CHAPTER NINE
Riona had given up trying to capture them; it was too late for him to stop them from meeting with the council, and besides, there was other business to attend to. He decided to direct his efforts on his new destination, which remained a mystery to his crew until they finally reached it.
Halfway across the galaxy, a dark figure loomed over his throne and pressed the button to shut off his viewing screen. He sat in the large conference room, and stared at his subordinate. The screen came on and Balar’s face appeared.
“We are prepared to meet your demands, Akros,” he said. “The renegades will be handed over to you.”
“Very good,” the ruler sneered. “Bring them to Alokia. They will be transported from there. When they are in our custody, we will withdraw our ships.”
“Agreed,” Balar said, and turned off his viewing screen.
“They’re on their way,” Akros said, as he turned to his subordinate. A white hand with claws fell upon the table in front of him.
“Excellent,” his subordinate said. “My end of the agreement will be honored once they are in my custody.”
“As mine will be when I receive the human and the death ray, as we agreed,” Akros said as he smiled at the humanoid. “You have served me well, Riona. Ah, you always were my favorite creation. It shall be a pleasure to see you and Balta in control of the galaxy.”
“Balta?” Riona questioned. “I thought he was killed by the human?”
“No, not at all. He is waiting on Alokia for his ‘assassin.”
“As long as he doesn’t kill him,” Riona said, as he smiled. “He is welcome to torture him in any way he wishes, but as for Zarcon, he better leave him to me!”
“He’s not to harm him!” Akros snapped at the humanoid. “He’s only to bring him here. After I’m through with him, then the two of you are welcome to do whatever you want.”
Riona frowned. “The inferiority of the human race,” he sighed. “Always showing the hand of mercy.”
“Inferior?” Akros questioned. “You’re forgetting who created you. Without me, you wouldn’t even exist!”
“I’m sorry, Akros. I’ve been under a little strain lately.”
“You’ll be under a lot more if you allow them to escape again!”
“Yes, Akros. I mean no disrespect. It’s been a pleasure serving under you as well. The Republic has never suspected a thing, until recently.”
“Another mistake you have made?”
“The Belorion left me no choice. He was getting suspicious.”
“Are you sure it isn’t the drug affecting your decisions?”
“No, it’s not that at all. Zarcon has outraged me for the last time!”
Riona grew hostile, slamming both hands on the table.
“Calm down, friend,” Akros said, as he placed his hand on the shoulder of his long blue cloak. “Soon, you’ll have the human, and we’ll all have the universe to command. I’ve been waiting for this day for a century; ever since I left that decrepit place called Earth. To think, their conquerors were after a mere planet, when they could have ruled an entire universe. Excuse me, both universes-yours and mine. Once you know the renegades are in custody, have our fleet attack Sentros.”
“Why don’t we just use the planet destroyer?” Riona asked, impatient to end this whole fiasco.
“Just because we have it, doesn’t mean we have to use it. Haven’t you and Balta learned yet? It’s about control, not extermination. We want them to know we have it, but put enough fear into them that they will surrender.”
“Shall I join him on Alokia?”
“Can you handle the situation without bungling it up?”
“You can count on it! They won’t escape me again! What about the others?”
“You can kill the other beings with him; they are no use to me.” The door opened as they walked out of the room. Akros turned towards him as they left. “You may go there, but I’m warning you Riona. If I hear that they’ve escaped again, you’ll be terminated just like they will be.” Riona grew angered, and grabbed his neck.
“Do not threaten me, Human!” he snarled. “You made me, and I can destroy you just as easily!”
Akros’ men immediately came, and drew their lasers at Riona. He released his grip, lowered his hand and smiled. Akros straightened his collar.
“And you remember,” he said. “I gave you this power, and I can take it away! Your powers are only temporary, and you are as expendable as any other spy.”
Riona stormed down the hallway, using his mind to open the doors at the end of the corridor. He was mad at Akros, but he knew he couldn’t kill him, not yet anyway. He marched towards the hangar deck, his anger shifted towards the renegades he now would deal with. Balta was his only close friend and the only one who knew what they both envisioned for their future. They didn’t need Akros or any human to run the universe. The two of them could do it with the help of his army. When he found out it was the human who tried to kill Balta, it made him even more enraged, but he would have to contain his anger for now. After he brought them to Tolaria, he’d deal with them in his own way.
Back on the planet Sentros, the small renegade crew made preparations to depart to Alokia. Balar described the planet as being a warm hostile, barren world which was used as a Tolarion slave outpost. Slaves were either sent there until they either died or were transported somewhere else.
