Date point: 4y 11m 1w 5d AV
“So, Frank, tell me what else you’ve found out.” said Ted.
Leaning back in his pilot chair, letting auto-pilot do its work, Frank looked at Ted and replied, “So, the first file we found was about the first time they saw two of our missing survey ships. But, that’s all we had to start; just a report about them being on the world that the kid was taken on.”
“Right, but that was two days ago. What else have the search programs kicked up?” he asked.
“So, it says that they had two little chase ships following them. They sent two in case our guys split up. They followed them around for maybe a couple of days, trying to see if they could take the ships and the people.” said Frank.
“How were they able to follow them? The radar absorbing hull should have made that impossible.”
“The little chase ships were cloaked, and literally followed them as close as possible without touching, keeping them in sight and checking constantly for which little blip on the radar was making turns that no rock could make. Also, every time they went FTL, they calculated which system they were going to, based on direction, and got there first, just waiting for them to show up.” Frank answered.
The two men sat on the flight deck, disturbed about how persistent the slavers had been. They both thought, rather guiltily, that they were lucky that only one of their crew had been taken, instead of all of them.
“Did they take them?” asked Ted.
“I haven’t found out yet. There is so much garbage info in that download that it’s taking all this time to find the things we actually want. For a bunch of slavers, they sure have a lot of recordings and data.”
Ted looked puzzled.
“Data about what? They’re pirates. What could they need all that for?”
Chuckling, Frank said, “You gotta give them some credit, kid. Even if they are slavers, they’re still aliens with space ships and technology and weird guns and tech we’ve never seen. They’ve got info going back years, of all the things they’ve ever done. Reports on what kind of cargo they took, how many slaves captured, how much platinum or cargo they sold each day; all kinds of things.”
“I didn’t figure slavers as the types to do paperwork; seems smart of them.”
Laughing again, Frank said, “Oh, no. They’re absolute fuckin idiots. Think about it. We took just a random ship of theirs. They had all of this just sitting there. I can’t believe they’re still in business. If even one military decided they wanted to take them down, they’d only need to take one ship to get things started.”
Smiling, Ted replied, “So, they’re morons. That makes me feel better.”
“It should. It’ll be that much easier to get the kid back.”
Ted’s smile faded.
“Frank…are we even really sure that the kid is still alive? It’s been over a week.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the flight deck as the men looked at each other.
Finally, Frank answered, “The idea has occurred to me. But, if that is the case, I’m going to make them wish they’d never laid eyes on a human.”
His tone was uncharacteristically rough.
Hesitating a moment, Ted replied, “Things are gonna get bloody aren’t they, Frank?”
Snorting slightly, but answering in a serious tone, he said, “Ted, this was always going to get bloody. The second those idiots took him, no matter what happened, there was gonna be blood.”
Guntraga strode through the corridors of the mine, watching the others work.
Ever since the planning had begun, others had been sharing food with those that were preparing the attack, and it had felt good to not have to break rocks for a change.
He was doing a different kind of work today.
The Vzk’tk had tried speaking to guards twice now. He’d been headed off by Guntraga’s men both times, but they’d been unable to kill him in front of the slavers.
The coward was now hiding from the Locayls, and any others who were in on the plan.
Most of the mine knew about the rebellion now, and had pledged their support; however, a few of the slaves had needed to be…silenced…before they could ruin things.
But, the stupid Vzk’tk had actually turned out to be rather good at hiding. At least, he had up until now.
A Chehnasho slave had found him hiding in an old mined out platinum vein, cowering behind some old broken down equipment, half starved, as he could no longer collect food.
Guntraga wanted the traitor for himself.
Reaching the narrow corridor, he walked inside, finding the same Chehnasho who’d found him, along with several of his own Locayls.
The Vzk’tk was being held on the ground by two of his men.
“Let him up. I want to speak to him.”
As the starved man weakly stood on his feet, he said, “I-I just didn’t want the guards to punish me! Please, I just didn’t want them to kill me!”
Guntraga began to chuckle, “You had a better chance at surviving on our side. I’m going to give you an option. Hold still and behave, and it’ll be quick. If you fight, and try to call for help from the guards, it will be very messy. Am I understood?”
Pure terror was showing on his face now, his legs shaking. Urinating on himself as he began to sob, he begged for another chance.
“No second chances. You had the first one, and you threw it away. Tell me your name. I don’t want to kill you without knowing who you are.”
“Please… I want to live. I had a family.” he said, sobbing harder than ever.
“Your name, Vzk’tk.”
“M-My name is R-Ryxtrkxktkt…” he sobbed.
