by M. Garnet
The three heard the running steps of the soldier ducking into the bridge opening behind them. "Tell them I'm aboard."
"Ignore our guest. Go in and out of stealth. Wait a moment for them to contact again, then answer." Keenan was playing a game and proving a point. They were not afraid of a threat.
When the silver ship appeared again, closer over the landing area, the contact came back in, but it was different.
"Attention. Please identify yourself."
Nodding approval to Thea, Keenan gave the OK to answer.
"This is Arrow Adamant 7B21 with a special item to be delivered to the head of the most important person of the Transformed. We will await approval, or we can leave."
"Arrow Adamant 7B21, be warned. We are checking on your statement. We can prevent your departure."
Looking over at Bruno, Keenan smiled. "Put us in stealth mode."
Bruno waved over the right buttons. By this time, Poly had floated past Sorchia and taken its place between the co-pilot's and pilot's chairs.
"Poly, let me know if they get a ship right on top of us?"
"Confirm, Captain."
"Thea, go ahead talking to the landing authority."
Thea nodded at Keenan and worked her fingers over the glowing lights.
"This is Arrow Adamant 7B21 waiting landing instructions."
The man on the other end, who had started with the standard cold unemotional voice of a person who handed out tons of landing or travel instructions, was confused. "Ship, please hold."
"No problem. We have the ability to wait." Thea winked at her two men in the accompanying chairs and waited. Then she whispered. "I could sure use a hot cup of coffee."
"Captain, there is a large ship behind us, but not a danger. They do not seem to have found us yet." It was Poly who had control of the cameras on the ship and enjoyed playing with them.
"I don't know what is wrong with you idiots. Tell them I'm on your ship." The soldier was angry and tried to move forward towards the dashboard. Poly just bobbed against her with some strange metal probes out to restrain her. Against the small metal robot, she was helpless and stepped back.
Spinning in his chair, Keenan pointed at her. "Settle down, or I will have your fucking ass locked in a closet, a small closet." He swung back and ignored the snort Sorchia Ment gave, but she did move back to lean on the wall.
"Attention Arrow Adamant 7B21. We have permission for you to land on the site at Z1. It is lit with yellow lights. And we ask that you come out of your stealth mode to, ah, prevent any problems coming into our lower space."
Thea did a 'thumbs up’ to the team, and Keenan nodded approval. "Confirm, landing authority. We are coming out of stealth mode and assure you we already sight the yellow lights. Appreciate your help. Out."
Bruno had the ship into regular mode, and Thea was bringing the easy-to-handle large, long arrow-shaped ship down and around, avoiding other vessels in the area. There were a variety of spaceships sitting or being worked on at this spaceport. There were several junkers, but there were also a couple of good cruisers. Then to their surprise, off to one side sat a super dreadnought. The yellow lights were some embedded glows flat in the ground. Without any atmosphere, the lights were just a yellow spot in the landing area until some ship flew through the light-up above.
It was a spot set aside on the edge of the spaceport near what looked to be a giant airlock. Off to one side was a wall of stone, and it had an extensive area of metal on it. It looked like a great steel wall had been used to seal off a large section that opened into the belly of the planetoid. Within that flat metal wall were set several doors of different sizes. Some of them could let a small ship in, and from one out came a sealed truck. There were a couple of smaller ones.
"I think this is my trip. Protect my ship. Soldier, you're with me."
The soldier followed right on his heels, and he went to the side door airlock. There he put on his leather jacket and his favorite weapon on his hip. He then opened a cabinet right by the airlock and pulled out two breathers. He handed one to the soldier and put the other on over his head.
Opening the inside door, he stepped into the airlock; and, due to the fact that there was no air outside for safety, the outer door stayed shut. After going through the usual security checks and after the air was out of the small area, Keenan opened the outside door. The ship extended a ramp, and they both felt the light gravity as they stepped from the ship onto the weight of the planetoid.
The sealed truck pulled up to the bottom of the ramp, and a male stepped out, wearing a complete off-ship suit. He spoke through a speaker in the helmet in Universal language.
"I am to escort you inside. Do you have the item with you?"
Looking around in the dark, as there were only the yellow lights and sharp shadows with no sun to reach this far out in the system. Keenan nodded to the man.
"I am Captain Keenan. This is Sub-leader Sorchia Ment of what I believe is your group." Stepping back, Keenan allowed the woman to be seen.
"Please get into the vehicle. The soldier can ride in the second truck." Sure enough, several other sealed trucks were coming out.
Getting into the back seat and surrounded by soldiers, Keenan hid a smile as he had sidestepped the original question about where the weapon was or if he had it on him. He wasn't stupid and did not have the weapon with him. It was a guarantee that he and his team and the Adamant would leave alive.
Poly and Thea had taken hours, using special equipment on board his ship, to study the box to try to discover what was inside. They needed to find out what this so-called weapon was and how the Transformed intended to put it to some use.
They drove into the door that let the trucks inside, and it looked like a garage, but there still was no atmosphere. Everyone began getting out of their truck, and Keenan could see the other trucks moving off to the other side.
