I hope you have enjoyed Devon Blake and the Starship Crash. A complete and free PDF copy is available by clicking on the title above. Any and all comments are welcome. I hope some day to have this book in print.
Thanks for visiting,
Douglas Warren
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Chapter Thirty
Ensign Kepler checked the control displays on the drop shuttle. The atmospheric interference had cleared up several hours ago and the crew of the Boadicea had immediately launched the drop shuttle. The captain had given the honor of commanding the ship to Ensign Kepler. The captain had barked something about earning the privilege and Commander Saberhagen had agreed. Kepler took it as a compliment and any praise from the captain was hard won and meant a lot to him.
Kepler peered over his shoulder. Through the open cabin door he could see the children they had just rescued. Their guide, Deke Jacobs, sat in the front row, a bandage around his head and cradling the laser rifle he had used to signal the ship through the interference. The sound of happy chatter from the children gave Kepler a proud feeling, the feeling that he had done a good job. His only task now was to pick up the children who had been separated from the others and trekked out into the jungle. The crew had heard some vague story about strange aliens and bandit miners. The story seemed to Kepler very unlikely, but the captain had told him to expect a couple of prisoners…so the story just might be true.
Peering at his sensor screen, Kepler homed in on the clearing where the children waited. Through his cockpit window he could see four children, along with two dejected looking adults, both men. He could have sworn that some of the trees on the edge of the clearing were moving, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light.
Kepler set the ship down as lightly as a leaf dropped by a breeze and a cheer rose from the kids in the cabin behind him, making him smile. It had been a couple of long days since the kids had shut down the machines causing the atmospheric interference. The captain had ordered the kids in the jungle to return to the crashed ship, but one very determined young lady had set him straight. She insisted that they were fine where they were and expected rescue soon.
Kepler pressed the button to lower the rear ramp of the ship. It opened with a hiss of pressurized air and a electric whirring. Hushed whispers of aliens and pirate miners passed through the newly-rescued students. They craned their next toward the back of the ship hoping to catch a glimpse of anything exotic. Instead they were greeted with a gentle surge of warm, moist air and the sounds of the jungle outside.
Two marines leapt from the ship, rifles ready, the moment that the ramp clanged completely open. Kepler rose from his seat and began walking toward the back of the ship. He scolded several children for standing in the aisle and gawking. Kepler emerged just in time to see the marines escort the two men toward the back of the ship. One, dressed in a silver, insulated suit glared at him. The other man gave him a weak smile as the marines hustled them past and into the ship.
Kepler approached the four waiting children. They looked dirty and tired, but otherwise unharmed.
“Hello there,” he greeted them. “I am Ensign Kepler. Are any of you injured?” he asked.
They all shook their heads wearily.
“Well, that is good. Now which one of you is Mr. Blake?” Kepler asked.
Devon perked up. “That’s me, sir.”
“Ah, very good. If you would come with me, we have a small cabin reserved for you for the trip back up to the ship.” He turned to the others. “We have seats for the rest of you as well,” he said with a smile.
Jacinda began to say something, but Devon put his hand on her arm. He stood up and approached Kepler, looking irritated.
“Excuse me, Mr. Kepler. I’m sure you are only following orders, but there is no way that you are going to separate me from my friends. I don’t need any special treatment.” Devon’s voice was strong and confident, but showed no trace of anger.
“Uh…I’m sorry sir, but the arrangements have already been made,” Kepler stuttered.
“Well, Mr. Kepler, this is your chance to collect a favor from someone who’s family owns a lot of stock in the company who runs your ship,” Devon said with a grin.
Kepler relaxed when Devon smiled. “Of, course, sir, I am sure we can accommodate you. Perhaps we could let Mr. Jacobs recuperate in the private cabin for the trip up. He was injured” Kepler said.
“That sounds like a great plan,” Devon said as he patted Ensign Kepler on the arm.
Kepler turned on his heel and walked back up the ramp into the ship. Devon whistled and Sammy rose on his spindly legs. He motioned for the others to join them and followed Kepler up the ramp.
Devon and the others turned once they had boarded and watched the ramp slowly close, sealing out the bright sunlight and early smell of Forrestal. They were filled with great joy that everything had turned out well, but felt a bit of loss at the same time.
Their adventure had not begun or ended as they expected, but none of them would ever regret it. They had discovered more than just bandit miners and mysterious aliens. They had discovered friendship, and they knew deep down that this was something that would last.
Kepler peered over his shoulder. Through the open cabin door he could see the children they had just rescued. Their guide, Deke Jacobs, sat in the front row, a bandage around his head and cradling the laser rifle he had used to signal the ship through the interference. The sound of happy chatter from the children gave Kepler a proud feeling, the feeling that he had done a good job. His only task now was to pick up the children who had been separated from the others and trekked out into the jungle. The crew had heard some vague story about strange aliens and bandit miners. The story seemed to Kepler very unlikely, but the captain had told him to expect a couple of prisoners…so the story just might be true.
Peering at his sensor screen, Kepler homed in on the clearing where the children waited. Through his cockpit window he could see four children, along with two dejected looking adults, both men. He could have sworn that some of the trees on the edge of the clearing were moving, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light.
Kepler set the ship down as lightly as a leaf dropped by a breeze and a cheer rose from the kids in the cabin behind him, making him smile. It had been a couple of long days since the kids had shut down the machines causing the atmospheric interference. The captain had ordered the kids in the jungle to return to the crashed ship, but one very determined young lady had set him straight. She insisted that they were fine where they were and expected rescue soon.
Kepler pressed the button to lower the rear ramp of the ship. It opened with a hiss of pressurized air and a electric whirring. Hushed whispers of aliens and pirate miners passed through the newly-rescued students. They craned their next toward the back of the ship hoping to catch a glimpse of anything exotic. Instead they were greeted with a gentle surge of warm, moist air and the sounds of the jungle outside.
Two marines leapt from the ship, rifles ready, the moment that the ramp clanged completely open. Kepler rose from his seat and began walking toward the back of the ship. He scolded several children for standing in the aisle and gawking. Kepler emerged just in time to see the marines escort the two men toward the back of the ship. One, dressed in a silver, insulated suit glared at him. The other man gave him a weak smile as the marines hustled them past and into the ship.
Kepler approached the four waiting children. They looked dirty and tired, but otherwise unharmed.
“Hello there,” he greeted them. “I am Ensign Kepler. Are any of you injured?” he asked.
They all shook their heads wearily.
“Well, that is good. Now which one of you is Mr. Blake?” Kepler asked.
Devon perked up. “That’s me, sir.”
“Ah, very good. If you would come with me, we have a small cabin reserved for you for the trip back up to the ship.” He turned to the others. “We have seats for the rest of you as well,” he said with a smile.
Jacinda began to say something, but Devon put his hand on her arm. He stood up and approached Kepler, looking irritated.
“Excuse me, Mr. Kepler. I’m sure you are only following orders, but there is no way that you are going to separate me from my friends. I don’t need any special treatment.” Devon’s voice was strong and confident, but showed no trace of anger.