“The Gaoian would probably spare you if he saw you now. The human, ‘Rob’, definitely would, if the stories are true.”
Guntraga gave an expression of sick enjoyment.
“I’m not a Gaoian or a human.”
The Locayl on Ryxtrkxktkt’s left side suddenly clamped a hand over the Vzk’tk’s mouth, and held him where he stood.
Guntraga moved forward.
It was good to not have to break rocks for a change.
Date point: 4y 11m 1w 6d AV
Ted sat on his bed, holding a small picture in his hands.
Looking at it as if it were his most priceless possession, he stared at it, willing it to give him strength. His son and daughter were older now, nearly ten and eleven; much older than Ted had ever seen them, as Charlotte had been thorough at making sure seeing his children was impossible.
Her social media was blocked from viewing, as was theirs. The school they went to knew about him, and had pictures of him to make sure he could not enter the premises. Her whole street even knew his face, and had been told to call the police if he showed up anywhere near her home.
Charlotte had been thorough to break him.
She had even gloated to him, nearly three years ago, that Kyle and Jessica now called their stepfather ‘Dad’.
But, this picture she could not take from him.
“There’s something I have to do soon, Kyle. Honestly, I’m really scared, and I don’t know if I’m going to make it through this, but it’s something I have to do. Jessica, I don’t think I could look at you or your brother again and not hate myself if I ran away now. Please, both of you, give Daddy the strength he needs to come back to you. I love you both, so much.”
Standing from his bed, Ted buckled his side arm to his hip and moved to walk out the door, but stopped at his dresser, where he placed the precious photo.
Looking at his young son, as Ted had known him, he apologized to Kyle again, for hurting him.
He’d been apologizing for five years.
Jason stood on his flight deck, next to Frank in his chair.
Speaking to Frank, he asked, “How’s the electronic warfare suite doing?”
“The ship is screaming on every frequency and wavelength except for the few small bits of the spectrum that we’ll be using to communicate. Their sensors should be freaking out.”
Nodding, Jason asked, “Is there any indication that they’ve seen us?”
Looking at his screens again, Frank said, “None whatsoever. They don’t even have any ships in the sky right now. But, it looks busy down there. It’s possible that they know something is up. Or, it could just be that something is going on, on the surface.”
Taking a deep breath, Jason said, “As long as they aren’t shooting at us, that’s the best we can hope for right now. Once we’re on the ground, we’ll be safer.”
Looking apprehensive for the first time, Frank said, “I don’t know about that, Jason. I’ve been doing more reading. If they’ve got nerve-jam grenades, we’re dead after getting hit with one.”
Giving Frank a serious look, he said, “Don’t worry about that. I’ve spoken to Drixian. His ship and ours are going to land right next to each other. When he leaves his ship, his guards will help protect both ships. They aren’t affected by nerve-jam grenades nearly as badly. They’ll handle any slavers that have those. You won’t be alone in the fight. I promise.”
Feeling a bit more sure of the plan now, and feeling a bit of the fire return, Frank turned toward the glass of the view ports, and looked at the large gas giant with several moons orbiting it, one of which was their objective.
“Let’s do it then. I want to get this shit-show over with.” Frank said.
“I need to speak to Drixian first, but be ready. I’m going to take that conversation in my quarters.” said Jason, beginning to walk off the flight deck.
Frank turned in his seat, and said, “Jason, about Drixian; don’t trust him. I’ve seen enough sacks of shit to recognize one.”
His face going serious, Jason replied, “I don’t trust him at all, Frank. I fully expect him to turn on us at some point, or try to go back on something we agreed upon. Watch your back around those guys he’s going to put near you.”
“Good luck talking to the ugly asshole.” muttered Frank.
Smiling in spite of the seriousness of what they were about to do, Jason walked into his room and opened a voice communication link with the ship flying right alongside him, using one of their designated frequencies.
“Drixian, we’re ready on our end. We need to discuss tactics.”
A reply came a few second later, tinged with a bit of bloodlust, obvious even through the translated speech.
“They can’t see us. What is there to discuss? We annihilate them using the plan we already devised.”
Rolling his eyes a bit, Jason said, “Using the ships to shoot anything that moves, then landing and then again shooting anything that moves isn’t really a detailed and well thought out plan. I’m talking about actual plans to get your captured Locayl into the fight, and also finding my crew member.”
Silence filled the room as he waited for an answer, which came a few seconds later.
“My Locayl will begin to fight as soon as they see the crest of the Dying Light. Once they realize I have come to fight Kingruta again, we will overwhelm him. As for your crew member, I have no interest in him. You need me to make a distraction to find him, so I shall distract the Plague, by slaughtering them all. My men have been told not to kill you, and that is as far as my help goes.” said Drixian.