The atmosphere was very similar to Earth, which was mostly Nitrogen, and nearly 20% oxygen, enough to support life, but the warm barren winds of the planet made it way too dry for water. The other elements were too varied to name, and many were in minute amounts, except for large deposits of minerals such as iron and carbon. Tolaria and Alokia were hardly breathable to humans, because the Oxygen was thick. This explained why on a planet similar to Earth, the Tolarions wore masks to survive. What Jeff couldn’t understand is how Akros dealt with this situation. He was breathing the same air as them but he didn’t have a mask on. Maybe he was in an air contained facility, a clone himself, or his genetic structure had been altered somehow.
Even though Jeff knew he had placed his friends in great peril by surrendering, he felt it would be the best solution to ending this war. He had a feeling the Tolarions wouldn’t keep up their end of the bargain; treaty or no treaty, they didn’t seem to him the type to keep their word. Besides, he didn’t intend to give up without a fight. He remembered something Zarcon told him on Beloria. He mentioned something about a main control center located on Tolaria. If they were able to get that far, he could plant a bomb there.
As the Talokian ship departed from the Earth-like world of Sentros, Jeff explained to his crew who Akros was and what he did and they began to realize what kind of race he created. He had a pretty firm feeling of what happened to Mars. If the Tolarions found the base, it would have been easy for them to destroy such a vulnerable target. Even if some of his kind escaped, they would die because there wasn’t another habitable planet within at least twelve light years.
And what of Lori? If they attacked, she was either a slave for them or already dead. She could be a strong woman and might be able to handle the labor, but she was not trained to endure torture. It upset him to think what became of his friend and realized that going back there was just no longer an option. That would be fine with him, as long as they sent him back to where there were human beings.
Alokia was about two weeks from them by the Tolarion standard of travel. They didn’t move there quicker because they needed time to formulate a plan. The Tolarion sector of space was much closer, about three days away. They were notorious for invading neutral territories, and they showed this by landing on Ventros, Zeloria, and Pluto. Zarcon knew they would probably be captured long before they reached their destination.
They watched Sentros fade from sight, and the Varcon casually glided the through the endless region of space. They knew this could be their only chance to save all their worlds from destruction. It was now they needed to come up wit
h a real plan.
“We need to get to the main control center,” Jeff said, as he turned away from the viewing screen. Barva brought three of his men with them to help pilot the craft, as it was beyond any of the others’ knowledge. “If we can sabotage it somehow, we’ll stop them in their tracks.”
“What about this Triachilite?” Barva asked. “If they mass produce it, every Tolarion will know what we’re up to.”
“Then we’ll have to find their labs, and destroy them too,” Jeff said.
“There’s another way,” Zarcon remarked. All of their heads turned towards the ambassador. “If we can get to their main control center, we can destroy their entire planet.”
“How?” Barva asked.
“By self destructing the ray gun,” Zarcon replied. “The explosion would start a fusion chain reaction and incinerate the atmosphere.”
“First we have to find the ray gun, and that’s assuming Riona even went to Tolaria with it,” Jeff said. “We still don’t even know if he’s working with them or against them.”
“I don’t know,” Zarcon suggested. “I have a feeling there is more to our friend than meets the eye.”
“Such as?” asked Barva.
“An alliance with the Tolarions, of course,” Zarcon answered.
“Riona?” Dormiton asked. “A spy?”
"Why not," Jeff said. "I mean, where is he now? Certainly not chasing us anymore!”
“Yes,” Barva said. “That would explain why he wanted his ‘planet destroyer’ so badly.”
“Do you honestly think that it is on Tolaria,” Jeff asked.
“Why not?” Zarcon asked. “Tolaria is located at a strategic area of this galaxy. He can destroy any planet he wishes from there.”
“I had no idea its range is so great,” Barva said. “What form of power does it use?’
“Fusion,” Zarcon stated. “It can even be sent through a wormhole to hit a target. That is why we have never let it fall into enemy hands, and that is why the Tolarions never invaded us before.”
“Crude, but effective,” Barva remarked. “So why haven’t they attacked Sentros yet?”
“I don’t know,” Zarcon said, annoyed again by his superior attitude. “There has to be a reason. Perhaps they’re waiting until after they get us.”
“If we can sabotage the main control center,” Jeff questioned. “What will happen?”
“It will destroy most of their base,” the arthropod answered. “It’ll slow them down, but it won’t stop them completely.”
“Will it hurt them enough for the Republic to effectively attack them,” Jeff asked.
“Yes,” Zarcon answered.
“Okay then,” Jeff surmised. “When we get to Tolaria, we’ll have to find a means for escape.”
“That won’t be easy,” Zarcon stated. “Their prisons are extremely well guarded.”
“Do we have any other choice?” Jeff asked.
“I guess not,” Zarcon stated. “Even if the Republic goes to war, there’s no telling of the outcome. There are seven hundred Tolarion bases in this galaxy alone.”
“Through cloning no doubt,” Jeff remarked.
“Then how can destroying one base make a difference?” Milgic asked.
“Because it is their main base that matters,” Zarcon said. “The other bases would be total chaos without Akros running them.”
