Part 4 - Part 11

“They both fell down on the floor during lunch and began to shake and vibrate like idiots… What they were trying to prove… I don’t know. But I was not impressed. Neither were the others.”

“You say they did this while eating…? It must be some earth thing…”

“Yes they did this precisely at noon and it lasted a second or two… But like I said, it was stupid.”

“What was Tolo doing all this time?”

“Eating lunch and hiding his ugly face from me…”

“Has he been back to his ship?”

“I don’t think so. Again with this ship… what’s in his ship…?”

“I told you nothing. He just hasn’t communicated with me… I’m concerned about him…”

“You still haven’t told me what he’s doing here.”

“You’re not telling me much so I sent him to keep an eye on things…”

“So you don’t trust me and you sent my little brother to spy on me…”

“No, I sent him to help you and keep you on your toes…”

“Look, there’s nothing for me or for him here. So why don’t you do us a favour and send a ship to get us off this planet… and then you can do as you wish with these people…”

“Not yet! I have one more request for you to oversee before I evacuate you. One of our clients wants to put on a show at the facility.”

“What kind of show…?”

“He wants to kill our target purely for glory but you mustn’t allow him to succeed. Here is how it’s going to go down. Your local tower will get a telegram from our client requesting to put on a show. You will tell the people there that you know the client and would be more than willing to organize such an event yourself. After the wrestling match is over a winner will be declared, who will then ask for a challenger from the audience. Your job will be to make sure our target is there and accepts the challenge. You must convince him to accept the challenge and it has to be a surprise… Do not warn him ahead of time…”

“You said you don’t want the wrestlers to succeed. What if they do? How do I stop them?”

“You should be able to figure that out on your own. If you can’t, ask your little brother...”

“Okay, that’s enough. I’ll do it.”

“You must call me the night before the match. I need to know where and at what time it will take place.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to be sure everything goes according to plan… in case you and your brother screw up and our target ends up dead prematurely… I want him for myself.”

“You mean you’re going to swoop in here and save us… and kill him yourself…?”

“Yes, I’ll have a fast ship standing by on the closest planet… If you’ve got nothing else to report I have to go. Give my regards to your brother.”

“You’re a bastard, you know…”

“Love you too… Base out!”

Enai turned off the machine and said, “That’s it… That’s all there was on the recorder.”

“That’s a lot…” said Nagol.

“And by the way, I ran the DNA test on Madam Grooni yesterday and you’ll never guess where she’s from.”

“Get on with it man. Don’t keep us guessing. Tell us!” snapped Captain Orihci.

Enai looked at Nagol and said, “From your neck of the woods. She’s from Ostikon and closely related to the Whites.”

“I should have known…” said Nagol. “She must have emigrated from Ostikon recently, bumped off your Madam Grooni, had her face and hair altered to look old like her and took her place. Disgusting creature…”

“Enai, you should do the same with Tolo…Confirm they are related. I’ll get you the hair. I’ll go see him after we’re done here.”

At that point I spoke up and said, “Before we go, I’d like to mention that I’m unable to communicate with the soldiers without the transmitter and I’m concerned what will happen if I’m incapacitated by the disruptor before I can act. We’ll need to put some other measures in place so that won’t happen…”

“Give me some time to test the signal that activated the disruptor and see what else can be done. Ukasnek can you obtain a portable plasma cannon and bring it here? But please, do it very covertly. We don’t want to tip off you know who.”

“I can get one quickly but it won’t be cheap…”

“I’ll give you the money…” said Captain Orihci.

“I’ll come with you and pretend to be the buyer to give you cover…” said Captain Rolo.

Nagol started laughing and said, “Look at you people… I’m amazed at your ingenuity. And what are you going to do Otsiron?”

“First, I’ll find a way to beat the wrestlers and then I’ll find a way to disable the disruptor; even if I have to blow up Tolo’s ship.”

“How are you going to beat the wrestlers? You haven’t seen them yet.”

“I have a secret weapon… its called fire water…”

“Oh yes, you can tolerate that stuff… But how are you going to blow up Tolo’s ship?”

“I’ll fly beside it and blast it with one of my cannons…”

“And what if it is booby trapped and blows up? You’ll destroy the shuttles for sure and maybe take part of the facility with it.”

“No, you’re not going to do that… I think Tolo’s ship might have a lot of valuable equipment in it which can be of use. We’ll find

another way to disable the disruptor. Give me some time to run a scan and see what else is inside that ship,” said Enai.

