Cassandra's Tears: Issue #10 - [Comm-Links](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links) - Cassandra's Tears: Issue #10 Cassandra's Tears: Issue #10 ============================ Undefined Undefined Cassandra's Tears [Previous](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/12843) [Next](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/12845) Content ------- English In the Nul system, Grady Monk passed the time waiting for his contact by watching its only star. Scientists said it was a pulsating star. Didn’t look like it was pulsating to him. He checked his clock again. He was giving this guy ten more minutes then he was gonna move on to the next buyer. Grady Monk doesn’t wait for clients. He saw movement outside the ship in the corner of his eye. About damn time, he thought and turned. His eyes widened. Grady Monk’s ship disappeared in the definition of pulsating explosion. * * * * * Onboard the Gemini, Darrow sat across from Penny. He was finally getting the opportunity to talk. “You could be in a lot of trouble, lieutenant,” he said, “your rather long-winded monologue explained your reasons for illegally accessing Archive files but it doesn’t change the fact that you illegally accessing classified data.” The door opened. Admiral Showalter was there. He did not look amused. Penny and Darrow saluted. Showalter stepped in the room, he looked at Darrow. “Care to explain why you’re harassing my pilot?” “Sir, Lieutenant Ayala accessed…” “Cassandra Project files. I know. I talked to your superior, son.” Showalter said, his voice calm and deliberate. “You didn’t answer my question.” “Three months ago. We started noticing attempts to crack the Archive for lab notes regarding Cassandra and traced them back to the former project leader’s grandson, Warden.” Darrow cued the screen. Warden Mahony popped up, the same guy from the Phoenix. “The Advocacy placed Warden on a watch list. Three weeks ago he vanished. So when Lt. Ayala ‘accessed’ the project files, we were concerned of a security compromise.” “Well, she wasn’t working for this kid.” Showalter looked at Penny. She shook her head. “So the matter’s resolved.” * * * * * Four systems away in Banu territory, the matter was far from resolved. Cal was trying to figure out how to ambush the crew of the Phoenix when some hired hands showed up. Now instead of Sasha, Trunk, and Mahony, he had six more guns to deal with. Cal couldn’t hear if they were going to sell it or use it. Regardless, this thing could not get out. Now he only needed a plan of how to pull that off. Starting a firefight in here sounded like a bad idea. All it would take is one wild shot to clip the bomb and the room, maybe the whole settlement, would be nothing more than a pool of goo. Cal still had the P52 beacon wired to the Phoenix’s position so his best play was to get it in space and vaporize it. He wasn’t terribly optimistic about pitting a Cutlass against the Constellation but it’s better than trying to slug it out down here. Besides, he was better with wings than fists. Sasha talked quietly to the mercs then walked over to Mahony who was loading the rest of the Cassandra Project canisters into the bomb. “Are you done? We need to get this thing loaded.” “Yeah, couple minutes.” He muttered as he carefully wired the canisters to the firing mechanism. Sasha turned to the mercs. “Once we get this outside, get to your positions along our route. You think someone’s following us, even paying too much attention to us, I want to know immediately.” She turned to Trunk, “You pay them?” “Yeah, all set.” Cal slowly backed away. He wanted to get out there before the mercs did and retraced his steps back to the ventilation shaft. By the time he got outside, they were loading the covered bomb onto a tray of anti-grav buffers. Sasha nodded to the thugs who dispersed into the crowd. Cal memorized their faces and ducked away. Sasha and Trunk kept guarded while Mahony pushed the bomb through the narrow streets of the Banu settlement. None of the pedestrians paid them any mind. Cal kept pace and watched from a distance, making sure to avoid any of the mercs posted to flush out tails. These mercs were good because Cal didn’t see a single one. Only when they loaded the bomb into the cargo bay of the Phoenix, did Cal break off and run back to the Cutlass. He dropped into the pilot’s seat and heated up the engines. A quick scan and the P52 beacon plotted the Phoenix on his scope. Cal let them get some distance before he followed. They were heading back to the jump-point. Cal had a decision to make. Undoubtedly, they’ve worked out a way to get the bomb past the Customs scans but Cal could comm ahead to detain them and get the bomb. Downside, he wouldn’t get the buyer, if there was one. He weighed it. Not worth the risk. The longer this thing was out there, the more opportunities something could surprise Cal. He was tired of being surprised. “UEE Customs Station Charlie, Ferron System. This is Lt. Cal Mason, UEE Navy, SysID#5847DDC. I am tracking a dangerous weapon about to enter your system on a Constellation-class ship, possible designation Phoenix. Please separate and detain all vessels matching this description and forward this message onto Lieutenant Penelope Ayala, UEES Gemini.” He outlined everything he had seen as a separate attachment and sent the message ahead to the relay station. That should settle it. He doubted the Phoenix would try and start a fight. Unfortunately, as he continued flying, that ‘doubt’ turned to ‘they might’ then ‘most likely.’ There’s no way they’d let themselves get caught with a doomsday device. Now Cal was convinced he put a lot of Customs agents at risk. He kicked the throttle into full-burn and punched through the jump-point. On the other side, it was chaos. Ships tumbled through space without power. The Customs Station was in lockdown. Someone set off an EMP charge. A big one. Ships were taking advantage of the disabled security and racing through the jump-point while the few Customs and Police ships that had power scrambled to maintain order. It was the perfect cover for the Phoenix to slip through. Cal found the Phoenix’s bearing on his radar and went after them. By the time it came within sight, there were only a handful of ships in their flight lane. Cal started priming his weapons. He’d need to hit them hard and fast, knock out as much of their defensive capabilities as possible if he wanted to stand a- Laser fire flared past the cockpit. Cal veered away instinctively. A Marauder blasted past him and looped around for another pass. On his scans, the Phoenix raised shields. That’s when it hit him. Back in the lab, when Sasha said, “get to your positions along our route.” She didn’t mean the settlement. She meant in space. “Cal, you stupid son of a-” More incoming fire from the Phoenix. Cal rolled the ship out of the way. Suddenly, he got a comm from Phoenix. “Identify yourself.” It was her. “Take a guess.” Cal said. The marauder fell in behind him and opened fire with its guns. Cal swung his turret and returned fire. “Mason?” “You need to stop.” There was a long pause. “Go home, Mason.” “After seeing what that bomb can do…” Cal said. His system buzzed from a missile lock. He cut direction and dropped countermeasures. “You know I can’t do that.” “Your funeral.” “You’re not this person.” Cal blurted out hoping she hadn’t closed the channel. “You’re carrying something that could wipe out millions, possibly billions. I know you’ve got a bone to pick with the UEE and I get it, I do, but this is too much and I think you know it.” The marauder tagged him with an IR marker. A