AGORA ONE - A SPACE ADVENTURE - SLICE 11

What will be found on Morquellia? The adventure continues......

After skirting the perimeter of the asteroid field and nebula, and receiving word from both Boomerang and Shock One that no Piscoran presence was detected, Tequi proceeded towards Morquellia.  Turbo parked a pedestrian 10 light years shy of the puke-green colored planet.  Shock One and Boomerang fell back to their preplanned distances, in succession from each other.  

Two Piscoran ships were in orbit around Morquellia.  Tequi asked, “Life signs on ships, Turbo?”

“There are two Piscorans and 101 humans on each vessel, along with five mobile and non-intellectual machines.”

“You can just call ‘em robots, thanks.”

Raw looked queasily at the scene of a puke-green planet being flanked by two death-red ships of the Piscorans.  “Do they intentionally make their ships so fuggly?”

Masher mocked, “We didn’t come all this way to judge their taste in aesthetics, Raw.  Beauty is subjective, anyway.”

“I can’t believe they’ve got that many people crammed into little ships like that.  They must be packed tighter than Bizorian Squeeze Fleas.”

Tabe asked, “What about on the ground? How many Piscorans?”

“It appears that they only have two SPEED-capable ships on the surface.”

“The ones in orbit are, too?”

“Yep.”

“What level?”

“Five.”

“So we can double their speed, and we know our weapons and shielding are superior, so how about we investigate in person?”

“To what end?”

“Well, we can at least free some of the prisoners.  We can accommodate a hundred more, at least.”

Tabe spun happily as he said, “A hundred-one if Raw decides to vacation on Morquellia.”

“Only if you stay to keep me company, Tabe.”

“Have we been scanned?”

“No, they’re aware of our presence, but appear to be ignoring us.”

“They know we can outgun and outrun them, so they probably are waiting for us to make the first move.”

“Tequi, you sound almost like you’ve got a touch of hubris.”

“Just stating a fact, that’s all.  Turbo, how many more humans are on Morquellia?” 

“Over ten thousand.  Half are underground.”

Tequi looked at Masher, “Obviously, we can’t free all the prisoners, but some is better than none.  Masher, you’re the most well-suited candidate for a stealth move.  How about it?”

“What’s your objective, Tequi?”

“Offer the humans on board one of the ships an escape.  We’ll send a fleet of escape pods with you, if they accept.  Turbo, you can disable the Piscorans and their bots, right?”

“Don’t insult me with such trivial questions.”

“Now who’s got hubris? Anyway, how about it, Masher?”

“I’ll go in through one of their waste disposal subsystems.  Those will be the easiest to penetrate undetected.  I’ll stay in contact with Turbo throughout.”

Masher’s glowing particles dissolved from human shape and became a floating mass again, like a cloud or a magic carpet.  Just as it was about to exit, Tequi yelped, “Wait, hold on!”

All eyes and sensors went to Tequi.  “It just dawned on me that maybe Masher isn’t the best choice for this.”

Raw quipped, “Are you going to disassemble all your cells and reassemble on their ship, like Masher?”

“Seriously, funny man, think about it.  All those people over there lived under a tyranny run by A.I.  It’s all they know.”

“He has a point.  I didn’t take into account the emotional implications of my appearance before them,” Masher conceded.  

Raw’s eyes popped and he exclaimed, “I got it! Lucky for all of us, I’ve got a genius plan.”

Tabe scoffed.

Raw continued, “Masher, you sneak in, do a little recon, and disable their security systems so Tequi and I can come aboard.  When we get in, you sneak out.  The prisoners will only see humans, so we don’t unsettle them.”

Tequi looked Raw in the eye and smiled proudly.  He grasped his friend on the shoulder and said, “Raw, that’s a damn fine plan.  I knew you’d contribute something eventually.”

Raw’s face scrunched as he absorbed Tequi’s teasing wit.  Tequi turned back to Masher, “Ok, you’re up.  Turbo, get us within range so Masher can reach their ship in minutes, and make sure those Piscorans are having deep dreams before his arrival, ok?”

