15 THE VALKURIE DARKSTARS
“Captain!” said a young male orange haired Albein officer, as Rutgers entered the Command Bridge.
“Yes, Gingerpotts!” called Rutgers, “Status report!”
“We are currently in the Orion belt system, sir and the Volski are getting slower in catching up with us, sir.”
“Good,” said Rutgers, looking through the front window, known as the Voidshield, at Rigel, the brightest star in the Orion constellation.
“And the Vote results will be available in a minute,” said Gingerpotts, looking at the Holotab in his hand.
“Bring them up to me in my chair,” said Rutgers, as he walked to the captain chair in the middle of the Bridge.
“Yes sir!” said Gingerpotts, saluting him with three fingers and his thumb closing on his pinkie at the second knuckle.
As soon as Rutgers reached his chair, he received the results. He gulped as soon as he saw it. Out of the 3543 people onboard, 3179 had chosen to fight back, in other words they had chosen Rutgers’
plan over surrender.
Rutgers covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide his surprise and continued to look wide-eyed at the results for a couple of moments.
“Rutgers!” broke in Huria’s voice, on his transmitter.
“Yes sir!” replied Rutgers.
“You are requested on the Cruiser bay,” said Huria.
“Right away, sir!” said Rutgers, getting up from his chair.
Soon, Rutgers reached the Cruiser bay, the home to three hundred and fifty Cruisers. Huria along with Ira and Uzin were waiting for him.
“Captain,” said Huria, with a twinkle in his eye. “You are well acquainted with the results now, I believe.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Rutgers.
“Well, Ira and Uzin are both here to speak on behalf of the three hundred and sixty four people.”
“Tsokay sir,” said Rutgers.
“We require ships,” said Ira.
“We can provide you with as many as Cruisers you may need,” said Rutgers.
“What’s the carrying capacity?” asked Ira.
“Cruisers are built for a crew of twelve and a refugee capacity of twenty-two and going by that number, you’ll be requiring eleven Cruisers.”
“Tsokay,” said Ira.
“Pardon me, ma’am,” said Rutgers. “What is that you’re exactly gonna do?”
“That’s none of your business, soldier!” snapped Uzin, out of the blue.
Rutgers looked at him and weakly smiled.
“In that case,” said Rutgers. “I’ll make arrangements for your immediate departure.”
“Thank you, captain,” said Ira, in a tone that suggested a lack of interest.
Rutgers smiled handsomely at her and talked into his transmitter, “Gingerpotts?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Gingerpotts promptly.
“Alert those people who have voted to surrender, to gather in the Cruiser bay in the next twenty minutes with everything that belongs to them,” Rutgers said, then he looked at Uzin and said, “And Gingerpotts, just ask them to think over their decision again before they decide to leave the Orion Swift for good.”
“Yes sir,” said Gingerpotts and went off the line.
“We happy?” asked Rutgers, looking at Uzin, who smirked at him in return.
In exactly fifteen minutes, about three hundred and fifty people had gathered in the Cruiser, out of which most were Albeins and a dozen Keplers.
“Listen up, people!” announced Rutgers, “You’ll be all taking Cruiser ships and following Senator Ira and Senator Uzin’s instructions from now on. If anyone still wants to change their mind about this decision, this is your last chance.”
No one spoke anything and then Uzin stepped forward and spoke to Huria, “We would like those eleven ships now.”
“He’s the captain, Mr. Uzin,” said Huria, pointing to Rutgers, who was smiling.
Clenching his teeth, Uzin asked Rutgers, “The ships, captain?”
“Alright!” replied Rutgers and spoke again into his transmitter. “Gingerpotts, the Cruiser bay officer!”
“He’s right in that gathering, sir!” replied Gingerpotts.
“Oh!” said Rutgers and called out, “Mr. Farrow?”
An obese Albein official stepped out of the crowd, looking guiltily at him.
“Yes, sir,” said Farrow, looking down at the floor.
“You know what to do,” said Rutgers. “Send your final report before leaving to Gingerpotts.”
