OMEGA Guardian (11 page)

I yelled up into the opening, "Jallis! Take that bridge before they lift off!"

I stepped back as the giant loading door continued to close. I could hear the reverberations of the ion engines coming online. I clenched my teeth in denial as the freighter began to slowly lift from the ground. At five meters up, it began a turn that would take the nose out over the jungle.

I spoke under my breath. "Come on, Jallis! You can do it! Take this ship! Take it for all of us!"

As the ship continued to lift up from the landing field and turned farther away, my heart sank. At twenty meters up, I sat back on the ground, looking up in disbelief. Having a ship was life or death for the thousands of miners on Telfor. I had failed to execute at the moment I was needed the most. I leaned back, letting my head bounce on the hard rock of the landing field as the freighter began to move out over the jungle.

Then it happened: the ship nosed over. The front section of the freight dropped quickly, slamming into the jungle below. I stood and began to run as the tail end of the massive ship still hovered over our heads.

I yelled, "Get out of there! That ship is coming down!"

Seconds later, the ion engines could no longer be heard reverberating as the back half of the freighter fell. The nose of the ship lay deep in the jungle. The center of the ship crashed hard into the edge of the plateau, holding the tail end of the ship up in the air. We continued to run.

As the frame of the great ship began to split in two, we emerged from under its shadow. The aft of the ore hauler then slammed into the landing field just behind us, sending a gush of wind and dust outward that bowled us over like a giant broom sweeping the plateau.

As the dust settled, I stood to take in the loss of the freighter. I walked toward the fractured center of the hull. The others followed close behind.

I stepped up into the open hull to survey the damage. The freighter would not fly again. Our method of travel off the planet was gone. I climbed into the wreckage and carefully moved down the heavily sloping floor toward the front of the ship. Several minutes later, I reached the front bay door that had previously closed just in front of me. I moved over to the hallway going towards the bridge and continued my trek downward. The others in my group followed close behind.

When I reached the bridge, the frontal viewports were smashed, with tree branches poking in where the large, transparent structures had been. I then heard a low moan.

Garmon yelled, "Over here! It’s Jallis!"

I made my way over to see a bloodied and beaten Jallis Karmea lying where the bridge deck met the front wall.

I leaned over. "Can you speak?"

Jallis replied, "I may have broken my back. The guard knocked me away just as the ship’s nose struck the ground. I could not stop him from forcing the captain to scuttle the ship."

I looked around. "And the guard? Where is he?"

Jallis raised a single finger toward the far wall. Layda spoke. "What’s left of the guard is scattered about over there. He got the guard."

I turned to Layda. "Check the ship’s infirmary. They should have a backboard in there."

Layda pulled herself up along the wall, climbing back up the hall toward where the infirmary would be. On a freighter, it would likely only be a closet, but the standard medical gear would be stored there.

Layda yelled back, "Got it! Coming your way!"

The backboard slid down the floor, banging against the wall to our left as it stopped. Jallis was gently rolled to one side and the backboard slid underneath him. When he had been let back and secured, I sent two of the Feldons off looking for ropes. An hour later, we emerged from the downed freighter with Jallis. I sat back on the landing field to contemplate our options. Our struggle for freedom had not ended well.

The following day, a runner returned from one of the other mines. It had been fully liberated. The freed slaves were armed with the weapons that were available, and then sent out toward other mines. The jungles around our mine were full of liberated slaves.

I wondered how long it would be before the Talisans showed up with gunships. The fleet of converted ships they flew were not designed for planetary assault or policing, but they were far superior to the handful of blaster rifles that we now possessed.

Jallis was showing signs that he might recover sooner than expected; his early prognosis of a broken back was changing to one of a possible torn muscle. He would continue to be laid up for a while to come; however, it was an injury that would heal without surgical intervention.

After a short discussion with the others, I rose and climbed back into the freighter. I found myself standing on the bridge, wondering if the ship could somehow be made to fly, if only between mines. I stood at the captain’s chair, holding onto an armrest to keep myself from sliding down the deck.

I flipped the switches to power on the ion generators and was rewarded with a green symbol showing that they had come to life. I spun the chair around so that it faced the back of the ship and plopped myself down in it. I powered on the forward engines and was again rewarded as the front of the ship began to slowly lift.

After a gentle session of coaxing the forward gravity thrusters, I had the ship sitting level, closing up most of the fractured fuselage. I pushed the nav stick on the captain’s chair to the right, and bit by bit I moved the massive ship until it was once again fully over the landing field. I then gently set her down.

Layda boarded and was soon standing behind me. "Can she be made to fly?"

I replied, "Go back and see if we have anyone with ship-welding experience. They would be able to answer that question. There are materials and machinery in the mine for welding, they use it for maintenance, but I don’t know if they are adequate resources for our purpose."

Layda nodded, turned, and left the bridge.

