Exiles

by Richard Alonzo

  Chapter 23 The Swarm

  When Themis and Sultan dropped back into normal space and began their final approach, requesting entry into the Nova-7 docking queue, several news agencies already had their ships in place waiting for their arrival. A curt young lieutenant in a drab grey uniform, her dark hair tied back in a ponytail, had been allocated their ships.

  “I’m afraid we’re experiencing unusually high levels of activity, you’ll have to hold your position till further notice.”

  “I think you’ll find we’re the reason for the increase activity. Now go tell Governor Clarkson Guardian Ford is here to see him.”

  The curt lieutenant pursed her deep red lips into a laugh and shook her head. The ponytail sweeping across grey suited back. “You’ll have to do better than that. If I gave priority to every two-bit privateer, who claims to have business with the Governor, security would toss me out the nearest airlock before I finished my shift. Wait your turn with everyone else or I’ll shunt you to the back of the queue.”

  Ford took a deep breath. “Lieutenant your dedication to your duties is commendable, but check your sensors, does this ship look like a privateer? Tell Clarkson I have eliminated the Raider base responsible for the ‘meat run’ and wish to hand over the surviving perpetrators, including Captain Scott, into Nova-7’s custody to stand trial. I’m sure he’ll clear a window for me in his busy schedule.”

  He finished by punching a button on the console in front of him and transmitting the personal records of Scott and the other detainees to Nova-7. He watched the blood drain from the lieutenant’s face, as she reviewed the data, till it was nearly as grey as her uniform.

  There was a slight, barely perceptible, tremor to her voice when she spoke. “Very well, I will refer this information and your request to my superiors, but you do know the meat run is a myth? A rumour, spread around to discourage refugees and alyssums seekers from overwhelming us?”

  Ford leaned forward in his chair studying her closely, looking for signs of complicity, wondering just how many of the Nova-7 personnel were implicated. She was either innocent or an android judging by the signals she was giving off. A junior officer, so caught up in the daily bureaucracy of keeping the station running, she didn’t see what was really going on around her or perhaps choose not to see it.

  “Is that what they tell you lieutenant?”

  “Look mister, I don’t know who you are or what you think you know, but the men and women who wear this uniform.” she clutched her Nova-7 badge. “Dedicate their lives to keeping this station running day in, day out, no matter what the universe throws at us. I’ve referred you request, now clear this channel and let me do my job.”

  He lifted his hands up off the consoles in front of him in a gesture of surrender. “Just doing my job lieutenant, like you’re doing yours.”

  She glanced down at the console in front of her, the colour retuning momentarily to her face. “And what exactly would be? Given the length of your rap sheet, I could take you into custody the minute you set foot on our decks.”

  Ford cracked a smile and lowered his hands. “I wouldn’t believe all you read. Besides I think you’ll find none of those warrants are enforceable on a Free Trade Hub.”

  Before she could reply the lieutenant was distracted by a commotion behind her.

  Bryn’s hands were moving rapidly across the sensor controls. “We’ve got a situation. They’re powering up their defence grid.”

  “Let me guess.” said Lucy. “They’re targeting us.”

  Bryn nodded. “And the Sultan.”

  David looked at Ford, he held up a hand and gestured to him to wait.

  “Lieutenant why are you targeting our ships?”

  “I’m not, we’ve been locked out by internal security, Governors orders.” she gestured to the black suited goons, who were assuming control of the stations behind her, ordering her crew to stand down.

  “Well at least we got the Governors attention.” said Carol.

  “That’s not all. We’ve got a massive wormhole forming a few thousand kilometres off our port side. There's a ship coming through, a big one, trying to get an ID.” Bryn's hands flashed across the sensor controls, frantically trying to resolve the imaging of the emerging ship.

  “One of yours lieutenant?” asked Ford.

  She shook her head as one of the black suited goons pushed her aside.

  “It’s worse than that.” Bryn had finally got a lock. “It’s Anterian. A swarm ship. A big one at that. They're closing on an attack pattern, targeting everyone and everything.”

  “All hands to battle stations. Stand by to seal bulkheads and repeal boarders. All weapons free to fire at will, move to intercept.” barked Ford.

  “Stand down and prepare to be boarded or we will open fire.” it was the black suited goon who’d assumed control.

  Ford look at the lieutenant standing beside him. “You know what an Anterian swarm ship is and what it’ll do if we don’t stop it?” she nodded. “Good, then you know what you have to do.”

  Quick as flash she smashed her elbow deep into the man's solar plexus, snatching his pistol as he collapsed into a groaning heap, leaving everyone on the command deck monetarily stunned. The first black suited goon to react and draw his gun took a shot to the face, falling backwards spraying blood. As he fell heavily onto the floor he broke the spell and a brutal scuffle broke out. The crew, taking the lead from their commanding officer, fell on them and took back the command deck.

  Lucy winced, as a light freighter careered into a passenger shuttle off their starboard bow, erupting into explosive ball of debris and bodies bouncing off their shields. “It’s getting hairy out here, people are panicking, it’s everyone for themselves.”

  The battle for the Nova-7 command deck was over and the lieutenant was back in control. The surviving members of the goon squad had been tied up and secured. The doors securely sealed, barricaded and guarded to prevent further intrusions. She took a break from barking orders to turn her attention to Ford.

  “We’re plotting escape trajectories for all jump capable civilian vessels. I’ll have gunnery control off your back in a moment or two and clear a path for you and your sister ship to intercept. Good luck taking down that swarm ship. We’ll do our best to frag anything that gets past you before it reaches the station.”

  Ford Nodded. “Acknowledged, moving to intercept. By the way lieutenant, what’s your name?”

  “Keelie, Lieutenant Keelie.”

  “Well Lieutenant Keelie, I owe you a drink when this is over.”

  She laughed. “Typical man, we’re staring oblivion in the face and your hitting on me.” she glanced at the body of the goon splayed out on the floor behind her. “I should warn you though, the brig isn’t the most romantic place on the Nova-7. Keelie out.”

  “Sultan is hailing us, putting them on screen.” said Carol putting Faiz on the main display.

  The Admiral was his usual stoical stony faced self. “Ford we’re moving to support your attack on the Swarm ship, pity we left the fighters with the Amastra.”

  “Negative Admiral. You need to get back to the Scorponoid system and secure the Amastra. They’re going to need your protection if we fail to hold the line here.”

  The Admiral coughed and put his hand to his facing, clearing his throat and shaking his head, as someone else stepped into view alongside him. It was Tasha, the Draconion President in exile, zipped into a combat uniform.

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. The Admiral is operating under a direct Presidential order. We will hold the line here, no matter what the cost.” she held up a rifle, before Ford could speak, locking and loading it. “We’re more than capable of looking after ourselves. Thanks to you our gun magazines are fully loaded and prepped. Now let’s go get them.”

  Ford knew the argument was lost as he and the Admiral exchanged a knowing glance. “Very well Sultan, let's go draw a line here and send these bastards back to hell.”

&n
bsp; The channel had barely closed when Bryn had a new sensor contact. This time it was behind them and the station. “I’ve got a wormhole forming. Another ship is coming through, right on top of the evacuating ships, it’s taken three of them out. They were caught in the wake of its wormhole.”

  “Anterian?”

  “No...” he paused and rechecked the sensors and transponder codes. “It’s Jasper and the Fury.”