Part 4 - Part 04

“Thank God the explosion didn’t take place inside the atmosphere… It could have been catastrophic. It would have caused a big bang and God knows what other kinds of damage it would have caused,” said Enai.

“I won’t do that again, that’s for sure,” I promised.

“Yes, please don’t… It scared the hell out of me,” Ori complained.

“I never knew that a million rifles that size could deliver such a big punch… I would like to examine one of those rifles… and perhaps fire one,” said Captain Orihci.

“Unfortunately you can’t. Each rifle is DNA coded to a specific soldier. They were designed that way. The rifle won’t fire unless you have a DNA match. It’s also tamper proof. It will explode if you attempt to meddle with it,” explained Enai.

“Why were they made that way?” asked Ori.

“So the enemy can’t use the rifles…”

“Now if you could only get your soldiers to speak?” Ori suggested.

“I’ll try.”

“Back in formation, forward march.”

Once the soldiers started marching I said, “Yell, Ostikon.”

Nothing happened.

“I’m sorry Ori but I can’t seem to create an image in my mind that will make them talk; if they can even talk.”

“Try saying the words in your mind and see what happens…” suggested Ori.

Taking his suggestion, I concentrated my thoughts not on making images but on making sounds. I kept yelling “Ostikon, Ostikon, Ostikon…” repeatedly in my mind.

“Do your hear that? They’re yelling ‘Ostikon’…” cried Ori excitedly.

“Yes I do but why do they sound like they’ve had throat surgery?” I asked Enai.

“Mother of God… Because they have!! Their brain function for speaking was obliterated. Their architects didn’t want them yelling and screaming when they were shot or injured… disrupting the battle. I have no idea how they made that sound! It’s impossible…”

“I’ve seen a lot of things today that are impossible…” said Delche.

After we marched for a couple of hours I dismissed the soldiers and sent them back to the barracks. While everyone else went back to work, the Captain, Delche, Ori, Ukasnek, Enai and I went to the research lab to view the recording on the big screen.

We all laughed when we saw ourselves on the screen. It sounded very strange when I heard myself speak and I was surprised by how

awful I looked. With my heavy, black uniform I looked like a wine barrel with arms and legs. My body was round and huge and my head was tiny in proportion. I looked like a pinhead. Everyone else looked normal to me.

“You have to edit me out of the recording,” I said. “I look awful. I don’t want the people of Ostikon to see me looking like this; especially those who know me.”

“You mean your lady friends…” remarked Delche jokingly.

“I wouldn’t advise that. If you plan to broadcast the recording, the first thing the broadcasters will do is authenticate the recording… to make sure it hasn’t been altered. If you edit anything they’ll know because this camera has every frame numbered sequentially,” said Enai.

“And if you do remove yourself then how will anyone know it was you who was in charge of the soldiers. This way they’ll see your face and your body which matches the bodies of the super soldiers. There will be doubters and conspiracy theorists but so what? Those who fear you will not only know it’s you but also the awesome power you wield,” said Delche.

“YES!!!” yelled Ori.

“Plus, at the end of this recording we’ll record you unlocking your ship, which no one else can do. That will authenticate you as the genuine ‘Otsiron, Captain of the warship Dragon Fire’, okay?” added Delche.

“I hate that name…” I said.

“What’s this all about? What are you planning to do with the recording?” asked Captain Orihci.

“I guess no one told you? I plan to send it to Ostikon as an information piece to let them know that I’m still alive and basically to tell them what we’re doing here, trying to reclaim our lives. It will

also serve as a warning to my enemies in Ostikon who have been emboldened by my absence and are causing havoc.”

“You know we’re all behind you here and will support you in whatever you decide to do. We owe you a lot but please, whatever you do, do it without violence. We need peace, not another catastrophe,” the Captain pleaded.

“I can’t promise you anything… and I don’t know what the future will bring, but since he came here my people in Ostikon have been subjugated and are suffering. Something has to be done. I also know that those who are in control now are cowards and fear him immensely. So all he has to do is show them that he’s still alive and carries even greater power than before and I assure you they will run like the rats they are without him doing anything. I know this man well and I can assure you he will never use his power for reprisal, revenge, or personal gain…” said Delche.

“Okay then, perhaps we should send the recording to the Galaxy Trader planets as well, as an information piece and let them know, indirectly of course, what we do here and the power we possess. I have to admit the flash I saw scared the hell out of me too. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I agree with Delche, I would turn and run too if I was his enemy…” said the Captain.

