Chapter 8
We ran to the Phoenix, taking off from the hangar beneath Camp Parker and then blasting up into the sky, through the atmosphere and beyond. As soon as we had cleared the solar system, Zark contacted the Phoenix to inform us that the 'Spectran space bandits' had last been sighted in the vicinity of the planet Persus. Tiny entered in our heading and initiated Time Warp, folding subspace to allow us to travel across the galaxy in less than an hour.
As soon as we were underway, Mark got out of his seat, coming to the back of the Bridge and laying his hand on my shoulder.
"Is everything all right, Princess?" he asked solicitously. "Anything you've forgotten? Are you still used to the rigors of Time Warp?"
"I'm fine." I smiled up at him. "I haven't forgotten any of the controls, and Keyop has brought me up to speed on the recent protocol changes."
"Doing… great!" Keyop chirped, giving the Commander a 'thumbs up' sign. Mark smiled, nodding approvingly.
"Thanks for watching out for my girl, Keyop." he said, winking before he returned to his assigned seat. I blushed deeply, and Keyop used this as an excuse to needle me for the remainder of our journey. Yet soon enough it was back to business, as we arrived at Persus. I began a sensor sweep of the area, searching for any sign of the space brigands.
"There!" I pointed to the scanning monitor, and Keyop nodded in agreement. "It's an ionized drive trail, with a Spectran warp signature." I reported.
"Follow it, Tiny." Mark instructed, before turning to Jason.
"Be ready to defend the Phoenix, but not unless I give the okay." the Commander warned the gunner.
"10-4!" Jason acknowledged, powering up the Phoenix's weapon systems and moving up to the front of the Bridge, where the firing mechanisms were located.
"Now where could they be hiding?" Mark asked himself, his eyes narrowing in thought as the Phoenix moved along the ion trail. "Not much out here other than the planet and…"
"That's it!" the Commander grinned with his realization. "They're hiding between Persus' twin moons! The shadows there would provide a perfect camouflage, and the heavy mineral deposits on the moons are interfering with our location scans!"
"Confirmed!" Keyop blurted, showing me what he had discovered on his instruments.
"Keyop's found a discrepancy in the scanning data." I explained. "A 'disturbance' about the size of a large Spectran troop transport."
"Check it out, Tiny." Mark ordered.
Carefully the Phoenix swung around the side of the first Persusian moon. The moment the Spectran ship came into sight, they began firing at us. It was clear that they had been tracking our movements, just as we had been tracking theirs.
"Fire!" Mark ordered Jason. "Destroy them!"
"No!" I shouted, leaping out of my chair in order to grab Jason's wrist as it hovered over the red firing button. "We don't know what they want! They may not be acting under Zoltar's orders. We have to give them the choice to surrender before we destroy them!" Now I regretted not having spoken up more at the briefing, but it wasn't too late. Not yet. Surely Mark would listen to reason.
"What?" the Commander turned, taken aback by the interruption. "Princess, they're firing at us!"
"They see us as a threat!" I replied. "But maybe if we give them a chance, they'll surrender, and we'll be able to figure out what they're doing."
"Princess, I…"
"We have to give them a chance, Commander." I insisted, standing firm. "They're humanoid beings. They deserve that much."
"How do you suggest getting them to stop firing?" Jason asked dryly, clearly irritated by the delay.
"Send a message." I urged Keyop.
"No… response…" Keyop burbled, as he followed my instruction.
There was a significant pause, broken only by the shifts and turns of the Phoenix as Tiny did his best to avoid the Spectran ship's fire. Fortunately its armaments appeared to be low-yield, and their aim wasn't nearly as accurate as I would have expected.
After a long moment, the Commander sighed heavily, nodding reluctantly at me.
"Okay, Princess. We'll board them and try to talk. You're right that this isn't the usual situation. We should try something different. Jason, Keyop, you're with the two of us. Tiny, divert their attention and make your way into the primary moon's atmosphere, just long enough that we can board them."
"Roger!" Tiny called, while the rest of us gathered on the elevation platform, in readiness for departure.
"Thank you, Commander." I smiled at Mark, and he returned the gesture.
