Escape of the Glitter Princess

by Chad V. Holtkamp

  They sat there in stunned silence, thinking over what Desire had just said, knowing that in the grand scheme of things, she was right.

  Chief Rygel offered a polite golf clap. He pulled back the long red silk curtain that covered the archway and stepped into the salon. “Bravo, Desire, ha ha!” he said. “Truer words were never spoken. But you’re right. You may not live to see any of the good that comes out of this. As soon as we clear the atmosphere, the autopilot is going to launch us into a warp jump, and we’ll be long gone before the princess’s daddy can save you ha ha!”

  No sooner had he spoken than a blast rocked the ship, throwing him off-balance and into Dom. Dom immediately stood up to tower over him and smashed the Chief with a hard swing of his right fist, launching him against the far wall of the ship.

  The guard immediately took aim at Dom, but another laser blast hit the ship causing him to stumble.

  “I have a feeling we’re not going to make that jump,” Dom said.

  The Captain considered his options and decided to protect his precious cargo from any misfires.

  Jock let loose a flurry of laser blasts, attempting to keep Chief Rygel’s ship from getting away. He could see the faint outlines of Breck’s Federated Union fighters off in the distance, blocking the slave ships from any getaway. He knew his blasts would do little harm, but he hoped that maybe the concussions would knock someone off guard and keep some hope alive for his partners.

  “Breck, we’re heading your way,” Jock said into his comm stat. “Do you have a good read on the Carbonari?”

  “Yeah, Jock, we’re good here,” Breck said. “You’re chasing the quail right toward us. Shouldn’t be but another thirty seconds and we’ll be in range. They won’t know what hit ‘em.”

  “Perfect,” Jock said. “Just make sure your guys can shoot straight. I don’t want the TX to be on the receiving end of one of your plasma blasts. And don’t blow up the ship. Our agents are on board.”

  “Ha, don’t worry, we have Raj getting ready,” Breck said. “He shot the football a few hours ago and lassoed it in perfect form. We’ll be set.”

  “Well, JAXXY, still getting readings from Dom on the ship?” Jock asked. He hoped the chief wouldn’t do anything drastic.

  “Yes, Major Jock, I’m still getting readings from the clipper,” JAXX replied.

  “I’m going to have you take over the TX while we get in gear,” Jock said. “We don’t have much time but better late than never. Let’s go, guys.”

  Jock raced to the cargo hold with the king’s men following him, stepping over the open hatch where the crate of snakes and frogs had been in hibernation. “Oops, sorry, guys. Watch your step.”

  “Here, put this on,” one of the king’s men said tossing Jock a hood and vest he had in his pack. “Blast proof.”

  Jock threw on the body armor. It wasn’t much, but at least it would protect their upper bodies from any blasts as they made the assault. He was sure the chief and his guards would be shooting to kill rather than maim. With the vest and hood, they’d at least have a chance for a few seconds as they finished the teleportation.

  “OK, JAXX, we’re all set,” he yelled as he and the king’s men finished preparing for the teleport.

  “Major Jock, you don’t have to yell,” JAXX said. “I can hear you anywhere on this ship. Get ready. Captain Breck is on the comm stat.”

  “OK, Jock,” Breck said. “That Carbonari is just about in range. And she’s a beaut. Too bad we’re gonna it’s gonna get messy. Raj, you ready?”

  “Roger that, Captain,” Raj said. “All systems armed and ready.”

  As the blast rocked the ship, Urali fell to the ground, causing an errant shot to ring out in the lavish salon. A slip of red silk in the ceiling caught fire.

  “You idiot!” Chief Rygel screamed. “You shot the ship!”

  “You guys are morons,” Captain Andana said with disdain. “I’m going to make my own way.”

  As smoke filled the salon, Urali and Chief Rygel leapt to their feet to try to tamp down the flames. The flames quickly spread, as the Captain grabbed Desire and the princess.

  With their attention on the fire, Dom snatched the blaster. “If I’m going to go down with the ship, I’m not going down without a fight!” Dom yelled to Desire and the princess.

