{"data":{"id":17050,"title":"Brothers In Arms: Part Four","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/17050-Brothers-In-Arms-Part-Four","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/17050","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/17050","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Brothers In Arms","images":[],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Four was published originally in Jump Point 3.8. Read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.\nA recorded hymn played as they sent Arun \u201cBoomer\u201d Ains\u00adley into whatever great adventure awaits in the everafter. Gavin set the service in the Rhedd Alert hangar, and the recording sounded terrible. The last somber note rebounded off the room\u2019s hard surfaces and harsh angles.\n\nHe wished they could have had a live band. He would have paid for an orchestra, if one were to be had on the orbit\u00adal station. Even a bugle would have been a better tribute for the man who had brought Dell into his life. For the man who taught him and Walt so much about living a free life.\n\nDell\u2019s arm felt small around his waist and Gavin pulled her in close to him, unsure if that was the right thing to do. He turned to kiss her hair and saw Walt\u2019s lean form looming beside them. Walt\u2019s face was fixed in a grim mask.\n\nGavin knew his brother well enough to know that Walt was berating himself inside. He didn\u2019t deal well with guilt or re\u00adsponsibility, and Gavin suspected that was a big part of why Walt always ran.\n\nThe gathering started to break up. Pilots and the hangar crew busied themselves with tasks around Rhedd Alert\u2019s battered fleet of fighters. Dell didn\u2019t move, so he stayed there with her. Walt rested a hand on his shoulder.\n\n\u201cGavin. Oh gods, Dell. I can\u2019t tell you how sorry I am.\u201d\n\nJazza leaned in and spoke in a low tone, almost a whisper. \u201cLanding gear up in ten, boss. Your rig is on the buggy.\u201d She motioned with her chin to where his ship waited.\n\nDell turned into him and squeezed. \u201cBe careful.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will, babe.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou come home to me, Gavin Rhedd. I\u2019ll kill you myself if you make me run this outfit on my own.\u201d\n\nHe pressed his lips to the top of her head. Held them there.\n\n\u201cWait. What?\u201d Walt\u2019s jaw was slack, his eyes wide. \u201cTell me you aren\u2019t going back out there.\u201d\n\nJazza bumped Walt with her shoulder, not so much walking past him as through him. \u201cDamn right we are, Quitter.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know what? Screw you, Jazz. All right? You used to quit this outfit, like . . . twice a month.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot like you. Not like some chicken sh\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cJazz,\u201d Gavin said, \u201cgo make sure the team is ready to roll, would ya?\u201d With a nod to Gavin and a parting glare at Walt, she moved away into the hangar.\n\n\u201cLet it be, Walt. We really do need to go. After last time, we can\u2019t risk being late for the pickup.\u201d\n\n\u201cScrew late!\u201d Walt\u2019s eyes were wide and red-rimmed around the edges. \u201cWhy the happy hells are you going at all?\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t \u2018Walt\u2019 me, Gavin. There is a pack of psychopaths out there trying to kill you!\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt, would you shut up and listen for two seconds? We don\u2019t have a choice, okay? We\u2019ve got everything riding on this job. We\u2019re months behind on this place and extended up to our necks on credit for fuel, parts, and ammo.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey can damn well bill me!\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d Gavin said, \u201cthey can\u2019t. Your shares reverted back to the company when you quit. But I\u2019m legit now. You think we lived life on the run before? Just you watch if I try to run from this.\u201d\n\nWalt turned to Dell for assistance, \u201cDell, come on. You gotta make him listen to reason.\u201d\n\n\u201cBoomer\u2019s shares transferred to me when he died,\u201d Dell said. \u201cWe\u2019re in this together.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, boss,\u201d Jazza called. The three of them looked to where she stood with a line of determined crew. \u201cIt\u2019s time.\u201d\n\nWalt watched the big bay doors close as the last of Gavin\u2019s team left the hangar. His fighter and the few remaining ships looked small and awkwardly out of place in the big room. Standing alone next to Dell gave him a great appreci\u00adation for that awkwardness.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Dell. If I\u2019d been there \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d she stopped him with a word, and then contin\u00adued with a shake of her blue-tipped hair. \u201cDon\u2019t do that to yourself. I\u2019ve been over the tactical logs. He got beat one-on-one, and then they OK\u2019d him. There was nothing you could have done.\u201d\n\n\u201cI still feel rotten,\u201d he said. \u201cLike, maybe if I hadn\u2019t left . . . I don\u2019t know.\u201d\n\n\u201cGavin blames himself, too. That\u2019s just the way you two are built. But believe me, there was never a soul alive able to keep my dad out of the cockpit. He was flying long before you Rhedd boys tumbled into our lives.\u201d\n\nThat gave him a smile. A genuine smile. It seemed to bright\u00aden Dell\u2019s mood, so he did his best to hang onto it.\n\n\u201cCome on,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long couple of weeks. Join me for some coffee?\u201d\n\nHe did, and for a time they spoke softly at the tall tables in the hangar\u2019s kitchenette. Dell caught him up on life aboard Vista Landing since he had left. She was clearly exhausted and not simply from a sleepless night and her father\u2019s funeral. Her shoulders sagged, and dark circles under her eyes were the product of weeks of labor and worry. The constant apprehension of the Hornets\u2019 vi\u00adcious attacks had apparently exhausted more than just the pilots. It seemed odd that the attacks felt strangely personal.\n\n\u201cYou know what I can\u2019t figure out?\u201d he mused aloud. Dell looked at him, tired eyes politely expectant. \u201cWhat the hell are these guys after?\u201d\n\nShe nodded, \u201cYeah. There\u2019s been a lot of speculating on that question.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd?\u201d\n\n\u201cHard to say, isn\u2019t it? Could be political wackos opposed to the research in Haven. Or maybe it\u2019s one of the old gangs that don\u2019t like us going legit. Could be it\u2019s a group of Tevarin lashing out against UEE targets. Who knows?\u201d\n\n\u201cNaw. If they were Tevarin, we could tell by how they fly.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen you tell me, if you\u2019re so smart. I mean, you were out there. You fought them.\u201d\n\nWalt shrugged and took a sip of cooling coffee. Something she said nagged at him. \u201cHey, you said you had navsat tac\u00adtical logs from the fight, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d What remained of her energy seemed to drain away with that one word. Walt cursed himself for the insensitive ass that he was. He\u2019d just asked her about re\u00adcorded replays of her father\u2019s murder.\n\n\u201cDell. Ah, hell . . . I\u2019m sorry. I shouldn\u2019t have asked.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been over and over them already. Really, I don\u2019t mind.\u201d\n\nThey moved to a console and the lights dimmed automat\u00adically when she pulled up the hangar projection. She se\u00adlected a ship, and oriented the view so that the hologram of Boomer\u2019s Avenger filled the display. No, Walt reminded himself, it wasn\u2019t Boomer\u2019s ship any more. Dell was his heir and \u2014 along with his debt \u2014 Boomer\u2019s assets now belonged to her.\n\nDell bypassed the default display of the structural hard\u00adpoints and dove into the ship\u2019s systems. Something caught his eye and he stopped her. \u201cWait, back up.\u201d She did, and Walt stopped the rotating display to look along the under\u00adcarriage of the ship. He let out a low whistle.\n\n\u201cThat, Walter Rhedd, is a Tarantula GT-870 Mk3.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know what it is. But where did you get it?\u201d\n\n\u201cRemember those pirates that gave us so much trouble in Oberon? I pulled it before we sold the salvage.\u201d\n\nHe certainly did remember, and the bastards had kicked the crap out of two of their ships with their Tarantulas. \u201cHow\u2019d you get it mounted on an Avenger?\u201d\n\n\u201cHammer therapy,\u201d she said. He gave her a confused look, and she held up one arm, curling it to make a muscle. \u201cI beat the hell out of it until it did what I wanted.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn, girl.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you want to see the flight recorder?\u201d\n\nThey watched the navsat replays together in silence. It looked like one hell of a fight. Chaotic. Frantic. The Rhedd Alert fighters were hard pressed.\n\nJazza had moments of tactical brilliance. As much as she rubbed him the wrong way, Walt had to admit that she made her Cutlass dance steps for which it wasn\u2019t de\u00adsigned. Gavin orchestrated a coherent strategy and had committed extra fighters to drive off the attack. Some\u00adthing was wrong, though. Something about the fight didn\u2019t make sense.\n\nWalt had Dell replay the scene so he could focus on the marauders. It didn\u2019t look like much of a fight at all from that perspective. It looked more like a game and only one team understood how all the pieces moved. The Hornets flew to disrupt, to confuse. They knew Gavin would send a force forward to protect the transport. He\u2019d done it every time they had met.\n\n\u201cSee that?\u201d he said. \u201cThey break apart there and get called immediately back into formation. They never leave a flank exposed. Our guys never get a real opening.\u201d He pointed out one of the attacking Hornets. \u201cThat one calls the shots.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s the one that OK\u2019d Boomer.\u201d\n\nReds and greens from the navsat display sparkled in Dell\u2019s eyes. Her voice was emotionless and flat. Walt didn\u2019t want to see her like that, so he focused again on the display.\n\nThe marauder he\u2019d identified as the leader broke from the melee. Gavin gave chase, but from too far behind. Boomer intercepted, was disabled, and his PRB flashed red on the display. The Hornet took a pass at the transport before turning to rejoin its squad. Then it decelerated, pausing before the overkill on Boomer.\n\n\u201cWhy take only one pass at the transport? They\u2019ve hit us, what? Six times? Seven? And once they finally get a shot at the target, they bug out?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou said, \u2018us\u2019,\u201d Dell teased. \u201cYou back to stay?\u201d\n\nWalt huffed a small laugh. \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been lucky,\u201d Dell offered in answer to his question. \u201cSo far, we\u2019ve chased them off.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou really believe that? They had this fight won if they wanted it. And how do they keep finding us? It\u2019s like they\u2019ve taken up permanent residence in our damned flight path.\u201d\n\nThat was it. He had it. The revelation must have shown on his face.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Dell asked. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cBack it up to the strafe on the Aquila.\u201d\n\nDell did, and they watched it again. He felt like an ass for making her watch the murder of her father over again, but he had to be sure of what he saw.\n\nAnd there it was. Strafe. Turn. Pause. A decision to com\u00admit. An escalating act of brutality. And then they were gone.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not after the transport at all. We were her target this whole time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait,\u201d Dell said, \u201cwhat she? Her who?\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease tell me your ex hasn\u2019t drunk himself out of a job with the Navy.\u201d\n\n\u201cBarry? Of course not, why?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause I just figured out who killed your father.\u201d\n\nMorgan Brock called the meeting to a close and dismissed her admin team. Riebeld caught her eye and lifted one hand off the table \u2014 a request for her to stay while the others shuffled out of the conference room.\n\nRiebeld kept her waiting until they were alone, and then stood to close the door.\n\n\u201cI take it,\u201d Brock said, \u201cthat our Tyrol problem persists despite the escalation?\u201d\n\n\u201cI got word during the meeting\u201d \u2014 he took a seat beside her at the table, voice pitched low \u2014 \u201cthat they should be making the jump to Nexus soon.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur discreet pilots? Are they deployed or here at the sta\u00adtion?\u201d\n\nHis answer was slow in coming, his nod reluctant. \u201cThey are here.\u201d\n\nBrock checked the time. Did some mental math. \u201cDisguise the ships. We will leave at 1700 and meet them in Nexus just inside the gate from Min.\u201d\n\n\u201cMorgan,\u201d Riebeld\u2019s eyes roamed the room, \u201cthese guys aren\u2019t taking the hint. I don\u2019t know what losses we have to hand them before they back down, but . . . I don\u2019t know. Part of doing business is losing bids, am I right?\u201d She didn\u2019t disagree and he continued. \u201cMaybe . . . Maybe we ought to write this one off?\u201d\n\n\u201cA comfortable position to hold in your seat, Riebeld. Your commission is based on the contract value. I barely turned a profit on that job for years. I did it willingly, with the expected reward of windfall profits when traffic to Haven surges.