by G J Ogden
“He says his name is Marshal Masterson.”
Chapter 17
You can’t outrun justice
Sterling reached the docking area of the research station and found Marshal Masterson senior already waiting for him. There was a shuttlecraft docked at one of the ports adjacent to the Invictus and through the viewing gallery windows, five aged warships loomed outside. The lawman himself was also flanked by a dozen other men, some of whom Sterling could see were his deputies. However, at least half of the men did not wear the silver star on their jackets, which suggested they were guns for hire.
“Well, well, it seems you’ve been in the wars, Captain,” said Masterson, smiling at Sterling.
Sterling caught a reflection of himself in a window and he realized he made for a sorry sight. His uniform was dirtied with grime and his face bore the tell-tales cuts and bruises of a recent fight.
“I’ve been in a war nearly my whole damned life, Marshal,” Sterling hit back. “In case you’ve missed the news, the Sa’Nerra are winning.”
“Like I give a damn about Earth,” Masterson replied, shrugging. “My only war is with you Captain, and it’s a war I plan on winning.”
The open threat prompted Lieutenant Shade to aim her weapon at the Marshal. The dozen other men behind the lawman then brandished their weapons too, followed soon after by Shade’s remaining commandoes. It was a classic Mexican standoff.
“Easy there, Captain,” said the Marshal, holding up his hands in an attempt to calm the situation down. “We could very easily end this in a shootout right now, and likely neither of us would survive. But I have the guns of five warships trained on your vessel. If they don’t hear from me then your precious little ship gets annihilated.”
“Your archaic taskforce is no match for the Invictus,” Sterling hit back, though in truth he knew he was outgunned.
“Come now, Captain, let’s not play games,” the Marshal replied, smiling again. “Your ship might survive long enough to disable two or at best three of my ships, but we both know it can’t best five, not without being crippled or destroyed itself.”
“How the hell did you find us, anyway?” Sterling said. He was already bored of their posturing.
“You didn’t think I’d let you escape judgement for your crimes, did you?” Masterson replied. “I’ve been tracking your movements these past few weeks and months and setting up aperture relays in case you showed up. It’s cost me every penny I had, but now I see it was money well spent.” Masterson then looked around the docking area of the research station and turned up his nose. “Though I honestly didn’t expect I'd finally corner you here, of all places.”
Just at that moment, James Colicos strolled into the docking section. He was peering down at a personal data assistant in his hand and hadn’t noticed the standoff in the room.
“This is really rather fascinating,” Colicos began, still oblivious to the group of armed men and women. “It appears that your Lieutenant Razor was on to something with the idea of a firewall. I believe I can easily refine her technique to assist with her injury, in addition to…” Colicos finally looked up and saw Marshal Masterson and the group of armed men. The scientist glanced across to Sterling and the others, mouth hanging open.
“James Colicos?” the Marshal said, squinting at the scientist as if he were a hundred meters further away than he was. “Last I heard you were dead.”
“Yes, I get that a lot,” replied Colicos, dryly.
Colicos then seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation, though Sterling noted that the man also appeared strangely unafraid.
“Oh, thank you for coming to rescue me, Marshal,” Colicos began, lowering the PDA to his side and hustling toward the lawman. Sterling tutted and shook his head, realizing that Colicos was trying to twist the sudden development to his advantage.
“Hold it right there,” barked one of the deputies, training his firearm on Colicos instead of the commandoes. The scientist stopped sharply, glancing nervously at the weapon before shooting Masterson a saccharine smile.
“I trust that you will punish Captain Sterling to the fullest extent of the law for abducting me,” Colicos added, making a show of sounding desperate and wounded.
The Marshal frowned. “I’m not here for you, Colicos,” the lawman said. “But since you’re wanted for the kidnap and murder of a dozen colonists, I’ll take you in too.”
Masterson then nodded to one of his deputies who swept forward and grabbed Colicos by the arm. The scientist dropped the PDA and tried to fight off the deputies, but his struggles were weak and ineffective.
