Tanya sat in the cockpit of her powered-down Hammerhead watching the docking bay of Altona Station. She had been waiting outside the station for just under an hour, having left the station thirty minutes after meeting Travis.
"Travis Carter, I hate you," she said to no-one in particular and was surprised to learn she didn't really mean her words. For all of his slimy faults, Tanya had a measure of respect for the man who out-witted and captured her. She vowed never to let down her guard again.
A soft beeping from her on-board computer indicated the Admiral's Armoured Transport was about to disembark from the station. The young woman had tapped into the station's docking register and learnt exactly what time the Admiral's ship was leaving. In response, she activated the six wing-mounted missile launchers and armed her torpedo launcher. Two full salvoes and the ship would be destroyed.
Tanya shook her head.
She actually thought the old Admiral had very good intentions. To bring peace throughout Sirius is no simple task and many would lose from such an event occurring. She wondered what the various military factions, corporations who supplied and developed their technology and of course, the governments that relied on the military for support would cope if Sirius was without conflict.
Suddenly without warning her comm. channel opened and a full helmeted image appeared in her HUD. Another blip on her screen indicated another ship leaving Altona Station. It was Travis.
"Travis, by the suns of Sigma, what are you doing?" asked Tanya furious. "If you stay anywhere within a hundred metres of the docking bay you'll be blown to pieces!"
"Tanya, listen to me. You cannot attack the Admiral's ship," replied Travis quickly.
"What are you talking about? Is this another trick?" she demanded.
"No, listen. I'm serious. The Admiral is-"
Tanya interrupted.
"Travis. Stop playing games. You need the Admiral dead. I need him dead. Then you tell me what I need to know. Then we're clear. It's simple."
"It's not that simple. The Admiral never travels without an escort," said Travis.
"Whatever. I can handle a few ships," said Tanya locking her seat belt into place. So much for a quick kill, she thought. Travis' Hammerhead flew closer to Tanya's.
"Tanya, I'm serious. These pilots are the elite of the Rheinland military. They fly the best ships, Valkyries," Travis heard Tanya snort in derision. "And they're cloaked."
Tanya blinked.
"Cloaked?" she asked.
"Yes, cloaked damn it!" shouted Travis. "And there are twelve fighters! You can't beat twelve ships on your own, especially when you're presumably mounting missiles and torps for a cap-ship kill."
Tanya thought about this, then noticed a large, grey Armoured Transport bearing the Admiral's colours, leave the station.
"Travis. He's leaving," she said.
"Please. Trust me. I swear I'm not lying to you," pleased Travis.
"Trust you? That's asking for a lot. But fine. I can wait. Armoured Transports don't move particularly quickly," said Tanya coldly. "If you're lying I can catch him at the next point."
She watched the Transport coast its way to a nearby trade lane and activate a docking sequence, then frowned as it sped off into the distance. Just before she was about to berate the bounty hunter, a dozen heavy fighters suddenly appeared out of the darkness of space, their cloaking fields shimmering away with a green aura. The Valkyries also docked with the trade lane and soon blinked off her HUD.
Tanya unclipped her seat belt and breathed a huge sigh.
"Travis Carter. Start talking. Why did you send me on this suicide mission? And more importantly, why did you stop me from carrying it out?" she demanded.
"It's complicated, babe," began Travis. Tanya cringed again. "But I'll be blunt. I'm now in the same pile of frack that you are," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You've heard of the Blood Dragons, right? Kusari organised crime syndicate. Allies to the Golden C. Friendly to the Outcasts?"
"Yes," was Tanya's reply.
"I owe them, a lot of money," admitted Travis.
"That's not my problem," said Tanya curtly. Travis shook his head.
"Well, it's kinda become your problem, babe. I told the Blood Dragon's that you would kill the Admiral and probably die in the process of doing it. Even if you failed to kill the Admiral, I could take him out on my own at a later stage, though the death would be less public."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing! You slime!" raged Tanya. Her green eyes gleamed in fury.
"Listen, listen. I saved your life remember?" said Travis trying to calm the woman down. "Problem is, I disobeyed their order, so that means I'm now a marked man. And you, Tanya, are a marked woman."
Her grip on her joystick tightened until her knuckles were bone white from the tension.
"Are you telling me, that I'm now an enemy of the entire crime syndicate?" she hissed through gritted teeth. Travis was careful in his reply.
