Round the world they go
In nineteen sixty five
Orbiting the earth
So high up in the sky
Dashing round the
world
Above the earth they
race
Jingle Bells the song,
was
The first one played
in space
O Jingle bells, jingle
bells
Jingle all the way.
Oh! What fun it is to ride
In a space ship far
away hey
Sung to the tune of
Jingle Bells
The harvest moon appears
In an Amethyst sky
The center piece
Amidst the heavenly
array
Of jeweled stars on
display
Where such brilliance
captivates
With spiritual delight
As you stand in awe
And imagine life
Beyond the stars
My daughter is away at University
And has nothing in
common with ET
Because ET phoned home
occasionally
When they got back to the Tornado after the successful rescue of Asti
from the Ghambran ship, Pulsat and Vanzyl were waiting by the ramp and Shiyne
drove straight in and Pulsat closed the ramp behind them.
As they decamped from the Stroller Pulsat said
“We go soon”
“We go very soon” Merri said “Prepare for take-off, Lyris you’ve got
the left seat, Shiyne co-pilot”
Parse carried Merri into sickbay followed by Terrell, Malena and Asti
“Oh God, I knew someone would get shot” Zerrad said
“Don’t worry I’m fine” Malena said and rushed over to kiss him as
Terrell started on Merri’s thigh
“Leave that” Merri said “Get the tracker out of Asti first”
“What tracker?” Asti asked
“The one in your neck” Malena said
“Is that how they found me?” she asked
“Yes, so we need to get it out” Merri said
“Ok” she agreed
It took Terrell less than a minute to locate and remove the tracker
and once it was out he rinsed the blood off of it and gave it to Malena and
then he turned his attention to the Captains wound.
“Ok Malena you know what to do” Merri said
“I’ll go with her” Parse said
“Oh no you don’t Beefy” she said “You stay here with me in case I need
to be carried again”
“Oh ok” he complied “If you think that’s best”
“I do” she purred “I definitely do”
Asti got the distinct impression that her presence was no longer
required in the sickbay and made her way up to the cockpit just at the moment Lyris
was landing the Tornado at the cargo hub adjacent to the Monsoon.
“Nicely done Cowboy” Asti said
“Well thank you Princess” he said
“I’m not a Princess anymore, I’m just Asti” she retorted
“That will do for me” Lyris said and Shiyne just smiled, not because
of what they were saying, her smiles were due to what they were both thinking.
While the Tornado picked up the cargo pods Malena transformed into one
of the Monsoon’s crew, a tall and rotund cargo handler called Florin, who was
being fed freshly made pancakes by Bagg in the Tornado’s mess room and while he
was stuffing his face Malena wandered up the cargo ramp of the Monsoon and
secreted the tracker behind a panel in the loading bay, then she smiled and
went back down the ramp and re-boarded the Tornado and became the 27 year old
brunette again and walked straight into the mess room and nodded to Bagg who
said
“Well Florin dear lad as much as we’ve enjoyed your company I’m afraid
it’s time for us to depart”
“What so soon?” he said
“I’m afraid so” he confirmed
“Shame” he said “Those were the best pancakes I ever tasted”
“I’m glad you enjoyed them, and so many” Bagg said amiably
“If you ever fancy a change there’s a place for you on the Monsoon” he
said
“I will bear that in mind” Bagg said as he walked him to the door and
then Malena saw him down the ramp and once he was clear she closed it.
Malena then opened comms to the engine room as she sealed the airlock
“Pulsat, stand by for departure”
“We ready” He replied then she spoke to the flight deck
“Mission accomplished Lyris, ready when you are”
“Ok we’re cleared to go” he responded
Malena then walked down to sickbay and just as she entered Merri was
trying to get out of bed.