“I need him, Marshal,” Sterling said, advancing into the center of the room. The weapons of the deputies then swung back to cover him. “Colicos’ work is vital to the war.”
“Your war, Captain,” Masterson hit back. “And I don’t give a damn about his work, either. He’ll face judgement, just the same as you.”
Colicos continued to protest until one of the deputies clocked him over the back of the head with the barrel of his pistol. The scientist fell limp in the deputy’s arms.
Sterling cursed. He was backed into a corner with no way out. The Marshal was right that the Invictus couldn’t take out all five of his ships, certainly not when the enemy vessels already had their weapons locked and ready to fire. And if they started shooting, the chances were that none of them would make it out of the docking area alive.
“So what happens now, Marshal?” said Sterling, taking the lawman’s earlier advice and cutting to the chase. “We could kill each other right now or cut a deal. I don’t have time to indulge your personal vendetta.”
Marshal Masterson tutted and wagged a finger at Sterling. “Not a vendetta, Captain. Justice,” the lawman replied. “You can only outrun justice for so long before it catches up with you, as it has done now.”
Sterling huffed a laugh and shook his head. “I thought you said not to play games, Marshal,” he hit back. “At least half of those ships out there along with the men behind you aren’t Marshals or deputies. They’re mercenaries, and since when do Void Pirates dispense justice?”
“Since you killed my other deputies and also tried to kill me,” Masterson hit back, his tone becoming bitter and resentful. “Needs must, Captain. Justice must be served.”
“And who exactly are you dispensing judgment on behalf of, Marshal?” Sterling continued. “The Sa’Nerra have likely wiped out Oasis Colony by now. The other colonies will be next.” Sterling threw his hands out wide in despair. “And all because of one man’s petty need for revenge.”
“Enough!” snapped Masterson, the sudden sharpness of his tone causing the deputies and mercenaries to grip their weapons more tightly. The room was a powder keg waiting to explode. “You will face my judgement, Captain, and you will face it now. The only choice you have is to accept my justice willingly and spare the rest of your crew, or have them die alongside you.”
Sterling sighed. He didn’t believe for one second that Masterson would let the rest of his crew live. The lawman would know, just as he did, that if left alive, Banks would take the Invictus and hunt the Marshal and his deputies down to the last man. From several bad options, Sterling realized he was only truly left with one. They all had to fight and take their chances.
“Fine,” Sterling said, taking a step back so that he was alongside his first officer. Sterling then met Banks’ eyes and communicated his intentions with a simple look. No words were required, either verbal or through a neural link. His first officer’s hand then tightened around the grip of her pistol. When cornered, every creature acted on instinct, Sterling realized. And the instinct of an Omega officer was to fight and win at any cost. “Here is my choice, Marshal,” Sterling said, turning back to the lawman. Then, as his muscles twitched, ready to draw his pistol and shoot Masterson, the station was rocked by a powerful explosion. Sterling and the others were thrown off balance and the room was bathed in an intense orange glow. Shielding his eyes against the glare, S
terling saw that one of the Marshal’s ships had exploded in space.
“What the hell?!” the Marshal cried, raising a communicator to his wrist.
A ship roared overhead, providing Sterling with the answer to the question Masterson was about to ask his crew. It wasn’t Invictus that had destroyed the mercenary vessel, but something just as dangerous. MAUL then turned and swopped back toward the docking area, annihilating a second mercenary ship. The Sa’Nerran heavy destroyer then unleashed a flurry of blasts at the Invictus, striking the Marauder cleanly on the aft section. Sterling had no way to know the extent of the damage, but he knew his ship wouldn’t be able to withstand a close-range assault from MAUL for long.
“Get back to the ship!” Sterling cried, opening fire at the group of lawmen and mercenaries, all of whom had been distracted by MAUL’s sudden attack.
Banks and Shade also opened fire and moments later, plasma was flashing back in their direction. A commando was hit and went down, but Sterling’s crew were more disciplined and maintained their composure, while the Marshal’s deputies and hired-guns fled in panic.
