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Meelak woke in the same room he went out in. He noticed a covered lump on the floor where he'd shot Nyrin. That single thought brought back the reason he was in such pain. Nyrin's weapon was meant to stun. The pulse sends the victim's system into a temporary stasis that lasts up to six arns. He got up holding his head in his hands and stumbled to the door, he had to find the women. The door wouldn't open. Reading the message codes from the panel he realized that the main compartment of the vessel had been vented to space. He knew that Establishment agents regularly place insurance devices aboard ships. These devices are in sync with their life signs. Meelak pulled off Nyrin's boots and found the control device in the heel. Meelak managed to break the encryption and re-pressurize the vessel. But he feared the worst for the rest of the crew and passengers.
Meelak wandered the ship, he could not find the pilots but the few other passengers were in poses of pain from asphyxiation. His memory immediately flashed back to all the other images of dead bodies he'd seen while in the service of the Establishment. His experience with the Resistance was far more destructive of property but it didn't begin to touch the death that he saw all in the name of conformity. The Establishment's idea of conformity only applied to those that fit the image of normal. All the 'Nonconformists' were denied a normal life because of some change in their DNA. This revelation is what provoked Meelak to join the Resistance. The plan to frell over this part of the galaxy with their contagion almost didn't bother him. It was what the Nebari Establishment was doing to its own people that became his greatest drive.
Meelak saw no sign of the women so he decided to look further. He found that one of the Life Pods had been taken. He knew that someone had gotten away and hoped it was them. He tried to change the course of the cargo vessel, but it was useless, the agent's device had destroyed the controls and he was floating dead in space. To top it off a locator beacon had been activated. He had little choice but to take the other Life Pod and find Nerri. The beacon would bring the Nebari or worse Peace Keepers.
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The ship hands tied Kimmic’s and Hubero’s wrists and their ankles together. Then they were set on the cold deck in the cargo hold.
“What are we gonna do with the corpses?” one hand asked the other.
The other replied “I don’t know. We’ll contact Nebari Prime, but not till we get to the Tarsus System. I came all this way just for some Fellip Nectar.”
They left the cargo hold and closed the airlocks.
"What will they do with us Kimmic?"
"I'm not sure Hubero." she knew but didn't want to frighten her friend any more than she already was. Kimmic had no intention of letting them cleanse her, she was ever conscious of the implant in her spine
"Is Meelak dead? What was all that about the Resistance? They're gonna turn us into cleansed Gleebos aren't they?" Hubero's reasoning skills were returning and she didn't like what they were telling her.
"CAN YOU get free?!?" Kimmic attempted to change the topic.
"No.." she strained against the cords that were starting to dig into her wrists. "Answer the question!"
“No I don’t think Meelak is dead.” Kimmic pulled and tugged at her restraints until she was winded. “Hubero, I am with the Resistance; I have been ever since I found out what that contagion antibody I'd been working on was for. I thought I was curing a disease, instead I was keeping the fekkiks in the Establishment safe from their own frelling creation."
The internal pressure alarms went off and they knew that the main compartment had been vented. Their hope for Meelak was waning.
The sound of a Life Pod launch was of little comfort to them. Whoever was still alive in the ship had just left leaving them there.
Kimmic thought to herself *With the size of this storage bay we'll have plenty of air for almost four solar days. But then what?!?*
The two of them tried to get free over the next few arns.
Hubero talked about growing up as an androgen. How she had developed so many tricks to keep her secret, some were quite amusing. All the lies and bribes that her parents had to make just to keep her on Nebari Prime and maintain her privacy.
Kimmic explained more about the Resistance to Hubero. She left out enough details so as not to put any of her compatriots in jeopardy. But what Hubero heard she liked. The idea that she would be accepted as she was, appealed to her. She was different but she was still Nebari.
Hubero felt closer to Kimmic than anyone at that moment. Her life had been a long trail of pushing people away for fear of them revealing her secret or worse, rejecting her. For the first time in her life she was finally at ease with another person.
The alarm stopped going off. Kimmic came alive, "Someone's restored atmosphere!" she said hopefully. She waited patiently for the doors to open. They remained hopeful until the telltale signal noise of another life pod was sounded.
"That was the second one!" Hubero sounded very desperate.
"We will get out of this!" Kimmic was trying to convince herself as well. She was scared.
They tried to free themselves until they were exhausted. Hubero was the first to give up. Kimmic kept trying until she was so fatigued that she leaned her head against Hubero and slept.