She looked over to Zerrad’s bed and he was sleeping so she turned her
full attention on Merri who was saying
“Come on Beefy help me up to the flight deck”
“That’s not a good idea Captain” Terrell stated
“Nonsense” she retorted “I’m fine”
“Stay right where you are” Malena said firmly
“Lyris is quite capable of getting the Tornado airborne without your
supervision”
“But…” she protested
“But nothing, get back into bed and Parse you make sure she stays
there, understood”
“Yes” the pair said
After kissing the sleeping Zerrad on the forehead she left the sickbay
and went upstairs to the flight deck where she found Lyris in the left seat with
the diminutive figure of Asti stood behind him with a hand on each shoulder and
Shiyne was in the co-pilots chair.
She moved to vacate the seat when she saw Malena who was the Tornado’s
second in command but the latter gestured for her to stay where she was and
looked out through the glass at the pilot vessel.
Lyris was following and after a few minutes they got the signal to
proceed and the pilot returned to port and Malena scanned the scene.
“Moor us on the other side of the Leviathan tanker, but give us a view
of the port” she said
“Ok skipper” Lyris said and steered around the tanker.
The Tornado had an hour head start on the Monsoon and a further hour
on the Scorpion so they just sat and waited.
“I’m going to get some breakfast” Malena said “Call me when the
Monsoon appears”
“Will do” Lyris responded “Come on Shiyne, Bagg’s cooking pancakes”
Shiyne smiled because she knew even without her telepathic skills that
Malena didn’t want her to go just to enjoy the pancakes, she was playing cupid
and wanted Lyris and Asti to have some time alone.
Malena and Shiyne sat at the mess table while Bagg fed them his
excellent pancakes and they spoke about the excitement of the early hours and
the roles they all played and Bagg deft use of his staff to brain one of the
Ghambran’s, which led onto a discussion regarding the Cowboy and the Princess
and the fact that Merri had apparently claimed the man mountain, Parse, as her
own.
As they laughed and joked the call came from the flight deck
“There on the move” Lyris said
“Ok so are we” Malena responded and she and Shiyne stood up
“Sorry Bagg we have to go”
“But we’ll be back” Shiyne said and shovelled the last forkful of
pancake into her mouth.
When they got upstairs they found Asti with her arm around Lyris and they
both smiled which caused Asti to blush violently which made them smile even
more.
“The Monsoon’s heading full speed towards the Star gate” Lyris said
“Good, we just have to wait for the Scorpion to appear” Malena said
taking the vacant number two seat
“Is the tracker still broadcasting?”
“Loud and clear” Asti replied
“Ok we just have to wait and see” she said as Shiyne sat in the Navigator’s
chair and began plotting a course for Alwi.
They didn’t have to wait long as the Scorpion appeared twenty minutes
sooner than expected and took off after the Monsoon without hesitation.
“So far so good” Malena said “I go and inform the Captain, she’ll be
going insane wondering what’s going on”
The flight deck rang with the sound of laughter as Malena left it and
made her way to the sickbay.
After briefing Merri on the situation Malena went and sat by Zerrad’s
bed and held his hand while he slept and waited.
It was just over an hour when the comms buzzer sounded and she got up
and picked up the handset.
“Yes”
“Good”
“Ok”
“Keep me posted”
Then she hung up and sat back down
“Well” Merri barked “What’s happening?”
“The Monsoon has gone through the gate” Malena replied
“And what about the Scorpion?” Parse asked
“It’s still on the same course”
It was another hour before the comms buzzed again, and Malena got up
once more and picked up the handset
“Yes”
“Good”
“Ok, then you have command, I’m going to sleep for a couple of hours”
she said “Oh Lyris! Try not to hit anything”
She hung up the comms and turned towards the others
“They took the bait hook line and sinker” Malena said and smiled, then
she let go of Zerrad’s hand and climbed onto the bed and lay down beside him
and Terrell dimmed the lights.
“Well I need to go and find a beautiful little cerise coloured Navigator”
“So do you think we’re in the clear?” Parse asked when Terrell had gone
“What I think is that it’s a big universe, and we’ll be at opposite
ends of it” Merri replied
“What if they come for her again?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” Merri replied and winced
“now go and find Bagg and he’ll show to your quarters”
“I’d rather stay here with you” he replied
“I’d rather you did too” she said and smiled then she closed her eyes
About an hour later she woke again and she looked across at Malena and
Zerrad as they slept, he had his arm around her and she had her head on his
chest, and she thought how nice it was for her friend to find love at last,
then she looked at the huge Gouveian soldier sat at her bedside and thought.