“Now that we’ve settled all that, let’s get on with analyzing the recording. I have other work to do, you know! I’m anxious to see how we are progressing with the DNA protocol converter,” interrupted Enai.

“We don’t need to watch the entire segment now, just speed it to the flash and see what it looks like in slow motion…” I said.

We all stood in awe as we watched the flash develop and explode. We watched it again and again, several times.

“It scares the hell out of me every time I look at it. I imagine it hitting my destroyer and obliterating it… Hell, it could even split a small planet in half. It looks like a lightening strike magnified ten

thousand times. So, that’s what happens when you combine plasma strands,” remarked the Captain.

“Yes, one of the things they teach us in the military academy is to ‘never fire more than one plasma cannon at a time’. He didn’t know about that when he simultaneously fired all four plasma cannons at the Karon ships. I guess he wanted to make a statement, which almost killed us. My ass is still numb from the vibrations of that explosion. But I have to admit his statement ended the invasion and prevented a war. The Karons weren’t prepared to face that kind of power. I hope the Whites learned something from that,” Ori said.

Compared to the part with the flash, the rest of the recording looked mundane. After Enai left we went to my ship and Ukasnek recorded me gaining access. I had to put my hand over the key pad to hide the codes but, beyond that, no one else but me could open the hatch or activate the ship. As added proof I also released my guards, temporarily to show that it was me doing it. Surprisingly my guards had no problem with my appearance and recognized me instantly. Neither Delche nor Ori had any idea how they were able to recognize me.

We went back to the research lab and watched the entire recording again, this time at normal speed.

“Are you all convinced that it was me in that recording? Does anyone doubt it?”

No one said anything.

“By the way Ukasnek, thank you for doing this. You did an excellent job. Now let’s figure out how we’re going to send it to Ostikon,” I said.

“And to the Galaxy Trader planets,” added the Captain.

“We can broadcast it on all channels from our communications tower. I’m sure someone will pick it up,” Ukasnek suggested.

“They could but I don’t trust our central government, they might sensor it and no one will see it,” said the Captain.

“You’re right, I don’t trust our government either and I’m sure they’ll never allow it to be shown on any of the public broadcasts. We have to somehow sneak it in and broadcast it on channel 45. The rest of the stations will have no choice but to pick it up. Once its shown on Ostikon we can show it here and say it was picked up from Ostikon,” said Delche.

“That might work. It would be embarrassing for our central government to cover it up after it was seen on Ostikon. The Galaxy Trader people might get suspicious as to why their government isn’t showing them what’s happening on one of their own planets… and why they have to find out from outside sources…” added the Captain.

“I know how we can sneak it into Ostikon without detection,” said Ori.

“I knew it! You’ll send it to my daughter and implicate her in this, right?” grumbled Delche.

“No! I’ll send it encrypted to Ruzha and send the encryption code to Airam. I fact I’ll send the code first and then ask Airam to deliver it to Ruzha in person. I’ll ask Airam to tell Ruzha to act on it as soon as she receives it. And then, the moment I hear back from Airam I’ll forward the recording directly to Ruzha. Even if it’s intercepted they won’t have time to decode it before it’s on the air. And no Delche, I won’t implicate Airam. We use untraceable bogus accounts. I’m a communications expert, remember!” replied Ori with a slight tone of resentment.

“They all say that until they get caught,” replied Delche.

“Enough! Just do it and let me know when I can do my part. Now let’s figure out how to get the recording off the camera and into the communications device on your ship,” ordered the Captain.

After scratching his head for a moment Ori said, “I’ll give you a frequency that no one uses and someone from the tower can transmit it at very low power through a directional antenna pointing towards our ship. I’ll capture it in our communications computer and encrypt it. Before I send it to Ruzha I’ll mark it ‘research material’… Would that be okay?” asked Ori.

“I don’t know how to do it. I don’t even know how to get the recording off the camera,” replied the Captain. “You’ll have to find someone who knows...”

“Well, perhaps Enai or one of his associates might know…” said Ori.

“Why don’t we go and ask Enai,” said the Captain.

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t Otsi and I go to the ship, open the frequency and set the communications computer to start recording the moment it sees a signal. And you guys go to the research lab and talk to Enai. We’ll meet you there,” suggested Ori.

It took Ori only a few minutes to set up the equipment on my ship and we were in Enai’s lab in no time.

“It’s way past noon,” complained Ori, “and we haven’t eaten breakfast or lunch. I’m starving!”

