No Place for Us

by Thomas R. Willits

Table of Contents
Part 4 appears
in this issue.

conclusion

Hawker watched him leave. The feeling of isolation was setting in. The entire station evacuated except for the Commander. Hawker felt rather uneasy. The station had never been this empty before. He glanced around the control room. Most of the station’s systems were on full automation. Life support, gravity, all on full computer control. The only thing to do now was wait.

One of the systems in the far corner alerted. It was the security station. A proximity warning. He walked to the station and saw the approaching ships. The readout was unclear how many were approaching. The two big dots were obviously the transport ships Shartran had stolen. But they were surrounded by hundreds of smaller dots, mostly overlapping. The screen wasn’t designed to distinguish so many ships in such a small area.

Suddenly another alert sounded. This time it was the communication channel. He walked across the room and sat down at that station. He opened the visual channel and saw Shartran once again in front of him. He was startled a bit, seeing him still on the station, but he quickly hid it behind his smile.

“I’m surprised to see you, Commander,” Shartran announced. “I thought you’d be long gone by now. I’m glad you made the right decision though. I would hate to see so many be killed needlessly. I gave your men safe passage, Commander. I am a man of my word.”

“Thank you,” Hawker said.

“I take it the station is in good order?” Shartran asked.

“Of course,” Hawker answered. “I thought about messing up the place but there just wasn’t enough time. Besides, you would just repair whatever we broke anyway.”

Shartran nodded. “Likely,” he added. “So why are you here, Commander? Are you going to open fire on us as we land? You’re difficult to read. I must say I like that in an officer. I could use a good officer like you.”

“Really.”

“Don’t play games with me Commander!” Shartran shouted. “I haven’t got the patience for it. Why are you here?”

“I won’t open fire on you,” he answered with an honest voice. “I give you my word. Besides, I’m alone here. How many ships could I take out before you disintegrate the command station with me in it? I’m looking forward to meeting you, General. Make yourselves at home. The station’s defenses are down. The main launch bay is open. I’ll be here, waiting.”

Before General Shartran could answer he ended the channel. Shartran gave the word for his ships to land. The two transport ships entered the bay along with dozens of smaller fighters. Shartran’s ship docked and they began pressurizing the bay after the launch doors were closed. Hundreds of men, all armed began unloading and forming lines in the bay.

After Shartran gave them instructions they began moving into the corridors, securing the station section by section. The ships still outside docked on the outer hull ports and their crews entered the station. Section by section, deck by deck they moved upward, finding the station completely empty. Shartran’s men opened the door to the main control room and charged inside with weapons armed. They cleared the room and Shartran entered.

“So where is our host?” Shartran inquired. “Keep searching the upper decks. He has to be here somewhere!”

His men went on to the next room and then onto the next deck. Finally after almost an hour of searching and turning up nothing they were at Commander Hawker’s office. A dozen men opened the door and poured inside guns aiming in every direction. Shartran followed behind them, closely. His eyes grew wide as he saw Commander Hawker behind his desk watching them enter. He sat calmly as Shartran’s men surrounded his desk, each pointing the end of their rifles at him.

“At last, Commander,” Shartran exclaimed as he approached his desk. “Here we are, face to face.”

“Welcome, General.”

“Check him,” he told his guards. Two of them approached him and checked his desk and person but turned up no weapons. “You are unarmed. Good. I would hate to see you killed accidentally.”

“Where’s Major Dexter?”

Shartran waived his guards off. They lowered their weapons and waited for their next instructions. “She’s on her way to Eyos. She has other plans. Now, Commander. You must have something to share with me. Otherwise you would have left running with the rest of your men. Do you have something to ask me? Would you like to join me, Commander? Is that it?”

Hawker nodded slowly, but said nothing.

Shartran lifted his head and laughed loudly.

“Really? This is wonderful! Isn’t this wonderful?”

Shartran’s men laughed briefly with him until he held up his hand for them to stop.

“We would be honored, Commander,” Shartran continued sarcastically. “Please. Join me. We need you with us.”

Hawker said nothing to this, knowing his remarks would further Shartran’s comedic response.

“I’ve got a better idea, Commander,” Shartran said no longer joking. He wasn’t laughing this time and his face grew serious. “I’m going to send you packing. I’m going to send you back to Eyos, alive and with your tail between your legs like the coward you are. I could never have someone like you on my side. You disgust me. How could I take someone who cowers at the very sight of danger? Go home, Commander and wait for us to take Eyos. Pray that we don’t destroy it. Show everyone how weak you are.”

Hawker had heard enough. He reached under the desk and grabbed hold of something solid. He pulled the desk upward and then overturned it quickly. The desk crashed violently in front of Shartran. The guards raised their weapons and waited for Shartran to give the word to open fire.

Under the desk was no hand weapon however. There was a metal cylinder about fifteen inches in diameter and about three feet long. The metal was shiny and in the center was a panel full of numbers. Shartran recognized the sequence in the middle. A countdown.

“What is this?” he screamed.

“I think you know what this is,” Hawker answered back. “You’ve got about five minutes to get off the station before this thing goes off.”

“You’ll shut it down now,” Shartran commanded. “Or I’ll...”

Hawker shook his head. Above him a large panel in the ceiling gave way and a large figure crashed through. The figure was a blur but Shartran noticed the yellow scaled skin and the eyes. Those bright yellow eyes. They stared at him with a kind of viciousness only evil could withstand. Before the creature hit the floor two of the guards had already been torn apart by the large blade attached to his left arm. In his right hand was a large sword. He swung it around and a guard’s head flew off and landed in front of Shartran’s feet. He jumped back, startled. The remaining guards stood frozen watching the creature move toward them quickly. One raised a weapon almost in time to fire but the weapon was cut in two pieces and then the guard fell to the floor, ripped apart by the blade attached to the back of the creature’s left hand.