“Piscorans don’t dream, but their skeleton crew has already been put to sleep, if that’s what you mean.”

Masher modified its particles to withstand the conditions of space.  It floated easily out of Turbo through the environmental control systems and out into space.  Once in space, it shot itself like a streak towards one of the Piscoran ships and halted itself microns in front of the outer hull.  Turbo helped guide Masher to one of the waste disposal systems and after finegaling with the main computer for a moment, gained access.  The disposal system was opened on a micro level, allowing Masher’s nano-particles to slip through as smooth as silk.  

Masher, guided by Turbo’s reading of the ship’s internal schematics, zipped through a maze of ducts, pipings, wirings, casings, and other structural components until it finally came into a space big enough to hold a humanoid.  It was in a corridor.  A six-wheeled service bot stood frozen.  Masher noted how eerily silent everything was, almost lifeless.  

Turbo guided Masher to the cockpit, where it found two Piscorans slumped over at ninety-degree angles, all four faces snoozing away, thanks to the sleep pulse Turbo had sent minutes earlier.  Masher absorbed all the data from the main control board, found the cargo bay docking controls, and disabled their security protocols. 

Tequi and Raw were waiting in two rescue pods when Turbo announced, “Ok, ready when you are.  Their cargo door’s security system is off.  You’ll be free to enter.”

“We’ll take off after we have more details about the human occupants and exactly where they are on the ship.”

“And what their status is.”

Turbo guided Masher to where the other life signs were coming from.  When Masher reached a spade-shaped metallic door and was about to gain entry, a ferocious silvery fist smashed into the door.  The blow had been meant for Masher.  Masher had split itself into a fountain of particles to barely avoid the blow.  

Masher yelled at Turbo, “I thought you had all of their defenses neutralized!” A ray blasted from the forearm of the giant quasi-metallic creature and whipped up and down the walls of the corridor and entryway.  

“I guess I missed one,” Turbo said dryly.

“Any chance you could go ahead and finish the job?!”

“I’m working on it,” Turbo said with an annoying casualness.  

Masher shot into an air duct to find temporary sanctuary from the onslaught of whatever it was that was attacking it.  The hulking, silvery figure pounded a fist into the vent and cut through it like butter.  It sent flame racing through the air duct and Masher shot into a secondary conduit just in time to dodge the golden rage.  

“Got it,” Turbo said, sounding very pleased.  The giant crumpled to the floor with an unceremonious thud.  Masher shot back out the charred duct and into the open, where it took note of the fallen being.  “Why didn’t you see this cyborg,” Masher said, annoyed.

“Nobody’s perfect,” Turbo said defensively.  “Did it used to be human?”

“Well, it looks like it could have been human at some point.  It has similar physiology, but has metallic skin, if you can call it that.  And the brain, oh dear,” Masher explained and then stopped cold.  

“What’s that, ‘oh dear’, Masher?” Tequi joined in the convo, having been patched through by Turbo.  

“The brain has been modified with technological components.  I have seen cyborgs before, but none quite like this.  Turbo, you can’t see if the others beyond this entryway have similar modifications, can you?”

“Many are fully human, others are not.”

Masher said, “I’ll go ahead and take a look.”

“You have a disguise so you don’t freak them out?”

“I’ll appear as a beam of light.”

And so it did, streaming through a tiny crevice in the entryway that had been caused by Turbo.  Masher was astonished by what it saw.  

A room with space for about 75 people, which was currently holding nearly 100.  They were all human, or at least mostly human, as many of them had various bodily modifications.  Some were shooting each other, absorbing various firearm projectiles in a carefree manner, as if they were children playing with nothing more than snowballs.  Some were walking on the walls and the dimly lit, high ceiling.  Others were engaged in games such as multi-tier poker and drinking and smoking to their hedonistic content.  A few were stacked on top of each other, in unbelievably uncomfortable positions.  By their facial expressions, nobody would have been the wiser, however.  They had looks of utter bliss on their faces, murmuring and groaning with pleasure.  None of them took notice of the new beam of light that had entered their environment, or so it seemed.  Masher decided to leave, just in case one of them had the ability to sense A.I.  