“I think I might have found some for myself”
Merionwen spent much of the next two hours thinking about the past
couple of weeks and the remarkable change in their fortunes.
She was at a very low ebb when the Tornado was stranded on the surface
of Alwi for three months with engine trouble and virtually no crew.
Now they had a full complement aboard, full cargo pods, some funds in
the coffers and work lined up for several months ahead.
Her best friends, Malena and Shiyne had both found love, engineers
Pulsat and Vanzyl were magicians with all things mechanical, they had a Healer
aboard, Terrell, for the first time ever, Visitor Parham tended their spiritual
needs and his alter ego Bagg fortified them with his culinary prowess, they
also counted a member of the Gouveian Royal family among their number, and she
had herself a hunky Legionnaire.
And the thing Merri wanted more than anything in the universe was
someone to share with her the life she loved so much.
So everything for the Tempest Class Freighter Tornado was set fare,
plus she knew that apart from a good crew, good food and a liberal quantity of love
she knew that on the Tornado’s Sojourns they were bound to have adventure.
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”
Shiyne curtailed her shopping expedition because she knew there was
something wrong, she wasn’t sure what exactly, there were too many people
around for her to tune in precisely but she knew something was wrong so she
relieved Bagg of all his purchases and left him to finish the shopping alone.
“I’ll be along soon” he said not questioning why she was in such a
hurry to get back.
She found the huge Gouveian pacing up and down beside the Stroller and
by the time she reached him she had read his mind and was fully appraised with
what had happened so when Parse began to speak she said
“I know”
Then she gestured to him to be silent and closed her eyes while she
searched for Lyris and after a moment or two she nodded and opened her eyes.
“He’s found her, their ship is in hanger 34, bay 21”
“So what do we do?” he asked.
“We load the stores onto the Stroller” she replied as a delivery drone
pulled up beside them.
When Lyris returned to the Stroller he related everything that he’s
seen to the others and informed them of his and Parse’s intention to effect a
rescue.
“Can you go to hanger 34 Shiyne, bay 21, and get close to them, and
read their intentions while we return to the ship and arm ourselves?” Lyris
said
“Of course, but you must involve the Captain” she responded “She’s
good at that stuff”
Lyris stopped the Stroller outside the commerce wing of the space port
where Merri was waiting and the passenger side door opened and Parse jumped
down
“My God” she exclaimed “I know I asked for some steak but I wasn’t
expecting a huge slab of beef”
Then she climbed up to the passenger seat and Parse got in the back
“Who’s the moose?” she asked Lyris and he made the introductions and
then Bagg gave chapter and verse on Asti’s lineage, betrothal and subsequent
abduction.
“Good God, I let you out of my sight for a few hours and everything
goes to bat shit” Merri exclaimed before adding I assume a rescue is in the
offing”
“With your approval” Parse replied
“Never mind my approval, it will be with my participation Beefy” she
retorted and Lyris felt great pride in the woman with the immense personality
and a heart as big as the moon, and a tongue as sharp as a razor who he was honoured
to call his Captain.
“That’s what we were hoping you would say” Lyris said
“Ok back to the ship then” she said
With the exception of Zerrad who was still not well enough to leave sickbay
everyone was arranged around the mess table.
“So this tracker” Merri said addressing Parse, “where is it?”