\u201d\n\n\u201cI get that,\u201d he said. \u201cI really do. But at some point we have to call it a loss and focus on the next thing, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cThen suppose that we let the Tyrol job go, and Greely and Navy SysCom see what they want to see from bou\u00adtique contractors. I can already imagine anti-establishment politicians pushing for more outsourced work. Hell, they will probably promise contracts to buy votes in their home systems.\u201d\n\nShe watched him squirm. It wasn\u2019t like him to wrestle with his conscience. Frankly, she was disappointed to learn that he\u2019d found one.\n\n\u201cIf Rhedd Alert won\u2019t withdraw willingly,\u201d she said, \u201cthen they will have to fail the hard way. Prep the ships, Rie\u00adbeld. We have done very well together, you and I. You should know that I won\u2019t back away from what is mine.\u201d He seemed to appreciate her sincerity, but Brock wanted to hear the cocksure salesman say it. \u201cAre we clear?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d Riebeld swallowed and stood. \u201cPerfectly clear.\u201d\n\n\u201cAny luck?\u201d Walt pulled up Barry\u2019s record in his mobiGlas and hit connect.\n\nDell sat at the hangar console trying to reach Gavin and the team. Her brow furrowed in a grimace and she shook her head.\n\n\u201cDamn. Okay, keep trying.\u201d\n\nBarry connected. The accountant wore his uniform. He was on duty, wherever he was, and his projected face looked genuinely mournful. \u201cHey,\u201d he said, \u201clong time no see, man. Listen, I can\u2019t tell you how sad I am about Boomer.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks.\u201d Barry had known Dell and Boomer for most his life. He\u2019d probably been torn between attending the service and allowing the family to grieve in privacy. Regardless, commiseration would have to wait. \u201cWe need your help, Barry. Please tell me that you have access to the propos\u00adals for the Tyrol contract.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course I do. And who\u2019s we? Are you back with Dell and Gavin?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am,\u201d he felt Dell\u2019s eyes on him when he said it. \u201cAnyway, we need a favor. I need to know the ship models and con\u00adfigurations proposed by the incumbent.\u201d\n\n\u201cMorgan Brock\u2019s outfit, sure. No can do on the ship data, though. That information is all confidential. Only the price proposals are available for public review, and those only during the protest period.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on, Barry. We\u2019re not talking trade secrets here. I could figure this out with a fly-by of their hangar in Kilian. I just don\u2019t have time for that. I need to know what ships those guys fly.\u201d\n\nBarry breathed out a heavy sigh, \u201cHold on. But I can\u2019t send you the proposals, okay? You guys are already on thin ice with this contract as is.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell me about it. And thanks, I owe you huge for this.\u201d\n\nWalt waited, throat dry. He scratched at a chipped edge on his worn mobiGlas with a fingernail.\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d Barry read from something off-screen, \u201cit looks like they\u2019re flying a variety of Hornets. Specifically, F7As. I can send you a list of the proposed hardpoints, and I hap\u00adpen to know that Brock herself flies a Super Hornet.\u201d\n\nThe mobiGlas shook on Walt\u2019s wrist. His face felt hot, and he forced his jaw to relax. \u201cBarry, if you have any pull with the Navy, get some ships to Tyrol. It\u2019s been Brock this whole time. She\u2019s been setting us up to fail. And she\u2019s the bitch that OK\u2019d Boomer.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going, Walt. That\u2019s final.\u201d\n\nWalt rubbed at his eyes with the flat part of his fingers. How did Gavin ever win an argument with her? Forbidding her involvement was a lost cause. Maybe he could reason with her. \u201cListen. When\u2019s the last time you were even in a cockpit?\u201d\n\n\u201cI know this ship. I was practically born in these things.\u201d\n\n\u201cDell \u2014\u201d\n\nShe threw his helmet at him. He caught it awkwardly, and she had shed her coveralls and was wriggling into her flight suit before he could finish his thought. She stared at him with hard eyes and said, \u201cSuit up if you don\u2019t want to get left behind.\u201d\n\nDell was as implacable as gravity. Fine. It was her funeral, and he realized there was no way his brother had ever won an argument with her.\n\nThey finished prepping in silence. Walt pulled the chocks on her Avenger when she climbed up into the cockpit. He gave the hulking muzzle of the Tarantula an appreciative pat. \u201cYou have ammo for this bad boy?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have a little.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood,\u201d he smiled. \u201cLet\u2019s hope Brock isn\u2019t ready to handle reinforcements.\u201d\n\nWalt mulled that thought over. It was true that Gavin had split their team in each fight, but Rhedd Alert had never sent in reserves. Each engagement had been a fair and straightforward fight. Brock wasn\u2019t likely to know anything about their resources, however limited, beyond the escort team. That could work to their advantage.\n\nIn fact, \u201cHey, Dell. Hop out for a tick, will you?\u201d\n\n\u201cLike hell I will.\u201d The look she shot down at him was pure challenge. \u201cI said I\u2019m going and that\u2019s that.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, no. I\u2019ve already lost that fight. But you and your cannon here got me thinking about those pirates in Oberon. Tell me, did we ever find a buyer for that old Idris hull?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. It\u2019s buoyed in storage outside the station, why?\u201d\n\nDell looked at him skeptically and he grinned. \u201cWe\u2019re going to introduce these military-types to\nsome ol\u2019 smugglers\u2019 tricks.\u201d\n\nGavin held the team at the edge of the jump gate between Min and Nexus. \u201cAll right gang, listen up. You know the drill and what might be waiting for us on the other side. Jazza, I want you and Rahul up on point for this jump. I\u2019ll bring Cassiopeia over after you and the rest of the team are in. Anyone not ready to jump?\u201d\n\nHis team was silent as they arranged themselves into position with professional precision. The pilot aboard Cassiopeia sounded the ready and Gavin sent Jazza through. The others were hard on her heels, and Gavin felt the always-peculiar drop through the mouth of the jump gate.\n\nLight and sound stretched, dragging him across the inter\u00adspace. Another drop, a moment\u2019s disorientation, and then Nexus resolved around him.\n\nWithout warning, Mei\u2019s fighter flashed past his forward screen. Incandescent laser fire slashed along the ghost grey and fire-alarm red ship, crippling Mei\u2019s shields and shearing away sections of armored hull. Mei fired back at a trio of maddeningly familiar Hornets in a tight triangular formation.\n\nJazza barked orders. \u201cMei. Rahul. Flank Gavin and get Cassiopeia out of here. Gavin, you copy that? You have the package.\u201d\n\nHe shook his head, willing the post-jump disorientation away. He didn\u2019t remember bringing up his shields, but they flashed on his HUD and his weapon systems were armed.\n\n\u201cCopy that.\u201d Gavin switched to the transport channel, \u201cCassiopeia. Let\u2019s get you folks out of here.\u201d\n\nThe crew onboard the UEE transport didn\u2019t need any more encouragement. Gavin accelerated to keep pace with the larger ship as two Rhedd Alert fighters dropped into posi\u00adtion above and below him. Together, they raced toward the jump gate to Tyrol.\n\nThe Hornets wheeled and dropped toward them from one side. Gavin\u2019s HUD lit up with alerts as Jazza sent a pair of rockets dangerously close over his head to blast into one of the attacking ships. Her ship screamed by overhead, but the Hornets stayed in pursuit of the fleeing transport.\n\nAlarms sounded. They needed more firepower on the Hornets to give Cassiopeia time to get clear. He yelled a course heading, and Cassiopeia dove with Mei and Rahul on either flank.\n\nGavin pulled up, turned and fired to pull the attention of the attackers. He spun, taking the brunt of their return fire on his stronger starboard shields.\n\nThe impact shook the Cutlass violently, and his shield integ\u00adrity bar sagged into the red. Gavin turned, took another wild shot with his lasers, and accelerated away from Cassiopeia with the Hornets in close pursuit.\n\nNavsat data for the jump into Nexus crept onto the edge of Walt\u2019s HUD. Several seconds and thousands of kilometers later, the first of the embattled starships winked onto the display. His brother and the Rhedd Alert team were hard-pressed.\n\nWalt watched Brock and her crew circle and strike, corralling the Rhedd Alert ships. Gavin tried to lead the attackers away, but Brock wouldn\u2019t bite. By keeping the fight centered on the UEE transport, she essentially held the transport hostage.\n\nTime to even the odds.\n\nJazza tore into one of the Hornets. Walt saw the enemy fighter\u2019s superior shields absorb the impact. He marked that Hornet as his target, preparing to strike before its defenses recharged.\n\nHe killed his primary drive and spun end to end, slash\u00ading backward through the melee like a blazing comet. His targeting system locked onto the enemy Hornet, and his heavy Broadsword blasted bullets into it.\n\nMei\u2019s battered fighter dove through the streaming wreck\u00adage, but the Super Hornet, presumably Brock, waited for her on the other side. A blast from her neutron cannon tore through the Rhedd Alert ship. Mei ejected safely, but their team was down a ship.\n\n\u201cGods,\u201d Gavin\u2019s voice was frantic. \u201cGet the hell out of here, Walt. Form up with the transport and get them away from the fight.\u201d\n\nWalt ignored him. He came around for another pass and triggered his mic to an open-area channel. \u201cThe game\u2019s up, Brock.\u201d\n\nHis words cut across the thrust and wheel of close com\u00adbat, and for a moment the fighters on all sides flew in quiet patterns above the fleeing Cassiopeia.\n\n\u201cYou know,\u201d Walt said, \u201cif you wanted us to believe you were after the transport, you should have saved your big guns for Cassiopeia instead of overkilling our friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose I should be disappointed that you have found me out,\u201d Brock\u2019s voice was a pinched sneer, and every bit as cold and hard as Gavin had described. \u201cOn the other hand, I\u2019m glad you\u2019ve shared this with me. I might have been content disabling the majority of your so-called fleet. Now, it seems that I will have to be more thorough.\u201d\n\nShe fired, he dodged, and the fight was on again in earnest. Walt switched his comms to Rhedd Alert\u2019s squad channel. \u201cBrock was never after Cassiopeia, Gav. She\u2019s been after us.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe I\u2019m a little distracted by all the missiles and the neutron cannon, but I\u2019m failing to see how that is at all relevant right now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re no match for the tech in her ships. If she goes after the transport, they\u2019re toast.\u201d He rolled into position next to Gavin. Together, they nosed down to strafe at a Hornet from above.\n\n\u201cGreat,\u201d Gavin said, \u201cthen why did you tip her off?\u201d\n\nWalt suppressed a wicked grin. \u201cBecause,\u201d he said, \u201cshe can\u2019t afford to let any of us get away, either.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you have any brilliant ideas, spit \u2019em out. I\u2019m all ears.\u201d\n\n\u201cRun with me.\u201d For all Walt knew, Brock could hear every word they were saying. She would tear them apart if they stayed. He had to get Gavin to follow him. \u201cRun with me, Gavin.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn it, Walt! If you came to help, then help. I\u2019ve got a pilot down, and I\u2019m not leaving her here to get OK\u2019d like Boom\u00ader.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis ain\u2019t about doing the easy thing, Gav. Someone I truly admire once told me that this game is all about trust. So ask yourself . . . do you trust me?\u201d\n\nGavin growled his name then, dragging out the word in a bitter, internal struggle. The weight of it made Walt\u2019s throat constrict. Despite all of their arguments, Boomer\u2019s death and his own desertion when things got hard \u2014 in spite of all of that \u2014 his brother still wanted to trust him.\n\n\u201cTrust me, Gavin.\u201d\n\nBrock and her wingman swept low, diving to corral Cassiopeia and its escorts. Jazza redirected them with a blazing torrent of laser fire and got rocked by the neutron cannon in return. The shields around her battered Cutlass flashed, dimmed and then failed.\n\nWalt gritted his teeth. It was now or never.\n\n\u201cJazz,\u201d Gavin\u2019s voice sounded hard and sharp, \u201crally with Cassiopeia and make a break for it.\u201d\n\nWalt pumped his fist and accelerated back the way he\u2019d come in.\n\n\u201cWalt,\u201d Gavin sounded angry enough to eat nails, but he followed, \u201cI\u2019m on your six. Let\u2019s go, people! Move like you\u2019ve got a purpose.\u201d\n\nWalt pulled up a set of coordinate presets and streaked away with Gavin close behind him. The two remaining Hor\u00adnets split, with Brock falling in behind Gavin to give pursuit. Even together he and Gavin didn\u2019t have much chance of getting past her superior shields. Instead, he set a straight course for the waypoint marked at the edge of his display. When incoming fire from Brock drove them off course, he corrected to put them directly back in line with the mark.\n\nBrock was gaining. Gavin\u2019s icon flashed on his display. She was close enough to hit reliably with her repeaters. As they approached the preset coordinates, Walt spotted a rippling distortion of winking starlight. Correcting his course slightly, he headed straight for it. Gavin and Brock were hard behind him.\n\n\u201cCome on,\u201d Walt whispered, \u201cstay close.\u201d\n\nOn the squad display, he saw Gavin\u2019s shield integrity dropped yet again. Brock was scoring more frequent hits.