“Dacă vrei,” the slave said as he brought up his hands to shield his face. Turk hesitated.
“What the hell does that mean?”
With a thick Russian accent the slave said, “It means please.”
Jonathan and Turk looked at each other though Turk did not lower his ray gun.
“Are you a slave?” asked Jonathan.
The slave nodded, “da, but I not haff implant.”
“Let me check,” demanded Turk. He thought better of it as he would have to lower his weapon. Jonathan could see Turk’s dilemma. He offered to check.
Jonathan had the slave bend his neck. He felt for the implant but nothing was sitting on his vertebrae. He realized this slave had no weapon.
“Nothing here. Are you Russian?” Turk hooked his ray gun. He then disarmed the other slave.
“No. Ukraine. I am engineer. I haff working in Rumania.”
“The slavers pick you up there?”
“Yes, they cum to uniwersity. Kill many but engineers are important. So they not kill me.”
“Why didn’t they put an implant in?”
“I tink because they need me to tink good. Engineer haff tink good. With implant you cannot tink good.”
“Makes sense,” Jonathon said. “Well, you can come with us.” Jonathan thought for a second.
“How well do you know this ship?”
“Wery well.”
“We’re looking to destroy the communications. We know there’s a room for that. Do you know the room? And what’s your name?”
“I am Sasha. Da, I know room. Not far. I take you.”
“Good. Then we can leave in a trans…”
“Puddle jumper.”
“Turk, he wouldn’t know what they were called.”
“I see dat show.” And Sasha smiled. He was small boned and thin, just over six feet with wispy blond hair.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sasha led them back to the lift. They brought the newly freed slave because Jonathan didn’t have the heart to kill him. None of the A team trusted the engineer completely but Jonathan thought they could be wrong about Sasha. Yet, none offered the Ukrainian a ray gun
They hid the dead slaver’s body in a utility closet which should remain closed for some time. Hopefully they will have completed their task before the smell of putrefaction alerted the slavers.
Sasha also understood the role of a slave and would give Jonathan the directions and then walk behind him. He showed all of them how to run the lift and which deck the hangar was on. They had to go up a few more floors to reach the central communications room. Everything Sasha told them agreed with what Kookli had related.
Six stepped out of the lift taking the slave with them.
“Past dat door,” Sasha pointed to a door forty feet down a hall, “is meeting room. Dare maybe some Peeds in dare.”
“We’ll have to kill them, right?”
“I tink dat so. I haff spechal shirt but you not,” and Sasha pointed to Jonathan. “You on’y mid-lewel slawer. No go dat room.”
Jonathan was really getting tired of having to kill. In the heat of the moment was somewhat justifiable and he understood the slave masters were monsters. But to premeditate killing was still difficult.
He sighed and steeled himself.
“Okay, I go in first. Sasha come right behind me but slow a little so they notice you and see your shirt. Turk and Terry and Hawk wait for an extra step so they focus on Sasha and me. Keoni cover us and don’t forget the entrance. Remember others may be coming in after us.
“How should the blasting be done?”
“I cover the center right and furthest from the door we enter. Turk you cover to the left and furthest from you. Terry to the right and closer and Hawk to the left and closer. We skip to the next one in that order. No one fire…”
“Let’s call it blasting,” said Turk.
“Fine. No blasting until all of us are in the room. Okay?”
They still did not give a ray gun to the Ukrainian. Sasha was not part of the team and Jonathan knew he and the others would not feel comfortable with his having a lethal weapon. Maybe he had seen too much TV; wasn’t there always a traitor? They didn’t know him and though he had been helpful he really hadn’t proven himself to the team. Sasha seemed to understand this and did not even ask for a weapon.
They walked down the corridor pulling the dead slaver’s slave. Hawk and Keoni pulled him along without too much difficulty but it did slow their progress as a group. Jonathan looked around and took a deep breath. “Ready?”
The others nodded.
