Solar Star

The emptiness of the complex was both eerie and sad and it already had the feel of abandonment and neglect yet the people who loved it had only just left it moments before. A shiver of apprehension ran down Gerrard’s back, he felt he was walking into a trap as once inside the buildings there was an almost total absence of noise; it was like stepping into a different world compared to the sounds of battle outside. He turned to his small handpicked squad of six men and pointed left and right. Two men peeled off in each direction and his second in command Lieutenant Dewmore took up position next to him. They were all dressed in black jump suits with lightweight protective vests and each had a small voice activated comm. unit fitting snugly on their heads. They moved swiftly and softly down both corridors, searching every room efficiently and quickly but there was nothing to interest them left, so they regrouped with Gerrard ready to move on.

‘Alright, let’s get out of here and come in behind them.’

‘You should have done that by now,’ a sneering female voice said behind him and he froze in horror, not needing to turn around to know who was standing there. The click of her high heeled black boots told him she was already striding down the last corridor towards the front of the building and the amphitheatre. He grimaced and slowly turned and began to lead his men after her; silently he cursed her interference and marvelled on her ability to pop up at the most inconvenient moments and cause him so much anguish.

‘I wonder if she might get hit by a stray projectile,’ he thought hopefully, but he knew people like her lead charmed lives and only the good die young.

As Nye turned at the end of the corridor she stopped and listened as somewhere someone was talking, not all the community had left. A smile flickered across her face, she had thought she had lost them all, but maybe her luck had held out. She knew O’realian, he wouldn’t leave one of his people behind, and so if she captured one, she’d have them all.

Gerrard heard the voice too, it sounded like a woman; he tilted his head trying to home in on exactly where it was coming from when he heard the click of a door opening and running footsteps as someone else entered the building in front of their position. This was confirmed when a male voice shouted.

‘Kassina, where are you?’

Ty moved fast, he’d always been a sprinter as opposed to Mac who was slower, but could keep a steady pace for hours, but time was short and speed essential now. Behind him the last of the elders was released and on their way with O’realian and Mac to Solar Star. Ty knew he had little chance of finding Kassina and getting back to the ship before it took off and he cursed her again. It had all gone so well until she screwed it up. He shuddered as a realisation of how high the odds were stacked against their survival now as the bubble of energy outside was already beginning to dissipate and with it their shield of protection. Solar Star couldn’t stay on the ground without being damaged so Mac would have no choice but to leave. He opened the door and began to run up the echoing, dark corridor.

Mac stood on the ramp looking back at the building Ty had disappeared into, but there was no sign of his return.

‘I must go back,’ O’realian said and tried to get past Mac and down the ramp.

Mac grabbed one of his arms and Doctor Roedensky held the other.

‘You can’t,’ Mac said breathlessly as O’realian struggled to get free.

He wasn’t a big man, five foot six, but he was fit and strong and it took all of Mac and the doctor’s reserves to hold him and pull him back from the ramp. As soon as they were clear Jenny pushed the button to raise it, closing off his escape route, but also Ty’s too. O’realian stopped struggling and glared at Mac.

‘My daughter is out there,’ he said angrily.

‘And so is my cousin,’ Mac replied sadly.

O’realian stopped and slowly the anger and tension left his body and he laid an understanding hand on his shoulder.

‘I am sorry, you are right. The needs of the many are more important than two people however much we love them.’

Mac couldn’t think of a suitable reply and was saved from the effort by the intercom.

‘Bridge to Maclyn.’

It was Black Elk’s voice. Maclyn moved to the wall and pressed the intercom.

‘Mac here.’

‘Is everyone on board because the shield has started to collapse and we’ve got to get airborne?’

Mac sighed.

‘Get us in the air Ben, but keep us close by.’

There was a pause and Mac could imagine the frown of puzzlement on Ben’s face.

‘How close?’ he finally asked.

‘Ty and Kassina are still in the compound,’ Mac informed him.

‘What!’ Ben exclaimed. ‘Why the hell aren’t they aboard?’

