Althaus grumbled.
“It’s good to see you’re still alive.” Kevin put a hand on his shoulder.
“Where are the others?” Petit asked.
“They went to fetch the Maybelle.” Tyler glared at Jason. “We’ll need it since it’s our only pod left.”
“How did you get yourself aboard one of their ships?” Aly asked Jason.
Everyone filed up the ramp into the Argo, and Jason told them of his incarceration aboard the weapon ship in the galley. By that stage, Captain Marquez, Doctor Tai, and the Marines returned with the pod to listen to his tale.
“So Kione’s all right?” Tai asked.
“Barely. Whatever the Seekers are doing to him, it’s taking its toll.”
“And this weapon?” Marquez said. “Do you have any idea how soon it’ll be operational?”
Jason shook his head. “I’m not sure, but when it’s up and running, I fear for anyone in its way. I don’t think we have any choice but to destroy it.”
A hush went up around the room.
“If what you’re saying is true, in what universe do you think the Argo has any shot going up against two Seeker ships?” Althaus asked.
“Althaus is right,” Kevin chimed in, “we’re a little out-gunned.”
Marquez regarded everyone around the room. “We have a CDF commander, a doctor, three Marines, a genius, and a ragtag group of cargo haulers.” He chuckled. “While I’m all for the destruction of the weapon and getting Kione back, the odds aren’t in our favor.”
“During the war, we found ourselves fighting against the odds many times.” Jason glanced at his brother. “Tyler?”
Everyone stared at the cargo captain, who’d remained silent to that point. “You’ve been thinking of a plan, haven’t you?”
“I’ve been kicking around a few ideas.”
Tyler eyed every single person in the galley and stopped at Aly. “How long will it take to get the Argo back into orbit?”
“We didn’t take as much damage coming down here as I thought we would. We can be back up in about an hour.”
“Get to the engine room and make the preparations.”
She gave him a mock salute and hurried off.
“Preparation for what?” Althaus asked.
“Jason, the floor is yours.”
Jason raised his brow and smiled. “If we’re going to go up against these bastards, we’ll need the element of surprise.” He grabbed a data tablet sitting near the coffee pot and drew a cigar shape on it. “This is the weapon ship. Through its heart is a central elevator.”
He drew a line up the middle. “At the bottom of the ship is the hangar deck. Around the center is the brig where Kione is detained, and toward the top is where the sphere is housed.”
“How do you figure we use the element of surprise?” Kevin asked. “Last time you fell into their hands easily.”
“We’ve got their ship.”
“Which by now they’ll know has been compromised.”
“Exactly.”
Everyone looked confused.
“Can you fly it?” Marquez asked.
“There hasn’t been a ship yet that I couldn’t pilot.” Jason drew a large circle on the data tablet representing Psi-Aion’s moon. “Okay, this is what I’m thinking.”
Forty
Cargo Ship Argo
Jason stood by the observation screen of the infirmary, unable to take his eyes off the prone body of the Seeker they’d taken aboard from Orion V.
Not a Seeker; a native of Psi-Aion.
He had to remind himself, the being was a youth abducted from his home and taken to serve the Seekers. Doctor Tai had cut the alien’s corpse open, splaying its insides in a neat but chaotic mess, while Kevin assisted her cataloguing all the different organs and parts.
“Anything?” Tyler asked, sidling up beside him.
After planning out the rescue of Kione and how to destroy the weapon ship, Jason asked Tyler to change his mind on doing an autopsy on the alien being. If they were going up against the might of the Seekers, they’d need every piece of information they could get. If they found out how they were controlling their slaves, it could give the crew of the Argo an edge in defeating them.
“Not yet,” he said.
Tai passed Kevin what Jason assumed was the alien’s heart.
“I planned on eating a steak before our mission,” Jason said. “I think I’ll pass now.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to your horror show.” Tyler turned up his nose. “I’ve got some stuff to take care of.”
He headed off, but Jason grabbed him by the arm. “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m, uh, sorry about earlier.” Jason frowned. “The pod. I should’ve asked.”
“Let’s just take these guys out and go home. Okay?”
Jason nodded, and Tyler walked out, just as the infirmary door opened.
Kevin threw his gloves in a medical waste disposal near Jason’s feet and brushed the sweat from his brow. “We’re done.”
Tai followed him out, blood covering her surgical gown from top to bottom.
Jason recoiled while the pair undressed their messy garments. “What did you find out?” he asked them.
Tai pulled her glasses off. “That apart from the different positioning of certain organs and a few others we’re not familiar with, the anatomy of these beings is similar to our own.”
“Or as similar as it can be, considering how far away from Earth they evolved,” Kevin added.
“There have been countless theories over the centuries what life would be like on other worlds. Some have guessed it vastly different to our own, while others believed it would need to be similar to ours to thrive. In this instance, the latter is correct.”
While Jason found the doctor’s thoughts interesting, there was only one question he wanted answered. “Did you find any control device?”
Kevin shook his head. “There was no outside technology.”
“What about something organic? Perhaps a parasitic life-form?”
“I think you’ve been watching too many movies. We found nothing that shouldn’t have been there.”
Jason sighed. “How about something we can use against them? Any weaknesses?”
“Under the armor, they’re just as vulnerable as we are,” Tai said.
“So, we haven’t found out anything we didn’t know already?”
She shook her head at him apologetically.
“Thanks anyway.”
The pair left Jason there to wonder. They were no closer to figuring out how the Seekers had a hold on the natives of Psi-Aion, or on Nash. He hoped it wouldn’t be the difference
