Harrigan's Heroes

by Warlord-Shirt

A trio of unlikely comrades are dispatched to find Crichton. But things don't go quite as planned. WARNING! Some chapters have higher ratings! Check chapter headings! NOW A FINISHED WORK.

11. Chapter 10 : Unexpected guests

Chapter 10 : Unexpected guests

The unpleasant rasping drone of the Harbringer's alarm woke Harrigan from a sound sleep. After stepping on a drink bottle, and almost slipping on a discarded ration pack, he strapped on his FiveSeven and headed outside. Except for the spaceport employees, who worked around the clock, no-one else was visible, so he walked slowly down the street leading to the red zone and the gun dealer.

Word of the skirmish had had time to spread even further among the local population, or at least the part of it that wasn't Scarran. There was the occasional calls of "Good one, mate!", "Kick the Scarrans right where it hurts!", and many other cries of encouragement or thanks. Harrigan growled slightly under his breath at the young man who was in favour of a little Scarran-kicking. If you tried that, Harrigan mused, even the most inept Scarran would rip off your head and do terrible things down the hole. Which would serve you right.

About half way down the street a blue police car pulled up beside him in a screech of tyres. Harrigan spun round, hand on his FiveSeven, but relaxed a little when he saw that it was only the female customs officer from the previous day. "Even though the weather's revolting" laughed Harrigan (it had been raining slowly for the past arn) "there couldn't be a better start to the day than seeing you step out of that car". The police officer driving the car laughed at that, especially as the lady had just blushed an almost luminescent red. "Come on" she muttered, lifting up the hood on her rain cape "we'd better get going". Harrigan followed her closely down the street, calling out "I'm sorry about all that harassment you must be getting off your colleagues". She slowed down, and replied "Don't worry. Usually, I'm needled because they reckon I've got no life outside the job; when I actually prove to have one, they just change target. My superiors know – and they clamp down if it goes too far".

Harrigan smiled warmly at her and put his arm around her shoulder, which put a bit more life back into her expression. She leaned gratefully against him, and they proceeded down the rest of the street to the gun dealer without further incident on their part – though there were a few mutters from some of the female bystanders when they saw who was with Harrigan. He stepped up to the shopfront window and rapped smartly on the wall. He'd become reasonably accustomed to his new strength, and didn't even dislodge one brick or make the slightest crack in the wall.

The Luxan dealer's assistant stuck his head out from behind the awning. After a fleeting look of shock at Harrigan's size (he had been in the back of the premises asleep when Harrigan had called the previous day) he called for his boss. "That frelling huge nutcase you told me about is here to pick up his stuff" he muttered, though not quietly enough to pass below Harrigan's enhanced hearing threshold.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- I suppose I'll have to get used to it, Harrigan thought to himself. But I certainly don't like it, he decided, and turned a full-wattage nasty glare at the assistant. He immediately ducked behind the shop wall, where he decided to stay.

The dealer stuck his head out from behind the curtain separating the shopfront from the factory section. "Ah, yes" the dealer laughed lightly "I should have realised it was you when my assistant ran in, stuffed himself under a control console, and refused to come out. Come through" he beckoned "I have a firing range out back. Paid an arm and a leg for a plot that large inside the city, but it's paid for itself already. You can test your weapon before you make the final payment"

Harrigan shouldered his way through the front door, then the curtain. The customs officer stayed in the shop proper; she considered weapons to be part of her job, nothing more. Harrigan loved every kind of ranged weapon – the bigger the better. She muttered a little, but sat down to read a book until Harrigan returned.

The Luxan showed Harrigan to a long table by a range booth. On it a strangely familiar, yet noticeably different, weapon lay in front of him. Beside it lay a pile of ammo drums. Harrigan bent down to look at them. "Steel needle-nose, as ordered" the dealer declared "With a thin copper jacket down the sides, so the rifling bites well. Pick up the gun, go on". Harrigan did as he was asked and was a little surprised at the feel of the new gun. "I assumed you wanted it as a close-support weapon, so I made it a little shorter. That suppressor increases the length a little, but overall length is still a henta or so shorter than when it started. Why don't we zero it in?"

Harrigan happily grabbed a drum and slapped it in. After cocking the weapon, Harrigan started laying fire downrange. "Hmm..." he pondered "Not bad". He grabbed a small screwdriver and used it to take a couple of clicks off the elevation. After firing a few more rounds, he moved to the 400 metra target and started again. A quarter-arn later, Harrigan had the new G8C set up the way he liked it. I think I've earnt a little fun, Harrigan thought, as he turned to the Luxan dealer. "How about multiple targets, moving? Can you do that?" he asked. "Want a bit of a challenge?" the Luxan laughed. "Got to test full-auto on something, haven't I?" Harrigan replied. The dealer pressed a few buttons, and soon half a dozen targets were moving back and forth across the range. Harrigan applied short bursts to all of them, then reloaded and safed the weapon and stood clear.

"Perfect!" Harrigan decided. He slung the weapon over his shoulder, and stuffed as many ammo drums as would fit into his backpack. After shifting from foot to foot to settle the weight, he turned back to the dealer with four bags of gems in his hands. The dealer was, however, back at his computer making copies of the blueprints. He brought these over and presented them to Harrigan. "The last part of our contract" he stated "And how will you be paying?"

Harrigan upended one bag of gems onto the range table. "That enough?" Harrigan asked. By now, the assistant had been coaxed out of his hidey- hole; so he was ordered to examine the gems. After a further quarter-arn, he responded "Top quality".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Very well" replied the dealer. Then he turned to Harrigan. "That will cover our deal. Anything else?" he asked. Harrigan pondered this. "How long to make three more, plus 45,000 rounds of ammo in drums? I'd like it by tonight if possible". The assistant looked up, stunned. "That'll require all three autofacs running at once!" he shrieked "We'll have no backups, or the ability to service other customers!" Harrigan glared at him again, and turned to the dealer. "Well?" he asked. The dealer pondered his reply, then responded "I'll need to get three of my friends in to program the other machines. It's doable but expensive". Harrigan dropped the other three bags on the table. "That should do" he replied. The dealer himself checked these, and pronounced them authentic. Then he pointed at his assistant, yelling "You know who I need! Fetch them!"

The assistant scampered out of the back door. "If you don't mind?" the dealer stated testily "I'd like to get started right away". Harrigan gave him one more small bag to pay for delivery to the Harbringer. Then he went back out front, where the customs officer had a very irate look on her face. "What the frell's going on?!" she growled "I thought you two had decided to sit back and watch the sport or something! I certainly didn't hear you testing that thing! Come on, let's go". Harrigan pulled the weapon around to show her. "The reason you didn't hear are twofold. (1) This place obviously has insulated walls, and (2)" he continued, pointing at the barrel "this weapon is suppressed. I'm glad the suppression works as well as the rest of the gun". She harrumphed a little at that, and the two of them went back outside.

Harrigan felt much happier with a weapon in his hands. He quickly slipped back into patrol mode, feeling a little practice would be helpful. He scanned the bystanders and buildings as they walked back to the spaceport, whistling a happy tune, the G8C moving slowly from side to side, tracking his gaze. The customs officer watched, and couldn't help but feel a little chill of fear. She was assigned to the investigative side of the police, not any of the action teams. Here was a man who carried a weapon like others carried their wallets, and obviously felt just at home with it. He moves like he's constantly in battle!

