Early April 1998 Story

[Lost Point Government Center, H6 on Lost Point Map]

"What the heck is going on?" demands Zane, drawing forth the glossy barrel of his gyrojet pistol.

Taanik trains ids blaster on the nearest inviso-thug but does not fire. Id thumbs open its satchel, revealing a small stash of barium paint grenades. "Hey, guys! Should we use these now?"

Concerned for the team, T'Klkk and Tork ready their weapons, but they cautiously wait instead of pulling them out into a threatening position.

Syzygy examines the four mighty opponents as they step inexorably closer. "What do you think, Taanik? Are those men or robots?"

[Taanik Robot Identification: 100 (base) + 30 (skill x 10) - 60 (max robot level x 10) + 3 (INTUITION modifier) = 73%; Rolled: 73 (lucky)]

"They're definitely not robots," confirms Taanik. "From they way they're moving, they're Human, probably."

T'Klkk examines the masses of beggars and urchins crawling in filth. "Curious that there are no Vrusk or Dralasites among them," she intones.

[T'Klkk Comprehension: 21%; Rolled: 25]

"It doesn't make sense," she says.

[Tork LOGIC: 51; Rolled: 33]

"It might," interjects Tork. "When I was going over Metrosphere's records I remember seeing that all of the original Lost Point settlers were Human and Yazirian."

"Look at these refugees," says Urugg, unstrapping his sword almost subconsciously. "I should have expected something like this after seeing Cimmy." The Yazirian takes a step back, and his spacesuit boot sloshes in a puddle of some sort of muck. His eyes seethe with battle rage. "Do you get the feeling we've been set up by our own employer? Ever since we arrived on this moon, Streel's promo vids and records indicated that the mutineers of the Lost Point colony were 'lost.' Dozens were listed as simply 'missing.' Then Cimmy turned up, and now this."

Kare's Human voice hisses through her spacesuit microphone. "Foul play for the Streel Corporation? Sorry to rain on your brain-fest, hairball, but that's not a new concept."

Urugg's head turns within the protection of his helmet. "How hard can it be to find this pitiful mob and rescue them? Unless you were never looking in the first place. And why did the inviso-thugs just rough Syzygy up out in the Metro terminal, leaving him close enough for us to find and rescue? As a warning--to keep away from Streel's dirty secret?"

Kare turns her fierce glare towards the four thugs in shining armor. "No time to find out now."

"What do we do then?" asks Urugg. "We could try the diplomatic approach. Like 'give up Dakka and none of these people will be harmed.'"

Tork growls. "I don't like the idea of using these civilians as part of a threat--even if it's a bluff."

Memories flicker across the countless facets of Syzygy's compound eyes. . .memories of hundreds of worker-class Vrusk, trapped in a mine as pirates and heartless businessmen duked it out on the surface--no one with any regard to the welfare of the miners caught in the middle. Why is it so easy for big players to completely disregard the lives of those unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Syzygy draws his gyrojet pistol, slowly, deliberately. The weapon rises, turns, and aims for its mark. Taanik's upper section becomes visible as the weapon's site comes into focus.

Taanik holds ids ground. "Syzygy! What are you doing?"

"Put your weapons away--all of you!"

"Syzygy, you're crazy."

"No one in this room is getting hurt. I don't care how bad you want to catch Syte! Now back out of here, nice and easy. We can't do anything in here with all these people. We've gotta go NOW! Before something sets these guys off! MOVE!!!"

Syzygy's pistol follows Urugg, Taanik and Zane as they put away their weapons, Taanik most reluctantly. One of the four armored men seems to be studying Syzygy's behavior with fascinated curiosity.

T'Klkk and Tork motion for the group to step back towards the doorway.

"Self may not trust Syzygy's motives," says T'Klkk, "but his advice is stategically sound, to at least a sixth level." She looks to the four armored thugs. They don't seem to be advancing any more. "Hold your fire, and we shall do the same! We are not here to cause trouble, and we certainly do not want anyone to get hurt."

T'Klkk steps back, unwittingly into Syzygy's arms. But as she tries to pull free, Syzygy resists.