I slowly spun the captain’s chair around, looking at each of the stations on the bridge. I stopped when I came to the comm station. Was it possible? Could I make a comm call for help? Was Garrett in the area? Or would he even be capable of helping? I stood and walked the five meters to the comm station.

I tuned the equipment to the frequencies Garrett and I had used and began to broadcast. "This is Knog Beutcher, Garrett, are you out there? Garrett, this is Knog. Garrett, please tell me you are listening!"

The comm was silent for several seconds. "Knog, where are you?"

I let out a long sigh as I replied, "You are answering this call, so you must be nearby. We have taken over a mine and attempted to capture a freighter. The ship’s captain crashed it. Is there any chance that you can get to us?"

Garrett replied, "There is a single gunship up in orbit. I’m camped just outside of their sensor range. If I had the original
Jess
, I could take it out. With this one, I don’t have any weapons."

I thought for a moment. "Would it be possible to approach from the other side of the planet? If you could get to us, that ship is fast enough to outrun the gunship. Their ships and the weapons they have added to them are crude."

Garrett began to punch coordinates into his console. "The planet should make a decent shield against detection. That gunship has been broadcasting for help nonstop for the past six hours. I would guess that we have less than a day before help begins to arrive."

I replied, "Get in here and get us out. There is a full slave revolt going on right now, which should give us cover for some time. The Talisans are not good slave managers. We may not even be missed."

Garrett took the
Jess
out and circled back in, coming from the opposite side of Telfor. Less than an hour after our conversation, he was landing on the field beside the downed freighter.

As the hatch opened, Garrett stepped out. "Let’s get a move on. I picked up a second ship on the sensors just as I hit the atmosphere. We have fifteen minutes before they will be able to see us leaving. How many are we taking with us?"

I replied, "We have twenty here with us."

Garrett shook his head. "We can’t fit twenty on here, maybe half that, a dozen tops. It’s four days to the nearest colony that is not run by the slavers."

I turned back to the Feldons. "This ship is small. Besides myself, Jallis, Garmon, and Layda, we might be able to take six more of you with us. We will leave all the blaster rifles behind."

One of the Feldons stepped forward. "We are free to fight; you have already given us that. Take your ship and make your escape. We will remain here with our people."

The Feldon looked around and received nothing but nods in return. I wasn't sure about the Feldons before that moment. With that single decision, they had gained my full respect.

I replied. "I will do my best to return to help in any way I can. This freighter will fly if taken up slowly. With the opened hull it cannot make orbit. If you can somehow close her up, you may be able to use her to leave this planet. Good luck to all of you."

We hurried Jallis, Garmon, and Layda onto the
Jess
and lifted off. The flight to orbit and then out of the Telfor system went quietly. Two more Talisan gunships appeared on the sensors as we pulled away.

Jallis said, "With those gunships, it will be a slaughter. Had I been able, I would have stayed."

I replied, "You have given your people a fighting chance; that is far more than they had only a few days ago. The only way we can help now is if we have a warship. There are no warships in Omega."

I looked up at Garrett. "Perhaps we could travel to the Theta shipyards and steal a destroyer?"

Garrett laughed as he shook his head. "That would be a suicide mission. That place is locked down tight. Besides, it would take us months to get there and months to come back. I don’t think the Talisans are going to wait that long to attack."

The cockpit of the
Jess
was silent for several minutes.

Garrett said, "If I could get back to the original
Jess
, I could take on any of those gunships out there. Her armor and weapons are far superior."

I replied, "Even if we could get you through the portals to get her, you would have to fly her back and again. That would take months. Unless—"

Garrett raised an eyebrow as he turned around. "Unless?"

I thought for several more seconds before responding. "What we need is a way to get that ship back here with portal sweeps. I can’t do it, you can’t do it, but I think I know who might be able to. My maintainer, Go, has the credentials that would allow him to request portal sweeps. If we could make that ship appear as if it was supposed to be headed to this sector, he could get it out here in a matter of hours."

Garrett nodded. "I have a transponder right here that would ID the ship as an Omega ship. He would need a good cover as to why it was out in Alpha sector and why he was bringing it back."

I leaned back in my chair. "What if the ship was on a trade mission for the Governor and it broke down? Go is a maintainer; it would be legit for him to be sent out to repair it and bring it back. All we would need is the Governor’s signature. That is easily faked."

Garrett smiled. "That might just work. The portal administrators might balk a little at it, but a security station Governor’s signature would be a powerful thing. Nobody wants to get involved in the politics of it all anymore. It’s too easy to make enemies."

Our first stop was on Effica. We dropped Jallis, Garmon, and Layda at the same location we had previously left the Governor. It would have adequate accommodations and enough food to keep them alive for several weeks if not longer. After that, they would have to scavenge to survive.

After a run back to the station, Ded Williams requested docking on SS241. I stayed on the ship as he went looking for Go. Half an hour later, he returned.

Go spoke as he came onto the
Jess
. "I don’t know how I can help you, Mr. Williams. I am not familiar with—"

Go’s eyes lit up. "Mr. Beutcher! What? Where—"

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Sit. We have much to discuss."