spread of missiles streaked from the rocket pod and acquired. The turret on the Phoenix swung around and hammered some shots too. The merc in the marauder was good but not great. It was the two ships fighting in tandem that was the problem. Cal broke off pursuit of the Phoenix and veered away, pulling the line of missiles with him. The marauder pursued. The Phoenix didn’t, its engines flashed and it raced away. Cal kicked the suicide brakes, which cut the engines and flipped the Cutlass completely around without losing his momentum. Cal opened up with his lasers at the incoming missiles. He managed to blast six of the eight before he had to flip back and gun it. The marauder unleashed its full arsenal on Cal. He clipped the last two missiles but the Cutlass took a slew of hits as well. Shields managed to hold. Free of the missiles, Cal was ready to tangle. The marauder lasted four minutes. Based on the Phoenix’s bearing, they were headed for the jump-point into Croshaw. He saw their signal flicker and disappear. They were through. Cal redirected all available power to the engines. The cutlass burst after them. * * * * * Darrow sent off his incident report and awaited orders from his superiors. Penny stared at the ceiling, bored out of her mind. The door slid open. A young ensign poked his head in. “Communication for Lt. Ayala,” the nervous ensign glanced at Darrow and paused, “It’s from Cal, ma’am.” Ten minutes later, Penny was in front of Showalter, replaying Cal’s message about the Phoenix, the bomb, everything. Showalter stared ahead. His eyes narrowed as he listened but his face was otherwise inscrutable, as usual. Darrow was by the door. “They’re going for Earth.” Showalter said after a protracted silence. “You don’t think they’ll try and sell it.” Penny said. “Twenty to one that kid’s gonna finish was his nut of a grandpa started.” Showalter buzzed the bridge. “Spin up the engines. We’re changing course.” * * * * * Croshaw system was quiet. It was an average day on almost all of the planets. People went to work. Kids went to school. There were four active jump-points in the system, one went to the Sol System and Earth, the second went to the Nul System an unclaimed system due to the variable star at its center, the third went to Davien System… Cal exited the fourth jump-point from Ferron. It took his radar a second to reacquire the Phoenix. It was on course for Nul. Cal kept up his pursuit, weaving around the general traffic in the system. Cal caught sight of a Constellation in the distance. He burned to close the distance. It was the Phoenix alright. His systems went nuts. A General Emergency Warning was being blasted on all channels. Something about… Oh no. Cal thought. He looked up. Black Talon emerged from the Nul jump-point followed by dozens of Vanduul fighters. They immediately started attacking the Customs Agents. A Vanduul flagship and the rest of the clan battleships appeared shortly after. Local cops and pilots suddenly turned to defend the system. The Phoenix flew past the waves of Vanduul and disappeared inside the flagship. Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place. The Phoenix didn’t hire the Vanduul to hit the system. The Vanduul hired them to build a weapon. This wasn’t Mahony’s revenge, this was an organized Vanduul strike into the heart of their enemy. The flagship opened fire with its weapons. Its fighters clashed with the paltry human resistance. Cal hopped on the general comm to organize the pilots and plunged right into the brawl. Pilots from both sides danced around each other, hunting for that killshot. Lasers burned through the void. Space became littered with debris and wreckage. Frantic chatter filled the channels. It was war. The Vanduul flagship altered its course toward the Sol system, toward Earth. Cal finished off the Vanduul fighter he’d been tangling with then assessed the situation. In short, it wasn’t going well. The Vanduul had more experience, were more ruthless. The police and scattered military personnel were doing some damage but as the Vanduul dispatched more and more civilians. Cal knew the tide would decidedly and lethally shift against them. Even if they managed to destroy the fighters, they were powerless against the larger Vanduul ships. Then he saw salvation… The Gemini. The beautiful Gemini appeared through the Ferron jump-point. Cal guessed they got his message. Seven wings of fighters launched from the deck. “We thought you were dead.” Penny said over comms. “Come on, Penny” Cal replied. “Well, when Grandpa gets ahold of you, you might wish you were.” “Great to see you, Penny.” “You too.” Penny said. “Shall we?” They dove into the fight. The Vanduul flagship turned its weapons on the Gemini. Deck cannons exchanged massive beams of destruction across the vacuum. Shields flared up, keeping the shots at bay. Smaller ships were incinerated in the crossfire. Cal and Penny fought side by side like they always did. He saw the Phoenix blast off from the flagship. It weaved its way through the battle, heading back to Ferron. His shields flared up. Cal looked up. Black Talon and a bunch of friends were bearing down on them. “Look who’s back.” Cal said. “Let’s get him.” Penny replied. Cal and Penny peeled off from their respective battles and moved to intercept Black Talon. They could see local pilots try to engage Black Talon but they were no match for the Vanduul ace. Cal opened fire on Black Talon who danced around the shots. Penny tried to fill in the gaps but Black Talon was too nimble. They were suddenly dodging blasts and rockets from dozens of raiders. Cal could barely keep sight of Black Talon as he spiraled through space, his shields taking multiple hits from multiple directions. Penny peeled off and twisted with a couple raiders. * * * * * Aboard the Phoenix, Sasha watched the empty space ahead. Her expression weary. Trunk was in the turret. He watched the desperate battle envelope the entire system with a similar countenance. He climbed down the ladder and joined his half-sister in the cockpit. “They’re getting torn up out there.” He said after a long pause. “It’s not our problem.” Sasha said quietly. It didn’t sound convincing. “Technically…” Trunk started to say but paused. “What.” “I don’t know. We did the job and got paid. So technically, our responsibility to them is done now. We can do what we want.” They sat in silence. “I’m just saying…” Trunk said. * * * * * Back in the brawl, some of the shields on the Vanduul flagship had failed. Explosions dotted along the side of the ship. The Gemini was taking its fair share of hits. One of the main guns had been blasted clean off causing munitions explosions below deck that punched the hull out like blisters. The other Vanduul battleships were specifically targeting the engines. The massive UEE carrier was starting to slow down. Cal set his sights on the flagship. The bomb must still be there. Would make sense. That’s the most secure place considering and it’s the only thing gunning for the Sol jump-point. He guessed it would be able to jump in a matter of minutes. “Penny, cover me.” “What are you doing now?” “You probably don’t want to know.” Cal flipped his ship around Black Talon’s fire and flashed toward the flagship. Black Talon started to come after him but Penny tied him up, giving Cal a headstart. He heard Penny curse over comms. He looked back. She was hit. One of her engines was out. Black Talon and the Vanduul fighters circled to finish her off. Cal glanced back to flagship closing on the jump-point. It was one or the other. As Cal reached for the retro thrusters, something swooped past his