The Light Blue Jumper Page 16

  “What happened to the others?” I asked Colonel Bob.

  “Three were killed in the crash and one upset the General. She’s very particular about her morning coffee,” he added by way of further explanation, then shuddered and would say no more about it. I noticed that he looked very young to be a Colonel, an inner rim human of eighteen or so, all gangly arms and legs and gawky smile. How could he have risen so far in the ranks so quickly? Was he incredibly talented or just lucky? I thought to myself.

  “Definitely lucky,” he said, “I’m new at all of this. I was actually interning with the General’s security team during my gap year before Military School, just learning the ropes, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, but the early and somewhat frequent demise of senior members caused my ascent to be incredibly fast. I am now the head of the team,” he said proudly. I had obviously voiced my thoughts aloud.

  “So that was actually the General.” A human who looks no older than Salaar, I thought, keeping my internal monologue private this time. “Where is she now?” I asked.

  “She must have gone back to our ship for the escape pod. Did she even try to wake me?” he asked hopefully.

  “No, I am afraid not,” I told him. He looked crestfallen. I was about to instruct Lethal to go after the General, when Colonel Bob continued, “There is no point. She will be too far away by now.”

  “Where is she going?”

  “She is headed to Zaaron. We had to go there after locating the list.”

  “To do what? And why is the list so important anyway?”

  “Is there an official procedure for defection? I just want to get that sorted out before I give out any more information, if that’s all right?”

  “Consider it done. Welcome to the Rebel Movement.”

  “No secret handshake? No acceptance ritual?” he sounded disappointed.

  “No. The Good Doctor is working on it though,” I said brightly.

  “One hears stories.”

  Dinaara cut in, “I forbid you from defecting, Colonel.”

  “You’re one to talk, Princess,” he said.

  “I have not defected.”

  “I suggest you do so with immediate effect. The death warrant has already been issued for you,” the Colonel said with feeling.

  “But I am still on my mission, I haven’t been debriefed yet. In fact, I just got fresh instructions!” Dinaara said indignantly.

  I, along with everyone else in the room turned to look at her. “I am not going to carry them out, of course,” she added.

  “In that case, welcome to the Rebel Movement, once again.” I smiled at her.

  “Should I continue with my own debriefing?” Colonel Bob asked.

  “By all means,” I told him.

  “There is a Peace Convention on Zaaron, of all the military heads of the IPF and their allies. They have to inspect some new weaponry,” he informed us.

  “The new missiles we have been working on for the last few months!” Zaaro piped in from behind Salaar. “They can deliver anything. Solid, liquid, gaseous, all content. I refined the design and put the finishing touches on it,” he said proudly. When he saw our expressions, he added, “Don’t worry, they are just meant as a deterrent, to promote peace. I even added a personal feature to it, very dear to my Zaaronian heritage.”

  “What is that?” Colonel Bob seemed intrigued.

  “You may have heard of smart bombs? Well, this is not one of them. I figured, how smart does a bomb need to be really? All it needs to do is to blow up. But this is a weapon with a difference. I have always thought it incredibly rude, the way a bomb can just turn up at your doorstep and compel you to blow up. It’s such an imposition. I’m all for choices in life. What if you don’t want a bomb at your home on that particular day and you are not partial to blowing up. My missile will arrive and wait politely outside until you decide what you want to do,” Zaaro said.

  “So you can send it back?” Lethal was incredulous.

  “No, but you could leave yourself,” Zaaro explained.

  “How much time do you have?” Dinaara asked.

  “Five minutes,” Zaaro said, sheepishly.

  68. Colonel Bob

  I could not believe she had left me behind. Again. The last time she did that I was almost used as a biological weapons test subject. Luckily they required a brain mapping test prior to starting the procedure and my deficiencies allowed me to resume my current position as head of her elite security team.

  But I had had enough. I was thoroughly fed up of pandering to despotic generals. Madam X looked like she had the makings of one, but everyone else seemed rather warm and welcoming. Especially the tall, moustached fellow everyone referred to as The Good Doctor.