“Come back, you cowards!” Masterson cried, as the lawman backed toward his shuttle. The Marshal was holding Colicos in front of him and using the scientist as a shield. “Stop running and fight!”
“We have to get Colicos back,” Sterling called out to Lieutenant Shade. “We can’t do anything without him.”
His weapons officer nodded and tried to advance, but a volley of bullets slammed into her armor and forced her back. Shade gritted her teeth and forced herself up, ready to try again when another explosion shook the docking area, knocking everyone to the deck.
“Fight them you cowards!” Masterson yelled, retreating inside his docking port, still with his weapon pressed to Colicos’ neck.
The deputies rallied and began to fight back, killing another commando. Sterling cursed and returned fire, blasting the shoulder of one the deputies and severing the man’s arm. Outside, the three remaining mercenary and Void Marshal vessels were taking the fight back to MAUL. Sterling knew it would buy some time, but not much. MAUL would make short work of the older vessels before training its guns on the Invictus.
“Everyone, get back to the ship,” Sterling said, slapping Banks on the shoulder.
“What about Colicos?” Banks said while continuing to lay down suppressing fire.
“If Masterson gets away then we follow,” Sterling called back, blasting a hole in another deputy’s gut. “If not, we improvise.”
Banks, Shade and Sterling moved inside the umbilical, while the remaining commandoes used their ‘Homewrecker’ heavy plasma rifles to drive the deputies and mercs back. Suddenly, Sterling realized that Keller wasn’t with them. He looked around the docking section for his ensign then spotted him, crouched behind cover in the center of the room. Sterling cursed and tapped his neural interface.
“Ensign, get back here, now!” Sterling called out in his mind.
“Sir, the PDA!” Keller replied through the link.
Sterling then saw the data device that Colicos had been holding when he’d entered the room. It was barely a couple of meters in front of his ensign, but there was no way he could reach it without putting himself directly in the line of fire.
“Keller, leave it and get back here, that’s an order, damn it!” Sterling called out. However, Keller had already made his move.
Sterling was helpless as he watched Keller dart out and grab the PDA. Spinning on his heels, the helmsman then sprinted toward Sterling and the others. Come on, you can make it! Sterling thought, willing his ensign on. Then he saw Marshal Masterson raise his pistol.
“Ensign, get down!” Sterling called out, but the flash of plasma had already left the barrel of the lawman’s weapon. The top of Keller’s head was blown off, splattering the deck with scorched bone and brains.
“No!” Sterling yelled, pounding his fist against the metal wall of the docking port.
The PDA flew through air and skidded to a stop at Sterling’s feet, but in the heat of the moment, he no longer cared about the device or the secrets it contained. He marched out into view and opened fire at Masterson’s forces, killing three deputies before they’d even seen him coming. Sterling then focused his fire onto Masterson, clipping the lawman’s shoulder. The Marshal roared with pain, ducked out of sight and was gone.
“Captain, we have to go,” Banks cried, grabbing Sterling’s arm to make sure he didn’t continue his frenzied assault. Sterling tried to shake her off, but Banks’ grip was literally irresistible. “Lucas, now!” Banks cried again, dragging Sterling back into cover. “MAUL is coming, we have to go!”
Sterling cursed and thumped the wall with his fist another three times in an attempt to release his aggression and regain his focus. Then he grabbed the PDA at his feet and ran inside the Invictus with Banks still at his side, tapping his neural interface as he went.
“Get us out of here, Commander,” he called out to his doctor and temporary bridge commander.
The docking hatch slammed shut and moments later the Invictus detached and spun away from the station. Through the docking bay windows, Sterling could see MAUL pressing its attack on Masterson’s vessels. There was another explosion and a fierce orange glow as the fourth of five aged warships was destroyed. Then MAUL turned its guns on the Invictus.
“Graves, maximum acceleration, now!” Sterling called out through the link, but he could see it was too late. MAUL had them dead to rights.
