The Secret of Mars
Chapter 23: The Commander's Secret

“Mr. Holland, there has to be some way we can get our permits back,” EJ said for the third time. He had been arguing with the head of the division for fifteen minutes and was getting nowhere. “At least allow my uncle, aunt, and daughter to remain on Mars until we can determine what happened to my daughter.”

“From what the Station Commander has told me, an extensive search was done to find your daughter, Mr. Waters,” the human on the screen stated. “I am sorry for your loss, but you must accept the fact that she is dead.”

“Don’t you dare say that,” Medi screamed, rushing into the Communications Room. “My Mary is not dead.”

“You have my condolences, Mrs. Waters, but there is no way she is still alive.”

Defiance on her face, Medi stepped very close to the screen, making the director noticeably uncomfortable. “You know you can’t use it.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Mr. Holland said.

“The obelisk,” Medi answered. “You can’t use if for a weapon.”

“I assure you, Mrs. Waters, that is the furthest thing from our mind.”

“LIAR!” Medi screamed. “You’re just like the rest of the human race that plagued this planet for so many years, taking whatever you want to make money, conducting your own private little wars, caring for nothing but how rich you could be.”

“Mrs. Waters, I. . .”

“Shut up and listen,” Medi said, her voice authoritative, her face taut with rage. “I will expose this scheme of yours to the Planet Association. Let’s see how far you get with the leaders of the alien worlds when they learn you are trying to grab a new weapon of power.” She could see the human squirming in his chair, sweat starting to run down the side of his face. “And don’t even think of trying to silence us. We have outsmarted men stronger than you and the PSD. As we speak, there is documentation on four planets telling of your attempt to take the obelisk. Revoke those permits and see how fast your ass and this world’s future are on the line.”

“I will see what I can do,” Mr. Holland said. Without another word, the screen went blank.

“Way to go, Medi,” EJ said. Then she collapsed to the floor. He ran to her side. Her entire body was trembling.

“I’ll go get some water,” Wiiguard said, as he hurried to the kitchen.

“Ask Calypso for some tea also,” EJ shouted. “Take some deep breaths, My Love.”

“He just made me so mad, telling us to accept Mary’s’ death. Who does he think he is? I decide when it’s time to accept Mary is gone. No one else.”

“How did you figure out they wanted the obelisk for a weapon? When did you put together material to show what PSD was up to on Mars?” Misso asked.

“I didn’t know. Uncle Earon mentioned something about the humans possibly wanting the obelisk a few days ago in one of his communiques. It was the first thing I thought of. But after I said it and saw his reaction, I knew I had stumbled onto the truth. Did you see how bad he was sweating? And he was afraid. I could see it not only in his eyes but across his entire face. It was if our knowing his secret jeopardized his life.”

“He has someone to answer to, who will not be too happy to learn we know what they are up to,” Misso stated. “Whoever is behind this planned on making millions, perhaps even billions of dollars off that obelisk.”

“And you just spoiled those plans,” Ospree said, already calculating which security measures needed to be strengthened.

“Which means I may have just placed all our lives in danger again,” Medi sighed. She looked at her mate. “I’m sorry, EJ. We finally have a quiet life, free of people trying to stop or silence us, and I go and mess it up.”

“Do not worry, My Love,” EJ replied, giving her a small kiss. “As you said, we have dealt with worse. Besides, they will not dare try anything with that information hidden out there on the other planets.”

“There is no such documentation,” Medi sheepishly stated. “We need to do that as soon as I stop shaking.”

“Medi, I never realized you were such a good bluffer,” Misso laughed.

“I learned from the best,” Medi said.

“When you said the word ‘obelisk’ I thought he was going to collapse,” Misso chuckled. “I would not be surprised if he had to go change his pants when the screen went off.” Everyone laughed.

“I agree,” Wiiguard said, returning with a glass of water. “Calypso will be here in a moment with the tea. If ever there was any doubt about this world’s government, they were just confirmed.”

“And now that they know we know, they will be monitoring all our communiques,” EJ stated. “We will have to send out everything through the Complex and starships.

“And gather whatever proof we can,” Misso added.

“There will be no evidence to find,” Medi announced after drinking her water. “At least not here on Earth. They will be sure there isn’t a shred of evidence to confirm our suspicions.”

