Chapter 17
Allowing himself to be beamed aboard the Krampusonian vessel had to be the most foolish and brave thing Jaspar had ever done. But knowing his and Cade’s sacrifice saved some children? Worth it. Especially since it now gave them a chance—a slim one that Beta hadn’t softened—to stop the threat.
The beaming deposited them in a cage, the bars of which hummed with current. To greet them, a large and leering Krampusonian with massive, curled horns.
Jaspar showed no fear despite knowing the odds of his survival were slim.
So slim.
Usually that wouldn’t have bothered him. He’d been on countless dangerous missions. Faced death often enough he didn’t quake anymore. But that was before meeting Colette.
Now, Jaspar wasn’t so keen to die, not when he had something, someone, to live for.
“Well, well, if it isn’t a pair of blue worms,” grunted the male.
Jaspar pursed his lips. “You’ve made a grave mistake taking us captive.”
“Says the worm in my cage,” scoffed the Krampusonian.
“Release us and leave this galaxy now or face the consequences of your actions.” Cade offered a stern warning with crossed arms.
The big brute snorted. “Big talk for a prisoner.”
Thump. Thump. A second Krampusonian entered, a short squat female with sharp tusks on either side of her mouth.
“Look at what the humans gave to entertain us,” grunted the thick male.
“I can’t believe you got rid of our tasty dinner for their tough carcasses,” complained the female.
“As if we’d ruin our palate eating them. We shall fetch some fresh and tender meat in a moment. Now that our biggest threat has been removed, the planet is ours for the plundering.” The male rubbed his hairy hands together.
“The humans still have a nuclear arsenal,” the female reminded.
“And no way to use it now that we’ve removed their allies. Idiots. It’s a good thing we won’t be eating them. Wouldn’t want to be contaminated with their stupidity. Speaking of eating, I think we should celebrate. Shall we go find ourselves a juicy baby for dinner?” the brute suggested.
“Yesss,” hissed the female. “A squirmy and fat one.”
The Krampusonians left the chamber, a place meant to inspire despondency. Several cages filled the space, empty but for the one holding Jaspar and Cade. A cage they would soon escape if all went according to plan.
Jaspar glanced at Cade. “Ready?”
His partner grimaced. “Yes. This better work.”
“Beta wouldn’t have suggested it if we didn’t have a chance.”
“With terrible odds,” Cade grumbled.
“Then we better hope luck is with us.”
Once the AI managed to contact them in the military base, it gave them a choice. Help them escape to their ship, where they could beam aboard as many nubile females as they could fit, or put themselves at risk and destroy the Krampusonian Boulmas before it began stealing children.
The warriors chose the latter, despite it being more dangerous.
“Since the humans wouldn’t let us use their nuclear arsenal, you’re going to have to destroy the Krampusonian ship from within,” Beta had stated.
“And how are we supposed to get on board?” Jaspar asked.
“The general is going to trade you for some children. The Krampusonian will likely bring you aboard.”
“Likely?” Cade questioned. “And if they don’t?”
“You’ll be vaporized. However, the chances of that are low. They are well known for making species fight one another for entertainment,” Beta explained.
“How does being on board help?” Jaspar had questioned. “Won’t we just be swapping prisons? Because I doubt we’ll be given free rein of their ship.”
“You will be caged. However, it won’t hold you for long. Commander Jaspar, you remember the device you planted upon entry to the human base?”
He’d nodded. “Yes. I assume the soldiers didn’t find it, seeing as how you infiltrated their system.”
“The device’s cloaking kept it secure, and it is still attached to the elevator panel. You need to retrieve it when you’re brought to the surface for the trade.”
“And if I can’t get my hands on it?” Jaspar had asked.
“Then the mission will fail.” A blunt statement.
“Let’s say we do manage to grab it, won’t the Krampusonians detect it once we’ve beamed aboard?”
