by Richard Dee
He shouted orders and Moth shot up above the Rim into clear air and Dror called down to me, “Deploy, Nav, and good hunting; we will be on station above you.”
I punched the controls and we dropped away, the engines started up as we cleared and we were off. I was flying this one myself, whilst behind me the marines, all strapped in, watched the screens as we entered the narrow lower part of the canyon. Some slept.
The other ship was a red dot on my detector screen, reflected onto the port in front of me. Fortunately the detector didn’t show the terrain, at my speed it would have been a blur anyway and I needed to concentrate on what I could see. I put speed on, trying to get closer as trees and rocks flashed past, inches from our heads behind a thin skin of metal. Pursuit was easier in this small craft, Moth would have been jammed in some of the gaps and for them, anything more than slow speed would have been impossible.
I felt exhilarated as I concentrated on the pursuit; this was why I was here, chasing the bad guys and protecting the Federation. I coaxed power from the engines as we caught up to the fleeing craft. We had the edge in speed, but they knew the area, it evened things out as I had to slow for the twists of the canyon, rolling us through ninety degrees to change our profile for the tight bits.
I clipped a rock, the whole craft shook and there were mumblings from behind me. “You woke me up,” someone called, “now I’m getting angry.” There was a nervous laugh.
I had the other ship locked on my targeting system and several times got a firing solution, but keeping to my orders, concentrated on getting closer. Their pilot was good, and there were times when I felt respect for their abilities, but I felt more determined to prove that I was better.
The canyon was still narrowing significantly, trees now grew above us as the walls arched overhead, blocking out the light, when suddenly we plunged into total darkness; we had entered a cave. The pirate craft still proceeded at full speed. There was no illumination so he must have had some sort of night vision; I didn’t, so I had to turn on the searchlights to see where I was going.
I wished I hadn’t as they revealed just how close we were to solid matter, the walls were a blur and I knew that one outcrop would mean an end to our pursuit. Large lumps of rock hung down from the ceiling, giving me something else to think about. I had turned the proximity alarm off because by now it would have been continuous. It was better not to think about anything but the target, my ship was smaller; if he could fit then so could I.
Behind me I heard more mutterings of interest from the marines, tough as they were, they could appreciate our situation and at the moment they had no control over it. Like it or not they had to trust me.
Suddenly the cave opened out into a huge space, beams of light shone down, looking like pillars of rock in the gloom, and my room to manoeuvre increased. I could see light in the distance ahead from where the cavern opened out into another valley as I cranked up the speed and got up alongside the speeding pirate craft.
Chapter Seven
Now
“Okay, people,” Rixon’s voice cut over my story, jolting me back to reality. “Time to go to bed, we have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Aww thanks, Skipper,” said Myra sarcastically, echoing the groans from everyone else. “You can’t stop him there. We all want to know how it ends.”
I glanced around, I had been back in the shuttle and it took a while to realise where I was. In a way I was relieved to have been stopped, I was coming to the part of the story that I didn’t want to remember.
People got up and started to drift away, they all talked to me on their way out, either to welcome me on-board or ask about what had happened next. As I turned to leave, Rixon stopped me. “That’s some tale, Dave,” he said, “but that’s a good place to leave it for now. You can finish it later, I hate to break it all up but it’s getting late. There’s a big day for you tomorrow so get some rest, you’re going to show us what you can do.”
Myra was waiting in the alleyway and walked with me, trying to get me to tell her more of the story. I didn’t want to have to say it more than once so I just told her that the next bit wasn’t pleasant, it involved a lot of death and destruction.
“Oh,” exclaimed Myra, her eyes as big as saucers. “It just sounds like an exciting adventure so far, our lives are pretty boring in comparison, I’ve been here two years now and we haven’t chased anyone yet.”
“That’s not what the Federation propaganda tells us,” I said, “or what Dror used to say. As far as we know you’re all practically biting the heads off babies, when you’re not drunk or high and zooming round terrorising people.”
She laughed at that, a full throttle explosion of mirth that made her shake. “Are you crazy, do you really think I would go into the engine room and run machinery when I was drunk, or that Rixon would fly in atmosphere stoned, we wouldn’t last long like that. We may be having a few drinks now, but as soon as we decide to get moving it’s all locked away. And there’s no drugs on here, believe me.”
We reached her cabin and she opened the door. “Goodnight, Dave,” she threw over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. “See you in the morning.”
Griff had told me that my cabin was the same one as it would have been on the Moth, but of course it had none of my gear in it. And I had it to myself. There was a lot of space from when I had been forced to share with two others, the extra bunks had been taken out and replaced with a pair of armchairs. There was a large pile of random objects in the corner which I presumed had belonged to my predecessor. Hopefully there would be something there that fit me because apart from what I stood up in I had nothing.
Closing the door behind me, I noticed that there was no lock, but by that point I was too tired to care. There was a pile of clean bedding on the mattress and after I had made the bunk up I stretched out on top of it and fell asleep.
