The Labour Planet - A Working Title - Part Ten - 1177 Words - Updated

The Labour Planet – A Working Title – Part Ten – 1177 Words

Jamie’s lungs were at bursting point as he held his breath not daring to move in case the group found him, but then one of them said,

‘If the Templars find out we’re late getting to our posts we’ll be in big trouble.’                 

‘Just a minute, I thought I heard something,’ said one of the Guardsmen Cadets.

‘Well, you’ll never find it while the power’s off.’

‘Yes, c’mon we might just get to our posts before the Templars, but we must hurry.  Keep your hands in contact with the corridor wall, and then feel your way along.’

Jamie broke out in a cold sweat on hearing this thinking they would surely discover him.  But luck was his companion as they were already past him when they decided that keeping in contact with the wall was the best way forward.  Once he was sure they were gone he started to move slowly in the darkness. 

Then the backup system came back on, and he found himself in a cave-like area honeycombed with little recesses like the one that had been his refuge just a short time ago. Knowing there were so many bolt holes should he need one encouraged him to investigate the area thoroughly, but he could hear a strange noise that seemed to be getting louder the further forward he ventured. 

Still he proceeded with caution until he came upon what looked like another containment area.  The outside walls were mainly glass, and there were scanners that dropped down from the ceiling, although the backup system did not have enough power for them to be working. Here too there was a central area that was visible to the guards on the outside.  Then there were rooms made from a coloured type of plastic that obscured the view, but he suspected that when the scanners were on the guards would be able to see into every room.

Jamie stood transfixed when he saw what or rather who were making these strange clicking sounds very similar to those made by dolphins.  He had never seen anything like them before.  They looked a bit like dwarves, although not quite so small, and were of stocky build, but they looked extremely strong.  However, what struck Jamie was the sad desperation clearly written on their faces. 

He thought the noises they were making were how they communicated, and he wished he could understand what they were saying.  But they did not seem afraid of him even though he had more in common with the look of the guards than he did with them.  He wanted to tell them not to be afraid, but he guessed they would never understand him.

‘Yes, we can,’ came into his brain though none of them spoke.

Jamie was startled by the sudden realization that these people could also communicate by thought alone.  What was even more startling was that his brain processed the information, and he found himself replying without the need for speech.

'You can?'

‘Yes.  Will you help us?’ was the first thought transmitted.

Jamie's thoughts were transferring too.

‘I don’t know how I can help you.  My people are in much the same situation as you are.’

‘We must work together’ came back.

‘I don’t see how we can work together when we are prisoners too.’

As Jamie stood looking in at this unfamiliar race of people, there was another loud explosion, and the ship lurched violently before starting to descend at a rapid rate.  Alarm bells were screeching and setting Jamie’s teeth on edge.  Next he was being thrown about like a lifeless doll until he eventually came crashing to a stop on the other side of this cave-like place.  He picked himself up and went back to see if the strange-looking people were all right.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Yes.’

‘Who are you and where do you come from?’ was Jamie’s next thought.

‘We are Grusaliens from the planet Gruse,’ came back.

‘You say we must work together, but we are prisoners just like you.’

‘You are not a prisoner, you are outside.  How did you do it?’

‘I don’t know. I got out, but my friends couldn’t because the doors locked on again.’

‘Urgent!  Urgent!  You must hide someone is coming,’ came from the Grusalien most adjacent to the glass outside wall.

Startled Jamie turned quickly but there was no one there.

‘Urgent!  Urgent! Hide.’

Jamie didn’t think twice he ran towards the nearest recess and bent low because this one was smaller than the one he had hidden in before.  Then when he heard the voices of the approaching guards he lifted his head only as far as his eyes could see out.

He immediately recognized these guards as being Templars by the metallic vests they wore, and they didn’t seem at all concerned by the ship lurching from one side to the other by the explosions that were still going on. 

When the group was near enough the leading Templar kicked at the glass where some of the Grusaliens stood.  The others laughed before they too did the same.   The Grusaliens just looked at their tormentors with quiet dignity. The guards continued on their way, but Jamie decided to wait a considerable time before he dared to venture out again but eventually he plucked up the courage and came back to continue with the exchange of thoughts.  

‘Are they always like that?'

‘Always,’ came back ‘we are nothing to them, just a commodity.'       

‘What do you mean?’

‘Their spiritual leader tells them if they want to enter Infinity they must never defile themselves with physical work, so they make us do it.'

‘So where do we fit in with their plans?’

‘Have the young earthlings been separated from you?’

‘Yes.’

‘It is the same with us.  They have taken our young too.’

Jamie thought about this for a while, but it made no sense.  What possible reason could there be for separating the children from their parents?  And now he learned the same thing had happened to these people but to what purpose?

‘I can see you find this confusing’

‘Yes.’

‘The Grusaliens as a race are almost extinct because we have been worked so hard by the Federation.  So they have taken our young, and yours, and intend to initiate a breeding programme that will combine the two sets of genes.’

‘That’s horrendous!  Sorry, I didn’t mean…’

‘No matter, it is equally horrible to us too.  Please excuse, I too have no wish to be rude. ’

‘But I don’t understand.  Why would they want our two species to mate?’

‘They think the hybrids will be strong enough to do the work, but they are wrong.’

‘URGENT!  You must leave.  A Guardsman Cadet sensed someone was in the corridor with them, and he is coming back to investigate.’

‘LEAVE NOW!’ came bursting into Jamie’s brain, and by the intensity of the thought and the speed with which it was transmitted Jamie knew he was in grave danger.