\n\n\u201cA little farther.\u201d\n\nWalt focused on the rippling of starlight ahead, a dark patch of space that swallowed Nexus\u2019 star. He made a slight course correction and Gavin matched it. Together, they continued their breakneck flight from Brock\u2019s deadly onslaught.\n\nThe small patch of dark space grew as the three ships streaked forward. Walt opened the squad channel on his mic and shouted, \u201cNow!\u201d\n\nOn his HUD, a new ship flared onto the display. It appeared to materialize nearly on top of them as Dell\u2019s Avenger dropped from her hiding place inside the blackened hull of the derelict Idris.\n\nWalt punched his thrusters. The lift pressed him into his seat as he pushed up and over their trap. He heard Dell shouting over the squad channel, and he turned, straining to see behind him. Bright flashes from Brock\u2019s muzzles accompanied a horrible pounding thunder. Dell had left her mic open and it sounded like the massive gun was threat\u00adening to tear her ship apart.\n\n\u201cHeads up, Gav!\u201d\n\nDell\u2019s voice hit Gavin like a physical blow.\n\nHe saw his brother climb and suddenly disappear behind an empty, starless expanse. Then Boomer\u2019s Avenger materi\u00adalized from within that blackness, and Gavin knew that his wife was inside the cockpit. She was with him, out in the black where veteran pilots outgunned them.\n\nHis body reacted where his mind could not. He shoved down, hard. Thrusters strained as he instinctively tried to avoid colliding with her. A brilliant pulse like flashes of light\u00adning accompanied a jarring thunder of sound.\n\nGavin forced his battered ship to turn. The Cutlass shud\u00addered from the stress, and Gavin was pressed into the side of the cockpit as the nose of his ship came around.\n\nHe saw the first heavy round strike Brock. The combined force of the shell and her momentum shredded her for\u00adward shields. Then round after round tore through the nose of Brock\u2019s ship until the air ignited inside.\n\n\u201cDell\u201d \u2014 the flaming Hornet tumbled toward his wife like an enormous hatchet \u2014 \u201clook out!\u201d\n\nBrock ejected.\n\nDell thrust to one side, but the Hornet chopped into the hull where she had hidden. The explosion sent ships and debris spinning apart in all directions.\n\n\u201cDell!\u201d\n\nHe swept around to intercept her spinning ship. Walt beat him there. Thrusters firing in tightly controlled move\u00adments, Walt caught her Avenger, slowed it and stopped the spin.\n\nGavin rolled to put himself cockpit to cockpit with his wife.\n\n\u201cDell?\u201d\n\nShe sat in stillness at the controls, her head down and turned to one side.\n\n\u201cCome on, baby. Talk to me.\u201d\n\nShe moved.\n\nWith the slow deliberateness of depressurized space, she rolled her head on her shoulders. When she looked up, their eyes met. Dell gave him a slow smile and a thumbs-up. He swallowed hard, and with one hand pressed to his heart, he shut his eyes silently in thanks.\n\nGavin spun his Cutlass and thrust over to where Brock floated nearby, his weapons systems still hot. He paused then, looming above her as she had hesitated over Boomer.\n\nHer comms were still active. \u201cWhat now, Rhedd?\u201d\n\nHe remembered her from the meeting with Greely. Tall, lean, and crisp. She seemed small now, drifting not more than a meter away from the battle-scarred nose of his Cutlass.\n\n\u201cGavin?\u201d Dell\u2019s voice sounded small after the ruckus of the fight.\n\nWalt eased into view alongside him. His voice was low and calm, \u201cEasy, buddy. We weren\u2019t raised to OK pilots.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not worth it,\u201d Dell said.\n\nBrock snarled, \u201cDo it already.\u201d\n\nHe had studied Brock\u2019s reports for months. She had more ships and more pilots than he could ever imagine employing. What drove her to harass them and kill one of his crew for this job?\n\n\u201cI just want to know why,\u201d he asked. \u201cYou\u2019ve got other contracts. You\u2019ve probably made more money than any of us will see in our lives. Why come after us?\u201d\n\nHe held Brock\u2019s eye, the lights from the Cutlass reflecting from her visor.\n\n\u201cWhy?\u201d she repeated. \u201cLook around you, Rhedd. There\u2019s no law in these systems. All that matters here is courage to take what you want, and a willingness to sacrifice to keep it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou want to talk sacrifice?\u201d he said. \u201cThat pilot you killed was family.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou put him in harm\u2019s way,\u201d she said, \u201cnot me. What little order exists in these systems is what I brought with me. I carved my success from nothing. You independents are thieves. You\u2019re like rodents, nibbling at the edges of others\u2019 success.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was a thief,\u201d he said, \u201cand a smuggler. But we\u2019re building our own success, and next time you and I meet with the Navy,\u201d Gavin fired his thrusters just enough to punch Brock with the nose of his ship, \u201cit\u2019ll be in a court\u00adroom.\u201d\n\nShe spun and tumbled as she flew, growing smaller and smaller until the PRB on his HUD was all he could see.\n\nA pair of Retaliators with naval designations were moored outside the Rhedd Alert hangar when Gavin and the crew finally limped back to Vista Landing.\n\nCrew aboard Cassiopeia had insisted on helping with medical care and recovery after the fight. The team scheduled for pick-up at Haven was similarly adamant that Rhedd Alert take care of their own before continuing. Technically, no one had checked with Navy SysCom.\n\nDid the Navy fire contractors face to face? For all he knew, they did.\n\nGavin saw to the staging of their damaged ships while the others hurried the wounded deeper into Vista Landing. When he\u2019d finished, he exchanged a quick nod with Barry Lidst who stood at ease behind Major Greely.\n\n\u201cMajor,\u201d Gavin held out his hand, \u201cI assume someone would have told me already if I was fired.\u201d\n\nHis hand disappeared in the major\u2019s massive paw. \u201cI sup\u00adpose they would have, at that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen to what do we owe the honor?\u201d Dell and Walt joined them, and Gavin made introductions.\n\n\u201c\u2018I\u2019 first, then \u2018we,\u2019 \u201d Greely repeated, \u201cI like that, Rhedd. I appreciate a man who accepts consequence personally but insists on sharing accolades with his team. Tell me, son. How\u2019d you get Brock?\u201d\n\nGavin nudged his wife. With a roguish grin, Dell pulled her arm from around Gavin\u2019s waist and stepped over to pat the Tarantula on her battered Avenger.\n\n\u201cNice shooting, miss.\u201d\n\nDell shrugged, \u201cWalt pulled my tags, nav beacon and flight recorder before we left. I was sitting dark inside a decoy when the boys flew her right down the barrel.\u201d\n\nBarry leaned toward Greely and in a completely audible whisper said, \u201cIt might be best if we ignore the illegal parts of that.\u201d\n\nGreely waved him off. \u201cThis is what the \u2019verse needs. Men and women with the courage to slap their name up on the side of a hangar. A chance for responsible civilians to create good, honest jobs with real pay for locals. That an ex-military contractor tried to muck that up . . .\u201d\n\nGavin and the team got a good, close look at what angry looked like on a Navy officer. It was the kind of scowl that left an impression.\n\n\u201cAnyway,\u201d Greely composed himself, \u201cnot a soul in the \u2019verse would blame you for writing us off as a bit of bad business. I\u2019m here to ask that you stick with it.\u201d\n\nGavin was reluctant to bring their financial situation up in front of their one paying client, but they were tapped out. Rhedd Alert didn\u2019t have the cred to buy ammo, much less repair their downed fighters. \u201cActually, sir. I think we may need to find something a little more lucrative than getting shot up by disgruntled incumbents.\u201d\n\n\u201cAbout that,\u201d Greely rested his hand on Gavin\u2019s shoulder. He led him to look out one of the large hangar windows at the Retaliators buoyed outside. \u201cMy accountant tells me there may be some room to renegotiate certain parts of the Tyrol contract. But that job won\u2019t be enough to keep your team busy now that Brock\u2019s out of the way.\u201d\n\nGavin laughed. \u201cOn that point, I most certainly hope you are right.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell . . . I\u2019ve got more work for an outfit like yours. I hope you\u2019ll accept, because you folks have surely earned it. Tell me, Rhedd, are you familiar with the Oberon system?\u201d\n\nBehind them, Walt dropped his helmet.\n\nThe End","de_DE":"Writer's Note: Brothers in Arms: Part Four wurde urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 3.8 ver\u00f6ffentlicht. Lies Teil Eins hier, Teil Zwei hier und Teil Drei hier.\nEine aufgenommene Hymne, die gespielt wurde, als sie Arun \"Boomer\" Ainsley in das gro\u00dfe Abenteuer schickten, das im Laufe der Zeit bevorsteht. Gavin stellte den Service im Rhedd Alert Hangar ein, und die Aufnahme klang schrecklich. Die letzte d\u00fcstere Note erholte sich von den harten Oberfl\u00e4chen und den harten Winkeln des Raumes.\n\nEr w\u00fcnschte sich, sie h\u00e4tten eine Live-Band gehabt. Er h\u00e4tte f\u00fcr ein Orchester bezahlt, wenn man es auf der Orbitalstation h\u00e4tte haben wollen. Sogar ein Horn w\u00e4re ein besserer Tribut f\u00fcr den Mann gewesen, der Dell in sein Leben gebracht hatte. F\u00fcr den Mann, der ihn und Walt so sehr davon unterrichtet hat, ein freies Leben zu f\u00fchren.\n\nDells Arm f\u00fchlte sich um seine Taille klein an und Gavin zog sie in seine N\u00e4he, unsicher, ob das das Richtige war. Er drehte sich um, um ihr Haar zu k\u00fcssen und sah Walts schlanke Gestalt neben sich erscheinen. Walts Gesicht war in einer grimmigen Maske fixiert.\n\nGavin kannte seinen Bruder gut genug, um zu wissen, dass Walt sich innerlich schimpfte. Er ging nicht gut mit Schuld oder Verantwortung um, und Gavin vermutete, dass das ein gro\u00dfer Teil davon war, warum Walt immer weglief.\n\nDie Versammlung begann sich zu trennen. Piloten und die Hangarcrew besch\u00e4ftigten sich mit Aufgaben rund um die von Rhedd Alert zerschlagene Flotte von J\u00e4gern. Dell bewegte sich nicht, also blieb er dort bei ihr. Walt legte eine Hand auf seine Schulter.\n\n\"Gavin. Oh, meine G\u00fcte, Dell. Ich kann dir nicht sagen, wie leid es mir tut.\"\n\nJazza lehnte sich an und sprach in einem tiefen Ton, fast ein Fl\u00fcstern. \"Fahrwerk in zehn Minuten bereit, Boss. Dein Rigg ist auf dem Buggy.\" Sie bewegte sich mit dem Kinn dorthin, wo sein Schiff wartete.\n\nDell drehte sich in ihn um und dr\u00fcckte sich zusammen. \"Sei vorsichtig.\"\n\n\"Das werde ich, Babe.\"\n\n\"Du kommst zu mir nach Hause, Gavin Rhedd. Ich werde dich selbst t\u00f6ten, wenn du mich dazu bringst, dieses Outfit alleine zu f\u00fchren.\"\n\nEr dr\u00fcckte seine Lippen bis zur Spitze ihres Kopfes. Hielt sie dort fest.\n\n\"Warte. Was?\" Walts Kiefer war schlaff, seine Augen weit. \"Sag mir, dass du nicht wieder da raus gehst.\"\n\nJazza stie\u00df Walt mit der Schulter an und ging nicht so sehr an ihm vorbei, sondern durch ihn hindurch. \"Verdammt richtig, wir sind es, Aufgeber.\"\n\n\"Wei\u00dft du was? Fick dich, Jazz. In Ordnung? Du hast dieses Outfit verlassen, wie.... zweimal im Monat.\"\n\n\"Nicht wie du. Nicht wie ein H\u00fchnchen....\"\n\n\"Jazz\", sagte Gavin, \"Geh und stelle sicher, dass das Team bereit ist, oder?\" Mit einem Nicken zu Gavin und einem abschlie\u00dfenden Blick auf Walt ging sie weg in den Hangar.\n\n\"Lass es sein, Walt. Wir m\u00fcssen wirklich gehen. Nach dem letzten Mal k\u00f6nnen wir nicht riskieren, zu sp\u00e4t zur Abholung zu kommen.\"\n\n\"Fick dich selbst!\" Walts Augen waren breit und um die R\u00e4nder herum rot umrandet. \"Warum zum Teufel gehst du \u00fcberhaupt hin?\"\n\n\" Walt -\"\n\n\" Walt' mich nicht, Gavin. Da drau\u00dfen ist ein Rudel von Psychopathen, die versuchen, dich zu t\u00f6ten!\"\n\n\"Walt, w\u00fcrdest du die Klappe halten und zwei Sekunden lang zuh\u00f6ren? Wir haben keine Wahl, okay? Wir haben alles, was bei diesem Job zu tun hat. Wir sind mit diesem Ort Monate im R\u00fcckstand und haben einen Kredit f\u00fcr Treibstoff, Teile und Munition.\"\n\n\"Sie k\u00f6nnen mir verdammt gut eine Rechnung stellen!\"\n\n\"Nein\", sagte Gavin, \"k\u00f6nnen sie nicht. Deine Aktien sind wieder an die Firma zur\u00fcckgegeben worden, als du aufgegeben hast. Aber jetzt bin ich echt. Glaubst du, wir haben vorher auf der Flucht gelebt? Pass nur auf, wenn ich versuche, davor wegzulaufen.\"\n\nWalt wandte sich an Dell, um Unterst\u00fctzung zu erhalten, \"Dell, komm schon. Du musst ihn dazu bringen, auf die Vernunft zu h\u00f6ren.\"\n\n\"Boomer's Aktien wurden auf mich \u00fcbertragen, als er starb\", sagte Dell. \"Wir stecken da zusammen drin.\"\n\n\"Okay, Boss\", rief Jazza an. Die drei von ihnen schauten zu, wo sie stand, mit einer Reihe von entschlossenen Besatzungen. \"Es ist Zeit.\"\n\nWalt beobachtete, wie sich die gro\u00dfen Buchtent\u00fcren schlossen, als der letzte von Gavins Team den Hangar verlie\u00df. Sein K\u00e4mpfer und die wenigen verbliebenen Schiffe sahen klein und ungeschickt im gro\u00dfen Raum fehl am Platz aus. Allein neben Dell zu stehen, gab ihm eine gro\u00dfe Anerkennung f\u00fcr diese Unbeholfenheit.\n\n\"Es tut mir so leid, Dell. Wenn ich dort gewesen w\u00e4re -\"\n\n\"Nicht\", stoppte sie ihn mit einem Wort und fuhr dann mit einem Sch\u00fctteln ihrer blau gezeichneten Haare fort. \"Tu dir das nicht an. Ich habe die taktischen Protokolle durchgesehen. Er wurde eins zu eins geschlagen, und dann haben sie ihm zugestimmt. Es gab nichts, was du h\u00e4ttest tun k\u00f6nnen.\"\n\n\"Ich f\u00fchle mich immer noch schlecht\", sagte er. \"Wenn ich vielleicht nicht gegangen w\u00e4re.... Ich wei\u00df nicht.\"\n\n\"Gavin gibt sich auch die Schuld. Das ist einfach die Art und Weise, wie ihr beide aufgebaut seid. Aber glaub mir, es gab nie eine lebende Seele, die meinen Vater aus dem Cockpit halten konnte. Er flog lange bevor ihr Rhedd-Jungs in unser Leben gest\u00fcrzt seid.