“In her neck”
“Will it still transmit once it’s out?” she asked
“Oh yes”
“Good”
“Didn’t she know she was tagged?” Lyris asked
“No it was implanted when she was a child, its protocol for all of the
Royal family to have trackers just in case of abductions” he explained “she was
too young to remember it being put in, it’s very small and unobtrusive”
“Can you remove it Terrell?” Merri asked
“Of course” he replied
“How long will it take?” she asked
“Minutes” Terrell replied
“Ok then Shiyne tell us what you know” she said
“The small one” she began and paused to extract the name from Parse’s
mind
“Vint Reganus, isn’t very bright, so he’s very suggestable”
“That could be useful” Bagg interjected
“That’s what I thought” Shiyne agreed
“How many are we up against?” Malena asked
“4” Shiyne replied “Maxil Weltz is in charge, Vint Reganus is his
lieutenant and the other two are the muscle”
“And there are definitely only 4” Malena asked
“I only saw those four and the only other being that I sensed on board
was Asti” Shiyne said
“Could there have been more elsewhere?” Healer Terrell asked
“It’s possible” she replied
“What else did you find out?” Merri asked
“They are leaving tomorrow at 08.00 so we have a very small window in
which to rescue her” Shiyne said
“It’s even narrower than that because we depart at 06.00” Merri said
“That’s very tight” Lyris added
“Yes but it works to our advantage on several levels” she replied “And
I have a plan for the tracker”
“What plan?” Parse asked
“Well I ran into Dirk Sharmour, the skipper of the Monsoon at the dock
office”
She explained, the Monsoon was also a Tempest Class Freighter
“The smug git was full of himself as he had just secured a plum cargo
run to Santon 5”
“In the Pocardin System” Bagg asked
“Yes, and better than that he has a pick up and return” Merri added
“Lucky pig” Malena exclaimed, she didn’t like Dirk very much and she
certainly didn’t wish him good fortune.
“Indeed, so how do you fancy secreting the tracker aboard the Monsoon”
Merri suggested and smiled
The Scorpion was a fast ship but it wasn’t fast enough to outrun a
Tempest so as they would be more than an hour later leaving Delta 500 that
would be the closest they got to their quarry.
They would not be able to get close enough to identify the freighter
but from their signature they would detect it as a Tempest Class heading for
the Star Gate and the scanner would pick up the tracker and they would assume it
was the Tornado and that Asti was aboard.
In order to reach Santon 5 the Monsoon would be in hyperspace for
months and the Scorpion would have no choice but to follow them and they would
cross three systems before the pursuers realized they were tailing the wrong
freighter.
Meanwhile the Tornado, who had a return load to Alwi, a second drop on
Lazarion, and a further one to Androsin Prime which was two star gates in the
opposite direction from Santon 5.
“So what’s the plan? Do we go in all guns blazing?” Lyris asked
“No we don’t” Merri said “Subtlety is the name of the game and I have
a plan which will play to our strengths”
“Let’s hear it then” Malena said
It had not been an entirely uneventful time aboard the Tempest Class
Freighter, Tornado, on the journey to Delta 500, but not in a bad way, there
were no hostile run-ins with Scav Raiders as they crossed the Cammaratian
System, the only attacks came courtesy of cupids arrows, which well and truly
found their marks.
And all those strikes occurred between the occupants of sickbay, where
Zerrad Skeet was recovering from a Laser wound to the abdomen under the
watchful and concerning gaze of Malena Endia and while Sciberran Healer Terrell
Vorton brought Zerrad back from the brink of death he lost his heart to the
Tornado’s Navigator Shiyne.
The rest of the freighters occupants were ship’s Captain Merionwen
Strong, pilot Lyris Skeet, Engineers Pulsat Rad and Vanzyl, Visitor Parham
known as Bagg and one passenger Asti who was getting off at their destination.
So with Merri piloting and Lyris in the co-pilot seat she used the
Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper engines which were engaged and the
Tempest class freighter landed softly in the space dock.
It wasn’t a huge ship as freighters go but pound for pound The
Tempests had the highest freight to fuel ratio yield of their class.
The front section comprised of a sizable pressurized hold for large
freight accessed via a front loading ramp, above which was the flight deck,
living and sleeping quarters, mess facilities and bath rooms, at the rear was
the main propulsion and amidships were the universal pod bays, which allowed for
a mixed cargo option, which allowed for quick inspection and loading, although
sometimes pods were sealed which meant it was either very valuable or very
illegal, either way Merri didn’t mind and transporting sealed cargo paid much
much better.