A call then came over the comm for Garrett. "You two, go back in the cabin and be silent. It’s the Governor on the comm."

We moved back out of view of Garrett’s comm camera.

Garrett spoke. "Hello, Governor. How can I be of assistance?"

The Governor smiled. "Mr. Williams, I have a new item to be shipped from Deko II to here. I am eager to take possession of this item, as it is something that I have sought for some time. I would like the package picked up and delivered here to me as soon as possible.

"And Mr. Williams, you have been one of my better captains of late. You seem different from the others, more refined, I should say. I will be hosting a dinner party tomorrow evening, and I would very much like you to bring me the item before that begins. If you have formal wear, you may attend the party and take part in the feast that will be served. Make haste, Mr. Williams; I am eager to have this item in my hands."

Garrett replied, "I will do my best, Governor. Send the coordinates and any data related to the pickup, and I will start on this immediately."

The Governor smiled, nodded, and closed the comm.

Garrett spoke. "That was odd. I haven’t seen him so excited about loot before. This must be something special."

I sat in the copilot’s chair. "The Governor’s treasure can wait. I need you to give Go everything he will need to bring the original
Jess
back here."

Garrett shook his head. "I have to go in the next few minutes, or we lose my being able to visit this station. I am only here because the Governor wants my services. Take those away, and they probably wouldn’t even let me dock."

I turned to Go. "What were you working on?"

Go replied. "I was working on making sure Roger wasn’t stripping my ship bare. I don’t have a new partner yet, and until I do, I need to stay close, or they will steal everything they can take off her."

I again placed my hand on Go’s shoulder. "I need you to go with Mr. Williams, here, right now. That will mean the
Mabel
is left for them to pick over. I know you love that ship, but the
Mabel
can be repaired. The missions we need you for are far and above the needs of that ship. You could be responsible for the freeing of thousands, if not millions of slaves."

Go nodded. "If you need me, Mr. Beutcher, I will do whatever you ask. My family, going back for centuries, haven’t done much of anything of worth. Maybe I can be the first to bring honor to my family name in ten generations."

I smiled. "You have already brought honor to your family name, Go. Your work ethic is tireless, and your kindness to others shows you to be a humble and admirable person. This mission is not without danger. If the Governor’s signature is questioned anywhere along the way, you will spend the rest of your life in prison, or worse yet, you will be sent back here to face the Governor."

Go stood. "I need to collect a few things. When I return, I will be ready to do whatever you ask of me."

Go departed the
Jess
. I wondered if I was sending a boy to do a man’s job. He was naive in so many ways, and yet he still managed to get done whatever it was he set out to do. The condition of the
Mabel
was evidence of that.

When Go returned, we got under way. On the ride out to Deko, we plotted out as many of the situations we could that Go might encounter. Garrett transferred the information he would need to his arm pad and talked almost endlessly about the ship and what it was capable of. Go absorbed it like a dry sponge.

When we arrived at the rendezvous point for the pickup of the Governor’s item, Go and I stayed on the
Jess
while Garrett stepped out to get the package. He returned shortly after, holding a steel case by a handle.

As the hatch closed, Garrett spoke. "The guy I picked that up from seemed almost paranoid to have it. He was constantly looking in every direction and seemed relieved when I took it from his hands. Whatever it is, it must be something that others want badly."

I replied, "I would say that warrants us opening it up. If it's something of tremendous value, perhaps we can gain favor by returning it to its rightful owner."

Garrett shook his head. "Not without sending the Governor into a rage. We have already seen that he is an enemy that we don’t want to have."

I looked over the case. "It has a cipher lock. I would guess the Governor has a data key to open it."

Go reached forward. "Give it to me. My father made a living getting into places that he shouldn’t have. He taught his trade to my sisters and me. I was the only boy, and he was disappointed that I didn’t want to go into the family business. I just couldn’t get myself to take things that were not mine."

Garrett smirked. "And yet here you are, doing exactly that."

Go shook his head. "No, the Governor is dirty, and I’m sure he acquired this through less-than-honorable means. It’s not stealing if it’s already stolen and your intent is to return it to the rightful owners. Believe me, I have thought about this long and hard, and there is a big difference."

Garrett sighed. "I apologize if that came across the wrong way. I was trying to be funny. I didn’t intend to impugn your character."

Go looked up as he flipped the lock. "No offense taken."

The case was opened to reveal a bright, silvery-white suit. Go held it up.

"That’s strange. Is there anything else in there with it?", I said.

Go pulled out a data store and transferred the contents to his arm pad. "It says this battle suit has been dated to two thousand years ago. It looks like it would fit a Human about my size. And it has an arm pad!"

Garrett pointed at the chest area. "Looks like this was for a woman. You know, there are all those rumors that say the Humans who started the AMP were some kind of supermen and superwomen as compared to the rest of us. If this is from back then, and if this is a battle suit for fighting, it sure doesn’t look very impressive."