RODOMONT 3

[Welsh Halfwit]

Fifty-six


The two Lappineans were still protesting their innocence, declaring that they’d been visiting their daughter on Lappinea IV and they had nothing to do with interstellar whatever it was they’d been arrested for and this was a violation of their rights as Council Citizens and they’d be complaining to their representatives and the Lappinean President and they’d have the U.S.C. crippled or this financially and several people would lose their jobs over this and how dare they do this and so on.

Hadrian Jak had heard it all before and simply told them that all they’d said was their right and they were going to be able to do that once a deep scan at Talvary station had confirmed their details and they’d be released if they were, indeed, the Mercas, visiting their daughter on Lappinea IV. “A daughter,” he added as the security field cut in, trapping the pair in an alcove cell. , “who doesn’t live there. At least, not according to to the colony forms. Oh, sure,” he added, cutting off their protests, “tax records and voting rights list her as being there but… She’s never voted. Illegal. She’s never paid any electric or gas bills because she never uses any. No debit or credit reports in her name and, according to her work, she’s an anomaly in their system.” He looked up. “That they’ve now eradicated from their systems as they have no clue how it got there.” He walked from the door and closed it behind them.


He sat behind the desk and put his feet up, turning on the monitor as his tea appeared on the desktop replication facility and Hadrian sipped the black liquid. He coughed and remembered the Chief always had this machine dispensing extra strong so he ordered a small pot of milk and put it in to make the tea drinkable. The two captives, the only ones being held since Annabelle and the Farrida commander had been handed off to the locals, stalked around their cell, occasionally touching the energy field as though to make sure it was there. The male started to say something but his mate shushed him and gave a tiny glance to one of the corners. Or didn’t. It might have been Hadrian’s imagination. He had a feeling she knew the room was being monitored. No security room worth the name would leave prisoners unmonitored. You never knew what they’d be up to. The female wasn’t planning on giving them anything. The male might. He tapped the speaker on. “Oh, and the poison teeth were deactivated during the teleport, by the way. Thought you’d like to know.” He flicked the speaker off.


“Feet off the desk, Jak,” Postain commanded from the doorway. He stepped in, letting the light follow him as he moved, somehow seeming to cast a shadow in front of him despite having the room light directly above him. He stopped by the desk as Jak sat up. “Is that them,” he asked, gesturing to the screen.

“Flakk’s running the tests on the genetic scans to see if he can confirm. He says that he wouldn’t normally be able to without direct access to the central medical database at Talvary but, as we have two ‘willing’ subjects he can check against here, he might be able to tell if the gel’s been in use.”

Postain leaned on the table and growled, fogging up the screen. His claws tightened on the table as he looked at the two as they acted as though they were totally innocent. “This is exactly what everyone’s fearing about this stuff, Hadrian. Gene identification is complex at best but this stuff throws everything into a black hole. There’d be no way of stopping anyone altering their genetics to get past any security system in Council space. Possibly save the gene bio scans Human systems use. They were developed separately from what I hear. More specific to them and sometimes pick up anomalies.”

“Why don’t we use them?”

“SOMETIMES they’re more effective. As I say, they were designed to be more accurate for them. They can’t tell the difference between a Wharf Rat and a Norveggan. They tried integrating them once. It didn’t work. Get Greedan down here. Send him in on some supposition to see if they’ll talk to him.”

“Better idea,” Hadrian said, allowing a grin to appear.


Ten minutes passed before Hayseed and his ‘assistant’ arrived in the security room. The white clad Mouse/Celican hybrid understood his role well. He wasn’t to speak, he was to listen and watch as the Lappinean took the orders from them. Hayseed, who hadn’t been there when Jak had briefed Greedan, had wondered why Greedan was there but Jak had told him there were reasons and they wouldn’t let him be in there alone with them. So the pair stepped in. “Good afternoon,” he said in greeting, “I’m here to take your lunch orders.”

“We don’t want anything,” Mr ‘Merca’ told them bitterly.

“Nothing,” Hayseed replied, “I make an exemplary Lassirian Hawl and a Ricarian salad that’s much better than the lifeless rubbish served from the replication systems. I don’t know why you’re being held but, for a few days, the ship has a REAL Chef so, please, make use of me. Honestly, what can I make for you.”

“Nothing,” Mr Merca replied. “I told you, we don’t want anything. Go away.”

“Oh, but surely the lovely lady would appreciate a Canaran Souffle or a Liseppian Torte? Very low calorie and adds absolutely nothing to the hips whilst filling the stomach quite beautifully.” The chef gestured with a kiss.

“No. She doesn’t. Go away.”

“Oh, but I need to hear it from her. What kind of Lappinean would I be if I didn’t hear the words from a beautiful lady,” Hayseed asked, wondering why she wasn’t talking. “I’d be drummed out of society. Mocked in the street…”

Mrs ‘Merca’, who’d been standing with her arms crossed and her ears straight, thrust her arms down to her sides as she leaned forward to shout, ears bending forward and veins showing under her neck fur. “We don’t WANT anything, you annoying little fop,” she bellowed. “Take your food offerings and shove them where the sun doesn’t shine! Leave us alone, you ridiculous pair of wetnoses! Leave!”

Greedan, after composing himself after her shout, made to leave the room and took Hayseed with him. “If you change your mind,” Hayseed stated, before being pulled out, “just call!”

“GET. OUT!”


The door closed behind them.

“Well,” Postain asked.

“Wetnose. She called me that enough to know it’s her, sir,” Greedan told him.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Looks like she ended up blowing her own cover just as they expected. Lets see the both of them try to come back from that.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Fifty-Seven


Postain made his way back up to the bridge and took up his command chair from a halfway awake Xarra who still smelled slightly despite two showers. “Is it all over,” Xarra asked politely, before yawning.

“I doubt it,” Postain grumbled. “We’ve engaged two Pirate clans and we have two wanted people in our cells. Their presence in the sector seems to be half totally secret and half known to everyone. Raicarra has investigators and they’re probably aboard that ship.” He indicated the cruiser as it hung between them and the colony. As per their deal with the colonial president as ‘thanks’ for their assistance, they were in command of the clean up work with regards the Farrida clan base and had been shuttling troops and equipment down for the last half an hour as the Militia had taken control of the Gallides ship with the Rodomont watching over in case of need. “It won’t take them long to get on the trail of the Haykes. Especially if they talk to Gallides troops as well. We have a lead is all. Makilla, get us out of here. Course? Talvary Communal Station.”

The Shrewvian ayed her compliance and starting computing co-ordinates and turns into the computer with her expert eye as Postain told Maldak to tell control they were setting course for Cora II. “Simple misdirection,” he told Xarra, before prodding her awake. “Time for you to go shower and slumber, Hilla,” he said quietly.

“Sir,” she replied, getting up.


It was nearly time for the evening shift anyhow, a fact Maldak recalled when she found her fellow officer, Deebrey, standing over her shoulder, waiting on her to release the console to him. “Oh, right,” she said, disabling her command codes so the Raitchian could input his and take the station. “See you in twelve,” she told him.

“I’m off in eight. Pelvey’s the one on duty in twelve.”

“How’d you swing that?”

Deebrey might have been about to tell her but Postain reminded them both that there was no gossip on the bridge and, if she was going, go now!


Maldak gave passing thought to what she was going to do for the evening. Food, drink – moderate drink , a little… She stopped and sniffed. “Heya, Colin,” she honestly grinned as she detected the Human from the freighter hiding in the shadows, waiting to ‘ambush’ her with some fake blooms he must have got from the shop. “Are those for anyone special,” she asked coyly, keeping her hands behind her back and putting her stomach forward a little.

“Well, there is a girl, uh, lady really,” Colin said, almost keeping his composure. “I, um, think she’s special and…” Maldak deliberately didn’t see him reading from a note in the one hand. Yet. “I thought I’d show her how much I appreciate her fr...companionship and…”

Maldaks’ honest smile grew bigger. “Kohlich help you with that,” she asked. “He is the… what’s the phrase… soppiest sod in your department, after all.” She took the flowers from him with one hand and put the other around his waist. “Come on,” she said, “I need to put these in water before we go out to the cinema.”

“You… you have a cinema here,” Colin asked, almost incredulously.

“Nah,” Maldak breezed, “but we have a holoroom with identity issues. It often runs films for the community feel.” She stopped at her door. “You’ll have to come back in ten,” she queried, “when we’ve both changed from our work clothes?” She spotted his look of confusion. “Yours is second passageway on the right, four down. OK, I’ll pick YOU up, yeah?”

Charles agreed and asked if he’d be allowed to see inside her rooms. “Only if you’re good at the film,” she replied, gently stroking his face before heading in.


Hayseed stepped into the room in a flamboyant rainbow shirt and grey trousers to surprise Kelvan, who’d been dressing himself in a tuxedo suit as he talked to his step-father on the galnet terminal. His mother, poking her head on screen, had commented on how handsome he looked and before Frank had managed to get control back and forward him a hundred credits to tide him over. They’d finished with a ‘see you soon, son’ from Frank and a reply of ‘see ya, dad’ from Kelvan, who’d cut the line before he realised what he’d called the Human. He felt pride as he realised he actually meant it and missed the Human like mad. The bow tie Willa had assured him he’d look handsome in hung loose in his hand as he thought of it.

“How is everyone,” Hayseed asked.

“Coping well,” Kelvan sighed, turning around. “Happy to know we’re safe and…” He snorted. “I’m not going with you to the cinema if you’re wearing that,” he laughed.

“I’d never ask you to,” his ‘chaperone’ replied. “It’s dress down night at the bar and I can afford to get this in a mess!” He turned Kelvan around and took the bowtie in hand. “You’re several steps beyond the need for a chaperone, yeah?” He leaned in to Kelvan’s shoulder as he worked the fabric. “The house is a two bed when she visits, hmm?” His tone showed clear amusement.

“With an annex,” Kelvan replied, playfully elbowing his friend. “with thin walls.”

“Oh, Feldar makes too much noise, hmm?”

“I’ll say nothing of the snoring,” Kelvan replied, chuckling as Hayseed finished his work.


Senny looked over the details of the losses and damages as Harmony stepped into their quarters and greeted her mate. “What you doing,” she asked pleasantly, freed of the need to scan hundreds of minds.

“Damage reports, hun,” Senny replied. “Only two ‘special’ letters to write tonight.” She sighed. “And one of those is only to do with injuries. Alpha flight’s now understrength and we have no qualified pilots to take over.”

“You have Declan,” Harmony joked.

“We have no qualified pilots that Postain will let me even THINK about letting me use as cover,” Senny replied, half grinning. “Although I might have to bring it up with him.” She sighed. “We have five new standby’s waiting at Talvery, Harm,” she mentioned. “We should have had them on board by now..” She sighed and booked an appointment with Postain for the next morning.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Postain isn't losing blood anymore plus he stinks a little bit so I don't think that he is gonna be agreeable. Senny had better brace herself for having to talk to him.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Fifty-Eight


Greedan shifted in bed, Doris asleep on top of one of his arms. He was still awake, even after the exercise she’d helped provide, and thinking about… her. Not the beauty beside him, someone he’d give his life for, but the… thing in the cells. He felt anger at the fear she’d always kept him in. Afraid for his life. His liberty. His safety. He was angry at how he’d almost become inured to the horrors he’d done at her bidding and how easy it had become to carry them out on the provided prisoners. Oh, he’d been in no dispute as to who was footing the bill for all this and it wasn’t Mutarachem. She’d not recognised him and he was both reassured and insulted by that. Before joining Doris to express his love for her he’d checked his physique in the mirror. Sure he was more muscular and his eyes were sharper but there was still some hints of the old him there. The teeth, for one thing. But Doris had diverted him onto happier thoughts. Especially when she’d asked for something new. Apparently she’d been worried deeply when he’d been in the coma and had decided it was time to start… that. He’d been beyond terrified when she’d broached the subject but he was willing. He was in love. He understood her fears. He looked on her beautiful face and tried to swamp the hate he was feeling for the poison of the past with adoration for his vision of the future. She looked happy. Peaceful even. He turned to her and, putting his free arm over her shoulder with the sheet attached, kissed her lovingly before trying to join her in sleep.


Martin Jul yawned as he made a move on his digital chessboard in the main medical bay. With there only being him and Flakk on senior duty for now, he was covering the first half of the night shift whilst the Wolf took time to sleep. There were no patients right now. One nurse and he was on lunch. As the clock ticked silently towards one thirty ship-time, the Mican wondered what the isolation patient was doing up. But he wasn’t paying it too much mind as the convict seemed to be a decent player of the game. Almost a challenge. And not as much of a challenge as Enzo. That young legend in training was better than him. He had the door panel open so he could hear Leigh’s ‘natural’ voice in addition to the comm-line as he moved his knight to Queen’s Rook five. “Did you get much chances to play in the gangs, Leigh,” he asked.