‘It’s a long story, just get us up and I’m hoping he’ll get them out of there and we can rendezvous with him.’

Ben Black Elk grimaced but complied and started to increase power for take off. Sarrin moved to Su-min.

‘Can I speak to Maclyn?’ he asked.

She looked up into his strong face and saw he was outwardly calm but his eyes held a deep concern that was unmistakable so she nodded and opened the channel.

‘Maclyn, Sarrin wants a word,’ she said and got out of her chair so he could speak.

‘Mac has Captain Kelsey got his communicator?’ he asked.

Mac frowned.

‘Yes he has.’

Sarrin smiled.

‘That is good,’ he said.

‘Why is that good? It can’t help him much now.’

‘On the contrary, it could save their lives.’

Kassina where are you?’ Ty shouted.

Up ahead he saw a half open door so he ran past a side corridor not noticing dark figures in the light up ahead. He pushed the door open and found her picking up her bag with a huge shawl wrapped around her, with a suspicious wiggling bulge in it. He scowled at her shocked face and tried to control the anger he had building inside.

‘Well I hope it was worth it,’ he said, seething.

She composed her face into a look of pure innocence.

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she said.

He moved quickly toward her and grasped the shawl and pulled it open and out popped a black head with angry green eyes. Magic hadn’t appreciated being bundled up like dirty washing and made her feelings known by striking out with claws engaged and scratched Ty’s hand drawing blood.

‘Ouch,’ he cried and glared at the black monster and her equally disgruntled owner.

Ty examined the three deep scratches down the back of his hand and watched the blood ooze out.

‘Here,’ she said pushing a handkerchief at him.

He took it without thanks and wrapped it carefully around his hand.

‘It was your own fault,’ Kassina said petulantly. ‘You shouldn’t grab at her, she was scared.’

He looked at the decidedly defiant cat who was now licking her paws as if to clean off the skin it had removed from him.

‘It doesn’t look scared,’ he said pointedly.

Even Kassina had to acknowledge she didn’t, in fact she looked very smug indeed. Before she could reply, the sound of engines firing up made her rush to the window. Ty already knew what it meant, but Kassina was horrified as she watched the Solar Star slowly rise vertically off the ground.

‘What are they doing,’ she cried.

‘They are doing what I told them to do,’ he said angrily. ‘You knew we couldn’t wait, but oh no Kassina always knows better, so what if you put everyone else’s lives in jeopardy, you have to get that bloody cat.’

He spat out the last word and it felt good, until he saw the tears pouring down her pretty face as she turned back to face him. He hated to see women cry, and had been caught many times once the waterworks started so he sighed heavily and cut the rest of the words he’d like to have said. There was no point telling her how stupid and selfish she’d been he knew she’d got that message already. She looked like she needed a hug, but he didn’t feel very pre-disposed to give her one as a swift kick was more what he felt she deserved. He sighed again and was trying to think what he should say to her when his communicator bleeped. He took it out of his jacket pocket and activated it.

‘Ty here,’ he said simply.

It was Sarrin’s voice that answered him.

‘Have you found Kassina?’ he asked.

Ty looked across at her and said.

‘Oh yes, she’s here as is the fur ball.’

Sarrin paused, unsure what a fur ball was.

Su-min said, ‘The cat,’ to him and he nodded.

‘Ah yes, then you are ready to leave?’

Ty sighed.

‘You could say that but there’s a slight problem, like you are in the air and we are most definitely on the ground.’

Even Sarrin got the point and had to smile as now he was beginning to understand this concept of humour and he quite enjoyed it.

‘Yes, but you still have the cube I gave you?’

Ty frowned and then remembered he had put it in his shirt pocket to make sure it didn’t get lost. He patted his chest and felt its solidness against his body.

‘Yes I still have it,’ he said.

Sarrin allowed himself a small smile.

‘Good then you must stand together, hold hands and hold the cube, pressing it three times.’

Ty grimaced.

