The Tornado Sojourns (2) – Chapter 08 – Montrose

 

It was a bright late summer morning and the sun was shining as they were driving up the country lanes on their way to Montrose and it was the first time they had all been in precisely the same place together apart from meal times and the conversation was rapid and the atmosphere boisterous, apart from Bagg.

When you were a Visitor meeting family was one of the rarest of occasions, when there were two Visitors in one family they were almost impossible.

Apart from his brother Trebreh, who he hadn’t seen for twelve years, and his wife Xandra there was her brother Ale, who was his boyhood friend.

There were also a number of nephews and nieces whom he had not seen before and he was a little apprehensive about meeting them all, he was also concerned that it would be dull for his crew mates so on the journey he sat in reflective silence.

He needed have worried, when word of Bagg’s imminent arrival reached them a hastily arranged feast was instigated and the whole village was to be in attendance to welcome their guests.

 

The journey took longer than he anticipated and an hour and forty-five minutes had elapsed before they drove into the farmyard.

After they all disembarked from the Stroller he took a moment to take in the unfamiliar vista, which he had never seen but had heard described in great detail in his brother’s correspondence over the years, on those occasions when his mail found him.

Trebreh and Xandra had landed on Eirkos eleven years earlier and as she was heavily pregnant they thought to stay for a few months until she and the baby were recovered enough to continue on their journey, but they never left.

They found a community sorely in need of a spiritual hand on their shoulders and they were welcomed with open arms.

He was now the district Visitor and served parishes within a fifteen-mile radius of Montrose.

 

The people of Montrose lived a simple existence and Bagg’s brother was no different, the farm house was not a grand structure but it was functional and not unpleasant to the eye.

They only had to wait a moment or two when Bagg’s sister in law Xandra appeared with her brother Ale at her shoulder.

“Parham!” she said, “is it, really is you?”

It proved to be a rhetorical question as she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, then it was Ale’s turn and after being embraced by them both he made the introductions to the crew who were greeted like long lost friends.

 

After the introductions were made the crew of the Tornado were left in no doubt as to the depth of her warmth and although Bagg’s brother Trebreh was still at an adjacent parish officiating at a funeral, Xandra was an able host and had prepared a light lunch for them, which they ate in the orchard.

 

After a very acceptable lunch their hosts had to excuse themselves as there was still a lot of work to do as the feast that evening was in their honour, Bagg offered to help with the culinary preparation and everyone else offered to do their bit, Bagg’s offer was quickly taken up, but the rest were ordered to go and relax.

“Take them down by the Lake children” Xandra said

“Ok mum” they chorused and the children led them off for a walk through the village towards the Lake and what began with a huddled chattering group was eventually spread out into a long-ragged strand.

Lyris and Zerrad were at the back about 20 yards astern of Asti and Malena who appeared to be deep in conversation.

“How did we, of all people manage to snap up gems like Asti and Malena?” Lyris asked his brother in disbelief

“I don’t even want to think about it” Zerrad replied “Because I don’t want to jinx it”

“We’ve both got ourselves a good one” Lyris said

“I know” Zerrad agreed

 

In front of Malena and Asti were Merri and Parse and ahead of them were Terrell and Shiyne and in the vanguard, were Vanzyl and Pulsat who were proving to be a great hit with the kids.

 

After about half an hour they were in sight of the Lake and Merri suddenly shouted.

“BARTS”

And Lyris and Zerrad started jogging towards her.

“What’s going on?” Asti asked with alarm

“Were going Barting” Lyris said and took her hand and they ran hand in hand along the path.

“But I’ve never Barted” she exclaimed

A Bart was a shallow draught fishing boat which was like a cross between a Gondola and a Punt which you propelled along with a long pole, which was thrust down in the lake bed and pushed downwards which propelled the Bart forward.

The reason for all the excitement was that the presence of the Bart’s meant they were going to have fun on the water.

Vanzyl became very excited when he saw the water and removed his outer garments and emitting high pitched whistles he ran headlong to the Lake and jumped in but Pulsat stopped in his tracks as everyone else rushed past him.

“Come on Pulsat we’re going out on the Lake” Parse said but he shook his head violently in response.

“Water bad, Pulsat Rad, stay”

“But it’ll be fun” Merri added

“Pulsat like dry, he stay with small humans” he said adamantly

 

There was a row of Bart’s tied up to the jetty so they commandeered four of them and divided up into their respective couples.

Because Bart’s were flat bottomed like Punts, and high in the bow like a Gondola, there was a knack to propelling them without falling off so after a brief discussion about the rules of engagement it was decided that they would race to the headland and back and the first Bart back would be the winner or failing that the last participant to get wet would be victorious.

With the exceptions of Asti and Terrell, they had all been in water races in their lives, either on Rivers or Lake, at one time or another, some more than others, and when they were racing the winners were normally the ones who stayed dry.

So, there was a basic rule to follow, namely if your pole gets stuck in the mud you let it go, if the situation arises then you stay with the vessel and not with the pole, it’s simple really.

But saying that the object of the exercise was to stay dry was not altogether factual, it would be more truthful to say that what was actually more important was to get your opponents wet because once both occupants of a Bart have been dunked they can take no further part.

Now under normal circumstances hostilities wouldn’t begin until all craft were a safe distance from the jetty but on this occasion Lyris inexplicably missed his footing and fell in the Lake without even setting foot onto his Bart.

“God Ly I thought you were supposed to be good at this” Merri said

And then it wasn’t long before Asti, the least sea worthy of the group succumbed to an early bath and the competition was down to 3 vessels.

Once the flotilla had travelled a sufficient distance from the shore hostilities could begin.

There had been a number of harmless skirmishes when Zerrad, who normally won on the water hands down, narrowly avoided being rammed by Merri’s Bart only to find himself heading straight for a weeping willow as his evasive action had taken him back towards the shore.

Malena panicked and ran to the rear of the vessel and then she and Zerrad slid down the pole together.

During the ensuing laughter Merri and Shiyne’s Bart’s collided, and Parse and Terrell both got dunked.

Shiyne stood and laughed like a drain before she shouted

“Abandon ship” and jumped in and joined Terrell.