EJ smiled. “We don’t need proof, My Love. This planet agreed to no aggression when it joined the Alliance. All we have to do is plant the seed of doubt in a couple of key places, and the Alliance will conduct a full investigation. Even if they do not find anything, it will scare the crap out of the PSD.”

“And if the people of this planet discover that some leaders and corporations are up to their old tricks again, and cost them their membership in the Alliance, all hell is going to break out,” Wiiguard stated.

“Uncle, I told you two days was not enough time to get a message to Earth and back so we can stop our deportation,” Amber stated. She so wanted to get up and pace around the room. Pacing somehow always made her think better, clearer. But she was confined to complete bed rest after the incident with the obelisk. “We cannot leave tomorrow.”

“I am sure your father and grandfather are working on the problem,” Earon replied, hoping to calm his niece. “They just need a little bit more time.”

“Time that we do not have,” Amber said. “Tomorrow is the deadline.”

“Maybe you could pretend to get worse and have to be admitted to the medical wing,” Gart suggested. “Or one of your people could come down with some illness.”

“That would not work,” Amber said. “We Oonocks do not get sick. And even if we did, I would heal us. The Commander might not know of my healing capabilities, but he knows we have something that heals our people.”

“The Commander will be expecting us to pull a trick like that,” Earon stated.

“You guys never get sick?” a surprised Gart asked.

“Nope.”

“Wow.”

“I will think of something,” Earon said. “And, if worse comes to worst and we are deported, I am sure we will be allowed back in just a few days. Now rest. Taxed minds do not think well.”

“What time does the transport leave tomorrow?” a sorrowful Amber asked.

“It is due to arrive at 0-nine hundred tomorrow morning,” Earon answered. “It will take several hours to unload her cargo and prep her for the flight back to Earth. The Commander estimates we should be leaving around fifteen hundred.” He turned to address Gart. “Are you sure you cannot travel to Earth with us? Both Amber and I would enjoy your company.” The truth was, Earon needed Gart’s presence as a distraction for Amber.

“I wish I could, Your Majesty,” Gart replied. “But I received word a short time ago that a new batch of eggs is hatching. Since my combee, ah, wife, is gone, I must be present at the hatching. Our medical assistants believe there may be a female amongst the new hatchings. Hopefully, once the hatchlings emerge from their eggs, grow a little and have new parents, I can make the journey to Earth.”

“I look forward to your visit,” Earon stated. He walked over and kissed Amber on the forehead. “Good night, Princess. Try and get some sleep. It is a long journey back to Earth.” He walked out of the room, heading where he wasn’t sure. Perhaps the Observation Lounge to stare at the obelisk and will it to reveal its secrets. He couldn’t go to the secret Task Room because that involved suiting up, going outside and crossing the courtyard, possibly exposing their new console. Besides, what could he do there? Stand around and stare at the obelisk, the same thing he could do here. No, best keep the new console a secret from the Commander and allow Latrill, Colvin, Staybo and Frank to work their magic.

Earon stopped and looked around, trying to get his bearings. He had been so absorbed in thought that he had not paid attention to where he was walking, or for how long. He was in a part of the station he had never seen before. The hallway was dimly lit, making it hard to see. He turned around looking for an exit but saw no doors. Assuming the area was part of a maintenance section, Earon turned around to retrace his steps. But when he turned and took three steps, his amulet began to glow a soft lilac, lighting his way.

“What the?” He lifted his amulet and looked into its glowing crystal. He looked around again but saw nothing significant. “Lilac, you are glowing lilac, the color of Oonocks.” Realizing something of importance was happening, he took three steps forward. No change in the amulet. He turned and took three steps back down the dark hallway. The amulet glowed just a little brighter, a little stronger. Apparently, down the dark hallway was the correct direction. Watching the intensity of the crystal, Earon walked further down the hall, the amulet growing brighter with each step. Soon he was walking fast, then trotting to match the glow’s intensity. Just in time, he realized the hallway had ended, and he managed to stop before colliding into a door. At least he thought it was a door. Before him was a glowing, lilac outline of a rectangle. There was no nameplate to signify what lay behind it or to confirm it was a door. Dropping his amulet, he reached out for what appeared to be a doorknob and turned it. Locked. He looked around for an access pad but could see none. Bending down, he inspected an area below the knob he believed to be a keyhole. He thought it strange that a key was needed to get inside. No one used keys anymore. That is unless they want to bypass the security grid. That was it. Whatever was behind the door was meant to be kept secret, only known to one, perhaps two, individuals. Raising his amulet up for more light, he carefully inspected the keyhole. Most locks were simple mechanisms easily manipulated into opening. Thanks to his endless pranks on Jeanip, Terrance, and Kiijon, he had become quite the master at picking locks. He reached into his pockets searching for something to use to open the door. Thankfully, he had his “never-fail-lock-opener” tool with him for such an occasion. One never knew when the perfect prank opportunity might present itself.