Masher reported its findings to Tequi and Raw, who grew more perplexed by the second.  “Were they all modified?”

“63 percent have been modified.  The rest appeared to have normal human physiology.”

Tequi peered through the clear bubble of his pod and exchanged looks with Raw.  “What do ya think, Raw? Should we give it a go?”

“They could be hostile, the modified ones, I mean.  They don’t know us from Adam.”

“True,” Tequi agreed, as his gaze drifted off deep in his own analysis of the situation.  If two strangers just magically showed up in that room full of cyborgs, what kind of reaction would they receive? Chances were high, it seemed to both Raw and Tequi, that they wouldn’t be receiving the warmest of welcomes, to say the least.  They did have the advantage of superior technology, but outnumbered by so many and in such close quarters would negate that advantage.  Even with Tabe along, they would still be facing immense odds.  And to what end? Was it too late to rescue the ones that had been modified, like the one that had been hell-bent on extinguishing Masher in the corridor?

Tabe broke the thoughtful silence.  “I’ve got an idea.”

“Go ahead, Tabe.”

“Contact them by hologram.  If they shoot your face off, at least it’ll just be a fancy light show.”

“Thanks for painting that vivid picture, Tabe.”

“It’s a good idea.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t a good idea.  Let’s do it.”

They groaned and piled out of the pods, making their way back to the observation lounge.  Tequi took a seat on his favorite detox lounger.  A holo-control popped up next to him and Turbo informed him that everything was set for direct transmission to the room Masher had been in.  

“Wait,” Raw said anxiously.  “You’re not really gonna show up in a lounge chair and expect them to take you seriously, are you?”

Tequi gave a scowl to his friend and grudgingly rose.  “Let her rip.”

A holographic image of Tequi, nearly a flawless physical representation of him, appeared next to a poker table on one of the Piscoran ships.  All activity screeched to a halt, and nearly 200 eyes took in the new presence.  A dozen cyborgs raised weapons at the intruder.  A young male figure from the back of the room ordered, “Stop! Lower your weapons.”

They obeyed.  Tequi spoke to the young man, who appeared to not be modified.  “Greetings.”

“Likewise,” said the young man.  “You are human?”

“Yes,” Tequi said.  

“What do you want?”

“You have all been taken here from Earth against your will, is that correct?”

“Quite to the contrary, we have happily been relocated by our saviors, the Piscorans.”

Tequi struggled to not gag, “Saviors?”

“Yes, the Piscorans vanquished our former masters.  We are now free.  Your facial expression tells me that you are shocked by this information.  Are you not from Earth?”

“My ancestors were from Earth, but I wasn’t living there when the Piscorans came.”

Tequi thought of Meago, who had volunteered to go into stasis and was still in a deep sleep.  “I was told that you were being held as slaves here by the Piscorans.  I am offering an escape from your servitude.”

This drew a wave of grunts, roars, and murmurs from the crowd.  The young one smiled at Tequi, “I can assure you, nobody is here against their will.  We are happy to join the Piscoran race and to spread its majesty throughout the universe.”

Tequi continued uneasily, “I see.  I’ll leave you in peace, then.  I just say, before I go, if anyone wishes to leave by their own free will, speak now, and we’ll help you escape.”

All stared at him with flat faces as the room fell pin-drop silent.  

Tequi stopped the transmission.  He looked at Raw.  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.  Turbo! Get us out of here, max speed!”

In a flash, they were passing celestial objects.  They rounded the asteroid belt and the nebula.  Shortly thereafter, a transmission came in from Shock One.  “Ambush!”

Tequi screamed, “What’s that, Shock One?!”

The transmission was cut.  “Turbo, what happened to Shock One?”

“Inconclusive.  What I do know is that there are Piscoran ships, over 100, coming from all possible directions.  We’ve been encircled and if all current trajectories hold we’ll intercept a Piscoran vessel in less than 5 earth minutes.”

Tequi’s face soured.  Raw trembled.  Masher glowed red.  Tabe spun midair with the fervor of anticipation.   

