6. The Leaving
Belitruse VI was a fairly useless lump of rock and ice with a few mining colonies and not much else on it. Gary and the Polkawitz family stood on the bridge of the Crimson Light gazing at the lights of the colonies from orbit.
"Well, now what, primey?" demanded Clarence.
Gary had given this moment some thought. Finding one small blob on a planet was no simple task - or was it?
"AVA, can you please scan for non-mechanical, non-mineral power sources?" asked Gary.
"Right away."
"Wench!" yelled Clarence. "He says please, and you obey?"
"I'm a sucker for blonds," said the AI, ignoring her owner's outburst. "I'm detecting twenty biological power sources on the planet, six plant and fourteen animal sources, all accounted for in the inventories of the mining colonies."
"Anything else?" pressed Gary.
"Detecting a non-mechanical, non-mineral, non-organic power source on the closest moon." The AI managed to sound perplexed. "It's small and . . . moving slowly."
Gary broke into a wide grin. "Get us there now!"
"I give the orders here," Clarence interjected sharply.
He leveled a world-class glare at this world-class jerk. "You agreed to get me here to find my friend. We may have found him. AVA, go!"
"AVA, no!" Clarence stamped his foot.
"AVA, yes!"
The Crimson Light rocketed off so sharply that Gary's knees buckled and Clarence tipped over onto the deck with a loud "Oof!" followed by a colorful array of curses. "Papa!" cried Fox, reaching to help him. Clarence swatted his hands away, giving Gary the stink eye and growing all the more annoyed at being ignored and overruled.
It was a matter of minutes until they reached moon in question. AVA set the ship down onto a surface pockmarked with craters and coated with a layer of fine dust. Even before they landed, Gary was heading for the loading bay, activating his helmet as he went. Luckily, after escaping Tera Con Prime, one of Gary's cast-off clothing finds in the battleship's storerooms had been some Infinity Guard gear even older than the stuff he'd worn as a prisoner. Helmets and spacesuits being required safety gear on any spaceship, Gary had snagged one for nostalgia's sake. One of the engineers had been kind enough to give the helmet an overhaul and he even painted it red. So it was just as well Gary had indulged a bit of homesickness, because this was the helmet Mooncake knew. If he saw it, he'd know it was Gary and come running. Flying. Whatever it was whatever Mooncake was did.
He was surprised when Clarence's daughter, Ash, joined him. Her spacesuit was a heck of a lot more stylish than the space-rated clothing he'd acquired aboard the battleship. Her helmet also allowed for a wider scope of vision.
"I'll give you a hand. My dad's in a bad mood. Fox can deal," she offered by way of explanation, clapping on her helmet and activating the ramp.
"Sounds good. Thanks."
They stepped onto the desolate moon, pale dust kicking around their feet.
"A hundred meters directly before you," AVA called. "By those rocks."
She had landed in the right spot, it seemed. He bounded over, taking long jumps and enjoying the low gravity. Light and nimble, Ash easily kept pace. With almost no atmosphere, the stark sunlight was blinding bright and cast deep, deep shadows, making it difficult to judge distance. The rocks were craggy, crumbly-looking things. It was all very colorless and bleak. Gary hated the notion of Mooncake alone and lonely here.
"Is that something moving?" asked Ash, pointing. "Halfway up that rock."
He saw it, in the shadows. Small. Round. Acid green.
"Mooncake?" he called, forgetting that atmosphere was necessary to carry sound, and he had to be on top of someone to be heard without a comm unit. "Ash, it's him! It's Mooncake! Mooncake!" He waved both arms so energetically that Ash's hands propping him up were the only things keeping him from toppling over. With a quiet laugh at his reaction, she shoved him forward, and with an excited whoop, Gary put the momentum to work. A few more giant steps later, and Mooncake spotted the motion coming towards him. Turning, it took an instant for him to recognize the Infinity Guard helmet of his friend. His eyes grew wide and he waved his small feet in delight.
"CHOOOOOKITY!"
He connected with Gary in mid-leap, planting his face into the faceplate of Gary's helmet. Gary held on as Mooncake's momentum sent them sailing back, halfway to the Crimson Light. They landed in a tremendous plume of dust, laughing and shouting out ecstatic greetings to one another.
"Buddy! We found you! We found you! I can't believe it! Oh, I've missed you!"
"Chookity! Pok, pok, pok!"
He laughed some more, not caring how dirty he was getting. "Oh, Mooncake! Bring it in, pal!"
Mooncake wiggled in his clasp with a contented, "Choo!"
And for a few blissful moments, Gary Goodspeed was perfectly happy.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
"You're going to like Avocato. He is . . . very cool," Gary said, trying to sound nonchalant and not stupid in love since he was sure eavesdropping was a priority for Clarence. "Look at this awesome arm he had made for me! And he's got a kid, sort of. Little Cato. Not his real name. About yea big. Spiky hair. Great kid. Super smart. Ninja skills. And oh, hey, he's also the prince of Ventrexia. Wild, huh?"