I could see Captain Orihci getting anxious to get moving.

“We’ve been here too long and we’d best get going before they send a search party looking for us…” said Captain Orihci and with that, like rats, two by two we abandoned the lab.

In the next few hours Captain Orihci got us a few strands of Tolo’s hair and we found out that indeed Tolo was Madam Grooni’s brother… not the real madam Grooni’s brother but the imposter’s; the one who calls herself Livè.

After that we ran tests on the signal that had activated the disruptor on Tolo’s ship and found it had come from the nearest planet. Because of the strength, or I should say the weakness of the signal, given the distance it had to travel, Enai estimated we could disable it by introducing a strong signal of white noise locally at the same frequency. And the nice part about it was that we could turn the noise generator on automatically with the same signal. Once the signal was fired from the adjacent planet it would turn on the white noise generator, which in turn would cancel the signal and the disruptor wouldn’t turn on at all. It was that simple but didn’t give me much confidence.

After that we ran a scan on Tolo’s ship, risking activating the booby trap but didn’t find one.

“Of course… How stupid of me… Ukasnek went inside and flew the ship from the original place where we found it to here and nothing happened. There was no booby trap…” said Enai.

But still Enai recommended that we only blow up the ship as a last resort, if all else failed. We decided to use the portable cannon, which we were going to install on the upper floor once Ukasnek acquired it.

“But what a shame it would be if we blow it up and lose all the technology that’s inside it,” said Enai.

When we returned to the reception area we found everyone there partying with all the young helpers from the DNA labs. Captain Orihci gave a speech and invited everyone for a mixed drink… rakia and the green stuff. Enai went and got several bottles of rakia and I picked up the box with the green stuff from my ship and brought it to the reception area to a cheering crowd.

What fun you can have with a little bit of alcohol and a crowd of jovial people.

Preparing for the big fight

It was a fantastic party. We got to visit with the youth from both Ostikon and the Galaxy Trader consortium, who viewed their home planets like we view our cities on earth. It was surprising how close they were culturally, given that they lived large distances apart.

“I love to sit here and watch young people mingle like they know each other… like they are from the same village. That’s what modern communication does… It bridges people together and makes the entire galaxy seem like a village…” said Nagol, sitting in his comfortable chair looking at a bunch of young women from both worlds mingling and conversing.

“Yes… That’s one thing I haven’t done; ingratiate myself into the cultures here. I know nothing about ordinary people’s lives, what they think, what they like, how they feel…”

“Why not…? You’re still young… You can still do that… Even I found happiness in my old age… Look at me… I’ve been hiding all my life… Son, don’t make the same mistake…”

“My biggest fear has been getting to know someone and losing them… You know people, evil people can make you do things, things you don’t want to do… because they can gain leverage over you if they know someone is important to you… Being tied with someone will give them that leverage… That’s why I avoid relationships.”

Nagol laughed and said, “I know that… Now you sound like me… I literally gave up on my granddaughter because of that… because I figured someone might hurt her to get to me… And it could have happened…”

“Maybe we are over thinking things. Thinking of all the things that might happen or that could go wrong in life stops us from enjoying life to its fullest.

“I have learned a lot of things over time; knowledge and wisdom are about the only things that I can impart to the next generation. But

nowadays no one seems to want to listen. I allowed my granddaughter to grow up without me and that was my mistake. We could have been close… But all she wants to do now is go off on her own… find her own world… make her own mistakes…”

“I guess people were always like that… until they were challenged… and then mistakes were made, sometimes regrettable ones but it was too late… People need to live their own lives… mistakes and all...”

“I could have helped my granddaughter avoid many of the mistakes she made, if only she had listened to me… But she didn’t…”

“Not many people do…”

“You’re about the only young man from your generation who understands how it is and precisely how I feel… No wonder Voskot liked you… But unfortunately, he also burdened you with all this responsibility.”

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing…”

“I know what it is… but these young people here, the ones who throw glances at you once in a while, think differently of you… You’re a glorious hero to them… They have no idea.”

“I was like that… hell sometimes I still am… Aren’t you?”

“Perhaps you’re right. In the end, maybe it’s your legacy that counts… That’s how you get to live after you die…”

“Does it really matter what people think after you die?”

“I guess not… But it does matter what happens to you when you live… That’s why I’m a bit concerned about you and this wrestling match business you’re getting into…”

“How so…?”

