by Frank Carey
"Harm?" Ciara asked with growing panic.
"Wait for it," he said.
All the screens lit up with the Elven Industries Ltd logo.
"Gloria suggested I do more marketing," he said as the crowd, especially his children, cheered.
Two hours later, they had their answer.
"Got it," one of the techs said. He walked over and handed Ciara a printout.
"Where are they going?" Harm asked as he peered-over Ciara's shoulder.
"Outside League space, starboard of core ward, just above the ecliptic, nice place to hide things."
"Kids, get your..."
"Whoa, tall, tan, and pointed of ear," Ciara said. "You're not doing this alone with a bunch of teenagers, albeit talented teenagers. You're taking Team One and your sister."
"No, not Losi. We're talking about a sociopath who dislikes me. I will not take her anywhere near that thing."
"Lucien, I'm going with you," Losira said as she walked into the room, causing the techs to stop what they were doing and bow in respect. Losira returned the bow. "I don't want to pull rank, but I will if I need to."
"Was our mother like this?"
"Worse. She had no qualms about sending in warships."
"Fine. Ciara, are you coming along as well?"
"No, I'll follow along after I touch base with Earth. This concerns them as well. I also need to contact OffSec and find out what they know about Atmar. I don't like things rising from the dead, present company excepted."
"Funny. Where are Royce and his crew?"
"Aboard the Mariposa. We're waiting on you," Losira replied
"Kids, grab your gear. Ciara, wish us luck."
"Good luck to all of you. I'll have a warship on standby outside the Ith system in case you need help."
Harm and his family headed out of the control room, their thoughts focused on saving his two kids from the monster who once was him.
###
Team One, Losira, and the kids sat in the Mariposa's lounge swapping stories, and telling tales while drinking tea and munching on a batch of fresh baked scones. While their minds kept busy not thinking about Shenda and Aerith, Harm was making calls.
"Computer, connect me with Muricell, please."
"Working..."
An image of a big, brown eye filled the pilot-side communications viewer. "Who dares to seek audience with Muricell the Merciless?"
"Muricell, it's Harmon. How's it hanging, dude?"
The camera pulled back to reveal a Storen on a couch, and not just any Storen, an honest to the gods brindle-furred mountain Storen. "Harmon my friend! How good it is to hear from you. Are you coming for a visit?"
"Not on this trip, buddy. Got a favor to ask of you, though."
"Only if you tell me the name of the angel standing behind you."
Harm turned around and saw Zon and the rest of his passengers standing behind him. She pointed to herself, "Me, sire?"
"Yes, Angel from the Five Heavens, you."
"Master Sergeant Kalana Zon, daughter of Nastase, sire."
"You are as beautiful as the mountains of the home world. Harmon, tell me, what do you need?"
"I’m sending you pictures of two females and one male. The females are my daughters, Aerith and Shenda, while the male is an elf synth by the name of Atmar."
Muricell’s gaze shifted instantly to Harmon. "I thought Atmar dead. So the rascal found a way to return to this plane of existence?"
"I'm not so sure he ever left. I think he had help. Old friend, could you ask around and see if anyone saw these three in the last twenty-four hours? I'm trying to track them."
"You sound worried. Is the situation grave?"
"Maybe. Look, Atmar is bad news. I suggest your people give him a wide birth."
"Copy that. I shall put out the word."
"Thanks," Harm said as he typed something on the keyboard. "I just rerouted a shipment of Markesh's finest rutabagas to your home. I hope they meet your exacting standards."
"You are a prince among elves. I will call you directly when I hear something." He then said something Storen. Zon replied in the same tongue, then reached over Harm and typed something into the keyboard. One could swear Muricell's eyes lit up when her message appeared on his terminal. He winked at Zon as he reached over and killed the connection from his end.
"Master Sergeant, what the hell was that all about?" Royce asked.
"He's cute. I gave him my number," she said, with a wink.
"Wow," Torren said.
Royce shook his head, then turned back to Harm. "Is there anyone or anything you don't know?"
