1 The Chronicles of the Samuel Hain 5th Series The Plutonium 547 Double Cross

The guild will want answers of course. I leaned up against the wall. My fin quivered slightly in the cold. Of course. Kervan was watching the pirates walk through the nightclub. Theyll get their answers and more. No, dont.dont go beyond the mission. All we have to do is bring the criminal in; thats it. Givan, comrade, Kervan put his hand on my shoulder, the Samuel Hain is full of important relics. Bringing some of these back would increase the guilds standing in the Empire. Star Blades are supposed to be disciplined and focused; not ambitious. Those are human values. Its time to inject a little Borgan thinking into the pedantic Star Blade system. Allan walked up to us. Two of the finest Star Blades in the galaxy; yet here you are standing around doing nothing! The blue robot actually had some guts but it wouldnt do him any good. He probably would end up recycled into something more practical before the day was over. Youre the PPIP lawyer, right? Kervan looked him over briefly, and then turned his attention back to the pirates. I am a lawyer and a lot more. While you two have been standing around, I have found a way to unlock the doors on the materials lab. Good. Why dont you whip us up a chocolate sundae or something? Kervan kept on monitoring the marauders.

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Unfortunately, Allan, our Star Blades have been confiscated. Once we get them back, well be more useful. Allan, By now, Daphne, the PPIP teacher was at his side and tugging on him, please, dont stir up trouble. We should take a look at that lab. I let out a sonic pulse from my forehead. When the pulse came back, I had a clear picture of the current situation. As you wish. Kervan gestured for me to lead the way. As we made our way to the lower sections of the ship, I kept one eye on my surroundings and one eye on my partner. I would not have another incident on my conscience. What happened at Jersey Phoenix was enough to last a lifetime. I could see the chess match playing out in Kervans eyes; move and counter move. He was too Borganeven for me. Would I be able to save him from his own ambition for yet another year? I didnt know. After this, we really ought to resume the hunt for our blades. Doing some scouting on the next level down might also be helpful. I slid the door back. Most of the valuable items are on this level. The payday is down the hall; weapons, artifacts.you know, really big stuff. Not much herejust some old experiments and a little graphite. Hmmm..wait a minute. Some of these old sub atomic experiments could prove useful. Now youre being too optimistic. Cmon, lets go. I turned to leave. You can head back if you want. Im staying here and doing some experimenting of my own. What kind of trouble could he get into down here, in an old lab? OK, sounds good. Well meet back at the night club. See you there in a few hours. Kervan smiled that smile of his and I almost changed my mind.

Did you find anything useful in the lab? Allan started in before I could get one foot into the night club. No. I noticed that some of the other hallways were unguarded as well. Did you explore those? He would not step aside. No.

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Perhaps that could be tomorrows goal then. Ill see if I can re-boot the Hains core diagnostic systems; that way we can have a better idea of the mess were in. Allan, I know youre trying to be helpful. I know youre eager to get out of here. We all are. But activating computer systems any computer systems will just draw attention to us. Thats not what we need right now. Daphne walked up to him. Allan, please, dont play the hero. Well find a way out of this, but we have to be patient. Dip-Dip joined us. Kervan? Hes in the materials lab. I replied before Allan could. Dip-Dip pointed to two bald aliens in a corner. Each one had a band of insect eyes circumventing their whole skull. Yvvy trying to negotiate with pirates. Yvvy have unique items for trade on their home world. The marauders pushed the Yvvy out of the way and kept on going. The diplomats, stunned at their failure, stood there a moment. Then they made various quick gestures with their hands and heads. Negotiations have failed. The taller Yvvy reported. Her words vibrated at an unbelievably high frequency. Thats perfectly understandable Yvis-Yvas. You did your best; your efforts were admirable. Allan comforted her. Negotiations with the invaders are impossible. The second Yvvy added. Impossible for now. Still hope Yvoom-Yvfyf. Dip-Dip told her. Come Yvoom-Yvfyf, Yvis-Yvas took her student by the hand, Other trade networks must be built.

