{"data":{"id":16986,"title":"Brothers In Arms: Part Two","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/16986-Brothers-In-Arms-Part-Two","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/16986","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/16986","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Brothers In Arms","images":[],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Two was published originally in Jump Point 3.6. Read Part One here.\nGavin left Walt on Cassel. There was a time, back in his single days, when an extended stay on a resort world was the perfect sequel to a crappy job. Now he had a better offer waiting at home and two bottles of chilled K\u014den Sh\u014dch\u016b riding shotgun in the cockpit beside him. The better offer, of course, was Dell. The sh\u014dch\u016b was his best hope to reboot his homecoming from Oberon.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t exactly the grand entrance he\u2019d planned on making. He felt his cheeks warm and was glad to be alone. With a sigh, he squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back into his seat. His helmet bumped against the cockpit frame. When he opened his eyes again, the HUD had died. He rolled his head to eye the waiting bottles of sh\u014dch\u016b. Perhaps he needed the alcohol more than she did.\n\nRhedd Alert\u2019s hangar was still. The lights were dialed down to a dull, sapphire glow. But while the hangar was quiet, Vista Landing never slowed down. The sounds of the complex were a pressure all around him; a constant hum of life that seemed intrusive after a long stint flying solo.\n\nGavin shed his flight suit and then grabbed the helmet and bottles of sh\u014dch\u016b. The helmet got dumped unceremoniously onto a workbench. The sh\u014dch\u016b went with him to their apart\u00adment. It was dark inside \u2014 he was too late. Dell was already asleep.\n\nHe leaned against the door while his eyes adjusted to the courtesy lighting in the bedroom. Dell lay on her side with her back to him. Her hair was a dark fan against pale pillows and sheets. There was no trace of the playful blue-dyed tips in the low light. He looked instead to the curve of her hip and the long line of her covered legs.\n\nHe left the bottles on a table, not wanting to risk waking her with light from the fridge. He stripped off his shirt on the way to the little closet. She\u2019d left it open, and piles of clothes made odd shapes in the low light.\n\nThey smelled like her. He\u2019d forgotten how much he loved that. He leaned forward, his head slipping between her hanging shirts and jackets. They didn\u2019t have much, but this was home. They were settled, with no desire for any more living out of cockpits and dirty cargo bays. But if he couldn\u2019t make this work, that\u2019s exactly what they would be back to.\n\nGavin stooped and picked up the discarded shirt. There was work to do. Things to fix.\n\nHe closed the door as quietly as he could when he left.\n\nHe was at a workbench in the hangar when the light pad of Dell\u2019s bare feet on the cold hangar deck sounded behind him.\n\n\u201cHey, Slugger.\u201d Her voice was playful, teasing him about the scrap with Walt. The taunting tone was good news, in a way. It meant that she wasn\u2019t quite so angry. Regardless, he was still embarrassed about the fight and didn\u2019t rise to her bait.\n\n\u201cI thought you were asleep,\u201d he said instead.\n\nShe rubbed her hand across his shoulders, bumped him aside with her hip and then took a seat next to him on the bench when he moved. \u201cI was asleep, but it sounded like a herd of Shoone came tromping through the apart\u00adment.\u201d\n\nHe felt better hearing the smile in her voice. \u201cHuh . . . I guess I\u2019m glad I missed that.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are you working on?\u201d\n\nGavin started running through his list, wondering where to start. He gave up somewhere north of fifteen and simply replied, \u201cEverything.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid we get paid?\u201d He nodded and her look of relief was frustrating. Depending on Dell\u2019s ex-boyfriend for financial salvation wasn\u2019t exactly how he\u2019d envisioned his role as a business owner.\n\n\u201cHow\u2019s Boomer?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cHe can\u2019t keep doing this. They patched him up, but he\u2019s been banged around way too much.\u201d\n\nIt was true. Dell\u2019s dad had been put back together more than any other pilot Gavin had ever met. Maybe a few military pilots had had more rejuvenation treatment, but their facilities had to be far better than anything civies like Boomer had access too.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got to get him to take it easy, Gav. Let him fly sup\u00adport in the Freelancer or something.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet him fly support? This is your dad we\u2019re talking about. He\u2019s at least half as stubborn as you are. And you know how he flies. He\u2019s cool as gunmetal in a dogfight, but he flies like a crazy . . . flying . . . kind of . . . person.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you at least try? Please?\u201d\n\nThere was no way Boomer was going to listen to him, but Gavin agreed. It wasn\u2019t worth fighting with Dell about it. They\u2019d been over that ground before. Plenty of times.\n\nHe prodded at the wiring harness of his helmet.\n\n\u201cThe heads-up out again?\u201d she asked.\n\nHe nodded.\n\n\u201cHere, let me do it.\u201d She pulled the tools closer and set to work. \u201cSo . . . Walt stayed to drink his paycheck away with Barry?\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt worked as hard as anyone in Oberon. Harder than most, actually. He can do what he wants with his cut.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile we\u2019re dumping all of ours into repairs and supplies?\u201d\n\n\u201cI brought you some sh\u014dch\u016b,\u201d he offered.\n\n\u201cI saw that.\u201d She snuggled into his side and slid her arm around his waist. \u201cMmmmm . . . thank you.\u201d A peck on his cheek. \u201cI put it in the fridge.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou should have brought a bottle with you.\u201d\n\nShe unwound herself from him and went back to work on the helmet. \u201cIt might work out better for you if we save that for a night when I\u2019m not exhausted.\u201d\n\nThat killed the mood. Gavin shifted the tools around on the bench. Dell must have sensed his change of mood. She sat up straight, her tone growing somber. \u201cI\u2019ve been doing some math,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cHow bad is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot good.\u201d\n\nHe hoped that the grimace he made was reassuring. It probably wasn\u2019t.\n\n\u201cSelling the salvage will keep us out of the red for a couple months,\u201d she said. \u201cGood job on that, by the way. I don\u2019t know about the Idris, but that 325a is actually quite sell\u00adable. Unless you want to keep it, that is.\u201d\n\nGavin thought about it. \u201cSell it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to upgrade any of our people, and I\u2019m not bringing on any more pilots until we land some steady work.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn that topic, did Barry have something new for us, or did he come to Goss system just to carouse with your brother?\u201d\n\nHe told her about the turret job and she brightened.\n\n\u201cThis is good, Gav. You think this could turn into a steady stream of work?\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe, but we\u2019ve got a team of combat pilots, babe. They\u2019re not going to stick around for this kind of work.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen screw them. Let them leave, and I\u2019ll fly with you.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou fly worse than your dad. Besides, you wanted to be here to run the shop.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m here because I want this to work.\u201d She put her tools down and entwined her fingers with his. \u201cBelieve me, I\u2019d much rather be flying with you and Dad.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, well. I don\u2019t want you out there. Bringing Boomer back in stasis is one thing, but you . . .\u201d\n\nShe extracted her fingers and patted his hand, pulling away. \u201cThat\u2019s an idea you\u2019re going to have to get used to. Dad won\u2019t be flying that old Avenger forever. Eventually, she\u2019ll be mine. But right now,\u201d she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, \u201cI\u2019m going to bed.\u201d\n\nDell stood, pressed his helmet\u2019s wire housing into place with a click and left.\n\nGavin picked up the helmet and peeked inside. The glow from the reticle display shown within. She\u2019d got it working again.\n\nThey had a good thing going, he and Dell. But chronic, nag\u00adging financial worry would eventually tear that apart. He just needed work that paid and that his pilots would stay for. Work that would keep Walt from chasing something shiny, interesting, and new. What he needed was that Tyrol escort job.\n\nGavin pushed the helmet and tools aside on the bench. He keyed up the console and placed a call to Barry\u2019s mobiGlas. The accountant accepted the call.\n\n\u201cTalk to me, sweetheart.\u201d\n\n\u201cBarry. Good, you\u2019re still in-system.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust about to leave Cassel, why?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat would a bid need to look like for someone to be com\u00adpetitive on that Tyrol contract?\u201d\n\n\u201cGavin,\u201d Barry\u2019s voice grew serious. \u201cYou\u2019re new to this, but you have to know that I can\u2019t give out that kind of information.\u201d\n\nGavin\u2019s mobiGlas vibrated against his wrist with an incom\u00ading message.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Barry. I wasn\u2019t trying to cause troub\u2014\u201d\n\nBarry cut him off. \u201cNow, what I can do is point you toward the proper registration and submission forms. How you manage the pricing is your concern. Understand?\u201d\n\nOn Gavin\u2019s mobiGlas was a message from an unknown contact. The message was simple, containing only a Credit sign and a number.\n\nA big number.\n\nYes!\n\n\u201cThanks, Barry. I appreciate it and understand completely.\u201d\n\nIt took four days to clear just two turrets from the mouth of the first cave. Walt took out the first within seconds of arriving. He did it with what he swore was a purposeful and carefully aimed shot.\n\nThe second turret pulverized Jazza\u2019s Cutlass, and they had to tow the wreckage back to Vista Landing for re\u00adpairs. Jazza herself went home in stasis after taking hits to a shoulder and both of her legs. She did not rejoin them for the moon mine job.\n\nOn the fourth day \u2014 running low on patience, ammo, and foul language \u2014 they finally came up with a solution. It was ugly. It was dangerous. But as they worked deeper into the moon, it was the only thing they found that worked.\n\n\u201cAll right, Boomer,\u201d Gavin said, \u201chold behind that outcrop\u00adping.\u201d\n\nBoomer\u2019s Avenger crept to a halt beside him. Deep inside the warren of caverns, the moon\u2019s rotation was enough to give them a sense of up and down. Still, holding a relative position inside a small spinning moon was not as easy as one might think. Stabilizing thrusters fired continuously in short, irregular bursts.\n\nGavin checked his orientation and distance from the walls. He was in place. The tag team system they\u2019d come up with had been working pretty well, using one ship to draw fire while a second swept in to blast each turret. It was tedious and sphincter-tightening work, but the moon was nearly cleared. Only a small handful of tricky defenses remained intact.\n\n\u201cOkay,\u201d Gavin settled his hands on his flight controls. \u201cOn my mark.