‘And what’s that going to do?’ he asked.

‘I haven’t time to explain, but it will get you to safety. Trust me,’ Sarrin said quickly.

He waited for a reply but instead of Ty’s voice he heard a crash and someone shout.

‘Drop it now and put your hands up.’

Gerrard watched the young man run past them and enter the room and address the woman already there. Nye turned to him and said.

‘I want them, but unhurt. Understand?’

He looked down at her and didn’t reply as he hadn’t intended hurting them anyway, she was in more danger than they were. He moved past her and his men followed him quietly up to the door. Gerrard could hear them speaking, but it was muffled and he couldn’t hear the words clearly enough to know what they were saying. As the door wasn’t fully closed so he put a small pressure on it so he could hear their conversation and judge when to move in. A sudden roaring noise blasted into the building just as he began to push the door open and made him start and he moved back letting it shut, only this time it shut properly. It took them a minute or so to realise the noise was the ship taking off. Gerrard looked down the corridor to where Nye was standing, her hands on her hips and like all Colonels well back from the front line and she wore a smile of triumph, which made him shudder. He knew just what she was thinking. They were stuck now, with no way of leaving, she had her hostages and he felt sorry for them. She strode up to him and looked up at him.

‘We’ve got them now,’ she said smugly and he had to reluctantly agree with her.

It did seem they had no way out so he nodded then turned back to finish this unpleasant job. He positioned one of his men on each side of the door, then stepped back, raised his right foot up and took a deep breath. On his out breath he used all of his body weight on the closed door which burst inward with an almighty crack. As it did Gerrard got his first sight of the two people inside, frozen in a tableau of shock and surprise. The blond man held a device in his hand while the small girl beside him held onto the hissing black cat. Gerrard levelled his laser at the man and shouted.

‘Drop it now and put up your hands,’ and was relieved when they did just that.

He relaxed and lowered the laser just as Colonel Nye pushed past him to confront them. She stopped dead and gasped.

‘Kaymara,’ she said and Gerrard thought she was about to collapse.

Maclyn leaned over Su-min as she tried to re-establish contact with Ty, but his receiver was either damaged or de-activated.

‘It’s no use Mac, he’s not answering.’

‘Or he can’t,’ Mac added grimly.

She nodded but hadn’t liked to say that as the last words they had heard made it clear they had been surprised by some of the Colonel’s men, and were now either dead or prisoners. It depended on what the Colonel wanted from them as to what fate Ty and Kassina had suffered. O’realian stood pale and shaken next to Maclyn and he knew just how vindictive the Colonel could be.

‘Isn’t there something we can do?’ he asked.

Maclyn sighed and turned to face him noting how he had suddenly aged.

‘Short of landing and fighting our way to them I can’t think of anything,’ he said.

O’realian shook his head.

‘We can’t do that, but maybe she will take me and release Kassina and Captain Kelsey.’

Maclyn shrugged.

‘I don’t know are you so valuable to her that she’d do that?’ he asked.

O’realian grimaced.

‘I know she hates me, but I really don’t know, but I’d be willing to try.’

Sarrin had not taken any part in the conversation until now, as he had been very busy setting up his communication device and plugging it into the ship’s power supply to boost its output but he was ready now and had another way to offer them. He stood up and joined them.

‘No-one need surrender to Colonel Nye,’ he said emphatically.

Maclyn looked at him in surprise.

‘Why not?’ he asked.

‘Because if the Captain can get to the cube, I will be able to rescue them both without leaving this room.’

He looked at the faces of everyone on the bridge and happily noted their shocked expressions.

‘All we have to do is wait and hope the Captain can activate it.’

The Colonel recoiled backwards into the major at the sight of the woman she believed was dead.

‘Kaymara,’ she said again in a whisper.

Kassina frowned and wondered who this woman was and how she knew her dead mother’s name. Before she could ask her and find out, Ty nudged her making her glare at him. He shook his head and she got the message; she was to stay quiet, although they both knew that wouldn’t be easy.

