The way was rocky, but Jessica and Sean
were able to pick their way through until they saw the lights of the mining
operations. They crouched atop a bluff and peered down at the men and machinery
moving below. Moving along the top of the bluff, they made it about halfway
around the danger when they met the end of the bluff. To their left lay the
impassable slopes of a high mountain, and the men and machines lay to their
right.
"Looks like we're going to have to go
through the operation. If we stay along the edge, they probably won't see
us," Sean informed Jessica. The two slid quietly down the slope and began
to sneak past. As they passed, they spotted men cutting through raw azurestone
with fusion cutters blazing. The thin, green beam of energy cut deep into the
rock as sparks flew in profusion. They heard a heavy rumble as the headlights
of a large, tracked vehicle came lumbering towards them. It consisted of a
small cab set at the front middle, and the rest was just a huge metal bucket.
It was filled to the rim with glowing azurestone. Jessica and Sean ducked to
the side just as the lights swept over their area. They ran right up to the
tracks of the vehicle and stayed alongside it until they believed that it was
safe to go on around. They sneaked in behind it and ran on their way. The
vehicle continued towards the pirate's schooner parked nearby, its cargo holds
being loaded with the azurestone. This large space faring vessel was about the
length of a soccer field and as tall as a two-story building. They soon cleared
the noise and lights of the pirate's illegal mining operation.
"We're going to have to go back
around near the east side of the base where I left my skiff," Sean said.
"Well, I hope you landed it very far
away from the camp," Jessica noted.
"Don't worry, I did. If we stay low
long enough to reach it, I can assure you that you will never see those pirates
again."
"You'd better make good on your
promise, Mr. Macho or I'll have your head." Sean could tell that Jessica
was just joking. He smiled with her and they continued on their way.
They had been running for thirty minutes
when they came to another rocky area where they walked along a cliff face.
"Okay I left the skiff just around-" Sean heard it first and then
Jessica heard it too: voices of several men just around the corner. They
carefully looked around and spotted five armed pirates and a landed hoverjet
right beside Sean's skiff. Jessica looked at Sean with frightened eyes and Sean
reciprocated with a look of bewilderment.
"Where in the world did this skiff
come from?" spoke one pirate. Jessica recognized this voice as the lieutenant's.
She cringed in unpleasant remembrance and disgust.
"It doesn't have any insignia,"
noted another.
"We'd better report this to Boss.
Morton! You and Roger fly this skiff back to the camp. Let's get going,
pronto!" Three of the pirates climbed into the hoverjet, and the two other
pirates climbed into the skiff. They began to lift off. Jessica and Sean ducked
back behind the cliff face.
"I don't believe it!" Sean
exclaimed. "We're a good two-thirds of a mile away from the camp! I'm
sorry Jessica, I lost us our ride."
"You couldn't have prevented
it," assured Jessica. "We need to focus on the task at hand, which
would be getting out of here as fast as possible. Wouldn't you say? They could
find out that I'm gone any minute now."
"Right." Sean regained his
composure.
"We need to try to get to my brother.
He needs our help the most."
"Your brother is out here too?
Where?"
"When our hoverjet was downed in the
storm,
"Then let's go!" Jessica
calculated the correct direction, and then both kids continued to run, with all
their strength into the night.
Back at the camp, the scouts had reported
their finding to Boss. "Looks like we may have a snooper around or perhaps
a rescue party," he said to Simon. "Get the men together and every
available craft. Go search within a mile of the entire base and find our
uninvited quests. Arm yourselves, they may have weapons." The men hurried
to obey. Boss then turned back to his work.
"Holocomm is going to be in a lot of
trouble if we find out that they attempted a rescue," Boss said to
himself.
Both being athletically inclined, Jessica
and Sean ran briskly across the plain for an hour, not daring to stop for a
rest for fear of being found. At length Jessica spoke up.
"Sean. I haven't seen or heard any
signs of pursuit. They may not have found the unconscious guards yet. We need
to rest find a place to rest eventually, if we're going to have enough energy
to get back to BC3 before they find us."
"But in the daylight, we'll be
spotted for sure. We'll have to hide during the day and only move at night,
dawn or dusk. We should keep on going until
Eventually, while they walked alongside a
small bluff, the two had to slow to a fast walk as fatigue hit them hard.