“The dining area is probably closed by now and I have no food in my ship. Let’s finish this first and we’ll worry about food later…” I replied.

When we arrived at the lab the others were waiting for us at the door. Holding the camera Ukasnek said, “Enai told us the operators in the tower know what to do. You just have to explain to them what you want done and give them the frequency.”

When we arrived at the tower the Captain spoke to the operator on duty and Ori explained to him what he wanted done. The job took only a few minutes and we were gone. The Captain took the camera

with him. Before he left he said, “When you’re finished your part let me know and I’ll do mine. Good luck…”

Ukasnek went with him.

Ori, Delche and I went straight to my ship to make sure the message was received. And sure enough, it was there when we arrived.

“Leave it to me now and I’ll do my part. It may take a day or two before I’m finished, depending on how fast Airam gets back to me. I’ll keep you informed,” said Ori.

“I’m tired and starving,” said Delche. “I had no breakfast or lunch and the march took a lot out of me. I’m not as strong as I used to be and I’m not in as good shape physically.”

Just as Delche finished talking we heard footsteps. Someone was coming up the ramp. It was Ukasnek. He was carrying a large tray full of a variety of desserts. The Captain was right behind him.

“What kind of hosts would we be if we let our guests starve?” asked the Captain.

There was no space for everyone to sit or put the tray down inside the ship so we went outside. When Ori saw the food he joined us. Ukasnek put the tray down on the grass and we all sat around looking at it.

“Where did you get this? These are the kind of desserts you used to serve on your ship. Am I right?” I asked.

“You’re right. Someone donated it for the reception area and I stole it from there,” the Captain said jokingly.

“If Ukasnek said that to me I might believe him but you, I don’t believe you. Besides, both Amih and Ireva would crucify you.”

“You’re right… Under ordinary circumstances, yes… But when we told them that you and our dear guests hadn’t eaten breakfast or

lunch, they instantly folded and handed me the goods. They’ll be joining us soon.”

“What, to make sure you and Ukasnek aren’t polishing the snacks by yourselves?”

“No. To have a drink with us and congratulate you for the great show you put on this morning.”

“I saw them there in the crowd watching us but I didn’t see them during the march or after it,” I said.

“They didn’t go on the march… They have jobs to do… Actual work…”

“I’m salivating here and listening to my stomach growling. Can we start eating… please?” complained Delche while eyeing the desserts.

“Sure, sure, go ahead, I’m sorry…” said the Captain.

We each took a piece and savoured it. We all looked at Ori who had his eyes closed while he enjoyed his piece of the delicious dessert.

“Well?” I asked.

“Can’t talk… Eating…” Ori replied.

We all broke into laughter. We continued laughing as we watched Ori chew ever so slowly with his eyes still closed.

“What’s so funny?” we heard a female voice ask, coming from behind the ship.

“They must be dipping into that laughing gas again dear,” said another female voice.

It was Amih and Ireva. Ireva was carrying a bottle of rakia and Amih was holding the glasses.

“I see you’ve already dipped into the dessert. You couldn’t wait for us… could you?” complained Amih.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault… I was starving and couldn’t wait any longer. I know you have a tradition here that you follow when it comes to food and I respect that…” said Delche.

“I didn’t mean anything by it… I was just joking…” interrupted Amih.

“In that case I take back what I said…” replied Delche jokingly, as he took another piece.

“Are you now ignoring our valued cultural traditions and resorting back to pirate ways?” asked Ireva.

“Those are ‘Galaxy Trader’ cultural traditions… We here on Nelez have our own,” said the Captain, took the bottle from Ireva who sat beside him and poured us a glass each.

The Captain then raised his glass and said, “To our traditions and to the traditions of our guests…”

“To our traditions!” we all toasted.

“Destiny brought us here from different worlds and, despite our differences, we became good friends. I would say there’s still hope for our worlds…” Amih said as she toasted.

“Since when have you become a philosopher…dear?” asked the Captain jokingly.

Amih threw her dessert at him. He caught it and ate it all at once, sending everyone into long and loud laughter.

The stars were bright that night.

Disaster strikes

We had spent most of our evening the day before eating, drinking, telling jokes, laughing and, later in the night, watching the stars. They looked majestic and magical, just like they had when our ancestors looked at them and dreamt of flying there.

While the rest of our group left sometime past midnight to get some sleep, Delche, Ori and I spent the night sleeping outside my ship under the stars. Nelez is a beautiful clean, greenplanet. It has a seasonal climate similar to that of earth. The days are slightly longer. I have no idea how many days there are in a year. It was summer when I’d arrived.

