Omega Force 5: Return of the Archon (29 page)

“I am unaware of any of those incidents, my lord,” Zellon said.

“Do I really need to tell you this is a conversation not to be repeated?” Crusher asked him.

“Absolutely not, my lord,” Zellon said emphatically, eager to ensure he survived the conversation at all.

“Very well, you’re free to go,” Crusher said. “But there is one more thing … you are now an active asset of mine. Anything you learn beyond what you’ve already told me and you’re to report directly to Morakar Reddix. Is that clear?”

“Perfectly clear, my lord,” Zellon said, standing and bowing his head deeply.

“Go,” Crusher said. The warrior wasted no time edging around the people standing in the cramped room and making a hasty escape. Not wanting to risk the Lord Archon changing his mind, he could be heard running full speed down the darkened corridor. “Well isn’t this an interesting development,” Crusher said after he’d gone.

“This is getting confusing as hell,” Kage said. “Who would know how to fake your digital signature?”

“I think the answer is simpler than that,” Crusher said. “With me gone there was ample time for someone to gain access to my office and acquire my encryption codes. It would be safer than trying to fake it and getting caught.”

“So what do we do now?” Morakar asked.

“You two make yourselves scarce,” Crusher said. “I’m going to go have a little chat with the Praetores of your Order.”

*****

"Lord Felex," Fordix said mildly, "do come in." The comment was made after Crusher flung the door to his offices open hard enough to damage the handle when it smashed into the wall.

"What do you know of troops being deployed within Ker that are on active assignment?" Crusher asked, ignoring the quip. "Did you know a hundred of our combat landers are also loitering in the area?"

"Since when do you concern yourself with the day to day operations of the Legions?" Fordix asked.

"Since when have you decided you are allowed to not answer my questions?" Crusher countered, not in the mood for a "teachable moment" from his old mentor.

"You seem quite agitated by this," Fordix said, still not directly answering the question. "What is this special interest in what appears to me to be simply a routine troop movement?"

"And again you seem to completely—" Crusher's words died in a strangled curse as he stiffened in shock and fell to the floor without even an attempt at catching himself. He couldn't move his limbs at all and his jaw was clenched shut, but he could still move his eyes. They tracked to the right to see Connimon walk around him, an odd apparatus in her hand. She looked down at him sadly before addressing Fordix.

"The device has a firm grip," she said, looking at the small disc with six barbed legs that she had pressed into Crusher's neck. "Nearly all of his voluntary functions are disabled."

"Can he speak?" Fordix asked, also walking up to gaze down at Crusher.

"No," she said. "Even the eye movements will eventually be suppressed. If the device stays attached too long it will begin to shut down his involuntary functions as well."

"There was no other way," Fordix told her gently. "Leave the control with me and continue your preparations." She nodded without speaking, seeming quite distraught. She handed the long-handled device she'd been carrying to Fordix and quickly left the room.

"She really is a gentle soul," Fordix said as Crusher's eyes blazed at him with unbridled hatred. "I can see it was wise for me to have you ... disabled. I'd thought a few times of approaching you, asking for your help even, but you're far too high-minded for that. You simply can't grasp the bigger picture, can you? That's been one of your greatest weaknesses all your life. I do regret this most undignified ending for you, but you're far too dangerous to confront directly."

Fordix walked behind Crusher and lifted him up by his armpits, dragging him over and propping him up into a slouching position in a large chair.

"There," he said. "We'll want to get that done before your arms and legs stiffen up too badly. This really isn't anything personal, Felex, but from that look in your eyes I can see you'll never see it that way. Which, unfortunately, means I can't leave you alive when I depart.

"To be honest, you've surprised me a bit. The old Felex wouldn't have been concerned with anything out of the ordinary. Only your own ego and glory drove you. Forgive me if I sound disrespectful, for I have nothing but the highest regard for your position ... but I've been less than enamored with you personally. All those years of raising you, advising you, trying to make you into something you had no interest in being: a real leader for our people." Fordix began to pace the room, his speech becoming more agitated as emotions pent up for decades overcame him.