“Less about the match itself and more about you… You know the ship that’s spying on us… from the other planet, the one we heard about in the report? You know, from Madam Grooni’s transmission? Have you thought about what sort of ship it is and what surprises it has for us…? Think about it! The destroyers can and will blow up the facilities, even slice up the planet but… what guarantees are there that you and your ship will be destroyed?”

“I guess I can survive if I decide to run while we’re being bombed…”

“That’s right! But how do they guarantee you won’t escape?”

“They’ll have to send someone to stop me… The ship…!”

“Son, I believe this time they may want you dead. Once you’re engaged in the match and distracted they’ll send their ship and kill you and then they’ll destroy your ship where it stands parked. Then they can send the destroyers and erase everything without a single worry. That’s how I would do it… and they could care less about rescuing Madam Grooni or Tolo… They are also witnesses who need to be eliminated…”

“Well, how are they going to stop me from flying off into outer space?”

“They’ll use a disruptor… and while you jump around like a fish out of water, the wrestlers will chop you to pieces if you’re still on the ground… or their ship will destroy your ship while you’re incapacitated trying to flee… It’s a perfect plan.”

“But what if I put them out of action first?”

“Well, you can put the wrestlers out of action but how are you going to put their ship out of action…”

“And how will those on the ship know I’m incapacitated and flopping around like a fish out of water?”

“They’ll know because they’ll be monitoring the situation and making sure the disruptor is operational.”

“What if we decide to disable the disruptor before they have a chance to activate it? Like right now for example?”

“In order for them to know that the disruptor is operational they’ll need feedback. They will need constant feedback to confirm it’s operational and that feedback will have to come from the disruptor itself. In other words, the disruptor must constantly tell them that it’s alive and well…”

“But as far as Enai can tell, the disruptor doesn’t emit any outward signals.”

“They must be monitoring it somehow. These people are professionals and leave nothing to chance.”

“Maybe we should reexamine it. I’ll talk to Enai after the party.”

Look, all this is speculation on my part… But it doesn’t hurt to explore every possibility and prepare for as many scenarios as possible. Of course we’ll all be here to assist you… But before we can do anything we’ll need to know what to do.”

Just as Nagol and I finished talking and resumed watching the young ladies mingling among themselves and throwing us a smile once in a while, Enai appeared with the smart girl from Ostikon.

“This one… he has you hooked young lady… He must like you a lot…” said Nagol.

“Yes he does… but it’s not like that… He admires me for my brilliance… so he says…”

“You’re pretty modest for a White person from Ostikon…”

“Well I’m from the new generation. I’m a product of the revolution…”

“What revolution?”

“Come on, Sir, you know what revolution… The revolution he started back on Ostikon some years ago…”

“You mean this big fellow here?”

“Yes…” she said and blushed when she looked at me.

“Can I borrow Enai for a couple of minutes?”

“Okay… no problem… I’ll go over there… and talk to those girls…”

“See I told you… even she gets tongue tied around you…You big hero!”

“What can I do for you Sir,” Enai asked Nagol.

After we explained to him what we’d been talking about earlier he said, “I did observe something unusual but I thought it was energy spikes emitted naturally… the kind the atmosphere sometimes emits randomly. Now that I think of it, they were originating from the same direction as if they’d been generated by a single source.”

“You’ve lost me Enai, give me an example…”

“Well, think of lightening strikes taking place in the distance. Each leaves an energy marker. The ones that are close leave stronger markers and those that are far leave weaker ones. In this case the energy markers were all of the same intensity… This is like lightening striking in the same place over and over again. But it was at random intervals… There was no pattern to it, but thank you for mentioning it. I almost missed it. I’ll look at it again and let you know what I find.”

“Enai, also look for multiple patterns and see if they are repeating… and if they originate from Tolo’s ship…”

“Will do… My lady is waiting. I have to go…”

“Thank you Enai…” said Nagol, looked at me and added. “And to think that this brilliant man was once a pirate…”

“How did you know that…?”

“Well my boy, I get all my gossip from Rolo and Ilisa. This bit of gossip came from Rolo.”

“That means that he probably learned all his skills on the job… Meaning he never went to school…”

“Didn’t you learn your skills on the job?”

“No, I graduated from the School of Voskot… except I was a lousy student.”

