by K C Luck
"Get inside," Nat yelled. Catherine ignored her and was immediately at her side to help Nat hobble up the ramp.
"Oh my God, you're bleeding," she said and Nat looked down to see blood had soaked her pant leg clear to her ankle.
"A scratch," Nat reassured her even though it hurt like hell and she worried for a brief moment if the damage to the knee would be permanent.
"We're all going to have more than a scratch if you don't hurry up," Sal snapped as she continued to hold off the oncoming pirates with her well-placed shots. Even in the heat of the moment, Nat was impressed at her accuracy as she backed up the ramp behind them. Finally, they made it through the door and Frederick was waiting. He hit the button to close the door the moment they were through, but Nat could hear more plasma blasts pounding into the hull of the ship. Not good, she worried, knowing any one of those impacts could disable the luxury cruiser starcraft if the pirate got lucky. The hull of the Avalon Mercury was not made to hold up under such an attack. Nat looked at Sal and could see she knew it too.
With a look of resignation, Sal slapped the door's controls to reopen the door.
"What are you doing?" Catherine asked with alarm. "You can't go back out there."
"Watch me," Sal said and turned to meet Nat's eye. "Take care of her, Captain Reynolds." Nat hated what was about to happen and stepped forward to go with her when her knee buckled. Sal caught her. "Go make the radio call," she said. "I'll hold them off."
"No!" Catherine exclaimed. "I won't let you. They will kill you." Nat saw Sal give Catherine a wink.
"We all know what happens to the villain," she said and turned to go. Nat grabbed her arm.
"Wait, they will need to know who's calling it in and the code word to make sure it is not a trap," Nat said. Sal nodded.
"Codename is Athena," she said. "And tell them Salishan Bransen says hello." Nat froze. Did she just say she was Salishan Bransen? she thought with wonder.
"Hold it, you're a Space Ranger legend," Nat said. "They said you were dead." Sal gave her a wry smile.
"Not just yet," she said and ran down the gangway with guns blazing. Watching her go, Nat felt a chill run through her. The woman who held every record at the academy and was the most decorated sniper in the corps had given up her option to choose any career she wanted to go undercover and stop the evil of the space pirates. And now she is out there saving our butts, Nat thought and turned away from the door.
“Help me get to the cockpit,” she said to Catherine and Colton. The two of them grabbed her under the arms and half carried Nat until she was able to sit in the pilot’s chair. While firing up the spaceship’s engines, Nat engaged the comm link. I sure hope this works, she thought. If taking out one of the cloaking towers did not wreck the grid and bring them offline, then they all were sunk. She pressed the button. "This is Space Ranger Captain Natalie Reynolds, call sign Catwoman, calling with a Level Red 10-85," she turned to the positioning system and watched the screen as the computer came online. At first, the screen was blank and Nat felt her heart sinking. The system would not be able to determine their location if the cloaking towers were still functioning. Behind her, she could sense Catherine was holding her breath. Come on, come on. Finally, a 3D map started to appear and the Avalon Mercury 3370’s indicator began to blink in the middle of it. As she noted the coordinates, the comm link squelched and Nat’s friend Dee, the Space Ranger dispatcher, replied to Nat’s original distress call. “Catwoman, this is Base, what is your position? We are scrambling fighters now.” Nat had never been so happy to hear a friendly voice and she rattled off their coordinates. She turned to Colton. “Tell Sal to get her butt in her. We’re leaving,” she ordered and Colton disappeared out of the cockpit. He was back in less than a minute.
“She won’t come!” he said and Nat leaned forward to see Sal was hunkered down behind a fighter wing, shooting at any pirate who tried to advance on the Avalon Mercury. Angrily, Nat rapped on the ship’s windshield as hard as she could and Sal looked over. When she saw Nat waving her to come on, Nat watched Sal grin and then, in perfect Space Ranger fashion, she snapped off a salute. Suddenly, a barrage of plasma blasts coming from the other direction rocked the ship. A red warning indicator light started to flash on the control panel. Not good, Nat thought. It was time to go and she knew it. When she glanced back to look at Sal, the woman was gone.
"Damn her," Nat muttered feeling a twist of sadness and regret in her stomach. The decision to leave was almost too much, but when another red light popped on to show the spaceship was sustaining too much damage, Nat started to engage the engines for a fast departure. "Everybody buckle in and hang on," she said and pulled back for liftoff.