“Hah,” Leigh replied bitterly. “Not likely. They were all about the sports and physical matches. So was I, I suppose, Doctor. Strategy isn’t exactly something grunts are known for.” They moved their bishop to Kings Rook five and the holographic pieces on Jul’s board moved accordingly. “With a ship this size,” they asked, “why are there only two Doctor’s on staff?”

“We usually have three,” Martin told Leigh. “But one was supposed to be going on maternity leave and replaced by another last week. Then we got this emergency so the replacement Doctor’s waiting, with a night time nursing cover staff, on Talvary and we have a Doctor about to pop stuck aboard.”

“Not optimal,” Leigh agreed.

“Well, you’re to blame, you know?”

“I… didn’t know you knew,” Leigh said, swallowing hard as they thought they’d lost a potential new friend. They were working hard on making as many positive connections as they could.

Martin frowned at this. How could Leigh not know..? He’d been right there when it had happened. He’d seen him clearly, hadn’t he? “Well, I, er, can add two and two, y’know? Get a new, isolated, prisoner so soon after the, uh, situation begins? Gotta be something to do with it.” Without speaking, he brought up his comm and pulled up the digiscan keyboard to send Flakk a message about Leigh not knowing who he was.

“I suppose there’s truth in that,” Leigh admitted. “You mated, Martin?”

Martin smiled slightly. “Yeah. A Raitchian called Bridget. She’s a lady and a half.”

“Nice. I had a lady. Back home. Palla her name was.” Leigh sighed. “I wonder if I’ll fall for anyone again? Or if I’ll get the chance.” Martin could hear the chuckle of surprise in Leigh’s tone. “Will I give or receive? Got a lot of questions to ask, Doc.”


Martin was about to reply when Flakk stormed into the room in his jet black nightwear and shut the door panel and, after telling Leigh he needed a private word with Jul and the convict should get some sleep, he turned the comm off too. “What do you mean, he doesn’t know you?”

Martin looked up into the Spectacled Wolven’s eyes and replied carefully. “I came in, did the clean up duties, and noted Leigh was still up. He seemed OK with me so we started playing chess to pass the time. About six minutes ago we drifted onto other topics, including the one that led to him being here…”

“And,” Flakk demanded.

“And when I said I’d guessed he was part of the emergency that had brought us on this path? He said he didn’t know I knew.” Martin put his hands pads up and wide as he gave voice to his confusion. “I was right there in the room when he burst in! I was the face he saw at the door! There’s no way he couldn’t know what I look like!”

“Is Leigh playing us,” Flakk considered. “I know he’s had time with Greedan. Talked to the little sod. Is he playing the amnesia card?” He looked at the monitor of the bored hermaphrodite lying in their bed and, possibly, exploring themselves, judging by the movement of the hands under the covers. He activated the comm. “Knock it off or I’ll put some stun gas in there!” He closed the comm again as the hands moved away.

“He could have prepared it,” Martin admitted, “but he said it purely naturally. When Greedan was changed, how did it happen to him?” He saw the surprise in Flakk’s eye. “You just said his name, boss,” Martin remarked. “Plus the fact that this guy wasn’t a hermaphrodite hybrid when I saw him last… The gel bonds genetics, I take it?”

“Yes and you tell NO-ONE.” Flakk sat down. “There are a few recorded cases – including another Hermaphrodite,” he continued, shooting Jul the file he’d been working on. But, of the ones I’ve seen in the reports, only Greedan’s been amnesiac. And now Leigh’s claiming it.”

Jul looked the file over. “Muzzle work on this one’s a bit special,” he admitted. “Familiar somehow… How was Greedan transformed?”

“Shrapnel grenade filled with the stuff blew his foot off.”

“And Leigh was smacked about a bit by the Captain and was drowning in a vat. You think serotonin and adrenaline might have something to do with it?”

Flakk rubbed his chin. “Natural pin responses fighting with the unnatural effects of the gel? Possible… Possible. muffins and cookies it.” He smacked the table. “I’ll have to get that dratted telepath in to find out… tomorrow.” He headed back out to bed. Martin turned the comm back on and quietly asked if Leigh was still awake. He blinked as Leigh threw the covers off. He hadn’t needed to see that.


And the work on the other one. That Flakk had shown him. Where DID he know that work from..?

[Amazee Dayzee]

Why do I get the feeling that Flakk swears a lot more frequently than we know of? He seems like somebody who had their mouth washed out with soap a lot as a pup.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Fifty-Nine


Postain kept his attention on what was in front of him right at this moment. He knew the Brockians and the Raitchians would quickly discover they weren’t headed to Cora II and that he’d played another small trick on them to sell it. It wasn’t exactly a kidnap, it was more giving a lift and hoping no-one tried to attack them as they went. He’d cleared it with Chichester after doing it and she’d given retroactive permission. The wound in his side still ached, despite the Doctor’s best efforts and the Rottian, feeling his age, had begun wondering if it would ever throb into memory like so many other breaks and contusions over time. He recalled them all, partially because of the fur patch treatment some of those had needed to prevent bald streaks. The worst was from a Racon with knuckle blades that he’d taken in his younger days. He’d survived that when one of his command officers had pointed out that the best thing to bring to a knife fight was a ranged weapon. Being goaded into hand to hand by a better armed opponent was a signal that you wanted to be buried at your favourite graveyard. He’d made a note to thank Lieutenant Chicklan for that but had never got the chance thanks to that melee.


He was watching space ahead as well. Not on the main viewer but on the scanner screen on the armrest monitor. It was nowhere near as detailed as the helm station but it made him feel like he was doing something more than waiting to respond to reports and communications. Makilla had plotted an elliptical route to Talvary station and engaged it before going off duty and they were, currently, sticking to it with their transponder off. There should be no way anyone should know where they were but, having read Hadrian Jak’s reports from when the Savval had taken vats of the transformation gel to the science station in the home systems, he knew how badly that could go. The clipper ships had run into mines, ambushes and a small scale plague on that occasion, to say nothing of almost running head first into a secret Mican fleet. So he’d told the bridge crew straight. No alcohol in their off time. They might be needed at a moment’s notice.


“Three thirty in the morning and there’s a lady in my quarters,” Kolt Tarbeck said casually, getting Jill Makilla the chocolite she’d wanted from the dispenser. He’d returned there half an hour back, after working out in the gym and had just gotten out of the shower and dressed for bed when his door had buzzed. So he’d got a gown on and opened it to let her in. She was in plain clothes and had apologised and offered to come back but he’d let her in and she’d come, sitting, lotus like, on his sofa.

She accepted the beverage as he sat on the chair. “Only because I want to know things about you before we end up on that date,” she replied, holding the hot cup and sipping. “Like how come you don’t seem as confident as most Celicans?”

He sighed and adjusted his position in the seat to get his tail out from under him. He wrapped it over his lap. “I hate this seat,” he confessed. “Never let’s me sit right.” His eyes spoke of usually using the sofa and Makilla indicated it. “I don’t want to be presumptuous,” he added.

“Get over here,” she told him.

“Yes, ma’am.” He did as instructed and Makilla sniffed the scent of his shower gel. Cinnamon scrub, she thought. She shuffled around to face him as he looked somewhat more at ease and took a breath. “I was the runt,” he told her. “Smallest of six.” He wrinkled the sides of his eyes at the pleasure of thoughts of family. “I loved them and they tolerated me. I was always the one who got ill first.” He held out a hand, palmpads up. “The worst hunter. Don’t get me wrong, I can hunt but I had to be more careful. I couldn’t take the big prey animals like my brothers and sisters. The damage that was minor to them would be more serious to me, y’know?”

She nodded. It wasn’t exactly a style of life she was comfortable with but she knew what he was getting at.

“It’s easy to be confident when you know you can achieve your aims,” Tarbeck continued. “But I always had to strategise and think of ways to do what they did effortlessly. And half of those plans didn’t work.” He laughed. “Got put in hospital by a Tracian once.”

Makilla swallowed. “Those ball like things with prehensile paws and no claws?”

“Yeah. Was hunting it through the forest near my home. Thing dropped on me from a tree.”
Makilla couldn’t stop herself from laughing and he asked her not to. “It’s not funny,” he protested, wearing his own grin. “Broke my collarbone and just scurried off!” He waited until she regained her demure disposition. “You hear ‘stay in your lane’ from people who are concerned for your health too often you take it in. So I went into engineering and teleport control.”

“But you obviously want more,” Makilla prompted, her nose wrinkling as she sipped. “I mean, you signed up for this Command program thing, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” He sighed happily. “Every so often the safe lane can feel like a cul de sac rather than the hard shoulder of a motorway. Sometimes you want to see if you can drive fast.”

“Without crashing into any houses,” Makilla added. “You’ve been doing fine, by the way.” She reached out a had and put the knuckle through the middle of his gown to touch his chest. “That Celican confidence is still in there, Kolt,” she said, before her eyes widened a little. “You don’t mind me calling you that, do you, sir?”

He wondered if his pulse had picked up enough to be noticed by the finger touching his heart. Well, near his heart anyhow. How did she smell of Golaberries? “Um, not… not whilst we’re um, off duty… Jill.” Where’s that confidence now, he thought.

“Good. You’re a very easy guy to like, Kolt. Certainly something you have over the Captain. But he still has ways of getting people to like him. If you stick at learning command? You’ll find your ways too.”

Without thinking, he took her hand, raised it to his lips and kissed it before letting her have it back. “The one in sciences has it easy,” he mock complained. “One non Celican parent. He had more support at home. Less pressure, more help.”

“And he can’t hunt at all,” Makilla reminded him. “But he’s perfectly happy with himself and he’s in the same place you are.” She finished her drink and yawned. “I better be getting back to my place.”

She stood up and he joined her, ready to open the door. She stopped and looked at him. “You want confidence,” she told him sweetly, before pulling him into a passionate embrace that, after a few seconds, he returned, putting his arms around her back as he leaned into the kiss that worked her teeth against his as their tongues explored. He felt a heart beating faster and realised it was hers before she gently pulled back.

“Wow,” he said.

“Down payment on the date,” the Shrewvian said, tapping his nose.

“Down payment on the second,” he replied, smiling as he went in for a second kiss.

[Amazee Dayzee]

That is always the best way to get more confidence in yourself and admit your feelings to someone you like. A passionate kiss will always make you feel a lot bolder than you actually are.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Hands up who thought it was over...

SIXTY


Sarah Keswick finished off her digital meeting and stepped from the holoroom, shutting the program off and not watching her subordinates in the department fade from view in the holoroom on Cora II. It wasn’t a perfect replica of her room in there, how could it be? It had been assembled from pictures captured over the last few years and hadn’t been up to date. Then they’d been a degree or so off with the image transmission, resulting in Gregor, Charlotte and Jerana all walking in the floor, something Jerana had apologised for. Business of government went on, even when the government wasn’t there. She’d known about the room, of course. She’d seen Chichester use it a few times. Mainly for diplomatic meetings, of course, where President needed to talk direct with President and direct contact was out. She’d not known Postain’s ship could link in to it. It did explain a few ‘meetings’, she supposed. Anyhow, the colony day was over and the ship time was… She looked around at the quiet passageways and she didn’t recall the passageway being this empty when she went in… She tapped a wall panel. “Computer, what is ship time,” the Mican asked.

<“Ship time is zero Four thirteen,”> the computer said.

Sarah was a little amused it didn’t give the seconds. Then her ears pricked up. “I’ve been in there five hours!?” She shook her head. “No wonder we got so much done. Computer,” she added, realising she was hungry, “where is the best place to get decent real food from here?”

<“The Starwheel bar is currently running breakfasts. The bar currently has a three star shipadvisor profile.”>

Sarah grimaced, one eye half closing. “That’s the best you have?” Her stomach complained. She sighed. “Very well, show me the way, please.”

She started to follow the lightly glowing wall panels, the computer knowing which to light based on pressure on the deck plates.


Maldak left the half dressed Human in her bed and knew what the others would think as she changed in her shower room, exchanging night clothes for nothing to shower in, then her bridge outfit. Charles had merely slept with her, that was all. He’d reacted a bit… drunkly to the Quokkan Sloejuice and she’d not been clear on if he’d get back to his room safely so, both half clothed or wearing nightwear, they’d spent the night together. Sleeping. Just sleeping. In fact she’d checked with the intoximeter she kept by the door to make sure she never went to the bridge with a sheet to the wind and it had put him as mildly whammed. She’d made a note on it. He’d not been too smelly. She’d made a not of that too. She crouched by the bed and shook him gently. “I gotta head to the bridge, Charles. You gonna be able to get back to your place?”

“Mrrn, whu..,” the Human slurred, waking up and coming to account with the fact he was in someone else’s bed. He quickly checked under the covers. “’Dak,” he said slowly. “We didn’t..?”