"This way." These were the simple words that came from the helmet of the man who had first spoken to him. So Sub-leader Sorchia Ment, who felt she had some authority, was being separated from him. Her hopes of staying with him and meeting with higher powers were stamped down as he was led to another door. It was an airlock long enough to hold all of them, Keenan and five soldiers.
Keenan felt the air blowing in and felt his clothes loosen as the air finally reached full human breathable mode. When the men removed their helmets, he also removed his breathing mask, and the inside door of the airlock opened. Following his guide, he found himself in a large cave. It was like déjà vu, as he thought of that cave at the bottom of the mineshaft where a crime lord known as the Preacher had his headquarters.
There were open front buildings, several levels high with barracks in them. Some had soldiers, who were either resting or cleaning their weapons, and others were empty but clean with bunks made neatly.
On the level that they had entered that was wide, there were large groups of people in the tan and brown uniforms of the Transformed. As they continued to walk along, the buildings changed to include some that were entirely enclosed. Some of the doors were open, and Keenan could see offices with people working at desks with numerous screens and communications units available.
Instead of reaching a big wall with a lot of small doors, he was led over to a small building, and they waited while one man walked up and knocked on the door. Standing in the open door, the man turned and waved for Keenan to enter. Was he finally going to meet the crime lord who ordered his family killed?
As Keenan moved forward, the leader of the escort stopped him by putting a hand on his chest. "Be polite, and remember we are just outside this door with our weapons cocked. Few people get to meet the Supreme Leader." He took his hand away and stepped to one side.
Without any expression or comment, Keenan brushed against the man on purpose as he moved through the doorway, hearing the door close behind him.
Chapter Seventeen
Why was it that nothing was what you expected? Why was it that the universe was
always full of the unknown or surprises? Keenan froze as he looked across the room at the figure behind the desk, the crime lord of the Transformed group.
The person behind the desk, dressed in a brown uniform, was someone's grandmother. She was a short, overweight woman in her late years with short grey hair and wrinkles around her faded pale blue eyes. Among the humans, medical breakthroughs had extended life spans into almost two hundred years. Medi pods and medic spas had helped people keep their youthful looks for all of that time. Yet here sat a woman who was not hiding the long years she had experienced.
"Welcome, Captain Keenan, or do I call you Veldan Keenan? Please come forward and have a seat." Despite her looks, her voice was firm.
Looking around the room that was about twenty square feet, it was comfortable but not fancy. The desk was large yet a standard metal one with two big chairs in front. He walked forward to pull one back and sat down.
"If you know what I am, I'm surprised you allow me in here alone with you." He looked up to see several cameras in the different corners.
"Did you bring the box?"
"Did you order the death of my family?"
Now there was silence, as she also slid her chair back and looked up at the ceiling.
"So that is why you are here." She looked at him again as if seeing him for the first time. "Are they trying to use you again, as a weapon of their own? Is your main reason here to kill me, the head of the Transformed?" She spread her hands as if including the office and then everyone else outside. "Surely, the Preacher must have warned you about my troops and me."
It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and that meant there was something going on behind the scenes that Keenan had to decipher. Keenan was not biased as to who could be evil, male or female, young or old.
Someone had tried to use his abilities to turn into a monster and kill a ruler of a world. A man that was so surrounded by weapons and protective devices, no one could get near the ruler with any metal. The idea was that a Veldan modifier could get near him and shift into a beast to kill the man.
But Keenan discovered the plot and turned it against the perpetrator. Could this be another fucking trick? At this moment, he could shift, and in his other form, he could eliminate this elder female and leave this area. Nobody and nothing could stop him because the mother earth would protect him. There was enough dust and earth in this room for him to call on that strength right now.
"Did you bring the weapon?"
Her question broke his train of thoughts. He looked at her face for a second and asked his question. "Do you know what the fuck the weapon is inside that box?"
Now again, she looked away from him, up at the cameras and around a room that she had to know every crack and all the piles of chips on the different cabinets. "Did you check it out?"
He smiled at her. "You don't know what it is or how to use it. You only know it is a fucking weapon and very dangerous."
Pulling herself up, she slid back forward to lean against the desk. Putting her hands flat on the surface, at last, she let all the wrinkles on her face show as she smiled. "Well, well. A shifter and smart also. No, I don't know what is inside that box. I just paid for something unseen and untested. It came with a guarantee. I was told it would wipe out a small moon or a quarter of a large planet. I figured it was worth the price. Now, where is it?"
Pointing over his shoulder at the closed door, he spoke. "If you knew who I was, why did you let me in here alone?"
Pressing some buttons on a holo keyboard that had suddenly appeared on her desk, she brought up a screen that was clear. They both could see it from either side. It had a shot of the Adamant from space. She blew up the vid showing a good view of the beautiful silver arrow spaceship.
"You or your crew can take out even that big super dreadnought with several shots and still blow up this cave in the same pass. You didn't kill us or me before, so you aren't going to kill me now. You have a problem, and you are the rogue type who needs to follow and solve such threads. But I need that weapon."
"Why? You got a fucking moon to blow up." Keenan started to get up. This conversation wasn't going anywhere. It had opened some questions he needed to think about and talk over with his crew.