“I’ll save you Doctor” she said and wrapped her arms around him and as they stood in the waist deep cool water, and laughed in the summer sunshine.

Which was when if he hadn’t already done so he would have fallen in love with her, and as they stood in the waters of the Lake kissing, Merri noisily declared herself the winner.

 

When the flotilla returned to the jetty they found Vanzyl and Pulsat entertaining the village children, the former in the Lake and the latter in the meadow.

 

Because Merri had never won a regatta so quickly before she wouldn’t shut up about it.

So, before they started on the walk back to the farm four of them picked her up threw her into the Lake.

Her last words before she hit the water were

“You can’t do that I’m the Captain”

 

After they had done battle on the Lake they squelched their way back along the path to the farmhouse in high spirits.   

As they got closer to the house they could hear the murmur of happy chatter and the sound of industry.

They walked around the side of the house towards the courtyard and found their hosts and a small group of villagers gathered and during their absence a large array of tables and sunshade sails had appeared in the cobbled yard in preparation for that evenings feast.

 

“Oh goodness you’re all wet” Xandra said “You’re in a worse state then the children”

“Aha the motley crew returns” Bagg said jovially as he appeared from the kitchen and knowing what they were like added “Who won the Battle?” 

“I did” Said Merri triumphantly as she squelched into view.

“So why are you dripping wet?” Bagg asked

“They threw me in” said Merri indignantly

“Why?” Xandra asked

“Because they’re mutineers” Merri retorted, and this information was received with raucous laughter.

“Well come on girls I’ll show you to your rooms and you can clean up and change”

“We have rooms?” Asti asked

“Of course, you have to stay the night” she retorted

“Ale, will you show the men to the barn”

 

The long-awaited reunion between Bagg and his brother Trebreh happened later when everyone was cleaned up and presentable and was very touching and set the tone for the following meal.

The feast the villagers put on that evening was exceptional and truly generous considering they were just a simple agrarian community.

    

The summer days on Eirkos were very long and even in late Summer the sun didn’t set until midnight so when the meal was over and the villagers had gone home the Tornado crew decided to have a final drink or two of Trebreh’s wonderful wine on the terrace before turning in and over the next hour everyone slowly drifted off in their ones and twos until there was only the Skeet brothers and their girls and they spent a romantic hour cuddling as they watched the sun go down.

“This is nice” Malena said

“This is perfect” Asti corrected her

The Tornado Sojourns (2) – Chapter 07 – Rest and Recuperation

Merionwen Strong, owner and Captain of the Tempest Class Freighter, Tornado, sat in the pilot’s seat and her friend Malena Endia sat beside her as they circumnavigated the Ariadnean worm hole, which was equidistant between the Androsin system which they had departed from four months earlier, and the populous Eikon system, which was at least three months ahead of them.

It was a long boring journey but a necessary one, and a welcome one after the danger and excitement of their hasty exit from the Tornado and the subsequent dalliance with death on the seismically unstable surface of Mangium with its extremely hostile inhabitants and in the quiet hours on the flight deck they silently reflected on their jeopardy and the timely rescue from the jaws of death by Lyris’s flying skills, and the time afterwards.

When they were safely back on board and the Tornado was leaving Mangium in its wake.

Malena immediately embraced Zerrad and the giant Gouveian Parse Sacrod scooped Merri up in his arms and kissed her.

Following the loving welcome, they received they were asked how they were and they both gave the identical answer uttered in unison

“Starving”

They were fortunate enough to have aboard Visitor Parham, who was not merely a man of the cloth who tended to their spiritual needs, because his alter ego Bagg fortified them with his culinary prowess.

 

He was strategically positioned by the mess room door as they came in and he hugged them both affectionately.

He was tall and disproportionately thin, and wore a simple grey robe.

Although he never confirmed it the crew thought him somewhere beyond fifty with his long white hair and short trimmed beard.

He was a simple man and his contribution to the rescue was persistent prayer and excessive baking so he was perfectly well prepared for the moment the ravenous pair entered the mess.

 

The mess room was crowded and filled with the noise of relieved chatter,

Engineers Pulsat and Vanzyl were busy dealing with fire damage and Lyris was piloting but there were other absentees and Merri was the first to notice.

“Where’s Shiyne?”

For the latter part of the search and during the subsequent rescue Shiyne was in the sick bay completely exhausted, having used every atom of her strength to pinpoint their whereabouts and she was there still.

The second after Bagg had informed them of Shiyne’s location both Merri and Malena laid their cutlery down and stood abruptly.

“It’s alright” Bagg said, who had discreetly put himself between them and the door again.

“She’s still sedated, so eat first and then you can go and see her” 

He then guided them back to their chairs and took very little encouragement to continue their repast.

 

After eating their fill and refilling their coffee mugs for the third time a period of questions and answers ensued regarding the time line of events and who did what and when.

But it was, for the most part, all done in a very light-hearted way especially when Malena was talking.

“We’re running for our lives and Captain Redhead’s main concern was her footwear”

“They ruined my favourite boots” she said indignantly and put her foot up on the table so everyone could see her mutilated boot.

When the laughter had subsided Zerrad said

“Vanzyl was the hero of the day, without his enhancements to the comms array we would never have found the pod”

“And without Shiyne we would never have found you two in time” Bagg said 

“Which is a good reminder that we need to go and see her” Merri said

“There’s something you need before you do that” Bagg said

“No, no more coffee” Malena said

“I wasn’t going to say coffee” he said

“What then?”

“A shower” he said and everyone enthusiastically concurred

“Harsh” Merri said, “Very harsh”

“They must be talking about you” Malena said, “I’m a shape shifter, and I don’t sweat”

 

After showering and changing they went to sick bay and sat with Shiyne for the next few hours until she regained consciousness, and an expression of real joy spread across her beautiful cerise face

“They found you” she exclaimed and tears welled up in her purple eyes.

 

They sat with her for another two hours until Terrell insisted that she should rest so they joined the rest of the crew as life aboard the Tornado got back to normal.

Terrell kept Shiyne in sickbay for three days in all, she was fine after two but he liked having her all to himself and as she felt the same way there was no harm done.

 

Shiyne’s confinement to sickbay was the reason Merri and Malena were alone on the flight deck.