  As soon he grabbed the blaster, a brilliant flash of green shone throughout the ship. They were all thrown to the ground as the ship stopped suddenly, a low hum emanating from outside.

  “What happened to my ship?” Chief Rygel asked. He ran to the cockpit, leaving Urali to tend to the fire.

  Looking out the newly green tinted cockpit window, he saw he was surrounded by a squadron of Federated Union fighters. The remnants of the plasma blast smoldered from the nose of the farthest ship.

  “Damn!” he said, looking down at the warp jump screen. “Another fifty meters and I would have been near Niovis.”

  “Nice shooting, Raj! Direct hit,” Breck said. “OK, Jock, it’s go-time! Get your team on that clipper.”

  “Now, JAXXY!” Jock yelled.

  The four slowly faded from view and reappeared in the midst of a smoky cargo hold. Jock wasn’t expecting to see smoke and he feared the worst, that he’d been too late and Chief Rygel had done the unthinkable.

  Alien Reconnaissance Vessel Wayte, Veibos Atmosphere

  The Aliens watched as chaos reigned on and above Veibos. A crowd of Alien ships flew in special for the event and watched the spectacle unfold. They took perverse pleasure in watching the Veibons and their slave creatures get their just desserts. Years before, the Aliens took pity on the Veibons, who were relegated to the harsh life on a desert moon after being banished from their home planet for questionable behavior. They gifted the Veibons a magical technology, allowing Chief Rygel and his followers to live in splendor as long as they remained inside the Alien tent.

  Over time, they watched Chief Rygel take advantage of their generosity. And they weren’t happy about it. Though the lead Alien had provided warning, Chief Rygel had returned to his wicked ways and became the most notorious purveyor of the intergalactic slave trade. In taking a closer look at what was transpiring now, the lead Alien communicated to every ship that there would be no intervention on his behalf.

  19

  Jock and the king’s men flipped on their low-light guide visors as JAXX guided them through the strange ship to Dom’s signal. The smoke grew heavier, and they stifled coughs.

  “We need to hurry as we didn’t bring oxygen tanks,” Jock said. The guide visors showed them the way forward, and they steadily scanned every location, weapons at the ready to fire.

  Just as they rounded the corner into a smoky red room, they ran into Captain Andana pushing Desire and the princess along. The Captain fired, striking one of the king’s men in the chest. He fell to the ground, only stunned. The vest had done its work, but it still hurt like hell.

  The rest of them crouched down in a defensive posture, pulling their hoods further over their face and trying to block out the smoke.

  Knowing he was trapped, Chief Rygel grabbed a blaster and ran back to the salon. Urali wasn’t having any luck putting out the fire, and it spread around the tawdry room. He knew there wasn’t much time for him to escape, and he needed the princess more than any of the others.

  It was mass chaos, with the group floundering, grasping at any sort of fabric they could find to cover their eyes and mouths so they didn’t die from the smoke.

  Suddenly Captain Andana shrieked, “I’m on fire!” He stopped, dropped and rolled as the flames engulfed his captain’s jacket.

  Desire and the princess sprung free just as Desire yelled, “Cover your mouth and get to the cargo hold!” Her moment of hope faded quickly.

  Chief Rygel grabbed the princess and tried to drag her off.

  The hooded Jock and the rest of the men rushed the room and fired on Urali, taking him out in an instant. The men quickly sussed the situation as the smoke grew thicker. One of
the men saw Captain Andana on fire on the floor. Knowing that the Glitter King wanted him alive, they stunned him and put out the fire.

  Knowing the princess was his only way out alive against the men, Chief Rygel stood up and used her as a shield. Her white tunic was quickly turning black from the smoke, though it was still bright enough that Jock could see it in the distance.

  Dom, sensing that the hooded men were on their side, lunged at the chief, knocking his blaster out of his hand.

  Dom caught Chief Rygel by surprise, giving Jock just enough time to aim and fire, carefully avoiding the princess and striking him in the side of the head. It was a glancing blow, but enough to knock him down. The Glitter King wanted him alive and Jock wanted him pay for his crimes.

  The princess screamed, “Help me! I can’t breathe!”

  Jock pulled off his hood and rushed over.

