The four Tornado crew members reversed and retraced their earlier route after successfully secreting the Gouveian Crown Jewels aboard the Ghambran’s Scorpion Cruiser 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”
The Tornado was still heading
slowly in the direction of Zenden with Zerrad in the left seat and a pensive
Asti Alegionaris beside him when Bagg joined them
“I bring coffee and
cake” he announced
“Not for me Bagg” Asti
said
“I’ll take some coffee”
Zerrad said
“I’ll leave the cake anyway”
Bagg said “In case you change your minds”
Eliciting no further
response, he turned to go and he was just leaving the flight deck when the
comms burst into life and Oshwin Lemiks voice said
“Golbolt Interstellar
Soman calling Tempest Freighter”
And Asti was
immediately on her feet
“Go ahead Golbolt”
Zerrad responded
“Delivery complete,
phase two initiated” Oshwin added and Asti squeezed Zerrad shoulder and then
turned and hugged Bagg
“Message received
Soman, will contact hounds”
“Tally ho” Oshwin said
and then the comms went quiet.
“I’ll have that cake
now” Asti said
While Asti was
chomping her way through a plateful of cake, Bagg spread the good news around
the remainder of the crew and Zerrad sent a coded message to Commander Salmin
of the Legion Aeronautica, tipping him off about the whereabouts of the
Gouveian Crown Jewels.
He sat in the pilot’s
seat on the flight deck sipping his coffee and had barely taken two mouthfuls
before he got a response asking for further details and coordinates, Zerrad
responded with the requested information and then smiled to himself before
draining his mug, then he reached for a piece of cake and found that the plate
was empty.
Oshwin watched the
three men as they approached, Maxil Weltz was a tall heavy-set man while Vint
Reganus was shorter and leaner and the third man was nondescript and almost
anonymous.
The first two where
Ghambran agents and the third was one of their henchmen.
In the gloom the group
looked quite innocuous but in truth they were anything but.
“Ah still here then?”
Oshwin said as the men got closer
“Apparently so” Weltz
retorted curtly and walked past without making eye contact.
Oshwin ignored the
snub but paused before he asked
“Do I understand from
your lack of cordiality that you have still had no luck in finding the Tornado?”
Maxil bristled at
Oshwins words but didn’t break stride until he added
“It would appear that
I have had more good fortune than you have then”
He knew that that
would get their attention and he was right as it stopped Maxil and Vint in
their tracks and walked briskly towards him.
“You know where it is?
Weltz barked
“I do” Oshwin replied
“Where?” Reganus
demanded
“Within easy reach”
Oshwin retorted
“Where exactly?” Maxil
asked through gritted feet
“Well that information
is going to cost, so let’s negotiate”
“Well negotiate with
this” Maxil said drawing his sidearm and put the pulsar weapon to his head and
then six of Oshwin’s men stepped out from the shadows and aimed their
disruptors at the Ghambran’s
“It would appear that
my negotiators out number yours” Oshwin said and laughed as Maxil lowered his
weapon
“How much?” the heavy
set Ghambran asked
“Well I’m not a greedy
man, but I know you want them really bad, and I have a lot of negotiators to
pay, so let’s say a twenty thousand Dinaris”
“Twenty thousand”
Reganus snapped with real venom “That’s outrageous”
“If you don’t want the
location, it’s of no consequence” Oshwin said “But when you change your mind
the price will have doubled”
It took less than a
minute for Maxil to cave.
“Ok, agreed, we will
pay you when we have the location”
“Nice try” Oshwin said
“you’ll get the location when I get the money”
Then he handed the
smaller of the two men, Vint Reganus, a small data tablet
“Transfer the twenty
thousand to the account detailed on this” he said, “When I have the money I
will send you the location where you can intercept the Tornado”
Reganus snatched the
tablet from Oshwin’s hand and the three Ghambran’s walked away
“It’s been a pleasure
doing business with you” Oshwin said
Once the transaction
had been completed Oshwin contacted Lyris from the comfort of his office
“It’s done”
“Did they pay up?”