The smile on her face was absolutely genuine as she shook her head. “Nah. You got drunk on a Quokkan soft drink. We both had clothes on.”

“Huh.” He sighed. “My loss.” He lay back. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, ‘dak.”

On impulse, she leaned in, kissed him and headed out for the closest refreshment area. He just stared after her, blinking twice as his brain registered what had just happened. Then he dressed and headed back to his room to get ready for work, unaware he was wearing Maldak’s slippers.


Postain knew they were out there somewhere. The Pirates. The Rats. Probably the Lappineans too. There hadn’t been a secret that they were after these two. They’d pretty much made it public who they were after on Proximma VI. It would have gotten back to Lapas somehow, he knew. They all had their security services in the patch. Some, like Harriet Thurso on Calderon, were known, as was the Raitchian Admiral on Rayvon. The Lappineans and the Celicans kept their operatives secret. In fact the Lappineans had a ‘shoot on sight’ listing for some of theirs. A plan that never seems to come into play… They were out there somewhere. He pulled up the local space on his system, then swept across to the science terminal to run the scan again.

“Is there anything up,” the science officer asked as he was pushed aside.

“Just looking for things I want to be there,” the Rottian replied. “Shouldn’t there be more traffic in this area,” he asked. “It’s a direct route from Raitche to the outer colonies, after all. They don’t need to go through anyone else’s territory.”

“Doesn’t mean they’d take it,” Ensign Cass advised before running her own checks.


Sarah found the Starwheel bar and wondered if she’d been sent to the right location. There appeared to be people lying on the tables after inbibing too much. She was just about to head off when she noted the brightly attired Lappinean in the corner of the bar, his head back and mouth open. He had no impression of ever seeing a cockpit, let alone flying. She dinged the bell on the counter and he stood up, partly to tell her not to ding the bell as there were some people trying to sleep. “I’m after breakfast,” she told him. “I’ve been working all night.” She looked around. She didn’t want to say ‘unlike some’ but…

“They lost a few of their own yesterday,” Hayseed advised, yawning. “They remembered them last night.” He stepped behind the bar, out of view for a moment. He replicated a glass of water and splashed his face with it before having the glass disintegrated and stepping back out. “I’m the cook. What can I get you?”

“This is going to be interesting,” Sarah grumbled before ordering.


Maldak arrived on the bridge after having what amounted to a breakfast in the refreshments room. It hadn’t seemed right, having breakfast in her room with Charles still there. So her breath smelled slightly of Celican coffee and there were a few crumbs of a breakfast roll in her whiskers as she replaced her night staff. The Feline sniffed her. “Eau de Human,” the male goaded.

Maldak told him where to go in untranslatable Feline as Postain leaned over sciences.

“Crawtip,” Postain said, before looking around to see Maldak logging in. “Maldak,” he corrected. “Scan for ships comms in the sector.”

“On it, sir,” she replied, starting work. She frowned. “There’s nothing, sir,” she replied after a few minutes. “It’s like the local subspace link is down.”

“Can we contact Talvery?”

She tried. She failed.


“Helm, adjust course.” Postain returned to his chair. “Yellow alert.”

[Amazee Dayzee]

They probably should be concerning that the subspace is down and it means something is going on. No rest at all for Postain as I am sure he is wishing that this had happened to Hawle instead. XD

[Welsh Halfwit]

Chipmink chatter...

Sixty-one.


Tarbeck looked a little uncertain as he settled into the second’s command chair on the bridge. The Captain had brought him up to speed on what was going on as soon as he’d arrived to explain why the ship was, currently, still. The long range communications relay was out so they were in a communications dead zone of some four dozen systems. Everything would be out. No interstellar communications. No Galnet. No anything. And there could well be Raitchian ships waiting for them. “Sh...shouldn’t we tell Talvary,” he mooted.

“Can’t,” Postain replied patiently. “It’s not generally known so I won’t complain about you not knowing. Last year, on the sun igniting mission they were on, the Loper ran into problems. They had to change target and they notified Talvary station by direct pulse transmissions.” He glanced at the Celican. “It seems Raicarra can intercept and track direct pulse transmissions. It’s how they were going to ambush the Loper. It might have worked if… never mind.” He waved it off as dangerously close to digression. “Point being we can’t send. And we have to go find out what’s happened.”

Tarbecks’ ears flicked back. “Why, if we think it’s a trap?”

Rather than answering him, Postain called out to Maldak. “How long’s it been down, Maldak?”

The Quokkan worked things from the last known transmissions sent or relayed from the satellite station before it went dark. “Roughly five hours, sir,” she said, compensating for the time differential.

Postain turned to regard Tarbeck carefully. “Well, Commander? Five hours. What else has happened?”

Tarbeck thought hard on this. “Talvary station has noticed,” he said hesitantly. “They’ll have dispatched a ship to investigate and…”

“...She’s probably an engineering specialist ship like the Gorik or the Tibrick,” Postain finished. “If there’s even one Raitchian cruiser out there, the ship they send will have no chance.” Postain growled. “We’re the toughest ship the Council has to offer in the patch, Commander. We also have excellent engineers and techs if it IS just repairs needs doing. Plus, if direct communication is down, cargo ships won’t be able to use the area as they rely on those things for transponder relay so they won’t know who else is here or where. It could affect whole colonies.”

“Ok…” Tarbeck thought quickly. “I’ve worked with probes before,” he ventured. “They can be programmed to send out direct pulse transmissions on a timer, sir.”

Postain kept looking at him, his face slowly breaking into a grin. “Go prep the probe, Commander. I’ll have the reports readied for you and Djaka will join you in the probe room. We have to think of a better name for that. Maldak, get Djaka to the… room with the probes. He’s going to be doing a little programming. Makilla, make ready to proceed in fifteen minutes.”

“Sir,” she replied, setting in the co-ordinates. She put her head up after doing everything shy of pressing the ‘go’ button as she called it. “Permission to ask how you know how long it’d take him, sir?”

“Because it would have taken ME twenty minutes, Makilla, and I’m useless at these things.”


Hadrian Jak ate the morning sandwich his mate had given him last night and made sure there were no crumbs on his uniform as Chief Yarkin relieved him of watch duty. She took over the desk and sniffed the contents of the meal Jak had just consumed. “I hate Gorak,” she complained.

“Good morning Chief,” Jak replied pleasantly.

“You’re cheery, considering the alert,” she said, flicking her eyes to the wall, where a gentle yellow light glowed, near halfway up the wall.

“I’m a Cervidian,” Hadrian replied. “Our natural reaction is flight.” He shrugged. “I not a very GOOD Cervidian,” he added, “but I still live my life on yellow alert.”

“Fair enough,” the Feline remarked turning her attention to the two on the monitor. “They given you any troubles?”

“Said nary a word,” Hadrian told her. “Save for a few words in Lappinean that the translator didn’t want to translate.”

“Profanity filter stuck on again?”

“Yeah, I’d get it fixed but…”

“It irritates the antlers. I recall the damage.” She looked on, knowing the brig wouldn’t have received notice of the yellow alert. There wasn’t any point. They were already in a safe zone as the door sealed on battle stations.


Charles was teamed with Kerri and Kohlich this time, and the Human had to wonder if there was something about names starting with ‘K’ out here. But the diminutive deputy had them working on maintaining the shields for the depressingly likely event of being attacked. He outlaid some of the ideas he had for streamlining power to the shields that he’d occasionally used on the freighter and she’d nodded at them quickly. “It’dknock outlifesupport to somedecks,” she said, deliberately trying to keep her chatter at an audible speed, “but,ifweever neededit,we’d beon the verge oftakingdirect damageanyhow. That’sflowplan C,” she decided.

“What are plans A and B,” Kohlich asked with interest.

“Plan A iswe doit likein thebook,” Kerri chattered, pointing to the computer read outs and the plans laid out there. “PlanBis theone wecomeup withthat’s betterthan his.” She grinned up at Charles. He had to agree he’d prefer a better plan than his too.


“So, you’ve installed the program,” Tarbeck asked from underneath the mark three probe he and Djaka were working on. Quite why these probes had the access panel underneath to open the panel on the top was beyond him but it was the way it was.

“Saidso,didn’tI,” Djaka replied with a touch of irritability.

Tarbeck poked his head out. “I have no idea,” he replied casually. “But I’ll take it as a yes.” He ducked back under to set the panel to close.

“You’lltakea screwdriverupyour nosein aminute,” Djaka complained as the panel next to him, where the communication had been loaded and Tarbeck had set the timer for an hour from five minutes ago. “Sir,” he added.

“I prefer to drink them,” Tarbeck replied, locking the panel and pushing himself out from under the heavy little device. Djaka offered him a hand up as he realised he’d been tricked. “Time for us not to be here,” the Commander added. He tapped his comm. “Tarbeck to Command. Probe’s programmed and ready to launch in one minute.” He waited for response, then followed Djaka in legging it for the interior door.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I don't think the screwdriver that Djaka said Tarbeck would have shoved up his nose is the same that Tarbeck likes nor is it as pleasant. Maybe after everything Tarbeck can go and show Djaka what one is and see if he likes to drink them also.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Sixty-Two


“Why, oh, why, did I have to be a communications engineer,” Charles asked himself as he stood, ready for the go, in engineering armour. He was part of a squad of four that included Kerri Levan, Mican comms officer Dappleby and Corgan tech and computer specialist Kina and was just realising that he was the tallest in the group by a clear foot and this had clearly been taken in by Kerri, who looked all the way up at him as Kina finished reprogramming Charles’ borrowed helmet so he appeared on the heads up and not a Feline called Freen. “You’re forgetting stuffoff highshelves, Charles,” she asked sweetly.

“I’ve seen you climb, Kerri,” he replied, tapping her on the nose. “you’d get anything faster than I can move.”

“Technically,you justassaulted a seniorengineer,” she replied, putting her little hands on her slender but armoured hips. “Icould have youfor that!”

“Then who’d reach down the items from the top shelf,” Charles asked as Kina handed him back his helmet. “Thanks.”

“No trouble, Lanks,” Kina told him before helping Dappleby put a large box on the pads.


Ahead of them lay their target. Stationed on a small moon off an uninhabited planet, the local relay buoy was supposed to be sending signals to and from several more important places but, for the last several hours now, it had been silent. Noting. No signals out and none in. They were the first Council ship to get here but Makilla had traced the engine trails of several ships that had been here recently, from what Kerri had been told. This was probably a trap. Raicarra had efficient scan resistant ships that meant they could be on her friends before they knew it. There might even be one behind that moon, which was why they were teleporting down with what they could carry and two security guards in full suits. Those who’d passed official weapons training were all going armed, which meant only Charles was without a firearm. The Engineers had theirs holstered to their hips and the guards had them in their suit weaponry. “Weready togo,” she asked Tarbeck, standing at the teleport controls

“In a moment,” he replied, “when we’re in range.” He kept his hands moving, expertly, over the controls. “We’re going to be dropping you off at speed,” he reminded them, before pausing. “Well, not quite YOUR speed, Kerri. We can’t stop or we’ll be a bullseye. Long range says there’s no-one down there so you’ll be picked up by the ship Talvary’s sent.”

“Let’shopethere’s nofighting,eh,”?

“Oh, please,” Tarbeck scoffed, “we know you kick bumblebee! Ten seconds!”

The team assembled on the sending pads…


...and arrived in a sterile, air free, room that had no lights on. “Tellyourheadset autolightson, Charles,” she advised.

<“Tell the autolights what,”> he replied, literally and figuratively in the dark.

<“Just think ‘autolights on’ and the helmet will turn them on,”> Dappleby told him simply and he joined the others in having pale, lemon-white beams emanate from the sides of his helmet, lighting up a greyscale room that had pipes and wires running along the walls, an inset light in the ceiling that was currently off and a door in the corner. Kerri was already scooting across to check it out.

She opened up a panel and attached her computer to it. “Barelyanypower,” she told them. “Someone’sshut itoff.” She looked up at the door. “Or the computerdidit. Thisdoor doesn’tknow.” She ran through a series of instructions and the door cracked open a little. “Advisedthesystem tosavepower byturning offthemagneticseals,” she said, leaving half the group struggling to catch up with what she’d said before she gestured to the guards, then the door. “It’snot goingto openitself,” she called.


They took the hint and shifted forward to put their strength to the door as Charles moved forward. They advised him to step back in case anything nasty was waiting for them. Security fields and thicker armour meant their armour stood more of a chance against directed fire weaponry and Charles wondered what he was supposed to do if anyone attacked. <”Grab one of their weapons and hit them with it,”> someone told him. He could do that. If he didn’t get shot in the first thirty seconds. Oh, gods, he thought. I’m panicking. How to calm down? Think of Maldak. Think of Maldak… He felt himself begin to calm.