  Desire gasped and ran over, “Jock, you’re alive!”

  Dom couldn’t believe his eyes. “Now you decide to show up, Jock?” he screamed over the fray. “I almost got sold to a wart!”

  Jock had no idea what he was talking about. “What’s with the jumpsuit, Dom?” Jock asked, while taking in the gravity of the situation.

  The salon continued to fill with smoke as the situation grew dire. Before the princess even saw that Jock was rescuing her, she was overcome by smoke and fainted right into his arms.

  “JAXXY, we’re all here,” Jock said. “Can you get a read on the coordinates for all nine of us? We’re in a bit of a hurry so no time like the present.”

  Dom kicked Captain Andana and Chief Rygel into a mound. They all piled on top of each other, making sure skin touched skin so they could mass teleport, kumbaya style.

  The scene flashed as JAXX lit up the coordinates and plucked them from the burning ship. Seconds later, they reappeared in the cargo bay of the TX, fresh air filling their lungs. They all dropped to the floor in agony, coughing and spitting and gagging.

  Jock immediately began mouth-to-mouth on the princess, trying to get fresh air into her lungs. “C’mon, Amy,” he said gently. “Stay with us.”

  Dom ran to the first aid station searching for an oxygen tank and respirator mask. Of course, it was in the back of the cabinet, but he pulled it out and rushed back to the group.

  Jock started chest compressions and counting breaths, working hard to revive the princess. Dom stepped in with the oxygen mask while Jock carefully lifted her to get the band around her head. Dom flipped open the valve, and a steady flow of fresh oxygen flowed into her lungs.

  “Come on, baby, come back to me,” Jock whispered as he leaned forward, brushing her hair back and kissing her forehead. He was freaking out that after all they’d been through the last few days, that he would lose her after all.

  Desire sent her comforting thoughts, while Jock stroked her face. Everyone was still trying to breathe in the fresh air, too. Acrid smoke still burned their lungs, sending each into coughing fits. Even Desire spit up a dark clod of black spit onto the deck.

  “Hey!” Dom yelled. “We just had that steamed cleaned after Jock puked fish guts all over it last month,” Dom said, trying anything to lighten the mood.

  The king’s men had no idea who this buffoon was and why they were saving him.

  Jock pulled the princess tighter into his arms, rocking her back and forth, hoping and praying that she’d pulled through. Suddenly, the princess let out a sputtering cough. Jock eased her upright and pulled the mask off her face so she could clear her lungs.

  Tears rolled down her face as Jock wiped away black soot.

  “Jock, is that really you?” she asked, finally realizing that he had saved. “I thought you were dead. I thought they killed you.”

  “No, Amy,” Jock said. “You should know me better than that.” He leaned in to kiss her forehead just as she had another coughing fit.

  The king’s men grew uncomfortable watching the theatrics. They knew she was betrothed to another.

  “Where’s Desire and Dom? Did everyone get out okay?” she asked.

  “Yes, we’re all safe and sound on our ship,” Dom said.

  The princess turned to look at Dom and Desire and screamed when she saw Chief Rygel and Captain Andana a few feet away. “What are they doing here?”

  Jock turned to the king’s men. “Tie them up and put them in the cargo hatch.”

  As Amy calmed, an explosion rocked the ship and everyone in it.

  “Must have been the Carbonari,” Dom said. “Good thing we got out when we did.”

  After the king’s men secured Chief Rygel and Captain Andana in the cargo hatch, they all went to the cockpit. Just as they entered, the clipper ship made a final boom and dissipated in space. Further out, Dom could see a Federated Union squadron increase their distance from the debris.

  “JAXX, where’d those guys come from?” Dom asked. “Did you finally get through to Commander Weisman?”

  “Agent Dom, nice to hear you again,” JAXX replied. “Yes, sir. Lots has happened since you landed on Veibos. That’s Captain Breck’s squadron.”

  “Breck? What the hell is he doing all the way out here?” he asked. “JAXX, get him back online.”

  “One moment, sir,” JAXX replied.

  “Breck here,” he said coming over the comm stat.

  “Breck, was that you guys shooting up the place or did that ship just go up on its own?” Dom asked.