"That was beautiful," says Syzygy. "If these guys are for real, I may never get another chance at this." This said, he swoops the female Vrusk into an awkward leaned back position and kisses her--as best he can with the two space helmets in the way.

Released at last, T'Klkk eyes the male and considers the traditional punishment for such acts within the military caste on her home planet. But under the circumstances, she decides to leave well enough alone.

"T'Klkk," says Tork, "what do you make of these civilians? Do they view the armored men as protectors, slave drivers, strangers?"

[T'Klkk Comprehension: 21%; Rolled: 21 (lucky again)]

T'Klkk analyzes the group with her comprehension of social encounters, for which the Vrusk race is known. "Protectors, definitely. We have trespassed onto these people's territory, and they feel threatened by us. The men in armor are members of this Lost Point society, just as poor as the rest. The armored men have come here to defend their loved ones."

"For poor outcasts, they have some pretty nice hardware," replies Tork.

Kare nods within her spacesuit helmet. "If the big boys decide to follow us and it comes to blows, we'll just have to pile on the firepower. . .frags, fully automatic weapons, the whole nine. Once we're out the door we can do it without fear of hurting innocent people."

Zane stops as the others step back. "I can't do this." The Human med student steps forward, waving at the four armored men. "Uh, listen guys."

No reply.

"These people need medical attention. I'm a doctor. Let me help them! Please!"

One of the armored giants steps toward Zane, lifting a bladed arm as if to strike.

"Wait!" cries Urugg, the effects of battle rage still stimulating his voice. "You! Yes, you! We are here to see the Lord of the Shadows! I have spoken with a female who knew him and she said he could be found here! Radio him at once and tell him we wish to talk."

A low, amplified laugh shakes the team with surprise. The sound appears to be coming from the bodysuit that is about to attack. A powerful bass voice follows. "The Lord of Shadows? The Lord of Shadows is not so easily summoned. It was he that gave us these weapons for the very purpose of destroying First Landers like you! Now prepare to be put where you belong!"

The encased man advances to complete his assault, but a metallic arm blocks his blow. Another of the armored men, the one that was watching Syzygy so closely, has stepped in to stop his comrade.

"Kyran! Don't be so quick to kill this man," says a voice from the second armor suit. The second voice has more of a tenor pitch, and sounds like it is coming from a very young Human. "He said he's a doctor. And our people really do need a doctor."

The first super-soldier stares at the second for a long moment, but then withdraws. "Fine. Let him treat the others. But I'm going to keep a close eye on him. Why don't you do something useful and lock those other First Landers away somewhere? Who knows? They may make a welcome addition to our food supply." The armored man chuckles cruelly.

"I hope he's joking," says Taanik.

"Self-T'Klkk suggests we not stay around to find out. Tork, lead the others out the door. Self shall cover the team during the exit."

Tork stops at the door. "Uh, that may not be such a good idea."

A fifth armored man pushes his way through the door, nearly knocking Tork over. Yet another four stand firmly behind him in the monorail terminal--for a total of nine!

T'Klkk accurately assesses the tactical situation. "We're surrounded."

[Entering Storage Pod (H9) from Airtube (I9)]

The airtube hallway is flooded knee-deep with contaminated water as the team--less Zane--and eight armored escorts trudge into a barely lit storage pod to the west. Moans and wails echo in the corridor.

Taanik manages to get close to Syzygy as the two are forced to enter the storage pod. "You are my friend, Syzygy," hisses the Dralasite, "but even friendship has its limits. Do not EVER point your weapon at me again."

The storage pod's east airlock has to be manually pulled into a closed position once the team is inside. Airlocks also lead north and west within the storage pod, but the west airlock has been barred with a sloppily laid pile of metal construction beams. [The storage pod on the map is just one room with no interior walls or divisions.]

The team's weapons and equipment--with the exception of spacesuits, defensive suits, chronocoms and toxy-rad gauges--are removed and piled with heaps of junk against the east wall of the storage pod.

