Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (54 page)

The trip through
the forest went quickly and they made one small detour to look at a bear Peter
spotted. Cassy let out a cry of delight which caused the bear to stand on its rear
legs to smell the air. The Administrator quickly departed to safer ground much
to the amusement of the others.

Sasra scouted
ahead and when the party caught up to him the Beclin boy walked up to him.
“This is the spot isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Sasra
replied and handed the boy his gun, powder horn, a knife, two leather pouches,
a length of rope and the axe from Brakin to give to the new Beclin Chief. Teni
came closer and slapped the boy on the back in farewell.

The boy turned
to face Peter and the others, his frantic experience as a prisoner finally
coming to an end. He tried to say something but the words never came to his
mouth, his nervousness getting the better of him. He coughed and stood
straighter and in a commanding voice said, “Thank you, we will meet again and
you are welcome at my lodge. Travel safely,” he said and ran into the
undergrowth.

Peter smiled and
moved over to Sasra. “You have done well my friend. He will make a fine
neighbour in time to come.
Which way to the Trading Post?”

The sun rays blinded the pilot as his Starfighter
rounded the orbit of the third moon. He quickly pulled his visor down and
descended towards the surface. Sharp knife edged ridges came into view through
the dust clouds in the atmosphere. The auto sequences of the onboard
navigational computers took control of the ship and it glided effortlessly
though canyons in the waterless landscape.

“Why are we here Sir?” the Ensign asked.

“It’s a navigational waypoint. I have heard of this place
before. It is a known relay point for four major quadrants. It is classified as
neutral and has served as a navigational holdover point for exploration and
survey missions in the past. I’m betting if a smuggler has been operating in
the nearby sectors they will come here to ratify their reason for being in this
area, to refuel and resupply.” The Captain of the Guard replied.

“I see sir, but it is not listed on Confederate
Command space charts,” the Ensign said reading his monitor.

“That’s right. It’s off our charts because it was set
up by a civilian committee independently operating on the behalf on the Great
Houses. The Houses don’t like Space Command controlling all the waypoints in
space. There are a number of these across the Confederacy and the Trigeals have
never intervened in their operation. It’s the closest one to Zion. Let’s see
who we find here.” The Captain replied as he noticed a flashing illuminator on
his communication’s console. He activated the unit.

“Starfighter, identify yourself and the reason you
have entered Base 2 Alpha.”

The Captain
lied
easily,
“Base 2 Alpha this is an Operational Reconnaissance Mission Space Command.”

“The reason you entered our atmosphere?”

“My orders are confidential but if you communicate to the
Officer in Charge of TRE (tactical response emergencies) at Confederate Space
Command he will brief you on the use of a single Starfighter rather than a
squadron for this reconnaissance. If you wish to protest my mission in your
airspace the result will be a formal tactical mission with a full squadron of
Confederate Starfighters with support craft. That is your right. Will I inform
my mission Commander you are lodging a protest?” The Captain said smoothly.

“Wait out, Starfighter. Maintain your present course
at minimal velocity.”

A moment later the communications illuminator flashed
on the Captain’s console. “Go ahead Base 2 Alpha.”

“This is the Executive in charge of operations on Base
2 Alpha. You have formal permission to refuel and an emergency maintenance
check of your craft as per your request for assistance. You have one tenth of a
time frame to complete your request. Do you understand Starfighter?”

“Yes Sir. Thank you for your assistance. I will be out
of your atmosphere within the time allotted.” The Captain replied relieved.

“You’re welcome Starfighter.
Report
to space dock 22-1.
Base 2 Alpha out.”

“Why the refuel and emergency
maintenance Sir?
We didn’t request
it.” The Ensign asked the Captain.

“The Officer down there has seniors he has to report
all traffic to and he doesn’t want an official incident on his watch. He just
gave us a reason for being here and the fuel will come in handy.” The Captain
answered his Ensign but was relieved the officer at the land base was ‘loose’
with his duties. Probably has things going on he doesn’t want to have anything
official stumbling onto, he thought.

The land base signal was picked up by the Starfighter
and soon the landing skids touched down at space dock 22-1. “Take off all Imperial
Insignia,” the Captain ordered his Ensign, “and mention nothing about our
mission to anyone.”

“Yes Sir, the Ensign replied as he looked out of the
cockpit at the land base. He grimaced at the dry, treeless expanses beyond the
space dock. The terrain was desert and the wind blew perpetually. The base
appeared devoid of any personnel. Creates and boxes littered the area and
rubbish blew around in circles. The automatic cleaners worked to maximum trying
to clear the dock of the endless dust, it covered everything. An android limped
out to the Starfighter from the shadows and stopped beside the ladder as it
descended down from the Starfighter. The Captain released the cockpit canopy
and it swung upwards. Both the Captain and Ensign gasped as the hot dry air
entered their lungs. Beads of sweat formed on their foreheads as they climbed
out and down the ladder.

Hearing the mechanical voice of the android the
Captain stopped and listened. “Your ship requires fuel and an emergency
maintenance check. My orders are to carry out that request. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” the Captain replied but corrected it quickly,
“affirmative, where are humanoid refreshments?”