“Is he that powerful a man?” Milgic asked.
“I’m afraid so,” Zarcon said. “He’s worse than Riona.”
“He’s the father of creation,” Jeff jested. “He’s cloned an entire race of beings! Less than perfect, I might add. He forgot the extra eye on them.”
“That’s how he’s been able to have such an enormous population,” Zarcon explained. “They must have been all created from the same cell.”
“There’s a possibility that those cells may be part human,” Jeff stated. “Probably from Dr. Avery himself.”
“If that is true,” Barva added. “Their brain patterns are similar to his. That would explain why they follow his orders explicitly. We went through a similar process with you, although much more complicated.”
“And if he was mentally ill like I have read, then maybe his genes were mutated somehow to form these ‘Tolarions,” Jeff responded. “And maybe that’s why he still needs me. To correct the process so he can be human again.”
“And that would also explain why he needs the Triachilite,” Zarcon replied. “He probably needs it for some kind of mind meld with the others.”
“Well,” Jeff said. “For some time we’ll be under confinement. I want us to all stick together, if we can. During this time, we’ll have to figure out a way to escape and destroy their base on Tolaria. It sounds like their plan is to transport us from Alokia to Tolaria. I want no heroics while we’re there, even if we are separated, okay? We’re just going to be transported from Alokia to their main base on Tolaria.”
“What if Riona is there?” Dormiton asked.
“Then he is under orders, and probably won’t kill us,” Zarcon stated.
“Probably?” Milgic doubted.
“Zarcon,” Jeff asked, as he changed the subject. “Is there an arsenal on Tolaria?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Near the main control center.”
“How convenient,” Jeff jested. “We should have no problem protecting
ourselves once we reach it.”
“Five of us against a whole army?” Zarcon questioned. “You’re as mad as Riona!”
“You don’t have much faith in your own people, do you?” Barva asked.
“My people are of honor!” Zarcon barked. “They will not attack unless a treaty has been violated!”
“And what treaty may that be?” Barva quipped. “They’ve already destroyed one of your colonies, as well as their own.”
“And the Republic will place sanctions on their government,” Zarcon surmised.
“That’s not enough!” Jeff snapped. “They must pay for what they’ve done to all of us! I can’t understand what’s got into you, Zarcon.”
“I’m beginning to realize that the Lingworts are right and that war is not the answer. Too many lives have been lost already!”
“And many more will be lost if we don’t take some kind of initiative,” Jeff stated.
“You should have become a military advisor, Jeff,” Zarcon jested. “You can be quite persuasive.”
“No,” Jeff said. “I never liked all the conflict, but we have to do something. So are you with us?” The human raised his fist in the air.
“I’m with you,” he said, and placed his closed claw upon Jeff’s fist. The others did the same, in a rebellious alliance against their enemies.
Two days passed since leaving Sentros and the Talokian ship proceeded to get closer to its destination without an incident. It would be ridiculous to escape at this point for it would place the whole Republic in jeopardy. They also needed a means to get to the Tolarion base, which they could never do alone without a fleet behind them. They just hoped that Akros wasn’t lying about taking them there.
Zarcon explained what he knew of the construction of Tolarion headquarters, even though he’d never been there. What he knew was relayed to the Republic through spies, especially the arsenal and main control center. Few spies had ever escaped from there alive. What information he didn’t know, they extracted from the Rigil Four’s computers before they abandoned it. They found the location of the Tolarion prison on the map, at least a mile from the main control center, and heavily guarded.
“How are we going to get there without being seen?” Barva asked. “It would appear that we are outnumbered all of the way.”
“What about these air ducts?” Jeff asked as he pointed to the map, which was on the viewing screen.
“If they found out we’ve escaped,” Zarcon explained. “They’ll flood them with poisonous gas.”
“Well that rules that out,” Jeff sighed. “What about this entrance here. It
appears to be a cargo bay of some kind. If we can get through there, we can reach
the main reactor.”
“Too many guards there,” Zarcon said. “They’ll spot us in a minute.”
“Not if we come in as cargo,” Barva hinted. “Those food crates are four feet high.”
“So,” Jeff said, not pleased at what he was about to suggest.
“Our amphibian friends are four feet high,” Barva said, as the lingworts looked at each other in disbelief. Jeff stared at him in defiance.
“No!” he insisted. “I can’t let them do it! What if something went wrong? Besides, how are they going to get to the reactor from there?”
“The cargo is sent through the control center to other destinations. It might work,” Zarcon said.
“How will they escape?” Jeff asked.
“Through one of the air vents,” Zarcon said. “If they don’t see them, they won’t flood it with gas. We can then meet them here. “The air duct nearest to the shuttle deck. From there, we can steal a ship if we have to.”
