In the early hours of the morning after
Asti was abducted Malena was in the sickbay reassuring Zerrad that she would be
perfectly safe
“I don’t like it” he said
“There’s nothing to worry about” she said
“I know Lyris remember” he pointed out
“he’s reckless, that’s why I’m worried”
“You also know Merri and she’s not
reckless” Malena said “And the Doc is coming too and he is the epitome of
cautious good sense, ok? Now give me a kiss”
So Zerrad complied with her demand and then
watched her leave with a heavy heart.
Already outside, pacing up and down, was
Lyris Skeet, who didn’t normally get involved in other people’s problems but
since Merion and her crew had put themselves in danger to save him and his
brother he had changed his philosophy, so he would have helped Asti even if he
hadn’t fancied the pants off her.
It was not normal behaviour for him to
become infatuated in such a short space of time and based on only a handful of
very short meetings, but he had done with her.
Not that he stood a chance because she was
beautiful, classy, well educated, feisty, funny and wicked smart.
He was after all little more than a
reformed smuggler, and she was a Princess, so he would never have made an advance
towards her in fear of being shot down in flames but now he had a chance to be
her knight in shining armour.
All though it was 3am there were still as
many people milling around as there had been earlier in the day, in space, with
no night and day, the conventional clock didn’t really mean much in terms of
waking and sleeping hours.
With the exception of Zerrad, who was still
confined to his sick bed, and Pulsat and Vanzyl who were preparing the ship for
departure everyone gathered on the deck beside the Stroller and Merri addressed
Bagg
“We won’t be needing the services of a
Visitor this morning”
“There is always a need for man of God” he
retorted
“We’re not looking for convert’s Brother”
she said
“Nonetheless I’m coming” he insisted
“Alright” Merri said “But don’t get in the
way”
So they boarded the stroller and drove to
hanger 34 and parked up as close to the Ghambran’s Scorpion as they could
without drawing attention to themselves.
“Right does everyone know what they have to
do?” Merri asked and they all murmured a response
“I want no gun play unless absolutely
necessary” she added looking directly at Lyris
“Why are you looking at me?” he retorted
“I wonder, Cowboy” she said “And Beefy, no
attracting unwanted attention”
Before Parse had chance to object she added
“Ok let’s go”
Once outside they stayed in the shadows and
Merri whispered to Shiyne
“Is she still aboard?”
Shiyne closed her eyes and tuned her mind
in and scanned the ship and after a few moments she smiled.
“Well?” Lyris asked
“Yes she’s there and she’s as mad as a
hornet” she replied and they all laughed
“Ok settle down now” Merri said as she
looked over at the ship.
There was one guard by the ramp but they
knew there were others on board
“Go and do your thing Shiyne”
The Vann telepath invaded the guards mind
and when she had control of him she stealthily crossed the open ground and
stood to one side of the ramp, then under her control he stepped towards her.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come
with you?” Parse asked
“No just stay here and pretend to be a
soldier” Merri retorted
“I am a soldier” he pointed out
“Good you can guard Brother Bagg, Ok Doc
we’re on” Merri said and she Malena, Terrell and Lyris quickly joined Shiyne by
the ramp, but out of sight of the door
Once they were concealed Shiyne quietly
said to the guard
“There is a problem with the port engine,
call you friend, then go to the engine”
Without showing any emotion he turned and
called up the ramp in his native tongue and then walked slowly towards the
engine but after three paces Terrell dispatched him with an injection to the
neck and he crumpled to the floor.
A minute later the other guard emerged onto
the ramp and Shiyne immediate took control of his mind and lead him to the same
fate as his compatriot.
With the two guards safely unconscious
Merri withdrew her sidearm and gestured for them to follow and Parse and Bagg
watched as they disappeared from view.
Once inside the Scorpion they proceed
quietly into the bowels of the vessel.
“Where is she?” Merri asked
“Beyond the main cabin, in a sleeping
berth, she’s bound and gagged” Shiyne replied
As they pressed forward they suddenly heard
footsteps above their heads which then proceeded down the stairs and the owner
of those footfalls was Vint Reganus the smaller of the two abductors and the
moment he set foot on the deck Malena put a gun in his face and gestured with
her finger for silence.