Hubero soon followed, though the closeness of Kimmic was a pleasant distraction.
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Nerri sat down looking like he’d been punched in the stomach. "Are you certain?!?!"
"I am sorry. There was a positive ident on the DNA." The tech showed him the results of the testing. "There was Luxan DNA as well."
**CHIANA!!** For the first time ever Nerri questioned his choice to join and help lead the Resistance. From the moment they came upon the broken remains of the Leviathan Nerri had a gut suspicion, he knew somehow that Chiana was alive, but now.. he had to accept it. His sister that he sent away for her protection was now dead.
Pelon brought more news, "Nerri, we’ve been searching this ship’s files. We found this in the captain's files; there has been a second Retrieval Squad sent for the Leviathan. Crichton’s name was on this list of the Leviathan’s crew."
"That means that the one we found wasn't the one they were looking for. Can we intercept?" Nerri's voice contained a renewed purpose.
"Yes we can. But what of our mission for the Resistance?" Pelon sounded concerned. They were due in the Tarsus system in eight solar days.
"This matter FIRST, Pelon, this matter first.." Nerri's tone was definitely out of character. He knew that Meelak and Kimmic would wait for him in the Tarsus system.
Nerri knew that nothing could withstand a direct attack from HIS newly acquired weapon if he had even the slightest advantage of surprise. The Nebari equipped most of their ships with sufficient weaponry to defend itself against almost anything. Defeating whatever the PK's sent would not be a problem.
Aboard the Host Vessel the Resistance crew were questioning Nerri's motives for going after this Retrieval Squad, they knew it posed no threat. Iit was a personal matter and they knew it. Nerri had to convince them otherwise.
Nerri spent the next eight arns in his new quarters pondering the future of this mission. Then it hit him. Nerri would address the crew the first chance he had.
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Kimmic and Hubero both woke up to the sound of the doors to the cargo bay being pried open. Neither knew how long they had been in the Cargo bay. But, because of the prying, Kimmic knew it was not Establishment agents who were on board, and she didn’t know whether that was to their advantage or not.
*Someone found us, but who??* Kimmic was worried now.
Hubero tensed when the doors opened revealing red and black leather. They didn't talk, but just untied them and brought them aboard their ship.
Hubero started to ask a question, but Kimmic quickly sent her a glance to be quiet. She figured since they were rescued, untied and being brought somewhere other than Nebari Prime they should just go with it for the time being.
The Marauder returned to the Command Carrier rather quickly. The two Nebari were escorted to the galley and were offered some food cubes, which they ate gratefully. The two were watched constantly and felt nervous but sensed no malice.
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"The PK ships are on scanners. I am picking up four small attack ships and one larger one that has an unknown weapon in it's arsenal." Pelon said.
”Engage and destroy the larger ship.” Nerri commanded, “Then hail the smaller ships and open a channel to my comm.”
Pelon knew exactly what to do. He sent an Ion/EMF pulse that temporarily disabled their sensors, the Host Vessel overtook the ships and the first salvo eliminated the Vigilante. The Prowlers had already started evasive maneuvers after the Ion/EMF pulse. All four began to target the Nebari Ship.
The prowlers commenced firing on them, but each weapon blast was absorbed into the hull of the ship. Pelon smiled. The massive hull of the Nebari vessel acted as a capacitor and helped recharge the ship's weapons.
"They will not answer the comm attempts Nerri."
"Fine then, to speak to killers you must speak their language; show them what we can do."
"How many?" the weapons master asked.
Nerri thought for a microt, "Take out only one, then try the comm channels again."
The weapons fired before Nerri finished his sentence. The weapons officer took out the closest Prowler, and fired warning shots immediately in front of the cockpits of each of the others.
"Nice touch" said Nerri.
"This is Officer Lesyd of the Peace Keepers. Identify yourself"
"I will in time, Officer Lesyd, but first I suggest you listen to what I have to say. I need you to deliver a message to your superiors."
"We aren't messengers!"
"You are a targeting exercise at the moment, would you like the chance to improve your situation?" Nerri took on the tone of the Establishment. He gave a hand signal. The weapons officer let another shot fly directly in front of Lesyd's cockpit.
"Understood... what is your message?" Lesyd's tone was submissive.
"I will transmit the message to your Prowler." The message contained details on the contagion and how to make the anti-contagion. He nodded and the tech started the transmission. "We are the Nebari Resistance, the rest is not important now"