The night passed slowly. Everyone lay huddled on the dance floor. I could see the others falling asleep, their heads nodding and eyelids closing. Then, they would wake with a start minutes later, still shocked at their present predicament. Kervan entered the room and sat down next to me. It was only then that I fell asleep. The chort-chort-chort-chort woke me up. I opened my eyes and saw pirates running everywhere. I looked out a nearby window and saw a cluster of ships headed in our direction. When they got closer, I could see their shape clearly; each was an upright S with a crescent in the middle. The crescent was perpendicular to the S and was razor sharp.

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Chromantium raiders. What are they doing here? Theyre a long way from home. I couldnt believe my eyes. They must be after something very valuable. Kervan replied. From above us, I could see the photon pulses flare from our captors ship. This did little to slow the Chromantium. Every time a pulse came close, it just spread out over the S and blinked out. We started to accelerate, but the Chromantium were getting closer and closer. I could hear the hull creaking and moaning. Theyre tightening their grip. Thamphor grunted. Ship might not make it. Dip-Dip stood up on a table. Go to center. Safer there. The Kithu cyborg appeared in the doorway. Stay A crack appeared in the glass of a nearby window. We need a distraction. I looked around. The lights. Yes. Try to blind the cyborg, overload its visual circuitry. Another crack appeared in a window next to the exit. The Chromantium were now only a few miles away and closing fast. There! All I need is something metal to drop in the circuit box. Kervan scanned his surroundings. Will this do? Daphne offered. She held out a small locket. Perfect. Kervan took the item without even a thank you. Everybody shut your eyes! There was a sizzling followed by a loud pop. When we opened our eyes, the cyborg was going round and round in circles. A photon pulse hit it squarely in the back and it dropped to the ground. A humanoid creature in green and black titanium armor stepped through the door. It was bald and surveyed the room with one eye. A multitude of three inch tentacles, just below its nose, wriggled in a frenzied fashion. The Chromantium had arrived. But they were not welcome. Scores of pirates poured in from a vent behind us. We were caught in a crossfire of photons. Several hostages died before it was all over. I could hear several sections of the hull being removed. I looked out a window and saw the pirates ship, smashed and gutted, slowly drifting off into space. The leader of the Chromantium held out his hand; in the palm of his gauntlet was a speaker. Where is the Plutonium 547? The words rushed out of the speaker like an angry monster.

here. Do not interfere.

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No Plutonium. Dip-Dip cautiously rose. Why would they think we have Plutonium 547? I whispered to Kervan. It emits a distinct radioactive signal. It must have come from somewhere inside the ship. He smiled that smile I hated to see. Kervan! Is that what you were doing in the materials lab? Yes. Now, let the negotiations begin. Where is the Plutonium 547? The Chromantium repeated his demand, only louder this time. No Plutonium. Impossible. Samuel Hain cannot manufacture. Dip-Dip took a step forward. We were tricked! The Chromantium fired several shots into the air. Tricked yes. Sorry. Many valuable things here. Trade? One of the Chromantium captains lieutenants came running up to him and spoke to him in an alien tongue. The message sounded like elephant talk. Well take what we want and spare your lives. The captain replied. It would be a waste of time and energy to kill you. Take their fission reactors and their proton guns. The captains lieutenant spoke again. The captain nodded and curled his tentacles. A good suggestion, Korthag. Then the captain walked amongst us. We are also taking one of your fellows; however, you may choose who leaves with us. You have one day.

A ballot box was set up in a small room in a little used part of the ship. One by one, we all walked in and cast our votes. No one dared ask who voted for whom. I noticed that many were reluctant to make eye contact with the others. What if we lose the criminal? I looked at the sad procession of victims as they made their way to the voting room. We wont lose our prize. He will simply have to be repossessed. Kervan was surveying the Chromantium fleet. That could present even greater opportunities. It was all I could do to keep calm. You have already created an opportunity that killed several innocents. The guild council will have to discuss your actions at length. And perhaps more would have died if I had not acted. Dont just see today, comrade, look at the big picture. Kervan kept his eyes on the Chromantium fleet.

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It has been decided. The Chromantium captain entered the room. Hefu we own you now. The Neredite was led away by armed Chromantium while Shevu screamed and raged hysterically. Our saviors left us, broken souls on a broken ship, drifting helplessly in the most dangerous part of the galaxy The Rouges Triangle.

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2013 Benjamin F. Kaye