At the same time on Boomerang, Fost turned 3 of his eyes to Zay, who was busy piloting Boomerang away from the Piscoran ambush, with mere seconds to spare. He kept his other three eyes on the holo-viewer.  He said, “Tequi’s ship has been captured by a swarm of Piscorans.  Shock One has been destroyed.”

Zay’s whip-like tail started to slice through the air in a circular pattern, gaining speed as she processed what she was hearing.  It was almost unreal, as if in a bad dream.

“Boomerang, head to Agora One intercept, max speed.”

The luminous scales on Noc’s face darkened and flared.  His voice dropped heavily as he tried to control his mounting rage, “I’ve done everything you’ve asked, but this is out of the question.  My cooperation stops now.”

“That would be unwise for your personal comfort,” Moden boomed.  

“I don’t have the power to send Agora One to you, even if I wanted to.  It’s a decision made by an ownership board, the ones that own the core infrastructure.  Why do you want Agora One to go anyway? You’ll get annihilated! Have you gone mad? Correction, even madder?”

“I’m sorry to hear that, old friend.”

“Don’t call me that.  We never were friends before, and we certainly aren’t now.  I’ve done all I’m going to do for you, now get out of my life!”

“Very well, Noc.  You’ve made your choice.  I’ll see you after the so-called ‘annihilation’, as you put it.”

Moments later, as Noc was trying to stop fuming from his excruciating conversation with Moden, another holo-call on his personal line caught his attention.  He glared at the blinking holo-emitter and reluctantly bellowed an order to receive the call.  His daughter’s distraught face appeared before him.  He was nearly too upset to notice.  “What now, Zay?” he huffed as his scales flared.  

“They’ve been captured by the Piscorans.”

“This shouldn’t surprise you.”

“We got ambushed as well, but had a big enough distance between us that enabled our escape.”

His eyes scowled and face twisted, “Congratulations.”

“How can you be so cold?”

“How could you go into a situation like that? How could you leave Agora One on a whim like that? How could you betray your own father and the thousands of Agora One customers and crew that count on you?”

“Is that all you can say? You’re not going to ask if we’re ok? Or if we can help Raw and my friends?”

“What is this ‘we’ business? Your friends got themselves into trouble, doing stupid things, and now they’re paying a price.”

“How can you be so heartless?”

“How can you be so naive? I didn’t raise such a naive, weak child, did I?”

“No, you didn’t raise me at all.  You were too occupied with business.”

This stung Noc.  He gave pause and took a deep breath.  “Look, Zay, even if I wanted to help them by sending Agora One, it’s not my decision to make.  The core ownership board has to agree on it.  I’m only one.  There are many others.  You know that!”

“And how many of them know Tequi or someone else in the Vox family? Call a meeting and bring it to their attention.  At least do that much!”

“The more important question is, as you know with all decisions and actions, is it moral under Natural Law? Were Tequi, Raw, and their companions in the right?”

“All evidence we have suggests that the survivors of Earth’s environmental calamities were kidnapped by the Piscorans.  Yes, trying to rescue victims of kidnapping is morally justified! You know that!”

“Be that as it may, Agora One is not a rescue ship.  It also has some technical flaws that are still being worked out, as you well know.  I suggest you make the inhabitants of Agora One aware of the situation and those that wish to may use their own resources to mount a rescue operation for their beloved friends.  Or Tequi’s family, for that matter.”

“That’s true, but it will take much longer.  Agora One is just hours away right now.  Keep in mind that the longer they have Tequi’s ship, the better chance they’ll have to copy its tech.  That’ll make the Piscorans an even greater menace.”

He looked thoughtfully for a moment at his daughter’s determined face.  Her fiery determination reminded him of Zay’s mother.  

Zay continued, “I’m going back for them, regardless.  Just keep that in mind.”

He gulped hard, “I’ll talk to the board.”

Stay tuned for slice 12!

Thanks for your time and attention!

Just say "NO" to slavery!

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Please note:  While Agora One can be read as a standalone, I recommend finishing the James Bong series first, and reading SeAgora second, as Agora One is the final installment of a loosely interlocking trilogy.