Inserting the tool in the keyhole, Earon moved the instrument around inside, listening for the familiar sound of the tumblers moving. But, after fifteen minutes, he had to admit he might have finally met a lock he could not open. He had to get inside and find out what was causing both the lilac glow and his amulet to awaken. Then a crazy idea hit him. Since the lilac glow signified Oonock, maybe something Oonock would open it. He lifted his amulet up to the locket and whispered the Ancient words, “Ennay Benu Carif”. Threads of color emanated from the amulet into the locking mechanism. Within seconds, he heard the familiar sound of tumblers moving and the lock unlocking. The door popped open.

Rising from his kneeling position, Earon pushed the door open and stepped inside an enclosed room with various computer screens, lab equipment, Oonock artifacts and a container of glowing bendicor. Earon walked toward the container. The bendicor and his amulet grew so brigh tthat he had to close his eyes. He placed his amulet beneath his shirt in hopes it would diminish some of the light, at least enough so he could keep his eyes opened. It worked. He could see that some type of computer was constantly scanning the bendicor. For what purpose? He walked over and peered inside. He counted fifteen small pieces, all glowing brightly. But bendicor didn’t glow. At least not to his knowledge, and he’d been around the metal all his life. So why were these pieces? They had to be from the lost Oonock settlement. Could JeffRa’s weapons have somehow changed them, making them glow? Or perhaps the obelisk had something to do with it. He didn’t need to guess what the computer was doing. It was scanning the fragments, breaking down their molecular structure, trying to learn the secret of bendicor’s power. Were the humans attempting to unlock the Oonock’s primary power source? Or were they hoping to use it for a more sinister reason?

He glanced to the right and saw various pieces of pottery, a book written in Oonock, some simple tools and something totally unbelievable – a Terrian blaster, similar to the one JeffRa had used to kill his sister. But how did it get on Mars? Terrians had never stepped foot on the planet? Their attack was from the air only. Or was it? Was it possible that one or more of the Terrian ships landed on Mars and fought the Oonocks in hand-to-hand combat? Earon picked up the weapon and was relieved to see the round stone needed to power it was missing. Returning the gun to its place on the table, he walked over to the wall. A shiver ran down his spine as he saw engineering schematics of the obelisk. The humans had not only known about the obelisk but were studying it, possibly hoping to control it.

“There you are, Your Majesty,” came a voice from the doorway as Earon’s protector, Ooncill, walked in. “I have been looking for you everywhere since you left Princess Amber’s room. Had it not been for the tracking device in your arm, I never would have found you. What are you doing down here?” As he stepped further into the room, he saw the glowing fragments of bendicor. “Bendicor! How?’

“I believe from the destroyed settlement,” Earon said, removing his shirt and scooping up all the pieces and placing them inside. Reaching up, he ripped down two of the obelisk schematics, rolling them up and putting them in with the bendicor. He folded his shirt into a tight package and handed it to Ooncill. “We need to get these pieces safely hidden aboard the transport. I need you to take them to Earth with or without me and the others. Bring them to King Kiijon and tell him what we found.”

“Sire, I cannot desert my post,” Ooncill replied. “My place is at your side, guarding you. I will have another take the articles to King Kiijon.”

“No, Ooncill, I need for you to do this,” Earon said. “It is too important to trust to another. Any one of the other soldiers can fill in for you until you return. Right now this is more important.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Ooncill saw Earon pick up several drawings and some kind of weapon. “Is that Terrian?”

Earon held up the gun. “A Terrian blaster, to be exact. Designed by none other than JeffRa himself.”

“I don’t understand,” a shocked Ooncil asked. “Should I take that with me also?”