But this time there was no dodgy cargo so they lowered the three pods
ready for unloading.
The Tornado always flew with at least one pod but then that was
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.
Terrell stayed in sickbay with his patient and Malena volunteered to
supervise the unloading so she could stay close by and Pulsat and Vanzyl took
advantage of the engines being offline to do some routine maintenance.
While the cargo was unloaded Shiyne drove the stroller down the front
ramp and everyone else stood in a group waiting to board.
The moment the Stroller came to a halt the remainder of the crew plus
Asti the passenger climbed aboard and Merri got in the passenger seat beside
Shiyne.
“Drop me at the commerce wing” Merri said
“You’re not coming with us?” Bagg asked
“I’m afraid not, so while you lot get to enjoy yourselves in the Mall
I’m going to be sat in the space port office looking for our next job”
“Can anyone else hear violins?” Lyris asked
“Very funny” She said “Drop me up here on the left”
Shiyne brought the Stroller to a halt and Merri climbed down and
before she closed the door she shouted up
“Pick me up on the way back and make sure you pick me up some prime
steak”
“Will do Captain” Shiyne said and Merri slammed the door shut.
As Shiyne drove off again she said
“Remind me again what a violin is?”
Shiyne parked the Stroller as close to the Mall as possible and then they
all decamped and walked towards the sound of chattering commerce and they had
just entered the throng when a huge cloaked figure approached
“Princess Asti!” he called
“Oh God they’ve found me” Asti exclaimed and backed away to hide
behind Lyris
He was clearly Gouveian as she was but he was huge in stature, stand 6
foot 8 high and he was broad and powerfully built, his hair was short, curly
and the colour of burnished steel, ivory skin and mercury coloured eyes, an
altogether striking figure.
“Don’t be afraid Princess?” the man said
“Princess?” Lyris asked
“Yes Princess Asti Alegionaris, youngest granddaughter of the Regent
of Gouveia” he replied
“And who might you be?” Lyris asked
“Parse Sacrod, Legionnaire of the Royal Guard” he said proudly
“My family have sent you to find me” Asti said
“Well I’m not going back”
“Is this true, you’ve been chasing her?” Shiyne asked
“No, no, it’s not like that” Parse said
“They didn’t send me after you to take you back”
“So why are you here?” Asti asked
“Your mother asked me to follow to make sure you came to no harm,
that’s all” he explained
“She’s on your side, she doesn’t want you to marry some old man, which
you neither know nor love”
“He’s telling the truth” Shiyne said
“Marry?” Lyris asked
“Yes I’m betrothed to Prefector Collis of Ghambra” she said
“A very old and by all accounts very unpleasant man, and I’m not doing
it”
Just at that moment a transit shuttle arrived and disgorged its
passengers so Asti took her chance and ran and although he tried to keep his
eyes on her Lyris lost sight of her in the melee as another shuttle arrived and
everyone decanted from it.
“We must go after her” Parse said
“You didn’t just come here protect her from harm did you” Shiyne said
“No I’m also here to warn her” he admitted
“About what?” Lyris asked
“The Prefector is not so understanding is he?” Visitor Parham
reflected
“No he is not” Parse admitted “He wants her and he will stop at
nothing to get her”
“How did you find her so easily?” Lyris asked
“She has a subdermal tracker” Parse replied
Parse and Lyris spent the next hour tracking Asti around Delta 500
while Shiyne and Bagg made the necessary purchases at the Mall,
It wasn’t an easy task because being so tiny Asti was not easy to keep
in sight at all time, she was also very fleet of foot and they struggled more
than once to keep up with her fortunately they had Parse’s scanner.
But when they finally got within striking distance of her they were
just in time to witness her abduction.
Two men, one either side of her, grabbed her and bundled her
unceremoniously into a waiting vehicle, one was tall and heavy set the other
shorter and leaner.
“We’re too late” Parse said “They’ve got her”
“Who are they?”