However, her private thoughts were interrupted when a police vehicle pulled up. "You're needed at the port" the driver called out "Get in!" Then the driver got a good look at her companion. "Perhaps this two-legged tank you're with should come as well" he added "There's a disturbance at Harskill's again". "I hope that car can take my weight" Harrigan replied doubtfully "It looks very lightweight to me". "Just get in if you're coming" the customs officer barked. Harrigan did, causing the car to sink to the bottom of its suspension and a warning light to light up on the dash. The driver turned, stunned at the size of a man whose weight could cause an overload warning in a police car on his own.

"I don't know how long the suspension will hold, but let's go" the driver remarked, after Harrigan had finally managed to get himself inside. He took up the whole of the rear seating, and still his knees were almost up to his ears. The police car moved off, making all manner of creaking noises, as the overloaded suspension protested at Harrigan's weight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The car made slow going, as lunchtime traffic clogged the street. The siren had little effect, and the driver was rapidly losing patience. Harrigan stuck his head out of the window and yelled "OUT OF THE FRELLING WAY!" at the top of his voice. This caused a rapid exodus of citizens from the street, as many recognised that voice as that of the man who'd defeated the Deadhead team – which event had, by now, made it's way onto the local news channels.

Their progress met with no further hindrances. Soon they arrived back at the spaceport, outside Harskill's bar, where apparently a full-scale riot was going on. "The barman called us in" the officer in charge explained as the customs officer moved up behind the commander's car. He added "We're waiting for an action team to come and clear the place out". Harrigan asked what the response time would be. "Quarter to half an arn" was the reply. Harrigan stepped around the car and made for the bar. The officer in charge laid a hand on his shoulder, saying "Where the frell do you think you're going?" Harrigan shrugged him off, saying "If we wait any longer, we'll need body bags" as he strode into the bar.

One customer tried pulling a pulse pistol when he saw the newcomer. Harrigan thumped him hard and picked up the now unconscious rioter by the ankles. He then used him to hit all the other rioters, swinging the body like a club. After a few hundred microts, there was a groaning heap of former rioters. Those who were still conscious didn't dare move. A few others were huddled in a booth, watching the proceedings. "Come and drag this lot away!" Harrigan yelled out to the police. The he looked around at the rioters, many of whom were certainly not the pinnacle of society. Then he added "Unless you want me to shoot them all", grinning nastily.

A rush of police officers came in through the door, and started dragging the former rioters off to the now-present police vans. "Thank you" one of the remaining customers said gratefully "It was definitely getting out of control. Things often get a little rowdy in here, but if we waited for the action team to turn up, I'm sure that at least one of my crew would be seriously injured". At the mention of 'crew', Harrigan looked up. "Crew?" he replied "Are you a ship captain?" The captain replied "Indeed so. Captain Fernandez at your service. You call, I haul". Harrigan laughed at that, and replied "Well, I pilot a smaller craft. Me and my ship need to piggyback our way into the main shipping lanes, so I can start looking for a friend who came through here". The transport captain pondered that, looking at his officers next to him. They nodded. "If your ship can fit on board, you can come with us. We're not going as far as the main lanes, but we'll get you as close as we can. Now about payment..."

A fee was negotiated and paid. "Frankly I'd take you for nothing, except we're a bit short on cash until we sell our current cargo" the captain explained. "We leave tomorrow lunchtime"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrigan spent the rest of the day getting some more varied food for the Harbringer's upcoming journey, and pirating the local news and entertainment broadcast channels on the Harbringer's comm gear. Just before dark, a delivery truck turned up with the rest of his weaponry order. The dealer had thrown in a box of tarvek grenades for free as well, which surprised Harrigan. Never mind, he thought, I'll soon find a use for these, so he dragged the crate back to the armoury and secured them for transport along with the spare guns and ammo. He then got the ship's computer to stash a copy of the blueprints in its memory, and turned in for the night.

The female Deadhead had just managed to catch up with Harrigan. She was glad she'd managed to book passage on the same ship – while her superiors won't like the expense, with the current wrangling in High Command over the upcoming war they'd need something to go right for a change. It would also stave off possible transfer or punishment – the political infighting had resulted in many otherwise blameless careers being stymied because their patrons were of the wrong faction. She followed the transport captain back to the their transport pod, and flew up to the mothership and her stateroom.

Next morning, the weather had cleared up considerably. The rain had stopped, which please Harrigan no end; although he could fly in foul weather, he certainly didn't like it. He replenished the supplies he'd used, and contacted the transport captain. "We're heading up to our ship right now" he replied when Harrigan came on the line. He gave Harrigan the transponder frequency "Follow that in, you'll find us in no time. Since we've finished our business here, we'll head up in this transport pod with the last of our cargo. We've got one more passenger other than you, so you'll have some company"

Harrigan replied "On the way!" and fired up the engines. After obtaining takeoff clearance, he boosted up for orbit at max speed. The blast knocked over a few small trader's stalls closer to the blast pit but nothing more. Soon Harrigan had reached orbit, and was following the transponder signal through the maze of ships to his ride out of here. It took half an arn after reaching orbit, but he finally found it. An odd looking ship, thought Harrigan, a bit like mine. All smooth curves, no sharp edges or corners. Certainly not Scarran, he knew, they're not ones to appreciate the finer points of ship design. They don't care how ugly the ship looks, as long as it works.

"What kind of ship's this?" asked Harrigan. "A Leviathan transport" came the reply "We're very lucky to have one. It's pilot decided to come with us so he could get to see new places. Their species have a mad streak for exploration". "Much like mine" replied Harrigan "This is the furthest from home any of my species has come from home". The transport pilot was very surprised. "You seem to be well accustomed to spaceflight" he continued disbelievingly. "Yes, well I've had a somewhat accelerated training schedule" Harrigan replied. The transport captain sensed the edge in Harrigan's tone and refrained from questioning him further.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrigan brought the Harbringer round to the portside shuttle entrance. "Insufficient clearance" reported the computer when Harrigan tried to inch the Harbringer inside. "Alternatives?" he asked crossly. "Dorsal forward service hatch" responded the computer in its metallic monotone "Our position there will not hinder this vessel from using starburst – Harbringer class craft are designed to ride Leviathans this way"

Harrigan called the captain and explained about the change of plans. "OK" he replied after Harrigan had finished "You're sure we'll still be able to starburst with you locked on the outside like that?" Harrigan responded with "Absolutely. Ship's computer says we're designed for it. No problem" The Leviathan's captain wondered at that. Usually only Peacekeeper ships had that capacity, and not many of them either. But he put aside his worry, thankful that he'd managed to get payment in advance.

Harrigan left the G8C in the armoury, but strapped on his FiveSeven. Thankfully, he'd managed to get more ammo for that as well before leaving, as he was starting to run low. After opening the combat drophatch, he banged on the Leviathan's service hatch under it. The captain himself opened it. ""Permission to come aboard?" Harrigan asked. His first officer laughed a little. "We don't stand on ceremony here" she replied to Harrigan's quizzical look "This is a civilian transport, not a Command Carrier. The fact that we actually opened the hatch for you is evidence enough that you're allowed on board. Come on in" she urged. After several microts struggling and cursing as Harrigan tried to lever himself through the tight hatch, the group walked off towards the crew dining room. "Pilot?" asked the captain on his comm. "Yes, captain?" the pilot responded. "Take us out" ordered the captain "Starburst when you're ready". The pilot went quiet, then cut in again "Sheral reports a small vessel clamped on our exterior". Harrigan looked at the captain again. Correctly interpreting Harrigan's confusion, he explained "Leviathans like this are living ships. Sheral is the name of our ship. She's served us very well in the time we've been together, haven't you?" he finished, slapping the nearest conduit lightly "She's detected you ship clamped on the hull"