ship toward Penny. Laser blasts annihilated the Vanduul Scythes before they could strike. Black Talon broke away to avoid the fire. It was the Phoenix. “Good Luck, Mason.” Was all that came over the comms before the Phoenix fired its engines and took off. Penny got her engine back online and burned away to safety. Cal refocused on the flagship and got his game-face on. He ran through the layout of the ship from when he was on it. He visualized the landing bay. Deep, cavernous but plenty of room to maneuver. The flagship vanished into the jump-point. Laser blasts streaked past him from behind. Black Talon was back on his tail. Cal hit his afterburners. The Cutlass launched toward the jump-point and disappeared with Black Talon right on his tail. Space turned into a smear. The auto-pilot kicked in and started reducing his ship to a safe speed. Cal disabled it and kept the throttle down. He’d been through the Croshaw/Sol jump-point dozens of times. He only had about five minutes before they came out the other side. Something smashed his wing. The flagship slowly passed flickering in and out of view. The Cutlass’ frame groaned as it twisted. Cal pulled ahead of the flagship. On a wing and a prayer, he cut the afterburners and spun the ship. Suddenly he was scooped inside the landing bay. He scanned the flight deck below. Baffled Vanduul fired small arms and yelled at him. Three minutes. He made a complete pass through the flight deck but didn’t- There. Mechanics were rigging the bomb onto a Vanduul bomber. Cal swung the Cutlass around. Black Talon suddenly came into view, bearing down. Cal tried to not let it distract him. He focused on his target. He knew he wouldn’t get another shot at this. Two minutes. Black Talon charged him, weapons blazing. Cal fired. * * * * * It was quiet in Sol. Reinforcements amassed at the jump-point. The front of the Vanduul flagship pierced the jump-point. All the UEE Naval ships heated up their guns. But they didn’t fire. Only the front half of the Vanduul flagship tumbled out of the jump-point, the back half was gone. That’s when Cal’s Cutlass emerged from the landing bay. It had also been hit by the Cassandra gas. He immediately ejected. The momentum flung him toward the line of Navy guns. He twisted around to watch the Vanduul flagship turn to a molecular goo in zero-g. The cutlass too. It was shame. He started to like that ship. Now that the adrenaline had subsided, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. Felt broken. He sighed and waved for the cavalry to pick him up. * * * * * Cal stepped back onto the Gemini to thunderous applause. Kerney, the giant pit mechanic, swooped him in a big bear hug. Penny waited with her hands on her hips and a grin. Cal saluted her. She nodded. The pilots and crew patted him on the back as he limped across the deck. The crowd parted and he was face to face with Admiral Showalter. Cal stood at attention and saluted. “Sir.” Showalter glared at him for several moments. “We buried you, Mason.” “I’m sorry I screwed that up, sir.” Cal tried not to smile. That was the fourth funeral they’ve apparently had for him. “I’ll try to stay dead next time.” Showalter shook his head and walked away. Cal spent the next two weeks in Medical with his leg in a cast. He tried looking for any reports of Sasha or the Phoenix. The ship was found abandoned near Terra. She had disappeared. Four days later, he started to get that itch again, that itch that came from being grounded too long… THE END… The Nul System. Scavengers picked through the drifting pieces of a hauling ship. Tags said it belonged to some dreg named Grady Monk. Most of it was scrap but creds were creds. Times were tough. The radar started pulsing from new contact. The scavenger ran a scan but couldn’t get an ID. She looked out the cockpit. A Vanduul Scythe raced past. The scavenger jumped with a yelp. It didn’t turn or attack, it burned back toward Vanduul territory. Before it disappeared into the void, she noticed that one of its wings looked like it was dipped in Black. Im Nul-System verbrachte Grady Monk die Zeit, die auf seinen Kontakt wartete, indem er seinen einzigen Stern beobachtete. Wissenschaftler sagten, es sei ein pulsierender Stern. Sah nicht so aus, als ob es für ihn pulsierend wäre. Er überprüfte seine Uhr noch einmal. Er gab diesem Kerl noch zehn Minuten mehr, dann wollte er zum nächsten Käufer übergehen. Grady Monk wartet nicht auf Kunden. Er sah eine Bewegung außerhalb des Schiffes in seinem Augenwinkel. Über die verdammte Zeit, dachte er und drehte sich um. Seine Augen weiteten sich. Grady Monks Schiff verschwand in der Definition der pulsierenden Explosion. * * * * * An Bord der Gemini saß Darrow gegenüber von Penny. Er hatte endlich die Gelegenheit zu reden. "Sie könnten in großen Schwierigkeiten sein, Lieutenant", sagte er, "Ihr ziemlich langatmiger Monolog erklärte Ihre Gründe für den illegalen Zugriff auf Archivdateien, aber das ändert nichts an der Tatsache, dass Sie illegal auf geheime Daten zugreifen." Die Tür öffnete sich. Admiral Showalter war dort. Er sah nicht amüsiert aus. Penny und Darrow begrüßten. Showalter trat in den Raum, er sah Darrow an. "Möchtest du erklären, warum du meinen Piloten belästigst?" "Sir, Lieutenant Ayala hat auf die...." "Cassandra Projektdateien. Ich weiß. Ich habe mit deinem Vorgesetzten gesprochen, Sohn." sagte Showalter, seine Stimme sei ruhig und bewusst. "Du hast meine Frage nicht beantwortet." "Vor drei Monaten. Wir fingen an, Versuche zu bemerken, das Archiv nach Labornotizen über Cassandra zu durchsuchen und diese bis zum Enkel des ehemaligen Projektleiters, Warden, zurückzuverfolgen." Darrow hat den Bildschirm angehalten. Direktor Mahony tauchte auf, derselbe Typ aus dem Phönix. "Die Advocacy hat den Direktor auf die Beobachtungsliste gesetzt. Vor drei Wochen ist er verschwunden. Als Leutnant Ayala auf die Projektdateien "zugriff", waren wir besorgt über einen Sicherheitsrisiko." "Nun, sie hat nicht für dieses Kind gearbeitet." Showalter sah Penny an. Sie schüttelte den Kopf. "Also ist die Sache erledigt." * * * * * Vier Systeme entfernt auf dem Gebiet von Banu war die Angelegenheit noch lange nicht gelöst. Cal versuchte herauszufinden, wie man die Crew der Phoenix überfallen kann, als einige angeheuerte Männer auftauchten. Jetzt hatte er anstelle von Sasha, Trunk und Mahony sechs weitere Waffen, mit denen er zu tun hatte. Cal konnte nicht hören, ob sie es verkaufen oder benutzen würden. Trotzdem konnte dieses Ding nicht herauskommen. Jetzt brauchte er nur noch einen Plan, wie man das durchziehen kann. Hier drin eine Feuerwehr zu starten, klang nach einer schlechten Idee. Alles, was man dafür braucht, ist ein einziger wilder Schuss, um die Bombe zu kappen, und der Raum, vielleicht die ganze Siedlung, wäre nichts anderes als ein Pool von Schmalz. Cal hatte die P52-Bake noch mit der Position des Phönix verkabelt, so dass sein bestes Spiel darin bestand, sie ins All zu bringen und zu verdampfen. Er war nicht sehr optimistisch, einen Entermesser gegen die Konstellation zu stellen, aber es ist besser, als zu versuchen, ihn hier unten zu schlagen. Außerdem war er besser mit Flügeln als mit Fäusten. Sasha sprach leise mit den Söldnern und ging dann zu Mahony, der den Rest der Cassandra-Projekt-Kanister in die Bombe lud. "Bist du fertig? Wir müssen das Ding aufladen." "Ja, ein paar Minuten." Er murmelte, als er die Kanister vorsichtig mit dem Zündmechanismus verdrahtete. Sasha wandte sich an die Söldner. "Sobald wir das hier draußen haben, gehen Sie zu Ihren Positionen entlang unserer Route. Du denkst, jemand folgt uns und schenkt uns sogar zu viel