“Ghambran agents sent by Prefector Collis, those two are Maxil Weltz
and Vint Reganus, I didn’t get a look at the driver” He replied sombrely “I
have to rescue her”
“We, have to rescue her” Lyris corrected him, but for now we need to
know where they’ve taken her”
“Ok, let’s go” Parse said
“No you stay here” Lyris corrected him “you stand out too much, I’ll
meet you back at the Stroller”
The giant Legionnaire had no argument so he just nodded and Lyris set
off at a run, fortunately because of the crowds the vehicle hadn’t got far and
was making slow progress and as there was only one way they could go from there
he decided to press on up the thoroughfare and get ahead of them.
With regular glances over his should to make sure they didn’t deviate
he reached the Mall exit and secured himself a “Pediscoot” which was a single
person two wheeled ride and waited until the bushwhackers caught up with him and
then when they passed he fell in behind them.
There was sufficient traffic to ensure he didn’t stand out but not
enough to threaten the success of his surveillance and he was rewarded with the
location of their ship after about fifteen minutes.
The ship was a Scorpion Cruiser, small fast and well-armed, a popular
choice among men of importance and unlimited funds.
Lyris kept watch from a safe distance as the two men that snatched Asti
manhandled her up the ships tail ramp.
The driver followed on and there was a fourth man at the top of the
ramp and they were all laughing as they pushed the tiny figure of Asti inside.
He couldn’t hear her but he imagined she was giving them all an un-princess
like tongue lashing.
It had been an uneventful voyage and they were making excellent time,
thanks to Pulsat and Vanzyl’s repairs and maintenance of the Plasma Turbine Pyroclast
Engines which had never run so well all the time she had been on board.
In fact things were going so smoothly Merionwen had plenty of time to
think about the future.
She was enjoying having a full complement of crew aboard the Tornado
for the first time in 5 years and during the quiet moments she had pondered the
possibility of making it permanent.
It was feasible, the Skeets where after all ship less and homeless and
with Zerrad well on the way to a full recovery they would need to remedy both
of those situations so she thought she would offer them the opportunity to sign
on with the Tornado, providing Shiyne and Malena were in agreement before she
spoke to the Skeets.
As Malena had finally declared her love for Zerrad she was certain
sure she would have no objections as she liked one brother and loved the other
but she still needed to ask Shiyne and as she was her Navigator she would have
to work closely with whoever occupied the Pilot and Co-pilot seat so she had to
be in full agreement.
So she chose to broach the subject when Merri and Shiyne were alone
together in the cockpit on the late watch.
“So we’ll be at Delta 500 in less than two days” Merri said
“Yes we’ve made great time” Shiyne agreed but Merri struggled to find
the words that would steer her to the question she wanted to ask.
Shiyne was a telepath and could easily have read Merri’s thoughts but
the reason their friendship had endured for so long was she didn’t use
telepathy on her friends.
Because of Merri’s inability to find the words she needed, a prolonged
silence ensued and finally it was Shiyne who broke it.
“What’s going to happen when we get there?”
“What do you mean?” Merri retorted
“The Skeets and the Healer” Shiyne elaborated “Are we just going to
dump them off with the cargo”
“Do you think we shouldn’t?” Merri asked
“Lyris and Zerrad have lost everything, could we not keep them on?”
Shiyne asked
“I was going to ask you that” Merri remarked
“Well it’s alright with me” Shiyne said
Merri was relieved to say the least that she was in complete agreement
regarding the Skeets so that just left The Healer to discuss.
He was a traveller so to her mind there was no reason why he couldn’t
travel with them and there was no doubt having a Healer aboard full time would
be a definite plus but she didn’t know how Shiyne would feel about that.
“What about Terrell?” she asked
“What about him?” Shiyne asked suspiciously
“Do you think he would stay on?”