\u201d\n\nHe left the mic open and triggered a timer on his navsat. He watched Boomer\u2019s ship ease slowly into the turret\u2019s line of sight to the steady countdown of the timer. Right on cue, Gavin hammered his thrusters and sped into the cave, just as the first blast from the turret struck Boomer\u2019s shields.\n\nGavin yawed to the left, swinging the nose of his ship until he could see both the turret and Boomer\u2019s ship. The old man\u2019s Avenger bucked under the constant fire. The shields held, but the blast forced the Avenger back out into the tunnel before Gavin could take a shot.\n\nGavin fired, and the turret\u2019s twin barrels swiveled with such impeccable precision and speed that they looked like identical empty dots. \u201cOh, sh\u2014\u201d the barrels erupted in a fusillade of crimson light.\n\nGavin fired again and had no clue if he was anywhere near the mark. The turret\u2019s aim was flawless, however. There was an odd pulling sensation when the cabin lost pressure and his suit pressurized, squeezing around his limbs and chest.\n\nAnother barrage hammered into him and he felt the Cut\u00adlass crunch ass-backward into the wall of the cavern. The ship rolled, nose pitching wildly to one side. Gavin saw an open blackness of empty space yawn into view. He punched it, hoping he was heading back out into the tunnel and not to his death inside the smugglers\u2019 cave.\n\nRelieved, he saw Boomer\u2019s Avenger flash by beneath him. But dread gripped him again when the walls of the narrow tunnel loomed to fill his entire view. He reversed thrust, hunched tight around the controls and braced for impact.\n\nIt was bad.\n\nHe hit hard, and the impact sent him careening down the cavern. He tumbled over and over, willing his ship to hold together. When he finally forced himself to release the flight controls, the ship righted itself.\n\n\u201cHoly hells,\u201d Boomer breathed. \u201cGav? You alive, buddy?\u201d\n\nHis chest heaved like he\u2019d been running. \u201cI seem to recall some idiot bitching about this job being boring.\u201d\n\nWalt, exploring a tunnel in another part of the moon, an\u00adswered, \u201cThat sounds like it was directed at me. You two okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I\u2019m not okay. I just got blown up!\u201d\n\n\u201cSimmer down, son,\u201d Boomer said. \u201cI\u2019ve been blown up plenty of times. That was nothin\u2019. I, uh . . . I don\u2019t think you\u2019re taking another crack at that turret until we get your ship patched up, though.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, really? Ya think?\u201d Gavin\u2019s comms flashed on an incom\u00ading line. \u201cHold on, guys. Call coming in.\u201d\n\nBoomer laughed, saying, \u201cThey probably heard us planet\u00adside and want us to keep the noise down.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery funny. Actually, it\u2019s Dell. Now shut it.\u201d Gavin accept\u00aded the incoming line.\n\n\u201cGav?\u201d He couldn\u2019t tell if Dell sounded scared or angry, maybe both. \u201cWe got a problem, babe. Jazza\u2019s out of here. Says she\u2019s taking a ship unless she gets her cut of the turret job before she goes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? What do you mean \u2018out of here\u2019?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s leaving,\u201d Dell said. \u201cLeaving the company, I mean.\u201d\n\nWalt cut in on the squad channel. \u201cHey Gav, I\u2019m all finished in here. You want me to come take a look at tha\u2014\u201d\n\nGavin juggled channels. \u201cHold on, Walt.\u201d He squinched his eyes closed, sore, frustrated and confused. \u201cDell. Where\u2019s Jazz going? You mean she\u2019s quitting?\u201d\n\nBoomer kept the chatter going on the squad channel. \u201cSounds like he\u2019s getting an earful, Walt. Glad she didn\u2019t call me.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell her Gavin just got blown up.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would improve her day significantly.\u201d\n\nThey both laughed.\n\nGavin spread his hands in an open-armed shrug for no one\u2019s benefit but his own. \u201cWould you please shut the hell up?\u201d\n\nThey did. Dell did not. \u201cWhat did you just say to me?!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot you, babe. Walt and . . . you know what? Never mind all that. Just tell me again, what\u2019s going on with Jazz?\u201d\n\nHis mobiGlas vibrated. Gavin swore silently and balled his fists to keep from shooting something. From within his pressure suit, it was difficult to activate the mobiGlas. He managed it while Dell filled him in on Jazza\u2019s desertion. She was going to look for work with one of the smuggling outfits hidden in the Olympus Pool. Paying work. Blah. Blah. Deserter.\n\nGavin finally powered on his mobiGlas display. There was a message from a contact marked \u201cunknown,\u201d but Gavin knew exactly who it was from.\n\n\u201cDell.\u201d\n\n\u201cI tried to talk her out of it, Gav,\u201d Dell sounded close to tears. \u201cI really did.\u201d\n\n\u201cDell, listen to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cGet Jazza back. All right? Do whatever it takes.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll try, Gav, but . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever it takes, okay? We\u2019re going to need her. We\u2019re going to need everyone and then some.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Gavin?\u201d\n\nHe keyed his mic to transmit on both channels, \u201cEverybody, listen up. They only got two bids on the Navy contract. We\u2019re the low bid.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs low bad?\u201d Boomer asked.\n\n\u201cDell,\u201d Gavin said, \u201chave Jazza join us in Oberon. We\u2019re working \u2019round the clock until we\u2019ve cleared the last few turrets.\u201d\n\nGavin sat in his damaged Cutlass, cheeks stretched in an unfamiliar grin.\n\n\u201cGuys,\u201d he said, \u201cwe just won the Navy job.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo on in, Miss Brock.\u201d A lieutenant held the door open for her. \u201cMajor Greely and his guest are already inside.\u201d\n\nThe major\u2019s guest. How wonderful. Morgan Brock smoothed the front of her pleated skirt and then swept through the doorway into Greely\u2019s conference room. The major and his \u201cguest\u201d stood near the head of the table. Greely was looking more Marine than Navy in his shirt sleeves. The man had arms as thick as most men\u2019s legs.\n\n\u201cBrock. Good of you to come personally. Let me introduce you to Gavin Rhedd, one of the co-owners of Rhedd Alert Security.\u201d\n\nRhedd was younger than she\u2019d guessed, a handsome man with a sturdy frame. He\u2019d made the curious decision to wear a weathered, civilian flight suit to the meeting. Per\u00adhaps he needed to convince everyone that he was, in fact, a pilot. Still, the rig fit him well. He looked uncomfortable but not self-conscious standing beside the granite slab that was Major Greely.\n\n\u201cPleased to meet you, Miss Brock.\u201d\n\nShe refused his extended hand and put an end to the pleasantries.\n\n\u201cSo you\u2019re the cherry that low-balled my contract.\u201d She made it obvious that it wasn\u2019t a question. \u201cLet me be en\u00adtirely clear. The termination clause stipulates that I par\u00adticipate in a transition meeting. Let\u2019s not pretend that I\u2019m pleased by the opportunity.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell okay, then,\u201d Greely said. \u201cI suppose that will do by way of introductions. Let\u2019s get started, shall we?\u201d He took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for each of them to sit. \u201cNow, the award and protest periods are over.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere will be an appeal filed,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that, Morgan. But my office and Navy SysCom have every reason to believe that the award will be upheld.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve invested two years cleaning up the run through Min and Nexus,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we both know the workload is scheduled to increase dramatically. I\u2019m not handing that over without a fight.\u201d\n\nShe stopped when Greely held a hand up, \u201cThe UEE wants us to find ways to enfranchise independents in those systems. You want to argue that point, do it with the politicians. But right now, I need a mission brief, and I think we\u2019d all appreciate this meeting moving along quickly.\u201d\n\nBrock let the major win the point. If nothing else, she knew when to pick her battles. There was nothing to be gained from antagonizing him. There were more profitable targets for her ire. Content with the cool tenor of the meeting, she turned her attention to Gavin Rhedd.\n\n\u201cYes, well,\u201d the young man cleared his throat. His fore\u00adhead glistened where it met his close-cropped hair. \u201cI\u2019ve read through the, uh . . . the After Action Reports.\u201d Rhedd swiped through several projections on an old clunker of a mobiGlas. \u201cEvery ten days we escort a new shift rotation to the Haven research facility on Tyrol V. But what can you tell me about the security require\u00adments for the staff transfer between the transport ships and Haven?\u201d\n\nThe kid didn\u2019t know his ass from a hole in the ground. Maybe her Tyrol contract wasn\u2019t quite the lost cause Major Greely made it out to be. Brock\u2019s smile felt genuine as she started describing the ship-to-settlement transfer process.\n\nThis job was going to eat Rhedd Alert Security alive.\n\nMin system was dark. In Goss, the jump points flowed with shimmering cascades of color. They boiled the Olympus Pool\u2019s bands of gold, amber, and blood-orange in a dazzling display of celestial mystery. Min, on the other hand, was entirely different, and Gavin wondered how many ships and lives Min\u2019s jump gates had claimed before they were suc\u00adcessfully charted.\n\nThe approach was well marked now. Nav beacons lit a ten-kilometer channel leading six Rhedd Alert escorts and their charge, a Constellation Aquila with UEE designations, to the jump gate. The automated beacons broadcast a steady stream of navsat and transit status data in addition to lighting the visual entry vector.\n\nThe gate itself loomed large. It was an empty disc, invisible if not for the faint light from the beacons. That light bent, distorting into the maw of interspace that, if entered cor\u00adrectly, would disgorge them out into the Nexus system. Stumbling onto an unknown jump point had to be a terri\u00adfying experience. He\u2019d seen images of dark gates, like the ones in Min, when the beacons were offline. Even knowing what to look for in those images, it was difficult to distin\u00adguish the subtle smudge that represented a portal through time and space.\n\n\u201cGate Authority Min,\u201d Gavin read from a scripted authori\u00adzation request, \u201cthis is Rhedd Alert Security, performing in compliance with Naval Systems Command regulations, approaching VFR and in support of UEE research vessel Cassiopeia. Request clearance for transit from Min to Nexus and confirmation of the approach.\u201d\n\nThey didn\u2019t need the call and response to make the jump to Nexus, but their contract required record of specific communications at all jump gates, as well as of the UEE staff transfers at each end of the run.\n\nThe gods only knew how many times he and Walt had hopped systems unannounced. In reflection, it probably should have felt strange entering a jump gate with legal tags and without local law breathing down his neck. But times change, and if Gavin got his way, they were changing for the better.\n\nHe received the expected challenge and responded with ship IDs that matched the tags for each member of the convoy. Gavin had stumbled over the formal exchanges on the first few missions. No one had complained, but he felt better now that he had a degree of comfort with the cadence and timing of the exchange. Hopefully, that degree of comfort inspired confidence in his new pilots and the UEE scientists aboard the Cassiopeia.