THREE THE HARD WAY
Marius bit into a thick towel while Jovan attempted to suture his still opened wound. He held the top of Marius’ right arm, but every time he stapled another stitch, Marius would wiggle. At the rate they were going, this would take days for them to be finished.
“Quit moving Doctor Marius or I’m not gonna be able to close this cut.”
Marius grumbled as Jovan looked at Gordie who was calmly eating some oatmeal at the other table.
“Hey. Are you busy?”
“No, what’s up?”
“Uh—hold him steady please—so we can get this over with.”
“Oh. Shit. Why didn’t you say something?”
Jovan turned back to Marius, who was shaking his head. Gordie really was a special case.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Put him in a bear-hug or something. But don’t hurt him.”
Gordie threw his hands up. It was important to be specific with him.
“Just keep him from moving. Okay?”
“Fine.”
Gordie wrapped his arms around Marius’ sternum, inter-locking his fingers together.
“Okay. I’m gonna try to finish this in one straight shot. So—sorry if this hurts a lot.”
Jovan stapled Marius’ wound closed in short order. With each successive staple, Marius winced. His lips fluttered as saliva seeped out. Gordie struggled to keep him still. Jovan leaned back wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“Thankfully we’re done. You can let him go Gordie.”
Gordie released his hold on Marius, who immediately spit out the towel. He exhaled while sporting a look of relief.
“How you feeling?” Jovan asked.
“Like I got shot. But—better than before. Thanks Jovan. And you, Gordie. That’s twice I owe you two. If we make it out of this one, make sure to remind me.”
“Well, now that you mention it—”
“Now’s not the time Gordie.”
Something told Jovan that Gordie was about to take him up on his offer. They had way more pressing matters to attend to than Gordie’s desire to fly a StarForger—namely rescuing their friends.
“So what are we gonna do now?” Gordie asked.
The two cadets focused their attention back on Marius. He rubbed his forehead. It wasn’t obvious if he had a plan of action for them or not.
“Well first, we’re gonna have some grub. Enough to sustain us because we’re gonna need our strength. Then—we’re gonna get our buddies back. By any means necessary.”
<>
Gordie stood over the commissary sink rinsing the stink out of the Draconoire helmet. Marius injected an antibiotic into his neck before putting a few extra vials inside the small exterior pocket of Gordie’s backpack. He had already taken a handful of pain-relievers which were acting more like a placebo unfortunately. He tossed the backpack to Jovan.
“What do you want me to do with this?”
“Put it on, the opposite way.”
“Why is it so heavy?”
“Because I had Gordie put our sidearms in it.”
“And my grappling hook.”
They both turned to Gordie. Confusion reigned supreme. He stopped washing the helmet and looked at them. He must have felt their eyes on him.
“What?”
“Why would you pack your grappling hook?” Marius asked.
“Because I always pack my grappling hook. Besides, you never know, right? Better to be safe than sorry.”
“He’s got you there, sir.”
“That he does.”
Jovan put the backpack over his chest. He pointed behind him for some help. Marius still needed to secure the backpack clips, so their weapons wouldn’t knock about inside.
“Sir, can you explain again how the Draconoires won’t notice Jovan wearing a backpack? I mean it’s beyond full.”
“I cannot.”
“So you expect them to see it?”
“I don’t expect anything Gordie. I’m hopeful—that these assholes just won’t give a shit.”
Jovan and Gordie looked at one another. Neither seemed exactly comfortable with what Marius was selling, but time wasn’t their ally and a decision had to be made. At some point they were either going to try and locate the other cadets or they would be discovered by the rest of the Draconoires.
“Guys, I understand your hesitation, but we’ve got a real situation here. You saw Dee-Dee and Ozone. These bastards are playing for keeps. The kind of creeps that won’t hesitate to put a bullet through your skull.”
“Now there’s a happy visual if I’ve ever seen one.” Jovan said.