“Possibly, if they scan you for non-organics. However, they only rarely ever contain adults in their cages. Given they’re used to progeny with no means of defense, and the fact you’re going from one incarcerated situation into another, they might not think to search you for weapons.”
“That’s a lot of maybes,” Jaspar muttered.
“Do you have another plan, Commander?” Beta had replied.
They didn’t, and so they hoped for the best as they got led from their cell.
Cade had been the one to distract the soldiers crammed in the elevator with them, pretending to be bothered by the confined space.
It led to the soldiers crowding Cade as Jaspar pressed against the wall and snuck the device into his closed hand.
Once outside, the exchange happened without them being pulverized. They’d made it aboard without being searched. Now to see if they could complete their new mission to save Earth.
“Stand back,” Jaspar warned as he put the transponder on the floor of their cage and kicked it toward the humming bars.
Sparks flew as the device encountered the electrical current, and then, like Beta had on the human base, the AI infiltrated the ship.
It happened within seconds, because, unlike the humans, Krampusonians used stolen technology, which Beta had knowledge of.
The hum disappeared, and Cade could safely reach his hand through the bars to manipulate the lever lock holding it shut because the dumb brutes didn’t bother using keyed locks, trusting the current to keep their prisoners in the cage.
Jaspar snared the device and exited the cage, moving quickly, following the portable Beta’s direction.
While the Boulmas ship currently blocked outside communication and beaming, the transponder they carried contained a mobile version of the AI that could communicate with them, just not their own vessel.
Being unarmed as they crept through the Krampusonian ship had Jaspar on edge. In hand-to-hand combat, they’d be hard-pressed to prevail against horns and claws. As they reached a fork, mini-Beta announced, “To your left is the access to the engine room where you can turn off the shield.”
“What’s to the right?” Cade asked.
“Bridge and crew quarters.”
Jaspar took a step left, only to realize Cade didn’t shadow. He glanced back over his shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?”
Cade pressed his lips in a thin line. “Go without me. I’m going to try and stop the Krampusonians from eating a baby.”
Commendable but also suicidal. “Without a weapon?”
“Beta said crew quarters are this way. Shouldn’t be too hard to find something.”
Beta confirmed. “The Krampusonian don’t tend to use armories.”
“Is it wise to go off on your own and confront them? We’re about to disable the ship so they can’t do anything,” Jaspar reminded.
“And what if you’re too late?” Cade retorted. “They might already have a child in their custody.”
Jaspar stopped arguing, as it wasted time. “Good luck,” he said.
“You too.” Cade then added, “If we both survive this…”
“I would be honored if Colette agreed to a triad with us,” Jaspar stated.
Would it be easy to share? No. But they’d figure it out.
The warriors split, Jaspar jogging to reach the lower levels, only slightly reassured by mini-Beta’s announcement.
“I’ve gone through the ship logs and scanned the vessel.
There’s only two living Krampusonians on board.
Records indicate they started out with a crew of thirteen but killed each other on the voyage here. ”
“Got into a spat, did they?” Jaspar huffed as he climbed down a ladder.
“More like they got hungry.”
The fact they’d cannibalized themselves didn’t cause Jaspar’s grimace, but rather the thought of eating one of those rank creatures.
The bottom of the ladder ended in a tight room with a single door.
Passing through it brought Jaspar into the engine room.
The stink of burning wires and oil, along with the noise, proved almost painful.
The machinery appeared unmaintained and in rough shape.
It was a stroke of bad luck the Krampusonians even made it to Earth.
Mini-Beta first had Jaspar disable all of the system alarms. Once he’d made sure the Krampusonians wouldn’t be warned, Jaspar then transferred all of the ship’s control from the bridge to the engine room. After that, it took but a simple push of a button to lower the shields.
The moment he did, main Beta exclaimed via his embedded transponder. “Congratulations, Commander, on making it this far. Now for the tricky part.”
Causing the power core to overheat and blow.