Finally Sean looked at his watch that read "
"Um…okay, well I was on my way to my
cousin's at BC4 when the storm struck. I tried to fly away from the storm until
it overtook me. I was forced to take refuge in an azurestone-rich ravine where
I waited out the storm. Since I was going in the same general direction as you
and Norman, I noticed somebody, you, out as well. I watched them fly into the
storm just before they faded from view. So after I was able to take off again I
went to investigate. After several hours I saw somebody getting picked up by
azurestone pirates. I could tell it was a girl but I didn't know who it was. I
masked my PWLS signature, an old trick I learned from my ex-military mechanic
uncle, and followed them to the camp. Sorry it took me so long to get to you.
As I followed far behind, I didn't see exactly where they had taken you in the
camp so it took me a while to find a supposedly
safe place to land and locate your cell. Plus, the cover of darkness helped a
lot."
"So I guess you're sort of an
'accidental' hero, huh?"
"Yeah…I guess you could say
that." There was no moon out that night but the stars were bright and the
sky was clear. Sean noticed, with a start, the two cuts on Jessica's left
cheek, the blood that covered them, now dry. "Yikes!" he exclaimed.
"What did they do to you?" Jessica put a hand to her cheek and
abruptly remembered her wounds.
"Oh…they said that Holocomm was not
'cooperating' in the negotiations for my release and they wanted to give
Holocomm something to think about. So they beat me and showed my bruises to my
parents, the Holocomm officials and everyone else."
"Animals!" Sean was horrified.
"Here. This will help." He reached into his backpack and brought out
a packet of disinfectant napkins. He lifted one up near Jessica's face.
"May I?" he inquired. Jessica nodded approval and Sean proceeded to
wipe the dried blood from her cheek. Jessica flinched at the slight sting but
then the anesthetic in the napkin began to take affect. Sean gently wiped the
blood away and instructed her to hold the napkin against her cheek for three
minutes.
"Thank you," Jessica said,
smiling gratefully. They sat quietly there for a moment or two, and then
Jessica spoke up. “This has been a tough time, Sean. Hasn’t it?” she commented.
Sean nodded. “Do you think that we are well hidden in this place?
“This may be the only choice for several
miles,” Sean answered. “The overhanging rocks provide very good cover, as far
as rock faces go.”
“Yeah, you’re right…I am a little worried about waiting here, but we do have to rest.”
“I think we’ll be alright.”
“You know, you’ve been very courageous,
you didn’t have to come after me and Norman but you did, it was self
sacrificing…you know?” Jessica cocked her head slightly to one side and tried
to meet Sean’s eye. Sean smiled a little sheepishly but didn’t make eye
contact.
“Maybe I get it from my uncle. They say
that I take after him in many ways. Now my uncle, he has courage."
“Oh yes your uncle, the pilot. Tell me
more about your uncle, what is he like?” Sean started to feel a little but more
comfortable and his face brightened as he began to open up to his new friend.
“My uncle is a pilot as well as a mechanic. He used to work for Earth’s air
force but he’s retired now. He’s taught me so many things besides how to mask
engine signatures. He’s also one of the godliest men I know. Most of the
Christian religious beliefs that I currently hold I got from him. He taught me
never to let go of my dreams and to never forget the one who gave them to me,
God; taught me to believe that ‘he is wherever you are.’
Once during a training mission—he always
wanted to help out and be a friend to the new recruits any way he could;
‘everybody deserves a lift once in a while’ he always said—a transport full of
paratroopers was struck by a miss-fired missile while flying at low altitude and
crashed in a dense grove of trees. Without hesitation, my uncle, with the
hoverjet that he was piloting, flew into the tress to try to save the troopers
from the wreckage. It was a very dangerous maneuver, taking a hoverjet into a
grove of trees like that. He truly risked his life in doing so. My uncle
managed to find a spot and land safely. He dashed into the burning hull of the
transport and one by one, pulled each man to safety. He repeatedly braved the
smoke and flames to save all of them, receiving severe burns in the process. He
was able to call for an emergency airlift before he passed out from the pain.
Help quickly arrived and my uncle was rushed to the air force hospital. Later
he was overjoyed to hear that all of the crash victims survived. ‘I knew what I
had to do, I didn’t care about the flames,’ he said after the incident. I was
utterly amazed and supper proud of my uncle after that and have always been
since. He received Earth’s most prestigious medal for bravery and the Purple
Heart for his actions. The general who awarded him the medal said that it was
the first act of true courage that he had seen in many years.”