“Look, I know you’re scared. Trust me, I am too. But I’m not worried for me. I’m worried for Orion. And June. And Callista. And Andrew. And Rio. I’m worried for all of us. If either of you wanna hang back, I’m not gonna stop you. But I can’t leave my kids. Not like this.”
Gordie and Jovan looked at one another for a moment.
“We’re with you Doctor Marius.” Jovan said.
“Thank you.”
“So what do you need us to do?” Gordie asked.
Marius grabbed the Draconoire helmet and put it on. He secured it tightly.
“Put the helmet on. Then help me get Jovan up.”
Marius sat on Jovan’s right side. He checked the backpack clips one more time to confirm they were secure. Jovan draped his right arm over Marius’ left shoulder and his left arm over Gordie’s right.
“Ready?” Marius asked.
“Yes sir.” The cadets said in unison.
“On the count of three. One, two, three.”
Marius and Gordie stood up with Jovan clinging to them. Marius loudly grimaced. Even though Jovan was hanging over his strong shoulder, the physical movement made his eyes briefly roll back into his head.
“Are you sure you’re all right, Doctor Marius?” Jovan asked.
“No—but I’ll live—and from this point forward, I’m gonna need you to be unconscious. So keep your eyes closed, head low and for God sakes, don’t—say—a word.”
“Yes sir.”
“Let’s move.”
Marius and Gordie moved in unison to the exit. Marius unlocked the commissary door via the control panel. There was a chance the Draconoires were waiting on the other side of the door, but that was a risk they had to take.
They exited the commissary and traveled towards the rear of the Red Rover to the still opened airlock. Marius peeked ahead of them. The coast was clear. They had been fortunate that none of the other Draconoires had come looking for Lax and Phagon.
“Okay, let’s turn him around.”
They leaned Jovan face first against the corridor wall. They then hooked his shoulders.
“Just let your body go limp Jovan. We’ve got you.”
“Okay. I’m good.”
“How ‘bout you? You ready Gordie?”
Gordie nodded. Marius would have to take him at his word. They only had one chance at this, so they each needed to play their role to a tee.
“Come on.”
They dragged Jovan across the bridge and entered the transport corridor.
“Ugh, this helmet still smells like shit.”
“Quiet Gordie. Just let me do all of the talking. And keep your head limp and your eyes closed Jovan.”
Just up ahead—with his back to them—had to be the burliest, most immense of the Draconoires Marius had seen thus far. From the way he stood, he seemed like he was the one responsible for maintaining this area of the space-station. They brought Jovan forward as the giant Draconoire turned around. They were caught.
“Who’s this?”
“We found this one hidden inside the alien vessel. We’re gonna take him to Felicity and let them put him to work.”
The Draconoire looked closely at Jovan, before returning his gaze to Marius and Gordie.
“Have you alerted Goysha of this?”
“Why do you think we need a vessel? Or would you prefer us to disturb Naqwin instead?”
The Draconoire paused. He seemed hesitant. Marius was banking on him being unwilling to double check whether he was telling the truth. He had done his best to memorize every name and phrase any of the Draconoires said in his presence.
“Take vessel Four-Anwa.”
Marius nodded. He turned to Gordie.
“Come on Phagon. Carrying this sepulwan is making my skin crawl.”
They dragged Jovan away not daring to turn around for fear of arousing suspicion in the Draconoire.
“Hey!”
Marius stopped as did Gordie.
“What’s that rattle?”
Marius sighed. He was clearly talking about the sidearms that were bouncing around against one another inside the backpack.
“Turn with me Gordie.” He whispered.
They turned Jovan slightly so Marius could face the Draconoire.
“His bones. We gave the sepulwan a much-needed work-out.”
The Draconoire scoffed and smiled. That may have done the trick. They entered the main area of the space-station. The revelry of the Draconoire ranks was ongoing. The area was so busy and vast—he wasn’t exactly sure which direction they should go.
“Do you see Four-Anwa?”