\"\n\nDas gab ihm ein L\u00e4cheln. Ein echtes L\u00e4cheln. Es schien Dells Stimmung zu verbessern, also tat er sein Bestes, um es zu behalten.\n\n\"Komm schon\", sagte sie. \"Es sind schon ein paar lange Wochen vergangen. Kommst du mit auf einen Kaffee?\"\n\nDas tat er, und eine Zeit lang sprachen sie leise an den hohen Tischen in der K\u00fcchenzeile des Hangars. Dell informierte ihn \u00fcber das Leben an Bord von Vista Landing, seit er gegangen war. Sie war offensichtlich ersch\u00f6pft und das nicht nur von einer schlaflosen Nacht und der Beerdigung ihres Vaters. Ihre Schultern hingen ab, und dunkle Kreise unter ihren Augen waren das Ergebnis wochenlanger Arbeit und Sorge. Die st\u00e4ndige Besorgnis \u00fcber die brutalen Angriffe der Hornissen hatte offenbar mehr als nur die Piloten ersch\u00f6pft. Es schien seltsam, dass sich die Angriffe seltsam pers\u00f6nlich anf\u00fchlten.\n\n\"Wei\u00dft du, was ich nicht herausfinden kann?\", dachte er laut nach. Dell sah ihn an, m\u00fcde Augen waren h\u00f6flich erwartungsvoll. \"Worauf zum Teufel sind diese Typen aus?\"\n\nSie nickte, \"Ja. Es gab eine Menge Spekulationen \u00fcber diese Frage.\"\n\n\" Und?\"\n\n\"Schwer zu sagen, nicht wahr? K\u00f6nnte ein politischer Spinner gegen die Forschung in Haven sein. Oder vielleicht ist es eine der alten Banden, die es nicht m\u00f6gen, dass wir echt werden. K\u00f6nnte sein, dass es eine Gruppe von Tevarin ist, die gegen UEE-Ziele antreten. Wer wei\u00df?\"\n\n\"Nein. Wenn sie Tevarin w\u00e4ren, k\u00f6nnten wir erkennen, wie sie fliegen.\"\n\n\"Dann sag mir, wenn du so klug bist. Ich meine, du warst da drau\u00dfen. Du hast sie bek\u00e4mpft.\"\n\nWalt zuckte mit den Achseln und nahm einen Schluck k\u00fchlenden Kaffee. Etwas, das sie sagte, nagte ihn an. \"Hey, du hast gesagt, du hast taktische Navsat-Protokolle vom Kampf, oder?\"\n\n\" Ja.\" Was von ihrer Energie \u00fcbrig blieb, schien mit diesem einen Wort wegzulaufen. Walt verfluchte sich selbst f\u00fcr den unsensiblen Arsch, der er war. Er hatte sie gerade nach aufgezeichneten Wiederholungen des Mordes an ihrem Vater gefragt.\n\n\"Dell. Ah, zum Teufel...... Es tut mir leid. Ich h\u00e4tte nicht fragen sollen.\"\n\n\"Es ist okay\", sagte sie. \"Ich bin schon immer wieder \u00fcber sie hinweggegangen. Wirklich, es macht mir nichts aus.\"\n\nSie gingen zu einer Konsole und die Lichter wurden automatisch gedimmt, als sie die Hangarprojektion hochzog. Sie w\u00e4hlte ein Schiff aus und richtete die Ansicht so aus, dass das Hologramm von Boomer's R\u00e4cher die Anzeige f\u00fcllte. Nein, Walt erinnerte sich, es war nicht mehr Boomers Schiff. Dell war sein Erbe und - zusammen mit seinen Schulden - geh\u00f6rte Boomer's Verm\u00f6gen nun zu ihr.\n\nDell umgeht die Standardanzeige der strukturellen Fixpunkte und taucht in die Systeme des Schiffes ein. Etwas fiel ihm auf und er hielt sie auf. \"Warte, geh zur\u00fcck.\" Das tat sie, und Walt stoppte die rotierende Anzeige, um auf das Fahrwerk des Schiffes zu schauen. Er lie\u00df ein leises Pfeifen aus.\n\n\"Das, Walter Rhedd, ist eine Tarantel GT-870 Mk3.\"\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df, was es ist. Aber woher hast du es?\"\n\n\"Erinnerst du dich an die Piraten, die uns in Oberon so viel \u00c4rger gemacht haben? Ich habe es gezogen, bevor wir die Bergung verkauft haben.\"\n\nEr erinnerte sich sicherlich, und die Bastarde hatten zwei ihrer Schiffe mit ihren Taranteln in den Dreck gezogen. \"Wie hast du es auf einen R\u00e4cher montiert?\"\n\n\"Hammertherapie\", sagte sie. Er sah sie verwirrt an, und sie hielt einen Arm hoch und kr\u00e4uselte ihn, um einen Muskel aufzubauen. \"Ich schlug die H\u00f6lle aus ihr heraus, bis sie tat, was ich wollte.\"\n\n\"Verdammt, M\u00e4dchen.\"\n\n\"Wolltest du den Flugschreiber sehen?\"\n\nSie beobachteten die Navsat-Wiederholungen schweigend zusammen. Es sah nach einem h\u00f6llischen Kampf aus. Chaotisch. Verzweifelt. Die Rhedd Alert K\u00e4mpfer waren hart gepresst.\n\nJazza hatte Momente taktischer Brillanz. So sehr sie ihn auch in die falsche Richtung rieb, Walt musste zugeben, dass sie ihre Entermesser-Tanzschritte machte, f\u00fcr die sie nicht konzipiert war. Gavin orchestrierte eine koh\u00e4rente Strategie und hatte zus\u00e4tzliche K\u00e4mpfer verpflichtet, um den Angriff zu verhindern. Aber etwas stimmte nicht. Etwas an dem Kampf ergab keinen Sinn.\n\nWalt lie\u00df Dell die Szene wiederholen, damit er sich auf die Pl\u00fcnderer konzentrieren konnte. Aus dieser Perspektive sah es \u00fcberhaupt nicht nach einem gro\u00dfen Kampf aus. Es sah eher wie ein Spiel aus und nur eine Mannschaft verstand, wie sich alle Figuren bewegten. Die Hornissen flogen, um zu st\u00f6ren, zu verwirren. Sie wussten, dass Gavin eine Truppe nach vorne schicken w\u00fcrde, um den Transport zu sch\u00fctzen. Er hatte es jedes Mal getan, wenn sie sich getroffen hatten.\n\n\"Siehst du das?\", sagte er. \"Sie brechen dort auseinander und werden sofort wieder in die Formation gerufen. Sie lassen nie eine Flanke frei. Unsere Jungs bekommen nie eine echte Chance.\" Er wies auf eine der angreifenden Hornissen hin. \"Derjenige, der das Sagen hat.\"\n\n\"Das ist die, die Boomer OK macht.\"\n\nRot und Gr\u00fcn aus dem Navsat-Display funkelten in Dells Augen. Ihre Stimme war emotionslos und flach. Walt wollte sie nicht so sehen, also konzentrierte er sich wieder auf das Display.\n\nDer Pl\u00fcnderer, den er als Anf\u00fchrer identifiziert hatte, brach aus dem Nahkampf aus. Gavin jagte ihn, aber von zu weit hinten. Boomer fing ab, wurde deaktiviert, und seine PRB blinkte rot auf dem Display. Die Hornet passierte den Transport, bevor sie sich umdrehte, um wieder in ihren Kader einzutreten. Dann wurde es langsamer und hielt vor dem Overkill auf Boomer inne.\n\n\"Warum nur einen Durchgang beim Transport nehmen? Sie haben uns getroffen, was? Sechsmal? Sieben? Und sobald sie endlich einen Schuss auf das Ziel haben, hauen sie ab?\"\n\n\"Du hast gesagt, \"uns\",\" neckte Dell. \"Bist du wieder da, um zu bleiben?\"\n\nWalt hat ein kleines Lachen geh\u00e4nselt. \"Wir werden sehen.\"\n\n\"Wir hatten Gl\u00fcck\", bot Dell als Antwort auf seine Frage an. \"Bisher haben wir sie verjagt.\"\n\n\"Glaubst du das wirklich? Sie hatten diesen Kampf gewonnen, wenn sie es wollten. Und wie finden sie uns immer wieder? Es ist, als h\u00e4tten sie ihren st\u00e4ndigen Wohnsitz in unserer verdammten Flugroute gefunden.\"\n\nDas war's dann. Er hatte es. Die Offenbarung muss sich auf seinem Gesicht gezeigt haben.\n\n\" Was?\" fragte Dell. \"Was ist das?\"\n\n\"Zur\u00fcck zum Strohhalm auf dem Aquila.\"\n\nDell tat es, und sie sahen es sich wieder an. Er f\u00fchlte sich wie ein Arsch an, weil er sie dazu gebracht hatte, den Mord an ihrem Vater noch einmal zu beobachten, aber er musste sicher sein, was er sah.\n\nUnd da war es. Strafe. Drehen. Pause. Eine Entscheidung, sich zu binden. Ein eskalierender Akt der Brutalit\u00e4t. Und dann waren sie weg.\n\n\"Sie ist \u00fcberhaupt nicht nach dem Transport. Wir waren die ganze Zeit ihr Ziel.\"\n\n\"Warte\", sagte Dell, \"was hat sie? Sie wer?\"\n\n\"Bitte sag mir, dass dein Ex sich nicht von einem Job bei der Navy betrunken hat.\"\n\n\"Barry? Nat\u00fcrlich nicht, warum?\"\n\n\"Weil ich gerade herausgefunden habe, wer deinen Vater get\u00f6tet hat.\"\n\nMorgan Brock beendete das Treffen und entlie\u00df ihr Admin-Team. Riebeld fiel auf und hob eine Hand vom Tisch - eine Bitte an sie, zu bleiben, w\u00e4hrend die anderen aus dem Konferenzraum schlurften.\n\nRiebeld lie\u00df sie warten, bis sie allein waren, und stand dann auf, um die T\u00fcr zu schlie\u00dfen.\n\n\"Ich nehme an\", sagte Brock, \"dass unser Tiroler Problem trotz der Eskalation fortbesteht?\"\n\n\"Ich habe es w\u00e4hrend des Treffens geh\u00f6rt\" - er nahm neben ihr am Tisch Platz, die Stimme war leise - \"dass sie bald den Sprung zu Nexus machen sollten.\"\n\n\"Unsere diskreten Piloten? Sind sie im Einsatz oder hier auf dem Revier?\"\n\nSeine Antwort kam nur langsam, sein Nicken war widerstrebend. \"Sie sind hier.\"\n\nBrock hat die Zeit \u00fcberpr\u00fcft. Ich habe ein wenig gerechnet. \" Verkleidet die Schiffe. Wir werden um 1700 abreisen und sie in Nexus treffen, direkt hinter dem Tor von Min.\"\n\n\" Morgan\", streiften Riebeld's Augen durch den Raum, \"diese Typen verstehen den Hinweis nicht. Ich wei\u00df nicht, welche Verluste wir ihnen zuf\u00fcgen m\u00fcssen, bevor sie sich zur\u00fcckziehen, aber ..... Ich wei\u00df es nicht. Zum Gesch\u00e4ft geh\u00f6rt es, Gebote zu verlieren, oder?\" Sie war nicht anderer Meinung und er fuhr fort. \"Vielleicht.... Vielleicht sollten wir das mal abschreiben?\"\n\n\"Eine bequeme Position, die du auf deinem Sitz halten kannst, Riebeld. Ihre Provision basiert auf dem Vertragswert. Ich habe jahrelang mit diesem Job kaum Gewinn gemacht. Ich habe es freiwillig getan, mit der erwarteten Belohnung von Windfall-Profiten, wenn der Verkehr nach Haven steigt.\"\n\n\"Ich verstehe das\", sagte er. \"Das tue ich wirklich. Aber irgendwann m\u00fcssen wir es einen Verlust nennen und uns auf das n\u00e4chste konzentrieren, oder?\"\n\n\"Dann nehmen wir an, wir lassen den Tiroler Job fallen, und Greely und Navy SysCom sehen, was sie von Boutique-Unternehmen erwarten. Ich kann mir bereits vorstellen, dass Anti-Establishment-Politiker auf mehr ausgelagerte Arbeit dr\u00e4ngen. Zum Teufel, sie werden wahrscheinlich Vertr\u00e4ge versprechen, Stimmen in ihrem Heimsystem zu kaufen.\"\n\nSie sah zu, wie er sich wand. Es war nicht seine Art, mit seinem Gewissen zu ringen. Offen gesagt, war sie entt\u00e4uscht zu erfahren, dass er einen gefunden hatte.\n\n\"Wenn Rhedd Alert sich nicht freiwillig zur\u00fcckzieht\", sagte sie, \"dann m\u00fcssen sie auf die harte Tour gehen. Bereite die Schiffe vor, Riebeld. Wir haben sehr gut zusammengearbeitet, du und ich. Du solltest wissen, dass ich mich nicht von dem abwenden werde, was mir geh\u00f6rt.\" Er schien ihre Aufrichtigkeit zu sch\u00e4tzen, aber Brock wollte den selbstbewussten Verk\u00e4ufer das sagen h\u00f6ren. \"Haben wir uns verstanden?\"\n\n\"Ja, Ma'am\", schluckte Riebeld und stand auf. \"V\u00f6llig klar.\"\n\n\"Gl\u00fcck gehabt?\" Walt hat Barrys Akte in seinem mobiGlas hochgeladen und Connect getroffen.\n\nDell sa\u00df an der Hangar-Konsole und versuchte, Gavin und das Team zu erreichen. Ihre Stirn runzelte sich zu einer Grimasse und sie sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf.\n\n\"Verdammt. Okay, versuche es weiter.\"\n\nBarry ist verbunden. Der Buchhalter trug seine Uniform. Er war im Dienst, wo immer er war, und sein projiziertes Gesicht sah wirklich traurig aus. \"Hey\", sagte er, \"lange nicht gesehen, Mann. H\u00f6r zu, ich kann dir nicht sagen, wie traurig ich \u00fcber Boomer bin.\"\n\n\" Danke.\" Barry hatte Dell und Boomer fast sein ganzes Leben lang gekannt. Er war wahrscheinlich hin- und hergerissen zwischen der Teilnahme am Gottesdienst und der Erlaubnis, dass die Familie in der Privatsph\u00e4re trauert. Unabh\u00e4ngig davon m\u00fcsste das Mitgef\u00fchl warten. \"Wir brauchen deine Hilfe, Barry. Bitte sagen Sie mir, dass Sie Zugang zu den Angeboten f\u00fcr den Tiroler Vertrag haben.\"\n\n\"Nat\u00fcrlich tue ich das. Und wer sind wir? Bist du wieder bei Dell und Gavin?\"\n\n\"Bin ich\", f\u00fchlte er, wie Dell ihn ansah, als er es sagte. \"Wie auch immer, wir brauchen einen Gefallen. Ich muss die vom etablierten Betreiber vorgeschlagenen Schiffsmodelle und Konfigurationen kennen.\"\n\n\"Morgan Brocks Outfit, sicher. Allerdings kann man mit den Schiffsdaten nichts anfangen. Diese Informationen sind alle vertraulich. Nur die Preisvorschl\u00e4ge stehen der \u00d6ffentlichkeit zur Verf\u00fcgung, und die nur w\u00e4hrend der Protestphase.\"\n\n\"Komm schon, Barry. Wir reden hier nicht \u00fcber Gesch\u00e4ftsgeheimnisse. Ich k\u00f6nnte das mit einem Vorbeiflug an ihrem Hangar in Kilian herausfinden. Ich habe einfach keine Zeit daf\u00fcr. Ich muss wissen, welche Schiffe diese Typen fliegen.\"\n\nBarry atmete einen schweren Seufzer aus, \"Warte mal. Aber ich kann dir die Vorschl\u00e4ge nicht schicken, okay? Ihr seid mit diesem Vertrag so wie er ist bereits auf d\u00fcnnem Eis.\"\n\n\"Erz\u00e4hl mir davon. Und danke, ich schulde dir viel daf\u00fcr.\"\n\nWalt wartete, die Kehle war trocken. Er kratzte an einer abgesplitterten Kante an seinem abgenutzten mobiGlas mit einem Fingernagel.\n\n\"In Ordnung\", las Barry aus dem Off, \"es sieht so aus, als w\u00fcrden sie eine Vielzahl von Hornissen fliegen. Insbesondere F7As. Ich kann Ihnen eine Liste der vorgeschlagenen Hardpoints schicken, und ich wei\u00df zuf\u00e4llig, dass Brock selbst eine Super Hornet fliegt.\"\n\nDas mobiGlas zitterte an Walts Handgelenk. Sein Gesicht f\u00fchlte sich hei\u00df an, und er zwang seinen Kiefer zur Entspannung. \"Barry, wenn du einen Einfluss auf die Marine hast, besorg ein paar Schiffe nach Tirol. Es war die ganze Zeit Brock. Sie hat uns reingelegt, damit wir versagen. Und sie ist die Schlampe, die OK'd Boomer ist.\"\n\n\"Ich gehe, Walt. Das ist endg\u00fcltig.\"\n\nWalt rieb sich die Augen mit dem flachen Teil seiner Finger. Wie konnte Gavin jemals einen Streit mit ihr gewinnen? Das Verbieten ihrer Beteiligung war ein hoffnungsloser Fall. Vielleicht konnte er mit ihr reden. \"H\u00f6r zu. Wann warst du das letzte Mal in einem Cockpit?\"\n\n\"Ich kenne dieses Schiff. Ich bin praktisch in diesen Dingen geboren.\"\n\n\" Dell -\"\n\nSie warf seinen Helm auf ihn. Er fing es unangenehm auf, und sie hatte ihre Overalls abgelegt und zappelte sich in ihren Fluganzug, bevor er seinen Gedanken beenden konnte. Sie starrte ihn mit harten Augen an und sagte: \"Zieh dich an, wenn du nicht zur\u00fcckgelassen werden willst.\"\n\nDell war so unerbittlich wie die Schwerkraft. Gut. Es war ihre Beerdigung, und er erkannte, dass es keine M\u00f6glichkeit gab, dass sein Bruder jemals einen Streit mit ihr gewonnen hatte.\n\nSie beendeten die Vorbereitungen schweigend. Walt zog die Keile an ihrem R\u00e4cher, als sie ins Cockpit kletterte. Er gab der schwerf\u00e4lligen Schnauze der Tarantel einen anerkennenden Klaps. \"Hast du Munition f\u00fcr diesen b\u00f6sen Jungen?\"\n\n\"Ich habe ein wenig.\"\n\n\"Gut\", l\u00e4chelte er. \"Hoffentlich ist Brock nicht bereit, mit Verst\u00e4rkungen umzugehen.