“I do not intend to surrender this ship,” Barva boldly stated. “My crew will remain here. They will use their minds on the Tolarions to think that they are not here while the rest of us are interrogated.”
“Wow!” Jeff remarked. “I didn’t know you could do something like that. The more I learn about this multi-verse, the weirder it gets.”
“How will the five of us escape without being seen?” Dormiton asked.
“That’s the tricky part,” Jeff said.
“We’ll have to sabotage the alarm system,” Zarcon said. “Which is located here-near the prison exit.”
“How many guards are on each floor?” the human asked.
“Ten throughout the floor, twenty at the two exits,” Zarcon answered.
“Thirty, heh,” Jeff sighed. “The odds are steep as hell, but we might be able to pull it off. Will the Republic back us up by attacking the base?”
“I’ll find out,” Zarcon answered, and walked to the communications console.
“If they don’t,” Barva said. “My race will. We should have our fleet ready by then.”
“Very good,” Jeff said. “I still don’t like this idea of you two being key points.”
“Neither do we,” Milgic exclaimed. “I miss Masgria.”
“We’ve got to help though,” Dormiton said, as he turned to him. “In any way we can.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Jeff laughed.
Zarcon contacted the council and informed them of their plans, using a special code the Tolarions couldn’t decipher. Balar didn’t totally agree, but backed them up nonetheless. He agreed to send several ships to Tolaria after he was certain they arrived there. His timing needed to be crucial, for if they arrived too soon, their attack would be redundant.
“How much longer before we reach Alokia?” the human asked and turned to the viewing screen.
“Forty two hours and twenty three minutes,” Barva stated.
“We’ll have to put up with their barbaric conditions,” Jeff said. “Just do as you’re told. Maybe they won’t kill us.”
“Wishful thought I’m afraid,” Zarcon said. “Even if they say there taking us to Tolaria, there’s no guarantee they won’t execute us on Alokia.”
“That’s the chance we’ll have to take,” Jeff said. “If anything goes wrong at Alokia, we’ll try to escape.”
“The whole plan sounds like suicide to me,” Milgic barked.
“Suicide or not, we have no choice,” Barva said. “The Talokians will stay out of range of the Tolarions’ scanners until they’re needed. The homing devices will also link into my people’s computers.”
“How can a small fleet be effective against Alokia’s defenses?” Zarcon questioned.
“Our ships are considerably more advanced than the Republics’ or the Tolarions’,” Barva said. “We can see them before they can see us, and we can attack from a farther range.”
“The scanners indicate three space craft approaching at rapid speed.” One of Barva’s men said. “They appear to be Tolarion.”
“We haven’t even entered their sector of space yet,” Zarcon cried. “They are going to capture us sooner than expected.”
“Prepare to open communications with them,” Jeff said.
“Once we leave, follow us, but at a distance,” Barva instructed his men as well.
“What if they try to destroy the ship?” Zarcon asked.
“Once we’re onboard,” Barva said. “Leave here at warp-light speed.”
“Your kind has mastered the speed of light,” Zarcon asked.
“Not exactly,” Barva explained. “We’ve developed a technology that allows us to bend space and time forming a field around our ship. It’s similar to your wormhole generator in this respect. It allows us to surpass the speed of light, but the ship does not move itself, just the space around it.”
“Fascinating,” Zarcon said. “We can only achieve light speed by wormhole generation. We haven’t developed that far yet.”
“You soon will,” Barva predicted.
“Communications are open,” one of Barva’s men announced.
“This is Major Jeff Walker, from the Republic,” he announced. “We are here to surrender.”
Their message was received by the Tolarion ship which answered in English.
“I am Kolar, of the Tolarion fleet,” the voice said. “Prepare for us to dock and board. Do not attempt any resistance or you will be killed.”
“Stop all engines and cut all power except the main door hatch,” Barva commanded.
They waited in the darkness for their captors, and heard the ship docking along the side of them. There was a loud grinding sound, a loud snap, and the doors locked within each other. The main door hatch opened, and they were greeted by several guards who were wearing air masks on their faces. The beasts immediately grabbed the five of them and put them in the other ship. The other Talokians were invisible to their minds just as Barva said they would be. Before they had time to speak, the one called Kolar grabbed Jeff’s arm. “There’s someone who wishes to speak with you,” he sneered.
Jeff, who thought it was Riona, wasn’t surprised until he found out who it really was-Balta.
“Balta!” Jeff yelled. The sinister Tolarion leader’s smile could be seen through his transparent mask.
“Yes, Mr. Walker,” he answered. “It is I. You thought you had done away with me, heh? You’ll find that I’m not as easy to kill as you think I am.”
“There’s no way you could have survived,” Jeff said, as he searched for the acid burn on his hand. “Your whole base was destroyed.”
“I survived by the skin of my teeth, as you humans say, but I survived. You are very strong willed, Walker. It will be a shame to execute you. You could have had a place in my new empire.”
