Chapter One.
The ship shook under the impacts of the weapons. Susan Ivanova looked over the heads up display as it blared red with damage reports. She quickly pointed the auto repair over the high priority items and then turned her attention back to flying the ship. The ship was an old Cobra III freighter. Quite a good 'jack of all trades' ship in its day and, if well equipped, could easily hold off most pirate attacks under the command of a capable pilot.
However, it wouldn't really stand much of a chance against the flight of four unidentified Thunderbolt fighters, which had been pursuing her since she left Earth two days ago. No warning, no threats, no ultimatum had been forth coming, just a chase across two sectors and then their sudden attack just two hours away from the jump-point to Babylon 5.
The four fighters had finished their firing pass and we're setting up for a second run. She grimaced as she realised that this poor old ship wouldn't be able to much more of that kind of punishment but she had a plan.
"Is the package ready?" She called into com-link.
"Aye Aye Sir." came the reply. "Just let me know when you want this bad boy dropped."
The formation of thunderbolts had completed their turn, formed up and was bearing down on the Cobra. Ivanova fired the lateral thrusters in a desperate evasive manoeuvre to avoid incoming fire. It seemed to do the trick as the fighter's fire streaked past the viewscreen.
"Let it go!" She ordered.
"Aye Aye Sir!"
The ship shuddered as something big detached from underneath the ship. Ivanova threw all power into the rear engines and the Cobra jumped forward like a dog let off its lead. She started to count down from five. There was an explosion behind the ship when she reached two. She looked at the scanner and breathed a sigh of relief as it showed five piles of debris, where the Thunderbolts and their jury rigged mine had been.
"That was close." came a voice from behind her.
"It was supposed to detonate at five." said Ivanova, she tried to sound annoyed but couldn't, not to this person.
"Well, I recalculated. We were closing too fast."
Ivanova snorted in disbelief.
"There is no way you did all that in your head."
"I'll write out the equations if you want." The voice was coming from an access port at the rear of the Cobra's bridge.
A young woman emerged from the access port. She had an athlete's figure and short hair but it was her face which caused Ivanova a little shock and thrill at the same time. It was like looking in the mirror, if that mirror showed how you looked twenty years ago. The woman sauntered over to the other seat on the bridge and sat down.
"Any idea who they were?" She asked.
"I have a couple of idea's." replied Ivanova, "but we're going to need this bucket of bolts to reach B5 before we work out our next move."
"So what needs doing?"
"Everything, probably. I had to beg so many favours just to get this junkpile."
"Ok, I'm on it." The woman got up and headed back to the access port.
"Oh, and Abigail?" Ivanova said, "I want you to be careful. I want to deliver you to your father in one piece, so you can see me kick his smug Scottish ass."
The younger woman smiled.
"Yes Mom." She said sarcastically. "Oh by the way, it's arse. We are British after all."
She left Ivanova to her thoughts. It was only a month ago that Abigail had turned up on her doorstep. Since then, things had been a little bit hectic. Thankfully, she had a large amount of leave, which she took, and decided to find a certain Captain Phillip Douglas of the commonwealth. And have some choice words with him about Abigail's parentage. Choice words and maybe a punch or two.