Symphony of stars

Chapter-9

Aaron moved through the ventilation shafts with a determination he normally reserved for his projects and gadgets. Tirana had been taken and the culprits were using his workshop as a staging grounds for something. He knew he had to scout the area and find out what the outsiders were up to. Fast crawling around the turns and twists, he headed for the secondary monitoring system. Getting to it meant he'd have to open up the rest of the Trove, but there wasn't much choice.

The secondary monitoring system was closer and it had most of the main controls Aaron would need to form a plan. As he rounded another twist the soft glow from the screens started to filter through the darkness of the vent shaft. Just another turn and he'd drop down into the closet that held his hidden command. From there he could see everything.

Dropping down into the little command center, Aaron settled himself into a criss cross apple sauce potion. As he scanned the glowing screens he wondered why his sister had gotten the silly name for the sitting position. The thought slowed his mind down just enough to help him focus on everything.

The top left monitor zoomed in on the men that had filled the loading and docking hall with smoke. Most of the haze had cleared thanks to the life support cycling system and Aaron counted three men dragging Tirana through the hall. They were heading towards the secondary work room. It was the only room off the loading area accessible without him.

Aaron knew that room well. He used it as a main work room when his sister was fumigating the rest of the Trove, which happened every three months or so. In that room those men would find everything they need to rip Tirana's claws right off if they wanted. They had already torn the room apart during their time there in his absence and would know where everything was.

Searching the other screens, Aaron watched two other men storming through the docking tether to the Nexus. Ethan wouldn't know what was happening. The air lock would still be easy to get passed. Dragging his finger across a lower screen, he looked for the camera that should show the end of the tether.

There it was and the men had already made it through the air lock. Aaron could just make out a flash of Ethan trying to fight them off, but there wasn't much point. With their sonic guns they had the young man down in seconds.

A glance back at Tirana confirmed what the men planed on doing. His beautiful green lady was laid out on the steel work table, makeshift straps holding her in place.

A plan formed: Grab Tirana, save Ethan, and then take off in the Nexus. That was a sound plan and Aaron could work out the details later.

Popping up from his cramped command center, Aaron shimmied his way back into the vents.