<“Shecancalm many,”> Kerri said with humour, <“but youprobablymeant tothink that, not sayit, hmm?”>

Charles cringed silently as he realised he’d broken the tension for the whole group. Kerri appeared on a private channel. <“If you want tothink ofherto keepyoucalm, goforit, Charles. Iknow shelikes you.”>


“I’m an idiot,” he confided.

<“Chiefsand Captains don’tsendidiots on awaymissions soyou’re notone.”>

“Thanks boss,” he said as the guards pushed the door open. He wasn’t totally reassured.


Kerri split the groups, sending Charles and Dappleby up to the transmission centre whilst she and Kina headed to the power core, each group taking one security guard. One of the guards had asked why they were splitting and Kerri had assured him, quite directly, that the problem had to lie in one of two places. The transmission centre, which was where the two engineers who specialised in communications were going, and the power core, which was where she was going. And would the guard kindly help Kina hump the box down to the core? Kina objected strongly to the term, making everyone laugh. Even Charles. It made him happy, being part of a group. And he had the tech he needed to do the job now, unlike on the freighter. So he let the security officer lead the way to the bridge.


Twenty minutes later, they were about ready. No fights, although marks indicated someone had been by recently, and Kerri was confirming she was ready to reactivate the core using the portable generator they’d brought with them. Charles had been really impressed by that. The affordable portable generators he’d seen usually had to be carried by Equinna when not in zero gravity. Things, it seemed, were getting more portable. They’d found the power had been drained somehow so Kerri was going to drip feed the power back in so the two in the command room could see where the power went via their suit sensors. “Reading it,” Charles said, noting the power flow coming through the control panel. “It’s going…”

<“It’s going to the shields,”> Dappleby interrupted, moving him aside to get at the controls. <“Systems were realigned so that ninety-five percent of the power flow went to the shields, No wonder they drained.”>

“Where’s the other five percent going,” Charles asked, before hearing the screech of a general transmission, going out on all frequencies in a pulse that he hurried to shut off.

<“What was that,”> the closest guard asked.

“Space’s equivalent of a sonar pulse,” Charles explained. “it goes out in all directions, faster than any ship I know of thanks to subspace. It’ll reflect off any ship, giving it’s position to the people who know how to watch within minutes.”

<“And wecan’t warnthem,”> Kerri complained.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Now that they figured out what is wrong with the power shields hopefully they will be able to recharge them so they can use them again. As I have a feeling they will need to use them sooner rather than later.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Sixty-three


Maldak called out and took her headpiece off for several seconds as the sonic pulse hit the hull of the ship and Postain turned to her as the rest of the bridge did, She apologised and put the headpiece back on as the Captain demanded to know what that had been about. Her ears still ringing somewhat, she didn’t hear him at first so spoke halfway across his demand. “A sonis scream,” she explained. “Across all bandwidths.”

Kridd agreed and added that the epicentre appeared to be the communications relay station they’d been at an hour ago. “Could the team have triggered something,” he asked.

“Unlikely,” Postain grumbled. “Tarbeck, you’re the closest thing I have to an expert in this sort of thing. What do you think that might have been about?”

The Celican mused on it for a moment. “Perhaps..?” He moved over to Kridd’s station and started running entries after the feline reluctantly agreed to allow him access. “It’s gone out in a perfect sphere,” he announced. “Even in a vacuum, sound travels until it hits something…”

“I KNOW that, Commander…”

“But then it bounces off what it hits. Planets, moons… ships. And there’s not much in this sector – why it was chosen for a relay – so most of what it’s bouncing off would be ships.”

Postain looked at him sharply now, his expression changing with a shift of the eye as his tone lowered half an octave. “Can they track us with it?”

“It’s possible,” Kridd said, putting his voice in before Tarbeck could speak up. “Although they’d need to have sensors set up to record reflections to get and exact location and it would require multiple pings to…”

“Maldak, take the headpiece off,” Tarbeck called, The person next to her pulled it from her ear before the next screech came in.

“Makilla,” Postain ordered. “Evasive course. Change direction every minute for five minutes. All axis. Then continue in that direction for five minutes and start again.”

Makilla nodded her compliance and started the procedure. It wasn’t going to make getting anywhere any easier but it’d make their actual course impossible to track. It still meant they knew the destination but… “Should we change speeds as well, sir?”

“It’ll help, I suppose.”

“Nausea cruise coming up,” the Shrewvian mooted.

“Stow the humour, Makilla,” the Captain ordered before considering she might have a point. It would stress the ship’s stabilizers. “Kridd,” he stated, “you’re the bridge corpsman on duty. Dose everyone for motion sickness. Maldak, you back with us?”

“Hmm, uh, yessir,” the Quokkan murred, thinking of Charles. A bit. If the pulse was coming from there, he’d be trying to stop it. What did the Captain want?

“Send the message to all department heads to treat as many as they can for motion sickness immediately.”

She complied.


Sarah wondered if it was her head spinning or the room and decided it must be the room as she’d drunk nothing and the pressure seemed to be shifting from head to tail and left to right. “I’m beginning to regret taking Postain up on his offer of free transit,” she told Hayseed, who handed her some lengthy vegetables. “What are these,” she asked.

“Ikran,” he replied, indicating she should eat some. “It’s a Lappinean root. It’ll help with what’s coming. Trust someone who works on a freighter. Organic remedies help stretch out medical supplies.

She took a bite and screwed up her face at the intense,unpleasant, taste. She almost spat it out and only didn’t because there was nowhere to spit it and she was far too cultured to spit food onto a bar. She swallowed and made a face at him. “That,” she told him, “is disgusting.”

“It is when raw,” he agreed. “But it has a strange side effect in Micans. It calms the stomach. You’ll need one more mouthful. The medic on my freighter’s a Mican so you can trust her.”

Sarah considered the vegetable. It looked so innocent but it was practically pulsing in her minds’ eye now. Glowing with intent. She grimaced, her teeth showing and glinting lightest brown as she reached for it. “Can’t you cook it,” she asked hopefully.

“Drives the chemical out, Sarah.” he said, feeling the ship shift yet again and counteracting as his feet grew heavy and shifted slightly. “Go ahead. I’ll get you some Soyfresh to take the taste away in a moment.

“You better,” she told him, holding on to her documents with one arm across the bar and taking another bite of the vegetable. Her stomach seemed to calm itself, even as her throat seemed to burn with the intense taste.


Charles finished his work on the transmission control panel and Dappleby ran the checks to make sure the pulses had finished being broadcast. The Human had noted that, even though they were in the middle of ground zero and couldn’t hear the sonic scream, it was evident that his companions were affected by the effect. The pain was evident in the moans through the helmet speakers. He’d had the feeling it was reverberating below his hearings’ perception and it was the ‘aaah’s of relief that told him the thing had been eliminated.

<“The benefits of being Human,”> Dappleby commented drily.

“Well, there have to be some, Daps,” Charles replied, using the joke before someone else did. In fact he could hear one of them starting it as he said it. “So, shall we work on getting this place running normally, boss?”

<“Soundsanidea, Charles,”> Kerri gabbled. <“Weneedto locatedthe Councilship headed forus andtellthem to speedup.”>

“Beg pardon?”

<“She said we need to call the Council ship coming,”> Kina told him, earning a ‘Isaidthat!’ from Kerri. <“Because the other side now knows we’ve disabled their little trick. They might be on their way to look...”>

[Amazee Dayzee]

Well if they know that they stopped the trick of course they are gonna want to know what happened. So yes they are gonna come looking so they better get ready.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Sixty-Four


Henry looked over the reports with concern. The old Mican, who’d started planning his retirement months ago after it had been pointed out he was, officially, ten years over the normal retirement age, was only hanging on because no-one else seemed to want the role. He had an idea forming about how to handle things and moves were being made and built but things were still far from certain. He’d been organising things all day whilst trying to keep up to date with all the things going on around the patch, taking reports and making decisions. The Frigates Tarquil and Jacamma had been assigned to run anti piracy operations around Micanna IV, the Loper was on patrol around Pandera and Calderon, the Savval was assisting with viruses on Redmeyne whilst the Fallir kept guard against others who might take advantage of the situation. His main concern, of course, was the Rodomont. Well, this week, anyhow. Sometimes it was the Loper but it was Postain and his ship that had been thrust into this position without planning or, even, a plan that had evolved. They’d been chasing their tails as Admiral Reynolds had often said. And now, this. He’d had to dispatch the Crosswire (as the engineering division jokingly called their clipper ship) to repair the communications station breakdown four hours ago and then… this. The direct shot from Postain that indicated he might just have sent the engineers into a trap set by Raicarra or someone else. The old Mican wasn’t totally sure it was the Raitchian company.


IOC operatives on Raitche had shut down a half dozen programs being run by Raicarra over the last few years, including in direct confrontation. This had resulted in company reorganisation and the ship enforcing company rules against pirates was one thing but cutting off two dozen Raitchian colonies was a bit beyond. It had been six but the neighbouring relay station to the first one had gone offline three hours back. Henry sighed slightly and checked on where every ship in the sector was. He tapped his deskcomm. “Zeena,” he asked, referring to his adjutant.

“<Yes, sir,”> the Feline replied, practically purring.

“Get me Commander Parrix on the Surak. I have a mission for them. I’ll log the change in plans later.”

<“On it,”> she replied,


A minute later, the visage of a Celican male appeared on screen. Unlike some, this one wore his scars proudly, visions of battles won etched on his face as he stared down the Mican. He and his ship were newcomers to the patch, under the influx created by the knowledge ships had begun to bring back regarding threats outside the border. She was a frigate but, whereas the Loper was designed for exploration, this Monta designed frigate class was designed to fight. Four main energy cannons, ablative armour. Full shielding and two torpedo bays. She still had other departments but they weren’t as detailed as the Lopers. She could do them but that wasn’t what she was there for.

“You know of the failed communications relay,” I take it, Henry asked, knowing he’d sent out the communique so the Captains could route transmissions around the failed relay if needed.

<“I do, sir,”> Parrix stated, keeping his words to a minimum, as usual.

“I sent out the Crosswire to repair it four hours ago. It crossed into the signal dead zone an hour ago. After the other went down.” He looked the Commander firmly in the eye. “Ten minutes ago I received a databolt transmission from the Rodomont. They chased two high value targets – and I mean EXTREME high value targets, to a Brockian colony on the other side of the current dead zone. They encountered interference from Raicarra in that mission and, now? They’re in a zone where communications don’t work?”

The scar across the Commanders eye wrinkled as his teeth showed, yellowed and shining. <“They suspect enemy action,”> he growled.

Postlethwaite nodded. “They do, Commander. You’re the closest ship we have to that zone so I want you at the communications station at best speed in case the Crosswire’s in trouble.”

<“And the Rodomont,”> Parrix asked.

“Will be taking evasive action. Random paths, changing often. So we have no idea their precise location. We do know the Crosswire’s destination and start point. Head for their destination. If Postain calls out, you’ll be in the area.”

<“Understood.”> The Celican waited until he was dismissed and Henry sat back, wishing he could do more but that was about all. Wasn’t it? He mused and made arrangements for eventualities.


His adjutant knocked and entered the room. “Update sir,” she told him, giving him the padd.

“Couldn’t you have sent it through, Zeena,” he asked, accepting the pad.

She flipped out an old fashioned paper pad and pen. “It’s easier to take instructions in person, sir,” she told him, her off-ginger coloured fur glinting the light in a style she hoped would be a little seductive. As usual, Henry made sure he didn’t notice.

“So the station came back online,” Henry noted. “Sending out single pulses.” He looked up at her face. “I hope Marius actually IS doing evasive manoeuvres,” he noted. “Something like this needs more than one or two ships.” Another sigh. “O.K., Zeena, you want a few instructions? Here we go.”

She readied her pen.


“You MUST be joking,” Postain told Senny as she stood in front of his desk, holding on to the wall. “You want THAT to join your fighter squadrons?” He thrust a hand at Declan’s profile picture, taken when he’d been brought aboard as a prisoner.

“I want pilot numbers up to minimum safe levels, sir,” Senny returned.. “He’s a trained pilot who, if we get ambushed, will be a HECK of a lot more useful in a fighter than in a safe zone. I am not talking about giving him a commission or a pardon but using him right now, because we’re out of options. He has as much to lose if anything happens to this ship as we do, sir. I know what you think, it’s one ex-pirate seeing someone like her and I cannot pretend I’m not biased but we’re not going up against any clans here, are we?”

“I want a destruct program installed on his ship if you’re going to insist,” Postain ordered, knowing she had a point in what she said. “He gets more than half an hour distant from the ship that fighter doesn’t survive. It also goes off if he tries to disconnect it. If the deck chief can install that, you can have him.” He pointed a finger. “THAT is MY condition, Flight leader.” The ship shifted again, making Senny take a couple of sidesteps. “Dismissed.”

