The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration (30 page)

The
Cagliostro
appeared for only a split second, then disappeared just as quickly, its camouflage unit causing it to shimmer and fade from view.

Red turne
d toward Mark. “The
Triumphant
is in trouble. The Agalum have them separated from the rest of the fleet.”

“We can’t help them, Red. We have a mission of our own. They’ll be okay. I trust those men
.”

“Mark,” Arie
l interrupted, “The
Triumphant
is calling for help. We’re the closest ship.”

Mark sighed, “No, we’re not.
We’re not here, we’re on our way to the bigger mission. The big ships have to fend for themselves. Dan, take us down.”

Dan looked at Mark and
grimaced. He then turned and began accelerating the
Cagliostro
through the battle. Ships on both sides of the conflict fired at each other all about the
Cagliostro
, which invisibly moved through the battlefield in space. Once clear of it the
Cagliostro
arced invisibly down toward Chakix’s surface.

The red skinned alien exited the maglovator with Dr. Troiano to watch the
Cagliostro
’s descent.

“I am almost home
,” the alien said in its strange modulated voice to Mark.

“You are. Now as soon as you are able, contact your people-”

“My children,” Chakix corrected.

“Very well, your children then, and prepar
e them for what they must do.”

“They will do as I
command them. You will have your aid upon the ground.”

“Good
.” Mark nodded affirmatively. “Because we won’t be able to do this alone.”

The Chakix possessed alien
nodded. “I understand.”

“We’re entering the atmosphere now
, Captain,” Red announced.

“Okay
, Red. Take us to the coordinates that Chakix gave us.”

“You got it
, Mark.”

The red skinned alien turned to Mark, “I leave you now. Return my child to the ground. He will know where to go
.”

Without another word the bare chested alien stumbled as if cut loose from invisible strings. It grasped its head
as if pained. Then it looked up in shock, as if just realizing where it was.

Mark nodded to the two security officers standing by the maglovator doors. They quickly walked to either side of the alien
.

“Come with us
,” Security Officer Dorn spoke, authoritatively. He was a tall, powerfully built black skinned man.

“We’ll take it from here
,” the female officer named Crosby agreed. She had short blonde hair and a no nonsense demeanor.

“Be
careful with our friend there. He’s disoriented and means no harm. You can take him to the entry ramp. He’s going home as soon as we touch down,” Mark ordered.

The
Cagliostro
’s hull glowed with reentry heat, even through the camouflage. It became a glowing outline as it quickly descended.

“We can be detected entering this quickly
, you know,” Dan reminded Mark.

“Only visually, Danny.
I know. But it can’t be helped we have to strike quickly. Time is against us.”

The
Cagliostro
landed softly, its landing engines switched to a vertical take-off and landing or VTOL configuration. The ship touched down and within instants the native was out the door and running into the thick forest.

Mark
directed, “Keep the camouflage unit on, and shields powered up. Anonymity, people. That’s what we’re looking for. At least until the rest of the ground forces arrive. Red, saddle up. It’s time to go.”

Mark touched a contr
ol on his virtual control panel. “Secondary command crew to the command deck.”

The secondary crew entered the command deck less than a minute later.
Immediately the primary crew stood and headed toward the maglovator, with Mark and Ariel pausing as Matt Marek walked toward them.

“Mr. Marek, take care of my ship
.” Mark shook Matt’s hand as both men nodded mirthlessly.

“Will do
Sir,” Marek replied.

Mark turned and headed toward the maglovator with Ariel beside him.

The command crew met in the armory along with seventy other crewmen and women.

“I didn’t think I’d be playing wartime medic anytime soon
, much less wearing something as ridiculous as this,” Dr. Troiano announced. Her diminutive body was suited up in a heavy battle suit. Nearby everyone else save for a handful of others were all in various phases of donning the heavily armored suits. The remaining men and women were putting on jet black skin tight suits with hoods and face masks.

“Are you ready?” One of the black suited crewmen said to another.

“Yes, let’s try this out.”

Both men touched buttons at the waist of the suits and they instantly disappeared.

“Whoa!” Ariel exclaimed. “I knew what to expect and even I wasn’t ready for that.”

“Fully functional s
tealth suits Ari,” Mark advised. “They use the same technology as the camouflage unit on the ship. You and I will be wearing them as well as Eddie and Dan. Red will be leading the security men and other crewmen in the field. We, as well as Dorn and Crosby, who are already in their stealth suits and outside the ship, will be infiltrating that base. Hopefully these suits will surprise the Agalum as much as they just did you.”

She nodded and smiled.
“Knowing you, darling, they’ll work just fine.” Ariel leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Mark smiled and took her in his arms and kissed her full on the lips with passion. The crowd of crewmen began clapping earnestly.

Mark brok
e the kiss and they both smiled. “All right, everyone, let’s get our minds back on the attack. It’s time to move.”

Mark finished donning his stealth suit as did Dan and Ariel
.

“Strike team A
lpha, power up,” Mark ordered.

The small team of stealth suit wearing men and women turned their suits on and immediately faded from sight.

