“Doesn’t look like we have much choice,” commented Gunn. He brushed the dirt and grime off a spot on a large pipe running through the room and hitched a butt cheek up on it.
Blayne searched the perimeter of the room. There were no other exits, hatches, or even portholes. Hearing the clang of the hatch latch open he spun around, bringing his blaster bracer up and aimed at the door, the power whine cutting through the silence.
The door creaked open and two more hooded figures slipped in before shutting it behind them. One figure was short, slight of build in a black cloak, while the other was, surprisingly, in the white stylized hood and cloak of a Flyer. The shorter one, a young female, bowed and said, "Greetings. I apologize for the sparse accommodations Your Highness, but this is a necessity to keep you hidden. Interest in your whereabouts has increased since the last time you were on board."
Blayne nodded, “It’s fine. And you can call me Blayne. I’m trying to keep a low profile, rank and titles afford me too much attention right now.” He really didn’t feel right letting everyone continue to call him royal titles, but the truth was something he didn’t want to go into right now.
The Flyer bowed, “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Shinar.”
Gunn interrupted with a frown, “Why is a Flyer involved in this?”
“We have been aware of Ms. Uta’s activities for some time. And we find it… acceptable… to cooperate at times.”
“Yes, she told us she had an arrangement with the Federation. So you are actively involved in smuggling?” Blayne asked incredulously.
“Not involved, we simply choose to look the other way.” The Flyer bowed to Blayne, “While refugees from your planet are not the most dire, there are other places in the Three Systems that we… more actively… help relocate persons.”
Gunn grunted in surprise, “And here I thought you guys were just a bunch of cold-hearted calculating weirdos.”
The Flyer raised an eyebrow, “Calculated? Yes. Cold-hearted? No. Despite the common misunderstanding of our adaptations, we are still human.” Blayne would have been more convinced of the Flyer’s explanation if the voice hadn’t been so flat and monotone.
Gunn frowned, “We’ve met a Flyer before, a student Flyer. But he was much more animated than you.”
“I am not a student, I am a full Flyer, here to analyze and coordinate the running of the ship. A ship this size takes considerable resources and computational power,” he said tapping the prosthetics protruding from his head. “I am what you would call, Administration.”
The young girl waved her hand, “Can we move on? We’ve got more pressing things to deal with.”
The Flyer slipped his hands back into his large sleeves and bowed to the girl. Blayne looked her over, her stance and posture seemed familiar. “You’re a Dove, aren’t you?”
She nodded, “Name’s Phoebe. Uta stationed me on this ship to facilitate the transfer of refugees.”
The Flyer interrupted her, “ETA to the Gateway, 2 minutes.”
Phoebe nodded, “This is a short jump. Your Hi… Blayne. Is there anything you need before we go?”
Blayne shook his head, “No, we’re good. But I do wonder how we are getting to a planet that is supposedly abandoned. How do you get traffic back and forth without being noticed?”
“Thyke orbits within the thickest part of the radiation belt. The cosmic radiation is strong enough there to foul most sensors of any patrol ship,” she explained.
Gunn eye’s widened, “Uh… if the radiation is that strong, wouldn’t it be extremely dangerous to fly into it?”
“Normally, yes. But we have insulated a shuttle to protect against the danger. And the community living there is established several kilometers underground, so the crust of the planet provides a natural radiation shield.” She smiled sweetly, “But I wouldn’t suggest going for a hike out on the surface.”
“One minute,” the Flyer droned.
“Have you two made many jumps before?” Phoebe asked.
“Just one.”
“Then I suggest you sit down, it will make the jump more comfortable. We will come back when it is time to disembark. I have a shuttle pilot assigned to fly you down to the surface.”
She and the Flyer bowed and left through the hatch. Blayne and Gunn quickly cleared off some spots to sit on the dirty crates. Even with no windows, they could tell when they crossed the event horizon of the Gateway. Everything around them seemed a little bit… off. The colors were just a tad muted, the sounds oscillated a few frequencies lower.
