The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration (12 page)

“Nothing broken though?”

“No, he got very lucky. Plus the safety protocols saved his life. Of that I have no doubt.”

Mark
grinned grimly. “At least something worked right on this trip.”

“Something of your design, don’t forget that part
.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Now go get some rest. You need it more than anyone and to be honest, you’re starting to look and smell like hell,” Troiano wrinkled her nose.

“All righ
t, I hear you, and you’re right. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends and the middle since we landed here. Hell, that landing was just about the last thing to go right since we’ve been here.” He began to walk toward the exit when he turned back to Troiano. “Is Red still here?”

“No, he looked in on Eddie, and then left when he saw he was still unconscious
.”

“I figured. Those two may argue and fight like cats and dogs but they’re brothers inside
.”

“Go get some rest
, Mark. Something will come to you.”

“Okay
, Ann. Call me if there’s any change to either of them.”

She nodded while he walked out into the hallway and made his way toward the maglovator.

Within the maglovator his communicator activated on the sleeve of his uniform, beeping slightly and glowing a faint blue.

“Mark here
.”

“Mark
, it’s Red. You better come outside.”

“
Outside? Why’d you leave the med-deck so fast?”

“That’
s what I’m trying to tell you. Come outside.”

Mark shook his head in ann
oyance. “All right. I’m on my way.” Mark turned and headed toward the maglovator and the world outside the
Cagliostro
.

Exiting the ship and walking down the entry ramp, Mark came to a grinding halt halfway down. He
continued after a moment to the ramp’s end where Red was standing with a half dozen security men.

“What’s going on here?”

“They’re scared and want to set up camp here.”

Before them were at least
a hundred of the native aliens camped outside the force field protective zone. Some were making fires and others were huddling against the coming cold of night.

“This isn’t good
.” Mark sighed heavily. “Get them under the ship and put those fires out. Any who wants to stay within the ship, set up in Cargo Bay two, which is empty.  The rest set up with the thermo conductive sleeping bags and let them sleep out here. I’m sure at least their women and young children will want to stay within the warmth of the ship. Get them more food, and make sure it’s already cooked. I want those fires out. The last thing we need is to draw attention under this canopy of trees we’re hidden in.”

“All right
, Mark. I’m on it.”

“Good
. When you’re done go get some rest.”

“What about you?” Red asked.

“I’m going to do that now. Marek is in the big chair at the moment, or will be as soon as I tell him. I need sleep at this point. I’ll check in with you in a few hours.”

“Sorry I buggered out of there, but I got a call about this from Parsons
.” Red nodded toward a dark skinned security officer with close cut black hair.

“
It’s okay, Red, you’re doing your job, which I appreciate.”

“How’s Ari?”

“The same. We’re still dancing with that thing inside her head.”

“Okay
. I figured as much.” Red paused a second, then continued, “Go get some rest. You look like hell.”

“I’m starting to feel like it too
.”

Mark turned and walked up the ramp and into the
Cagliostro
.

He had one more stop to make
, and that was within the engineering deck.

“Danny, how are things looking?”

Dan Sledge turned around and nodded with a slight smile, “Better, Boss. The monotriglycine was added ta the coolant mix and the components for the magno-disc counter balancer are almost complete. Another day at most and we’ll be back in business. There were some stressed out components here; stuff that went beyond its life cycle, way beyond. But everything is bein’ taken care of. We’ll be in good shape when we get offa here.”

Mark nodded stoically. “Good, good. Has there been any word from the crew looking over the
Stargrazer
?”

“Not yet, I’ll let ya know when I hear somethin’ though
.”

“Okay
, Danny. Thanks.”

“Get some rest, Mark. You look like hell
.”

Mark chuckled, “You’re the third person in the last ten minutes to tell me that
.”

He turned and disappeared within the Maglovator, its doors whispering shut behind him.

Eight hours later Mark awoke, showered and dressed quickly. He exited his suite and made his way to the command deck.

“Mr. Marek, I’ll relieve you now
.” Mark stated. His secondary crew leader. Matt Marek stood, smiled and exited the command deck.

“He’s quiet. Been that way since I got back in here an hour ago
,” Red commented.

“Why’d you come back here an hour ago? I thought you were going to get some rest, and I know your morning routine
; two hours of exercise before you take your post.”

“Relax,
Boss. I had six hours sleep.”

“And a half dozen cups of coffee?” Mark smiled.

“Yeah, at least.” Red returned his grin.

“How are our guests out there? Behaving
themselves yet?”

“So far so good
,” the big security officer shrugged.

“Okay
. Don’t let them start any cooking fires. I don’t want to bring any attention at all to this position. We’re buried deep in the foliage here, and it’s been serving its purpose. But we are literally under the nose of our enemy. After Eddie took out that ship yesterday in the
Stargrazer
I’m surprised this place isn’t swarming with Agalum.”

Mark stopped and looked out the view
screen, then returned his gaze to Red. “What happened to Red Kong?”

“Disappeared during the night.
He got up quietly and skulked off according to Marek.”

“Huh. I thought it was brain damaged from the beating Dan gave it
.”