The morning of the next day, before the sun had risen, we were woken by a man from the communications tower.

“I need you to see something back in the tower. It’s urgent… Please follow me. Just before I came here I observed unusual activities in the sky above the other facility. I need you to have a look at them.”

He then asked if we knew where Captain Orihci was and I said, “He was with us last night but left around midnight.”

The man then suggested we go directly to the tower while he looked for the Captain.

We found the Captain in the tower when we arrived. Without saying a word, not even good morning, which is very unusual for him, he called us over and, looking very concerned, said “Look at this! What do you make of it?”

I didn’t know what to look for or what it meant but both Delche and Ori did.

“Six come down… five go up…” said Delche. The others agreed.

“What the hell are you looking at?” I asked.

“Six flying objects came down to the surface on top of the other facility and a moment later five went back into space,” Ori explained.

“Can you tell what the ships look like?” I asked.

“No… All I can tell is that their shape is triangular… That’s all I can tell you from looking at this viewing screen,” replied Ori.

“Why does it matter to you what they look like?” asked Delche.

“Someone go and get Ukasnek… Quickly,” I ordered.

“I’ll get him, I know where he is…” said the Captain.

“These are the kind of ships that Ukasnek and I encountered before… not too long ago. I want him to look at the images and tell me if I’m right.”

When the Captain came back with Ukasnek they went straight to the viewer.

“Yup, it’s them all right… They’re back…” said Ukasnek.

“I told you they’d be back. You should have blown them out of the sky when you had your chance,” grumbled the Captain.

“What do you suppose they are doing here?” asked the man from the tower, the same man who had summoned us.

“They could be doing a number of things,” said the Captain. “To begin with, they could have come back to get the gold. But then why leave so suddenly…? Surely they couldn’t have gotten any gold that quickly… And what happened to the sixth little ship. Where did it go?”

Suddenly there was a worried look on the Captain’s face.

“What is it Captain?” I asked.

“They’re probably hoping we wouldn’t notice a ship left behind. I’m speculating it was left behind for a purpose; to look for something… but what? My fear is that it will find my destroyer… and probably damage it… or worse… try to steal it. You have to go up there right now and find that little ship… This time get rid of it and all the others… You have to do it now before they cause us more grief. I should have known…”

“Well, I guess we’ll be going for a ride a lot sooner than we expected… Don’t worry Captain we’ll find those bastards and deal with them. This time for good!”

Before we left, Ori told the tower operator to monitor us on the frequency he’d given him earlier and get himself a universal translator. “It’s difficult to speak on a radio through a translator… We’ll be reporting our progress to you in Macedonian.”

I figured this would be a short trip and we wouldn’t need supplies, so the moment we left the tower we headed straight for my ship. The Captain and Ukasnek escorted us out to the facility’s main door and waited there, watching us head for my ship.

I ran ahead to enter the codes and left Delche and Ori following behind. Just as I got to the ship and raised my arm to open the code pad lid, I saw a bright flash on the ship’s hull and felt excruciating pain on my back. I fell forward onto the ground.

I heard Delche yell, “We’ve been hit, Otsi is down… Did you see that, it was one of those little triangular ships.”

“Don’t touch him, don’t touch him. I know what to do,” yelled Ukasnek.

I was conscious but didn’t want to move, for good reason. Ukasnek knelt down beside me and tried to turn me over. He wanted to give me fire water, just like he had the last time I’d experienced a medical episode.

When he came close I said, “I’m fine. Please listen to me very carefully and don’t say anything. Pretend I’m unconscious. If the

people who attacked me are watching and figure I’m still alive, they’ll attack again. Quietly tell the others what I’ve told you and then get Enai and a stretcher. Take me inside to a secure room where we can talk without being seen or heard. Don’t tell anybody anything. I think we may have a mole in the facility. Now go!”

The moment Ukasnek stood up the Captain asked, “Is he alive?”

Ukasnek loudly replied, “I don’t think so but we need a medic to confirm it.” Then he went past them whispering and told them what I had said to him.

A crowd of people started forming all around. Everyone looked sad and very concerned.

The Captain tried to push them back yelling, “He needs a doctor, is there a doctor here? Delche and Ori hovered over me looking sad and very angry.

The next thing I heard was Enai’s voice telling Ukasnek to disburse the crowd and make way for the stretcher. Ori and Delche grabbed my arms and the Captain my legs and they moved me on top of the stretcher. They put me face down exposing the large black burn on my back.