Gunn broke the silence asking, “Do you really think we can convince the expats to come back to Dunadd? Not only that, but to fight, too?”
He shrugged, "I hope so. I know the monarchy was an archaic system, and the King may have been too out of touch with the people to be aware of the hardships he was imposing, even if they were not intentional. But I'm hoping the expats still have enough patriotism to protect their fellow Dunaddss."
Gunn inquired, “So if you were King, you would do what? Change to a Corporate structure like Kessan?”
Blayne shook his head in disagreement, “Nothing that extreme, but things would have to change, that is certain.” He stared blindly at a rusty spot on the wall, “Even more than they have.”
Chapter 27
The flight down to Thyke was thankfully uneventful. The pilot Pheobe assigned them even allowed them to hang out in the cockpit on the way down. Blayne studied the planet’s surface as it zoomed by below. To hear a planet described as desolate and deadly was one thing, to see it in person was another. Thyke’s surface was devoid of all life, not even single-celled organisms could survive in the constant bath of cosmic radiation. But that same deadly radiation also ignited the ozone in what little atmosphere the ugly little planet had, creating a constant dancing aurora of lights across the horizon.
The shuttle slowed as it arrived over the large maw of what looked like an abandoned mining pit. The pit funneled down into a tube that bore into the planet’s crust. Hovering over the tunnel, the pilot slowly lowered them straight down into the blackness, the only light around them glowed from the navigational lights of the shuttle.
Gunn watched the sky above disappear as they lowered deeper into the planet. After a steady and boring two-kilometer descent the tunnel opened up into the largest underground cavern Blayne had ever seen. Both he and Gunn stared awestruck out the window, the cavern stretched out into multiple large tunnels disappearing into the dark, only occasionally broken up by the lights of buildings in the distance.
Descending from the roof of the cavern in the center was a large circular structure, suspended above the cavern floor. As the pilot banked the shuttle and flew around it they could see people walking about inside through the large windows. The pilot, obviously amused by their expressions, answered their unasked question, “That is the central control building for the mine.” He pointed to the bottom of the building, “Those dangling tentacles are what they used to load the ore into the cargo shuttles.” He gestured up to a bridge that stuck out from the side of the structure, “And that is where we dock.” With practiced movements, the pilot brought the shuttle beside the docking arm. With a loud clank and thud, the dock sealed against the shuttle's hatch.
“Everyone out, please take all personal belongings and don’t forget your children,” the pilot droned in an authoritative voice before chuckling to himself. Blayne shot a concerned look at Gunn, which Gunn merely laughed and headed toward the hatch. “Um… thanks for the ride,” Blayne said, unsure about the sanity of the pilot before he joined Gunn in the docking arm. That is where he found Gunn standing with his hands up in the air and saying “I think there has been a misunderstanding.”
A squad of ragtag men were lined up across the access bridge with their weapons pointed at them. A wiry man stepped through the line, a cloud of smoke leaving a trail behind him from the cigar clenched in his teeth. A look of surprise hit his face when he saw Blayne exit the shuttle.
> “Prince Blayne?” he asked confused.
Blayne strode up to the line of men and calmly looked down at their weapons. “Yes, I’m Blayne. And this is Gunn.” Gesturing at the line of guns pointed at them he asked, “I thought this was a place of refuge? Is this how you receive all your refugees?”
The cigar-smoking man quickly waved his hands for the men to lower their weapons, “I’m sorry Sire, we didn’t know you were coming.” And with a confused but suspicious look at Blayne, he added, “Why are you here? Here of all places?”
Blayne’s gaze flicked over the strangers in the hall, “That will be revealed in time, but not here. Right now I need to speak to whoever is in charge.”
Moving his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other, he replied, “Well… that would be Muad.” Speaking into his wristcom he said, “Hey Central? Where can I find Muad?” He tilted his head, listening to the reply over his ear-piece. “OK, tell her to meet me at Joe’s in ten.”