"It's worth trying to save lives." he said quietly. Jason grimaced, but did not say anything, while Keyop merely looked confused. We watched silently as Tiny lured the other ship into the primary moon's atmosphere; low enough to provide us with sufficient oxygen as we boarded the Spectran spacecraft.
"Now!" Mark ordered. The elevation platform rose, bringing us up to the hull of the Phoenix, where the protective dome retracted. As one, the four of us jumped, gliding through the air toward the Spectran craft, while Tiny used the Phoenix's movement to distract the other ship from our maneuver. I gasped, both from the thinness of the air and my own excitement. I had forgotten how it truly felt to fly…
Mark pointed to an entry hatch on the top of the spacecraft and we followed him down to its location. It was sealed, of course, but Jason made quick work of its lock with the blowtorch attachment on his gun.
The door unlocked, and we dropped down into the Spectran ship, quietly closing the hatch behind us.
The interior of the ship was that of a standard large-scale Spectran troop transport, but I had never seen one as in as bad a condition as this; at least not before I had set off explosives inside of it. The corridors were filthy and various wall panels and light fixtures appeared to be in desperate need of small repairs, as if daily maintenance had been forgone for some time. The air held the pungent odor of unwashed bodies and space jet fuel.
"Lousy… housekeepers!" Keyop noted, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"Either their commanding officer is extremely lax," Mark thought out loud, "or…"
"Or they don't have a commanding officer." Jason finished for him.
"They're rabble, then." Mark agreed.
"The question is why." I did my best to keep them both focused on my gut feelings about the situation. "Why are they without a captain, yet still in space for so long, forced to go stealing supplies just to survive?"
"Good question." Jason replied, and I noticed no sign of the irritation he seemed to have been feeling when we had departed the Phoenix.
"Where is everyone?" he asked, looking around carefully. "We should have had a welcoming party by now."
"You're presuming that someone's watching." Mark pointed out. "If they're as lax with security as they are with maintenance…" Even as the Commander spoke, the ship lurched to the side, sending all of us stumbling. Mark and Jason managed to keep their feet. I fell into the wall, which allowed me to stay upright. Keyop landed on the floor in an undignified heap.
"Speaking of maintenance…." Jason noted dryly, "it seems as if their inertial dampeners need some work."
"My guess is they're more worried about survival than maintenance." I offered. "If they're demanding food, that means they've run out of supplies. I'd say that's their primary concern at the moment."
"This is all supposition, until we find them." Mark reminded us.
"There!" Keyop pointed down the corridor, where a flash of green appeared briefly, as if someone was running through a cross-passageway.
"Good eye, Keyop." Mark praised him. "Everyone, let's go."
We proceeded along in standard fashion, keeping an eye out for anything unusual and moving cautiously throughout the vessel. Yet there appeared to be no need for our vigilance. We saw no other people, nor any robots. There were no traps, alarms, or security measures of any kind.
"This is creeping me out." Jason whispered finally. "It feels like they're holding back, ready to pounce on us with guns blazing."
"Then we'll have to be even more careful." was Mark's steady reply.
Still, there was nothing.
We followed the passageway Keyop had indicated, based on the glimpse of the soldier he had seen. Eventually we came to what was clearly the Bridge. Large double doors emblazoned with the Spectran devil logo stood between us and the control center for this spacecraft. Muffled shouts and the sounds of shuffling movement filtered through to our cerebonically enhanced ears.
"It seems like they're all in there." Mark observed.
"Too good to be true." Jason muttered disbelievingly.
"One way… to find out…" Keyop suggested.
"Wait!"
Everyone turned to look at me, impatience crossing their faces.
"If they're in there… we have to talk to them." I reminded my teammates. "If they really are… renegades… we need to treat them differently. Remember, these men may not be working for Zoltar. They may be… on their own."
"They're lacking leadership, that's for certain." the Commander agreed. "But I don't like the idea that we can't even defend ourselves."
"We can defend ourselves." I pointed out. "But we shouldn't attack first. And no hits to kill."
"I hope you know what you're getting us into, Princess." Jason warned, just as the ship lurched again. This time we all stayed on our feet, pausing only momentarily before returning to the matter at hand.