Their destination was known as the Eikon cluster due to the high number of M class planets and moons in the Eikon solar system, it was a busy and prosperous system and one which would keep them gainfully employed for some time to come.

They had to take the long route as there were no hyperspace routes through that part of the galaxy due to the worm hole, which was an inherently unstable phenomenon, so there was only one option and that was to take the long way around and after nearly losing two of the Tornados personnel it was decided to err on the side of caution and give the worm hole an extra wide berth.

 

As tedious as the journey was, over the long boring three months the crew worked hard to get the ship back in shape and after Pulsat and Vanzyl had finished in the corridor it was hard to imagine there had ever been a fire.

It addition, new sensors where installed to warn of approaching hazards, thanks to the enhancements Vanzyl had made to the array, so they wouldn’t be blindsided again.

The only damage they couldn’t put right was to the buckled plates on the hull, they had been temporarily patched and would be properly repaired when they reached their destination.

 

Despite their unwelcome trip to Mangium and the additional detour around the worm hole, they reached their destination of Eikon Major three days earlier than originally expected because of Pulsat and Vanzyl’s stewardship of the 4 Plasma Turbine Pyroclast Engines.

 

They delivered the three pods of Thermalium mineral ore to the processing plant and picked up one pod of ingots for delivery to Eikon Minor and two pods of agricultural tools for Eirkos, which was an agrarian world much like the Skeet brothers home world of Shax so they were both secretly looking forward to visiting.

The Skeet brothers were born and raised on Shax in the populous Shaxson system, which was one of the last to join the Legion and it was not an easy transition or indeed a wholly welcome one.

In fact, it was a protracted and bloody courtship which involved three years of bitter war and it was that war that saw the Skeet’s swap their plough shares for Pulsar weapons and tractors for Spider Hawk Fighters.

When the war came to an unsatisfactory conclusion for the Shaxson rebels the Legion exacted a heavy retribution which lead to some of the former fighters having to turn their backs on their home worlds to escape the Legions punitive punishments and give up living on the land and live on the lam instead.

Not that the Skeets had much appetite for farming after all the action they had seen.

They had no family left on Shax by the time the war was over so even if the Legion had been prepared to allow them to live in peace there was nothing left to bind them to their birthplace, so they took to the stars.

Eirkos was a simple world for people who lived simple lives, there were no big Cities and no real attraction for off worlders, so there were no plans to stay after making the delivery in Cranack but as they sat around the mess table devouring one of Bagg’s wonderful suppers, Merri said

“After we’ve unloaded we have a couple of days spare before our next job, any suggestions?”

“It’s a shame that there’s nothing to keep us on Eirkos, it would have been nice to breathe some fresh clean air for an hour or two” Shiyne said

“Well we still could” Bagg said

“But what would we do there?” Parse said

“Well I have a brother in Montrose which is about an hour from Cranack, it’s a farmstead community and I’m sure they would make us very welcome” he said

“Another Visitor?” Malena asked

“Well yes he is a Visitor” Bagg said

“But this Brother is also my brother”

“Then we must go” Merri said, “is he a good cook like you?”

“No, his skill lies in Wine making” Bagg replied

“Even better” Merri retorted

“So that’s settled” Malena said, “After we’ve unloaded we’re all off to Montrose to see Bagg’s brother”

“And that includes you two” Merri said

“We?” Pulsat asked

“Who else?” Merri asked and Vanzyl whirled a response

“But we fix damage” Pulsat said

“You can do that on Eikon Major” she replied, “I want the whole Tornado family in attendance”

Vanzyl uttered a soft whistle like a plaintive flute, then he looked at his friend and whistled again

“Family, yes” Pulsat agreed

 

After arriving at the port on Eirkos the unloading didn’t take long and then Lyris parked the Tornado on the apron and then everyone got ready to depart.

The short heavy set Prinsloovian, Pulsat Rad, was first down the ramp, holding his rough bony head proudly high.

On reaching the apron proper he turned stiffly to address his companion Vanzyl, who was uttering a string of whirls, whistles and clicks.

“I know it, I know it” Pulsat said to his Kesslerian friend, who was a more slender and sleek form than he, and he had the hint of a smile about his pursed lips and Vanzyl whistled and clicked again and Pulsat snorted.

Pulsat was the only one of the crew who could understand every tone and toot Vanzyl uttered, as if it were in his own tongue, but that was common place for his species, there were very few races he had met on his travels that he couldn’t understand, although he couldn’t speak to them in their language, but he nonetheless understood every word that they spoke.

While they stood to one side of the ramp in conversation Shiyne drove the stroller down the front ramp and the rest of the crew followed in a group in her wake, with Visitor Parham bringing up the rear wearing his more formal attire of a full length pale blue robe tied at the waist with a royal blue cord, which was beneath a full length dark blue leather jerkin, and he carried a simple roughhewn staff which was undecorated but for a carved cruciform relief a few inches from the top.  

The Tornado’s APMTV, (All Purpose Multi Terrain Vehicle) was nicknamed the “Stroller” which was an ironic name because when Shiyne or Merri were behind the wheel it did anything but stroll.

The moment it came to a halt the group climbed aboard, Malena paused before remotely closing the ramp and the joined Zerrad in the back and the healer Terrell got in the passenger seat beside his lover Shiyne.

The Tornado Sojourns (2) – Chapter 06 – Hostile Territory

 

At the precise moment that Merri and Malena came under fire Shiyne sat bolt upright and gasped

“I’ve found them, they’re on the surface and they’re in danger”

“Do you know where?” Zerrad asked, as he had not been able to establish comms 

“Not yet” she replied and closed her eyes and tried to get a fix.

Lyris, who had been scanning for the pod in space to no avail, stopped what he was doing when Shiyne spoke, but now didn’t know what to do, and then Asti shouted

“I’ve got it”

“Got what?” he asked

“The transponder signal” she replied, “it’s in the southern hemisphere”

“Co-ordinates?” he barked

“On your screen…. Now” she said and sat back and gave a smug sigh

“Great, now I can do what I do best” he said and changed course towards the southern hemisphere.

 

The Laser fire missed them by some distance which was probably as a result of the tremor, they didn’t stand around to debate it though and decided the best course of action was to leave the clearing ASAP.   