Beside him, Gunn wiggled his hands, “Hey, can I put my hands down?” then he lowered them without waiting for a response.
Cigar Man gestured for them to follow him, “Come on, I’ll show you where to find her. I’m Dean, by the way, Head of Security for our little establishment here.”
“And what is with the show of force?” Blayne asked. “As I said before, I thought this was a place of refuge.”
“Oh, don’t get us wrong. It is. But along with refugees and the homeless, we get our fair share of goons and wanna-be crime lords,” Dean replied. He spun around in a circle as he walked, holding his arms out, “This mine here is secure, protected, and it still provides a decent income. It would be a highly desirable location for any criminal organization.” With a wink, he added, “Not bad for an abandoned mine.”
Dean led the way to a large cargo lift in the center of the structure. Waving them in, he closed the gate behind them and lowered the lever to begin their descent. He leaned up against the wire wall with crossed arms and said, “This is the part where people either get awestruck, or they freak out.”
Gunn asked, “Huh?” right as the lift dropped out of the bottom of the control structure. With the wire walls, they could see all around them in the large cavern. Seeing it from the safe confines of a shuttle window was one thing, seeing it all around them from a three-meter square platform as it descended through the open-air was another. The lift, moving down a slender support pillar, provided an uninterrupted view of the activity throughout the large cavern. Cargo shuttles were flying from tunnel to tunnel as an army of drones flitted back and forth around them on their errands.
Gunn leaned against the wire wall and peered down, but quickly stepped back with wide eyes, “Whoa! That’s a long way down.”
Dean chuckled. Their reaction to the wonder of the place must not have been unique, because he said, “Yup, most people usually react that way. It is something to see for the first time, but you get used to it.”
“I have to admit, I was not expecting this level of development and activity,” Blayne said. “I had assumed this was little more than a squatter city. Full of filth and crime.” He shrugged apologetically, “No offense.”
“No offense taken, that’s exactly what we want. In fact, we actively promote that misunderstanding. For people to come here, we want them to be desperate. Coming here should be their last resort. Cuts down on the... undesirables. Some still show up, but we deal with them easily enough.” Dean patted his holster.
The lift slowed as it neared the bottom of the cavern. Looking down, they could see structures rising out of the cavern floor. Buildings, connecting tunnels, landing pads, and even roads. Their lift entered the building below, sliding through a hatch in the roof. Once inside, they could see the building descended into the cavern floor several stories deep. Level after level of shops, food stalls, and hawkers of all kinds splayed out around them. The number of people scurrying around the walkways and balconies surprised Blayne. Men, women, and children were everywhere, buying products, playing, or just walking along.
“This is the main concourse building. If there is anything you need, you can probably find it here,” Dean offered as the lift screeched to a halt at the bottom. Lifting the gate, Dean waved for them to follow him.
Blayne, craning his neck to look all around them, said, “This isn’t just a mining operation, this is a city.”
Dean proudly smiled, “Yup! Just because people don’t want to live under a Kingdom doesn’t mean they want to give up everyday comforts.” Gesturing around them as they walked, he added, “As I said, you can find just about anything you need here. With homeless people coming from all over the TriadVerse, we get a wide variety of offerings,” he said with a laugh. “Here we go, gentlemen. Right in here.” He pointed through a set of double doors to their right. Once inside Blayne could see it was a bar, and if he didn’t know better, it could have passed for any normal bar on any “civilized” planet. A small crowd of people already occupied a table in the back.
Dean offered, “Let me introduce you to Muad.”
As they approached the table a lady sitting in the middle raised a mug to Dean, “Thanks for the diversion, I was neck-deep in a refinery inspection.” She leaned back in the booth and took a long drink of her beer, “This is much better.”
Dean gestured to Blayne and Gunn, “These two men just arrived. You may be familiar with Prince Blayne?”
To Blayne, the woman looked on the north side of sixty. But he had a feeling the amount of beer she consumed may have something to do with that. She took another long swallow before addressing him.
