Special note: This chapter was written in Phoenix, Arizona while I was stuck in an airport. Took 5 hours to write... and I was stuck there for 9 hours. XP
The work crews were able to transform four asteroids into stealth weapons before they ran out of materials. They returned to their starships. All but one vessel departed the scene.
The lone ship maintained a silent vigil over the stealth asteroids, knowing that if they lost track of one for even a moment, they might never find it again.
In the distance, Suth-Kasa Station and the Sutharian Homeworld appeared as little white dots.
Warden Aquila and his men tried to knock the door down a second time.
“We only want the boy! Do not resist!” The hostile voice shouted through the door.
Ponnico, Rulan, and Kanter broke up from their huddle. Ponnico moved toward Trig and his mother.
“The two of you are going to stay close to me.” Ponnico said. “My team is working on a way out.”
“I can’t escape from prison!” Caera protested. “I’ve only got five years left on my sentence! They’ll put me away forever, or maybe even sell me to MSI!”
“I know all about Ellex Camber and how he operates.” Ponnico replied. “Trust me, he does not care in the slightest about how close you are to being released.”
Trig noticed that Ponnico’s jacket seemed to be visibly lighter, as though something had been removed. Kanter and Rulan stacked up against the door. Kanter was holding a sealed metal container, the type normally used to carry hot beverages. Rulan was clutching a flexible tube that was attached to a small LCD screen by an electric cable. Rulan knelt down and fed one end of the tube into the crack between door and floor.
“Optiwand out.” Kanter said. He peered at the pocket-sized LCD screen. “I see five hostiles, armed with... oh... you guys are gonna love this! They’ve got gel guns. Non-lethal weapons. They’re waiting for a colleague to show up with a skeleton key.”
Kanter withdrew the optiwand from the door.
“Gel guns?” Trig asked.
“They’re meant for riot control.” Caera explained. “They’re not strong enough to kill anyone, but they’ll totally mess you up. Try to avoid getting shot in the face.”
Caera stood up from the table and kicked it over. Then she hid behind it.
“These guys wanna take us alive.” Rulan said.
“We can use that to our advantage.” Kanter added.
“How!?” Trig raised his voice. “We’re cornered, and there’s gotta be, like, a hundred guards in this place.
There was a loud bang as someone tried to force the door from the other side. Rulan put his shoulder to the door and held it in place. Kanter gestured at Ponnico.
“I think it’s time you found out why I let this old guy join us in the field.” Kanter said. “Mister Ponnico? Why not show off some of that technology you got from the Horde?”
“I’ve love to.” Ponnico replied.
“What technology?” Trig shouted. “They searched us when we came in! They took everything!”
The corners of Ponnico’s mouth twitched and his beard crinkled, giving away a hidden smile.
“Nagyari tech is different from the stuff you’re used to.” Ponnico said. “They build their tech from... let’s say... different materials.”
“Here they come.” Rulan said, gesturing at the door. “Young Shepminter, I strongly recommend you get in cover.”
Looking around, Trig saw that Captain Kanter, Rulan, and his mother were all trying to hide behind the upended table. He did a double-take. Ponnico was clearly unarmed. The old man stood defiantly in the center of the room, blocking the path from the doorway to Caera and Trig.
There was a loud latching sound and the door swung open. Warden Aquila and four Olinbar guards entered the visitation chamber, pointing their gel guns at Ponnico since he was the closest to their position. Ponnico side-stepped, placing himself directly between the Warden and Trig.
“Really?” the Warden said. “You know Camber’s looking for this kid, right? And the girl he’s running away with. Word on the Interlink is that they’ve got something that belongs to him. The girl stole it from Ellex a few days back. Stole something very valuable. You should be helping us, not standing in the way.”
“Perhaps you did not get the message thirteen years ago.” Ponnico replied coolly. “I quit the Horde. I deserted, abandoned my post. If anyone from the Horde was here today, they would call me a traitor. So no... I am not going to help Camber. In fact, I’m surprised he was trusted with a Keystone Shard in the first place. He has to pretend someone stole it just to hide the fact that one of his lackeys got careless with it.”
Warden Aquila lost his temper. He aimed his gel gun at Ponnico’s head, then barked:
“Fine then! I’ll hand you over to Camber as well!”
“You’re welcome to try, my blue friend.” Ponnico said. “But I will warn you now... spending your ammunition on me is a very ill-advised course of action. If I am still standing by the time your guns are empty... well... it won’t be pretty.”
Aquila snarled.
“Enough of this! Drop him!”
All five Olinbar opened fire, the sound of their gel guns echoing around the chamber like cannon blasts. Trig screamed in terror, then dove to the floor, putting his hands over the back of his head. The gunfire raged on for a few chaotic seconds, thundering about the room and causing the floor to vibrate beneath Trig’s body. At the last second, Trig dared to look up. His vision slid into focus for the last one-and-a-half seconds of gunfire, and what he saw was incredible:
Ponnico was standing stock-still in front of the five prison guards, all of whom were emptying their weapons into his body. Blue spheres shot out of the gel guns, passed through Ponnico’s body as through it was just a hologram, and then splattered harmlessly against the far wall. Just as Trig laid eyes on this unbelievable scene, the gunfire stopped. Aquila and his fellow guards ran out of ammunition.