“You need to take him inside. I don’t have the equipment to examine him here,” yelled Enai and called Ukasnek to come back and help carry the stretcher. The crowd outside was growing larger, even the tower operator had left his post and came outside to see what was going on.

“Is he dead?” he asked.

“There is every indication that he is but we won’t know for sure until I put him on the machines in my clinic,” replied Enai and left to lead the stretcher carried by Ori and Delche in the front and the Captain and Ukasnek in the back.

“Where are you taking us Enai, he weighs a ton, like an elephant,” complained the Captain. Whispering, he said to me, “I bet you’re enjoying this…”

“We’re going to my clinic,” he yelled and then whispered, “to the nightmare room. I don’t have a clinic. This is the only secure place where we have medical equipment. We used it to try to repair the soldiers whose conversion failed and were in agony. We had to tie them down and lock them up.”

The moment we entered the nightmare room Enai locked the soundproof door. Then I jumped off the stretcher, took my fire water to ease the pain and accelerate my recovery, and said, “We need to act and fast!”

“Ukasnek told me we have a mole amongst us, is that true?” asked Enai.

“Nothing is for certain but this seems like a coordinated attack on me and me alone. Think about it; with me out of the way so is my ship and the soldiers. It’s a smart move. My enemies in Ostikon will benefit from this… And so will the pirates with the triangular ships. With me out of the way they can pillage the gold unabated. I know this sounds far fetched but it makes sense. Now the question is who is giving them information from here? Someone must be!? How else did the assassin know precisely when and where to attack? And how did he know what I looked like? He couldn’t have just been parked outside, risking being spotted. Someone must have told him when I was coming out so that the assassin could time the hit.”

“So what do you have in mind? How do we find this mole?” asked the Captain.

“Outside of us, no one must know that I’m alive and that we suspect we have a mole. The first thing we need to do is set a trap. I’m certain that communications from the mole to the little ship are done through the airwaves, right? And they can be monitored by a receiver… right?”

“Yes, but the message could be encrypted!” replied Ori.

“It doesn’t matter! Here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll set up a receiving device to monitor and record all active frequencies the moment a signal appears on them. We can’t use my ship and we can’t use the tower without giving away our plans. We need to use equipment that no one knows about. I assume you have such equipment Enai?”

“Yes, we have portable receivers that we use in the field. I’ll set one up as soon as we are done here.”

“You have to do it now, as soon as possible. First you set up the receiver and then you make an announcement. You explain what happened outside and you, as my doctor, give the people a status report on my condition. You need to inform the entire facility. I’m certain the mole will want to know my condition so that he can report it to the assassin out there in the little ship. And when he does, we’ll capture his transmission and hopefully him. Does that make any sense?”

“What do I tell my wife and daughter, who are probably looking for me right now?” asked Captain Orihci.

“You don’t tell them anything. This will be over soon. Enai will make the announcement the moment he finishes setting up the receiver. He will tell the people that I am barely alive, hanging on by a thread, and that he had to put me into a coma to keep me alive. I’ll be bedridden for a long, long time. I’m sure your wife and daughter will hear the announcement.”

“After we uncover the mole we’ll decide what to do next, right?” asked the Captain.

“Right!”

“Do you think there might be more than one mole?” asked Enai.

“Time will tell. Now go and do your part. I’m sure the people are anxious to know how I’m doing, especially those who planned my assassination.”

“You sure are a clever bastard…” said Delche and surprisingly the Captain agreed with him.

“We’re still alive because of his cleverness… Don’t forget that,” said Ori.

“They don’t want us dead, they just want him out of the way…” replied Delche.

“Why not?”

“Because we are replaceable…” replied Delche sarcastically.

“Oh, I see…” replied Ori with a tone of disappointment.

“Enough!” said the Captain. “So, what happens after we find the mole? Are you going after the little ship…?”

“Since that concerns you so much, I will go after the little ship. I promise you. The pirates have now given me a reason to go after them… and I will go after them the moment we arrest and interrogate the mole… and what a surprise it will be for them… to see me alive and well and pointing my ship’s cannons at them.”

“Good! That makes me feel a little better. In any case I should soon get my destroyer operational again in case we need it… I’ll try and look for a crew… I’m sure a lot of these farmers here have experience with ships… like Ukasnek and my daughter.”

“Ukasnek, how long will it take you to acquire provisions for my ship? Say, enough for a couple of weeks or so for three people?”