Gerrard took over the questioning, as Nye didn’t seem able to.

‘What are your names?’ he demanded.

Ty decided to lie, he didn’t know what Sarrin meant or how a small metal cube could rescue them but he was willing to give anything a go, as all other options seemed exhausted. If he could play for time and get them more relaxed and believing they were harmless, maybe he’d be able to get the cube out of his pocket before he got shot.

‘My name is...Reg, and this is Sharon,’ he said as confidently as he could.

‘Are you members of the community?’ Gerrard asked.

‘Yes, and we want to leave.’

‘The community?’ The Colonel interjected, having recovered.

‘No, here,’ Ty said sadly. ‘We were going to Australia but Sharon came back for Blackie and I came to get her.’

He had changed his accent for a more hillbilly one and sounded as though he didn’t really understand what was going on. Kassina trembled beside him and for the first time since she’d known him she was pleased he was there. All she prayed for was their escape, but if Colonel Nye found out that she was O’realean’s daughter that might become impossible. So far Ty was doing a good job, maybe they’d believe him.

‘Can we go?’ he asked hopefully.

Gerrard looked at them both and was disgusted at himself. The girl looked no more than fifteen years old and was shaking with fear and the man seemed, on closer inspection, not a whole lot older, late teens perhaps, and obviously not that intelligent. He didn’t want to be threatening two harmless civilians who were barely out of their childhood just because Nye said so.

The Colonel had other ideas.

‘No you are not going anywhere,’ she said and moved towards them.

Instinctively they moved back away from her and Ty used the opportunity to lower his hands and pulled Kassina behind him and the Colonel laughed at this but didn’t tell him to raise his hands again.

‘They’re only kids Colonel,’ Gerrard said.

The Colonel nodded.

‘Yes but they’ll do as hostages.’

Ty frowned.

‘Hostages....us....but we aren’t anything.’

She sneered.

‘You might not think so but O’realian will and he’ll not leave you in my hands. I know that.’

‘O’realian? But why?’

‘You don’t need to understand why, but O’realian....he’s the king here and you are his people, so he’ll come back to save you,’ she said and sneered at them as she almost swaggered around the room.

Kassina wanted to defend her father from her accusations but the look Ty gave her made her bite back her words.

Nye turned back and leant towards them.

‘And when he does I’ll have him.’

Ty pulled Kassina closer to him to stop her reacting; he didn’t think she was shivering with fear anymore. He hadn’t known her longer than a day but he knew her well enough to know she’d rip Nye’s heart out for inferring her father was an egomaniac. Nye stepped back and smiled at them triumphantly. Ty gulped and decided now would be a good time to try to activate Sarrin’s cube. He looked at Gerrard, sensing he’d be easier to con than Nye.

‘Excuse me,’ he said as he shuffled his feet and tried to look embarrassed.

‘What is it son?’ Gerrard said.

‘I was given something by O’realian and he said I should be very careful with it, but I don’t know what it is. Can I show you?’

Gerrard looked at Nye and she shrugged and seemed happy for him to go ahead.

Gerrard nodded but as Ty reached into his shirt front Gerrard raised his laser.

‘You better not have a weapon in there,’ he said warily.

Ty gulped again and tried to look scared.

‘I don’t have a weapon,’ he said and unfortunately he was telling the truth as in his haste to find Kassina he’d left his with Maclyn.

Gerrard didn’t lower his laser but indicated he could carry on. His hand found the smooth cold sides of the mysterious object and pulled it out and held it up to the Major, but before he could take it Ty squeezed it three times and grabbed Kassina’s arm. He’d done just at Sarrin had told him and now all they could do was wait and hope something would happen. Just as Gerrard moved to take the cube away from him a low-pitched sound emanated around them and made him hesitate. All of them looked around to see where it was coming from when suddenly out of nowhere a column of golden light struck the room and the glare was so bright that both Gerrard and Nye were momentarily blinded by it. Seconds later when they could focus their eyes again to find that their hostages were gone.