[05] Elite: Reclamation (40 page)

The missile roared away at point blank range.

No chance to react.

There was a flash and a heavy thump from below. The
Bella Principessa
jolted, dragging the controls from her hands. Flames and debris spun briefly past the cockpit windows before disappearing into the darkness.

Kahina craned her neck around to see what had happened. She looked out of the rear windows. Flame, debris and drifting smoke. The scanner was a crackle of static and confusion.

All she could see was empty space, the stars slowly coming to a halt after the wild gyrations of the battle. She held her breath.

The
Raeben
abruptly appeared, terrifyingly close. She stifled a scream of surprise.

But the other ship was drifting. She watched the hull slide past, a sparking, flaming mess of torn panels and ruined components. It spun past, slowly growing smaller. She watched for a moment, seeing the navigation lights on the exterior flicker and grow dark.

I killed it.

***

‘She’ll be aiming direct for the Prism system,’ Dalk said, looking across to Hassan. ‘You’ve got the triangulation points?’

Hassan, sitting alongside him amongst the consoles on the bridge of Octavia’s ship, gestured across with an outstretched hand. A holofac display drifted between the two men.

‘Best I can do,’ Hassan replied. ‘Timings of the transmissions of her message and the various relay points means she has to be somewhere around here.’

Dalk studied the display. They’d narrowed it down to three systems.

‘Then we’ve got time. She’s a little further out than we are. Time enough to get there before her, the Federation and the Imperials if we move fast enough.’

‘Any ideas on how she’s doing it?’

‘Must have help,’ Dalk replied. ‘Recognise the background from her video?’

Hassan looked at Kahina’s holofac transmission. The bulkhead behind her was dark for the most part, but a few telltale lights and a couple of obscure control panels were visible.

‘It’s old whatever it is. Krait?’

Dalk shook his head.

‘What you’re looking at there is a classic old school Cobra Mark 3. Cowell and MgRath vintage.’

Hassan’s nose wrinkled. ‘A Cobra that old? Lucky it’s still flying …’

‘Don’t underestimate it,’ Dalk replied. ‘One of the toughest little ships money can buy. Built them properly back in the day and it’s easy to keep them competitive too, one of the best modular chassis designs.’

‘No match for this ship.’

Dalk rubbed his chin. ‘Depends who’s flying it.’

Octavia arrived behind them.

‘I hope you have located her.’

‘Close enough,’ Dalk replied. ‘She’s nearby, but we won’t find her before she reaches home if we try to follow. Our best bet is to get there before her.’

‘I’m assuming you have a plan?’

Dalk nodded. ‘If she’s planning to take the moon she’ll need to secure the station first. She’ll probably try to sneak aboard incognito. The Reclamists still hold it, but it’s mostly crewed by slaves that may or may not decide to throw their lot in with her. She’ll have to convince them to help her. That’s our chance to grab her.’

‘Why should the slaves help us?’

Dalk grinned. ‘You forget, Octavia. I am the voice of reason, a Patron of the Empire. The slaves will respect me, answer to me. I can turn their loyalty. But we must reach the station before she does.’

‘Which station is it?’

‘There’s only one.
Hiram’s Anchorage
. It’s in low orbit around the moon, Chione. It’s heavily fortified, neither the Federation or Imperial fleets will be able to approach until it stands down. Otherwise it’s just a processing …’

‘I don’t care what it is,’ Octavia snapped. She turned and barked instructions. ‘Helmsman! Prism system, Chione moon. Best possible speed and more.’

The crew of the
Retribution
jumped to their tasks. Octavia turned back to Dalk and Hassan.

‘And what of the girl?’

‘I can deal with Kahina,’ Dalk replied. ‘She will need my help to take back her world. Yours too.’ He nodded at Octavia.

‘I will expect to be compensated.’ Octavia replied, with a faint grin.

‘You will be,’ Dalk said. ‘I will arrange for Kahina to provide … appropriate payment.’

‘We have a deal.’

‘The Imperials will pay a high price for her safe return,’ Hassan added. ‘Perhaps they can be persuaded to contribute …’

Octavia briefly looked at Dalk. ‘I’m sure they will.’

Hassan looked at the satisfied grin on Octavia’s face and the grim expression on Dalk’s.