 

Merri reached the trees as another volley of Laser fire came their way, and they were closer than the first shots, in fact one struck the tree a foot to her left.  

Once in the depths of the wood they didn’t present such an inviting target, which was good but she became separated from Malena, and that was bad, as they had no working comms.

After thirty minutes she could hear her pursuers giving chase and she was tiring so they were closing in on her.

 

Merri could hear them behind her clearer and clearer, yard by yard, calling loudly to each other as they crashed through the forest.

She was beginning to panic as she had lost her bearings and although she had been running for half an hour she had no idea what direction she had been running in, but then ahead of her there was the sound of rushing water.

It was a warm day and she was sweating profusely with the exertion as she reached a wide fast flowing stream.

She moved upstream about 20 yards until he found an easier place to cross but she couldn’t dwell to long as the “Lost Boys” were hot on her heels.

“This way” she heard one of her pursuers call when she was half way across the stream and then she lost her footing and ended up knee deep in cool water so she waded to the other side and clambered out, a few minutes later she paused briefly by a great oak.

“Oiy” a voice called in a hoarse whisper

She looked around but could see nothing and so prepared to run again

“Up hear” the hoarse whispering voice said 

She looked up and could see nothing above her but the canopy.

“Here” the voice repeated

And then she saw her, it was the unmistakable smiling olive-skinned face of Malena looking down at her and she threw down a rope, from the survival kit.

“Quick” she urged, so Merri grabbed the rope and quickly climbed up it, and once she had safely made it she hugged her friend and Malena quickly pulled the rope back up again.

“Thank you” she said and settled down in the hollow crook between the oak boughs.

“Hush” Malena retorted and settled down beside her and they sat in silence with their lasers drawn as their pursuers were crossing the stream and by the commotion and the cursing it was obvious than more than one of them had fallen into the water as Merri had done.

A lot of cursing followed along with pledges to make sure she paid in pain for their discomfiture.

“They came this way” one of them called

“They’re very persistent” Merri whispered

“They must be after your stylish boots” Malena retorted and Merri giggled

“Hush” she said and giggled too

 

“I have the transponder pin pointed” Asti said and added “But that only tells us where the pod landed, it doesn’t tell us where they are”

“This is a recent image of that sector” Zerrad said and they all stopped what they were doing and studied the map, apart from Shiyne who was sitting with her back to them with her eyes shut and after a few minutes Lyris said and pointed

“If it were me I’d go this way”

“Cliffs” Shiyne said abruptly

“What was that?” Asti asked

“Cliffs” She repeated, her body was rigidly stiff and her head was shaking,

“That’s where they are going, to the cliffs” she almost shouted out the last word and then all the colour drained form her cerise coloured face and she collapsed back into her chair unconscious

“Shiyne!” Asti called and rushed over to her

“Terrell, come to the flight deck, its Shiyne” Lyris urged

 

The “Lost Boys” blundered about in the woods around them for another hour searching for them, until darkness began to fall and they wandered off back the way they came.

They crossed the falls again on their return and there were more splashes and curses.

They waited until the voices faded away and when they couldn’t hear them anymore Merri got up to leave.

“No not yet” Malena said, “wait for your eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness”

Merri thought for a moment and realizing the logic of her words she sat down again.

 

“Well my eyes are now accustomed to the dark, and I still can’t see a bloody thing” Merri said as she looked down from their hiding place

“I know, I think we should stay put until morning” Malena said, “We’re quite near the pole so the nights are very short here”

 

It may have been a short night but the frequency of tremors made it seem much longer and neither of them got any sleep to speak of.

So, when dawn came they were eager to make an early start and reach the cliffs as so as possible.

They had planned to stay in the safety of the tree tops rather than risk the forest floor again but the tremors that had plagued them all night continued to hamper them by day and they both had near misses when the bough they were on shook so violently they were almost thrown to the ground.

Once they had climbed down to terra firma they weren’t much safer, as the risk of falling had been replaced by the risk of things falling on them as the tremors grew in intensity.

They were ten yards from the bottom of the cliffs when the shooting started again thankfully their aim was no better than it had been the day before and this time the two of them returned fire and in the ensuing exchange Malena killed one and Merri severely wounded the other.

But they knew that they would be reinforced sooner rather than later.

They both looked at the cliffs, and although it was not a steep climb they would be very exposed on the ascent and would be sitting ducks for the “Lost Boys”  

While they were considering their next course of action they suffered the biggest tremor since they had been on the planet.

It was stronger, longer and deeper and tree after tree was felled and even the cliffs slipped and slid.

All Merri and Malena could do was hold onto each other until it was over.

When it had finished they looked around and saw that not only had the quake not killed them it had thrown them a lifeline.

A large Mangium teak had been toppled, but the 100-foot monster had not fallen to the forest floor as many of its kin had, it had come to rest against the cliffs and provided them a more surefooted route to the top while offering them some cover at the same time.

“Let’s use the tree” Merri suggested and set off at a run and Malena was right behind her.

 

The Mangium Teak was of substantial size and the trunk was more the fifty feet across so getting onto the trunk was their first challenge which was finally achieved by scrambling up the exposed roots until they were standing upright on the trunk of the fallen tree and then they immediately started running again and they managed to proceed halfway up its length before the shooting started again.

But the marksmanship was no better than it had been earlier and so they didn’t break their stride until one shot took the heel off her left boot and she almost fell, and she would have done too if Malena hadn’t grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to safety behind a large bough.

They both sat down to catch their breath and then Merri saw the damage to her favourite boots.

“Bastards” she yelled and opened fire

Merri’s shooting was much more accurate than her adversaries and she hit two in her first few bursts.

By that time there were about ten “Lost Boys” shooting at them but they were all much the same standard, but they could see more approaching and they couldn’t hold them all off, so they had to start creeping upwards from bough to bough, but they couldn’t shoot again as it would have given away their position.

Fortunately, the further up the trunk they went the denser the foliage became, but the fact that they couldn’t be seen didn’t prevent their pursuers from taking pot shots, some of which were uncomfortably close, but it got worse once the “Lost Boys” joined them on the tree and then they had to return fire which gave away their position to everyone.