Syzygy takes a second look at the pile of equipment, noticing a familiar spacesuit and backpack. "Hey, there's the stuff I was carrying the last time I got mugged."

One of the eight metal-coated goons gives Syzygy a powerful shove. "Ha! I thought I recognized you! It seems you fall just as easily now as before."

Another of the armored men advances and helps Syzygy up. As he does so, he leans close to the Vrusk's head and whispers in a voice that identifies him as the same Human who stopped Zane from getting clobbered. "What you did in the government center took a lot of courage. If you have truly come as friends, I will do my best to see to it that you get out of here alive."

The six team members are bound, hand and foot, to a number of support beams in the middle of the room, each square shaped with a thickness of 40 cm. As the team bumps against them, they ring as if hollow. The beams rise from the littered plastic floor to the curved plastiglass ceiling twelve meters overhead.

"Take it easy on that rope," says one of the armored men to another. "We only have so much of the stuff."

Each of the six team members is firmly bound to a different support beam, with hands tied overhead and feet tied near the floor.

The eight soldiers leave, but the sound insulation in Lost Point is poor at best. The team can hear the men talking in the airtube as they leave.

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know. Perhaps we should wait until the Lord of Shadows returns. He might know what to do."

"I, I don't know. The Lord of Shadows told us to kill the Human who arrived just before this group. I don't mind sneaking into First Landing to feed our people, but I don't think I'm ready to kill anyone--even if the Lord of Shadows did give us these suits to help us survive."

"I don't want to kill anyone any more than you do. But I don't think we're in a bartering position. If the Lord of Shadows was powerful enough to provide us with these suits, who knows what else he has that we don't know about? I think we'd better do what he says, regardless, and we'd better make sure we kill that first guy before the Lord of Shadows returns."

The voices fade and there is silence.

A pained moan wakes the silence. In all the excitement, Kare, Syzygy, T'Klkk, Taanik, Tork and Urugg hadn't noticed that there was a seventh person in the room: a Human, not wearing a spacesuit.

The Human is dressed in a black skeinsuit that is so damaged it barely clings to his body. His face is swollen and bruised; it looks like he put up more of a fight than the six team members did.

But despite the bruises and the swelling, it is still easy to recognize this man as the man the team had chased all the way to Lost Point.

Kare is the first to speak. "Well, Dakka Syte. Surprise, surprise. It looks like the metallic goons left just enough of you for us to beat senseless. . .as soon as I can get free from these ropes."

Dakka Syte does not reply.

"Are you badly injured?" asks Urugg.

The Human grunts in reply.

"You're lucky those oversized tin cans didn't kill you," says Tork, his battle rage not quite worn off.

"I wish they had," lisps Dakka through broken teeth.

"Well, if you're trying to get yourself killed, there are easier ways to do it. Just why did you come here in the first place?"

Dakka does not seem to have much of the old fight left in him. "I. . .had to stop the man. . .responsible for putting me in prison. . .five years ago?"

Tork does not like the response. "Dakka, Jecc Weep isn't even on Metrosphere."

"Who's Jecc Weep?"

"Don't play stupid with us. We've read the reports. Everyone knows Jecc Weep is the guy responsible for putting Dakka Syte away five years ago."

The Human stares at the junk on the floor. "I'm not Dakka Syte."

"Well unfortunately, we have pictures, fingerprints and DNA samples that all say that you are."

"Why can't you people ever understand? Dakka Syte is a computer genius. He hacked into Star Law's master criminal database, replacing all records of his appearance, fingerprints, DNA coding and retinal patterns with mine. No one would believe me when I said I wasn't Dakka Syte, because all the evidence on file said that I was. I spent the last five years in prison for something I had nothing to do with."

The Human continues, "But it was just recently that I learned there was more. Dakka Syte had assumed my identity and was using it to pull off something really big. I had to stop him, to avenge myself for what he did to me, and to keep him from using my identity for his criminal purposes."

Tork is silent for a while as he considers this explanation.

"Okay, so if you're not Dakka Syte, who the hell are you?"

There is a long pause before the Human answers.

"My name is Selson Streel."