THE PLANET THAT LOVED PEOPLE (standard:science fiction, 2195 words) [15/15] show all parts
Author: Danny Raven	Added: Mar 10 2016	Views/Reads: 1788/1332	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
PART 2 - CH 14

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without warning emitted a blast of radiation which caught three of the 
pirates. 

They screamed and started tearing at their clothes and he emitted
another blast and they were skeletons. A final blast and they were 
dust. 

Kydd watched from the Teleport Platform then quickly strolled forwards,
reversed one of his laser pistols and clipped Blaze on the back of the 
head. Blaze dropped. 

“Belay that!!” he yelled to Corthan. “Or the cabin boy dies now!” He
reversed his pistol and aimed it at the unconscious Blaze. 

Corthan stared at him for a few seconds then strolled back to Kane and
the others. 

“That's a mighty fierce power ye have there, matey,” Kydd said, glancing
down at the piles of dust which recently were crew members. “Pull that 
trick again and the cabin boy dies. Understand?” 

“I understand,” said Corthan. 

As all this was going on, Kane looked round at the Ship. All the
computers, instrument panels and weaponry were modern so the pirates 
must have stolen it recently. It was a gigantic Ship, the same size as 
a Fleet Battle Cruiser. 

He glanced at the crew – there were about fifteen of them on the Bridge,
all dressed like pirates. Some wore vests, some were bare-chested, some 
wore breeches and leather boots, some were bare-footed. Some had 
pigtails, some had shaved heads, some wore a single earring and most of 
them had scars and tattoos on their faces and chests. 

Kydd strolled over to a table and poured himself some wine into a
goblet. He beckoned Kane over. “Wine, Cap'n?” he asked. 

Kane shook his head. “You wanted to talk?” 

“That's right,” Kydd replied. “A parley. Sit yerself down, Cap'n,” he
said then drained half the goblet, wiping his sleeve across his beard. 
“Pickins is poor in this Universe, matey,” he went on. “The rich areas 
is getting too well protected. Too many Fleet Ships prowlin round these 
skyways.” 

Some of the crew grunted their agreement. 

“The lads are getting restless,” Kydd went on, waving his goblet at
them. “They want some new huntin grounds. Somewheres out the reach of 
the cursed Fleet.” 

More grunts from the crew. 

“So what's this got to do with us?” Kane asked. 

Kydd poured himself more wine and grinned at him. “We think through
there might be worth a look,” he said, jerking his thumb at their 
Observation Screen and the Black Hole. 

Kane was genuinely surprised. “You want to go through the Hole!?” he
asked. 

Kydd nodded. 

“So go. What's stopping you?” 

Kydd threw back his head and roared with laughter. “You know what's
stopping us, Cap'n!” he said. “We reckons there must be some chart or 
somethin to get ye through these tides safely. We seen what happened to 
the Ships that didn't have it. We've been watchin you makin straight 
for this here spot lookin like you weren't stopping so we reckons you 
must have the chart.” 

Kane glanced at the others. 

Kydd took another swig from his goblet then leaned closer to Kane. “So
I'll strike a bargain with ye, matey – give us the chart an we'll let 
ye go back to yer Ship an no harm done. What d'ye say, Cap'n?” 

Kane calculated fast. He couldn't give them the co-ordinates. The Pirate
Ships were the same size as the Zenon which was a Battle Cruiser. If 
they became trapped or wrecked inside the Corridor they could block it 
and the Falcon wouldn't get through. 

“I'm afraid I can't do that,” he said. 

Kydd grinned. “I'll ask ye one more time, matey,” he said. 

Kane stared at him with his cold blue eyes then shook his head. 

Kydd reddened and struck out viciously with his laser pistol. Blood ran
from a cut above Kane's left eye. 

“Okay, ye've had yer chance!” Kydd roared. “Bosun!” 

The gold-toothed Bosun stepped forward. “Cap'n?” 

“Let's see if we can't change his mind,” Kydd said, staring at Kane.
“Run out the plank!” 

Blaze groaned and sat up, holding the back of his head. Corthan helped
him to his feet and quickly explained what was happening. 

As they all watched, there was a flurry of activity amongst the pirate
crew accompanied by yelling and laughter. A small cabin on the Bridge 
was opened and one pirate went into it and turned a wall lever. From 
underneath the cabin, a long metal plank started running out into 
space. 

“Look out there,” Kydd said to them, pointing to an observation window. 

They strolled over and looked out and saw the narrow metal plank jutting
twelve feet out from the side of the Ship. 

“The plank!” Kydd announced with relish. “Unless I get the chart, ye
walk the plank one by one!” He grinned at them. “What d'ye say now, 
Cap'n?” 

Kane stared at him and shook his head. 