“Right next to Akros, I imagine.”
“Akros is a foolish man! He no longer has control over me or my race. I am their leader now, not some human being who is truly inferior to us.”
“That’s no way to talk about your creator,” Jeff jested.
“Touché`, Walker, touché,” Balta laughed. “How clever you are! It’s a pity you won’t live long enough to discover too much more about us. Right now, however, I’m letting you live only because of Akros and have adjusted the air in here for more delicate life forms such as yourselves. Take them in the back!”
The guards obeyed his orders and grabbed the small crew, shoving them in the brig. When they started to push Jeff in, Balta stopped them. “Wait,” he said. The two guards turned toward their leader, as he pulled a knife from his belt, and put it against his throat. “I need to repay you for your insolence! You’re lucky to be alive. If it wasn’t for Akros, you wouldn’t be. Nonetheless, I’ll give you a reminder of my fury, just like you gave me!” Balta slashed his face quick, just under his eye, as he struggled to escape. Blood dripped down his neck and onto the floor, and the sting
ing pain was unbearable.
Balta laughed wildly, and waved for the guards to place him in the brig. Dormiton quickly ripped a section of Jeff’s pants and placed it against the wound to stop it from bleeding. The group was astonished by his wicked act of cruelty towards their friend.
They left the allegedly empty Varcon in space, and the Tolarions tried to pilot it, but were unable to do so. Balta wanted to take it for research, but because they couldn’t pilot it or tow it, they decided they’d have to abandon it. As Alokia came into view the next day, Balta turned towards his crew.
“Prepare to land,” he ordered. “Alokia base, this is Balta, can you read me?”
“Yes, Sir,” a voice announced. “You are clear to land at sector 291.”
“Roger,” Balta said. “Landing at sector 291.”
The tyrant smiled at the brown barren world, knowing that victory would soon be in his grasp. The Republic wouldn’t dare defy him now; not if they wanted to see their delegates alive again. The ship gradually floated into the atmosphere, its retro rockets slowing the ship down considerably. The surface of the planet was covered with a raging dust storm, which gave them great difficulty in landing. It was apparent, however, that the Tolarions were well accustomed to these conditions. The wings of the large Tolarion craft bobbed from the winds of sixty miles an hour upon entering the landing strip area.
Jeff covered his face with the cloth that Dormiton gave him to avoid the flying dust particles, and ripped off more pieces of his pant leg and gave it to the others to cover their faces as well. The air was breathable, but very dirty for humans, and the others weren’t used to the weather conditions either. Their landing was rather rough, and several rocks flew toward them, one even bouncing off the nose of the ship. When the Tolarion vessel finally landed, Balta made his way back to the brig. As he opened the door, he grabbed Jeff by the hair and threw him against the wall. The human landed with his back to it, and collapsed on the floor.
“Let’s see how you can escape one of our worlds,” he laughed, as he grabbed his right arm and pulled him to his feet. “You’re lucky if you survive a day or two in one of these storms! Move the rest of them to the workstations, President Zarcon and Walker will come with me!” It seemed to Jeff they only wanted to execute the two of them, and keep the others as slaves on Alokia.
Six of the guards directed the reptilian and amphibians outside to a section of the complex that lay directly in front of them, as Zarcon and Jeff were taken in another direction with Balta and four guards following behind them. They edged their way to the entrance while the bitter winds and abrasive sands beat against them. Jeff was used to the wind and sand, but not the scorching heat. On Mars, there were frequent sandstorms, but he was protected by the insulation of a spacesuit, and temperatures were much cooler.
The two renegades were pushed into the entrance, and the doors slid open. Jeff felt completely helpless, as five laser guns were pointed at them, in case they might try to escape. The inside hall was large and long, and traveled in all directions. They were pushed into a hallway on the right, which led to a room where most of the cargo was kept. Jeff guessed that this was their cargo holding area, mainly due to the tanks and metal crates that were scattered around the area. Jeff thought about ripping the mask off that protected Balta’s face, but he knew he was just be shot if he did so. They were led through an area to an elevator which was on the far side. They entered it, and Balta announced their destination.
“Main Control,” he said, and the machine responded. When it reached the third floor, the doors opened, and revealed another corridor. They walked to the end of it and the doors opened.
There was a large table, where a blue cloaked figure had his back to them. He turned around to greet them.
“Riona!”
“Yes, Zarcon,” he laughed. “It’s me. You didn’t think we gave up looking for you?” Jeff turned towards Balta.
“I knew this was a setup,” he surmised. “You and Riona were planning Zarcon’s execution all along. What did you promise him, Balta, your precious Triachilite?”
“Well, Mr. Walker, I'm impressed. You have done your homework,” Riona laughed. “On the contrary, Mr. Walker. I promised him something much better-total rule of the galaxy. Sort of a joint venture, you might say. And with the Belorion death ray, no one will stop us!”