"Where's the pilot's quarters, then?" Harrigan asked "I'll explain the situation". The captain shook his head. "Not necessary" he replied "He can hear and probably see you over the ship's comm gear. He'll know you're with me, so he'll home his senses in on the signal off my comm badge" pointing to the little badge on his shirt "and take a look if he wants to". "I'd rather explain face to face" Harrigan added "It's a lot clearer that way. Plus the pilot can get a personal impression of his new passenger. Call it a lingering remnant of my military training" he responded to the captain's odd look "I'd always have to report to the captain, usually on the bridge". Now the first officer looked confused "Where all the controls and stuff are" he explained. "Ah, yes" she responded "In Leviathans, it's called the Command. Just because the crew usually command the ship from there in flight. We're fairly straightforward about naming ship rooms. Still don't know why the Pilot's quarters are called the den, though..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Let's go and see" decided the Captain "We'll bring the other passenger with us as well". The first mate went and fetched the female Deadhead and brought her to their little group. "We're just stopping by the pilot's den. Our giant friend here" he said, gesturing to Harrigan "needs to talk to our pilot for a while. We'll be away shortly". She followed behind them as they made their way back to the pilot's den. Harrigan was constantly looking from side to side, taking in his new surroundings. This is an interesting ship, Harrigan thought excitedly, a living ship! DK'll never believe this one. Several hundred microts later, they arrived at a clamshell door. "Captain requesting entry" he stated into the comm "Two passengers also present. The first officer and mate will remain out here". The door irised open, and the group walked in.

"Wow!" Harrigan marvelled, looking around at the ribbed walls and high ceiling "Absolutely amazing!". The Deadhead, who had been on Leviathans before while on assignments, said nothing. "So which one of you is the pilot of the small craft on our exterior?" the pilot asked. Harrigan stepped forward "That would be me" he replied "Pilot and owner. As I told your captain, you'll be able to starburst unhindered. My ship was designed to travel that way". Both the pilot and the Deadhead turned at that. The Deadhead probed with "Only some military vessels do that" she responded. Harrigan was pleasantly surprised at how strong and clear her voice was. He'd expected low and gravelly like the guards at the Project. "How did you come by a ship capable of this feat?" she finished.

Harrigan looked at her a little more warily. This one knows more than she lets on, he thought, I'd better be careful. "Be assured" he replied "I am not serving in the Peacekeeper or Scarran military commands in any way, shape or form" he finished pointedly , glaring at the Scarran. I'm sure I've seen her before, he pondered. There's something familiar about her, I know it!

The Scarran knew something like this was going on in his mind, as his tenseness manifested in his scent. The Scarran sense of smell is very good, and can reveal much useful information to a Scarran with the talent to interpret it. This Scarran did have the talent, as it was one of the first things taught in Deadhead training command. She decided not to reveal any part of her reason for being aboard the ship to him yet. He seems trustworthy, she mused, but I'll wait for a while, I think...

Harrigan turned back to the pilot. "My ship was a Peacekeeper vessel, but is no longer so" he explained "The previous crew was killed in action. Since I was not, I assumed command and ownership of the ship, and here I am. Don't worry, Sheral!" he laughed heartily, slapping the wall "You're quite safe with me!" A breathy, ethereal voice cut in "Why could I not find your ship coming in?" it said. The captain was absolutely gobsmacked. "Sheral hardly speaks to anyone" explained the pilot "You're lucky to get a squeak out of her"

Harrigan looked up at the ceiling. "Sheral" he explained "That wasn't intentional. My ship has extremely advanced low-observable capabilities. It's a stealth vessel"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "A what?!" the first officer replied "Those things usually mean spec-ops military, or even the occasional Disruptor team or Deadhead squad!". Harrigan leaned over the ranting first officer. "I am not part of any group of that sort, or in the service of any of the major powers in this area" he growled "If we come under attack, you may be assured that I will defend this ship to the limit of my capabilities. Now enough of this twaddle" he finished "Your captain trusts me enough to permit me aboard this ship. Perhaps you should be about your duties, and leave us here". The first officer looked up at Harrigan's face, and decided not to push her luck any further. She turned and left, heading for Command.

Both the captain and the Deadhead had been watching their little encounter. "You obviously have military training" said the captain "Maybe you were an officer, judging by the way you handled that. But please don't give my crew any more orders unless I give you permission". "As you say" replied Harrigan "I did indeed serve in one of the militaries on my home planet" The Scarran nodded, ticking something off her mental checklist "The nation I served trained me in both piloting and infantry tactics and made me an officer. I served in a special force until I was selected for this space mission"

The female Scarran almost choked on her own tongue at hearing that. Those bungling idiots at Science Command practiced the most advanced Scarran bioengineering techniques on a special operations soldier?! she fumed. They couldn't command a rubber raft on a calm sea! Now look at what they've done! We'll not hear the end of this for a while...

They thanked the pilot for letting them in, and turned and headed back out of the den and towards Command. "What species are you?" asked the first mate. "Human" Harrigan replied "I seriously doubt you've heard of us. This is the first time we've been out this far. In short, we're like Sebaceans, but without the heat vulnerability". That at least explains some of the reasons why those lunatic scientists let him get through the cracks, the Scarran thought. If he scanned as close to Sebacean standard, they'd let him through. Unfortunately, no soldiers were able to interrogate him, or we'd have known this a long time ago.

Harrigan turned towards her. "And how about our lovely comrade here?" he asked "Who might you be?". She was surprised at they way he spoke, but assumed it was jus the way his species often spoke. "That's the first time I've heard a non-Scarran describe a Scarran female as 'lovely' before!" the captain laughed, drawing Harrigan aside. "Why not?" Harrigan asked "She doesn't look too bad. I'd like to find out more about her"

The pilot came on the comm. "We're about to starburst" he reported "You passengers may want to sit down". The captain led them into the galley. "Grab something to eat" the captain prompted "We've got two days in starburst before we reach our first port of call. We'll make a quick stop to replenish Sheral's amnexis fluid, and fix a couple of nerve bundles near the neural cluster that shorted last trip"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Then we'll jump straight to another commerce planet and drop you two off. It's an interesting place, very unusual. You'll like it" the captain promised Harrigan.

The captain and first mate left to make a quick walkround of some of the more troublesome spots of the ship. Harrigan piled straight into the food, while the Scarran got herself a glass of water. "Can I get you anything?" Harrigan asked when he noticed she wasn't eating. "No, thank you" she replied "I ate before we left". She seems a little preoccupied, Harrigan thought. "So tell me a little about yourself" he prompted.

She smiled a little at that. She's got a nice smile, Harrigan decided, smiling a little himself; I like her already. "Not much to tell" she replied "I was with the Scarran embassy back there" gesturing back towards the planet they just left "but I'm on my way to my next assignment. This ship was the first going the right way, so here I am". Harrigan moved over to sit next to her. "Well, I'm glad you're with us" he added softly.

He's even bigger than I thought! she thought in wonder as he sat down. I only ever saw him from a distance on that commerce planet, but he's gigantic up close! No wonder our squad XO got wiped all over the floor, he must weigh as much as three normal Scarrans or at least two fully loaded soldiers! But he seemed totally at ease in my company, she thought, though I suspect most of that's because he doesn't know I'm a Deadhead. "I'll have some of what you're having" she decided. Harrigan nodded happily and went to get her food. When he came back, he said "So who do I have the privilege of addressing?"

She laughed at Harrigan's off-hand remark, dispelling some of the tension. "Talannah" she replied, extending her hand towards him "And you?". He shook her hand, replying in a bad James Bond parody "The name's Harrigan, John Harrigan" and finishing with an overly-theatrical bow. "Let's eat!" he continued, sitting back down opposite her "I know I'm always more agreeable on a full stomach, how about you?" She's very cagey, Harrigan thought to himself as he watched her eat, there's something fairly important she's not telling me. I do like her, but there's something a little unnerving about a lady who has to watch every word she says, just in case something slips out. He resolved to keep an eye on her and see if anything happened which may give him a clue as to what that might be.