CHAPTER 30
CATHERINE
“Nat, no!” Catherine cried. “We can’t leave her.” Catherine saw Nat grit her teeth in frustration at their predicament.
“If we don’t go now, it will be all over for us too,” she said. “You have to buckle in. We’re going up.” Not sure what to do or how they could still save Sal, Catherine hesitated. Nat turned to her and Catherine saw determination but also a hint of tears in the woman’s eyes. “Catherine, please. We can’t wait. I’m sorry.” Realizing the situation was hurting Nat as much as it was herself, Catherine sank down into the jump seat and put on the harness. “Colton!” Nat yelled. “Is everyone ready back there?”
“Yes,” he yelled back and Catherine could hear the nervousness in his voice as plasma blasts continued to echo outside the ship.
“Then we’re going,” Nat said and Catherine closed her eyes as she felt the Avalon Mercury start to lift in a hurry. I’m so sorry, Sal, Catherine thought as tears slipped down her cheeks. Even though she knew the woman was a pirate and had admitted to doing terrible things, she was also a Space Ranger like Nat. And I know in her heart, she was never the villain. The spaceship shuddered as Nat turned it hard up and to the left to clear the larger ships on the ground around it. As she maneuvered, Catherine heard her click on the comm link. "Catwoman to Base," she said. "I am getting the hell out of here. Codename is Athena. I repeat. Codename is Athena." There was a long pause on the comm link.
“Base copies,” Dee said over the dispatch. “Jesus, Nat, how did you get mixed up in this?”
“I hope to tell you over drinks real soon,” Nat answered and Catherine felt the spaceship starting to accelerate and opened her eyes to see they were finally clear of the shelters and tall trees of the jungle. We’re going to make it, she thought with a mixture of relief touched by regret. Sal was still down there. They could not save her.
“I’ll be happy to buy, Catwoman,” Base said. “Now go!” Catherine saw Nat nod and pull back on the throttle.
“Here we go everybody,” she yelled. “Hang on.” Catherine grabbed the edge of the seat as the craft began to shoot toward space. It was moving so fast it physically pushed her back. As she watched, the green of the trees grew smaller and she let out the breath she had not realized she was holding. It’s going to be okay, she thought and then the first alarm sounded.
“What’s that? What’s happening?” she asked and saw Nat working the controls. The entire spaceship yanked hard to the right and then dipped back down toward the planet.
“Shit,” Catherine heard Nat growl. “That was the sound of someone trying to get a sitelock on us. It means we’ve got company.” Nat’s hands flew over the console as she went into evasion maneuvers. Their craft began to twist and turn. A crash of something tipping over followed by a cry of alarm came from the back. Again, the sitelock warning sounded and again Nat twisted the ship to avoid the attack. Catherine saw the strain on Nat’s face and knew they were in trouble. “Catherine, look through the windshield to the right and see if you can get a visual. I need to know how many are out there.” Catherine unhooked from the seat and moved to look out. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw two pirate fighters right on their tail.
“Two,” she said. “Nat, they are right on top of us.” It seemed imposs
ible they could miss.
“Get snapped back in,” Nat said. “I’ve got an idea, but you will want to be hanging on.” Catherine scrambled back to her seat and once Nat saw she was secured, she took the craft into a sharp nosedive. As Catherine watched out the front windshield, she could see the canopy of the jungle rapidly approaching. The sight was terrifying yet she trusted Nat with all her heart and if this was the way to stay alive, Catherine believed it.
“This is it everybody,” Nat yelled. “Hold on, I’m going to hit the brakes.” What is she talking about? Catherine thought and then she was slammed against the belts crisscrossing her body and holding her in the seat. Nat had engaged a full reverse thrust within seconds of plunging into the trees below. The two pirate fighters on their tail were caught by surprise and the first could not pull up in time. Catherine watched it shoot past them and into the treetops. The crash was beautiful to see as first the left wing and then the right was torn off by the thick branches, spinning the rest of the ship end over end until it hit a larger tree and exploded. Catherine wanted to cheer but then realized the second fighter, which also raced past them, was not going quite as fast. As the small but deadly craft wobbled while it fought to pull up and level above the trees, Catherine felt her hopes dash. She did not have to be a pilot to know now the Avalon Mercury was a sitting duck as it hovered in place.
