SODIUM:6 Defiance (12 page)

On the fourth day I drifted into the space dock. As I looked around my eyes came to a sudden stop. There, in the corner of the bay, was a small AMP science vessel. I took note of the markings of the Kurtz fleet. I reasoned that it had been captured near their worlds after dropping from light speed and into the fray of war.

I wondered at what might have become of the unfortunate crew and then thought it better to not dwell upon. I scanned the bay around it and found no guards watching over it, so I wandered in close. It was a newer model that showed a thicker Sodium hull. I then realized that it could possibly have a supply of power packs, a supply that I was desperately in need of.

I placed my suit on mid-level of shielding and quietly drifted inside. The ships stores were missing. I had thoughts of using the ship to escape until I realized that the Sodium reactor on-board had been turned off. If powered on it would be minutes before it was ready to fly, minutes that would bring in a horde of Ogle soldiers.

I was trapped on the Ogle vessel, trapped with an ever smaller supply of energy. I would have to once again venture out, this time in search of the power packs taken from the captured ship. It was my only hope of keeping my BGS suit powered, my only hope of staying hidden and staying alive.

I was unsure of where the Ogle ship was heading, I reasoned that perhaps it was Earth. The Kurtz world had suffered a horrible fate, a fate which ended all life. Hershen had escaped and slipped away into the dark expanse of space. The precious cargo he carried was likely the only chance we had of ever breaking the shroud of mystery that kept the doors at DaCuban sealed. I hoped his journey was swift and true and that he was once again among allies. As for myself, time was running out...

I was down to two days of fuel in my power pack. If it ran dry I would have only one additional day before the BGS suit would have to be shed. I would then be naked, would need food and would no longer be able to move about the ship freely.

I searched in vain for the supplies that had been removed from the Kurtz science vessel. I still had no firm grasp of the Ogle culture and organization. I didn't know where to scout for Ogle scientists or engineers in an attempt to find the missing packs, so, I developed an alternate plan.

Six Ogle blaster rifles were stolen and hidden in various areas around the ship. Each would be set to overload at intervals of a minute apart. As the first exploded I would attempt a restart of the Sodium reactor on the Kurtz science ship. With the planned disturbance from overloaded weapons, and a little luck, I hoped to power on the active skin and quickly slip away before they realized what had happened.

The first rifle was hidden among the power feeds that kept the Ogle birthing room powered. I figured the possibility of disrupting their food supply was my best opportunity to create a distraction. They were crazy for their food and seemed to eat on regular schedules.

The second weapon was hidden within the armory. What better way to signal an attack than an assault on their weapons. I took extra care to see that the rails leading from the room that would feed weapons to the docking bay were the rails that would be damaged by a blast. I hoped it would buy me precious time.

The third weapon was hidden in the conference room where the diplomats exchanged their daily rants. An assault on their leadership would surely capture their attention. The fourth blaster was placed in the power room, near a small fission reactor. With luck a chain reaction would ensue that would bring down much of the ships power.

A fifth weapon was hidden by the doorway of the room with the fleshy creatures. I could not chance hiding the blaster inside as the odd animals with their curious snouts might "sniff-out" and put an end to my plan before it began. It was a risk I was unwilling to take.

The final blaster was placed high on the bridge where the controllers for the particle beam sat. I hoped the final distraction might give me the moment needed to fly away without having a particle beam cutting through my shield. Even the smallest amount of time could make the difference.

With the rifles in place and the timers set for the following day, I returned to the docking bay to kill time. If I was able to restart the reactor I would be able to connect my suit directly into the ships power, alleviating my current problem. But a constant patrol of cats through the docking bay made an early restart impossible.

The bay was filled with various small craft. There were cargo ships, what looked possibly like fighters and personal transports that I was sure belonged to the diplomats. I drifted into a fighter and found it to be a strange cockpit. A sleek rounded display wrapped the inside, there were no physical controls. Instead of a traditional seat there was a mat where the Ogle would lay down. There was no visible sign of restraint. I guessed that the Ogle had technology similar to ours where the inertial forces inside the craft were reduced to almost nothing. I wondered if there was any new technology to be gleaned from our cat-like enemies.

I then drifted into one of the personal transports and found it to be stuffed with what appeared to be luxury accommodations. The hard mat from the fighter was replaced by an ultra-soft fur lined pocket. There was also a space just behind the pocket that had the same size and shape as one of the fleshy blobs. The diplomats traveled with their odd companions.

