"I don't understand," Erion looked confused.
"I did some checking up at the time. As I said, I knew the Captain and this wasn't like him at all. I thought him small minded and weak, certainly not the type of man to take command of a trapped platoon and rally his troops. In fact, I have it on good authority that Captain Lanna panicked, tried to run away and desert his men to save himself. There was another officer in that battle; a young Lieutenant. He was wounded and unconscious when help finally arrived and the rebellion was quashed. It took me several months to uncover the truth that he organised the defence, not Captain Lanna. He took command, rallied the men and held off the attack until reinforcements arrived."
"It was Raan, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Erion. It was your feckless Captain Raan."
"Why didn't he speak out?" Erion was aghast. "Why didn't he say something?"
"He was severely injured at the time and it was weeks before he went back to active duty. By that time, Captain Lanna was a self proclaimed hero and the young Lieutenant wasn't even given a mention. The Lanna family is powerful; maybe he didn't think it was worth all the fuss it would cause. Perhaps he didn't want any responsibility. Who knows? If you come out of this, perhaps you can ask him."
"I didn't know," she said, softly.
Well, now you do!" The General rubbed his hands together and his tone brightened. "I have every faith in the combat computers," he began. "They are a bit of a rag tag mix, I'll give you that, but they are exceptional people; I know it! What they lack is a strong leader to pull them together and that is where you come in, my dear." He took his daughter's arm. "I think Captain Raan had the right idea. What say you to a drink and a game of Pan?"
Chapter 4
The launch bay was full of activity as Delta Ten strolled aimlessly in the direction of the freighter Madillion. The acrid odour of aviation fuel and dirty oil permeated the cold, damp air. The bay was immense and constructed of bare, grey concrete. No attempt had been made to paint the walls or floor to make it seem more pleasing to the eye. Gigantic roller doors, numbered one through six, were all closed and the bays were divided by thick walls on either side that reached to the ceiling and half way into the main launch bay. The bay walls were covered with switchgear and thick hoses to aid in the fuelling and data transfer for the ships that were housed there. Several gantries ran around the inside walls to give access to the space ships on different levels. Pad six was occupied by a medium sized freighter that towered above the people and small vehicles that buzzed about on the silo floor. Delta Ten, dressed in the uniform of a Marine Major, looked very convincing in the role as he weaved his way, marching smartly, between busy techs, passengers, crews and cargo handlers.
The freighter Madillion looked ready for take off and squatted quietly at the far end of the cavernous bay. All umbilicals had been removed and Delta Ten could see from the outside gauges that she was fully fuelled. Seemingly engrossed in checking the raising mechanism of the freighter's lowered ramp, he did not see Erion as she came up behind him. She was dressed in a one piece trouser suit that showed a lot of cleavage and left most of her midriff bare. A clunky metal bracelet adorned her wrist, containing several charms and she wore the same shaggy wig, which hung down almost to her waist.
Hello Del," she said simply, stepping forward with a percussion revolver hidden behind her back. "Surprised to see me?"
"Erion," said Del, jumping back as if startled. "I tried to contact you on Cariss before I left."
"I'll just bet you did," she countered. A few people looked over at the little drama with mild interest and those who did not know the tale were rapidly put in the picture by those who did. The General had put out quite a story of this turbulent romance and several people were whispering frantically and pointing their way. Erion carefully brought forward her gun and lined it on Del's chest. He backed away in apparent terror, but was stopped by the hull of the ship. His acting was appalling, but most of his features were in the shadow of the ramp strut.
"Erion, don't," he cried, raising his arm across his face like an actor in a bad melodrama. Delta Ten was no actor, but he followed his lines and instructions to the letter. His watchers seemed fooled and the stares turned from interest to concern.
"You ruined my chances," she spat. "I threw over the mine president for you and then you walked out on me. Nobody does that; not even the General's son!" Delta Ten hadn't been given many lines but carried out the few he had to perfection.