But thankfully their aim didn’t improve so they managed to cautiously fight their way to the cliff top but the posse chasing them was still swelling and no matter how many of them they killed they just kept coming and the fuel cells on their Lasers weren’t going to last forever.

“I’ve got an idea” Merri said, “But it means sacrificing one of the Lasers”

“I don’t think we have many options” Malena said

They compared power levels on the two lasers and it was Merri’s that had the most depleted fuel cell.

“Cover me” Merri said and crept back among the foliage and along the trunk and crawled her way about twenty feet along its length and about ten feet from the Cliff edge.

She carefully placed the Laser in a spot where it would be most effective as well as being visible to Malena.

Once Merri had crawled back to where Malena was hiding she nodded to her friend and Malena fired at the Laser and it instantly exploded sending a shower of debris over the girls and the tree to the bottom of the cliff, taking the “Lost Boys” with it.

“Well that should slow them down a bit” Merri said, “Come on”

And they ran up the exposed slope of the cliff before the dust settled and concealed themselves behind a rocky outcrop.

“Ok try the comms” Merri instructed and Malena immediately complied but to no avail.

“Nothing” she said

“There’s nothing coming back at all?” Merri asked

“No, I mean there’s nothing going out” Malena said and shrugged off her backpack and when she had it in front of her she sighed

“And that’s why” she said and pointed to a blacked patch around a jagged hole

“I can’t believe it not one of them can shoot for shit and they manage to take out the comms” Merri said in disbelief just at the precise moment the first on the “Lost Boys” appeared over the brow of the ridge

“Oh shit” Merri exclaimed

“So, what do we do now?” Malena asked

“I don’t know but if you’ve got any suggestions I’m listening” she replied

“We could try praying” Malena suggested

“Do you think that will help?” She asked

“Well it won’t hurt” Malena said

“That’s true, so what would you pray for?” the Captain asked

“For the Tornado to appear and make light work of that lot”

“That’s a good prayer” Merri said, “but in the meantime, can you shoot someone”

“No problem” Malena said, took aim and fired at the closest target and pulled the trigger and ten Lost Boys fell to the ground and Malena and Merri looked at each other in surprise, then they heard the roar of engines as the Tornado appeared above them, with the ramp down, the deadly accurate salvo was courtesy of the forward-facing twin Pulsar Lasers supplemented by Zerrad, Parse, and Pulsat firing from the ramp.

“I love the power of prayer” Merri said

Lyris was in the left seat and by using every ounce of his skill and with the Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper engines engaged, he hovered the Tempest class freighter a few feet off the ground while still laying down a field of fire.

“As lovely as it’s been, it’s time we took our leave”

Merri said

“I couldn’t agree more” Malena agreed and the two of them made a run for it.

The Laser fire from the Tornado intensified as they crossed the twenty yards of open ground and clambered up onto the ramp.

“We have them” Zerrad said “Get us out of here”

Parse and Zerrad continued to fire as Pulsat raised the ramp and Malena added to the fire power and then their targets disappeared as the Tornado headed for space.

The Tornado Sojourns (2) – Chapter 05 – Lost in Space

 

Lyris, Asti and Shiyne were on the Tornado’s flight deck anxiously checking the instruments

“I can’t get a visual” he snapped “I’m getting nothing on any of the monitors and I can’t get a fix on the transponder”

“What about comms?” Shiyne asked

“Nothing” Asti replied, “It’s this damn fluxing magnetic field”

“What about you Shiyne” he asked “are you picking up anything at all?

“There’s something, but nothing that I can latch onto” she said, “They’re just out of reach”

“But they’re alive?” he asked

“Yes, I’m sure of it” she replied

“Well keep trying, I’m going to update everyone” he said solemnly

 

“It’s obvious where they’ve gone” he said to the assembled group in the mess room “But we can’t get a fix on them because of the atmospherics and they’re going to a very unhealthy environment, even if the pod landed safely and the seismic activity doesn’t get them they still have to evade the “Lost Boys”“

Although it was capable of supporting life Mangium was an unpredictable world and because of its proximity to the worm hole it suffered from an unstable orbit and a lot of seismic disturbances, as a result the indigenous peoples had long since relocated to other worlds and the only people remaining on the surface were the outcasts, the lawless and the desperate and it was these people that Lyris referred to as the “Lost Boys”

“What if they didn’t go to Mangium?” Bagg asked

“You’d better pray that they did Brother, because if they didn’t we don’t have a hope of finding that pod in the vastness of space without any effective instruments”

Vanzyl became very excitable and clicks and whirls began to emanate from him which were clearly directed at Pulsat

“Ok I speak” he said and more clicks and whirls followed

“I telling, I telling” Pulsat retorted and to the group he explained

“Vanzyl say we make better” 

Then there were more Clicks and whirls

“I telling, I telling”

“Vanzyl say he can help”

“How?” Parse asked

This question provoked more Clicks and whirls

“He fix array”

Then there were more Clicks and whirls

Make receiver… I’m sorry I don’t know word”

Vanzyl was clicking a whirling very loudly in frustration because they couldn’t make themselves understood

“Do you mean modify” Zerrad asked “enhance the strength of the array?”

“Yes, yes, exact” Pulsat said excitedly and Vanzyl uttered a soft whistle like a plaintive flute

“You can do that?” Parse asked urgently and Vanzyl whistled in response

“How long?” he asked and the question provoked a much-prolonged response

“Some hour’s” Pulsat translated “He must make before, then make array enhanced”

“Ok let’s get it done” Lyris said “You guys give him all the help he needs”

 

Merri and Malena could tell just by the temperature in the pod that they were begin their entry in to Mangiums atmosphere.

“I hope these pods are as good as the salesman promised” Merri said

“If they’re not you’ll never get a refund” Malena said and they both laughed

 

Everyone aboard the Tornado was really stressed and the tension was palpable because they knew that with every minute that passed their shipmates were getting further and further away from them and closer and closer to danger.

 

Once they had passed safely into the atmosphere they felt the temperature swing dramatically the other way and then after a few moments they felt the pods descent halt slightly as the parachutes deployed and Merri said

“Gather the gear together, we may have to hit the ground running”

So, they unbuckled their harnesses and took a survival backpack each from the locker and put it on and then they strapped side arms to their thighs, knives to their ankles and the remaining accessories were clipped to their belts and straps.