"I worked for him as a contractor of sorts during my time as Ciara's double-agent. Muricell is one smooth operator," he said, with a glance in Zon's direction. "Though I think he may have just been out-smoothed."
"We only hire the best," Losira said. "Why contact this guy when we already know where Atmar is going?"
"Fuel. I got a look at Atmar's ship and it drinks fuel like a wedding-crasher at an open bar. Atmar has an eight-hour head start on us, but I think a lot of that will get eaten up with refueling stops. If I can predict where his next stop is, I may be able to intercept him before he gets to his destination."
"Assuming Atmar and his guests are seen by someone," Royce reminded him.
"Ah, do not scoff at the observational powers of the smuggler cadre. We miss nothing."
"Well, let us hope Muricell comes through," Marta said. "What's our ETA to the coordinates?"
"Four hours at present course and speed."
"Team One," Royce ordered. "Weapons and equipment check in two hours. By the book, people!"
Royce and Marta made their way to the cargo hold to prepare for their mission, while Harmon, Losira, and the elflings watched.
"Isn't he dreamy?" Losira said.
"Not as dreamy as Marta, but he'll do," Harm replied.
She cuffed him.
Chapter Ten
The cabin lurched as the battle shuttle landed on something uneven. Once the rocking stopped, the cabin door opened followed by Atmar and two different guards.
"Can't you make up your mind?" Shenda asked, while waving a finger at the two escorts.
"I'm sorry, but they all look alike to me. Ladies, we have landed on Pentecost. I was hoping you would join me in a stroll."
"Sure!" Shenda replied instantly.
"Hold on, Little Sister," Aerith said as she slowly got out of her seat. "Atmar, excuse me, Loki, what happens if we try to escape?"
"I'll have my men shoot you. Shenda does have three more siblings I can use for my task."
"Fine, I'll behave," Shenda replied as she got out of her chair and stood next to Aerith. "Can we get cookies?"
He looked skyward for solace. "Come along before I regret this more than I already do."
The two elflings crinkled the corners of their eyes and smiled, as the synth and his guards led them out of the cabin.
###
"Visit here often?" Aerith asked as the group walked down the grimy, dimly lit corridor that led from the building entrance to their destination. Behind her and Shenda, a pair of particularly burly individuals guarded their six.
"Several times, why?" Atmar replied as he glanced around.
"You seem nervous."
"The clientele know me from before I separated from you father. I did not part company with them on the best of terms."
"You pissed them off and left it to Dad to clean up the mess," Shenda noted.
"I thought that was what I just said."
"You are truly a piece of work," Aerith said.
They entered what looked like a bar. Inside were several dozen patrons, members of most of the League species and a few not. All conversation stopped as Atmar walked up to the bar. Behind it stood a tall, brindle-furred, Storen women. "Atmar? I heard you bought it at the working end of a pulse-blast rifle.”
"Rinna! How's Muricell doing? Has his fur grown back yet where I shot him?"
; "My brother is doing fine. He'll be so happy when I deliver your head in a box."
Shenda giggled.
"What's so damn funny, elfling?" one of the burly ones hissed before Atmar could wave him off.
"I thought it was just us who hated Atmar, I mean Loki."
"Guess not," Aerith added.
Rinna smirked. "What can we do for you and your guests, Atmar?"
The synth reached into a pocket and pulled out a small leather bag. He emptied the contents out on the table.
Rinna gasped as jewels and coins made from precious metals poured forth on the worn bar top. "I think this should cover my tab."
"And then some. Is that all you wanted? Cover a fifteen year-old bar tab?" she asked as he placed the treasure back in the bag and handed it to her.
"Not quite. There is a group of people looking for me and the ladies here."
The guards poked the girls with their weapons.
"I want you to contact me if they happen to show up."
"Not a problem. How will I know if it's them?"
"Their leader is my identical twin, or is it the other way around? He'll be with a team of elf Marines and Losira, the Queen of Ventos Prime."