Aufmerksamkeit, ich will es sofort wissen." Sie wandte sich an Trunk, "Du bezahlst sie?" "Ja, alles bereit." Cal wich langsam zurück. Er wollte vor den Söldnern da rausgehen und zog seine Schritte zurück zum Lüftungsschacht. Als er nach draußen kam, luden sie die abgedeckte Bombe auf ein Tablett mit Anti-Gravitationspuffern. Sasha nickte den Schlägern zu, die sich in der Menge verteilten. Cal merkte sich ihre Gesichter und duckte sich. Sasha und Trunk hielten sich zurück, während Mahony die Bombe durch die engen Gassen der Banu-Siedlung schob. Keiner der Fußgänger schenkte ihnen etwas Beachtung. Cal hielt Schritt und beobachtete aus der Ferne, wobei er darauf achtete, dass keiner der Söldner, die zum Ausspülen von Schwänzen eingesetzt wurden, in Kontakt kam. Diese Söldner waren gut, denn Cal sah keinen einzigen. Erst als sie die Bombe in den Frachtraum des Phönix luden, brach Cal ab und rannte zurück zum Entermesser. Er fiel auf den Pilotenplatz und erwärmte die Motoren. Ein schneller Scan und das Bake P52 zeichneten den Phoenix auf seinem Zielfernrohr auf. Cal ließ sie etwas Abstand gewinnen, bevor er ihm folgte. Sie waren auf dem Weg zurück zum Sprungpunkt. Cal hatte eine Entscheidung zu treffen. Zweifellos haben sie einen Weg gefunden, die Bombe an den Zollscans vorbeizubekommen, aber Cal konnte sich vorwärts bewegen, um sie aufzuhalten und die Bombe zu bekommen. Unten würde er den Käufer nicht bekommen, wenn es einen gäbe. Er wog ihn. Das Risiko ist nicht wert. Je länger dieses Ding da draußen war, desto mehr Möglichkeiten konnte etwas Cal überraschen. Er war es leid, überrascht zu sein. "UEE Zollstation Charlie, Ferron System. Hier ist Lt. Cal Mason, UEE Navy, SysID#5847DDC. Ich verfolge eine gefährliche Waffe, die auf einem Schiff der Konstellationsklasse, möglicherweise mit der Bezeichnung Phoenix, in Ihr System eindringen wird. Bitte trennen und halten Sie alle Schiffe, die dieser Beschreibung entsprechen, ab und leiten Sie diese Nachricht an Lieutenant Penelope Ayala, UEES Gemini weiter." Er skizzierte alles, was er gesehen hatte, als separaten Anhang und schickte die Nachricht voraus an die Relaisstation. Das sollte das Problem lösen. Er bezweifelte, dass der Phönix versuchen würde, einen Kampf zu beginnen. Leider, als er weiter flog, wandte sich dieser "Zweifel" an "sie könnten" und dann "höchstwahrscheinlich". Es gibt keine Möglichkeit, dass sie sich mit einer Weltuntergangsmaschine erwischen lassen. Jetzt war Cal überzeugt, dass er viele Zollagenten gefährdet hat. Er trat den Gashebel in Richtung Vollbrand und schlug durch den Sprungpunkt. Auf der anderen Seite war es das Chaos. Schiffe stürzten ohne Strom durch den Raum. Die Zollstation war abgeriegelt. Jemand hat eine EMP-Ladung ausgelöst. Ein großer. Die Schiffe nutzten die Vorteile der behinderten Sicherheit und rasten durch den Sprungpunkt, während die wenigen Zoll- und Polizeischiffe, die Strom hatten, krabbelten, um die Ordnung aufrechtzuerhalten. Es war die perfekte Deckung für den Phoenix, durch die er hindurchschlüpfen konnte. Cal fand das Lager des Phönix auf seinem Radar und ging ihnen nach. Als es in Sichtweite kam, befanden sich nur noch eine Handvoll Schiffe in ihrer Flugbahn. Cal begann, seine Waffen zu aktivieren. Er müsste sie hart und schnell treffen, so viel wie möglich von ihren Verteidigungsfähigkeiten ausschalten, wenn er bereit wäre, a- Das Laserfeuer flammte am Cockpit vorbei. Kalifornien verlagerte sich instinktiv. Ein Marodeur sprengte an ihm vorbei und schlenderte für einen weiteren Pass herum. Auf seinen Scans hat der Phönix Schilde aufgestellt. Da traf es ihn. Zurück im Labor, als Sasha sagte: "Geh zu deinen Positionen entlang unserer Route." Sie meinte nicht die Abrechnung. Sie meinte im Weltraum. "Cal, du dummer Sohn von a-" Noch mehr Feuer aus dem Phoenix. Cal rollte das Schiff aus dem Weg. Plötzlich bekam er eine Nachricht von Phoenix. " Identifizieren Sie sich." Sie war es. "Rate mal." Sagte Cal. Der Plünderer fiel hinter ihm ein und eröffnete das Feuer mit seinen Geschützen. Cal schwang seinen Turm und erwiderte das Feuer. " Mason?" "Du musst aufhören." Es gab eine lange Pause. "Geh nach Hause, Mason." "Nachdem ich gesehen habe, was diese Bombe kann...." Sagte Cal. Sein System brummte von einer Raketenschleuse. Er schlug die Richtung ein und ließ Gegenmaßnahmen fallen. "Du weißt, dass ich das nicht tun kann." "Deine Beerdigung." "Du bist nicht diese Person." Cal platzte heraus und hoffte, dass sie den Kanal nicht geschlossen hatte. "Du trägst etwas bei, das Millionen, vielleicht Milliarden auslöschen könnte. Ich weiß, dass du einen Knochen mit der UEE zu rupfen hast und ich verstehe es, das tue ich, aber das ist zu viel und ich denke, du weißt es." Der Plünderer markierte ihn mit einem IR-Marker. Eine Verteilung von Raketen, die von der Raketengondel gestreift und erworben wurden. Der Turm auf dem Phoenix schwang umher und hämmerte auch ein paar Schüsse. Der Söldner im Plünderer war gut, aber nicht großartig. Es war das Problem, dass die beiden Schiffe im Tandem kämpften. Cal brach die Verfolgung des Phönix ab und drehte davon und zog mit ihm die Raketenlinie. Der Plünderer verfolgte sie. Der Phönix nicht, seine Motoren blitzten und er raste davon. Cal trat die Selbstmordbremsen, die die Motoren abschalteten und den Entermesser komplett umdrehten, ohne seinen Schwung zu verlieren. Cal öffnete sich mit seinen Lasern an den ankommenden Raketen. Er schaffte es, sechs der acht zu sprengen, bevor er zurückschlagen und schießen musste. Der Plünderer entfesselte sein ganzes Arsenal auf Cal. Er hat die letzten beiden Raketen abgefangen, aber auch der Entermesser hat eine Reihe von Treffern erlitten. Die Schilde konnten halten. Frei von den Raketen war Cal bereit, sich zu verfangen. Der Plünderer dauerte vier Minuten. Basierend auf dem Lager des Phönix wurden sie auf den Sprungpunkt nach Croshaw geleitet. Er sah, wie ihr Signal flackerte und verschwand. Sie waren erledigt. Cal leitete die gesamte verfügbare Energie auf die Motoren um. Das Entermesser platzt hinter ihnen her. * * * * * Darrow schickte seinen Vorfallsbericht ab und wartete auf Befehle seiner Vorgesetzten. Penny starrte an die Decke, gelangweilt von ihrem Verstand. Die Tür schob sich auf. Ein junger Fähnrich steckte seinen Kopf hinein. "Kommunikation für Leutnant Ayala", blickte der nervöse Fähnrich zu Darrow und hielt inne, "Es ist von Cal, Ma'am." Zehn Minuten später stand Penny vor dem Showalter und spielte Cals Nachricht über den Phönix, die Bombe, alles. Showalter starrte voraus. Seine Augen verengten sich, als er zuhörte, aber sein Gesicht war ansonsten unergründlich, wie üblich. Darrow war an der Tür. "Sie wollen zur Erde." sagte Showalter nach einer langwierigen Stille. "Du glaubst nicht, dass sie versuchen werden, es zu verkaufen." sagte Penny. "20 zu 1, dass dieses Kind fertig wird, war sein Verrückter von einem Opa, der angefangen hat." Showalter brummte auf der Brücke. "Drehen Sie die Motoren hoch. Wir ändern den Kurs." * * * * * Das Croshaw-System war leise. Es war ein durchschnittlicher Tag auf fast allen Planeten. Die Leute gingen zur Arbeit. Die Kinder gingen zur Schule. Es gab vier aktive Sprungbremsen im System, einer ging zum Sol-System und zur Erde, der zweite zum Nul-System, einem nicht beanspruchten System aufgrund des variablen Sterns in seinem Zentrum, der dritte ging zum Davien-System..... Cal verließ den vierten Sprungpunkt von Ferron. Es dauerte eine Sekunde, bis sein Radar den Phönix zurückeroberte. Es war auf dem Weg zu Nul. Cal setzte seine Verfolgung fort und wobelte sich durch den allgemeinen Verkehr im System. Cal erblickte eine