“Yes sir!” said Farrow and made the three-finger salute.
Rutgers turned to Huria, nodded and left the Cruiser bay.
“Gingerpotts!” said Rutgers onto his transmitter.
“Sir!” replied Gingerpotts nervously.
“What is it, Gingerpotts?” asked Rutgers.
“Some of our crew are also in that group, sir!”
“Are we missing any important people?” asked Rutgers coolly, as he walked towards the elevators.
“Well, yes sir!” replied Gingerpotts. “We’re lacking the entire Intelligence division, sir!”
Rutgers snorted in return.
“Sir?” asked Gingerpotts.
“Don’t you worry about that, Gingerpotts!” replied Rutgers. “For now, track all the Cruisers and take the Orion Swift as far as you can, from this place.”
“Aren’t we gonna jump through a wormhole, sir?” asked Gingerpotts.
“No, young man,” replied Rutgers. “First, I want to know what they’re gonna do to them.”
“Yes sir!” said Gingerpotts.
“And meet me in my office, as soon as you’re finished, I want you to meet my new Intelligence team,” said Rutgers.
“Aye cap’n!” said Gingerpotts enthusiastically and got off the line.
Rutgers smiled to himself and called Kru next on his transmitter,
“Dear nephew!” he said. “How are you?”
“Bored to hell! What’s going on?” said Kru, wondering about Rutgers’ way of speaking.
“I have a new appointment for you all, meet me in my office right away!” said Rutgers and hung the call.
“What is it, Kru?” asked Holloway, who was beside him, in Troy’s room.
“Rutgers said he has a new assignment for us all and has asked us to meet him in his office now,” said Kru, still wondering.
“Oh!” said Emilie. “That’s interesting!”
“THAT’S SUPER EXCITING!” exclaimed Holloway, waving her hands.
“What about the people who voted to surrender?” asked Troy, who seemed unmoved by the latest development.
“Yeah! So the results are out?” asked Holloway.
Kru looked at them both, took a deep breath and logged onto his Holotab.
“The Cruiser bay cameras are showing Cruisers taking off.”
“Hmm…” said Troy, sitting down beside Emilie on the bed.
“How many?” Holloway asked, biting her nails.
Kru checked and told, “Three hundred and fifty three people.”
“I wonder what’s gonna happen to them?” said Emilie.
Everyone looked at her and wondered the same. Kru closed his Holotab and let out a heavily audible sigh.
“Bua?” said Sniffles, lifting his head from Emilie’s lap.
“I am scared, guys,” confessed Kru, his chin held low.
No one spoke but continued to remain silent as they pondered over their own fears. Emilie broke the eerie silence by saying, “Troy’s face is becoming more serious by every passing minute!”
Troy looked at her and smiled, “I just feel a bit grown up.”
“Don’t we all feel like that now?” said Emilie, rubbing Troy’s back.
I wish I could tell you how I feel, thinking about what Olscuro had said earlier, thought Troy, looking at Emilie.
I am no stranger to your true feelings, Emilie replied telepathically and smiled reassuringly.
Troy smiled handsomely back at her and felt a cozy warmth building up inside his chest.
“Guys, I can’t really wait, shall we go now please?” asked Holloway, with puppy dog eyes.
“Alright!” said Troy, getting up.
“Guys, do you remember what I said?” asked Kru, from the corner where he was seated.
“What?” asked Troy, bringing his hands for a mighty clap.
“I said I was scared,” said Kru, hugging his Holotab.
“Come on, get up big baby!” said Holloway, pulling at his arms.
“But….but….but” stammered Kru, resisting Holloway’s efforts to get him up.
“Come on!” said Holloway and pulled Kru onto his feet.
“We’ll meet you both at Rutgers’,” said Troy, leaving the room with Emilie and Sniffles, as the results of the Vote were being announced throughout the ship.
Shortly, they were all at Rutgers’ office.
“Welcome kids,” Rutgers said, as he got up from his chair behind his big DeskCom.