When she was sure they had everything, including headgear, Merri checked the altimeter and said

“Half a mile, buckle up”     

 

The impact came much sooner than they anticipated as the pod fell into a densely forested area and there was a lot of bumping and bashing as the pod bounced and tumbled through the tree tops before finally coming to a halt with a bump.

“Well that was worth the money” Merri said and unbuckled her harness.

 

It was a bright Sunny morning, Merri looked up and could see shafts of sunlight piercing the canopy of the Forest, and then she looked down.

“Ah” she exclaimed

“That doesn’t sound good” Malena said as she stepped out of the pod

“Oh, we haven’t landed yet then”

The pod had come to rest in the hollow of a very impressive specimen of Mangium Teak which was some 30ft above the ground.

Although they had never shared the information with each other, neither of them were brilliant with heights even at the best of times and neither of them fancied climbing down.

“I don’t fancy that, I think we should go horizontally and work our way down gradually”

“That sounds like a plan” Malena said, “But which way?”

Merri looked around and she could see the effect the seismic disturbances had had on the forest, there was several trees either on the ground or leaning against its neighbour and through a gap in the tree line she could just make out some rocky cliffs.

If they had any hope of establishing comms with the ship they would have to do it from high ground so she pointed towards the cliffs and said

“That way”

 

Despite their discomfort with heights and their apprehension at climbing they found it much easier going than they could have anticipated.

The stand of Teak were quite close to each other and boughs and branches intertwined and as is was ancient woodland the branches were quite substantial.

Although Merri was uncomfortable with heights for Malena it was much more severe although she had never told her friend.

Quite apart from the death defying heights of what was to all intents and purposes a Tree Top Trail there were other incumbent hazards such as vine swings, and hastily constructed bridges and all at a height of 30ft.

She was not good with heights, she never had been, not that she suffered from vertigo or had an irrational fear of being up high.

In fact, she liked high places, after all you can’t get higher up than orbiting a planet, she also liked flying Aircraft, and admiring the view from tall buildings, that didn’t scare her, as long as there was something between her and oblivion.

In the final analysis what scared her to death was gravity and the belief that it would at any moment pull her screaming to the ground.

But she never showed it, and wouldn’t show it, not to Merri, she had to put on a brave face for her benefit as she was in awe of her Captain and didn’t want to appear weak to her.

So, over the next hour they made good progress on their tree top trek beneath the forest canopy, as they worked their way towards the cliffs and down to the forest floor as they went.

 

Meanwhile aboard the Tornado, Vanzyl and Pulsat were putting the final touches to the antenna array while Lyris watched on anxiously and the rest of the crew waited like coiled springs and the time hung very heavy.

 

When Merri and Malena finally reached the forest floor Malena couldn’t help letting out a loud sigh at getting back to terra firma.

“Did you not enjoy that?” Merri asked as Malena took a deep breath

“I have a confession to make” Malena replied

“Oh” Merri responded

“I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t scared of heights” she confessed and Merri laughed

“It’s not funny” Malena said crossly

“I’m laughing because I was scared to death myself” Merri said and they both laughed

 

Vanzyl strode onto the flight deck whistling and whirling and Pulsat followed hot on his heels and said

“Array fixed, find friends now”

“Well done you two” Lyris said and then addressed Shiyne, Zerrad and Asti

“Ok you all know what to do”

So Lyris scanned for any signs of the pod floating in space. Zerrad started broadcasting a comms signal, Asti scanned for the pod’s transponder signal and Shiyne used her not inconsiderable telepathic skills to contact her friends.

“We fix mess now” Pulsat said and led Vanzyl away  

 

Malena and Merri were about three hundred yards short of the cliffs, which they could just make out through the thinning foliage, so Merri thought they needed to pick up the pace

“Come on” she said and started running and Malena followed the Captain with her abundance of red hair trailing behind her like a glorious mane.

It only took a minute or two to catch and then overhaul Merri who was soon lagging behind, partly because when she got up that morning and put on her boots she was dressing to look good and not to go on a cross country run.

Malena was not restricted by fashionable boots, and she was also, beneath the disguise, a much more ethereal being, so running was effortless to her.

Malena Endia was an Obgaron Shape Shifter and in her own natural Mercurial form of liquid silver glass she looked very different to the slender brunette form that she was more often seen as.

The form she took was that of a 27-year-old human whom she met on a remote mining colony when she first entered Legion space, that was more than 20 years earlier and she still looked exactly the same.

Even with Merri lagging behind they were rapidly closing the distance on their objective, having picked up the pace and ran flat out for the cliffs and the route that they hoped would lead them home to the ones they loved, and then without warning two things happened, firstly there was a severe tremor and then they instantaneously came under fire.

The Tornado Sojourns (2) – Chapter 04 – Pastures New

 

The Crew of the Tempest Class Freighter, Tornado, unanimously decided to leave the Androsinian system after hearing the news that the agents of Prefector Collis of Ghambra, Maxil Weltz and Vint Reganus were still after them, bent on revenge.

The Scorpion, carrying their pursuers, was a fast ship but it wasn’t fast enough to outrun a Tempest so as long as they kept going they would continue to increase the distance between them.

So, on the morning after the decision was made everyone started the process of getting the ship ready for a lengthier voyage than had previously been planned.

First of all, Shiyne drove Bagg back into the city to increase the size of his orders several fold, including more cured meat canned fruit and vegetables, in fact a lot more provisions than they would normally stock.

Over a three-day period Pulsat and Vanzyl completed their maintenance routine and serviced the Stroller.

Merri and Malena meanwhile formulated a plan to work their way out of the Androsinian System and managed to secure enough cargo to keep them working for almost two months, culminating in them picking up three pods of Thermalium mineral ore for delivery to Eikon Major.

Everyone else prepped, checked and tested every system and circuit aboard until four days after they got the news about the Ghambran’s they departed Androsin Prime and set off for pastures new.

 

Merionwen Strong, owner and Captain of the Tempest Class Freighter, Tornado, sat in the pilot’s seat and her friend Malena Endia sat beside her as they circumnavigated the Ariadnean worm hole, which was equidistant between the Androsinian system which they had departed from four months earlier, and the populous Eikon system, which was at least a three months journey ahead of them.