"Tanya, help me out," he began in a placating tone. Take out the leader of the clan and his lieutenants that I'm indebted to and I'll tell you what you need," proposed Travis. "It's not all of the Blood Dragons. By Kusari hells, they fight each other as much as the rest of Sirius."
"No. This is getting old, Travis Carter. Each time I get close, you throw something else at me. How can I trust you after everything I've been through? Who's to say I do what you ask, then something else comes along. I won't be on your leash anymore Travis. Tell me something useful or I'll kill you right here, right now."
In response to her words, she armed her missiles; glad she had retained the sense to keep an EMP missile launcher mounted, and then swung her ship around to face his.
Travis stared back at Tanya through his cockpit window, his blue eyes meeting her own of green. A few minutes passed, though it seemed much longer until he spoke.
"Governor Mason. Jack Mason. He was a Major in the Liberty Navy until he resigned his commission four years ago and now works for Liberty as a diplomatic advisor in the Senate. It's all a sham though, Mason is still on the Liberty Navy payroll, but functioning as a civilian on their council gives him wider access to certain people."
"You mean, bribes?" ventured Tanya.
"Yes, in a sense. He is able to turn votes around very quickly by lending unofficial military support to certain key corporations. Ageira, DSE, IC, the big ones."
"So why did he order the destruction of my team?" asked Tanya. She wanted to say volunteers, or victims, but felt getting emotional now wouldn't be helpful.
"Because the team went on a mission that he requested. The objective was to destroy a large installation, an Outcast installation; a one-of-a-kind biodome similar to the Freeports in design. It was the Outcasts first foray into extended absences away from Planet Malta. As you know, all Outcasts rely on Cardamine to survive. Their cells begin to break down if they remain away from Malta for too long, even with the aid of Cardamine to slow down the deterioration of their bodies. Hence why their front lines on bases like Cali and Ruiz are frequently rotated. This was some of the information you sent back during your mission."
Travis took a breath, then continued.
"So your team infiltrated the Outcasts. We got you close to their leader who was at the inauguration ceremony of the new outpost. But you failed. You, Tanya. After spending so much time with the Outcasts, you fell in love with the Don's son and when he stood between you and his father in defence, you couldn't do the job!"
Tanya reeled in her seat, bright lights and fast-moving images flashing before her eyes. Her locked in an initimate embrace with a young, handsome Hispanic man. Gentle touching and kissing soon replaced with more intense passion. Another image, a lavish hall full of people. An explosion. Tanya at the head of a group, a blaster in hand. 'Why, Tanya? Why betray us?" he asked. Travis' voice brought her back to the present.
"The mission was a failure and the project suspended. The whole team was either brought back for corrective treatment, or killed if they resisted. You were one of the last, and you undertook more treatment than anyone. I'm sorry."
Tanya shook her head trying to free her mind from the swirling faces.
"I..remember," she said between large, gulping breaths. "I couldn't kill him. I loved him. The Kusari doctor told me I had re-discovered my true personality. It's why he helped me escape from detention and get to the Tau systems on your trail. Mason ordered the destruction of the station I was on? He was the one who ordered to wipe the slate clean?"
"Correct," affirmed Travis. "When he found out you, the person responsible for causing the mission to fail, were still alive he arranged for everyone that was even remotely involved in the project to be present on the station. He decided to remove all trace of the projects physical existence in one fell swoop. Mason then declared the station as outlaws, a Rogue hideout and had the Liberty Navy destroy it."
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"So. Mason had everyone killed when the project failed? That's beyond evil," Tanya said softly.
"He doesn't know evil, babe. He's above that. He has no feelings. I'd say he lost a chunk of his humanity when they replaced his body after the Nomad wars."
"Replaced his body?" asked Tanya incredulous.
"Yeah. He's virtually metal. The only remains from his human body are his brain and spinal column."
Tanya absorbed all the information. Only one more question remained.
"Travis. How do you know so much?"
Travis didn't reply straight away, instead looking out beyond his cockpit to the stars.
"I went AWOL on my first mission after taking a hit that crippled my ship. Mason and his co-ordinators thought I was dead, so I stayed low for a couple of years trying to remember my real name, my family, friends, the life I had before I joined. I knew I was in danger so I had surgery. Eventually I began to remember."
Tanya's eyes widened as Travis continued, her mind reeling from what she feared Travis was about to say.
"I'm a 'volunteer' just like you," he said. "We're the last."
(cont'd)