They’ve got another thing coming if they believe that girl will just comply with their plan! And I’ve got to find a way to make sure she does …

***

Luko woke abruptly, lurching upwards. He felt a hand on his chest, pushing him back down.

‘Easy.’

He opened his eyes and found Kahina looking down at him.

‘The Vulture!’ His eyes were wide with panic.

‘Shhhh. It’s dead.’

He looked at her. ‘Dead? How?’

She smiled faintly and shrugged. ‘I killed it.’

Luko tried to sit up, but a surge of pain blasted across his forehead. He winced. He felt Kahina push him back down.

‘Ahhh …’

‘Hold still, you hit your head pretty hard.’ Her voice took on a sterner tone. He took a deep breath and then looked around. He was in his cabin, buckled into his couch.

‘Help me up,’ he said.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Signorina, we may not be alone. Best to check, yes?’

He saw her nod and she unstrapped the buckles before helping him back up to the cockpit. He adjusted a few of the controls and then brought the ship about. The remains of the
Raeben
spun slowly before them, it was clear it was completely wrecked.

Luko studied it for a few brief moments and then turned to Kahina with a smile, raising his hands in appraisal.

‘We have some damage but … bravissimo, signorina. How you do this?’

He saw her look out of the cockpit windows. ‘Missile. Same trick he used, a little closer.’

Luko nodded. ‘You make a pretty good fighter, yes? Instinct very good.’

She smiled and looked away, a trace of colour blushing into her cheeks. ‘It just happened.’

‘Exactimo. You knew. This is good. Fast on the trigger I think.’

‘Yeah, I tend to shoot first …’

Luko grinned. ‘It is your style, yes? Just choose your next target carefully, signorina.’

He checked the scanners, relieved to see nothing else present.

‘Who was on that ship?’

Luko gestured for the scanner information, there was little to go on. As he expected, there was no transponder code.

‘My guess? Was bounty hunter.’

‘After me?’

Luko nodded. ‘Federation agent perhaps? How they find us so fast? Is a puzzle.’

The girl looked distinctly uncomfortable. He watched her with narrowed eyes.

‘Signorina?’

She was refusing eye contact, picking at her clothing with her fingers. ‘I sent a message.’

‘A message? When? To who?’

‘Back on the station, I sent a message to my people.’

Luko turned on her, his voice rising. ‘Saying what?’

‘I sent instructions to my people to take back my home.’

‘You sent it crypto on narrowband, yes? Please say you did.’

Kahina didn’t reply.

‘Not wideband public?’

‘News.’ Kahina’s voice was small.

‘The news!’ Luko held his head in his hands.

‘I didn’t have a choice!’ Kahina returned. ‘Other comms would have been jammed. I needed to make sure they received it. I needed to reclaim my home before the Federation usurps it. You weren’t going to help me, were you? They had to know I was alive, so they can take the system back – otherwise it would be lost forever.’

‘And now everyone knows. Bounty hunters everywhere! Everyone try to kill you – kill me too! What you thinking?’

‘I didn’t think …’

‘This I agree!’ Luko was furious. ‘You start your crazy war. I not want to be involved. Just take you home – this was deal. Not fight your battle.’

‘I’m not asking you to fight in my battle.’

‘Really?’ He glared at her. ‘What you call this?’ He gestured to the wrecked ship outside. ‘You expect to fly back to your home without a fight?

‘I killed that ship, not you!’

Luko stopped. She was right. He was in her debt. He sank back in the pilot’s seat.

‘You save my life. Now I owe you, this is what you say?’

‘Something like that.’

Luko eyed her for a moment, before flipping on the astrogation console and calling up the newsfeeds.

‘Then let us see what you have done, yes?’

Kahina watched. This time it was no simple news article. The holofac lit up with a woman, clearly a reporter from one of the Imperial news channels. She spoke in tense excited tones.

‘… And in a dramatic turn of events, a woman claiming to be Lady Kahina Tijani Loren, the exiled and supposedly dead daughter of the late Senator Algreb Loren of the Prism system, has broadcast a declaration of war on the self-styled Reclamists who deposed her father. Demanding in no uncertain terms that Imperial forces loyal to her family invade the system, Kahina also points the finger of blame for the assassination of her family squarely at the Federation, alleging that they did indeed bankroll the Reclamists as many have speculated.