“That is
truly amazing Sean,” Jessica exclaimed. Have you ever told that story to
anybody back at BC3?”
“Well…actually no. No I haven’t.”
“I think you should, Sean. You definitely
have something of great value to tell.”
“Hmm…maybe you’re right.”
“You don’t really talk much to people at
school, do you?”
“No, not really.”
“Speaking of which, how's school been for
you lately, Sean? Do you mind telling me?"
"Not at all. I’ve been doing just
fine. I'm really enjoying this year. I've come much closer to the friends that
I made last year and my grades have risen dramatically."
"This is your second year. Have you
gotten into the swing of things yet? I know it must be hard to arrive from a
place so different as Earth, where you've lived all your life, and then coming
to planet as remote as Azura. How'd your parents come to work for
Holocomm?"
"My uncle's family has already lived
here for several years, and my dad has always wanted to live near him. He's the
only brother my dad has.”
“Oh you’re uncle lives on Azura? Why don’t
you introduce him to me some time?”
“I most certainly will.”
“I’ll look forward to that.”
“Anyway, when my grandfather died, my dad
inherited a large sum of money and was able to travel here to live. I like it
here- even though it is different. For one thing, one has a lot more space to
move around. I've always loved the great outdoors. Little of the everyday
technology from Earth has made it here. It's much more rustic, serene."
"I concur on that one."
"What about you? How has life treated
you, Jessica?”
"I'm managing. I've lived here since I
was five years old. Azura is more home to me than Earth. I do like going to
Earth, occasionally. There are lots of cool things there too, but my heart is
in Azura. Up till this recent incident, though, I haven't seen quite this much
of the Azuran countryside before. I've been pleasantly and unpleasantly
surprised more than once throughout this excursion. My perspective has widened
quite a bit as a result. I'm seeing sides of certain issues that I haven't
noticed before. It's enlightening." Sean yawned inadvertently as Jessica
finished speaking.
"We should probably try to get some
sleep tonight so that we will be more invigorated for the rest of our flight.
Do you agree?"
"As much as I am reluctant to stop so
soon, I'd have to say that you're right."
"Don't worry, though. I know my
place. I'll just move a little upwards and take the other side of this rock
wall. Do you still have the rifle?"
"Yes."
"Okay, as long as we have these
rifles we should be relatively safe, apart. Good night…or good morning,
rather." Sean disappeared behind their enclave. This
* * *
It was
"Probably for the same reason that
you haven't been in here lately," Kelly tried to console her. "Sleep.
Everybody needs it, Even the pirates; although most of us haven't been that
fortunate." Kelly observed one of the communications operators yawning
heavily. "You'll be glad to know that I have used this time to talk with
my advisor and with Holocomm and I have been allowed much more freedom in
negotiating with the pirates. And Holocomm has told me not to contact the
pirates until they can send a Special Operations Team over to support us."
"Commandos!" Carol exclaimed.
"They'll kill her. You know that the azurestone pirates have been known to
kill prisoners during rescue attempts!"
"Don't worry, Mrs. McKinley. We won't
use them unless we absolutely have too. It probably won't come to that but if
they severely abuse your daughter again then we may have no choice. We don't
know what they may be capable of. They may have become overly careless from
having such a valuable prisoner. Just hold on; we'll resolve this situation
soon. If we do send them in, these commandoes have had years of special
training in hostage rescue operations; they’ll do their job well. The pirates
won’t know what hit them."
"Why all the trouble? Why don't we
just give them what they want?"
"Because of the pirate's claim that
someone had tampered with our databases, there is reason to believe that the
culprit is still at large. We're trying to stall for time, because once we give
them the ransom, the culprit, whom most likely has a share in the profits, will
probably flee the planet. There are many obscure places to hide in this solar
system, so if the culprit escapes, we may never find him. We are looking it to
it right now and we may have a lead. Isn’t that right Mr. Commissioner?” The
Commissioner, who had been staring absently at the ceiling while Carol and
Kelly were talking, was slightly startled by Kelly’s voice but he turned his
attention back to his surroundings and sat down with the other Holocomm
officials. He voiced support for Kelly's explanation.
Carol fell silent and continued to wait.
By her paleness, Kelly could tell that she was obviously not well. Peter had
placed an arm around Carol to try to comfort her. Kelly decided to make a
suggestion.
