Read Online SODIUM:6 Defiance by Stephen Arseneault - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephen Arseneault
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
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before us. We stepped to the side and set our suits to full. The Meche exited their ship wearing black and silver suits and carrying long-cylinder particle rifles. Several dozen stormed past us on their way into the shaft.
As we watched-on, one of the Meche made his way to a small box sitting on the floor of the tunnel next to the airlock room. He picked up the box and shook it before turning back towards the Meche officer near him. Several minutes later the soldiers marched back to their ship.
Before I could say no Hershen took it upon himself to follow the soldiers back to their ship. He sent me a text to stay put as he was going for a ride. With any luck we could pick him up just above the planet as he would attempt to blink out and step outside after liftoff. It was a risky maneuver and one that I was not used to seeing from Hershen. I wasn't sure if he had grown bolder or just insane in his years of service with me.
I soon had a video feed from inside the crew quarters on the Meche ship. Lockers lined the walls and the center of the room was crowded with seats much like in the old Earth airlines. The Meche were conversing in a language filled with clicks and pops. Harris was immediately busy with his translations.
Hershen waited for the opportune moment and with the slightest of micro-bursts he propelled himself forward to the officers room. Again lockers lined the the walls with seating, albeit more plush, taking up the center in rows.
As he drifted onto the bridge the Meche pilots were repeating commands as if going over a checklist before lifting off. With the final command a button was pressed and the Meche ship disappeared from my view. Seconds later dust and debris blew out from where the Meche ship had set down. They had lifted off.
The video feed from Hershen's helmet continued a broadcast over his QE comm. The Meche ship accelerated for fifteen minutes before beginning to slow. It had flown to the other side of the rocky planet. When it came to a stop a large Meche vessel appeared before it. The smaller ship entered a port on the larger ship's side. Hershen was now on-board a Meche cruiser.
I sent him a text and asked that he please drift out of there at the earliest opportunity. We did not want to have to chase them half way across the galaxy in order to bring him home. He asked for only a few more minutes to accomplish the task at hand. When I asked what that was his response was for me to be patient. Again, Hershen's bold behavior put me on edge.
Five minutes passed and our sensors detected the Meche ship departing from the planet. Hershen texted soon after, asking for a pickup. When we arrived the door opened and in drifted Hershen with a broad smile on his six eyed face. He winked at me with three eyes at once.
He stepped over to his station on the ship and retrieved a QE comm cube. He then held it up in front of me. I asked what it was he was trying to say. He responded by telling me that he had placed the corresponding cube on the Meche ship and that we would now be able to track their whereabouts. I then asked how we would do that as the QE device was only capable of transmit / receive and had no location service with it.
He remarked that the one on the Meche ship did, courtesy of science officer Hillman and his boredom. Hershen had stashed the QE cube with the star maps aboard their vessel. Unless someone stumbled across it, jammed in and behind some piping, we would know their location for the next six months to a year as the nano-reactor in the cube kept it powered up and broadcasting. With a little software tinkering that six months to a year could easily be extended further.
We had our desired encounter with the Meche. When we returned to the planet Skkez, I presented the Governor with another QE cube with the promise of patching through the Meche ships location when it came into sector four. He was grateful and offered up any service that the Geffel could provide.
I asked that he use the
As we watched-on, one of the Meche made his way to a small box sitting on the floor of the tunnel next to the airlock room. He picked up the box and shook it before turning back towards the Meche officer near him. Several minutes later the soldiers marched back to their ship.
Before I could say no Hershen took it upon himself to follow the soldiers back to their ship. He sent me a text to stay put as he was going for a ride. With any luck we could pick him up just above the planet as he would attempt to blink out and step outside after liftoff. It was a risky maneuver and one that I was not used to seeing from Hershen. I wasn't sure if he had grown bolder or just insane in his years of service with me.
I soon had a video feed from inside the crew quarters on the Meche ship. Lockers lined the walls and the center of the room was crowded with seats much like in the old Earth airlines. The Meche were conversing in a language filled with clicks and pops. Harris was immediately busy with his translations.
Hershen waited for the opportune moment and with the slightest of micro-bursts he propelled himself forward to the officers room. Again lockers lined the the walls with seating, albeit more plush, taking up the center in rows.
As he drifted onto the bridge the Meche pilots were repeating commands as if going over a checklist before lifting off. With the final command a button was pressed and the Meche ship disappeared from my view. Seconds later dust and debris blew out from where the Meche ship had set down. They had lifted off.
The video feed from Hershen's helmet continued a broadcast over his QE comm. The Meche ship accelerated for fifteen minutes before beginning to slow. It had flown to the other side of the rocky planet. When it came to a stop a large Meche vessel appeared before it. The smaller ship entered a port on the larger ship's side. Hershen was now on-board a Meche cruiser.
I sent him a text and asked that he please drift out of there at the earliest opportunity. We did not want to have to chase them half way across the galaxy in order to bring him home. He asked for only a few more minutes to accomplish the task at hand. When I asked what that was his response was for me to be patient. Again, Hershen's bold behavior put me on edge.
Five minutes passed and our sensors detected the Meche ship departing from the planet. Hershen texted soon after, asking for a pickup. When we arrived the door opened and in drifted Hershen with a broad smile on his six eyed face. He winked at me with three eyes at once.
He stepped over to his station on the ship and retrieved a QE comm cube. He then held it up in front of me. I asked what it was he was trying to say. He responded by telling me that he had placed the corresponding cube on the Meche ship and that we would now be able to track their whereabouts. I then asked how we would do that as the QE device was only capable of transmit / receive and had no location service with it.
He remarked that the one on the Meche ship did, courtesy of science officer Hillman and his boredom. Hershen had stashed the QE cube with the star maps aboard their vessel. Unless someone stumbled across it, jammed in and behind some piping, we would know their location for the next six months to a year as the nano-reactor in the cube kept it powered up and broadcasting. With a little software tinkering that six months to a year could easily be extended further.
We had our desired encounter with the Meche. When we returned to the planet Skkez, I presented the Governor with another QE cube with the promise of patching through the Meche ships location when it came into sector four. He was grateful and offered up any service that the Geffel could provide.
I asked that he use the
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