I spent the remainder of the final time sitting in the Kurtz science vessel. It felt good to once again have familiar surroundings. I set my suit to four hours of sleep and was soon dreaming of better times. When the stimulants kicked in I longed to return to my subconscious where events were controlled by my thoughts. Instead, I awoke to the same hostile environment from which I had briefly escaped.

As the final few minutes of zero hour approached I became increasingly nervous. What if the blaster rifles did not overload? What if only the first one exploded prompting me to restart the reactor only to find that the second blaster didn't go off. Would I tip my hand before having enough time to escape?

I began to pace back and forth on the small deck of the Kurtz ship. When the timer reached zero I listened for an explosion, I heard and felt nothing. I drifted outside of the ship into the docking bay and immediately took note of the number of Ogle soldiers who were quickly gathering into a group. A commander was screeching orders at them. I took it as a sign that the first blaster had detonated.

I drifted back into the science vessel and made my way to the reactor-start button. I hesitated for a moment knowing that this would be my only shot at an escape. I pressed the button and received only silence. Thoughts of failure began to fill my mind with fear. That fear quickly subsided when the first twinkling of a reactor start became visible; its control panel began to light up.

I quickly grabbed a tether and connected my suit to the ships power. The Sodium fusion reaction began to build and the power storage parameter of my suit began to rise. As I watched the power level rise I began to get an uneasy feeling about the timings I had set for the blaster rifles. The Sodium reaction would be coming online, but it would not be at full power before the second rifle was to explode.

With power building I flipped on the ships sensors to get a look at the docking bay guards. The commander continued to screech orders and one by one the Ogle soldiers under his command would turn and hurry off on some unseen task. That's when I took note of the Ogle who raced up to the commander pointing excitedly at the ship. The reactor start had been noticed.

I began to talk to the reactor as if my prodding would somehow make it power up faster. I banged my hand on the holo-console while begging it to start up. Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

When the reactor passed through 20% the holo-display in front of me came to life, but it was becoming apparent that my plan was falling apart. On the video feed I could see the commander and his troops wheeling a device out into the bay. It was soon aimed in my direction. Again I hesitated for a moment before making the decision that my time on the Kurtz ship had come to an end.

I disconnected the tether and pushed hard with my feet and legs as I flipped the suits active skin to a higher setting. I drifted up through the top of the Kurtz science vessel just as the Ogle commander powered on the device. A static field box quickly formed around the Kurtz ship locking it in place. I had moved just in time.

The Ogle commander then screeched a command at one of the soldiers who was standing at the device's controls. Several seconds passed before the static field surrounding the Kurtz ship began to shrink. As the box around the ship grew smaller it became apparent that it was crushing all that was inside the field. I watched in horror as my escape vessel was reduced in size until it occupied a space only a meter square.

The device, with the crushed ship in tow, was then wheeled over to the open port of the docking bay. The crushed ship was ejected through the port and out into space. An instant later a particle beam from the ships defenses fired, the compacted meter square cube was vaporized. My ship and my thoughts of once again having power were gone.

After drifting up and out of the top of the docking bay I came to rest in a storage room full of cat mats. In the space of a few minutes my mood had changed from one of apprehension and fear to one of excitement. It then settled in on depression. The Kurtz ship was gone and with it my chance of escape.

As I wallowed in my failure my eye suddenly caught a glimpse of the small green parameter bar within my helmet that signified the power storage level of my suit. During the short time connected to the tether it had managed to charge my suit to a 30% level. I had been given another 15 days of life!

My excited state began to return as I then felt the tremor from another blaster rifle as it overloaded and exploded. I checked the time and it was the third to go off... exactly on time. When the fourth rifle exploded I decided it was time to step up my little war on the Ogle.

I would not be able to destroy the massive ship that held me, but I reasoned that I could make its occupants lives miserable. Gone would be their barbaric nursery and cannibalistic food source. Gone would be their horde of millions of blaster rifles. And gone would be their fleshy pets with the long snouts. The Ogle would soon know my wrath.

As I made my way back towards the armory I could hear and see evidence of the other blaster explosions. The Ogle were scrambling everywhere. I stopped a few hundred meters shy of the one that had been placed outside the room with the fleshy pets. To my delight it exploded in a bright flash of glory sending debris into the room that house the strange animals. Wails of anguish could be heard coming forth.

