“Tower
this is the Tempest Class Freighter Tornado requesting permission to depart”
Zerrad said
“Stand
by Tornado” a voice responded and then after what seemed like an age they added
“You are cleared to go, please follow vector 90 to outer marker, good luck”
With
the engines warmed up and clearance to depart, and with Lyris piloting and his
brother Zerrad in the co-pilot seat and Asti Alegionaris looking on, the
Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper engines were engaged, and the Tempest
class freighter lifted off.
The
moment the Tornado left Eikon Majors atmosphere Parse Sacrod and Shiyne entered
Pod 4 to release Captain Merionwen Strong, her cousin Dwynwen, Sciberran Healer
Terrell Vorton and the two Andraxian agents one of whom had received a Pulsar
strike on her hip and it was Terrell who was the first to speak.
“Parse
get this girl to the sick bay immediately, we haven’t a moment to lose”
“I
thought she was going to be ok” Malena said
“There
have been complications” Merri said “Ferro needs to give her some blood”
“Ok
I’ll come and assist” Malena offered
While
the Tornado made steady progress towards their rendezvous safe in the hands of
the Skeets, and Terrell and Mal dealt with the medical emergency, the rest of
the crew went to the mess.
“What
I don’t understand is why they didn’t kill me when they had a chance” Merri
said “if they really don’t want you to get to Andraxis”
“Because
they need the evidence” Dwyn replied “I know that they searched my rooms for it
and I’d bet money that they searched you pretty thoroughly”
“So
where is it?” Merri asked
“The
data tablets are in the heal of my boot” Dwyn said and laughed
“So,
they need to stop you reaching Andraxis and destroy the evidence” Merri said
Andraxis was two systems away from the Cluster in the Messengis System
and the Andraxian’s were an ancient Culture and considered themselves to be the
moral guardians of the known universe and the Tornado was heading for a
rendezvous with an Andraxian Frigate which would take Dwyn and the evidence all
the way to Andraxis via two Hypergates.
“Well the sooner we get you aboard the Frigate the better” Merri said
but without enthusiasm.
The Tornado was not a slow vessel by any means, but the rendezvous point
was a 25-hour journey at least even with the Plasma Turbine Pyroclast Engines working at maximum
capacity.
But
everyone aboard used the time wisely, Terrell had finished the operation on
Ambor and was tending to her and a weakened Ferro in the sickbay with Shiyne to
keep him company.
On
the flight desk, the Skeets, Malena and Asti took it in turns in the pilot’s
chair, and while Dwyn kept up the supply of coffee in the mess Merri and Parse
monitored the engines and in the quiet hours they talked.
Making
good time the Tempest Class Freighter Tornado closed the distance between
themselves and the Andraxian Frigate and were less than three hours from the
rendezvous when they came under fire.
“What
the hell was that?” Merri said
“Pulsar
strike” Parse replied “Get to the flight deck and I’ll man the Plasma Cannon”
“Ok
Beefy, but don’t start popping off until we know what we’re dealing with” she
said and kissed him before she started running and as she ran she opened comms
to the flight deck
“Ok
people, who’s shooting at us?”
“Not
sure Captain” Lyris replied “But there are four of them, one Taipan
Corvette and three Krait fighters, all unmarked, all faster more manoeuvrable
and more heavily armed than we are”
“I’m on my way up, try to hail the Frigate”
Merri said
“We have but they’re not responding” Zerrad
retorted
“Should we open fire?”
“No, I’m betting they don’t know were armed so
wait until we have one in range, fore and aft, then let them have it”
“Roger that Captain” he replied
As she approached the sick bay Shiyne was just
coming out.
“Any idea who they are?” she asked
“No, I can’t get a fix” she replied “they must
be shielded”
“I suspect that’s because they know we have a
dynamite little Vann Telepath aboard” Merri said and hugged her
“Now go and find Dwyn and bring her here, and
arm yourself, the sickbay is a good place to defend should they come aboard,
though I fear they’re not interested in boarding”
“Ok Merri be careful” Shiyne said and turned
on her heels and ran then Merri entered the sickbay where she found Terrell and
Ferro trying to stop Ambor from getting out of bed.
“What’s going on?” she barked
“Ambor
wants to rise from her sickbed and shoot something” Terrell said disdainfully “And
it was such pursuits that put you in that bed in the first place”
“Well
she can’t” Merri stated firmly
“But...”
Ambor protested
“No
buts, my ship, my rules” Merri said and Ambor sank bank resignedly, so she
turned her attention to Ferro Scanner
“You
on the other hand needs to get up to the flight deck and contact the Frigate, they’re
not responding to our hail”
“But
what about Ambor?” he asked
“She’ll
be fine, now go” Merri said and as he left she followed in his wake.
On
the flight deck Ferro sent a coded message to the Andraxian Frigate and
received an immediate response
“Help
is on the way”
“Great
I just hope it gets here in time” Merri said
The
Tornado had sustained a lot of minor damage from constant strikes from the three
Krait fighters but was
still maintaining maximum forward momentum but that might change if they were
engaged by the much more powerfully armed Taipan
Corvette.
“In
the meantime, let’s give them a bloody nose, kill the engines”
The
Tornado was armed with the twin Pulsar Lasers at the front and a rear facing
Plasma cannon which was a useful weapon and was powered by the spent Plasma,
which was the waste product from the Plasma Turbine Pyroclast Engines.
It
was useful because it was a very unpleasant material which normal had to be
vented into space within the gravitational field of a star to dispose of it safely,
but the Plasma cannon disposed of it in small bites while punching a whole
through any would be attackers.
The
twin Pulsar Lasers were nowhere near as powerful, but they were rapid firing
and deadly accurate.
As
the Tornado drifted in space, Malena was sat studying the scanners, so Merri
asked
“Ok,
where are they?”
“We
have one heading straight down our throat and two bandits in close formation on
our six” Malena said
“This
is it then” Merri responded and opened the comms
“Get
ready Parse, you can splash the two on our tail when I give the word”
“Ready
when you are Captain”
Having
had no returned fire from the Tornado the Krait Fighters got complacent and made
no effort to disguise the trajectory of their approach so they were sitting
ducks as a result when Merri said
“Open
fire”
They
took the attackers completely by surprise and the sustained targeted Pulsar
Laser strike tore chunks out of the Krait attacking head on and a few seconds
later it exploded into a flaming patch of debris.
Meanwhile
astern of them the two fighters in formation tried to break away when they saw
their comrade being taken out, but Parse had the measure of them, so he opened
fire immediately, taking one fighter out with the first pulse while his wing
man survived until the third, and it was all over in a matter of seconds.
There
was a celebratory cheer following the three Kraits being splashed but all they
had really done was to hasten the participation of the Taipan Corvette into the
fray, and now they had lost the element of surprise.
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