Several of the patrons drinking at the bar spewed their drinks in a fit of choking.
"Are you kidding me?" Rinna exclaimed. "Look I don't want any trouble, especially with elf Royalty. Your people can get a little testy when your Queen is threatened."
"Did I ask you to threaten them? No, I just want you to call me using this communicator," he explained as he withdrew a bright green device from his pocket. "Just press the button and the comm will do the rest."
"Well, I guess so. What if they ask questions?"
"Tell them everything. Hold nothing back except about calling me. That'll be just between the two of us."
"When did you get so calm?"
"When I had a big tumor removed. Now, I must be off. Are you sure that's enough?" he asked, nodding toward the pouch."
"More than enough. Have a good trip."
With his entourage in tow, Atmar walked out the way he had come in.
The moment Atmar was gone, Rinna grabbed a scanpad from under the bar and used it to examine the pouch. Seeing it was legit, she used a thumbprint to open the safe behind the bar. After throwing the pouch inside and sealing the door, she brought up the scan recording taken while Atmar and his crew were standing near the bar. That's when she saw the guns shoved in the girl's ribs.
"This is not good," she muttered as she pulled recordings from the bar's video surveillance cameras and ran them against the League database using her custom facial recognition software.
"Shit, shit, shit," she said loudly as the identities of the two women were revealed. "Computer, emergency call, my brother, Muricell."
A moment later, the system found him. "Rinna, what's up?" he asked as his image cleared on the screen.
"Atmar just left here with two daughters of the Prince of Ventos Prime! Muri, I'm scared."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. Back up and tell me exactly what happened.
She explained while sending him the scan data and security videos. "Am I in trouble?"
"Far from it. Let me make a call and get back with you. And don't worry, you're fine."
"Thanks, you're the best."
###
Back at the battle shuttle, there was no less turmoil.
"Let me go, you big ape," Shenda yelled as she wrestled to break free from her captor's grip. "Atmar! How dare you put a hit on my father! Let me free, and I will show you the meaning of pain!" She broke free and charged Atmar, swinging her tail around so the point was pressing against the bottom of his chin. "Free us and you live!" She stopped when she heard the whine of blasters powering-up. She looked and saw two guards had forced Aerith to a kneeling position while a third held a pistol to her head.
"Go ahead, elfling, pith me like an amphibian in a science lab. This body is tied directly to a hamster ball in the Medical Bay. I will be out of this body and into a new one before my employee sends your sister to the great beyond. Now, back-off!"
Shenda growled, but she did as instructed. Moments later, she and Aerith found themselves back in their room with the door locked securely behind them.
Chapter Eleven
Two hours later, the radio chimed with an incoming call. Harm looked over in the lounge and saw Losira reading while the kids slept, so he put on a headset. "Go for Harmon... Rinna? Your sister? Cool. Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Damn. Okay... Not a problem... Definitely... Look, I'll take care of everything from this end. I'm not going to Pentecost. I know where Atmar's heading. I'll meet him there, which takes Rinna off the hook. Yes, I'll stop by after I finish ringing Atmar's neck. Great. Harmon out."
"What's up?" Royce asked as he and Marta sat down in the copilot's and engineer's seats.
"That was Muricell. His sister has a cantina on Pentecost and she just finished talking to Atmar. He had the girls with him and he wants her to call him if I show up."
"Are we going to Pentecost?" Christa asked with a yawn.
"Nope," Harm said as his daughter grabbed his coffee and took a swig while seated on the arm of his seat. He flipped some switches and adjusted a few knobs. "I've adjusted course to get us to the Ith system before he arrives. It'll give us a chance to scope things out."
"What was all the rest about?" Losira asked as she joined the group. "I was listening from the lounge area."
"Rinna, Muri's sister, got herself in a bind with some low-life loan sharks. I offered to help out," Harm said, while rapid-fire typing commands into the console. "There. I've anonymously paid off the debt, gave the sharks a small bonus in return for them not bothering Rinna again, and I've made a small investment in her cantina through one of the Elven Industries, Ltd., shell companies. Now, wait for it..."