“Are you able to monitor Cade?” Jaspar asked as he began pulling apart the cooling system, which proved easier than expected, given the partial repairs holding it in place.
“Commander Cade has acquired a weapon and is about to engage the Krampusonians to retrieve the child they stole.”
“No need for that now. Beam them both out,” Jaspar commanded as he pulled a pipe that emitted steam hot enough it singed the skin on his face before he jumped away from it.
“Unfortunately, that’s not possible, as he’s entered a shielded area.”
“Why would they have a sensor-blocking room?” Jaspar asked as he redirected the steam from the pipe he’d yanked toward the power core, which began to hum ominously.
“Unknown, but theories state it might be to keep the spirits of those they’ve killed blocked from escaping and warning others.”
“As if we don’t already know they’re the scum of the universe,” Jaspar grunted as he swung a hammer left lying on the floor at the support structure for the power core. It began to wobble as well as spark.
“Excellent work, Commander. Preparing to beam you aboard.”
“Not yet. I’m going to find Cade.” Because while Jaspar had initially not cared for the other warrior, he’d come to grudgingly like him, and he knew Cade wouldn’t have left him behind.
The AI didn’t argue but, as she directed Jaspar back up the ladder, did remind him, “The power core is already overheating. You won’t have much time before it blows.”
“I’m aware,” Jaspar grumbled as he reached the needed floor and ran down its twisting hall.
“The chamber Commander Cade entered is coming up on your left.”
An unneeded direction because the door to the chamber remained open and the wailing of a child could be heard.
Jaspar burst into a scene that might give him nightmares.
The stench of blood, fear, and rot permeated the dining room, containing a table stained with the lives of those stolen and killed.
Standing on the gross table was Cade. He brandished a long dagger and menaced the male Krampusonian, while the female held a screaming child.
Upon seeing Jaspar, she hissed, “The other one’s here. Finish them off quickly. I’m hungry.”
Having not stopped for a weapon left Jaspar momentarily frozen as he debated his best course of action. Rushing the female might result in harm to the child, but attacking the male might impede Cade’s ability to use his blade.
While he pondered how to retrieve the baby safely, Cade slashed at the bigger brute, drawing a line across the arm it raised to defend itself.
The male roared and dove at Cade’s legs, sending them toppling atop the gore-covered surface of the table.
Cade’s head smacked hard enough he lost his grip on the dagger, and it clattered to the floor.
The large male pounced, his clawed hands gripping Cade’s throat. Jaspar had no time to lose, not with only moments left before the power core exploded.
Jaspar dove onto the dagger and rose, slashing almost blindly at the brute atop his partner. The big Krampusonian screamed, and in that moment of inattention, Cade recovered enough to heave him away from his body.
The brute landed at Jaspar’s feet. A forceful stab to the head and the Krampusonian died.
One down. One to go.
The female suddenly realized her dilemma. She couldn’t defend herself holding the child. She held it up and yelled, “You want the squawker. Take it!”
The baby went soaring into the air, the sudden flight startling it enough it stopped yelling for a moment.
Cade leapt to catch it, while Jaspar watched the female slip out. He didn’t bother chasing but rather yelled, “We need to get to the hallway so Beta can get a fix on us before the ship blows.”
Cradling the child to his chest, Cade fled to the hall but stopped abruptly, causing Jaspar to slam into his back.
The reason?
The female, wearing a smug smirk, pointed a laser gun at them.
“Die, you blue bastards!” she screamed.
“Not today!” Cade declared as he put a hand on Jaspar’s shoulder, forming a link between them that allowed Beta to beam them both away before the flashing streak from the gun’s muzzle could vaporize.
They ended up in the decontamination chamber, alive and with the baby.
Cade laughed. “I can’t believe that actually worked.”
“It is a miracle we’re alive,” Jaspar agreed.
As the lasers began cleansing their bodies, Beta provided even better news.
“The Krampusonian ship has exploded. Congratulations, Commanders. You saved Earth.”