Nagol laughed, stood up and said, “I need to stretch my legs…” After he stood up he made a face and said, “My ass is getting sore from sitting… Old age is a bitch…”

After Nagol left I stood there all alone looking like a black boulder on stilts being stared at by girls half my age. It was awkward so I raised my hand to acknowledge their stares and was mobbed by them running at me and hitting my hand as they came by. I had my universal translator turned on and could understand everything they said. They had no translators… They hadn’t needed them… until now. So everything I said was greeted with a smile or a nervous laugh. They had no idea what I was saying. And because they didn’t understand what I was saying they figured I didn’t understand what they were saying. So they kept talking to each other like I wasn’t there.

At one point one of them said, “Did he really have sex with Val?”

Another one said, “Look at his size…”

A third said, “He wasn’t like that when Val and Daf were serving with him…”

At that point I said, “I’m surprised at you young ladies… Of all the things you could want to know about me, it’s if I had sex with Val? Well I didn’t, so there!”

Nagol heard that and said, “Just because they’re young and innocent, not to mention school smart, it doesn’t mean they’re not curious about other things. They are multi-faceted creatures with a lot of curiosity… Aren’t they lovely? And so the generational cycle continues… They are discovering things we older folk take for granted.”

Suddenly something else caught their attention and, like a swarm of bees, they fled.

After that Nagol escorted me back to the reception area and we joined our usual group and drank the night away until the rakia and the green stuff had dried up.

Someone in our group, I think it was Captain Rolo, said, “Where’s Delche… We need to make more rakia…” but by then Ori and Delche had gone back to the observatory. Captain Orihci, Captain Rolo and I decided to go and visit them to make sure all was well before we went to bed. When we got there Delche was talking about his daughter Airam and how much he missed her.

After we brought them all up to speed on what Nagol, Enai and I had discussed earlier, Captain Orihci asked them to keep an eye open for ships coming from the direction of the nearest planet. Ukasnek joined us a bit later and told us that both Madam Grooni and Tolo had remained in their quarters since after lunch. They avoided going to the party. After that I went back to my ship and, like I had the night before, kept an eye on Tolo’s ship.

The next morning Ori came over to my ship. He wanted to do some tests he and Enai were working on. He asked me to contact Enai telepathically and tell him Ori was ready to do the triangulation test. Ori said they were trying to verify the origin of the energy spikes which had continued to pulse randomly since Enai discovered them.

I felt a bit hesitant about contacting Enai so I paused for a moment after thinking about him. Enai sensed my presence and said, “I can hear you breathing down my neck… Does that mean Ori is there and ready to do the test?”

“Yes…”

“Turn on your spectrum analyzer and slowly rotate your antenna until you get maximum amplitude.”

“Done…”

“Now, let’s see if we’re looking at the same thing. When you see a pulse on your scope, tell me.”

“I see one now! Now!..... Now!”

“Yup, we’re looking at the same thing. Where does your antenna point?”

“Towards Tolo’s ship…”

“So does mine…”

“Now what…?”

“Now nothing… There’s nothing more for you guys to do. I, on the other hand, will try and recreate the signal emitted by Tolo’s ship. By the way, the pattern repeats every 47 minutes. It’s a long pattern but I can recreate it. All I have to do is record it in full. Then I can play it back at exactly the same frequency and intensity and replace the original energy spikes… And no one will ever know the difference… Okay?”

“Keep recording and watching the energy spikes in case their pattern changes…”

“I will but I don’t think anyone would go to that extent for a simple thing like this…”

“Okay, see you at breakfast…”

After that Ori and I went to the observatory to see how Delche was doing and from there the three of us went to breakfast. All the women were talking about at breakfast was the party…, last night’s party. Even Ireva was preoccupied with that… No smart remarks from her. Tolo was with Captain Orihci chatting it up. Madam Grooni and Enai hadn’t arrived yet. Ukasnek came over and sat beside Nagol, Captain Rolo and I. Delche and Ori sat on the other side of Nagol.

“I found that thing we were looking for. All I need now is the money to pay for it and for you, Captain Rolo, to pick it up. I still don’t know how to get it here, you know… without anyone seeing it…”

“The other day I saw you escorting the maintenance crew, hauling a huge container through the hallways… What were they hauling?” asked Nagol.

“They were delivering a replacement cooling unit. I don’t trust them going up there alone… I’m certain they’ll pinch something given the chance…”

“What did you do with the container?”

“It’s still up there. The cooling unit is still in it… There’re not coming back for it until the old one is replaced. They’ll be taking the old unit back for repairs in the same container…”

“Does the item you’ve acquired fit inside the container?”