After Sheral had cleared the inner planets of the system, but before the starburst point was reached, Talannah made her excuses and went to her quarters. Once there, she removed several items from her luggage that would have made Harrigan's eyes pop out of his head and assembled them into a covert-ops long range comm system. After activating a broadband antisurveillance unit, she activated the comm system and made contact with her control officer in the intelligence command.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Before she could make her report, an unfamiliar voice came on the line. "IFC Talannah?" it growled. This doesn't sound good, Talannah thought, but responded with "Sir?". "Scarran High Command has deduced, after extensive investigation, that your previous superior officer had been involved in operations and expressed ideals that run counter to its interests. All officers under his authority are being recalled for questioning and a fresh loyalty assessment. A retrieval unit is on its way to return you safely to HQ. Discom" and the signal cut out.

Harrigan was finishing his meal when a soft beep came over his own earpiece. Looking around to make sure no one could overhear, he pressed the transmit button "Yes?". The Harbringer's computer came online with "Lieutenant, an antisurveillance unit has been engaged, and scrambled comm transmissions have been detected". Harrigan's eyes narrowed, and he barked "Where?!" After a twenty or thirty microts, it came back. "Fourth tier, starboard side, near the maintenance section in the shuttle bay". What on earth's down there? Harrigan wondered. He didn't yet know that was where Talannah's quarters were. "Can you decrypt the transmission?" Harrigan asked. "Yes" responded the Harbringer "Estimated decrypt time : 1 arn. The code is tight, but well known". "Fine. Wake me up when you're done" Harrigan responded "I'll take a combat nap down here in the dining room. I've a distinct feeling I'll need to be well-rested to deal with this"

In her quarters, Talannah was still digesting the enormous implications of her comm call. Retrieval units were usually dispatched to ensure the return of irreplaceable vessels or, she added darkly, to make sure important dissidents didn't get away. I'll have to lay low for a while, she finished in her mind as she packed the transmitter away, at least until I work out what the frell is going on! She strapped her sword scabbards back over her shoulders and fixed the holster for her Viper on the harness under her left arm. Let them come! she snarled in her mind. I will not return meekly!

In the Leviathan's Command, the pilot had also reported the transmission. "Captain" the pilot reported "Sheral has detected faint transmissions. Not ours". "Where?" he asked. "Unable to localise, Captain" responded the pilot "We've tried, but all efforts were fruitless. I would suspect a jamming device of some type". He turned to his first officer. "Find our passengers and bring them here!" the captain ordered "Something weird's going on onboard my ship, and I intend to find out what!"

Harrigan was shaken awake by the first officer. "What the frell's going on?!" he grumbled. "Captain wants to see you in Command" the first officer replied, waiting for Harrigan to get up. When Harrigan had stopped grumbling, the two of them walked up to the Leviathan's command deck. When they walked in, the Captain turned towards him with a scowl on his face. "Perhaps" he asked Harrigan satirically "You can tell me what the hell's going on?" Harrigan looked back at him with such a perplexed look on his face that the captain calmed down a little and explained the situation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Sheral has detected an unusual kind of comm transmission" explained the captain wearily "Closest we can get as to location is the shuttle bay. Leviathans aren't equipped with radio direction finders or comm triangulators". Harrigan mulled this over. How much to tell him? Talannah actually seems to be loosening up a little, he thought; if we go down screaming and yelling, guns drawn, demanding answers she'll clam up altogether. Or, of course, be overcome by anger and kill us all. "My own ship detected the transmissions as well" Harrigan finally said "The computer's hard at work decrypting it, but we won't know for sure what the transmission said for at least—"he worked out roughly how much time was left of the Harbringer's decrypt time and added a little to it "—three- quarters of an arn. What it actually means, who knows. I'll take a walkround and see what I can find". When the first officer moved to follow him, he added "Alone. You'll make too much noise and get in the way", glaring at him in a way that clearly implied that swift violence would ensue if he were followed. "If that's all, captain?" Harrigan finished. The captain nodded, and Harrigan turned and left Command muttering under his breath.

"We've got a strange pair of passengers, haven't we Cap?" asked the first officer once he'd left. "You're not wrong" replied the captain, sighing "But the proffered fee was good, from both of them, and I made sure I got payment in advance. Their fares will pay for the replacement amnexis fluid on their own. At least that'll give us more room to move when finding a price for our cargo". The first mate chimed in with "But there's something weird about both of them. The Scarran, well she's Scarran for starters, that ought to be enough. But she's very secretive and sneaky. It's like she goes over everything she says to see what you'll find out from it before she speaks" He shuddered with distaste and a little distrust, and continued "But that big one, well, there's a permanent feeling of barely restrained wrath and anger about him. I mean, well, you saw that look he gave me when he left! He'd have us all for lunch if we went for him"

"Anyway, we contracted with them for transport to our stopover point" finished the captain "Whatever forebodings and misgivings we have, they have to take a back seat for now. Payment has been taken, a contract made. If we back out on a contract, no one will hire us again. We'll be finished". What happens afterwards, he knew, was a whole different ball of dren. Perhaps they're criminals – there may even be a reward out for them. I'll just have to see.

While the Leviathan's captain was debating their current run of bad luck with his crew, especially as it related to their passengers, Harrigan was walking slowly down the fourth tier starboard corridor, trying to figure out a workable plan. However, every time he was about to put the final piece in place, beguiling thoughts of Talannah wandered through his mind, and any attempt at rational thought for the next hundred microts was lost. Come on! he raged in his mind. Now is not the time to succumb to even the most delightful distractions! Move, Harrigan, move!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Eventually, intelligence triumphed over instinct, and Harrigan knocked on her stateroom door. Inside, Talannah, who was already extremely edgy after that call, yanked her Viper off the table and pointed it at the door. "Who's there?!" she yelled. "Whoah, lady!" soothed Harrigan "It's just me! John Harrigan? You know?" She must be really keyed up to react like that! Harrigan thought, I'll have to tread softly.

Talannah let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. Lowering the Viper, but not putting it down, she thumbed the button for the door. She went to look outside, to check for any of the crew, but Harrigan interrupted with "Don't worry. They think I've gone back to my ship to wait for the computer to decrypt your call". She relaxed slightly, but Harrigan could tell the news wasn't good. "You won't need that" Harrigan soothed, pointing at the Viper "You're safe with me. Why don't you sit down and tell me what happened?"

Talannah almost collapsed onto her bed with relief. Harrigan sat down beside her, and said "In your own time". She was touched by the look of honest concern on his face, and replied softly "You'd better grab a drink. You're not going to like this". Once Harrigan got some fellip nectar, she drained the full glass of raslak by her elbow in one swallow. Refilling the glass, she started telling the whole sorry story. "When we came on board this Leviathan, you looked like you recognised me" she started "Yes?" queried Harrigan. "You did" she continued "Quite how I'm not yet sure, but we had crossed paths several times. Back on that commerce planet. When that frelnik first officer said 'Deadhead' when you described your ship, I thought you'd catch on and pull me aside. But you didn't". Now it was Harrigan's turn to look sheepish "Honestly, Talannah, at that time I was too distracted by your figure to say or even think anything remotely rational. I'm sorry" he began to apologise, edging away.

