do a lot better; I want to see a big improvement before we finish today.”
“Yes, Freema, love.” What else could I do but submit to the inevitable? Just like my cat, Felix, head down, tail between his legs, I was the dead end kid of Sontral.
At least she showed me leniency by turning the speed of the holograms back to their previously slow speed for my benefit. After that it was back to work for me, feverishly firing and eventually, after much effort, getting some shots on target. What a nice feeling it was to get the better of at least a few of those slippery silver shadows.
“Hit! Hit! Hit! Better, John; you’re finally getting the hang of it.”
As I carried on firing, I must have been acquiring enough of the targets to get on the good side of her because after a while she said, “Have a break, John. I think you have deserved it.”
As I sat down I saw Freema pick up a small suitcase that was situated next to the holographic control panel. I eagerly eyed it up, wondering what it contained.
After joining me, she opened the suitcase. “I know you have been dying to know what is in the case.” She took out five small items, placing them on the table. Four of them were the same size, like small building bricks. The fifth was a smaller, square shape. She picked up one of the brick shapes.
“This is Krotonium, John. The Kaytons’ most powerful plastic explosive and what you will be using on Tyros, on the power rely system in the control room of the Drone command bunker. I cannot stress enough the importance of placing the charges correctly for maximum effect to sever the signal to the transmitting beacon which is located on top of the Citadel.”
“Why don’t you target the beacon instead?” I asked. “It must be less well protected than the control room which is situated deep within the bunker complex.”
“Good question, John. Nice to see you using your initiative. The problem is there are four smaller beacons positioned around the Citadel. They would automatically kick in if the main beacon was taken out. Normally the subsidiary ones are only used if the main beacon is off line during maintenance. Now I would like you to handle the explosives to get used to their size and weight. Don’t worry, I’ve disarmed them. I don’t trust you with live ordnance yet.”
I gave them a good once over. “They are a lot lighter than I expected.”
“You will see, Freema said, “that one side is darker than the others. This is the magnetised side which you place on the targets – in this case, the four power relay points in the control room.
“That’s a good idea,” I replied. “Just remember dark side up.”
Then she picked up what I called the small box. “And finally, this is the detonator. Easy to use, but still treat it with respect. It’s disarmed at the moment. Just press the one and only switch down to arm; a small round plunger will then automatically pop out for about an inch. Press the plunger in and then release; that will detonate the explosives. Got all that, John?”
“Yes, Freema, love.”
She then handed me the detonator to practice the sequence a few times, which I thought was easy enough. It made a change to get a nice easy job I could sail through with ease. But of course it didn’t last; things got harder when she put a blindfold over my eyes to hopefully make it second nature for me as I accomplished the same task in the dark. She must have had her hands on the table because my hands encountered hers, so just to break the monotony I fondled her hands just for a laugh. Mind you, she didn’t take it that way and snapped at me.
“John! It is not a game. If you make one mistake on Tyros you will not only get yourself killed but you’ll also end up getting Kronos and Adema killed in the process.”
Really fed up, I took the blindfold off and threw it on the floor as hard as I could.
Freema was vigorously shaking her head with disapproval.
“Do you think I don’t know that?” I asked. “I’ve got to have some sort of release every now and then. I sometimes feel as though I’m approaching total collapse, crushed under the massive weight of worry and expectation on my shoulders and people feeding off me for their own ends. I’ve had enough. I feel as though I am already being measured up for my coffin with certain death waiting for me on Tyros. I must have been a fool for agreeing to all this in the first place.”
Freema gave me a pitiful look. “The Solaran people are so proud of you, John, so grateful you joined us in our fight against the Kaytons, all hoping against hope for the Kultarn prophesy to come true. All I’m trying to do is get you to a standard where all the preparation and training will become second nature to you so that you will do all your tasks instinctively on Tyros and in so doing, return safely.” She smiled. “I tell you what, let’s just do a few more minutes with the blindfold on, then we will call it a day until tomorrow.”