"Mrs. McKinley seems terribly shaken
up by this entire thing," she observed. "Do you care to join me in
the back room for a little talk, Mrs. McKinley?" Carol looked at Peter for
approval. Understanding that the two women needed to be alone for a little
while, he moved over so that she could get up and follow the minister. Kelly
took Carol's hand and they left together. At length, they returned and Carol
sat down beside Peter again. He didn't know what Kelly had said to her in that
back room, but he did notice that his wife was looking much better and that was
enough for him.
"Are you alright now?" he asked
her.
"Yes," she said smiling. Peter
noticed that this was the first time she had smiled during the entire ordeal.
Presently, the main operator spoke up.
"We're receiving a message from the
pirates, Minister," he said. Both Peter and Carol became grave again as
everybody flocked to the main monitor. Boss was the first one to meet their
eyes. "Are you ready to talk again?" he asked grumpily.
"Yes we are, Mr. Boss," replied
Kelly.
"Just to show you that we are still
dead serious, perhaps you would like to see that the prisoner still bears the
wounds of your obstinacy. Bring her out." A privateer was dispatched to
retrieve Jessica. Boss sat there with a confident smirk. Soon the privateer
rushed back into the building. He leaned over and whispered something in Boss's
ear. The smirk rapidly disappeared and was replaced with a grimace. "Hold
on a moment!" The screen went to standby. Boss turned to the privateer.
"The prisoner is gone? How? When?"
"I don't know, sir," the
privateer tried to exonerate himself. "The guards are out cold and their
rifles were gone. Sir, it looks like they were drinking."
"What? Drinking on the job! How many
times have I told…I ought to kill them! They went and drank themselves silly!
Too bad I need all the men I can get. Wake them up! I'm coming down!"
Boss, Clinch, and two other men approached the two bodies sprawled upon the
ground. One of the men threw a bucket of water on Krock and Bubba, who awoke
suddenly.
"WHAT THE DEVIL WERE YOU
THINKING?" Boss yelled as he jerked Bubba to his feet by the collar of his
shirt. Still sluggish, Bubba tried to make sense of his surroundings.
"Wha…?" he said lethargically.
"Hopeless!" Boss cast him to the
ground and stepped over to Krock, whom Clinch had already brought to his feet.
"What happened, Krock?" Boss
grabbed his collar and stared him fiercely in the eyes. Krock blinked in the
rising sunlight. "Well!"
"Somebody hit me."
"Yeah Bubba did, apparently, and you
did the same to him. You were both intoxicated!"
"No, there was someone else."
"Maybe it was the ghost of your poor granny
come back from the dead!" Boss mocked.
"No really! After I hit Bubba, I
turned around someone hit me. I swear it! Looked like an adult but I couldn't
tell, it happened so fast… Hey!
"When did this take place?"
"The last time I checked my watch, it
was about eight or
"Hmm…
"What is it, Boss?" he inquired.
"My men think you were involved in
the escape of the prisoner."
"She escaped? When?"
"You know!" Krock broke in.
"You helped your little friend escape and we're out of a ransom!"
"I don't know what you're talking
about."
"You were off duty at
"Yes, I believe so."
"And you were strongly against the
treatment of the prisoner, were you not?"
"I objected a bit to the method but
as long as we got our dough, I don't really care. Furthermore, everybody knew
where I was at that time, anyway."
"I don' think so. I didn't know where you were. Hey
boys!" he called to the other pirates who had gathered around to watch the
spectacle. "Did any of you know where
"I was at the café from
"Where is Phil?" Boss asked,
looking around the group. "Someone bring Phil over here!" Soon Phil
was called and brought before the makeshift tribunal. "Phil, was
"Was he there the entire time?"
"Yes sir, I believe he was with me
the entire time." Boss then turned back to
"I'm sorry for doubting your loyal
service, old friend. It was a foolish thought. But as for these
scalawags…" Boss looked at Krock and Bubba with sinister, narrowed eyes.
"Okay, you two! You're going to the
brig! Take them to the schooner,
"NO! Please, Boss, have mercy!"
Krock pleaded. But Boss would not listen.
"Listen up gentlemen!" Boss
addressed the rest of the group. "Man all craft and begin the search! We
have a prize to catch!" Clinch snickered and ran off, followed by the
rabble. "Go tell
* * *