It was a long boring journey but a necessary one, their destination was known as the Eikon Cluster, which was due to the high number of M class planets and moons in the Eikon solar system.

Because of that it was a busy and prosperous system and one which would keep them gainfully employed for some time to come.

They had to take the long path as there were no hyperspace routes through that part of the galaxy due to the worm hole, which was an inherently unstable phenomenon, so there was only one option and that was to take the long way around.

But as boring as the journey was, a few days later the crew would have embraced such boredom, rather than the unwelcome excitement and adventure that replaced it.

 

The day began much the same as every other day since they picked up the cargo of Thermalium with the crew going about their duties in the usual routine.

Merri and Malena had done the early watch and after being relieved by the Skeet brothers made their way hastily to the mess room for one of Bagg’s epic breakfasts.

 

They had just finished their satisfying repast as the Tornado was just passing the last planet in the system, Mangium.

Although it was capable of supporting life Mangium was an unpredictable world and because of its proximity to the worm hole it suffered from an unstable orbit and a lot of seismic disturbances, as a result the indigenous peoples had long since relocated to other worlds and the only people remaining on the surface were the outcasts, the lawless and the desperate.   

One of the other hazards crossing that part of space was space debris attracted by the pull of the Black Hole.

The area was also affected by a fluxing magnetic field which could affect communications and navigation so it was necessary to be extra vigilant when traversing that sector of space.

The debris field was a fairly predictable feature and was generally easy to avoid but every now and then a rogue piece of space rock would follow a different trajectory on its way to the same phenomenon.

It was one such random chunk of ancient space detritus that took them by surprise and struck the Tornado on the portside just below one of the jump engines, buckling the skin of the hull, and although the external integrity of the superstructure was maintained the impact caused some internal damage and ruptured a fuel cell which caused an explosion that blew out a bulkhead on the upper deck a few minutes after Merri and Malena had left the mess hall.

“Oh shit” Merri shouted as a tongue of flame ballooned down the corridor towards them.

“In here” Malena said, as the only way for them to escape the fire was to hide in an escape pod and the door closed behind them just in time as fire blackened the window.

“That was close” Merri said

“Very close” Malena agreed   

And then there was a muted explosion and the life pod was jettisoned into space

“That’s not good” Merri exclaimed

“I didn’t launch it” Malena said defensively

“The fire must have melted the control panel and shorted out the circuit” Merri said

“Is the transponder broadcasting?”

“Yes” she replied

“Ok make yourself comfortable, the boys will be here soon to scoop us up” Merri said reassuringly

“I do hope so” Malena[PC1]  said quietly

 

Merri’s reassurance might well have been true had the “boys” been aware that the life pod had launched, they were too busy trying to get the fire under control.

They were approaching the blaze from the flight deck end of the corridor while Pulsat and Vanzyl tackled it from the other.

The rest of the crew were trapped in the mess room and were unable to contribute anything to the firefighting effort.

 

It took an hour before the four of them finally put the fire out and when they had the corridor was full of noxious smoke.

“We need to open the valve to vent the corridor” Zerrad said and Vanzyl became very animated, rapidly clicking and whirling.

“What’s he saying?” Lyris asked and Pulsat turned to face him before he responded

“He say we must vent”

“I just said that” Zerrad said

“No “we” must vent” Pulsat emphasized

 “Oh ok” Lyris retorted

“Valve behind this panel” Pulsat said and pointed “I open”

“No don’t touch it” Lyris shouted “We need to cool it down first”

“I can do hot” he replied

“No, it’s superhot” Zerrad said

“Pulsat Rad can do superhot” he said, “I Prinsloo”

His reply was significant because the Prinsloovian’s were a reptilian race from a searingly hot and arid world so Pulsat opened a panel and reached inside and then turned the nob to open the valve and then there was a hissing sound as the as the noxious fumes were vented into space.

 

While the fire was being dealt with, Merri tried to raise the Tornado on the comms but to no avail.

“We’re getting very close to Mangium” Malena said, “and I don’t think they’re going to get to us in time”

“I think you’re right” she said and began tapping on the control panel on the bulkhead and set the autopilot.

“I’ve set it to full auto, it’ll get us safely into the atmosphere and land us on the surface” Merri said a moment before the rockets fired.

“Here we go, Buckle up”

 

As soon as Pulsat had vented the corridor they turned their attention to the mess room door which locked and sealed when the fire broke out, and because of his tolerance to heat he opened easily.

“Friends ok?” Pulsat asked

“Is everyone alright?” Zerrad asked as he rushed past Pulsat 

“We’re fine” Bagg replied as Lyris followed his brother into the room

“Asti!” 

“I’m ok” she reassured him as she ran towards him and they hugged

“What happened?” Shiyne asked I couldn’t get a reading from anyone.

“We were hit by a large piece of rock” Lyris said “I think your inability to read is due to our proximity to Mangium the fluxing magnetic field is messing with our instruments which is why we didn’t see the rock coming”

While he was talking he looked around the room and then asked

“Where’s Malena and Merri?”

“We thought they were with you” Bagg replied

“No, we haven’t seen them” Zerrad replied “I’ll go and check their quarters”

“We fix mess” Pulsat said and he and Vanzyl went to fix the damage.

“I’ll help them” Parse offered wanting to keep himself occupied, in an effort to stop thinking the worst 

“Good idea” Lyris said just as his brother reappeared

“No sign of them” he panted

“Ok everyone get searching, they may be laying injured somewhere” Lyris said and everyone spread out, just leaving the engineers to their grimy task.

 

Half an hour later everyone was back in the mess room and as each searcher entered they shook their head

“Where the hell are they then?” Lyris asked

“Pod missing, pod missing” Pulsat shouted

“What?” the Skeets responded in unison

“Life pod gone” Pulsat replied

“Ok, that explains it, Shiyne, Asti, with me to the flight deck” Lyris said

“Doc, get to sick bay and get ready, Zerrad and Parse help Pulsat and Vanzyl”  

“What can I do?” Bagg asked

“Do what you do best, cook and pray” he replied

The Tornado Sojourns (2) – Chapter 03 – Unwelcome News

 

For Shiyne and Terrell the time was passing by much too quickly at the cultural centre, amidst the museums and art galleries, enjoying the sculptures and antiquities and they doubted they would get to see all the places that they wanted to.