“Yes… and some…”

“So use the empty container to bring it in…”

“I understand… thank you…”

“What are you all talking about… what container? What have you stolen this time…” asked Ireva.

We all laughed.

“Laugh all you want…” she said looking annoyed.

“Young lady you should have been the policeman…” said Nagol.

“There’s always an opening for detectives in my department… You’re welcome to apply…” said Ukasnek.

“Aw, you guys are no fun… Here comes Madam Grooni, I’ll go and talk to her…” she said and left.

“Look at that Madam Grooni, she runs like a cow. Why is she running anyway? Does she think there’ll be no food left for her if she’s late?” asded Ukasnek.

“People, people, can I have your attention! Stop and listen to me…” she yelled. The entire food line stopped and everyone turned their heads and looked at her.

“I have news… Good news! Great news… The circus is coming to your planet... I received a request from the owner of the circus, whom I know personally, and he asked me to organize the first performance here at our facility. You know because this is the most populated place on this planet… But that’s irrelevant…”

“Get to the point lady, we have to eat and go back to work!”

“Anyway, the circus will start with a wrestling match “North versus South” and two famous wrestlers will battle it out. The performance will be free and will take place outside the facility, just beyond those ships outside the main gate because of space restriction. This performance will be free and everyone is invited. It will start at 10 o’clock in the morning right after breakfast. The match shouldn’t take more than half an hour…EVERYONE IS INVITED! Thank you, carry on…”

“The least she could have done was check with me…” said Captain Orihci.

“Well, that’s her style…” said Tolo. “She never asks for permission…”

“That’s great Madam Grooni and thank you. We could use such a performance to cheer us up. I’ll make an announcement over the PA system and invite everyone…”

“Thank you Captain, I appreciate your help. By the way, you’re all invited and I would be very happy to see you all there.”

Everyone stood up and clapped their hands…

After we ate breakfast I grabbed a plate and filled it with food.

“Another plate Captain Fat?” asked Ireva sarcastically. But after realizing that Enai wasn’t there she added, “I know, I know… It’s not for you… It’s for Enai… He forgot to come and eat again… Ha, ha, ha…”

By the time she stopped talking we were all out of there and heading for Enai’s lab.

The moment we arrived, before we had a chance to say anything Enai said, “I’ve built the device. Well I’ve used an existing device and reprogrammed it to mimic the exact pattern Tolo’s ship is generating from the disruptor…”

“That’s great Enai but we have more pressing matters to discuss right now… We need to access the lab immediately. Is it available or have you given it to the students?” interrupted Captain Orihci.

“The lab is available. We can go there right now if you want…”

“Yes, lets go…”

When we had all arrived Enai locked the door and turned off the lights as usual and Captain Orihci brought everyone up to speed on what would happen the next day at 10 o’clock in the morning and asked for suggestions. Everyone looked at me.

“My biggest fear is being incapacitated. So whatever we do we must disable the disruptor, remove it from the ship if possible so that it can’t be activated,” I said.

“I can do that and replace it with my device so no one will know we’ve tampered with the disruptor. But a couple of things need to happen first; one, we need to go inside the ship which may be a problem if the ship is being watched… and two, we need to stay inside the ship for at least 47 minutes to synchronize the gadget with the disruptor. If we miss the first cycle we’ll need to spend maybe another 47 minutes. The cycle has to be precisely synchronized or we might risk being discovered,” replied Enai.

“I prefer to have Tolo’s ship completely disabled so that it can’t fly or fire its cannons. I know ships like that can be operated remotely and we don’t want to take chances,” I said.

“I’ll go inside with Enai and help him remove the disruptor. Once that’s done I’ll disable the ship by removing its fuel cells and power crystals. I’m familiar with its power and weapon’s systems. I used to repair ships like that,” said Ukasnek.

“Make sure you disable its back up power too…” said Captain Orihci.

“We’ll need cover to get inside… We can’t afford to be detected. Any ideas?” asked Enai.

“Yes… I can help with that…” said Captain Rolo.

“How?” asked Enai.

“You’re installing the cooling unit right above the ships, right? What if debris falls on the ships? It might cause damage. The ships will have to be cordoned off. I can do that. While I’m cordoning off the ships Enai and Ukasnek can sneak in and do their part.”

“I have a better idea for you that can solve three problems all at once…” said Nagol.

We all turned and looked at Nagol.