Talannah actually laughed out loud at his remark. "You're too kind" she said, still upset but with the ghost of a smile on her face "I'm hardly the most attractive female, even to other Scarrans...". Harrigan smiled back. "You look just fine from here" he continued "But we can save the beauty discussion for later. You were about to tell me about something else.." he left the end hanging, for her to take up when she was ready. "Yes, I was. I was assigned to follow you by the embassy when you arrived. They keep a close watch on new arrivals, and your size made you stand out. The military attaché sent me out to follow you, and report where you went and what you did". Several unexplained things began to click into place for Harrigan. "I thought at least twice that someone was following me" he mused, taking a quick swallow from his drink.

Talannah continued her revelatory discourse. "I actually saw you close-to only twice. The first was at your spicy lunch". A lightbulb went off in Harrigan's head. "You were the female Deadhead in that squad that burst in while I was eating" he responded. Talannah clarified his reply "I wasn't actually attached to that squad" she explained "But I was aware you had headed down that way. When you stepped out of that booth, I thought the whole squad was going to die"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Harrigan's mind went back to that bar, and the events of that day. "That option certainly crossed my mind" he said, confirming Talannah's suspicions "But I haven't done much hand to hand combat. It's not a major part of military training back home. I did a little amateur wrestling when I was off duty. Tangling with that squad leader was very stupid of me, really. Only my speed got me out of that uninjured. I'm sure he knew several dirty and deadly tricks he could have used on me if I'd let him"

"He certainly did" Talannah confirmed, and asked "I know them too. Perhaps I could teach you them later?" "It's a deal!" Harrigan answered "As you were saying?" "Oh, yes" she remembered "The next time I saw you was with that – grrrr..." and let off several very nasty swearwords in Scarran "- that frelnik Nebari customs officer. Seeing you two close like that almost caused me to break my cover!" she exclaimed, laughing softly to herself. "Several times I want to draw my swords" she pointed to the twin shortswords she still wore "and chop her into bite-sized chunks, it made me so jealous". Even now, her hands hand clenched into fists just remembering. She forcibly unclenched them and went on. "Booking passage on the same ship was actually a complete coincidence. I'd lost track of you. I was relieved when the captain said he'd taken on another passenger on the way up, and described you"

"That gets us up to the present" Talannah concluded. This really isn't going to be easy, she thought. It could so easily go either way from here; he could just throw me to the trackers, or pull me in close. She liked that idea a lot. After taking another long swallow of her drink, she went on again "You can stop the decrypt. I'll tell you everything. I called my superiors in the Intelligence Directorate for further orders. It turned out to be a really bad frelling move indeed. Apparently, there had been a power struggle while I was gone. The faction of High Command favouring rule by conquest had prevailed over ours, which was part of a loose alliance favouring rule by diplomacy and treaties. Reading between the lines, I deduced the following". She shook a little, the prospect of what was in store if the retrieval unit found her coming back. Harrigan saw the change in expression, and squeezed her shoulder slightly. Talannah leaned into it slightly, then sat up straight and finished her speech. "One : My superiors have been executed. Two : Since they're sending a retrieval unit after me, I'll be next. The rest of the squad currently on-planet back there are from the conquest faction, they'll fit right in with the new leaders. My whole sub-directorate has been liquidated, except me"

Harrigan pondered her words. Why, oh why, he sighed, do I always end up stepping into the middle of bad situations like this? Why can't I, just once, have an uneventful tour of duty? Just part of life in spec-ops I suppose. "A purge" he stated flatly. "While I don't have much experience with Scarran politics, this has happened several times on my home planet in relatively recent history. A revolution happens. Many of the old guard are then considered 'politically unreliable', or of 'questionable discretion', or any of a million similar things, by the new government. They're just grabbed, maybe interrogated, then their bodies are stuffed in a hole where they'll never be found"

"Exactly" replied Talannah "The hook this time is 'loyalty assessment'. Translation : We'll see if you think the way we like, and if you don't we'll feed you through a mincing machine". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "'Loyalty assessment'?" asked Harrigan. Talannah nodded. "That's a good one. Sounds like third-degree interrogation and torture, with extra-tight thumbscrews and an iron maiden thrown in for free, followed by burial in the roadside ditch of your choice". Talannah hadn't actually heard of an iron maiden, and after Harrigan described it to her, still wished she hadn't. "Pretty much right" she confirmed, gloomily. "Those retrieval units aren't nice. I went on one excursion, before I was assigned here. They don't care how many casualties they cause, as long as the job gets done. Frelling sickening. Sometimes nasty stuff does happen in my line of work, yours too" Harrigan nodded "But we don't do it for sick pleasure; it's done quick, neatly, and any necessary killing's done with speed and as much mercy as we can without compromising the mission. Those retrieval units the conquest faction have are two steps off the worst criminal scum ever produced by any species anywhere. Two steps FURTHER DOWN!" she cried.

Harrigan just couldn't stand seeing her break down like that. His own heart breaking with hers, he scooped her up in his arms, holding her tightly. She threw her arms round him in return and held on equally tightly, letting out her fear and anguish in tears all over Harrigan's shoulders. "Hey, Tal" he crooned softly "You're with me now. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe; everything I can, with every breath in my huge, ugly bod". She laughed a little at that, burrowing more tightly into his arms. My own past's somewhat chequered too, he knew. Surely I can trust her with that, especially now? "I've got a few things you need to know about me, too..." and told her the whole story of his recent life. Half an arn later, he caught up to just before the mission. "I'd just had a really bad break-up back then. Entirely my own fault. I got so depressed I went to a local bar and got seriously drunk. A few hundred microts later, four off-duty marines came in. I charged straight in and took out my frustrations beating them to a pulp. All four. I was half way to killing one when the MP's showed up and dragged me away. My Captain eventually got me out of jail, volunteered me for this mission, and here I am" he finished. "Well now you know just what kind of nutcase you're with. What do you think?".

Talannah responded by squeezing him again. "I don't care" she replied happily "All that matters now is that you are mine, I am yours, and nothing comes between us". When Talannah looked up at him with such an inviting smile on her face, he just couldn't resist any longer, and leant down and kissed her. She responded so eagerly that they were half way to undressing each other in the corridor, when the captain finally turned up.

"Well, something's been resolved, I see" he chuckled. Harrigan spun round, pushing Talannah behind him, pulling her Viper off the table inside the door, flicking the selector to 'auto', and aiming at the captain all in one go. Once he recovered from the shock of having a large handgun only inches from his face in less than a microt, he stepped back, raising his hands in concilliation. Harrigan lowered the Viper, flicked the selector to 'semi', but didn't put it away.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Indeed it has" replied Harrigan "But not in the way you meant. There's a time and a place for everything, and the right time hasn't arrived". It will, Harrigan thought happily, depend upon it. Then he continued "Talannah has explained the situation to my satisfaction. All we need to do to resolve the whole thing properly is..." he reached down behind the door and lifted up the transmitter "Destroy this and dump the bits."

The first officer attempted to step in front of Harrigan. "What the frell's going on?!" she yelled. He heard a low growl from Talannah, and before she could draw her swords and eviscerate the captain's second in command Harrigan clamped his huge left hand over the first officer's mouth. "All that yelling and screaming isn't good for you, lady" he said "Extended stress like that can really mess you up and make you unfit for duty. Can't have that, can we?" He then gave Talannah her Viper back and turned to the captain. As Talannah put her Viper back in its holster, Harrigan spoke to the captain. "Seriously, it's better if you don't know the details. But to avoid danger to you, your ship, and your crew we really need to dump this fast" Harrigan stressed, lifting up the transmitter. "Do you think I can let go now?" he questioned the captain. "I expect so" replied the captain sourly. When he did, the first officer backed off, muttering under her breath, and ran back to her quarters. "There's a waste disposal chute one tier down" he finished. Harrigan squeezed, crushing the transmitter into tiny pieces. After dumping the pieces in the chute, they had Sheral flush the chute clean.