“Sir,” Senny replied, deciding to go tell Declan as Postain contacted the Deck Chief.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Looks like Postain drives hard bargains but I am never gonna see the day he isn't hard on anybody isn't he? Bet people that are on his ship and have to deal with him are wishing they were aboard the Loper.

[Welsh Halfwit]

The final battle begins...

Sixty-five


The Rodomont continued on through space. And up, to starboard, down, to port, up to port and so on as Makilla engineered a roller coaster ride that even had them travelling in circles at one point. She hadn’t thought anyone had noticed until Xarra, back on the bridge, had complimented her on the corkscrew they’d just pulled off. The Captain, of course, had just walked out from his office as though people weren’t holding on to handrails and consoles to stay upright, walked across to his chair and ordered her to set course back to the communications satellite. The Shrewvian asked him to repeat that as she thought she might have misheard. Of course, she asked him politely.

“Return us to the satellite,” Postain repeated, seeing even Xarra was looking concerned. “They know we’re running,” he reminded her, and the bridge crew. “If they’re hunting us and they know where we’re going, they can ambush us there. The one place they know we’re not, if we’ve judged it right, is at the satellite.”

“Or they’re waiting for the ship Talvary sent.”

He shook his head. “No. Their target is us. The engineering ship is incidental. It has no value to them. Anyway, Makilla, the order is given. Take us back there. Best speed.”

“Aye,” she replied, plotting the course and thinking that things had been going too well in her personal life so this other shoe had been inevitable.


One of Senny’s pilots put her hand up as Senny completed her lecture on the Raicarra fighters they might be about to encounter in the next few hours and the Castoran finished up the line before talking. “Yes, Shockeye?”

The feline languidly extended and arm and the room fell quiet as she pointed a claw at Declan, sitting behind Senny and close to the wall. The Mican was wearing a set of flying coveralls and had a helmet in his lap. “What is THAT doing here,” she asked, “and why is it decked out as though it’s going to be flying with us?”

“Because we have an emergency situation here, Shockeye, we’re actually BELOW operational levels here, we’re going to be facing a possibly superior number of fighters and, quite frankly, he’s in just as much danger from them as we are. We also happen to be needing as many fighter pilots as we can get. Even the deck chief’s going to be out there with us.”

Shockeye gave Declan the stinkeye. “You have to be joking. You expect us to fly with HIM?”

“No,” Senny stated firmly, before Declan could say anything. This was, she’d decided, a rebellion she needed to put down. “I expect HIM to fly with US. He has… incentives not to go too far from the ship so he won’t run or, if that’s what you’re worried about, turn on you.”

“Like I’d be worried about that,” she scoffed. “I’m twice the pilot that scrawn is.” She grinned. “I’d have him for breakfast.”

“If you ‘have him for breakfast’ out there, Shockeye, you’ll spend the rest of the time on the ship in the brig before I turn you over for court-martial. Got it?” She stared at the pilot until the Feline grudgingly assented. “That goes for all of you, by the way. He’s here for a few days. You’re here forever.” Another hand went up. “Yes, Yella,” she asked the Alsan Canine.

“Shouldn’t the Chief of the Deck be here if he’s going to be fighting with us?”

Senny quirked an eyeridge. “You really think there’s anything I can teach him about fighters?” She approved of the quiet chuckle that got. Even from Shockeye. “If there’s nowt else, you lot are dismissed and on ready stations.”

The group stood and headed out, except for Shockeye, who drew herself up to her full height, flicked her silver tabby ears, and stepped forward to tower over Declan. She looked down at him as he, with a slight tremble, looked up at her. She popped one claw and gently touched it to the underside of his muzzle. “She’s vouching for you, pirate. Figure I know why but I’ll say this clear. Do NOT let her down, got it?”

“I...I’ll try not to,” Declan shook, before Senny declared that was enough and gently moved Shockeye’s arm down. Shockeye headed out.

“Think she doesn’t like me,” Declan declared, trying to make it sound a joke.

“That’s why I said you’re only here for a few days, Dec,” Senny told him, getting her notes together. “We survive this and you go for Reclaim?” She looked him in the eye. “You’re not doing it on this ship, bud. You need the clean break and, set up or not, you were shooting at us a couple of weeks back.”

“Oh,” he said, looking deflated, “I just…”

“I know. Come through today and I should be able to put in a few words for you, Dec. Might even get you onto a friend’s flight.” She patted him on the shoulder. “You go get fed. We’re on ten minute warning.”


Declan found himself in the Starwheel bar and wondered why he’d ever thought that a good idea as, even without the consumption of alcohol, other pilots were here. Looking at him. Judging him. At least it was the Rabbit working. He looked like he wanted sleep. Or food. Oh, yeah, food.

“What you after,” Hayseed asked.

“Don’t you go serving him,” a strident voice stated, cutting through the silence. “He ain’t worth our food!”

Declan thought he should head out and started mumbling apologies . Then he heard another voice. “Heck with that,” the voice said. “If he’s out there today, I don’t want his reactions slowed by being hungry!” He heard her get up and stride over to the bar.

“Hello, Shockeye,” Hayseed said. “What can I get you?”

The Feline put her hand out and caught Declan as he tried to slink past. “Get this whatever he wants,” she told the Lappinean. “My tab.”

“Th...thanks but…”

“No buts, mouse.” She raised her voice. “For today, you’re a probationary member of the team. Flight leaders insistence.”


He’d barely gotten five minutes into her credit when the combat readiness alert sounded. He joined them in running for the fighters and got into his old girl. He could feel the weight of the attached device in the ship’s guts as he sped for space, feeling exhilarated at the prospect after being boxed up for so long. The deck chief had done some good work here, hadn’t he..? Declan wondered why he was looking at the relay satellite he’d seen them drop off the engineers at. There was something that worried him more, though.


Why, if they were supposed to be facing Raitchians, was it a Lappinean cruiser in front of him?

[Amazee Dayzee]

That is a good point that the wrong cruiser is about to engage them in a fight and unexpected. Either the Raitchians commandeered the Lappinean ship or they convinced them to join up against the Rodomont.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Sixty-Six


Postain glared at the Lappara Cruiser on the screen ahead of them. He’d not been expecting it per se but he’d guessed that he’d be running into them sooner or later. He’d worked that out after knowing he was after the Lapinian scientist who’d changed a major Lappinean medical breakthrough into a galaxy scale threat. The urge to brush things under the rug only intensified if you held both the dirt and the rug. “They hailing us yet,” he asked Maldak.

“Not yet, sir,” she replied.

“Kridd,” he demanded. “Status?”

“I can’t scan her, sir,” he replied. “They’ve adapted that new covering the Loper found last year. There doesn’t seem to be a way to get an accurate reading.”

“Keep trying. Shields up and charge weapons.”

He complied as Tarbeck got to the bridge and took up the 2nd officer station near Maldak. From here he could take in the numbers and reports from stations around the ship and forward them on to Xarra. It was supposed to streamline things, he reckoned. It mostly seemed makework but it was something.


Maldak advised that they were getting a signal and the Captain advised it should be put on screen. The sight of a Lappinean Doe with steelshot eyes and a face as straight as they came appeared on the screen. She stood in front of a screen that made sure the Rodomont crew couldn’t see any other part of the bridge. <“I am Captain Lake of the Lapparatech cruiser Mistoptia. We came here to offer help in repairing the signal. Why have you launched fighters?”>

Postain mused on how to reply. “My apologies for presumption,” he said, keeping his attitude damped for now. “We are carrying two top secret captives right now who may be of interest to… certain governments who might try to relive us of them. This satellite was sabotaged in such a way that it cut off direct communications in a region of space we were about to enter and, when repaired, would automatically reveal our location to the people looking for us.” He half rose from his chair. “I am in no mood to play the ‘trust’ game right now, Lake. As you can tell, the station has been repaired so your attendance is no longer required.”

She nodded primly. <“I’m instructed to make sure the signal is stable, Captain. Being as how Lapparatech created the technology involved. I have specialists aboard to do that but I cannot get them down there whilst the quartet currently down there have the shields up. And I note you do as well.”>

“Operational procedure,” Postain told her, thinking of the recent events around the colony. “You can come and check on the station AFTER we’ve gone.”

<“And then my seniors would have my ears. No, Captain, we stay.”>


Kerri Levan looked up at the digital ‘skylight’ they’d discovered which had enabled them to see the video-link from the outside. Kina had managed to route power past the burnt out systems to re-establish the defence field safely past its usual ‘deflect stray asteroids’ level to hold off the Rabbits for a time whilst Charles and Dappleby had got local comms up and running. She’d been the one who’d had to deal with the Lapparatech Captain when they’d arrived and demanded access. She’d almost been convinced but she’d seen the maintenance logs in this place. The cruiser showing up today, when no maintenance was logged for the last three years, was a co-incidence and, although Darren was happy to give in to the power of random occurrence, she wasn’t. She’d been happy to tell the Lappineans that they couldn’t quite turn the shields off without turning the power off and, y’know, suffocating as they totally didn’t have environment suits on? Of course the fact that all the suits were about five to six feet away was unsaid and, as she was talking at full speed, they’d needed to go over things a few times. By speedtalking, a conversation that should have been five minutes long had been stretched out to twenty minutes. And then, to the little engineer’s surprise, the Rodomont had shown up. Grief, she thought, shewasan uglyship… Still beautiful in her way. “Charles,” she said, trying to keep her speed down, “canyou sendasecure transmission to the Rodomontso the longears can’t hear? No offence,” she added to one of he guards.

“None taken, squeaks,” he replied as the human and Dappleby conspired to arrange something.


<“We’re channelling the signal through the shields own frequency,”> Dappleby advised the bridge as the designated spokesperson. <“It’s acting as interference and, hopefully, obscuring the signal.”>

“Then how are we getting you?”

Dappleby looked surprised. <“I’m your secondary comms officer,”> she reminded him. <“You think Maldak and I don’t know each others tricks?”>

“Fair enough,” Postain admitted. “Any advice for us?”

<“Well, in the time we had long range sensors, we did pick up a ship headed this way. Although everyone seems to be travelling with transponders off so they can surprise people. The U.S.C. Covea is heading this way. She’ll be showing up on your long range sensors soon. We sent them a pick up request then long range comms died so we can’t communicate with them again...”>

“And they’ll show up on the Lappineans systems too,” Postain mused. “Any weapons on that thing,” he asked the static filled system.

Dappleby looked off to the side of the screen as Postain thought he heard Kerri Levan say something offensive at speed. The Mican returned her gaze to the screen. <“Kerri says nothing workable,”> she reported with discretion. <“Power is still building so shields and the weapons shouldn’t be used at the same time...”> The signal distorted and cut out as interference swamped the frequency. Postain sat back. So back up was coming. Back up that was hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned. Especially if the Lappinean had back up coming in as well.


“Why are you putting out a communications jamming field,” Postain demanded. “We cannot contact command to update them.”

<“Standard practice when repairing malfunctioning communications satellites,”> Lake replied, leaving her truth telling status unclear. <“You restrict the information coming in until the system is recalibrated to handle it. It saves blowouts.”>

“Sorry,” Maldak said, turning around, “but the Laran 29 processor, which these stations have, can handle fifty thousand terraquads of transmission data every second. They’re also programmed to maintain calibration when powered down. They only lose calibration when deliberately shut off.”

“How do you know it was shut off, Captain,” Postain asked. The line cut off.

“Lucky you knew that about the processor,” Tarbeck ventured.

“Lucky she didn’t know enough to know I was making that last bit up,” Maldak replied as another ship pulled into view.


It wasn’t the Covea.

[Amazee Dayzee]

You know the fact that they are fighting against a Lappinean cruiser which they didn't know was gonna show up makes me think that another ship with a certain captain should show up to help Postain. I am sure that they would be so confused that another Lappinean is siding with them. LOL

[Welsh Halfwit]

Sixty-Seven


“A Cogan 400 light cruiser,” Dappleby mused, watching the second Lappinean ship close in on the Rodomont as the guards tensed around them. “Is it me or is this little backwater suddenly a rest stop on a highway?”

Kina sighed and said that it, at least, confirmed that the Lappineans weren’t here to rescue them.

“Stowthat,” Kerri chipped in. “We needto figureout how tohelp ourship withwhatwe have.”

“We don’t have anything,” Kina protested.

Kerri stared at her. “We havea Computer specialist,” she reminded her, “we havetwo communication specialistsAND,” she added, gesturing to the room, “wehave a MASSIVE communicationsarray! There mustbe someway wecanbeat theirjamming signal!” Charles chuckled, attracting her attention. “What?Is somethingfunny, Hume?”

“Well,” he replied, shifting around as the two Lappinean ships moved to block the Rodomont, “we might not be able to break their signal… Why don’t we jam it instead? Overload all sensors. It’d level the playing field a bit at least.”