"Trust… Princess…" Keyop stated firmly, slipping his hand into mine.
"Thanks, Keyop." I smiled down at him, gently squeezing his fingers.
"I trust you too, Princess." Mark said, his eyes conveying a deeper meaning than his words. The Commander was putting this mission on the line, on my say-so. He was taking what he perceived as an unnecessary risk, because he was accepting my judgment of the situation. This wasn't the kind of thing Mark did very often, and I understood that it was an enormous gesture on his part.
"Thank you, Mark." I told him. "If talking doesn't work… I understand that we'll have to be more forceful." He nodded curtly, then turned to the double doors.
Motioning us forward with hand signals, we crept the last few meters down the corridor, moving in a defensive, rather than offensive, position. As we approached the doors I began analyzing the likely bypasses I would have to make on the adjacent control pad to open the portal.
But to my surprise, the doors slid open all on their own, allowing access simply because they had sensed our presence. The others appeared just as taken aback as I was, but Mark didn't let this stop his planned course of action.
In front of us was the Bridge. A control room of this size was generally designed for perhaps five men and a Captain; perhaps as many as ten men if circumstances required. Yet there were at least twenty-five Spectran soldiers crammed into the small space, all of them facing forward, shouting at the front of the room.
The sheer number of voices made it difficult to discern what individual men were saying, yet I was able to pick out a few words.
"Get away!"
"Don't let up!"
"Keep dodging!"
We continued moving forward, all of us staring in amazement at the oblivious nature of the soldiers in front of us. Zoltar's men were often lazy, hastily recruited, or poorly trained, but they were never this sloppy.
As we stood in the doorway of the already packed control room, we could see what had so preoccupied the men. Up on the main viewscreen, at the front of the Bridge, the Phoenix was clearly visible, dodging the various armaments that were being thrown at it.
"We don't wish to harm you." Mark said loudly. The men all turned around, their faces registering both shock and fear
"G-Force!"
"How did they get here?"
"What's going on?"
One man pushed to the front, the others stepping back, clearly glad that someone else had taken on the burden of addressing their unexpected guests.
"Commander…" the man said, utterly failing to swallow back his nervousness. "We didn't… we weren't…" He glanced nervously behind him, at the sight of the Phoenix on the viewscreen.
"We don't wish to harm you." Mark repeated. To the Spectrans he appeared calm and confident, but knowing him as well as I did I could sense his own confusion at the situation in which we found ourselves. These men were dressed, albeit in a slovenly manner, in Spectran military uniforms, yet they weren't attacking us, nor making any move to run away. For the most part they were simply… surprised.
"Then… why are you here?" the man asked.
"Galaxy Security has received reports of certain… disturbances." Mark replied slowly. I could see Keyop's eyes darting around nervously, while Jason's gaze was careful and assessing, his hand never straying too far from his gun.
"We came to investigate." Mark concluded, his eyes fixed on the man in front of him. "We were wondering if you could enlighten us."
"We never meant to hurt anyone." the man blurted, not even attempting to hide his nervousness now. "But we needed supplies. We were running out of food!"
"Weren't you sufficiently stocked with provisions when you left Spectra?" Jason asked coldly. I could see his suspicion written in the lines of his face.
"Well, uh… we didn't exactly plan to be gone this long." The man appeared sheepish. "We… we're defectors… I guess…"
"Defectors?" Keyop's sharp cry reflected our astonishment. "Not… Spectran?"
"Of course we're Spectran!" the man intoned proudly, but then his face fell. "But… I don't think we'd be too welcome on Spectra right now. Not after…" He blanched, as if he had said too much.
"You can tell us, Captain." I said kindly, reaching out to offer him a gentle touch of friendship. "I'm sure we'll understand."
"Oh, I'm not the Captain." the man flushed. "Just a sergeant. Sergeant Wiltek. The Captain's long gone."
"What happened to him?" Mark asked.
"He didn't agree with us." another man mumbled.
"Didn't agree with you?" Jason repeated, with a slight air of confusion.
"Our orders… we were told to destroy the city of Silanto," Wiltek explained, "but many of us have family there…"
"Wait a minute!" Jason interrupted, disbelief written across his face. "You were ordered to destroy a Spectran city?"
