by Saqib Sadiq
“Mr. Benson! I’ll have you know that I am not here to wipe noses tell the sifters to make two or even three passes through the ore before extracting it. The rest of the refinement will have to take place at Gemcore’s refinery, back on earth.”
Benson thought about that for a second then replied “Sir I refuse to comply with your orders.”
Ramsey was startled for a second then shot back a response “Fine! Go ahead you think I care? You think you can’t be replaced?” Ramsey waited for a reply “I’ll just appoint another foreman and have you incarcerated. You can join Cruchev and all his bleeding heart cronies at Gemcore penitentiary. I’ll have you know the board of governors’ plans to string him up.”
“Very well sir, you can find me in the shuttle bay if you need me. Good day.” The swift response left Ramsey stunned.
*****
The freighter craft lay dormant on the debris littered floor of the station’s shuttle bay. Its side hatch had been opened and the gaping interior eagerly awaited its human freight. The surrounding area was abuzz with the constant drone of several voices speaking at once. Yamada and his men had arrived in the large enclosure with their belongings. They quietly talked amongst each other occasionally pointing out the fractured walls of the shuttle bay. Security guards, loyal to Ramsey, were searching the convicted men before being cleared for departure. Just then Nicolai Cruchev arrived at the entrance. The drone of voices suddenly ceased. They all looked upon their commander with revering looks.
He acknowledged Yamada and his men by giving them a grin followed by slightly nodding his head “At ease men.” He then submitted himself to the probing hands of the security guards. Once they were convinced that there were no concealed weapons the guards gave the go ahead for boarding the freighter craft.
A sudden commotion stopped the orderly process from proceeding. A slew of escorts entered the shuttle bay followed by a large group of rowdy people. “Hey captain! Fire up another freighter craft, were coming with ya!” Cruchev instantly recognized the heavily built miner. Chuck was leading a large group of miners into the crowded shuttle bay. Cruchev also noticed that Chuck’s friend Raza was amongst the crewmembers.
“What’s all this?” he inquired
Bo Benson stepped forward and began to explain what was going on “Sir, it seems we have proven to be liabilities. The colonel does not trust us to perform our duties and we have been charged with insubordination. We have been instructed to join the other bleeding hearts.”
The former commander was pleased with Benson; right up to the end he conducted himself in a crisp and professional manner. Ramsey had lost a fine foreman Nicolai thought as he began to address the crewmembers “I am glad that you have decided not to support Gemcore’s destructive mission. However I must warn you what lays ahead of us will not be pleasant. Our careers in the space mining industry have ended. Those of us fortunate enough to receive light sentences may be able to find work in more conventional mines but some of us might never see the light of day.” He then spoke to the gathered group of men “Are you capable of facing these consequences?” The deafening silence of the men proved their resolve. Nicolai gazed upon their determined faces and knew they would not give up. He then gestured towards the awaiting freighter crafts and exclaimed, “Well then, our date with destiny waits!”
They were about to board the vehicles when a grotesque figure began to make its way through the throng of miners. People stepped over fallen rubble to allow the figure to pass by. Cruchev’s eyes instantly recognized the silhouette of Colonel Ramsey.
“Fine day for a trip to earth, isn’t?” he said mockingly. Cruchev remained silent his mind raced with thoughts of sabotage. “Does he plan to kill us en-route and make it look like an accident?” he considered that for a fraction of a second “No freighter craft pilots are expensive to replace; the governors would wonder why they were lost.”
Nicolai carefully chose his words and replied, “Indeed, care to join us?”
The colonel let out a hearty laugh “Don’t be ridiculous, I’ll ride of this damn rock after I have sucked it dry of every last bit of mineral ore.” The colonel’s demeanor suddenly turned cold and menacing as he gazed into the eyes of his adversary. “I finish what I start.”
Nicolai was not the least bit intimidated he responded in an equally menacing manner “Then I am afraid you’re going to die” he suddenly lunged forward. His arms shot out, racing to reach Ramsey. The colonel was shocked by the unexpected move but quickly regained his wits; he noticed that his security guards were startled and were raising their weapons.
Ramsey immediately held up his arm and exclaimed “Hold your fire!” the bewildered guards did as they were told. By now Cruchev was only a hair’s breadth away from the colonel. He stood in front of the large man with a satisfied look on his face “You sure look smug for a condemned man.” Colonel Ramsey boasted
Nicolai grinned, “It is not I who is condemned.” He held up his hands so that Ramsey could see what they held.
“What do you want with that?” Ramsey’s voice revealed his anxiety. His eyes nervously scanned the object resting in Cruchev’s hand.
“I am taking what’s mine.”
“No weapons are allowed on the freighter craft.” The colonel stated bluntly
Cruchev began to manipulate the weapon and removed a piece of hardware “Fine then take the energy pack you now it’s useless without it.” he held out his hand offering the small device.
“I can’t let you have that energy weapon.” Ramsey stared his adversary dead in the eye
“And why not?”
“You know as well as I do it’s the only defense we have against…” Ramsey did not want to admit the existence of the creature but under the circumstances he had no choice “against it.”
