Outcasts of Gideon

Unlikely Allies

Kishan was growing antsy. He'd been pinned down too long already. His talent for escape had abandoned him here on Luna. Now he was confronted with a new challenge. The man across the table from him returned his gaze, a cold determination in his eyes. "You're Lieutenant Ulkos? I expected you to be taller," said Kishan.

"I get that a lot."

"What are the odds we would meet here on Luna?"

"Not very high."

Quinton laughed. "Even lower that you would be detained with us as well."

Lieutenant Ulkos nodded. "I didn't see any of this coming. In fact, until I was told you were here, the only person I knew I was chasing was Mister Lackey over there."

Grant shook his head. He'd stayed in the corner much of the time they'd been here. Kishan was okay with that. The shuttle owner had become more of a liability now that he no longer held the leikela.

"Perhaps we should have met much sooner, knowing who your father was," said Lieutenant Ulkos.

"My father was an advocate for free speech."

"He was a subversive. I would have shut him down."

"Yet you didn't."

"I wasn't given the opportunity."

Quinton raised his hand to silence the two of them. "Surely, Lieutenant Ulkos, you didn't come all the way from Titan in search of a ghost."

"As I said, I was chasing the shuttle Aion. I had no idea either of you were involved."

"And your pursuit led you to abandon the Patrol?"

"That was a long time coming. In fact, I should have..."

The facility began to shake. A sudden, violent crash reverberated through the room. Lieutenant Ulkos spread his hands on the table in front of him as though holding it in place. Kishan stood, his eyes darting around.

"What the hell was that?" asked Grant, rising. They were the first words he'd uttered since the Lieutenant's arrival.

"No idea," said Lieutenant Ulkos. He scanned the room. "This is a holding cell. There should be some emergency gear in here."

"For what?" asked Kishan.

"In the event of a containment breach," responded Quinton.

"Containment breach?" Grant walked toward the only door in the room.

Lieutenant Ulkos went over to a storage cabinet in the corner. "If this were Titan, there would be several emergency suits. It's required on a vacuum sphere." Finding the cabinet locked, he turned and looked around.

The room shook again, accompanied by another crashing sound from somewhere far off. Red lights in the ceiling began to flash in rhythm. They were finally accompanied by a deafening alarm. Lieutenant Ulkos picked up a chair and began hammering the storage cabinet. Kishan walked over to help.

Dust and ash from the ceiling fell around them. The ground rumbled again, this time with more violence.

Lieutenant Ulkos was able to break the lock on the storage cabinet. As he did, Kishan swung open the door revealing a few helmets and several suits. He eyed the suits, tossing the largest one to Grant. Handing one to the Lieutenant, he found a third in the cabinet. There were no others. He pulled out the two helmets, handing one to the Lieutenant. "Not enough."

The lights went out, leaving them in the dark with the flashing red of the alarm. As Grant and Lieutenant Ulkos pulled on their vac suits, another crash shook the room. This freed some of the ceiling to fall around them.