Lyris Skeet released the mooring clamps and the Spider Hawk and the Tornado parted company.
“We have separation”
Lyris said
“Let’s get it done
then” Merri said and Lyris employed the thrusters and they raced towards Soman,
while and the Tornado continued slowly on its original
heading in the opposite direction towards Zenden with Zerrad in the left seat and
a pensive Asti Alegionaris beside him.
No one aboard were
comfortable with their thoughts after their comrades went their separate ways,
the Sciberran Healer Terrell Vorton busied himself in the sick bay preparing
for the worst and hoping for the best.
Engineers Pulsat Rad
and Vanzyl exorcised their tension by working on the ship and Visitor Parham
did the two things that he did best, as a man of God he prayed and as Bagg the
cook he baked.
Lyris had got to know
Soman very well and in particular Golbolt Interstellar Freight Distributors,
and their Operations Manager, Oshwin Lemik, who was a former comrade in arms of
the Skeet Brothers during the Shaxson rebellion.
Oshwin had reserved a
landing space for the Spider Hawk that was adjacent to where the Ghambran’s
Scorpion was parked and Oshwin had was also made sure both craft were in a very
poorly lit area.
Lyris landed softly in
the space provided and immediately killed the engines and the lights.
It was 3am when they
disembarked from the fighter and stepped onto Soman.
There were still a few
people milling around despite the lateness of the hour so Merri and the crew
crept stealthily through the darkness until they had a good view of the
Ghambran’s Scorpion and they concealed themselves in the shadows so as not to
draw attention to themselves and waited.
This was not the first
occasion that they had prepared to board that particular ship.
The last time was on
Delta 500 where they boarded the ship to rescue Princess Asti Alegionaris whom
the Ghambran’s had abducted.
Staying in the shadows
Merri whispered to Shiyne
“How many are aboard?”
Shiyne closed her eyes
and tuned her mind in and scanned the ship and after a few moments she replied
“Three”
“Are Weltz or Reganus
among them?” Merri asked and she closed her eyes again, it only took her
seconds to scan them and reply
“No”
Maxil Weltz and Vint
Reganus where the Ghambran agents who abducted the Princess on behalf of
Prefector Collis.
“Right does everyone
know what they have to do?” Merri asked and they all murmured a response
“Remember we have to
get on and off without them knowing we were there so definitely no gun play”
The last time on Delta
500 she was shot in the thigh as they made their escape, and she winced at the
memory of it and rubbed the site of the wound.
She had been looking
directly at Lyris when she mentioned gun play and he retorted
“I don’t know why
you’re looking at me, I didn’t shoot you”
Merri smiled at his
reaction but in truth she would have been more than happy to have him at her
side on any action, but his job on this mission was to stay at the controls of
the Spider Hawk and be prepared for a quick getaway if necessary.
“Be safe” he said
simply and slipped back to the ship
“Ok beefy” she said to
Parse “I’m counting on you to save me if it goes wrong”
And before he had
chance to object she kissed him and added
“Ok let’s go”
Parse remained hidden
from view and was tasked with covering their retreat should they be discovered
and watched Merri, Shiyne and Malena creeping from shadow to shadow.
Once they were as
close to the Scorpion as they could get without breaking cover, they could see
that there was one visible guard by the ramp but they knew there were others on
board.
Merri whispered to
Shiyne
“Go and do your thing”
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.
The Vann telepath
closed her eyes and tuned her mind in and invaded the mind of the guard 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.
“You are very tired,
you must sleep now” Shiyne quietly said to the guard
“Here on the floor”
Without showing any
emotion, the guard lay down on the floor and curled up in the foetal position
and immediately began to snore.
The second guard was
just inside the ship so she stepped onto the ramp and Shiyne immediate took
control of his mind and dealt with him in the same manner as his compatriot.
“You are very tired,
you must sleep now” Shiyne quietly said
“Sit down and sleep”
With the first two
guards safely dealt with she set about dispatching the third as she stood with
her eyes closed and brow furrowed.
It was taking too long
so Merri withdrew her sidearm thinking the worst.
“I can’t get him, he’s
not as dumb as the other two” Shiyne said
“Where is he?” Merri
asked
“Beyond the main
cabin, in a sleeping berth” Shiyne replied
“Ok then Malena it’s
your turn” Merri instructed and Malena touched the arm of the guard sleeping on
the floor 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
whenever 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 mission she chose to simulate her clothes in case she needed to
shift, it would have looked very odd indeed if the Ghambran guard was wearing
girls clothes.
The necessity for her
to shape shift was so she could get into the bowels of the vessel without
raising the alarm and secrete the leather bundle containing the Crown Jewels somewhere
out of sight for the Legion Commander to find later.
Once she had shape
shifted she proceeded alone deeper inside the Scorpion and moved in the direction
of the main cabin with Shiyne close behind her.
She had been in there
before and she had in her mind’s eye the perfect place to conceal the bundle.
Shiyne scanned the
room and tapped Malena on the shoulder and then she quietly opened the door and
stepped inside.
As Shiyne had
indicated the room was empty and Malena wasted no time in seeking out the place
she had selected.
When she had
encountered him in the main cabin on the last occasion she was there, Maxil
Weltz was seated in his chair looking very self-important so she thought that
his throne would be enhanced by the addition of some Crown Jewels, so she
quickly crossed the room while Shiyne looked on from the door way.
Once she had reached
Maxil’s chair she knelt before it and using her shape shifting skill she was
able to flatten her hand and forearm and inserted it between the seat pad and
back rest and secreted the bundle well out of sight.
Just as she was
getting to her feet she suddenly heard a door open and close, followed by
footsteps.
“Let’s get out of here”
Malena whispered as she tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door,
then she and Shiyne headed for the ramp where Merri was waiting with weapon
drawn.
“Done?” she asked
“Done” Malena replied
“Let’s get moving then”
Merri said and the three of them ran down the ramp and then crossed the open
ground much less stealthily than before and re-joined Parse in the shadows.
While an adrenalin
high Merri kissed a very relieved Parse, Shiyne closed her eyes and undid her
handiwork on the guards and then opened her eyes again to see them wake up and
stretch before they sheepishly returned to their guard duty.
“Nice job you two”
Merri said hugging her two friends “Now back to the ship”
The four Tornado crew
members reversed and retraced their earlier route and as soon as they got back
aboard the Spider Hawk Merri announced
“Phase one complete”
“Excellent” Lyris said
“I’ll let Oshwin know and he can initiate phase two”
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