I had the dream again, I’d had it every night since the events on Oonal and it always made me wake sweating and shaking. It was the part of the story that I hadn’t told Rixon and the crew yet. Although Rixon probably knew it as well as I did. Maybe that and the presence of non-crew on board was why he had stopped me when he did.
Chapter Eight
Then
As I pulled alongside the fleeing craft in the dark I tried to crowd it into the cave wall. The other pilot was too clever for that though and had rolled over me, the wing passing barely a metre above my head. Now we were on the inside and they tried the same manoeuvre on me. I wasn’t sure how much room I had above so I elected to slow down. I dropped the flaps and cut the engine. They weren’t expecting that and shot ahead. I followed, piling the power back on and sitting in their wake.
I got level again and did the same, but as they started to roll I lifted the shuttle up, reducing the room. Our wings clashed and I peeled away. The clash had caused a momentary lapse in the other pilot’s flying. As they tried to correct they touched the cave wall and turned in toward it.
Tanner had been watching, he cheered, “Well done, Finn,” he shouted and the marines joined in.
Somehow the other pilot had slid along the rocks without major damage and incredibly had regained control but as we both shot out into bright sunlight I could see smoke pouring from one of their engines. They were in no state to fly and pancaked onto the ground, sliding over the grass. Their passage left a long gouge in the earth, in the end one wing hit a tree and they spun around a few times and came to a stop.
I landed the troop carrier beside the smoking wreckage of the pirate craft and Tanner and the marines jumped out with their weapons at the ready and surrounded it.
I took my hands off the controls; they were shaking as the adrenaline surged through my veins. My vision felt clearer than it had ever been and everything was sharply focused.
I followed the marines, moving more slowly, my legs strangely reluctant to obey the orders of my brain. I had grabbed a pulse rifle from the rack by the door but didn’t trust myself to point it at anyone, i
t hung by my side.
We were sat on a grassy plain, dotted with strangely shaped trees, on a terrace not unlike the one that the settlement was built on. Behind us in the cliff face was the cavern we had just emerged from. The sun was bright in the sky and a few insects buzzed around. There was a rumble from the sky, like distant thunder, Moth had been following our progress and now hung in the sky above us.
The hatch of the wrecked craft opened and two people staggered out coughing and spluttering, surrounded by smoke. The smell of burning insulation drifted on the breeze. To my surprise, one of them was the priest from the settlement and when he saw me he shrank back and tried to hide behind his companion, who I did not recognise. Tanner waved his left arm and two of his men detached and moved towards them. Pulling their hands behind them, they tied their arms together with zip ties and we marched them into our shuttle.
I called Dror. “Sir, we have two men on board from the wreck, one of them is the priest from the settlement. I will leave troops behind guarding the wreck and bring them up to you.”
“Roger, Nav,” said Dror. “Make it sharp, we can secure the wreck later. Don’t bother guarding it; just get everyone back up on board as quickly as possible.”
We made two runs to the hovering Moth, transferring the prisoners first then returning to pick up the rest of the marines. There was a body in the wreck, strapped into the pilot seat. Her neck was broken, the head lolled sideways and she was very dead. She had been a good pilot and looked to be only about fifteen years old. I felt tremendously sad as we left her there. When my shuttle was secured, Moth set off back towards the settlement and I went to the bridge to report.
As I entered the wheelhouse there was a sombre atmosphere. Dror greeted me with a grim face. “We’ve just lost contact with Leonie,” he told me. “Are your prisoners secure?”
“Yes, Captain, they have been taken to the brig. The shuttle and the marines are ready to redeploy on your command.”
“Thank you, Nav,” said Dror. “That was good flying; you’ll have to tell me all about it later. Right now I’m more concerned about the status back at the settlement, all comms are down, even the individual headsets and I don’t know why. We’re heading back now to see what’s going on.” He gave orders and we spun around and picked up speed.
It took us a few moments to arrive over the settlement; we were guided to it by a plume of oily smoke that was rising into the clear sky. When we dropped over the Rim we could see several fires burning and as we got closer we saw a lot of bodies on the ground. There was no sign of the other craft on the ground; our troop carrier was the source of the oily smoke. There was no sign of any living person.
“Tactical,” called Dror, “please scan for life-signs from the marines on the ground.”
All of us had bio-transmitters implanted as well as our ID chips. They worked over short ranges only, but enabled bio-monitoring when in close proximity. We waited in anticipation. The speaker crackled:
“Captain, Tactical, all chips responding, but no life-signs.” There was a pause. “I’m sorry, sir, but they’ve all gone.” There was a noticeable change in the mood, like a sudden intake of breath and conversation stopped. Although that was the business we were in, the emotion was almost solid. I thought of Leonie, so alive and itching for action only hours ago; it brought a lump to my throat. How could she be gone? What WAS going on here?
“Get the prisoners up here right away,” commanded Dror and they were brought up from the brig with their arms still tied behind them. Dror was in full unpredictable mode, he muttered to himself and his eye twitched, sure signs of some sort of impending action.