\n\nThey got their clearance and Gavin sent the order to enter the jump gate. He took point with Jazza, each of them in place along either side of the Aquila. They slid into the gate with a familiar falling sensation. The cockpit seemed to stretch, elongating out and away from him in a rush of sound and color. It felt like someone had set a hook in his insides and pulled, stretching his gut tighter and tighter. Then something snapped and he was reac\u00adquainted with the increasingly familiar constellations of Nexus space.\n\n\u201cGate Authority Nexus,\u201d he said, \u201cthis is Rhedd Alert\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cGavin,\u201d Jazza\u2019s voice was crisp. He was already check\u00ading his navsat displays when she continued, \u201cWe\u2019ve got three ships inbound. Three hundred kilometers. Make that two-fifty! Gods, they\u2019re moving fast.\u201d\n\n\u201cJazz, take Mei and Rahul to see what our new friends want. Walt, you and Boomer play goalie. If these guys take a run at the Cassiopeia, make them reconsider.\u201d\n\nA chorus of \u201ccopy that\u201d erupted on comms and Gavin switched channels to address the UEE crew aboard the transport. \u201cCassiopeia, this is Red One. Accelerate in line with my mark and do not deviate from course.\u201d\n\n\u201cContact,\u201d Jazza sounded calm, clinical. \u201cThey\u2019ve got three F7 Hornets in a variety of configurations. They\u2019re beat to hell with patchwork armor, but coming in fast.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey have any markings or insignia? What are their tags?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing I can see through the mismatch of weapons and scrap parts.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook out, they\u2019re firing!\u201d Mei said. \u201cHoly hells, these guys are quick.\u201d\n\n\u201cGav,\u201d Walt asked, \u201cdo we run?\u201d\n\nThe After Action Reports from Brock showed a steady decrease in aggressive actions over time. Letting a new pi\u00adrate outfit establish a foothold at one of their critical jump points seemed like a very bad idea.\n\n\u201cWe fight,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to retake this ground every two weeks if we run scared now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever you\u2019re going to do, do it fast,\u201d Jazza said. \u201cIt\u2019s three-on-three over here, and it seems these guys like to play with their food.\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt,\u201d Gavin said. \u201cTake point. If they have friends, I don\u2019t want to get herded into a trap.\u201d\n\n\u201cCopy that.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, Jazz. I\u2019m on my way to you.\u201d Gavin pulled up hard, inverted over the Cassiopeia and accelerated toward the jumble of fighters.\n\nGavin had survived dozens of scraps before starting Rhedd Alert, but always as the aggressor. Being on the defensive was something new. It seemed strange that these crazy bastards were hitting six armed escorts.\n\n\u201cJazza,\u201d he was a couple hundred clicks out and had a good look at the scrum, \u201cI\u2019m coming up underneath you. Time to make this an unfair fight.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese guys are good, Gavin.\u201d She grunted and her Cut\u00adlass rolled in a loose corkscrew, putting her behind one of the marauders. She fired and its shields blazed. It pitched, nose down and thrusters reversing, to push up and above Jazza\u2019s ship. The other two marauders swung into position on either side, and the three of them slashed toward Gavin like a knife blade.\n\nHe rolled to his port side and tried to accelerate around them. At least they couldn\u2019t all fire on him at once that way. Rahul strafed overhead, pouring fire into one of the Hornets, but the marauders held their formation.\n\n\u201cJazza, form up on me. Let\u2019s split these bastards up.\u201d\n\n\u201cGot it.\u201d\n\nThey met and swept around to rush the trio of mis\u00admatched Hornets. The marauders found Mei before he and Jazza were in firing range.\n\n\u201cAh, hell . . .\u201d\n\nA barrage of precise bursts from wing-mounted laser cannons tore into Mei\u2019s ship. It ripped entire sections from the hull, and escaping oxygen belched out in a roiling ball of flame.\n\n\u201cDamn it!\u201d Gavin couldn\u2019t see if Mei got out. He and Jaz\u00adza blasted their way through the marauders\u2019 formation. The Hornets scattered and reformed again behind them. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a man down. Walt, we might need your help over here.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what you get for staying to fight, Gav. We should have made a run for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can talk about \u2018shoulda\u2019 later,\u201d he said. \u201cGet back here and . . . wait. Belay that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey\u2019re running,\u201d Jazza sounded bemused. \u201cFeels like they had us on the ropes, but they\u2019re bugging out.\u201d\n\nGavin watched thruster trails from the retreating ships. In moments, they winked out of Nexus space.\n\n\u201cCassiopeia is secure,\u201d Walt said. \u201cAre you guys clear?\u201d\n\nJazza didn\u2019t exactly answer him. \u201cNow what do you think that was all about?\u201d\n\nGavin\u2019s HUD looked clear. Relieved, he found Mei\u2019s PRB. Everyone was alive and they appeared to be alone on the Nexus side of the gate. Walt and the Cassiopeia were nearing the extreme range of his display.\n\n\u201cWalt, hold where you are. Stay sharp and sweep ahead. I can\u2019t for the life of me figure out why they attacked three-on-six.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe,\u201d Jazza said, \u201cthey knew they\u2019d kick our ass.\u201d\n\n\u201cOr maybe this was a feint,\u201d Gavin said. \u201cLet\u2019s not get caught with our pants down if there are more of them out here. Jazz, you and Rahul watch my back while I get Mei. We\u2019re taking the first shots if they come back through.\u201d\n\nThere was a general clamor of agreement. Gavin was beginning to suspect that military comm-chatter was much more sparse and far less democratic than Rhedd Alert\u2019s constant banter. Still, aside from Walt second-guessing his every move, Gavin was proud of the team.\n\n\u201cI wonder if they\u2019re waiting on the other side?\u201d Jazza asked.\n\nWalt was quick to respond. \u201cWe are not going through that gate to check.\u201d\n\n\u201cRelax, Walt,\u201d Gavin said. \u201cA win is a win. And good rid\u00addance.\u201d\n\nAt this point, Walt\u2019s objection wasn\u2019t a surprise. \u201cLucky win, you mean. In a fight we didn\u2019t need to have.\u201d\n\nGavin ignored him.\n\nThough she was unconscious, the biometrics in Mei\u2019s suit reported only minor damage. Her ship, on the other hand, was another story completely. Gavin started running some mental math, tallying the costs of parts, labor, and med tech fees. The results were cringe-worthy.\n\nThe attack would make this mission a financial loss, but the contract was still the leg-up Rhedd Alert needed. And the attack was probably an aberration, Gavin reflected, re\u00adminding himself that Brock\u2019s After Action Reports showed a steady decrease in hostilities over the past several years.\n\nUnfortunately, they were about to find out just how little those reports meant.\n\nTO BE CONTINUED\u2026","de_DE":"Writer's Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Two wurde urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 3.6 ver\u00f6ffentlicht. Lesen Sie Teil Eins hier.\nGavin verlie\u00df Walt auf Cassel. Es gab eine Zeit, damals in seinen einzelnen Tagen, als ein l\u00e4ngerer Aufenthalt in einer Ferienanlage die perfekte Fortsetzung eines schlechten Jobs war. Jetzt hatte er ein besseres Angebot, zu Hause zu warten und zwei Flaschen gek\u00fchltes K\u014den Sh\u014dch\u016b Reiten Schrotflinte im Cockpit neben ihm. Das bessere Angebot war nat\u00fcrlich Dell. Die sh\u014dch\u016b war seine beste Hoffnung, seine Heimkehr von Oberon aus neu zu starten.\n\nEs war nicht gerade der gro\u00dfe Auftritt, den er geplant hatte. Er f\u00fchlte seine Wangen warm und war froh, allein zu sein. Mit einem Seufzer dr\u00fcckte er die Augen zu und lie\u00df seinen Kopf wieder in seinen Sitz fallen. Sein Helm stie\u00df gegen den Cockpitrahmen. Als er die Augen wieder \u00f6ffnete, war der HUD gestorben. Er rollte mit dem Kopf zu den wartenden Flaschen von sh\u014dch\u016b. Vielleicht brauchte er den Alkohol mehr als sie.\n\nRhedd Alert's Hangar war still. Die Lichter wurden auf ein mattes, saphirfarbenes Gl\u00fchen heruntergefahren. Aber w\u00e4hrend der Hangar ruhig war, wurde Vista Landing nie langsamer. Die Kl\u00e4nge des Komplexes waren ein Druck um ihn herum; ein st\u00e4ndiges Summen des Lebens, das nach einem langen Stint aufdringlich wirkte.\n\nGavin verlor seinen Fluganzug und packte dann den Helm und die Flaschen von sh\u014dch\u016b. Der Helm wurde kurzerhand auf eine Werkbank geworfen. Die sh\u014dch\u016b ging mit ihm in ihre Wohnung. Es war dunkel im Inneren - er war zu sp\u00e4t. Dell schlief bereits.\n\nEr lehnte sich an die T\u00fcr, w\u00e4hrend sich seine Augen an die H\u00f6flichkeitsbeleuchtung im Schlafzimmer anpassten. Dell lag auf ihrer Seite mit dem R\u00fccken zu ihm. Ihr Haar war ein dunkler F\u00e4cher gegen blasse Kissen und Laken. Von den verspielten blau gef\u00e4rbten Spitzen im schlechten Licht war keine Spur zu sehen. Er blickte stattdessen auf die Kurve ihrer H\u00fcfte und die lange Linie ihrer bedeckten Beine.\n\nEr lie\u00df die Flaschen auf einem Tisch liegen und wollte nicht riskieren, sie mit Licht aus dem K\u00fchlschrank zu wecken. Auf dem Weg zum kleinen Schrank zog er sein Hemd aus. Sie hatte es offen gelassen, und Stapel von Kleidung bildeten seltsame Formen im schlechten Licht.\n\nSie rochen wie sie. Er hatte vergessen, wie sehr er das liebte. Er lehnte sich nach vorne, sein Kopf rutschte zwischen ihre h\u00e4ngenden Hemden und Jacken. Sie hatten nicht viel, aber das war das Zuhause. Sie waren besiedelt, ohne den Wunsch, mehr aus Cockpits und schmutzigen Lader\u00e4umen zu leben. Aber wenn er es nicht schaffen w\u00fcrde, dass das funktioniert, w\u00e4re es genau das, worauf sie zur\u00fcckkommen w\u00fcrden.\n\nGavin beugte sich vor und hob das weggeworfene Hemd auf. Es gab Arbeit zu erledigen. Dinge, die man reparieren muss.\n\nEr schloss die T\u00fcr so leise wie m\u00f6glich, als er ging.\n\nEr war an einer Werkbank im Hangar, als das leichte Polster von Dells nackten F\u00fc\u00dfen auf dem kalten Hangardeck hinter ihm erklang.\n\n\"Hey, Slugger.\" Ihre Stimme war verspielt und neckte ihn wegen des Streits mit Walt. Der h\u00f6hnische Ton war gewisserma\u00dfen eine gute Nachricht. Das bedeutete, dass sie nicht ganz so w\u00fctend war. Trotzdem sch\u00e4mte er sich immer noch f\u00fcr den Kampf und stieg nicht zu ihrem K\u00f6der auf.\n\n\"Ich dachte, du schl\u00e4fst\", sagte er stattdessen.\n\nSie rieb ihre Hand \u00fcber seine Schultern, stie\u00df ihn mit ihrer H\u00fcfte zur Seite und nahm dann neben ihm auf der Bank Platz, als er sich bewegte. \"Ich schlief, aber es klang, als ob eine Herde Shoone durch die Wohnung trommelte.\"\n\nEr f\u00fchlte sich besser, als das L\u00e4cheln in ihrer Stimme zu h\u00f6ren. \"Huh.... Ich sch\u00e4tze, ich bin froh, dass ich das verpasst habe.\"\n\n\"Woran arbeitest du?\"\n\nGavin fing an, seine Liste durchzugehen und fragte sich, wo er anfangen sollte. Er gab irgendwo n\u00f6rdlich von f\u00fcnfzehn auf und antwortete einfach: \"Alles.\"\n\n\"Wurden wir bezahlt?\" Er nickte und ihr Blick der Erleichterung war frustrierend. Abh\u00e4ngig von Dells Ex-Freund f\u00fcr die finanzielle Rettung war nicht genau, wie er sich seine Rolle als Gesch\u00e4ftsinhaber vorgestellt hatte.\n\n\"Wie geht es Boomer?\", fragte er.