Exiles

by Richard Alonzo

  Chapter 1 Rescued

  "Captain on the deck" barked the blue skinned Hyneari guarding the bridge, as the doors closed behind Ford.

  Carol was the only senior officer on duty. The rest of the bridge crew being drawn from the recruits they'd picked up from the captives on the Amastra and Raider base.

  "Status."

  "Three, make that four contacts inbound." said the young Talmari female manning the sensors, in a low, guttural, purring sort of voice, typical of her species.

  "Hostile?"

  "Negative, three Vesperon fighters in pursuit of a Malstrom courier ship. They're ignoring us."

  "We're being hailed by the courier ship, it's an SOS." added Carol.

  "On screen."

  A distorted, fuzzy, holographic projection of the courier ship pilot appeared above them. Female, roughly the same age as Ford ,wearing a red jumpsuit and white helmet. He felt the blood drain slowly from his face as he stared at her. Even with her face partially obscured by a helmet, on a grainy projection, he'd recognise her anywhere. She was the same woman he'd seen die in his arms, a quarter of a century ago, older, but instantly recognisable. The same soft blue eyes, brown hair, finely chiselled cheek bones, and delicately sculptured features.

  "Mayday. Mayday. Themis, I require your assistance."

  He took a deep breath and shivered as if someone had just walked over a grave, even her voice was as crisp and melodic as he remembered it.

  "I'm under attack, life support failing, please assist. Repeat, please assist."

  Sparks hissed and spat from a control panel in the rear of the cockpit as she spoke. The craft jinked wildly to try and avoid being caught in the cross fire of the pursuing fighters. He watched the communications feed flicker and fade out.

  Carol stared at him dumbfounded. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

  "Maybe that because I just have." he whispered softly.

  "She taken another hit, her systems are failing. A couple more like that and they'll have her."

  The young Talmari at the sensor station snapped him back to the present. He turned to the man on the weapons station. "Target the Vesperon fighters, save that ship."

  "Aye, aye, sir, weapons free, engaging the enemy."

  The fighters were so singled minded in their pursuit of their target, they didn't see the incoming fire from the Themis, until it was too late. They lit up the cold dark void of space, with a multicoloured firework display, as they were shredded by Logan's gunnery teams manning the rail guns.

  "Two fighters destroyed, the third is breaking away."

  "Ceasefire and nice shooting. Tell Logan to give his gunnery teams my thanks." said Ford the colour slowly returning to his cheeks.

  "Logan says thanks, but his people can still take third."

  "Negative. I have a feeling we're being set up. So we'll play along for now, let him report the outcome of the mission back to his superiors. My guess is he'll wish he hadn't survived by the time they're done with him." he turned to the young Talmari on the sensor station. "What's the courier ships status....".

  The young officer bowed slightly. "Janiali at your service captain, but I suggest you focus on rescuing the pilot, if that is your intention. Her life support is minimal and failing."

  Ford nodded. "Thank you Janiali." he turned to Carol. "Who's on stand-by?"

  "Jay."

  "Good, tell him to launch the Jay Bird and escort her in."

  "The remaining fighter is holding station just outside our weapons range." added Janiali.

  "As I suspected." said Ford a wry smile crossing his face. "He's holding station to confirm delivery of the package before he jumps. Guess we'd best not keep him waiting then." he turned back to Carol. "Clear the secondary hangar deck, full security lock-down. Tell Bryson to meet me there with a fully loaded security detail in five. You have the bridge."

  "Are you going to tell me who she is and what the hell is going on?"

  "Don't worry, when I have the answers, you'll be the first to know." he shouted over his shoulder as the bridge doors closed behind him.

  "Jay did you get that? Escort her into the secondary hanger deck and return to your station."

  "Acknowledged Themis, looks like things are finally starting to get back to 'normal'. It's been way too quiet around here of late."

  "Whoa there, down boy. You'd best be careful what you'd wish for, especially when it involves the boss, thought you'd have learnt that by now and keep an eyeball on that Vesperon fighter, just in case."

  "Roger that, I'm bringing our mystery guest in, Jay Bird out."

  Carol let out a soft sigh, Jay was right about one thing, it had been too quiet. They needed a mission, a new sense of purpose, or at least a destination after the treaties had been signed. That was what the senior staff meeting was supposed to decide. Although it looked as if their hand had been forced by the arrival of this mysterious stranger. She didn't know who she was, but it was clear from the look on Ford's face, when he saw her, she had some sort of hold over him. It didn't look like a good one either, judging by his reaction.

  "Damn it!" she thought. "He owes us, owes Anna. We have unfinished business to resolve. We need to take care of our own, before running off on a whim, because of some ghost from his past." she notice Janiali eyeing her curiously and realised she had her fists clenched. Slowly she released them. "Keep an eye on them Janiali, just in case our Vesperon friend tries to do something stupid."

  Janiali nodded. "He's holding station, watching. Jay is bringing the courier into range of the docking web. I'm engaging it, now. We've got her. She'll be in the hanger in a minute or two. The Vesperon ship is opening an wormhole and Jay is breaking off to engage?"

  "Jay this is Carol, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled, as Jay loosed off a short salvo from his cannon, narrowly missing the Vesperon ship.

  "He's jumping." confirmed Janiali as the craft winked out of normal space into hyperspace.

  "Just giving him a parting shot, to remember us by." laughed Jay as he came around to return to his station.

  "Fool. If Ford finds out he'll ground you and throw you in the brig for a month."

  "Going to tell him then?"

  "Pull a stunt like that again and I won't have to, I'll put you in there myself. We're a crew with a chain of command and you follow it no matter what from now on, understood?" she couldn't help feeling that was a statement she might come to regret one day.