The comm rang. Smiling, Harm answered it, "Go for Harmon."
"You crazy elf," Muricell yelled. "You didn't have to do all that. Rinna’s going nuts!"
"Hey, you help the Smuggler Elf, the Smuggler Elf helps you." He looked over at Zon. "By the way, don't you have a call to make?"
"A call... Oh shit!"
Harm switched the feed over to the lounge set. They heard it ring, then, "Go for Zon..." Harm disconnected, then leaned over and kissed his wife.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"Just felt like it."
They continued on their way to Ith.
###
While his passengers prepared, Harm finished the pre-deceleration checklists before taking the Mariposa from other-space into real-space. He switched to the intercom and thumbed the mic switch. "Real-space in thirty seconds. All scans show clear. I'll launch probes the moment we're back to our dimension." He released the button, then watched the timer. At "zero," he deactivated the FTL drive, dropping the Mariposa into real-space. Once the transition was complete, he launched four stealth probes which disappeared the moment they left their cradles. They were programmed to find any sign of the storage facility within the radial coordinates taken by Atmar's ship, coordinates which put the facility along the orbit of the system’s seventh planet.
Harm had just launched the probes when proximity alarms sounded. Harm ran short-range scans and saw three large warships materialize around the ship. "We've got company..." More alarms sounded before he could finish. On the scope, two angry red dots appeared on a collision course with the Mariposa. Reflexively, Harm reached up and pulled a red lever above his head.
"Abandon ship, all hands abandon ship," sounded as klaxons wailed and strobes flashed. Outside, covers blew-off the starboard and portside ejection ports, revealing two red and white six-passenger ejection pods.
"Lucien..." Losira yelled.
"Go, get aboard the pods. I'll be right behind you."
Losira nodded as she and the others jumped into the pods, as Harm watched the load status lights on the control panel. When he saw everyone was aboard and strapped in, he ejected both pods while
applying full power to the engines. He then pressed two buttons on the panel, opening both port and starboard plasma vent covers.
"Harmon, you moron! What the hell are you doing?" Marta screamed over the radio. "You're still aboard that damn ship!"
"Marta, listen carefully. Someone just locked two Daisy May ship-to-ship missiles onto the Mariposa. I've opened the plasma ports to make myself a bigger target. They'll follow me instead of locking on the pods or those warships."
"Daisy Mays..." Marta said, stunned. A Daisy May missile was the largest ship-to-ship missile ever made. Since being decommissioned twenty years ago, the remaining ones have been used to demolish large asteroids and moons.
"Yeah. I think my doppelganger wants me real dead, and he doesn't give a plark who he kills in the process. I love you. Save the kids," he said as he killed the connection.
"Warning. Missile lock. Missile lock," The computer said, indicating both missiles were trying to kill him.
He pressed a button, tilting the seat backwards as a throttle and joystick rose from the arm rests. Meanwhile, a six-point harness emerged from the seat back and connected around him. Finally, a helmet with heads-up display rotated over the seatback and lowered over his head.
"Computer, activate counter-measures. Shields to full power. Engines to one-hundred ten percent. Distance from warships?"
"We are at defensive mode ultimate. Warships at one light-second distance."
"Time to minimum safe distance from warships for detonation of both missiles?"
"One minute."
"Time to interception?"
"Fifty-eight seconds."
"Damn, two seconds short. Have the warships picked-up the pods?"
"Affirmative."
"Any sign of the ship that launched missiles?" Harm asked.
"Negative."
"Warn the warships to put as much distance between them and us as possible."
"Transmitting. Message acknowledged. They are moving off... One moment. Ship materializing in warship’s path. Hostile is a Questor-class corvette. IFF has been disabled."
"Questors haven't been used in thirty years. It must be a surplus job," Harm muttered.
"Corvette is firing on warships. Warships are returning fire. Proximity warning. Ship materializing dead ahead."