Having calmed down, I acquiesced to her request and the rest of the session passed off without incident.
“Well done, John. That was not so bad, was it? Let’s leave it there for today. We can pick up where we left off, tomorrow.”
“I won’t disagree with that sentiment,” I replied.”
As we both stood up, Freema placed the explosives back in the small suitcase, leaving them on the table ready for the next day’s session. After turning all the machinery off, we left what I had christened the Sweat Shop as Freema said, “Lights off” and then locked the security doors with her pass. We then made the long walk back to my quarters in almost total silence, both of us having a lot to think about.
“Goodnight, John. Have a good night’s rest. I will report today’s progress to Commander Vadoran before I retire myself. See you bright and early in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Miss,” I replied. As I retired to my room I remembered when I was on a course at Best on Roundhay Road in Leeds. There was a guy called Jonathan Crumby who always called the tutor, Tammy, ‘Miss.’ To get out of doing coursework he did not like, he would come up with excuses like, “Miss, I have heard they are looking for labourers at Thacker’s on Roundhay Road. Can I go and enquire, Miss?”
Tammy always replied, “All right, Jonathan, but you must bring written evidence back to prove you have been, remember.” She once said to me, “Oh I hate that lad. He’s horrible. I will be glad when he has finished the course. I never want to see him again as long as I live.” But here lies the very cautionary tale of Jonathan Crumby… he was born on Monday, christened on Tuesday, married on Wednesday, but died on Thursday – she must have been a bad one – and on Friday he came back to haunt all those people he didn’t like, so be very careful what you wish for, Tammy. It might one day come back to haunt you.
Anyway, I was now on my own with no one to nag me or order me about. I felt like I was back at school with Freema reporting me to the headmaster, Commander Vadoran. I bet I was going to get a double E for effort and attainment. I couldn’t even write my own sick notes now… Dear Freema, please excuse John from mission training as he does not feel well… no, she would never fall for it, even with my mother’s forged signature to back me up. It seemed I was going to have to dance to Freema’s tune at least for the foreseeable future, all a far cry from when I was back on Earth, pulling bank jobs to pay for my extravagant lifestyle. Now look at me, living like a pauper. I supposed I was being paid back for my past sins.
Eleven
Anyway, after a bite to eat I made myself comfortable in the armchair and watched the news on television. I’m afraid it was all bad though, since the Hellertrons had collapsed in what the newscaster called the Battle of Koresh. From what I could make out, it was like the battle of Cannae but fought out in space by the two opposing battle fleets. The Kaytons sucked the Hellertron fleet in and then surrounded them from the flanks. Some Hellertron ships managed to escape but the vast majority were destroyed or captured. The Hellertron battle fleet was finished as an effective fighting force, now being reduced to a mere auxiliary force. Apparently, billions of Hellertron civilians were fleeing the advancing Kaytons. They needed no encourage
ment, being propelled by sheer terror. They were all making their way to Rueatarn and the surrounding systems along with the Hellertron military and Solaran reinforcements to make a final stand. Very ugly scenes were reported at the shuttle and Transport evacuation points as people were fighting to get on board a ship. Order was only restored when the Hellertron military police arrived. In some cases they had to fire over the heads of the civilians. The newscaster also mentioned that the Prime Minister was facing a vote of no confidence in Parliament in a couple of days’ time. Another case of my not being properly informed; if he lost the vote the government would collapse, causing a general election.
I’m afraid enough was enough and I started flipping the channels until I found their equivalent of cartoons. Well I had always found them funny when I was a youngster. I remember when I was very young, my mother used to take me to watch the cartoons at the cinema once a week. During the school holidays I would watch the full length animated feature films that did the rounds at the cinema. My favourite was the 1959 full length feature, Sleeping Beauty. The end scene always stuck in my mind where Prince Philip was fighting his way through the overgrown forest. Then he had to take on the wrath of the witch who then turned into a dragon. He only had