"Erion, please….." He moved forward, arms outstretched as if in appeal, but with a scream of "I hope you rot in hell!" Erion pulled the trigger. The report seemed unusually loud and echoed around the cavernous hangar bay, making a few people jump at the sound. Delta Ten clutched at his chest in a dramatic way, spun round on the spot and crumpled. He rolled down the loading ramp and came to rest; face up on the hangar floor, limp and unmoving. It was patently obvious to anyone watching that he lived no more. A large, blackened hole in his chest slowly filled up with blood, which dribbled slowly over his gleaming white uniform to make a very large pool on the hangar floor. All colour drained from his face and his glazed eyes stared towards the roof with the unblinking gaze of the dead.
One of the watchers, a young girl in the green uniform of a janitor, had let curiosity get the better of her and was close enough for Erion to reach. Her hand shot out and pulled the terrified girl towards her, keeping the little pistol at her throat and shouting, "Keep away! Everyone just keep away!" This hadn't been part of their plan, but Erion thought it looked good and might stop anyone else from trying to arrest her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see someone go to a wall com link and raise the alarm. All she had to do now was wait and hope everyone played their part. Her eyes scanned the crowd and sure enough, Raan and Starfire hurried into the bay to see what all the fuss was about.
"Raan!" she screamed, "baby, you've got to help me!" The crowd parted to let them through and they made quite a convincing pair as they slammed to a halt as if they could not believe their eyes.
"Erion, what the hell have you done now?" snarled Raan. He walked slowly forward and crouched down to examine the body. "He's dead, all right." Raan stood up to face Erion. "Let the girl go, honey."
"I can't Raan," sobbed Erion, pointing to the body with her gun. "Do you know who this is? They'll kill me; they'll string me up! You've got to help me get away."
"Just let her go and we'll talk about it." Raan tried to calm Erion down, but his tone seemed to make her worse and she jammed the pistol barrel further into the girl's throat.
"Just remember fly boy," she spat out, "I know enough about you to have you shot." Raan stiffened and looked around him to see who had heard. To the watching audience it seemed like an admission of guilt. Erion continued, loudly, "You thought I was asleep that night, but I was listening and I got it all on vid."
"Will you shut up!" hissed Raan.
"Raan, honey," Erion changed tactics and walked towards Raan, dragging the reluctant girl with her. "You hate the Marines, you always did. Come on, babe; we were good together once, we could be again."
"Be realistic, 'Ri', how would we get away?" Erion looked around wildly and her gaze settled on the big ship towering above them. She gazed upward and said,
"We can go in this. You can fly us out in this ship."
"I can't fly it on my own, Erion; you'd need two pilots at least for that." His gaze settled on Starfire, who had decided she didn't want any part of this and was trying to back out of the crowd. "Where do you think you're going?" he called softly. Starfire stopped and said,
"No way, Captain! Whatever trouble you're in, I don't want any part of it. Nik was always bailing you out and I don't aim to start."
"Come on, Starfire, what kind of life are you going to have without Nik? You're a 'Terry' and nobody wants you here. You're a Pilot Five and not even a Captain. Honey, a Lieutenant is all you're ever going to be if you stay here. Why don't you come with us?" Starfire seemed to hesitate and the c
rowd held its breath.
"If you go with them," stated a firm voice, "I'll have you shot, you Terrellian Traitor." The crowd parted to reveal General Dubois. He stood facing the little tableau, fists clenched and face lined with grief. "I'll have you all shot!"
"Too right General," shouted another voice. It was the Ensign from the fight in the bar and his jaw was still bruised where Starfire's fist had connected with it. He held a laser rifle aimed at Starfire's back and his finger was tightening on the trigger when he suddenly stiffened and paled.
"Put the gun down, nice and easy, friend." The word 'friend' had been said in the soft drawl that an angry Aurian from the northern sector would have said 'pal'. There was no friendliness in his tone, just cold menace. Hal walked forward with the Marine's rifle dangling from his hand. "If the ship's leaving, I'd like a ride. I have to get off this planet in a hurry and I can pay my way."