Nat scrambled to recover and turn the ship to head them back out toward space, but Catherine could see the fighter out of the front. It was coming around in a long, lazy sweep to make a fatal pass. "Where is the cavalry?" Catherine heard Nat whisper and knew she was hoping against hope the Space Ranger fighters would arrive before it was too late. As the Avalon Mercury pitched while Nat tried to move out of the oncoming fighter's line of fire, Catherine saw an even more frightening sight. Coming in at lightning speed was another pirate fighter. As Nat noticed the second threat, Catherine saw a look of determination cross her face. "I have to ditch us," she said. "It's our only chance. Through the trees and maybe get to a clearing—" her words were cut off by the screeching of the sitelock alarm. Catherine could not believe what was happening. At any second, they were going to die and it seemed so unfair. I only just found my mother, she thought. And Nat. I can’t lose her now. She watched as Nat did all she could to shake the fighter's lock, but the spaceship at her fingertips was just not made for it.
As she was about to tell Nat how much she cherished having had a chance to love her, the onrushing pirate fighter screamed past the windshield of the Avalon Mercury. It was so close both Nat and Catherine instinctively ducked and the sitelock alarm abruptly ceased. "What the hell?" Nat whispered clearly confused. "That guy just went through his buddy's sightline and ruined the shot." Seizing the chance, Catherine saw Nat yank on the throttle and turn to evade any further attempts. As she did, Catherine had a clear view of the two pirate fighters. They looked for a moment like they might collide and Catherine frowned trying to take it all in when suddenly the second fighter let loose its laser cannons and blasted the original pirate fighter out of the sky. Catherine's mouth dropped open with surprise.
“Did you see that?” she asked in total shock. Looking at Nat, she saw the woman was nodding and a grin was starting to spread over her face.
“I’ll be a son of a bitch,” Nat muttered but with respect and awe in her voice. She brought their spaceship around while the remaining pirate fighter came up alongside. Catherine unbuckled again and went to the windshield to look out. Through the glass, she could see the smirking face of Sal Bransen in the other cockpit.
"How many fucking times do I have to tell you to get off of my planet?" Sal said over the comm link. Catherine felt relief wash over her. Although her feelings toward Sal were different than with Nat, Catherine felt a specialness about the pirate. There was raw, untapped goodness in the woman, which she knew Sal would swear did not exist. I should have known Sal wouldn’t let them kill her, she thought and with a smile realized she did not know much about the Space Ranger Corps, but one thing was for sure. The females in their ranks were badasses. Beside her, she heard Nat laugh with pure relief and excitement. She pressed the comm link.
“I never thought I’d say this,” Nat replied. “But I am very happy to see you.” Catherine heard Sal chuckle over the connection.
“Ditto, Ranger,” she said. “Now let’s get the hell out of here because I’m pretty sure more fighters will be coming.”
Nat nodded. "Agreed," Nat said. "I honestly don't know how much juice this ship has to blast us out of the atmosphere, but I'll follow your lead." Without another word, Catherine watched Sal lift the nose of her smaller spaceship and start to climb. "Time to buckle in," Nat said to Catherine softly and when she looked into Nat's face, she saw the same relief she was feeling. They were leaving. Somehow, they survived. With tears in her eyes, Catherine leaned forward and kissed Nat. It was quick, but there was both passion and tenderness in it. It’s not over for us, she thought and prayed it never would be. Pulling back, she smiled at her lover and then went to sit down. Buckling in, she felt Nat start to lift the ship. “Everybody still okay back there?” she yelled toward where Colston, Frederick, and her mother still sat.
“We are,” Colston said. “But maybe you can tell us what is going on?” Catherine watched Nat grit her jaw with concentration.
“We are getting the hell out of here at last,” she said and pulled on the throttle to blast them upward. Catherine felt the spaceship begin to tremble as it gained speed. There was no way to know how much damage from the plasma blasts the Avalon Mercury sustained. For the briefest of moments, Catherine worried it would be too much and they would not be able to get free of the planet’s gravity, but then she forced the thought away. We are going to make it, she told herself. All this did not happen so we fail now.
