Jallis shrugged and stepped back. "Hey, I’m in construction, I build buildings, we do it like that all the time."
Go gave a look of consternation. "I bet your buildings don’t fly, do they? And I would also bet they don’t have to take the rigors of space. Just get away from it. I’ll make these repairs. You two would just get yourselves killed."
Jallis laughed. "We’ve been trying to do that for the past week. And we would have succeeded if you hadn’t intervened."
Go shook his head. "Look, if you want to help, if you want to learn something, hand me that cutter over there. This has to be chopped off clean before attempting a refit."
I chuckled as I turned to Garrett. "He’s a good kid."
Garrett nodded. "He cleaned the entire inside of that ship on his way back here. He was complaining that I was tracking mud onto his clean floors. But I will tell you what, he did a thorough job of it. I will give him credit for being good at what he has undertaken so far. I looked over the flight videos of his approach and kill of that gunship. It was textbook. The kid is a good pilot as well."
I sat down on a bench in the cargo hold and slowly moved my shoulder around, wincing in pain each time it reached a certain position.
Garrett looked over the outer bandage. "You got some dirt on that. You might want to clean that out."
I brushed what dirt I could off the bandage. "Gruntas aren’t prone to infections. It will be fine until I can get to a surgeon. That cauterizing job you two did was kind of amazing. I haven’t seen that used before by my people. We have drugs and materials that are applied in a surgical setting for deep wound repair. Our normal healing time is about half that of Humans."
Jallis turned back. "Yeah, we are the same. I think that soft flesh they call skin is their weak link."
Garrett pulled his head back. "Hey, let’s not be ganging up on the Humans here. I’m sure we have our good points as well. We did fight and win to create the AMP, after all."
Jallis laughed. "You also gave us the New Alliance!"
I said, "The New Alliance isn’t all Humans. Of the twelve families, only seven are Human."
Go turned back towards us with a huff. "Your arguing is not helping my concentration. Isn’t there anything productive you three can do?"
Garrett smirked. "He saved the day once and now he's in charge?"
With Go’s interjection, we each got up and began the tasks required to piece the
Heap
back together. Layda emerged from her cleanup, and Jallis was sent in. By the time the Telfor sun had fallen behind the surrounding hillsides, all four of us had cleaned ourselves up, rebandaged, and settled in for our first good night’s sleep. Go took sentry duty in the
Jess
while we slept. The following day, we would free a planet!
As the sun dawned on Telfor, we rose and got to work. The conduits were repaired and the ship raised from the mud and set down properly on its landing gear. As Garrett worked to repair the top turret, I pulled up maps of Telfor that Garrett had scanned in during the weeks before while he was observing. We had the location of every mine on the planet and were soon mapping out our intended assault plans.
The cargo hold of the
Heap
would be emptied and loaded with Free Feldon fighters. The
Jess
would go in, disabling the outside guard positions, and the free fighters would follow up by taking prisoner or killing every Talisan they could find. There were more than eight hundred mines that needed liberation. We hoped that when the inevitable became clear, the remaining Talisan guards would simply give up.
As it turned out, without orders coming in from their fleet, the guards gave up without a fight. Within three days, at final count, we had taken possession of more than three thousand blaster rifles. During the AMP days, that number would have rivaled the total number of blasters in the whole of Omega. An army that had been trained and outfitted with such could easily take control of the sector.
As we flew along in the
Heap
, I began to think back on the AMP. There had been no war since its creation. There were no armies and no military. Except for the wormhole portals, movement between stars remained a long task. It was thought that there would certainly not be a threat between galaxies, but someone, somewhere else, had apparently figured out the secret of the wormhole portal. A secret that had been hidden away from us.
The citizens of the six galaxies had been at peace for two thousand standard years. Blasters had been limited to the security forces. Those forces had only needed to handle small events such as between rival towns when it came to high profile sporting events. It was police work. A military had not not required.
Now, however, the Orwallians had seen fit to sell blasters to whoever came calling. Rebellions and revolutions were beginning to take place. Whole populations were being enslaved. The security force no longer had the means to quell any but the smallest outbreaks of unrest.
With enough credits, and with the right connections, a common criminal could now get his or her hands on a blaster. The availability meant the six galaxies were becoming violent. The two-thousand-year-old no-weapons policy was now showing its one weakness. It was quickly becoming apparent that with governments in chaos, and with ion weapons outlawed, only outlaws would have ion weapons. The common citizen had few options when it came to self-defense.
We set the
Heap
down on the plateau of the mine where we had been enslaved. Nearly two million Feldons, and a handful of other species, had been liberated. We now had a new problem that we had not planned for: the logistics of feeding and governing two million freed slaves, many of whom were in need of medical attention. Managing the aftermath was not going to be an easy task.