“First, Ukasnek and Rolo… you two go to the upper floor, remove the cooling unit from its housing and bring the housing outside, pretend you’re returning the old unit, load the cannon into it and bring it back here. Then have the crew take it to the upper floor and hide it. When you’re done hiding it have the crews replace the old unit. Rolo you stay up there and supervise the crews to make sure they install the new unit. Ukasnek come down to the ships and look like you’re helping us out. As soon as we cover Tolo’s ship you and Enai go inside Tolo’s ship and do your part. Otsiron and Captain Orihci will cover Orihci’s shuttle and Delche and Ori will cover Rolo’s shuttle. I’ll stand outside and make sure no one gets near the ships because of the danger of being hurt from falling debris. When the crews are finished installing the new unit, Rolo you let them go and make sure they’re gone. Wave down to me after they’re gone and we’ll wait until Enai and Ukasnek are done before we start removing the covers from the ships. Any tools or other materials used to do the job can then be hidden inside the cover material and taken away without being seen. The same goes for the items removed from Tolo’s ship. Is everyone clear on what they will be doing?”

“What if Tolo, or anyone else for that matter, shows up and start’s asking what we’re doing,” asked Ori.

“Captain Orihci will point to the upper floor and say we’re replacing a broken cooling unit and we don’t want anything damaged or anyone hurt from falling debris… and will ask them to stay back. The entire exercise should take no more than a couple of hours.”

“Because we’re pressed for time, let’s finish this job before lunch and meet back here after lunch,” said Captain Orihci.

And again two by two we left the lab. Enai went and got the covering material, hid his tools and gadgets inside it and got a bunch of volunteers to bring it outside. Ukasnek and Rolo rolled out the empty box, purchased the cannon and took it to the upper floor. Rolo called on the maintenance crew and started working on replacing the cooling unit. The rest of us did our part and the entire

job was done in 55 minutes. Ukasnek and Enai did their part and disabled both the disruptor and the power in Tolo’s ship. It could neither start its engines nor fire its cannons. No one came to inquire about anything. Lunch too was uneventful. All that time the women talked about the wrestling match and how to organize it better. They never once asked where we’d been or what we were doing; not even Ireva. As usual, Tolo kept to himself and never once ventured out of his quarters, except when Captain Orihci went to get him for meals. God only knows what he was doing. Nagol figured he was deathly afraid of his sister bumping him off.

We met again after lunch and installed the plasma cannon first. We made it look like an exhaust pipe from the outside and a locked cabinet from the inside. The cannon didn’t need to be connected to an external power source. It had its own internal power source as well as the capability to be activated, aimed and fired from a hand held remote control. Its primary target was Tolo’s ship but it could be aimed at other objects. Captain Rolo was placed in charge of the cannon and was instructed to fire it only as a last resort.

While installing the cannon we discussed every possibility we could think of, for what might happen the next day before, during and after the wrestling match, as well as how to counter it. After we returned to the lab, so that there’d be no misunderstandings, I summarized some of the more important actions we were to take to cover the various scenarios.

“Ukasnek and Enai will run a scan for weapons on the visiting ship and confiscate all the weapons and dangerous materials they find. Enai will analyze the scans and determine what else is on that ship. All of the ship’s personnel, passengers and crew will be asked to leave the ship and go to the match, escorted by Ukasnek’s guards. Before they leave the ship everyone, including the wrestlers, will be searched for weapons and everything they carry will be inventoried. The guards must report anyone carrying a portable communicator to Ukasnek. Our guests will be escorted to their special table and watched at all times.

Enai will be my eyes and ears. He and I will be in constant telepathic communication and he’ll inform me if anything unusual

happens. He’ll tell me when the disruptor signal is activated so that I can fall to the ground and pretend I’m incapacitated.

Nagol will sit at the home team’s front table and hold the medallion that unlocks my ship, my universal translator and the transmitter that I wear like a crown with which I communicate to the soldiers. Nagol you must keep these items well hidden at all times and make sure I get them the moment I need them. They are very valuable and I’m sure our enemies would love to get their hands on them; especially on my medallion and crown.

When I fall to the ground Ukasnek, you will run over to me and have your men keep everyone away from me. Put me on a stretcher and only allow Nagol to see me to deliver my items. Then have your stretcher carriers deliver me to the hatch of my ship. At that point Ukasnek you arrest the wrestlers and other visitors as well as Tolo and Madam Grooni on suspicion of conspiring to assassinate me. Then have them searched. Confiscate and catalogue everything you find on them.