  I was excited I would be going with them to Zaaron. I hadn’t been invited to the Peace Convention by the General, but the rebels were so much more inclusive.

  69. Commander Lethalwulf

  It seemed we had overestimated the edge the list would give us against the IPF. The loquacious Colonel Bob, however, was a treasure trove of information. He was the real asset and the list had led him to us, even if its contents were not quite the prize we had expected.

  Locating Zaaron was possible because of the coordinates given to us by Colonel Bob, but entering Zaaron would be almost impossible without security codes. Strict entry protocols had been in place since the Great Liberation; it was accessible only to IPF functionaries, Zaaronian employees and the Warrawn settlers working under the IPF umbrella.

  We could try to smuggle ourselves in with Dinaara and Colonel Bob, and Zaaro would have to jump in when we needed him. I was working out the finer details of my plan when The Good Doctor interrupted.

  “I know we are planning to head over to Zaaron, but there is the small matter of Madam’s trial before we land on the base at Helion.”

  “What is this trial for?”

  “There was a small misunderstanding; each of us thought the other an IPF spy,” he said awkwardly.

  “What of it? Everyone on board this ship is a suspected agent, other than the confirmed ones of course,” I said as a matter of fact.

  “According to Ship Rules, she could end up being summarily sentenced if she is not acquitted after a proper trial.”

  “But Madam is the leader of the Rebel Movement. Nobody has the authority to pass judgment against her.”

  “Ship Rules apply to everyone alike and I outrank Madam, I might add.”

  “Fine, get the trial over with so Madam can be exonerated as soon as possible.”

  “I was blamed too, so I need to be exonerated as well,” he said clearing his throat.

  “Yes, of course.” I would really like to see what made Madam point the finger at The Good Doctor. She wasn’t known for taking this sort of thing lightly. “Why don’t we put this to rest right now?” I offered. “Salaar and I will both testify on behalf of Madam and confirm that she is not a spy.”

  “That would be excellent. And would it make good sense for the same people to testify for me as well?”

  “I think it would look better if someone else speaks up for you,” I advised him.

  “Madam?” he asked.

  “She is the accuser.” I shook my head.

  “Dinaara is the enemy, Colonel Bob is too new, Zaaro?” he suggested brightly.

  “Zaaro wouldn’t count since he’s also been with us for too short a while,” I told him.

  “I can’t think of anyone else,” The Good Doctor said forlornly.

  “It’s all right. As the highest-ranking officer on the ship, I believe you can exonerate yourself,” Central Command piped up. She had an annoying habit of eavesdropping on all conversations.

  “Wonderful. So I declare myself innocent of the charges and Lethal and Salaar both vouch for Madam, so she is also declared without blame and hereby exonerated which concludes the trial,” he stated.

  “But Salaar isn’t here,” I reminded The Good Doctor.

  “I have already ch
ecked with him,” Central Command confirmed, increasing the awe and fear she inspired in me. If there was ever a woman who could keep me in line, it was her, she was all-powerful, invisible and unattainable; my ideal woman.

  I turned my thoughts to the Peace Convention. Our objectives would be to discover the latest IPF weaponry and plans, identify their top leadership, and find their connection to the Puranas. Many believed they were long dead and their empire destroyed by the IPF themselves, but it was all speculation as the history files from that period had been deleted. No one knew with any certainty what had really happened to bring the IPF into power. I knew we could never win this war on numbers, but we could by subterfuge. Information was everything.

  70. Lieutenant Salaar

  I had heard stories about the General. She had single-handedly set in motion colonisation plans that had been dormant for centuries. Before her rise to power, the IPF had been moving slowly, devouring one planet at a time, sowing the seeds of chaos and stepping in when the natives had destroyed themselves. Since she had assumed command, there was a sense of desperation, a madness, to their conquests.