“No, someone else is going to receive this,” Earon announced, anger filling his face. “The Commander knew the obelisk was dangerous and what it could do. He never warned Mary or the others. He hoped her presence would activate the ancient structure. That’s why they invited Mary to come to Mars and head up the expedition.” He grinned a charming smile. “Now, go. Complete your mission. I have a date with the Commander. We will see who is leaving Mars.”

Amber looked at her timepiece. 0-five-thirty-two. The sun would be rising over the basin in approximately ninety-six minutes. Not much time to get suited up and use night’s darkness to cloak her journey across the plain to the obelisk. Luckily, the dreaded transport that would be taking them back to Earth had arrived a little early, so everyone was at the ship, unloading its contents and preparing it to take off as quickly as possible. The Commander had made getting her and the other Oonocks off of Mars everyone’s number one priority. Well, it wasn’t hers. Finding her sister was.

Opening the door from the stairwell, she cautiously poked her head out and scanned the semi-lit hallway to her right and left. Quiet. Being sure not to make a sound, she turned left toward the exit. At the end of the hall was a small janitorial room where several spacesuits were kept for emergencies. She planned on slipping into one of the suits, slide down the escape tunnel, scurry over to the maintenance shed where a small speeder was kept, and then travel out to the obelisk. After what happened several days earlier, she was sure the obelisk had recognized her for who and what she was and would allow her to speak to Mary. She also was sure neither her uncle nor the Commander would let her anywhere near the obelisk, thus her night’s covert operation.

Upon reaching the janitorial room, she looked around once more to make sure no one was following her. She had drugged PiePie and the other guard to ensure they did not try to stop her. Confident she was safe, she silently turned the doorknob and stepped inside. Luckily there was an overhead light strip that illuminated the room just enough for her to see, so it was not necessary to turn on any lights or use a flashlight. Hurrying across the floor, she arrived at the hanging suits. Picking the smallest, she unzipped it and stepped inside, first one leg, then the other. Leaving her arms outside the suite so she had more maneuverability to put on her boots, she shuffled over to a bench and sat down. Grabbing the right boot, she pulled it over her footwear. When she went to grab the other boot, it was not there. She quickly looked around the area, trying to find the missing boot. She was sure she had brought both boots with her.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” came a familiar voice from a darkened corner. Amber was shocked to see Gart step out of the shadows, her left boot in his right hand.

“Yes, and do not try to stop me,” Amber said, standing up and grabbing the missing boot. She sat back down and pulled on the boot, making sure both boots locked into place. She stood up, slipped her arms inside the suite and zipped it up. “I have to try to talk to Mary.”

“If I was going to try to stop you, why would I have this uncomfortable outfit on?” Gart asked.

Amber was so preoccupied with getting the suit on and getting to the obelisk that she had not noticed Gart had a rather strange looking spacesuit on. “And where are you going?”

“With you, of course,” Gart said. “Someone has to have your back.”

“That they do,” Amber said, taking several steps forward and kissing the alien. “Thank you. But what about your helmet? The station’s suits do not fit you very well.” Gart proudly held up an oddly configured helmet, the front section extended to accommodate his elongated mouth and nostrils. “Where did you get that?”

“The moment I heard you were going to be deported, I knew you’d try something like this, without your uncle’s approval and without PiePie,” Gart stated. “I asked a couple of designers if they could make me a spacesuit I could walk and breathe in. Thankfully, they were able to and in time.”

A solemn, frigid expression covered Amber’s face. “Gart, I do not know what is going to happen out there. The obelisk attacked us once. It could do so again. It might even kill us. You have unborns waiting to hatch and meet their father. You are the leader of your nation. You do not have to do this.”

“I may be the leader of my nation, but I am a male first,” Gart replied, staring into Amber’s eyes. “A male who has fallen in love with a silly alien with the most beautiful lilac eyes. If it is our destiny to die, then we will die together. If the worst happens, someone will step into my footsteps and care for my offspring, thus ensuring the continuance of my race. Now, I suggest we go. The sun will be rising soon.”

After checking each other’s suits to make sure everything was locked into place and that their air tanks were full, they hurried toward the exit. Upon reaching the outer door, Amber put her hand on the handle. “Chances are, an alarm is going to sound as soon as I open this. Be prepared to run over to that maintenance shed to the speeder. We need to be on our way before the Commander can get anyone out here to stop us.”