“Where’s the other one?” Merri asked adding
her own gun to his already nervous field of vision and he nodded in the
direction of the main cabin.
Shiyne nodded her agreement so Merri
gestured to Terrell who struck with his needle again.
But before Vint hit the floor Malena
touched his arm and she instantly transformed into the Ghambran and she was an
exact copy down to every blemish and flaw, pulled thread and tarnished button.
As an Obgaronian shape shifter she could
transform at will but she could only shift into a being she had touched.
Only the briefest moment was required and
then it was in her memory banks and could be recalled when required.
She could also manipulate that memory and
add or subtract from it for example in her everyday life she chose to take the
form of a 27 year old human whom she met on a remote mining colony when she
first entered Legion space, but she chose to be the human girl and wear clothes
on that form but it wasn’t necessary and that night for the rescue mission she
chose to simulate her clothes in case she needed to shift, it would have looked
very odd indeed if Vint Reganus was wearing girls clothes.
The necessity for her to shape shift was so
she could get into the main cabin without raising the alarm and distract Maxil
just long enough for Shiyne to paralyze him.
He was cut from different cloth to Vint and
wouldn’t be so susceptible to suggestion so she was going to paralyze his voice
box and the nerve endings in his neck so he couldn’t move.
But she had to be in close proximity to the
target for that to work hence the need for Malena to shape shift.
Malena opened the door and stepped inside
without speaking and took two steps forward before Shiyne stepped out from her
shadow and although Maxil opened his mouth to speak, no sound came out, and
then Lyris, Merri and Terrell rushed in behind them.
“Where now?” Merri asked
“This way” Shiyne said and lead the way
“Terrell, if he makes a move stick him with
the needle” Merri said
“Pleasure” he retorted
Shiyne opened the cabin door and as she
foretold, Asti was lying on the bed with her hands tied behind her back and a
gag in her mouth, then Lyris pushed past her and took out his knife.
“Let’s get these bonds off” he said gently
as the blade severed the ropes, then he sheathed the knife and untied her gag.
“Are you ok?” he asked as she sat up and
rubbed her wrists
“I am now” she replied and wrapped her arms
around his neck
“Ok cowboy put her down and let’s get out
of here” Merri said
First they returned to the main cabin where
Terrell was still standing with a needle to Maxil’s neck under the watchful
gaze of Malena who had shifted back to her former self.
Merri lead the way back the way they
entered, followed by Malena and then Asti who suddenly stopped and yelled
“You bastard” and spun round and delivered
a roundhouse kick to Maxil’s head and rendered him unconscious
“Sweet” Lyris said “Now let’s get out of
here”
Outside on the deck Parse and Bagg were
waiting anxiously for the raiding party to return when another Ghambran guard
approached and when he saw his two countrymen lying unconscious beside the ship
he drew his weapon and started up the ramp.
“Shit” Parse exclaimed “Start praying
Brother Bagg”
For a huge man Parse was incredibly light
on his feet and he closed the distance between himself and the Ghambran very
quickly but not before he had opened fire on the boarding party.
But the moment he reached him he knocked
the gun from his hand and grabbed him around the neck and in a matter of
moments he had the man by the throat and was holding him two feet off the
floor, but what he couldn’t see was a fourth guard who was approaching him on
his blind side with a large curved knife in his hand which he was going to
thrust it in Parse’s back until Bagg hit him soundly on the head with his staff
rendering him unconscious and bloody.
“Way to go Bagg” Merri said as Malena helped
her down the ramp”
“You can put him down now Beefy, and pick
me up instead”
She had a Pulsar strike on the thigh and
couldn’t support her own weight
“Ok” he said and dropped the guard
unceremoniously on the desk “And scooped her up in his arms and carried her to
the Stroller and Bagg and Asti followed in their wake while Lyris, Malena and
Terrell dragged the unconscious bodies inside the Scorpion.
When everyone was aboard the stroller
Terrell began attending to the wound on Merri’s thigh.
“Ok let’s move it” she said through gritted
teeth and held Parse’s hand and winced with pain as Terrell cut the fabric
away.
“How is it?” Malena asked
“Not good” Terrell said “So straight to
sickbay when we get aboard”
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