The captain looked at Harrigan as if about to probe him for answers, but one look at his face showed just how unlikely that would be. "We're about to arrive insystem at the drop point" he explained to his two passengers "We'll part company shortly – the commercial side of the station here is on the opposite side that you'll need. When we're far enough in, your ship will unhook and flit off to the planetary transit section. That's as high- traffic as it gets – there should be a transport captain ready to help you out". For a fat fee, they all knew.

"Come on, Talannah" Harrigan urged "We'd better get all your gear stowed on my ship. Don't want to get half way there and realise we've left your boots behind, do we?". The couple walked off to her quarters, and what should have taken a quarter-arn at most took slightly over half an arn as Talannah kept stroking and teasing Harrigan whenever they crossed paths loading her gear on board the Harbringer, and it took several minutes each time before they forced themselves to calm down.

"Now that you two love birds have finished" the captain laughed "I suggest you adjourn to your ship. We have reached the separation point". As the captain turned to address the first mate, Harrigan scooped Talannah up in his arms and ran up two flights of stairs, howls of Scarran laughter coming from Talannah as they bounced up and down on each step. The first mate shook his head in wonder at the two of them, saying "Just goes to show, Cap, you never can tell. It's a strange old universe". The first officer turned at that, replying "Sure is, first mate. We've got you here on this ship. How much more frelling weird could it get?" and laughed, running down the corridor.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Get back here!" he yelled, and ran after her. The captain didn't bother bringing them back. There was precious little that could be done that hasn't been done already, he knew, twice in some cases. He shook his head slowly and headed for Command.

Harrigan put Talannah back on the floor and punched in the entry code on the cockpit door. It took a little bit of care, but he managed to get through the door with only a couple of minor scrapes. Talannah, of course, waltzed straight in without a scratch. Harrigan strapped himself in and immediately began a short pre-flight check. "Next to me" he told Talannah, who was looking around the small bridge area. "This was an intelligence- gathering vessel before you grabbed it, wasn't it?" she questioned.

Harrigan thought a little, then answered. "Honestly, Tal, I don't know. The crew I got it off were a test-flight crew. This ship's a prototype". Talannah sat down in the proffered seat, which had been Officer Leeuwin's nav console. "This console has controls for electronic warfare, comm- intercepts, and general eavesdropping only present on spycraft. So does that other console over there. Smells like someone puked on it, yuk" Tal finished, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Harrigan thought back to his frequently space-sick corporal, now dead. Smiling to himself, he turned to Talannah. "I'll tell you about that, once we find another lift" he explained. The he pressed two buttons on the overhead console, which resulted in a couple of low clunking noises. "Unclamp...check!" he muttered. Talannah saw a red light go green, then fade out. "Separation check, aye" she responded. The comm crackled to life. "Sheral registers your separation" said the Leviathan's pilot "She is somewhat sad to see you go". "We're sad to go, too" Harrigan replied "But go we must. I couldn't think of a nicer ship to find my love on" he said, looking longingly over at Talannah. She smiled back, gave his shoulder a quick squeeze, and added "She is indeed a fine ship, Pilot. You can all be justifiably proud of her". Then a soft "...Goodbye..." from Sheral came over the link before it cut out.

"Damn, it's good to back at the controls of my own ship again!" Harrigan said happily. Talannah smiled indulgently as Harrigan rocked the Harbringer from side to side, finishing with a barrel roll. When they went straight again, She got on the comm again and called the space station. Before the call connected, she asked "What's this ships name?". "Earth Space Vessel, or ESV, Black Manta" Harrigan responded. The station controller came online "I can't get your visuals" he complained. "If you need to leave your ship, I'll have to send a security team to check you out". "Yeah, the damn long-range comm is slightly damaged. I'll check the tech manuals...". Talannah already had a diagnostic running and read off the part numbers they'd need "Yep, that stuff" Harrigan added after Talannah read out the list over her headset "We'll need that, and the services of a transport stash our ship on until we get to a commerce planet reputed to be at..." Harrigan read off the co-ordinates. The controller came back with "I know the one. Bit of an odd place, but not too bad".

"Oh yes" Harrigan finished "We'll need some better food and drink. This ship's only got emergency rations and water in it now"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "That stuff's for sale in the docking area" responded the controller "I'll get you docked right away. Rations and water" he shuddered "That's an in- flight emergency!"

Harrigan edged the Harbringer in to dock manually. After a couple of close calls, he finally managed to get the Harbringer docked. He had adamantly refused any help from Talannah, saying "If I don't practice now, how will I learn?". When the clamps had locked on, Harrigan asked Talannah "Will we need guns?". Talannah responded "Everyone will be carrying pistols. It's considered a part of the uniform in a place like this. But you'd better leave that big lump back here" she warned, referring to Harrigan's G8C "Port security will be all over us if you're seen with that. Since we're not wearing known military uniforms, we'll be thrown off the station or shot". At Harrigan's despondent look, she added "But I've got a spare Viper if you want it?". When his brow crinkled in confusion, she patted her shoulder rig. "Sure, why not?" he replied "This FiveSeven is a bit weak out here, I've noticed. I'll stash it in the crates with my other stuff".

Talannah followed him back down to the cargo room where his crates were. "You came well prepared" she stated, arching her brows, when she saw the crates "What's in them?" "Weapons" Harrigan responded "A few guns, some explosives, grenades. A couple of rather dubious barrels. One box I still haven't checked yet, and a whole bunch of stuff to use for money" Talannah had pried off the lid of one of the boxes and was almost shocked at the wealth revealed. "There's almost 100,000 krepna worth of gold just in that box!" she exclaimed. "How many of these others have stuff like that in?". Harrigan put the lid back on, and explained "Probably half of them. Understand, the few of us that planned this mission didn't know how long I'd be away. Not even half of us reckoned there'd be life out here" he added. Then he smiled at Talannah "Let alone such beautiful life as you, Tal." She playfully punched him on the shoulder, adding "Just get on with it!". "Yes dear" Harrigan replied, laughing. Then he went on with "But my Captain, and his General, believed in planning for strange contingencies. So I managed to get my grubby little hands on the black-ops budget. If the next part of the plan goes off, the General will probably ream me a new asshole over how much money I took".

Talannah looked over Harrigan's altered body. "Unless he takes one look at you and scares himself to death!" she snickered. "Not Captain Lazarus!" Harrigan replied stoutly "He'll be surprised, but pleased to see me, I think. It might take General Franklin a bit longer to calm down, but he'll be OK with it too. Eventually". As for DK and the other civilians, Harrigan pondered, who knows? Talannah walked over to her much smaller pile of possessions and retrieved a Viper and shoulder holster. It adapted to Harrigan's giant body a lot easier, as it was designed for male Scarrans in armour. He stuffed half a dozen magazines in the pouches under his right arm, grabbed a couple of pouches of gemstones for their purchases, and followed Talannah to the docking tube.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- When they had reached the other end of the tube, they found the controller and a few armed men that had 'Police' sewn into their jackets in several languages waiting for them. One swung a slim wand over them, watching its display intently. "Clean" he reported. Hah! thought Talannah. If I'd been carrying any of the more advanced gear with me, I could still waltz through here unhindered; and managed to take over the station before they realised what went wrong! Next they went through a fairly conventional metal detector. It beeped on registering the two Vipers, but otherwise nothing.

