“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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