Death Brings Victory

Chapter 1

I barely kept from laughing. The cruiser’s Commander didn’t take the rebuke so well. “I demand you leave immediately! Do not force us to open fire.”

Dillager narrowed his eyes at the cruiser drawing closer on the viewscreen.  “Commander, two Rulusian destroyers are currently protecting the Toris orbital station. They would be happy to settle any dispute you have with our flight path.”

A few moments of silence passed. “Ensure your flight path does not stray. We will open fire!”

The communications officer alerted us to the obvious. “Connection’s terminated.”

The male Rulusian keeping an eye on the scanner system piped up. “Two light cruisers now on an intercept course from the satellite.”

The Captain unclasped his hands and folded his arms across his chest. “Any other ships around the satellite?”

“No, sir.”

Dillager turned to me. “It seems you have your distraction.”

“Thanks again, Captain. We’ll catch you at the rendezvous point.” I started toward the back of the bridge.

“Happy hunting.”

A doorway slid open and I walked through. The grill plates under my feet echoed with each step I took through the dimly lit corridor. Rione Sc’lari, my good friend, rested on one knee along the corridor, tightening one of her bootstraps. She wore a dark body suit similar to my own; mine made me feel naked. Judging from the sight of hers, I worried it wasn’t just paranoid feelings. At least she had better curves.

She looked up when I told her, “Looks like they’re taking the bait.”

“Everything should be ready.”

She lifted a disintegrator cannon sitting beside her feet. My heart skipped a beat seeing the long-barreled weapon; the first time we’d met, what seemed so long ago, Rione had tried to kill me with one. “I guess so.”

I placed my hand on a small display screen nestled in the wall. After a quick scan, it beeped its approval and a series of clicks followed as the bay’s hatch hissed open.

“So, how’s the shoulder holding up?”

I lied, even as the joint in question objected. “Couldn’t be better.”

“Glad to hear it.”

She walked inside, immediately calling out to the rest of our strike team. “Suit up!”

I looked to the far end of the bay, where a tiny ship rested. Three pale-skinned Torians in similar body suits rushed over to the inboard wall, their feet squishing against the landing bay floor. They opened up a set of hard plastic lockers, pulling out bright white pressure suits. Rione and I strolled over.

“Sure you don’t want to take along something more?” She nodded toward my Mark II blaster and its holster.

“It’ll be fine.” Like an old, comfortable piece of furniture, I knew every nuance of the weapon. It fit me and never let me down. The thought of swapping it for something new never entered my mind.

“You’ll be sorry.”

Ordinarily, a Rulusian freighter’s cargo bay would only be wide enough for an ordinary transport container. This particular ship had been extensively modified, turning three bays into a single hangar. I watched Rione slip inside her white suit before opening up my own locker. The stench of stale air invaded my nostrils.

This freighter had been modified specifically for covert missions such as this. So had its predecessor, a freighter designated Green Three which Rione had operated as Captain.