I continued on and took up a position on the bridge with a view of the particle beam station. Seconds later the final blaster exploded taking out nearly 30 Ogle technicians. Their offensive firepower had been taken down, if only for a few moments.

Back at the armory a crew of 35 cats were busy cutting and welding in an attempt to repair the damage that had been done to the rails. A handful of Ogle soldiers stood guard while several officers plodded about, pointed and talked. It would not be long before the repairs were complete.

My first thoughts were to grab another blaster and to open fire. But a second plan revealed itself as the Ogle officers directing efforts parted ways. I decided to tag along behind the more senior of the two as he left the room. His next stop was to the nursery where the first rifle had exploded. Another large crew of workers was busily cleaning up the damage while an officer looked on.

The senior officer again quizzed his underling about the progress being made. Both cats remained calm as they talked over the issues at hand. The nursery would be back online within the day. All births had been moved to a temporary area where the process would continue. The off color kittens received the same treatment as before with their tiny carcasses filling up drums before being ground into food.

The senior officer then continued with his tour. His final stop was to the diplomat’s room where a new conference was already underway. Debris had been cleared and new mats brought in as the cats lounged around and discussed the current events. The officer came into the room, screeched out a quick status and then departed.

I watched the Ogle diplomats with fascination as they spoke, each courteously yielding to the next as they took turns speaking. When the final cat, the most decorated of those in the meeting, spoke the others listened intently. When the short speech ended the cats all rose at once and exited the room. There were no further discussions, no small groups or winks or nods, they just rose and left the room quietly.

The Ogle were a strange breed. Many of the customs that most species easily fell into seemed to be absent from theirs. There were no signs of jealousy or greed or laughter. It was as if a large part of what made the Ogle an intelligent species of being was missing. While there was a modest amount of one of the most basic senses, pleasure, there was a lack of joy or happiness. Many of the traits we as humans would consider evil were present. It certainly showed in their lack of compassion for others.

As the top diplomat left the room I decided to follow him to his quarters. The room was filled with raised platforms, all covered with the same fur I had seen in the ship I previously explored. The room had a single chamber in the back where four of the fleshy creatures lay. The diplomat plodded over to the chamber and then snuggled up in the center of the four creatures. Their long snouts began to gently poke, prod and brush its molting fur.

I took a step closer and was reminded of the creature’s ability to detect my presence when all four of the long snouts turned in my direction at once. I had been made. But on this occasion I was not turning back. I walked up to the cat that was looking oddly at the fleshy creatures, wondering why they were not attending to its needs.

I drew back my arm and blinked in as my fist came sharply forward. I landed a blow directly into its left eye socket. I could feel the soft bones snap and give way as my fist buried itself deep into the cat’s skull. The fleshy creatures all wriggled their snouts. At first it was in fear, but as the seconds passed I could see elation in their muted looking faces. They were prisoners and detested the grooming work they did. I gave one a gentle rub on the snout before turning and walking away.

I again blinked out and sat just outside the door of the diplomat’s quarters. It was nearly an hour before an aid showed up with a plate of kitten brain for the now deceased cat. When the aid entered the room she screeched in horror when the site of the fallen diplomat came into view.

Minutes later the room was filled with Ogle soldiers and officers. I watched with a smirk on my face. The cat-like beast had gotten what it deserved. But my smirk soon turned to anger as the four fleshy creatures, innocent creatures, were dragged from the small chamber and beaten until dead. It was a gruesome site as the Ogle spared no mercy.

The two officers in the room ordered the six soldiers there to drag the dead creatures away. I decided it was again time for me to act. I stepped up, punching the first soldier in the back of the head while at the same time grabbing his blaster rifle. Five quick shots later left me standing face to face with an Ogle officer.

As the cat lunged I blinked out, turned and then pushed the butt of the blaster rifle through the remaining stunned soldier's head. I then turned to the officer cat and fired a bolt of energy into its torso. Guts splattered on the wall behind it as it slumped to the floor.

I dropped the blaster rifle and quickly blinked out. I walked out of the room and made my way back to the armory. The repairs to the rails had been completed and the room itself now had two guards stationed by the door. I reached out and flicked the ear of the left guard as I quickly blinked in and out. The cat turned towards the other guard and let out a hiss.