Delche and Ori keep an eye on the sky, looking for ships coming in this direction from anywhere in outer space. The moment you detect anything, report it to Enai and head for my ship. I’ll be laying there on the stretcher. We’ll fly off to avoid being a sitting target.

Captain Rolo, if things don’t go as planned, use the cannon to shoot down anything that attacks the facility or my ship.

Tonight, after we hear Madam Grooni’s transmission, I’ll move all the soldiers into the forest and hide them there. They’ll be armed and ready to attack the destroyers if and when they show up. I don’t know how we’re going to do that at the moment, given that there are two of them, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Once Delche, Ori and I are mobile and in outer space, I’ll coordinate the attack on the destroyers. The tricky part will be what to do with the other ship; the small one supposedly coming to rescue Madam Grooni and Tolo. I’m sure we’ll figure that one out too. Leave it to me.

The rest of you already know what to do. And remember, don’t distract Enai… He’ll be in constant communication with me and I’ll talk to you and you’ll talk to me through him.”

“What happens if they have a second disruptor… say in the visiting ship?” asked Ori.

“Good question…”

“I’ll shoot it down with the cannon… Make sure it’s parked beside Tolo’s ship in front of the cannon… I’ll keep an eye on Enai. If he falls down I’ll immediately destroy the visiting ship…” said Captain Rolo.

“They could send another ship during the night to deliver another disruptor… but that’s unlikely. If they suspect anything they’ll suspect we are closely monitoring the skies. The only ship that might be carrying another disruptor, as a precaution, will be the so-called rescue ship that will be arriving to rescue Madam Grooni and Tolo… That ship must be destroyed from the distance… before it has a chance to come within range of you Captain Otsiron. You need to shoot it down before it incapacitates you…” said Nagol.

“Thank you for that Sir… That’s one thing I hadn’t considered… Thank you!”

“That’s why I’m here my boy…”

After that we left the lab again in two’s and attended an uneventful supper and went to our quarters. I went back to my ship and replayed everything we’d talked about in my mind, making sure we hadn’t forgotten anything.

Just before midnight we again gathered in the lab and anxiously waited for the call to be made.

The big fight

We arrived secretly two by two in the lab before midnight and anxiously waited for Madam Grooni to make her report. But I must say, for all the anticipation we were disappointed. She actually had nothing new to add. And her boss revealed nothing new except that he confirmed that they would send a ship to execute me during the fight. The only things he wanted to be sure of was that the fight would take place outside, it would start on time and I had to be there. There was no mention of any disruptor use or anything else for that matter. The attack ship would arrive, execute me and take Madam Grooni and Tolo and leave. Another thing he mentioned was that the destroyers would be dispatched right after it was confirmed that I was dead. How that would happen he didn’t say. Nothing was said about the wrestlers, their handler or handlers, their ship’s crew, or their ship. There was a lot left out of the conversation, especially the use of a disruptor.

When we’d finished listening to the conversation Nagol said, “This tells me that no one is leaving this place alive; not Madam Grooni, not Tolo, or any of the visitors… and certainly not any of us… They will even destroy our ships and shuttles so that no one escapes. The fact that they want us all, especially you Otsiron, outside tells me that they want easy targets for a quick elimination. For that they’ll use a fast and powerful attack ship. I’m also pretty sure they won’t attack until they are certain that you’re incapacitated. In my estimation they won’t even dispatch their attack ship until they’re sure you’re immobilized. They don’t want to risk exposing their plans and you summoning the soldiers before they have a chance to hit us. In other words, we’ll see no ship movement until they’re sure you’re down. And I’m inclined to believe they’ll send a small, fast and powerful ship first to eliminate us before they send the destroyers.”

“The question now, is how will they know for sure Otsiron is incapacitated?’…” asked Captain Orihci.

“Well, someone here will have to let them know…” said Nagol.

“Who…?! And how?” asked Ukasnek.

“Our most likely suspects are Madam Grooni who we already know has a communications device, Tolo, or the visiting ship’s passengers and crew. That’s why all of them need to be watched carefully. And that’s why they need to be arrested the moment Otsiron falls down.”

“But Madam Grooni doesn’t know about the disruptor… How will she know to call them when Otsiron is down?” asked Captain Rolo.

“They could be playing us… just like we are playing them… There is nothing unusual about assuming that we know everything… That’s why they’ll take every possible precaution,” replied Nagol.