“No. But I do see the number four.”
“Good eye Gordie. Let’s go that way.”
They traveled through the bazaar, avoiding the other Draconoires on their way to transport corridor four. This one was unguarded. The first port on their right was 4A. The next one was for 4B. The numbers continued up until 4F.
“Four-Anwa. I’m guessing Anwa is the letter A. Come on.” Marius said.
They crossed the bridge to the opened cargo ship. Once inside, they propped Jovan against the wall, keeping him out of sight.
“Gordie. Hold Jovan for a second. I need to close this thing. Don’t move Jovan.”
Gordie helped Jovan stay upright while Marius checked the ship’s control panel. The buttons were unfamiliar, so he looked for symbols. He noticed one of the buttons was a square border while a second button had no border. It was totally shaded. He touched the shaded button as the side air-lock closed.
“Ha. Would you look at that? I’m fluent in Draconoire. We’re clear.”
“Great. Can I put Jovan down now?”
“You better not Gordie.”
“But you’re freaking heavy man.”
“Here. Let me help you.”
Marius assisted Gordie in keeping Jovan upright. Marius winced from the pain in his shoulder.
“Pain killers don’t seem to be working.” Jovan said.
“Trust me they are. I don’t know what they shot me with, but it’s fuckin’ agony. Bet on me being this way until we get everybody back.”
Marius sighed. He would just have to power through the pain. When they were in flight, he would take another anti-biotic. Hopefully that would nullify some of it. They brought Jovan into the cockpit, setting him down gently in the pilot seat.
“Aww man. This just keeps getting harder and harder.” Gordie said.
“Holy shit!’ Jovan freaked.
“What happened?” Marius asked.
“Do you see this equipment?”
“I thought you could fly it.”
“Fly it? I don’t even know how to turn it on.”
In Marius’ haste, he had totally forgotten that this was the first time either Jovan or Gordie had seen the Draconoire technology. How could they be expected to instantaneously do what he needed them to do? What he needed to do was slow down and think things through more carefully.
“I don’t mean to be an asshole, but we really need you to figure this out and fast. There’s no telling how much time we have before the shit hits the fan.”
Jovan looked at Marius for a moment. God bless him, he never wanted to ever let anyone down. It was an admirable trait that was for sure.
“Okay, okay. Let’s do it. Gordie. I’m gonna need a co-pilot. And I’m also gonna need that helmet, Doctor Marius.”
“The helmet, for what?”
“Because we don’t want anyone to see my face while we’re doing this.”
“Copy that.”
Marius removed the Draconoire helmet and handed it to Jovan. He then sunk to the floor of the cockpit behind the pilot seats to stay out of sight and try to alleviate some of his pain. There would be no micromanagement from here on out. That was a lesson he had already learned with Callista. His two cadets had earned his complete trust.
“I think I got it.”
Jovan flicked a few switches.
“Yup, we’re on.”
“Never had a shred of doubt.”
Marius closed his eyes. The only thing he could do now was rest while Jovan and Gordie flew the ship. And if ever anyone needed to do so, it was him.
<>
Vasudevan silently fumed as he continued to wait with Quaye, Zephter and their three captives. Coriz still had yet to grace them with an appearance. There was never a doubt in his mind that this act was deliberate. The Felicians seemed to have grandstanding in their genetic material.
That was almost certainly how they ruined their world in the first place—with an insolence that wreaked of self-importance. They may not have liked the Draconoires as a stripe, but they required their services too much. Brutugar had accurately pegged these sepulwan early on. When the mission was complete the Felicians would be in for a rude awakening.
Moments later, the second Felician cavalier re-appeared. Behind him was the Felician technology minister, Coriz, and a youngish Lodrican female. Coriz wore a black helmet, which signified her standing within the Felician hierarchy.
“Greetings Coriz. Please be advised that Naqwin sends his regards.” He said.
“I very much doubt that Draconoire.”