Kerri frowned. “Whatplayingfield?” She waved a hand. “Never mind. It’ll keep theCovea as a surprise. Don’tletthe shieldsdown butdoit.”


Senny spoke on the group channel to her fighters. “OK, so it’s a change of plans. Lappineans. We can still handle this, guys. Alpha and Delta wings, focus fire on incoming fighters with me. Bravo, escort Wharfrat into position to assault their communications array.” She heard the leader of Bravo wing ask why they had the Pirate and Declan groaned at the use of his codename. “I want that jamming signal down fast,” she replied “The shielding is just as strong there, remember?”


“Affirmative,” Shockeye replied, delegating her team around the pirate. She wondered if the enemy had any clue why her five fighters were deploying around the old pirate fighter. She fancied they might get a bit of a surprise if his shield breakers could do their job. As he was part of her understaffed squad, she linked up to him. “You hearing me, Squeaks?”

<“It’s better than Wharfrat,”> he replied. “<No other Micans in the flight?”>

“On a Feline’s flight,” she replied with mock offence. “Not today. Set your guns to max power. Your target’s going to be the comms array, got it?”

<”Got it, Shockeye,”>

They could see the ships beginning to launch their own fighters. Between the two of them, they had almost as many fighters as the Rodomont. “Here we go,” Shockeye called as her flight powered towards the Mistopia.


With Cobalt confined to a secure zone and likely to pop any moment, Flakk had seen little option but to shoehorn Leigh in as a nurse to help him staff an understaffed medical bay. Greedan was there as well, acting as medic and he had two other nurses so he was dealing with the priority cases and they were doing triage as Doctor Jul took care of things in the second medical bay. “I’m not much of a medic,” Leigh had protested but Flakk had told them they could lift and carry and help and, when the ship was boarded, they could fight. “You think we’ll get boarded,” Leigh asked.

“I think they wouldn’t have gone this far,” Flakk replied, “if they intended to leave any witnesses, Their prize is to capture our two friends in the brig and have no-one left alive to say who did it.”

Leigh held onto a bed as the ship shuddered. “Not afraid I won’t help them, Doc?”

Flakk looked at them in deadly earnest. “You are literally what they want to cover up. Understand?”

Leigh nodded. “Understood.”


The fighter groups had engaged, whirling dervishes trying to get the upper hand on their opposite numbers as the lumbering heavyweights headed towards each other with their big guns powered up. Postain couldn’t think of when a corporation had tried something on this scale last. Not even the Raicarran situation had gotten this bad, surely? He’d given his silent approval for Senny’s tactic of using the pirate and decided he’d need a word with the deck chief after this. The weaponry was supposed to have been removed from that fighter after they’d left the colony. Sloppy work, leaving it this late, wasn’t it? “Move us in on the Mistopea,” he commanded. “We need their attention on US, not Beta flight.”

“That will expose us to the cruiser,” Xarra reminded him.

“Can’t be helped. Starboard secondary weapons can keep that one at bay. Makilla, Postain one twelve.”

“Aye, Captain,” the Shrewvian replied, inputting the plan that would tightly shift them around the axis and present an oblique angle to the main cruiser as the weapons officer laid in his firing plan.


Automatic cannons fired, aiming to disperse or destroy incoming fighters as they tried to lock on to the Rodomont and the Mistopea was doing likewise, leading Shockeye, Declan (A.K.A. Squeaks) and the rest of Bravo flight to weave their way in towards the underside of the ship. Bravo four broke up and fell apart as fighter’s locked on to the group before Alpha’s six and four could distract them “Coming in on target,” she told the others. “Open fire!”


Their guns roared silently in the vacuum, energy lit up by the canopy displays streaking towards the main communications array on the underside of the ship, as much as there was an underside in space. The energy from the fighters struck the shielding, making it use energy to block their shots as she used more to fire on the Rodomont, cannons smashing into the battleships’ protective fields. Declan gritted his teeth and thumbed the firing stud. He watched as his guns worked, targetting the communications array on his monitor. Hoping the guns didn’t need recalibration. He knew the comms array couldn’t take too much damage which is why it was on the underside of the ship with strong shields. He had to admit he smiled when he saw the effect from his weapons, burrowing through the defence fields right on target, cracking the skin of the vulnerable array with a visible flash and a silent explosion as a similar explosion came from the Rodomont behind them...

[Amazee Dayzee]

I really got a thrill out of the battle scene that we got in this chapter! Of course it was obvious that Postain and company would come out on top.

[Welsh Halfwit]

I really got a thrill out of the battle scene that we got in this chapter! Of course it was obvious that Postain and company would come out on top.

They haven't... Yet. This is the final battle and it's only begun.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I am pretty sure in the end that they will though because no story is good if the protagonists all fail. I just really wanna see how they do this and completely win the fight.

[Welsh Halfwit]

And a certain Evilish Rabbit agent doesn't make an appearance.

Sixty-Eight


They felt the explosion on the bridge. In fact they probably felt it everywhere as a portion of the hull blew out in the engineering section quarters, voiding living spaces and passageways as power systems failed and blew from within, releasing keepsakes and occupants into the void. Even with the residents being in the nearest safe zone, there had still been security there, along with engineers and maintenance workers trying to stop the overload before they realised they’d failed and tried to make it to the nearest bulkhead and failed again. Hadrian had just seen someone he went to the academy with get blown out as the automatic door shut on his heels. He’d thought she was right behind him. He’d been thankful there had been no window in the bulkhead as he knew he’d have had to stay there with her until the end, keeping her company. There hadn’t been time to even call for a teleport before the monitor detected the flash of suction as everything beyond was ripped out. He knew it wasn’t asphyxiation that would have killed her either. It was the fact that things were going to hit her and her them as everything was ripped out. But the Cervidian couldn’t linger on the death. There were living beings trapped in the shell still. They needed him. Especially as shield had been down for several seconds so… Yup, there was the call. Boarders in the shopping area. Hadrian took off, his remaining colleagues in pursuit. They weren’t far away. They’d be headed for security, where only the Chief and a couple of others stood between them and the targets.


One of the assailants fell back as a shot from Yarkin staggered it. The second, charged to power now it was identified as not a Rodomont body, blew through the armour and the body underneath. “You’re not getting them,” she called.


Harmony Whitestar had to admit she’d been getting along better with her boss these last few days. He’d not stolen her lunch since her ‘accidental’ light poisoning of him and he’d actually started looking into getting a third agent drafted to the colony on the understanding that he had more work to do if his only subordinate was out of commission. They’d finished their part in the Rodomont affair and a certain executive had been fired with prejudice so he had no access to the company’s high priced lawyer flotilla. His funds had been frozen so he couldn’t afford a fancy lawyer of his own, either, and was being forced to rely on one supplied by the state. He was going down and things were good. She unwrapped a cake bar and almost dropped it as her ear implants whined before dropping back to normal volume as a voice spoke to her. She spun around. No-one was there. It spoke again. <“I’m not there, my dear,”> the sweetly pleasant voice told her. <“Merely close by with an infra red scope and a transmitter keyed to the frequency of your implant.”>

“Who are you,” she asked.

<“I’m just here to send a message,”> the voice said, talking over her as she reasoned they couldn’t hear her. <“Look up file 120 in the central archive when you want to convince people you weren’t hearing things. The Rodomont situation is not over yet. The package they are carrying is valuable to many and one company is determined to clean things up. Even the destruction of a council ship is within their levels of chaos. The
y are NOT representative of any government.”>

“Why wouldn’t you br…”

<“If you’re wondering why I wouldn’t bring this direct,”> the voice continued, <“it would not be credible for me to bring this to the IOC or Talvery station directly. File 120 will lead you to what I need for you to cause problems for people I don’t like.”> The implant fizzed and returned to normal as Maltravers called her, apparently for the third time in as many minutes.

“Pardon, sir,” she asked, clearly distracted, glancing around in confusion.

“I asked who you were talking to,” he remarked, dunking a biscuit in his tea. He stood by her desk. “Are you OK?”

“Someone patched into my cochlear,” she replied. “Told me the Rodomont’s still in danger.”

Maltravers looked at her askance. “And you’re SURE you weren’t hearing things?”

“Har, har,” Harmony retorted. “They told me to load up file 120 on the Central Archive.”

Maltravers stiffened. He took himself to his desk and Harmony found herself locked out from central archives. She called out and raced to his office. “Hey, what the..?”

“Trust me, Harmony,” Maltravers told her as he typed away. “You really don’t want this coming back on you, Harmony… Agent Whitestar. Those files are drop stations. It means an intelligence operative is going through unofficial channels to reach us. They’re only known to senior Agents and senior Intelligence assets.”

“So, who runs File 120?”


Harras physically shifted the damaged piece of wall so others could fix a plate over the area and he put the metal down as the patch held following the suppression of the electrical fire behind it as medics treated those who’d been closest to the rupture and had taken wounds and contusions from shards and debris. “Status report on that repair,” the Equinna called, talking of the power line blast that had caused the blowout down here. A small reflection of what it had done to the hull.

“Forcefields holding,” Kohlich called from his station, controlling the flow to the engines. “Bulkheads working within parameters. Damage teams three and, uh, six patching things as best they can.”

“Send team 8 to assist,” Harras motioned as the ship rocked again. “I hope Kerri’s still alive,” he muttered as he sought to assist with further repairs.


“Arewe aboutreadyto go yet,” Kerri asked, impatient for the off as the battle swirled around them. The others were working or getting prepared for a fight as Charles and Dappleby turned the transmitter into a sonic style weapon. They’d needed to change several programs with Kina doing the necessary work. A Starlancer shot overhead in pursuit of a Lappinean. Without the treated canopy, Kerri couldn’t see the lights of its energy beams but she knew they were there as the shields registered something hitting them.

“Nearly done,” Charles replied.

“About thirty seconds,” Dappleby added.

The asteroid station shook as a fighter crashed into the shields. Dust rained from the ceiling. Kerri didn’t know what side the ship had been on. It had been travelling too quickly.

“We need to tell the barn,” one of the guards said.

“Notime,” Kerri replied. “Is itready?”

Dappleby pulled herself out from under the console. “Hold your ears,” she advised.


Charles couldn’t hear it but it was obvious everyone else here could. The stations output shifted into high gear and they were covering their ears.


Maldak pulled herself off the system as sensor suites fell to static. Kridd and Makilla reported their scanners were down. “Are they jamming us,” Postain demanded.

“No, sir,” Maldak replied. “It’s coming from the relay station.”

“Why would they be jamming us,” Tarbeck asked.

Postains’ eyes widened as he got it. “They’re jamming all signals,” he reported. “Those two have been able to co-ordinate their attacks. Now they can’t. The odds are more even. Makilla, Postain 12. Let’s deal with the little one first.”

[Amazee Dayzee]

By making the fight a little more easier there is no way that Postain won't come out on top in the fight. Lets just hope the opponents don't have a secret weapon that they can use.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Sixty-nine


Declan hit the ‘silence’ button on his cockpit several seconds before the others, he reckoned. He’d been hearing their voices in his helmet and had made the reasonable assumption that they couldn’t operate except as part of a unit. The overwhelming screech of static had almost come as a relief. But not one he could afford to listen to whilst some ‘seat of the pants’ flying was required. No sensors operative. No communications. He pulled up and away from where one of the Lappinean ships was careering and fired again at the cruiser as the automatic fighter guns on the ship failed to operate. Being part of this wing wasn’t anything he was hoping for right now. They were scared to do anything, it seemed, moving hesitantly and only firing when there was, seemingly, no chance to miss and hit their colleagues. He splashed a Lappinean fighter as he banked away from the cruiser and saw a Starlancer banking and jinking to protect the others. He had a guess that Senny was in that fighter. He also reasoned that the explosive should have gone off by now as communications had ceased. He didn’t much care as two Lappinean ships latched onto her fighter. He gunned the engines and readied to fire as others moved. He hoped they planned to help. He imagined a targetting sensor on the nose of his ship and, as attuned as he was with it, was still a little surprised when the Lappinean fighter blew to pieces. Senny circled on the other to finish him before the pair waggled wings at each other and headed back into the protective fight.


“At least internals are still working,” Flakk complained after he managed to get through to supplies for new scrubs and bandages. He finished the work in removing the shattered arm of a Canine and Leigh caught it before it hit the floor. Flakk began administering the bandages to the stump as Leigh put the limb somewhere safe in a stasis compartment. “Why not just replicate it,” they asked.

Flakk sighed. “I do for the necessities, convict.”

“I’m not a convict, yet.”

“Don’t split fur follicles. And don’t interrupt! I do for the vital things,” he continued as he hoisted the patient onto one of the last spare beds and tore the cover off the operating table for the next patient. “but the replication machine uses power and can shut off. Which is why we have stores of the regular stuff.”