Ugh, aliens, thought Jason.
Jason asked, “Will you at least keep your word about leaving men near your ship and mine, and protecting my crew member who will be guarding my ship?”
“That deal still stands; as long as your grey one fights. I’ve seen his metal suit and he will be a powerful person to have protecting my ship.”
Jason let the line go quiet for a minute. Sitting on his bed, he began to think about what they were about to do.
If we weren’t Deathworlders, this would be fucking suicide, he thought.
Realizing that it still could be suicide, Jason got back on the line.
“Let’s get our man.”
Guntraga and ten others stood in front of Tricko, all suffocating in the disgusting smell of the incinerator room, waiting on his word to start the attack.
Tricko was pacing in front of them anxiously, with his two clan brothers standing behind him.
“The guards have nearly deserted the mine, right?”
Guntraga answered, “Yes, there are only a few guards on the catwalks, and the rest are at the entrance.”
“Total number of cannons?” he asked.
Chanuck replied, “Fifty in total, now.”
“Ammunition?”
Ryst replied, pointing to a pile in the corner of the incinerator room, “Five hundred spikes have been collected. They’re all here.”
Stopping his pacing, he asked Guntraga, “Explosives?”
Rumbling in his deep voice, he answered, “Enough for every other slave in the mine to have one, and for the rest of them, we’ve got hand tools that will go through a skull just fine.”
Tricko closed his eyes.
Preparing to be responsible for the lives of every person in the mine, and at fault if they failed, he turned to the assembled leaders.
“Bring your people down here, and get them armed.”
“Captain, they’re all here.”
Kingruta rose from his desk, saying, “Thank you, Bilgrath. Run me through it again, before we get out there. I want to make sure I’ve got it all right, so that I don’t look like an idiot.”
Striding towards the door, followed closely by Bilgrath, the Chehnasho buckled his engraved pistol to his belt.
“Four factions are here, sir. Two of them groups that deal in piracy, slavery, fighting, gambling on the fighting, and generally everything else.”
“The Five Suns, three Vzk’tk’s with an army of Allebenellin. Stupid on top of more stupid. Are all three of the Vzk’tks here?”
Moving through a set of double doors, towards the arena, Bilgrath replied, “No, sir. Only one of the leadership is here, but there’s over two-hundred of the Allebenellin; all in armor. The other organization is that small Robalin group, using their profits on experiments. They have no security.”
“And the other two?”
“Anonymous individual collectors.” replied Bilgrath.
“Right; not present, but they’ve sent representatives and security forces. They both brought about fifty Chehnasho mercenaries, yes?” asked the Captain.
Arriving at the stairway up to the balcony, beside Ryxus’s old room, Bilgrath turned to his superior and said, “You’re ready, sir.”
“Thank you, Bilgrath. I want you to make sure every man is ready for anything to happen. Are the mines secured?”
Grimacing, Bilgrath answered, “They’re a bit undermanned but, before they left, they searched the mine top to bottom. No sign of the Gaoians or weapons. I’ve had ten more plate mounted pulse cannons set up at the front gates, and the number of guards there has been doubled. We’re going to do another search after the buyers leave.”
“I still hold you responsible for the Gaoians having not been found. Very well; that will be all.”
As Bilgrath left, with a sour expression, the Captain climbed the stairs, moving until he stood on his balcony.
He looked down at the kneeling human who was chained at the ankles. The buyers were moving into the bleachers, surrounded on all sides by their security.
Allebenellin sat on one set of bleachers, with one Vzk’tk sitting at the forefront.
Looking at the other sides, he saw a small group of Robalin, then two different Corti with a collection of varied Chehnasho mercenaries.
His own men walked along raised pathways above the proceedings. The pathways were a new addition to the arena walls.
“Gentlemen, thank you for coming to my little auction.” he said, raising his voice.
Nodding at the two guards on the platform, they made the human stand.
“Allow me to reiterate why you are all here.”
All around him, slaves were moving the bodies.
Tricko watched, wondering at what they had managed to do.
With the guards gone, the slaves moved with impunity down to the incineration room.
All around him, Locayls, Vzk’tks, Robalins, Chehnashos and a handful of Gaoians were moving the piles of bodies, exposing the weapons underneath them.
Spike cannons, modified with gravity plates, mounds of powerful explosives packed into metal containers small enough to throw, rock picks, shovels, hammers and all other manner of metal tools.
As they armed themselves, Tricko stood at the entrance of the room, his companions behind him.
“Everyone! Listen!” he shouted.