"The Captain said it was a rebel stronghold." another soldier piped up. "But it's not true! At least, not all of the city…"
"We were chosen for this task on purpose." Wiltek elaborated. "Lord Zoltar wanted us to destroy our own city, our own families, to prove our loyalty to him and his orders."
"The Captain wasn't very pleased when we said we wouldn't do it." Wiltek revealed. "And there were a few men who agreed with him. But we couldn't let them… Anyhow, they're gone now."
"For good!" the other soldiers muttered in satisfaction.
"And you're the highest ranking officer remaining." Mark observed. "These men follow you?"
"Yes." Wiltek nodded.
"Then I'm willing to take your word that there will be no further 'demands' on Federation colonies." the Commander said dryly.
"No." Wiltek shook his head fervently. "You're really not going to kill us, Commander?"
"I'd rather not." Mark grinned. "It seems to me that you men have the moral high ground in this situation."
"Sergeant!" The men behind Wiltek began whispering amongst themselves, then prodding their leader. Wiltek turned to address them, and became involved in their heated discussion. Sheepishly he turned back to the Commander.
"Uh… Commander… Sir…" Wiltek flushed as he spoke. "The men and I were wondering… Would the Federation be willing to…uh… take us in?"
"Asylum?" Mark was shocked. For that matter, so was I. Jason and Keyop appeared stunned.
"We… we can't go back to Spectra." Wiltek admitted. "We've run out of food. And… We heard what you did for the rebel prisoners." He glanced shyly over at me.
"Seeing her here," he gestured in my direction, "I'd guess the rumors are true. You took them back to the Federation, didn't you?"
"Yes." I confirmed. "The women who were with me at the Traitor's Prison are safe."
"Is… is Llandra among them?" One man stepped forward, his face anxious. "She's my sister."
"Yes." I nodded, recalling the woman of whom he spoke. "If she's your sister, she would be very happy to see you."
"Please, Commander." Wiltek practically begged. "Things have changed on Spectra… Life is much more… difficult. Lord Zoltar was enraged when your G-Force woman escaped. Ever since, things have been rough. Rations have been drastically cut, curfews enforced. People are afraid to say anything for fear that they'll be accused of being rebels. And as for the rebels… well, let's just say that Silanto isn't the first city that's been targeted."
"I'm sure the Federation would be very interested in hearing details of these developments." Mark noted.
"Does that mean that you're willing to accept our proposal?" Wiltek asked hopefully.
"I'll contact Chief Anderson." Merck agreed.
"Great!" the Sergeant declared, as the men cheered. "So… what happens now?"
"I guess you follow us back to Federation space." the Commander sighed.
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"You what?" Chief Anderson's face was aghast. Even on the tiny communication monitor, I could see the astonishment on his face. The blackness of space sped by as we passed through in Time Warp, making our way back to central Federation territory.
"I gave them temporary asylum, until we could talk to you." Mark answered. "They're not able to return home, and they paint an interesting picture of what's happening on Spectra right now. I think you need to listen to what they have to say, Chief."
"Mark, you can't keep coming back from missions with a shipload of refugees." Anderson growled in frustration. "Just what am I supposed to tell President Kane?"
"Exactly what I've told you." Mark replied calmly. "Princess was right, Chief. The Spectran people… well some of them, anyway… are really unhappy with Zoltar as their leader. And he's cracking down, hard. No wonder we haven't heard from Spectra in weeks! Zoltar's too busy dealing with his own domestic issues to think about attacking us!"
"I'll do my best." the Chief sighed. "Bring them to Galaxy Security facilities on Riga. I'll see what I can do."
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Of course, granting almost thirty Spectran men refugee status had far-reaching implications, and not just for President Kane's public image, Much to Chief Anderson's dismay, the Rigans proved to be unable to keep the presence of the Spectran soldiers under wraps, and soon even the Spectran women housed at Camp Parker knew of them. When my fellow former inmates learned why the men had been granted asylum, the women naturally wanted to see them. This was especially true for Llandra, who wanted to visit immediately upon hearing of her brother's presence amongst this other group. What with all of the tactical workings to arrange such a meeting, I did not have a chance to speak with Norei for a few days. But finally, one afternoon, shortly after Norei's 'delegation' of women (accompanied by Tavis Demandro) had returned from Riga, we were able to meet together in the gardens of Camp Parker.