\n\n\"Er kann so nicht weitermachen. Sie haben ihn zusammengeflickt, aber er wurde viel zu sehr herumgeschlagen.\"\n\nEs war wahr. Dells Vater war wieder zusammengesetzt worden, mehr als jeder andere Pilot, den Gavin je getroffen hatte. Vielleicht hatten ein paar Milit\u00e4rpiloten mehr Verj\u00fcngungsbehandlungen gehabt, aber ihre Einrichtungen mussten viel besser sein als alles andere, was Zivilisationen wie Boomer hatten.\n\n\"Du musst ihn dazu bringen, dass er sich beruhigt, Gav. Soll er die Unterst\u00fctzung des Freelancers fliegen oder so.\"\n\n\"Soll er die Unterst\u00fctzung fliegen lassen? Wir reden hier von deinem Vater. Er ist mindestens halb so stur wie du. Und du wei\u00dft, wie er fliegt. Er ist cool wie Gunmetal in einem Luftkampf, aber er fliegt wie ein Verr\u00fcckter.... fliegt... fliegt.... irgendwie... Person.\"\n\n\"Wirst du es wenigstens versuchen? Bitte?\"\n\nEs gab keine M\u00f6glichkeit, dass Boomer auf ihn h\u00f6ren w\u00fcrde, aber Gavin stimmte zu. Es war es nicht wert, mit Dell dar\u00fcber zu streiten. Sie waren schon einmal \u00fcber diesem Boden gewesen. Schon oft.\n\nEr stie\u00df auf den Kabelbaum seines Helmes.\n\n\"Die Vorwarnung ist wieder raus?\", fragte sie.\n\nEr nickte.\n\n\"Hier, lass mich das machen.\" Sie zog die Werkzeuge n\u00e4her heran und machte sich an die Arbeit. \"Also.... Walt blieb, um seinen Gehaltsscheck mit Barry zu trinken?\"\n\n\"Walt arbeitete so hart wie jeder andere in Oberon. St\u00e4rker als die meisten anderen, ehrlich gesagt. Er kann mit seinem Schnitt machen, was er will.\"\n\n\"W\u00e4hrend wir alle unsere Sachen in Reparaturen und Lieferungen stecken?\"\n\n\"Ich habe dir ein paar sh\u014dch\u016b mitgebracht\", bot er an.\n\n\"Ich habe das gesehen.\" Sie kuschelte sich in seine Seite und schob ihren Arm um seine Taille. \"Mmmmmmm.... danke.\" Ein Kuss auf seine Wange. \"Ich habe es in den K\u00fchlschrank gestellt.\"\n\n\"Du h\u00e4ttest eine Flasche mitbringen sollen.\"\n\nSie entspannte sich von ihm und ging zur\u00fcck zur Arbeit am Helm. \"Es k\u00f6nnte f\u00fcr dich besser funktionieren, wenn wir das f\u00fcr eine Nacht aufheben, in der ich nicht ersch\u00f6pft bin.\"\n\nDas hat die Stimmung getr\u00fcbt. Gavin schob die Werkzeuge auf der Bank herum. Dell muss seinen Stimmungswechsel gesp\u00fcrt haben. Sie setzte sich aufrecht hin, ihr Ton wurde d\u00fcsterer. \"Ich habe etwas gerechnet\", sagte sie.\n\n\"Wie schlimm ist es?\"\n\n\"Nicht gut.\"\n\nEr hoffte, dass die Grimasse, die er machte, beruhigend war. Wahrscheinlich war es das nicht.\n\n\"Der Verkauf der Bergung wird uns f\u00fcr ein paar Monate aus den roten Zahlen halten\", sagte sie. \"\u00dcbrigens, gute Arbeit dabei. Ich wei\u00df nichts \u00fcber die Idris, aber diese 325a ist eigentlich durchaus verkaufbar. Es sei denn, du willst es behalten, das hei\u00dft.\"\n\nGavin dachte dar\u00fcber nach. \"Verkauf es\", sagte er. \"Wir k\u00f6nnen es uns nicht leisten, einen unserer Leute aufzur\u00fcsten, und ich werde keine weiteren Piloten einstellen, bis wir eine feste Arbeit haben.\"\n\n\"Zu diesem Thema, hatte Barry etwas Neues f\u00fcr uns, oder kam er zum Goss-System, nur um mit deinem Bruder zu kuscheln?\"\n\nEr erz\u00e4hlte ihr von dem Turmjob und sie erhellte sich.\n\n\"Das ist gut, Gav. Denkst du, das k\u00f6nnte sich in einen stetigen Strom von Arbeit verwandeln?\"\n\n\"Vielleicht, aber wir haben ein Team von Kampfpiloten, Babe. Sie werden nicht f\u00fcr diese Art von Arbeit hier bleiben.\"\n\n\"Dann fick sie. Lass sie gehen, und ich fliege mit dir.\"\n\n\"Du fliegst schlimmer als dein Vater. Au\u00dferdem wolltest du hier sein, um den Laden zu leiten.\"\n\n\"Ich bin hier, weil ich will, dass das funktioniert.\" Sie legte ihre Werkzeuge nieder und umwickelte ihre Finger mit seinen. \"Glaub mir, ich w\u00fcrde viel lieber mit dir und Dad fliegen.\"\n\n\"Ja, nun ja. Ich will nicht, dass du da drau\u00dfen bist. Boomer in die Stasis zur\u00fcckzubringen ist eine Sache, aber du..... . .\u201d\n\nSie zog ihre Finger heraus und klopfte auf seine Hand und zog sich zur\u00fcck. \"Das ist eine Idee, an die du dich gew\u00f6hnen musst. Dad wird diesen alten R\u00e4cher nicht ewig fliegen. Irgendwann wird sie mir geh\u00f6ren. Aber jetzt gerade\", lehnte sie sich an und gab ihm einen kurzen Kuss, \"Ich gehe ins Bett.\"\n\nDell stand auf, dr\u00fcckte das Drahtgeh\u00e4use seines Helmes mit einem Klick in Position und ging nach links.\n\nGavin hob den Helm auf und schaute hinein. Das Leuchten von der Absehenanzeige, die darin angezeigt wird. Sie hatte es wieder zum Laufen gebracht.\n\nSie hatten eine gute Sache laufen, er und Dell. Aber chronische, nagende finanzielle Sorgen w\u00fcrden das letztendlich zerrei\u00dfen. Er brauchte nur eine Arbeit, die sich auszahlt und f\u00fcr die seine Piloten bleiben w\u00fcrden. Arbeit, die Walt davon abh\u00e4lt, etwas Gl\u00e4nzendes, Interessantes und Neues zu verfolgen. Was er brauchte, war der Tiroler Escort Job.\n\nGavin schob den Helm und die Werkzeuge auf der Bank zur Seite. Er richtete die Konsole ein und rief Barry's mobiGlas an. Der Buchhalter nahm den Anruf an.\n\n\"Rede mit mir, S\u00fc\u00dfe.\"\n\n\"Barry. Gut, du bist immer noch im System.\"\n\n\"Ich verlasse gerade Cassel, warum?\"\n\n\"Wie m\u00fcsste ein Angebot aussehen, damit jemand bei diesem Tiroler Vertrag wettbewerbsf\u00e4hig ist?\"\n\n\"Gavin\", Barrys Stimme wurde ernst. \"Du bist neu hier, aber du musst wissen, dass ich diese Art von Informationen nicht weitergeben kann.\"\n\nGavins mobiGlas vibrierte gegen sein Handgelenk mit einer eingehenden Nachricht.\n\n\"Es tut mir leid, Barry. Ich habe nicht versucht, \u00c4rger zu machen.\"\n\nBarry hat ihn unterbrochen. \"Nun, was ich tun kann, ist, dich auf die richtigen Anmelde- und Einreichungsformulare hinzuweisen. Wie Sie mit der Preisgestaltung umgehen, ist Ihr Anliegen. Verstanden?\"\n\nAuf Gavins mobiGlas war eine Nachricht von einem unbekannten Kontakt. Die Nachricht war einfach und enthielt nur ein Guthabenzeichen und eine Nummer.\n\nEine gro\u00dfe Zahl.\n\nJa!\n\n\"Danke, Barry. Ich sch\u00e4tze es und verstehe es vollkommen.\"\n\nEs dauerte vier Tage, um nur zwei T\u00fcrme von der M\u00fcndung der ersten H\u00f6hle zu r\u00e4umen. Walt nahm den ersten innerhalb von Sekunden nach seiner Ankunft heraus. Er tat es mit dem, was er schwor, war ein zielgerichteter und sorgf\u00e4ltig gezielter Schuss.\n\nDer zweite Turm pulverisierte das Entermesser von Jazza, und sie mussten das Wrack zur Reparatur nach Vista Landing schleppen. Jazza selbst ging in Stasis nach Hause, nachdem sie Schl\u00e4ge auf eine Schulter und ihre beiden Beine bekommen hatte. Sie kam nicht wieder zu ihnen f\u00fcr den Mondminenjob.\n\nAm vierten Tag - mit wenig Geduld, Munition und \u00fcbler Sprache - fanden sie schlie\u00dflich eine L\u00f6sung. Es war h\u00e4sslich. Es war gef\u00e4hrlich. Aber als sie tiefer in den Mond vordrangen, war es das Einzige, was sie fanden, was funktionierte.\n\n\"In Ordnung, Boomer\", sagte Gavin, \"halte dich hinter dem Ausbruch zur\u00fcck.\"\n\nBoomer's R\u00e4cher kam neben ihm zum Stehen. Tief im Inneren des Labyrinths der H\u00f6hlen reichte die Rotation des Mondes aus, um ihnen ein Gef\u00fchl von Auf und Ab zu geben. Dennoch war es nicht so einfach, eine relative Position innerhalb eines kleinen sich drehenden Mondes zu halten, wie man denken k\u00f6nnte. Stabilisierende Triebwerke feuerten kontinuierlich in kurzen, unregelm\u00e4\u00dfigen Impulsen an.\n\nGavin \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte seine Ausrichtung und den Abstand zu den W\u00e4nden. Er war in Position. Das Tag-Team-System, das sie sich ausgedacht hatten, hatte ziemlich gut funktioniert und ein Schiff benutzt, um Feuer zu ziehen, w\u00e4hrend ein zweites einfiel, um jeden Turm zu sprengen. Es war eine m\u00fchsame und sphinkterstraffende Arbeit, aber der Mond war fast ger\u00e4umt. Nur eine kleine Handvoll kniffliger Abwehrma\u00dfnahmen blieb intakt.\n\n\"Okay,\" Gavin legte seine H\u00e4nde auf seine Flugsteuerung. \"Auf mein Zeichen.\"\n\nEr lie\u00df das Mikrofon offen und l\u00f6ste einen Timer auf seinem Navsat aus. Er beobachtete, wie Boomers Schiff sich langsam in die Sichtlinie des Gesch\u00fctzturms zum stetigen Countdown des Timers bewegte. Auf Anhieb h\u00e4mmerte Gavin seine Triebwerke und raste in die H\u00f6hle, als die erste Explosion vom Turm die Schilde von Boomer traf.\n\nGavin gierte nach links und schwang die Nase seines Schiffes, bis er sowohl den Turm als auch das Schiff von Boomer sehen konnte. Der R\u00e4cher des alten Mannes buckelte unter dem st\u00e4ndigen Feuer. Die Schilde hielten, aber die Explosion zwang den R\u00e4cher zur\u00fcck in den Tunnel, bevor Gavin einen Schuss abgeben konnte.\n\nGavin feuerte, und die Zwillingsf\u00e4sser des Turms drehten sich mit so perfekter Pr\u00e4zision und Geschwindigkeit, dass sie wie identische leere Punkte aussahen. \"Oh, sh-\" die F\u00e4sser brachen in einer Fusillade aus purpurrotem Licht aus.\n\nGavin feuerte wieder und hatte keine Ahnung, ob er irgendwo in der N\u00e4he des Ziels war. Das Ziel des Gesch\u00fctzturms war jedoch einwandfrei. Es gab ein seltsames Zuggef\u00fchl, als die Kabine den Druck verlor und sein Anzug unter Druck stand und sich um seine Gliedma\u00dfen und Brust dr\u00fcckte.\n\nEin weiteres Sperrfeuer schlug in ihn ein und er f\u00fchlte, wie der Entermesser den Arsch r\u00fcckw\u00e4rts in die Wand der H\u00f6hle knirschte. Das Schiff rollte, die Nase neigte sich wild zur Seite. Gavin sah eine offene Schw\u00e4rze des leeren Raumes, die in Sichtweite g\u00e4hnte. Er schlug es und hoffte, dass er wieder in den Tunnel zur\u00fcckkehren w\u00fcrde und nicht zu seinem Tod in der Schmugglerh\u00f6hle.\n\nErleichtert sah er Boomer's R\u00e4cher unter ihm vorbeiflitzen. Aber die Angst packte ihn wieder, als die W\u00e4nde des engen Tunnels sich auft\u00fcrmten, um seine gesamte Aussicht zu erf\u00fcllen. Er kehrte den Schub um, kr\u00fcmmte sich eng um die Steuerung und st\u00fctzte sich auf den Aufprall.\n\nEs war schlimm.\n\nEr schlug hart zu, und der Aufprall lie\u00df ihn die H\u00f6hle hinunterfliegen. Er st\u00fcrzte immer wieder um und wollte, dass sein Schiff zusammenh\u00e4lt. Als er sich schlie\u00dflich zwang, die Flugsteuerung freizugeben, richtete sich das Schiff selbst auf.\n\n\"Heilige Schei\u00dfe\", atmete Boomer. \"Gav? Lebst du noch, Kumpel?\"\n\nSeine Brust hob sich, als ob er gelaufen w\u00e4re. \"Ich erinnere mich an einen Idioten, der dar\u00fcber meckerte, dass dieser Job langweilig war.\"\n\nWalt, der einen Tunnel in einem anderen Teil des Mondes erkundete, antwortete: \"Das klingt, als w\u00e4re er auf mich gerichtet gewesen. Geht es euch beiden gut?\"\n\n\"Nein, mir geht es nicht gut. Ich wurde gerade in die Luft gejagt!\"\n\n\"Beruhige dich, Junge\", sagte Boomer. \"Ich wurde schon oft in die Luft gejagt. Das war gar nichts. Ich, \u00e4hm.... .. Ich glaube nicht, dass du noch einen weiteren Versuch an diesem Turm machst, bis wir dein Schiff repariert haben.\"\n\n\"Oh, wirklich? Findest du?\" Gavins Kommunikation blinkte auf einer eingehenden Leitung. \"Wartet mal, Leute. Ein Anruf kommt rein.\"\n\nBoomer lachte und sagte: \"Sie haben uns wahrscheinlich am Planeten geh\u00f6rt und wollen, dass wir den L\u00e4rm leiser machen.\"\n\n\"Sehr lustig. Eigentlich ist es Dell. Jetzt halt die Klappe.\" Gavin akzeptierte die eingehende Leitung.\n\n\" Gav?\" Er konnte nicht sagen, ob Dell ver\u00e4ngstigt oder w\u00fctend klang, vielleicht beides. \"Wir haben ein Problem, Babe. Jazza ist weg von hier. Sie sagt, sie nimmt ein Schiff, es sei denn, sie bekommt ihren Anteil am Turmjob, bevor sie geht.\"\n\n\"Was? Was meinst du mit \"raus hier\"?\"\n\n\"Sie geht\", sagte Dell. \"Die Firma zu verlassen, meine ich.\"\n\nWalt hat sich auf dem Squad-Kanal eingeschalten. \"Hey Gav, ich bin hier drin fertig. Du willst, dass ich mitkomme und mir das ansehe....\"\n\nGavin jonglierte mit Kan\u00e4len. \"Warte mal, Walt.\" Er zwinkerte mit geschlossenen, wunden, frustrierten und verwirrten Augen. \"Dell. Wo geht der Jazz hin? Du meinst, sie k\u00fcndigt?