Konstellation in der Ferne. Er brannte, um die Entfernung zu verringern. Es war der Phönix, in Ordnung. Seine Systeme drehten durch. Eine allgemeine Notfallwarnung wurde auf allen Kanälen ausgelöst. Etwas über..... Oh nein. dachte Cal. Er sah auf. Black Talon kam aus dem Nul-Sprungpunkt, gefolgt von Dutzenden von Vanduul-Kämpfern. Sie begannen sofort, die Zollagenten anzugreifen. Ein Vanduul-Flaggschiff und der Rest des Clans erschienen kurz darauf. Lokale Polizisten und Piloten wandten sich plötzlich an die Verteidigung des Systems. Der Phönix flog an den Wellen von Vanduul vorbei und verschwand im Inneren des Flaggschiffs. Plötzlich fielen alle Teile ineinander. Der Phoenix hat die Vanduul nicht angeheuert, um das System zu treffen. Die Vandule heuerten sie an, um eine Waffe zu bauen. Dies war nicht Mahony's Rache, dies war ein organisierter Vanduul-Schlag in das Herz ihres Feindes. Das Flaggschiff eröffnete das Feuer mit seinen Waffen. Seine Kämpfer stießen mit dem armseligen menschlichen Widerstand zusammen. Cal sprang auf die General Comm, um die Piloten zu organisieren und stürzte sich direkt in die Schlägerei. Piloten von beiden Seiten tanzten umeinander und suchten nach dem Killshot. Laser brannten durch den Hohlraum. Der Weltraum war übersät mit Trümmern und Wrackteilen. Frantisches Geschwätz füllte die Kanäle. Es war Krieg. Das Flaggschiff der Vanduul änderte seinen Kurs in Richtung des Sol-Systems, in Richtung Erde. Cal beendete den Vanduul-Kämpfer, mit dem er sich verstrickt hatte, und bewertete die Situation. Kurz gesagt, es lief nicht gut. Die Vanduul hatten mehr Erfahrung, waren rücksichtsloser. Die Polizei und das verstreute Militär fügten einigen Schaden zu, aber als die Vanduul mehr und mehr Zivilisten entsandten. Cal wusste, dass sich die Flut entschieden und tödlich gegen sie wenden würde. Selbst wenn sie es schafften, die Kämpfer zu zerstören, waren sie machtlos gegen die größeren Vanduul-Schiffe. Dann sah er die Erlösung..... Die Zwillinge. Die schönen Zwillinge erschienen durch den Ferron-Sprungpunkt. Cal vermutete, dass sie seine Nachricht erhalten haben. Sieben Flügel von Kampfflugzeugen starteten vom Deck aus. "Wir dachten, du wärst tot." Penny sagte, über Funk. "Komm schon, Penny", antwortete Cal. "Nun, wenn Großvater dich in die Finger bekommt, wünscht du dir das vielleicht." "Schön, dich zu sehen, Penny." " Du auch." sagte Penny. "Sollen wir?" Sie stürzen sich in den Kampf. Das Flaggschiff der Vanduul richtete seine Waffen gegen die Zwillinge. Deckkanonen tauschten massive Zerstörungsstrahlen über das Vakuum aus. Die Schilde flackerten auf und hielten die Schüsse in Schach. Kleinere Schiffe wurden im Kreuzfeuer verbrannt. Cal und Penny kämpften Seite an Seite, wie sie es immer taten. Er sah, wie die Phönix vom Flaggschiff weggeblasen wurde. Er schlängelte sich durch die Schlacht und ging zurück nach Ferron. Seine Schilde flackerten auf. Cal sah auf. Black Talon und ein Haufen Freunde haben sich auf sie gestürzt. "Sieh mal, wer wieder da ist." Sagte Cal. "Schnappen wir ihn uns." antwortete Penny. Cal und Penny schälten sich von ihren jeweiligen Kämpfen ab und bewegten sich, um Black Talon abzufangen. Sie konnten sehen, wie lokale Piloten versuchten, Black Talon zu engagieren, aber sie waren kein Gegner für das Vanduul-Ass. Cal eröffnete das Feuer auf Black Talon, der um die Schüsse herum tanzte. Penny versuchte, die Lücken zu schließen, aber Black Talon war zu wendig. Sie wichen plötzlich Explosionen und Raketen von Dutzenden von Raidern aus. Cal konnte Black Talon kaum aus den Augen verlieren, als er sich durch den Weltraum wand, wobei seine Schilde mehrere Treffer aus verschiedenen Richtungen erhielten. Penny schälte sich ab und verdrehte sich mit ein paar Raidern. * * * * * An Bord des Phönix beobachtete Sasha den leeren Raum vor sich. Ihr Gesichtsausdruck ist müde. Der Kofferraum war im Turm. Er beobachtete den verzweifelten Kampf, der das gesamte System mit einem ähnlichen Gesicht umgab. Er kletterte die Leiter hinunter und schloss sich seiner Halbschwester im Cockpit an. "Sie werden da draußen zerrissen." sagte er nach einer langen Pause. "Es ist nicht unser Problem." sagte Sasha leise. Es klang nicht überzeugend. "Technisch gesehen..." Trunk begann zu sagen, hielt aber inne. "Was." "Ich weiß nicht. Wir haben den Job erledigt und wurden bezahlt. Technisch gesehen ist unsere Verantwortung ihnen gegenüber also jetzt erledigt. Wir können tun, was wir wollen." Sie saßen schweigend da. "Ich sage nur...." sagte Kofferraum. * * * * * Zurück in der Schlägerei waren einige der Schilde auf dem Vanduul-Flaggschiff versagt. Explosionen an der Seite des Schiffes. Die Zwillinge nahmen ihren gerechten Anteil an den Treffern. Eine der Hauptwaffen war sauber abgesprengt worden, was zu Munitionsexplosionen unter Deck führte, die den Rumpf wie Blasen herausschlugen. Die anderen Vanduul-Schlachtschiffe zielen speziell auf die Motoren. Der massive UEE-Carrier begann sich zu verlangsamen. Cal setzte sein Augenmerk auf das Flaggschiff. Die Bombe muss noch da sein. Würde Sinn ergeben. Das ist der sicherste Ort, wenn man bedenkt, und es ist das Einzige, was für den Sol-Sprungpunkt spritzt. Er vermutete, dass es in der Lage sein würde, in wenigen Minuten zu springen. "Penny, gib mir Deckung." "Was machst du jetzt?" "Du willst es wahrscheinlich nicht wissen." Cal drehte sein Schiff um Black Talons Feuer und flog auf das Flaggschiff zu. Black Talon begann, ihm nachzustellen, aber Penny fesselte ihn und gab Cal einen Vorsprung. Er hörte Penny fluchen über Funk. Er blickte zurück. Sie wurde getroffen. Einer ihrer Motoren war ausgefallen. Black Talon und die Vanduul-Kämpfer kreisten umher, um sie zu erledigen. Cal blickte zurück zum Flaggschiff und näherte sich dem Startpunkt. Es war das eine oder andere. Als Cal nach den Retro-Triebwerken griff, schoss etwas an seinem Schiff vorbei in Richtung Penny. Laserexplosionen vernichteten die Vanduul-Sensen, bevor sie zuschlagen konnten. Der schwarze Kralle hat sich losgerissen, um dem Feuer zu entgehen. Es war der Phönix. "Viel Glück, Mason." War alles, was über die Kommunikation kam, bevor der Phönix seine Motoren abfeuerte und abhaute. Penny brachte ihren Motor wieder in Gang und brannte in Sicherheit. Cal konzentrierte sich wieder auf das Flaggschiff und bekam sein Spielgesicht auf. Er lief durch den Grundriss des Schiffes, von dem aus er auf ihm war. Er visualisierte die Landebucht. Tief, höhlenartig, aber mit viel Spielraum. Das Flaggschiff verschwand im Sprungpunkt. Laserblitze strömten von hinten an ihm vorbei. Der schwarze Kralle war wieder hinter ihm her. Cal hat seine Nachbrenner getroffen. Der Entermesser stürzte auf den Sprungpunkt zu und verschwand mit Black Talon direkt am Schwanz. Der Raum verwandelte sich in einen Abstrich. Der Autopilot trat ein und begann, sein Schiff auf eine sichere Geschwindigkeit zu reduzieren. Cal hat es deaktiviert und den Gashebel gedrückt gehalten. Er war dutzende Male durch den Croshaw/Sol-Sprungpunkt gegangen. Er hatte nur etwa fünf Minuten Zeit, bevor sie auf der anderen Seite herauskamen. Etwas hat seinen Flügel zerstört. Das Flaggschiff passierte langsam und flackernd in und aus der Sicht. Der Rahmen des Entermessers stöhnte, als er sich verdrehte. Cal zog vor dem Flaggschiff. Auf einem Flügel und einem Gebet schnitt er die Nachbrenner und drehte das Schiff. Plötzlich wurde er in den Landeplatz geholt. Er scannte das Flugdeck darunter. Verblüfft feuerte Vanduul Kleinwaffen ab und schrie ihn an. Drei Minuten. Er machte einen kompletten Durchgang durch das Flugdeck, tat es aber nicht. So. Mechaniker rüsteten die Bombe an einem Vanduul-Bomber