"It has been too long." Norei said, embracing me. "Even when we shared a room, it seemed as if we were only together while we slept."
"And now we are not necessarily even in the same place." I reminded her. "For the past three days, you have been on Riga."
"That is true." Norei concurred. "It seems as if we are destined for different paths."
"I have always known that," I admitted, "but I still enjoy whatever time we spend together. You are a good friend, Norei."
"I feel the same." Norei agreed. "And I will remember you when I am gone."
"Gone?" I asked, surprised. "Where are you going?"
"Your Federation President has given us leave to return to Spectra." Norei sniffed indignantly, clearly offended at the notion of having to obtain 'permission' for such a thing. "More importantly, through your Chief Anderson, we have arranged for transport ships, medical supplies, and food. We will be bringing sorely needed provisions to the Yellow Flag."
"Everyone is going?" I asked, knowing the answer before I heard it.
"All of us." Norei confirmed. "The women from the Traitor's Prison, the men on Riga, even Tavis. None of us wish to live on a planet controlled by Lord Zoltar any longer. Yet neither do we wish to abandon Spectra. It is our home; it is where we belong."
"I can understand that."
"You agreed that we are destined for different paths," Norei went on, "but I feel that I must ask: would you come with us? We could use a woman of your talents."
"I would be honored." I told her, tears in my eyes. "But my place is here. Just as you have a duty to the people of Spectra, so too do I have a duty to the people of the Federation."
"I understand." Norei nodded, her eyes bright. "But I felt I had to offer. To let you know that you were… wanted."
"I will miss you." I told Norei, embracing her.
"And I you." Her words and tone were stiff, but her returning embrace gave voice to her true feelings.
"When do you leave?" I asked, pulling back.
"Tonight." Norei admitted. "Our ships are ready and we see no reason to delay."
"Tonight." I absorbed this news slowly. "I wish you speed and luck on your journey."
"Thank you." Norei replied. "We will need it."
"So… how was your visit to Riga?" I asked curiously, suddenly eager to change the subject.
"Very… illuminating." Norei replied slowly. "The stories these men tell… It seems that Lord Zoltar was infuriated by our escape from the Traitor's Prison."
"That's hardly unexpected." I murmured.
"Of course not," Norei agreed, "but I gather he was also embarrassed by this turn of events, and he was forced to publicly admit that there had been an 'incident'. He told the Spectran people that all of the prisoners had been killed in their failed attempt at escape."
"But… how could he expect to support such an untruth?" I asked, amazed.
"Tavis has a theory about that." Norei replied. "He thinks that Zoltar was planning to stay away from G-Force: to take a break from the war, such as it were. Then, eventually, when he would have had to face G-Force on some future occasion and there were five of you, he would declare that the female member of the team was a replacement."
"Where would Tavis come up with such an idea?" I frowned. "How did he figure such a thing out?"
"Lord Zoltar has done this before," Norei revealed, "when certain rebel leaders were declared to be dead, but then later reappeared."
"I see." I murmured, my mind working a mile a minute on the implications of all of this. "I guess it says a lot that Zoltar has to deceive the Spectran people so much."
"The difference is that now the Spectran people have an idea that they are not being told the truth." Norei said. "Their lives are being affected as well. The men said that rationing has been in effect for the past three tennights, even for people in the Capital."
"Why are things so tight, all of a sudden?" I asked.
"This is not 'all of the sudden'." Norei explained. "It has been coming for a long time. The Spectran Empire is short on resources. This is why we are at war: Spectra needs to control planets with vast networks of resources, to supply its needs."
"So Spectra has finally run out?"
"It looks that way."
"If that's true, then Zoltar has his back to the wall." I said. "And in that kind of situation, people do desperate things."
"Lord Zoltar has never been someone who is been known for prudence." Norei noted.
"Or sanity." I added.
It was only two days later that we were to find out how right we were.
