TIME : 9:59 P.M. (21:59)
PLACE : The entrance to the Ruler's main base
Peter, Hank, Linda, and Lisa stared at the enormous base in front of them. In spite of all their training and preparation they couldn't control the sense of fear that temporarily overcame them. Less than a thousand years ago, the entire planet was lifeless; no rivers, no vegetation, no birds, no insects, even bacteria couldn't survive on such a barren planet. All life currently existing on Altair 7 had been brought by its inhabitants which made them scarce and far in between.
The base was the only place they had seen on Altair 7 that was flourishing with life, yet somehow it felt colder and more empty than the rest of the planet. It was as if the base were responsible for the planet's condition. Peter quickly realized that he was afraid because this was the Ruler's home. Somewhere inside the massive base was a person, if you could call him a person, responsible for the deaths of a hundred million people and his subordinates were responsible for a hundred million more. They were facing the Ruler on his home soil.
He couldn't help thinking about Zargothamew and the unlucky spy team that had preceded them, but it was too late to back out. As long as they were on Altair 7, they'd be in danger no matter where they were.
"This is it," Peter whispered to the others. "No matter what happens, we must try to stay together. We have a better chance of surviving as a group than we do as individuals. We also need to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible. Speak only when you have to and when you do say as little as possible. The more we say, the more likely they are to know that we're impostures. Are you ready?"
"You only live once," remarked Linda.
"Let's go," Peter commanded.
Peter led the way into the base followed closely by Linda, Lisa, and Hank. They passed the guards at the door without any trouble at all. The Ruler had tightened security so a new face was nothing unusual. They felt relieved that they had been able to enter the base so easily but they knew it was only a partial victory. Sooner or later they would have to leave and then the guards would be waiting for them.
The hall they were in was well lit, but it felt dark and spooky. Natural sunlight was well behind them. The only light remaining was the artificial light created by the people they were trying to stop.
About one hundred meters beyond the entrance, doors appeared on either side of the hall at regular intervals. The doors were numbered making the base look like a hotel, or an unusually large high school or university building. Eventually they came to an intersection Hank, Linda, and Lisa wondered which path to take, but Peter had made their decision for their He continued straight ahead without the slightest hesitation. The others followed slowing down just long enough to look to either side of them to see what made Peter decide to go straight. The three paths looked identical but Peter seemed to know what he was doing.
Hank thought about asking them where they were headed, but he didn't dare break the silence for fear of being overheard. When they reached another intersection and Peter once again went straight ahead without breaking his stride, Hank figured out where Peter was going to the opposite side of the base. That was the most likely place for the Ruler to hide his arsenal and the shortest way to get there was a straight line. It would also be easier to find their way back once they found it.
At the third intersection a group of guards were happily chatting away. Peter and the others walked right passed them without even bothering to slow down. The guards were so involved in their conversation that they didn't even acknowledge their presence.
"So far so good," thought Peter.
They had survived two encounters without having to talk to anybody. Their disguises were working, however, their new found confidence was short lived. Peter spotted an officer heading in their direction. The only way they could avoid him without arousing suspicion was to enter one of the doors and face whatever was inside. If the room was empty or if the officer didn't want to talk to them, that would keep them out of trouble. If even one person was in the room, or if the officer did want to talk to them, or if the room they entered happened to be a restricted area, the situation would become much worse. They would have to talk to somebody eventually. It might as well be a lone officer. Peter glanced briefly at the group of guards behind them. There were five of them and if anything happened to the officer they'd respond in an instant. They'd be outnumbered six to four, but they had laser armor and the guards and the officer, as far as he knew, didn't. If a battle occurred, they should be able to win without harm coming to any of them. The guestion would be whether or not they could escape before the Ruler discovered what they had done. The odds would be heavily against them and even if they did escape they wouldn't know anymore about the Ruler's attack fleet than they did before the mission started. They would have to avoid trouble at all costs.
Peter's thoughts were interrupted when the officer stopped directly in front of him.
"Where are you going?" he demanded.
"To the far side of the base," chimed Lisa.
"I wasn't talking to you!" roared the officer giving Lisa an angry glare.
"We're heading to the far side of the base to move some supplies," Peter quickly cut in.