  “Sorry to disappoint you, Dom,” Breck replied. “It went out on its own, though from what I know of the occupants, I’d have gladly blown it to pieces myself. Now that you all are safe, we’re going to head out and see if we can round up some of the other slavers who tried to get away. It’d be nice to get a few of these guys behind bars.”

  “Thanks for your help,” Dom said. “Next round’s on me when we get back to the Constellation.”

  “We’ll hold you to that, Agent Wagner,” Breck said, echoing the thoughts of the entire squadron.

  “Breck out,” he said. “Let’s go get the rest of these nasty freaks.”

  Jock carefully carried the princess back to his cabin and laid her on his bed. He’d let her rest as much as she wanted while they got back down to Veibos.

  “Anybody hungry?” Dom asked. He realized he hadn’t eaten since earlier that afternoon before the auction. He headed to the galley to see what he might be able to whip up, but instead just took a long shot of leftover gin that was still on the table.

  Desire stepped back into the cargo bay. It was still a mess since Jock hadn’t bothered to put the floor panels back in and Dom hadn’t bothered to clean it up. Since Jock was in a hurry to rescue them and Dom was otherwise occupied, she’d cut them some slack.

  Jock stepped into the cockpit. Their work wasn’t done yet. “JAXX, put us back on course for Veibos. We need to get the king’s men back with their fleet and hand off the prisoners. And we’ve got us snakes and frogs to round up or Weisman’s gonna kill us.”

  “Sir, I’ll let Commander Weisman know everyone is safe and on their way to back to retrieve the cargo,” JAXX replied.

  “Thanks, JAXXY.” He then turned the ship around and headed back down to the moon’s surface.

  A few of the fighters from Breck’s squadron intercepted the remaining slaver ships that were trying to get away. They fired a few warning shots and herded them back toward the moon.

  Jock set the TX down near the tent and walked down the ramp. He saw that the king’s men had rounded up the slavers that had survived the initial assault and put them in chains. A few were being treated for snake bites so they could be prosecuted later, but the rest were just waking up from the laser stun blasts. Jock looked them over, their fancy robes and jewels, all blood money from their wicked ways. The sight of them being in chains made him smile.

  Separately on the side, Captain Vaunias had captured about a hundred Veibons who were now transformed back into their nasty desert dweller selves. He had herded them onto two of the hovercrafts and activated a photon net
around them.

  “Not bad,” Jock said to Captain Vaunias as he got a closer look. “You guys got us some slavers.”

  “Where is the princess?” Captain Vaunias asked.

  “It’s a long story. She’s resting on the ship,” Jock replied. “I’d leave her be. There was a fire on the chief’s ship and she lost consciousness. She’s fine now, but she’s sleeping.”

  “Ok, but no funny business,” he ordered. “You know what her father said about your head.”

  Jock ran his hands through his hair without even realizing it. “Don’t worry. I just want to get her home safe.”

  Luckily the guards interrupted as they dragged Chief Rygel and Captain Andana out of the cargo hatch and over to Captain Vaunias. They were still coughing and hacking from the fire.

  “Captain Andana, you look like an overdone filet,” Captain Vaunias said, stepping closer to the prisoners. The smell of soot and burnt flesh filled the air.

  “You… you’re the one that took my place?” Captain Andana snarled. “The king is really lowering his standards.”

  Captain Vaunias ignored his taunt. “And you, Chief Rygel, are about as disgusting as I expected.”

  Chief Rygel spit in his face. Captain Vaunias took the opportunity to backhand him, knocking him to the ground. He looked at the prisoners with disdain.

  “Well, both of you are in for a very memorable experience,” Captain Vaunias said. “King Iearus is very eager for your company. He’s never had the pleasure of torturing a traitor and a kidnapper at the same time.”

  He turned to the guards and said, “Strap them to the front of the hovercraft and take them to transport ship. They’ll have nine lovely hours to contemplate the rest of their lives in the company of my men.”

  Dom walked down the ramp just as he got a comm stat message from Commander Weisman.

  “Yes, sir,” he said. “We’re down on the moon now. The remaining slavers are being rounded up.”