Chapter 13
Escape from Citrine
Mia gave a cry and raced to him. Dex and Duplex slid the last ten metres down the rope ladder in seconds. Duplex quickly activated the retractor before the guards could climb onto it. Mia checked Ranni’s pulse, while Dexter pushed the teens out of the range of the blasts from the guards above, which were now raining down on them.
“Duplex quick,” yelled Dexter. “Run to the Saffyre Starlight and activate its defensive shield. We’re within the 100 metre radius and it will protect us from the guard’s weapons. Saffyre and Zavier keep back in the shadows.”
“We’re losing Ranni,” Mia cried. “He has no pulse. We need to get him straight onto the Starlight’s reviver.”
“Lazar, help your mother with resuscitation, while I try to hold off guards. The minute the shield is activated, all run for the Starship” instructed Dexter.
Saffyre and Zavier were trying to keep in the shadows of the cliff. Some of the guards had turned their attention to them and chabazite blasts were striking all around. Saffyre moved to the left to turn from a blast that missed her by inches. Dexter tried to draw the guards’ attention away by climbing back on to the sheer cliff.
“The guards are lowering ropes,” cried Zavier. “They’ll be down here in no time.”
Saffyre looked up and saw several guards beginning hurried descents on thick ropes. Above them the dogs were still snapping and growling and a few were trying to climb down the sheer cliff face. One yelped as it lost its grip and slithered down the bare rock.
A guard took aim with his chabazite as he descended down the precipice. Dexter jumped onto the rope and tackled him. They fell on to beach and the chabazite rolled along the sand, its blast striking everything in its range. Saffyre tried to swing out of its path, but it struck her with full force on the arm. She cried out in pain.
At that moment the beach was shrouded in a soft glow. Zavier yelled, “Help Dad, Saffyre’s hurt!”
Saffyre was struggling. Her arm hung uselessly by her side and there was now a large tear in her bodysuit. She shivered and fell to the ground. In an instant Dexter was at her side and lifted her onto his shoulders. Mia and Lazar carried Ranni and they all hurried to the Starlight.
The robots were on the beach now and gaining on them quickly. Duplex lifted the latch and Kay4 raced out. She shot over to the guards who were circling the protective shield and trying without success, to penetrate it. She began zapping at them with her electricity bolt and they collapsed on the ground. Duplex helped everyone inside.
Lazar frowned, “Where is Krystal?” he asked Duplex. “I thought she was with you.”
Nobody had seen her for some time. “I didn’t see her at all after we came down on to the beach. Matter of fact, I don’t think I saw her come down the rope ladder,” said Duplex.
“I’m sorry son,” said Dexter. “But we’ll have to go without her. I’m closing the hatch!”
Lazar nodded but was white faced. “He’ll half-kill her for helping us,” he said grimly.
Dexter rushed to the controls, to get them airborne. “We have to get out of here. Quartz will be after us immediately. Duplex help Mia with Ranni and Saffyre.”
Dexter fumbled with the controls, with Lazar at his side. He soon had the engines warming and released the brake. The Starlight began to glide across the beach, and having reached the right speed, Dex piloted her into the air.
Duplex and Mia helped Ranni and Saffyre into a small room. Mia pushed a button and immediately the area looked like a full equipped hospital. Ranni was placed on a bed and Duplex hooked him up to a reviver. The machines monitored his blood pressure level and drip-fed him vital fluids. He was soon stable. Duplex soothed the Azurite lotion onto his burning shoulder.
“Ranni’s body temperature is normal,” Duplex told Mia. “The Azurite lotion that Krystal applied earlier must have protected him.”
Saffyre’s colour was better now that they were inside the temperature-controlled starship. Mia helped her into a water unit that brought her dangerously low body temperature to more a steady level. Her arm had suffered strain and severe burns, but was not broken. Duplex applied the Azurite lotion and the burns vanished. Mia then helped Saffyre into the rest area and stroked her forehead softly until she fell asleep. Zavier was already asleep on a sofa. Mia watched them for a while, then joined Dexter and Lazar at the controls.
The front viewer window showed a wide expanse of stars. They were high into the Jatax galaxy. It was now 2am Citrine time. Mia couldn’t recall ever feeling so tired.