"You were the most gifted warrior born in generations," he continued, almost seeming to forget Crusher was even sitting there. "Size, speed, power, instinct ... you were the epitome of what a Galvetic warrior could be. Yet you failed miserably in your most important task. We have been under Galvetor's boot for centuries and you did nothing but strengthen that hold. So many of us hoped for so much when it became apparent that you would be the next Guardian Archon. Our chance to be free of the homeworld's stifling influence was at hand, and then you betrayed us all by agreeing with nearly every accord passed down by a corrupt ruling body bent on keeping us subjugated.

"Now our chance to end this virtual slavery is at hand. With the infighting on Galvetor about how much outside influence they should accept or exert, we were able to convince certain members of both political sides that the Legions would be open to supporting their cause. They will welcome us with open arms, and by the time they realize we're not there to participate in their petty squabbling it will be too late. We will remove the current, corrupt government and negotiate a new existence with Galvetor. If they refuse ... well, we'll already have ten thousand warriors in the capital." Fordix walked to the wall-length window and looked out over the city, idly twirling the device Connimon had given him in his left hand. He looked back at Crusher with an emotionless gaze.

"I knew you'd never agree to this," he said. "You would never have come back if you suspected that your only role in this operation was to provide the Order with a unified Legion. I'm not sure if it's a lack of courage, a lack of conviction, or simply a lack of moral fortitude, but I knew you could never be trusted to act in our best interests. You've been a puppet of Galvetor your entire life, a dancing fool, and you took to your role gladly. At least in this, your last act, you will have done something to help your people."

He walked over to the large desk that was in the center of the office and picked up a short, wickedly curved sword. He dropped the device he'd been carrying on the desk in its place. He pulled out a com unit and spoke into it, ignoring Crusher as he paced the office. "This is Fordix, you're clear to begin the operation. Good luck and I will meet you there shortly." He flicked the device off and slipped it back into a pocket.

"As I said, this is not the warrior's death I would have preferred for you, but I'm also not a fool. Challenging you to single combat is a death sentence for anyone stupid enough to try. So instead, this will have to do." He walked up and placed the blade's tip low on Crusher's chest and then slid the sword in with one smooth motion. Even with his current paralysis, Crusher's body tensed up and began to move on the chair.

"Recognize the blade?" Fordix asked as if he were discussing the weather. "It's the one I gave you at the ceremony that installed you as Guardian Archon. If there is an afterlife, I hope you'll have understood I did what I had to by the time I meet you there."

Fordix walked from the room, swinging the door shut with a loud boom. Crusher rolled eyes downward, looking at the ornate handle of the sword still sticking out of his chest. He could feel his blood flowing from the wound. He looked up to the ceiling, unable to believe this was truly how his life would end ... stabbed with his own blade by the person he had looked to as a father figure all his life.

“It looks like we’re patched into their com system,” Jason said from the sensor station. He’d been negotiating with the integrated communications systems of the facility the
Phoenix
was stashed away in and, with the help of the main computer, it looked like he could command some rudimentary overrides. It was a stroke of luck that the security on their networked systems was as nonexistent as the physical security of their facility. Their overconfidence, or gross negligence, had given him the opening he needed.

“Not a moment too soon,” Mazer said, still watching anxiously out the canopy. “They’ve seemed to calm down a bit and are now methodically searching the other buildings. It’s just a matter of time before they discover their captives are missing.”

“We’re nearly ready,” Jason said, hopping back into the pilot’s seat. “What I find bizarre is that the cause of death of their two friends isn’t exactly something you’d expect to find if one of their own did it. One neck snapped like a twig and a crushed throat with accompanying claw wounds? I’d have expected them to look for intruders immediately.”

“When things are so outside of the expected, the correct conclusions are rarely reached first,” Kade said.

“Everybody ready?” Jason asked. All three on the bridge gave him an affirmative signal. “Computer, open an intercom channel to the infirmary.” When he received a double beep confirmation, he continued, “Doc, we’ll be lifting off momentarily. This will be a thrust lift with no grav-drive assistance so it’s going to be rough. Are you guys secured down there?”

