crewmembers in tight confines. The shuttles were modular in nature. This allowed maintenance crews the ability to remove or add rows of seating. This compromised carrying capacity, but at times it could not be helped, such as now. The shuttles were just twenty feet long, with a seven foot ceiling. They held emergency rations only. These were not deep space faring vehicles, merely for use on short hops between the Cagliostro and a planet’s surface if the Cag could not land for one reason or another. They were also sub-light only vessels. Anti-grav disc powered, Mark’s precursor to the magno-disc. No exhaust trails were present with either design. Once started, they created their own energy and could run almost infinitely, the magno-discs more so than the anti-grav discs.
But none of this mattered to Red Robinski. The shuttle slid silently through the atmosphere, save for a slight hum at its passing.
“ETA to volcano?” Red growled.
“At present speed three minutes longer, Sir,” Lori Westin replied professionally.
“Good, Miss Westin. Are you picking up anything on your comm unit?” the large security chief grumbled.
“Nothing Sir, from the Cagliostro or from anywhere else.”
Red nodded silently.
Lori Westin was flying the small shuttle. Eddie sat next to Red at the next console in the shuttles nose. He spoke in a low tone in Red’s right ear. “You okay, Chief? You seem, I dunno, nervous or outta sorts.”
Red snorted then replied, “Naahh, I’m good, Eddie. Just thinking things through. We’re in a pickle, if you know what I mean. Things are not great right now. We need to get whatever it is the scientist types need to repair the Cag and get outta here fast. I’m not liking this whole thing. Something just seems, I don’t know, Eddie, off somehow.”
“Off how?” Eddie questioned in a low voice.
“It’s nothing, pal. I just have a bad feeling, that’s all.”
“I don’t like ‘bad feelings’. Mama DiGenovese didn’t raise no superstitious fool, but she always told me what to be wary of, and one of them was normally tightly wound men acting squirrely all of a sudden. Just like you are.”
Red chuckled in a low, deep tone. “Don’t sweat it, Eddie. Just keep your eyes open. I have a feeling we may run into the unexpected, that’s all.”
Now it was Eddie’s turn to laugh. “Dude, we’re out in space battling nasty aliens. Our whole lives are the unexpected now.”
“Good point actually.” Red agreed.
The boxy little shuttle approached the volcano and slowed to a hovering halt.
“I’ll take it from here, Lori.”
The young red headed woman nodded her head as Red took control of the shuttle.
“I want to fly around the cone once or twice and check it out before we land, so be aware of anything that might seem suspicious.”
Everyone nodded and affirmed Red’s orders.
The boxy little shuttle slowly flew around the cone of the volcano, still maintaining its camouflage, which reflected the ships surroundings back onto its hull so it was seemingly invisible.
“How are we gonna get down there?” Eddie asked.
“We’re not. The scientists are going to lower a robotic tool that will scoop out exactly what they are looking for from that thing’s cone and bring it back to the storage compartment below. Once onboard it will be cooled to room temperature, thus allowing it to be handled more easily. Onboard the Cag it’ll be mixed with other ingredients that will be added to that soup. Then it will all be added to whatever other pieces they need to get the Cag back into space at hyper-warp speed.”
“Oooff. I don’t even like the sound of that.”
“Relax, Eduardo, the Cag has a fully fitted and stocked chemical lab. Between that and the other departments on the ship we can recreate any component on the ship.”
“Yeah I know, Red. Though that doesn’t mean I have to be happy to be in the situation we’re in.”
Red nodded. “Agreed, buddy. Let’s just get into position and hope this fixes the Cag up. I don’t want to be hanging around this place any more than I have to.”
“I’m in total agreement, big man. The sooner we get off this planet the better.”
“You both are forgetting something,” Lori Westin admonished.
“Oh yeah? What’s that Lori?” Red asked.
“There’s an Agalum base hidden somewhere on this lush green world and they probably know every square inch of this place.”
Red nodded. “Yeah, I’m well aware of that Lori.”
“I’m keepin’ an eye on things out there Red,” Eddie interjected. “First sign of trouble I see I’ll be blastin’ ‘em with both barrels.”
“Yeah, just be aware this damn shuttle’s only got the two forward guns. It would be a fantasy to call what’s on this ship ‘canons’.”
“Understood, Red.”
Red turned to Lori. “Lori, tell the science geeks to get to work. We’re right over the spot we detected the monotriglicine we need to replenish the coolant. They can start lowering the collector now.”
Lori talked quietly into her comm microphone to the men in the back of the shuttle who were already controlling the robot arm. It lowered with a great amount of precision, dipping carefully into the molten ore, then removing itself with a full scoop of brightly glowing molten rock and metal. After four more scoops of the stuff the scientific crew announced they had enough.