Ponnico unfolded his arms, and his beard crinkled as a wicked smile appeared beneath it.
“And now...” Ponnico sighed, “It’s my turn.”
It is very difficult to describe in words what happened next because Trig simply did not understand what he was seeing. A black cloud seemed to just... erupt from Ponnico’s body. It lunged forward and enveloped the five guards. From the swirling mass of smoke, Trig could hear Aquila and his compatriots screaming in some kind of agony, they wailed and begged for the pain to stop. The sound of it made Trig feel sick. He found he could not move.
Someone seized Trig around the middle and compelled him into motion.
“Time to roll.” Captain Kanter yelled. “On my mark, follow Ponnico!”
…
Trig, Kanter, Rulan, and Caera raced through the halls and corridors of the Prison Ship Grand Historia. Trig craned his neck frantically, trying to look around and spot any additional guards before they could become a threat, but none ever appeared... at least... none appeared on their feet.
Over the course of the escape, that strange black cloud blazed a trail ahead of the group, and as it moved on, it left behind incapacitated guards. These armed men were always rolling on the floor, writhing in pain as though they were being tortured by some invisible force.
“Make it stop!” One of the guards begged as Trig ran past. “I’ll do anything! Just stop hurting me!!”
After a few moments, the group reached the airlock. Rulan pushed a button on the control panel and called the Resonance Cascade, asking someone to open the airlock from the other side. Meanwhile, Trig took one last look around.
“Wait! Where’s Ponnico!” Trig cried out.
“There!” Caera responded. She pointed to dark corner some twenty meters down the corridor.
Again, Trig simply did not understand what he was seeing. As far as he could tell, Ponnico simply walked out of the shadows in such a way that the shadows themselves faded out of existence. This description made no sense, but in Trig’s opinion, this was what happened.
“So now we know the truth.” Ponnico said. “The Khan’s Chosen are active once more. Ellex is telling them his Keystone Shard was stolen by Miss Annora. Captain Kanter, I think we should get to the Homeworld and visit Manius right away.”
“I could not agree more.” Kanter replied as the airlock opened behind him.
“Manius? Isn’t that the fortune-teller you mentioned?” Trig asked.
“Yes, he is.” Ponnico answered. “Manius will help us figure out our next steps.”
The work crews were able to transform four asteroids into stealth weapons before they ran out of materials. They returned to their starships. All but one vessel departed the scene.
The lone ship maintained a silent vigil over the stealth asteroids, knowing that if they lost track of one for even a moment, they might never find it again.
In the distance, Suth-Kasa Station and the Sutharian Homeworld appeared as little white dots.
Chapter 16
Jailbreak
Jailbreak
Warden Aquila and his men tried to knock the door down a second time.
“We only want the boy! Do not resist!” The hostile voice shouted through the door.
Ponnico, Rulan, and Kanter broke up from their huddle. Ponnico moved toward Trig and his mother.
“The two of you are going to stay close to me.” Ponnico said. “My team is working on a way out.”
“I can’t escape from prison!” Caera protested. “I’ve only got five years left on my sentence! They’ll put me away forever, or maybe even sell me to MSI!”
“I know all about Ellex Camber and how he operates.” Ponnico replied. “Trust me, he does not care in the slightest about how close you are to being released.”
Trig noticed that Ponnico’s jacket seemed to be visibly lighter, as though something had been removed. Kanter and Rulan stacked up against the door. Kanter was holding a sealed metal container, the type normally used to carry hot beverages. Rulan was clutching a flexible tube that was attached to a small LCD screen by an electric cable. Rulan knelt down and fed one end of the tube into the crack between door and floor.
“Optiwand out.” Kanter said. He peered at the pocket-sized LCD screen. “I see five hostiles, armed with... oh... you guys are gonna love this! They’ve got gel guns. Non-lethal weapons. They’re waiting for a colleague to show up with a skeleton key.”
Kanter withdrew the optiwand from the door.
“Gel guns?” Trig asked.
“They’re meant for riot control.” Caera explained. “They’re not strong enough to kill anyone, but they’ll totally mess you up. Try to avoid getting shot in the face.”
Caera stood up from the table and kicked it over. Then she hid behind it.
“These guys wanna take us alive.” Rulan said.
“We can use that to our advantage.” Kanter added.
“How!?” Trig raised his voice. “We’re cornered, and there’s gotta be, like, a hundred guards in this place.
There was a loud bang as someone tried to force the door from the other side. Rulan put his shoulder to the door and held it in place. Kanter gestured at Ponnico.
“I think it’s time you found out why I let this old guy join us in the field.” Kanter said. “Mister Ponnico? Why not show off some of that technology you got from the Horde?”