“Uh…I’m sorry sir, but the arrangements have already been made,” Kepler stuttered.
“Well, Mr. Kepler, this is your chance to collect a favor from someone who’s family owns a lot of stock in the company who runs your ship,” Devon said with a grin.
Kepler relaxed when Devon smiled. “Of, course, sir, I am sure we can accommodate you. Perhaps we could let Mr. Jacobs recuperate in the private cabin for the trip up. He was injured” Kepler said.
“That sounds like a great plan,” Devon said as he patted Ensign Kepler on the arm.
Kepler turned on his heel and walked back up the ramp into the ship. Devon whistled and Sammy rose on his spindly legs. He motioned for the others to join them and followed Kepler up the ramp.
Devon and the others turned once they had boarded and watched the ramp slowly close, sealing out the bright sunlight and early smell of Forrestal. They were filled with great joy that everything had turned out well, but felt a bit of loss at the same time.
Their adventure had not begun or ended as they expected, but none of them would ever regret it. They had discovered more than just bandit miners and mysterious aliens. They had discovered friendship, and they knew deep down that this was something that would last.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Chapter Twenty Nine
Devon and the others crowded around Jacinda’s datapad watching the progress of their plan on the tiny screen. It showed a schematic of the liquid core of the planet dotted with bright pin-pricks of light showing where the miners’ probes were located. Most were near the surface hovering in the molten rock, right below the unmanned mining modules. A few were still inching their across the map toward their destination.
“They look nearly there,” Devon said.
“Yup,” Jacinda agreed. “It should be less than fifteen more minutes and then we can activate them. That will put a stop to the mining.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Merrell asked.
“It’s the best one I could think of,” Jacinda said.
“But what if the miners catch us after we blow up their mining thingies?” Merrell asked, concern in his voice.
Jacinda shrugged. “I don’t think it will be a problem. Once we activate the probes we can slip out of here and go back up the cliff. DeepRoot and ClearSky will protect us.”
“Anyway, by the time the miners get back on their feet I’m sure that we will have been rescued.” Devon said. He wore a look of cool confidence. “The Boadicea has one of the best crews in the fleet. I bet they have already picked up Deke and the others.”
“I sure hope so,” Merrell said. He seemed to be satisfied with her assurances.
They waited in silence for a few more minutes, fidgeting as they all stared at the screen.
***
The heat surrounded Cappy like a physical force. It pushed at him constantly as he inched his way through the tube toward the next room where the kids were. Sweat poured down his face behind the mask, making the fabric damp and uncomfortable on his cheeks. He thought to himself for a moment that he knew how a baked potato must feel right before it was finished cooking. He also knew he had better find the exit hatch before he was ready for butter and sour cream. Finally he found the latch to the exit hatch. It was big so that even someone in a toaster suit could turn it easily in the thick gloves of the suit.
The hatch fell open and Cappy could feel the rush of cooler air even through the thick suit. He stepped through the hatch into the room. The red glow from the hot tube cast a harsh red light into the room giving it an ominous feeling.
Cappy scanned the room, intent on finding the kids and ending their little game. The visor on the suit limited his vision but it took him only moments to spy the kids sitting together on the floor. They were frozen, wearing looks of terror.
‘Good,’ Cappy thought to himself. ‘They had a reason to be afraid. They had caused him a lot of trouble and he intended to give it back, and worse.’
***
Devon watched the screen intently. The probes were nearly in place. In minutes they would be able to trigger them and put an end to the mining operation. Jacinda and Merrell watched the screen as well and Devon was sure that they were feeling the same strange sense of excitement that he was.
He could not figure out exactly what this peculiar feeling of excitement was coming from. He knew that he was excited to be helping DeepRoot and ClearSky, but that did not quite fit. Neither did the excitement of giving the bandit miners a taste of justice explain it. There was something else there. Adventure? Maybe that was it. Devon had read all the old stories of swashbucklers and such who craved adventure, but he never thought to taste it himself. Well, maybe he had…and he liked the taste. It had to be the taste of adventure, with a side order of danger to spice it up. Devon knew his parents would never approve, but it was too late now.
Devon’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud clanging from behind them. All three children spun around on their rear ends to see what had caused the sound. Horror filled them as they saw a silver, man-shaped creature step out of a burning hatch in the far wall. A wave of heat rolled into the room, hitting the kids like a slap.
The creature craned its neck, scanning the room, and then it saw them. With a growl it advanced, silver arms stretched toward them. Devon cringed, fear filling him, the taste of adventure suddenly not so sweet.
As the creature approached it brought a new wave of heat with it. Merrell tried to get to his feet to fend off the creature. It swatted him with its silver arm, sending him hurtling into the wall. Merrell collapsed with a grunt. Jacinda scrambled on her hands and knees to his side, crying and shouting his name.
Devon remained frozen in terror, unable to move. His mouth moved in a silent cry while the creature towered over him. The thing raised its arm, ready to strike him. Devon covered his eyes, party from the heat given off by the monster and partly in fear of the impending blow. There was a thump, followed by an even louder thump and a deep moan.
When the blow did not land, Devon lowered his arms. He was greeted with the one of the sweetest sights he could imagine. Flim stood with his foot on the creature, clutching a steel pipe in his hand.
Flim reached down and grabbed the top of the creature’s head, giving it a quick tug. To Devon’s amazement, the head came off; or rather the hood came off revealing a man’s ugly face.
“It’s a man?” Devon exclaimed. He then realized that Flim was no longer missing. He stared at his alien friend in disbelief.
“Yup,” Flim answered. “Luckily he didn’t see me, so while he was giving you the toaster yeti treatment I got the drop on him.”
“But, how did you get here?” Devon asked, still confused.
“Me, I’ve been with you since you got picked up by those green creatures. I just decided to stay hidden, until we knew more. You never know when a little surprise can come in handy.” Flim was grinning from ear to ear.
“Flim!” Jacinda interrupted their conversation. “You creep, you have been following us that long?” she asked. Merrell stood behind her, rubbing his sore head, but looking otherwise unhurt.
Flim looked embarrassed for a moment. “Uh…yes. It was all part of my plan. I wanted to be able to rescue you, just in case. Just like this,” he stammered.
Jacinda’s glare melted. “Okay, I suppose you made the right decision, but you had us worried sick…and you enjoyed it way too much.” She ended with a wide smile.
Flim helped Devon to his feet. All of them looked down at the man, wondering what to do next. Jacinda put her hands on her hips and eyed the others seriously.
“Okay, I have a plan,” she said.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Flim replied, laughing.
Jacinda glared at him for a moment and then smiled again.
“Well, as long as everyone agrees that I’m bossy, I don’t have a problem. Now listen up. Merrell, you find something to tie up this guy with, whoever it is. Devon, you watch that hatch, just in case somebody else comes through. That is not the guy we saw outside, so there is at least one more bad guy around here somewhere. Flim, you do what you do best. Get lost. We may need the surprise again. I’m gonna finish up with the probes and then we can get out of here.”