Jonathan opened the door and strode in with Sasha following.
There were six slavers in the room. Three looked up and recognized Jonathan or more accurately his clothes. Although he wasn’t a high level slaver it didn’t immediately register out of the ordinary when they noticed Sasha. Three pairs of eyes looked at Sasha and no emotion stirred in the three slavers. The three heads turned to see who came after Sasha.
Jonathan once far enough in the room stopped. He stood still and unhurriedly unhooked his ray gun from his belt. Jonathan could see out of the corner of his eye Turk bring up his ray gun. As Turk took aim Jonathan also brought up his weapon. He aimed for a slaver who was nearest the door on the other side of the room. The slaver continued to pore over some papers and never looked up.
Jonathan blasted the slaver. Jonathan didn’t bother to watch him crumple to the floor. As he searched for his next victim he saw another slaver crumple and then a third. He found a slaver and fired. He hit this slaver as the slaver just stood stock still.
The shock of Jonathan’s team coming into one of the inner sanctums to kill them had completely stunned the slaver into immobility. In less than a half minute all six slavers lay dead.
“I think we’re okay. I don’t think they got off a signal to warn the others. We have to go into the commun…the com room and do the same. Everyone ready? And Sasha, why don’t you follow Hawk?”
They ran to the other side of the room. Jonathan pulled the door open and burst in. There were slavers and slaves but the A team did not have time to differentiate between them and just blasted away.
Using the same method of firing sequence as before the effect was devastating. They killed everyone in the room calmly and efficiently. Here they had to shoot the slaves. The slaves had gotten the order from a slaver and were unhooking their own ray guns. It was a case of self defense Jonathan tried to remind himself.
The communications board and screens were in full view. The team now using both ray guns fired away at the apparatus. The destruction was impressive. Jonathan noticed another door and walked over to it with his ray gun at the ready as he had seen in the many cop shows he had watched on TV.
As he neared the door it slid open revealing a small room with one slaver sitting on a rather regal chair. An important chair. The slaver had his hands to his temples. Jonathan did not hesitate. The slaver jumped out of the chair. Jonathan blasted this very important slaver. Killing him as he tried to run out of the room.
Jonathan could see another door so he again approached it cautiously. It slid open as well. He could see in and it was a nicely appointed bedroom. He checked for any occupants but found it to be empty. For that Jonathon was grateful.
Jonathan returned to the com room. Everyone had stopped blasting. Turk reluctantly so. There was nothing left to destroy.
Sasha and Keoni came in.
“Maybe some of da slavahs come.”
“Turk, go through the other rooms. I think there might be another way out of here. You guys get ready to barricade the door. Sasha come with me.” Jonathan returned to the room with the important chair with the Ukrainian in tow.
“Tell me this might be the head slaver.”
Sasha nodded, “I tink you correct.”
“What might this control panel be?”
Sasha went over to it and studied it. The screen sprang to life when Sasha hit a button. “Dat controls
of ship.”
“Can you plot a course?”
Before the Ukrainian could answer Turk returned, “you’re right. This way leads out.”
“Turk, tell the others to barricade the first door we went through.”
He turned to Sasha, “well?”
“Da, yes,” the Ukrainian nodded. “It make course for dis ship.”
“Can you program a course to have it crash into earth?”
Sasha looked at Jonathan for a few seconds. Then he smiled and nodded. Sasha began to work on the keyboard or what Jonathan could only call a keyboard. He had no idea what else it could be called as he had never seen anything like it.
It took Sasha ten minutes to finish. By that time other slavers had entered the first room and were shouting for slaves to bring weapons. However, without the communications working the slaves did not respond giving the A team and Sasha the time they needed.
As Sasha finished programming the course for the mother ship Jonathan called the A team into the inner most sanctum. He had Turk blast the door mechanism so it would stay shut. Turk would blast anything given the chance.