“It’s not yours to rule,” Zarcon asked. “And what about Akros?”
“What about him?” Riona snarled. “Once we get back to Tolaria, he’s a dead man!”
“Where is the death ray?” the insect questioned.
“Do you think we’d be fools enough to reveal that information?” Riona asked. “Balta, can’t we dispose of these destitutes?”
“Not yet, Friend,” the ape-like creature said. “If Akros wants them alive, we’ll give them to him alive. And then we’ll kill all three of them, including Akros.”
“You would do that to your own father?” Jeff jested.
“Power has no relatives,” Balta coldly sneered.
Jeff tried to grab him, but was held back by the guards. “What about our friends?” he asked.
“We have no desire to kill them,” Balta explained. “They will remain here as prisoners of the empire, digging the mines for precious metals.”
“You are a sadistic son of a bitch, aren’t you?” Jeff snarled.
“And you are becoming tiresome, Mr. Walker,” Balta hissed. “Put them on board the Starlighter. We’ll depart from Alokia in one hour.”
The guards grabbed the two prisoners, and pushed them towards the elevator doors. Jeff struggled to get away, but a guard pushed him against a wall. When the elevator doors shut and they left, Balta turned towards his faithful friend.
“How did he know about the Triachilite?”
“Zarcon must have told him,” Riona answered.
“What else does he know?”
“Nothing other than what the Republic has told him.”
“Good. Let’s not make any more mistakes. I want them both terminated when we get back to Tolaria.”
“It will be my pleasure. What about his friends? Are they really going to the workstations?”
“Of course not. They are being eliminated as we speak.”
On the other side of the complex, Barva and his two Ventrosion friends were being led down a corridor, which was considerably below the planet’s surface. They were brought to a dark tunnel and shoved inside. There was a wall at one end, and a solid iron door at the other.
“End of the line,” one of the Tolarions said as he slammed the door. Dormiton ran to it, and slammed his fist against it.
“Now what?” Milgic asked.
“We wait,” Barva said.
“For what?” Dormiton asked.
“Until they decide what to do with us,” Barva answered. “I sense that Zarcon and Jeff will be on their way to Tolaria soon. Security will lighten up a little after they’ve left, and then maybe we’ll stand a chance at getting out of here. They’ve probably already started sending troops to intercept the Tolarion fleet. The war has already begun.”
They sat in the darkness, and heard a hissing sound that grew louder. “Gas,” Barva yelled, as they began to choke, smoke entering through vents in the chamber. Dormiton fell to the floor, unconscious. Barva also was queasy, as they heard a laser blast at the door. The door was kicked open, as they fell to the floor. Three humans who wore gas masks helped them to their feet and out of the chamber, passing dead guards that were outside of the chamber. They were directed down a hallway and into an open room, which led to a panel in the wall, which they pushed. The three of them were led to a stairway. At the bottom of the stairway there was a narrow passageway that led to another wall. One of the guards reached his hand in a hole in the wall, and it opened into a doorway. They found themselves surrounded by a group of human beings, which were a resistance group. They carried lasers and also early twenty first century rifles.
A six feet two curly grayish-whit
e haired man used a damp cloth to revive them to full awareness. He had a rather muscular build, and was in his late fifties.
“Who are you?” Barva asked, as the humans looked at one another, intrigued by these English speaking reptile creatures.
“I’m John Carver,” he said. “We are from an installation on a planet called Mars. We were brought here by some creatures called Tolarions, just as you were.”
“Did you say Mars?” Dormiton asked.
“Yes,” Carver said. “Have you heard of us?”
“Yes,” Barva said. “We have a friend from there.”
“What’s his name?” asked Carver.
“Jeff,” Milgic said. “Jeff Walker.”
“Walker?” a girl’s voice shouted, as she emerged from the crowd. She had curly blonde hair and blue eyes, and was very slender, and seemed very eager when she heard the name. The two lingworts looked at each other in amazement when they knew this was the woman Jeff spoke about on many occasions on the island.
“Is your name Lori Anderson?” Dormtion asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Have you seen Jeff? Is he all right?”
“I’m afraid not,” Barva sighed. “Balta’s got him.”
“Are they here, in the complex?” Carver asked.
“I don’t know,” the reptile said. “My thought transmissions are weak down here. They had orders to take him to Tolaria to be executed.”
“Executed?” Lori screeched. “We have to do something!”
“If my calculations are right,” Barva said. “My fleet should be arriving here soon to attack this base.”
“If that’s true,” Carver said. “We better get out of here! Our installation down here isn’t designed for an attack of such proportions. We’ll have to save your friend before Balta gets away.”
“Have you ever heard of the Galactic Republic of Peaceful Civilizations, John Carver?” Barva asked.