"Oooooooo."
"I know, right?"
He was in the galley, getting a drink and going over anything he thought Mooncake would like to hear since their time together on the Galaxy 1. By Gary's estimate, they were more than halfway to the rendezvous point Avocato had set up. He was gobsmacked that events had gone so smoothly. He didn't want to jinx himself, but things never went this flawlessly. Not in his experience. This was beyond according to plan, but he wasn't going to complain.
He was going to get suspicious.
Clarence had been unusually cordial when Gary and Ash had returned to the Crimson Light with Mooncake in tow. Gary doubted the creepy little Foog felt bad for being, well, himself to everybody, especially when he took an unhealthy interest in Mooncake. He was oddly polite and asked a slew of questions Gary couldn't, didn't answer. Avocato's warning was at the forefront of his mind as he reminded Clarence twice to get them to the rendezvous as quickly as possible. Then he had removed himself and Mooncake to the relative privacy of the galley to catch up as much as one can catch up with a creature that spoke in chirps and chooks and poks. Much longer in Clarence's company and he would have given in to the temptation to shoot the reprobate. Not that the universe would care, but the kids might.
AVA didn't answer when he asked for their location. By Gary's estimate, they should be close to the rendezvous. Assuming AVA was busy doing space ship stuff, Gary headed for the bridge to ask Clarence instead, only to find the hatch was secured. He stepped back, casting a glance at Mooncake. The facehugger chirruped in concern, not liking this development any more than Gary.
"You're right," said Gary, on the defensive. "Something stinks. And I'm not talking just a yucky dumpster smell. I'm talking lobster roll in a hot car for a week levels of stink. Luckily," and he focused on his robotic arm a moment, pulling up the multi-tool, "I'm something of an expert at getting in to where I'm not supposed to."
Less than ten minutes later, he had the door open and he and Mooncake strode onto the bridge and joined the very surprised Polkawitz family.
"Hey, Clarence," he said casually, throwing himself into the empty seat at navigation. He turned on the instrument panel and pulled up their location.
"How dare you!" squeaked Clarence, recovering first.
"Oh, hey, look!" exclaimed Gary with feigned excitement. "We are nowhere near Castina. We're not even going in the right direction to get there. So what gives, Clarence?"
Clarence stood up to face him squarely. "What gives, primey, is your little green friend there has a bounty on his head large enough to set me up in hedonistic comfort for the rest of my life. I'm more than willing to risk Avocato's wrath for that sort of gain. I've already been in touch with the new number two in the Tera Con Empire, General Viro. He, his fleet, and the Lord Commander are already on the move and will meet us at Hamrihed Delta."
"You son of a bitch! You had a deal with Avocato!" He stood up and glared down at the little jerk, his expression fierce and his hands clenched.
"That favor fell through in light of enough dropnoids to buy a planet," Clarence relied as if speaking to a child. He gestured, throwing something, and Gary glanced to the side to see a gravity bind slide across the floor beneath Mooncake.
"Mooncake! No! Get out-"
"Choooki-"
It activated, trapping the facehugger in a cone of golden light and repelling Gary's attempts to reach him. Mooncake struggled, his feet pedaling, but the bind was too powerful. With a shout of fury, Gar whirled, ready to flatten Clarence, only to find himself looking down the barrel of a blaster. Standing behind Clarence, Fox looked supremely alarmed. After an elbow jab from his father, he aimed his own gun at Gary as well. Ash edged out of her seat and sidled closer to her family, her eye wide and uncertain.
"Keep very still, Captain Goodspeed," ordered Clarence. "I'd rather not shoot you, but I will. The bounty on your live capture, modest though it might be in comparison to your pet, would be almost enough for a luxury cruiser. The Lord Commander wants to kill you himself, after all. Between Mooncake and the crown prince of Ventrexia, you've cost him a great deal of grief."
"That's nothing compared to what I'm going to cause you," growled Gary.
"Hands up, Captain," instructed Clarence.
"Thought you'd never ask," snapped Gary, converting his left hand to laser cannon mode as he moved. He thrust it forward, taking aim for that bald, bulbous head. Crappy shot that he was, not even Gary could miss at this range, and it was clear he had enough fire power available to blow Clarence away.
"Huh," was Clarence's surprised response. He didn't panic or drop his arm, but the wheels were clearly turning.
"Stand down, Fox," ordered Gary firmly. "Both you kids move away."
A little snort and a smirk and Clarence uttered, "I don't think so."
Reaching out, he seized Ash by the wrist and yanked her in close, aiming his blaster behind her ear and using her as a shield. She gasped, terrified, too startled to resist. Behind them, Fox let out a wail and aimed his weapon well away from his adopted sister.
"What the hell, dude?" cried Gary, horrified. "That's your kid!"
Clarence shrugged. "Technically, no. Oh, they do have their uses on occasion, I'll grant you, but most of the time I just tolerate their presence on my ship."