“What’s up, captain?” asked Troy.
“I guess you are aware about the people leaving the Orion Swift to surrender to the Volski, yes?” asked Rutgers, placing his hands on his DeskCom.
“Yes sir,” said Holloway, giving a quick affirmative nod at him.
“I want to know what the Volski are going to do to them,” said Troy, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I am curious too,” said Rutgers and brought up a holographic video feed showing eleven Cruisers waiting in the darkness of space, on top of his DeskCom.
“We’re about fifteen minutes from those Cruisers at the speed of light,” said Rutgers. “So obviously, the video lags by fifteen minutes behind real time.”
Then suddenly a holographic screen appeared in front of Rutgers. He read it and said, “They’ve contacted the Volski.”
Everyone looked raptly at the video, at the eleven stationary Cruisers.
Rutgers announced, “The Volski have replied affirmatively to their request.”
“What?” said Holloway, feeling quite oddly surprised.
“That’s not it,” Rutgers said, his tone getting bitter by the second. “The Volski have expressed their thanks and congratulations to the surrendering people for making the right choice!”
“It sounds mad,” said Troy, cocking his eyebrow, unlocking his arms.
While everyone in the room thought it was ridiculous, Rutgers realized he had made a mistake and took a step back from his DeskCom and looking confused.
“I made the wrong choice?” asked Rutgers guiltily, looking at the five.
Emilie knew where this was being headed and she stepped in quickly, towards Rutgers.
“No, Rutgers, you made the right one.”
Rutgers didn’t look convinced and he sank onto his chair lost in his morbid thoughts, with his head sunk onto his chest, making Troy move instinctively move closer to him.
“I think we should-” said Rutgers.
“Uncle!” cried Kru, and pointed towards the holographic video. “I think you should look at this.”
Rutgers lifted his head and looked at the DeskCom.
The sight of Cruisers blasting into pieces met their eyes. Rutgers instantly calmed down and his pupils dilated as he had been dosed with a sedative.
“Let’s get out of here!” hissed Troy.
Rutgers nodded and called Gingerpotts.
“Yes sir,” replied a trembling voice.
“Initiate the plan as we had discussed,” said Rutgers, in a raspy voice.
“Right away, sir,” said Gingerpotts.
Emilie continued to look at the Cruisers burning up, as fear chilled her every bone.
“I am sorry, that was a really bad case of severe anxiety,” said Rutgers.
“Don’t sweat it,” replied Troy, managing a very weak smile at him.
Rutgers closed the video feed, releasing the other four from the spell.
“I am sorry for what happened right now,” said Rutgers and quickly regurgitated the whole escape plan that he had come up with.
Only Troy seemed to be paying attention at all to Rutgers, while the others picked up on bits and pieces here and other as the images of blasting Cruisers kept flashing before them.
“Are we cool with that plan?” asked Rutgers, once he was finished.
“Yes!” said Troy, instantly without any hesitation.
Rutgers looked at the others, who looked at him back with vacant expressions.
“Say something,” urged Rutgers.
“Yeah, it’s a good plan,” said Kru, at last.
“The Volski are pure unmatched evil,” said Holloway, her eyes dry from the horror she just witnessed, out of the blue.
The rest looked at her and seemed to agree with what she had said. Rutgers then spoke, “As you may not know, we had just lost our entire Intelligence team out there and there’s no current team aboard the Orion Swift to take their positions.”
“So?” asked Emilie, looking not much interested in what Rutgers was saying.
“Therefore, I want to appoint you four as my new Intelligence team,” announced Rutgers, clasping his hands together.
“Is there even a need for us?” asked Kru, with an exasperated look.
“You, four, have played a huge role in recent events and have saved the lives of everyone aboard this ship and it’s time that you are legally enabled to save everyone.”
“I don’t think we are-” began Troy, when he was interrupted by the entry of Gingerpotts.
“Captain!” said Gingerpotts, looking pale.
“Yes Gingerpotts,” said Rutgers.
“I have done as you had requested,” said Gingerpotts. “But everyone’s morale is in the toilet.”