“You got this, Nat,” Catherine heard Sal say over the comm link. “Get your ass up here.” Catherine grabbed hold of her seat as the whole spaceship started to rock and two more red lights started blinking on the control panel.
“Come on, come on,” Nat growled and then they were through and Catherine could feel the release into weightlessness as the ship was enveloped in the blackness of space. A cheer came from the backroom and Catherine covered her face with her hands almost wanting to sob she was so happy.
"Oh shit," she heard Nat say under her breath and Catherine looked up. Out the windshield, she could see a line of Space Ranger ships coming straight at them and for a second did not understand why this was bad until she realized they were all aiming their cannons at Sal in her little pirate fighter. Nat jumped at the comm link.
“Everyone, hold your fire!” she ordered. “I repeat, hold your fire. This is Space Ranger Captain Nat Reynolds in the Avalon Mercury 3370 and that fighter is with us. Do not engage.” Feeling the tension, Catherine watched Sal’s ship start to dip lower. Nat slapped the comm link. “Bransen,” she snapped. “You will hold your position.” Then her voice softened. “Sal, if you try and run, they will shoot you down.” None of the spaceships moved and as she watched out of the windshield, Catherine could almost feel Sal’s hesitation. Quickly unbuckling, Catherine moved to the comm link.
“Please, Sal,” she said. “You don’t have to do this anymore.” After a pause, Sal’s ship slowly lifted back into line with the Avalon Mercury.
“How do I know I’m going to regret this?” Sal muttered over the line. “Okay, I’ll behave.” Catherine heard Sal sigh. “Space Ranger Squadron Leader, this is Ranger Salishan Bransen,” Sal said. “I am willing to cooperate.” There was a long pause before an answer came back.
“Copy, Ranger Bransen,” the squadron leader finally replied. “Who called in the code word?”
“I did, squadron leader, but it was her successful mission,” Nat answered giving Sal all the credit. “Code word Athena and this is the planet we have all been looking for. There are hostiles as well as captives and other civilians so proceed with caution.”
“Understood, Captain,�
�� the squad leader said. “The Magellan Space Carrier is at our rear. I am sending you with an escort to that location.” Catherine saw Nat exhale a long slow breath.
“Never sounded better,” she said.
CHAPTER 31
NAT
Nat could feel the pain in her knee starting to come back as the medication wore off, but she was glad for it. Her month of rehab after the last accident in the canyon had taken her dangerously close to addiction. Mixed with the guilt and depression she had felt, it was a road to disaster and only thanks to the encouragement from the Space Rangers to get back in the saddle did she escape at all. Now more than ever, she wanted to avoid any risk and stay aware of everything around her, especially because sitting on the edge of the bed beside her was the beautiful Catherine. Her hand was clasped in Nat's and the smooth warmth of it was incredibly reassuring. "Is it hurting?" Catherine asked as she read Nat's face. Nat shrugged.
"Only a little, but I don't mind it. Having you here is the best medicine anyway," she said with a grin. The line was corny but ridiculously true. After all they had experienced over the last week, Nat felt more connected to the woman than anyone. Ever, she thought. Catherine smiled at the comment.
“I want to be here and I want to take care of you,” Catherine said and leaned in to kiss Nat on the lips. The taste of her mouth made Nat feel a warm tingle run through her. She could hardly wait to get out of the hospital and spend time alone together. They needed a chance to talk about everything which had happened. And where we are headed as couple. Nat pushed the unwelcome thought aside.
Now that she had to stay in place to rehab for a while, there would be time to figure everything out. The doctor even warned Nat she would possibly never have full mobility again and may likely forever have a limp. The news concerned Nat. She knew the Space Rangers were strict about the capabilities of their pilots and if she was less than one hundred percent, there was no way to know if they would let her stay in the corps. Since the Rangers were all she knew, imagining a future without them was scary. But then I could stay with Catherine, she thought. Assuming she wants me that long. Again, Nat shoved the thoughts aside. It was time to live in the moment and Nat pulled Catherine even closer as she ran her hands up into the woman's long dark hair and held her as she took the kiss deeper. The slightest moan came from Catherine and Nat felt desire bloom within her. For a fleeting moment, she wondered who would notice if she pulled the woman onto the bed. As if reading her mind, Catherine pushed back gently to break the kiss.