"Very well" muttered the controller. "While sidearms are permitted in the station, be aware that you will be watched by the station police" he waved his arm at the policemen with him "while you're here. We like our station relatively peaceful. We also have a suppressor net throughout the station to jam all pulse weapons if thing get too rowdy". Harrigan stepped forward "Perhaps you may be able to help us out a little" he asked the police officer who appeared to be the leader, after the controller and three of the officers walked off. "Yes?" he asked, a little scared. Harrigan was, after all, bigger even than the largest male Scarran. "We need to find a transport captain who can take our ship on the last leg of our journey. Perhaps you could spread the word to any you know?" Harrigan replied, pressing two small stones into his hand where the cameras couldn't see. Then he whispered "There'll be two more if you find what we need" and patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you" the officer replied. Those stones represented three solar months of wages! "There are a couple in the station right now. I'll see what they say". "Very good" Talannah said "Now push off. We've stuff to do". The officer walked off, counting the money he'd be able to save from the two stones that big guy had given him.

Talannah had spotted a Scarran trader over the other side of the plaza. "Come on!" she urged, pulling him towards the shop "There's something you might want there". Harrigan followed, grumbling, as he'd wanted to find a good restaurant. The Scarran looked up as they approached. "Hmm, good to see another Scarran is this backwater of the Uncharteds" she growled, on seeing Talannah. Her eyes went wide when Harrigan came closer "Whoah momma!" she exclaimed "Who's handsome here?". Harrigan blushed a little but didn't say anything. Talannah prodded him. "John Harrigan" Harrigan replied. He thought it safer not to mention his military rank for the moment. "Well, well" she said "And what can I do for you?". The way she waggled her eyebrows at Harrigan left no doubt in his eyes as to what she'd prefer. Talannah noticed as well, but came up with an excellent way of stopping her. "I hoped you might have a sword set for my mate here" she explained tartly "But those on display are too short. Do you have a longer set?"

The trader's eyes drooped on hearing "mate", but she rallied magnificently. "I may do". She hummed and hahed, measuring Harrigan in her mind, then went into the back of her shop. Harrigan was looking around, checking to see if anyone showed undue interest in them. Seeing none, he turned back a couple of hundred microts later just as the trader brought a pair of swords back to the counter. Harrigan looked closely at them. "They look just like yours, Tal, love" he mused. She stood up straighter and a little more proudly at that "Longer though".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Go on" urged the trader "Test them. Feel the weight". Harrigan drew both swords out of their scabbards. He swung both slowly from side to side. "Nice, very nice" he said approvingly. Hmm, I wonder... he thought. Then he twirled them both round in figure-eights, faster and faster. When he was going so fast that the swords were barely a blur, he had accumulated a small crowd of amazed onlookers. He slowed down the spinning, eventually stopping. After a short burst of applause from the crowd, he turned back "Just perfect. How much?".

The bargaining went hard. A quarter-arn later, she finally said "Done". "A little lower than I'd prefer" she grumbled "But your lady here was getting very irate, and I didn't want to get in a Deadhead's bad books". Talannah's head snapped round, and even Harrigan's hand rested on his Viper. "You'd better tell us how you knew" Talannah purred dangerously "Quickly!". The trader shrugged. "It's the way you walk, the equipment you carry, and your general manner" she explained pragmatically "I may be getting a little old, but I'm not stupid. I've seen Deadheads before". Harrigan stepped in "We aren't with them now. We're just us. Nothing else" he said firmly.

The trader nodded. "I've heard of the purges myself" she revealed "Those Scarran Captains who come through here think I don't listen. The knives are definitely out in High Command, which isn't good for anybody. Definitely not good for business". Harrigan had to nod at that. He strapped the scabbards on, and Talannah fine-tuned the fit. The Scarran trader looked on approvingly "He looks like a proper War Commander now, dear" she told Talannah. Talannah had to admit that he did. With the swords over his shoulders and the Viper under his armpit, he looked like a figure out of the old Scarran legends. The trader brought up her fist over her heart, then straightened her arm, in the old Scarran battle salute. Harrigan did the same in response, finishing off with a short bow. The trader looked back, stunned "It is good to see that someone still remembers the old ways". She smiled, and added "And has some measure of politeness as well". Harrigan bent down and gave the woman a short kiss. What he didn't expect was her arms reaching round his neck and holding him close, while her tongue slipped inside his mouth.

After several microts, she let go. This was just as well, as Talannah's swords were half-out of their scabbards already in jealousy. Harrigan caught his breath, then went to calm Talannah down. "Hey, don't worry, dear" he soothed, as Talannah's ranting and raving threatened to overwhelm him "I'm always going to be yours. Always. I didn't expect that either!" he finished sheepishly. Then he added, softly, so only she could hear "I'm yours for ever, my love, my true Scarran delight". She threw her arms around him and held on tight, almost crying into his shoulder. "Hey, Tal!" he exclaimed "Ease off! You'll choke me!". She loosened her grasp, bringing one arm down. As they walked off towards the ship suppliers, Harrigan idly stroked the skin over her chin and left cheek. Talannah smiled even more, relaxing into his shoulder.

By the time they reached an avionics dealer, she was her usual self again. Harrigan handed him the list they'd drawn up earlier. The dealer sent for his apprentice and showed him the list. The apprentice mulled that over for a few microts, then held up one finger.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- The dealer turned back to Harrigan. "You're in luck" he stated "We actually have one of what you require". He pointed to the item in question on the list "Don't ask me how that apprentice of mine managed to get it, as it's on the Peacekeeper restricted list and the less I know the better, but we've got it". "What about the rest?" Talannah asked. "Just off-the-shelf stuff, if very high-end. Not a problem. Got a hot ship, have you?" enquired the dealer. "Really hot" replied Harrigan "You don't know the half of it". The dealer whistled in surprise "I've seen some fine ships pass through, yours must be really exceptional. Fly safe". "We have to get some better food for our galley" Harrigan added to the dealer "We're down to a year's supply of P-Rations. Know anyone who can help us?" after the fee had been paid. That had taken a fair chunk of their remaining money supply after they'd bought the swords. Talannah resolved to be a little more careful.

The dealer almost brought up his lunch all over the counter at that. "P- Rations!" he spluttered "Frelling revolting things!" P- or Peacekeeper rations, commonly known as MRSC's (Meals Rejected by Starving Charrids), may well have been nutritious, but had a universal reputation for having a taste going from dull all the way to foul. He stuck his head out and yelled "Hey, Karston!" to the Sebacean over the plaza at a culinary supply shop. "Yeah?" that person replied. "These guys are down to P's! Give 'em a good price on some new stuff for me, will ya?!" "Oh, no!" Karston lamented, then yelled over at Harrigan and Talannah "Over here!"

They ran over to the Sebacean. "You're really in a bad way if you're down to P's!" she said once they were closer "Come on in!" Once they went inside, the hustle and bustle of the concourse almost disappeared, only Harrigan's altered ears letting him catch anything at all. "What galley facilities does you ship have?" she asked, proffering a list. Harrigan worked down the list, eventually finding the grade that applied to the Harbringer. "This one" he pointed out. "Hmm, patrol deluxe. Not perfect, but not too bad either. For how many people, of what races?" she asked. "Two" replied Talannah "Us. For one cycle". She consulted her datapad, punching in a few calculations. "Tricky. Since the walking mountain here" she said, pointing at Harrigan "probably eats twice the usual amount, it'll come to this much" she finished, showing them the datapad. Talannah almost blew her top. "Hey, that's as low as I can go" she explained "That avionics dealer's a mate of mine, so I gave you a bit of a discount". Harrigan rested his hand on Talannah's shoulder, calming her down. "You remember where my loadout bag is?" he asked. Talannah nodded. "The upper pocket has some more in it. Grab three bags and get back here. I'll be waiting". Talannah gave him a quick kiss, and bolted for the dock at top speed.