“I can have them by this afternoon. I’ll have the food prepared, cooked and packaged at noon and can stretch a hose from the facility to fill the tanks with water.”

“That’s great! But please don’t attract any attention. Bring the food and store it here. When all is clear, I’ll open the ship for you and you can fill the tanks with water.”

“When the time comes I’ll fill the tanks and Ori can bring the food and store it…” said Delche. “We should do this at night, when it’s safe, or whenever the Captain, I mean Otsi, says. Ukasnek, there’s no point in you sticking around. You can go and do your job…”

“Go now, get the food prepared…” Captain Orihci ordered.

Just as Ukasnek stepped out, Enai rushed in and said, “The transmitter is up and running. I’ll go and make the announcement now.”

“Why don’t you let me do the introduction, inform the people of what happened and who we think was responsible for the shooting and then you can tell them about Otsi’s condition,” said the Captain.

“Gentlemen, it looks like we’ll be going to battle soon. If we can pull this off and get the mole in time, we’ll surprise my attackers and blow the hell out of them.”

Moments later Ori said, “Listen! Turn up your translator.”

It was the Captain on the public announcement system. He was informing the people of exactly what had happened… that a small ship had attacked the Dragon Fire and severely injured its Captain, etc.

Then Enai came on and said, “The Captain of the ship Dragon Fire sustained severe burns on his back down to his bones. He was rendered unconscious by the blast and is now in critical condition in a coma. He couldn’t breathe so we had to hook him up to a ventilator in my clinic. We’ve done everything we can to keep him alive. It’s now up to God to save him. Please pray for him…”

“Pray for him to die or live?” asked Ori jokingly.

“That Enai, he’s a sly dog… He chose his words very carefully…” replied Delche.

“He did way better than I thought he would,” I said.

“Earlier you mentioned that the Whites might somehow be involved in the assassination. How do you figure?” asked Ori.

“We will probably know more once we capture the mole. I figure the pirates, you know the ones flying the small triangular ships, are probably collaborating with the Whites. I destroyed a couple of their little ships and nearly destroyed their mothership. So they are surely pissed off at me and looking for revenge. They know they can’t take me on alone so they probably turned to the Whites for help. You know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So my theory is that the Whites may have humored them until now, that is until they intercepted the recording that you sent to Ruzha. They probably weren’t very happy with my army. One million super soldiers under my command yelling, ‘Ostikon, Ostikon, Ostikon”… That must have chilled their shit. So they approved the hit to get rid of me as soon as possible. That’s what I think!”

“But I haven’t sent the recording yet! I’m still waiting for a reply from Airam. I said it might take a few days… It’s only been one day,” replied Ori defensively.

“Well, that was only a theory… Let’s hope Enai has better luck,” I said.

“Well, if you didn’t send the recording to Ruzha then who did? I’m only saying this because I trust your instincts,” Delche explained.

“Wait a second, who else here had access to the recording?” asked Ori.

“Ukasnek and the Captain,” I replied.

“Also the communications tower guy…” replied Ori.

“What does he have to do with any of this…?” I asked.

“Everything…” replied the Captain who just walked in with Enai. “You’re right Ori, our mole is the tower operator. And you were also right Otsi, he didn’t waste any time. The moment we made the

PA announcement he transmitted an unencrypted message. How do we know that? We captured the message. It was transmitted from one of the frequencies the communications tower uses. And he was the only person on duty at the time. The message read, ‘The deed is done…’ That’s it.”

“That is bold… An unencrypted message…? Straight from the tower…? And he suspects nothing?” I asked.

“I don’t know… I don’t think so… He’s still in the tower.”

“So, let’s go and arrest him then…”

“Let’s wait until Ukasnek comes back with your food. What’s the rush? We’ll grab him and bring him here. We’ll make sure no one sees us in case he has accomplices. We’ll also monitor the frequencies and see what else develops,” said the Captain.

“The arrest has to be official. He could charge us with kidnapping if he is innocent. We need solid evidence to prove that he was involved in the assassination attempt,” I said.

“But where are we going to get such evidence?” asked the Captain.

“I know how,” replied Enai. “This guy is new and doesn’t know how the tower works. But a couple of my associates do. We can look at the old communications logs for evidence from before the assassination attempt.”

“We don’t want to tip off any more people about this so let’s think of another way. Maybe we can confront him directly? How about we do this; you put me on a stretcher, attach a ventilator and turn it on so it looks like it’s keeping me alive and cover my entire body, like I’m dead, so that no one can see me. Then take the stretcher down the hallway that leads to the tower. When we get close, take me inside the tower and call the tower operator over…” I said before the Captain interrupted me.