“
We’re as ready as we’re going to get
,” Doc’s voice came back. “
But I’d take it as a favor if you initialized the internal gravity quickly after takeoff. Twingo won’t be able to handle too many high G maneuvers without it
.”

“Understood,” Jason said and closed the channel. “Computer, are the repulsors primed to fire on my command?”

“Affirmative.”

“Initiate com override, all channels and full volume,” Jason ordered. “Stand by for audio source.”

“Channel open. Standing by,” the computer affirmed.

“Queue song from Burke Personal Audio,” Jason said, “AC/DC, Thunderstruck.”

“Audio file located. Queued.”

“Play file,” Jason said. As the opening licks to
Thunderstruck
began blaring out of every speaker in the facility, including computer stations and personal com units, he was surprised at just how loud a racket it was creating. He took advantage of the noise immediately. “Bring all weapons online and begin charging shield emitters,” he said as he reached over to his engine management panel, switched the four big main engines to “pre-start” and allowed the heaters to kick on and the fuel system to purge.

When the bass drums began pounding out of the speakers as the heavy metal song built in intensity, the residents of the cavern began milling around in the open, some clamping their hands over their ears, all looking at each other in utter confusion. A few tried to disable some of the offending audio sources, but the override was too complete to simply switch it off. Jason looked up and saw his Galvetic friends were not immune to the pounding rhythms as Mazer’s foot began to tap in time with the music and Kade’s head was shallowly bobbing as well.

“What is this?” Mazer asked finally.

“AC/DC,” Jason said, “it’s from my homeworld.”

“Is this a battle song of your people?” Kade asked.

“You know, I guess it sort of is,” Jason said. “I know it’s likely sparked more than a few fights in its time.”

“It’s outstanding,” Mazer said.

The
Phoenix
was really showing signs of life now as power surged into her systems and indicators were turning green all over Jason’s status board. “You two will want to get strapped in now,” he said. “It’s nearly too late for them to try and board.” As the two warriors grabbed two of the chairs at bridge stations and strapped in, the final indicator lit up to tell Jason he was cleared to lift at any time. He knew with the cooling loops now active, the vents for the heat exchangers were likely letting off a visible steam from the top of the ship. Confirmation of this came as a handful of the aliens pointed at the
Phoenix
and began walking towards it as the punishing guitar riffs assaulted their ears, which Jason hoped were extremely sensitive. He waited a few more seconds as they got closer and the song’s intensity began to peak.

You’ve been … thunderstruck…

“Fire repulsors!” Jason barked. The
Phoenix
was instantly engulfed in dust and smoke as the ventral repulsors exploded to life and began to lift the gunship off the cavern floor. Tools, stands, and other equipment were blasted away from the ship and right into their would-be boarders as the ship slowly continued to rise. Only one looked to be still alive, but he was quickly obscured as the debris cloud from their liftoff rolled across the cavern floor. The vibrations were horrendous without the grav-drive to dampen things out. He reached over and flipped the main engines to “standby” but left them there. The repulsors were doing enough damage; the massive plasma engines would begin throwing debris around that would be dangerous for them as well as anyone stupid enough to still be outside.

He flicked the hat switch on top of the control stick and began easing the ship out over the main floor area using the maneuvering thrusters. They were just enough to get the big ship moving but not so powerful that any overcorrection on his part would slam the ship into the wall. Next, he retracted the landing gear and finished activating all the weapon systems. Looking down, he saw that the power levels were holding steady and even continuing to climb a little bit.

“Are we going to fire on our friends out there?” Mazer yelled over the roar of the repulsors, nearly deafening inside the enclosed space.

“No!” Jason shouted back. “I’m not going to end this mission by bringing down a mountain on our heads when we’re almost out of here.” During his slow maneuver out to line up with the exit tunnel, Lucky had come over and sat in the copilot’s seat and began configuring the panels to how he wanted them.