They all nodded, happy to feel near the end of this particular adventure. Merrell located a length of plastic cord and tied up the man, not worrying too much about being gentle. Devon picked up the steel pipe Flim had used to dispatch their last attacker and positioned himself near the open hatch, ready to defend his friends. He looked up to give Flim a wink, but the alien boy had already disappeared.
Jacinda picked up the datapad and examined the screen.
“All of the probes are in position. I’m going to go ahead and activate them.” She gave each of her friends a quick look to make sure none of them had any objections. Seeing none, she pressed the final button to make the probes blow up.
For a moment they all stood looking at each other, wondering what would happen. Suddenly, a deep boom rang out through the ground. They could feel it through the soles of their feet. The boom died away leaving them all in silence.
“That’s it?” Flim said from somewhere, but still not visible. They all began to laugh.
They were interrupted by a deep rumbling that shook the module, shaking all of the cargo cases around them. They looked in horror at each other as the entire module bucked and shook.
“We had better get out of here,” Merrell shouted over the clatter of falling cargo cases.
Jacinda pointed at the fallen and bound man. “What do we do with him? We can’t just leave him.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Devon answered. “Let’s see if we can drag him out of here with us. Getting him up the cliff will be the problem.”
Merrell and Devon each took hold of the silvery fabric of the man’s suit and pulled together. Unfortunately, the man did not budge. Jacinda bent over and tried to lend a hand, but they still had no luck.
“Sure, we had to knock out the biggest bad guy around,” Jacinda said. “Let’s try one more time.”
The three pulled at the man’s clothes but his bulky mass still refused to move.
“What do we do now?” Merrell asked.
Devon shrugged and looked at Jacinda.
“We just can’t leave him. It is the miners’ code,” Jacinda said, her eyes filling with tears.
The three friends stood silently for a few moments, pondering just how to proceed. Their thoughts were disturbed by a loud pounding on the inner hatch they had locked. Devon rushed to the hatch and listened. The pounding came again and Devon could make out a faint voce.
“Help, I’m trapped in here,” the voice called. “You can’t just leave me here.”
“There is somebody in there,” Devon said. “I think we have to let them out.
Jacinda nodded grimly and retrieved her datapad, still hooked into the mining module’s control system.
Merrell found a stout piece of metal, testing its usefulness as a weapon by swinging it experimentally a few times. Devon still gripped the metal pipe that Flim had used to knock out the man earlier.
Jacinda keyed in a few more commands and then looked up at her friends.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Devon and Merrell both nodded.
Jacinda pressed the last button the hatch slid open. The grubby looking man they had seen earlier tumbled out of the hatch with a grunt.
Devon hovered over the man, his makeshift club at the ready.
“Oh lord, what did you do?” The man wailed on the verge of panic.
Jacinda stepped forward. “We destroyed your probes, to stop the eruptions.”
The man looked horrified. “You destroyed the probes? Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m not crazy,” Jacinda snapped. “We had to do something to shut you folks down. You were destroying the Creepers’ world.”
“Well, if we don’t get out of here, we are fried,” the man said.
“Well, we kinda figured that out,” Merrell stepped toward the man, his makeshift club raised. “You’re just lucky we decided to let you out.”
“Okay, sonny, just settle down,” the man’s demeanor suddenly changed. “No need to be so hostile. We are all in this together now. My name is Burgess, by the way.”
“Now that that is settled, grab your friend and let’s get out of here,” Jacinda said. The commanding tone in her voice stopped any argument before it could begin.
Burgess nodded, stood up and walked over to the other man.
“Looks like somebody gave him a good whack on the noggin,” Burgess said as he checked out the man. “I can’t say that Cappy didn’t have it coming.”
Burgess grabbed the collar of Cappy’s silver suit and began dragging him toward the hatch leading outside. His face reddened as he struggled with Cappy’s unconscious bulk.
“Little help?” Burgess muttered.
Merrell sighed but helped Burgess pull Cappy outside. Pulling Cappy across the rough stone toward the cliff proved even more difficult and Devon had to join the effort.
By the time they made it to the bottom of the cliff Devon, Merrell and Burgess were red-faced and breathing heavily.
“If he was this hard to get this far how are we ever going to get him up the cliff?” Devon asked.
“We need some way to let the creepers know we need them to lower the vines so we can get back up,” Jacinda said.
“If Sammy were only close enough I could send a message to him through my datapad, but he is still back near the ship,” Devon said, sounding disappointed.
“No he isn’t,” Flim said, his voice seeming to come from thin air.
“Flim, please don’t do that. It makes me nervous,” Jacinda said irritably.
Flim slowly materialized standing next to cliff.
“My apologies. Sometimes I forget that I am still invisible.”
“What did you say about Sammy?” Devon asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.
“I said he isn’t back at the ship,” Flim responded with a bit of a smile. “He is right at the top of the cliff.”
“But how did he get there? Did you bring him with you?” Devon asked.
“No, I actually followed him. He is better than a SeekerBot. He never lost your trail.”
Devon could not believe his ears. He never thought that Sammy’s programming was that complex. Devon made a mental note to ask his parents about the programming the next time he saw them. There seemed to be more to Sammy than he ever imagined.
“Let me see what I can do with Sammy,” Devon said. He pulled out his datapad and keyed in the command to open a communication channel to Sammy.
“Sammy, if you are within range please signal” Devon said into his datapad. Almost immediately they all heard a shrill horn sounding from somewhere above.
“We are in luck,” Devon said with a smile.
He set to work having Sammy fasten a winch line to a tree op top of the cliff. They decided to take turns riding up using Sammy’s built in winch.
Jacinda was the first up. She was puzzled when she did not see any of the creepers around. Either they had hidden like they had earlier or they had simply left, sure that their people were no longer in danger. Still, she would have felt better is she could have said goodbye.
Devon was next up, followed by Burgess and then Flim.
Sammy’s electric motor strained to raise Cappy to the top, but finally got him up.
Devon reached down to check on Cappy as Sammy brought up Merrell, the last of them left to make the trip up.
Just as Devon touched Cappy’s neck, the man lashed out, sending Devon tumbling back into the underbrush. Cappy struggled to his feet and took a couple of awkward steps toward freedom. He stopped short, backing toward the clearing at the edge of the cliff.
They were all puzzled by this, but understood when DeepRoot stepped out of the forest, looming over Cappy.
“Don’t hurt me,” Cappy cried, putting his tied hands over his head.
DeepRoot reached out, placing his hand on Cappy’s arm. The big man seemed to crumble before them, falling to his knees and weeping.
Devon had experienced DeepRoot’s touch and knew what Cappy must be seeing with his mind’s eye. He could not imagine how much more powerful the experience must be for Cappy, being the one responsible for the creepers’ pain.
Burgess watched in horror as his boss wept like a child.
“Is that thing gonna do that to me too?” He asked.