"No, tough guy. I have an asteroid to prevent from taking out a lot of people."
Now he had to look at her and stop his action, as he was getting ready to leave. "You know what. I think I need to go back to my ship and take a look inside that box to find out what that weapon is all about."
They both stood up at the same time.
"Wait. What do I have to pay you to get that weapon?" Looking over at the grandmotherly type female, Keenan thought he saw a little bit of hardness beginning to show in those soft wrinkled features.
"At this point, I'm not sure of its value since I'm not sure what it is and what it does. Tell you what—let me think about a price. What did you pay for it originally?" Now there was a game on the table, except neither of them was sure of the name of the prize, even though they were talking about a small box.
Turning, Keenan was almost at the door before she spoke again. "I know that a Veldan Modifier can be killed in their normal form. You are walking a narrow line. There was a Transformed soldier on your ship for a long time; you should remember that fact."
Continuing to the door, he opened it and looked down at the soldier who was leaning against the outside of the frame. "You know, I have heard that it is very dangerous to threaten a Veldan Modifier. Of course, you would have to meet one face-to-face and then be stupid enough to threaten him. But of course, I have heard they are either very rare or entirely a myth. Who knows?"
Keenan nodded at the soldiers as they came to attention, bringing their weapons up and looking into the room for their orders. He didn't see if she made a motion to the men, but they followed him on the long walk back to the outside airlock. He was going back to his ship, and he hoped there wasn't going to be a battle for him to reach the waiting ramp.
His breathing mask was still hanging next to the shelf that held all the helmets for whoever decided to exit. Nothing was said as he put on his unit, but the same soldiers put on helmets and went into the airlock with him.
Evidently, the order had been to accompany and see that Keenan got delivered safely to his ship because the one sealed truck was ready and waiting outside in the garage area. They all got in without words to drive out through a door onto the spaceport. The yellow lights were gone, but there were some white lights on at various places around the flat area.
Work lights were directly pointed at a couple of ships, where workers were attending to problems. The headlights of loaders could be seen moving fast from place to place. The truck also moved fast to deliver him to the strange ramp that led up to a dark hole. His ship was still in stealth mode.
Everyone got out, but the soldiers stepped back and did nothing as Keenan walked up the ramp. The ramp pulled up automatically when he closed the outside door to get air into his airlock.
Hanging up his breather, jacket, and gun, he walked slowly up to the bridge. He wondered about the lady in charge of the Transformed and the Preacher. The Preacher had warned him about the leader of the Transformed group. Yet, he had a feeling that there was a connection of some kind between the two.
Getting into the area where he felt like he was home, he looked around at his friends and fell into the pilot's chair.
"Poly, you watched the soldier the whole time she was on our ship, correct."
The small free-floating robot came over near his shoulder. "I would say correct time would be ninety-six point four percent of the time."
Letting out a long sigh, Keenan looked at the other two crewmen. "So, there was some time when she was alone?"
As Poly had felt she had answered, there was silence, and the other two just looked at each other, then back at their Captain.
Finally, it was Bruno who broke the quiet on the deck. "Is there a problem, boss?"
"The woman who r
uns the Transformed hinted that there might have been a problem for me, and it would be in her favor that Sub-leader Sorchia Ment was on my ship. We need to be aware of a beacon so that they can find us or that there is a bomb hidden somewhere on the Adamant."
"Shit." Thea hit a chair arm.
"Damn." Bruno exclaimed.
"Fuck." It seemed like the right word to add to what the others were muttering. Keenan turned his chair to face the room and stretched out his long legs. "Thea, I need you to do as much research on the Transformed and their fucking leader as you can find. I want to know about their coin and where they hide their funds. How many are committed to them, not the asswipe hype that is put out there, but the real ones who have weapons and ammo."
"Bruno, I want to know about that weapon. The lady that is supposed to be the one who runs the show for the fucking Transformed says she paid a lot for that box. There has to be a trace on it somewhere. Some bastard invented or put the weapon together. Trace or track it back to when the inventor came out of his mommy's womb."
Now he turned and tapped on the metal tube that was Poly's centerpiece. "Poly. Check this ship through every nut, bolt, and soldered piece and make sure that bitch didn't leave anything on our ship. Look for beacons that they can trace us with and some small explosives that will mean we have to stop and do some repairs."
"In the meantime, I have to trace my tracks backward to find out where I might have missed something in all of this mess." With orders given and satisfied that his crew would perform better than others, he slid down in his chair.
Bringing up his pad on his stomach, he tapped and soon had a screen that contained the limited information he had obtained from the Preacher. That evil small man had given them the general area of the Transformed, and the Sub-leader Sorchia Ment had taken them to the leader. But Keenan wondered if there was some type of connection or agreement between these two people, who had become obscenely wealthy by crime.
Looking at the floating clear screen, he was reviewing the vid of the elder woman that the soldiers had taken him to see as representing their leader. He had come here to kill the person who had ordered the death of his family. It had happened because his father was like him, a Veldan modifier. The man had gone out often, at the request of the Elders, to help others and would shift into the beast to save someone or eliminate a threat.