“So be it,” said Kydd. “Who'll be the first to walk then?” he said,
slowly looking round them. “I think it'll be you, matey,” he decided, 
pointing a laser pistol at Corthan. 

“No! No! You can't go!!” Blaze yelled. He turned and buried his face in
Corthan's blue cloak. “Don't go, Corth!” he pleaded. 

Corthan gently pulled Blaze away. He smiled at him and ruffled his hair.
“Looks like there's no choice,” he said. 

“No, Corth, no!” Blaze wailed. 

Corthan bent down beside him. “You and I, little man, we'll meet again,”
he said softly to him. “We have to because there's someone I want you 
to become friends with. He'll be about half your size by now and 
there's something I want you to teach him. Only you can do it.” He 
leaned forwards and whispered something in his ear. 

Blaze tried to smile through his tears. 

“Could you do that?” Corthan asked, straightening up. 

“I could try,” Blaze replied. 

Corthan ruffled his hair once more then walked over to Kane and held out
his hand. “No speeches,” he said. “We knew it could end at some point. 
We'll meet again in the next life.” 

Kane looked at him and nodded. “The next life.” 

Corthan smiled at Blaze, waved to the Android then walked over to the
small cabin. 

One of the pirates came over and strapped a small oxygen cylinder to his
back and another joined him. They started to push Corthan into the 
cabin when he quickly grabbed both and pushed them inside. 

They screamed as he emitted a quick blast of radiation then another then
another and then they were dust. 

“Enough!!” yelled Kydd. “Or the cabin boy gets it!!” He pointed his
laser pistol at the still sobbing Blaze who was being comforted by the 
Android. 

Corthan stepped into the cabin and a crewman warily approached and
pressed a wall button and the door slid shut. 

“Adjust the pressure,” Kydd ordered. 

When the cabin pressure was equalised the outer door slid open. The dust
of the two dead pirates drifted away into space. Corthan pulled his 
blue cloak tighter around himself and stepped out. From the observation 
window the others could see him walking out slowly, the plank bending 
slightly under his weight. 

He didn't stop till he was almost at the end then he turned and looked
at the faces at the window. He waved once then stepped off the plank. 
Blaze buried his face in the Android's arms and wept. 

Behind him Kydd grinned. “Run out the gun!” he ordered. 

Corthan didn't feel the freezing cold of space. He began drifting slowly
away from the Hispaniola, looking round at the blue-blackness of space 
with the giant wreaths of pinkish nebulae in the distance and the jet 
Black Hole behind. 

He began to turn back to the Ship then continued drifting away. Set
against the vast back-drop of space, even the giant Hispaniola seemed 
tiny. As did the two figures coming slowly over it towards him. 

Inside the Ship, the old fashioned gun had been rolled out on its wheels
and one of the pirates walked over to it carrying a heavy round steel 
cannon ball. 

“Load!” commanded Kydd. 

The figures were drawing closer to Corthan. His vision blurred slightly
in the freezing cold and he shook his head and blinked a few times. He 
took a deep breath of his oxygen and looked again. 

The two figures waved to him. He blinked again and shook his head. It
couldn't be, could it!? 

He took another deep breath of oxygen and narrowed his eyes. It was! It
was!! It was!!! 

Inside the Hispaniola the gun was loaded and primed. Two of the pirates
ran the barrel through an air-tight lock on the Bridge wall then the 
Bosun stepped forwards. 

“Aim!” ordered Kydd. 

The Bosun flicked on the laser tracker and searched on a small scope for
his target. 

The figures were almost beside Corthan. They were smiling and opening
their arms towards him. His wife Arin and their little son, Kanu! 
Corthan tore his mask off and smiled back!! 

He didn't notice the lightness in his head or the tightness in his
chest. They were close, so close. His wife and son. 

On the Bridge there was absolute silence. Kane and the Android watched
Corthan though the observation window. Blaze couldn't look. 

The Bosun checked his laser tracker and turned to Kydd. “Got him!” he
said. Kydd grinned and strolled over to the observation window. “Fire!” 
he ordered. 

Corthan opened his arms and Arin and Kanu drifted in. Behind them, the
cannonball shot out from the Hispaniola and flew straight towards him. 

On the Bridge, the Bosun was gleefully dancing about. “He wants to hug
the fucking ball! He wants to hug it!” he yelled. 

Kane stepped over to him and slugged him a good one on the side of the
jaw. “Hug that!” he muttered and the Bosun dropped. 

Corthan was already dead as his arms closed briefly round the cannonball
which halved him neatly at the waist. He was already gone with Arin and 
Kanu and had no further need for his severed body, the torso and legs 
whirling separately round and round. Or for the dark red blood which 
fountained out into endless black space. 


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