Devon shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it all depends on how sorry you are for what you did. The creepers seem to be able to sense stuff like that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…sorry I ever came here. Sorry I ever let Cappy bully me into doing any of this. Sorry for how everything turned out. And most of all, I’m sorry for what we did to them. It wasn’t my idea…but I didn’t stop it either. I guess I deserve whatever they do to me.” Burgess sat down on the ground holding his head in his hands, weeping.
ClearSky emerged from the forest, walking over to Burgess. She looked down at him for a few moments, her huge eyes reflecting the afternoon light. She gently reached down, putting her hand on the grubby man’s shoulder. Burgess froze for a moment and then looked up in wonder.
“They forgive me,” he cried. “How can they be so understanding?”
Devon and the others looked at each other, all smiling. Perhaps the creepers were not the only ones who had been saved that day.
Devon though he might have seen Jacinda wipe away a few tears as well, but he decided not to mention it.
“They look nearly there,” Devon said.
“Yup,” Jacinda agreed. “It should be less than fifteen more minutes and then we can activate them. That will put a stop to the mining.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Merrell asked.
“It’s the best one I could think of,” Jacinda said.
“But what if the miners catch us after we blow up their mining thingies?” Merrell asked, concern in his voice.
Jacinda shrugged. “I don’t think it will be a problem. Once we activate the probes we can slip out of here and go back up the cliff. DeepRoot and ClearSky will protect us.”
“Anyway, by the time the miners get back on their feet I’m sure that we will have been rescued.” Devon said. He wore a look of cool confidence. “The Boadicea has one of the best crews in the fleet. I bet they have already picked up Deke and the others.”
“I sure hope so,” Merrell said. He seemed to be satisfied with her assurances.
They waited in silence for a few more minutes, fidgeting as they all stared at the screen.
***
The heat surrounded Cappy like a physical force. It pushed at him constantly as he inched his way through the tube toward the next room where the kids were. Sweat poured down his face behind the mask, making the fabric damp and uncomfortable on his cheeks. He thought to himself for a moment that he knew how a baked potato must feel right before it was finished cooking. He also knew he had better find the exit hatch before he was ready for butter and sour cream. Finally he found the latch to the exit hatch. It was big so that even someone in a toaster suit could turn it easily in the thick gloves of the suit.
The hatch fell open and Cappy could feel the rush of cooler air even through the thick suit. He stepped through the hatch into the room. The red glow from the hot tube cast a harsh red light into the room giving it an ominous feeling.
Cappy scanned the room, intent on finding the kids and ending their little game. The visor on the suit limited his vision but it took him only moments to spy the kids sitting together on the floor. They were frozen, wearing looks of terror.
‘Good,’ Cappy thought to himself. ‘They had a reason to be afraid. They had caused him a lot of trouble and he intended to give it back, and worse.’
***
Devon watched the screen intently. The probes were nearly in place. In minutes they would be able to trigger them and put an end to the mining operation. Jacinda and Merrell watched the screen as well and Devon was sure that they were feeling the same strange sense of excitement that he was.
He could not figure out exactly what this peculiar feeling of excitement was coming from. He knew that he was excited to be helping DeepRoot and ClearSky, but that did not quite fit. Neither did the excitement of giving the bandit miners a taste of justice explain it. There was something else there. Adventure? Maybe that was it. Devon had read all the old stories of swashbucklers and such who craved adventure, but he never thought to taste it himself. Well, maybe he had…and he liked the taste. It had to be the taste of adventure, with a side order of danger to spice it up. Devon knew his parents would never approve, but it was too late now.
Devon’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud clanging from behind them. All three children spun around on their rear ends to see what had caused the sound. Horror filled them as they saw a silver, man-shaped creature step out of a burning hatch in the far wall. A wave of heat rolled into the room, hitting the kids like a slap.
The creature craned its neck, scanning the room, and then it saw them. With a growl it advanced, silver arms stretched toward them. Devon cringed, fear filling him, the taste of adventure suddenly not so sweet.
As the creature approached it brought a new wave of heat with it. Merrell tried to get to his feet to fend off the creature. It swatted him with its silver arm, sending him hurtling into the wall. Merrell collapsed with a grunt. Jacinda scrambled on her hands and knees to his side, crying and shouting his name.
Devon remained frozen in terror, unable to move. His mouth moved in a silent cry while the creature towered over him. The thing raised its arm, ready to strike him. Devon covered his eyes, party from the heat given off by the monster and partly in fear of the impending blow. There was a thump, followed by an even louder thump and a deep moan.
When the blow did not land, Devon lowered his arms. He was greeted with the one of the sweetest sights he could imagine. Flim stood with his foot on the creature, clutching a steel pipe in his hand.
Flim reached down and grabbed the top of the creature’s head, giving it a quick tug. To Devon’s amazement, the head came off; or rather the hood came off revealing a man’s ugly face.
“It’s a man?” Devon exclaimed. He then realized that Flim was no longer missing. He stared at his alien friend in disbelief.
“Yup,” Flim answered. “Luckily he didn’t see me, so while he was giving you the toaster yeti treatment I got the drop on him.”
“But, how did you get here?” Devon asked, still confused.
“Me, I’ve been with you since you got picked up by those green creatures. I just decided to stay hidden, until we knew more. You never know when a little surprise can come in handy.” Flim was grinning from ear to ear.
“Flim!” Jacinda interrupted their conversation. “You creep, you have been following us that long?” she asked. Merrell stood behind her, rubbing his sore head, but looking otherwise unhurt.
Flim looked embarrassed for a moment. “Uh…yes. It was all part of my plan. I wanted to be able to rescue you, just in case. Just like this,” he stammered.
Jacinda’s glare melted. “Okay, I suppose you made the right decision, but you had us worried sick…and you enjoyed it way too much.” She ended with a wide smile.
Flim helped Devon to his feet. All of them looked down at the man, wondering what to do next. Jacinda put her hands on her hips and eyed the others seriously.
“Okay, I have a plan,” she said.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Flim replied, laughing.
Jacinda glared at him for a moment and then smiled again.
“Well, as long as everyone agrees that I’m bossy, I don’t have a problem. Now listen up. Merrell, you find something to tie up this guy with, whoever it is. Devon, you watch that hatch, just in case somebody else comes through. That is not the guy we saw outside, so there is at least one more bad guy around here somewhere. Flim, you do what you do best. Get lost. We may need the surprise again. I’m gonna finish up with the probes and then we can get out of here.”
They all nodded, happy to feel near the end of this particular adventure. Merrell located a length of plastic cord and tied up the man, not worrying too much about being gentle. Devon picked up the steel pipe Flim had used to dispatch their last attacker and positioned himself near the open hatch, ready to defend his friends. He looked up to give Flim a wink, but the alien boy had already disappeared.
Jacinda picked up the datapad and examined the screen.
“All of the probes are in position. I’m going to go ahead and activate them.” She gave each of her friends a quick look to make sure none of them had any objections. Seeing none, she pressed the final button to make the probes blow up.