We all looked at each other.

“Look, I’m only speculating as to what might happen so that we can be ready for it. None of this might happen… I don’t know what will happen for sure. Just do your part the best you can and hope that we win. Isn’t that right Otsiron…? You haven’t said a word tonight.”

“I usually look at trends and patterns but this is far more complicated than I expected…”

“But what is your instinct telling you?” asked Delche.

“We’ll win this fight. It will be a massive and complicated battle but we will win it… We will be victorious and we will change the political tide here just like we did in Ostikon…”

There was much cheering from everyone. I was surprised that they had so much confidence in me.

Nagol yelled, “Quiet, someone might hear us,” but no one cared. He whispered to me, “That was the right answer son. Now I pray to Mother Nature you’re right.”

After that we all snuck out of the lab. Some went straight to their quarters. Delche and Ori went back to the observatory. Captain Orihci, Ukasnek and I went to the furthest door in the bowels of the facility from which all garbage and food waste was disposed. This

door led to a dugout that carried liquid waste to the creek, which flowed downhill from the forest. At that time it was dry. There were three men looking through the refuse in the dump below but the moment they saw Ukasnek open the big door they fled in a hurry. Then when I saw Ukasnek wave his arm, letting me know that all was clear, I ordered the soldiers to arm and dress in battle gear and start to march fast down the dugout, up the creek and enter the forest. I then opened the many delivery doors along the far end where the trucks offloaded the food and let more soldiers out. I had to because it would have otherwise taken me almost a week to get everyone out.

When the march started the Captain and Ukasnek left to get some sleep. The exercise took almost all night. After it was over, there was no sign of the soldiers anywhere except for the tracks they left on the moist creek bottom. But there was nothing to worry about because, with the exception of a few foragers, no one went there. Very few could stand the smell.

When I got back to my ship I made sure all my vials were filled with fire water and placed in my left front pocket. I then began to run drills to position the soldiers in the right place so that when the time came they could fire at a target in the sky. I could see them through Nine’s eyes.

I didn’t sleep that night, I couldn’t. By the time I was done placing the soldiers in position it was already dawn and the sun was coming up. I began to pace inside the small space in my ship. I went over everything that needed to be done… Then something occurred to me… How would we explain it to the people who take care of the soldiers when they came to feed them in the morning and didn’t find them there? With everything else that was going on in my mind I began to panic.

I decided to contact Enai. He suggested we take it up with Captain Orihci who just happened to be conversing with Madam Grooni in the hallway. Before Enai spoke to Captain Orichi he overheard Madam Grooni telling Orihci that she wanted everyone from the facility outside before nine o’clock to welcome the visitors when they arrived.

“What about the soldiers… Who’s going to feed the soldiers…? When are we going to eat breakfast if we’re expected to be out there to welcome the visitors…?” asked the Captain.

“Oh my God! Are we all going to die if we don’t eat breakfast on time?! Look, this is very important to me… I don’t care if the entire planet dies of starvation… just be there… and make sure the big guy is there also. I want him sitting beside me…,” replied Madam Grooni.

“Captain, in that case you should make a PA announcement and order everyone outside before nine and ask them to bring chairs… It might be a long wait…” said Enai.

“Are you being sarcastic with me Enai? I’m in no mood for that today…”

“No, no, no Madam Grooni. I’m just concerned for the workers standing on their feet for hours. That’s all…”

After that Madam Grooni stormed back to her quarters. Captain Orihci made the announcement and people started going out in droves, hoping to find a place to sit with a good view. Ukasnek told everyone where the ship would land and where the performance would take place. All the women in our group, except Madam Grooni, were busy coordinating activities telling the helpers what to do and where to put what.

When Madam Grooni came back she sent Ireva to get me from my ship. I pretended to be asleep.

“Hey, Captain Fat? Too much rakia last night? GET UP AND GET OUT HERE!”

“Go away… It’s not breakfast time yet…”

“Have you forgotten…? The circus is in town and you’re our star clown…”

“Go away you make no sense…”

“Get out right now or I’ll have Madam Grooni drag you out…”

“Leave him be, my dear. I’ll have him out for you… don’t worry,” said Nagol just as he arrived.

I opened the hatch for him and let him in the moment Ireva stormed out of there. When he came in I told him what Enai had overheard Madam Grooni say.

“She knows more than she’s letting on…” Nagol said,

“How do you know?”