Fox's eye grew wide to learn he wasn't wanted, just tolerated. The hurt was visible and painful to see. Ash was frozen, shocked at this betrayal.
"Don't get me wrong," said Clarence with a nasty little smile. "I do value life – my own. Just as I value my comfort and wealth. I am my foremost priority. Everyone else is just a means to an end. Lower your arm, Captain, and convert it back to a hand or I'll shoot."
What else could he do with Ash looking at him in such desperate fear? She pressed her lips together hard, battling to keep the tears back, but unable to suppress a quiet, high-pitched whine.
"You are disgusting," hissed Gary, slowly lowering his arm. He focused, and the high-powered weapon vanished.
"Maybe, but I'm the one with the upper hand right now." Clarence jerked his chin towards Gary's arm. "That's some interesting tech you have there. Very valuable . . . and dangerous. That changes a few things, but not my overall plan. I can see you'll be more trouble than you're worth, so I'll just have to skip on the luxury cruiser for the time being." He stepped back, pulling Ash with him, the muzzle of his blaster grinding into her neck. "Take the pilot's seat, Captain. Land the ship on Tarb III. Now."
Reluctantly, furiously, Gary obeyed, while Mooncake fought the gravity bind and Fox quavered and Ash struggled for self-control. Tarb III was the nearest planet. It was just good fortune for them that it was M class and though cloudy, had a breathable atmosphere. Readings didn't indicate much else, like life or surface water.
"Where do you want me to land?" demanded Gary, only now realizing AVA must have been shut off.
"Wherever you like," was the flippant reply.
He set down outside a city where no activity took place. The view screens showed blasted, ruined buildings, empty streets, desolation everywhere.
"What happened here?" Gary couldn't help but wonder.
"War, disease, some other commonplace disaster," Clarence said carelessly, completely disinterested in the calamities of others. "All that matters to you is that this is your new home, Captain Goodspeed."
Gary glared, but said nothing until they started filing off the ship. He looked at Mooncake, saying, "Hang tight, Mooncake. I'll be back for you. I promise. And you," he added in a savage aside to Clarence.
At gunpoint, he marched them off the Crimson Light. All three of them. Clarence stopped at the bottom of the ramp and held Ash there as Gary and Fox stepped onto Tarb III. Fox could have easily overpowered Clarence, or used his attached blaster against him, but the Tryvuulian was far too distraught to think along those lines. It was warm on the planet, and the ground and breeze smelt of old smoke and decay. Everything – land, sky, buildings – was ash gray. The ship and its few occupants were the only specks of color and warmth.
"Ash, darling, you stand right here until Daddy's inside," said Clarence, keeping his gun aimed at her head as he backed up the ramp. "Behave, children!" was his last taunt, followed by laughter. A minute later, the Crimson Light took off in a swirl of dust, abandoning them on a dead world.
For a few moments, save for the hot breeze, there was a deafening silence. It had all happened so quickly, they'd had no chance to process events. Gary, Fox, and Ash stood looking at one another in shock. Shock at the betrayal, that they were alive, that they were alone in a wasteland with no resources. And then Ash screwed up her face, threw back her head, and screamed. And screamed. A Fury rising from Hades could not have matched her passion in that instant. Clenching her fists, she stamped and howled with greater wrath than even the Lord Commander could produce. If they could have harnessed that rage, Clarence would have been obliterated.
Fox jumped and shifted nervously, but Gary just stood by and let Ash get it out. Finally, she could carry on no longer. Panting, she looked at her fellow castaways, yelling,
"Tolerate us? Useful? A means to an end? All this time he's lied to us about caring? He let us call him dad and pretended we were a family? After everything that's happened to me and Fox? I. Will. KILL. Him. I don't care if it takes forever. I will find Clarence Polkawitz and I will END him."
"Good plan!" agreed Gary. "I like it! Simple, elegant, effective."
"I can't believe he did that," breathed Fox. He was on the verge of tears.
"Believe it, kiddo," Gary replied. "Ash, save that energy. You're going to need it. Both of you need to keep it together."
"What are we gonna do?" whined Fox.
Gary smirked, pushing his sleeve up. "Don't worry. I've got people. I hope." He keyed the comm unit, saying, "Hey, yo! This is Captain Gary Goodspeed. I need to speak to General Avocato. Pronto!"
The two teens exchanged a startled look. This development was enough to distract them both from their plans of patricide and therapy.
"One moment, Captain Goodspeed," said a tinny voice. "Putting you through now. General Avocato is on the line."
Relieved beyond telling, Gary indulged in his own little panicked shout of, "Avocato!"
"I know," said the deep, incredibly welcome voice of the general. Two words, and suddenly things weren't so bad anymore and Gary was grinning like an idiot. But how the hell could he already know Clarence was going to betray them? Didn't matter. Gary let that sense of calm and control Avocato projected wrap around him like a dryer-warmed blanket. "Help is on the way. Stay right where you are and keep this channel open until they get there."
He could not keep the relief – or the love – out of his voice.
"Can do. Goodspeed out."