For a moment they all stood looking at each other, wondering what would happen. Suddenly, a deep boom rang out through the ground. They could feel it through the soles of their feet. The boom died away leaving them all in silence.
“That’s it?” Flim said from somewhere, but still not visible. They all began to laugh.
They were interrupted by a deep rumbling that shook the module, shaking all of the cargo cases around them. They looked in horror at each other as the entire module bucked and shook.
“We had better get out of here,” Merrell shouted over the clatter of falling cargo cases.
Jacinda pointed at the fallen and bound man. “What do we do with him? We can’t just leave him.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Devon answered. “Let’s see if we can drag him out of here with us. Getting him up the cliff will be the problem.”
Merrell and Devon each took hold of the silvery fabric of the man’s suit and pulled together. Unfortunately, the man did not budge. Jacinda bent over and tried to lend a hand, but they still had no luck.
“Sure, we had to knock out the biggest bad guy around,” Jacinda said. “Let’s try one more time.”
The three pulled at the man’s clothes but his bulky mass still refused to move.
“What do we do now?” Merrell asked.
Devon shrugged and looked at Jacinda.
“We just can’t leave him. It is the miners’ code,” Jacinda said, her eyes filling with tears.
The three friends stood silently for a few moments, pondering just how to proceed. Their thoughts were disturbed by a loud pounding on the inner hatch they had locked. Devon rushed to the hatch and listened. The pounding came again and Devon could make out a faint voce.
“Help, I’m trapped in here,” the voice called. “You can’t just leave me here.”
“There is somebody in there,” Devon said. “I think we have to let them out.
Jacinda nodded grimly and retrieved her datapad, still hooked into the mining module’s control system.
Merrell found a stout piece of metal, testing its usefulness as a weapon by swinging it experimentally a few times. Devon still gripped the metal pipe that Flim had used to knock out the man earlier.
Jacinda keyed in a few more commands and then looked up at her friends.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Devon and Merrell both nodded.
Jacinda pressed the last button the hatch slid open. The grubby looking man they had seen earlier tumbled out of the hatch with a grunt.
Devon hovered over the man, his makeshift club at the ready.
“Oh lord, what did you do?” The man wailed on the verge of panic.
Jacinda stepped forward. “We destroyed your probes, to stop the eruptions.”
The man looked horrified. “You destroyed the probes? Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m not crazy,” Jacinda snapped. “We had to do something to shut you folks down. You were destroying the Creepers’ world.”
“Well, if we don’t get out of here, we are fried,” the man said.
“Well, we kinda figured that out,” Merrell stepped toward the man, his makeshift club raised. “You’re just lucky we decided to let you out.”
“Okay, sonny, just settle down,” the man’s demeanor suddenly changed. “No need to be so hostile. We are all in this together now. My name is Burgess, by the way.”
“Now that that is settled, grab your friend and let’s get out of here,” Jacinda said. The commanding tone in her voice stopped any argument before it could begin.
Burgess nodded, stood up and walked over to the other man.
“Looks like somebody gave him a good whack on the noggin,” Burgess said as he checked out the man. “I can’t say that Cappy didn’t have it coming.”
Burgess grabbed the collar of Cappy’s silver suit and began dragging him toward the hatch leading outside. His face reddened as he struggled with Cappy’s unconscious bulk.
“Little help?” Burgess muttered.
Merrell sighed but helped Burgess pull Cappy outside. Pulling Cappy across the rough stone toward the cliff proved even more difficult and Devon had to join the effort.
By the time they made it to the bottom of the cliff Devon, Merrell and Burgess were red-faced and breathing heavily.
“If he was this hard to get this far how are we ever going to get him up the cliff?” Devon asked.
“We need some way to let the creepers know we need them to lower the vines so we can get back up,” Jacinda said.
“If Sammy were only close enough I could send a message to him through my datapad, but he is still back near the ship,” Devon said, sounding disappointed.
“No he isn’t,” Flim said, his voice seeming to come from thin air.
“Flim, please don’t do that. It makes me nervous,” Jacinda said irritably.
Flim slowly materialized standing next to cliff.
“My apologies. Sometimes I forget that I am still invisible.”
“What did you say about Sammy?” Devon asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.
“I said he isn’t back at the ship,” Flim responded with a bit of a smile. “He is right at the top of the cliff.”
“But how did he get there? Did you bring him with you?” Devon asked.
“No, I actually followed him. He is better than a SeekerBot. He never lost your trail.”
Devon could not believe his ears. He never thought that Sammy’s programming was that complex. Devon made a mental note to ask his parents about the programming the next time he saw them. There seemed to be more to Sammy than he ever imagined.
“Let me see what I can do with Sammy,” Devon said. He pulled out his datapad and keyed in the command to open a communication channel to Sammy.
“Sammy, if you are within range please signal” Devon said into his datapad. Almost immediately they all heard a shrill horn sounding from somewhere above.
“We are in luck,” Devon said with a smile.
He set to work having Sammy fasten a winch line to a tree op top of the cliff. They decided to take turns riding up using Sammy’s built in winch.
Jacinda was the first up. She was puzzled when she did not see any of the creepers around. Either they had hidden like they had earlier or they had simply left, sure that their people were no longer in danger. Still, she would have felt better is she could have said goodbye.
Devon was next up, followed by Burgess and then Flim.
Sammy’s electric motor strained to raise Cappy to the top, but finally got him up.
Devon reached down to check on Cappy as Sammy brought up Merrell, the last of them left to make the trip up.
Just as Devon touched Cappy’s neck, the man lashed out, sending Devon tumbling back into the underbrush. Cappy struggled to his feet and took a couple of awkward steps toward freedom. He stopped short, backing toward the clearing at the edge of the cliff.
They were all puzzled by this, but understood when DeepRoot stepped out of the forest, looming over Cappy.
“Don’t hurt me,” Cappy cried, putting his tied hands over his head.
DeepRoot reached out, placing his hand on Cappy’s arm. The big man seemed to crumble before them, falling to his knees and weeping.
Devon had experienced DeepRoot’s touch and knew what Cappy must be seeing with his mind’s eye. He could not imagine how much more powerful the experience must be for Cappy, being the one responsible for the creepers’ pain.
Burgess watched in horror as his boss wept like a child.
“Is that thing gonna do that to me too?” He asked.
Devon shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it all depends on how sorry you are for what you did. The creepers seem to be able to sense stuff like that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…sorry I ever came here. Sorry I ever let Cappy bully me into doing any of this. Sorry for how everything turned out. And most of all, I’m sorry for what we did to them. It wasn’t my idea…but I didn’t stop it either. I guess I deserve whatever they do to me.” Burgess sat down on the ground holding his head in his hands, weeping.
ClearSky emerged from the forest, walking over to Burgess. She looked down at him for a few moments, her huge eyes reflecting the afternoon light. She gently reached down, putting her hand on the grubby man’s shoulder. Burgess froze for a moment and then looked up in wonder.
“They forgive me,” he cried. “How can they be so understanding?”