"It can wait," insisted the officer. "I have some things I want you to do for me."
They had no choice other than to follow him. They hoped whatever he wanted them to do wouldn't take very long so they could continue where they had left off. The officer angrily approached the group of guards still chatting with each other as if there was nothing better to do. One of the guards saw the officer out of the corner of her eye and immediately informed the others. All five of them stood at attention and waited for the group to pass, but they stopped and looked them over. The officer's face was full of rage.
"What are you doing here?" questioned the officer.
"Nothing," the one being addressed managed to murmur.
"Nothing, huh?" he sneered. "We have a crisis on our hands. The Ruler has doubled security. All guards are to stay alert at all times. I should report you to the Ruler."
The guards started to tremble. They would rather have a dozen officers than face the Ruler's wrath. No matter how important they were or thought they were, the Ruler always found people who crossed who crossed his path to be expendable, especially people under his own command. Silently, they begged for mercy.
"Fortunately I need you to do some work for me and if I report you to the Ruler you won't be able to do the work," continued the officer. "I need you to carry some spare parts to my laboratory. Then I will deal with your insubordination."
"Thank you!" cried one of the guards. "I won't forget your mercy."
"I might not be as merciful as you think," snapped the officer. "You have yet to see my punishment, or what you'll be carrying. You won't be thanking me when I'm through with you. Follow me."
They turned right at the intersection, went passed another intersection, and turned right at the next one. The doors on the right side of the hall were spaced evenly as usual, but on the left side there was just a single door at the center with a combination lock. The officer punched in the proper combination and let the others enter the room ahead of him. The room was pitch dark for a few seconds until the lights were automatically activated. As their eyes gradually adjusted to the bright light, they could see what looked like a small warehouse. Inside were the parts to weapons still in the experimental stages. Most of them would be scrapped, but a few of them would be used against the Ruler's enemies including M.W.G.D. They had accidently stumbled upon a secret that under normal circumstance would be given top priority. However, their primary mission was to uncover the Ruler's attack fleet and get out alive to report the information to M.W.G.D. Headquarters. Anything else was merely a distraction.
The officer ordered his subordinates, including the M.W.G.D. officers, to carry various pieces of equipment through a large door which led to his laboratory. Some of the equipment was delicate and had to be handled with care and some of the equipment was so heavy that it had to be carried by four people, but all of it was brought into the laboratory so the officer could conduct his experiments.
Peter guessed that the officer was one of the Ruler's top scientists. The Ruler always gave his scientists special privileges, as long as they continued to provide him with new and betters weapons. Perhaps that was because they experienced horrible deaths, even by the Ruler's standards, if they failed him.
Peter carefully examined the equipment as he carried it into the laboratory. It appeared to be a long range laser.
"It's probably powerful enough to hit a selected target on Altair 3 when the planets are properly aligned," thought Peter. "I'll have to warn the people of Altair 3 before they can use it as part of their attack."
Peter didn't know too much about the orbits of the planets in the Altair system, but he had a feeling that Altair 3 and Altair 7 would be properly aligned in a few days, if not sooner. The weapon appeared to be in the final stages of development and, if successful, might be included in the Ruler's attack.
Lisa didn't care too much about what she was carrying. She still hadn't completely recovered from her indulgence at the bar and the continuous lifting of heavy object was beginning to make her feel dizzy. She leaned against the wall and put her hand on her forehead in an attempt to catch her breath.
"What's wrong?" wondered Hank coming to her aid.
"I feel like I'm going to pass out," groaned Lisa. "I can't take this much longer."
"We're almost finished," encourage Hank even though he had no idea how much longer it would take. "Try to keep going for a few minutes longer then I promise you a chance to rest."
"Look for the lighter objects," recommended Linda. "Mine's light. We'll trade."
"Thanks," sighed Lisa. "I think I'm ready to continue."
The guards and the M.W.G.D. officers continued to work, the later making sure Lisa had the lighter load, while the grumpy officer sat in his laboratory entering calculations into a computer and waiting for the results. Peter, Hank, Linda, and Lisa wondered if they'd eve get a chance to discover the rest of the Ruler's arsenal.