So, they decided to forgo lunch or refreshments, this was a tough call for Shiyne as she had an enormous appetite for such a small being.

But her appetite for culture and knowledge was even more voracious.

 

By forgoing lunch, they managed to view all the exhibits on their list without having to rush and they were just walking towards the main thoroughfare where they alighted the Hover Tram when they heard a voice

“Terrell is that you?”

And when they turned around a smiling human was facing them.

“It is you” he exclaimed and stepped forward to embrace Terrell

“My dear Zelen” he said, “it’s wonderful to see you again so soon”

The man was Zelen who Terrell considered to be a fellow journeyman and when they both found themselves on Alwi they became very good friends.

After a moment or two Terrell proudly introduced Shiyne to his friend and then there was more embracing before Zelen said

“Do you have time to share a glass?”

“I think we can make time” Terrell replied looking at Shiyne who nodded in agreement, but she was a little uneasy as she was certain that Zelen had something on his mind but she couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

This was not mere intuition on her part 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 work 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.

She was struggling with Zelen because although he looked like a human he was in fact from Kelissa and Kelissan’s were very closely related to humans but had some significant physiological differences.

One of those being that they had two brains, or perhaps more accurately their brains had two halves, much like a human brain, but in the case of Kelissan’s the two hemispheres were unconnected which was why she was unable to get the full picture.

 

The conversation stalled somewhat once they were seated in a crowded bar and it might well have continued to stall had Shiyne not said out of the blue

“Something is troubling you”

 “Yes, I was just wondering how to phrase it without causing offense” he said

“Speak freely we are not easily offended” Terrell said

“Ok then I will begin by saying that it is believed, and you need not confirm nor deny, but it is believed that when the Tornado left Alwi it carried a passenger of Royal blood” he began “bound for Delta 500 and once there the said Royal passenger or for arguments sake let’s say, Princess, took her leave of the Tornado and her crew and was promptly abducted by Ghambran agents”

“That all sounds very feasible” Terrell said while Shiyne continued to scan Zelens complex mind.

“Ok then now allow me to speak in hypothetical terms, firstly let’s say that persons unknown mounted a rescue of the Princess, with great success, and made their escape on a freighter after tricking the kidnappers into following the wrong ship into hyperspace”

“Well that all sounds very exciting” said Terrell “so is there to be a happy ending?”

“That is in… flux at the moment” Zelen said

“How so?”

“Well the Princess was by all accounts betrothed to Prefector Collis of Ghambra” he said

“Was?” retorted Terrell

“Yes, it appears that the Prefector is a very impatient man and although he was very taken with the young Princess, he was not prepared to wait indefinitely and has wed another” he explained

“So, there is to be a happy ending then” Terrell said brightly

“Possibly” Zelen said ominously

“Why?” Terrell asked with suspicion

“It seems that even if the Prefector has moved on his agents have not, and although they no longer seek the Princess, they are hell bent on revenge for the humiliation they endured” he said

“That’s not so good” Terrell said

“Not at all my friend”

“It would be prudent then to keep some distance between the fox and the hounds” Terrell added

“Yes, and if I were the fox I would want to put as much distance between me and them as possible” Zelen said

“It would be useful to know where the hounds are” Terrell said

“Alas I am unable to enlighten you on that matter” he responded and then added

“Well I’m afraid I must take my leave of you”

He and Terrell stood up and embraced

“Take care my friend”

“I will, it’s a big Universe”

“Be safe in it” Zelen added “And look after this beautiful you woman”

“I will” he replied and then Zelen and Shiyne hugged

“Thank you Zelen” she said

 

“So, what do you think?” Terrell asked her once they were outside in the street again

“I think we need to get back to the Stroller”

 

When they got back to the Stroller the others were already aboard Shiyne and Terrell joined them inside and then they gave an almost word for word account of the conversation that past between them.

“That’s not good” Zerrad said

“Not good at all” Malena agreed “let’s gets back to the Tornado and update the others”

“Ok back to the ship it is then” Shiyne said

 

When the Stroller got back to the ship Shiyne reported to Merri and the Captain immediately called a crew meeting in the mess room.

“So good news and bad news” Merri said, “I had hoped we might be ok for a bit longer but apparently not”

“Its great news that they aren’t interested in Asti anymore at least” Lyris said “But it would have been useful to know where the Ghambran’s are exactly”

“Zelen didn’t know that” Terrell said

“He didn’t exactly say that the Ghambran’s had lost interest in me” Asti pointed out “He just said that the Prefector had found another wife”

“But you have no value to them now” Lyris said

“They could still take me back to Gouveia so my grandfather can offer me to someone else in marriage” Asti said

“It won’t come to that” Merri said

“It sounds as if they aren’t going to give up looking for us though” Zerrad added

“What do you think Bagg?” Merri asked

“I have no problem in believing the Maxil Weltz and Vint Reganus would feel sufficiently humiliated to want to hunt us all down” he replied, “However I have two doubts, the first one is that Prefector Collis will give them unlimited time to indulge their revenge, and second that they are close enough to us to pose anywhere near an immediate threat”

“But you don’t think we are safe?” Shiyne said already knowing his answer 

“Not entirely” he replied, “So I think it would be prudent to move on to pastures new and maintain the distance between us until they are finally recalled to Ghambra”

There was silence for a few minutes before Malena broke it

“So where do we go?”

But there was only silence in response until clicks and whirls began to emanate from Vanzyl which were clearly directed at Pulsat

“Ok I speak” he said and more clicks and whirls followed

“I telling, I telling” Pulsat retorted and to the assemble group he explained

“Vanzyl say Eikon cluster”

Then more clicks

“He say, plenty planets, plenty people, plenty ships, plenty cargo”

“Eikon cluster” Parse mused

“That’s not a bad shout” Merri said

“Hiding in plain sight” Bagg added

“Well done Vanzyl”

“Yes, well done” Merri said and Vanzyl uttered a soft whistle like a plaintive flute, then he looked at his friend and whistled again

“Head very big now” Pulsat said and snorted