Beacon of deception

By Ann Marie R. Harvie

Neptune, exhausted and hungry, entered the small air lock and took off her helmet. Almost immediately, she knew she was not in a place she wanted to be. As she walked in further, she eyed the interior of the beacon with annoyance. The recording that broadcast throughout the region repeated inside the small facility in Basic Language. "We are your salvation, your beacon of hope. We can help you if you are lost. We have food and drink. Come aboard or follow these coordinates if you can. You are close to Sanctuary."

The Special Forces Soldier snorted as she listened to the English man's warm, convincing voice rattle off coordinates to those unlucky enough to want them. She recognized the enemy technology of the Wardon Empire almost as soon as she boarded. It helped that they didn't try to hide the Wardon writing on pieces of machinery that gave the model and serial numbers to certain parts. Neptune doubted that desperate people would know Wardon script even if they bothered to even notice. Neptune noticed.

She held her weapon close to her chest as she explored the "sanctuary," listening for any movement or sound that would tell her she was not alone. She had to admit, the façade was pretty convincing. Comfortable furnishings and warm decorations welcomed weary travelers. Food and drink lay on a table like cheese set in a mousetrap. Neptune's stomach growled at the smell of the food and her dry mouth longed for the liquid contained in the cups. It had been two days since she broke off from the rest of her team to chase an enemy, only to have her navigation and communications systems damaged during the fight. The fuel in her ship would not last more than a day if she cruised. She had not eaten and had little to drink. She was hungry and tired, but not stupid.

Beacon of Hope my ass, she thought.

She took a couple of steps toward the back and opened a door to another room, where she guessed the Wardon Soldiers waited for the victims to succumb to whatever drug they laced the food and drink with. Then they would bring them to wherever those coordinates led and enslave them, probably a factory or one of the Emperor's mines. Once Emperor Tozar had them, there would be little to no chance of leaving their prison alive.

The message played again and Neptune listened to the coordinates of where the Wardons wanted the gullible travelers to go. She took a hand-held tablet from one of the leg pockets of her uniform and typed it in. As she explored the room further she found a log detailing how many people were caught on any given day, the date, and the time. Hundreds passed through the beacon. Neptune noticed the last prisoners were taken only a half hour before she arrived, explaining why no one was there waiting for her. Rage replaced the hunger she felt. This place could not be allowed to operate any longer.

Neptune took the logs, a portable computer, and any information she found that would assist Federation Intelligence in figuring out what the enemy was doing in that region of space. As she rifled through cabinets and drawers, she found packages of Wardon food, food different from what they served their prey. She hated the taste of Wardon food, but she knew it would be safe to eat and would fill her empty stomach. She took all the food and drink from the Wardon hiding place she could stuff into her own, small craft. She then stripped the beacon of parts and power cells that would allow her to repair her own damaged ship and call for help once she was a safe distance away. She also disabled the transmission urging travelers to visit the "Sanctuary." Emperor Tozar had enough slaves.

When she went back to her ship with everything she could carry that would fit in her ship, she grabbed some small explosives. As she set the charges to blow up the beacon, she smiled to herself. Without intending to, the enemy helped her out quite a bit. She intended to show her gratitude, not only by destroying their trap, but to lead Federation Defense to the capture site and rescue all the prisoners, relieving the Emperor of the burden of caring for his new slaves.