aus. Cal schwang den Entermesser herum. Plötzlich kam die schwarze Kralle in Sichtweite und drückte sich nieder. Cal versuchte, sich nicht davon ablenken zu lassen. Er konzentrierte sich auf sein Ziel. Er wusste, dass er keine Chance mehr bekommen würde. Zwei Minuten. Black Talon hat ihn angegriffen, die Waffen flammten. Cal hat gefeuert. * * * * * Es war ruhig in Sol. Verstärkungen wurden am Sprungpunkt angebracht. Die Vorderseite des Vanduul-Flaggschiffs durchbohrte den Sprungpunkt. Alle Schiffe der UEE Naval haben ihre Waffen erhitzt. Aber sie haben nicht geschossen. Nur die vordere Hälfte des Vanduul-Flaggschiffes stürzte aus dem Sprungpunkt, die hintere Hälfte war weg. Da tauchte Cal's Entermesser aus der Landebucht auf. Es war auch vom Gas der Cassandra getroffen worden. Er stieß sofort aus. Der Schwung warf ihn auf die Linie der Marinegeschütze zu. Er drehte sich um und beobachtete, wie sich das Vanduul-Flaggschiff in ein molekulares Schmiermittel in Null-Gramm verwandelte. Das Entermesser auch. Es war eine Schande. Er fing an, das Schiff zu mögen. Nun, da das Adrenalin nachgelassen hatte, spürte er einen starken Schmerz in seinem Bein. Es fühlte sich gebrochen an. Er seufzte und winkte der Kavallerie zu, um ihn abzuholen. * * * * * Cal trat unter tosendem Applaus auf die Zwillinge zurück. Kerney, die Mechanikerin der riesigen Grube, schlug ihn in eine große Bärenumarmung. Penny wartete mit den Händen auf den Hüften und einem Grinsen. Cal hat sie begrüßt. Sie nickte. Die Piloten und die Crew klopften ihm auf den Rücken, als er über das Deck humpelte. Die Menge verabschiedete sich und er stand Admiral Showalter persönlich gegenüber. Cal stand still und begrüßte. " Sir." Showalter starrte ihn für einige Augenblicke an. "Wir haben dich begraben, Mason." "Es tut mir leid, dass ich das vermasselt habe, Sir." Cal versuchte, nicht zu lächeln. Das war die vierte Beerdigung, die sie anscheinend für ihn hatten. "Ich werde versuchen, das nächste Mal tot zu bleiben." Showalter schüttelte den Kopf und ging weg. Cal verbrachte die nächsten zwei Wochen in der Medizin mit seinem Bein in einem Gips. Er versuchte, nach Berichten über Sasha oder den Phönix zu suchen. Das Schiff wurde verlassen in der Nähe von Terra gefunden. Sie war verschwunden. Vier Tage später fing er an, dieses Jucken wieder zu bekommen, dieses Jucken, das von der zu langen Erdung herrührte..... DAS ENDE..... Das Nul-System. Aasfresser durchsuchten die treibenden Teile eines Schleppers. Die Tags sagten, es gehörte einem Dreg namens Grady Monk. Das meiste davon war Schrott, aber Kreiden waren Kreiden. Die Zeiten waren hart. Das Radar begann durch einen neuen Kontakt zu pulsieren. Der Aasfresser hat einen Scan durchgeführt, konnte aber keine ID bekommen. Sie blickte aus dem Cockpit. Eine Vanduul Scythe raste vorbei. Der Aasfresser sprang mit einem Schrei. Es drehte sich nicht um oder griff an, es brannte zurück in Richtung Vanduul-Territorium. Bevor er in den Hohlraum verschwand, bemerkte sie, dass einer seiner Flügel aussah, als wäre er in Schwarz getaucht. In the Nul system, Grady Monk passed the time waiting for his contact by watching its only star. Scientists said it was a pulsating star. Didn’t look like it was pulsating to him. He checked his clock again. He was giving this guy ten more minutes then he was gonna move on to the next buyer. Grady Monk doesn’t wait for clients. He saw movement outside the ship in the corner of his eye. About damn time, he thought and turned. His eyes widened. Grady Monk’s ship disappeared in the definition of pulsating explosion. * * * * * Onboard the Gemini, Darrow sat across from Penny. He was finally getting the opportunity to talk. “You could be in a lot of trouble, lieutenant,” he said, “your rather long-winded monologue explained your reasons for illegally accessing Archive files but it doesn’t change the fact that you illegally accessing classified data.” The door opened. Admiral Showalter was there. He did not look amused. Penny and Darrow saluted. Showalter stepped in the room, he looked at Darrow. “Care to explain why you’re harassing my pilot?” “Sir, Lieutenant Ayala accessed…” “Cassandra Project files. I know. I talked to your superior, son.” Showalter said, his voice calm and deliberate. “You didn’t answer my question.” “Three months ago. We started noticing attempts to crack the Archive for lab notes regarding Cassandra and traced them back to the former project leader’s grandson, Warden.” Darrow cued the screen. Warden Mahony popped up, the same guy from the Phoenix. “The Advocacy placed Warden on a watch list. Three weeks ago he vanished. So when Lt. Ayala ‘accessed’ the project files, we were concerned of a security compromise.” “Well, she wasn’t working for this kid.” Showalter looked at Penny. She shook her head. “So the matter’s resolved.” * * * * * Four systems away in Banu territory, the matter was far from resolved. Cal was trying to figure out how to ambush the crew of the Phoenix when some hired hands showed up. Now instead of Sasha, Trunk, and Mahony, he had six more guns to deal with. Cal couldn’t hear if they were going to sell it or use it. Regardless, this thing could not get out. Now he only needed a plan of how to pull that off. Starting a firefight in here sounded like a bad idea. All it would take is one wild shot to clip the bomb and the room, maybe the whole settlement, would be nothing more than a pool of goo. Cal still had the P52 beacon wired to the Phoenix’s position so his best play was to get it in space and vaporize it. He wasn’t terribly optimistic about pitting a Cutlass against the Constellation but it’s better than trying to slug it out down here. Besides, he was better with wings than fists. Sasha talked quietly to the mercs then walked over to Mahony who was loading the rest of the Cassandra Project canisters into the bomb. “Are you done? We need to get this thing loaded.” “Yeah, couple minutes.” He muttered as he carefully wired the canisters to the firing mechanism. Sasha turned to the mercs. “Once we get this outside, get to your positions along our route. You think someone’s following us, even paying too much attention to us, I want to know immediately.” She turned to Trunk, “You pay them?” “Yeah, all set.” Cal slowly backed away. He wanted to get out there before the mercs did and retraced his steps back to the ventilation shaft. By the time he got outside, they were loading the covered bomb onto a tray of anti-grav buffers. Sasha nodded to the thugs who dispersed into the crowd. Cal memorized their faces and ducked away. Sasha and Trunk kept guarded while Mahony pushed the bomb through the narrow streets of the Banu settlement. None of the pedestrians paid them any mind. Cal kept pace and watched from a distance, making sure to avoid any of the mercs posted to flush out tails. These mercs were good because Cal didn’t see a single one. Only when they loaded the bomb into the cargo bay of the Phoenix, did Cal break off and run back to the Cutlass. He dropped into the pilot’s seat and heated up the engines. A quick scan and the P52 beacon plotted the Phoenix on his scope. Cal let them get some distance before he followed. They were heading back to the jump-point. Cal had a decision to make. Undoubtedly, they’ve worked out a way to get the bomb past the Customs scans but Cal could comm ahead to detain them and get the bomb. Downside, he wouldn’t get the buyer, if there was one. He weighed it. Not worth the risk. The longer this thing was out there, the more opportunities something could surprise Cal. He was tired of being surprised. “UEE Customs Station Charlie, Ferron System. This is Lt. Cal Mason, UEE Navy, SysID#5847DDC. I am tracking a dangerous weapon about to enter your system on a Constellation-class ship, possible designation Phoenix. Please separate and detain all vessels matching this description and forward this message onto Lieutenant Penelope Ayala, UEES Gemini.” He outlined everything he had seen as a separate attachment and sent the message ahead to the relay station. That should settle it. He doubted the Phoenix would try and start a fight. Unfortunately, as he continued flying, that ‘doubt’ turned to ‘they might’ then ‘most likely.’ There’s no way they’d let themselves get caught with a doomsday device. Now Cal was convinced he put a lot of Customs agents at risk. He kicked the throttle into full-burn and punched through the jump-point. On the other side, it was chaos. Ships tumbled through space without power. The Customs Station was in lockdown. Someone set off an EMP charge. A big one. Ships were taking advantage of the disabled security and racing through the jump-point while the few Customs and Police ships that had power scrambled to maintain order. It was the perfect cover for the Phoenix to slip through. Cal found the Phoenix’s bearing on his radar and went after them. By the time it came within sight, there were only a handful of ships in their flight lane. Cal started priming his weapons. He’d need to hit them hard and fast, knock out as much of their defensive capabilities as possible if he wanted to stand a- Laser fire flared past the cockpit. Cal veered away instinctively. A Marauder blasted past him and looped around for another pass. On his scans, the Phoenix raised shields. That’s when it hit him. Back in the lab, when Sasha said, “get to your positions along our route.” She didn’t mean the settlement. She meant in space. “Cal, you stupid son of a-” More incoming fire from the Phoenix. Cal rolled the ship out of the way. Suddenly, he got a comm from Phoenix. “Identify yourself.” It was her. “Take a guess.” Cal said. The marauder fell in behind him and opened fire with its guns. Cal swung his turret and returned fire. “Mason?” “You need to stop.” There was a long pause. “Go home, Mason.” “After seeing what that bomb can do…” Cal said. His system buzzed from a missile lock. He cut direction and dropped countermeasures. “You know I can’t do that.” “Your funeral.” “You’re not this person.” Cal blurted out hoping she hadn’t closed the channel. “You’re carrying something that could wipe out millions, possibly billions. I know you’ve got a bone to pick with the UEE and I get it, I do, but this is too much and I think you know it.” The marauder tagged him with an IR marker. A spread of missiles streaked from the rocket pod and acquired. The turret on the Phoenix swung around and hammered some shots too. The merc in the marauder was good but not great. It was the two ships fighting in tandem that was the problem. Cal broke off pursuit of the Phoenix and veered away, pulling the line of missiles with him. The marauder pursued. The Phoenix didn’t, its engines flashed and it raced away. Cal kicked the suicide brakes, which cut the engines and flipped the Cutlass completely around without losing his momentum. Cal opened up with his lasers at the incoming missiles. He managed to blast six of the eight before he had to flip back and gun it. The marauder unleashed its full arsenal on Cal. He clipped the last two missiles but the Cutlass took a slew of hits as well. Shields managed to hold. Free of the missiles, Cal was ready to tangle. The marauder lasted four minutes. Based on the Phoenix’s bearing, they were headed for the jump-point into Croshaw. He saw their signal flicker and disappear. They were through. Cal redirected all available power to the engines. The cutlass burst after them. * * * * * Darrow sent off his incident report and awaited orders from his superiors. Penny stared at the ceiling, bored out of her mind. The door slid open. A young ensign poked his head in. “Communication for Lt. Ayala,” the nervous ensign glanced at Darrow and paused, “It’s from Cal, ma’am.” Ten minutes later, Penny was in front of Showalter, replaying Cal’s message about the Phoenix, the bomb, everything. Showalter stared ahead. His eyes narrowed as he listened but his face was otherwise inscrutable, as usual. Darrow was by the door. “They’re going for Earth.” Showalter said after a protracted silence. “You don’t think they’ll try and sell it.” Penny said. “Twenty to one that kid’s gonna finish was his nut of a grandpa started.” Showalter buzzed the bridge. “Spin up the engines. We’re changing course.” * * * * * Croshaw system was quiet. It was an average day on almost all of the planets. People went to work. Kids went to school. There were four active jump-points in the system, one went to the Sol System and Earth, the second went to the Nul System an unclaimed system due to the variable star at its center, the third went to Davien System… Cal exited the fourth jump-point from Ferron. It took his radar a second to reacquire the Phoenix. It was on course for Nul. Cal kept up his pursuit, weaving around the general traffic in the system. Cal caught sight of a Constellation in the distance. He burned to close the distance. It was the Phoenix alright. His systems went nuts. A General Emergency Warning was being blasted on all channels. Something about… Oh no. Cal thought. He looked up. Black Talon emerged from the Nul jump-point followed by dozens of Vanduul fighters. They immediately started attacking the Customs Agents. A Vanduul flagship and the rest of the clan battleships appeared shortly after. Local cops and pilots suddenly turned to defend the system. The Phoenix flew past the waves of Vanduul and disappeared inside the flagship. Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place. The Phoenix didn’t hire the Vanduul to hit the system. The Vanduul hired them to build a weapon. This wasn’t Mahony’s revenge, this was an organized Vanduul strike into the heart of their enemy. The flagship opened fire with its weapons. Its fighters clashed with the paltry human resistance. Cal hopped on the general comm to organize the pilots and plunged right into the brawl. Pilots from both sides danced around each other, hunting for that killshot. Lasers burned through the void. Space became littered with debris and wreckage. Frantic chatter filled the channels. It was war. The Vanduul flagship altered its course toward the Sol system, toward Earth. Cal finished off the Vanduul fighter he’d been tangling with then assessed the situation. In short, it wasn’t going well. The Vanduul had more experience, were more ruthless. The police and scattered military personnel were doing some damage but as the Vanduul dispatched more and more civilians. Cal knew the tide would decidedly and lethally shift against them. Even if they managed to destroy the fighters, they were powerless against the larger Vanduul ships. Then he saw salvation… The Gemini. The beautiful Gemini appeared through the Ferron jump-point. Cal guessed they got his message. Seven wings of fighters launched from the deck. “We thought you were dead.” Penny said over comms. “Come on, Penny” Cal replied. “Well, when Grandpa gets ahold of you, you might wish you were.” “Great to see you, Penny.” “You too.” Penny said. “Shall we?” They dove into the fight. The Vanduul flagship turned its weapons on the Gemini. Deck cannons exchanged massive beams of destruction across the vacuum. Shields flared up, keeping the shots at bay. Smaller ships were incinerated in the crossfire. Cal and Penny fought side by side like they always did. He saw the