Dror turned to the priest. “Well, sir, what is your explanation for this and don’t try and give me any more lies, what has happened to my marines and what is going on?”
The priest gazed at him with a stubborn expression, saying nothing. Dror turned to Tanner, who had escorted the prisoners. “Mr Tanner, would you care to shoot the priest’s companion if he will not answer my questions a second time.”
Tanner drew his pistol and placed it against the side of the man’s skull. “With pleasure, sir, just give me the order.” He was as shocked as the rest of us, but his training had taken over.
“Now then, Priest, if you even are a priest; give me the information I seek. What has happened here?”
“Very well,” said the priest, “you do not need to shoot my companion I will tell you.” His manner was smug, almost triumphant; there was a gleam in his eye.
“The offer still stands, sir,” said Dror. “If I don’t like your answers he will be shot.”
“I understand,” said the priest. “We are not solely a religious community, although some of us still follow the Holy path. And I am ordained, since you ask. We were not attacked by pirates; there are a group who you would describe as such who live amongst us. Since the end of the Holy governments we do not recognise the authority of the Federation, and wish to carry on our lives without your interference.”
“Then why not go and live among the Independent Worlds?” asked Dror. “After all, every planet had its choice at the end of the Wars.”
The priest shrugged his shoulders and continued, “The people voted the way they did. Most of us weren’t even there at the time. It is what it is. Collectively we make a fair living smuggling and trading in things that others want. There are a lot of things one side allows and the other does not. And again there are things that neither government approves of that the people desire. There were dealings in progress for which we wanted no witnesses.” He paused for a moment, licking his lips.
Dror had gone red and was clearly having trouble keeping his emotions in check. The priest carried on talking. “Your presence at Michael’s Hollow was too close to our intended operation for comfort so we decided to distract you by sending you off to Mistiq. If we could get you and some other ships out of the way for a few days we could do our business without fear of your interference. You leaving the troops behind was a nuisance but my men had instructions to deal with them should they find anything incriminating.” Still the priest had the smug look on his face.
Dror was beside himself with rage, he screamed at the priest, spittle flecking his face, “Those troops were under my command, they were my friends as well as my crew. How dare you behave in this way?” Suddenly it was as if his rigid military bearing collapsed and his shoulders slumped. It made him as human as the rest of us, at last.
Crossing to Tanner, he took the pistol from his hand. He turned and shot the priest in the knee. The man fell to the floor screaming; his hands clutched to the wound, blood pumping through his fingers. The sound echoed around the wheelhouse, the watch-keepers were frozen, disbelieving. At that range, the bullet passed straight through his knee and ricocheted away with a twang; everyone flinched as it bounced around, like a skimmed stone.
Scarcely believing what I was doing, I went to Dror and snatched the pistol from his hand, “Captain, this is not the correct procedure,” I said. “These two are prisoners and should be properly treated.”
There was more stunned silence, and then Dror raised his arm and struck me backhanded. The force of the blow sent me sprawling into the bulkhead by the feet of a signaller, where I sat dazed. The pistol fell from my grip.
“Tactical Officer,” said Dror, “I want that settlement wiped out. Concentrate fire on the buildings. I don’t want to see them standing when you have finished.”
He turned to me. “Nav, you may have a certain idealistic zeal, but be careful not to cross me or presume to lecture me on the finer points of the law. Remember that out here I am the law. In the heat of the moment I am prepared to overlook your actions, but first I have a job for you. Take Tanner and the rest of the troops; when the firing is finished deploy to the ground and seek out any survivors. Take these two with you, kill them all, we will take this place off the map.”
Moth shuddered as the cannon started firing. On the forward view-screen I could see the settleme
nt being reduced to twisted metal and shattered plastic. People must have been hiding in the huts. As the firing started they broke cover and ran, the lighter pulse cannons firing continuously were mowing them down like ripe wheat.
I had to speak out. “Captain, what about the law, surely we must…”
Dror overrode me. “Do NOT question me or push your luck, unless you wish to be in the brig; now follow your orders.”
Tanner and I left, taking the priest and his companion with us. The priest left a trail of blood from his shattered knee as he dragged his useless leg behind him, supported by the other prisoner.
We embarked the shuttle; the two prisoners were secured into seats. “Dror has lost it this time,” said Tanner, “and you must be careful, Finn. Leonie told me that you were liable to open your mouth a bit too far.”
“But, Tanner, it’s wrong, we can’t just wipe them all out, there are women and children down there, I’ve seen them.”
“I know, lad, but orders are orders, and those marines were good friends of yours and mine.”
We cleared the Moth and dropped quickly towards the ground, we were heavily overloaded but I hadn’t dared mention it. The troops were grim faced and ready for action. They hadn’t bothered strapping in and stood, ready to deploy as we touched down.
Tanner addressed them, “Lads, Leonie and her squad are gone, and these bastards,” he pointed at our two captives, “are responsible. Captain wants everyone dead, to send a message.” There were nods and agreement.