“I’ve love to.” Ponnico replied.
“What technology?” Trig shouted. “They searched us when we came in! They took everything!”
The corners of Ponnico’s mouth twitched and his beard crinkled, giving away a hidden smile.
“Nagyari tech is different from the stuff you’re used to.” Ponnico said. “They build their tech from... let’s say... different materials.”
“Here they come.” Rulan said, gesturing at the door. “Young Shepminter, I strongly recommend you get in cover.”
Looking around, Trig saw that Captain Kanter, Rulan, and his mother were all trying to hide behind the upended table. He did a double-take. Ponnico was clearly unarmed. The old man stood defiantly in the center of the room, blocking the path from the doorway to Caera and Trig.
There was a loud latching sound and the door swung open. Warden Aquila and four Olinbar guards entered the visitation chamber, pointing their gel guns at Ponnico since he was the closest to their position. Ponnico side-stepped, placing himself directly between the Warden and Trig.
“Really?” the Warden said. “You know Camber’s looking for this kid, right? And the girl he’s running away with. Word on the Interlink is that they’ve got something that belongs to him. The girl stole it from Ellex a few days back. Stole something very valuable. You should be helping us, not standing in the way.”
“Perhaps you did not get the message thirteen years ago.” Ponnico replied coolly. “I quit the Horde. I deserted, abandoned my post. If anyone from the Horde was here today, they would call me a traitor. So no... I am not going to help Camber. In fact, I’m surprised he was trusted with a Keystone Shard in the first place. He has to pretend someone stole it just to hide the fact that one of his lackeys got careless with it.”
Warden Aquila lost his temper. He aimed his gel gun at Ponnico’s head, then barked:
“Fine then! I’ll hand you over to Camber as well!”
“You’re welcome to try, my blue friend.” Ponnico said. “But I will warn you now... spending your ammunition on me is a very ill-advised course of action. If I am still standing by the time your guns are empty... well... it won’t be pretty.”
Aquila snarled.
“Enough of this! Drop him!”
All five Olinbar opened fire, the sound of their gel guns echoing around the chamber like cannon blasts. Trig screamed in terror, then dove to the floor, putting his hands over the back of his head. The gunfire raged on for a few chaotic seconds, thundering about the room and causing the floor to vibrate beneath Trig’s body. At the last second, Trig dared to look up. His vision slid into focus for the last one-and-a-half seconds of gunfire, and what he saw was incredible:
Ponnico was standing stock-still in front of the five prison guards, all of whom were emptying their weapons into his body. Blue spheres shot out of the gel guns, passed through Ponnico’s body as through it was just a hologram, and then splattered harmlessly against the far wall. Just as Trig laid eyes on this unbelievable scene, the gunfire stopped. Aquila and his fellow guards ran out of ammunition.
Ponnico unfolded his arms, and his beard crinkled as a wicked smile appeared beneath it.
“And now...” Ponnico sighed, “It’s my turn.”
It is very difficult to describe in words what happened next because Trig simply did not understand what he was seeing. A black cloud seemed to just... erupt from Ponnico’s body. It lunged forward and enveloped the five guards. From the swirling mass of smoke, Trig could hear Aquila and his compatriots screaming in some kind of agony, they wailed and begged for the pain to stop. The sound of it made Trig feel sick. He found he could not move.
Someone seized Trig around the middle and compelled him into motion.
“Time to roll.” Captain Kanter yelled. “On my mark, follow Ponnico!”
…
Trig, Kanter, Rulan, and Caera raced through the halls and corridors of the Prison Ship Grand Historia. Trig craned his neck frantically, trying to look around and spot any additional guards before they could become a threat, but none ever appeared... at least... none appeared on their feet.
Over the course of the escape, that strange black cloud blazed a trail ahead of the group, and as it moved on, it left behind incapacitated guards. These armed men were always rolling on the floor, writhing in pain as though they were being tortured by some invisible force.
“Make it stop!” One of the guards begged as Trig ran past. “I’ll do anything! Just stop hurting me!!”
After a few moments, the group reached the airlock. Rulan pushed a button on the control panel and called the Resonance Cascade, asking someone to open the airlock from the other side. Meanwhile, Trig took one last look around.
“Wait! Where’s Ponnico!” Trig cried out.
“There!” Caera responded. She pointed to dark corner some twenty meters down the corridor.
Again, Trig simply did not understand what he was seeing. As far as he could tell, Ponnico simply walked out of the shadows in such a way that the shadows themselves faded out of existence. This description made no sense, but in Trig’s opinion, this was what happened.
“So now we know the truth.” Ponnico said. “The Khan’s Chosen are active once more. Ellex is telling them his Keystone Shard was stolen by Miss Annora. Captain Kanter, I think we should get to the Homeworld and visit Manius right away.”
“I could not agree more.” Kanter replied as the airlock opened behind him.
“Manius? Isn’t that the fortune-teller you mentioned?” Trig asked.
“Yes, he is.” Ponnico answered. “Manius will help us figure out our next steps.”
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