Just when they were about to give up hope, things got worse. An officer of even higher rank entered the room. He was decorated with so many awards that he couldn't be any lower than tenth on the Ruler's chain of command. He was bound to recognize them from previous encounters.
The commanding officer went right past them to check on the first officer.
"How are your experiments coming along?" he inquired.
"Just fine," the first officer replied. "I've completed all the experiments except one I'll start on the final experiment as soon as all my equipment is in place."
"The final experiment had better take place soon," snapped the commanding officer. "The Ruler wants your new weapon installed in our fighters by tomorrow."
Peter, Hank, Linda, and Lisa kept their distance but remained close enough to hear what the two officers were saying. The weapon was even more dangerous than they thought. Instead of a stationary weapon like Peter suspected, it was a mobile weapon capable of being mass produced multiplying its destructive power indefinitely. The weapon had to be destroyed, but the Ruler's attack fleet was still their top priority.
"It will be difficult," the first officer admitted. "but it will be completed on time.
"I'm glad to hear it," remarked the commanding officer. "The Ruler does not like to be kept waiting."
The commanding officer looked at the guards and the M.W.G.D. officers. The M.W.G.D. officers kept busy doing anything that would allow them to avoid a face to face confrontation with the commanding officer.
"You've been hiring workers without my permission," scolded the commanding officer.
"These people have been goofing off on the job," explained the first officer. "They have no sense of responsibility so I thought I'd teach them how to work. Some of them were talking instead of guarding and the others gave me some lame excuse about going to the far side of the base to move some supplies. I suspect they were headed for the recreation room."
Suddenly there was a loud crash. Lisa had dropped what she was carrying. The two officers and the guards eyed her suspiciously. Lisa wanted to hide but there was no place she could go.
TIME : 10:00 P.M. (22:00)
PLACE : The old couple's house
The old couple was just about to settle down for the night when they heard the familiar buzzing sound warning them that someone was coming. The old man hurried to answer the door. He opened the door almost before whoever it was started knocking.
"X!" the old man exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise. I thought it was more of those pesky soldiers. We haven't seen you in a long time."
"I wish I could stay and chat but I'm here to find my friends," X stated with obvious concern. "They should have been here less than an hour ago."
"They headed for the base not too long ago," said the old woman. "They should be inside by now. Some soldiers were looking for them but we threw them off the scent. Your friends were very nice people."
"If only some of the people on Altair 7 could be more like them," agreed the old man.
"Thank you for all your help," smiled X.
He ran to the base hoping he could make it in time.
TIME : 10:08 P.M. (22:08)
PLACE : the top floor of the M.W.G.D. base on Altair 3
Shawn and Rynn had talked to all the major planets sending money, people, and weapons to defend Altair 3 against the Ruler. They were doing all they could yet somehow it didn't seem to be enough.
"Any problems on your side?" asked Shawn.
"The fleet from the Rigel system is running slightly behind schedule, but other than that everything is running smoothly," reported Rynn. "The Tygellians are actually ahead of schedule."
"Wonderful!" commended Shawn. "I'm glad to hear good news for a change."
"Shawn! Rynn!" Shrame shouted from the other side of the room. "I'm receiving a most unusual message. Perhaps you can make some sense out of it."
Shawn and Rynn listened to the message.
"This is Beng to the M.W.G.D. base," stammered the voice. "I seek amnesty for my war crimes against the people of Triax. I have talked to Peter Elvis Buckwell and he told me I would be granted amnesty if I came to you seeking help. If you don't help me soon, the Ruler will kill me. He has a price on my head. I beg you for protection."
"Do you think it's a trick?" wondered Shrame.
"I don't think it's a trick," Shawn considered. "I remember Beng from the war on Triax He's a coward at heart. It would be most unlike him to go on a spy mission. Besides he's telling the truth about talking to Peter. I'm willing to trust him."
"Beng, this is base commander Shrame. "You have permission to land. We'll see whether or not you deserve amnesty once you get here."
"Thank you. I'll be looking forward to meeting you."
Shawn, Rynn, and Shrame looked at each other not knowing what to think of their latest visitor.
Copyright MCMXCII, MCMXCIX