“Don’t you worry about it, son!” said Rutgers. “Focus on what we must do now to survive, meet our new Intelligence team.”
Gingerpotts looked awkwardly at the four eighteen-year olds at his sides and looked back at Rutgers.
“These are the people who have been making the news rounds across the ship,” said Rutgers.
Gingerpotts reached out his hand at Troy and shook his hand gingerly, “Troy Zander!”
“Gingerpotts!” replied Troy and sniggered, who found his name to be extremely funny. “I am so sorry!
It is just that I have never come across any man with the name Gingerpotts ever before.”
Gingerpotts gave a geeky smile, going pink in his ears, shaking the hands of the rest and even tried to shake Sniffles’ hand, who bit him and hugged Emilie’s legs tightly after that.
“Ow!” said Gingerpotts, clutching his pinkie in pain.
“I am so sorry about that!” said Emilie. “He’s just a baby!”
Rutgers smiled and said, “Alright folks! Time to pay attention! In about five minutes, we’ll enter into the solar system of which earth is a part of! And if everything goes according to plan, there will be a time gap of at least twenty years before the Volski reach us through that wormhole!”
“What if they don’t take the wormhole and find us somehow?” asked Holloway.
Rutgers looked disturbed and muttered, “Let’s just hope that they do!”
“Tsokay!” chorused Kru and Troy together hesitantly.
“Gingerpotts, you can show them their new office!”
“Yes sir!” said Gingerpotts, giving him the three finger salute.
“You guys can report to me from there and if I have any missions for you, I’ll let you know,” said Rutgers.
“What about this young Aurean, sir?” asked Gingerpotts.
Rutgers looked hesitant but then looked at Emilie who gazed back at him sadly, “Well, it’s up to Sniffles’ guardian, I suppose!”
Emilie smiled beautifully at him, conveying her gratitude and followed Gingerpotts out of the office.
“The Volski!” muttered Holloway, as the six walked down the passageway.
“It’s alright, Holly,” Kru comforted her, holding her hand, as they walked slowly side by side.
“We’ve survived so far and we’ll continue to do so against them, Holloway,” added in Emilie.
“You guys are so famous!” said Gingerpotts excitedly, as he kept working on his Holotab and who was currently amnesiac of the Volski’s attack on the eleven Cruisers and was completely enthralled by presence of the five.
Only Troy entertained Gingerpotts’ remark and asked him why.
“Do you know that the level on which your cabins are present, are out of reach to anyone except Rutgers, the Senate and only the Chief Security Officer?” said Gingerpotts.
“Tsokay,” said Troy, trying to be as modest as he could. “We never knew.”
“People are so crazed about you, folk, even Sniffles,” Gingerpotts continued to speak enthusiastically.
“I can vouch that you guys are the reason that most of the people aboard the Orion Swift have chosen to fight back against those tyrants!!!”
“That’s nice to hear,” said Emilie, smiling.
“Yes, it is,” said Gingerpotts, as they reached the elevators.
“I think we should have a name,” said Emilie, as they filled in the elevator number seven.
“Seriously?” asked Kru, who thought that the idea was ridiculous.
“I think it’s a brilliant idea!” said Gingerpotts.
“I think it’s a good idea too,” added Troy, smiling and agreeing with her.
“Don’t you guys think we should be at least a bit scared right now?” asked Holloway.
“Holloway, those Dark Dorks are gonna come after us anyway and feeling scared isn’t going to help at all, of all the people here, I would expect you to be the most fearless,” said Troy.
“You’re so charming, Troy, with your words too,” smiled Holloway, much to Emilie’s jealousy.
“Troy is right,” said Kru, as they exited the elevator on level fifty-five. “We’ve got to be what now we’re called to be.”
“I was thinking we should ourselves using bits and pieces of the names of the places where we come from,” said Emilie.
“That’s actually a very nice idea,” said Troy.
“Bua!” said Sniffles, grinning.