“Yeah,” agreed Red, “There was no reason to post guards around it, when we could have watched it just as closely from here.”

“Very true, Red. Besides the way it was lying there I doubt it would have wanted to cause us any more problems once it awakened.” Mark mused.

“Or that Chakix thing inside of Ari might’ve ordered it to
remain still and sleep. We don’t know what kind of control that creature has on the animals on this world. Hell, it may have control over the natives as well.”

Mark nodded silently.
“You are right, Red. We really don’t know the extent of that thing’s power. Danny said we’d be spaceworthy by the end of today. I think it’s time to start getting the ball rolling on our exit strategy here.”

“I hate to be the one to mention the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, but what about that base
that’s in the volcano? Are we just going to leave here and not help these people?”

“Red, we’re damaged. You know I have the utmost faith in this ship and more importantly the crew
. But we are in the deep end of the pool here without a life jacket. The ship is damaged, and while Danny and the engineering staff can get us up and running to close to full capacity, I’m not sure I want to go into battle without a full refit on Earth, especially against an entire base full of Agalum.”

“You do not have a choice
, MarkJohnson,” Both men turned toward the Maglovator door to see Ariel walking in, but it was Chakix speaking. Behind her was Dr. Troiano waving her hands frantically.

Ma
rk put his hand up, halting Ann Troiano in her place.

“What do you want
, Chakix? I cannot drive these invaders off of your world. We are one ship and a damaged one at that. They outnumber us by a vast number. I have complete faith in my crew, but I refuse to send them to their death, just because you want me to. That’s not going to happen.”

“You will remove them from my world
MarkJohnson or I will make sure ArielO’Connor never leaves here.”

“That’s something else that is not going to happen
.”

“You force my hand
, Earthman.”

Telekinetic lightning flared from Ariel’s eyes and slammed into Mark’s chest
, throwing him across the command deck. Everyone on deck scattered.

Red leaped through the air, and tackled Chakix/Ariel, knocking her to the floor, b
ut her telekinetic power instantly hurled him away, to land unceremoniously next to Mark.

“
Ow. That hurt,” Red mumbled painfully.

“No kidding.
Oh no,” Mark exclaimned.

His eyes were fasten
ed onto the rear of the command deck, where Chakix/Ariel had Dr. Troiano by the throat and was holding her a foot above the ground by the neck.

Troiano’s feet kicked frantically as a hypo
dermic needle clattered to the ground from her outstretched hand.

“She’s gonna kill Troiano!” Red shouted frantically, fighting his way unsteadily to his feet
. Mark grunted and stood painfully as well. But before either man could move the maglovator doors slid open and a blaster bolt rang out, striking Chakix/Ariel in the back squarely.

The maddened possessed woman dropped Dr. Troiano to the ground
, then turned slowly toward the figure now pulling itself painfully out of the maglovator. Another shot rang out, catching Chakix/Ariel square in the chest, but the woman did not fall. She stumbled backward and began to walk toward the figure in the doorway again, her eyes sparking.

A third blaster bolt rang out again directly to Ariel’s chest. Mark screamed
, “No!”

Like a puppet with its strings cut, Chakix/Ariel dropped to the ground
, unmoving.

Immediately Troiano was
on her feet and checking for a pulse.

“She’s not breathing
,” she called out.

M
ark was at her side instantly. He turned to the man in the maglovator doorway, who finally fell into the command deck himself, collapsing on unsteady feet.

“Eddie! What did you do?”

“I-I was tryin’ ta save the Doc, Mark,” he moaned painfully.

Behind them Troiano called for a medical team and an anti-grav gurney
. An instant later both sets of maglovator doors opened and disgorged security teams along with a medical team.

Eddie was helped to his feet and placed on one
gurney while Ariel’s unmoving form was lifted to another. Red limped to Mark’s side.

Everything was
a haze now for Mark Johnson. It was as if he was watching a program and not something that was happening before his eyes.

“Mark…” Red began.

“No, Red…” Mark slurred.

Troiano
attached pads to Ariel’s chest and fired up her defibrillator unit. Ariel jumped once on the gurney, but lay silent immediately afterward.

“Clear
,” shouted Troiano as she fired the defibrillator a second time. Again Ariel’s body bounced up and down, and yet again lie still.

“Don’t do this
, Ariel, dammit,” Troiano muttered, slapping her across the face twice before pumping her chest. Again Troiano charged up the paddles and slapped them onto Ariel. One last time her body jumped up off the gurney. Again she lay there silently.

Troiano began to charge the paddles a fourth time but felt a gentle hand on her shoulder
. She turned and saw Mark standing there, his face grim.

“
Ann, don’t… Let her go…. She’s gone already.” He barely spoke.

“But…” Troiano began,
then stopped as Red put a hand on her shoulder. Eddie had already been taken back to the medical deck during the commotion.

Mark walked over to Ariel’s still form and brushed his hands over her eyelids, closing them. Then he collapsed onto her, sobbing softly.
 

Mark sat silently in his suite in the dark, s
taring at nothing save his interwoven hands.

A soft knock
came from his door.

“What is it?” he grunted hoarsely.