Merri entered the
atmosphere of Achrem with her piloting and Shiyne in the co-pilot seat and she
used the Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper engines and landed softly on the
landing field outside the town of Odekka and there were already several other
ships, of all shapes and sizes, parked on the field.
When the freighters
ramp lowered Zerrad and Malena walked down it holding hands followed by Lyris
driving the Tornado’s APMTV, (All Purpose Multi Terrain Vehicle), nicknamed the
“Stroller”.
The moment it came to
a halt Zerrad kissed Malena and then climbed aboard.
“Behave yourselves”
Malena called
“Yes mum” Lyris
replied
After watching the
Stroller drive away Malena sighed and then ran up the ramp, once inside she hit
the button and the ramp closed behind her then she opened comms to the flight
deck.
“Good to go Captain”
“Ok, stand by” Merri
said from the left seat and co-pilot Shiyne monitored the instruments the
Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper engines were engaged and the Tempest
Class freighter lifted off.
The reason the Tornado
took off and left the Skeets behind was that Achrem had a very mountainous
terrain and as one of their deliveries was to a remote and ancient mountain
monastery housing an order of Algarvian Monks, and because there was nowhere to
land the Tornado it could only be reached by road so the delivery had to be
made in the Stroller.
So, the Tornado left
the brothers in Odekka and set off to make the short run to neighbouring Zenden
to make their delivery.
By the time they left the atmosphere Shiyne sat in the Navigator’s
chair plotting a course for Zenden and when she was done she said
“Course plotted and stored”
“Ok let’s go” Merri said from the
left seat and co-pilot Malena engaged the Plasma Turbine Pyroclast Engines and
they headed into space.
They were making good
time and were just passing Zenden’s moon Linden when Shiyne said
“I’m picking up something on the scanners”
“What exactly?” Merri asked
“I don’t know, I can’t identify it, we’re being jammed”
“Use your other scanner then” Merri said, which of course meant that Shiyne should use her telepathic gift, because Shiyne
was a Vann and all of the Vann were telepaths, by varying degrees, and many of
them left their home world at some point to use their gifts to earn a wage.
Those at the zenith of
their talents worked as corporate negotiators or in the justice systems of the
Legion.
Shiyne was a Vann with
mid-range capabilities and she could read most species to some extent, her
skills were limited with the more sophisticated or complex brains, lesser minds
were easier for her to explore.
In addition to reading
minds she could also implant thoughts and the suggestions would stay in place
longer with someone who was more intellectually challenged.
But in this instance, it was her reading skills that were required.
“Roger that” she responded and closed her eyes and it only took her
thirty seconds before she added
“Got them”
“Who?” Malena asked
fearing an attack
“Legion” she replied, “a
squadron of six Firedarts and a Blaze Command Ship”
“What do they want
with us?” Merri asked
“They’re searching for
someone” she replied
“Parse and Asti?”
Merri asked with alarm
“No, but its someone
they want really bad” Shiyne said and then a moment later she added “we have an
incoming message”
“Put it on speaker”
Merri said
“This is Commander
Emad Salmin of the Legion Aeronautica, cut your main engines and prepare to be
boarded”
“Just in case get
Parse and Asti into pod 4” Merri said and then she opened the mic
“Captain Strong
responding, message received, cutting engines and standing by”
As Shiyne had determined
that Parse Sacrod and Asti Alegionaris were not the targets it was merely
precaution to hide them in Cargo Pod 4.
Parse was still
technically a Legionnaire of the Royal Guard of Gouveia, but he also knew they
were not searching for him and similarly the diminutive Princess Asti was no
longer on the wanted list.
But they did know that
there were Ghambran agents, bent on revenge, were searching for them and
although he no longer wore the Legionnaire’s uniform he was clearly Gouveian
and as he was huge in stature, standing 6 feet 8 high, broad and powerfully
built, curly burnished steel hair, ivory skin and mercury coloured eyes, he was
still a very striking figure.