\"\n\nBoomer lie\u00df das Geschw\u00e4tz auf dem Squad-Kanal laufen. \"H\u00f6rt sich an, als w\u00fcrde er mir auf die Nerven gehen, Walt. Sch\u00f6n, dass sie mich nicht angerufen hat.\"\n\n\"Sag ihr, dass Gavin gerade in die Luft geflogen ist.\"\n\n\"Das w\u00fcrde ihren Tag deutlich verbessern.\"\n\nSie lachten beide.\n\nGavin breitete seine H\u00e4nde in einem offenarmigen Achselzucken aus, zum Wohle von niemandem au\u00dfer seinen eigenen. \"W\u00fcrdest du bitte die Klappe halten, verdammt noch mal?\"\n\nDas haben sie. Dell nicht. \"Was hast du gerade zu mir gesagt?\"\n\n\"Nicht du, Schatz. Walt und ...... wei\u00dft du was? Vergiss das alles. Sag mir einfach noch einmal, was ist mit dem Jazz los?\"\n\nSein mobiGlas vibrierte. Gavin fluchte leise und ballte seine F\u00e4uste, um nicht auf etwas zu schie\u00dfen. Aus seinem Druckanzug heraus war es schwierig, das mobiGlas zu aktivieren. Er schaffte es, w\u00e4hrend Dell ihn \u00fcber Jazzas Desertion informierte. Sie wollte sich mit einem der Schmuggler-Outfits im Olympus-Pool nach Arbeit umsehen. Bezahlte Arbeit. Blah. Blah. Deserteur.\n\nGavin schaltete schlie\u00dflich sein mobiGlas-Display ein. Es gab eine Nachricht von einem Kontakt mit der Aufschrift \"unbekannt\", aber Gavin wusste genau, von wem er kam.\n\n\" Dell.\"\n\n\"Ich habe versucht, es ihr auszureden, Gav\", klang Dell fast wie Tr\u00e4nen. \"Das habe ich wirklich.\"\n\n\"Dell, h\u00f6r mir zu.\"\n\n\" Was?\"\n\n\"Hol Jazza zur\u00fcck. In Ordnung? Tu, was immer n\u00f6tig ist.\"\n\n\"Ich werde es versuchen, Gav, aber....\"\n\n\"Was auch immer n\u00f6tig ist, okay? Wir werden sie brauchen. Wir werden jeden brauchen und noch einiges mehr.\"\n\n\"Was ist los, Gavin?\"\n\nEr schaltete sein Mikrofon ein, um auf beiden Kan\u00e4len zu senden: \"Alle mal herh\u00f6ren. Sie haben nur zwei Gebote auf den Vertrag mit der Marine erhalten. Wir sind das niedrigste Gebot.\"\n\n\"Ist es schlecht?\" fragte Boomer.\n\n\"Dell\", sagte Gavin, \"lass Jazza uns in Oberon begleiten. Wir arbeiten rund um die Uhr, bis wir die letzten paar Gesch\u00fctzt\u00fcrme ger\u00e4umt haben.\"\n\nGavin sa\u00df in seinem besch\u00e4digten Entermesser, die Wangen gestreckt in einem unbekannten Grinsen.\n\n\"Leute\", sagte er, \"wir haben gerade den Navy-Auftrag gewonnen.\"\n\n\"Gehen Sie rein, Miss Brock.\" Ein Leutnant hielt ihr die T\u00fcr auf. \"Major Greely und sein Gast sind schon drin.\"\n\nDer Gast des Majors. Wie wunderbar. Morgan Brock gl\u00e4ttete die Vorderseite ihres Faltenrockes und fegte dann durch die T\u00fcr\u00f6ffnung in Greelys Konferenzraum. Der Major und sein \"Gast\" standen neben dem Kopf des Tisches. Greely sah in seinen Hemds\u00e4rmeln mehr nach Marine als nach Marine aus. Der Mann hatte Arme, die so dick waren wie die Beine der meisten M\u00e4nner.\n\n\"Brock. Sch\u00f6n, dass du pers\u00f6nlich gekommen bist. Darf ich dir Gavin Rhedd vorstellen, einen der Mitinhaber von Rhedd Alert Security.\"\n\nRhedd war j\u00fcnger, als sie es sich vorgestellt hatte, ein gutaussehender Mann mit einem robusten Rahmen. Er hatte die seltsame Entscheidung getroffen, einen verwitterten, zivilen Fluganzug f\u00fcr das Meeting zu tragen. Vielleicht musste er alle davon \u00fcberzeugen, dass er tats\u00e4chlich ein Pilot ist. Dennoch passte ihm das Ger\u00e4t gut. Er sah unbehaglich aus, aber nicht unbewusst, als er neben der Granitplatte stand, die Major Greely war.\n\n\"Sch\u00f6n, Sie kennenzulernen, Miss Brock.\"\n\nSie verweigerte seine ausgestreckte Hand und beendete die H\u00f6flichkeiten.\n\n\"Du bist also die Jungfr\u00e4ulichkeit, die meinen Vertrag unterboten hat.\" Sie machte deutlich, dass es keine Frage war. \"Lass mich das ganz klar sagen. Die K\u00fcndigungsklausel sieht vor, dass ich an einer \u00dcbergangssitzung teilnehme. Lasst uns nicht so tun, als ob ich mich \u00fcber die Gelegenheit freue.\"\n\n\"Nun, okay\", sagte Greely. \"Ich nehme an, das wird zur Vorstellung reichen. Lasst uns anfangen, sollen wir?\" Er setzte sich an den Kopf des Tisches und bewegte sich, damit jeder von ihnen sitzen konnte. \"Jetzt sind die Vergabe- und Protestzeiten vorbei.\"\n\n\"Es wird eine Berufung eingelegt\", sagte sie.\n\n\"Das bezweifle ich nicht, Morgan. Aber mein B\u00fcro und die Navy SysCom haben allen Grund zu der Annahme, dass der Preis best\u00e4tigt wird.\"\n\n\"Ich habe zwei Jahre investiert, um den Lauf durch Min und Nexus aufzur\u00e4umen\", sagte sie. \"Und wir wissen beide, dass die Arbeitsbelastung dramatisch zunehmen wird. Ich werde das nicht ohne Kampf \u00fcbergeben.\"\n\nSie blieb stehen, als Greely die Hand hochhielt: \"Die UEE will, dass wir Wege finden, um Unabh\u00e4ngige in diesen Systemen zu befreien. Wenn du diesen Punkt diskutieren willst, dann tu es mit den Politikern. Aber im Moment brauche ich einen Missionsbericht, und ich denke, wir alle w\u00fcrden es begr\u00fc\u00dfen, wenn dieses Treffen schnell vorankommt.\"\n\nBrock lie\u00df den Major den Punkt gewinnen. Wenn nichts anderes, wusste sie, wann sie ihre K\u00e4mpfe austragen musste. Es gab nichts zu gewinnen, wenn man ihn gegen sich aufbrachte. Es gab profitablere Ziele f\u00fcr ihren Zorn. Zufrieden mit dem k\u00fchlen Tenor des Treffens richtete sie ihre Aufmerksamkeit auf Gavin Rhedd.\n\n\"Ja, nun\", r\u00e4usperte sich der junge Mann. Seine Stirn glitzerte, wo sie auf seine dicht beschnittenen Haare traf. \"Ich habe die, \u00e4hm.... die After Action Reports durchgelesen.\" Rhedd stolperte durch mehrere Projektionen auf einem alten Klunker aus einem mobiGlas. \"Alle zehn Tage begleiten wir einen neuen Schichtwechsel in die Forschungseinrichtung Haven auf Tirol V. Aber was k\u00f6nnen Sie mir \u00fcber die Sicherheitsanforderungen f\u00fcr den Personaltransfer zwischen den Transportschiffen und Haven sagen?\"\n\nDas Kind kannte seinen Arsch nicht von einem Loch im Boden. Vielleicht war ihr Tiroler Vertrag nicht ganz der verlorene, denn Major Greely hat sich das ausgemalt. Brocks L\u00e4cheln f\u00fchlte sich echt an, als sie anfing, den Transferprozess von Schiff zu Siedlung zu beschreiben.\n\nDieser Job sollte Rhedd Alert Security lebendig auffressen.\n\nDas Min-System war dunkel. In Goss flossen die Sprungbretter mit schimmernden Farbkaskaden. Sie kochten die B\u00e4nder des Olympus Pools aus Gold, Bernstein und Blutorange in einer schillernden Darstellung des himmlischen Geheimnisses. Min hingegen war ganz anders, und Gavin fragte sich, wie viele Schiffe und Leben Min's Sprungtore beansprucht hatten, bevor sie erfolgreich kartografiert wurden.\n\nDer Ansatz war jetzt gut ausgepr\u00e4gt. Nav-Beacons beleuchteten einen zehn Kilometer langen Kanal, der sechs Rhedd Alert Eskorten und deren Ladung, eine Constellation Aquila mit UEE-Bezeichnungen, zum Sprungtor f\u00fchrte. Die automatisierten Baken senden einen stetigen Strom von Navsat- und Transitstatusdaten und beleuchten zus\u00e4tzlich den visuellen Eintrittsvektor.\n\nDas Tor selbst war gro\u00df. Es war eine leere Scheibe, unsichtbar, wenn nicht f\u00fcr das schwache Licht der Baken. Dieses Licht beugte sich und verzerrte sich in den Schlund des Zwischenraums, der, wenn er richtig eingegeben w\u00fcrde, sie in das Nexus-System ausspucken w\u00fcrde. Auf einen unbekannten Sprungpunkt zu stolpern, musste eine erschreckende Erfahrung sein. Er hatte Bilder von dunklen Toren gesehen, wie die in Min, als die Baken offline waren. Selbst wenn man wusste, worauf man in diesen Bildern achten musste, war es schwierig, den feinen Fleck zu unterscheiden, der ein Portal durch Zeit und Raum darstellte.\n\n\"Gate Authority Min\", las Gavin aus einer Skript-Autorisierungsanfrage, \"das ist Rhedd Alert Security, die in \u00dcbereinstimmung mit den Vorschriften des Naval Systems Command, der Ann\u00e4herung an den VFR und zur Unterst\u00fctzung des UEE-Forschungsschiffs Cassiopeia arbeitet. Beantrage Freigabe f\u00fcr den Transit von Min zum Nexus und Best\u00e4tigung der Vorgehensweise.\"\n\nSie brauchten den Anruf und die Antwort nicht, um den Sprung zu Nexus zu machen, aber ihr Vertrag verlangte eine Aufzeichnung der spezifischen Kommunikation an allen Sprungtoren sowie der UEE-Personaltransfers an jedem Ende des Laufs.\n\nDie G\u00f6tter wussten nur, wie oft er und Walt unangek\u00fcndigt die Systeme gewechselt hatten. In der Reflexion h\u00e4tte es sich wahrscheinlich seltsam anf\u00fchlen sollen, ein Sprungtor mit legalen Tags zu betreten, ohne dass ihm das lokale Recht im Nacken sitzt. Aber die Zeiten \u00e4ndern sich, und wenn Gavin seinen Willen durchsetzen w\u00fcrde, w\u00fcrden sie sich zum Besseren wenden.\n\nEr nahm die erwartete Herausforderung an und antwortete mit Schiffs-IDs, die den Tags f\u00fcr jedes Mitglied des Konvois entsprachen. Gavin war bei den ersten Missionen \u00fcber den formalen Austausch gestolpert. Niemand hatte sich beschwert, aber er f\u00fchlte sich besser, jetzt, da er einen gewissen Komfort mit der Trittfrequenz und dem Zeitpunkt des Austausches hatte. Hoffentlich hat dieser Grad an Komfort das Vertrauen seiner neuen Piloten und der UEE-Wissenschaftler an Bord der Kassiopeia geweckt.\n\nSie bekamen ihre Freigabe und Gavin schickte den Befehl, das Sprungtor zu betreten. Er ging auf Jazza ein, jeder von ihnen an seinem Platz auf beiden Seiten des Aquila. Sie rutschten mit einem vertrauten Fallgef\u00fchl in das Tor. Das Cockpit schien sich zu dehnen und dehnte sich in einem Rausch von Klang und Farbe aus und von ihm weg. Es f\u00fchlte sich an, als h\u00e4tte jemand einen Haken in sein Inneres gesteckt und gezogen und seinen Darm immer enger gestreckt. Dann schnappte etwas und er lernte die immer bekannteren Konstellationen des Nexus-Raums wieder kennen.\n\n\"Gate Authority Nexus\", sagte er, \"hier ist Rhedd Alert-\".\n\n\"Gavin\", Jazzas Stimme war knackig. Er \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte bereits seine Navsat-Displays, als sie weitermachte: \"Wir haben drei Schiffe im Anflug. Dreihundert Kilometer. Das macht zwei zu f\u00fcnfzig! Bei den G\u00f6ttern, sie bewegen sich schnell.\"\n\n\"Jazz, nimm Mei und Rahul mit, um zu sehen, was unsere neuen Freunde wollen. Walt, du und Boomer spielen Torwart. Wenn diese Typen im Kassiopeia einen Lauf nehmen, lassen Sie sie das noch einmal \u00fcberdenken.\"\n\nEin Chor von \"copy that\" brach auf Funkspr\u00fcchen aus, und Gavin wechselte die Kan\u00e4le, um die UEE-Besatzung an Bord des Transports anzusprechen. \"Kassiopeia, hier ist Rot Eins. Beschleunigen Sie gem\u00e4\u00df meiner Markierung und weichen Sie nicht vom Kurs ab.\"\n\n\"Kontakt\", klang Jazza ruhig, klinisch. \"Sie haben drei F7 Hornissen in verschiedenen Konfigurationen. Sie sind mit Patchwork-R\u00fcstungen zur H\u00f6lle geschickt, aber sie kommen schnell rein.\"\n\n\"Haben sie irgendwelche Markierungen oder Insignien? Was sind ihre Tags?\"\n\n\"Nichts, was ich durch das Missverh\u00e4ltnis von Waffen und Schrottteilen sehen kann.\"\n\n\"Achtung, sie schie\u00dfen!\" Sagte Mei. \"Heilige Schei\u00dfe, diese Typen sind schnell.\"\n\n\"Gav\", fragte Walt, \"laufen wir weg?\"\n\nDie After Action Reports von Brock zeigten einen stetigen R\u00fcckgang der aggressiven Aktionen im Laufe der Zeit. Es schien eine sehr schlechte Idee zu sein, ein neues Piraten-Outfit an einem ihrer kritischen Sprungbretter Fu\u00df fassen zu lassen.\n\n\"Wir k\u00e4mpfen\", sagte er. \"Wir k\u00f6nnen es uns nicht leisten, diesen Boden alle zwei Wochen zu wiederholen, wenn wir jetzt Angst haben.\"\n\n\"Was immer du tun wirst, mach es schnell\", sagte Jazza. \"Es ist drei gegen drei hier dr\u00fcben, und es scheint, dass diese Jungs gerne mit ihrem Essen spielen.\"\n\n\"Walt\", sagte Gavin. \"\u00dcbernimm den Punkt. Wenn sie Freunde haben, will ich nicht in eine Falle getrieben werden.\"\n\n\" Verstanden.\"\n\n\"In Ordnung, Jazz. Ich bin auf dem Weg zu dir.\" Gavin zog hart an, drehte sich \u00fcber die Kassiopeia und beschleunigte auf das Gewirr der K\u00e4mpfer zu.\n\nGavin hatte Dutzende von Fetzen \u00fcberlebt, bevor er mit Rhedd Alert begann, aber immer als Angreifer. In der Defensive zu sein, war etwas Neues. Es schien seltsam, dass diese verr\u00fcckten Bastarde sechs bewaffnete Eskorten schlugen.