  It was the General who had ordered the destruction of the G-Sectors around Zaaron and authorised weapons experimentation on Zaaronian natives. We had to find out what the endgame was. The IPF wanted total chaos in the world, but whatever for? They had unparalleled power and wealth already, what else did they want?

  We had the list in our possession, but the IPF knew we had the list. The General might have told us it was worthless to make us question its authenticity, slow us down so the IPF had time to get to the agents on it first. Even if we did manage to get to the agents before them, it was likely they would only have pieces of the grand plan. The more likely scenario was that they would be dead before we got to them. The news of Dinaara’s death had already been disseminated in anticipation.

  71. Princess Dinaara

  It seemed I was now a rebel by popular demand. I was quite pleased with my new station in life. The situation was ideal for me to continue my mission. I had ample time to work on Salaar and nudge him towards the IPF. As for Zaaro, once I explained the truth of his powers, I was sure he would become a prized asset for the IPF. In the meantime, I would allow the rebels to benefit from my expertise, after all my defection had to be believable.

  Madam had worked out the plan of action with Lethal and Salaar. Once we reached Zaaron, we would proceed in pairs. Madam and the Doctor, Lethal and I, would smuggle ourselves into the Peace Convention. Salaar and Zaaro would work on acquiring the password to access weapons control. Colonel Bob, being the odd one out, would have to move alone. A situation he was probably used to.

  I decided to make my presence felt. “Lethal, you will be my captive, and I will march you towards the convention, creating a diversion for Madam and The Good Doctor to slip in.”

  “Did someone put you in charge, Dinaara? Or are you just eager to impress us?” Madam asked irritably.

  “Considering I am one of you now, I’ll just be brutally honest. You talk too much. Not you personally,” I hastened to pacify Madam before she withdrew my rebel status. “All words and no action make the rebels totally negligible in the grand scheme of things. I mean, has anyone ever tried to assassinate any one of you?” Everyone shook their heads in dissent, other than Colonel Bob, who was nodding away. “I didn’t mean you and the General, no offence. So, ever wonder why? Every leader who is seen as a real threat by the IPF is eliminated,” I continued, despite the bashful glances being exchanged by my audience. “Or recruited. Anyone been offered a substantial bribe to step down and abandon your principles?”

  “As I recall, you recently offered me a substantial amount to give up Zaaro and the list. I didn’t accept,” Lethal hastened to clarify, when everyone turned to look at him accusingly.

  “I don’t count. I’m a rebel now. Anyone else been directly approached by the IPF?” I enquired.

  “Well, I’m apparently in demand. You have been asked to recruit me, remember?” Salaar grinned.

  “Now that’s an offer I would have accepted,” Lethal winked. Luckily Zaaro wasn’t paying attention. In fact, he seemed uncharacteristically quiet.

  “Is everything all right, Zaaro?” I asked.

  “The lady who disappeared, the General, she asked you to eliminate me.” He was looking down at his feet while talking, with good reason, as his toes had curled up completely and were shrinking rapidly. “Why would she say that? I am a loyal subject. I haven’t done anything to deserve that kind of treatment,” he said with gut-wrenching disappointment, his entire body deflating as if someone had let out air from a balloon. I half expected him to start whooshing around the control room.

  I kneeled down and held his tiny, limp, blue hand. “I would never do anything to hurt you,” I told him sincerely. Even if the IPF didn’t want Zaaro, I could think of many uses for his powers in the service of the kingdoms.

  “I know that, Princess, you saved me from the General’s bullet.” Luckily, he had forgotten that he would have easily saved himself if he had been in any real danger. Lethal looked like he was getting ready to interrupt, but I silenced him with a raised finger. “I just don’t understand why the General would order my murder.” He hung his head, shrivelling some more. “You work for them, is that what you do? Kill innocent people?” he addressed his question to all of us.

  Everyone was trying not to look guilty. Madam stepped forward. “We haven’t been entirely honest with you Zaaro. We are not IPF undercover agents, except for Dinaara.”

