The Xeeg prisoners had been segregated from others, and were being interviewed. They ate fish, which was good because we had lots of bottom feeders handy that Earth people wouldn’t eat anymore. I hoped those alien bastards developed tumors from all the toxins in the fish. Not that I was feeling vindictive, but they’d killed a lot of my men, and we didn’t have any Geneva Convention agreement with aliens…screw ‘em.
The Horde beings were held by Special Forces soldiers in a couple of compartments on the second ship. We had removed one from the first captured Horde ship because we had an ‘interview’ room that would serve as a holding cell for that one, but the other ten in the second ship had to be held there ‘til a containment facility was moved on base. Those suckers were big, and quick. Only our accelerated reflexes, strength, and weapons held them in check. A smaller one had tried to overpower one of our SF troops. The SF soldier grabbed behind its head, slammed it to the deck, ‘til it was unconscious, and threw it across the room. The other friggin’ serpents – so I’m told – looked at each other, and did nothing.
Carole had ten sets of adhesive disks to hold the serpents’ tentacles in check. Carole took over ten sets, and dog muzzles that would just fit. She had placed them on the largest Horde being in the room when it happened. She felt a shock when her exposed skin touched its flesh. The room went dark, and she lost consciousness.
Outside Hangar Six – Wallups Island
The second captured ship disappeared from the base. It was off screen very quickly as it literally blinked through the sensor net in an odd direction. I was crazed, and mad as Corey reported that Carole had been on that ship that escaped. I worried that all our technologies would be laid bare to the Horde. They would have examples of our tech, and beings to manipulate. I was distraught with worry. I feared the worst while my fellow soldiers celebrated their victory. Yaloo came up to me afterward.
“You are right to worry, but you must prepare. We need new weapons for what we will now encounter. The Horde will not allow a victory to become known – they will throw everything they have at us. It will only be a matter of time. They will know us – know our tricks, and have new technology. It will not be long before they interrogate their prisoners, and break them.”
“Do you know where they will take them?” I asked.
“I have some idea – are you thinking…no…really? I am – as you say – in on it. I really like this Jack Daniels, and your women are inquisitive. I am in…when do we go?”
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Please read further in the exciting conclusion with ODYSSEY.
ODYSSEY
“I thought you said you knew where they would be taken,” I said.
“This is where I knew we needed to go to find succor,” he said. “I was trained to fight the Horde – to find allies. I definitely think you are an ally.”
“Succor…never should have taught you English. I thought I rescued you. I understand you were bred to resist conditioning, but we have to do this fast. You know we can contact Carole through our personality core clones no matter where she is?” I said.
“I did not. Cort never told me.”
Corey thought
– Richard. I can sense everything she sees, and hears, but I cannot sense where they are. They could be anywhere. The dimensions I reside in cover more than this galaxy. I hid details from Cort.
Well fine – she can be anywhere…great help. What is her status?
Are you sure you want to know?
Yes dammit. I need to know.
You’ll just get upset
, Corey related.
Too late Corey…I’m already upset.
Richard felt the impact of Corvette’s link to Carole.
Oh Richard. I thought you couldn’t hear me. I’m so alone. They’ve stripped us of our armor, and they ate one of the soldiers. They implanted some device in my neck near the rear base of my skull. They can project electrical impulses through flesh-to-flesh contact like an eel. That was how they shocked me unconscious, and turned my weapons on the soldiers. Those soldiers killed all, but three of the snakes, and those three are taking us somewhere. They control the remaining two soldiers with the implanted device. It makes them feel pleasure, or pain. It doesn’t work on me because of my nanites. I am trying to give some of my self-replicating nanites to the other soldiers so they can fight the conditioning.
Those soldiers are still being uncooperative, but I saw the Horde looking at a display of stars when they first questioned me. We are headed to Sagitarrius somewhere according to Corvette. Come get me Richard. Ah oh – here they come. Lucky they like the males for some reason – guess they’re saving me for last. I will let you know what they’re planning if I can – they talked about gathering a fleet, and then another argued, and said they should just destroy our sun.
Corey suddenly cut off the contact.
I will summarize what she says, but you cannot function listening to the pain of others. It looks like there are so few that they are struggling to control their ship. They must have had others do it for them before. They seem like they are not skilled in navigation. We have to find out when they will return, and in what numbers. Carole may be the inside link to see if they can duplicate our weapons. Your link to Hamilton is the only way to let them know on Earth what is happening here…
Odyssey is the final part of this series – find out what happens on Earth, and the galactic conflict.