The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration by Ralph L. Angelo Jr. Read Free Book Online

Mark began. “We are travelers from far away. We mean you no harm. We simply need time to repair our ship which was damaged on the way here.”
    The leader of the pack of natives looked at him quizzically as the suit ’s tech replayed everything Mark said in his own language.
    “Ship?” The native asked. “The great silver bird is a ship? What does ‘ship’ mean?”
    Mark and the others looked back and forth before Mark sighed and began to explain . “I built this vessel or ship. It is like a boat that sails among the stars.” He waved his hand at the sky.
    The leader o r Chieftain nodded in agreement. “We… know of such things. Others have come and now live in the mountain of fire. We thought you were like them. That is why…we attacked you. They have…done us much…harm. They have…taken many of us as workers. Those taken have not…returned.”
    The crew of the Cagliostro looked at one another.
    “What did this ‘others’ look like?”
    “Some have purple flesh, others yellow. Some make our minds scream in pain without saying a word.”
    Dan turned toward Mark. “That’s all Agalum.”
    “I know , Danny,” Mark returned his gaze to the chieftain. “Where are your people now? How many are still free?”
    “Only small amount left. Perhaps five hundred more than is what is here.” The translator program concluded an instant behind what he had said.
    “How many were taken?” Red queried.
    The chief looked to them and replied slowly, “Thousands.”

     

Chapter 6
     
     
     
    “What’d we stumble onto?” Dan asked. The command crew, less Ariel, were seated around the table in the command conference room.
    “We’ll have to find out. I have to assume it’s some kind of forward base in the making at least, if not completed ,” Mark replied.
    “It makes sense ,” Red offered. “The atmosphere’s breathable and the indigenous population is no threat. Hell, a single guy with a rechargeable hand blaster and a force field or an armored suit could conquer this whole planet.”
    “Yeah , these people ain’t exactly a threat to the Agalum,” Eddie agreed.
    Ma rk nodded in agreement, “No, but they make great slave labor.”
    “For wha tever they’re building here,” Red added.
    “ I guess that answers the question of where those two extra ships came from that joined the attack on us before we crashed here.” Eddie added.
    “This would be the most forward base the Agalum ha ve built, if it is that,” Mark announced.
    “Yeah, It’s only a day from Earth at full hyper-warp,” Danny agreed.
    “If this is a base, we have to either shut it down or get word back to EPIC ,” Red commented.
    “The Earth Protectorate Interstellar Command needs to know about this as soon as possible. This is a launching point for another invasion. They could mass ships here and be in and out of our home system in a day. If they rotated ships both ways it could be a never ending assault from here,” Mark commented and then continued, “I have both Lori Westin and Miss Wallflower rotating shifts on the comm, scanning all frequencies and all bands.”
    Dan turned his head slightly and squinted his eyes before asking, “Why d’ya do that?”
    “Do what?”
    “Why d’ya call Lilly ‘Miss Wallflower’?”
    “Well, it is her last name, and to be honest every time I think of her whole name, well, I have a hard time taking her seriously, and she is very good at what she does.”
    “Ah Mark sometimes I don’t get you .”
    “What can I say , Danny? I’m quirky. And to be honest, calling a woman ‘Lilac Wallflower’ or ‘Lilly Wallflower’ just makes me want to smile.”
    “Yeah , I guess her parents had a sense o’ humor.”
    “Are you two done yet?” Red interrupted his face a twisted mask of disapproval.
    “What?” Mark asked, smiling slightly.
    “What? Really? We’re stuck on this planet and there may be hundreds, or even thousands of Agalum warriors here with us and you two are playing