  “But that was in the past,” I cut in quickly, “I am now a bona fide rebel.”

  “We are all rebels, we have sworn to fight the tyranny of the IPF in every way we can,” Madam continued, “and we would be honoured to have you officially join our cause.”

  Zaaro’s skin traversed the full spectrum from violet to green before returning to his natural shade, reflecting his inner turmoil at her words. “I am deeply disappointed in you Madam,” he said when he could speak again. Then he stared balefully at Salaar and The Good Doctor. “You have all wounded me deeply. Your betrayal has made me a hollow shell of the Zaaronian I once was,” he said as he meandered off to a corner of the control room. None of us knew what to say.

  After a few minutes of awkward silence, The Good Doctor stepped forward, “Zaaro, I have always considered you more a friend than a colleague and as your friend I apologise for our earlier deception. Please forgive us, knowing that it was only to protect the Rebel Movement until we were sure of your loyalties. Even though discretion is in my nature, I felt compelled many times to tell you the whole truth.”

  Salaar joined in, “I tried to prepare you Zaaro, very early on. Do you remember the story about the Puranas? I just wanted you to see the true face of the IPF yourself.”

  “Tell me, was that bit about tenure and health benefits also a lie?” Zaaro finally spoke.

  “No. It was entirely true,” Madam said. “There is also paid vacation time and bereavement leave if your pet dies, if I didn’t mention that before.”

  I could see his body re-inflating slowly as we spoke to him. “Lethal, have you nothing to say?”

  “I am afraid I have only one question, may I remain in your pledge?” he asked.

  Zaaro puffed up some more. He looked pleased. The bounce was back in his step as he walked over to us. “Madam, I accept your offer on one condition, that you will never lie to me again.”

  “Yes, of course,” we intoned together.

  “My second condition is that we will proceed against the IPF with non-violence from now on,” he added.

  This got a muted response at best, with a few mumbled “mmhmms” and clearing of throats.

  Madam immediately took the opportunity to steer the conversation forward, “Welcome aboard Zaaro! Good Doctor, please administer the secret handshake.” The Good Doctor stepped up with his thumbs linked to form a butterfly, palms facing inwards, flapped his fingers three times and paused. “You
have to do it too Zaaro,” he explained. When Zaaro had followed suit, The Good Doctor stood on one leg, hopped three times, and twirled. Zaaro did the same, with the addition of a stumble at the end. “There, you are now officially a rebel and I will add the stumble. Nice touch,” he said happily.

  Colonel Bob looked decidedly upset, “How come I didn’t get one? Not a problem, I’ll just do it now,” he said, linking his hands. “No, no” The Good Doctor stopped him, “That was only for Zaaro, I’ll think of a different one for you, it’s not a secret if it’s the same every time! Dinaara, I have one for you.” The Good Doctor bowed deeply and then raised his right hand and said, “Repeat after me, I solemnly swear I will uphold the rebel cause at all costs and in all circumstances, no matter how dire. And if I betray their trust, may the throne of the kingdoms never be mine.” Everyone was watching me with bated breath. “Why do I get an oath instead of a handshake, Good Doctor?” I asked. “Oh, defectors always swear oaths,” he said. Lethal nodded in confirmation. Well, if he had sworn a similar oath and was still standing, it couldn’t be all that binding. I calmly raised my right hand and repeated the sentence, and everyone exhaled in unison.

  Madam redirected everyone’s attention to the plan. “Now let’s get on to the second stage of our plan. Salaar, how you and Zaaro manage your task is up to you, but you must secure the General’s secret password so that we can access the launch sequence, lock the IPF out, and use Zaaro’s codes to take control of their missiles. Dinaara and Lethal, you will create an opportunity for The Good Doctor and me to infiltrate the convention centre. We will eavesdrop on the entire secret proceedings, broadcasting them live on SpaceRadio.fm, for the whole Galaxy to hear. Once we are in, you can then focus on isolating the General. If you gain access to her, she may even lead us to the truth about the Puranas.”