Yentoc turned seeing Commander Hawker behind him and then shouted. “Get out of here!” Yentoc roared.

Yentoc turned and leapt for another guard turning him into an unrecognizable corpse. Hawker rushed for the door quickly, seeing his opportunity to leave. He made it out safely and proceeded to the nearest lift. His ship was several decks below and one section over. Barely enough time to get aboard and a safe distance before the bomb went off.

Inside his office one of the guards finally aimed his gun and fired but only nicked Yentoc’s shoulder. The creature charged forward thrusting his sword through the soldier’s gut. The others tried to fire but mostly missed. The creature was too fast.

Hawker pushed the bottom on the lift on the right and waited. The lift was five decks below. About a ten-second wait, which was like an eternity with all of Shartran’s forces roaming the station. He glanced to his right, seeing no one following him. Yentoc still had them occupied in his office. Suddenly a hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him back. He turned as he fell back into the lift behind him and saw Reese standing there.

“What are you doing here?” He asked startled. When the door closed he saw two guards pass by unsuspecting.

“I told you I stay with the Commander,” Reese said pushing the desired level into the lift’s controls. “I guess I’m not the officer that Peters is, sorry. I’ll follow orders another day.”

Hawker smiled appreciating his own sense of obligation. “Well, I’m glad you stayed. Now my ship’s still one section over. Shartran has men throughout the station.”

“After we get off this lift we can take an access panel. It should get us within twenty meters of the docking port. I take it the station isn’t going to be around for much longer?”

“I guess that depends,” Hawker answered. “If they stop Yentoc they could try to disable the device.”

“You let Yentoc build it didn’t you?” Reese asked him. “That’s what you asked him earlier. How powerful is it anyway?”

“Enough to destroy this entire station and anything within a hundred miles. I wanted to be sure I got them all. I wanted to be sure I got Shartran.”

The lift stopped and the door opened. The corridor was clear. In the distance they heard shouts and feet of soldiers moving through the corridors. They were moving in their direction. Reese opened an access panel on the wall and lifted it up. He motioned for Hawker to climb in. After they were both inside he shut the panel and held it closed.

A few seconds later a dozen men moved by, not stopping. Reese motioned for him to continue. After a long trek down the narrow access tunnel they came to an end. Hawker smashed the panel with his right shoulder and it gave way. After he was out, he saw the docking port where his ship was. He and Reese ran to it quickly without stopping.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded. Someone had activated the main alert. A voice came on telling everyone to leave the station immediately. The word had gotten out. Yentoc was likely dead now and they were trying to disable the bomb. Hawker began opening the port doors. After entering his code the inner hatch opened. He motioned for Reese to climb inside. Once Reese was in, Hawker joined him and began to seal the inner hatch. Suddenly, as he looked up, Shartran was there just outside the hatch. He was holding a rifle on him.

“Get back in here,” he said slowly. “You’re not going anywhere.”

From behind Shartran there was a deep hollow growl. The kind of growl only a very large animal could make. Shartran slowly turned around to see Yentoc behind him. Yentoc had his sword pulled back ready to swing forward.

“You’re supposed to be dead!”

Yentoc looked close to it. He was barely alive. He had been shot several times, mostly flesh wounds on the arms and legs, but some shots were dead center. Before Shartran could bring his gun around Yentoc swung his sword around, slicing Shartran’s throat. Shartran collapsed to the floor, unable to scream.

“Forgive my brother, Commander,” Yentoc said and pushed the button sealing the hatch between them. Hawker watched through the port window as Yentoc slowly collapsed to the floor dying. Reese began opening the outer hatch quickly. Hawker stared though the portal window at Yentoc until Reese grabbed his arm and pulled him away and inside the ship.

“How much time do we have?” Reese asked quickly as he separated the ship from the docking port. The clamps released and they were clear.

“About ten seconds,” Hawker said looking at the timer on his wrist. “Not enough time.”

“Sit down,” Reese said and engaged the ship’s engines then hammered the controls to full acceleration. Hawker was barely seated when he was thrust backward. He watched closely on the monitor as the seconds ticked away one by one. The detonation would consume anything within a hundred miles.

“Thirty miles!” Reese shouted. Five seconds left on Hawker’s timer. “Fifty! Sixty!”

“Three seconds,” Hawker said looking at his timer. “It’s been a pleasure, Reese.”

Reese didn’t respond. He simply felt for the booster control and engaged the secondary thrusters. The ship blasted forward faster still, the final moments ticking away. A second later the station below enveloped into a cloud of white light and then red fire. A large shock wave warped outward toward them.

The ship neared the hundred mile perimeter then surpassed it, moving incredibly fast. The blast radius was clear but the shock wave was still nearing. Reese adjusted course, quickly seeing the large cloud approaching behind them and engaged the ship’s fastest sub-light speed. The moon grew smaller and smaller behind them, and the shock wave dispersed.

Hawker watched the screen closely wondering how history would judge him. So many deaths on his hands. Even though they were the enemy, it was still his doing. How could one look at himself in the mirror after such an act? After such an atrocity.

“I should have died there too,” Hawker said, not looking away from the screen. Reese watched him, wondering how to respond. “Anor was right. He was right about everything. I am no better than Yentoc or Shartran or any other monster. I am a monster too.”

“That may be,” Reese said then looked back to the course ahead. “But then aren’t we all?”