Red nodded and began to lift the still fully cloaked shuttle away from the volcano, when he stopped it and turned its nose back around to face the volcano’s side.
“What is it?” Eddie asked.
Red said nothing, but pointed to an image on the viewer.
“What the heck?” Eddie muttered.
Cut into the side of the mountain was a slot cut into the mountain itself. It was illuminated with landing lights along both the roof of the manmade, or in this case, alien made cave as well as on the floor. It seemed to be a fairly large cave. One that was big enough for at least medium sized ships to land in.
Before either man could say another word a small two man flyer zipped through the air right below them and entered the impromptu landing bay. An instant later the hole in the mountain’s side disappeared again.
“How come we didn’t see that until just now, and where’d it go?” Eddie asked.
Red shrugged. “Probably for the same reason they didn’t see us. They’ve got it cloaked somehow.”
“I figured as much,” Eddie admitted. Then he turned back to Red, “Now what do we do?”
“We get back to Mark and the others and tell them what we discovered. The enemy is living right under our noses, inside a hollowed out volcano. And from the look of things they have already established a forward base on this w
orld. One that’s within striking distance of Earth.”
Chapter 10
“Their base is inside the volcano,” Mark repeated.
Eddie and Red looked at each other, then back at Mark and nodded.
“At least we know where it is now,” Mark commented as he slid back into his chair at the conference table.
“That’s not going to make things any easier,” Red added.
“No, it’s not. At least the ore and chemicals you managed to acquire seems to be exactly what we need, according to Dan. The final repair parts and coolant are being manufactured as we speak.”
“How long until we’re off this mudball?” Eddie asked.
“It should only be another day or two at worst.”
“Yeah, but then we have to get by that G’Kor class monster out there, the Agalum’s planet killer. That’s not going to be easy you know,” Red advised.
“I didn’t think it would be, Red. But what choice do we have? We can’t stay here forever. The natives already know we’re here and while they are friendly now, all it takes is one of them getting captured and then interrogated for whatever reason and bam, there goes our secret.”
“That’s for sure. I guess it’s better to get out of here and take our chances out there.” Eddie waved his hand toward the ceiling and the depths of space beyond.
“I don’t know about ‘better’, but it’s more of the devil we know as opposed to the one we don’t.”
“Why? You think there may be more to this place than just a base?” Red asked with a furrowed brow.
“It is possible, Red. Though sometimes the most obvious reason is all the reason you need.”
“Yeah, understood,” the big security chief acknowledged.
“So what do you want us to do in the meantime?” Eddie inquired.
“System checks and training exercises. Let’s make sure everyone is in top shape for our mad escape from this world.”
“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” Eddie muttered.
“That’s what it’s going to end up being, Eddie. A mad rush out of here. I’m sure well have plenty to contend with on the way back up to the stars.”
“You know that’s probably an understatement.” Eddie smiled.
“I’m well aware of that, Mr. DiGenovese.”
Red held up his hand to silence both of the other men. “Now that that stuff is out of the way, I have the important question. How’s Ari?”
Mark sighed and deflated. He looked at the tabletop, then back toward his two friends. “She’s the same. Not good. Dan’s signal blocker did not work or maybe it’s not a beamed in signal and maybe she’s really been possessed. I don’t know. We have to keep her sedated, otherwise that thing inside her begins to rave like a lunatic under a full moon. But how long do I really want to do that for? This gets worse and worse.” Mark shook his head, exasperated.
Eddie leaned forward. “What? Do you really think this is any worse than anything else we’ve faced the past few years? C’mon, Boss, think about it. We’ve always prevailed before. What makes this time any different?”
“Nothing, except we don’t have Ari and may not again if this goes on. Hell, what if I can’t sever the ties that Chakix thing has on her? What happens when we head out to space? Is that going to kill her?”
The three men exchanged worried glances and for the first time Eddie and Red actually knew what was bothering Mark, the entire truth of it.
“What does Troiano think?” Red queried.
“She’s not sure. She’s worried that if we leave the planet’s atmosphere Ari will die.”
“Wait, I think we’re all jumping the gun.” Red raised his hands up before himself. “We don’t know either way what will happen. The entity or whatever the hell it is may end up being stuck here when we leave the planet.”
That was what Mark hoped for deep inside. But he also knew that forcibly separating Ariel and this Chakix thing could be disastrous, especially for Ari.
“No matter what we do, if it does not want to let Ari go, it won’t, period. We have to work around that conclusion. We have to drive that thing out of Ari, without hurting her.”
“I don’t think forcing it out of Ari is going to be any picnic,” Eddie interjected.
“So what, Eddie? Are you going to ask it nicely to get up and leave Ari’s body?”
“Well, not really. But something did occur to me.”
“Are you going to share, Di Genovese?” Red asked.
“What if we make it uncomfortable for this thing to stay inside of Ariel?”