“So, I thought Valkurie,” said Emilie, “V from Elveden, A-L from Albein, K from Kepler and U-R from Aura.”
“It sounds really cool,” said Holloway, trying to smile and return to normalcy again.
“Wow!” exclaimed Gingerpotts. “That’s a great name! People would love it.”
“Thank you!” said Emilie generously.
“And we’re here at your office,” announced Gingerpotts.
Gingerpotts stood in front of the room, which possessed a very small door, just enough for a person to pass through.
“Please stand back!” cautioned Gingerpotts, as he took a step behind. “This door is of a slightly different nature.”
“Why?” asked Troy and before Kru cleared his throat and was about to answer, Gingerpotts replied, “The Intelligence office is one of the most important areas in the ship, it houses all of the sensitive and most important intelligence reports and data and the security for this office is the highest.”
“Tsokay?” said Troy.
“So you can say this is the most secure area in all of the ship but yet you will find it paradoxical,”
said Gingerpotts.
“Why?” asked Troy.
“Because of the Disappearing Door,” said Kru, who looked relieved that he finally said something before Gingerpotts could.
“What the heck?” said Troy and laughed.
“It’s true,” said Gingerpotts. “The door disappears on successfully recognizing you as well as when it doesn’t recognize you.”
“So?” asked Troy, looking a bit uneasy.
“So when someone tries to enter through the Disappearing Door, he will be spared if he’s a recognized authority or…” said Gingerpotts.
“Or?” asked Troy impatiently.
“Or be shredded to pieces by powerful lasers on the spot,” said Gingerpotts.
“So what if the bad guy teleports inside of the office inside, instead of using the door?” asked Troy.
“Teleportation is impossible on this level, there are Jumblers installed here, machines that, how to put in lay man words, ah, yeah, that jumbles up any teleporting thing, so that a human basically ends up teleported with his insides turned out on this level.” replied Gingerpotts.
“Yew!” said Holloway, clutching her stomach.
“Yea!” said Gingerpotts, “And now don’t worry, I have authorized entry for all five of you.”
“Tsokay!” said Troy. “Just a teeny weeny doubt before we enter.”
“Yes,” said Gingerpotts and smiled courteously at Troy.
“So what if the AI system commits a mistake and doesn’t recognize me, even though I am an authorized person?” asked Troy.
“In that case, you’ll be incinerated, like I told you before!” said Gingerpotts.
“That’s great!” said Troy sarcastically.
“The odds are astronomical, don’t you worry about it!” reassured Gingerpotts and proceeded towards the narrow door.
The white door with the shining Albein emblem disappeared like smoke as Gingerpotts came with an inch of it.
“Test of faith,” muttered Holloway, as Gingerpotts put his left leg forward inside the office. Nothing happened. Gingerpotts went inside, turned around and signaled the rest to come in. Troy went in first, followed by Holloway, Kru, Sniffles and Emilie.
“That was easy,” said Emilie, “Very thrilling though!”
The room they had entered into was the size of their cabin, plain white with a central desk and the five seemed rather disappointed.
“Don’t let size disappoint you!” said Gingerpotts. “This room is much bigger than you can imagine.”
“Thank you, Gingerpotts!” said Troy and bit his lips after saying his name, to avoid another gasp of laughter.
Gingerpotts nodded happily and said, “I guess by now, we have entered the solar system and are somewhere near the earth’s moon.”
“Great!” exclaimed Holloway, “I can’t wait to see what it’s like on earth.”
“We won’t be landing on earth, as we had discussed earlier, Holly, it’s too dangerous,” reminded Kru.
“Now what about the name?” asked Gingerpotts enthusiastically.
“I think we should name ourselves the Valkurie DarkStars,” suggested Holloway.
For a moment, everyone exchanged glances all around and Gingerpotts nearly shouted, “IT’S PERFECT!”
And at that moment, very much like a spoiler, everyone received an emergency notification on their transmitters.
“Uh ho!” said Kru, his heart beating fast, after listening to the grave message.
“They got to us?” gasped Holloway, in horror.