Jallis began a conversation. "There are farms on this planet that were used to feed part of this populace. We also have the planet of Effica to claim if anyone no longer has a home to return to. I would also like to start the Free Feldon army, train for an assault, and go after the Talisans on their home world. It is time that those cannibals were taught a lesson in what it means to be a captive."
Layda replied. "Maybe it’s time we think bigger. The Talisans love to fight. If we achieve their home world surrender, maybe we can enlist them into our army. You know, have them fight and die for us."
Jallis winced. "Are you nuts? What Feldon is going to fight alongside a Talisan? They made us cook and eat our own flesh!"
Layda shook her head. "That is only rumor. And even so, why put our own people in harm’s way, if we can send the Talisans instead? Would you just have them all put to death?"
Jallis stood in disgust. "They are certainly worthy of it. How many Feldons did they kill?"
I stood and placed my hand on Jallis’s shoulder. "Please, just sit. We have to feed your people first. What happens next will be up to all the free Feldons and not just the two of you."
Jallis settled himself and sat down. "Layda, I would first like to apologize. This is a simple discussion, and I shouldn't have gotten so heated."
Layda smiled. "We are discussing the lives of our people. It’s only natural that we be passionate about it. No apology is necessary."
I shook my head. "OK, now that we have that settled, I say we start at Mine-44 and work our way through each of the mines, giving them a comm channel to communicate with us. We need to go out and get ships that can transport these people back to their homes, and we will need food to keep them alive until we can find sufficient transport."
Layda spoke. "The Talisans brought us all here. They must have transports."
I replied, "If I take Garrett and Go to the Talisan home world to negotiate a surrender, would the two of you be able to coordinate feeding your people and keeping them in line until we returned? If a surrender happens, I will make every attempt to send every transport I can this way."
Jallis replied, "I don’t think we have any other choice. If you three can accomplish that, we can begin to move our people home."
Garrett came into the cargo hold. "The top turret has been repaired. I would suggest you get a team together to help you with patching the hull; there are an awful lot of holes."
I stood. "We have a new mission, Garrett. You, I, and Go are going to pay a visit to Dallex. Our goal will be to get them to surrender on peaceful terms, and to join with the Feldons, if needed, to take this sector away from the Governor. We have three thousand blasters now, and with the firepower of the
Jess
, it shouldn’t be an issue."
Garrett smiled. "Get me back in my ship, and I will be happy to help."
Go entered the conversation. "If it’s all the same, since Garrett will be taking back his ship, I would like to stay here to work on the
Heap
. If this is going to be the flagship of the Feldon fleet, it is going to need a lot of work. The hull design and plating aren’t bad, but they could be greatly improved. I think I would be most useful here. Besides, I can’t go back to the security force on SS241 after disappearing for several weeks. Malcom would see to it that I was locked up for it."
I nodded. "I’m certain they could use your expertise right now. Help them in any way you can."
Soon after the conversation ended, the
Jess
rose up through the clouds of Telfor at an ever-increasing speed. We were on our way to the Dallex colony, the home world of the Talisans and the hub of their slave trade. It was a three-day journey in the
Jess
.
Go came over the comm. "Sorry I forgot to mention it, but I made a few adjustments to your systems while I was flying with nothing else to do. Your ion thrusters have been synchronized; that should add about 3 percent to your maximum speed. I reorganized your nav screens as well. It should take fewer swipes to get to the screens of interest now. Oh, and the captain’s chair now reclines; that one was my favorite given the limited tools I had available."
Garrett scowled as he began to move through his nav screens. "I can’t believe you messed with my ship. You don’t do that without asking!"
I replied, "I’m sure he can change those back if needed."
Garrett tilted his head. "Hmm. I do like what he did with this set. I always found those extra couple of hops it took to display what you wanted annoying."
I half smiled. "And the captain’s chair?"
Garrett found the lever that had been added to the side of the chair and leaned it back. "Hmm. OK, I guess we can keep these, but any changes from now on need to go through me first."
I laughed. "I was just thinking about the
Heap
. I wonder what it will look like by the time we return. It might not be recognizable."
As the flight continued, we got into a discussion about Joni Salton.
Garrett said, "I had hoped I could be back there searching for her by now. I feel like every day we are stuck out here, our chances of finding her drop."
I nodded. "Until we can send you on a legitimate trade mission there, I don’t think it will be safe to go. If we can get the Governor unseated from power again, we can do whatever we want out here. If we can get the Feldons straightened out and the Talisans in line, removing the Governor should not take long."
Garrett replied, "I hope you are right. The fact that she is still missing just eats at me every day."
I smiled. "It’s called love. Nothing can distract the mind like trouble with a relationship."