\"\n\nWalt \u00fcberlegte, ob er dar\u00fcber nachdachte. Es war wahr, dass Gavin sein Team in jedem Kampf aufgeteilt hatte, aber Rhedd Alert hatte nie Reserven geschickt. Jedes Engagement war ein fairer und unkomplizierter Kampf gewesen. Brock war nicht wahrscheinlich, etwas \u00fcber ihre Ressourcen zu wissen, auch wenn sie begrenzt waren, au\u00dferhalb des Escortteams. Das k\u00f6nnte zu ihrem Vorteil sein.\n\nIn der Tat, \"Hey, Dell. Hau ab f\u00fcr einen Tick, ja?\"\n\n\"Zum Teufel, das werde ich.\" Der Blick, den sie auf ihn abfeuerte, war eine reine Herausforderung. \"Ich sagte, ich gehe und das war's.\"\n\n\"Oh, nein. Ich habe diesen Kampf bereits verloren. Aber du und deine Kanone hier, ihr habt mich an die Piraten in Oberon erinnert. Sag mir, haben wir jemals einen K\u00e4ufer f\u00fcr den alten Idris-Rumpf gefunden?\"\n\n\"Nein. Es ist im Lager au\u00dferhalb des Bahnhofs gelagert, warum?\"\n\nDell sah ihn skeptisch an und er grinste. \"Wir werden diese milit\u00e4rischen Typen einf\u00fchren.\nein paar Tricks von alten Schmugglern.\"\n\nGavin hielt das Team am Rande des Sprungtores zwischen Min und Nexus. \"In Ordnung, Leute, h\u00f6rt zu. Du kennst die \u00dcbung und was auf der anderen Seite auf uns warten k\u00f6nnte. Jazza, ich will, dass du und Rahul euch auf den Punkt f\u00fcr diesen Sprung vorbereiten. Ich bringe Kassiopeia vorbei, nachdem du und der Rest des Teams drin seid. Jemand, der nicht bereit ist zu springen?\"\n\nSein Team war still, als sie sich mit professioneller Pr\u00e4zision in Position brachten. Der Pilot an Bord von Cassiopeia ert\u00f6nte bereit und Gavin schickte Jazza durch. Die anderen waren hart auf den Fersen, und Gavin sp\u00fcrte den immer seltsamen Fall durch die \u00d6ffnung des Sprungtores.\n\nLicht und Klang dehnten sich aus und schleppten ihn \u00fcber den Zwischenraum. Ein weiterer Tropfen, ein Moment der Orientierungslosigkeit, und dann entschied sich Nexus um ihn herum.\n\nOhne Vorwarnung flog Mei's K\u00e4mpfer an seinem vorderen Bildschirm vorbei. Gl\u00fchendes Laserfeuer schlug entlang des geistergrauen und schussalarmroten Schiffes, l\u00e4hmte Mei's Schilde und scherte Teile des gepanzerten Rumpfes ab. Mei feuerte auf ein Trio von wahnsinnig vertrauten Hornissen in einer engen dreieckigen Formation zur\u00fcck.\n\nJazza bellte Bestellungen. \"Mei. Rahul. Flankiert Gavin und bringt Kassiopeia hier raus. Gavin, hast du verstanden? Du hast das Paket.\"\n\nEr sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf und wollte die Orientierungslosigkeit nach dem Sprung beseitigen. Er erinnerte sich nicht daran, seine Schilde hochgezogen zu haben, aber sie blitzten auf seinem HUD und seine Waffensysteme waren scharf.\n\n\" Verstanden.\" Gavin wechselte auf den Transportkanal \"Kassiopeia\". Lasst uns euch hier rausbringen.\"\n\nDie Besatzung an Bord des UEE-Transports brauchte keine weitere Ermutigung. Gavin beschleunigte, um mit dem gr\u00f6\u00dferen Schiff Schritt zu halten, als zwei Rhedd Alert K\u00e4mpfer \u00fcber und unter ihm in Position gingen. Gemeinsam rannten sie zum Sprungtor nach Tirol.\n\nDie Hornissen rollten und fielen von einer Seite auf sie zu. Gavins HUD erhellte sich mit Warnungen, als Jazza ein Paar Raketen gef\u00e4hrlich nah \u00fcber seinen Kopf schickte, um in eines der angreifenden Schiffe zu sprengen. Ihr Schiff schrie \u00fcber Kopf, aber die Hornissen blieben auf der Jagd nach dem fl\u00fcchtenden Transport.\n\nEs ert\u00f6nte ein Alarm. Sie brauchten mehr Feuerkraft auf den Hornissen, um Kassiopeia Zeit zu geben, sich zurechtzufinden. Er schrie einen Kurs\u00fcberschrift, und Kassiopeia tauchte mit Mei und Rahul an beiden Flanken.\n\nGavin zog sich zusammen, drehte sich um und feuerte, um die Aufmerksamkeit der Angreifer auf sich zu ziehen. Er drehte sich und nahm die Hauptlast ihres R\u00fcckschusses auf seine st\u00e4rkeren Steuerbord-Schilde.\n\nDer Aufprall ersch\u00fctterte das Entermesser heftig, und seine Schildintegrit\u00e4tsleiste sackte in das Rot. Gavin drehte sich um, machte einen weiteren wilden Schuss mit seinen Lasern und beschleunigte von Kassiopeia weg mit den Hornissen in der N\u00e4he.\n\nNavsat-Daten f\u00fcr den Sprung in den Nexus schlichen sich an den Rand von Walts HUD. Einige Sekunden und Tausende von Kilometern sp\u00e4ter blinzelte das erste der umk\u00e4mpften Raumschiffe auf das Display. Sein Bruder und das Rhedd Alert Team waren hart unter Druck.\n\nWalt beobachtete Brock und ihre Crew im Kreis und schlug zu und rief die Rhedd Alert Schiffe. Gavin versuchte, die Angreifer wegzuf\u00fchren, aber Brock wollte nicht bei\u00dfen. Indem sie den Kampf zentriert auf den UEE-Transport ausrichtete, hielt sie im Wesentlichen den Transport als Geisel.\n\nZeit, die Chancen zu verbessern.\n\nDie Jazza riss in eine der Hornissen. Walt sah, wie die \u00fcberlegenen Schilde des feindlichen J\u00e4gers den Aufprall absorbierten. Er markierte diese Hornisse als sein Ziel und bereitete sich darauf vor, vor der Wiederaufladung ihrer Verteidigung zuzuschlagen.\n\nEr t\u00f6tete seinen prim\u00e4ren Antrieb und drehte sich von einer Seite zur anderen und schlug r\u00fcckw\u00e4rts durch das Nahkampfgeschehen wie ein lodernder Komet. Sein Zielsystem war auf die gegnerische Hornisse gerichtet, und sein schweres Breitschwert schoss Kugeln hinein.\n\nMei's zerschlagener K\u00e4mpfer sprang durch die str\u00f6menden Wrackteile, aber die Super Hornet, vermutlich Brock, wartete auf der anderen Seite auf sie. Eine Explosion aus ihrer Neutronenkanone riss durch das Rhedd Alert Schiff. Mei warf sicher aus, aber ihr Team war auf einem Schiff.\n\n\"Bei den G\u00f6ttern\", Gavins Stimme war verzweifelt. \"Verschwinde von hier, Walt. Stell dich mit dem Transport auf und bring sie vom Kampf weg.\"\n\nWalt ignorierte ihn. Er kam f\u00fcr einen weiteren Durchgang vorbei und l\u00f6ste sein Mikrofon zu einem offenen Kanal aus. \"Das Spiel ist aus, Brock.\"\n\nSeine Worte \u00fcberspannten den Schub und das Rad des Nahkampfes, und f\u00fcr einen Moment flogen die K\u00e4mpfer auf allen Seiten in ruhigen Mustern \u00fcber der fliehenden Kassiopeia.\n\n\"Wei\u00dft du\", sagte Walt, \"wenn du wolltest, dass wir glauben, dass du nach dem Transport bist, h\u00e4ttest du deine gro\u00dfen Waffen f\u00fcr Kassiopeia aufbewahren sollen, anstatt unseren Freund zu \u00fcberfordern.\"\n\n\"Ich nehme an, ich sollte entt\u00e4uscht sein, dass du mich gefunden hast\", Brocks Stimme war ein gekniffener Spott, und genauso kalt und hart, wie Gavin es beschrieben hatte. \"Andererseits bin ich froh, dass du das mit mir geteilt hast. Ich w\u00e4re vielleicht damit zufrieden gewesen, die Mehrheit Ihrer so genannten Flotte zu deaktivieren. Nun, es scheint, dass ich gr\u00fcndlicher sein muss.\"\n\nSie feuerte, er wich aus, und der Kampf begann wieder ernsthaft. Walt schaltete seine Kommunikation auf Rhedd Alert's Squad-Kanal um. \"Brock war nie hinter Kassiopeia her, Gav. Sie ist hinter uns her.\"\n\n\"Vielleicht bin ich ein wenig abgelenkt von all den Raketen und der Neutronenkanone, aber ich verstehe nicht, warum das im Moment \u00fcberhaupt relevant ist.\"\n\n\"Wir sind der Technik in ihren Schiffen nicht gewachsen. Wenn sie nach dem Transport geht, sind sie erledigt.\" Er rollte neben Gavin in Position. Zusammen st\u00fcrzten sie sich hinunter, um sich von oben auf eine Hornisse zu st\u00fcrzen.\n\n\"Gro\u00dfartig\", sagte Gavin, \"warum hast du sie dann informiert?\"\n\nWalt unterdr\u00fcckte ein b\u00f6ses Grinsen. \"Weil\", sagte er, \"sie es sich auch nicht leisten kann, einen von uns entkommen zu lassen.\"\n\n\"Wenn du irgendwelche brillanten Ideen hast, spuck sie aus. Ich bin ganz Ohr.\"\n\n\"Lauf mit mir.\" Soweit Walt wusste, konnte Brock jedes Wort h\u00f6ren, das sie sagten. Sie w\u00fcrde sie zerrei\u00dfen, wenn sie bleiben w\u00fcrden. Er musste Gavin dazu bringen, ihm zu folgen. \"Lauf mit mir, Gavin.\"\n\n\"Verdammt, Walt! Wenn du gekommen bist, um zu helfen, dann hilf mir. Ich habe einen Piloten unten, und ich lasse sie nicht hier, um OK'd wie Boomer zu bekommen.\"\n\n\"Es geht hier nicht darum, es einfach zu machen, Gav. Jemand, den ich wirklich bewundere, hat mir einmal gesagt, dass es bei diesem Spiel um Vertrauen geht. Also frag dich selbst.... vertraust du mir?\"\n\nGavin knurrte damals mit seinem Namen und zog das Wort in einem bitteren, inneren Kampf heraus. Das Gewicht davon lie\u00df Walts Hals verengen. Trotz all ihrer Argumente, Boomer's Tod und seiner eigenen Desertion, als die Dinge hart wurden - trotz allem - wollte sein Bruder ihm immer noch vertrauen.\n\n\"Vertrau mir, Gavin.\"\n\nBrock und ihr Fl\u00fcgelmann fielen tief und tauchten in die Kassiopeia und ihre Eskorte. Jazza leitete sie mit einem lodernden Strom von Laserfeuer um und wurde im Gegenzug von der Neutronenkanone ersch\u00fcttert. Die Schilde um ihr misshandeltes Entermesser blitzten, verdunkelten und versagten dann.\n\nWalt knirschte mit den Z\u00e4hnen. Es war jetzt oder nie.\n\n\"Jazz\", klang Gavins Stimme hart und scharf, \"sammelt sich mit Kassiopeia und macht eine Pause.\"\n\nWalt pumpte seine Faust und beschleunigte den Weg zur\u00fcck, auf dem er hereinkam.\n\n\"Walt\", klang Gavin w\u00fctend genug, um N\u00e4gel zu essen, aber er folgte: \"Ich bin auf deiner Sechs. Los geht's, Leute! Bewege dich, als h\u00e4ttest du einen Zweck.\"\n\nWalt zog eine Reihe von Koordinatenvorgaben hoch und streifte mit Gavin dicht hinter sich weg. Die beiden verbleibenden Hornissen trennten sich, wobei Brock hinter Gavin zur\u00fcckfiel, um die Verfolgung aufzunehmen. Sogar zusammen hatten er und Gavin keine gro\u00dfe Chance, an ihren \u00fcberlegenen Schilden vorbeizukommen. Stattdessen setzte er einen geraden Kurs auf den am Rand seines Displays markierten Wegpunkt. Als das eintreffende Feuer von Brock sie vom Kurs abbringen konnte, korrigierte er, um sie direkt wieder in Einklang mit der Markierung zu bringen.\n\nBrock holte auf. Gavins Symbol blinkte auf seinem Display. Sie war nah genug dran, um mit ihren Repeatern zuverl\u00e4ssig zu treffen. Als sie sich den voreingestellten Koordinaten n\u00e4herten, entdeckte Walt eine wellenf\u00f6rmige Verzerrung des blinkenden Sternenlichts. Er korrigierte seinen Kurs leicht und ging direkt auf ihn zu. Gavin und Brock waren hart hinter ihm.\n\n\"Komm schon\", fl\u00fcsterte Walt, \"bleib in der N\u00e4he.\"\n\nAuf der Truppendarstellung sah er, wie Gavins Schildintegrit\u00e4t noch einmal nachlie\u00df. Brock erzielte h\u00e4ufigere Treffer.\n\n\"Ein bisschen weiter weg.\"\n\nWalt konzentrierte sich auf die Wellen des Sternenlichts vor ihm, ein dunkler Fleck im Raum, der Nexus' Stern verschlang. Er machte eine leichte Kurskorrektur und Gavin passte sie an. Gemeinsam setzten sie ihren halsbrecherischen Flug nach Brocks t\u00f6dlichem Ansturm fort.\n\nDer kleine Fleck im dunklen Raum wuchs, als die drei Schiffe vorw\u00e4rts streiften. Walt \u00f6ffnete den Squad-Kanal an seinem Mikrofon und rief: \"Jetzt!\".\n\nAuf seinem HUD flammte ein neues Schiff auf das Display. Es schien sich fast \u00fcber ihnen zu materialisieren, als Dells R\u00e4cher aus ihrem Versteck im Inneren des geschw\u00e4rzten Rumpfes des verfallenen Idris fiel.\n\nWalt schlug gegen seine Triebwerke. Der Aufzug dr\u00fcckte ihn in seinen Sitz, als er nach oben und \u00fcber ihre Falle schob. Er h\u00f6rte Dell \u00fcber den Truppenkanal schreien, und er drehte sich um und versuchte, hinter sich zu sehen. Helle Blitze aus Brocks M\u00fcndungen begleiteten einen schrecklichen, h\u00e4mmernden Donner. Dell hatte ihr Mikrofon offen gelassen und es klang, als ob die massive Waffe drohte, ihr Schiff auseinander zu rei\u00dfen.\n\n\"Achtung, Gav!\"\n\nDells Stimme traf Gavin wie ein k\u00f6rperlicher Schlag.\n\nEr sah seinen Bruder klettern und verschwand pl\u00f6tzlich hinter einer leeren, sternenlosen Fl\u00e4che. Dann materialisierte sich Boomer's Avenger aus dieser Schw\u00e4rze heraus, und Gavin wusste, dass sich seine Frau im Cockpit befand. Sie war bei ihm, drau\u00dfen in der Dunkelheit, wo erfahrene Piloten sie unterlegen haben.\n\nSein K\u00f6rper reagierte, wo sein Verstand es nicht konnte. Er schob sich nach unten, hart. Die Triebwerke spannten sich, als er instinktiv versuchte, einen Zusammensto\u00df mit ihr zu vermeiden. Ein brillanter Impuls wie Blitze begleiteten ein rasselndes Donnern des Klangs.\n\nGavin zwang sein ramponiertes Schiff, sich zu drehen. Das Entermesser schauderte vor dem Stress, und Gavin wurde in die Seite des Cockpits gedr\u00fcckt, als die Nase seines Schiffes herumkam.\n\nEr sah den ersten schweren runden Schlag Brock. Die kombinierte Kraft der Granate und ihr Impuls zerfetzten ihre vorderen Schilde. Dann riss er Runde f\u00fcr Runde durch die Nase von Brocks Schiff, bis sich die Luft im Inneren entz\u00fcndete.\n\n\"Dell\" - die flammende Hornisse st\u00fcrzte wie ein riesiges Beil auf seine Frau zu - \"Vorsicht!\"\n\nBrock wurde ausgeworfen.\n\nDell stie\u00df zur Seite, aber die Hornisse hackte in den Rumpf, wo sie sich versteckt hatte. Die Explosion lie\u00df Schiffe und Tr\u00fcmmer in alle Richtungen auseinander rotieren.\n\n\" Dell!\"\n\nEr fegte herum, um ihr sich drehendes Schiff abzufangen. Walt hat ihn dort geschlagen. Thrusters feuerten in streng kontrollierten Bewegungen, Walt fing ihren R\u00e4cher, verlangsamte ihn und stoppte den Spin.\n\nGavin rollte, um sich mit seiner Frau ins Cockpit zu setzen.\n\n\" Dell?\"\n\nSie sa\u00df in Stille an der Steuerung, der Kopf nach unten und drehte sich zur Seite.\n\n\"Komm schon, Baby. Sprich mit mir.\"\n\nSie bewegte sich.\n\nMit der langsamen \u00dcberlegung, den Raum drucklos zu machen, rollte sie den Kopf auf die Schultern. Als sie aufblickte, trafen sich ihre Augen. Dell schenkte ihm ein langsames L\u00e4cheln und einen Daumen hoch. Er schluckte hart, und mit einer Hand an sein Herz gedr\u00fcckt, schloss er seine Augen schweigend und dankend.\n\nGavin drehte sein Entermesser und stie\u00df dorthin, wo Brock in der N\u00e4he schwebte, seine Waffensysteme waren noch immer hei\u00df. Er hielt dann inne und ragte \u00fcber sie, als sie \u00fcber Boomer gez\u00f6gert hatte.\n\nIhre Kommunikation war immer noch aktiv. \"Was jetzt, Rhedd?\"\n\nEr erinnerte sich an sie bei dem Treffen mit Greely. Gro\u00df, schlank und knackig. Sie wirkte jetzt klein und trieb nicht mehr als einen Meter von der kampfgesch\u00e4digten Nase seines Entermessers weg.\n\n\" Gavin?