“Hhhmmm, not bad, Eddie,” Mark replied while stroking his chin in deep thought. “The question is how?”
Chapter 11
Chakix/Ariel awoke in restraints. Steel bands were wrapped around each arm and leg and bolted to a platform that was in turn secured to the floor of the med-lab.
The creature that commanded Ariel’s body looked around, perplexed.
“What is this? You seek to trap me here? I cannot be restrained thusly. I am Chakix.” The alien presence spoke to Mark who was standing staring at Ariel’s body with his arms crossed.
“What you are now is my prisoner. I already proved to you we can keep you sedated indefinitely. But that doesn’t do me any good. I want Ariel back, without your presence. So you’re going to accommodate me and leave her body.”
“I will do nothing you ask, MarkJohnson.”
“Access Ariel’s memories to see how stubborn I can be.”
“Stubborn?”
“Yes, Chakix, stubborn. Pig headed. Single minded. Dogged. Persistent. All of those words have the same definition or meaning. Do you know what those words mean? Can Ariel’s memories tell you that? Don’t bother looking. I’ll explain it for you. I am ‘unreasonably determined’. Meaning I do not give up, ever. I do not bend a knee to a supposed ‘superior’ foe. Ask your enemies the Agalum about that. They thought we were easy pickings. By ‘we’ I mean the Earth, my home world, but you already knew that by going through Ariel’s memories. I find a way to defeat an enemy and I finish the job.”
Chakix/Ariel cocked her head sideways. “Then why have you not dealt your enemy the Agalum a mortal blow they cannot recover from?”
Mark walked slowly about the room before answering. “The reason is simple; I’m not trying to eradicate that race, or rather races. There are at least three we know of that are heavily involved in the Agalum empire.”
“Yet as a race against superior forces you fight alone and you hold them off?”
“You have Ari’s memories, you know we do.”
“How?”
“Access Ari’s memories again, so you know what I’m telling you is true. Our technology is better than theirs. This is why they fear us. What we have done as a race in a few hundred years has taken them much longer. Our weapons are stronger, and now our ships are faster. That is why they fear us.”
Chakix/Ariel moved her head side to side in short, quick motions. “They will eventually wear you down and overwhelm you. They have the beings to do so.”
“You mean they have the numbers on us, correct?”
Chakix/Ariel nodded in the affirmative.
“I figure there’s got to be a few races out here somewhere that have had enough of the Agalum and want revenge on them or just want to see them beaten so far back that they never come out of their solar system again.”
“As they tried to do to you.”
“Don’t you think that it would be apropos?”
Slowly Chakix/Ariel nodded her head in the affirmative.
“Good. Now leave Ariel’s body.”
“I will not, not until you comply with my demands.”
“Your demands hold no meaning now. You are held captive. I can pump sedative into you with a nod of my head. Not only that, but I came up with a little something that will make your stay within Ariel agonizing. Leave her body and we can speak to each other respectfully as civilized beings should.”
“What is
this ‘civilized’?”
Mark rolled his eyes. “This is going to be a long evening, isn’t it?”
“I refuse to leave,” Chakix snapped.
“Very well. Let’s see how you do with this new toy.”
Mark touched his sleeve and a virtual pad sprang to life before him, anchored at his right sleeve. He touched a few spots on its surface and then looked up above Chakix/Ariel’s head.
The creature inhabiting Ariel’s brain followed his stare and her eyes grew wide as a helmet began to lower in place around her head from above.
“What is this?” the strange voice shouted. “I will shatter this device and destroy both you and this vehicle!”
“I don’t think so, Chakix. Right now you’re still sedated enough to not be able to concentrate sufficiently to use your telekinesis. Once I activate that helmet your brainwaves will be scrambled. You’ll be the helpless passenger inside Ari’s brain and not the other way around. She won’t even be affected. You see, we were able to separate your brain patterns and since we already had Ariel’s on file, it was a simple matter to come up with the correct frequency to neutralize your own. The tables are about to be turned. You’re about to learn what it feels like to be on the receiving end of what you did to Ariel.”
Mark touched a button on his virtual control panel and the helmet instantly hummed to life. Chakix/Ariel began to scream silently then went limp.
Before Mark could even get to her side, Ariel sprang back upward. “Mark! I-it’s gone, I mean I still feel it within my mind, but it’s now trapped, and it can’t escape.”
Mark rushed to her side and hugged her tightly. “What is it Ari? What does it want?”
“Mark, i-it’s frightened. I can feel it. It’s not an act. Chakix is a frightened parent looking to protect its children.”
“What? What children?”
“Everything on this planet is Chakix’s child. At least that’s how Chakix sees things.”
“That’s not good. Mothering instincts are some of the most powerful known to man. If this sentience is seeking to protect everything on the planet, it only can lead to disaster.”
The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration Page 6