Garrett half smiled. "Well, it’s not a relationship. At least not from her side, anyway. I’ll admit I have feelings for her."
I placed my hand on Garrett’s shoulder. "We will find her, Garrett Rourke. We will find her and bring her back to her family. If she is alive, they will no longer hunt for you."
Garrett nodded. "I guess I’m out of luck either way, huh. If we don’t find her, I am a hunted man. If we find her and bring her back, they won’t let me near her. Regardless, it’s something I have to do."
As we came into the Dallex system, a dozen gunships came out to meet us. After a short discussion about needing to talk to the emperor, we were escorted to the capital city of Remar. Remar had a single steel structure that rose up almost three thousand meters. The buildings that surrounded it were low and squatty, with flat roofs. Everything was painted the same rust-brown color. It would hardly be described as a place of wonder or beauty.
Garrett set down on top of a building beside the tall structure. After I stepped out through the hatch, Garrett lifted off into orbit. It was a place where he could easily defend himself if needed. I was taking a risk by talking to the Talisan Emperor in person, but it was the best I could do on short notice. The Feldons, although now well armed, were not trained for combat and had no fleet of ships, which an assault would require.
I was escorted across a long, elevated walkway into the tall structure. I was told the tower was the Emperor’s private residence and that it was a high honor for an alien to be invited up. The elevator ride took fourteen seconds to reach the top floor. An inertial dampening field and reverse gravity saw to it that the ride was comfortable. Other than the visual of the landscape below moving away, it was difficult to tell that the elevator was moving at all.
When the doors opened, I was escorted into a great room with thirty-meter-high ceilings. Massive glass windows lined the exterior walls, allowing a 360-degree view of the city and surrounding lands. Again, the rust-brown color of the buildings left a less-than-desirable visual impression.
I was escorted to a wide table that had a large, opulent chair on one side and a single hard bench on the other. I guessed correctly at which seating arrangement was for me. As I made myself comfortable beside the bench, the Talisan Emperor entered the room.
The Emperor wore a plush blue velvet robe, with a white fur-lined collar. A crown of sorts made from the golden feathers of some type of bird made a ring around his forehead. The rotund Talisan Emperor and his two colorful Magonia escorts were a ridiculous sight. I had to work hard to keep myself from laughing.
When the Emperor had been seated, I sat as well.
The Talisan Emperor cleared his throat and began, "I am Emperor Goonrag. I am told that your actions have cost us the production on Telfor. And you have the audacity to come here to my world? That does not seem like a wise action. It is, however, intriguing enough for me to want to listen to what you have to say."
I said, "My name is Knog Beutcher. I am the spokesman for the Free Feldons. Emperor, the slave trade in the Omega sector is over. I am here to offer you a peaceful route back to being a nation of equal status among the other worlds here. The Feldons that just took Telfor, they are prepared to bring their army here. I, on the other hand, have asked for them to instead consider other options."
The Emperor scowled and then laughed. "Why would I consider any offer from that rabble? A few million freed slaves are of no threat to Dallex, or to my other colonies!"
I leaned forward. "That rabble has more than three thousand blasters, and they are more than willing to make use of them."
The Emperor again laughed. "Mr. Beutcher. My army has four million trained soldiers. All of those soldiers now have blasters. Your tiny Feldon slave army is hardly a match for the power of the Talisans. Here is a peaceful solution that I would suggest that you take back to them. I am a businessman. I have production from Telfor that I have promised to clients. If your Free Feldons lay down their paltry arms, and if they go back to work in the mines, I will refrain from slaughtering them like the galligs they are!"
I pursed my lips. "I see. You do realize that an army of that size requires a fleet to move it around? Most of your gunships were destroyed at Telfor."
The Emperor again laughed. "I don’t know why I wasted time with you, Mr. Beutcher. That was hardly the Talisan fleet. The fleet is busy adding a new colony to my empire. When they return in three days, I will send them on to Telfor, and we will see just how rebellious the Feldons are. Oh, by the way, the Feldon home world of Krakus—that would be where my fleet is currently entertaining itself. The Feldons may as well stay and work, for they have nowhere else to go!"
I stood. "I guess we are done here, then."
The Emperor stopped his laugh and smiled. "Yes, yes. We are done. I will say, though, that this is not going to be a complete waste of time, Mr. Beutcher. This meeting, before it is fully over, will provide value."
I replied, "How’s that?"
The Emperor clapped his hands together. "My people like to be entertained, Mr. Beutcher. They love their Emperor, because he gives them things to talk about, things that build pride in being a Talisan."
The two Magonia escorts came over to the Emperor’s chair. "Please bring the video-to-the-people online. I have a message for them that I believe they will not want to miss."