“Then close the door and uncover him. I’m sure the moment the operator sees him alive he’ll shit his pants. Not only because he’s

still alive but also because of what his collaborators will do to him when they find out he lied to them. We’ll make sure he understands that. I’m sure he’ll tell us anything we want to know… especially if we offer him protection… which we will if he confesses to everything he knows…” said the Captain.

“Make sure to ask him if he had accomplices…” added Enai.

“You’ll be there too… escorting the stretcher. It has to look legitimate… You’re his doctor…” said the Captain.

While Enai went to find a ventilator and any other lifesaving gadgets that were needed to make it look like he was keeping me alive, we nervously paced around the room.

It seemed like we’d waited for hours when there was a knock on the door. It was Ukasnek with a cart full of supplies for my ship. The Captain quickly whisked him inside and said, “Why did you have to knock? You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry, I don’t have a key…”

“Never mind, did anyone see you bringing the supplies here?”

“No! I made sure of that…”

“I believe you…”

The Captain then brought Ukasnek up to speed on our plan and the five of us continued to pace, waiting for Enai. We all jumped when Enai flung the door open and said, “Don’t just stand there help me with this… It’s breaking my back.”

“Did you have to bring the entire lab? We have to carry him and all this stuff on top of him…” said the Captain. “Did anyone see you?”

“Yes, a group of people. They saw me struggling and asked me if I needed help. I said no, I didn’t have far to go. One of them then asked, ‘What’s all this for?’ so I told him it’s backup equipment to keep Otsiron alive.”

“That’s great!” I said.

“Why? For making me a liar…?” complained Enai.

“You must be a different Enai, not the pirate I used to know…” said Ukasnek sarcastically.

“Enough!” yelled the Captain. “Now prep him and let’s go!”

They took their time getting there. I guess because the stretcher was very heavy but I heard no smart remarks from anyone… In fact I heard no remarks at all. I figured they were all nervous as hell.

The moment we came close to the tower I could feel them turning the stretcher. I heard the tower guy speak. It was the same tower guy… I recognized his voice. “Ah, what can I do for you now?”

The Captain said, “We came here to thank you…”

That was my cue to rise from the dead. When I moved in an attempt to gracefully jump off the stretcher, the life saving equipment began to rock and fall, making a great racket. Enai slammed the door shut so as not to attract attention from people passing by. Thanks to the resolve of my carriers they held the stretcher steady until I got off it gracefully, onto my feet instead of landing on my big super soldier ass.

No one had to say anything. The guy turned white, white as a ghost... a good thing too because, at that very moment, we looked more like clowns than investigators… no one had even thought of bringing a gun. He could have killed us all if he was armed.

“Leave him to me!” I then turned around and showed the burned hole in my back and calmly asked him, “Were you involved in this? DON’T LIE TO ME. YOU KNOW I CAN READ MINDS. Don’t make me read yours because you’ll turn into a mute, rotting vegetable if I do.”

“I’ll tell you everything you want to know, just please don’t hurt me.”

“HURT YOU! He will rip you apart!” yelled Ukasnek angrily.

“I know you must have had your reasons for doing this… And I know there is no profit in death… I also know you will tell me the truth about everything… Now start talking… Start from the beginning!” I said calmly.

Ukasnek interrupted and said, “I have to record this as evidence. Do you mind?”

The guy looked at me. I gave him a stern look.

“No, I don’t mind,” he replied looking glum.

“A long time ago my partners and I used to trade with these pirates. We were their scouts. When we found something worthy we contacted them and they gave us a cut of the loot. But after the war started they disappeared. They no longer ventured into this sector so my partners and I were left without an income. We came here to find work. But instead of giving us work the robot captured my partners and turned them into super soldiers. I was next but you stopped them before they had a chance to turn me too…”

“Go on…”

“I am sorry… but after the war ended and when I found out there was gold in the other facility, I decided to contact the pirates again… But I needed access to a long range transmitter. So I asked one of Enai’s associates if I could work here in the tower. He gave me the job and some rudimentary training. A while later I contacted the pirates. We have a secret word we use so they’d know it was me. Anyway, three days later I got a reply. They asked me what I had in mind… I told them about the gold in the other facility. They weren’t interested… Too risky they said. Then when I told them how much gold there was… enough for the planet to retire… they accepted. But then you attacked them and they backed off without taking any of the gold. Like you said, there’s no profit in death. But they still

wanted to know about you. I didn’t know anything about you… I just told them that you’re from Ostikon. Nothing for a while, then yesterday they had a pile of questions… Then they staged the show over the other facility to get your attention. They told me to immediately tell you about it. They asked me to tell them what you looked like and I gave them a description. After that they told me to contact them the moment you were outside. After you left here I told them that you were headed for your ship right now…”

“Is that everything?” I asked.