The rumblings and talking quieted at his voice, and nearly two hundred in the incinerator room and another thousand in the large corridors outside the room began to listen to his words, echoing through the halls. Even more were scattered throughout the mine.
“All of us came here as free men and women.”
Tricko paused and had to swallow his trepidation at speaking in front of so many before he could continue.
“When they brought us here, we had names. We had families. We all had dreams and ambitions.”
He began to pace.
“Your names were stolen from you. Your lives were altered irrevocably.”
They were staring at him, and he felt his nerve to continue talking shake, threatening to give.
“They didn’t care who you were, or where you were going. They only cared that they could work you, until you were dead!”
A grumble of agreement moved through the congregation, spurring him on.
“After taking you, they threw you into this hole, forcing you to either dig or die! You were not important to them. You had no value in their eyes!”
He heard Ryst and Chanuck move closer behind him, and Guntraga began to move towards him.
“How many of your friends have you seen die here?! How many of them are in this room right now?!” he asked, pointing to the bodies that had hidden their weapons.
“Too many.” whispered Guntraga, too quietly for any but the three Gaoians to hear.
“Will you sit and wait, breaking rocks, until it is your turn to join the others in this room?!”
“No!” shouted a lone Vzk’tk.
“It is our turn to kill! We choose who lives and dies today! And I say that every slaver on this moon dies!”
Suddenly, Guntraga roared, shouting at the top of his lungs, “TAKE THESE WEAPONS THAT WE HAVE GIVEN YOU! KILL EVERY GUARD THAT YOU SEE!”
A great roar went up at this, shaking the walls of the corridors.
Looking back at Tricko, Guntraga said, smiling, “You’ve never gotten a crew ready to kill people have you?”
Tricko, taken aback at the interruption, said nothing.
Ryst moved forward, his voice smaller, but still shouting his loudest, “GET TO THE SHIPS! FLY TO THE NEAREST STATION AND YOU WILL BE FREE! KILL ANYONE WHO TRIES TO STOP YOU!”
Another roar rippled through the crowd.
Guntraga shouted again, “GO, NOW! CLAIM YOUR FREEDOM!”
And the slaves began to run, pushing past the Gaoian and his three companions.
Guntraga began to chuckle in his characteristically deep voice, and said, “Good try, little Gaoian. Stick to planning though.”
Tricko, finding his voice again, answered, “Whatever. Let’s get the human and get out of this hell hole.”
Robert stood, listening to the Chehnasho Captain listing off all the things he’d done in his fight with Ryxus.
He made it sound rather impressive, as opposed to horrifying and nightmarish.
Robert had reached the point of becoming so numb to the things that were happening to him, that he almost didn’t care that he was about to be sold to the highest bidder.
He’d been beaten, electrocuted, whipped, cut with fusion blades, watched people die, made people die, and had spent the last few days in total isolation. Being sold didn’t even rate in the top five worst things that had happened in the last week or so.
“Now, shall we begin?” asked Kingruta.
Avoiding looking at the aliens in the bleachers, Robert looked at the two guards standing on either side of him.
It would be a stupid idea, and wouldn’t get him anywhere, except chained to yet another steel floor, covered in more bruises, but, he was pretty sure he’d be able to reach the short fusion blade on the belt of the one on his left.
After cutting his chains, he could give his buyers a firsthand look at what they were buying.
Pushing the urge back, he looked at the sky, just as a great racket of explosions reached his ears, in the direction of the mines.
Kingruta, in the middle of telling the buyers the starting price, paused, looking confused.
“No fucking way.” said Robert, under his breath, eyebrows rising.
Realizing what was happening, the Chehnasho screamed at the men on the catwalks, “Get to the gates of the mine! All of you!”
Beginning to smile, Robert looked at the sky.
The smile slid off of his face.
A cluster of black dots looked like they were speeding towards the slave city.
“Bullshit…”
The ships began firing; coil guns spitting metal at the surrounding buildings.
The explosions from the impacts began to wash over him.
A black ship, with a crest painted onto the front of it, moved to hover over the top of the arena.
Its coil guns oriented themselves to fire on the bleachers, and Kingruta fled.
Robert’s heart began to beat; flooding his body with adrenaline.
The situation had suddenly become do-or-die, and he felt his body wash away any pain that remained in his splotchy bruises.
Robert lunged at the guard next to him and pulled the fusion blade from its sheath.
Slicing through his chains, he began to run, faster than he ever had in his life; moving to the hallway that lead to Ryxus’s room.
As he plunged into darkness, he heard shouting, followed by a tremendous explosion that followed him down the hallway.
Robert ran for his life.