\n\n\"Jazza\", er war ein paar hundert Klicks entfernt und hatte einen guten Blick auf das Scrum, \"Ich komme unter dir hoch. Es ist Zeit, dass wir einen unfairen Kampf daraus machen.\"\n\n\"Diese Typen sind gut, Gavin.\" Sie grunzte und ihr Entermesser rollte in einem losen Korkenzieher und setzte sie hinter einen der Marodeure. Sie feuerte und seine Schilde brannten auf. Es neigte sich, die Nase nach unten und die Triebwerke drehten sich um, um das Schiff von Jazza nach oben und \u00fcber das Schiff zu schieben. Die anderen beiden Pl\u00fcnderer schwangen auf beiden Seiten in Position, und die drei von ihnen schlugen wie eine Messerklinge auf Gavin zu.\n\nEr rollte zu seiner Backbordseite und versuchte, um sie herum zu beschleunigen. Zumindest konnten sie auf diese Weise nicht alle gleichzeitig auf ihn schie\u00dfen. Rahul st\u00fcrzte sich nach oben und goss Feuer in eine der Hornissen, aber die Marodeure hielten ihre Formation.\n\n\"Jazza, mach dich bereit f\u00fcr mich. Lasst uns diese Bastarde aufteilen.\"\n\n\"Verstanden.\"\n\nSie trafen sich und fegten herum, um das Trio der ungleichen Hornissen zu \u00fcberrennen. Die Pl\u00fcnderer fanden Mei, bevor er und Jazza auf Schie\u00dfstand waren.\n\n\"Ah, zum Teufel...\"\n\nEine Flut pr\u00e4ziser Ausbr\u00fcche von fl\u00fcgelgelagerten Laserkanonen riss in Mei's Schiff. Es riss ganze Abschnitte aus dem Rumpf, und der austretende Sauerstoff schlug in einem dampfenden Flammenball heraus.\n\n\" Verdammt!\" Gavin konnte nicht sehen, ob Mei rauskam. Er und Jazza schossen sich durch die Formation der Marodeure. Die Hornissen verstreuten sich und wurden hinter ihnen wieder reformiert. \"Wir haben einen Mann am Boden. Walt, wir brauchen vielleicht deine Hilfe hier dr\u00fcben.\"\n\n\"Das kommt davon, wenn man zum K\u00e4mpfen bleibt, Gav. Wir h\u00e4tten weglaufen sollen.\"\n\n\"Wir k\u00f6nnen sp\u00e4ter \u00fcber'h\u00e4tte reden sollen'\", sagte er. \"Komm zur\u00fcck und warte. Belassen Sie das.\"\n\n\"Sie rennen\", klang Jazza verwirrt. \"F\u00fchlt sich an, als h\u00e4tten sie uns in die Seile getrieben, aber sie hauen ab.\"\n\nGavin beobachtete die Spuren der Triebwerke von den zur\u00fcckweichenden Schiffen aus. In wenigen Augenblicken blinzelten sie aus dem Nexus-Raum.\n\n\"Kassiopeia ist sicher\", sagte Walt. \"Habt ihr euch verstanden?\"\n\nJazza antwortete ihm nicht gerade. \"Was glaubst du, worum es dabei ging?\"\n\nGavins HUD sah klar aus. Erleichtert fand er Mei's PRB. Alle waren am Leben und sie schienen allein auf der Nexusseite des Tores zu sein. Walt und die Kassiopeia n\u00e4herten sich der extremen Reichweite seines Displays.\n\n\"Walt, bleib, wo du bist. Bleib scharf und fahre voraus. Ich kann nicht mein ganzes Leben lang herausfinden, warum sie drei auf sechs angegriffen haben.\"\n\n\"Vielleicht\", sagte Jazza, \"wussten sie, dass sie uns in den Arsch treten w\u00fcrden.\"\n\n\"Oder vielleicht war das eine Finte\", sagte Gavin. \"Lass uns nicht mit unserer Hose erwischt werden, wenn es hier drau\u00dfen noch mehr von ihnen gibt. Jazz, du und Rahul passt auf mich auf, w\u00e4hrend ich Mei hole. Wir machen die ersten Sch\u00fcsse, wenn sie wieder durchkommen.\"\n\nEs herrschte ein allgemeines Einvernehmen. Gavin begann zu vermuten, dass milit\u00e4risches Komm-Getuschel viel sp\u00e4rlicher und weit weniger demokratisch war als Rhedd Alerts st\u00e4ndiges Scherzen. Doch abgesehen davon, dass Walt jeden seiner Z\u00fcge in Frage stellte, war Gavin stolz auf das Team.\n\n\"Ich frage mich, ob sie auf der anderen Seite warten?\" fragte Jazza.\n\nWalt reagierte schnell. \"Wir gehen nicht durch das Tor, um zu \u00fcberpr\u00fcfen.\"\n\n\"Entspann dich, Walt\", sagte Gavin. \"Ein Sieg ist ein Sieg. Und eine gute Befreiung.\"\n\nZu diesem Zeitpunkt war Walts Einwand keine \u00dcberraschung. \"Gl\u00fccklicher Sieg, meinst du. In einem Kampf, den wir nicht brauchten.\"\n\nGavin ignorierte ihn.\n\nObwohl sie bewusstlos war, meldete die Biometrie in Mei's Anzug nur geringe Sch\u00e4den. Ihr Schiff hingegen war eine ganz andere Geschichte. Gavin fing an, etwas mentale Mathematik zu betreiben und z\u00e4hlte die Kosten f\u00fcr Teile, Arbeit und Medizintechnik. Die Ergebnisse waren erschreckend gut.\n\nDer Angriff w\u00fcrde diese Mission zu einem finanziellen Verlust machen, aber der Vertrag war immer noch der notwendige Aufstieg von Rhedd Alert. Und der Angriff war wahrscheinlich eine Verirrung, dachte Gavin nach und erinnerte sich daran, dass Brocks After Action Reports in den letzten Jahren einen stetigen R\u00fcckgang der Feindseligkeiten zeigten.\n\nLeider wollten sie herausfinden, wie wenig diese Berichte bedeuten.\nh3. WIRD FORTGESETZT......","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Two was published originally in Jump Point 3.6. Read Part One here.\nGavin left Walt on Cassel. There was a time, back in his single days, when an extended stay on a resort world was the perfect sequel to a crappy job. Now he had a better offer waiting at home and two bottles of chilled K\u014den Sh\u014dch\u016b riding shotgun in the cockpit beside him. The better offer, of course, was Dell. The sh\u014dch\u016b was his best hope to reboot his homecoming from Oberon.\n\nIt wasn\u2019t exactly the grand entrance he\u2019d planned on making. He felt his cheeks warm and was glad to be alone. With a sigh, he squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back into his seat. His helmet bumped against the cockpit frame. When he opened his eyes again, the HUD had died. He rolled his head to eye the waiting bottles of sh\u014dch\u016b. Perhaps he needed the alcohol more than she did.\n\nRhedd Alert\u2019s hangar was still. The lights were dialed down to a dull, sapphire glow. But while the hangar was quiet, Vista Landing never slowed down. The sounds of the complex were a pressure all around him; a constant hum of life that seemed intrusive after a long stint flying solo.\n\nGavin shed his flight suit and then grabbed the helmet and bottles of sh\u014dch\u016b. The helmet got dumped unceremoniously onto a workbench. The sh\u014dch\u016b went with him to their apart\u00adment. It was dark inside \u2014 he was too late. Dell was already asleep.\n\nHe leaned against the door while his eyes adjusted to the courtesy lighting in the bedroom. Dell lay on her side with her back to him. Her hair was a dark fan against pale pillows and sheets. There was no trace of the playful blue-dyed tips in the low light. He looked instead to the curve of her hip and the long line of her covered legs.\n\nHe left the bottles on a table, not wanting to risk waking her with light from the fridge. He stripped off his shirt on the way to the little closet. She\u2019d left it open, and piles of clothes made odd shapes in the low light.\n\nThey smelled like her. He\u2019d forgotten how much he loved that. He leaned forward, his head slipping between her hanging shirts and jackets. They didn\u2019t have much, but this was home. They were settled, with no desire for any more living out of cockpits and dirty cargo bays. But if he couldn\u2019t make this work, that\u2019s exactly what they would be back to.\n\nGavin stooped and picked up the discarded shirt. There was work to do. Things to fix.\n\nHe closed the door as quietly as he could when he left.\n\nHe was at a workbench in the hangar when the light pad of Dell\u2019s bare feet on the cold hangar deck sounded behind him.\n\n\u201cHey, Slugger.\u201d Her voice was playful, teasing him about the scrap with Walt. The taunting tone was good news, in a way. It meant that she wasn\u2019t quite so angry. Regardless, he was still embarrassed about the fight and didn\u2019t rise to her bait.\n\n\u201cI thought you were asleep,\u201d he said instead.\n\nShe rubbed her hand across his shoulders, bumped him aside with her hip and then took a seat next to him on the bench when he moved. \u201cI was asleep, but it sounded like a herd of Shoone came tromping through the apart\u00adment.\u201d\n\nHe felt better hearing the smile in her voice. \u201cHuh . . . I guess I\u2019m glad I missed that.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat are you working on?\u201d\n\nGavin started running through his list, wondering where to start. He gave up somewhere north of fifteen and simply replied, \u201cEverything.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid we get paid?\u201d He nodded and her look of relief was frustrating. Depending on Dell\u2019s ex-boyfriend for financial salvation wasn\u2019t exactly how he\u2019d envisioned his role as a business owner.\n\n\u201cHow\u2019s Boomer?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cHe can\u2019t keep doing this. They patched him up, but he\u2019s been banged around way too much.\u201d\n\nIt was true. Dell\u2019s dad had been put back together more than any other pilot Gavin had ever met. Maybe a few military pilots had had more rejuvenation treatment, but their facilities had to be far better than anything civies like Boomer had access too.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve got to get him to take it easy, Gav. Let him fly sup\u00adport in the Freelancer or something.\u201d\n\n\u201cLet him fly support? This is your dad we\u2019re talking about. He\u2019s at least half as stubborn as you are. And you know how he flies. He\u2019s cool as gunmetal in a dogfight, but he flies like a crazy . . . flying . . . kind of . . . person.\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you at least try? Please?\u201d\n\nThere was no way Boomer was going to listen to him, but Gavin agreed. It wasn\u2019t worth fighting with Dell about it. They\u2019d been over that ground before. Plenty of times.\n\nHe prodded at the wiring harness of his helmet.\n\n\u201cThe heads-up out again?\u201d she asked.\n\nHe nodded.\n\n\u201cHere, let me do it.\u201d She pulled the tools closer and set to work. \u201cSo . . . Walt stayed to drink his paycheck away with Barry?\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt worked as hard as anyone in Oberon. Harder than most, actually. He can do what he wants with his cut.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile we\u2019re dumping all of ours into repairs and supplies?\u201d\n\n\u201cI brought you some sh\u014dch\u016b,\u201d he offered.\n\n\u201cI saw that.\u201d She snuggled into his side and slid her arm around his waist. \u201cMmmmm . . . thank you.\u201d A peck on his cheek. \u201cI put it in the fridge.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou should have brought a bottle with you.\u201d\n\nShe unwound herself from him and went back to work on the helmet. \u201cIt might work out better for you if we save that for a night when I\u2019m not exhausted.\u201d\n\nThat killed the mood. Gavin shifted the tools around on the bench. Dell must have sensed his change of mood. She sat up straight, her tone growing somber. \u201cI\u2019ve been doing some math,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cHow bad is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot good.\u201d\n\nHe hoped that the grimace he made was reassuring. It probably wasn\u2019t.\n\n\u201cSelling the salvage will keep us out of the red for a couple months,\u201d she said. \u201cGood job on that, by the way. I don\u2019t know about the Idris, but that 325a is actually quite sell\u00adable. Unless you want to keep it, that is.\u201d\n\nGavin thought about it. \u201cSell it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to upgrade any of our people, and I\u2019m not bringing on any more pilots until we land some steady work.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn that topic, did Barry have something new for us, or did he come to Goss system just to carouse with your brother?\u201d\n\nHe told her about the turret job and she brightened.\n\n\u201cThis is good, Gav. You think this could turn into a steady stream of work?\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe, but we\u2019ve got a team of combat pilots, babe. They\u2019re not going to stick around for this kind of work.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen screw them. Let them leave, and I\u2019ll fly with you.