Devon and the others looked at each other, all smiling. Perhaps the creepers were not the only ones who had been saved that day.
Devon though he might have seen Jacinda wipe away a few tears as well, but he decided not to mention it.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Chapter Twenty Eight
Cappy leaned close to the grate covering the ventilation port. He could hear voices, but they sounded funny. He thought it must be a trick of the sound traveling through the air vent. The voices almost sounded like they belonged to children, but he knew that could not be right.
He crawled closer to the grate, starting to get a view of the room on the other side through the fine, metal mesh covering the vent opening. He could see motion, but could not make out any details. The voices, however, were clearer. They definitely sounded like they belonged to kids.
“What do you see, Cappy?” Burgess’ voice echoed in the vent.
Burgess grunted as Cappy responded with a kick at Burgess’ face.
“Sorry, Cappy, won’t happen again.” Burgess said, this time in a whisper.
“Keep your trap shut for a minute, you simp.” Cappy snarled. “Whoever is messing with our place is right outside the vent. Trouble is, they are right there. I can’t get in there without them seeing me.”
Cappy was silent for a few moments and then kicked out at Burgess again.
“What? I didn’t say anything.” Burgess protested.
“I know, I wanted a suggestion. Is there any other way in there?” Cappy hissed.
“I can only think of one, and it won’t be comfortable.”
“Fine, I can do uncomfortable. Let’s get out of this vent and you can show me the other way.”
Cappy began backing out of the ventilation tube the way they had come. Burgess had to scramble to keep Cappy’s boots out of his face.
Burgess tumbled out of the vent back in the control room. He splashed in the standing wastewater on him rump, splattering even more of the foul liquid on the walls. Cappy followed, more carefully. He jumped down, trying to land on one of the chairs to stay out of the waste water. The chair tipped over under Cappy’s weight, sending him face first into the gunk. Burgess had to fight hard to stifle a laugh.
“By thunder, I’ll kill them kids!” Cappy bellowed as he picked himself up out of the gunk, dripping with filth. “I don’t care who they are, they’ll pay for this.” He turned toward Burgess with murder in his eyes.
Burgess’ blood turned to ice water. He had seen Cappy mad before. In fact, it was Cappy’s normal mood, but he had never seen this kind of rage.
Cappy fixed Burgess with a steely glare. “You better find a way into that room, or I’ll use your head for a battering ram. You got that straight?” Cappy growled, his voice strangled with anger.
“You betcha, Cappy. I got an idea, but like I said, it ain’t comfortable.”
Cappy nodded, still angry, but seeming satisfied with his answer. Relief flooded into Burgess.
With a quick nod Burgess went back to his workstation and picked up his toolkit. He fished out an autospanner and walked toward a pile of crates stacked in the corner of the room. With a sigh he slipped the autospanner into his belt and began to drag crates away from the wall. He finally succeeded in clearing all of the crates away, revealing a removable panel. He sighed, shaking his head. Cappy would not like this idea, but it was the only way Burgess could think of to get into the other chamber.
Burgess removed the panel using the autospanner. As the panel came off, he was hit by a wave of heat. Burgess knocked the autospanner against a large pipe inside the panel, making it resound with a hollow ring. The sound caught Cappy’s attention.
His eyes grew wide when he finally understood Burgess’ plan.
“No way, Burgess. I’m not crawling through the slag pipe. It’ll burn me alive.”
Cappy shook his head. “Nope, not right now. Those kids turned it off and the automatic system emptied it out so the slag wouldn’t cool inside the tube.”
“But it is still hotter than blazes in there.” Cappy said.
“Sure it’s hot, but if you put on one of our toaster suits you’ll be fine.” Burgess responded.
“When you said uncomfortable I didn’t know you meant this.” Cappy said as he shook his head.
“Well, I think it is your only choice.” Burgess said as he opened one of the nearby cases and retrieved a jumpsuit made of silver, quilted material. He held out the toaster suit to Cappy, who took it reluctantly. He reached into the case again, retrieving a matching set of gloves and boots. He held them out as Cappy struggled into the jumpsuit, the presslock fastenings barely able to close over his large belly.
With a look of irritation Cappy took the rest, pulling on the books and then stuffing his chubby hands into the gloves. Burgess had to stifle a laugh. Cappy looked like on overstuffed silver teddy bear in the quilted suit. With an oddly appropriate growl, Cappy pulled on the hood attached to the back of the suit and sealed it tightly. The suit plumped even more as the built in circulation system began pumping cool air through the suit to keep Cappy safe inside the still hot slag tube.
Cappy shoved Burgess out of the way and unsealed the access hatch on the side of the slag tube. Burgess involuntarily stepped back up several feet as a new, more intense wave of heat hit him. Cappy clumsily got to his knees and crawled through the hatch.
The hatch automatically closed behind Cappy, leaving Burgess alone in the control center. He thanked goodness that the heat was gone, but something was still bothering him. He could not quite decide what it was. He was not hungry, or uncomfortable, or sleepy or even bored. Slowly he began to listen to that little voice in his head. It screamed at him that what Cappy was going to do was wrong. Burgess argued with the voice, telling it that there was nothing he could do. With great effort Burgess battered drowned out the little voice, pushing it out of his mind.
He crawled closer to the grate, starting to get a view of the room on the other side through the fine, metal mesh covering the vent opening. He could see motion, but could not make out any details. The voices, however, were clearer. They definitely sounded like they belonged to kids.
“What do you see, Cappy?” Burgess’ voice echoed in the vent.
Burgess grunted as Cappy responded with a kick at Burgess’ face.
“Sorry, Cappy, won’t happen again.” Burgess said, this time in a whisper.
“Keep your trap shut for a minute, you simp.” Cappy snarled. “Whoever is messing with our place is right outside the vent. Trouble is, they are right there. I can’t get in there without them seeing me.”
Cappy was silent for a few moments and then kicked out at Burgess again.
“What? I didn’t say anything.” Burgess protested.
“I know, I wanted a suggestion. Is there any other way in there?” Cappy hissed.
“I can only think of one, and it won’t be comfortable.”
“Fine, I can do uncomfortable. Let’s get out of this vent and you can show me the other way.”
Cappy began backing out of the ventilation tube the way they had come. Burgess had to scramble to keep Cappy’s boots out of his face.
Burgess tumbled out of the vent back in the control room. He splashed in the standing wastewater on him rump, splattering even more of the foul liquid on the walls. Cappy followed, more carefully. He jumped down, trying to land on one of the chairs to stay out of the waste water. The chair tipped over under Cappy’s weight, sending him face first into the gunk. Burgess had to fight hard to stifle a laugh.
“By thunder, I’ll kill them kids!” Cappy bellowed as he picked himself up out of the gunk, dripping with filth. “I don’t care who they are, they’ll pay for this.” He turned toward Burgess with murder in his eyes.
Burgess’ blood turned to ice water. He had seen Cappy mad before. In fact, it was Cappy’s normal mood, but he had never seen this kind of rage.