"You're the guy on the news aren't you?" asked Starfire, making sure everyone in the vicinity heard. "The one who killed Dolton Blass. Well thanks for saving my life, mister." Hal sighed before he answered her. Used to operating in the shadows, his cover was well and truly blown and his image would now be on every data base in the known galaxy.
"Just protecting the Pilot Five," he muttered, walking straight by her to stand with Raan and Erion on the landing ramp.
"Well Star, are you with us or not?" asked Raan. Starfire looked at the three of them, then at the General's furious face and seemed to make up her mind.
"I'll take you," she said firmly. Hal lined his newly acquired rifle on the crowd while she walked up the ramp.
"Wait!" called Dubois. They all turned and looked down at him. "Let the young girl go and take me in her place."
"No way General," snapped Erion. "This is our insurance." She pulled the girl roughly up the ramp.
"Then let me rendezvous with you in Space. I give you my word you will not be fired upon until the young lady and I are safely back on this base. That should give you enough time to get into hyperspace."
"Do we have your word on that General?" asked Raan.
"You have my word," confirmed the General.
"Then you have a deal," called Erion. "Now get that silo door open or we'll blow it open ourselves." She pulled the frightened girl into the ship with her. "Come on girlie," she said, "give us no trouble and you'll be all right." Erion passed the young girl to Hal, thumped the pad just inside the ship and the loading ramp began to rise. Outside the ship, everyone's thoughts suddenly turned to getting out as quickly as possible in case the freighter fired up its engines and it didn't take long for the launch bay to empty. Soon there was only the General, walking slowly behind the stretcher bearers as they carried his dead son away. The ship's loading ramp locked with a loud clang and the massive roller door in front of the freighter started its slow trundle upwards. Starfire, Raan and Erion peered into the aft scanner and gazed down at the pathetic scene with glee.
"Do you think they bought it?" asked Raan.
"I think we did well, considering we only had an hour to rehearse," said Erion.
"We'll find out just how good we were when we get to Serrell," said Starfire grimly. She studied her controls. "Looks like it's fully fuelled up and ready to roll. I know the General said the gauge was fixed to look faulty. You'd never know from this."
"It's faulty all right," said Erion. "It should show up as soon as we're in orbit."
"Just as long as there's enough to get us to Serrell." Starfire turned to Raan. "Let's go then, Captain." He nodded and spoke in the direction of the console in front of him.
"This is Freighter Madillion requesting tow."
"Madillion, this is Port Control. Tow commencing." The pilot section hatch opened and Hal walked in, carrying the now unconscious technician.
"If you've killed her…" snapped Erion.
"Just a little tap, Major. She tried to jam the hatch controls with her com link," snarled Hal. "She knew the ship wouldn't take off with an air leak. She'll have a headache when she wakes up that's all. Besides, it's better if she doesn't hear anything."
"Just don't get smart, killer," muttered Erion. "Having you along wasn't my idea at all." She watched as Hal restrained the girl in an empty seat using the auto harness. Two straps snaked quickly up and over her shoulders to cross over her breast bone and snap into place by her hips. He left her leaning precariously sideways and Erion straightened her up.
"Let's discuss it later," put in Raan. He looked out of the windscreen at an ugly, square vehicle that inched its way forward. It disappeared from view and there was a metallic, echoing clang from somewhere underneath them as it made contact under the nose of the ship. Starfire waved her hand over the coloured crystal rods in front of her in a seemingly haphazard way and the ship moved off with a jolt. The Madillion came to a halt in the middle of a hatched area just outside the launch bay and Starfire engaged the brakes. There was another soft clunk and the ugly little truck moved into view again and trundled off. Starfire spoke again, directing her voice to the console in front of her.
"Port Control, this is Madillion requesting clearance to take off."
"Another ten seconds for the bay doors to close, Madillion," the disembodied female voice could not quite keep the disgust and anger out of its voice. Erion didn't like it, but Starfire was used to this reaction and it went right over her head.