“It?” Nicolai faked ignorance
Ramsey pursed his lips “The entity” he said with great difficulty.
“Ah yes, the entity.” Cruchev said with obvious satisfaction he then drew closer and spoke softly “I’ll let you in on a secret, there is no defense against the entity, not even a Photonic Emitter can stop it.” Ramsey’s jaw dropped he stood there, flabbergasted; his wide eyes blankly stared ahead.
Seeing that his work was done Cruchev stepped away from the bewildered colonel. He addressed the gathered group of people “Chuck! I want you and your boys to get on the starboard freighter craft.”
“Right away sir!” Chuck began jostling the miners towards the vehicle.
“Yamada you and your men will join me on the portside freighter craft.” Rie Yamada acknowledged his captain’s order with a slight nod. The throng of people slowly made its way into the large cargo holds. They had to sit on the freighter’s deck, which was wide enough to accommodate them all. However, the sanitation crew did not do a thorough job any movement inside of the cargo hold raised a plume of pulverized mineral dust. Some people began sneezing; this wasn’t going to be a pleasant trip.
By now Ramsey had come to his senses. He masked his anxiety by barking orders at his security guards. “I want these freighter crafts out of here this instant! We’ve got a schedule to keep.” The guards tried complying with the orders the best they could. Soon all the passengers had boarded the vehicles.
Nicolai was the last to enter; before stepping inside he turned towards Ramsey “I think you should keep this.” He tossed the emitter’s energy pack Ramsey caught the device in his hands “I wouldn’t want to add on another misdemeanor.” He gave the Colonel a wink and then sealed the hatch.
All personnel left the shuttle bay the guards sealed the doors giving the go ahead for departure. Ramsey watched from behind the shuttle bay’s furnace shield as the pilots ignited the engines. The exterior doors of the large hangar slid apart. The tremendous force of escaping atmosphere engulfed the cavernous enclosure. The freighter crafts began to sway however their expert pilots compensated by firing thrusters, keeping the vehicles steady.
Once there was a large enou
gh opening the vehicles exited the space station. They skimmed over the asteroid aligning themselves with their designated flight paths. Once that was accomplished the pilots increased aft thrusters by several magnitudes. Ramsey watched through the tinted plating as the blazing vehicles disappeared into space.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Loose gravel slid from the small opening. It trickled down and fell onto the sanctuary floor. The soft movements of the gas creature continued scattering the loose material. Once the opening was wide enough it slid its body through it. It began to traverse the natural passageways that led to the outside. The creature vaguely recalled making this journey when it had descended from the surface millions of years ago. It did not expect to awaken and emerge from its sanctuary for many more millennia. However once it had learned of its brother’s demise it could no longer remain dormant.
A small fissure on the surface allowed its body to escape. The faint hissing of escaping gas paled against the great cacophony that was echoing throughout the cosmos. From all around the gas creature could sense the dauntless battle cry of its kind.
Once fully formed it too added its piercing cry to the commotion. The intense sound reached its climax and shot off in every direction. It raced to distant planets and far flung star systems. The super sonic roar penetrated numerous rocky enclosures. Stirring the inhabitants to rise and hear the distress call. They immediately rose from their slumber and raced for the epicenter. Their thoughts, united as one, was consumed by a single mantra
We are coming my brother
*****
Raza laid awake in the dimly lit cargo hold. The smell of sweat hung heavily in the poorly ventilated enclosure. Miners, exhausted from their two-day ordeal, were making up for the lack of sleep. The relief of escaping from the entities clutches soothed their wracked nerves immensely. Although Raza was glad to be getting away from that awful place his mind began to worry him with thoughts of what laid ahead.
“By the will of Allah I will withstand any punishment they give me. I will not compromise on my values no matter how much harm they cause.” Raza thought to himself “Worldly pain is fleeting; I feel pity for those who go against the will of God, theirs is eternal pain” that thought comforted him “Inshallah Allah will do what is best for me.” He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.
As if out of a hellish nightmare the infamous scream rattled Raza back to consciousness. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing “No, it can’t be!” he exclaimed. But the terrible sound persisted it seemed to be coming from all around him. The harsh sound grated against the lumbering spacecraft, making it more hideous. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore it suddenly ceased.
Raza did not realize he was clenching his teeth so tightly and was surprised to see blood on his lips. The fear of confronting the entity again was so overbearing that his body had shut down his nervous system. As he regained his wits he slowly stood up from his cramped floor space. The other miners did not seem to be disturbed by the awful racket. Raza wondered if the pilot heard anything “I hope I am not hallucinating.”
He decided to investigate the strange occurrence. After all the crew could be in danger. They had piled their belongings off in a corner in a big heap; it now served as a convenient ladder. Raza tiptoed through the herd of men, trying not to wake them. Once he reached the heap, he carefully climbed up to see through the sole viewing port in the cavernous cargo hold. Raza stifled a sneeze as he wiped away the fine layer of dust that plastered the plexi-glass port. “Doesn’t anyone clean around here?” The gray dust covered his sleeve “This is just great, now I look destitute.”