“No alarms, My Lady,” Gart smiled, holding up a key card. “Compliments of Tong and Glock.” He laughed when he saw the astonished look on the princess’ face.

“They know too?”

“Yes. In fact, they’re waiting for us over at the shed,” Gart replied. “Glock already has the speeder started and ready.” Gart slipped the key card into the reader and nodded for Amber to open the door. As it opened, no alarms went off to alert security someone had opened it. As she looked across the small courtyard, she saw Glock with Tong in the window waving.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Waters, the Commander is still sleeping,” the human guard said, trying to stop the advancement of Earon. “He cannot be disturbed. You cannot go in there.”

Earon pushed the human away, sending him flying across the room. He tried the door. It was locked. Raising his foot, he kicked the door open with a large bang. “Get up, your worthless piece of cupree dung,” Earon bellowed, startling the Commander awake. Oonock adrenaline pumping through his system, and remembering what a human just like this did to his son, Earon did not wait for the Commander to sit up. He grabbed him by his nightshirt and lifted him into the air and off the bed, holding him four inches above the floor. “You son-of-a-bitch. I should slit you open like the lying piece of filth you are.”

Two armed guards rushed in, aiming their weapons at Earon “Put the Commander down, Mr. Waters. Or we’ll shoot.”

“Not before I do,” came a voice from the hallway as an Oonock guard suddenly appeared. “Sorry it took me so long, Your Majesty. Ooncill sent me as his replacement.” Baybow walked over to stand beside Earon, keeping his weapons aimed at the guards. “I will not allow you to harm my monarch. If you wish to live, I suggest you put down your weapons. Both I and my guns are much faster than either of you.” Neither complied.

Seeing the Commander’s face was turning red from lack of oxygen, or possibly just from anger, Earon released his hold. The human hit the floor with a loud thud. After several breaths and coughs, the Commander said, “How dare you attack me? I’ll have you thrown in jail. I’ll . . .”

“You will be the one in jail,” Earon shouted, still enraged at the human. He held up the Terrian blaster. “You will be lucky to get a job commanding a dung heap in Alpha Centauri once the Association finds out what you and your friends have been up to. You already discovered our settlement. And the obelisk. You knew what it was capable of, yet you never said a word to Princess Mary about the danger. In fact, you lured her here under the pretense of discovering the lost settlement hoping she could somehow activate the obelisk. I ought to kill you where you sit.”

“I assure you, Mr. Waters, we had no idea the obelisk would take your niece,” the Commander said.

“But then, after it did, you still did not tell us of the danger,” Earon screamed. “So now Jeanip and the others are gone too.”

“We had no knowledge there was a ship under that mountain,” the Commander said, trying to regain his strength and composure. “Or that it had any connection to the obelisk.”

“What about this?” Earon asked, holding up the Terrian blaster and throwing it at the Commander.

He ducked, allowing the weapon to bounce off his arm and slide across the floor. “A relic found of unknown origins.”

“Unknown origins, my ass,” Earon yelled. “You knew perfectly well this was Oonock. Everything in that room is Oonock, except for these.” He now threw several engineering schematics at the Commander.

“Everything in that room belongs to the Company,” the Commander said, his voice elevated and vigorous, finally getting enough courage to stand up to Earon. The thought of losing all they had found was returning his bravery.

“Everything in that room belongs to us,” Earon replied. “I assure you, you will never see it again.”

“The stones,” the Commanded shouted, suddenly realizing Earon meant the pieces of energy rock. If he lost them, the Company would fire him, possibly kill him and his family in retaliation. He could not lose the soobree. “I will not allow you to take those rocks.”

“You will never find them,” Earon said, turning to leave, enjoying the look of horror and astonishment on the Commander’s face. The Commander rose and dove on his bed, withdrawing a pistol from beneath his pillow. He aimed at Earon’s back and prepared to pull the trigger. Seeing what was happening, Baybow leapt between his monarch and the Commander, firing three shots into the human and killing him instantly. Immediately, the two guards opened fired, hitting Earon in the arm and killing the protector. His brain no longer active to maintain his transformation, Baybow transformed back into his true self. Within seconds, his membranes broke down, and his insides spilled out. Under the roar of alarm bells sounding, a shower of lilac water that had once been the brave Oonock soldier rained down upon the floor, mixing with the red blood of the dead human.

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