“Goggles on,” Mark ordered again. Everyone placed the goggles they held in their hand or that rested upon their heads over their eyes. Instantly the invisible strike team became visible to them all. A dull yellow glow enveloped everyone wearing a stealth suit. The goggles plugged into a port by the neck of the suit with a thin yet sturdy cable. “Remember, everyone. These goggles must
not
fall into Agalum hands.”

“Strike team B
eta, power up,” Mark commanded. The rest of the crew wearing heavy suits activated their armor. They hummed to life and almost immediately quieted.

“Alpha
, begin our assault. Beta, stay back until the predetermined time for your attack. Let’s go people we’re burning daylight.”

They exited the
Cagliostro
and began to step silently into the jungle. ‘
I wonder how the battle in space is going?’
Ariel asked telepathically.

***

“The battle is going badly
,” Captain Nagata spoke to his companions.

“I know
, Nagata. My ship is already badly damaged,” Captain Ryan barked.

“Where are you, Ryan?” Nagata questioned.

“Check your sensors. We’re several thousand miles off from you. We got drawn into a battle with a smaller craft that tried to escape us. We followed it and it led us right to a G’Kor planet crusher. We’re in trouble.”

“
We’re on our way. I’m continuing to your position, Ryan. Hold on,” Captain Carlson replied.

“If you don’t hurry, Carlson, this G’Kor that’s on my ass is going to chew it up and spit it out
.”

“Just hold on
,” Carlson reiterated.

The
starscape above Chakix was alive with firepower. Six Earth Protectorate vessels against three times that number of Agalum.

The ships of both fleets spun through space chaotically. Energy blasts and missiles
careened through the inky blackness lighting up the sky below brightly.

“I’ve got the
Triumphant
, Carlson. Help Nagata,” Captain Argento of the
Crossbow
cut in.

The
Crossbow
blazed brightly through space arcing down toward the G’Kor class planet destroyer that was about to obliterate the much smaller
Triumphant
.

While not as large as the G’Kor it was still a mile long monster fitted with enough enemy crushing power
to raze cities from space. Now all that firepower was unleashed at the G’Kor. Within instants the tide of that battle changed. Where before the G’Kor had been mercilessly hammering the
Triumphan
t, now the
Crossbow
was doing just that to the larger ship. The
Triumphan
t spun back toward the
Crossbow
.

“Fire all forwa
rd guns!” roared Ryan. “Double shields to the rear of the ship. Fire full brace of Star Cores, now!”

The
Triumphant
, a much bigger ship than the
Cagliostro
by almost twice, unleashed hell upon the suddenly embattled Agalum G’Kor ship.

“The one problem with
a ship as massive as the G’Kor’s is that they don’t turn all that quickly, and when pinioned between two powerful war ships as ours are, well it’s a bit hard for them to draw a bead on us. They’re made for planet razing, not really for ship to ship combat,” Argento commented. He watched a moment more as the G’Kor split in two and exploded spectacularly above Chakix.

“
My crew and I thank you for the save, Captain Argento. Now let’s get back to the others,” Ryan said.

The two powerful vessels began to turn back toward the area above Chakix where the majority of the battle was taking place
when another powerful blast lit up the sky.

“What was that?” s
houted Argento. His crew looked at him fearfully across his command deck, looking and waiting for some word of encouragement that it wasn’t one of their fellow Earth ships that had just exploded.

For several seconds there was only static, and then Nagata replied,
“That was the
Tempest
. Captain Brennan and his crew are gone.”

***

‘How much further?’
Ariel asked telepathically.

‘
Another quarter mile and we’re there,’
Mark replied.

They continued on in silence, walking the last quarter mile easily, quickly
, and invisibly. They came upon a small clearing in the forest and entered it, stopping there.

“This is the place
,” Mark spoke quietly aloud. He touched the control on the side of his waist and immediately became visible again. The rest of the crew followed suit.

‘Now what?’
Eddie telepathically asked.

‘Now we wait,
’
Mark replied.

They did not
have to wait long. Within minutes the forest about the crew came alive as red skinned natives, roughly hundreds of them, stepped forth brandishing crude spears and knives.

“I see Chakix kept its word
,” Red muttered as he looked about.

Then the great red ape stepped forth, breathing heavily. It stared down at Dan angrily, actually curling its lip in closely bottled rage.

“Looks like your pal remembers you,” Eddie jibed. “Maybe he thinks you’re its brother?”

“Shut up
, squirt. I don’t have time to play games with you now,” Dan retorted.

Eddie turned to where Dan was staring and watched. A beautiful red skinned woman stepped out f
rom between the trees closest to them and smiled. She was naked to the waist save for a heavy covering of leaves, which covered her breasts and privates.

M
ark gave a smile and a half bow. “Chakix I presume? The real you this time.”

The woman smiled and nodded.
“Welcome, Captain Johnson. This is my true form, yes, you are correct. You behold the body of a goddess.”

Eddie looked to Dan.
“She looks pretty goddess-like to me,” Eddie snickered quietly.

Chakix shot him a disapproving glance
, but returned her gaze to Mark Johnson. “All is in readiness I see?”

“It is
, Chakix. We are fully prepared.”