The android pointed to a building between two towers.
The Captain and Ensign put their caps on and started walking. A team of android
workers on floating platforms streamed out from a hanger close by and stopped
around the Starfighter and began their maintenance work. The Ensign grinned and
walked closer to the Captain and handed him a small circuit board. “What’s
this?” The Captain asked.

“Some extra time, Sir.
They’ll never figure out why the fuel sensors in the
left engine will register empty, then full, over and over. I replaced it with a
trick circuit board I use to screw up my Squadron Quartermaster with
occasionally.”

The Captain stopped and looked at the young officer
sternly, then grinned. “You’ll go places if you can stay alive. Well done.”

The Ensign suddenly realized what the Captain was talking
about as he looked around. The hangers they walked past had ships of all
descriptions in them but the one thing they all had in common was their
condition, well used and some quiet worse for wear. Many even had blaster and
phaser burns. A humanoid figure working on one ship looked up at the two men
walking past and sneered as his hand dropped to the blaster on his belt. “Just
keep moving,” whispered the Captain.

The Captain was just about to enter the refreshments
building when he spotted two ships in a hanger at the far end of the compound.
They were both cleaner than most and judging by the accumulated dust which was
disturbed around their landing skids they had recently landed. The Captain kept
walking towards them.

The Ensign although young and inexperienced used his
tactical training and veered off to secure the right flank of the Captain. He
went to the edge of the hanger and stood in the shadow of a large gas cylinder
strapped to the wall.

The Captain walked up to the ships and inspected the
first one at a short distance. It was an armed cargo vessel with no markings;
the other further away was a similar ship but had extended wings for extra
manoeuvrability in gaseous atmospheres. An android came out of the rear of the
first ship and walked a short distance toward the Captain and stopped looking
directly at him. The Captain moved a little to his right and the android did
exactly the same. The Captain backed off and walked back towards the
refreshment building, he signalled the Ensign to stay where he was in the
shadows.

The rear door of the refreshments building opened and
three Volen came out. The leader of them was talking into a communications
device in his hand. The Captain stopped directly in their path with his feet
spread with his hand on his blaster. The three Volen eyed him with suspicion.
“You the one snooping around our ships,” the leader said.

“Don’t you know it’s illegal to acquire Irrimus’s
assets without Trigealian consent?” the Captain said guessing these were the
ships he scanned in Zion’s orbit. He guessed correctly.

“And just who the hell are you, Trigealian Police”
Laughed the Volen leader gripping the butt of his blaster and flicking a switch
on his hand held communication’s device. The android behind the Captain drew a
blaster and was about to fire when the Ensign fired first and blew it to
pieces.

The Captain drew his blaster and dived to his left,
rolled over and sprung to his feet running. Blaster fired impacted on the spot
he just departed up and pieces of tarmac blew everywhere. The Captain fired
from the hip, his shots went wild but enough to scatter the three Volen. One
Volen had spotted the Ensign and fired hitting the gas cylinder and blew a
small hole in its thick walls. Escaping gas hissed into the atmosphere and the
Ensign ran for his life just before a massive explosion blew the cylinder to
pieces taking out a large section of hanger wall.

Sirens sounded and fire fighting platforms piloted by
androids automatically dispensed from trap doors located under the floor of the
hanger. Foam erupted from the platforms in all directions. The huge fireball
from the exploding gases blew a large section of roof off the hanger and debris
started crashing down. The Captain took careful aim in the smoke and fired a thin
beam from his blaster. A Volen crew member coughing on all fours dropped to the
ground dead with a neat hole burnt through his chest.

Blaster fired erupted nearby but the shots missed by a
great margin and the Captain ran back into the hanger dodging falling debris.
He saw the Ensign giving cover fire near a large pallet of boxes. “To that
ship!” the Captain shouted pointing at the nearest Volen vessel. Blaster fire
whistled and crackled as it narrowly missed the Captain, he
dived
full length and skidded behind the boxes, blaster fire ripping the ground up
behind him. The Ensign returned fire. Personnel from base security arrived and
started firing at the Captain and Ensign. The leader of the Volen had radioed
for assistance telling them two men were attempting to steal his cargo. The
boxes the Ensign and Captain were hiding behind started to disintegrate with
blaster fire.

The Captain and Ensign both quickly set their blasters
to broad pattern and returned fire. Dust and smoke filled the hanger. The blaster
fire increased at the boxes and they caught fire. “We need to get to that Volen
ship,” the Captain shouted while aiming and firing.

The Ensign pulled a mini blaster from his boot and
started adjusting the controls. The Captain saw him and kept shooting at the
advancing security troops. “What are you doing?” The Captain shouted.

The Ensign was quickly working the controls. “A little
surprise I made up on an advanced electronics course,” he said throwing the
mini blaster along the ground towards the enemy. The Captain looked horrified
as the Ensign who was now crouched on his legs ready to run. “Ready?” the
Ensign said.

“What…” the Captain shouted when the mini blaster
started rapidly firing by itself. A spiral of fire erupted from its muzzle in
short range blast effect. The air for many yards around it fizzed and crackled
with its deadly fire. The security troops dived for cover.

“Now!
The Ensign screamed and sprang his legs into motion
followed by the Captain. They sprinted across the hanger floor and up the
loading ramp into the cargo ship.