“I think so” she replied vaguely “I mean he might”
“You mean you don’t know?” Merri asked with surprise
“No I don’t” She admitted “I’m having trouble reading him”
“What?” Merri retorted
“But you’ve spent long enough in sickbay or at the mess table with him
since we left Alwi to have got in his head countless times”
“I know” she agreed
“You could read him before we left” Merri pointed out
“I know but now I can’t” she admitted
“Do you mean that he’s blocking you?” Merri asked
“No, definitely not” Shiyne responded adamantly “I just can’t read
him”
“But…” Merri began and then she remembered a conversation she had with
her friend shortly after she joined the crew, when she mentioned that Vann
telepaths could not read someone that they loved.
“You love him!” Merri exclaimed
“Nonsense” Shiyne said “I like him that’s all”
“You love him, that’s why you can’t read him anymore” Merri pointed out
“The Vann can’t read the one they love, you told me that”
She did indeed say that, she remembered the conversation well, but she
was just passing on what she had been told, Shiyne had never been in love so
she had no personal experience of it but she couldn’t argue with the logic, and
the thought that he would be getting off at Delta 500 and she would not see him
again had left her with an uneasy and unfamiliar feeling.
“I do love him don’t I?” she said
“Yes” Merri agreed “So why are you still here?”
Terrell was not looking forward to the Tornado reaching their destination
for a variety of reasons, the primary one being Shiyne, who was completely
bald, had cerise coloured skin and purple eyes and when he first saw her he
thought she was the most beautiful and striking looking woman he had ever seen,
but since being aboard the ship he had found that there was so much more to her
than mere beauty and he had fallen for the girl totally.
It was the first time since he had lost his wife that he had even looked
at another woman let alone dare to have feeling for one, but he was a realist
it was never going anywhere, he knew she was way out of his league but that
didn’t stop him from dreaming.
Malena had got to know Terrell very well while she was holding vigil
at Zerrad’s bedside and as her heart had been opened to love she was sensitive
to its presence and she knew there were embers of love between him and Shiyne so
she decided to blow on them.
“If you hurry you’ll catch her in the mess room” she said
“Catch who?” he asked
“Our pretty navigator, you know the one you can’t take your eyes off”
Malena said
“I think you’re imagining it” he answered as he left the sickbay
“I think you’re besotted” she shouted after him and he was about to
unleash a witty retort in response but he was suddenly knocked sideways into
the wall.
“Sorry” she said “I wasn’t looking where I was going”
Terrell turned around to face his assailant
“That’s…” he began but that was all he could say as he gazed upon the
smiling face of the beautiful Shiyne.
Neither of them knew quite how long they stood there staring at each
other or how long they would have continued to stare had Shiyne not broken the
spell by kissing him which he reciprocated and the kiss also suspended their
concept of time.
And while they embraced in the corridor leading to the sickbay Lyris
passed them unnoticed on his way to visit his brother
“This is becoming a bit of a habit” Lyris said to himself “there must
be something in the food”
As Malena sat beside Zerrad’s bed she was very relieved that he was on
the mend but after her three day vigil in sickbay she was
All too conscious of the fact that she had shown her hand to the rest
of the crew in regard to her feelings for him and there was no putting the
genie back in the bottle.
The Tornado was about three days out when Terrell Vorton decided it
was time to bring his patient out of his medically induced coma.
So he sent Malena out of sickbay so he could slowly reduce his
sedation.
“But I could stay and help” she said
“You need to go and eat something, freshen up and change so that when
he wakes up he sees you at your best” he said
“You do know that I’m an Obgaron shapeshifter and the freshening up
thing doesn’t really work for me” Malena pointed out
“Yes but you can eat and you can change” Terrell said “So go”
She reluctantly agreed and as she left the sickbay she realized just
how hungry she was so she headed straight for the mess room and she got there
just as Asti was leaving and tantalizing smells escaped through the open door
making her mouth water and she hoped Bagg would have something inside to
satisfy her appetite and she was not disappointed.
“So what’s the passenger’s story?” she asked as she wiped her mouth on
her napkin and Bagg filled her in with the little information he had managed to
glean from her over scones and coffee.
“So is she running away from her past or running towards her future?”
Malena asked
“A little of both I think” Bagg replied enigmatically but the nuance
of his reply went unnoticed as Malena’s mind had wandered back to sickbay.