Once she'd gone, Karston said "It's unusual to see a mixed Scarran couple". Harrigan smiled, and added "Maybe so. But I'm the luckiest man alive to have found her. Anyone who objects can get frelled. If anyone does so in front of Talannah, she'll probably cut off his mivonks and hurl them out the window".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Just then, Talannah turned up, with the three bags of gems requested, plus a little out of breath. "What's up?" he asked her. "Just some useless Sebacean first mate who thought he was he was the best lover in the entire Uncharted Territories" she growled "Whatever the truth was, he won't be doing anything like that for at least another weeken" she finished with more than a little nasty satisfaction. The dealer cringed at that. "Oooh, nasty!" she replied. "Here's your money. It should be enough" finished Harrigan, upending the few gems they had remaining from before, plus one more bag.

"Just fine" Karston decided, pushing three back. Harrigan collected these and returned them with the others to his pocket. "Your purchases will be delivered to your ship in less than a quarter-arn. Just send the cart back to the port when you're done". "Why don't I introduce you to a few Scarran delicacies before we move on?" invited Talannah. "Great idea!" replied Harrigan enthusiastically "I was just ready to look for a good restaurant. I'm hungry again".

They were just waiting for the first course when the policeman from the dock turned up at their table. "Yes?" Harrigan asked. "You asked me to find a transport captain for you" he replied. "So we did" Harrigan said. "Well I've found one for you" he added "The crew's a little odd, and the ship's weird too, but they'll take you. They want to meet you at the Crew Rest, to negotiate a fee." "Where's that?" queried Talannah. "Over near the commercial section" he said, pointing in the relevant direction. "We'll finish this course and go and meet them, then" decided Harrigan. The policeman rushed to tell them that their prospective passengers were on their way.

Over in the Crew Rest, the policeman had just passed the news on. "Very well" the Sebacean female at the table said. "We'll be waiting". The policeman left for his post, before his absence was officially noticed. "What the yotz is this all about?!" growled a Hynerian on a floating chair next to her "Taking passengers? What are we, a luxury liner? I hope they pay well". "We'll question them carefully" said a Luxan on the other side of the table "See what they're like. I don't much like taking passengers right now, but we are short on funds. This will tide us over for a while, and they want to go the same way as us, anyway". "Hmmph!" grunted the Hynerian petulantly. "Chiana had better not get sidetracked getting our food resupplied. That cost us two solar days the last time that happened. The local police reckoned she was picking pockets. We were lucky to get out before they caught up with us". Just then Talannah and Harrigan walked in. The Scarran was unremarkable, if a little on the tall side for a female; but her comrade was huge. They had a quick word with the barman, picked up a couple of glasses of raslak, and came over to their table.

"We hear that you'll take us on board to our next stopover" asked Harrigan. "That is indeed true" replied the Sebacean "That policeman mentioned you had a small ship as well?" "Yes" replied Harrigan "All fuelled up. We're ready when you are". "Wait up!" interrupted the Hynerian "We haven't finalised the fee yet". "Who's the slug in the chair?" asked Harrigan. "I am not a slug!" the Hynerian growled "I am a Dominar! Dominar Rygel the 16th of Hyneria, at your service" he finished. "OK, a royal slug" added Talannah "who do we negotiate with for the fee?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- "Well, I never!" he harrumphed, floating off to the bar for another round. Once the drinks were procured, negotiations went much more smoothly. Whatever the Hynerian's manners were like, he was a first-class negotiator, and Talannah had a hard time keeping the price down. Finally, a price was agreed upon. Harrigan handed over all their remaining three bags of gems. Talannah whispered "I was lucky keeping him down that far! That fat Hynerian slug is as tight as a bankrupt Sheyang!". After the Hynerian had examined them, he said "A pleasure doing business with you!". The Sebacean grabbed the gems before he could stash them in the chair out of their reach, and put them in a pocket of her trenchcoat. "We leave in a quarter- arn" she told Harrigan. Then she turned to her crewmates "I'll pay the tab, then we'll head off to the transport pod".

"They do seem an odd lot" remarked Harrigan. "Doesn't matter, as long as they hold up their end of the bargain" Talannah answered "That Sebacean looked a bit cagey, she may suspect something. She carries herself like a Peacekeeper". "The food supplies will be at the ship by now" Harrigan said "We'd better get them stashed fast". They ran back to the dock. Sure enough, the supplies were there, as promised. They dragged the trolley up the tube and slung the boxes into every spare nook and cranny in the galley and cargo hold. Talannah rolled the trolley back down the tube, then closed and sealed the door. "Let's go" she said. She then put in a call to the Leviathan, advising them of their arrival. A female Interon answered, and said that they were expected.

Harrigan followed the transmission in. "Look!" he said happily "Another Leviathan!". Talannah sighed. "I don't know what you like about them. They're just transport ships that happen to be alive. It's a bit annoying if you get one with a troublesome pilot, I know that". Harrigan eased the Harbringer over to the dorsal forward service hatch as he had done on Sheral. A comm call came through from the ship's pilot. "Why are you not entering the shuttle bay?" he asked "We can't starburst with you hanging on like that!" Harrigan replied with "Don't worry! You'll be able to starburst perfectly well. The Leviathan we came in on didn't have a problem with us, and neither will you, depend upon it". Harrigan slowly lowered the Harbringer to the Leviathan's hull and clamped on. "Seal made and locked" stated the computer. "Tal, dear" asked Harrigan "Before we go on board, fix up that comm gear. We'll need that sometime soon, I'm sure". Half an arn later, she ran a self-test. All lights showed green. "Right" decided Harrigan "We've got our swords and Vipers, that should do. Let's go".

They went aft to the droproom. Harrigan opened their hatch and banged on the Leviathan's counterpart, which opened. "We thought you'd got lost!" came the Hynerian's voice from below. "Shut it, sluggo!" came the reply, from the same Interon that took our comm call earlier, thought Harrigan. "Permission to board?" asked Harrigan. "Come on" prompted the Sebacean, just out of visual range. Harrigan struggled and cursed again as he squeezed through the hatch, followed by Talannah. "We'll head up to Command so you can meet the others"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Only a few hundred microts later, the emerged into the slightly familiar sight of a Leviathan's Command deck. Harrigan looked around picking up those things familiar to him; manual controls, nav, comms... then he turned to look at the crew before him. A very mixed bunch, he thought, of several different races; but that doesn't really matter, does it? After all, here am I, completely inseparable from a Scarran!

"Welcome to the Leviathan 'Moya'" introduced the Sebacean "I am Aeryn Sun. The Hynerian you already know..." "His Royal Slugness..." muttered Harrigan. "...but the others you do not. Chiana". The Nebari said "Hello!" gaily, "Jool" added the Sebacean. A quick wave. "Sikozu" A nod. Harrigan felt a strange distrust of this one, and sensed it from Talannah too. "Noranti" The old lady grinned and waved "Our doctor and part-time cook". "Ah, good!" Harrigan grinned "It's always good to know who the doctor is". "And the Luxan is Ka'Dargo" A short "Hello". Aeryn finished, looking around the Command. "Where the frell IS he?!" she asked Jool. "Maintenance" she replied "He's on his way up". The pilot came on the clamshell "He's almost there, Aeryn".

The last member of the crew bounded through the door. "What did I miss?" a familiar face asked. "And this is..." Aeryn started, but Harrigan cut her off with "Commander Crichton? Yes, I know. Lieutenant Harrigan reporting, sir"

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