“I’ve got the Starlight’s trackers going,” said Dexter. “But nothing seems to be following us.”
Mia raised her eyebrows. “I can’t see Quartz just letting us escape, after all he went through to get us all to Citrine. Are you sure that the trackers are fully operational?”
Dexter tapped away at the controls for several minutes. “Everything appears to be in working order,” he said.
“Perhaps Krystal stopped him,” interjected Lazar.
“You really liked her didn’t you son?” Dexter smiled. “I hope that she deserves your trust.”
“She did help us escape,” said Duplex, who had now joined them. He handed around snacks which they took gratefully. No-one had eaten for hours.
“Yes, that’s true,” said Dexter looking thoughtful.
“What’s the matter?” Mia asked.
“At the moment, nothing,” he replied. “That’s the problem; our get-away seems a little too easy.”
Duplex laughed. “That’s an odd thing to say considering we all could have been killed back there. Poor Saffyre and Ranni almost didn’t make it.”
Mia shuddered. “I can’t bear to think about that right now.”
“Not that part,” said Dex. “I’m talking about our flight from Citrine. I would have expected Quartz to have sent someone to track us or for his security system to have blocked our escape. Yet so far …nothing!”
They sat for a few moments, worn out from the escape and drinking in the quiet beauty of the massive expanse of stars. Lazar began yawning and Mia suggested he lie down on the couch in the next room.
Something started beeping and Dexter snapped to attention immediately.
“What is it? ” Duplex asked. “Are we being followed? ”
Dexter frowned. “No, that’s not it, the monitors are showing a problem with the Starlight’s steering. Also one of the trackers has detected something in our path. But it is in front of us, not behind us.”
“Can you tell what it is?” Mia asked.
“The tracker device is preparing a full description, we’ll know shortly. The repairing system is working on the steering problem, it should be rectified soon,” said Dexter.
A voice could be heard calling from the other room. “It sounds like Ranni,” said Mia. “I’ll go and see if he’s okay.”
She hurried into the convalescence area. Ranni smiled weakly at her. “You’re conscious at last!” Mia cried.
Ranni held out his hand to her. “Mia, I’m so sorry,” he said. “The last few days have been a blur, but I recall that somehow Quartz brought me with him when he escaped from Malacite. I want you and Dex to know that I didn’t help him intentionally.” He tugged at his big, bushy ginger beard as he spoke. He looked distraught.
“Dexter and I knew that you would never help Quartz. He used Krystal Roze to help him. Ranni, it seems that she’s his daughter and they’ve been setting you up to look guilty.”
Ranni appeared stunned. “Krystal is his daughter? I had no idea.”
“Nobody did. We all trusted her,” said Mia. “She helped us escape from Citrine though, so perhaps there is hope for her yet.”
“We’ve escaped from Quartz?” Ranni asked.
“Yes, Dexter’s operating the Saffyre Starlight right now. Ranni, the Professor destroyed the Amega Astrospeed and with it our invention, the travertine-porter. Thankfully we have another prototype back home.”
They could now hear raised voices coming from the other room. Mia looked up in alarm. “I’ll just see what’s going on,” she told Ranni. “You should rest for a while. Quartz used a mind-control and a stun-gun on you; it could take some time for you to get your full strength back.”
Ranni nodded and closed his eyes. “Let me know what’s happening though,” he called out to her as she headed for the controls room.
“What’s going on?” Mia demanded. “I could hear the two of you from the convalescence room.”
“The Starlight is not responding to our attempts to correct her steering,” Dexter informed her. “Duplex and I have tried everything.”
“I don’t understand, surely our repair system should fix any problem?”
“There’s no problem with it,” said Dexter.
“How can that be?”
“The Starlight is being directed by Quartz’s steering device from Citrine,”
Mia gasped. “You mean that ‘krystaline-mover’ that Quartz said could control any machinery?”
“Exactly,” said Dexter. “The same one he used to guide the Amega Astrospeed to Citrine.”
“Is he making us return to Citrine?” Mia cried.
“No, it’s even worse,” interjected Duplex grimly. “Quartz is guiding us straight into the path of a huge asteroid. If we hit it …the Saffyre Starlight will be blown to smithereens!”