Cappy fixed Burgess with a steely glare. “You better find a way into that room, or I’ll use your head for a battering ram. You got that straight?” Cappy growled, his voice strangled with anger.
“You betcha, Cappy. I got an idea, but like I said, it ain’t comfortable.”
Cappy nodded, still angry, but seeming satisfied with his answer. Relief flooded into Burgess.
With a quick nod Burgess went back to his workstation and picked up his toolkit. He fished out an autospanner and walked toward a pile of crates stacked in the corner of the room. With a sigh he slipped the autospanner into his belt and began to drag crates away from the wall. He finally succeeded in clearing all of the crates away, revealing a removable panel. He sighed, shaking his head. Cappy would not like this idea, but it was the only way Burgess could think of to get into the other chamber.
Burgess removed the panel using the autospanner. As the panel came off, he was hit by a wave of heat. Burgess knocked the autospanner against a large pipe inside the panel, making it resound with a hollow ring. The sound caught Cappy’s attention.
His eyes grew wide when he finally understood Burgess’ plan.
“No way, Burgess. I’m not crawling through the slag pipe. It’ll burn me alive.”
Cappy shook his head. “Nope, not right now. Those kids turned it off and the automatic system emptied it out so the slag wouldn’t cool inside the tube.”
“But it is still hotter than blazes in there.” Cappy said.
“Sure it’s hot, but if you put on one of our toaster suits you’ll be fine.” Burgess responded.
“When you said uncomfortable I didn’t know you meant this.” Cappy said as he shook his head.
“Well, I think it is your only choice.” Burgess said as he opened one of the nearby cases and retrieved a jumpsuit made of silver, quilted material. He held out the toaster suit to Cappy, who took it reluctantly. He reached into the case again, retrieving a matching set of gloves and boots. He held them out as Cappy struggled into the jumpsuit, the presslock fastenings barely able to close over his large belly.
With a look of irritation Cappy took the rest, pulling on the books and then stuffing his chubby hands into the gloves. Burgess had to stifle a laugh. Cappy looked like on overstuffed silver teddy bear in the quilted suit. With an oddly appropriate growl, Cappy pulled on the hood attached to the back of the suit and sealed it tightly. The suit plumped even more as the built in circulation system began pumping cool air through the suit to keep Cappy safe inside the still hot slag tube.
Cappy shoved Burgess out of the way and unsealed the access hatch on the side of the slag tube. Burgess involuntarily stepped back up several feet as a new, more intense wave of heat hit him. Cappy clumsily got to his knees and crawled through the hatch.
The hatch automatically closed behind Cappy, leaving Burgess alone in the control center. He thanked goodness that the heat was gone, but something was still bothering him. He could not quite decide what it was. He was not hungry, or uncomfortable, or sleepy or even bored. Slowly he began to listen to that little voice in his head. It screamed at him that what Cappy was going to do was wrong. Burgess argued with the voice, telling it that there was nothing he could do. With great effort Burgess battered drowned out the little voice, pushing it out of his mind.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Chapter Twenty Seven
Kepler sat at his console wearing a sad expression.
“Any news, Ensign Kepler?” Captain Leiber asked.
Kepler sighed. “No, sir. The program has not found the right modulation yet.”
“How much longer?” The captain asked with a look of concern on his face.
“That is hard to say, sir. My original estimate should have been correct. I am sure that it could be any minute now.”
“Ensign Kepler, I understand that estimates can be wrong, but that does not help us rescue those stranded children. I need results.”
“Sir…” Kepler started to respond but was interrupted by a sharp chirp from his console. He checked it quickly, looking down in surprise.
“Any news now, Ensign?” The captain asked.
“Uh, not exactly, sir. But it looks like somebody down there is trying to talk to us.”
“How so?”
“Someone down there is using some sort of laser signal to illuminate a cloudbank. They are using what the computers say is an old, Terran code.”
“What are they saying, Ensign?”
“I’ll punch up the feed on your console, sir.”
Kepler flicked a few keys and a read-out appeared on the screen in front of the captain.
-Ship down -No known casualties -Four children out of contact -Search for datapad locations if able -ID 211-4211-7176786 -ID 211-6580-0192874 -ID 211-6421-9751357 -ID 700-0000-0000018 -Situation here not emergency -Missing children priority
Captain Leiber frowned as he read the data.
“Four children missing, what the devil is Jacobs doing down there? Ensign Kepler, find out who those datapads belong to.”
Kepler hit a few more keys and the readout changed.
-ID 211-4211-7176786 – Blake, Devon
-ID 211-6580-0192874 – Vasquez, Jacinda
-ID 211-6421-9751357 – Gustav, Merrell
-ID 700-0000-0000018 - Sa’Atar, Flimitpoytrotilmas
The captain scanned the names and let out a groan. Everyone on the bridge of the Boadicea turned to look at the captain. To most it was the first time they had ever heard their commander show any emotion other than irritation.
The captain rubbed his eyes for a moment and let out sigh. He knew that Devon Blake being one of the missing children complicated matters. Blake’s family had great influence and if anything were to happen to him, there could be terrible consequences for the crew as well as the UCF.
“Anything else, Ensign?” The captain asked.
“No, sir. That is all there is, but I guess it is something. At least we know that the ship made it down okay.” Kepler answered.
“Thank goodness for small favors.” The captain replied.
“Any news, Ensign Kepler?” Captain Leiber asked.
Kepler sighed. “No, sir. The program has not found the right modulation yet.”
“How much longer?” The captain asked with a look of concern on his face.
“That is hard to say, sir. My original estimate should have been correct. I am sure that it could be any minute now.”
“Ensign Kepler, I understand that estimates can be wrong, but that does not help us rescue those stranded children. I need results.”
“Sir…” Kepler started to respond but was interrupted by a sharp chirp from his console. He checked it quickly, looking down in surprise.
“Any news now, Ensign?” The captain asked.
“Uh, not exactly, sir. But it looks like somebody down there is trying to talk to us.”
“How so?”
“Someone down there is using some sort of laser signal to illuminate a cloudbank. They are using what the computers say is an old, Terran code.”
“What are they saying, Ensign?”
“I’ll punch up the feed on your console, sir.”
Kepler flicked a few keys and a read-out appeared on the screen in front of the captain.
-Ship down -No known casualties -Four children out of contact -Search for datapad locations if able -ID 211-4211-7176786 -ID 211-6580-0192874 -ID 211-6421-9751357 -ID 700-0000-0000018 -Situation here not emergency -Missing children priority
Captain Leiber frowned as he read the data.
“Four children missing, what the devil is Jacobs doing down there? Ensign Kepler, find out who those datapads belong to.”
Kepler hit a few more keys and the readout changed.
-ID 211-4211-7176786 – Blake, Devon
-ID 211-6580-0192874 – Vasquez, Jacinda
-ID 211-6421-9751357 – Gustav, Merrell
-ID 700-0000-0000018 - Sa’Atar, Flimitpoytrotilmas
The captain scanned the names and let out a groan. Everyone on the bridge of the Boadicea turned to look at the captain. To most it was the first time they had ever heard their commander show any emotion other than irritation.