Phoenix blast off from the flagship. It weaved its way through the battle, heading back to Ferron. His shields flared up. Cal looked up. Black Talon and a bunch of friends were bearing down on them. “Look who’s back.” Cal said. “Let’s get him.” Penny replied. Cal and Penny peeled off from their respective battles and moved to intercept Black Talon. They could see local pilots try to engage Black Talon but they were no match for the Vanduul ace. Cal opened fire on Black Talon who danced around the shots. Penny tried to fill in the gaps but Black Talon was too nimble. They were suddenly dodging blasts and rockets from dozens of raiders. Cal could barely keep sight of Black Talon as he spiraled through space, his shields taking multiple hits from multiple directions. Penny peeled off and twisted with a couple raiders. * * * * * Aboard the Phoenix, Sasha watched the empty space ahead. Her expression weary. Trunk was in the turret. He watched the desperate battle envelope the entire system with a similar countenance. He climbed down the ladder and joined his half-sister in the cockpit. “They’re getting torn up out there.” He said after a long pause. “It’s not our problem.” Sasha said quietly. It didn’t sound convincing. “Technically…” Trunk started to say but paused. “What.” “I don’t know. We did the job and got paid. So technically, our responsibility to them is done now. We can do what we want.” They sat in silence. “I’m just saying…” Trunk said. * * * * * Back in the brawl, some of the shields on the Vanduul flagship had failed. Explosions dotted along the side of the ship. The Gemini was taking its fair share of hits. One of the main guns had been blasted clean off causing munitions explosions below deck that punched the hull out like blisters. The other Vanduul battleships were specifically targeting the engines. The massive UEE carrier was starting to slow down. Cal set his sights on the flagship. The bomb must still be there. Would make sense. That’s the most secure place considering and it’s the only thing gunning for the Sol jump-point. He guessed it would be able to jump in a matter of minutes. “Penny, cover me.” “What are you doing now?” “You probably don’t want to know.” Cal flipped his ship around Black Talon’s fire and flashed toward the flagship. Black Talon started to come after him but Penny tied him up, giving Cal a headstart. He heard Penny curse over comms. He looked back. She was hit. One of her engines was out. Black Talon and the Vanduul fighters circled to finish her off. Cal glanced back to flagship closing on the jump-point. It was one or the other. As Cal reached for the retro thrusters, something swooped past his ship toward Penny. Laser blasts annihilated the Vanduul Scythes before they could strike. Black Talon broke away to avoid the fire. It was the Phoenix. “Good Luck, Mason.” Was all that came over the comms before the Phoenix fired its engines and took off. Penny got her engine back online and burned away to safety. Cal refocused on the flagship and got his game-face on. He ran through the layout of the ship from when he was on it. He visualized the landing bay. Deep, cavernous but plenty of room to maneuver. The flagship vanished into the jump-point. Laser blasts streaked past him from behind. Black Talon was back on his tail. Cal hit his afterburners. The Cutlass launched toward the jump-point and disappeared with Black Talon right on his tail. Space turned into a smear. The auto-pilot kicked in and started reducing his ship to a safe speed. Cal disabled it and kept the throttle down. He’d been through the Croshaw/Sol jump-point dozens of times. He only had about five minutes before they came out the other side. Something smashed his wing. The flagship slowly passed flickering in and out of view. The Cutlass’ frame groaned as it twisted. Cal pulled ahead of the flagship. On a wing and a prayer, he cut the afterburners and spun the ship. Suddenly he was scooped inside the landing bay. He scanned the flight deck below. Baffled Vanduul fired small arms and yelled at him. Three minutes. He made a complete pass through the flight deck but didn’t- There. Mechanics were rigging the bomb onto a Vanduul bomber. Cal swung the Cutlass around. Black Talon suddenly came into view, bearing down. Cal tried to not let it distract him. He focused on his target. He knew he wouldn’t get another shot at this. Two minutes. Black Talon charged him, weapons blazing. Cal fired. * * * * * It was quiet in Sol. Reinforcements amassed at the jump-point. The front of the Vanduul flagship pierced the jump-point. All the UEE Naval ships heated up their guns. But they didn’t fire. Only the front half of the Vanduul flagship tumbled out of the jump-point, the back half was gone. That’s when Cal’s Cutlass emerged from the landing bay. It had also been hit by the Cassandra gas. He immediately ejected. The momentum flung him toward the line of Navy guns. He twisted around to watch the Vanduul flagship turn to a molecular goo in zero-g. The cutlass too. It was shame. He started to like that ship. Now that the adrenaline had subsided, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. Felt broken. He sighed and waved for the cavalry to pick him up. * * * * * Cal stepped back onto the Gemini to thunderous applause. Kerney, the giant pit mechanic, swooped him in a big bear hug. Penny waited with her hands on her hips and a grin. Cal saluted her. She nodded. The pilots and crew patted him on the back as he limped across the deck. The crowd parted and he was face to face with Admiral Showalter. Cal stood at attention and saluted. “Sir.” Showalter glared at him for several moments. “We buried you, Mason.” “I’m sorry I screwed that up, sir.” Cal tried not to smile. That was the fourth funeral they’ve apparently had for him. “I’ll try to stay dead next time.” Showalter shook his head and walked away. Cal spent the next two weeks in Medical with his leg in a cast. He tried looking for any reports of Sasha or the Phoenix. The ship was found abandoned near Terra. She had disappeared. Four days later, he started to get that itch again, that itch that came from being grounded too long… THE END… The Nul System. Scavengers picked through the drifting pieces of a hauling ship. Tags said it belonged to some dreg named Grady Monk. Most of it was scrap but creds were creds. Times were tough. The radar started pulsing from new contact. The scavenger ran a scan but couldn’t get an ID. She looked out the cockpit. A Vanduul Scythe raced past. The scavenger jumped with a yelp. It didn’t turn or attack, it burned back toward Vanduul territory. Before it disappeared into the void, she noticed that one of its wings looked like it was dipped in Black. Links ----- No links available. Images ------ 1 image/jpeg [ ![](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/dzgf0umox510mr/source/CalMasonFI_Crop.jpg) ](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/dzgf0umox510mr/source/CalMasonFI_Crop.jpg) CalMasonFI_Crop.jpg [Details](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/images/109) Last Modified 12 years ago Size 1.91 MB [Source](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/dzgf0umox510mr/source/CalMasonFI_Crop.jpg) [Info](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/comm-links/images/109) Metadata -------- CIG ID 12844 Channel Undefined Category Undefined Series Cassandra's Tears Comments 100 Published 13 years ago (2012-12-21T00:00:00+00:00) [RSI Article](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/serialized-fiction/12844-Cassandras-Tears-Issue-10) [API](https://api.star-citizen.wiki/api/comm-links/12844)