Chapter 14
The Witch-Captain
Meanwhile, the fleeing Western Alliance soldiers reached their two shuttlecraft. Some of the flying platforms had arrived at the shuttlecraft landing sight first, but the American soldiers who had stayed behind to guard the shuttles had formed a ring of steel through which the Tragadomians could not break. The front line of flying platforms had been destroyed before the Tragadomians on board could damage the shuttlecraft.In spite of Landen's speed, he could not catch his fellow crew members. He stopped running upon seeing the two shuttlecraft rise up above the trees a quarter-mile ahead of him. The laser cannons mounted on top of the shuttlecraft blasted dozens of the flying platforms out of the air.All of the remaining platforms reversed directions and turned eastward. The Tragadomians had already summoned cruisers that had the firepower needed to destroy the shuttles.Landen spotted the retreating platforms coming toward him. He hid in some bushes until they had passed overhead, then started jogging in a westward direction. Landen had seen the shuttles go west, so he would try to follow. He did not think that Troy Roarke would take the shuttlecraft too far from this region because the planet's ruling authority was based in the plain to the northwest and because the Emerald Warrior crew was being held captive somewhere in this region. Perhaps Triamber will be taken to the spot where my wife and the rest of the crew are being held, Landen speculated, not knowing that Triamber had managed to escape. At that same time, deep in the forest, an elite unit of Eastern Alliance soldiers moved into position around Miriam's hut. The soldiers, all skilled hunters and trackers, had picked up the trail left by the shuttle crew when Miriam had led the men to her hut.Several soldiers soundlessly ran across the clearing and flattened themselves against the outer walls of the hut. They waited patiently for almost an hour, barely moving a muscle, lest they betray their presence.At last she came out the door. The soldiers sprang on her. One pressed a chloroform-drenched rag to her face. She tried to call up her magic to save her, but she had no time. The chloroform knocked her unconscious before she could escape.The soldiers bound and gagged her. They were aware of her powers and did not plan to give her the opportunity to use magic when she awoke. The elite unit carried their catch back to their shuttlecraft. Soon they were once again aboard their command battleship, the Revolution.Two hours later Stelko took a small shuttle down to the surface. This time he landed much closer to the Crystal Palace than on his previous visit.When Stelko arrived at the steel gates surrounding the palace, Adrian Baalson was waiting for him."Good afternoon, General Stelko," the witch-captain said. "Is this a social visit?"Stelko had grown weary of this man's sarcasm. "No, comrade, I've come on business. Serious business. During my conversations with your soldiers who have been staying as guests on my ship, the subject of the Emerald Warrior came up. Your soldiers mentioned that your forces controlled the ship. In fact, you had seized the American ship before my previous visit with you. You neglected to tell me about the Emerald Warrior.""An oversight, General," the witch-captain said."No doubt. I'm certain that you'll be glad to be relieved of the burden of caring for such a large ship. My men and I are ready to take possession of the Emerald Warrior.""Unfortunately, that won't be possible at the present time," Baalson said."I see," Stelko said, containing his fury. "I've come on another matter, too. In my discussions with your soldiers, I also learned that your wife has been missing for over a year. Naturally, with American cutthroats on the loose on Tragadom, I became concerned for her safety. As a personal favor to you, I assigned my elite unit to look for her. Earlier today, they were fortunate enough to find her in the forest. Yesterday, some Americans had held her prisoner, but they had gone off today in search of new captives. My men escorted your wife to my command ship so that she would be safe from the Americans."Baalson stared at Stelko for a few seconds before saying,"My wife would be safer here in the palace with me. Return her at once.""I will be happy to return both your wife and your soldiers as soon as some gesture of goodwill is forthcoming from you. When do you think that you will be able to turn over possession of the Emerald Warrior to me?"The witch-captain's dark eyes burned like coal. Stelko could see death in those eyes. As a young lieutenant, Stelko had played a good deal of poker. Today he wondered whether he had overplayed his hand."I will need to get permission from Haden before I can turn the Emerald Warrior over to you," Baalson said."Who is Haden?" Stelko inquired."Haden is the Ruler.""Is he also an American?"The witch-captain smirked. "No. Haden is not human.""Is he a Tragadomian?""No. Haden is Haden.""Can I speak with him?" Stelko requested."If Haden wished to speak with you, he would have done so by now. Haden knows that you are here. He hears all; he sees all."Stelko was puzzled by this ruler named Haden. The general decided that he could learn much more about Haden by interrogating the Tragadomian captives than by playing guessing games with Baalson. That interrogation would be the first item of business upon return to the battleship. "Fine," Stelko said. "Discuss the matter with your Ruler. I'm sure that Haden will want to enter into a mutually-beneficial relationship with us."Stelko and the thirteen soldiers who accompanied him returned to their shuttle. The witch-captain pretended to return to the palace. However, he enveloped himself in a cloak of invisibility and followed them.As the last soldier went up the ramp leading into the shuttle, the witch-captain pounced on him, cut his throat, and threw the dead body to the ground. Baalson then assumed the soldier's appearance and boarded the shuttle.Because the Revolution had gone into orbit around Noelm, it took only a few minutes to reach the battleship. Once on board, the