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou fly worse than your dad. Besides, you wanted to be here to run the shop.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m here because I want this to work.\u201d She put her tools down and entwined her fingers with his. \u201cBelieve me, I\u2019d much rather be flying with you and Dad.\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah, well. I don\u2019t want you out there. Bringing Boomer back in stasis is one thing, but you . . .\u201d\n\nShe extracted her fingers and patted his hand, pulling away. \u201cThat\u2019s an idea you\u2019re going to have to get used to. Dad won\u2019t be flying that old Avenger forever. Eventually, she\u2019ll be mine. But right now,\u201d she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, \u201cI\u2019m going to bed.\u201d\n\nDell stood, pressed his helmet\u2019s wire housing into place with a click and left.\n\nGavin picked up the helmet and peeked inside. The glow from the reticle display shown within. She\u2019d got it working again.\n\nThey had a good thing going, he and Dell. But chronic, nag\u00adging financial worry would eventually tear that apart. He just needed work that paid and that his pilots would stay for. Work that would keep Walt from chasing something shiny, interesting, and new. What he needed was that Tyrol escort job.\n\nGavin pushed the helmet and tools aside on the bench. He keyed up the console and placed a call to Barry\u2019s mobiGlas. The accountant accepted the call.\n\n\u201cTalk to me, sweetheart.\u201d\n\n\u201cBarry. Good, you\u2019re still in-system.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust about to leave Cassel, why?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat would a bid need to look like for someone to be com\u00adpetitive on that Tyrol contract?\u201d\n\n\u201cGavin,\u201d Barry\u2019s voice grew serious. \u201cYou\u2019re new to this, but you have to know that I can\u2019t give out that kind of information.\u201d\n\nGavin\u2019s mobiGlas vibrated against his wrist with an incom\u00ading message.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Barry. I wasn\u2019t trying to cause troub\u2014\u201d\n\nBarry cut him off. \u201cNow, what I can do is point you toward the proper registration and submission forms. How you manage the pricing is your concern. Understand?\u201d\n\nOn Gavin\u2019s mobiGlas was a message from an unknown contact. The message was simple, containing only a Credit sign and a number.\n\nA big number.\n\nYes!\n\n\u201cThanks, Barry. I appreciate it and understand completely.\u201d\n\nIt took four days to clear just two turrets from the mouth of the first cave. Walt took out the first within seconds of arriving. He did it with what he swore was a purposeful and carefully aimed shot.\n\nThe second turret pulverized Jazza\u2019s Cutlass, and they had to tow the wreckage back to Vista Landing for re\u00adpairs. Jazza herself went home in stasis after taking hits to a shoulder and both of her legs. She did not rejoin them for the moon mine job.\n\nOn the fourth day \u2014 running low on patience, ammo, and foul language \u2014 they finally came up with a solution. It was ugly. It was dangerous. But as they worked deeper into the moon, it was the only thing they found that worked.\n\n\u201cAll right, Boomer,\u201d Gavin said, \u201chold behind that outcrop\u00adping.\u201d\n\nBoomer\u2019s Avenger crept to a halt beside him. Deep inside the warren of caverns, the moon\u2019s rotation was enough to give them a sense of up and down. Still, holding a relative position inside a small spinning moon was not as easy as one might think. Stabilizing thrusters fired continuously in short, irregular bursts.\n\nGavin checked his orientation and distance from the walls. He was in place. The tag team system they\u2019d come up with had been working pretty well, using one ship to draw fire while a second swept in to blast each turret. It was tedious and sphincter-tightening work, but the moon was nearly cleared. Only a small handful of tricky defenses remained intact.\n\n\u201cOkay,\u201d Gavin settled his hands on his flight controls. \u201cOn my mark.\u201d\n\nHe left the mic open and triggered a timer on his navsat. He watched Boomer\u2019s ship ease slowly into the turret\u2019s line of sight to the steady countdown of the timer. Right on cue, Gavin hammered his thrusters and sped into the cave, just as the first blast from the turret struck Boomer\u2019s shields.\n\nGavin yawed to the left, swinging the nose of his ship until he could see both the turret and Boomer\u2019s ship. The old man\u2019s Avenger bucked under the constant fire. The shields held, but the blast forced the Avenger back out into the tunnel before Gavin could take a shot.\n\nGavin fired, and the turret\u2019s twin barrels swiveled with such impeccable precision and speed that they looked like identical empty dots. \u201cOh, sh\u2014\u201d the barrels erupted in a fusillade of crimson light.\n\nGavin fired again and had no clue if he was anywhere near the mark. The turret\u2019s aim was flawless, however. There was an odd pulling sensation when the cabin lost pressure and his suit pressurized, squeezing around his limbs and chest.\n\nAnother barrage hammered into him and he felt the Cut\u00adlass crunch ass-backward into the wall of the cavern. The ship rolled, nose pitching wildly to one side. Gavin saw an open blackness of empty space yawn into view. He punched it, hoping he was heading back out into the tunnel and not to his death inside the smugglers\u2019 cave.\n\nRelieved, he saw Boomer\u2019s Avenger flash by beneath him. But dread gripped him again when the walls of the narrow tunnel loomed to fill his entire view. He reversed thrust, hunched tight around the controls and braced for impact.\n\nIt was bad.\n\nHe hit hard, and the impact sent him careening down the cavern. He tumbled over and over, willing his ship to hold together. When he finally forced himself to release the flight controls, the ship righted itself.\n\n\u201cHoly hells,\u201d Boomer breathed. \u201cGav? You alive, buddy?\u201d\n\nHis chest heaved like he\u2019d been running. \u201cI seem to recall some idiot bitching about this job being boring.\u201d\n\nWalt, exploring a tunnel in another part of the moon, an\u00adswered, \u201cThat sounds like it was directed at me. You two okay?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, I\u2019m not okay. I just got blown up!\u201d\n\n\u201cSimmer down, son,\u201d Boomer said. \u201cI\u2019ve been blown up plenty of times. That was nothin\u2019. I, uh . . . I don\u2019t think you\u2019re taking another crack at that turret until we get your ship patched up, though.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, really? Ya think?\u201d Gavin\u2019s comms flashed on an incom\u00ading line. \u201cHold on, guys. Call coming in.\u201d\n\nBoomer laughed, saying, \u201cThey probably heard us planet\u00adside and want us to keep the noise down.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery funny. Actually, it\u2019s Dell. Now shut it.\u201d Gavin accept\u00aded the incoming line.\n\n\u201cGav?\u201d He couldn\u2019t tell if Dell sounded scared or angry, maybe both. \u201cWe got a problem, babe. Jazza\u2019s out of here. Says she\u2019s taking a ship unless she gets her cut of the turret job before she goes.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat? What do you mean \u2018out of here\u2019?\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s leaving,\u201d Dell said. \u201cLeaving the company, I mean.\u201d\n\nWalt cut in on the squad channel. \u201cHey Gav, I\u2019m all finished in here. You want me to come take a look at tha\u2014\u201d\n\nGavin juggled channels. \u201cHold on, Walt.\u201d He squinched his eyes closed, sore, frustrated and confused. \u201cDell. Where\u2019s Jazz going? You mean she\u2019s quitting?\u201d\n\nBoomer kept the chatter going on the squad channel. \u201cSounds like he\u2019s getting an earful, Walt. Glad she didn\u2019t call me.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell her Gavin just got blown up.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would improve her day significantly.\u201d\n\nThey both laughed.\n\nGavin spread his hands in an open-armed shrug for no one\u2019s benefit but his own. \u201cWould you please shut the hell up?\u201d\n\nThey did. Dell did not. \u201cWhat did you just say to me?!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot you, babe. Walt and . . . you know what? Never mind all that. Just tell me again, what\u2019s going on with Jazz?\u201d\n\nHis mobiGlas vibrated. Gavin swore silently and balled his fists to keep from shooting something. From within his pressure suit, it was difficult to activate the mobiGlas. He managed it while Dell filled him in on Jazza\u2019s desertion. She was going to look for work with one of the smuggling outfits hidden in the Olympus Pool. Paying work. Blah. Blah. Deserter.\n\nGavin finally powered on his mobiGlas display. There was a message from a contact marked \u201cunknown,\u201d but Gavin knew exactly who it was from.\n\n\u201cDell.\u201d\n\n\u201cI tried to talk her out of it, Gav,\u201d Dell sounded close to tears. \u201cI really did.\u201d\n\n\u201cDell, listen to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d\n\n\u201cGet Jazza back. All right? Do whatever it takes.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll try, Gav, but . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever it takes, okay? We\u2019re going to need her. We\u2019re going to need everyone and then some.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Gavin?\u201d\n\nHe keyed his mic to transmit on both channels, \u201cEverybody, listen up. They only got two bids on the Navy contract. We\u2019re the low bid.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs low bad?\u201d Boomer asked.\n\n\u201cDell,\u201d Gavin said, \u201chave Jazza join us in Oberon. We\u2019re working \u2019round the clock until we\u2019ve cleared the last few turrets.\u201d\n\nGavin sat in his damaged Cutlass, cheeks stretched in an unfamiliar grin.\n\n\u201cGuys,\u201d he said, \u201cwe just won the Navy job.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo on in, Miss Brock.\u201d A lieutenant held the door open for her. \u201cMajor Greely and his guest are already inside.\u201d\n\nThe major\u2019s guest. How wonderful. Morgan Brock smoothed the front of her pleated skirt and then swept through the doorway into Greely\u2019s conference room. The major and his \u201cguest\u201d stood near the head of the table. Greely was looking more Marine than Navy in his shirt sleeves. The man had arms as thick as most men\u2019s legs.\n\n\u201cBrock. Good of you to come personally. Let me introduce you to Gavin Rhedd, one of the co-owners of Rhedd Alert Security.\u201d\n\nRhedd was younger than she\u2019d guessed, a handsome man with a sturdy frame. He\u2019d made the curious decision to wear a weathered, civilian flight suit to the meeting. Per\u00adhaps he needed to convince everyone that he was, in fact, a pilot. Still, the rig fit him well. He looked uncomfortable but not self-conscious standing beside the granite slab that was Major Greely.\n\n\u201cPleased to meet you, Miss Brock.\u201d\n\nShe refused his extended hand and put an end to the pleasantries.\n\n\u201cSo you\u2019re the cherry that low-balled my contract.\u201d She made it obvious that it wasn\u2019t a question. \u201cLet me be en\u00adtirely clear. The termination clause stipulates that I par\u00adticipate in a transition meeting. Let\u2019s not pretend that I\u2019m pleased by the opportunity.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell okay, then,\u201d Greely said. \u201cI suppose that will do by way of introductions. Let\u2019s get started, shall we?\u201d He took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for each of them to sit. \u201cNow, the award and protest periods are over.