Insolent kink sepulwan. It was comments like that—that would assist in expediting their demise. Vasudevan shrugged off her self-satisfied response, keeping his composure. In this moment, he immediately thought of Benbris. Had he been here with him and Quaye, an incident would have been sure to follow.
<>
Callista stood awkwardly as the one they called Coriz looked her up and down. She paced back and forth, surveying her, Rio and June like they were on an auction block. Across from them was a woman wearing the same beaded gold shackles on her wrists as them. That’s where the similarities ended as this woman was nose-less and had gills running vertically on both sides of her neck. Good to know that the Draconoires were equal-opportunity pieces of crap. Apparently, no one was safe if they were around.
The gilled woman’s eyes were vacant, like all the spark had been extinguished. It was impossible to tell just how long she had been kept here, but her body language told Callista that she was emotionally broken. That was a look she had seen many times in the mirror.
Coriz came to a stop in front of Rio. She stood for a brief moment before flicking her finger in Rio’s direction.
“This one.”
Two of the local soldiers grabbed Rio, who immediately fought back against their grasp.
“Wait. Stop. Let me go. You can’t do this.”
“Rio!” Callista and June yelled simultaneously.
The debilitating pain returned as Callista fell to the floor. Her hands soon began changing colors as the blood flow was hindered. The pain was so intense, if someone would have offered to hack her wrists from her body in this very moment, she may well have accepted.
Just as quickly as the pain had incapacitated her body—did it subside—her cheeks were flush while her eyes puffed. The Draconoires possessed the ultimate cheat code when it came to their arsenal. These shackles had the power to render them helpless in seconds. They would not be easily defeated so long as they controlled such a dangerous weapon.
“Thank you. Now—what would Naqwin like in return?” Coriz asked.
“The usual.”
Coriz looked away for a brief moment before turning back to their captors.
“Very well. Go Draconoire. Before I change my mind. And take the Lodrican with you. She’s useless.”
“As you wish. Let’s go sepulwan.”
June helped Callista back to her feet.
“We gotta get that remote thingy somehow, it’s our only chance.” She whispered.
Callista nodded. Great minds had been thinking alike. The two Draconoires led them outside back to their ship. The further they were removed from the atrium, the worse the weather became. They couldn’t have walked for longer than ten minutes, if that and it was like they were now in a totally different place. The winds were powerful and chilling.
“Stop!”
They all stopped as the cargo ship rear ramp had just been extended. The commanding officer of the two Draconoires pointed his weapon at them.
“Lighten our load.”
His second-in-command holstered his weapon before approaching the Lodrican woman. He snatched her by her hair. She screamed in terror but unfortunately there would be no one coming to rescue her. The Draconoire led her to the edge of the air fortress. Callista gulped as she and June exchanged looks.
“Shhh—you need not be afraid. This will all be over soon.”
The Lodrican was trembling. How could she not be? It was evident what was about to be done to her. Not that Callista wanted to believe that anyone could be so cruel. The Draconoire held the Lodrican’s wrists down. He attempted to raise her head. Almost like he wanted to see the fear in her eyes. She refused to give him the satisfaction. And with that, he tossed her over the side.
She released an ear-curdling scream—disappearing into the clouds below—which effectively muted them. Callista shook her head. She had never experienced anything as sadistic as this. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing redeeming about these Draconoires, they were evil incarnate.
“If you two were having any reservations regarding who was in charge here, I am hopeful that we have been able to remedy that.”
To think that such a well-spoken creature could be capable of such brutality. It was unconscionable.
“Now—if you would be so kind as to re-board our vessel, unless of course you would prefer to join the Lodrican in oblivion.”
Callista and June glanced at one another. Even if they wanted to fight back, doing so here would only lead to certain death. Better to live and fight another day. They walked up the ramp as the Draconoires followed them inside.
June walked straight to the cabin square and sat within its borders as Callista joined her. A moment later, the ion cage fenced them. Lord only knew where the Draconoires were taking them next.