“Yes…”

“I know you lied about some things and that’s a strike against you. But did you know they were planning to kill me?”

“NO! I swear to you, I didn’t know!”

“You’re lying again! Did you know that everything transmitted and received through the communications tower is recorded and dated? And did you know that we have access to those recordings? How do you think I know you’re lying?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

“You will be very sorry if you continue to lie to us. You will be prosecuted for this to the fullest extent of Galaxy Trader law. But the question is what kind of punishment will you get? Light or severe?” threatened Ukasnek.

“If you voluntarily confess to everything we found in the recordings without coercion I will personally speak to the court and ask the judge for leniency. But if you lie, just one more time, you’re on your own,” added the Captain.

After that the guy sang like a canary. He told us everything we wanted to know.

“To sum up for the record, give us your answer to the following questions,” ordered Ukasnek.

“Did you know that the pirates were planning to assassinate Otsi, the Captain of the ship Dragon Fire?”

“Yes!”

“Did you inform anyone here?”

“No!”

“Did you set him up and help the pirates attempt to assassinate him?”

“Yes!”

“Do you have any accomplices here in the facility?”

“No!”

“Did you send the recording we gave you to Ostikon? You know; the one from the camera?”

“How did you know about that? The pirates told me it was encrypted and the communication source was untraceable.”

“Well, your pirate partners sold you out because the recording was neither encrypted nor its source untraceable. They wanted you implicated. You are now the fall guy. So if there is anything more to tell us, or if you have partners to reveal now is the time to speak up.

“One last question, are you working alone or with someone else in this facility?”

“I have no other partners and I’m working alone.”

“Tell me, you did this because your pirate partners convinced you that they couldn’t get to the gold with Otsi around? And that he had to die? But did you ever ask yourself why they asked you to send the recording… to someone in Ostikon you didn’t even know? What does Ostikon have to do with the gold? Did you ask yourself that?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

That’s enough Ukasnek, take him away and lock him up. No one is to see him or talk to him until I tell you…” ordered the Captain.

“I’ll go right now before the next tower operator arrives for his shift. Tell him he is with me. And you,” speaking to the guy, “come with me. Walk casually, like we’re going to do a job or something and focus on looking at the ground. And don’t you dare say a word to anyone. Understand?”

“Yes Sir…”

“I didn’t know he had it in him but he did all right…” I said about Ukasnek.

“His ass has been kicked many times in his life. It’s about time he starts kicking back. Under different circumstances those two would have been partners…” replied the Captain.

“What do we do now?” asked Delche.

“Shouldn’t we be taking the food to the ship?” asked Ori.

“All in good time Ori… First you have to take me out of the tower before the next guy arrives. Take me back to the nightmare room. I don’t want to be seen by anyone, not until we settle this matter.”

“You want us to carry you again?” asked the Captain.

“How else am I going to get there unseen? Just take me now and come back for the equipment.”

While the Captain and Delche stayed with me, in the nightmare room, Enai and Ori went back to get the equipment. The next shift operator was there when they arrived and asked where the previous operator had gone. Enai told him he was with Ukasnek.

When Ori and Enai came back with the equipment, Enai said to the Captain, “You should go and speak to the communications tower operator. Give him the official line about what happened here today. I’m sure someone will be calling to ask him what happened and how Otsi is doing. Maybe those who ordered the assassination will call. They might want confirmation of Otsi’s assassination attempt and possibly details of how it went down. The tower operator currently on duty doesn’t know anything about that because he was asleep when it all happened and when we made the announcement. He didn’t even ask us what the equipment was for. Imagine if someone, a coconspirator for example, calls and gets a different story from the operator than he got from the mole, like, ‘I don’t know anything about that…’ What do you think the coconspirator will do? Don’t you think he’ll suspect that something isn’t right? That will jeopardize your surprise attack for sure,” said Enai.

“Yes, please do talk to him. Also go talk to your wife and daughter and don’t lie to them or you’ll regret it later. Just tell them not to tell anyone and stick to the official line,” I said.