\" Dells Stimme klang nach dem Ruckus des Kampfes klein.\n\nWalt lie\u00df sich neben sich sehen. Seine Stimme war leise und ruhig, \"Ganz ruhig, Kumpel. Wir wurden nicht zu OK-Piloten erzogen.\"\n\n\"Sie ist es nicht wert\", sagte Dell.\n\nBrock knurrte, \"Mach es endlich.\"\n\nEr hatte Brocks Berichte monatelang studiert. Sie hatte mehr Schiffe und mehr Piloten, als er sich je vorstellen konnte. Was trieb sie dazu, sie zu schikanieren und einen seiner Leute f\u00fcr diesen Job zu t\u00f6ten?\n\n\"Ich will nur wissen, warum\", fragte er. \"Du hast andere Vertr\u00e4ge. Du hast wahrscheinlich mehr Geld verdient, als jeder von uns in seinem Leben sehen wird. Warum sind Sie hinter uns her?\"\n\nEr hielt Brocks Auge, die Lichter des Entermessers reflektierten ihr Visier.\n\n\"Warum?\", wiederholte sie. \"Sieh dich um, Rhedd. Es gibt kein Gesetz in diesen Systemen. Alles, was hier z\u00e4hlt, ist Mut zu nehmen, was man will, und die Bereitschaft zu opfern, um es zu behalten.\"\n\n\"Willst du \u00fcber Opfer reden?\", sagte er. \"Der Pilot, den du get\u00f6tet hast, war eine Familie.\"\n\n\" Du hast ihn in Gefahr gebracht\", sagte sie, \"nicht ich. Was in diesen Systemen nur wenig Ordnung gibt, habe ich mitgebracht. Ich habe meinen Erfolg aus dem Nichts geschnitzt. Ihr Unabh\u00e4ngigen seid Diebe. Ihr seid wie Nagetiere, die an den R\u00e4ndern des Erfolgs anderer knabbern.\"\n\n\"Ich war ein Dieb\", sagte er, \"und ein Schmuggler. Aber wir bauen unseren eigenen Erfolg, und wenn wir uns das n\u00e4chste Mal mit der Marine treffen\", feuerte Gavin seine Triebwerke gerade genug an, um Brock mit der Nase seines Schiffes zu schlagen, \"es wird in einem Gerichtssaal sein\".\n\nSie drehte sich und fiel, als sie flog, immer kleiner und kleiner, bis die PRB auf seinem HUD alles war, was er sehen konnte.\n\nEin Paar Vergelter mit Marine-Bezeichnungen lag vor dem Rhedd Alert Hangar, als Gavin und die Crew schlie\u00dflich zur\u00fcck nach Vista Landing humpelten.\n\nDie Besatzung an Bord der Kassiopeia hatte darauf bestanden, nach dem Kampf bei der medizinischen Versorgung und Genesung zu helfen. Das Team, das f\u00fcr die Abholung in Haven geplant war, bestand ebenfalls darauf, dass Rhedd Alert sich um ihre eigenen k\u00fcmmert, bevor es weitermacht. Technisch gesehen hatte niemand mit Navy SysCom gesprochen.\n\nHaben die Feuerwehrleute der Marine pers\u00f6nlich gesprochen? So weit er wusste, taten sie es.\n\nGavin k\u00fcmmerte sich um die Bereitstellung ihrer besch\u00e4digten Schiffe, w\u00e4hrend die anderen die Verwundeten tiefer in die Vista Landung eilten. Als er fertig war, tauschte er ein kurzes Nicken mit Barry Lidst aus, der hinter Major Greely stand.\n\n\"Major\", streckte Gavin seine Hand aus, \"Ich nehme an, jemand h\u00e4tte es mir schon gesagt, wenn ich gefeuert worden w\u00e4re.\"\n\nSeine Hand verschwand in der massiven Pfote des Majors. \"Ich nehme an, das h\u00e4tten sie auch.\"\n\n\"Wem verdanken wir dann die Ehre?\" Dell und Walt schlossen sich ihnen an, und Gavin stellte sich vor.\n\n\"'Ich' zuerst, dann'wir', \" wiederholte Greely, \"Das gef\u00e4llt mir, Rhedd. Ich sch\u00e4tze einen Mann, der Betrug akzeptiert. Sequenz pers\u00f6nlich, besteht aber darauf, die Auszeichnungen mit seinem Team zu teilen. Sag mir, Sohn. Wie bist du an Brock gekommen?\"\n\nGavin stie\u00df seine Frau an. Mit einem schelmischen Grinsen zog Dell ihren Arm um Gavins Taille herum und trat hin\u00fcber, um die Tarantel auf ihren ramponierten R\u00e4cher zu klopfen.\n\n\"Gut geschossen, Miss.\"\n\nDell zuckte mit den Schultern, \"Walt zog meine Tags, Nav-Bake und Flugschreiber, bevor wir losfuhren. Ich sa\u00df dunkel in einem K\u00f6der, als die Jungs sie direkt in den Lauf flogen.\"\n\nBarry lehnte sich zu Greely und sagte in einem v\u00f6llig h\u00f6rbaren Fl\u00fcstern: \"Es w\u00e4re vielleicht das Beste, wenn wir die illegalen Teile davon ignorieren.\"\n\nGreely winkte ihn ab. \"Das ist es, was der Vers braucht. M\u00e4nner und Frauen mit dem Mut, ihren Namen auf die Seite eines Hangars zu schlagen. Eine Chance f\u00fcr verantwortungsbewusste Zivilisten, gute, ehrliche Arbeitspl\u00e4tze mit echter Bezahlung f\u00fcr die Einheimischen zu schaffen. Dass ein ehemaliger Milit\u00e4runternehmer versucht hat, das zu vermasseln....\"\n\nGavin und das Team bekamen einen guten, genauen Blick darauf, wie w\u00fctend ein Navy-Offizier aussah. Es war die Art von Ausdruck, die einen Eindruck hinterlie\u00df.\n\n\"Jedenfalls\", komponierte Greely sich selbst, \"w\u00fcrde keine Seele im Vers dich daf\u00fcr verantwortlich machen, dass du uns als ein bisschen schlechte Gesch\u00e4fte abgeschrieben hast. Ich bin hier, um dich zu bitten, dass du dich daran h\u00e4ltst.\"\n\nGavin z\u00f6gerte, ihre finanzielle Situation vor ihren einzigen zahlenden Kunden zu bringen, aber sie wurden abgeh\u00f6rt. Rhedd Alert hatte nicht die Glaubw\u00fcrdigkeit, Munition zu kaufen, geschweige denn ihre abgeschossenen K\u00e4mpfer zu reparieren. \"Eigentlich, Sir. Ich denke, wir m\u00fcssen etwas Lukrativeres finden, als von ver\u00e4rgerten Amtsinhabern erschossen zu werden.\"\n\n\"Dar\u00fcber\", legte Greely seine Hand auf Gavins Schulter. Er f\u00fchrte ihn dazu, aus einem der gro\u00dfen Hangarfenster auf die Vergelter zu schauen, die drau\u00dfen schwimmen. \"Mein Buchhalter sagt mir, dass es vielleicht etwas Spielraum gibt, um bestimmte Teile des Tiroler Vertrages neu zu verhandeln. Aber dieser Job wird nicht ausreichen, um Ihr Team zu besch\u00e4ftigen, jetzt, wo Brock aus dem Weg ist.\"\n\nGavin lachte. \"In diesem Punkt hoffe ich sehr, dass du Recht hast.\"\n\n\"Nun.... Ich habe mehr Arbeit f\u00fcr ein Outfit wie Ihres. Ich hoffe, ihr akzeptiert es, denn ihr Leute habt es euch verdient. Sag mir, Rhedd, bist du mit dem Oberon-System vertraut?\"\n\nHinter ihnen lie\u00df Walt seinen Helm fallen.\n\nDas Ende","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Brothers In Arms: Part Four was published originally in Jump Point 3.8. Read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.\nA recorded hymn played as they sent Arun \u201cBoomer\u201d Ains\u00adley into whatever great adventure awaits in the everafter. Gavin set the service in the Rhedd Alert hangar, and the recording sounded terrible. The last somber note rebounded off the room\u2019s hard surfaces and harsh angles.\n\nHe wished they could have had a live band. He would have paid for an orchestra, if one were to be had on the orbit\u00adal station. Even a bugle would have been a better tribute for the man who had brought Dell into his life. For the man who taught him and Walt so much about living a free life.\n\nDell\u2019s arm felt small around his waist and Gavin pulled her in close to him, unsure if that was the right thing to do. He turned to kiss her hair and saw Walt\u2019s lean form looming beside them. Walt\u2019s face was fixed in a grim mask.\n\nGavin knew his brother well enough to know that Walt was berating himself inside. He didn\u2019t deal well with guilt or re\u00adsponsibility, and Gavin suspected that was a big part of why Walt always ran.\n\nThe gathering started to break up. Pilots and the hangar crew busied themselves with tasks around Rhedd Alert\u2019s battered fleet of fighters. Dell didn\u2019t move, so he stayed there with her. Walt rested a hand on his shoulder.\n\n\u201cGavin. Oh gods, Dell. I can\u2019t tell you how sorry I am.\u201d\n\nJazza leaned in and spoke in a low tone, almost a whisper. \u201cLanding gear up in ten, boss. Your rig is on the buggy.\u201d She motioned with her chin to where his ship waited.\n\nDell turned into him and squeezed. \u201cBe careful.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will, babe.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou come home to me, Gavin Rhedd. I\u2019ll kill you myself if you make me run this outfit on my own.\u201d\n\nHe pressed his lips to the top of her head. Held them there.\n\n\u201cWait. What?\u201d Walt\u2019s jaw was slack, his eyes wide. \u201cTell me you aren\u2019t going back out there.\u201d\n\nJazza bumped Walt with her shoulder, not so much walking past him as through him. \u201cDamn right we are, Quitter.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know what? Screw you, Jazz. All right? You used to quit this outfit, like . . . twice a month.\u201d\n\n\u201cNot like you. Not like some chicken sh\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cJazz,\u201d Gavin said, \u201cgo make sure the team is ready to roll, would ya?\u201d With a nod to Gavin and a parting glare at Walt, she moved away into the hangar.\n\n\u201cLet it be, Walt. We really do need to go. After last time, we can\u2019t risk being late for the pickup.\u201d\n\n\u201cScrew late!\u201d Walt\u2019s eyes were wide and red-rimmed around the edges. \u201cWhy the happy hells are you going at all?\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t \u2018Walt\u2019 me, Gavin. There is a pack of psychopaths out there trying to kill you!\u201d\n\n\u201cWalt, would you shut up and listen for two seconds? We don\u2019t have a choice, okay? We\u2019ve got everything riding on this job. We\u2019re months behind on this place and extended up to our necks on credit for fuel, parts, and ammo.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey can damn well bill me!\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d Gavin said, \u201cthey can\u2019t. Your shares reverted back to the company when you quit. But I\u2019m legit now. You think we lived life on the run before? Just you watch if I try to run from this.\u201d\n\nWalt turned to Dell for assistance, \u201cDell, come on. You gotta make him listen to reason.\u201d\n\n\u201cBoomer\u2019s shares transferred to me when he died,\u201d Dell said. \u201cWe\u2019re in this together.\u201d\n\n\u201cOkay, boss,\u201d Jazza called. The three of them looked to where she stood with a line of determined crew. \u201cIt\u2019s time.\u201d\n\nWalt watched the big bay doors close as the last of Gavin\u2019s team left the hangar. His fighter and the few remaining ships looked small and awkwardly out of place in the big room. Standing alone next to Dell gave him a great appreci\u00adation for that awkwardness.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Dell. If I\u2019d been there \u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d she stopped him with a word, and then contin\u00adued with a shake of her blue-tipped hair. \u201cDon\u2019t do that to yourself. I\u2019ve been over the tactical logs. He got beat one-on-one, and then they OK\u2019d him. There was nothing you could have done.\u201d\n\n\u201cI still feel rotten,\u201d he said. \u201cLike, maybe if I hadn\u2019t left . . . I don\u2019t know.\u201d\n\n\u201cGavin blames himself, too. That\u2019s just the way you two are built. But believe me, there was never a soul alive able to keep my dad out of the cockpit. He was flying long before you Rhedd boys tumbled into our lives.\u201d\n\nThat gave him a smile. A genuine smile. It seemed to bright\u00aden Dell\u2019s mood, so he did his best to hang onto it.\n\n\u201cCome on,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long couple of weeks. Join me for some coffee?\u201d\n\nHe did, and for a time they spoke softly at the tall tables in the hangar\u2019s kitchenette. Dell caught him up on life aboard Vista Landing since he had left. She was clearly exhausted and not simply from a sleepless night and her father\u2019s funeral. Her shoulders sagged, and dark circles under her eyes were the product of weeks of labor and worry. The constant apprehension of the Hornets\u2019 vi\u00adcious attacks had apparently exhausted more than just the pilots. It seemed odd that the attacks felt strangely personal.\n\n\u201cYou know what I can\u2019t figure out?\u201d he mused aloud. Dell looked at him, tired eyes politely expectant. \u201cWhat the hell are these guys after?\u201d\n\nShe nodded, \u201cYeah. There\u2019s been a lot of speculating on that question.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd?\u201d\n\n\u201cHard to say, isn\u2019t it? Could be political wackos opposed to the research in Haven. Or maybe it\u2019s one of the old gangs that don\u2019t like us going legit. Could be it\u2019s a group of Tevarin lashing out against UEE targets. Who knows?\u201d\n\n\u201cNaw. If they were Tevarin, we could tell by how they fly.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen you tell me, if you\u2019re so smart. I mean, you were out there. You fought them.\u201d\n\nWalt shrugged and took a sip of cooling coffee. Something she said nagged at him. \u201cHey, you said you had navsat tac\u00adtical logs from the fight, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cYeah.\u201d What remained of her energy seemed to drain away with that one word. Walt cursed himself for the insensitive ass that he was. He\u2019d just asked her about re\u00adcorded replays of her father\u2019s murder.\n\n\u201cDell. Ah, hell . . . I\u2019m sorry. I shouldn\u2019t have asked.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been over and over them already. Really, I don\u2019t mind.\u201d\n\nThey moved to a console and the lights dimmed automat\u00adically when she pulled up the hangar projection. She se\u00adlected a ship, and oriented the view so that the hologram of Boomer\u2019s Avenger filled the display. No, Walt reminded himself, it wasn\u2019t Boomer\u2019s ship any more. Dell was his heir and \u2014 along with his debt \u2014 Boomer\u2019s assets now belonged to her.\n\nDell bypassed the default display of the structural hard\u00adpoints and dove into the ship\u2019s systems. Something caught his eye and he stopped her. \u201cWait, back up.\u201d She did, and Walt stopped the rotating display to look along the under\u00adcarriage of the ship. He let out a low whistle.\n\n\u201cThat, Walter Rhedd, is a Tarantula GT-870 Mk3.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know what it is. But where did you get it?\u201d\n\n\u201cRemember those pirates that gave us so much trouble in Oberon? I pulled it before we sold the salvage.\u201d\n\nHe certainly did remember, and the bastards had kicked the crap out of two of their ships with their Tarantulas. \u201cHow\u2019d you get it mounted on an Avenger?