Jonathan had Turk blast the screen after Sasha disabled the keyboard. They hurried through the bedroom and out the last door.
They found themselves in a corridor and after a few moments Sasha said he knew roughly were he was and could lead them to a lift. A different lift.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Jonathan what’s the matter,” asked Terry. “You look so glum.”
Jonathan apparently looked as he felt. One would think he should be feeling pretty good considering all which had transpired. Yet, he had a horrible thought running through his mind.
He had penetrated a slave master’s mother ship, killed the most important slave master, disabled the communication system and sent the mother ship to hell, or what soon would feel like hell to those on board…
And this was what had him feeling glum. There were innocent slaves who would die along side the slavers. He hated to be the one to order their deaths and he could not rationalize it away.
Sasha had led them to a lift. They had heard no sounds of pursuit as they had stepped into the elevator. The slavers would have a hard time knowing exactly who their enemy was. This was encouraging.
Also the slavers seemed unable to command any slaves to pursue them so they probably wouldn’t have to kill any of the innocents. Did the slavers actually know how to kill?
“Terry. Could you fly one of the, ah, puddle jumpers?”
“Sure.”
“Really? Are you absolutely sure?”
“Uh huh. No problemo. I watched Bob and Tony and I actually took it up briefly.”
“Sasha, stop us at the slave quarters.” Sasha nodded as the others just looked at Jonathan.
“We can take maybe forty or fifty in another jumper. We have to save as many as we can.”
No one would deny him this. It was admirable but was it feasible. That was a question Jonathan pondered. He also felt the others would let him know if it wasn’t.
They arrived at the floor housing the slaves. The lift door opened and they stepped out. In front of them were slaves standing around. That was to be expect…
The slaves weren’t standing around. They were milling around. Wandering a little and looking around. They looked like normal humans who knew something was up but couldn’t figure out what it might be.
“Hey.” And Jonathan pointed at a few who were looking at the newly arrived group. “Any of you speak English?”
None responded.
“They’re slaves. What the hell do they know? They connected…”
“I don’t think so Turk. They’re not acting like they’re connected.”
“Sasha speak to them.” Which Sasha did. First in Ukrainian or perhaps Russian. Nothing. Then in Romanian and several came up and nodded.
Sasha turned to Jonathan, “they speek Rumania. I tink wait for orders.”
“Ask them if any can fly the pudd…the transport ships.”
Sasha spoke to them and five raised their hands. Jonathan pointed to the five and waved them to the front.
“Sasha, tell them they will fly fifty of…ah, well the slaves.”
Sasha conveyed this. The five pilots and the nearby slaves nodded and murmured.
“Keoni, Hawk and Turk go to the hangar and make sure we have cover. Stack the crates just inside the corridor with the first batch of fifty.”
“Jim, go to the closest puddle jumper and get it ready to block the entrance. Sasha, take one of the five and tell the rest I will select fifty to go with each pilot. But the first fifty are to help Keoni, Hawk and Turk. Find a puddle jumper for them and come back.”
This didn’t take as long as Jonathan had feared. He didn’t know how soon the slavers would get into their control room but once they did they would certainly guess they had to abandon ship.
Fortunately the slave quarters were only one floor above the hangar. Jonathan guessed it had been planned by the slavers for convenience.
They took twenty five in the lift at one time and in minutes a puddle jumper was full and ready to go.
It probably took a half hour to get the four pilots with their cargo. However, it took only twenty minutes for some slavers to try to reach the hanger and begin a fire fight. Jonathan came down with the last of the slaves from their lift and realized when he saw green ray gun bolts down the hall that fighting was in progress at the entrance to the corridor leading to the hangar.
With some trepidation he gave his second ray gun to Sasha. Who took it and smiled. He solemnly extended his hand to Jonathan who shook it. Turk watching this gave his second, third and fourth ray guns to the pilot and two other slaves. Turk had picked up a few from the dead slaves in the com room. Waste not, want not; plus the slavers wouldn’t have access to them.