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere will be an appeal filed,\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t doubt that, Morgan. But my office and Navy SysCom have every reason to believe that the award will be upheld.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve invested two years cleaning up the run through Min and Nexus,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we both know the workload is scheduled to increase dramatically. I\u2019m not handing that over without a fight.\u201d\n\nShe stopped when Greely held a hand up, \u201cThe UEE wants us to find ways to enfranchise independents in those systems. You want to argue that point, do it with the politicians. But right now, I need a mission brief, and I think we\u2019d all appreciate this meeting moving along quickly.\u201d\n\nBrock let the major win the point. If nothing else, she knew when to pick her battles. There was nothing to be gained from antagonizing him. There were more profitable targets for her ire. Content with the cool tenor of the meeting, she turned her attention to Gavin Rhedd.\n\n\u201cYes, well,\u201d the young man cleared his throat. His fore\u00adhead glistened where it met his close-cropped hair. \u201cI\u2019ve read through the, uh . . . the After Action Reports.\u201d Rhedd swiped through several projections on an old clunker of a mobiGlas. \u201cEvery ten days we escort a new shift rotation to the Haven research facility on Tyrol V. But what can you tell me about the security require\u00adments for the staff transfer between the transport ships and Haven?\u201d\n\nThe kid didn\u2019t know his ass from a hole in the ground. Maybe her Tyrol contract wasn\u2019t quite the lost cause Major Greely made it out to be. Brock\u2019s smile felt genuine as she started describing the ship-to-settlement transfer process.\n\nThis job was going to eat Rhedd Alert Security alive.\n\nMin system was dark. In Goss, the jump points flowed with shimmering cascades of color. They boiled the Olympus Pool\u2019s bands of gold, amber, and blood-orange in a dazzling display of celestial mystery. Min, on the other hand, was entirely different, and Gavin wondered how many ships and lives Min\u2019s jump gates had claimed before they were suc\u00adcessfully charted.\n\nThe approach was well marked now. Nav beacons lit a ten-kilometer channel leading six Rhedd Alert escorts and their charge, a Constellation Aquila with UEE designations, to the jump gate. The automated beacons broadcast a steady stream of navsat and transit status data in addition to lighting the visual entry vector.\n\nThe gate itself loomed large. It was an empty disc, invisible if not for the faint light from the beacons. That light bent, distorting into the maw of interspace that, if entered cor\u00adrectly, would disgorge them out into the Nexus system. Stumbling onto an unknown jump point had to be a terri\u00adfying experience. He\u2019d seen images of dark gates, like the ones in Min, when the beacons were offline. Even knowing what to look for in those images, it was difficult to distin\u00adguish the subtle smudge that represented a portal through time and space.\n\n\u201cGate Authority Min,\u201d Gavin read from a scripted authori\u00adzation request, \u201cthis is Rhedd Alert Security, performing in compliance with Naval Systems Command regulations, approaching VFR and in support of UEE research vessel Cassiopeia. Request clearance for transit from Min to Nexus and confirmation of the approach.\u201d\n\nThey didn\u2019t need the call and response to make the jump to Nexus, but their contract required record of specific communications at all jump gates, as well as of the UEE staff transfers at each end of the run.\n\nThe gods only knew how many times he and Walt had hopped systems unannounced. In reflection, it probably should have felt strange entering a jump gate with legal tags and without local law breathing down his neck. But times change, and if Gavin got his way, they were changing for the better.\n\nHe received the expected challenge and responded with ship IDs that matched the tags for each member of the convoy. Gavin had stumbled over the formal exchanges on the first few missions. No one had complained, but he felt better now that he had a degree of comfort with the cadence and timing of the exchange. Hopefully, that degree of comfort inspired confidence in his new pilots and the UEE scientists aboard the Cassiopeia.\n\nThey got their clearance and Gavin sent the order to enter the jump gate. He took point with Jazza, each of them in place along either side of the Aquila. They slid into the gate with a familiar falling sensation. The cockpit seemed to stretch, elongating out and away from him in a rush of sound and color. It felt like someone had set a hook in his insides and pulled, stretching his gut tighter and tighter. Then something snapped and he was reac\u00adquainted with the increasingly familiar constellations of Nexus space.\n\n\u201cGate Authority Nexus,\u201d he said, \u201cthis is Rhedd Alert\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cGavin,\u201d Jazza\u2019s voice was crisp. He was already check\u00ading his navsat displays when she continued, \u201cWe\u2019ve got three ships inbound. Three hundred kilometers. Make that two-fifty! Gods, they\u2019re moving fast.\u201d\n\n\u201cJazz, take Mei and Rahul to see what our new friends want. Walt, you and Boomer play goalie. If these guys take a run at the Cassiopeia, make them reconsider.\u201d\n\nA chorus of \u201ccopy that\u201d erupted on comms and Gavin switched channels to address the UEE crew aboard the transport. \u201cCassiopeia, this is Red One. Accelerate in line with my mark and do not deviate from course.\u201d\n\n\u201cContact,\u201d Jazza sounded calm, clinical. \u201cThey\u2019ve got three F7 Hornets in a variety of configurations. They\u2019re beat to hell with patchwork armor, but coming in fast.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey have any markings or insignia? What are their tags?\u201d\n\n\u201cNothing I can see through the mismatch of weapons and scrap parts.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook out, they\u2019re firing!\u201d Mei said. \u201cHoly hells, these guys are quick.\u201d\n\n\u201cGav,\u201d Walt asked, \u201cdo we run?\u201d\n\nThe After Action Reports from Brock showed a steady decrease in aggressive actions over time. Letting a new pi\u00adrate outfit establish a foothold at one of their critical jump points seemed like a very bad idea.\n\n\u201cWe fight,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to retake this ground every two weeks if we run scared now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhatever you\u2019re going to do, do it fast,\u201d Jazza said. \u201cIt\u2019s three-on-three over here, and it seems these guys like to play with their food.\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt,\u201d Gavin said. \u201cTake point. If they have friends, I don\u2019t want to get herded into a trap.\u201d\n\n\u201cCopy that.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll right, Jazz. I\u2019m on my way to you.\u201d Gavin pulled up hard, inverted over the Cassiopeia and accelerated toward the jumble of fighters.\n\nGavin had survived dozens of scraps before starting Rhedd Alert, but always as the aggressor. Being on the defensive was something new. It seemed strange that these crazy bastards were hitting six armed escorts.\n\n\u201cJazza,\u201d he was a couple hundred clicks out and had a good look at the scrum, \u201cI\u2019m coming up underneath you. Time to make this an unfair fight.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese guys are good, Gavin.\u201d She grunted and her Cut\u00adlass rolled in a loose corkscrew, putting her behind one of the marauders. She fired and its shields blazed. It pitched, nose down and thrusters reversing, to push up and above Jazza\u2019s ship. The other two marauders swung into position on either side, and the three of them slashed toward Gavin like a knife blade.\n\nHe rolled to his port side and tried to accelerate around them. At least they couldn\u2019t all fire on him at once that way. Rahul strafed overhead, pouring fire into one of the Hornets, but the marauders held their formation.\n\n\u201cJazza, form up on me. Let\u2019s split these bastards up.\u201d\n\n\u201cGot it.\u201d\n\nThey met and swept around to rush the trio of mis\u00admatched Hornets. The marauders found Mei before he and Jazza were in firing range.\n\n\u201cAh, hell . . .\u201d\n\nA barrage of precise bursts from wing-mounted laser cannons tore into Mei\u2019s ship. It ripped entire sections from the hull, and escaping oxygen belched out in a roiling ball of flame.\n\n\u201cDamn it!\u201d Gavin couldn\u2019t see if Mei got out. He and Jaz\u00adza blasted their way through the marauders\u2019 formation. The Hornets scattered and reformed again behind them. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a man down. Walt, we might need your help over here.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s what you get for staying to fight, Gav. We should have made a run for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can talk about \u2018shoulda\u2019 later,\u201d he said. \u201cGet back here and . . . wait. Belay that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey\u2019re running,\u201d Jazza sounded bemused. \u201cFeels like they had us on the ropes, but they\u2019re bugging out.\u201d\n\nGavin watched thruster trails from the retreating ships. In moments, they winked out of Nexus space.\n\n\u201cCassiopeia is secure,\u201d Walt said. \u201cAre you guys clear?\u201d\n\nJazza didn\u2019t exactly answer him. \u201cNow what do you think that was all about?\u201d\n\nGavin\u2019s HUD looked clear. Relieved, he found Mei\u2019s PRB. Everyone was alive and they appeared to be alone on the Nexus side of the gate. Walt and the Cassiopeia were nearing the extreme range of his display.\n\n\u201cWalt, hold where you are. Stay sharp and sweep ahead. I can\u2019t for the life of me figure out why they attacked three-on-six.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe,\u201d Jazza said, \u201cthey knew they\u2019d kick our ass.\u201d\n\n\u201cOr maybe this was a feint,\u201d Gavin said. \u201cLet\u2019s not get caught with our pants down if there are more of them out here. Jazz, you and Rahul watch my back while I get Mei. We\u2019re taking the first shots if they come back through.\u201d\n\nThere was a general clamor of agreement. Gavin was beginning to suspect that military comm-chatter was much more sparse and far less democratic than Rhedd Alert\u2019s constant banter. Still, aside from Walt second-guessing his every move, Gavin was proud of the team.\n\n\u201cI wonder if they\u2019re waiting on the other side?\u201d Jazza asked.\n\nWalt was quick to respond. \u201cWe are not going through that gate to check.\u201d\n\n\u201cRelax, Walt,\u201d Gavin said. \u201cA win is a win. And good rid\u00addance.\u201d\n\nAt this point, Walt\u2019s objection wasn\u2019t a surprise. \u201cLucky win, you mean. In a fight we didn\u2019t need to have.\u201d\n\nGavin ignored him.\n\nThough she was unconscious, the biometrics in Mei\u2019s suit reported only minor damage. Her ship, on the other hand, was another story completely. Gavin started running some mental math, tallying the costs of parts, labor, and med tech fees. The results were cringe-worthy.\n\nThe attack would make this mission a financial loss, but the contract was still the leg-up Rhedd Alert needed. And the attack was probably an aberration, Gavin reflected, re\u00adminding himself that Brock\u2019s After Action Reports showed a steady decrease in hostilities over the past several years.\n\nUnfortunately, they were about to find out just how little those reports meant.\n\nTO BE CONTINUED\u2026"},"links_count":1,"comment_count":22,"created_at":"2019-02-27T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"7 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 22:26:01","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":16985,"next_id":16987}}