witch-captain detached himself from the other members of the shuttle crew and set off in search of his wife. He could sense her presence on the battleship.It did not take him long to find her. Miriam was confined to a room in a restricted corridor. Two soldiers were posted in the corridor at the door to her room.The witch-captain's black magic enabled him to change form at will. He became a giant cobra that rapidly slithered down the hallway. When it was halfway to them, the guards spotted the cobra.The cobra hurtled itself into air, wrapped itself around the nearer guard's neck, and squeezed the life out of him. The second guard had drawn his pistol, but he never had time to fire. Long fangs bore deep into his throat. His dead body slumped to the floor, his head almost severed from his body.The witch-captain reassumed his normal form. He tried the door to the room. It was locked. He glanced down at the two dead bodies. Miriam is soft-hearted, he reflected. The sight of these corpses would bother her.Orange fire exploded from his hands, vaporizing the two bodies. Baalson waved his hand across the doorknob, and the door swung open.Miriam jumped up from a chair. Upon seeing her husband, her mouth fell open and her eyes widened."Adrian!" she gasped.Baalson smiled at her reaction. "Surprised to see me, Miriam? It's been a long time."She came forward to embrace him. "Are you a prisoner too?" she asked as they pulled apart.He laughed. "No. The Eastern Alliance isn't capable of holding me prisoner. I've increased in power since you last saw me. You'll be amazed to see what I can do now.""How did you get here?""General Stelko and his soldiers were kind enough to give me a lift up to their battleship, except they don't know that they did. I'll tell you the details later. We must leave immediately. Tragadomian soldiers are about to seize this battleship. I used telepathy to send them the order to attack. General Stelko shall pay dearly for kidnapping you." "You really do care about me, don't you?" she asked. "I never stopped caring for you," the witch-captain said. "I sent you a message to join me at the palace. Why didn't you come?""I thought that it was a trick," Miriam said. "The Ruler is diabolically clever.""The Ruler provides order to this ridiculous planet. The inhabitants would perish through their foolishness if not for the Ruler.""Many have perished because of the Ruler," Miriam said. "We don't have time to debate this now; Tragadomian cruisers are on their way here at this moment. Return with me to the Crystal Palace. You can meet Haden there. I think that you will regard him more favorably once you have met him.""All right," she agreed. "I'll come with you."Under a cloak of invisibility, he led her through the corridors back to the shuttle in which he had come aboard the battleship. Baalson sat in the pilot's seat and activated the engines. Within seconds, the shuttlecraft began to pull away from the docking area."Tragadomian cruisers are coming toward the battleship!" Miriam exclaimed."I see them," Baalson said. "We don't have to worry about the Tragadomians attacking this shuttle, though. I telepathically told them that we are aboard."Indeed, the cruisers carefully avoided the shuttlecraft as the vessels passed each other. Baalson encountered no difficulties as he steered the shuttlecraft down toward the grounds of the Crystal Palace.Meanwhile, aboard the Revolution, Stelko stood on the bridge and stared at the viewing screen. He clenched his fists in frustration while he watched the approach of numerous Tragadomian cruisers. Because his weapons systems had been destroyed in battle with the Emerald Warrior, Stelko had no laser cannons with which to fire on the enemy cruisers.Stelko spoke over the intercom to his chief of security. "The Tragadomians haven't fired on us yet, so they must be planning to capture this battleship intact. Get your men ready to fight their boarding parties. And kill all of those Tragadomian hostages and that Miriam woman. I'll make her husband pay for his treachery." "Consider it done, sir," the security chief said.The chief of security knew that Miriam had escaped, but he decided that it would not be wise to inform Stelko of that fact at that moment. The General had much more important worries that demanded his immediate attention. In addition, the security chief was not anxious to have Stelko find out about another lapse in security; Stelko was still furious about the escape of Rugert and the other Noelmian engineers. In a few minutes the Tragadomian siege began. Their cruisers rammed their way through the closed docking gates. Tragadomian storm troopers charged out of the cruisers into the corridors of the Revolution. Waiting soldiers opened fire.The handguns wielded by most of the Eastern Alliance soldiers were not effective against the Tragadomian storm troopers. Bullets could not penetrate the heavy armor worn by the Tragadomians. A few Tragadomians were killed by bullets that penetrated their large eyes and soft throats. Some humans managed to get laser rifles out of the small-arms storerooms. These laser rifles were able to slice through the Tragadomian armor. Fifteen Tragadomians were killed by the laser beams.Soon the humans wielding the rifles were killed, though. Most of the laser weapons remained unused in the storerooms; a majority of the Revolution's crew had not reached the storerooms in time.Except for the officers on the bridge, the entire crew was slain. The Tragadomian storm troopers took six prisoners: Stelko, his first officer, the helmsman, the navigator, the communications officer, and the weapons officer.The six prisoners were taken in a cruiser to the planet's surface. Stelko demanded to see Baalson, but Stelko's demands were ignored. Although they were taken to the Crystal Palace, the prisoners were not allowed to speak with anyone. Stelko and his five officers were locked in a dungeon there.The Eastern Alliance had been completely defeated. I certainly did overplay my hand, Stelko thought dejectedly. Adrian Baalson was holding all the aces. Well, perhaps fate will deal me a better hand in the future.