Lyris asked
“Oh yes, they want you
so badly I think they would have paid treble” Oshwin said
“Well done boss” Lyris
responded
“I think they will be
leaving imminently” Oshwin added
“We’re ready to go”
Merri said
“Ok but be careful” he
warned
“We will” the Captain
said
Oshwin was correct,
the Ghambran’s wasted no time at all getting under way, so the Spider Hawk
waited until the Scorpion Cruiser had lifted off, and then they followed at a
safe distance.
The Ghambran’s
Scorpion Cruiser was a fast ship in its class but it wasn’t fast enough to
outrun a Tempest Class Freighter with its powerful Plasma Turbine Pyroclast
Engines so they knew that as long as the Tornado kept going they would continue
to increase the distance between them, but now Maxil Weltz knew where they were
going to be and so he would be there first and would hit them hard before they
knew what was happening.
The Spider Hawk
maintained its pursuit of the Ghambran’s and were beginning to get a little
anxious as the Scorpion were getting very close to intercepting the Tornado,
because although the Tornado could easily outrun the Scorpion it could not
outgun it, and they were just passing Zenden’s moon Linden when Shiyne said
“I’m picking up
something”
“What exactly?” Merri
asked as she turned to look at her as she sat with her eyes closed as she used
her telepathic gift.
“I’m not sure yet” she
replied and a moment later a broad grin spread across her cerise coloured face “its
them”
Asti had also picked
up the Legion’s presence on the Tornados scanners but Maxil Weltz and Vint
Reganus had not, as their thoughts of revenge on the crew of the Tornado had
given them tunnel vision, so the first they knew that they were not alone was
when they were hailed.
“This is Commander
Emad Salmin of the Legion Aeronautica, cut your main engines and prepare to be
boarded”
“This vessel is under
the protection of Prefector Collis of Ghambra” Maxil Weltz protested “You have
no jurisdiction here”
“I repeat, prepare to
be boarded” the commander said again
“Negative, you have no
right to board us” Weltz shouted and in response they received two low energy
pulsar strikes on the hull.
“Prepare to be boarded
or next time it will be the pulsar cannon” the commander threatened
“Message received,
cutting engines and standing by” Weltz grudgingly said
Once they had complied
the Commanders Firedart escort took up station around the Scorpion, one to
Port, Starboard, Forward, Aft and two stationed above.
There were two docking
rings on the Scorpion to facilitate transfers to and from the Cruiser while in
space, one in the belly below the loading bay and the other was topside behind
the flight deck which was also the mooring point for shuttles or ancillary
craft.
Vint Reganus 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
Maxil was waiting to greet their visitor
“This is an outrage,
you have no right, this is a gross abuse of power” he said
“When Prefector Collis
gets to hear about it you’ll be lucky to get command of a backwater shuttle”
“There is no abuse,
I’m am empowered to board any vessel I suspect of, criminal, subversive or
treasonable acts” the Commander stated, “Now take us to the flight deck, we
will be landing on Linden where you will be searched and inspected”
“This is preposterous,
we are on urgent business for our government and time is of the essence” he
exploded
“Are you going to
comply?” Commander Salmin asked
“I am not” he retorted
“Very well” Salmin
said “Lt Nulak have this man restrained”
Once on the flight
deck they found Vint Reganus equally outraged and uncooperative so he too was
restrained and Lt Nulak piloted the Scorpion to the surface as Commander Salmin
silently prayed that he really hadn’t overstepped the mark.
When they had landed
on Linden the Commander addressed the five members of the Scorpions crew, who
were all restrained.
“You will now be taken
outside where you will wait under guard while your vessel is thoroughly
searched”
“And when you find
nothing I will have you lick my boots as an apology before I have you thrown
out of your precious Legion Aeronautica” Maxil shouted
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