“Ashley?” asked Liam Grady as he came around the rear of the Uriel fighter.
Oz was rarely so relieved to see anyone. Neither was Ashley, who gently extracted herself from Oz and practically fell into Liam Grady. He was wearing his robes over a thick, armoured vacsuit, and they closed around her like a blanket. “It’s all right. We’ll be off soon and onto solid ground,” he reassured her. “I hear the moon we’re heading for boasts a few beaches.”
Oz made eye contact with him and mouthed; “what about engineering?”
Chief Grady silently replied; “all set.”
The woman who Zoe had been so desperate to reunite herself with came around the rear of the fighter with the toddler in her arms. As soon as the blonde youngster saw Ashley she reached for her, and Ashley did her best to wipe her tears and straighten herself up at a moment’s notice.
“I’m Vivian, and I see you met Zoe,” presented the newcomer. “Thank you for taking care of her, I was frantic when I realized she ran back to the infirmary. The Botanical Gallery was closed off when we realized.”
Zoe patted Ashley’s face and smiled. “She’s very special,” Ashley sniffed. “Kept me company while I piloted the ship.”
“I adopted three from Pandem. Zoe’s the youngest, but she still runs circles around the others, they’re only human, after all.”
The scene was deeply touching, but more importantly, it was bringing the emotional storm Ashley was suffering through under control. Oz was more than relieved. They didn’t have enough pilots to get the last of their fighters off the deck as it was, losing her would mean one less pair of wings, and it would demoralize many survivors. Ashley was well liked, and people would share in whatever sadness she presented.
“What’s going to happen to us?” asked Vivian quietly.
“We’re headed to a land base that our command crew have established,” Jason said as he came into view. “They’re going to make room for everyone, and we’re taking equipment and supplies with us.”
“Why are we leaving?” she asked.
“ Triton is going to be inspected and serviced so we can register her with the Carthans,” he replied smoothly. There was no hesitation or change in his mannerisms as Jason delivered the outright lie. “We could be off ship for a few days, or it could be a couple months. We took a lot of damage. But on the brighter side we’ll have a lot of time on a terraformed moon.”
“Thank God, I might get a good night’s sleep.”
“Sorry to break things up, but if you could group up with a few people you know over there, and help take charge of the kids we can start organizing things so we can get settled down there as soon as possible.”
Oz watched Ashley as she planted a great big kiss on the top of Zoe’s head before waving and grinning at her. “See you soon Zoe!”
The youngster squeaked; “Bye!” as she was carried off towards the growing crowd of civilians. A young boy and girl watched wide eyed as they waited for Vivian to rejoin them.
“I’ll be okay,” Ashley whispered to Chief Grady. “Sorry I cracked up.”
“Don’t worry, I have three sisters. Freak outs like that used to happen weekly,” Oz reassured with a big toothy grin. “I have battle scars.”
“Ohmigosh,” she snorted.
She was a creature of emotional extremes. It might have been one of the reasons why he liked her, since two of his sisters were the same. As much as he wanted to spend time getting to know her a little better, the sight of the Clever Dream’s main debarkation ramp lowering reminded him that they were in the middle of a crisis. “First round’s on you when we manage to find a port tavern.” He said as he walked past her.
“Can’t wait to deliver on that,” she replied.
Jason was right on his heels. “This is like watching a star liner crash in slow motion. There’s enough firepower to vaporize the ship four times over pointed at us, and those armed transports haven’t even opened their inner airlock doors yet so we don’t know what kind of force they’re about to put on our deck,” Jason whispered irritably. “Any ideas cross your mind?”
Oz stopped a few meters away from the bottom of the Clever Dream’s debarkation ramp and watched Ayan, who was dressed in vacsuit with no extra armour. She wasn’t even carrying a sidearm, but her stoic expression and forceful march was enough to inform everyone who saw her that she was there with a purpose. Fourteen Triton troops in the heaviest armour available followed her in a double column.
“Someone was listening during the psyche portion of Officer Candidate Training,” Jason muttered.
“Your wife is waiting for you inside,” Ayan told Jason. “She’s missed you.”
“It’s mutual. I’m going to copy the data from the destroyer into the Clever Dream’s computer just in case. I’ll be watching from there.” Jason nodded and headed inside.
“I hope things are going better down there.”
Ayan gave him a warning glance that told him everything he needed to know about the conditions of their destination. It was so quick, and so close that only someone watching a close up on a surveillance feed would have caught it. “I’m just glad to see you safe and sound. Had some trouble staying that way though,” she plucked at one of the thinner parts of his vacsuit, where it had patched itself after he caught a round in the stomach.
“It’s been a hard ride.” Oz couldn’t help but notice that one of the guards in the middle of the group had a Spectral Dynamics Violator handgun in his holster, the favoured weapon of Jacob Valance. Other than that, there was no way to tell him apart.
“Have you met the locals?”
“I’ think we’re about to. You probably know more about this government than I do at this point, I think I’ll follow your lead.” He gestured towards the broad rear airlocks at the rear of the hangar. They were finally all open, and several military crew people were emerging. They wore grey and light blue uniforms, of an older style, but it was plain to see that they had a protective lining built in that would serve just as well as any basic vacsuit.
“Then fall in, Commander.” Ayan said with a crooked smile.
He fell in with the rest of the security detail beside Jacob, who gestured for him to pass into the middle of the detail. He was surrounded by guards.
At first the glances and stares that greeted Ayan were tinged with smiles, but there must have been something in Ayan’s expression that conveyed the seriousness of her purpose. Oz only wished he could see it. “Who is the commanding officer here?” She asked clearly and calmly. She had the attitude of someone who didn’t have to yell, didn’t have to demand, but expected that all her questions would be answered.
“I’m Fleet Warden Kimberly Harrison,” a woman with short cropped blonde hair said. She was thin and tall. “And you are?”
“Ayan, Commander of the Triton, Clever Dream and owner of a privateering fleet currently surrounding this ship. Why have you demanded that my people abandon ship?”
“Ownership of the Triton is being contested by a former Captain. He claims that it was pirated a short time ago. Do you have a warrant or order to repossess that could counter the claim?”
“Produce the accuser and I may consider your charge valid,” Ayan retorted casually.
The Fleet Warden turned towards the airlock behind her and nodded. One of her men shouted; “Captain, you’ve been requested.”
Oz watched the dark, plush interior of the armed transport over Ayan’s shoulder. He could hear someone walking slowly down the aisle towards the airlock opening. First came the Freeground style, dark military boots. It was said that Freeground combat boots were made so well that when a pair of structural engineers were struck full on by a solar flash, they were identified by the serial numbers on their soles. The hem of a dark imitation trench runner’s long coat followed. It was made in the style of the type old Earth infantry once wore during an almost forgotten war. It was made to deflect most projectiles of the day, and to serve as a blanket during long nights in the post nuclear war trenches.