"Raan, get the start up sequence up and running," she ordered. As pilot, she was in command here and even though Raan outranked her, he obeyed her without question.
"Start up sequence initiated, aye," Raan answered her automatically. A low whine started somewhere far beneath them and the ship began to vibrate slightly. Starfire's practised eye glanced at the heads up display in front of her. It had started to drizzle outside and streams of rain trickled down the direct viewing port in front of her, making the red, blue and green symbols of the heads up distort and blur against the thick glass. A quick flick with one hand over a glass crystal made a jet of air blow the water away outside and the symbols were clear once again.
"Madillion, you are cleared for take off." The voice on the com link still sounded angry, but Starfire didn't seem to notice. Her concentration was on the console in front of her as she took note of the unfamiliar layout of a different ship. She flicked another hand over a different crystal and there was a thunderous roar from outside as the take-off thrusters fired. She and Raan slowly took the large freighter upwards and headed it towards the open sky. Starfire looked like she was playing an invisible musical instrument as both hands danced over the coloured crystals. The nose of the ship lifted up and there was an even bigger thunderous roar from behind them and as the main engines ignited and pushed the freighter upwards.
"Orbit confirmed," stated Raan as the ship reached the top of its arc. There was a slight jolt as the auto gravity compensators switched on.
"Maintaining orbit," stated Starfire. She looked across at Erion. "What now?"
"We wait for the General. He won't be long."
"Craft approaching," said Hal, his eyes on the scanner.
"Keep your finger off the firing button, Hal, it'll be my father." said Erion. Starfire glanced at Raan but said nothing. The Major seemed to be riding the gun fighter a little too hard.
"It's the General alright," put it Raan. "He's asking permission to dock."
"Check if he's alone, Captain Raan," said Erion." We know he is, but there may be somebody scanning us. It would be expected of us."
"Scan negative," said Raan.
"Right, come on bounty hunter," began Erion, "and bring the girl." Hal stood up with the semi conscious tech over his shoulder like a sack of corn and followed Erion out of the hatch.
"Your Terrellian friend certainly has a way with women," smiled Raan.
"He's not my friend," began Starfire, "but I don't like the way Erion talks to him. He won't take it for long. I don't think he's the sort to sit down and have a philosophical discussion about it either. I get the feeli
ng he's the 'I'll blow your head off if you mess with me' kind of guy."
"There's not much we can do about it right now," said Raan. "Maybe when we get to know each other a little better, things will straighten out."
"If we live that long," answered Starfire. She glanced down at the console as a warning chime sounded. "That's the low fuel gauge warning, just like the general said. The primary gauge shows full, but the mixer tank shows we're down three quarters. Not enough left to make a jump anywhere significant." Another beep sounded. "They've broken the docking link; time to go." She fired up the motors and turned the ship away from the little launch on a direct heading for Serrell. The hatch opened again and Erion, Hal and Delta Ten entered. The robot was dressed in a white one piece suit and looked immaculate and unscathed.
"You don't look too bad for a corpse." grinned Starfire. He reproached her gently,
"I am not a corpse, Lieutenant, I am an android."
"You'll get used to Del," put in Erion. "He has no sense of humour."
"Anyone who dresses like that must have one," sniggered Raan.
"Captain Raan!" snapped Erion. "Contact Serrell and inform them we are low on fuel and request an emergency landing," Erion cut across his words with an angry expression. She did not allow levity in the pilot section of a ship and these two certainly looked like they could do with a dose of discipline. Raan and Starfire exchanged a glance and pulled faces at each other like naughty school children.
"Planet Serrell," began Raan, "This is Commercial Freighter Madillion requesting emergency landing and asylum. We are low on fuel. Please respond." Static was the only reply. Raan waited ten seconds and repeated his request. He hit the record loop button, knowing the message would continue until he stopped it. Delta Ten spoke from the scanning section.
Starfire at Traitors Gate Page 5