For her part Asti had
forsaken her Princess wardrobe and wore very unprincess like clothes and didn’t
look much like a Princess anymore after she cut her platinum hair, her
beautiful face with its ivory skin and silver eyes she was still unmistakably
Princess Asti especially to a Legion Commander so for safety’s sake they had to
hide themselves.
Because with the
Ghambran’s searching for them, scouring every eatery and bar for the smallest
snippet of information and there was nothing more reliable that a drunken
Legionnaire at spreading rumours so they wanted to make sure the Legion didn’t know
about them any sooner than was necessary.
The Tornado was flying
with four cargo pods but they always kept one pod free because it was where
they stowed their gear and where the hidden compartments could be found, or
not, which was where they hid the contraband, or even fugitives when necessary
and in this case, it was used to hide Parse and Asti.
“Don’t make a sound”
Malena said as she closed the compartment then with the help of the heavy-set
engineer Pulsat, she rearranged the gear to conceal the door.
Once they had
finished, Pulsat closed the pod door and Malena contacted the flight deck.
“Gear stored Captain”
“Ok Mal, stand by the
docking port” Merri replied just as the Legion Firedarts took up station around
the Tornado, one to Port, Starboard, Forward, Aft and two stationed above.
There were two docking
rings on the Tornado to facilitate transfers to and from the freighter while in
space, one in the belly below the loading bay and the other was amidships above
the cargo bays which was also the mooring point for shuttles or ancillary
craft.
Merri had killed the
engines and was using the thrusters to hold the ship steady as the Legion Blaze
Command vessel maneuvered into position and locked on to the belly docking
ring.
When the hatch opened
Merri had joined Malena and was waiting to greet their visitor
“Welcome aboard
Commander” she said
“I’m Captain Strong”
“Let’s go to the
flight deck” he responded curtly “we’re going to land on Linden where you will
be searched and inspected”
“Ok then follow me”
she responded
As Malena piloted the
Tornado to the surface Commander Salmin examined their paperwork.
“Is this it?” he asked
“Yes, we’re new to the
Eikon Cluster” she replied
“I see” he muttered
and didn’t speak again until they landed
“You and your crew
will wait in the mess while the vessel is searched” he said and left the flight
deck
In the mess Bagg was
performing his familiar role as provider of scones and coffee.
“So, what are they
searching for?” Malena asked as she wiped her mouth on her napkin and Bagg
refilled her coffee mug.
“They’re searching for
someone called Kurla” Shiyne said as she slavered jam onto her fourth scone.
“Why they want?”
Pulsat asked
Shiyne closed her eyes
for a full five minutes
“It’s no use I can’t
get a clear read, but I think he has something they want back, something very
precious, and valuable beyond price, but I can’t see what”
She said and then put
a piece of scone in her mouth
The Tornado was sat on
the surface of Linden for two hours when Commander Salmin entered the mess and
said
“That smell is amazing”
“There are plenty to
go around” Bagg said “Please sit”
“So, you are a Visitor
and a cook” he said
“I feed the soul and
the body in equal measure” Bagg said and the Commander laughed
“Well Captain I’m
pleased to say that the cargo all checks out against the Manifest and
everything appears to be in order” he said
“That’s good to know”
Merri said
“However,” he said, “You
appear to have more quarters than you have crew and those quarters appear to be
lived in”
“The rest of the crew
are on Achrem in the APMTV making a delivery in the mountains” Merri explained
and he nodded sagely as he bit into one of Bagg’s scones
“That is amazing” he
said, “What do you call it?”
“Scones” Bagg replied
“Perhaps you would
like to take a batch back to your ship”
“I would like that
very much” he said and licked jam off his lips
After a very satisfied
Legion Commander took his leave of them Merri said
“Let’s get this bird
back in space soonest”
And ten minutes later
Merri sat in the pilot seat and nodded to co-pilot Malena who used the
Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper engines to lift the Tempest class
freighter off the surface and a few minutes later they were back in space and
on the way to Zenden.
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