“Yes, I thought he looked familiar. You will excuse me if I don’t get up and bow? We don’t do that kind of thing around here,” she said without apology.
“Please, call me Blayne. And this here is Gunn,” he said, waving at hand at his friend.
Maud nodded to Gunn and gestured to one of the men to hand Gunn a mug. “Please, pull up a chair. And what do we owe for this visit from Dunadd royalty?”
They slid chairs from neighboring tables and straddled them at the end of the booth. Taking a sip to give him a second to think, Blayne said, “I assume you have heard about what has happened on Dunadd? About Kessen?”
“If you are talking about how you got your ass handed to you, yes I heard,” Muad replied. “King Lamond was always too trusting.”
Blayne gritted his teeth and reminded himself he was not there to debate the details of his adopted father’s rule. He nodded in agreement to Muad, “Yes, they caught us unaware. I am not here to defend the King's decisions. But what you may not have heard is what the Aratan forces are doing to everyone else.”
For the first time, it looked like he had Maud’s full attention, judging by the harsh glint that flashed in her eyes, “What do you mean? We heard Aratan walked into the Palace and took over. Done deal.”
Blayne looked down at the table in embarrassment, “Well, they kind of did. That part is correct. But Kessen also enacted a media and communication blackout, so the full truth couldn't get out.”
“And what is the truth, boy?”
“All over the planet, Aratan forces have been raiding towns, destroying homes, kidnapping any able-bodied man they can find to draft into their army, and killing those that resist.”
Maud, for the first time, put her mug down on the table, “Drafted? Why?”
“Kessen is increasing his forces to expand his power. I get the feeling he wants to be like Emperor Tyrell, ruling over his own solar system.”
“With the Dunadd people as his backbone,” she muttered in disgust.
Blayne leaned on the table and said, “Not if we do something about it.”
Muad looked at him, the distrust clear in her eyes. She exhaled a long breath, drained the last of her beer, and steepled her fingers in front of her face as she stared across the table at him, “OK, tell me what you have in mind.”
Chapter 28
The meeting with Muad went on until late into the n
ight. With almost every suggestion he had on taking Dunadd back from Kessen, Muad and her partners argued against it. He was beginning to worry that he was wasting his time, with every suggestion he made Maud had an objection.
The Council Leader crossed her arms tightly and glared across the table at him, “I’m not sure what I have to say to get it into your Royal brain, the people here are not fighters. They are not soldiers. We cannot take on Kessen and the Aratan army, much less the elite Kartack soldiers you say are controlling the Palace.”
Blayne forced himself to keep his voice calm, “And they don’t have to. Once we free the Knights that were taken prisoner, we step back and let the professional soldiers do their thing.”
They continued to argue back and forth about strategy until Gunn offered an idea that piqued everyone’s interest. Gunn asked if it was possible to modify the mining lasers into a more offensive weapon. Muad raised her eyebrows in surprise, then admitted, “That may work. Not bad, kid.”
They spent the next two hours with Muad’s engineers learning how to modify the lasers they used to carve the tunnels and how to install them on cargo shuttles. By the end of the meeting, it had turned around and Blayne had to admit it had gone better than he could have ever had hoped. He knew having a former servant, Gunn, at his side helped persuade the ruling council to help them. He could understand their hesitance to help a perceived royal retake the throne of Dunadd. The venom they projected toward him almost convinced him to confess his secret. But if they discovered he was just a bastard child, they may not help him at all. And then he would have no way of helping the people back home.
Leaving the bar, Gunn walked ahead of him still deep in an animated conversation with Dean about his idea to weaponize the powerful lasers. Dean led them back through the concourse to the barracks he had offered them for the night. The head of security had sarcastically apologized for not having any posh hotels for them to stay in, an obvious shot at Blayne’s royal upbringing that he found easy to ignore. It had become all too clear that outside the Palace, being viewed as a Royal Prince might be more of a hindrance than a benefit. He never would have guessed there was such an animosity toward members of the ruling class spread throughout the Three Systems.
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