Leigh helped him with the next patient, a Mican with a bleeding head. Two beds over, the senior nurse and one of her compatriots were dealing with a Mican’s broken leg.


Hadrian rested himself against a bulkhead for a second as the stinging effect of a club like weapon warbled through his arm. They’d run into the attackers nearly outside the security office where the Lappinean armoured individuals had engaged the team Yarkin had kept with her. One had reacted faster than him as they’d rounded the corner and hit him with a melee shockprod that had gone through the protective armour and numbed his arm for a number of second beforeOfficer Portree had brought his weapon to bear at close range and obliterated the helmet of the assailant and, effectively, the head within. Hadrian pulled himself up off the wall and engaged the intruders in something of a crossfire, spinning around to fire at new intruders as one of them put a bolt through Portrees’ back. From the bridge side of thing’s Xarra arrived with additional forces to keep the enemy pinned down.


The Rodomont moved in on the smaller Lappinean ship as the mixed up melee of fighters continued behind it and Makilla did her best to keep the ship dead ahead on her screen as she had no idea where it was if it got off it. She wasn’t sure where the other one was either, if she was honest. She didn’t like this sort of thing, not knowing. Still, she was keeping the ship more or less on the screen and, when the Captain ordered weapons to fire, she wasn’t surprised when they scored direct hits on the light cruiser, that suddenly decided it wanted to change course to try to evade them. The other cruiser sounded like it had scored another hit on the Rodomonts’ shields as Kridd called that shields were down to thirty percent.


Declan wondered what he was doing, joining in this assault on the Lappinean cruiser with a group of uncoordinated pilots shooting ineffectively at the ships shields. He had no clue if they were doing any damage as the ships anti-fighter weaponry, now switched to manual, kept trying to kill him. As he dove in low, a shot swept above his head – he thought and hoped – as he pocked the shields and the hull behind with hopeful shot after hopeful shot., weaving and bobbing so the person or people firing invisible weapons at him didn’t get a clean shot. Something jolted his ship and he didn’t actually know if it had come from in front of him or behind as he hoped he remembered where the power lines for the closest main weapon was and firedbefore looping up and weaving erratically away in case. He wasn’t a hero, even though he was shooting carefully at someone trying to latch on to a Starlancer.


Kerri Levan was doing her best to see if she could cut through the interference she’d just caused to see if she could find out the location of the incoming Council ship. It wasn’t easy, trying to do it whilst keeping the infernal racket out of her head. It was setting her teeth on edge, all this buzzing and whining and she was finding it hard to focus. She envied Charles as his limited hearing kept him from the worst of it. She could still see his grimace and the times he touched his ears so she reckoned it must be on the edge of his hearing range. She glanced up as something flashed. The smaller ship was breaking up, she reasoned, falling apart as she bore witness to the event. Someone must have hit something vital in there. She gave passing though as to how the corporations had been thinking they could get away with this before she gave more thought to the dead and dying in the battle. On both sides. Doing what you were told was no reason to die, she thought, although it was often an excuse to kill. It was part of why she loved Darren. He was the most gentle predator she’d ever met and she knew, in her always fluttering heart, that he’d never hurt her. It was why they were still getting the treatment off Doctor Flakk. She badly wanted his offspring to take the love they had into the next generation. Like Kohlich and Kelly had. She hoped he was OK. She wanted to be with him again.


Charles was thinking of Maldak. Pure and simple. He didn’t know how things were going to go but he’d decided he wanted to be with her. Even if the ship was forever getting shot at.


Three hundred thousand miles away, where it was safe and unseen, another ship slammed into existence.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Gee I wonder what this other ship is that showed up and is on their way to the battle? Could we now be ready to see a certain crew of oddballs about to join in?

[Welsh Halfwit]

Seventy


Declan looked around. He was sure he’d just… Nah. Probably a trick of the light. He focussed on staying alive as he pressed in on a Lappinean fighter. Something exploded behind him and a Starlancer shot overhead, doing a barrel roll to tell him he was welcome. He could see the sparks flashing in the cold of space on the underside of their fuselage but he had no way to let them know, whoever they were. He hoped they knew already. He forced himself to keep his mind on the job and thought, ironically, that it was easier to concentrate when there was some noise in his earpieces. But there was still work to do and, now, there was extra debris to work through. That came through full force when something small hit the shields to his rear and knocked them down another two percent. He cursed and hoped Senny was still al… Oh, there she was. He knew it was her because she was still flying fast, guns… well, to treated screens they’d be blazing. If he had sensors they’d be blazing.


“The light cruiser’s down,” Dappleby called to Kerri. “Shall we stop the jamming signal?”

“Notyet,” Kerri called back, making Charles wonder why everyone was shouting. “Itstill looksfifty/fifty. Andthey couldhave backupincoming.”

“It could be here,” one of the guards warned, making them turn to him as he watched something land outside the complex. “It came in low,” he told them, readying weapons. “So I couldn’t tell what type of shuttle it is.”

“Assumeit’s hostileuntilprovenotherwise,” Kerri gabbled.

“Pardon,” one asked.

“Will do,” the other said, before looking to his compatriot. “My sister’s mother-in-law is one.”

“Right,” the guard nodded, before puckering her brow. “Hang on, only your sister’s m..?”

“Debatelater, guardnow!”Kerri protested as the group got back in their suits. The guards took position as someone started opening an exterior bulkhead.


Doris sat in the secure zone, doing her medical duties and wondering about Greedan. She knew he was probably in one of the other zones but, with the Lappineans he’d been haunted by on board, she wasn’t sure she could rely on that. Her heart burned for himand she had absolute confidence in the fact her chosen mate would never do anything to hurt her but she had to worry about what he might do to the female prisoner. She smiled slightly as Enzo did a handstand to distract the youngest from the banging and thumping and Kelvan and Willa ‘walked’ one kit each on Enzo’s exposed feet as he walked. The boy was nothing if not inventive, she thought. Just how she’d want her kits to be. Hers and Greedan’s of course.


Hadrian lifted the last of the intruders over his bloodied antlers and slammed him to the ground on the other side. The bodies were fizzing out, he realised. The Lappinean ones anyway. There must be a disintegration circuit tied into the armour that activated when life signs failed or became weak. It’d make identification difficult, he supposed. They might get some information from the DNA of the one on his antlers. He headed into the security office when someone called his name. Yarkin was there. She was down. On the floor and bleeding from a wound to the abdomen that Patway was attempting to stem now. He tapped for the comm and called for medical help as the Feline tried to speak. “Stop that, Chief,” he told her, getting the medical pack. “There won’t be any final words this time, you got it?”

She had to agree as he applied the sealant ointment to try to cauterize the wound. They needed the medics here now, he reasoned, as he held her hand tight.


The door opened and weapons were pointed as shield walls went up and the Engineering team kept down behind their defenders. Particularly Charles as he had no offensive weaponry anyhow. The silence stretched into seconds as an armoured hand pushed the door further open and a Council suit appeared. “Identifyyourself,” Kerri chattered, making sure her suit speaker was on.

One of the suits put a hand to their chest and activated the speaker. <“Lieutenant Sakrik, U.S.C. Covea,”> he announced. <“Also called the Crosswire. You’re in command here?”>

Kerri stepped forward but stayed behind the shield. “KerriLevan,” she announced. “Lieutenant and deputy Engineering chief. U.S.C. Rodomont.” She looked up at the continuing firefight above them. “It’salong story butisyourship ready to help?”

<“As soon as the jamming signal’s off.”>

Help who, Charles wondered.



Flakk got to work on someone he knew once again, fighting to keep her in this life as he didn’t want to have to break in another security officer to the fact that he knew medical law and practice just as well as they did and, possibly, more. It was going to be tight but the Cervidian had done a reasonable job in keeping her alive long enough to get her to him. Now it was his turn. It wasn’t a good wound. Of course they never were but this one had gone through the standard armour at close range and shrapnelled through her body, which was why the beam hadn’t cauterised itself on the way through. He’d drafted in the main nurse as his second and the other now had Leigh assisting as he’d not quite trusted the expression in the hermaphrodite’s eye as he’d seen the security chief brought in. Flakk understood that Jak was acting as the stand in for now. He feared he’d be standing in for some time.


The signal came back on and Declan fought the confusion as the sensors spun back into life, overwhelming the senses and leading to confusion as the signals coalesced into familiar and friendly and unknown and dangerous. “Any of Beta flight still with me,” he asked, kind of hoping.

<“Still present, Squeaks,”> Shockeye assured him, not telling him of several fallen not reappearing in her heads up. <“Get back over here, right?”>

“Happily,” he replied.


“Sensors back online,” Kridd said pointlessly..

“Picking up the transponder of the Covea,” Maldak reported.

“The silhouette’s wrong,” Kridd interjected. “That’s not a clipper ship.”


Another Lappinean ship entered the fight...

[Amazee Dayzee]

Looks like I was wrong about the first ship being the Loper because I was ready for them. I am probably gonna be wrong about this ship also being the Loper since I have a bad habit about being wrong about almost everything.

[Welsh Halfwit]

The fight continues...

Seventy-one


The satellite was alive again, the room echoing to the sounds of energy weapons as Kerri and the guards reasoned they’d been duped. Charles had identified, over the helmet, that the ‘council’ ship wasn’t putting out the right ident codes. She planned to ask him about that later but, right now, she had better things to do. Like live. The console was the second thing hit in the melee as they tried to force the ‘engineers’ back and out. They couldn’t stop to consider what had happened to the Council ship.


Senny cursed. They’d almost gotten this under control between her fighters and the big barn and now there were new ships coming in. She spoke into her comms. “Bravo wing, back to the barn for a fast charge. Alpha, soon as they’re back out, we go in. Then the rest.”

<“Acknowledged,”> Shockeye replied. Fast charge was an emergency procedure where the energy was, almost literally, ripped into the fighters to recharge the batteries. It also tended to damage the batteries, meaning they’d need to be replaced within a few months.

Senny called ahead to let the barn know what was coming.


“For ‘innocent’ people,” Xarra growled to Jak, “the Lappineans are certainly going to town in trying to get them back,”

Jak finished giving out the orders to the teams and redeployed them to cover engineering, the bridge and the security office, with extra attention being given to the security office now. He turned to Xarra. “Perhaps we should tell them in there of it. There’s not much chance they’d be taking them for nice things, is there? These are silencer squads.”

Xarra pointed a finger. “They’ve always been denied, Jak,” she told him as some of the hull ruptured six passageways away. “The school,” Xarra said, checking in on the console. “Close to the safe zone. No casualties.”

“Good. I should go and che…” He paused and looked at the desk.

“It’s a good thing you’ve done all the delegating and dispatching,” Xarra stated, taking the seat. “All I have to do is take over from you.” She pointed to his comm. “If you’d tell them on your way to check the bulkheads?” She readied her weapon again as she heard the computer tie her comm into security as Jak headed off at best speed.


Tarbeck punched a Lappinean in the throat as he found it trying to approach the bridge. He didn’t need to know what it was doing there. It was armed, armoured and he really regretted punching it now, despite the fact he’d managed to knock it back in surprise. He’d taken just a minute to hit the head… It was always the way. He drew his pistol and shot the arm with the inbuilt weaponry. The figure reached out with the other arm and delivered a stunning charge that almost dropped the Celican where he stood. So close. Tarbeck dropped to one knee as he fought the numbing effect and gritted his teeth. He fired his weapon again, his finger tightening on the trigger automatically and putting a hole into his assailant’s foot. The grip almost changed, then relaxed immediately as Postain shot him from the bridge. “Get away from him, Tarbeck,” the Rottian warned as the Celican staggered upwards and away, trying to get his bearings. Once again the corpse sizzled and dissolved into nothingness. “Leave no evidence,” Postain remarked. “Lucky for you I heard the shooting. There’s something off about this,” the Captain growled, leading the junior back to the bridge.


Declan swallowed his fears and did the foolish thing. The ‘heroic nonsense’ he’d often thought of doing when he was doing extremely unheroic things. The communications between the fighters and the ship still wasn’t back up, even if most of the sensors were. It meant this new ship must be putting out a jamming field and Shockeye knocked a fighter off his tail as he tried to slip in under the belly shields of the new ship. He felt his wing being punched as an antifighter weapon clipped it, twisting it to port and, oddly, out of the direct fire of a second cannon. He tried to recall exactly where the communications relay was located as he fired.


“Kridd,” Postain stated as he took his seat, “can we get any scans of the interior of those ships?” The screen lit up as the first assailant commenced dying on the screen. The viewer flickered at the lower resolution as the computer interpolated for the lost cameras on the hull.

“Not at the moment,” Kridd replied. “The new one’s jamming us, same as the first o… Hang on,” he continued, “the jamming signal’s failing! I reckon I can…”

“Don’t reckon,” Postain snapped. “Just DO!”