\u201d\n\n\u201cHammer therapy,\u201d she said. He gave her a confused look, and she held up one arm, curling it to make a muscle. \u201cI beat the hell out of it until it did what I wanted.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn, girl.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you want to see the flight recorder?\u201d\n\nThey watched the navsat replays together in silence. It looked like one hell of a fight. Chaotic. Frantic. The Rhedd Alert fighters were hard pressed.\n\nJazza had moments of tactical brilliance. As much as she rubbed him the wrong way, Walt had to admit that she made her Cutlass dance steps for which it wasn\u2019t de\u00adsigned. Gavin orchestrated a coherent strategy and had committed extra fighters to drive off the attack. Some\u00adthing was wrong, though. Something about the fight didn\u2019t make sense.\n\nWalt had Dell replay the scene so he could focus on the marauders. It didn\u2019t look like much of a fight at all from that perspective. It looked more like a game and only one team understood how all the pieces moved. The Hornets flew to disrupt, to confuse. They knew Gavin would send a force forward to protect the transport. He\u2019d done it every time they had met.\n\n\u201cSee that?\u201d he said. \u201cThey break apart there and get called immediately back into formation. They never leave a flank exposed. Our guys never get a real opening.\u201d He pointed out one of the attacking Hornets. \u201cThat one calls the shots.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s the one that OK\u2019d Boomer.\u201d\n\nReds and greens from the navsat display sparkled in Dell\u2019s eyes. Her voice was emotionless and flat. Walt didn\u2019t want to see her like that, so he focused again on the display.\n\nThe marauder he\u2019d identified as the leader broke from the melee. Gavin gave chase, but from too far behind. Boomer intercepted, was disabled, and his PRB flashed red on the display. The Hornet took a pass at the transport before turning to rejoin its squad. Then it decelerated, pausing before the overkill on Boomer.\n\n\u201cWhy take only one pass at the transport? They\u2019ve hit us, what? Six times? Seven? And once they finally get a shot at the target, they bug out?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou said, \u2018us\u2019,\u201d Dell teased. \u201cYou back to stay?\u201d\n\nWalt huffed a small laugh. \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been lucky,\u201d Dell offered in answer to his question. \u201cSo far, we\u2019ve chased them off.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou really believe that? They had this fight won if they wanted it. And how do they keep finding us? It\u2019s like they\u2019ve taken up permanent residence in our damned flight path.\u201d\n\nThat was it. He had it. The revelation must have shown on his face.\n\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Dell asked. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cBack it up to the strafe on the Aquila.\u201d\n\nDell did, and they watched it again. He felt like an ass for making her watch the murder of her father over again, but he had to be sure of what he saw.\n\nAnd there it was. Strafe. Turn. Pause. A decision to com\u00admit. An escalating act of brutality. And then they were gone.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not after the transport at all. We were her target this whole time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWait,\u201d Dell said, \u201cwhat she? Her who?\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease tell me your ex hasn\u2019t drunk himself out of a job with the Navy.\u201d\n\n\u201cBarry? Of course not, why?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause I just figured out who killed your father.\u201d\n\nMorgan Brock called the meeting to a close and dismissed her admin team. Riebeld caught her eye and lifted one hand off the table \u2014 a request for her to stay while the others shuffled out of the conference room.\n\nRiebeld kept her waiting until they were alone, and then stood to close the door.\n\n\u201cI take it,\u201d Brock said, \u201cthat our Tyrol problem persists despite the escalation?\u201d\n\n\u201cI got word during the meeting\u201d \u2014 he took a seat beside her at the table, voice pitched low \u2014 \u201cthat they should be making the jump to Nexus soon.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur discreet pilots? Are they deployed or here at the sta\u00adtion?\u201d\n\nHis answer was slow in coming, his nod reluctant. \u201cThey are here.\u201d\n\nBrock checked the time. Did some mental math. \u201cDisguise the ships. We will leave at 1700 and meet them in Nexus just inside the gate from Min.\u201d\n\n\u201cMorgan,\u201d Riebeld\u2019s eyes roamed the room, \u201cthese guys aren\u2019t taking the hint. I don\u2019t know what losses we have to hand them before they back down, but . . . I don\u2019t know. Part of doing business is losing bids, am I right?\u201d She didn\u2019t disagree and he continued. \u201cMaybe . . . Maybe we ought to write this one off?\u201d\n\n\u201cA comfortable position to hold in your seat, Riebeld. Your commission is based on the contract value. I barely turned a profit on that job for years. I did it willingly, with the expected reward of windfall profits when traffic to Haven surges.\u201d\n\n\u201cI get that,\u201d he said. \u201cI really do. But at some point we have to call it a loss and focus on the next thing, right?\u201d\n\n\u201cThen suppose that we let the Tyrol job go, and Greely and Navy SysCom see what they want to see from bou\u00adtique contractors. I can already imagine anti-establishment politicians pushing for more outsourced work. Hell, they will probably promise contracts to buy votes in their home systems.\u201d\n\nShe watched him squirm. It wasn\u2019t like him to wrestle with his conscience. Frankly, she was disappointed to learn that he\u2019d found one.\n\n\u201cIf Rhedd Alert won\u2019t withdraw willingly,\u201d she said, \u201cthen they will have to fail the hard way. Prep the ships, Rie\u00adbeld. We have done very well together, you and I. You should know that I won\u2019t back away from what is mine.\u201d He seemed to appreciate her sincerity, but Brock wanted to hear the cocksure salesman say it. \u201cAre we clear?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d Riebeld swallowed and stood. \u201cPerfectly clear.\u201d\n\n\u201cAny luck?\u201d Walt pulled up Barry\u2019s record in his mobiGlas and hit connect.\n\nDell sat at the hangar console trying to reach Gavin and the team. Her brow furrowed in a grimace and she shook her head.\n\n\u201cDamn. Okay, keep trying.\u201d\n\nBarry connected. The accountant wore his uniform. He was on duty, wherever he was, and his projected face looked genuinely mournful. \u201cHey,\u201d he said, \u201clong time no see, man. Listen, I can\u2019t tell you how sad I am about Boomer.\u201d\n\n\u201cThanks.\u201d Barry had known Dell and Boomer for most his life. He\u2019d probably been torn between attending the service and allowing the family to grieve in privacy. Regardless, commiseration would have to wait. \u201cWe need your help, Barry. Please tell me that you have access to the propos\u00adals for the Tyrol contract.\u201d\n\n\u201cOf course I do. And who\u2019s we? Are you back with Dell and Gavin?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am,\u201d he felt Dell\u2019s eyes on him when he said it. \u201cAnyway, we need a favor. I need to know the ship models and con\u00adfigurations proposed by the incumbent.\u201d\n\n\u201cMorgan Brock\u2019s outfit, sure. No can do on the ship data, though. That information is all confidential. Only the price proposals are available for public review, and those only during the protest period.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome on, Barry. We\u2019re not talking trade secrets here. I could figure this out with a fly-by of their hangar in Kilian. I just don\u2019t have time for that. I need to know what ships those guys fly.\u201d\n\nBarry breathed out a heavy sigh, \u201cHold on. But I can\u2019t send you the proposals, okay? You guys are already on thin ice with this contract as is.\u201d\n\n\u201cTell me about it. And thanks, I owe you huge for this.\u201d\n\nWalt waited, throat dry. He scratched at a chipped edge on his worn mobiGlas with a fingernail.\n\n\u201cAll right,\u201d Barry read from something off-screen, \u201cit looks like they\u2019re flying a variety of Hornets. Specifically, F7As. I can send you a list of the proposed hardpoints, and I hap\u00adpen to know that Brock herself flies a Super Hornet.\u201d\n\nThe mobiGlas shook on Walt\u2019s wrist. His face felt hot, and he forced his jaw to relax. \u201cBarry, if you have any pull with the Navy, get some ships to Tyrol. It\u2019s been Brock this whole time. She\u2019s been setting us up to fail. And she\u2019s the bitch that OK\u2019d Boomer.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going, Walt. That\u2019s final.\u201d\n\nWalt rubbed at his eyes with the flat part of his fingers. How did Gavin ever win an argument with her? Forbidding her involvement was a lost cause. Maybe he could reason with her. \u201cListen. When\u2019s the last time you were even in a cockpit?\u201d\n\n\u201cI know this ship. I was practically born in these things.\u201d\n\n\u201cDell \u2014\u201d\n\nShe threw his helmet at him. He caught it awkwardly, and she had shed her coveralls and was wriggling into her flight suit before he could finish his thought. She stared at him with hard eyes and said, \u201cSuit up if you don\u2019t want to get left behind.\u201d\n\nDell was as implacable as gravity. Fine. It was her funeral, and he realized there was no way his brother had ever won an argument with her.\n\nThey finished prepping in silence. Walt pulled the chocks on her Avenger when she climbed up into the cockpit. He gave the hulking muzzle of the Tarantula an appreciative pat. \u201cYou have ammo for this bad boy?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have a little.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood,\u201d he smiled. \u201cLet\u2019s hope Brock isn\u2019t ready to handle reinforcements.\u201d\n\nWalt mulled that thought over. It was true that Gavin had split their team in each fight, but Rhedd Alert had never sent in reserves. Each engagement had been a fair and straightforward fight. Brock wasn\u2019t likely to know anything about their resources, however limited, beyond the escort team. That could work to their advantage.\n\nIn fact, \u201cHey, Dell. Hop out for a tick, will you?\u201d\n\n\u201cLike hell I will.\u201d The look she shot down at him was pure challenge. \u201cI said I\u2019m going and that\u2019s that.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, no. I\u2019ve already lost that fight. But you and your cannon here got me thinking about those pirates in Oberon. Tell me, did we ever find a buyer for that old Idris hull?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo. It\u2019s buoyed in storage outside the station, why?\u201d\n\nDell looked at him skeptically and he grinned. \u201cWe\u2019re going to introduce these military-types to\nsome ol\u2019 smugglers\u2019 tricks.\u201d\n\nGavin held the team at the edge of the jump gate between Min and Nexus. \u201cAll right gang, listen up. You know the drill and what might be waiting for us on the other side. Jazza, I want you and Rahul up on point for this jump. I\u2019ll bring Cassiopeia over after you and the rest of the team are in. Anyone not ready to jump?\u201d\n\nHis team was silent as they arranged themselves into position with professional precision. The pilot aboard Cassiopeia sounded the ready and Gavin sent Jazza through. The others were hard on her heels, and Gavin felt the always-peculiar drop through the mouth of the jump gate.\n\nLight and sound stretched, dragging him across the inter\u00adspace. Another drop, a moment\u2019s disorientation, and then Nexus resolved around him.\n\nWithout warning, Mei\u2019s fighter flashed past his forward screen. Incandescent laser fire slashed along the ghost grey and fire-alarm red ship, crippling Mei\u2019s shields and shearing away sections of armored hull. Mei fired back at a trio of maddeningly familiar Hornets in a tight triangular formation.\n\nJazza barked orders. \u201cMei. Rahul. Flank Gavin and get Cassiopeia out of here. Gavin, you copy that? You have the package.\u201d\n\nHe shook his head, willing the post-jump disorientation away. He didn\u2019t remember bringing up his shields, but they flashed on his HUD and his weapon systems were armed.\n\n\u201cCopy that.\u201d Gavin switched to the transport channel, \u201cCassiopeia. Let\u2019s get you folks out of here.\u201d\n\nThe crew onboard the UEE transport didn\u2019t need any more encouragement. Gavin accelerated to keep pace with the larger ship as two Rhedd Alert fighters dropped into posi\u00adtion above and below him. Together, they raced toward the jump gate to Tyrol.\n\nThe Hornets wheeled and dropped toward them from one side. Gavin\u2019s HUD lit up with alerts as Jazza sent a pair of rockets dangerously close over his head to blast into one of the attacking ships. Her ship screamed by overhead, but the Hornets stayed in pursuit of the fleeing transport.\n\nAlarms sounded. They needed more firepower on the Hornets to give Cassiopeia time to get clear. He yelled a course heading, and Cassiopeia dove with Mei and Rahul on either flank.\n\nGavin pulled up, turned and fired to pull the attention of the attackers. He spun, taking the brunt of their return fire on his stronger starboard shields.\n\nThe impact shook the Cutlass violently, and his shield integ\u00adrity bar sagged into the red. Gavin turned, took another wild shot with his lasers, and accelerated away from Cassiopeia with the Hornets in close pursuit.\n\nNavsat data for the jump into Nexus crept onto the edge of Walt\u2019s HUD. Several seconds and thousands of kilometers later, the first of the embattled starships winked onto the display. His brother and the Rhedd Alert team were hard-pressed.\n\nWalt watched Brock and her crew circle and strike, corralling the Rhedd Alert ships. Gavin tried to lead the attackers away, but Brock wouldn\u2019t bite. By keeping the fight centered on the UEE transport, she essentially held the transport hostage.