“So todays the day” he said
“What?” she exclaimed
“Isn’t the Doc waking the patient today” he asked
“Yes” she replied suspiciously
“So there will soon come a moment when you will no longer be holding
the hand of an unconscious man” he pointed out “and he might well question why
the co-pilot of the Tornado is keeping vigil at his bedside and holding his
hand”
“I know but…” she began
“It’s obvious to all of us how you feel about him” Bagg said “And you
can’t undo that”
“I know that” she said and sighed
“So have you thought of what you will say to him when he wakes?”
“I have thought of little else” she replied “Although at first I
didn’t even dare hope he would wake up, and then I have run the scenarios
through my head until my ears bleed”
“I know, from what the Captain has said, that he has feelings for you
too” Bagg said “if that helps”
“Thanks but I already knew that” she said “it’s not the disposition of
his feelings that concerns me, it’s more complicated than that”
“It always is” he said philosophically
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to go and hold his hand and watch him wake up” she replied
When Malena Endia arrived in sickbay wearing her smartest outfit she
found the Healer, Terrell Vorton, at Zerrad’s bedside and he turned to look at
her as she entered and smiled
“Perfect timing” he said “He should come round in the next few
minutes”
“What will he think?” she asked “When he finds me here”
“He we think he’s in heaven” he replied and she sat in her familiar
chair and leant forward and took his hand in hers and stared intensely at his
face looking for signs of consciousness.
It was almost ten minutes before his eyes betrayed signs of REM and
then the corners of his mouth twitched, but that was all that happened for a
full five minutes until the moment his eyes fully opened and they looked
straight at her before flicking down to his hand and back to her face and then
he smiled and she returned that smile with interest.
While this was going on Terrell tended to him and when he was
satisfied all was well he left them alone.
“How long have I been here?” he asked
“Five days” she replied
“And how long have you been here with me?” he asked
“Five days” she replied
“Does that mean what I hope it means?” Zerrad asked hopefully
“It means that I nearly lost you” she responded and they sat in
silence while they contemplated the implications of what had been said until he
broke the silence.
“You’re lovely”
“You know that this isn’t me” Malena said “this is just the form I
took, of a 27 year old human that I met on a remote mining colony when I first
entered Legion space, and that was more than 20 years ago, so I don’t look like
this, and the person that I touched in order to look like this is twenty years
older now and no longer looks like this herself and is probably a grandmother
by now”
“You’re still lovely” he repeated
“But you haven’t seen what I really look like” Malena pointed out
“Then show me” he said
“No one has seen me as an Obgaronian for 20 years” she said
“It’s ok, you don’t have to” Zerrad said
“No I want to” she said and got up and walked over to lock the door,
then she walked into the adjoining cubicle and undressed.
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
girl, but she chose to be the human girl and wear clothes on that form, but it
wasn’t necessary, she just preferred it that way which was why she needed to
undress before she revealed her true self to Zerrad.
And when she had done so she emerged again this time in her natural
Mercurial form of liquid silver glass which was very pleasing to the eye.
“This is me” she said and his jaw dropped.
“Wow” was all he could manage to say and then after a minute or so she
slipped back into the cubicle and the brunette came out and walked over and
unlocked the door.
“So now you know who I really am” she said
“When I said I thought you were lovely, I wasn’t revering to the
beautiful brunette outer shell, I meant you’re lovely, inside”
Zerrad said and she returned to her place at his bedside.
“So you’re not put off now you’ve seen what I am?” Malena asked
“Of course not” he said earnestly
“But are you sure about us?” Malena asked
“It’s what I’ve dreamed of” he replied
“But you know we can’t….. couple?” she said
“It’s physically impossible”
“I don’t care about that” Zerrad said
“I can feel you and hold you and that’s all I need”
Malena smiled, then let go of his hand and climbed onto the bed and
lay down beside him.
About ten minutes later Terrell returned to the sickbay with Lyris in
tow and found the couple asleep, Zerrad had his arm around her and Malena had
her head on his chest.
“Well that’s a shocker” Lyris said