The captain rubbed his eyes for a moment and let out sigh. He knew that Devon Blake being one of the missing children complicated matters. Blake’s family had great influence and if anything were to happen to him, there could be terrible consequences for the crew as well as the UCF.
“Anything else, Ensign?” The captain asked.
“No, sir. That is all there is, but I guess it is something. At least we know that the ship made it down okay.” Kepler answered.
“Thank goodness for small favors.” The captain replied.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Chapter Twenty Six
Deke lifted the heavy case up through the hatch into the passenger compartment of the shuttle. The children craned their necks from the seats, hoping to catch a glimpse of Deke’s burden. After Deke had gone down into the cargo compartment, word had spread about the goal of his trip. Most of the children had never seen a laser rifle, except for on vids or in plasbooks. Hushed speculation abounded about the reason Deke needed the rifle.
Deke followed the case through the hatch. With quick, deft movements he snatched it up and strode toward the front of the ship. All heads turned to watch him as he passed, as if he was a magnet and the children’s eyes were iron.
He reached the front and lay the case down across several seats. He placed his thumb on the biometric lock and it clicked open. Deke opened the case, revealing the disassembled laser rifle. The sight if it brought forth gasps from the children who had turned in their seats and were peering over them. Deke gave them a hard look and they sat back down in their seats.
He retrieved the focus module from the case and laid it on an empty seat. The emitter module was the key piece required to maximize the power of the laser. The more tightly focused the laser, the more power it had. Deke opened his tool kit and began the task of adjusting the focus module so that is did not work as well as it could. He finished the adjustment he began attaching the other parts of the laser.
Deke carefully finished assembling the rifle, rechecking each piece to make sure it was connected properly. Once complete, he inserted the power cell and peered through the scope to check the power level. Fully charged.
The children had regained their courage and were once again peering over the backs of their seats watching Deke. He flipped a switch, powering up the laser rifle. The children’s eyes widened at the humming sound that came from the fierce looking weapon.
Deke rose from his seat, hefting the laser rifle on his shoulder. The children gasped in wonderment. To them he looked like some hero out of the vids. He cocked his eyebrow and smiled.
“Time to send a message,” Deke said.
Deke followed the case through the hatch. With quick, deft movements he snatched it up and strode toward the front of the ship. All heads turned to watch him as he passed, as if he was a magnet and the children’s eyes were iron.
He reached the front and lay the case down across several seats. He placed his thumb on the biometric lock and it clicked open. Deke opened the case, revealing the disassembled laser rifle. The sight if it brought forth gasps from the children who had turned in their seats and were peering over them. Deke gave them a hard look and they sat back down in their seats.
He retrieved the focus module from the case and laid it on an empty seat. The emitter module was the key piece required to maximize the power of the laser. The more tightly focused the laser, the more power it had. Deke opened his tool kit and began the task of adjusting the focus module so that is did not work as well as it could. He finished the adjustment he began attaching the other parts of the laser.
Deke carefully finished assembling the rifle, rechecking each piece to make sure it was connected properly. Once complete, he inserted the power cell and peered through the scope to check the power level. Fully charged.
The children had regained their courage and were once again peering over the backs of their seats watching Deke. He flipped a switch, powering up the laser rifle. The children’s eyes widened at the humming sound that came from the fierce looking weapon.
Deke rose from his seat, hefting the laser rifle on his shoulder. The children gasped in wonderment. To them he looked like some hero out of the vids. He cocked his eyebrow and smiled.
“Time to send a message,” Deke said.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Chapter Twenty Five
Devon and Merrell stood behind Jacinda as she feverishly tapped out commands on her datapad.
“Okay, everyone is locked in wherever they are. That should give us some time.” Jacinda said, in between keystrokes.
“Any chance they can get out and stop us?” Devon asked.
“Nope, not unless they know some way to override that I don’t know about.” Jacinda answered. “Give me a minute. I need some time to concentrate. I think I figured out a way to shut this whole operation down.”
Devon and Merrell nodded silently. She worked away, mumbling and sighing several times.
“I think I have it.” Jacinda broke the silence and smiled.
“So, what are you going to do?’ Devon asked.
“Well, I found out that these bandit miners injected lots of smart probes into a couple of volcanoes. The probes were supposed to give off signals that would make the volcanoes even more active. Well, the plan seems to have worked a bit too well, or maybe they just used too many probes. Not only did the volcanoes erupt, new ones popped up. That stirred up the really heavy metals and that is what they have been mining.”
“You said you figured out how to stop it.” Devon said, seeming impatient.
“I’m getting to that.” Jacinda rolled her eyes. “I found the control sub-routines for the probes. I can control them now. I could just turn them off, but I have a better idea.” Jacinda smiled, mischief in her eyes.
“What are you up to, Jacinda?” Devon asked.
“Well, according to their records, the miners have a dozen more of these mining modules, all of them unmanned. I reprogrammed the probes to return to the closest unmanned module and wait for another signal. In an hour they will all be in place. Once they are we can tell them to self destruct and they will blow up, along with the unmanned modules.”
Merrell smiled. “Wow, Jacinda, you have a mean streak. I like it.”
All three laughed and sat back to wait the hour until it was time to activate the probes’ self-destruct protocol.
“Okay, everyone is locked in wherever they are. That should give us some time.” Jacinda said, in between keystrokes.
“Any chance they can get out and stop us?” Devon asked.
“Nope, not unless they know some way to override that I don’t know about.” Jacinda answered. “Give me a minute. I need some time to concentrate. I think I figured out a way to shut this whole operation down.”
Devon and Merrell nodded silently. She worked away, mumbling and sighing several times.
“I think I have it.” Jacinda broke the silence and smiled.
“So, what are you going to do?’ Devon asked.
“Well, I found out that these bandit miners injected lots of smart probes into a couple of volcanoes. The probes were supposed to give off signals that would make the volcanoes even more active. Well, the plan seems to have worked a bit too well, or maybe they just used too many probes. Not only did the volcanoes erupt, new ones popped up. That stirred up the really heavy metals and that is what they have been mining.”
“You said you figured out how to stop it.” Devon said, seeming impatient.
“I’m getting to that.” Jacinda rolled her eyes. “I found the control sub-routines for the probes. I can control them now. I could just turn them off, but I have a better idea.” Jacinda smiled, mischief in her eyes.
“What are you up to, Jacinda?” Devon asked.
“Well, according to their records, the miners have a dozen more of these mining modules, all of them unmanned. I reprogrammed the probes to return to the closest unmanned module and wait for another signal. In an hour they will all be in place. Once they are we can tell them to self destruct and they will blow up, along with the unmanned modules.”
Merrell smiled. “Wow, Jacinda, you have a mean streak. I like it.”
All three laughed and sat back to wait the hour until it was time to activate the probes’ self-destruct protocol.
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