When he looked up and peered through the cleansed glass his petty concerns seemed meaningless. He was awe struck as his eyes feasted on the star speckled expanse that laid before him. Stellar winds stirred glittering strands of radiation. They arced to and fro carving the black matter of space according to their whim. The omnipotent forces of the universe were at work giving birth to a seething young star. Ringed with white-hot plasma its crimson and amber hues consumed the insignificant human’s sight, ignited his senses, filled his soul.
Overcome with emotion he began to weep, “All praise is to Allah, the lord of the Universe, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful, the Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone we worship and you alone we ask for help. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those whom you have blessed, not of those who incur your anger, nor of those who go astray.” After this experience the opening chapter of the Quran held new meaning for Raza. As far as his eyes could see the awesome power of nature was at work. The only reason that power did not consume him was because Allah had shown him mercy. Raza shuddered as he realized that it was not his destiny to die amongst the stars.
*****
A skeleton crew of a few dozen miners was left behind. They had been ordered to go out to the mines and continue mining operations. A few of them grumbled about labor regulations and how it wasn’t right to send them off to work in the middle of the night. However their supervisors promised them handsome compensations and sent them on their way.
With the refinery out of commission it would be cumbersome to haul all that ore back to the space station. However that wouldn’t stop Ramsey from meeting his early morning dead line. “Have the sifters load the drill rigs, they can walk back to their quarters.” And that was that.
A few operators in the Command and Control section also decided to stay behind. They were eagerly monitoring the progress of the mining crew, as it entered the dreaded tunnels. They were on the lookout for any signs of the entity. They were to notify Ramsey the instant they heard anything. The colonel, too anxious to wait for news from C&C, decided to burn off some excess adrenaline by walking through the space station’s corridor.
He was traveling through the upper levels when he came across the Medical Center. The lights had been turned off and it was completely abandoned. “I can’t believe these pansies high tailed it out of here at the first sign of trouble.” The colonel thought back to the time he spent on the battlefield. His employer frequently used his services to fight off unwanted nuisances offered by the sovereigns. There was a time when their space force had grown ambitious and wanted to levy taxes on Gemcore freighter craft entering their airspace. The ruthless mining company retaliated with a scorched earth policy his squadron of Battle craft were instructed to incinerate farming villages that fell within UFSN jurisdiction. With their food supply cut off the blockade soon ended.
“You see I don’t run at the first sign of trouble I stay the course and accomplish my mission.” His thoughts soon returned to his current situation “I know that two timing Cruchev was lying. Energy Weapons can protect me from the entity.” He then cursed himself for being foolish enough to let that bleeding heart get away with the emitter “At least I have the energy pack, I can use my contacts to get me another emitter.”
He was confronted with another thought “When I send off that freighter craft there won’t be any qualified operators to man the Quasar cannon, the premier won’t like that.” Ever obedient to his superior he began to worry that’s when he recalled slaughtering the pirates and decided they wouldn’t need the weapon anyway.
When the drilling rigs returned to the surface without incident, they all breathed a sigh of relief. They decided to send in the mining crew for another round. The second round of extraction was also successful. Their spirits begin to lift, it seemed like they were going to meet their quota after all “You see they were all just a bunch of yellow bellies, there was no danger.” The personnel of V-323 believed their colonel. They truly believed everything was going to be all right.
*****
The epicenter was like a raw nerve. Gas creatures, responding to the distress call raced towards the central nexus from all corners of the galaxy. They could no longer remain dormant once the call was sounded they immediately migrated to the pulsating hub of activity. Not since the dawn of time had the univer
se witnessed such a spectacle. These beings mostly lived isolated lives. They occasionally communicated with each other when they came out of their extensive hibernations. However a gathering of this magnitude was unprecedented.
When a sufficient number of creatures were present they began to exhibit a peculiar behavior. It began with individual creatures; they moved in close to each other and began to combine with each other. They transferred their molecules to and fro until they became a single entity. These newly formed entities combined with others. They continued in this manner growing larger each time.
Another strange behavior they had begun to exhibit was that their usually transparent forms started to become more condensed. Their transparency slowly faded each time they merged with each other. They started taking on a pasty appearance. Once all of them had thoroughly merged with each other all traces of segmentation had disappeared. Now only a ghostly white cloud stretching for miles hung menacingly across the cosmos.
*****
The mining crew had to make ten rounds before they had extracted enough ore to fill a freighter craft. Since they didn’t have the convenience of the tubules and the anti-gravity trolleys they missed the early morning deadline. As expected colonel Ramsey was furious “What’s taking those lame brains so long?” he was up in the glass dome screaming at the operators.
“Sir they have unloaded the last load of ore from the drilling rig. Now they are using the elevator to move it from the ATV depot up to the shuttle bay. The elevator isn’t big enough for that much cargo so its taking time.” Ramsey clenched his teeth in anger however he didn’t know what to say. The automation provided by the refinery was critical for meeting tight deadlines he hoped that the governors would understand.
“All right just hurry it up I want that freighter craft out of here within the hour. I’ll be in my ready room in case you screw up.”
“Understood sir” the operator immediately switched frequencies and established a connection with the freighter craft pilot. He was met with a commotion of sound “What’s going on down there?”