\n\nTime to even the odds.\n\nJazza tore into one of the Hornets. Walt saw the enemy fighter\u2019s superior shields absorb the impact. He marked that Hornet as his target, preparing to strike before its defenses recharged.\n\nHe killed his primary drive and spun end to end, slash\u00ading backward through the melee like a blazing comet. His targeting system locked onto the enemy Hornet, and his heavy Broadsword blasted bullets into it.\n\nMei\u2019s battered fighter dove through the streaming wreck\u00adage, but the Super Hornet, presumably Brock, waited for her on the other side. A blast from her neutron cannon tore through the Rhedd Alert ship. Mei ejected safely, but their team was down a ship.\n\n\u201cGods,\u201d Gavin\u2019s voice was frantic. \u201cGet the hell out of here, Walt. Form up with the transport and get them away from the fight.\u201d\n\nWalt ignored him. He came around for another pass and triggered his mic to an open-area channel. \u201cThe game\u2019s up, Brock.\u201d\n\nHis words cut across the thrust and wheel of close com\u00adbat, and for a moment the fighters on all sides flew in quiet patterns above the fleeing Cassiopeia.\n\n\u201cYou know,\u201d Walt said, \u201cif you wanted us to believe you were after the transport, you should have saved your big guns for Cassiopeia instead of overkilling our friend.\u201d\n\n\u201cI suppose I should be disappointed that you have found me out,\u201d Brock\u2019s voice was a pinched sneer, and every bit as cold and hard as Gavin had described. \u201cOn the other hand, I\u2019m glad you\u2019ve shared this with me. I might have been content disabling the majority of your so-called fleet. Now, it seems that I will have to be more thorough.\u201d\n\nShe fired, he dodged, and the fight was on again in earnest. Walt switched his comms to Rhedd Alert\u2019s squad channel. \u201cBrock was never after Cassiopeia, Gav. She\u2019s been after us.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaybe I\u2019m a little distracted by all the missiles and the neutron cannon, but I\u2019m failing to see how that is at all relevant right now.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re no match for the tech in her ships. If she goes after the transport, they\u2019re toast.\u201d He rolled into position next to Gavin. Together, they nosed down to strafe at a Hornet from above.\n\n\u201cGreat,\u201d Gavin said, \u201cthen why did you tip her off?\u201d\n\nWalt suppressed a wicked grin. \u201cBecause,\u201d he said, \u201cshe can\u2019t afford to let any of us get away, either.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you have any brilliant ideas, spit \u2019em out. I\u2019m all ears.\u201d\n\n\u201cRun with me.\u201d For all Walt knew, Brock could hear every word they were saying. She would tear them apart if they stayed. He had to get Gavin to follow him. \u201cRun with me, Gavin.\u201d\n\n\u201cDamn it, Walt! If you came to help, then help. I\u2019ve got a pilot down, and I\u2019m not leaving her here to get OK\u2019d like Boom\u00ader.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis ain\u2019t about doing the easy thing, Gav. Someone I truly admire once told me that this game is all about trust. So ask yourself . . . do you trust me?\u201d\n\nGavin growled his name then, dragging out the word in a bitter, internal struggle. The weight of it made Walt\u2019s throat constrict. Despite all of their arguments, Boomer\u2019s death and his own desertion when things got hard \u2014 in spite of all of that \u2014 his brother still wanted to trust him.\n\n\u201cTrust me, Gavin.\u201d\n\nBrock and her wingman swept low, diving to corral Cassiopeia and its escorts. Jazza redirected them with a blazing torrent of laser fire and got rocked by the neutron cannon in return. The shields around her battered Cutlass flashed, dimmed and then failed.\n\nWalt gritted his teeth. It was now or never.\n\n\u201cJazz,\u201d Gavin\u2019s voice sounded hard and sharp, \u201crally with Cassiopeia and make a break for it.\u201d\n\nWalt pumped his fist and accelerated back the way he\u2019d come in.\n\n\u201cWalt,\u201d Gavin sounded angry enough to eat nails, but he followed, \u201cI\u2019m on your six. Let\u2019s go, people! Move like you\u2019ve got a purpose.\u201d\n\nWalt pulled up a set of coordinate presets and streaked away with Gavin close behind him. The two remaining Hor\u00adnets split, with Brock falling in behind Gavin to give pursuit. Even together he and Gavin didn\u2019t have much chance of getting past her superior shields. Instead, he set a straight course for the waypoint marked at the edge of his display. When incoming fire from Brock drove them off course, he corrected to put them directly back in line with the mark.\n\nBrock was gaining. Gavin\u2019s icon flashed on his display. She was close enough to hit reliably with her repeaters. As they approached the preset coordinates, Walt spotted a rippling distortion of winking starlight. Correcting his course slightly, he headed straight for it. Gavin and Brock were hard behind him.\n\n\u201cCome on,\u201d Walt whispered, \u201cstay close.\u201d\n\nOn the squad display, he saw Gavin\u2019s shield integrity dropped yet again. Brock was scoring more frequent hits.\n\n\u201cA little farther.\u201d\n\nWalt focused on the rippling of starlight ahead, a dark patch of space that swallowed Nexus\u2019 star. He made a slight course correction and Gavin matched it. Together, they continued their breakneck flight from Brock\u2019s deadly onslaught.\n\nThe small patch of dark space grew as the three ships streaked forward. Walt opened the squad channel on his mic and shouted, \u201cNow!\u201d\n\nOn his HUD, a new ship flared onto the display. It appeared to materialize nearly on top of them as Dell\u2019s Avenger dropped from her hiding place inside the blackened hull of the derelict Idris.\n\nWalt punched his thrusters. The lift pressed him into his seat as he pushed up and over their trap. He heard Dell shouting over the squad channel, and he turned, straining to see behind him. Bright flashes from Brock\u2019s muzzles accompanied a horrible pounding thunder. Dell had left her mic open and it sounded like the massive gun was threat\u00adening to tear her ship apart.\n\n\u201cHeads up, Gav!\u201d\n\nDell\u2019s voice hit Gavin like a physical blow.\n\nHe saw his brother climb and suddenly disappear behind an empty, starless expanse. Then Boomer\u2019s Avenger materi\u00adalized from within that blackness, and Gavin knew that his wife was inside the cockpit. She was with him, out in the black where veteran pilots outgunned them.\n\nHis body reacted where his mind could not. He shoved down, hard. Thrusters strained as he instinctively tried to avoid colliding with her. A brilliant pulse like flashes of light\u00adning accompanied a jarring thunder of sound.\n\nGavin forced his battered ship to turn. The Cutlass shud\u00addered from the stress, and Gavin was pressed into the side of the cockpit as the nose of his ship came around.\n\nHe saw the first heavy round strike Brock. The combined force of the shell and her momentum shredded her for\u00adward shields. Then round after round tore through the nose of Brock\u2019s ship until the air ignited inside.\n\n\u201cDell\u201d \u2014 the flaming Hornet tumbled toward his wife like an enormous hatchet \u2014 \u201clook out!\u201d\n\nBrock ejected.\n\nDell thrust to one side, but the Hornet chopped into the hull where she had hidden. The explosion sent ships and debris spinning apart in all directions.\n\n\u201cDell!\u201d\n\nHe swept around to intercept her spinning ship. Walt beat him there. Thrusters firing in tightly controlled move\u00adments, Walt caught her Avenger, slowed it and stopped the spin.\n\nGavin rolled to put himself cockpit to cockpit with his wife.\n\n\u201cDell?\u201d\n\nShe sat in stillness at the controls, her head down and turned to one side.\n\n\u201cCome on, baby. Talk to me.\u201d\n\nShe moved.\n\nWith the slow deliberateness of depressurized space, she rolled her head on her shoulders. When she looked up, their eyes met. Dell gave him a slow smile and a thumbs-up. He swallowed hard, and with one hand pressed to his heart, he shut his eyes silently in thanks.\n\nGavin spun his Cutlass and thrust over to where Brock floated nearby, his weapons systems still hot. He paused then, looming above her as she had hesitated over Boomer.\n\nHer comms were still active. \u201cWhat now, Rhedd?\u201d\n\nHe remembered her from the meeting with Greely. Tall, lean, and crisp. She seemed small now, drifting not more than a meter away from the battle-scarred nose of his Cutlass.\n\n\u201cGavin?\u201d Dell\u2019s voice sounded small after the ruckus of the fight.\n\nWalt eased into view alongside him. His voice was low and calm, \u201cEasy, buddy. We weren\u2019t raised to OK pilots.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s not worth it,\u201d Dell said.\n\nBrock snarled, \u201cDo it already.\u201d\n\nHe had studied Brock\u2019s reports for months. She had more ships and more pilots than he could ever imagine employing. What drove her to harass them and kill one of his crew for this job?\n\n\u201cI just want to know why,\u201d he asked. \u201cYou\u2019ve got other contracts. You\u2019ve probably made more money than any of us will see in our lives. Why come after us?\u201d\n\nHe held Brock\u2019s eye, the lights from the Cutlass reflecting from her visor.\n\n\u201cWhy?\u201d she repeated. \u201cLook around you, Rhedd. There\u2019s no law in these systems. All that matters here is courage to take what you want, and a willingness to sacrifice to keep it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou want to talk sacrifice?\u201d he said. \u201cThat pilot you killed was family.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou put him in harm\u2019s way,\u201d she said, \u201cnot me. What little order exists in these systems is what I brought with me. I carved my success from nothing. You independents are thieves. You\u2019re like rodents, nibbling at the edges of others\u2019 success.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was a thief,\u201d he said, \u201cand a smuggler. But we\u2019re building our own success, and next time you and I meet with the Navy,\u201d Gavin fired his thrusters just enough to punch Brock with the nose of his ship, \u201cit\u2019ll be in a court\u00adroom.\u201d\n\nShe spun and tumbled as she flew, growing smaller and smaller until the PRB on his HUD was all he could see.\n\nA pair of Retaliators with naval designations were moored outside the Rhedd Alert hangar when Gavin and the crew finally limped back to Vista Landing.\n\nCrew aboard Cassiopeia had insisted on helping with medical care and recovery after the fight. The team scheduled for pick-up at Haven was similarly adamant that Rhedd Alert take care of their own before continuing. Technically, no one had checked with Navy SysCom.\n\nDid the Navy fire contractors face to face? For all he knew, they did.\n\nGavin saw to the staging of their damaged ships while the others hurried the wounded deeper into Vista Landing. When he\u2019d finished, he exchanged a quick nod with Barry Lidst who stood at ease behind Major Greely.\n\n\u201cMajor,\u201d Gavin held out his hand, \u201cI assume someone would have told me already if I was fired.\u201d\n\nHis hand disappeared in the major\u2019s massive paw. \u201cI sup\u00adpose they would have, at that.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen to what do we owe the honor?\u201d Dell and Walt joined them, and Gavin made introductions.\n\n\u201c\u2018I\u2019 first, then \u2018we,\u2019 \u201d Greely repeated, \u201cI like that, Rhedd. I appreciate a man who accepts consequence personally but insists on sharing accolades with his team. Tell me, son. How\u2019d you get Brock?\u201d\n\nGavin nudged his wife. With a roguish grin, Dell pulled her arm from around Gavin\u2019s waist and stepped over to pat the Tarantula on her battered Avenger.\n\n\u201cNice shooting, miss.\u201d\n\nDell shrugged, \u201cWalt pulled my tags, nav beacon and flight recorder before we left. I was sitting dark inside a decoy when the boys flew her right down the barrel.\u201d\n\nBarry leaned toward Greely and in a completely audible whisper said, \u201cIt might be best if we ignore the illegal parts of that.\u201d\n\nGreely waved him off. \u201cThis is what the \u2019verse needs. Men and women with the courage to slap their name up on the side of a hangar. A chance for responsible civilians to create good, honest jobs with real pay for locals. That an ex-military contractor tried to muck that up . . .\u201d\n\nGavin and the team got a good, close look at what angry looked like on a Navy officer. It was the kind of scowl that left an impression.\n\n\u201cAnyway,\u201d Greely composed himself, \u201cnot a soul in the \u2019verse would blame you for writing us off as a bit of bad business. I\u2019m here to ask that you stick with it.\u201d\n\nGavin was reluctant to bring their financial situation up in front of their one paying client, but they were tapped out. Rhedd Alert didn\u2019t have the cred to buy ammo, much less repair their downed fighters. \u201cActually, sir. I think we may need to find something a little more lucrative than getting shot up by disgruntled incumbents.\u201d\n\n\u201cAbout that,\u201d Greely rested his hand on Gavin\u2019s shoulder. He led him to look out one of the large hangar windows at the Retaliators buoyed outside. \u201cMy accountant tells me there may be some room to renegotiate certain parts of the Tyrol contract. But that job won\u2019t be enough to keep your team busy now that Brock\u2019s out of the way.\u201d\n\nGavin laughed. \u201cOn that point, I most certainly hope you are right.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell . . . I\u2019ve got more work for an outfit like yours. I hope you\u2019ll accept, because you folks have surely earned it. Tell me, Rhedd, are you familiar with the Oberon system?\u201d\n\nBehind them, Walt dropped his helmet.\n\nThe End"},"links_count":3,"comment_count":16,"created_at":"2019-04-24T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"7 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 22:17:52","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":17049,"next_id":17051}}