Sensing an opportunity to escape, the last of Masterson’s ships tried to turn and run. The old gen-one frigate’s engines ignited and it accelerated directly in front of MAUL at the instant the Sa’Nerran heavy destroyer opened fire. The older vessel was obliterated, but MAUL was too close to evade the burning wreckage. The alien vessel ploughed through the debris, which struck it like a dozen wrecking balls all at once. MAUL spun out of control and its engines flashed out.
“Captain, MAUL has been disabled,” he heard Commander Graves call out over the link. “What is our destination?”
Sterling looked over to the station and saw Marshal Masterson’s shuttlecraft blasting hard toward the aperture.
“Pursue that shuttle, Commander,” Sterling said, slumping down against the docking hatch. All he could think of was Keller’s head exploding and Marshal Masterson’s face as the lawman pulled the trigger. “I don’t care if it flies into the heart of the Sa’Nerran empire. Wherever that ship goes, you follow.”
Chapter 18
In pursuit of revenge
The flames that had engulfed the viewscreen suddenly cleared as the Invictus pierced the atmosphere of Oasis Colony. Save for the sound of Sterling’s finger tapping on the side of his console, the bridge was silent. It had remained that way for the majority of the journey from Far Deep Nine to the planet that Marshal Masterson’s shuttle had escaped to. Commander Banks had temporarily taken over the helm control station. It was strange not to see her at his side, Sterling mused, but it was even stranger not to see Ensign Keller at his post at the front of the bridge. He was as much as fixture as the viewscreen itself. Now he was just dead meat.
Sterling knew he was a cold-hearted bastard - it came with the territory – but Keller’s death had hit him hard. Not that he’d shown it. No-one on the ship had shed a tear over the ensign’s death, and Sterling knew that no-one would. His crew would deal with Keller’s loss in their own ways, in the privacy of their quarters and their own thoughts. In contrast, Sterling’s way of dealing with Keller’s death was going to be very public. He was going to tear Marshal Masterson apart with his bare hands. He was going to make sure the so-called lawman understood the consequences of killing one of his officers. Despite all the talk of justice, Masterson merely wanted to avenge the death of his son. Sterling would make the lawman truly understand the nature of vengeance.
“We’re receiving a communication request,” announced Lieutenant Shade. She had assumed the monitoring of comms channels while Banks
was at the helm. “It’s from the Bismarck.”
Sterling was wondering when the former Fleet Lieutenant would contact him. Christopher Fletcher’s ship had shown up on the scanners immediately after the Invictus had surged into the system. The Bismarck was the reason that the Sa’Nerra were no longer at Oasis Colony – Fletcher had surged in and cleaned house. However, he hadn’t done it alone. Accompanying Fletcher’s modified gen-one destroyer, were the twelve other mutineer ships plus another fifty more. The new additions were all a hodge-podge mixture of Fleet and Sa’Nerran warships salvaged from battles fought decades ago. Lieutenant Razor had detected residual surge energy that suggested an even greater number had originally been present for the battle. However, regardless of the exact strength of Fletcher’s forces, it was clear it had been enough. Dozens of Sa’Nerra warships now littered the orbit of Oasis Colony, and an operation had already begun to reclaim the salvageable vessels to add them to Fletcher’s already powerful fleet.
“Put Fletcher through, Lieutenant,” said Sterling, glancing over to his weapon’s officer. He wasn’t in the mood for a conversation with anyone, but he was intrigued to hear what the old veteran had to say.
“Captain Sterling! I must admit I’m surprised to see you back at Oasis Colony,” Fletcher began, jovially. Sterling couldn’t help but smile. It made a nice change to receive a message from someone who wasn’t trying to kill him. “The last report we received said the Sa’Nerra had taken G-sector and cut Fleet off from the Void.”
The former fleet officer appeared in good spirits, displaying the confidence and buoyancy of a man who had just been victorious in battle. Sterling knew the feeling well, though at that moment he couldn’t recall it. He felt only a numb sense of pain, like a nagging headache that wouldn’t go away.