“Yes,” he said. “The Tolarions have spoken of them on several occasions and they have some of their people here as prisoners as well.”
“Well,” Barva continued. “They are under orders to attack Tolaria once Jeff is brought there. He has a mission to destroy the base. If you can help us with his mission, we’d be forever in your debt.”
“Consider it done,” another hefty human with gray hair said. “I’m Steve Malone. They have harmed enough of our people as well.”
“Our main concern now is getting out of here and to the main hangar decks,” Carver stated.
“What about Jeff?” the agitated Lori asked. Carver grabbed her by the shoulders, and looked deep into her blue eyes and consoled her.
“He knows what he is doing,” he told her. “If they say he has to be captured, then he has to be captured. Is there a chance we can save him before he is executed?”
“Barva,” the reptile said. “My name is Barva. I am second in command of the Talokians. These are my friends Dormtion and Milgic, from the planet Ventros. I don’t know, but I do know the location of where he is going.”
“It might not be an easy task,” Lori said. “They appear to be heavily armed.”
“We devised a plan to send these two through the air ducts. If we can get to the main control center, we can self destruct the base. During the confusion, we’ll have to find Jeff.”
“We’ll have to find out where they’re keeping him first,” added Carver. “Can you contact the Republic?”
“After we get out of here, we should be able to,” Barva stated.
“Let’s get started!” Carver yelled, and handed a laser to each of them. “Once we reach the hangar decks, protect the ships. They’re our only way off this god-forsaken planet.”
They ran through the corridor, and could hear weapon blasts that penetrated the outside walls of the base. They ran up the stairs and into the complex, as the base began to fall around them. They were attacked by several Tolarions while they ran down another corridor. The hallways flashed with great light intensity as lasers blasted in all directions. Even the lingworts finally got involved, and fired their lasers at the enemy. When they finally reached the hangar deck, they could see Balta and Riona exiting the elevator. Carver tried to shoot at them but missed Riona just laughed, and they both vanished into the craft, and it started to lift off.
They fired at the Starlighter when it left the hangar deck, but the ceiling began to give way and they needed to get to the other spaceships quick. The catwalks fell to the floor below, destroying machinery and Tolarions as well.
The army of approximately two hundred humans converged on their enemy, and fired their lasers as they headed towards the spaceships. Carver and Lori fired at three Tolarions who tried to escape, and ran to the nearest ship, opening the hatch. Barva, Dormiton, and Milgic ran behind them, and jumped inside in haste. A Tolarion grabbed Dormiton’s leg and yanked it, and tried to pull him from the platform outside the ship. He kicked him in the face, regretfully, and his attacker fell to the floor.
He jumped in the ship, and shut the hatch behind him. The other humans followed suit, and grabbed whatever ships they could. Most escaped, but several people were killed in the process, as the base began to collapse around them. John pressed the communication panel and spoke into it.
“I want all ships to rendezvous with the Talokians. Stand by for further orders. Barva, can you speak with your fleet?”
“Certainly,” he said, and walked over to the panel. “Talokian fleet, this is Barva. Centar, do you read me?”
“Centar here,” a voice answered. “We read you loud and clear.”
“Break off attack until we can reach you,” Barva ordered. “We will be in Tolarion ships, all except one- the Starlighter. It should be approaching you now. Track him, but don’t attack.”
“Affirmative,” Centar said. “Out.”
“The Republic is fully aware of your plans?” Carver asked.
“Yes,” Barva answered. “We have met with the council. They informed us they will not attack until Jeff reaches Tolaria.”
“Then all we have to do now is follow them,” Carver said. “And wait until the order to attack.”
Their new Tolarion vessels climbed through the atmosphere until the base was no longer in sight, and the Talokians destroyed the rest of what was left there. The attack had been so sudden the Tolarions didn’t expect it, and were unprepared for it. Balta and Riona escaped again and were on their way to Tolaria thinking they had leverage by having prisoners, but had no idea that their whole arrangement with Akros was setting them up for the kill.
When Carver and the others rendezvoused with the Talokians, they boarded the Varcon. It was decided that Carver, Lori, Barva and the two lingworts would pilot it, with both forces following close behind. Balta’s ship was completely out of distance at the moment, but they were still locked onto to it, and tracked every movement. The ship could easily overpower its speed, but there wasn’t a reason to. They knew exactly where the Starlighter was headed, and didn’t want to be detected.
The Republic forces were in position for an attack on Tolaria. Even if the Tolarions were successful in their attack on Sentros, there wouldn’t be a home for either of them to return to. If they by some chance constructed another base somewhere else, the Republic was determined not to let this happen again.