Jonathan nodded and the six silently crept up toward where the slavers were firing their ray guns. He peeked around the corner and could see seven slavers with three lying on the floor, apparently dead. The seven were intent on blasting at Keoni, Hawk and Terry and he thought Big John also.
The slavers were focused on blasting the A team and did not notice Jonathan, Turk and the recently freed and armed slaves. He had them lie down and motioned them to slowly inch their way forward. They needed to expose their position to have unobstructed sight in firing on the slavers. It took a few minutes to get into position.
Jonathan pointed out the order of blasting. They all nodded and took aim. And blasted away. At first the slavers didn’t seem to notice where the killing beams were coming from. By the time they figured it out they lay dead or disabled. Turk came up and made sure all the slavers were dead. Rather gruesome for Jonathan but this was war. And war against an implacable foe who would enslave them or kill them without thought or compunction.
“Hey A team. Can you hear me?”
“Dat you bruddah?”
“K’den brah.”
“Dat Jonathan. Only him, one haole, can speak da kine. Come trew the corridor.” Keoni and Hawk moved some of the crates as McNeill covered them. The twenty five slaves, Jonathan, Turk and Sasha came sprinting past the lift closest to the corridor. No blasting was directed at them.
However, they could hear the lift stopping at the floor so they closed the hangar portal with the crates. Sasha and Big John led the slaves down the corridor in a sprint. Jonathan, Keoni and Turk gave them covering fire.
Terry had gone ahead to get the nearest puddle jumper ready to block the entrance to the hangar. Once the all ready was sounded from McNeill to Sasha to Jonathan, he, Keoni and Turk blasted fiercely for a few seconds then sprinted down the corridor through the hangar entrance.
Hardly had they cleared the entrance to the hangar when Terry moved the puddle jumper forward. He swung it around knocking over crates in the process. He wanted to block up the entrance with the side access hatch facing the hangar. He didn’t want any of the slavers to use the hatch as a way to get through
to the hangar quickly.
Jonathan had Keoni and Turk accompany Terry to the next transport ship. This puddle jumper had been loaded with the human cargo by Sasha and was completely full. Jonathan ran down to puddle jumper 1. Bob inched the puddle jumper backward as Jonathan sprinted towards it. He had run track and was in good shape so he felt he should be the one to make the trip to get the convoy underway. It had been unnecessary.
Big John had waited on the deck to spread the word to head out. Bob was ready to go and Jonathan only needed to yell and Big John would have relayed the message. Jonathan wished he had thought of that as he stood breathing deeply in the cockpit trying to catch his breath. He wasn’t in as good a shape as he had thought.
Jonathan sat and strapped himself in as Bob backed the puddle jumper into the flight. He arighted the ship and headed out the hangar. Bob was followed by Terry and the five slave pilots.
>
“Man, is that a beautiful sight,” said Big John. He was looking out the cockpit window. Below him was the blue orb. Our earth, our home. Jonathan and Bob could add nothing and just nodded. The view was at once breathtaking and simultaneously gave them a feeling of contentment. Jonathan was happy to be going home. He felt that the earth humans would be okay. They would make things right with the world and eliminate the slavers who were left.
Jonathan was a Taoist by choice and a humanist by inclination so he had no way of understanding those who wanted to hurt others. The Dick Cheneys of the world were no different than any serial murderer since they both had a complete lack of caring and no sense of humanity for their fellow man.
Yet, he was also an optimist by nature and felt if people were given the choice they would make the right choice. An ex-girlfriend pointed out that that was naïve and much too trusting of human nature. She was an historian and she could bring up too many points he could not refute. Considering a recent historical footnote that a U.S. President and everyone in his white house lied to the American people to get the country into a war in Iraq she had a point. He was even elected to a second term. No, Jonathan told himself, he’ll probably never understand humans earthborn or not.