‘Speaking in strident tones, on a pre-recorded message broadcast wideband from an unknown location, she instructs Imperial forces to re-assert her family’s claim to their home world by use of force.

‘The Imperials, who have confirmed her identity, have moved swiftly in an attempt to blockade the system. The Federation claims the message has been faked and that the Imperials are trying to precipitate a conflict, but they are moving their own forces into the system in a state of high alert. Independent reports indicate that both fleets are prepared for an extended military encounter.

‘If it really is the Senator’s daughter, it’s unclear how she escaped the assassination of her family. Her precise whereabouts are also unknown. Some reports have her in the outlying systems, others already with the Imperial armada positioning itself in the Prism system.

‘Nearby systems are already fortifying their own installations fearing that an outbreak of war may spill over into their territories. So far, nothing further has been heard from Kahina. Her next move may well dictate the fate of the entire sector. ’

The holofac transmission fizzled out. Luko looked across at her.

‘You one crazy bitch, signorina.’

Chapter Thirteen

High above the azure blue curve of Chione hung the sombre mass of
Hiram’s Anchorage.
Massive bulk freighters, kilometre-long buttresses of heavy duty frames stacked with endless rows of containers, drifted listlessly nearby, their systems shutdown.

Few lights were shining from the station. The docking bays were closed and sealed off, with enormous blast doors secured over their entrances. Huge turrets slowly rotated on their gimbals, prepared to unleash fierce destructive firepower at any target that came into range.

A brief flicker of light twinkled in the darkness and a small point of light appeared in the distance. The turrets swung ponderously, their guidance systems tracking the approaching vessel, coldly calculating trajectories and firing solutions. Within moments dozens of weapons were poised to be unleashed against the invader.

Aboard the
Retribution
the threat warning indicators were flashing imminent doom. Dalk enjoyed a moment of perverse pleasure as he watched the faces of Octavia’s crew blanch as they detected the multiple weapons’ locks.

‘Shit,’ Hassan said from beside him, watching the station grow larger through the expansive bridge windows. ‘The thing’s a bloody fortress.’

‘Mining operations are lucrative targets,’ Dalk replied. ‘You’ve got to be able to defend yourself.’

‘Dalk, get down here.’

Octavia had gestured to him. Dalk walked down from the outer ring of the bridge to her chair, situated at the very centre of the room. Hassan followed behind him.

Octavia gestured at the screen.

‘We’ll be in firing range in thirty seconds, I suggest you get them to lower their shields.’

Dalk studied the approaching station with a practiced eye.

‘You’ll need to do exactly what I say in that case.’

‘This is my ship, bounty hunter.’ Octavia’s gaze was fierce and confrontational.

Dalk shrugged, backed up a step and swept his arm wide. ‘Then be my guest.’

Octavia glared at him.

Fence with me on my home turf? You’ll need my experience, you wait and see.

‘Widebands comms to the station,’ Octavia snapped.

‘Already signalling us,’ one of her crew replied. ‘Shall I put it on?’

Dalk watched as Octavia signalled for the comms to be broadcast and then listened intently.

‘Anaconda-class vessel
Retribution
. Alter course and avoid Chione
aegis
. You will be fired upon if you encroach a five-kilometre proximity zone.’ The voice sounded business like, but young and high-pitched.

Octavia thumbed the transmit button on her chair.

‘This is the Commander of the
Retribution.
I have urgent business aboard your station and demand you allow me to dock. Lower your shields.’

‘Range seven kilometres,’ Hassan whispered.

The answer was swift.

‘
Retribution.
Docking permission is denied.’ The voice faltered and cracked. ‘Alter course and avoid Chione
aegis.
You will be fired upon.’

Dalk smiled to himself.

So, now what are you going to do?

‘Who the hell is this?’ Octavia demanded.

This time there was another voice, also young, but sharp, arrogant and proud. ‘
Hiram’s Anchorage
is held by Imperial forces loyal to the Senator’s daughter, Lady Kahina Tijani Loren of Chione. You are identified as Commander Quinton, Allegiance Federation. Withdraw, Commander or we will fire on you.’