“Aye!.”

“Port thrusters failing,” Makilla reported, “Compensating as best she could to manoeuvre against the newcomer.

“Maldak,” Postain asked as the ship shuddered, “are you picking up anything?” He wondered how much more of this the ship could take. He also wondered why the first ship had sent only two teams to try and take the prisoners and what one had been doing so close to the bridge. He looked to Tarbeck. “You have permission to leave the bridge,” he told him as he rotated his arm and opened and closed his hand to get the circulation flowing. “Find out what that Rabbit was doing.”

“Hmm,” Tarbeck grunted, before the implication got through to his brain. “Oh.” He left at speed


Two of the intruders were down, their engineers armour not as hard to breach as the security ones the Council guards were in. The other had been forced back out of the room and Charles and Dappleby looked to see if there was anything to do to salvage the situation and the console. Kina was looking to see if he could reroute anything to his his own computer . It didn’t look like… “Hang on,” he told the group. “Ranged sensors are back.” He looked up. “Oh, no… “ Kina cringed. “Another ship’s arriving.”


Weapons firing, the U.S.C. Surak entered the frey.

[Amazee Dayzee]

At this point I am expecting this to be a free-for-all firefight with the amount of ships popping up. For some reason though that thought is entertaining.

[Welsh Halfwit]

Seventy-two


“Keep us out of the Surak’s angle of fire,” Postain ordered, thankful for the arrival as the Frigate opened fire on the Lappinean ship, crunching the ships’ shields under the onslaught as Makilla coaxed her ailing console into obedience, turning her towards the remaining ship. It was turning to flee, sensing the tide had turned against it.

Kridd called out. “Getting sensor readings now, sir. The scans… There’s only four people registering on that ship.”

“Four,” Postain grumbled. “The absolute minimum to crew a ship with automation. Add a snatch squad and fighter pilots tied to the system and you only need fifteen. And they’re easily disposable. Target their engines and take out main power! Now.”

Maldak looked over at him as weapons opened fire on target. “We’ll be rescuing them I take it?”

“We’ll try, Maldak. That’s what we do.”


The guards on the satellite opened fire on the shuttle on the exposed surface of the asteroid, trying to disable or destroy it before the shuttle could bring its’ weapons to bear on them and the station. The ship bucked up, free of the surface, before slamming back down onto the surface before rising back up and returning to the ground with an effect that broke the ship in two, throwing a blast of energy in all directions, the guards being forced back by the impact on their shields. Without knowing what had just happened and thoroughly confused, the guards returned to their duties, only to find, when they got back inside, Kina smiling at them. The Corgan indicated the link between their suit and the satellite computer. “Kinda fitted the situation, don’t you think?”

One of the guards had to smirk and acknowledge the humour. “Suppose you computer techs have some use, eh?”

“We hide it under bushels,” Kina told them. “Saves us from getting onto the front lines.”


“Damage reports coming in,” Tarbeck reported as the fighting continued. He’d found a small, unprimed, device in the refreshment area and removed it before returning to the bridge. “We’re lucky the Surak turned up. We have hull breaches on the front quadrants on deck one, the crew quarters area – including mine on deck seven – the science decks on level 5, decks thirteen through sixteen. The fighter bays are damaged but the Chief says he’ll have them cleared shortly.”

“Get maintenance to send an extra team to the fighter bays to clear the mess. Draw them off the crew quarters team if needed,” Postain advised/ordered. He felt his side. If it were possible, it felt like the recent wound was opened again. “Casualties,” he asked.

“Getting those coming in,” Tarbeck replied. “Reports are eighteen dead, twenty-seven wounded and… One of the most seriously injured is Chief Yarkin, sir.”

Postain flashed him a most grievous ‘if you’re joking, you’re dead’ look. He came to the conclusion that the hopeless looking Celican couldn’t be making it up. He wanted to race down there. He’d not been able to give Yarkin much time recently but she was still one of his longest serving officers. She’d been here nearly as long as he was. She was almost as much part of the furniture as he was. And Flakk… He had to concentrate. “Keep me up to date,” he ordered, turning back to the fight as the Lappinean ship started detonating from within. “Back us away, Makilla,” he ordered.

The Shrewvian complied as best she could with the engines in their current condition and they moved sluggishly, even at full reverse. Kridd tried relocating shield power to the front before the ship detonated, throwing debris out in every direction. The Surak wasn’t in position to protect her and there was about to be more damage as chunks of ship impacted on the damaged shields. Power lines strained to keep the field cohesive as solid state metals and still sparking energy battered against them. The Rodomont’s power flow surged and several consoles on the bridge died as part of the roof came down atop the helm station.


Makilla opened her eyes. She didn’t think she’d ever been moved so fast as Tarbeck had practically flown across the bridge to tackle her out of her seat and to the floor a few metres away. She looked down on him. “Who said you’re not heroic,” she asked, looking back at her mangled control station.

“I think I hurt myself,” he complained, before they felt themselves both being pulled upright by Postain.

“If you can stand, you’re able to fight,” he told Tarbeck. “Back to your station. Makilla, take the secondary helm station.”

They did as ordered, Makilla taking the station next to Maldak and reorienting it to act as the emergency back up. “Welcome to the back of the bridge,” Maldak greeted.

“Does the altitude make your nose bleed,” Makilla replied before starting to enter commands and watching the tiny screens that were only about half the size of her usual terminal and didn’t face the massive main screen.


“We’re being hailed by the Surak,” Maldak advised. “A Commander...Parrix on the line.”

Postain stood, ready to talk. “Put him on.”


The Celican showed on the screen, glitching at time due to damage. <“Good job we showed when we did,”> he advised, not expecting a thank you.

“It was a bright moment,” Postain replied, not looking to give a thank you. “What happened to the Crosswire?”

The Celican visibly sagged. <“Found them dead in space, sir. Hull breached in three locations. No survivors.”>

Postain thumped the back of the empty helm chair. “And they’ll bury this as best they can. This is a dark operation, Commander. As little direct interaction as possible and we’ll probably find out the visual communication was ‘digitally enhanced’. We need to be away from here, Commander. We don’t know if there are others.”

<“Understood. I’ll send over engineering teams to assist your repair teams. What speed can you maintain?”>

Postain looked to Makilla, who almost didn’t realise the fact before hmm’ing. “Oh, um, according to this we should be able to maintain… Velocity two right now? Without the ship ripping apart I mean.”

“Can you pick up the team we have on the satellite,” Postain asked.

<“Of course,”> he replied. <“We have to patch it up anyhow.”>

“Good.” Postain cut the line and left the bridge apace.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Have to admit I thought that this was truly a wonderful and engrossing chapter that you have put up! Is this one of the longest stories that you have wrote because it does feel like that. I can't remember another story of yours having almost 80 chapters.

[Welsh Halfwit]

In case you'd not guessed, this is, possibly, a break point for Marius ..

[Amazee Dayzee]

I will be waiting to see if Marius will be able to pull it off since they need him too. Or is at the last moment he does ends up fumbling the ball and making things even worse for the ship which would be bad.

[Welsh Halfwit]

I will be waiting to see if Marius will be able to pull it off since they need him too. Or is at the last moment he does ends up fumbling the ball and making things even worse for the ship which would be bad.

Oh, I imagine you'll like one of the ways this goes. He can't turn to anyone on his ship for advice (well, almost true) and he can't talk to Henry Postlethwaite either. So who..?

[Welsh Halfwit]

Seventy-Three


The door opened, almost too slowly for the Rottian, and he entered the medical bay to see a full waiting room and seeing it half filled with wounded and nurses and a certain prisoner who was trying to make themselves scarce. “How is she,” he demanded, before realising how rude that seemed in a room full of wounded Females AND Males. He headed after the prisoner as the medical staff were all busy and he trapped him against a wall. “You KNOW who I mean.”

“Absolutely, Captain,” Leigh spat. “I DO know who you mean. But you’d need to ask the Doctor for a prognosis as I haven’t got one.” The tone of defiance shone in Leigh’s eye as they looked upon the face of the person who’d done this to them. He’d begun to forget it but, now he was face to face with the Rottian again… He ducked under Postains arms. “If you’ll stop obstructing me, SIR, I’ll get back to them. And you’ll be told how things are when there’s time.” He entered the isolation room that Flakk had decided to use as a screened operations bay.


Five minutes after, the Doctor hmself came out to confront the Captain. “It’s not good,” the Spectacled Wolf told him. “I’ve repaired as much as I can of the internal injuries but they were extensive. Half her internal organs were disrupted and she lost a fair amount of blood.” He glanced up. He didn’t need to tell Postain the truth of that. The wound may have cauterised but there had still been a lot of blood where it shouldn’t be in her system that had needed to be dealt with to make sure she didn’t actually drown in her own fluids. “Plus it’s been an almighty shock to her system.” Flakk put his hands down. “It’s her fight now. Although there’ll be leg problems, whatever happens. It took a sliver from the hip bone.”

Postain groaned. A sliver. Not enough for a prosthetic but, for a Feline, enough to keep them off balance at times. “Am I getting her back?”

Flakk considered the case. “No,” he told the Captain straight. “I can’t even confirm we’ll get her back to Talvery or the hospitals on Calderon or Pandera. If she does pull through…”

“She WILL”

“...then she’s talking physiotherapy and months, possibly years, of rehabilitation and operations to replace organs that have just been put on the fast track to failure.”

Postain glowered. “You don’t sugarcoat, do you?”

“No. I can allow you five minutes with her whilst I keep others alive Captain. Oh, there is one more thing.” He turned to face him directly. “Whilst Leigh is working for me,” he said, dead serious, “he is part of my staff. If you EVER assault one of my staff again, even a conscripted one like Leigh, I will have you up on charges so fast your career will implode. Are we clear on that?”

Postain stood and stepped close to the Medical Officer. “He serves on your staff at your sufferance, Doctor,” he said slowly, his tone striking with strength and repressed anger. “You serve on MY ship at mine. You’re right in this case but, when you dispute something with me, dispute with respect.”

“Acceptable. Excuse me.” And the Doctor left the room.


Postain walked into the operation room that stank of blood and the prisoner. He noted Leigh sat over on the bed he… she… it… they’d been using and decided to to get it out of the way first. “Apologies for laying hands on you in there.”

“That’s alright, I suppose,” Leigh allowed.

“Now get out.”

“Understood.”


Postain circled the bed after the creature had left the room. “You’re not allowed to die,” he told the Feline. “You’re ordered to survive, you get me? I’m getting married soon. You’re supposed to be there so I don’t screw it up.” He sighed. “I’ve not had much time to speak with you recently, Ellen – see, I do know your name – But I’ve always known of your presence aboard the ship. You’ve kept the people here safe, Chief. Put your body on the line hundreds of times and never asked why. You’ve done it since the day I boarded this ship, Chief. Been my rock. My steady hand. Rhew? Xarra? Ruddy Tarbeck? All good in their own ways but you’re the one I’ve always been able to rely on, Chief.” A pause. “Flakk tells me it’s up to you, this fight.” He leaned and whispered. “I do NOT give you permission to go, Chief. You will NOT run up that hill to the promised land of Milk and fields. Not now. Not for years. You hear me?” He felt himself on the verge of a tear and pulled himself back emotionally. “And you can’t leave Jak in charge,” he said, trying to lighten the mood with a mild joke that cracked the slightest of smiles on his face. One he almost meant. “I mean, a Cervidian in charge of security? Place’ll be full of grass before we know it!”

“Sorry,” said a quieter voice than normal from behind him. Flakk had returned with instruments that would help him monitor Yarkin from outside the room. “I gotta do some patch work in here now.” He looked into the Captain’s eyes. “I’ll do all I can to help her fight. Now,” he added, his tome regaining his usual strength, “put your Captain’s face on before you go back out there. The crew need it. They need the reliability of your strength right now, Captain.” The Doctor offered a hand. After a few seconds hesitation and a girding of the spirit that appeared to give him an extra three inches in height, Postain took it. He also commed Xarra and added an item to her list of things to do. Leigh had lost his room so he’d need a new one. Next door to Flakk.


The ship got underway again, slowly leaving the location of devastation after the Surak had returned the engineering team to the Rodomont and gotten transmissions back up and running. They’d sent in the battle reports and detailed what had happened to the Engineering crew and listed their losses in a datashot to Talvery and the people were back into the ship, discovering who still had habitable apartments and who didn’t. Who’d lost family and who hadn’t. The community rallied. When Maldak found Charles, the first thing she did was hug him as he did her. Then she asked why he looked so confused. “I… um… I think I just gave my place away,” he ventured. “A Feline with a Kitten lost theirs and I said they could use mine?” He shrugged. “I didn’t even think about it. Where am I going to stay?”

Maldak allowed herself a little smile. She had an idea on that. She put her arms around his neck, pulled him close and whispered in his ear.