It was decided the stolen Tolarion ships would proceed first and catch their forces off guard, then Barva’s fleet, and then the Republic’s fleet. John Carver was well acquainted with the Tolarions’ spaceships and machinery. After all, he spent the last past two years on Alokia, building up a resistance group against them and was quite successful in his efforts. They managed to release many of their prisoners, and their plans were to take over the base; that is until the Talokians arrived. The job was meant for the group, and they saw it was only right to return the favor to Barva’s people for freeing them from Alokia. Between the two factions, there was a very prominent invasion force of about fifty ships, with the Varcon leading the way. Barva placed th
e ship on auto pilot and turned to his friends.
“It will take about a month for them to reach Tolaria at their present speed,” he said. “We do have to discuss a plan, however.”
“What did you have in mind?” Carver asked. Barva switched on the viewing screen, showing the layout of the complex.
“We were originally going to send these two through the cargo bay area," he said. “But because Jeff and Zarcon were captured, our course must be changed. I think we should land the Tolarion ships in the landing bay area first. We can then take control of that area. Since most of the ships will be engaged in battle with the Republic, that particular area will be undermanned.”
“Even if we take control of that area,” Lori asked, as she pointed at the screen. “How do we get to here, where the main control center is?”
“The main control center is very close to the landing bay area,” Barva said. “If your men can keep them occupied, the three of us can dismantle the security system and eliminate the force field that surrounds the base there.”
“What about Sentros?” Dormiton asked, thinking of the humans there.
“I’m sure that the Republic knows its own position,” Barva said. “They are probably already taking defensive maneuvers.”
“I’ve seen what the Tolarions are capable of,” Lori remarked. “Are you sure that the Republic can defeat them?”
“Yes,” Barva answered. “The Republic has more unification. They are more likely to survive. Although, the Tolarions have developed some advances that the Republic has not achieved yet.”
“No one wins as far as bloodshed is concerned,” Dormiton cried. “Even Jeff has said that at one time or another.” Lori smiled at the small amphibian, and put her hand on his cold, leathery shoulder. When she touched the surface it reminded her of a snake.
“You are very fond of him aren’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,” Milgic said. “We owe everything to him. Unfortunately though, he is the one who also got us into this mess.”
“It wasn’t him,” Barva said. “It was the Tolarions. They came to your planet to produce the drug Triachilite.”
“Drug?” Carver yelled and slammed his fist against the wall in anger. “You mean to tell that this whole thing is about a drug?”
“Not just a drug,” Barva explained. “A drug that enables its user to have telepathic and telekinetic powers.”
“And what do the Tolarions want with it?” Lori asked.
“To be the superior race and to rule every world they can,” Barva said.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Carver said, and shook his head in disbelief.
“Nonetheless,” Barva said. “They are attempting it.”
“They are the ugliest, meanest things I’ve ever seen!” Lori remarked.
“Not to be insulting but to tell you the truth,” Barva stated as a matter of fact. “They are everything that the human race has come to be at one point or another. In fact, it was a human who created their race and used defective human genes to do it.”
“A human?’ Carver asked, bewildered. “Who?”
“A man called Akros. A man you may know as Dr. Louis Avery. I believe that was what Jeff told me his name was,” Barva answered.
“Louis Avery!” Lori exclaimed in shock. “He was a scientist in the late twenty first century.”
“Genetic engineering,” Carver stated. “He was also quite fond of space and time travel theory as well. How did he get here in this universe?”
“Probably the same way we did,” Lori surmised. “Through a doorway. He must have discovered the process.”
“Not likely,” Barva corrected. “Even a genius at that particular time period from Earth couldn’t have come up with idea. There must be another answer.”
“There must be another race involved,” Carver suggested. “Either that or he stole the idea from the Republic somehow.”
“That would seem more likely,” Barva said. “But even they haven’t perfected the wormhole process yet. And that still doesn’t explain how he got here in the first place.”
“Do we still have a scan on Riona’s ship?” Carver asked.
“Yes,” Centar said who was also onboard. “They are .054282 light years ahead of us. They still appear to be heading towards Tolaria.”
“Any sign of enemy craft?” Barva asked.
“Not yet,” Centar answered. “So far we’re in the clear.”
Dormiton started to reminisce about the days on the island and all of the tribulations they went through thus far, and turned to his friend in sorrow.
“Do you realize this could be the end of us?” he asked and placed his hand on his shoulder. “If we fight, we may be killed.”
“Dying,” Milgic said. “Is better than going back to a place where we would be slaves. You know that yourself.”
“I can’t wait to see home again!” Dormiton cried. “I miss the lush green jungles of the island.”
“We’ll never see home again!” Milgic muttered.
“We will survive, you’ll see!”
Although Dormiton believed in his mind his friend Jeff was invincible, he also knew they were up against the toughest challenge they ever faced. At the moment Dormiton thought about something he said one day on the island.
“You will never find your own path in life,” he said. “Unless you first put on your shoes and start walking.” Dormiton felt in his heart that the days of walking were over and it was time for running-right back home to Masgria.